Belong

Posted on Dec 21, 2015 @ 4:26pm by Captain Michael Turlogh Kane

Mission: Civil War

"BELONG"

(Continued from "Phase")
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Captain's Log, supplemental - with the overthrow of the Neo-Essentialists in the opposing fleet, we have earned the right to call ourselves Starfleet once again. While everyone is anxious to set off to Earth, there are, as ever, more administrative meetings to attend...

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Location: USS Demeter, at the centre of the mass of Starfleet ships
Stardate: [2.15]1221.2025
Scene: Conference Room


Along with the assembled fleet officers and politicians, Michael Turlogh Kane took his seat around the table in the Demeter's conference room. A night's sleep had done wonders for his constitution, and yesterday's events had buoyed his spirit. When he had made his way from his quarters to the transporter room this morning, he could feel the new sense of hope pervading from every corner of the ship. What had happened yesterday - the resolution of the confrontation, the spectacular disappearance of the Pendragon while securing the chronoton artifact - had set everyone's hearts on fire.

He sat down between Siobhan Reardon and Alexander Towers. Marie-Claire Martine and Dexter Marxx were seated at the other side of the table, and Kane carefully watched for any interaction between Reardon and Marxx. They had once been a married couple, but it had all ended with a whimper some years ago. For his part, Marxx was not directly looking at his ex-wife, murmuring some quiet conversation with Martine, but Kane could see that Reardon was looking hard at her ex-husband. Her features didn't give much away, but her green eyes were drawn like magnets to the man she had once loved.

Kane nudged her, breaking the spell. "Everything alright on the Zhukov?"

She nodded. "Anxious to get the fleet underway."

"You and me both," Kane replied, but further conversation was stifled when the conference room doors opened and Sardak entered. The Vulcan lifted his hands from the folds of his voluminous brown robe and arranged his hood over his shoulders as he moved to the head of the table.

As one, the assembled officers got to their feet for their new head of state. "Good morning, Mister President," said Marie-Claire Martine.

Sardak inclined his head. His satanic features were inscrutable. The last person to have been called that title - the Andorian Thoris P'Trell - had been a secret Neo-Essentialist. In the twilight, everything cast long shadows. "Let us begin," he stated, motioning for them all to sit down. "I require a general logistical overview of this fleet and its readiness for departure from Elandipole."

Martine activated her PADD. "We have one hundred and thirty starships of various classes, and a personnel count of just over ninety-nine thousand," she said. "That includes one carrier, two hundred starfighters, a couple dozen destroyers, support and logistics ships, and several capital ships, including the Phoenix and the Century. All of them report full functionality and all are ready to depart the system."

"Our nanite weapons have been removed from the Century and are back in storage aboard the Phoenix," said Kane. "Thoris P'Trell and Ronald Heydrich are in our brig - we moved them from the Century this morning. At some point, we should decide what their fate is to be."

Sardak nodded. "While we are anxious for the safety of her crew, we must get underway for sector zero-zero-one as soon as possible." He checked the wall chronometer. "Shall we say at noon? Two more hours should be enough preparation, should it not?"

There were no objections. Martine made a note in her PADD. "Understood. I'll dispatch orders to the fleet to get underway at noon sharp. We estimate the voyage will take five to six weeks. Each starship can use the time beefing up their defensive systems and running drills."

"Do we know what sort of forces Edgerton has at his disposal?" asked Towers.

Martine shook her head. "The Demeter's intelligence is hopelessly out of date. However, even if Edgerton recalled all remaining starships to Earth today, he could not summon enough assistance to pose a threat to this fleet."

"Are you saying that a military victory is guaranteed?" asked the marine.

Martine shook her head. "Of course not. We have no way of knowing what will happen as we approach Earth. Perhaps there will be resistance, perhaps not. What I am saying is that this fleet is capable of eliminating it."

"Let us hope that our victory will be bloodless," said Sardak. The President steepled his fingers and thought for a moment. "In the event of a engagement with the Neo-Essentialists, we will need an officer to command this fleet, someone with many years' experience of command. As you know, I have nominated Admiral Marxx. Are there any objections?"

Kane looked across the table at the Vegan. His nomination as fleet commander was no surprise. He was the best person for the job. When his turn came for his opinion to be voiced, Kane nodded. "I agree with the nomination." It was unanimous, although Siobhan Reardon looked at Sardak when replying and kept her voice as professional as possible.

Sardak inclined his head in Marxx's direction. "Dexter Juraj Marxx, by my authority as President of the United Federation of Planets, I appoint you Admiral of the Fleet. I charge you with leading the peoples of the Federation to victory over the Neo-Essentialist threat."

