Captain’s log, stardate
62320.5:
After completing a two month shakedown under
the command of a new commanding officer and first officer, the Dauntless has
received its first new assignment. We
are en route to the deep space monitoring platform Epsilon 8, one of the stations that used to monitor
the Klingon border when the neutral zone still
existed there, that now monitors subspace communications in the Mempa Sector and also acts as part of a deep-space radio
telescope network, where we will pick up the recently relieved commanding
officer and transfer him to his new assignment as commander of Deep Space 4.
K’danz,
commanding Dauntless, out.
The
Sovereign-class Federation starship USS
Dauntless dropped out of warp and slowed alongside the broad antenna
covered framework of the more than a century old monitoring platform designated
Epsilon 8. On the bridge, the starship’s new commanding
officer, Captain K’danz, sat in the center seat, her
concentration on the two officers sitting at the consoles in front of her.
“All stop,” she
ordered. “Hold us here at station
keeping.”
“Station keeping,
aye, ma’am,” Ensign Carter Breitling replied.
“Monster, hail Epsilon 8. Tell them we’re standing by to beam their
former commander aboard,” K’danz said to Lt Commander
Setton To’Lock Arbelo at the ops station.
“Epsilon 8 has already hailed us,” Arbelo reported.
“The former CO is standing by.”
K’danz nodded as she touched the intercom button on the arm
of her chair and said, “Bridge to Commander Paris.”
“
“Our passenger is
ready to beam aboard, Tom. Could you
please meet him in transporter room one and escort him to the bridge?”
“On my way,”
A minute later,
Tom Paris strolled into the transporter room.
Behind the control console stood Chief Gregory Blackman, who nodded as
the
“Standing by,” he
acknowledged.
“Energize,
Chief,”
Blackman
activated the transporter, which hummed to life. The beam coalesced on the platform,
materializing into the form of a bearded human man, 1.7 meters in height,
wearing a red-shirted command uniform with captain’s pips on the collar and a
silver Bajoran earring dangling from his right
ear. The man looked around the
transporter room with a look that bordered on wonder.
“Welcome aboard
the Dauntless, Captain. I’m Commander Tom Paris, the first officer,”
“I don’t need an
escort. Believe me, Commander, I know
the way,” the new arrival said before introducing himself. “Captain Virgil Kane. And once upon a time I commanded this ship.”
Space,
the Final Frontier…
These
are the voyages of the starship Dauntless!
Star
Trek: Dauntless
“The Kane Mutiny” By PJK
Based upon a character created by Michael Tucci
The doors of the turbolift opened on the bridge and K’danz
could hear what sounded like a vaguely familiar voice say, “Looks like they
replaced the carpets too.” She turned
around in the center seat to see who it was who had spoken. Her expression transformed to shock when she
recognized the man who emerged with her first officer.
“Virgil?!?”
A similar look of
shock appeared on Kane’s face as he stepped toward the center seat.
“Carrie? What are you doing here? I thought you were at Starfleet Security
guarding Mars or something like that?”
“That was years
ago,” K’danz said as she offered the VIP seat to her
left to her fellow captain. “Before
Peter contacted me and asked me to be his
“Peter? Peter Koester?” Kane asked. “I thought he had retired?”
“He had. For all of eighteen months. Then he decided it was time to come back to
Starfleet and HQ gave him back the Dauntless.”
“Really?” Kane said, amazed.
“Where is Peter now?”
K’danz’s expression turned grim as she said, “He’s
dead.” Kane’s expression now turned to
one of shock as K’danz explained, “He was killed a
little over two months ago during an away mission. Killed by a terrorist trying to prevent the
planet we had made first contact with from forming a united world government.”
Kane seemed to
silently absorb what K’danz had told him until she
spoke again.
“Now that you’ve
turned command of Epsilon 8 over to a
new commander, you’re off to command Deep
Space 4?”
“Yeah,” Kane said
with a disgusted sigh. “From one desk job straight on to another. Boldly going… nowhere.” He looked at K’danz
forlornly and said, “I miss deep space duty, Carrie. I miss feeling the vibration of the deck
plates when the ship is pushing maximum warp.
The exhilaration of going to red alert. The satisfaction of
completing a mission.” Kane
looked toward the two consoles in front of the command arena seats and said,
“If I could, if Starfleet would trust me again, I would accept another starship
command in an instant.”
*
* * *
As the Dauntless set course toward the distant starbase Deep Space 4,
Commander Paris escorted the starship’s passenger to one of the VIP guest
quarters.
“Are you sure you
wouldn’t like a tour of the ship before you retire for the night?”
