Star Trek: Starjumper Episode 02

Nodding, Amanda watched her team leave but saw Dijj hover, loitering close to her. She thought she'd want to talk about it. However, Amanda didn't. Thatcher made her way out of the board room, Dijj jogged up to her and lightly grabbed her arm.

"Captain..." She started, Amanda turned to look at her, showing an incredible poker face. "... I'm sorry." She finished, letting go of her grip on the Captain's arm.

"Don't be sorry Doctor. Just do your job." Amanda walked straight past the main bridge and into her ready room. Walking past the couch in the corner of the room, Amanda sat down at her desk. Wheeling in her chair across to the replicator, she spoke softly.

"Andorian spice milk, dash of Earth cinnamon. Hot." There was a brief pause with a slow whir as the warm drink was being replicated. The tiny metal door slid upwards and she took hold of the drink. It was in typical 'Starjumper' china, a bone white mug with a large handle on the side. Bringing it up to her mouth, Thatcher sipped at the spicy drink warming her stomach. The cinnamon gave it a nice kick as it settled in her tummy. She moved back over to her desk and brought up her own private terminal.

Sighing, she saw that there was a message waiting for her already. She hadn't been in command for more than one month and already she was in demand. Shaking her head, she jabbed her right index finger at the screen, clicking the 'Read' button. Her frown soon came up to a smile as she saw it was a personal message from her fiancé, Izra Jad, a joined Trill serving on a science vessel the U.S.S. Manhattan. Her smile got wider as she learned about her love's day.

***

Sitting at his desk in a dank, dark, depressing area of Cardassia, Marcus Wayne rubbed at his left cheek. His index fingers tracing various rivers of scars that decorated his once handsome face. He fell back in the chair and thought back to the first time his skin was broken.

The left hand had come down and made fresh contact with Wayne's face. He had dropped to a knee and was hauled up to his feet by another Cardassian guard. This was one of the burden's he was tasked with as the leader of the Marquis. A swift knee rose up to his gut and made Marcus double over. The wind was taken from him and he struggled for air, then a hand went around his throat and then he was tossed to the floor. A foot tore through the air and made fresh contact with his face, knocking several teeth loose and filling his mouth with blood.

A cough interrupted his thought process. He looked upwards and saw Gul Brull standing by one of the wall lights. Molar, son of Kutai, was flanking him on his right hand side. Raising an eyebrow, Wayne cast his glance over to Molar, his more trusted ally in the band of freedom fighters.

"Are we done?"

"Yes Commander. We're done. We took the Jem'Hadar ships on a small moon outside of Paciku four."

"Numbers?"

"Five battleships. Fifteen fighters."

"That's a good number. Three fighters can flank the battleships. Do we have any ideas as to the location of the Starjumper?" He asked, moving into the light. Facing his lower ranking officers for the first time in their meeting.

"Heading towards Risa. We assume they're going to enter our part of the Quadrant once they have a back-up vessel."

"Any idea on the back up ship?"

"No. The Doctor is going to remain by Risa monitoring them, Thot Tor is going to meet him there." Gul Brull said, his head tilted to the left hand side for a moment before his head came back up to look at his leader.

"Good... Good... Is Merciless ready to go for another round?" Wayne asked, sitting forward in his chair.

"Yes Commander." Molar said, stepping into the light to meet his leader's eye for the first time.

"Good. Assemble a bridge crew. I want to go and meet the Starjumper head on."

"Sir?" Gul Brull questioned, stepping forward as if to question his orders.

"You heard me Brull. Do it!" Marcus snapped, he sat back in his chair and spun around in the chair. Turning his back on them, the two other officers looked at each other and nodded. They made their way out of the room and towards the hanger bay where they could take a shuttle up to the T'Pau class ship, The Merciless.

The ship had all of the pristine qualities expected of a Vulcan vessel. The workings and lay out of the ship was logical and allowed the crew to work well and efficiently. They'd need easy if they were going to take back their freedom.

Wayne appreciated the irony of the Marquis working with the Cardassian's. The very same race who had served as captors to the small band of rebels. But, this wasn't about name calling any more, this was about something different. When he went AWOL from the U.S.S. Paschendale, the ship he was serving on as a helmsman to serve with the Marquis, the Federation abandoned him. It wasn't right! It made his blood boil to know all of his ship mates were safe and cozy while these people were suffering.

Even with the end of the Dominion wars, no one thought to come and look after them. They had been starved, beaten and generally mistreated and no one from the Federation even considered checking on them. They were probably too busy celebrating the win and defeat of the Dominion. As they transported to the Merciless, Marcus Wayne smiled. He was about to go face to face with one of his old flames, Amanda Thatcher.

They had both served in the Academy from Stardate 2330 to Stardate 2335 and had been... Intimate. That still made him smile as he knew it made her skin crawl. Now, she was dating a Trill and he was often left alone with his hand for sheer company. Now, there was Orion women on the crew serving as mercenaries for the new Cardassian Empire and they would be more than willing to serve his every whim but he needed the touch of an Earth's woman.

