"Boomer Bust"
by Lady Rainbow
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were.
Notes: Looks like this "little plot bunny" decided to become a short series about Travis, the Boomers, and the Trade Consortiums. Hope nobody minds, LOL. :) Since there was hardly anything in the series that dealt with this, thought I'd expand on it a little bit.
You finally find out about Admiral Forrest's involvement in all this (it ain't as sinister as people insinuated earlier) and Travis and Paul have a difficult confrontation.
Look out for "Deadly Negotiations", the second part to "Boomer Bust", coming soon!
Reviews and comments and ideas are always welcome from everybody! Thanks!
Here we go...
Ten
Travis spent another restless night in the captain's quarters, tossing and turning in his bed. It was more comfortable than his own bunk on Enterprise, but that wasn't the problem. The Ragnaron had docked at Centauri Medlab One more than twenty-four hours ago. The station's surgeon general was more than willing to accommodate the Horizon survivors. In fact, one look at Philippe at the helm station was all it took for Surgeon General Bryson to offer an unconditional offer of assistance.
Since then, Ragnaron's crew had been given a hero's welcome. The comlines buzzed with requests for interviews and generous contracts from more than just EdML. Philippe and Travis sat in the captain's room and waded their way through the politics; Travis received a not-so-subtle crash course in the intricacies of trade politics.
Worse, Paul had been avoiding him like the plague. Right now, he was on Medlab One, seeing to the comfort of the former Horizon crew. Travis sighed in his sleep. Suddenly, Travis was thrust in the spotlight as the heroic captain, and Paul was just a Boomer captain who had lost five ships,including his own. Travis's heart was sore, and even his mother's words had failed to cheer his spirits.
"Paul's been through a lot the last few months, Travis. That cheerful face on the other end of his transmissions was just a facade. Now he's lost not only his home, but his crew, and he feels responsible for the loss of the other cargo ships as well."
Travis had shaken his head. "I've been trying to talk to him, Mom, but he's always found a reason to be somewhere else. He can give Malcolm a run for being invisible." Rhianna Mayweather chuckled at the comparison, but he went on, "The attack wasn't his fault; he just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Rhianna reached over and put a hand on his arm. "That's where you're wrong, Travis. I've got my own suspicions...I didn't want to put a wedge between my own sons, especially in these uncertain times, but you have a right to know."
"Know what?"
She sighed and said, "Paul talked to some of the other trading consortiums after Rene Trieste died. I wasn't privy to any of those conversations, but I suspect they were offering him some lucrative contracts to haul particular kinds of cargo. He told them he'd consider it, but he hadn't gotten back to any of them yet."
Travis stared at her. "Which consortiums?"
"Delhario Incorporated, Vrhiuy Enterprises, Procyon Private Group, four or five others. EdML was one of them, too. They were persuasive, but Paul was reluctant to do business with them, for good reason. Then, the captain of the Sydney came to him and they decided to band together for this run to Centauri. Safety in numbers. Paul agreed."
"You think somebody panicked when they saw the Boomers coming together in a convoy. Theythought the shipping captains were banding together against the trading consortiums?"
"I do. Paul told you about the short transmission before they attacked...they specifically mentioned the Cargo Transit Authority. The powers that be don't want the Boomers to organize themselves." Rhianna shook her head. "They're scared, Travis. Very scared. Now that Philippe's back..."
Travis nodded. "God, what a mess."
Yes, this was a mess. Travis swore again and sat up in his bunk. He had to talk to Paul. After dressing, he hit the comm button. "Hoshi?"
"It's Thor, Travis. Hoshi's with Malcolm at Medlab."
He frowned. "Are they all right?"
"They're all right; your mom's visiting with some of the Horizon crew and they tagged along."
"Is my brother with them?"
"No. Last I heard he was at MedLab's Comm Station."
"Thanks, Thor."
"You're welcome. Oh, by the way, you have a couple of messages waiting at the station. Looks pretty important."
"I'm on my way."
Travis walked through the airlock that connected Ragnaron with MedLab. The station's halls smelled like lemon polish and the bright lights gave a cheerful look to the place. He found the Comm Station with little trouble. To his dismay, Paul had just left the room, and the controller didn't know where Horizon's captain had went.
The woman gave him a shrug and gave him her full attention. The hero worship in her eyes made Travis distinctly uncomfortable. If Paul had to put up with this on the station, no wonder he didn't want anything to do with Travis. Travis felt a stab of guilt; it wasn't fair to his brother. At the wrong place at the wrong time. Damn.
