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ST:OL Enemy of my Enemy ch-3

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Chapter 3... "Let's ride."

     I must've spent half a day in engineering without so much as a potty break trying to teach these kids the difference between a warp matrix flux capaciter and self sealing stem-bolt just so we could warm up the reactor ready for launch.
     The Captain said we were leaving in ten hours, or negative two hours at this point, at least that's how it felt. I haven't glanced at the time since I walked into this hell-hole Starfleet calls an engine room.
     I stepped off the turbolift onto the bridge. The blue carpet that I'm used to was replaced with a deep, dark red and all the consols had black finish and silver highlights. It was like I walked onto the set of a bad 1960s sci-fi show. Bright work lights were placed all around the command center. I couldn't see the captain's chair because someone covered it up in plastic wrap. What do they keep rats off? Some eningeers to my right were just finishing up on the wall that seperated the bridge from the situation room. The wall held a couple status displays and an even bigger one that showed a cutaway of the ship. I guess it's the master systems display. I pressed a button next to the red door that led into a short corridor, and ultimately the captain's ready room. I press on the door bell.
     "Come in." I hear faintly through the door.
     I press the open button, but the door only slides half way. I had to push on it just to stop it from cutting me in half. It was a tight squeeze but as fate would have it, I took my first steps into the captain's office. "Doesn't anything work on this heap?" I ask, reffering to the door and still inoperable internal communication.
     "Why do you think I hired you?" Captain Styles replied. "Ya know I was worried you got lost on your way up here."
     "I know," I said. "I was just trying to get enigneering in order before I came up here to pay my respects so..." I straightened my posture and put my hands to my sides with my feet closely together. "Commander Andrew Murdoch, reporting for duty."
     "At ease, Commander."
     I loosen up my spine a little and allow my feet to spread aprt into a more managable stance. I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir."
     The Captain walked passed me through the door and onto the bridge. "So what do think, Commander?" He began. "Can she be salveged?"
     "Oh I think there's hope for her yet, Captain." I said as I followed him behind the wall rear of the bridge to the situation room.
     Styles turned to Solek, manning the pool-table. "Any more intel from the Stolak?" He asked. I was guessing that the Stolak was a Vulcan ship.
     "No, sir." Solek reported. "No updates as of yet sir."
     Styles hangs his head and sighs in frusteration. "It's been over four hours." He began. "It's not like your people to be late."
     "Your frusteration is understandable, Captain." Solek said. "However they are practically within the heart of Klingon territory."
     "That's what bothers me."
     "Whoa, whoa, whoa," I stop them right there. "Klingon territory? What's a Vulcan ship doing on the Klingon's terf?"
     "The Vulcan High Command been overhearing reports of raids along the Romulan/Klingon border for the last six weeks." Solek said.
     "Starfleet thinks that there's a Romulan spy within the Empire," Styles told me. "One who's been giving them key information about fleet deployments, major trade routes, even technoledgy, making the major Klingon ship yards easy pickings."
     "However my government feels that these raids could be anything." Solek began again. "Orion Pirates crossing over the Borderland for example."
     "Or it could be Romulans looking for a fight." I argued.
     "Or..." Styles stopped us and we both looked at him perplexed. What else could it be? "It could be a chance to get the Klingons to join our team."
     "That's your theory." Solek said. "This war was declared by the Romulans over five years ago. It would be illogical to 'drag' the Klingons into this conflict."
     "In case you haven't noticed, Sub-commander," I began. "This war hasn't been panning out the way we had hoped. The more allies we have the better."
     "Whatever happened to quality over quantity?" Solek retorted.
     "Sometimes they go hand-in-hand." I said. "This is one of those times."
     "Gentlemen." Styles stopped our own little war from going any further. "Reguardless of what either of you think, Starfleet has accepted my request of proceeding into Klingon space, defend one of their shipyards and hopefully gain headway in having a new ally in this war. It may not happen over night, maybe we'll have to work for it but at least with the Klingons on our side, the Romulans'll have their hands full with Starfleet, Andoria, Tellar and Kronos." The captain's plan sounded concrete to me, but he's not exactly fighting the Nazi's of World War II. He was talking about fighting the Romulans, crafty and quick to kill. I don't know much about them, but for that matter no one does, but what we do know influences our opinions about them. Earth believes the Romulans to be war-lovers, cruel, treacherous and they take no quarter, no prisoners of war and they refuse to speak to starship commanders using visual communications, but we believe they don't even have it because they're so busy coming up with new weapons and new tactics, they'd rather let their guns do the talking. When they're defeated, they blow up their ships by themselves. Must have something to do with their so-called obligation to the Empire. They'd rather be dead than lose a simple game of hide 'n' seek in their case.
     "And if we do manage to make allies with the Klingons, what then?" Solek asked.
     "We work together." Styles replied. "Just as the Vulcans and Humans have done for the last hundred years." The captain paused allowing it to sink into both of us. He suddenly turned to me. "Is your engine room ready?" He asked.
     "We still have to add some bells and whistles sir but I believe we can get underway within the hour." I reported.
     "Get to work, Commander."
     "Aye, sir."
     "Sub-commander," The captain turned to the boron blooded science officer. "Contact the High Command. I want to know the Stolak's last location before the sub-space blackout."
     Solek nodded in complience and Styles looked between the both of us. "What you two standing around for?" He asked. "Go!"

