Captain MacDermott and Commander Kern materialized at the coordinates specified in the transmission. They were immediately searched by two very serious looking guards. Duncan looked overhead to see two more guards covering the area with phaser rifles. They were led by the two guards to another area for a blood screening. After that was complete, it was into another area where their backgrounds were checked, rechecked, and verified. Lastly, they entered a room where they were asked to provide a retina scan. Finally after nearly an hour, Duncan and Kern were allowed to enter the facility.
Once they were alone, even though both felt they were being watched and listened to, Kern said, "What the hell was that all about?"
Duncan said. "I don't know. I don't like the way this is going. I thought I had seen all of Starfleet Headquarters. I've never been here before."
The two of them turned a corner and MacDermott saw a familiar face. Duncan called out, "Captain Gorman?"
Gorman turned to see who was calling his name. He smiled when he recognized MacDermott and his First Officer Thomas Kern. Gorman approached him and they exchanged hand shakes. "Well I'll be." Gorman said. "You just pop in and out whenever you feel like it, eh? Think you own the place or something?" The two Captains laughed.
"Hardly" Duncan answered. He then looked at the door way. "What the hell is this place? I didn't even know it existed. It took us over an hour just to get through security."
Lapel spoke up before Gorman could answer. "I know how you feel Captain. Believe me, not too many people want to know this place exists. That I assure you. Think of it as a smaller version of the American "Pentagon," where every secret has a secret."
MacDermott arched his eye brow as the four of them entered the room. The room was oval shaped. The entire ceiling and the floor had one huge 'United Federation of Planets' symbol painted on it. In the center of the room there was a table with a speaking podium. MacDermott and Kern glanced around at the craftsmanship of the room. They hadn't seen anything like it before. "Someone went through a lot of trouble to design this place." MacDermott thought to himself.
MacDermott recognized Admiral Logan who was standing at the podium with two officers he didn't recognize. Both of them were wearing solid black Special Ops uniforms. The man to the right of the Admiral had Captain's pips on his collar. All four of them came in and took their seats. The Admiral started speaking almost immediately.
"Gentlemen. First of all let me introduce to you Captain David Sands and his first officer Matthew Schneider of the USS Apocalypse." Neither Sands nor Schneider even looked up as their names were said. "I'll remind you that this briefing is classified." The admiral looked across the table to MacDermott and Kern. "Captain MacDermott. I'm sure you know how this works by now, but in case you don't I'll remind you. After these proceedings you are to inform no one below your second in command. The rest of your crew is on a need to know basis and will remain as such. I understand that a Starship is run a little differently than a special Ops convoy but this of the utmost urgency."
MacDermott didn't liked to be talked down to, even by an admiral. Duncan noticed the small smiled on Gorman's face, knowing Gorman could read his mind. "With all do respect Admiral" MacDermott said. "How can I run my ship if I can't inform my crew."
"Where you're going Captain. You're crew will figure it out on their own."
"And just where might that be, Sir?" Duncan said a with a little more of an insubordinate tone than he really had intended.
The Admiral paused, "You're going to pick a fight with the Romulans."
MacDermott was so shocked by what he had heard he couldn't speak. Looking over at Kern, he could see his first officer felt the same. Kern simply sat there and slowly closed his jaw. Everyone in the room watched as Admiral Logan pushed a button on the podium and a large monitor came down from the ceiling directly behind them.
The Admiral began. "Roughly two weeks ago we received a signal from a classified Starbase along the neutral zone. The signal simply stated that an unknown vessel had just decloaked and was scanning the station. It was the last transmission the station ever sent. Several days later the USS Columbia picked up a long range class IX probe that appeared to have been sent from the station. The probe had the following data on it." Admiral Logan touched another button and the lights dimmed. The screen showed a small but well detailed picture of a ship Duncan nor anyone else had ever had seen before. The ship resembled a Klingon Bird of Prey. The visual log showed the ship firing several disrupter blasts and the screen went blank. The Admirals began speaking again. "Judging by the color of the ship and the markings here and here," he said pointing to two enhanced areas of the picture, "we were able to determine that this is a Romulan vessel." The Admiral paused. "And there is something else. We have identified these markings as those belonging to the Tal Shiar." That remark brought everything in the room to a standstill. No one in the room moved. They were frozen either by fear or by shock. Duncan thought to himself, this mission is going to be a bloody one. "For further information I am turning this briefing over to Lieutenant Mirek of the USS Shadow Horseman."
Duncan noticed the look of surprise on Gorman's face. Mirek entered the room from a doorway so well concealed that no one in the room knew it was there. He approached the podium as the Admiral stepped down. Mirek immediately began to speak. "We believe this ship to be a counter measure to the Defiant class ship. As you can tell by the outward warp pylons the ship resembles that of a Klingon Bird of Prey. The long extended nose allows for better maneuverability. The problem is gentlemen, judging by the design we believe that this ship has the fire power to outclass and outfly the Defiant itself."
"My God." Lapel said. "How would you characterize this ship? Do you
consider it to be a first strike weapon or simply a defensive measure?"
Mirek thought about it for a moment. "That is a possibility, however,
it is even more likely the Romulans just developed the ship in response to Dominion activity. Much like we did with the Defiant."
"So why exactly are we here?" Captain Sands asked.
Mirek shifted a little. He was obviously uncomfortable with what he was about to say. "On board the probe was an outline of all the information the Romulans downloaded from the station. We believe they may have gained the plans to our interphase cloaking device which was developed for all Prevaricate class ships."
MacDermott still wasn't quite following. "I don't understand what you
mean by our cloaking device."
"That is why this mission is so important. The cloaking technology was
developed without the aid of the Romulans."
Kern jumped to his feet. "You mean the Romulans don't even know we have the damn thing? Are you trying to start a war?" The Executive officer shouted.
"You're out of line, Commander." Admiral Logan shouted from the corner. "Captain MacDermott if you can't control your exec you will both be dismissed. Is that understood, Captain?"
Duncan nodded even though he agreed with his first officer.
Kern stood his ground as he vented his rage. MacDermott reached up and put a hand on Kern's arm gently pulling him down into his chair.
"People," the Admiral continued. "The Romulan empire is falling apart. Our operatives have suggested that the economic structure of the so called great Romulan empire will collapse spreading a very real danger throughout our quadrant. The last thing we need is the Tal Shiar getting their hands on the Federation's most guarded secrets. It would just be one more reason for the Tal Shiar to gain a foot hold over the Romulan government. I assure you that is the last thing the Alpha Quadrant or the federation needs right now. Your orders come from the President himself." The Admiral sat back a moment giving himself some time to cool down.
