Chief
Pono Kyman looked around
himself, shaking with fear.
In front of him stood the
Kyman started backing away from the crew, fearing for his
life. But his way was blocked by another
member of the crew. Ga’gh Schuukveldlaan.
“No!”
Kyman muttered.
“No, leave me alone!”
“Resistance
is futile,” Ga’gh responded flatly.
Kyman broke away from Ga’gh and
the others, running down the passageway, the sound of his boots pounding on the
metal deck, echoing off the bulkheads and exposed equipment of the Borg ship.
“Resistance
is futile. You will be assimilated,”
said Koester, now nothing more than a Borg drone, as he and the rest of his
assimilated crew followed ominously behind.
Kyman tried to escape, but soon found himself trapped in a
dead end passage between two tall, almost organic pieces of machinery. He turned around, frozen with horror, as the
former members of his crew trudged closer and closer, the dim light reflecting
off of their implants, lights and circuits blinking in random patterns.
“No! Please, Skipper, don’t!” Kyman
pleaded to deaf ears as the Koester drone moved ahead of the others, grasping
the El’Aurian man with the large pincer attached to
his right arm. The nanoprobe
injectors extended from near the knuckles on his left.
“No!”
Kyman shouted, tears rolling
down his face as the injector moved closer.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Kyman shouted as
he bolted upright in his bed. Sweat
poured down his face and neck, and his sheets were soaked.
“Bridge to Chief Kyman, please respond.”
Kyman slowly gathered his wits as he looked toward the combadge sitting on the stand next to his bed. He gingerly picked up the small device and
tapped it.
“K...Kyman here, Mister Ga’gh.”
“Good
morning, Chief,” said the pleasant sounding voice of the Chief Tactical
Officer, Ga’gh Schuukveldlaan
of Wilryk. “Sorry
if I woke you but Mister Kane wanted to make sure you’ll be present for the
ceremony. It starts in just over two
hours.”
“No,
that’s alright, Mister Ga’gh,” Kyman
said as he wiped the remaining sweat off with his sleeve. “I... I wasn’t asleep. Tell the Exec I’ll be in 10-Forward on time.”
“Very
well,” Ga’gh responded. “Bridge out.”
Meanwhile, Kyman placed the combadge back on the nightstand and stood up, looking out
the viewing window at the stars.
“That’s the fifth time this month,” he thought to himself. “What does this mean? Something is very wrong.”
Space, the Final Frontier…
These are the voyages of the
starship Dauntless!
Its ongoing mission;
To seek, to
chart, to explore…
Slipping the surly bonds of Earth,
Going where none have been before!
Star Trek:
Dauntless
“Starship
Lost - Part I” By PJK
The
glass doors of the 10-Forward lounge slid open and Chief Kyman
rushed in, buttoning the last button on his new grey jacketed dress uniform as
he did.
The
lounge had been decorated for the launching ceremony that was already taking
place and was crowded with dignitaries, shipyard workers, and members of the
new starship’s crew. In front of the
large, forward facing windows a podium was set up, where Admiral Setok, commanding officer of Starfleet Yards, Vulcan was giving a speech dedicating the new
starship Dauntless. Close to the podium and to one side, both
holding champagne glasses, stood Fleet
“Sorry
I’m late, Skipper,” Kyman whispered to Koester. “I had something I... had to attend to.”
Koester
nodded at Kyman, still half-paying attention to the
typically Vulcan, longwinded speech the Admiral was delivering. The Admiral pressed a button on the podium,
and through the window an object could be seen launched toward the ship from
the dry-dock framework that surrounded her.
Koester took his cue and handed Q
the champagne glass he had been holding and replaced Admiral Setok at the podium.
The Admiral handed Koester a padd to read
from.
“We
hereby name this vessel Federation starship Dauntless,”
Koester recited. “The latest in the line
of historic starship’s named Dauntless. May she live up to the records and reputations
of her predecessors.
And may she always bring us home.”
Koester
turned to gaze out the window just as the object, a large black bottle of Dom Perignon, vintage 2161, the year the Federation and the
first starship Dauntless both came
into being, struck the hull, shattering into millions of tiny shards. Applause erupted within 10-Forward. Koester turned back to face the crowd, still
clapping as he did, then picked up the padd once
again.
“To: Fleet
Again, 10-Forward erupted in applause.