“No, thank you,
Commander,” Kane replied. “I spent five
years aboard this starship, almost three of that in command. I probably know this ship at least as well as
the present crew. Good night.”
“Good night,
sir,”
“Computer, access
the service records of this vessel’s command staff. How long has K’danz
been commanding officer of the Dauntless?”
“Captain K’danz was appointed commanding officer of the USS Dauntless on stardate
62131.5,” the computer’s emotionless female voice replied.
“That’s just
about two months ago,” Kane said to himself. “Has she commanded any other Starfleet
vessels prior to the Dauntless?”
“Captain K’danz has been offered command of two vessels prior, the USS LaSalle on stardate
59734.0 and the USS Nova on stardate 61355.5. Neither offer was accepted and she remained Executive
Officer aboard the USS Dauntless.”
“So if K’danz has only been a commanding officer for two months,
then she’s still on probationary status,” Kane said to himself as the gears in
his head started turning. “Computer,
display Starfleet crew rotation reports for the past twelve months.”
The computer
bleeped acknowledgement, then displayed the requested reports on the monitor
screen. Kane pulled the fastener down on
his uniform jacket and pulled it off as he started to study the display.
*
* * *
The next
afternoon, as the Dauntless warped
its way toward Deep Space 4, Kane
found himself sitting in 10-Forward sharing a drink
with Lt Colonel Sean Elliott McIntyre, one of the few senior officers still
aboard the starship since Kane’s command of the ship six years earlier.
“There’s a
procedure to be followed, Mack. A
rotation for offering qualified officers space-going
commands, and I’ve been kept out of that rotation far too long. Yes, I will admit, as the commanding officer,
the accident at New Gibraltar was my responsibility, but I don’t think it
should have stalled my career behind a desk permanently.”
“We both know the
“But don’t you
think everyone deserves a second chance?” Kane asked.
“Of course,” the
Marine contingent commander agreed.
“I want the
command of a starship again,” Kane said after gulping down the contents of his
glass. “So badly I can taste it.”
*
* * *
“I’ve done the
research,” Kane said to Captain Steve Rolla, a friend of his assigned to
“You went right
from
“But I was the
“So was K’danz, Virg, and for longer than
you were. I just don’t see this
working.”
“She’s been a
captain less than six months. She’s
still officially on probation. It should
be easy enough to change the orders,” Kane said, his eyes expressing an intent
look. “I’ve spent far too long flying a
desk, Steve. I can’t spend another five
years commanding a starbase, no matter how
prestigious Deep Space 4 may be. I want this ship back!”
Rolla sighed
through the subspace transmission, slowly shaking his head but realizing his
friend would not take no for an answer.
“I’ll see what I
can do on this end. This may take some
time,” Rolla assured Kane before signing off.
As the monitor screen blinked the logo of the Federation emblem before
quickly going black, Kane looked around the cabin around him and smiled.
*
* * *
“ETA to Deep Space 4?”
K’danz asked.
“Five hours,
fourteen minutes, current speed,” Ensign Carter Breitling
replied from the helm.
“Very well,” K’danz replied just as Lt Commander Setton
To’Lock Arbelo turned in
his seat at ops toward the captain.
“Carrie, there’s
a private communiqué coming in for you from Starfleet Command.”
“I’ll take it in
the ready room, Monster,” K’danz said as she stood up
and headed toward the doors to the right of the main viewscreen. “You have the conn
until I get back.”
As Arbelo slipped out of the ops console seat and into the
command chair behind his station, K’danz sat down
behind her desk and pressed the monitor control.
“This is Captain K’danz.”
The image of a
woman in a command division uniform with three pips on the collar appeared on
the screen.
“Good morning,
Captain. I have been told to inform you
a position has become available that you might be interested in. The USS
Verrazano is in need of a new commanding officer.”
K’danz looked confused.
She paused for a moment before saying, “I’m afraid I don’t understand,
Commander.”
“The position of
Commanding Officer of the USS Verrazano,
an Ericsson-class survey vessel, has become available and is being offered to
you. Congratulations.”
“I still don’t
understand,” K’danz reiterated. “I’m already commanding officer of the Dauntless.” Now it was the commander’s turn to look
confused. “In fact, I turned down
command of an Ericsson and remained first officer of the Dauntless several years ago,” K’danz added. “So I
don’t know why Starfleet Command would think I would want to transfer now?”
“Um…,” the
commander started to say. “There must be
some mistake somewhere. According to my
records, the Dauntless is scheduled
for a change of command ceremony at Deep
Space 4.”
“Excuse me?!? I think you need to re-check your
information. I just assumed command of
the Dauntless
two months ago.”
