Devron Fleet Yard Operations: Lieutenant Henry Maxwell

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• JShepard Member

  April 2021 edited May 2021

  [Week After the Archanis Campaign]
  [Devron Fleet Yards]
  [Operations Center]

  Maxwell was standing before one of the larger displays that often displayed a map of the region of which Task Force Ninety-Three operated, leaving blips of where the ships within the Task Force operated, along with various blips of friendlies and neutrals, if they shared. He has kept himself preoccupied for quite some time with his new role, keeping himself up to date on where the five starships in his Task Group were located and what their assignments were, and just keeping himself up to date on everything else. Then whenever he had free time, he would take some Command courses of his own in one of the station’s many holodecks.

  An ensign approached him and cleared her throat. “Uh, sir. What are you looking for?”

  Maxwell took in a deep breath and exhaled it loudly as he localized an area, right along the border of the Federation and the Romulan Free States. Then with a few commands, multiple blips appear in the area, blips in regards to reports of convoy raids. These were convoys between the Devron Fleet Yards and Starbase Ten, either the destination of the convoys were from the Devron Fleet Yards to Starbase Ten or to Fenris or from Starbase Ten to the Devron Fleet Yards. Either way, the localized area was directly between the Devron Fleet Yards and Starbase Ten. “Just eyeing an area that I believe I should be concerned about.” He took in another deep breath and then sighed before turning some to look at the ensign. “What can I do for you, Ensign?” Ever since he was given this job, he just couldn’t bring himself to being an uptight leader like some he has read about or seen. He wanted to be just as he was when he was just the Chief Flight Control Officer on board the Portland.
  

  The Ensign eyed the number of blips that were there on the board. “That does seem troubling.” She then cleared her throat and handed him the PADD. “You wanted an update on Command candidates.”

  Maxwell smiled. “Ah yes.” He took the PADD from her. “I do appreciate it.” Of course he didn’t dismiss her yet, as he went over the list. He knew that Tas Group Fifty-Eight was larger just by two vessels than Task Group Forty-Four. Not that it mattered, but he liked making things equal. Maybe it was some OCD nature, or maybe he just wanted to see where he can continue to contribute as the Commanding Officer for the Forty-Four. It was a short list really, but he did stop at one name that had four vouchers for four Non-Commissioned Officers, one vouch each of course, to take the extensive training program to make them Commissioned Officers. They would only have to go through weeks, if not months of vigorous training, depending on their current skill set, how long they’ve been serving with Starfleet, and their past achievements. “Lieutenant Vakai.” He spoke out loud and then selected the name, which opened up the Lieutenant’s profile page, everything Maxwell needed to learn about him. “Lead a Hazard Team...stole and commanded the commandeered D-Twelve B’Rel Class from the Hunters of D’Ghor…” He continued to speak out loud to himself as he read, until he looked up from the PADD to the Ensign. “Find out where Lieutenant Vakai is, and have him report to my office as soon as he can.”
  

  “Right away, sir.” She smiled before walking away, probably on the fact that she finally got dismissed or finally was given something to do. Either way, she set off to complete her task.

  Maxwell also noticed that he was not the only one to have recently viewed Vakai’s file and so he set off to go to his office and contact the person before him. Captain John Carter.
  

  “Captain Carter.”

  “Forgive the sudden call, Captain. I am Lieutenant Henry Maxwell, Commanding Officer of Task Group Forty Four assigned to Task Force Ninety-Three.” He sighed slightly at the mouthful he just had to say.
  

  Carter raised a hand to stop Maxwell. “Son, instead of saying all that, just say your name and rank. If I wanted to know more about you, I would have asked. It would at least save you from having a stroke.” Carter grinned shortly after.

  Maxwell grinned right with him, catching the joke. “Understood, Captain. Reason for my call is because I just noticed that you recently viewed a profile on a specific Lieutenant assigned to Task Force Ninety-Three, who goes by the name Vakai.”
  

  Carter licked and smacked his lips. “Damn. I’ve been caught red handed. Guess I best go turn myself in.”

  Seeing it as another joke, Maxwell smiled and shook his head. “I was only curious because I am considering him for Command training. He is one of the candidates on my list and I figured since I saw that you recently viewed his profile, I wanted to ask what your insight would be on him.”
  

  Carter shook an index finger at the screen. “Very smart choices you’ve made there, Lieutenant. One, choosing that Lieutenant for the Command Training Program. Two, asking me about my thoughts on him. I guess that answers my questions and concerns on why a Lieutenant is Commanding a Task Group.”