     We finally managed to get the dylithium matrix in sinc with the matter/anti-matter collector just in time for launch. "Alright," I said. "Let's start her up."
     The engineer next to me at the main consol polarized the magnetic constrictors, while I opened the plasma coolant conduits. The next step was to channel the dylithium crystals energy straight into the collector. Their job was to channel the leftover energy from the core down the warp plasma conduits into the nacelles, powering the coils. "Give her some gas." I told the engineer.
     He opened up the matter/anti-matter colemns and they began glowing, and pulsating into the core, guiding the energy into the warp nacelles.
     "Alrighty then." I said to myself as I pressed a button on the intercom panel. I finally got it fixed. "Engineering to bridge." I  called.
     "Go ahead." The Captain's voice came over the horn.
     "We're ready down here." I said.
     "Really?" I heard him say. "That was quick. Why dontcha come up here and get a better view."
     "I'm on my way." I said pressing the button again. I turn tot he engineer. "Make sure the pressure doesn't exceed 50." He nods as I leave the engine room.

     I return onto the bridge and head for my station next to Tactical, where Major Hendrix was sitting. "Right on time." She said.
     "Oh I wouldn't miss this for the world." I replied as I sat down on my seat.
     I looked over at the Captain as he looked about the bridge where everyone was waiting to hit the road. Kyle was at communications, Solek sat at science and Bloody Mary was in the driver's seat. "Everyone got their seatbelts on?"
     "Yes, Mom." I reply.
     Everyone, except Solek of course, laughed.
     The Captain smiled and layed back sitting in his center chair. "Alright," He began. "Release the docking clamps, detach airlocks and thrusters at station keeping."
     We hear the pop of mooring lines and umbilical cords with the hollow metallic clanking of the giant robot arms drawing back into the dock. Mary fires the RCS thrusters only to keep the ship from bumping into the docking arms that caged so many ships before us. "Thrusters are at station keeping, Captain." Mary said.
     "Aft thrusters." The Captain ordered. "Ahead one quarter impulse. Take her out.."
     I hear the rising hum of the impulse engines and I feel a soft push on my chest as the ship is pushed forward, out of the drydock by her engines. I glance at my status display. The pressure and heat the ignited plasma put on the exaust vents remained at a managable level. I pressed a few controls to release a bit of liquid nitrogen into the ports, cooling down the vents.
     Once we were out, Alveraz nudged the throttle up a little, up to half impulse. I poured some more liquid nitro into the ports. Wouldn't want the vents to melt off once we jump to warp. "We've cleared spacedock." She said.
     The Captain looked at me. "Are we ready for the jump?" He asked.
     I glance at my moniter again. "Uh...I think we can manage warp 2.6. I don't wanna over cook  the engines." I warned him.
     "Can we go to three?"
     I thought it over for a minute. "I think we can pull it off."
     "Alrighty then." Styles said laying back in his chair. "Alveraz, set a course for Klingon space, ahead warp three."
     "Course layed in." Mary reported.
     "Let's ride."
     With that order, our warp nacelles powered up and I felt a slight tug as the front of bridge pulled forward ahead of me.
     "I hate this part." I heard Shelby say as she shut her eyes tight. I think she meant the sudden snap of the ship's aft end, like a rubber band, hurdling us into warp.
     Shelby suddenly covered her mouth and clenched her stomach and started for the bathroom behind the bridge.
     I turned around to watch her run.
     "For a MACO, she sure has low tolerence for tummyache." Kyle said.
     Styles smiled and glanced at the bathroom door. "Relax, Major." He said as Kyle attempted hold in his laughter. "You'll get used to it in a week's time. Status report."
     "On course for the Borderlands," Mary reported as Shelby stumpled back on the bridge and slumped into her seat. "E.T.A.: three and a half hours."
     "Getting a communiqai from the Vulcan High Command," Kyle began. "Transferring last coordinates of the Stolak to the helm."
     Shelby sighed. "Weapons check. Forward phase-cannons online, aft phase-cannons..." Shelby shook her head. "One of the aft cannons are on the frits." Shelby said getting out of her seat and heading for the turbolift. "I'll see what I can do to help."
     "Anti-matter containment at one hundred percent," I said, looking at my moniter. "Warp plasma output one hundred percent."
     "Long range sensors continuously scanning at a radius of ten light-years." Solek said.
     Bloody Mary chuckled with pride. "Hot damn!" She exclaimed. "She managed to hold together."
     "Jumping to warp was the easy part." I said. "I'm more worried about how she'll hold up to a fire fight."
     "Viking was approved by Starfleet engineering." Solek said. "They never would've allowed the ship to leave if it was going to fly itself apart."
     I lean back in my seat and sigh.
     "Killjoy." Kyle said.