* * * *
Captain’s
Log, Stardate 52184.9:
Sovereign-class
starship Dauntless enroute to the Rohrer system to complete the negotiations
started by the crew of USS Hunley, which mysteriously disappeared two weeks
ago after departing the system to respond to a distress call. Starfleet gave us a milk-run for our first
mission.
In
the meantime, I’m using some spare time to get to know the new members of my
crew. I had gotten used to the intimate
family-like feeling of the small 150 member crew of my previous Dauntless. Now
I have well over 850 people serving under me.
I’ve
had Mister Kane arrange appointments for me to meet with new bridge crew
members.
Koester, out.
Fleet
Captain Koester reviewed the service record on his monitor one more time, then looked back up at the man that sat on the other side of
his desk from him.
Kevin
Fry was an expert helmsman and navigator with years of experience in
Starfleet. Years and
years and years and...
Koester
groaned inwardly. What was causing so
many time travelers in Starfleet? First the Dauntless’
Marine Contingent Commander 1st Lt McIntyre. Then his recent working
relationship with Captain Kale. Now Lt Commander Fry.
All refugees of a sort from the 23rd century
“Well,
I must say your record is somewhat unusual....,” Koester said. “Maybe not too unusual for this ship though,”
he added as a mumble. “But it’s a
pleasure having you aboard, Commander.”
Koester stood and offered Fry a handshake.
“Thank
you, Cap... uh... Fleet... uh,” Fry
started saying, becoming somewhat flustered.
“Just
call me Commodore,” Koester said with a grin.
“Most everyone else does.”
“Certainly. Commodore,” Fry said. “Glad to be aboard.”
Koester
nodded and watched as Fry turned and headed toward the Ready Room door before
he clicked the monitor onto the next service record. Lieutenant Kes of Cait.
He
heard the doors swish open again, and Koester looked up just in time for the pheremones to hit him and to see his next appointment
saunter into his Ready Room and sit down before him with a purr.
* * * *
In
Sickbay, Q was busy taking stock of
all the equipment and supplies when the doors parted to admit newly reassigned
Chief Science Officer Jeff Bloom.
“Hey,
Lo... er... Q,”
Bloom said, slightly embarrassed and flushing green. “How are things going?”
“As
well as can be expected, Jeff,” Q
replied. “I’m not looking forward to
having to break in that new Mark 4 EMH we’ve got installed. I was used to our old holodoc.”
Bloom
nodded sympathetically, a strange looking gesture on a Vulcan, then glanced around the Sickbay, amazed at just how much the
design resembled the old ship’s Sickbay.
Standardized design, he supposed.
“So
what is it that brings you down to my Sickbay, Jeff?” Q asked, emphasizing the word my. “Not feeling well as you fill in at my old
position?”
Bloom
chuckled, then showed her a package he was
carrying. “A package arrived for you
just before we departed Vulcan.”
“For me?” Q
asked, surprised. She rarely received
mail, since most all of her acquaintances were aboard this vessel.
“Well,
not so much you specifically,” Bloom explained as he handed the Trill doctor
the small package. “It was addressed to ‘CMO,
USS Dauntless.’ Came from Starbase Diego Garcia.”
Q’s eyebrow rose slightly as she made
the connection. Diego Garcia was the Starbase Doctor Sir Azriel Dourden, their Chief
Medical Officer aboard the previous Dauntless,
had been reassigned to. She accepted the
package and opened the wrapping carefully.
Her eyebrows then knit in confusion.
“What
is it?” Bloom asked, curiosity overcoming him.
Q lifted out a small isolinear optical chip and showed it to Bloom. His expression turned to one of confusion as
well.
“What
should we do with it?” Q asked.
“Plug
it in?” was all Bloom could offer. Q shrugged in agreement and moved
toward one of the nearby computer interfaces and slid the chip inside. Nothing happened.
“Computer,”
said Q. “Access isolinear
chip in slot 11-alpha.”
The
computer chimed in acknowledgement, then a moment later it’s
feminine voice announced, “Warning, Emergency Medical Hologram Mark 4 program
has been deleted from the databanks.”
Q and Bloom looked at one another in
alarm, worried as to just what kind of virus they had infected the system
with. The computer chimed once again.
“Program
installed.... Initializing software...”