  Maxwell sighed and then shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve been asking that same question myself, sir. I have yet to meet with my superiors to find what that answer is.”
  

  Carter held up his hand again. “Let me save you the trouble. What I see is that you have potential, Lieutenant. Something that your superiors see, that you do not. That is the same reason why I was viewing Lieutenant Vakai’s record. I see potential in him, potential to be one of the good ones, like many others in this fine fleet. Like the Captain of the Odyssey, the Commander of Atlantis, Captain of the Vesta, the Endeavour, the Hood. Or Vakai could be a flop, really depends. I could go on, if you want.”

  Maxwell chuckled, shaking his head. “No thank you, sir. I completely understand and agree with you. I served under one, on the Portland, which I do miss.”
  

  Carter smiled and leaned back into his ready room office chair. “Ah...the Portland. How is the old girl?”

  Maxwell sighed. “Scheduled to be used for parts, I am afraid. She had a nasty run in with the D’Ghor before the whole situation escalated. She suffered serious damage and Starfleet has decided that repairing her would take too much time and too much needed resources, resources that could be used elsewhere that are more vital. So any other Ambassador Class vessels in service that need parts for repairs, the Portland will supply.”
  

  Carter shook his head. “A damn shame really. She was the finest of her class, one of a few that has remained in service. Her class was the pivotal of Starfleet Engineering before the Galaxy Class essentially outclassed her in every aspect. The Enterprise-C was one of them before she was lost.”

  Maxwell nodded his head, “Then the next Enterprise was the Galaxy Class.” He smirked.
  

  “Now don’t get smart with me boy.” Carter smirked right back.

  “So you believe that Lieutenant Vakai has potential?” Maxwell asked, getting back on topic.
  

  Carter sat back up straight and nodded his head. “I do. It’s a gut feeling that I have. And if you get him set up for that Command Training Program, and if he passes, I want him on board my ship. Something my first Captain had done for me that I want to do for anyone that I feel is suited for the Captain’s chair.”

  “Mind if I ask what that would be?”
  

  “I was just an Ensign, freshly graduated from the Academy, when my first Captain requested that I be assigned to this very ship. He told me that he saw potential in me and intended to mold me into who I am today. Of course he didn’t get to complete his mentorship before the Dominion War started, but my second Captain did. And when he moved on, I became the next Captain of this ship.” Carter explained.

  “And you think Vakai would be suited to be the next one to take command of your vessel?”
  

  “Hell no. I wouldn’t want anyone else having to be stuck with this ship unless they were literally next in line for it.” Carter chuckled. “It’s a fine ship, but she’s old. And I honestly do not know how much longer Starfleet plans to keep ships like this one in service. But I absolutely plan on mentoring the man, making sure he is shaped properly when he takes the reigns of his very own command. Not that, stolen D-Twelve horse manure he ‘temporarily’ commanded.”

  Maxwell chuckled slightly and then nodded his head. “That’s all I needed to know, Captain. Thank you. I will personally assign him to the Command Training Program. I may even supervise.”
  

  Carter raised a brow. “No offense, Lieutenant. But what do you know about the Command Training Program?”

  “I took some courses while I was on board the Portland. And I have taken a few more while I’ve been here, at the Devron Fleet Yards. I think I know enough. Plus there are a few things that I know will be a hard choice for anyone to make. You know, one of those tough decisions.”
  

  Carter nodded his head in agreement. “If you are considering supervising those courses, I suggest picking one of his former team members, the ones he’s recommended to become Commissioned Officers. Which I also have plans for them as well.”

  Maxwell smirked, “You have plans for his entire team?”
  

  Carter nodded. “Oh yes, I do. Look. Vakai requested that all four of the Non-Commissioned Officers of his former Delta Squad to take the program, and become Commissioned Officers. That means that in the future, when he does take command of his very own ship, he plans on having them assigned on board, probably to be part of his senior staff. So he’s already got plans for them, might as well have them around so that their ‘bond’ grows stronger. A Captain with a very strong bond with his senior staff is not only a happy crew, but a very fine tuned starship.”

  Maxwell nodded his head. “I agree, that really does sound like a very good philosophy.”
  

  “It is a fact, Lieutenant. So I went ahead and signed my letter of recommendation for the four of the Non-Comms.”

  Maxwell frowned. “Does that work for those you don’t even know?”
  

  Carter grinned. “It does if I also agreed to assign them to my ship under my command, making them my responsibility if they screw up the barn real bad as fresh New Commissioned Officers.”

  Maxwell tilted his head with some nodding. “That is true. They screw up and it’s on your rear end.”
  