     The biobed in sickbay just rolled me out in my underwear. At least I was wearing something. Unlike the imaging chamber on the other ships I served on, I had to be butt naked for those chambers to read a fever of 99.
     "Hmm." Doctor Xally said, eyeing the big display over the bed. I tilt my head back I look at the display myself. "I didn't know you had an artificial limb." She was referring to my left arm.
     I sat up on the bed and faced her. "I lost my arm on the Shenandoah." I said masaging the scar it left. "It's not a day I like to remember. And it's not cybernetic," I corrected her. "It was genetic engineering."
     "Please tell me you didn't that crack-pot Doctor Often-Wrong Soong patch you up." She said.
     "I got my new arm from Denobula." I told her. "Relax. I heard your folks used genetic engineering a while back and unlike on Earth it had a rather positive outcome and didn't kill thirty million people becoming the catlilyst for a third World War. And I heard he switched to cybernetics."
     Xal sighed in relief as Kyle came through the glass doors. "What's up, Doc?" He greeted all friendly like.
     I turned off the display before Kyle noticed my artificial arm. "Doctor/patient confidentiality." I whispered to her.
     "Gotcha." Xal made a zipping action with her lips and motioned for Kyle. "Are you here for your appointment, Mr. Smith?" She asked him as I grabbed my uniform from another bed.
     "Uh, yeah." Kyle said looking around the strangly empty room. "Where's your medical staff?" He asked.
     "I don't get one 'till Tuesday."
     I look up perplexed. "Really?" I asked. "We left spacedock without a medical staff?"
     "Relax, Mr. Murdoch," Xal said resting a hand on her chest. "On Denobula, my collueges said that I am a medical staff."
     "You must be pretty good." Kyle said.
     "I've got a couple medical degrees on my wall. What do you guys have?"
     Kyle and I looked between eachother. "I've got a Bachelor's degee in Mechanical Engineering and Masters in warp drive." I boasted. "I'm aiming for a docterate."
     Xal glance at Kyle. "All I have is a diploma that says I graduated Starfleet Academy with an honors in Xenoliguistics."
     "I bet the ladies fall for it everytime." I said, buttoning up my overshirt.
     "Actually, I'm married." Kyle said holding up a wedding band.
     "Who are the lucky ladies?" Xal asked.
     "Her name's Suran. She's from Aldeberon and I only have one wife." Kyle said.
     Xal looked surprised. "Only one?" She asked. "On Denobula it's three wives for each husband and three husbands for each wife. In some cases the numbers can go as high as seven."
     "On Earth it's first come, first serve." I told her, zipping my uniform.
     Xal shook her head. "It's a wonder how your race survives with only one wife for each husband." She scoffed. "You humans are weird." She said, then sighed. "Oh well, you at least make it up with your amazing quizine."
     "Ya like Earth food?" Kyle asked.
     "Love it!" Xal said. "I especially like...what was it called?-Food that you can get without waiting too long?"
     "Fast-food." I said.
     Xal snapped her fingers. "Yes! That's the one. Fast food. I especially have an affinity towards bacon cheese burgers."
     "I'll whip one up for ya when my next shift ends." Kyle said.
     "Thanks." Xal said as Kyle began to dress down for the imaging chamber.
     I sighed once my boots were on. "Well, I'm gonna go help Shelby with that phase-cannon in the armory." I said as I started for the door. "See ya."
     "Have a good one, Commander." The Doc said as the door slid shut behind me. She turned to Kyle. "So what can you make besides cheese burgers?"
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Geez this is long.

Based upon Star Trek created by Gene Rodenberry

Officer's Logs c :icondantrekfan48:
© 2011 - 2024 dantrekfan48
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SpiderTrekfan616's avatar
Dude, This is awesome, I think you should get back to this, I also like the Star Trek Generations Reference with the Medical Staff not arriving until tuesday.