Mirek took the time to intervene. "Your mission perimeters have been spelled out on the PADDs before you. The Shadow Horseman team is to infiltrate the ship and do whatever is necessary to gain back the information before the encryption code can be broken. The Apocalypse team led by Captain Sands here, is there for the sole purpose of gathering as much information on this Romulan vessel as possible. The Missouri," He paused a moment until he was sure MacDermott was paying attention. "The Missouri is there for one reason only. To flush out the Romulan vessel."
Gorman asked the question before MacDermott had a chance. "Why the Missouri?"
"I figured someone would ask that. The Missouri is a newly commissioned Katana class ship. The Romulans know virtually nothing about this class of ship. Any member of the Tal Shiar will stop at nothing to gather information on her, perhaps they may even want to test their ship against a real Federation vessel this time."
"I KNEW IT!" Kern said loudly pushing his Padd across the table. "We're just pawns in all of this."
"That's right." The Admiral started flatly. "But given the situation I don't see how you have a choice. Besides our Prevaricate class ships need a ride and as I remember the Missouri is the best ship for the job and Captain MacDermott is the best man for the job."
"I assume that is suppose to be a compliment," MacDermott said sarcastically. MacDermott thought a moment about the situation. The sad thing was he had no other choice, and in fact, the Missouri was the best ship and he was the best man for the job. Duncan had a feeling Gorman had recommended him for this job. Gorman must have read his mind again because he could no longer look MacDermott in the eye.
"When do we leave?" Sands asked.
"You're to dock with the Missouri at oh four hundred hours." The Admiral answered. "From there you'll set a direct course to the location of the classified Starbase which is given to you there. It will take some time to reach the Neutral Zone so I suggest you prepare yourselves. This meeting is adjourned."
Everyone at the table stood as the Admiral left the room. When the
doors had closed, everyone let out a breath of air. "You're right
Commander Lapel." MacDermott stated. "I wish I didn't know this place existed." Kern and MacDermott turned and left the room.
In the hall, MacDermott grabbed Kern's sleeve much as he did in the conference room. Kern turned and gave MacDermott a look that said. Well, somebody had to say something.
MacDermott knew the look well. "Tom, I know what you're going to say. I agree with you. You are going to have to learn to control yourself though. Especially in front of an Admiral. I'll let you get away with it, if you have a good case." He thought for a moment. "Not that you didn't have a good case in there. It just wasn't the right time. If you ever want your own command, you can't go yelling at every admiral that crosses your path."
Kern looked at MacDermott and realized he was right. "You're right, Sir."
"Let's get back to the ship. I want to make sure everything is ready when the Shadow Horseman and the Apocalypse dock," MacDermott said as he made his way back up the hall with Kern falling into step with him. The two officers were searched again as they left the facility. Once outside, MacDermott tapped his combadge. "MacDermott to Missouri. Two to beam up." Kern took his place next to MacDermott as the transporter disassembled them and took them to the Missouri.
MacDermott and Kern walked onto the bridge of the Missouri. Duncan took the center seat with Kern to his right and Commander Costello to his left. Duncan felt better being in more familiar surroundings. Kelley was at the helm. T'Gerran, who during the mission to Tarax Prime, showed he was even a more formitable warrior than he'd ever let on was at tactical. Melora was at the door to the turbolift. As he scanned around the bridge his eyes met hers. He was greeted with a smile. Duncan returned it as he pressed a button on the arm of his chair. "This is the Captain. Senior staff to the observation lounge in five minutes." With that announcement the three of them rose as well as T'Gerran and moved toward the rear of the bridge and into the observation lounge where Melora already had the door open. She followed the group into the room. Three minutes later, Doctor Meyer and Connor O'Roarke entered the lounge. Everyone took their seats around the table. Duncan looked over his shoulder from the head of the table. "Melora, take a seat. This affects everyone on the ship." Duncan had everyone's undivided attention saying that. "I am about to violate a direct order from Starfleet command. If anyone has an objection I will note it in my log."
No one objected.
Duncan continued. "This information does not leave this room. Commander Kern and I have just returned from a meeting at Starfleet Headquarters. There we were assigned a mission to escort two Prevaricate ships to a secret location near the Romulan neutral zone. It seems Starfleet has secretly been developing cloaking technology independent of the cloak that we used recently from the USS Defiant. This is a direct violation of the Treaty of Algeron. The Prevaricate class ships use this new cloak. The Romulans, more specifically the Tal Shiar, in a new type of ship, have violated Federation space, attacked the station and made off with Federation secrets." Duncan continued with disdain. "The Missouri's role in this mission is to be a decoy for the Romulans." Everyone shifted nervously in their seat. "Starfleet thinks a Katana class starship will be too tasty a morsel for the Tal Shiar to pass up. My orders were not to share this information with anyone else but Mister Kern. I am not going to send this ship into a potentially deadly situation unless my senior staff know all the facts. That way at least we're on the same page. Questions, comments?"
"I'm sorry, Captain. I was wondering what a Prevaricate class vessel is?" Costello asked.
"I apologize, Commander. You weren't aboard the original Missouri. The Prevaricate class is used by Special Ops teams. It's a small, but very powerful ship. You've heard of the Battle of Bajor VIII?" He asked.
"I've heard the Missouri, the original Missouri," she corrected herself, "took a Jem'Hadar torpedo point blank to save another vessel."
"The other vessel was a Prevaricate. The USS Shadow Horseman to be exact. Their very existence is classified as is the existence of the whole Special Ops program." Duncan finished.
"We're going to rendezvous with two Prevaricates, The Shadow Horseman and the Apocalypse." Duncan continued. "We'll piggyback them to the Neutral Zone. The Shadow Horseman will infiltrate the ship, and the Apocalypse will attempt to gather information on this new Romulan design."
"If the Romulans have the information it's too late isn't it?" Doctor Meyer asked.
"Not necessarily, Doctor. With all hope the Romulans have not broken the encryption code yet. They don't know they've got the Federation over a barrel yet. Doctor, if this new Romulan ship is as powerful as Starfleet believes it is, it's going to get bloody. We leave orbit in sixteen hours, any extra supplies you need, get them now."
The Doctor nodded.
"Any other questions?" Duncan asked.
T'Gerran spoke up. "Are we going to try to capture the Romulan ship, Captain?"
"That was not in the plan." Duncan said. "If the opportunity presents itself however, I'm sure the Special Ops teams would love to take her home as a trophy."