  “Exactly. I’ll be fine though, I doubt they will give me that much trouble. And if they do, I’ll just sic Vakai on them.” He chuckled.

  Maxwell grinned. “All right. Well I have taken up enough of your time, Captain. I will update you on Vakai’s progress, if you wish.”
  

  “That would be fantastic, Lieutenant. And good luck with the Command of the Task Group.”

  “Thank you, Captain.” Maxwell then ended the transmission and sat back into his office chair and sighed. But just as he was about to call for the Ensign, he heard his door chime go off. “Enter.” And there she was, the Ensign he was about to call for. “I suspect you have an update for me?”
  

  She smiled. “Yes, sir. Lieutenant Vakai is at Starbase Twenty-Seven, on a brief shore leave from the looks of it for his achievements. I went ahead and sent the orders to the Operations Center at Starbase Twenty-Seven with your seal and signature, notifying that Lieutenant Vakai is to report to your office as soon as possible.”

  Maxwell smiled. “Using my seal and signature huh? I guess I did give you that permission when I said to get him here.”
  

  She smirked. “Yes, you did. Technically.”

  [About a few days later.]
  

  Maxwell stood there by the single viewport that was the length of the deck to the ceiling, pretty much like the one in the ready room of a Galaxy Class vessel and any other of course. He was staring out at the yards, just watching as the technicians and crew did their daily duties, that is until he heard his door chime go off. “Enter.” He said and turned around when he heard the door split open on command. There he saw the Romulan with the Lieutenant pips on his uniform. “Ah, you must be Lieutenant Vakai.” Maxwell said as he stepped up to his desk and leaned forward with his right arm stretched out, palm open.

  Vakai stepped inside the office, before taking the man’s hand and shook it as that was the intended outcome. “Yes, sir.”
  

  Maxwell then pointed at one of the chairs with his open hand. “Please have a seat.” He said before he sat down in his chair, watching Vakai doing the same. “I suppose you are wondering why I have asked for you here.”

  “The thought did cross my mind, sir.” Vakai answered.
  

  Maxwell smiled, “As I thought as much. Well the reason being is, you were one of the recommended candidates for the Command Training Program. Now I would love to get you started in the program but there are a few things that I want to go over with you first.”

  “Whatever you need, sir, I’ll supply the best that I can.”

  Maxwell smiled. “Good. First thing on the agenda, when the D’Ghor issue became serious, you were given command of a Squad for the Hazard Team program in Task Force Ninety-Three. The first mission that is given to you, is to procure intelligence from any installation that the D’Ghor owned. There were some questionable judgements while you were in command, one of them being that you killed a couple unconscious Klingons at the D’Ghor camp. You do realize that is essentially killing them in cold blood, you know, murder.” Maxwell said as he stared into Vakai’s eyes.
  

  Vakai swallowed and licked his lips. “With all due respect, sir. The reports of these Klingons spoke for themselves. Furthermore, my mission was important, important to Starfleet. I simply could not risk jeopardizing my mission by leaving them alive. I couldn’t take them with me as prisoners of war, nor could I simply leave them tied up anywhere in their own camp, as that would have been cruel enough, leaving them to die a slow death of starvation.”

  Maxwell listened to him carefully before going back to his holographic display on Vakai’s record, along with submitted reports from his former squad-mates. Maxwell went and started typing in notes on the response he got to the question he made. “What about the time on the D’Ghor outpost, where you vented a couple dozen Klingons into space?”
  

  Vakai frowned. “If my report was submitted correctly, I didn’t vent them into space. Lieutenant Sivol did.”

  “But you were considering it first, the one who had full intention to do so whether Lieutenant Sivol had done it or not.” Said Maxwell.
  

  Vakai licked his lips and nodded his head. “Yes, sir. Again, I was doing it for the sake of the mission but also for the safety of my team. I was not going to put them in harms way in attempting to clear out an entire section full of Klingons. And even if I hadn’t, they would have died from an explosion from the outpost’s reactor from overloading, that’s if they didn’t stop it from doing so.”

  Maxwell stared at Vakai for a moment before making notes of what he said to his question again.
  

  “Those seem to be the only questionable marks that I can find on your record, Lieutenant. Everything else from the destruction of the D’Ghor outpost to fending off D’Ghor vessels in the Haydorian System.” Maxwell then leaned back into his chair and sighed. “The thing is, Lieutenant. Those two decisions you made while you were in command of a Squad are the kind of decisions that Starfleet normally would not tolerate. But as you said, the reports of these Klingons of D’Ghor spoke for themselves. And your mission was important to Starfleet, so of course Starfleet Command has sanctioned the decisions you made. But the point of this is, if you were given Command of a Starship, would you make those same decisions again?”

