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"Whips, Chains, and Plomeek Soup"
Rating: PG-13 One of my biggest gripes about the series was how everything seemed to happen only when Alpha shift was on the Bridge and you never got to see any other members of the crew do their jobs (and I’m sure they did it competently). So the Beta/Gamma shifters get to shine a little. I also gave Kelby a first name: Richard Seven Commander Travis Mayweather breathed a sigh of relief as he heard Captain Sato’s report. He’d come close to sending a full Security squad when she’d told him about the melee on the planet. Now he was shaking his head at the whole incident. “They wanted to test the Away Team’s devotion to me.” Hoshi’s voice was dry. “I’m not sure they actually wanted to harm us, but I think they’d expected to flee in the shuttlepod at the first sign of trouble. When we stood our ground, I think we earned their respect.” He whistled softly and shook his head. “Man, that was a risky decision, Hoshi.” “We didn’t have much of a choice. High Chieftain Mu’harex has invited us to a celebratory meal at his fortress. I’m hoping the negotiations aren’t going to last very long, but we’ll see. The Lurans seem hospitable.” “Let us know if you need anything.” “You know I will, Travis. Sato, out.” Travis shook his head as he closed the channel. It was amazing at how many scrapes Hoshi had been in and was still able to get out of it relatively unscathed. Even the Disaster Twins had come out of the fight without major injuries, and Jon Archer was also unhurt. Luck of the stars, he thought. It’s kinda appropriate that her name means ‘Star’. He heard a muted sniffle from behind him. Travis swiveled around in the command chair to see Lieutenant Varianis wiping her face with the back of her hand. He frowned and glanced around the Bridge; no one seemed to notice. So he quietly made his way to the science station. “Hey, Ellen, you okay?” She shook her head and buried her face within her hands. Travis put a hand on her shoulder. “C’mon, Ellen. Over here.” He escorted her to Hoshi’s Ready Room. She collapsed onto the couch; Travis sat next to her, but he was at a loss on what to do next, so he only waited until she calmed down enough to speak. “I’m sorry, Commander—“ “What’s wrong? You don’t usually burst into tears on the Bridge.” “No, I don’t sir, but—“ Varianis took a deep breath and tried to stifle her sobs. Travis massaged her shoulder, giving her time to recover. Long minutes passed as the science officer slowly pulled herself together. Finally, her sobs quieted and her shoulders stopped shaking, but her face remained hidden from Travis. “Ellen?” “I’m sorry, Commander, I don’t know what came over me,” she murmured. “I promise it won’t happen again.” “Hey, if you want to talk about it—“He broke off as he saw Varianis’s eyes grow hazy and unfocused. Then she did something unexpected...she started laughing. It wasn’t the laugh of a person who’d heard a joke or of someone finding a pleasant surprise. Her laugh was wild and tinged with madness. Travis kept his eyes on her as he moved to the com panel on the wall. “Mayweather to Sickbay.” “Cutler,” came Liz’s voice, but she sounded distracted and worried. “Liz, something’s wrong with Ellen Varianis. She’s gone loopy all of a sudden.” Cutler didn’t sound surprised. “Bring her down, Travis. She isn’t the first and I have the bad feeling she won’t be the last.” Travis stared as Varianis thrashed within the bed restraints, Liz had given her a sedative, but it didn’t seem to have any effect at first. Liz was reluctant to give her a higher dose, for it had been the maximum allowed for a human. Slowly, Ellen's body relaxed and her face became more peaceful. Next to Ellen was Chief Engineer Phlox. Unlike the science officer, the chief engineer lay placidly on the biobed; he even snored a little. The Denobulan had been in Engineering when his hibernation had taken him unawares, and he’d dropped like a rock. Lieutenant Rostov had attempted to catch him before he’d hit the floor—and got flattened in the process. “I thought the chief’s snooze wasn’t for another six weeks,” Rostov said as he perched on the exam table with a ice pack on the side of his face. “That’s right, Mike,” Liz said with a worried expression. “Something triggered his hibernation early.” “That’s not gonna harm him, will it?” Travis asked. “No, but that’ll throw off his schedule.” Liz moved over to her computer and checked the medical logs. “We’ve had a steady stream of people coming in since Doctor Reed headed for