"Understood Sir." The Klingon said.
"Very well. We all know our jobs. Let's do it." Everyone rose from their seats as the Captain finished his statement.
As MacDermott was leaving the room, Kern said. "Captain, a moment of your time?"
Duncan turned to face his XO. "What is it, XO?" The Captain was in a hurry.
"Since we're not leaving for sixteen hours, with your permission, I would like to beam down and visit my wife." Kern asked cautiously.
Duncan smiled. "I was wondering when you were going to ask me for permission to beam down," Duncan told him as they walked onto the bridge. Duncan clamped his hand on his shoulder. "Permission granted. Give Anya my best."
"Thank you Captain. I will." Kern said as he got in the turbolift.
Before the doors closed, Duncan told him. "I need you back here by twenty four hundred, understood!"
"Aye Aye, Sir." Tom said as the doors closed.
Kern stopped by his quarters and changed into civilian clothes. He wore a pair of beat up blue jeans and an Academy T-shirt. In the transporter room he gave the technician coordinates for his house, but asked to beam down about half a mile from there. He wanted to stop by a small store down the street from his home to pick up a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine. A nice Chardonney would be nice. "Energize." He told the chief.
Kern materialized on Earth two doors down from the shop he wanted. Five minutes later he emerged with a bottle of wine and a bouquet of yellow roses. Tom walked quickly to his house, which was small compared to some on the street, but large enough for a couple in love, just getting started. There was a pool in the back, not that Tom got all that much time to use it. Before he got married, he had someone who would come over once a week and check on the place. He pressed the code for the door lock and tiptoed quietly inside. Anya turned the corner and ran directly into Tom. She was wearing a small bathing suit. Her hair was wet and her skin damp.
"TOM?!?!? What are you doing here? God you scared me. I wasn't expecting you," she said glancing over her shoulder.
He pulled his wife to him and kissed her. "I just wanted to surprise you. Here," he handed her the flowers and the wine. "These are for you. I have to be back on the ship by 24:00, but the Captain let me off for a few hours. God, I've missed you." He kissed her again.
"I've missed you too Tom," she said as their lips parted. " Come on. Let's go in the living room." She stepped in front of him.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. Nuzzling her neck. "That's not really what I had in mind," he whispered into her ear, pulling her toward the bedroom.
"Tom!" She said loudly breaking out of his grip. "You just got here. Let's talk for a while." Her tone softened. "There is plenty of time. I want to hear about where you've been and what you're going to do next." She took his hand and led him toward the couch. She sat down and patted the seat next to her. Kern sat back on the couch and she snuggled into his arms. "Where are you off to?"
"I'm sorry sweetheart, it's classified. I can't tell you." He said standing up and walking across the living room. "I'm going to get a glass of wine. Do you want some?" Kern asked.
"That would be nice." She smiled her eyes shifting to the hallway.
Kern walked into the kitchen. In the drawer was the cork remover. As he twisted the curly piece of metal into the cork, Kern noticed there were two glasses at the table beside two unfinished plates of food. Kern looked around the room. He saw nothing out of place. Tom walked out of the kitchen. Anya was still sitting on the couch. "I'm going to get changed and take a swim." He said as he walked down the hall toward the bedroom. His mind was racing and his pulse pounded.
"TOM!!" Anya called after him. If Kern heard her he didn't pay any attention. He was on a quest. He entered the bedroom. The bed was unmade. Kern dropped to the floor and looked under the bed. Nothing. Tom looked in the bathroom that was off the bedroom. Empty. Anya came into the room. "What are you looking for?"
He just looked at her and shook his head. The anger and the hurt was obvious. "Not what, who. Where is he?"
"Who?!?!" She asked playing innocent.
"Whoever has been sharing my bed with you while I'm gone." He told her as he looked at the big mirrored closet doors.
"Wait, Tom." She said to him.
"What?" He turned to her.
"Let me explain," she started.
He cut her off. "Save it for someone else." Kern turned back toward the closet.
"Tom." She said softly. "I..."
"I have to know." He said as he spun and put his foot through the closet door. The mirrored glass reflected a thousand different images of the sunset coming through the doors leading out onto the terrace. Kern reached through the broken door, and rifled through the clothes in the closet until his hands felt something warm. He pulled on what he found. Kern threw him onto across the room. "Who the hell are you?"
The other man slumped against the dresser. "Sheerin, David Sheerin."
"Get up." Kern advanced toward the man. Anya stepped between them. "Get out of my way, Anya." Tom moved around her and continued toward him. Tom was beyond reasoning right now. "I'm off fighting a war. You're here, stealing a man's wife. What sort of coward are you?"
That sparked something in Sheerin. He lunged at Kern and wrapped his arms around him. Sheerin threw Kern against the other closet door. It shattered. Kern came off the door and hit Sheerin in the face with his fist. Sheerin stumbled back as Kern spun and kicked him in the face. With blood running down his face, Sheerin lunged again. He and Kern went through the wall and landed in the hall. Fists were flailing. The punches were not really doing any damage. The two of them rolled into the living room. The opponents traded blows until both were bloodied. Kern was getting the upper hand, landing blows to the face. He was over Sheerin punching him in the face until he was unconscious. Only then did he hear Anya screaming at him to stop. He stood up and walked past her stepping on the bouquet of roses and out the door of his house for the last time.
"TOM!!!" She yelled after him from the front door. "I'm sorry." She said to no one.
Kern didn't hear her. He just kept walking. It was well past dark by the time he stopped in Golden Gate Park. He sat under a tree that overlooked the Golden Gate Bridge. His lip was swollen. His eye was swollen. Kern walked to the fountain and ripped a piece of material off his uniform and soaked it with water. He held the cloth to his eye. Returning to his tree he sat back down and cried. He loved Anya. Kern thought she loved him. He sat there and mulled it over in his mind. Tom blamed himself, deciding somehow it was all his fault because he was gone all the time. Finally he came to the conclusion that it wasn't his fault. She knew that he was going to be away a lot. She knew, and she had said she understood.
MacDermott looked at the chronometer on his terminal. It was 00:15. "Computer. Location of Commander Kern?"
The computer responded. "Commander Kern is not on board at this time."
"Dammit." He walked out of the ready room and onto the bridge.
"Captain's on the bridge." Kelley said.
Duncan walked up to Commander Costello who was working at the Ops station. "What's our status?"
She smiled with pride. "The ship is 100 percent operational in all respects, Sir."
"Very well, Inform me as soon as Commander Kern reports in."
She looked concerned. "Aye, Sir."