“I only know what
I have been told, which is that the Dauntless
will be changing command once she reaches Deep
Space 4,” the commander said.
“Who?” K’danz demanded to
know. “Who is supposed to be taking
command of the Dauntless at DS4?”
The commander
consulted her records for a moment before answering, “Captain Virgil D. Kane.”
*
* * *
Several crew
members sat around relaxing in 10-Forward, sipping drinks and playing table
games. In one corner of the room,
“How dare you!”
she said accusingly. “How dare you try
and steal my command!” Every eye in the
lounge turned at the sound of the captain’s voice, shocked by an anger never
before seen.
“I assume you’ve
been informed,” Kane said calmly. “I’m
sorry it had to be you, Carrie, but we both know you didn’t deserve the Dauntless.”
“And you do?” K’danz asked with incredulity.
“I’ve spent the
last five years behind a desk aboard a monitoring station, staring at the stars
out a window. It’s time I get back out there,
exploring the unknown.”
“Not at my
expense,” K’danz said firmly.
“There’s nothing
you can do about it at this point,” Kane said, his own tone starting to grow
angry. “The orders have been
approved. The change of command will occur
as soon as we reach starbase.”
“There is
something I can do, and I’ve already done it,” K’danz
said with a degree of satisfaction.
“I’ve requested a Board of Inquiry be convened as soon as we reach DS4.”
And without another word, she turned her back on Kane and left the
lounge, everyone there staring in her wake.
*
* * *
“This Board of
Inquiry is hereby convened on stardate 62339.7 in the
matter of the command of the starship USS
Dauntless NCC-75310,” announced Vice Admiral Phillipa
Louvois, the Judge Advocate General of the Typhon Sector as one of the men next to her tapped a
clapper against the side of a ceremonial ship’s bell twice. At the table in the front of the room with Louvois sat Captain Patrick Reilly, the man who had rung
the bell, and Captain T’Reid, both command division
officers. At one table in front of the
tribunal sat Captain K’danz and her first officer,
Commander Tom Paris. At the other sat
Captain Virgil Kane and his advocate, Ron Magee. Both tables were set up in front of a gallery
of seats filled with members of the USS
Dauntless crew, some of whom would testify before the board, other present
out of curiosity, including most of the senior staff. The admiral took a long look at both K’danz and Kane before saying, “You both realize that in
the history of the Federation Starfleet, there has never been a dispute over
command of a starship like this.” Her
next remark was directed at Kane, “What you have done here is one step removed
from mutiny.” She then turned toward K’danz and added, “And while I sympathize with you, Captain
K’danz, who are you to question Starfleet orders, no
matter how unusual they may appear?”
Before either
captain could remark, Louvois slammed her gavel on
the desk and said, “Call your first witness.”
The first witness
on the stand was Captain Kane, who upon request, recited his service record and
awards, culminating in his command of the starship Dauntless for almost exactly two years from 2377 to 2379, when the Dauntless was involved in a collision
with a neutronic fuel tanker, and how, following that
incident, he was posted to the command of Epsilon
8. Kane’s advocate then asked him
several questions, the answers to which emphasized Kane’s command
abilities. Once Magee returned to his
seat,
“Captain, what
made you decide to circumvent standard Starfleet procedures in order to secure
orders to command the Dauntless
again, in spite of the fact that she already had a commanding officer?”
“It’s really not
all that uncommon,” Kane answered. “In
fact I can cite examples going back decades, including the time James Kirk
appropriated command of the
When there were
no more questions for Kane, K’danz was called to the
stand, where she too related her service record and awards. With the exception of specifics like which
division they served in moving up the ranks and the individual starships they
had served aboard, both histories were remarkably similar, right up to their
service as first officer aboard the Dauntless
under the command of Peter Koester. The
main difference, as K’danz pointed out in her
statement, was that unlike herself, Kane had not logged a single star-hour
aboard a starship in almost six years.
Then, after several hours of testimony, Admiral Louvois
recessed the board until the following morning.
That evening, in
10-Forward, K’danz was sitting at the bar with her
husband, Dar. An untouched drink sat in
front of her. Frustration was evident on
her face.
“You have to
believe they won’t let Captain Kane get away with circumventing the system,”
Dar assured his wife.
“Before Admiral Louvois said what she said to me, I would have believed
that,” K’danz said, almost ready to slam her fists on
the bar until Lt Colonel McIntyre sat in the other seat next to K’danz.
“Evening, Cap,”
the Colonel said as he ordered a drink from
K’danz looked at McIntyre with a look that bordered on
disgust as she said, “Is there something I can do for you, Mack?”
McIntyre sipped
from his drink, a steaming goblet of Klingon chech'tluth, before saying, “Have you ever heard the full
story of why the Dauntless collided
with that tanker six years ago?”