"Even the head of Starfleet called for you. I think he really wants to speak with you, Captain Mayweather."
"Admiral Forrest?" Travis's heart plunged into his stomach. So much for sneaking Philippe under EdML's noses; they'd pretty much trumpeted Philippe's return with a bugle chorus. I'll probably get chewed out big time. Great. "Can't keep him waiting. Can I have a private station?"
Three minutes later, Travis sat in an isolated alcove, waiting for the connection to San Francisco. Forrest's image materialized on the screen; Travis brought himself up to stiff attention. "Admiral Forrest. I–"
"At ease, Lieutenant," Forrest replied. He regarded Travis with a wry smile. "You've caused quite a stir here, I'd say. I've had countless messages from civilian liaisons asking for your services, plus Admiral Leonard's suggested jumping you to full commander and a position on the Challenger."
"What?" Travis felt sick. "Sir, I–"
"I owe you an explanation, Travis," Forrest said with a sigh. He noticed the admiral's use of his first name, which made his discomfort worse. "I've already talked with Captain Archer; the Enterprise is enroute to Centauri; they should be arriving in a week. Archer knows what's going on, and he gave me an earful. Which, by the way, I completely deserved."
Despite himself, Travis chuckled at the image of Archer chewing out his superior. It took a lot for Forrest to admit he'd messed up. The humor vanished as Forrest's expression became hard. "We needed someone to gather information about the trade consortiums and companies. Your name came up, as well as Philippe Trieste's. I was reluctant to get Philippe involved, for I knew his family. Specifically Sandrine Montclaire."
"You knew his mother?" Travis asked. It didn't surprise him; that long-ago conversation in Archer's ready room and Malcolm's observation: Did you notice he referred them by first name? Of course, Forrest hadn't known he and Malcolm had overheard that conversation, and Travis wasn't going to enlighten him.
"She came to me because she was concerned about an assassination attempt on her husband. Someone had tried to kill Rene more than once before. She pleaded with me to protect her son; I told her Philippe would be safe on Enterprise. Then she was killed, and Rene not long after her. I had to do something."
Nothing surprised Travis anymore. "So his parents' deaths weren't accidents. Does Philippe know?"
"He suspects." The strain and guilt showed clearly on his face. "She'd kept Philippe in the succession and Philippe needed to go back to EdML to take care of things. It was the perfect opportunity to find out just how deep the corruption ran among the consortiums, and what we could do about it."
Travis gritted his teeth as his anger simmered under the surface. "You used us."
"We underestimated the volatility of the situation, Travis. Your tangle with the Orions pretty much blew secrecy out of the water–" Forrest held up a hand at his indignant snort. "Not your fault; I'm not blaming you for that. You had to go after Philippe and Malcolm Reed. Then the attack on your family's ship and the other transports...you got there before Starfleet could. Now you're squarely in the spotlight. Guillem Montclaire's forced to acknowledge all the things you've done and put a positive spin on it. After all, you used one of his vessels. Never mind that he was the one who sent it in the first place to kidnap---and possibly murder---his own nephew."
"What a bastard." He didn't apologize for his language, and he noticed Forrest didn't call him on it.
"He can't make a move against Philippe now without the entire sector on his head, and he knows it." The admiral scowled at Travis's stony expression. "I'm not a fool. I know that Montclaire's just playing for time, waiting for the right opportunity. If anything, the situation's gotten worse among the trading consortiums. The attack on your family's convoy amounts to a declaration of war; they're scrambling to protect themselves. The Cargo Trading Authority's in full panic mode; they've asked Starfleet to intervene."
"And what will you do, Admiral?" Travis asked.
"We're going to provide sector security and a liaison team for negotiations. They want you to head that liaison team."
His jaw dropped. "Sir–"
"Hear me out. You're in a unique position, having grown up a Boomer and being in Starfleet. You aren't the only one, but you're now the most high-profile one. You have connections to the Boomer Fleet, and now with Philippe, you also have an connection with EdML. All the trade consortiums want a piece of the pie, so to speak, and they all want to talk to you. Earth can't pass up this golden opportunity." Forrest leaned back again in his seat with an apologetic look. "Whether you like it or not, Travis, you're smack in the center of all the action."
Travis fought the temptation to hang his head in his hands. All I ever wanted was to fly the first Warp 5 ship and explore the galaxy. Now I'm stuck here. He could hear Trip Tucker's voice in his head. Karma's a bitch, ain't it? Yeah, he was truly stuck. At the cost of his family's livelihood. No wonder Paul hated him now. Now that the Horizon was no more, what were the Mayweathers going to do? Recoup their losses, find a new ship? Was that even possible?