A
humanoid figure appeared in the center of Sickbay. The figure wore a Starfleet uniform minus the
rank insignia on the blue collar. His
bald head turned to look disinterestedly at Bloom and Q.
“Please
state the nature of the medical emergency,” the newly installed EMH stated,
then cocked an eyebrow when he noticed Q
wearing the medical smock over her uniform.
“Where is Doctor Dourden?”
“A Mark 1?” Bloom asked with confusion. “I thought they recalled all the Mark 1’s out
of service?”
“Not
just any Mark 1!” Q said, a smile
coming to her lips. “Our
Mark 1!”
* * * *
It
had been a long day, and the Dauntless
was nearing the Rohrer system. Crewman
John Lancaster, a new Helmsman Trainee, had just left the Ready Room, and
Koester had one more meeting left for the day.
He sat back for a moment, waiting for the doors to part again.
Nothing
happened.
He
stood up and walked over to the replicator.
“Raktagino, extra sweet,” Koester ordered while glancing
expectantly at the doors. The cup with
steaming hot liquid materialized.
Koester grabbed it and returned to his desk, again glancing at the doors.
Nothing
happened.
Finally
huffing a tired sigh, he tapped his combadge.
“Skipper to Kane. I
thought you said I still had one more new member of the crew to meet today?”
There
was a prolonged pause for a moment, then Kane responded, “That’s right,
Skipper.”
Koester
was starting to get annoyed. “Well, then
where is he?”
“Uh....,”
Kane started to stammer. “Mister ‘Spot’
entered your Ready Room five minutes ago, Skipper.”
“Excuse
me!?” Koester exclaimed in surprise, looking around the seemingly empty room,
then turning to the service record displayed on his monitor screen.
“Ensign
Cdtkkhfttn,” Koester tried to pronounce before giving
up entirely. “Native
of planet Daminia II. A sentient, non-corporeal life form....” Koester paused. “Non-corporeal?”
“Correct,
sir,” said a metallic sounding voice from within the room. Koester looked around, confused. The voice sounded so close.
“Uh... Ensign...
Ensign Cdt.....
uh...,” Koester stammered.
“My
real name is unpronouncable by most humanoid life
forms. Just call me ‘Spot,’ sir,” the
voice said. “It’s a nickname I picked up
in the Academy.”
It
took Koester a moment to realize that the voice he was hearing was originating
from his combadge.
His eyebrows knit in annoyance.
“Ensign...
uh... Spot..., it’s generally customary to actually appear in person for interviews
with your Commanding Officer, not over the com channels.”
“But,
sir,” the voice continued. “I am here
with you.”
Koester
had just about lost all his patience when he noticed the circle of red light
sitting on the edge of his desk. He
stared at the spot for a moment, then looked around the Ready Room for a
possible light source, even going so far as gazing out the Ready Room windows
before looking back and seeing the circle of light move playfully back and
forth on the desk.
“Uh.... Ensign? Is that you on my desk?”
“Yes,
sir,” responded the metallic voice once again.
“How
is it I’m... uh... hearing you?”
The
voice made a metallic chuckle and then said, “My race is a non-corporeal
species composed of electrically bonded ions which can interface directly with
most electronic and computer systems directly.
I’m accessing the Dauntless’
communications system to speak to you.”
Koester,
still amazed, returned to his seat behind the desk.
“Your
Academic record is quite impressive, Ensign,” he said, “but I can’t help
wondering how you could possibly serve a Bridge position without a body?”
“With
all due respect, sir,” ‘Spot’ said, moving closer to Koester’s arm on the desk,
“but as I said, I can interface directly with all ship’s systems. I can ‘be’ the sensors in some respects. I will make the ideal Science Officer for
you, sir.”
“Very well. I look
forward to working with you.” Koester
almost started to reach out for a handshake out of habit when he caught
himself. “Dismissed,” Koester said, and
before he could blink, the circle of light was gone.
“Bridge
to the Skipper,” sounded the voice of Virgil Kane over Koester’s combadge now.
“Go
ahead, Exec.”
“Skipper,
we’ve entered the Rohrer system. Dropping out of warp now.”
“Very good, Exec.
Form a Diplomatic Away Team. I’ll
be there in a moment.” And with a quick
click, Koester deactivated his computer monitor and headed out onto the Bridge.
To
Be Continued...
Return to 2375.
Return to Stories Archive.