the surface. Minor things...clumsy accidents. A couple of memory lapses. People coming on-shift in the wrong departments...Commander Capetl found himself in the Armory instead of Astrometrics, for example.” “Weird,” Rostov added. “Richard Kelby and I had to chase McIntyre off the engineering deck. He was rambling about how he was convinced that he knew more about warp technology than either of us. How the hell can a steward know more about the warp core than two trained engineers?” Travis rolled his eyes. “Delusions of grandeur, maybe?” “Travis, you know Sean McIntyre. He’s one of the most self-effacing guys on the ship,” Liz objected, punching him lightly in the arm. “I took a brain scan and there was nothing wrong.” “Drunk?” asked Rostov. “He’s a teetotaler. Doesn’t even touch alcohol.” Travis shook his head. “You said it, Mike, weird. Do you think this’ll put the ship in any danger?” “The minor things, no, but—“ Liz nodded at Varianis and Phlox. The science officer and the chief engineer slept quietly. “I’m concerned that it might get worse.” Travis sighed and shook his head. “I’ll make a general shipwide announcement. Mike, you and Richard keep an eye on the Engineering department and I’ll tell Ensign Rickover in the Armory to watch his guys. I’ll get back to the Bridge. The captain’s in negotiation right now, so it’s going to be a while before I can talk to her.” Before he left Sickbay, he glanced at Ellen. Her madness both shocked and worried him. What was happening? By the time he reached the Bridge, Gamma shift had already taken over for Beta, and a new slate of Bridge officers sat at their stations. Travis told them that Ellen Varianis was in Sickbay, but should be all right, then he made that shipwide announcement and informed the Armory. Hours passed with no other incidents and Travis tried to relax. With Phlox hibernating and Trip on the planet, the next person in the line of command was Lieutenant Trace, the relief Armory officer on the Bridge and Trip’s second. Travis caught Bryan Trace’s quiet grin at the Weapons station. And for a second, Travis thought he saw another man sitting there, someone who was the exact opposite of the tall, red-haired man sitting there now. Then Travis blinked again and Trace was running yet another combat simulation on his board. Whoa. I’ve got to be more tired than I thought. Suddenly, he felt a slight shudder through the deck under his feet. “Engineering?” he barked into the comm. “What was that?” “I don’t know, Commander,” replied Kelby’s voice. “There’s some sort of surge—“ “From where, Richard?” And the helm station in front of Travis went up in a shower of sparks, the explosion throwing the relief helmsman and navigator to the floor. Crewman Norby at communications dragged the helmsman out of the way, while Trace vaulted the railing and did the same to the navigator. “Medical team to the Bridge!” Travis yelled and dove for the helm. “Trace, take navigation!” “Yes, sir!” Trace shouted back and settled into the navigator’s chair as Travis took the helm. Travis glanced over the controls. He had a rudimentary idea on how to pilot a starship; he’d gotten some cross-training at Hoshi’s insistence, but science was his strong suit, not ship operations. His hands flew over the console, stabilizing Enterprise’s position, compensating for her drift...by the time he’d actually thought about what he was doing, he’d already done it. He stared at the controls under his hands. How did I know what to do? I’m not—He felt someone’s eyes on him and realized Trace had been staring at him. The relief Armory officer flushed and brought his eyes down to the navigation board, then back up at Travis. “Good job, sir.” Trace’s voice was barely audible. Travis held his gaze. “You too, Bryan?” Trace knew what he was asking. “Yes, sir.” “Not a navigator? Usually, anyway?” “Hell, no...sir.” Travis looked up at Liz Cutler, who was tending to a groggy helmsman. “How are they, Lieutenant Cutler?” he asked formally. “Just minor burns on both of them, Commander. I’ll need to bring them both to Sickbay to treat them, but they should be able to return to duty.” “Do whatever you need to for them. Lieutenant Trace and I will hold down the fort here till they get back.” Liz gave him a look of surprise at seeing him at the helm station, but she covered it with a “Yes, sir.” Again, he and Trace exchanged a look. The Armory Officer-turned-navigator said it for both of them. “I hadn’t thought we’d be this good at multi-tasking...sir.” |
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