MacDermott turned and walked into the turbolift. "Deck 4." Costello heard as the doors closed.
"Commander." T'Gerran said. "There is a message coming in from Starfleet Security. They are looking for Commander Kern. It appears he was involved in an altercation earlier at his home." The Klingon reported.
"Great. Now what else could go wrong? T'Gerran do a sensor sweep, find Commander Kern." She ordered.
The Klingon touched the LCARS interface and within a moment he reported. "I have located Commander Kern in Golden Gate Park."
"Very good. Kelley you have the bridge. T'Gerran you're with me. We're going down to find out what is going on before Starfleet Security gets their hands on him." She said as she and T'Gerran entered the turbolift. "Transporter room 3." The turbolift began to move.
T'Gerran said. "I have known the Commander for a long time. There has to be a good reason for him to be in trouble."
The two of them entered the empty transporter room. Amanda programmed the proper coordinates and preset the transporter for a five second delay. She engaged the transporter and stepped on the pad. An instant later she and T'Gerran materialized in Golden Gate Park. Ten feet away was Kern still leaning against the tree staring off into space. "Commander....Commander Kern." Amanda said softly. Kern sat there staring straight ahead not hearing them.
MacDermott walked onto the bridge. It was 00:30. Lieutenant Kelley was at his post going over some last minute course computations. "Mr. Kelley. Where are Commander Costello and Commander Leonhart?"
"Ah, Sir. They beamed down to get Commander Kern. Starfleet Security is looking for him." Kelley said.
"What? Why?" MacDermott asked.
"I don't know, Sir." Kelley said
A young female ensign at the tactical console spoke up. "Captain, Commander Costello is calling from the surface."
"Thank you, Ensign. Kelley you still have the bridge. I was never here." Duncan told him as he got on the turbolift. "Transporter room."
"Bridge here. Commander." Kelley said thankful he wasn't going to be on the receiving end of the chewing out that was coming.
"We've found Mr. Kern. Beam us up." The voice said.
Kelley nodded to the ensign.
"They are aboard." The ensign reported.
When the transporter released the three of them the first thing they saw was MacDermott standing behind the transporter console. His eyes narrowed. Very quietly he said. "What the hell happened to him?" He asked, looking at Kern's swollen and bloody face.
"My apologies Captain. We received a message from Starfleet Security. There was an altercation at Kern's home earlier. They were looking for him. I knew we were already behind schedule for the rendezvous. I thought it best to get the Commander back to the ship before security got him or we'd be sitting here for hours." She said, hopeful it was enough.
It wasn't. "Commander. it was bad enough that you beamed off this ship without authorization, you also included Commander Leonhart."
"But Si....." She started.
"No buts, Commander. We are going to be lucky to make the rendezvous now. Get him to sickbay, get him cleaned up and then have him report to me. Is that understood?" MacDermott stormed off. He had felt bad enough about this mission, and the way it was starting out did not help matters. He was angry at his crew for putting the mission at jeopardy and proud of his crew for sticking together all at the same time. In the passageway MacDermott hit his combadge. "MacDermott to bridge." He said tersely.
"Bridge here." Kelley responded.
MacDermott sped his pace as he ordered. "Kelley, we're behind schedule. We need to be at the coordinates I gave you by 0400. I don't care how you do it just get us there. Understood?"
Kelley thought to himself. Two sectors away. Three hours. Almost impossible. ALMOST. He smiled. "Aye. Sir." The helmsman sat down at the console and plotted the course. The Missouri swung out of Earth's orbit and once they were past the moon, Kelley engaged the warp engines. The starship disappeared in a flash of light.
One hour later, MacDermott was in his ready room, waiting. Kern stood outside and with closed eyes. He hoped when he opened them he would be somewhere else, anywhere else. He opened his eyes. He was still there. With a sigh he pressed the button.
"Come."
Kern walked in. MacDermott was behind his desk. The room smelled of tea with honey. Celtic music was playing loudly. Kern stood at attention on the other side of the desk.
"Commander, would you care to explain yourself?" Duncan said without looking up. "Did Amanda tell you that Starfleet Security is looking for you? Right now I am harboring a fugitive. I want some answers, Mister."
Kern swallowed. "Sir." Kern was still at attention as he spoke. "I, when I arrived home, I found another man in my house. Sir."
That got Duncan's attention. "Go on."
"I can only assume that my...um... wife has already tired of me being gone all the time and found comfort elsewhere." Kern said, his eyes lowering toward the floor. "The man was there. We fought. I left. I walked to Golden Gate Park. I needed to think. I apologize for delaying our departure." Kern finally took a breath.
"I'm sorry, but this mission is too important to the Federation for personal issues to jeopardize it. I don't know what to do. I need you, Tom, but I can't let this go unpunished." Duncan's voice became stern and authoritative. "Therefore Commander, I am putting a disciplinary notation in your personal record. Also for the next week, except for duty hours, you are confined to your quarters. Am I understood, Mister?"
"Perfectly, Sir." Kern responded.
Duncan got up from his seat. "Tom, I am sorry. You know you'll have to talk to starfleet security when we get back. I'd do it now, but we're under a communication blackout and I just don't have the time right now."
"Understood Sir." Kern said.
"If you need anything, someone to talk to, anything. Let me know." Duncan said.
Kern looked at him. "Thank you, Captain."
"Very well then, you're dismissed Commander."
Kern turned on his heel and left the ready room.
A few moments later, Duncan emerged from his ready room. "Helm ETA to the rendezvous point?"
"Ninety minutes, Captain, present speed." Kelley responded.
"Very well. You have the bridge. I'll be in my quarters. Notify me ten minutes before we reach the rendezvous point."
Kelley said. "Aye, Sir."
Duncan reached his quarters and walked in quietly. Melora was asleep in the bedroom. Duncan went back to the couch and sat down. He didn't want to wake her. On the couch, he laid his head back and watched the star pass. He dozed off, imagining how he would have reacted in Kern's place. He was woken by the sound of Kelley's voice on the intercom. "Captain. We're approaching the rendezvous. Ten minutes, Sir."
Duncan rubbed his face. "Understood." He quietly rose from the couch and looked in on Melora who was still asleep. Silently, he left for the bridge.
As Duncan emerged from the turbolift Kelley said. "Captain on the bridge. Captain, we are five minutes from the rendezvous point. Sensors show no ships in the vicinity."
"Thank you, Lieutenant." Duncan said.