Dar looked over
at the Marine colonel and said, “The official story is that the ship lost power
to maneuvering thrusters as they pulled close to the tanker to resupply with
fuel for the fighters and auxiliary craft.”
“Yes, that’s the
official story,” McIntyre said. “A lot
of things were glossed over during the inquiry and not made public.”
“Like what?” K’danz asked,
her mood suddenly changed.
“Well, let’s just
say Captain Kane has pulled some stings before…”
*
* * *
Earth Year 2379
Stardate
56032.9
In orbit over the New
Gibraltar Colony
The USS Dauntless maneuvered into orbit high
over the distant Federation colony.
Several other ships orbited nearby, a few in lower orbits, including the
neutronic fuel carrier SS Tezra.
“Standard orbit,”
Lt Commander Kevin Fry announced from the helm.
“Very well,” said
Commander Mish Michaels before turning to face the tactical console to his
right. “Major McIntyre, hail the colony
and inform the administrator we’re ready to beam the supply shipment down to
them.”
“Aye, Commander,”
McIntyre replied, hailing the colony administrator.
“Commander,” said
Lieutenant High at the engineering console.
“We’re due to take aboard a supply of neutronic
fuel for our auxiliary craft. There’s a
tanker in orbit with us that could supply us with our required amount.”
“Make the
arrangements, Mister High,” Michaels ordered.
“Aye, sir.”
An hour later, after
the colony had received its supplies and Lieutenant High had received
authorization to move alongside the Tezra ready to pass over umbilicals
to transfer the fuel, Captain Virgil D. Kane appeared on the bridge to sign the
requisition form the ship’s supply officer handed to him on a padd.
“We’re ready to
maneuver alongside the Tezra,
Captain,” Michaels informed Kane as the human-turned-Bajoran
stepped over to where the first officer sat in the center seat. Kane looked over toward where Lt Commander
Fry sat at the helm.
“This should be a
relatively easy maneuver, don’t you agree, Exec?” Kane asked.
“Yes, sir,”
Michaels replied. “I’m sure Mister Fry
has performed similar maneuvers dozens of times.”
Kane nodded as he
moved toward the helmsman, standing alongside Fry’s chair.
“I’m ready to
relieve you,” Kane said.
It took several
seconds for Kanes words to register in Fry’s
consciousness, but once they had, Fry looked at his commanding officer with an
amused expression. The expression
quickly changed to one of astonishment as he realized the Captain was serious.
“Excuse me, sir?”
he asked as every head on the bridge looked toward the helm station with
expressions of confusion.
“You heard me,
Kevin. I want to man the helm for this
maneuver,” Kane replied. “It’s been a
while since I’ve sat the helm.”
Now Commander
Michaels stepped forward from the command chair.
“Captain, are you
sure?” he asked. “After all, until just
a couple of years ago you were only a science officer. Have you ever helmed a starship during a
maneuver this complex?”
“I was a first
officer for five years before I became a captain, Exec. Not just a science officer. I’ve stood my share of command watches. And spend a fair amount of time piloting the
“The
“I realize
piloting a runabout is a little different than piloting a starship, which is why
I would like to give it a try now,” Kane replied.
Michaels leaned
closer to Kane, so that only the captain and Commander Fry could hear, and
said, “With all due respect, sir, why not wait until after we break orbit? Then you can take her up to warp speed.”
“Anyone can fly a
starship in the emptiness of deep space, Exec,” Kane replied. “I want to do something a little more
challenging.”
“Kipten, do you tink dis is vise?” asked Chief Piotr Zubatka, who had replaced Master Chief Kyman
as the Chief of the Boat when he retired, from his seat at the mission ops
console. Kane looked over toward his
“Call it
Captain’s Perogative, COB. And besides, we’re only maneuvering a little
over three kilometers. What could go
wrong?”
“Famous last vords, Kipten,” Zubatka said, causing Kane to raise an eyebrow.
“I have to add my
own objections,” Michaels said. “And I
would like that on the record. A
maneuver like this is not for a novice.
It takes years of experience…”
“I have years of
experience, Mister Michaels,” Kane replied, his tone starting to sound
angry. “Or is it your belief that
Starfleet gives out starship commands by the flip of a coin?”
“No, sir, but…,”
Michaels started to say when Kane cut him off.
“Your objection
is noted and logged.” He then turned
back to the helmsman. “Mister Fry?”
Fry nervously
looked at Michaels once more before saying, “I want to add my own objection
into the log.” As Kane nodded, Fry stood
up from the seat and moved to a position two steps behind the chair where he
could intervene if necessary.