  Vakai shook his head, “The circumstances would be different, sir.”
  

  “How so?” Maxwell asked as he leaned forward, placing his arms on his desk. “What if we enter another conflict with a different, yet ruthless faction like the D’Ghor were?”

  Vakai licked his lips. “It would depend on my mission, sir.”
  

  “Depend on your mission? What if your mission was simply to escort a medical convoy? Or evacuate a colony that is on the verge of collapse because it has been severely damaged by the opposition?”

  Vakai frowned and thought hard about it before taking a deep breath and sighed heavily. “No sir. I would not.”
  

  “You would not, what?”

  “I would not make those same decisions again, sir.”
  

  “Then why make those decisions at all in the first place?”

  Vakai stood up, “Because those Klingons were not just ruthless, sir. They were scum. They slaughtered innocent women and children. They raided our colonies and butchered our people. They deserved no less than that.”
  

  Maxwell sat back in his seat as he stared up at Vakai before gesturing to him to sit back down. Then he leaned forward and added some more notes. Maxwell then sighed and looked back at Vakai. “That’s what I wanted to hear, Lieutenant. I needed to hear you being honest with your answers, not giving me answers that would satisfy any other. I don’t need that crap. I need absolute, complete honesty.”

  Vakai nodded his head. “I apologize, sir.”
  

  Maxwell shook his head. “Don’t apologize. To be honest, Lieutenant. There are those who have done far worse than you have and still sleep well at night, because they did deserve exactly that. Someone pictured and hoped that this galaxy would be simple, peaceful and glamorous for the Human race when we finally could leave our Solar System. But they were dreaming. Well, one part they did get right. The galaxy is glamorous. Every now and then, we find something so unique among the stars that it baffles the scientists back home. The galaxy is riddled with mystery, mystery that we strive to discover and solve. But unfortunately, the simple and peaceful part is pure fantasy.” Maxwell stood up from his chair and went over to the viewport. “Starfleet, before and after the founding of the Federation, has dealt with so many crises, so much conflict, that exploration vessels became more equipped with defensive weapons and shields than Starfleet had originally planned. Even though we strive to explore, to research and scientific missions, we still keep ourselves prepared for the possibility of battle...or worse...war.” He sighed again, “I could keep going but you probably already got all of this in history class back at the Academy. Point is, Lieutenant. When you are in command of your own starship, you will have a lot more resources at hand than you did as a leader of a squad of a hazard team. You need to make sure the decision you make is absolutely justified.”

  Vakai nodded his head. “Understood, sir.”
  

  Maxwell turned and smiled at Vakai. “Good. I wasn’t going to turn you down for the program anyways. As it seems, you have someone else watching over you, and they personally put in a letter of recommendation for you and your entire squad members.”

  Vakai frowned. “But...why?”
  

  Maxwell shrugged his shoulders. “Well, probably because the man has a lot of years and weight under his name. That and he has a gut feeling about you. He seems to think that you’ll be a fine Captain someday.” Maxwell said as he sat back down at his desk.

  “Who?” Vakai asked.
  

  Maxwell shrugged his shoulders again. “You will find out eventually, Lieutenant. But for right now, I am going to be taking the USS Nexus out for a spin, and you’re going to be my First Officer.” Maxwell turned off his holo display as he stood right back up and headed for the door, Vakai immediately following right behind him.

  “Wait, we’re leaving now?” Vakai asked.
  

  Maxwell nodded his head, “Indeed. The Nexus is a Cheyenne Class vessel. She’s ready to go as soon as I give the word, was actually going to take her out towards the Archanis Sector and see if I can provide any support needed but I wasn’t really needed and one more starship wouldn’t make much of a difference, not compared to a whole KDF Fleet that finally joined in.”

  “Mind if I ask where we are going with the Nexus then?”
  

  Maxwell pulled out a small PADD and handed it over to Vakai. “There have been numerous reports of convoys being raided, mainly in that one sector of space alone between us and Starbase Ten. We’re going to take the Nexus and investigate it. I’m hoping it’s not the Fenris Rangers, but if it is, we will have to take them into custody, any of them that we encounter anyways. But if it’s the Romulan Free States or worse, the Tal’Shiar, then we got ourselves bigger problems. But if it's just random raiders, then the least we can do is figure out what their problem is and see if we can resolve it so we can keep the supply going.”