He made his way up to the bridge, barely acknowledging the crew as they worked around him. He stepped onto the bridge and observed that people were hard at work at their consoles, ready for battle. Sitting on the comfy chair in the middle of the room, it was on a slightly elevated platform. An Orion idea. The CO of the ship needs to be able to see all of his subordinates at work and being a few feet off of the floor gave him such an advantage.

"Helm, set course for the Risa sector. Maximum impulse."

The young Orion at the helm nodded and repeated the order to confirm and then made it so. Marcus sat back in the chair and watched the stars whiz past the view screen, folding his right arm across his toned stomach he brought his left hand up and held his chin up. He started to plan out battle strategies in his head, he'd only have so long before the support ship turned up and the Merciless would not be able to hold up against a Galaxy class ship or even one of the prototype Sovereign class ships that were fresh in production. It would need to be a quick hit and run type operation.

"Sir, we have our support ships incoming. Two saber class ships and a small selection of Dominion fighters."

Marcus nodded and looked down at the young Cardassian who had spoken to him.

"Good. Tell them to follow us. They're to engage the enemy once we leave but not before. Understood?

"Yes Sir. I'll forward the message now."

Wayne didn't even bother with acknowledging his reply. Simply watching the stars tear past the screen.

***

"Captain's Log: Stardate 52170.6. On our maiden voyage we were originally supposed to oversee a trans warp tunnel that would connect us to the Gamma Quadrant I was personally hailed by Admiral Stewart who was serving on the U.S.S. Vanguard. Our mission was altered and we were told to escort a Federation science vessel carrying a high ranking medical officer. After witnessing the science vessel, the U.S.S. Olympus explode in front of our very eyes we changed course and headed to Starbase 375, manned by Admiral Ross. After a briefing, we were told to orbit Risa and await a rendezvous with the U.S.S. Emissary. We've been holding position for a few hours now and if I didn't know any better, I'd say that LT Cmdr Reynolds was spoiling for a fight too."

Amanda pushed at the button on her terminal and stopped the personal log. She sipped at the rest of her Andorian spice milk and put the china cup away. The molecules being destroyed only to be rebuilt at a later time. Pushing away from the desk, she stood up and walked out of the room.

Zorah and the current shift had ended a few moments ago and she bumped into the handsome young Commander as he had walked over to her ready room.

"I beg your pardon Sir." He said, smiling warmly as he hoped that he hadn't messed up the phrase.

"Not a problem Commander. Can I help you?"

"Nothing to report Sir, still no sign of the Emissary. It's also the end of Bravo watch, so I was going to head off shift now."

"Understood. I relieve you Commander."

"I stand relieved." Observing the time old tradition of many centuries practice, the two commanding officers nodded curtly as Amanda walked to the middle of the bridge and sat at the large chair in the middle of the room.

The ensigns and officers on shift, quickly swapped with other ones as the new watch started.

"Bravo watch ends. Charlie watch begins." Amanda said aloud, letting the computer make a note in the logs. Standing up, Amanda made her way around the bridge, nodding briefly towards Noah Reynolds who had taken over on tactical. Turock, who was quickly becoming a favorite of hers was at the helm next to a brunette ensign the Captain didn't quite recognize. Walking around slowly, she peered over the shoulders of the officers at their stations offering silent praise as she went on.

As she walked down the ramp and towards the point and main view screen of the bridge she checked her personal watch. A gift from her mother, Hannah, who was Captain of the escort class ship, the U.S.S. Oslo, it was maintaining the peace in Breen-Ferengi space. Amanda had always been a space kid, both her parents served in Starfleet, her father was a none commissioned officer who had met her mother on the Kilimanjaro, an old off-shoot of the Excelsior class cruiser. Dad had taken the time off to raise Amanda while her mother was in space on one mission or the other. They were both so pleased when she passed Starfleet Academy and now she was a Captain!

Smiling to herself, she realized that she had been staring a hole into the back of Turock's head and that would bother even the most disciplined officer. Charlie watch started at six P.M Earth time. The larger hand jolted towards the right of the clock's face as she glanced at it. The time was now five minutes past six. Barely five minutes had passed since she started her inspection! Her stomach was still though. That was a good sign. There was a brief moment in time as nothing happened and the Captain very nearly got herself another warm brew. An ensign's nervous voice broke the silence.

"Captain, sensor's are picking up a vessel heading towards us on an intercept course."

"Class?" Amanda asked, as she sat back down in the chair.

"A T'Pau class Sir. The... Merciless? It's being flanked by two saber class ships... Sir! There are Dominion fighters following it!"

"Shields up! Red alert! Mister Reynolds ready phaser and arm photon torpedoes." Amanda turned her head to the left to Noah's position on the bridge. He returned the glance and nodded.

"Ready Captain."

"Sir," It was Mister Turock that broke the silence. "The Merciless is hailing us."

Crooking an eyebrow, Amanda looked towards the olive-skinned Vulcan. "On screen Mister Turock."

"Hello Captain..." The voice of Marcus Wayne filled the airwaves of the ship as his disfigured face filled the view screen of the U.S.S. Starjumper.

~END~