Captain's log ~ Stardate 51046.3: It has been sixteen hours since we docked with the Shadow Horseman and the Apocalypse. We are proceeding toward the Neutral Zone at Warp six. Captain Gorman and his crew have come aboard and met with members of the crew, some of whom they met before, after the Battle of Bajor VIII. The crew of the Apocalypse has remained aboard their vessel. I have mixed feelings about Captain Sands. I wonder if we can depend on him in a crisis. From the meeting at Starfleet command, it seems he has his own agenda for this mission.
MacDermott and Gorman walked the passageways of the Missouri. It was the first time Gorman had been aboard a Katana class starship.
Although no one had seen the ships docked under cloak to the saucer section of the Missouri, it did not take the crew long to figure out that something was going on when they saw Gorman and MacDermott touring the Missouri together. Most of the crew had been aboard the Missouri during the Battle of Bajor VIII. The looks that Gorman got were obvious. No one blamed Gorman. His presence just brought back the memories. Several hours and several drinks later Gorman and MacDermott were in MacDermott's quarters.
"Another round?" MacDermott had asked as he poured them both another drink without giving Gorman a chance to answer. "Where did you get such great scotch?"
"I have a private stash that goes way back." Gorman said as he smiled. Gorman leaned back on the couch and stared out the window. "It's funny," he said. "No matter how much I look at the same stars over and over again I still find it calms me down."
MacDermott didn't reply. The tension in the air was a fog. This mission was a cloak that enveloped every thought, every action. Duncan wanted to ask Gorman what was going through his mind but thought better of it. "So," MacDermott said as he spread his arms apart. "What do you think of her?" He was of course referring to the ship.
Gorman smiled again. "She's a bute. Certainly a tribute to her Captain,
no less."
"I'll drink to that," MacDermott said as he downed his drink.
Gorman leaned forward, thoughts rolling through his head. "Did you read the entire report?"
MacDermott grunted. "Yeah. Not exactly too thrilling is it? It seems
every time we get together one of us ends up in Space Dock. You're bad luck Mister."
Gorman laughed. "And I should say the same about you. And to think, I didn't think I was going to like you." They laughed together. "Well," Gorman said. "I guess it is about that time. I better get to my ship."
MacDermott tried to hand the bottle back to Gorman. Gorman made a
gesture for him to keep it. MacDermott didn't argue. MacDermott didn't pass up a good bottle of scotch if he could help it. "Good luck Shawn."
"And to you." As the doors opened Gorman nearly ran headlong into Melora who was standing outside the door. "Lieutenant. It's good to see you again." He said with a nod of his head.
"Captain Gorman, it's a pleasure as always." She said. The surprise on her face showed.
Gorman then turned and gave MacDermott a small smile, which MacDermott returned. With that Gorman left the room.
"When did Captain Gorman come aboard?" she asked.
"A few hours ago. They'll be leaving soon. We're just about to the jump off point for this mission." He took her hands in his. "I want to tell you something. I can't tell anyone else." Duncan looked deep into her eyes.
"What is it? You know you can tell me anything." Melora told him, tightly squeezing his hands.
"This mission, I'm scared. I've never been scared like this before." He said quietly bowing his head.
Melora looked into his eyes. "If you weren't concerned for this ship and this crew, I'd be worried. When you're in that chair up there, you're invincible. I have complete faith in you." She put her arms around him. "I love you."
"I love you, too. Thanks for the vote of confidence." Duncan told her smiling.
She dropped her arms. "I'll see you on the bridge, Captain." She said with a wink as she walked out the door.
I wish I was as confident about this mission. He thought to himself. He took a deep breath and said to his empty quarters. "Here we go."
Duncan walked out of his quarters and into the turbolift.
Kern was sitting in the center seat staring straight ahead when Duncan got off the turbolift. "XO, report?"
Kern continued to stare straight ahead.
T'Gerran spoke up. " Ship's status 100% operational."
Duncan frowned at his first officer, then looked at his Klingon tactical officer. "Thank you." He turned back to Kern. "XO, would you join me in my ready room for a moment?" Duncan asked in a tone that told everyone on the bridge the XO was in for trouble.
Kern rose silently and walked toward the ready room. Duncan followed him. The doors to the ready room shut with that familiar sound. When the doors closed, Kern's shoulders relaxed. He started to turn.
"ATTENTION!!!" MacDermott hollered. Kern stiffened. "You will remain at attention until I decide you can move. DO I MAKE MYSELF, CLEAR, MISTER?"
"Yes Sir!"
Duncan was inches off Kern's face. "IF I'D HAVE WANTED A TACTICAL REPORT I WOULD HAVE ASKED FOR ONE, WHEN I ASK MY FIRST OFFICER FOR A REPORT I EXPECT HIM TO ANSWER ME."
Kern stood there and took MacDermott's tirade. The Captain was right. Kern was acting like a child. He knew it. He couldn't get over the fact that Anya was cheating on him. Every time it entered his mind, it dominated his thoughts.
MacDermott looked at Kern. "Commander Kern, I have no choice other than to…"
"Captain to holodeck 2, immediately," came the voice of Ensign Lammert over the comm. system.
"Now what the devil is going on? Mister Kern, we will finish this later. Dismissed." Duncan said as he rushed out of the ready room. As he approached the lift, he said. "Lieutenant, you're with me." Ito fell into step next to him. The lift doors closed on them. "Holodeck 2." Melora didn't say a word. The stress and anger showed on Duncan's face like a mask.
A few moments later MacDermott and Lieutenant Ito approached the
holodeck. "Report Ensign."
"Sir, I was passing by when I heard shouting and fighting coming from
the holodeck. I looked inside and saw a brawl. I didn't know what to do
so I called you down here." Ensign Lammert reported.
"Thank you, Ensign. Carry on." MacDermott said. Ensign Lammert turned and walked down the passageway. MacDermott looked at Ito. "You ready?"
She smiled. "Ready as I'll ever be." They walked through the doors and made their way to the clearing where all the noise was coming from. They stood there for a moment trying to figure out who was who. MacDermott saw Schnieder the first officer of the Apocalypse holding Gorman by the arms while Sands hit him. Ito moved off to help Tarbis, who was fighting with the Klingon member of the Apocalypse crew.
Sands drew his arm back to hit Gorman again. MacDermott grabbed it and held it fast. Sands looked back into MacDermott's eyes. "You don't want any of this Starfleet."
"Try me." MacDermott said, twisting the arm back causing Sands to lose his footing and land on his back.
Schnieder watched as MacDermott put Sands on the ground. Gorman felt Schneider's grip loosen slightly. That was the opening he needed. He brought his left elbow back into Schnieder's ribs, then the right elbow. The Apocalypse officer was doubled over as most the air was forced out of both lungs. Gorman spun around and brought his knee up into his face. The first officer of the Apocalypse landed on his back unconscious.