“Your objection
is logged,” Michaels quietly assured the chief helm officer.
As Kane settled
into the helm seat, glancing first at Lt Commander Phillip Winters at the ops
console to his left, he stretched his arms out over the helm station and
studied the readouts.
“Activating
maneuvering thrusters,” Kane announced, touching one of the controls on the
console in front of him. The maneuvering
thrusters on the exterior of the starship fired, moving the vessel both lower
in orbit and increasing speed to catch up with the slightly faster moving
tanker vessel. On the screen, the Tezra loomed
larger.
“Slow us down,
sir,” Fry urgently advised the captain.
“We’re dropping too fast.”
Kane hesitated
for a second, momentarily uncertain whether he should slow the orbital descent
or the starship’s forward speed.
Finally, he chose a control to press, too quickly for Fry to react.
“No!” the chief
helmsman shouted as Kane touched the control that fired the aft thrusters,
sending the Dauntless toward the
tanker even faster.
“Slow us down,
Captain!” Michaels exclaimed needlessly.
“You’re approaching the Tezra too fast!”
“Closink speed, now tventy meters
per second,” reported Zubatka from mission ops. “Ve’re goink too fast, Kipten!”
Kane tried to
correct his mistake, but the starship’s thrusters were not reacing
the way he thought they would, causing the Dauntless
to start twisting toward port. The
captain, flustered, hesitated again as he stared at the console controls before
finally ordering, “Fry, resume the helm!”
Fry acknowledged
the order and rushed toward the conn chair. However, in his haste to get out of the
helmsman’s way, Kane pressed his left hand onto the face of the helm console as
he stood up.
“No!” Fry shouted
as he literally grabbed the captain by the shoulders and pulled him away from
the console, tossing him toward the ready room doors, but the damage had
already been done. Alarms sounded from
the helm as Fry slipped into the seat.
“RCS system failure!” Fry announced. “I’ve got no control over maneuvering
thrusters!” Kane watched from where he
had fallen as Lt Commander Winters tried to help Fry re-route power to the RCS
system.
“Distance to Tezra von hundred
and fifty meters,” Zubatka reported. “Closink speed steell tventy meters per second.”
Fry briefly
looked up at the viewscreen, where the tanker was
quickly moving under the starship and toward the starboard side, before saying,
“Re-route primary power to the starboard RCS thrusters. If I can’t slow us down, I can at least try
and push us out of the way!”
Both Winters and Fry worked in concert to restore power to the
thruster system. After several seconds,
Fry smiled as the starboard side thrusters resumed functioning. “Got it!”
Fry fired the
maneuvering thrusters, slowing the downward motion of the starship and starting
lateral movement toward port. However,
it was too little too late. The saucer
section of the ship did not entirely clear the hull of the tanker and the two
ships collided. The collision caused the
aft end of the starship to twist to starboard again, and the pylon that held
the starboard warp nacelle also struck the tanker, piercing a hole through the
bulkhead of one of the storage tanks. Immediately pressurized gaseous neutronic
fuel started spraying out of the hole and against the hull of the Federation
starship.
On the bridge,
the collision had knocked the crew around.
Kane, who had started to get up off the deck right as the collision
occurred, was knocked forward into the frame of the main viewer, cracking
several ribs and knocking his head against the screen. He rolled onto the deck with a groan.
“Bridge to sickbey. Medical eemergency!”
Zubatka shouted into his combadge
as he and Lieutenant High rushed to the captain’s side. “Computer, actiwate the EMH.”
Seconds later, the ship’s Emergency Medical Hologram appeared and
started treating the wounded officer until the chief medical officer and an
orderly appeared out of the turbolift.
*
* * *
Stardate
56071.2
Utopia Planitia Fleetyard, Mars
High above in
orbit, the starship Dauntless was
entering drydock at Slip 29-Delta for repairs, while
in one of the large briefing rooms within the surface facility, several people
were gathered.
Captain Kane, his
torso still wrapped in tight bandages and an osteo-regenerator
attached to the side of his head to heal his damaged skull, sat in front of two
admirals and a captain, an advocate by his side. On one side of the room sat Lt Commander
Kevin Fry, also with an advocate of his own.
Behind the table where Kane sat were the rest of the bridge crew who had
been on watch during the accident, including Major McIntyre, Lt Commander
Winters and Chief Zubatka.
“This board of
inquiry into the collision between the USS
Dauntless and the SS Tezra is reconvened,” one of the admirals announced as
he rang a ceremonial ship’s bell on the table before him. “After several hours of deliberation, it is
the decision of this board that blame for the accident falls squarely on the
shoulders of Captain Kane, who as commanding officer knew that he was
unqualified for the position in which he placed himself and should have known
his responsibility for the safe operation of his vessel.” The admiral then turned to look at Kevin Fry
and added, “Lt Commander Fry, whose objections to the watch relief are on the
official record, is cleared of all charges.”