  Vakai skimmed over the reports, “I see. What about the Colonies in the Archanis sector that were affected by the conflict with the Hunters of D’Ghor?”
  

  “Starfleet has already assigned plenty of relief vessels to take care of the mess the damn D’Ghor conflict had made. We’re to do our job as part of Task Force Ninety-Three. But even though you’re going to be my First Officer, you’re going to be the one sitting in the chair and giving the orders.” Maxwell said as a grin formed on his face.

  Vakai raised a brow. “Me in command, sir?”
  

  “Yup. Your Command Training officially begins now.” Maxwell chuckled. “They aren’t too specific on exactly what you need to go through in the Command Training Program. As long as you pass certain criteria, you’ll do fine.” Maxwell told him as they entered a transporter room, and he stepped up onto the pad. “To the USS Nexus, please. Coming?”

  Vakai had been standing there at the doorway before nodding his head. “Yes, sir.” He then hurried up onto the pad as well.
  

  “Just call me Henry.” Maxwell smiled right before they were transported away.
• JShepard Member

  May 2021 edited May 2021

  [Region between DFY and SB10]
  [USS Nexus]
  [Bridge]

  Vakai had been sitting there in the command seat with Lieutenant Maxwell standing at his side for the duration of the trip to a sector that had numerous reports of raids on convoys. As the Nexus dropped out of warp, they just picked up a convoy not too far that was enroute to Starbase Ten when one of the ships had a malfunction in their warp drive, so the convoy halted to allow the freighter to solve their issue. There were already two other Starfleet Vessels, a Freedom and a Challenger class that were escorting the convoy.

  “Comms, send a signal to both escorts that we are here to assist.” Vakai ordered.

  “Aye, sir.” Said the Comms Officer before they relayed the message.

  “Anything on long range sensors?” Maxwell asked the Science Officer after having stepped over to their station.

  “Nothing but the convoy and the escorts.” Said the Science Officer.

  “Sir! Two Romulan vessels just decloaked about twenty kilometers from the convoy. Reading Romulan Free States from their IFF.” reported the Tactical Officer.

  “Well. This is interesting. Should we go greet them?” Maxwell asked Vakai.

  Vakai nodded his head. “Inform the convoy to be prepared to go to warp. Have the escorts form a defensive posture around the freighter that’s having warp drive problems. Helm bring us within twelve kilometers, just outside weapons range.”

  Vakai got both acknowledgements from the Comms and Helm Officer. Once they were in position, Vakai signaled the Comm Officer to open the channel. “This is the USS Nexus. You are in Federation Space, so I hope you have a good reason for being here.”

  The view screen blinked to reveal the Romulan Commander of one of the Romulan ships. “Since all you want is an explanation and not an introduction, we will be happy to indulge. We are investigating a series of raids on our convoys and noticed that one of your convoys was just sitting here in open space. So we assumed that it was under attack and wanted to provide assistance.”

  Vakai looked at Maxwell who looked at Vakai and raised a brow. ‘Assistance?’

  Vakai stood up from his seat and stepped forward. “As you could see, we needed no assistance. Nevertheless, it doesn’t give you the right to enter our space so freely.” Vaka said as he squinted hard at the Romulan Commander’s uniform, as well as the pin he had on his collar.

  Maxwell stepped up and whispered, “You do know we have an agreement with them because of the Artifact, correct?”

  “Not if they are the Tal’Shiar navy.” Vakai whispered back. “His uniform and that pin. There are some differences but I still recognize that this man is not from the Romulan Free State’s navy.”

  “You are Romulan?” Asked the Commander.

  Vakai raised his voice. “I am.”

  “Who are your parents, if I may ask?”

  “Foster parents. I was an orphan, and left on Earth when I was just an infant. I do not know who my real parents are.” Vakai lied. If they were Tal’Shiar, he didn’t want to give his parents away. If they weren’t, he still didn’t want to say in case the Tal’Shiar reviews the recording of the communique.

  “I see. Unfortunate. Nevertheless, we will be returning to our space since you appear to have everything under control.” Said the Commander.

  “Don’t get me wrong, Commander. We do appreciate the gesture. Better relations we have, the better we all can help others in need.”

  “Absolutely. Before we go, be sure to keep an eye on those...Rangers. I believe that they are the culprit to these raids. Farewell.” The viewscreen then blinked, returning to the visual of the two Romulan vessels before they turned around and cloaked. Vakai and Maxwell were then informed that their anti-cloak systems no longer detected them. Whether the cloak was once again perfected or they left the system entirely.

  “Well that was subtle.” Said Maxwell.