Ito was standing back to back with Tarbis as the two officers from the
Apocalypse advanced on them. "Lieutenant Ito, it's very nice to see you again." The Romulan said as he was punched in the face.
"You too, Commander Tarbis." She winced at the Romulan's pain. Ito then stepped into a punch and followed it with a low sweeping kick that put her opponent on the ground.
MacDermott looked over at Gorman who was sitting on the ground playing with a stick. "Are you comfortable?" MacDermott asked as Sands hit him again. Duncan retaliated with a flurry of punches. Sands staggered back but stayed on his feet. MacDermott turned to look at Gorman again.
"I thought I'd let you take over for a while." With a glance over Duncan's shoulder, Gorman told Duncan that Sands was on his feet again. Duncan turned just in time to take a punch from Sands and deflected the next one. As Sands moved past MacDermott, Duncan elbowed him hard in the kidney. Sands fell at Gorman's feet. Sands looked up, panting into Gorman's face. "Damn, hurts like a son of a bitch doesn't it?" He laughed.
Sands was infuriated. He jumped up and yelled "COME ON, STARFLEET!!"
Duncan was prepared for Sands' attack but didn't expect it to come with such ferocity Sands' fist connected with MacDermott's jaw, but before MacDermott could strike back the jungle was gone, replaced with the black and yellow grid of the holodeck. Everyone stopped and looked around wondering what happened. T'Gerran and a security team had entered the holodeck, the five men stood there with phasers drawn.
T'Gerran growled slightly as he took in the scene. Two of his security
officers were helping Mirek and Lapel to their feet. One of the Apocalypse crew was helping Commander Schnieder to his feet. "Captain MacDermott, are you all right?"
"Everything is under control, Commander," MacDerrmott said breathing heavily. He was bent over with his hands on his knees.
"Should I take the crew of the Apocalypse to the brig?" the Klingon asked, sorry he didn't get the chance to get a few licks in.
Duncan looked to Gorman, then to Sands. Both of the Special Ops captains nodded no. "That won't be necessary. I think it was just a
case of some nervous energy needing to be vented. Make sure anyone who needs medical attention gets taken care of." Duncan stood up straight, extending his hand. Gorman took it and stood up.
"Nervous energy, I like that." Gorman chuckled. As Gorman passed Sands he said in a low voice. "Don't fuck with him, Sands. He's not like regular Starfleet. We should do this again some time."
"Yeah, it was fun wasn't it." Sands replied as he shook Gorman's hand.
All of them left the holodeck.
Duncan stood there in the middle of the empty holodeck. He did feel better. He left the holodeck and went back to the bridge.
On the bridge, Costello was in the center seat. "Report." Duncan said as he got off the turbolift.
Amanda looked at the captain. His uniform was dirty and wrinkled. The news of the brawl in the holodeck spread through the ship like a wild fire. "We at the jump off point, Sir. The vessels that we're escorting are ready to depart."
That was quick. Duncan thought of how bad Gorman and Sands looked as they left the holodeck. "Very well, Commander. Computer, location of Commander Kern?"
The computer said. "Commander Kern is in his quarters."
"Carry on Commander."
"Aye, Sir." She said thinking how sorry she felt for Kern. Rumors were spreading about him too. Whatever happened to Kern, she felt sorry for him.
Duncan turned to leave. T'Gerran stopped him. "Captain, there is a message for you from Captain Gorman."
"Let's hear it."
The sound of Gorman's voice filled the speaker. "Catch you on the flip side."
Duncan smiled. "Acknowledge the message, then maintain radio blackout to the other vessels."
"Aye, Captain. They have received our reply."
Duncan entered the lift. "Deck 3." The lift closed.
MacDermott stood outside of Kern's quarters for a few moments listening to the song Kern was playing on his trumpet. It was a sad song. Duncan knew that what happened between Kern and his wife was tearing him up. MacDermott also knew that he couldn't just let this go and still maintain discipline. He listened for a few more moments before he pressed the button.
The playing stopped after a moment. "Come."
Duncan walked in. "Tom, I wish I didn't have to do this, but I don't have much of a choice in the matter. Until further notice you are relieved of duty. I can't let dereliction of duty go unpunished."
"Captain, I understand." He brought the mouthpiece back up to his lips and began to play the song again.
Duncan turned to leave. He turned again and asked. "What is that piece of music?"
Kern stopped playing. The melody seemed to hang in the air. It's The Dequello. It's means no mercy. General Santa Anna's army played the song nonstop for nine days to the soldiers trapped at the Alamo. It's just the way I feel right now." Kern put the mouthpiece back and began to play again. MacDermott left the room without saying another word.
Captain's log ~ Stardate 51048.9: It has been twenty hours since the Shadow Horseman and the Apocalypse departed. We have not encountered any Romulans yet.
MacDermott entered the bridge. "Captain's on the bridge." Costello called out.
"Report."
"We're still trolling along on the projected course the Romulans would have taken from the Starbase to the Neutral Zone. The tachyon pulse has not flushed anything out." She said.
T'Gerran said suddenly. "Captain, I'm picking up a tachyon surge, bearing 447 mark 22. A small class k planet."
MacDermott's adrenelin started to surge into his veins. "Helm. Match bearings, go to warp 5.4." That specific warp value would tell the Gorman and Sands the Missouri had found something and to get ready.
"Aye, Sir. " Kelley said as the Missouri rolled and the structural integrity fields compensated.
Forty minutes later. T'Gerran said. "Captain a ship is decloaking."
"On screen." The screen changed to show a Talon class starship decloaking. MacDermott remembered the images from the briefing at Starfleet command. He studied the ship for a moment. This doesn't feel right. Duncan thought. Why would they show themselves? Why not just run for Neutral Zone, take the stolen information and decrypt it. Duncan looked at his acting first officer. "Commander Costello, why would the Romulans make a stand now?
The pretty redhead looked at him before responding. "Do you think they've detected the Shadow Horseman and the Apocalypse?"
"I don't know. Unless we're being set up." Duncan said. MacDermott thought to himself. What if this is a trap? Could Starfleet Intellegence be sacrificing us in order to keep the secret of the cloaking device safe? Secret or not, MacDermott was not going to let his ship and crew be sacrificed. Duncan made a decision. "Helm, plot an intercept course. Warp two, engage." The Missouri rolled to her left and flashed into warp.