"Travis."
Something in Forrest's tone made him look up. The admiral gazed at him with sympathy. "I know this comes at a personal cost to you, and I'm truly sorry. Rest assured that I'll personally take care of your family. They've paid the price for all of this and I want to make it up to them."
"I'm not sure if my brother would accept your charity, Admiral," he said truthfully. "Boomers can be proud, you know. I think he blames me and Philippe for what happened to Horizon."
"I think Paul would surprise you. Give him a chance." Forrest managed a smile. "I'll talk with you more later, all right? Think about my proposal, talk to Philippe and Paul, and since the Enterprise is on her way, get in touch with Jon Archer. I think he can give you some sound advice on the matter."
"Yes, sir," he replied in resignation.
"Take care, Travis. Starfleet Command, out." As Forrest's image winked out, he sat there for a long time, contemplating the future, and his reluctant part in it.
**********
"Travis, I gotta talk with you."
He glanced over his shoulder at his brother. Paul Mayweather leaned in the doorway, his arms crossed, in an unconscious imitation of Malcolm Reed. Travis recoiled at the steely look in his eyes; he'd never looked like that before, and Travis felt a sharp pang of fear. Uh-oh. Now I'm really gonna get it.
Paul's next words weren't what he expected. "Tanaka Enterprises offered me a contract. A fleet of six ships under my command, with the chance of part ownership. A mix of Class-J's and RH-900s, and they've promised me a pick of the new Hunley-class transports when they come out in the next couple of months."
"You takin' the deal? Sounds pretty lucrative."
"I'm seriously considering it. The Cargo Trading Authority's offered us a nice compensation for our losses. Mom's talking with them right now." Paul regarded his brother with an unreadable look. "I guess there're advantages to being the younger sibling of Starfleet's newest star."
The anger and irritation he'd managed to keep pent-up abruptly exploded. "Christ, you think I wanted all this to happen? All they wanted was for me to get Philippe Trieste home, that was it. Suddenly, they're making me into some kind of savior, someone who can bail them out of this mess, and come out of it smelling like a rose. I'd turn back time and get Horizon back. You and Mom are too precious for me to lose. I don't want to lose either of you."
Paul's face didn't change. "I think you lost me when you showed up with Old Man Trieste's son. Never thought of you as someone who'd consort with the enemy. You remember why Dad didn't want to mess with them? They're sneaky sons-of-bitches who make money off our misfortunes. Dad knew who they really were. He'd be rolling in his grave to see you now."
He scowled. "Don't drag Dad into this. He's not here."
"You're right. He isn't, but you are and I am. Ever since I became Horizon's captain, all I heard was how I'd never live up to Dad's expectations, how I'll be second best compared to you. My brother, the helmsman of the grand Enterprise, and me, the cargo captain, expected to haul stuff around the galaxy. Everyone talked about you all the time, especially when the newsvids were screaming about your latest escapades at the edges of known space."
Paul narrowed his eyes. "But I didn't want you to know how bad it'd gotten. Didn't want you to feel guilty, feel sorry for me. So I pretended everything was okay. We were doing fine, making a profit, keeping afloat, so that was all good. Then the convoy was destroyed and I heard 'em say, 'You know, if your brother was here, he would've kept us in one piece'. And that did it for me. My own crew, Dad's crew, basically told me I was an incompetent captain, and they'd much rather have had you."
Travis closed his eyes at the hurt, the jealousy, the anger in Paul's voice. "God, Paul, you should've told me. I would've set 'em straight–"
"But now, I'm gonna get out of Dad's shadow and yours." Travis opened his eyes to see his brother smirking at him. "I'm starting over with a new crew, a new company, a new life. Mom wanted me to name the new ship Horizon, in honor of the family. If circumstances were different, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but the game's different now."
"Then what are you gonna name your new command?"
Paul's smirk widened. "Raven's Revenge, with Tanaka Enterprises, out of Vega. If you're ever in the neighborhood, let me know and I'll give you a tour. Who knows, Big Brother, maybe we can share a cargo run and it'd be like old times."
Then, abruptly, Paul turned on his heel and strode away, leaving Travis speechless in his wake. Travis stared after him long after he was gone, his mind and heart numb beyond belief.
"Yeah, just like old times," he whispered dully.
Back to Part 9
This series continues in Deadly Negotiations
|