  Vakai sighed and folded his arms across his chest. “Why would they be so bold to reveal themselves?”

  “Excuse me?”

  Vakai shook his head. “If they were Tal’Shiar, then why reveal themselves to us? We can barely detect their ships while cloaked, they could have left and returned to their space without any contact. Very unusual.”

  “Well let’s get back to the convoy.” Said Maxwell.

  Vakai nodded his head, “Helm.”

  “Already on it, sir.” Said the Helm Officer.

  [Hour Later]

  Vakai stood there, glaring a bit as he stared at the freighter. The convoy hasn’t even left the system yet, as the very same freighter was still having warp drive problems. And to Vakai, that seemed off. “Comms. Inform the Convoy and the Escorts to resume their route. We will stay behind and guard the freighter, but also see if we can figure out why their warp drive isn’t working.”

  “Aye sir.” Said the Comms Officer. “Message sent.”

  As the Convoy and the two escorts went into warp, Maxwell came up to Vakai and spoke softly. “What are you thinking?”

  Vakai lowered his voice, “I am thinking that this freighter is either deceiving us or their problem is more serious than they thought and may need to be towed.” Vakai then raised his voice. “I want a full scan on that freighter, every detail.”

  “Aye sir.” Acknowledged the Science Officer. After about a minute of scanning, the officer spoke up. “I’m not getting anything.”

  “You can’t find the problem with their warp drive?” Maxwell asked.

  “No sir, I can’t get a thing on sensors other than that the freighter is there.” Said the Science Officer.

  Maxwell and Vakai looked at each other before Maxwell went over to the science station. “Did you run a diagnostic?”

  “Yes sir, twice and I ran a full scan of the freighter three times. I believe they got some sort of shielding around their cargo containers that is interfering with our sensors.”

  Maxwell stood up and looked at Vakai. “Now why would they be doing that?”

  “Likely they have something to hide. Yellow Alert, shields up and have the weapons on stand by. Hail the freighter.” Vakai ordered.

  “Sir, a small ship is coming out from the freighter!” Reported the weapons officer.

  “No, it was magnetically attached on the ventral side of the freighter, on one of the cargo containers. It was basically hidden because of the shielding the containers have.” Reported the science officer.

  “Well it’s a Ranger ship and they are powering up weapons. I suggest we go to Red Alert, sir!”

  Vakai shook his head. “They haven’t fired yet. Comms, hail the ship.”

  “You’re on sir.” Said the Comm Officer.

  “This is the USS Normany to the Ranger vessel. Stand down or we will defend ourselves and seize that freighter.”

  The view screen blinked to reveal a woman, with short black hair that was slicked back. “That freighter is bringing much needed relief to one of the colonies that has been raided by cowards and ignored by the Federation. I will…” She paused for a second and squinted. “You’re a Romulan! I have no reason to speak to you pointy-eared bastard.” She then visibly hit something and the view screen returned to the freighter and the small vessel. Seconds later, the ship was being hit by energy weapons from the small vessel.

  Maxwell came up to Vakai. “Already making friends, I see. Red Alert, prepare to return fire.”

  “No, belay that!” Vakai ordered then looked at Maxwell. “You put me in Command, remember?”

  “I did, but not for this kind of situation. That is a Ranger vessel and it has to be handled delicately.”

  “And firing back, likely destroying the ship, is handling it delicately?” Vakai asked. “Forgive me but I have a better delicate solution. Comms, hail them again.” He ordered as the ship shook from the shields taking hits.

  “She’s not responding, sir.”

  “Then open all frequencies!” Vakai demanded.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing, because if it doesn’t work, I will take over. I am not going to endanger this crew much longer.” Said Maxwell.

  “If it doesn’t work, I’ll order to return fire myself.” Vakai told him before stepping forward, closer to the view screen. “Ranger vessel, I do understand the frustration and hardship that those colonists are going through. I do understand the responsibility you have undertaken to help those lives that are in desperate need. Please try to understand, the Federation has not forgotten about them. A lot has been happening that we had to ensure the safety and security of other border colonies, and we had no intentions of forgetting anyone.” The ship rocked again as the shields were hit some more.

  “Shields down to sixty percent!” Reported the Weapons Officer.

  “Vakai.” Maxwell raised his voice.