The Missouri dropped out of warp. "Lock quantum torpedos on that vessel and fire," MacDermott ordered.
The torpedos struck home and overloaded the Romulan's shields. The Talon class starship responded like a wounded animal. She unleashed her fury on the Missouri. Another Talon class starship also decloaked and opened fire on the Missouri.
"Helm evasive pattern MacDermott-3-5." Duncan ordered as the bridge shook underneath him.
"Aye, Sir." Kelley answered.
"They are flanking us, Captain." T'Gerran said. The Romulan ships danced around the Missouri, hitting her with disruptor fire and dropping plasma devices onto her shields. The two ships were staying well clear of the firing arc of the Missiouri's phaser cannons.
"T'Gerran, is the ASCM doing any good? They seem to be hitting us with every shot." Duncan said.
"It functioning normally, they seem to have found a way to render it ineffective." The Klingon said.
"Captain. I can't evade them. They are just too manueverable. The Missouri is just too big." Kelley said, fear making his voice rise in pitch.
The Romulan ships hit the Missouri at will. The starship scored minor hits against the fast moving smaller vessels. Duncan thought of the two Prevaricate vessels out there, but at this point it was a question of self preservation. Duncan wasn't a coward, but he had 79 other lives to consider. "Helm, get us out of here. Maybe we can get them to follow us and the Prevaricates can escape. We're sure not doing any good here." The Captain of the Missouri said not really wanting to do it, but there was no other course of action.
"Engineering. We're going to need emergency warp power in 30 seconds." Duncan said.
"You've got it, Captain." O'Roarke said over the commotion in the engineering section.
"Helm come to course 347mark 22. Emergency power, divert everything except life support, and shields. Enga......"
T'Gerran said with a lilt of excitement in his voice. "Captain, The Apocalypse is decloaking. They are firing at the Romulans." The Apocalypse fired a full spread at one of the Talon class vessels. It rolled onto it's side. It was wounded, but still in the fight.
"All right!" MacDermott said cheering as the Apocalypse let loose with a volley of photon torpedos. "Helm 447mark 11, full impulse. z minus 10 thousand meters.
"Captain, shields coming back to full strength. The Shadow Horseman has decloaked. They are firing on the Romulans."
"Helm, get us back in the game. T'Gerran route warp power to the shields and phasers. Load quantum torpedo bays." He ordered. Duncan was sitting forward in his chair. Like a cat ready to pounce.
The tactical officer spoke up. "Captain, I'm picking up strong gravimetric distortions. SIR!! A Warbird is decloaking."
DAMN WHAT HAVE WE GOTTEN OURSELVES INTO? Duncan thought to himself
"They are firing on the Shadow Horseman. Full disruptors." Costello said. The Warbird dwarfed the Shadow Horseman as it attacked with unbridled fury.
MacDermott didn't have time to feel sympathy for his comrades though. The Warbird soon turned her attention to the Katana class vessel. "BRACE FOR IMPACT!" MacDermott screamed as the disruptor blast hit the Missouri. Duncan picked himself up off the deck and helped Costello to her seat. She was cut on the cheek from a piece of the plastic panel that exploded in front of her. The Missouri continued to rock from the Romulan onslaught.
"Captain, they are targeting the nacelles." The Klingon said.
"They want my ship." MacDermott said. "That'll be the day. Mr. Kern report to the bridge." He said to the intercom.
Kern was already on his way. Relieved of duty or not, he was not going to sit in his quarters while the ship came apart around him. When Kern heard the Captain's call, he took off at a dead run for the turbo lift.
He emerged from the turbolift. He was not prepared for the number of wounded or damage to the bridge stations. "Reporting as ordered, Sir."
"XO, the Romulans are going to try to take the Missouri. I will not allow that to happen."
Kern nodded in agreement.
Duncan and Kern went to the terminal at the rear of the bridge. MacDermott and Kern placed their hands on the computer terminal for finger scan. The computer said. "Recognized - MacDermott, Duncan E., Captain. Recognized - Kern, Thomas A., Commander."
MacDermott said. "Set auto-destruct sequence one minute silent countdown to begin on my mark."
"Does the first officer concur?" The computer responded.
Before Kern could answer. T'Gerran called out. "Captain. The Apocalypse is cloaking."
Duncan looked to the screen just in time to see the Apocalypse disappear from sight. "That bastard. That bastard is running." The deck shook as the Missouri took another barrage from the Romulan warbird.
"Captain shields are down to 20%. Another pass and they will fail completely." Costello said. "Captain! Look!"
MacDermott looked at the viewscreen. Inside the open area of the Warbird, space wavered and took the shape of the USS Apocalypse. "What the hell?" Duncan thought outloud. He thought he understood those Special Ops types. Not even Gorman would try something that crazy. The Apocalypse fired on the Warbird from inside the hollow space between her upper and lower hulls. The port warp nacelle of the Warbird erupted in a lightshow of plasma and sparks. The force of the explosion sent the Warbird tumbling end over end. The Apocalypse tried to get out of the way but the Warbird collided with her. The smaller ship exploded on impact. "Target the Warbird. Let her have it."
The Missouri swung around and unleashed her own fury on the Warbird. Firing phasers, quantum torpedoes and phaser cannons, the Missouri came up from underneath, slicing through the doomed Warbird.
As the Missouri emerged from the debris of the Warbird, MacDermott ordered. "Find those other two vessels."
"Sensors show negative Sir. They're gone." T'Gerran said.
"DAMMIT! Are there are any survivors from the Apocalypse?" Duncan asked, not really expecting there to be any.
Costello replied. "Twenty thousand meters to the stern, Captain. I'm picking up four....five...no....six life form readings. It looks like they managed to eject the bridgeplate from the Apocalypse."
Duncan let out a sigh of relief. He may not have liked Sands, but he owed him his life and the lifes of his crew. MacDermott understood how Gorman must have felt after Bajor VIII. "Put a tractor on them and bring them into the shuttlebay." He said softly. It sounded strange against the sounds of damage reports coming in from all over the ship.
"Aye, Sir." Costello said.
Duncan started to walk to the turbolift. Kern stopped him. "Captain. I would like to apologize for my actions earlier. I put this mission in jeapordy with my personal problems. I was wrong." It was a lot for a man to admit.
Duncan simply replied with. "XO, you have the bridge." There was nothing to be said. Nothing would make Kern feel better or make the problem go away. MacDermott got on the turbolift with Ito.
She looked over to him and smiled. "I told you, when you're in that chair, you're invincible."