Fry breathed a
sigh of relief that his objections before the accident had not gone
unheeded. Kane, however, lowered his
head sadly.
“Captain Kane,
please rise.” Both Kane and his advocate
stood and faced the tribunal. “It is
fortunate for you that no one was killed in this incident. If the Tezra’s cargo had exploded, both
vessels involved could have been completely destroyed. You should count yourself lucky,” the admiral
admonished. “As it is, both vessels will
require extensive repairs requiring several months to complete, not to mention
the loss of revenue to the captain and crew of the Tezra while it is in drydock.”
The second
admiral picked up a padd from the table and started
reading from it.
“Captain Virgil
Dylan Kane, your actions during this incident have left us with grave doubts. This tribunal has lost confidence in your
judgment and ability to command. It is
the opinion of this board that you are unfit for command of a starship and that
you be relieved of command of the USS
Dauntless effective immediately.”
Now it was Kane’s
turn to sigh, but not in relief like Fry.
As the first admiral rang the bell once again, then announced the board
of inquiry was concluded, the board member with the rank of captain stepped out
from behind the table and approached Kane.
“Sorry, Virg, I tried to save your command,” said Captain Kevin
Butler, who knew Kane from their time at the Academy,
“What’s going to
happen to me?” Kane asked.
“Well, the board
is leaving it to me to write up the final report.”
“Do you think you
can leave out the part where I was the officer actually on the helm at the time
of the incident? That’s the fact that
would be a career killer!” Kane said.
“I can’t make any
promises, Virg.
It all depends on who reviews my report.
But I’m
going to try and make it as easy on you as I can. Most officers would be busted right out of
the service. But you’re a senior officer
with a distinguished career who served honorably during the Dominion War. Keep in mind though, I can assure you that
even with my help, you’ll never get starship duty again. I hope you like sitting behind a desk?”
“I think I can
deal with desk duty for a few months, and then work myself into a better situation,”
Kane said. “What positions do you think
are available in
*
* * *
K’danz looked at McIntyre with an expression of amazement.
“According to
what I read in the records, the Dauntless
collided with the tanker because the RCS system simply lost power,” she
said. “You mean to tell me that Virgil himself,
unqualified to stand the helm watch, was who caused the collision?”
“I thought,
considering the direction the testimony went in today, that it was something
you should be aware of,” McIntyre said before slugging back the remainder of
his chech'tluth and saying goodnight. K’danz turned and
looked at her husband, the expression of surprise still on her face.
*
* * *
The next morning
the board of inquiry was resumed. Virgil
Kane, as the more senior captain, was given the first opportunity to present
his case as to why the Dauntless
should be turned over to his command. He
quickly cited several highlights from his record, including a mission to the 20th
century and Earth’s Eugenics Wars, the Battle of Sector 001 against the Borg,
the incidents on Hammond’s World and against the Hunters, several battles
against the Dominion and his three years in command of the starship, during
which time he oversaw two first contacts, five diplomatic missions and several
encounters against Romulan, Tzenkethi
and Tholian forces.
“Quite
impressive, Captain,” Admiral Louvois conceded before
turning toward K’danz and saying, “And you,
Captain? Why do you feel you are the better
qualified to remain in command of the Dauntless?”
K’danz felt like saying that possession was nine-tenths of
the law, but figured that tack would only work in a Ferengi
court, and instead started listing her own command qualities, pointing out that
Kane was not the only officer to participate in many of the missions he had
cited as she had likewise served aboard the Dauntless
as Chief of Security during the Borg invasion and their encounters with the
Hunters, then adding that she had made forays to Hammond’s World more than
once, was in temporary command of the Dauntless
during several engagements with the Kairn, including
Starfleet’s first encounter with the hostile alien race, had overseen the
training and education of a class of Starfleet Academy cadets when the Dauntless had been assigned as the
Academy training vessel for six months, participated in a covert undercover
mission within the Romulan Neutral Zone that helped
dismantle a major element of the Orion Syndicate, had overseen disaster drills
aboard the starship that tested the entire crew including the captain and had
supervised a six month shipyard overhaul.
Finally, as she started to wind down her recitation, she pulled out the
big guns.
“I would also
like to take this moment to point out that this is not the first occasion
during which Captain Kane has made use of close contacts within the Starfleet
hierarchy in order to help advance his own career. He pulled strings to return to Starfleet
after resigning his commission and spending several years fighting alongside
the Bajoran resistance. And, more alarmingly, he used his contacts to
have certain facts about the reason he was relieved of command of the Dauntless suppressed.”