  Vakai let out a heavy, annoyed, exhale before stepping forward some more. “Listen to me when I say this. I was not born in any of the three Romulan Governments, but on a vessel associated with a different organization. But I was orphaned on Earth, as an infant, to two wonderful human beings that I gladly call as my parents. I was raised on Earth with Earth and Federation ideals. I left Earth, as a Starfleet Officer, with a goal to find my real parents and deal with the problem that persists today, and that is the Tal’Shiar. My name is Vakai, and I am not going to ignore any of these colonies along the border. I give you my word.” Suddenly the small vessel came to a halt between them and the freighter.

  “Sir, they are powering down their weapons.” Said the surprised Weapons Officer.

  The view screen then blinked back to the woman as she finally answered the hail. “What did you say your name was again?”

  “Vakai.” He answered her.

  She leaned back into her seat, her lips pursed. “I will meet with you, in your ready room, in twenty seconds.” Then the view screen blinked back to the freighter and the small vessel.

  “Interesting.” Said Maxwell.

  “Stand down Yellow Alert.” Vakai ordered before he headed straight for the ready room, Maxwell right behind him. And as soon as the door closed behind them, a transport energy appeared before them and she materialized with something in her hand that looked like a small data drive.

  “What is that?” Maxwell asked.

  She looked at him, then at Vakai. “I was only planning to speak to you.”

  “Ranks may be the same, but he is currently my superior. Besides, whatever it is you have to say...or show me...might be important for him to know as well.” Vakai told her.

  She sighed. “Fine. This has a message that we received three days ago. It was heavily encrypted, likely Tal’Shiar, but our leader had no problem decrypting it.”

  “May I ask who your leader is?” Maxwell asked.

  She looked at him with a glare. “No.” Then she looked back at Vakai. “This message only had two words. ‘Trust Vakai’.” She then went and activated the holographic display on the desk and placed the data drive on the panel, where the computer opened up the single file and displayed the message. She then swiped the screen to flip the message around so that it didn’t appear backwards to them. Message was ‘Trust Vakai’.

  Vakai took a deep breath. “Just words? No voice recording?”

  She shook her head. “Just words. I don’t know who you are or why they sent this message to us, but for some reason our leader believes it has merit to it, so we are going to comply with the message. If your name truly is Vakai, then I have no choice but to trust you. Even though I do not want to, because I don’t know you. And I do not like trusting people that I do not know.”

  Vakai sighed as he stared at the message. “I can’t say for certain but I feel like my real parents sent this message. They are in the Tal’Shiar but they wish not to be anymore.”

  “But getting out is impossible.” She stated.

  Vakai nodded his head, “Exactly. Unless you were conceived without approval from the Administration, and dropped on Earth.”

  She grabbed the data drive and was about to keep it but remembered they had copies of the message just in case any of them did meet Vakai, so she decided to hand it to him. “Why should I trust you, Vakai?”

  Vakai took it and stared at it for a moment. “What exactly is in that freighter?” He asked, looked up and straight into her eyes.

  “As I said. Supplies.” She told him.

  “You were told to trust me, so if you want me to trust you, then I need more that just ‘supplies’ for an answer.” He told her.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and gave a bit of an annoyed, pouty, look. “Food. Medicine. Maybe some hand weapons.”

  “There is no way we are going to let you have those.” Said Maxwell.

  Vakai placed his hand on Maxwell’s shoulder. “You placed me in Command, remember? If you’re going to evaluate me and make your determination, then now is the best time to let me make the decisions.”

  Maxwell stared at him then buttoned his lip and stepped back, observing.

  Vakai then pocketed the data drive before crossing his arms over his chest. “You are placing me in a difficult position. Are those hand weapons Starfleet design?”

  “No.” She answered. “A mix of Klingon, Ferengi, Orion and Romulan. Whatever we could get our hands on on the black market.”

  Vakai nodded his head. “Are they going to be used for only self defense? Or do you plan on launching a full scale invasion into one of the three Romulan territories?”

  She laughed, “Oh please. We’re not that organized, and even if we were, we wouldn’t endanger colonists. Self defense.”

  “You’re practically endangering them now by arming them.” Vakai told her.

  “They asked for them. They felt that if Starfleet wasn’t going to be around, then they might as well defend what they rightfully earned. Land that they tendered themselves. Homes that they built with their own hands. Crops that they grew out of blood and sweat because half of the equipment they had broke down and the other half was stolen or destroyed by the Romulans. I believe that they have every right to defend their own homes with whatever weapon they so damn well choose.” She told him.

  Vakai nodded his head and sighed. “If we still had a neutral zone, this wouldn’t be an issue. But that freighter is flying weapons in Federation Space, and that is the issue. But you guarantee that they are going to be used for self defense, and are not Starfleet hand weapons?”

  “Yes!” She emphasised.