Duncan looked over at her and returned her smile. He thought to himself. I'm glad you believe that. I'm still not so sure.
The two of them entered the shuttlebay. A medical team was already there. The bridgeplate was burnt and scored. The lettering on the outside was almost burned away. U S AP C LYPS An engineering team was also there. The hatch was melted shut. Doctor Meyer was standing outside with a tricorder, yelling. "WE HAVE TO GET IN THERE. LIFE SUPPORT IS OFFLINE. THOSE PEOPLE ARE DYING."
One of the engineers brought a laser cutter and cut through the hatch. Once the hatch was out of the way the medteam entered and brought the crew of the Apocalypse out. MacDermott made a count as they were brought out. "How is everyone? Where's Captain Sands?" MacDermott asked.
Doctor Meyer said. "They're going to be ok. Just some plasma burns and smoke inhalation. Captain Sands is still inside. He wouldn't leave."
Duncan nodded to her. "Thank you Doctor." MacDermott disappeared into the blackened hull.
"Captain Sands." Duncan said softly.
Captain David Sands of the USS Apocalypse sat silently looking toward the burnt out viewscreen.
"Captain Sands." Duncan repeated.
He slowly turned toward Duncan. His face bloodied and blackened. "I....never.....lost....a....ship before."
Duncan put a hand on his shoulder. "I understand." Duncan thought of how he felt after Bajor VIII. "It's like losing a piece of yourself." Duncan said as he sat down next to Sands in the burnt out hulk of the Apocalypse and listened to him. It was the least he could do.
Captain's Log ~ Stardate 51050.18: The Missouri is on course to Sector 001. The Shadow Horseman is docked to the underside of the saucer section. The damage to the Missouri has been mostly repaired. I am on my way to a meeting with Captains Gorman and Sands, our report for Starfleet command is due in the morning.
MacDermott stepped into the briefing room. The room was silent. Sands was sitting in the room with Gorman. Both men staring out at the stars. MacDermott could almost sense the thoughts of the two men. Where did we go wrong? He stopped at the head of the table and stared at the two men. Gorman had his back turned to MacDermott, Sands was looking down at his hands mindlessly rubbing the finish on the table. "What was he really looking at?" MacDermott wondered. "What does he see out there?
MacDermott swung a chair around and took his seat. The sound of his voice breaking the tension in the room as if someone had sounded a gong. "I have to submit my report to Starfleet at oh-nine hundred. I'd like for it to be as precise as possible." Duncan said. It was all MacDermott could think of to say. He felt the same as Sands and Gorman but he couldn't let himself show it. He didn't like to fail. He would never let anyone, except for Melora, see him beaten under any circumstances.
Sands was the first to look up from his thoughts. "We were downloading the information from the bridge of the Romulan vessel when the Captain sensed our presence. I don't know how he did it, perhaps we triggered some sort of fail safe we didn't notice but he called for security. We did what we could and got the hell out of there. About that time we were informed that the security force was heading back towards the security room. That's when I notified Gorman in case he wasn't aware of it."
MacDermott took the information down on the Padd. He would incorporate all of this into a report for Starfleet command. Duncan turned his attention to his friend. "Gorman?" MacDermott said trying to gain his attention. Gorman continued to watch the stars as he answered. "You could put in your report, Duncan that the Romulans already knew we were coming. The whole thing reeked of a set up. I don't know how or why but they planned this. They knew we would come for the information they simply sat and waited."
"I see." Was all MacDermott could say. Duncan agreed with that conclusion. Things went too well for the Romulans not to have known, but this wasn't the time to try to figure out who had set them up. There would be a time though. MacDermott had been setup before. Remembering back a few months ago when Admiral Bremmingtion had set him up for his daughter's death. Gorman was around for that too. Duncan turned to Sands in an effort to change the subject. "Sands, I want to thank you personally for saving our asses out
there. Not too many people earn my respect, but you have it, for what it's worth."
"You can thank Gorman for that." He looked at MacDermott with a wary eye. "I don't care for the Starfleet type but Gorman convinced me you weren't the typical starship captain. You proved that to me out there. It would have been easier for you to run but you stayed to make sure we got out alive. The thing is we," He said looking at Gorman. "are expendable and expect to be left behind. Anyone willing to put his life on the line for me has all the respect I can give him."
MacDermott smiled. "You'll be happy to know that your team sustained minor injuries. The Apocalypse was torn to pieces but with any luck she will be salvageable. We have most of her in the docking bay."
Sands lifted his head to protest but MacDermott picked up on it. "Don't worry Sands, It's under lock and key. No one will see it or know of it without my say so."
Sands nodded. Even in that condition he protecting the secrets of a
Prevaricate class ship was all he cared about. Sands waited a few moments and realizing nothing else was going to be said he excused himself. He obviously realized the tension building between MacDermott and Gorman. "Well good day to you both then."
After Sands had exited the room MacDermott turned to Gorman. "Well my friend, you sure seemed troubled."
Gorman grunted a sarcastic laugh and finally stood. He still did not turn away from the window. "I failed out there today. Those ships got
away with all the information they needed to blow this project wide open."
"I know. Somehow I doubt that the Romulan government will ever see the data." Duncan commented.
"No they won't." Gorman agreed. "However the Tal Shiar is another matter. They will not rest until they retaliate on this matter."
"I agree. I know it is hard for you to accept defeat but..." Gorman interrupted him.
"It isn't defeat that bothers me Duncan. It's the fact that I... that we," he waggled a finger between the two of them, "know more lives are going to be lost over this all because we couldn't do our job."
That thought hadn't crossed MacDermott's mind. "Shitty isn't it?" he thought that would make Gorman laugh but it didn't. He felt it better to excuse himself. "Well, I have duties to attend to." He lied. Duncan headed for the door. "One more thing Shawn, no one knows what the future has in store for us on this matter or for any other. Who knows what is going to happen."
"You and I both know. No need to claim ignorance."
"Perhaps." MacDermott said. "Just trying to be a friend."
Gorman heard the doors open as MacDermott headed out. "DUNCAN!" He shouted. MacDermott looked back as Gorman continued in the only manner that he could think of to say 'thank you' to his friend. "Catch you on the flip side."
MacDermott smiled trying not to let his worries show as he walked out the door. In the passageway he stopped and leaned against bulkhead. Gorman's words about the lives that are going to be lost over their failure struck him like a fist.
Special Thanks To:
Dina Stidham for her ideas and editing skills.
David Highlander, creator of Star Trek: Special Ops
Trevor Coleman creator of The Talon Project
David Sands- Author of the USS Apocalypse