“Objection!”
shouted Advocate Magee as he quickly rose to his feet. “That statement assumes facts that are not in
evidence here!”
“That is a serious charge, Captain K’danz,” stated Admiral Louvois. “Can you support it?”
K’danz stepped forward with a padd
in one hand and an isolinear chip in the other,
placing both on the table in front of Louvois.
“On the padd in front of you is the final official report of the
Board of Inquiry into the collision between USS
Dauntless and SS Tezra
of stardate 56071.2, written by Captain Kevin Butler,
which states Captain Virgil Kane was relieved of
command due to his responsibility as captain for the actions of his crew.” K’danz then turned
to look at Kane as she added, “However, if you watch the video recording of the
inquiry proceedings contained on that chip, you will also find the board found
Captain Kane guilty of a much more serious charge as well, one he managed
through his connections to erase from the public record.”
Louvois picked up the chip and looked at K’danz, who had turned back to face her.
“This board will
recess while the members look into these allegations further,” Louvois said as the three board members stood. Everyone else in the room stood as well as
the board members stepped out through the door to another room where they would
watch the file on the isolinear chip and debate the
fate of the starship Dauntless and
the two people who wished to command her.
*
* * *
“The waiting is
driving me crazy,” K’danz admitted to the crew around
her, which included her husband Dar, his assistant Amanda Windsor, Tom Paris
and the
“These things
take time, especially when you present them with unexpected evidence,” Kyman tried to explain.
“Hopefully the
board will come to a decision soon,”
“May I speak to
you a moment, Captain?” Kane asked K’danz. She nodded after exchanging a look with
“And you don’t
care who you step on to get it, do you?” K’danz said
accusingly. “Did it never occur to you
that perhaps you don’t deserve command of a starship? That you had your opportunity? Got what you deserved, in your own words, and
screwed it up without anyone else’s help or intervention?”
K’danz stood up, standing toe to toe with Kane as she
added, “I worked long and hard to build the experience necessary to become a
commanding officer. Even
turned down two commands to stay with the Dauntless. I’m not going to sit back and simply let you
take her away from me now.”
“Well, in that
case, may the best captain win,” Kane said, offering his hand toward K’danz. She looked
down at it momentarily before looking back at Kane’s face.
“Don’t worry,”
she said as she returned to her seat among her crew. “She will.”
“Captain Kane,
Captain K’danz and advocates, please report to Briefing
Room Five,” a voice announced over the starbase
intercom, cutting off anything further the two captains might have said to one
another. “Captain Kane, Captain K’danz. Please
report to Briefing Room Five.”
Minutes later,
Kane, K’danz and their advocates were standing behind
their tables as the three board members filed back into the room and took their
seats behind the head table. Captain
Reilly rang the ship’s bell on the tabletop twice, prompting everyone to sit,
as Admiral Louvois announced, “This board of inquiry
is reconvened.” The admiral looked at
both Kane and K’danz as she said, “The board has
reviewed the files submitted in evidence and, having considered the records of
both officers in question, has come to a decision regarding the disposition of
the command of the USS Dauntless.”
Louvois turned toward the man with the silver Bajoran earring on his ear as she addressed him.
“Captain Kane,
you record, while not typical, has many fine points and we’re sure your ability
to command might have been better served had you been given a smaller vessel as
your first command. Perhaps if you had
not been placed in charge of a Sovereign-class starship so soon in your career,
the situation would have turned out differently? However, this board is disturbed by the
manner in which you have chosen to operate on several occasions. Comparing your actions to those of Captain
Koester, who requested reinstatement of his commission directly from the Federation
Council and was given command of the Dauntless
because she was without a captain at the time, or the actions of then-Admiral
James T. Kirk when the Enterprise was
the only starship standing between Earth and total destruction and the only
choice was a commander with five years experience facing the unknown or an
untried captain who had never been out of drydock
leaves a bad taste in our mouths.”
Louvois then turned to face K’danz.
“Captain K’danz, you too are an untried captain by the letter of the
law, but in the opinion of this board, not
an untried commander. Your record has
shown numerous incidents where you were in command of the Dauntless in the absence of her captain, most notably against the Son’a in the Briar Patch and Starfleet’s first encounter
with the Kairn, that prove your abilities.
Our only reservation is, like Captain Kane, we would have preferred you
had been assigned to a smaller vessel of the Akira, Bradbury, Intrepid or Steamrunner class before eventually graduating to a Class-1
explorer like the Dauntless.”