Marxx nodded his acceptance. "Thank you, Mister President." He looked around the table, his gaze lingering a moment on his ex-wife. "Thank you all for your confidence in one who, until a short time ago, was your unwitting enemy. I pledge not to give up the fight until the very last Neo-Essentialist has been rooted out, and the Federation restored."

"To other business," said Sardak. "What of our friends aboard the Pendragon? I understand they will not be accompanying us on the voyage home." It was the elephant in the room. Word had spread quickly throughout the fleet of the Pendragon's disappearance while attempting to secure the chronoton artifact. Indeed, several thousand people had been watching from their viewing ports with horror and worry as the scene had played out.

"When the Pendragon passed through the Century, it was a strange experience," said Marxx. "Strange, but exhilarating. I truly hope they're alright, wherever they are."

Martine spoke up again. "There has been no sign of the Pendragon since her disappearance yesterday. Given the vagaries of time travel and the unknown capabilities of the chronoton artifact, I'm loath to say she has been destroyed. Analysis from several monitoring starships indicate that she has slipped out of phase again. It's too early to say what will become of her, or even if she will return to this continuum. The Stonehenge and the Acreman are remaining in the Elandipole system to conduct a search for the Pendragon and her crew."

"They remain in our thoughts," said Sardak sincerely. "Finally, Captain Kane, we must speak of your companion Selyara. She has assaulted Colonel Towers, stolen the Runabout-class USS Athena, and made off with a copy of the Pendragon's databanks on future history. She is also our most valuable intelligence asset."

"We can't have her running around with all that information," stated Towers. "She used to be the Shadow Master on Limbo. What if she sells it to the Romulans or another of our enemies, or decides to exploit us? We need to hunt her down and - "

"No, we won't be doing that," Kane said.

The marine frowned. "That's not your decision, Captain Kane."

Kane fixed Towers with a dangerous look. "Selyara has spent most of the last decade of her life being hunted by Starfleet. To go after her now, after she helped us like she did, would be a monumental betrayal. She's paid any debt she might have had to us. Let her go." He turned his face towards Sardak. "I cannot emphasise this enough, Mister President. I trust Selyara to ultimately do the right thing."

Sardak raised an eyebrow and paused for a moment. "Very well, Captain Kane. We will trust her." He looked around the table. "Is there anything further?" Nobody said anything. "Very well. This meeting is adjourned. To a good voyage."

Sardak got up and moved for the door. Martine and Towers fell in behind him. Kane waited a moment, seeing Marxx and Reardon remain in their seats.

The Vegan caught his questioning look. "You're dismissed, Captain Kane," he said pointedly.

Kane inclined his head. "Of course, Admiral." He moved through the doorway, hearing it hiss closed behind him, leaving the two of them alone.

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Location: USS Phoenix
Scene: Captain's Ready Room


A short time later, Kane was back aboard the Phoenix. While the crew were making preparations for the fleet's departure, he had made contact with Jane Hakeswill.

"The fleet is departing for Earth within the hour," he said to her. She was sitting at the public communicator on the Shanty Town beach. Behind her, the sun sparkled on Elandipole's world-ocean, and brightwings flashed across the water's surface like colourful arrows. For a moment, he could feel the heat of the sun, but was also darkly reminded of the giants in the depths. "A few ships are remaining in orbit, but we'll be leaving. One hundred and thirty starships jumping to warp will be visible in Elandipole's sky as a series of sudden flashes of light. It might be something to show the schoolchildren."

{{Maybe,}} she smiled. {{You told me on the beach that you didn't know when you'd be back. Is that still the case?}}

Kane nodded slowly. "Jane, I don't think I'll ever be back here. Life in Starfleet does that."

She smiled with resignation. {{Oh well. We can't all explore the stars. I'll just have to make do with daily sunbathing and frolicking in the water. It'll be a hard life, but I'll make it work.}}

They chuckled together. Kane grew serious, made to say something. "Jane, you could still - "

{{Don't finish that sentence, Michael. You know you don't mean it, not truly. Just let it go.}}

Kane shut up, and the moment died, stillborn into all the things we never say.

Jane smiled wistfully. {{You and your crew saved us all. Seven thousand people. We were all going to die. You saved us from Limbo and your brought us to paradise. That's quite a legacy. Thank you for what you did to help us.}} She looked around, the sea breeze wafting through her thick black hair. Behind her, children splashed in the shallows and people were laughing. {{In a few decades, Shanty Town will be a fully-functioning community. I don't know much about the Federation, but it's nice to belong somewhere, isn't it, Michael?}}

Kane thought of Aerdan Jos, of Jake Crichton, of James Barton, Kassandra Thytos, Eve Dalziel, Russ BaShen, and Samantha Perry; of the mighty USS Phoenix, of Starfleet, of the uniform. He smiled back at her. "Yes. Yes, it is."