  “And you’re not going to let us scan the contents to be sure that you’re telling the truth.”

  She shook her head. “No. That freighter is an independent contractor who has every single right to the privacy of its crew and its contents, including its deliveries and what it delivers. They have rights.”

  Vakai nodded his head with yet another sigh as he mulled over the answers he received. Then he looked at the message on the holo display. “If my real parents did send this message, then I really do not know why they would put me in this kind of predicament. But they wouldn’t unless there was a solid good reason.” He stared at the message for another minute before looking at her into her eyes. “You and the freighter can go.”

  She frowned. “Just like that?”

  “You were told to trust me, against your better judgement, and because I have a feeling that I know exactly who sent that message, I too am being forced to trust you, against my better judgement. So if what you are saying is true, then I have no choice but to believe you.” He told her.

  She stared at him for what seemed like a solid minute before closing her eyes and letting out a big sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

  “But I suggest you find some other solution at getting shipments to these colonies in need. It is this exact reason why we are out here, because reports of ‘raids’ left us no choice but to investigate.”

  She nodded her head. “I understand.”

  “Good. Because I will be back out here. Maybe not right away but I will be, and I always keep my word.”

  “We shall see.” She reached over towards her arm band.

  “Wait. You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

  She looked at him, her finger hovering over the button. “Rosa.” She said before pressing it and then she was gone, dematerialized and no longer on board the ship.

  Maxwell himself let out a heavy sigh. “You’re putting me in a tough spot, Vakai.”

  Vakai turned to look at him. “Write your report and send it to Starfleet. Let them decide. But I believe we figured out what was going on here, so I assume my training is over.”

  “Not yet. But let’s get back to Devron first.”

  
  [Back at Devron Fleet Yards]

  [Maxwell’s Office]

  “Before I write up this report and submit it, I just want you to know, there is one last thing that a Commanding Officer always has to be prepared to do in any crises.” Maxwell told him as he stood behind his desk. “I learned this myself while I have been sitting here at this station for days on end while trying to figure out how I can help with the situation going on in the Archanis Sector.” Maxwell paused for a moment, “You are attached to your former squad mates, Vakai. You vouched for four of them to become officers. Which me and others have come to believe that you intend for them to become your senior staff if and when you become a Captain someday, which I have no doubt that you will. But what you need to realize is that someday, when the time comes, you’re going to have to sacrifice one of them to save a hundred or a thousand or a million people. Are you capable of making that decision? Are you capable of losing those who you have become close to?”

  Vakai stood there and thought about what Maxwell said before looking right at him. “We all joined Starfleet knowing and accepting the risks.”

  Maxwell shook his head. “That was not my question. Are you able to give the order to sacrifice one of your friends for the greater good? Are you able to handle and accept that decision?”

  Vakai paused for a moment but couldn’t come up with an answer.

  Maxwell sat down in his seat. “Well, that will be something for your new Commanding Officer to deal with. And to be perfectly honest, it isn’t easy sending one of your friends out to die to save others. That’s why Starfleet insists that you don’t become attached to anyone. But of course, in this line of work, how passionate we all are in our jobs, it’s quite impossible to become attached to anyone. It happens. That’s why you need to prepare yourself for when that day comes. Because you may be sending Gomez down a tube that is flooding with toxic gas to fix a vital component that would save your entire ship and crew. Or you could be sending Ryker out on a shuttle with a device that can only be triggered with someone next to it to stop some monstrous creature from devouring an entire world. Anything could happen, and you have to be prepared for it.”

  Vakai nodded his head. “Understood.”

  “I hope so. For your sake. Because it sounds like you plan on staying here, along this border with the three Romulan Governments, and dealing with whatever that is going on to these colonies along the border. And to me, that spells disaster. I won’t stop you from helping people’s lives that are in need, that’s what Starfleet is all about. Sure we’re here to explore, but we’re also here to protect our assets and the people of the Federation. But you...you better have a damn well good agenda for you to become a Captain of your own ship, because Starfleet won’t give a Captain a ship or crew if they plan on going on nothing but suicide runs for the rest of their career.” Maxwell stared at him for a moment before activating his holo display. “I got reports to write, so you’re dismissed.”

  Vakai nodded his head again. “Aye, sir.”

  “And Vakai.” Maxwell spoke up before Vakai left through the door. “You will be receiving your new orders very soon. Like I said, your new Commanding Officer will have to deal with your little attachment issue.”

  Vakai looked at him then left his office.

  --------------------------------------------------

  -Adventures of Vakai, and his band of knuckleheads, will continue on the USS Centaur!