Admiral Louvios then directed her next comment directly to the
record.
“It is the
finding of this board that Captain K’danz will retain
command of the starship USS Dauntless,
having proven ability and been appointed to the position by the regulations of Starfleet
and the Federation Council. Captain
Kane, if he so chooses, may assume command of this starbase,
Deep Space 4, as scheduled.”
K’danz, a wide grin on her face, looked over toward the
opposing table, where Kane was leaning over and whispering in his advocate’s
ear. Magee stood up and received the
recognition of the board.
“If Captain Kane
were to refuse this assignment, what is the possibility of him being considered
for some other starship appointment?”
Admiral Louvois’ expression softened slightly as she replied, “I
don’t see that happening at this time. Especially under these circumstances. But who can say what the future holds? All things are possible.”
Magee looked down
at his client, who simply nodded. With
no other questions or comments, Louvois added, “This
inquiry is concluded.” Captain Reilly
then tapped the ship’s bell in two pairs of two and the board members stood in
unison and left the room.
“Well, you were
right, Carrie. The best captain did
win,” Kane said as he approached K’danz and offered a
hand in reconciliation. K’danz rose from her seat and graciously accepted the
handshake.
“I wish it hadn’t
come to this, Virg.”
“I hope we can
put this behind us,” Kane said. “I would
like to invite you and your crew to attend the change of command ceremony as I
assume command of DS4.”
K’danz hesitated for a moment, the phrase ‘change of
command’ causing discomfort, before finally saying, “We would be happy to be
there and witness the ceremony.” Then,
after Kane offered his goodbye for the moment, K’danz
turned around and vigorously shook the hand of her first officer and advocate.
“Thank you, Tom.”
“Hey, you did it,
Captain.”
“No, Tom. We did it.”
After collecting all
their belongings, K’danz and Paris departed the
briefing room. In the corridor outside
they found not only the members of the crew who had been in the bar with them,
but Wallace, T’Ashara, Arbelo,
Admiral Fil, William Hyland and Sean McIntyre as
well.
“What’s the word,
Skipper?” Chief Kyman asked.
“She’s still
mine,” K’danz replied, barely able to hold back her
grin. A cheer arose in the corridor,
drawing the attention of several Starfleet officers and civilians passing
through.
“Feel like drinking
now?” Dar asked as he wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist.
“I could finish
off a barrel of blood wine right now,” K’danz
replied, and led her crew back toward the bar.
“First round is on me!”
*
* * *
“Attention to Orders.”
Captain Shrav stepped in front of the gathered assembly in the main
recreation room aboard Deep Space 4. He looked out upon the crowd, most of them
the officers and crew he had commanded for the prior five years, and with a
smile that caused one of his antennas to twitch, lifted a padd
ceremoniously upward.
“To Captain Shrav, Commanding Officer, starbase Deep Space 4. Stardate 62353.4. You are
hereby requested and required to relinquish command of your station to Kane,
Captain Virgil Dylan, Commanding Officer, outpost Epsilon 8 as of this date. Signed, Salak, Chief of Starfleet
Operations.” The Andorian officer then turned to face Captain Kane and,
looking upward slightly, said, “Computer, transfer all command codes to Captain
Virgil D. Kane. Voice authorization: Shrav-1-1-Alpha-9-5.”
“Transfer
complete,” the station’s computer replied.
“Starbase Deep Space 4 now under command of
Captain Virgil D. Kane.”
Kane took a step
closer to Shrav, nodded to the outgoing commander,
and stated, “I relieve you, sir.”
“I stand
relieved,” replied Shrav, prompting the applause of
the watching crowd, followed by the passing of champagne and congratulations to
both captains.
“Where are you off
to now?” K’danz asked Captain Shrav
as she and Dar approached the two officers.
“I’m told my
promotion to Commodore has been approved, along with a transfer to become OIC
of Utopia Planitia
Fleetyard,” the Andorian
officer replied.
“Really?” Dar said, suddenly very interested as he drew Shrav away from his wife and Kane. “Can I offer you some engineering suggestions
to incorporate into the starships that pass through your facility that would
make maintenance easier?”
As Dar and Shrav disappeared into the crowd, Kane and K’danz looked at one another.
“Once again,
Carrie, I apologize for all the trouble I caused,” Kane said.
“Don’t let it
happen again,” K’danz replied in mock-sternness.
“I won’t,” Kane
assured her. “Just
plan on me being out there with you on the bridge of a starship again some day.”
“As long as it’s
on the bridge of your own ship, not mine, I look forward to it, Virg,” K’danz replied with a
friendly smile.
The End
Return to 2385.
Return to Stories Archive.