Jane stood up. She looked beautiful. {{For the last time, Michael Turlogh Kane, goodbye. It was sweet knowing you.}}

Kane reached for the control button of his desktop monitor. "Goodbye, Jane Hakeswill." He cut the connection before he lost control. Jane's face disappeared, being replaced with the golden Starfleet delta.

He closed his eyes a moment before the imperative asserted itself. Standing up, he moved for the bridge doors. Duty. His ship. His crew.

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Scene: Bridge


The chronometer ticked down the seconds. All the command crew were present on the bridge - Jake Crichton had come up from the ship's bowels to man the bridge Engineering position, and Cade Foster had sauntered his way up from sickbay for the great moment when the united Starfleet set off on their voyage home.

Anticipation electrified the atmosphere on the bridge. The main viewer was littered with starships of every class and size, all silently counting down the seconds before the jump to warp speed. Hanging nearby in space Kane could see the Century, the Monarch, the Imperial, the Zhukov, the Gandhi, the Demeter, the Salamis, the Axanar, and the Jenner.

Aerdan Jos came to his shoulder and looked out at the sea of starships. "An impressive sight, Captain. Are you ready to get us underway?"

Kane smiled sidelong at his ExO. "It's been a long time coming, hasn't it," he murmured. "You take us out, Mister Jos."

Aerdan's blue lips creased into a smile at being given the honour. "Thank you, Captain." He moved to Russ' shoulder. "Set course and speed to match the fleet's planned trajectory to sector zero-zero-one."

Russ' fingers moved over the controls. "Course laid in, Commander."

Kane threw a wink up to the rear of the bridge where Jake, Barton and Kass were looking on, and sat down between Eve and Cade. The chronometer continued its inexorable countdown. Five, four, three, two, one...

Zero.

"Engage!" exclaimed Aerdan, his antennae shooting stright upward in excitement.

The main viewer was full of light as the nacelles of one hundred and thirty starships flared into life, nascent power churning as their hulls seemed to stiffen in response to the creation of their warp fields. One by one, they snapped away into space, exploding into sunbursts of energy as they leaped unfettered into the stars. The Phoenix bolted forward like a slingshot, the starfield ahead melting and reforming into white-hot streaks as she drove on, slotting into her place in the great fleet of starships, all now underway for Earth.

Someone let out a whoop, and someone else a shout, and down below decks, nearly nine hundred throats gave voice to great cheers of exultation as the voyage home finally began.

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Location: Elandipole IV
Scene: Shanty Town beach


Jane Hawkeswill and the children of the Shanty Town school watched through sun-visors as the fleet jumped to warp. The effect was visible even in the bright blue sky of Elandipole - dozens of sudden splashes of light as each starship jumped to warp, bound for far shores.

"Where are they going?" asked one of the Limbo children in excitement.

"They're going to Earth," said Jane, wondering which of the bursts of light was the Phoenix. As the light show faded, she felt a pang of bittersweet sorrow.

"What's Earth?" asked the Limbo child.

There was only one answer, and for a moment Jane couldn't say it in case tears came and stung her eyes. He took off her visor and looked down. "It's the homeworld of Humanity," she smiled at them all. "It's where we all come from. It's home. One day when you grow up, you can go there if you want."

The children looked at the skies in wonder.

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NRPG: "Civil War" is over and the fleet is underway! 130 starships and 99,000 Starfleet personnel have set off to restore the Federation and bring about the final defeat of the Neo-Essentialist movement. The voyage will take several weeks, and we'll be running a short story in the meantime.

Meanwhile, What has become of the Pendragon? Stay tuned ;)

Here at the names and classes of the ten established starships in the fleet:

USS Phoenix (Galaxy-Z-class)
USS Century (Century-class, under Admiral Marxx)
USS Monarch (Sovereign-class battleship, under Commander Nwakame Mwembe)
USS Imperial (Sovereign-class, battleship, CO not established)
USS Zhukov (Ambassador-class, under Captain Siobhan Reardon)
USS Gandhi ( neither name nor CO established)
USS Demeter (under President Sardak, class not established)
USS Salamis (Midway-class carrier with fighter complement, CO not established)
USS Axanar (neither name nor CO established)
USS Jenner (Hippocrates-class hospital ship, CO not established)

Plenty of scope for backposting in the hours leading to the off, so use this time to get offdahook!


Jerome McKee
the Soul of Captain Michael Turlogh Kane
Commanding Officer
US PHOENIX


"He speaks an infinite deal of nothing!"
- Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", Act 1, Scene 1.117

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