History Has Its Eyes On You

Posted on Sep 29, 2016 @ 11:50am by Commander Jacob Crichton
Edited on on Sep 29, 2016 @ 11:50am

Mission: Fortress: Earth

= History Has Its Eyes On You =

(cont’d from “The Fractures Of Her World”)

=[/\]=

“Foes oppose us,

We take an honest stand.

We roll like Moses,

Claiming our Promised Land.

And

If we win our independence,

Is that a guarantee of freedom for our descendants?

Or will the blood we shed begin an endless

Cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants?”



- “My Shot”, Hamilton: An American Musical

=[/\]=

LOCATION: USS PHOENIX

SCENE: Red October, Shuttle Bay

STARDATE: [2.16] 0928.2300

The shuttlecraft Red October sat in her moorings, as Chaucer, Cindy Rochemonte, and Asta Elgin finalized the installation of the CENTURY’s modified cloaking device. Cindy had overseen the installation with a steely focus that was off-putting even to Chaucer. The Gorn had only a vague understanding of what Cindy had lost, as he had never before visited Earth and had never before even heard of the city of Paris until the news of its destruction had filtered through the ship, but he knew what it meant to lose one’s home, to feel cast adrift in the galaxy. Gorn brains were reptilian, not mammalian, and that generally seemed to mean that Chaucer did not spend nearly as much time bemoaning the circumstances of his existence as did the humans that surrounded him. Chaucer’s concerns always tended towards the immediate; where he was and what he could do there, with little attention paid to the almost-was or the might-have-been.

But even Gorn were capable of empathy, in their own strange way, and for the first time in a very long time Chaucer found himself hating his inability to speak, hating his Vox and the way it allowed him to touch the world only impersonally. He wanted to tell Cindy Rochemonte that she was not alone, however she may feel. He wanted to tell her that he understood what it was to lose everything you had known, for reasons that were not your fault. He wanted to say that he understood the anger, the desire to explode what remained of your life in a final burst of righteous fury, but that it must be resisted… and it could be, with the help of those who loved her.

But Chaucer could say none of these things, and there was no preloaded “very sorry your home has been destroyed” salutation programmed into his Vox. Chaucer had to content himself with resting a clawed hand gently on Rochemonte’s shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze. Cindy made as if to shy away from the touch, then realized who was giving it. She looked up into the Gorn’s unreadable reptilian features and felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away quickly; the time for crying was long past now.

“Thank you, Chaucer,” Cindy said. “I’ll be okay.”

Chaucer gave a single slow nod and withdrew his hand. Behind them, Asta Elgin was running a tricorder over the chassis of the modified cloak. She examined the results, and smiled.

“Final checks are all green,” Elgin said, snapping the tricorder closed. “We are go for launch.”

“You’d better get back down to Engineering,” Cindy said, looking at both Asta and Chaucer. “If Edgerton sees us coming, he’ll try to detonate more of those satellites. If that happens, the captain will need all hands.”

Elgin hopped to, but Chaucer remained motionless, his yellow eyes fixed on Cindy. Cindy stared back at him for a moment, not quite sure why the Gorn’s regard should make her feel guilty. She was, after all, the one who was fighting to salvage the Federation. She was the one who’d had her home burned away like so much tinder.

The guilt turned to resentment, and Cindy used it. “That’s an *order,* Mr. Chaucer.”

Chaucer did not move. Not to be swayed - and not precisely sure why she felt the need to rebuke her friend for his obvious concern - Cindy set her jaw and repeated herself.

“I said that’s an order, ensign. I remind you, your commission is only honorary. It would be a shame to jeopardize your career in Starfleet before it’s even properly begun.”

Chaucer absorbed this like he did everything: with no outward change in his demeanor. Elgin, who had lingered to watched the exchange, stepped forward. “I’m sure Chaucer didn’t mean anything, lieutenant.”

“I’m sure he didn’t,” Cindy said, still looking at the Gorn. “Go on, Chaucer. I said I’ll be fine.”

With almost glacial slowness, Chaucer turned and started to lumber away. Now it was Asta Elgin’s turn to hesitate. She glanced at Chaucer, then back to Cindy, a flush of red coloring her cheeks.

“The big guy doesn’t have a button for ‘good luck’ or ‘be safe’, so I guess I’ll have to say it for him.”

Cindy felt tears worrying the corners of her eyes again. “Tell him… thank you.”

Asta nodded, then hurriedly turned to follow Chaucer. They passed Jake Crichton and Kassandra Thytos, who moved to join Cindy inside the Red October. Behind them was the imposing form of Sergeant Bellecotte. The marines were wearing their armor, and each had pulse rifles strapped across their backs. Thytos was also carrying a bag of ordinance, the details of which were probably best left to the imagination.

Jake stepped forward to examine the chassis of the cloak. “How’d the installation go?”

“Everything is ready,” Cindy said. “At least, it won’t explode when we turn it on. Whether or not it will be enough to get us through the planetary shield is not my department.”

“No, it’s mine.” Thomas Varn was halfway up the docking ramp, his wings tucked underneath his familiar longcoat. Varn wasn’t looking at any of them; his eyes were fixed on the cloaking device, as if scrutinizing the quality of its installation.

“Tom,” Jake nodded. He felt Cindy tense up beside him, and wanted to cut off another confrontation before it could get started. “You ready to go?”

“I’m ready,” Varn said, looking up at Jake. He gave a slight smile, and in it Jake thought he could see the ghost of the Thomas Varn he had known, but it was gone in an instant when the winged man’s eyes returned to the cloaking device. “You’re certain you’ve interfaced it properly with the shuttlecraft’s systems? If there’s a mechanical issue that inhibits either the chronotons or the anionic field, it’s unlikely you’ll have the time to fix it.”

Cindy gritted her teeth. “I oversaw every step of the installation myself. The machine will work to *your* specifications, Mr. Varn.”

Varn seemed oblivious to the tension and nodded. “Good. I’ll be in the cockpit, doing some final checks on the cloaking system.”

Varn continued through the shuttle towards the cockpit without looking back. Jake and Cindy, along with Kass and Bellecotte, watched him go.

“That feller gives me the creeps,” Kass said simply.

“We need him,” Jake said. “He’s the one with his head wrapped around this phase-cloak thing. I sure as hell don’t want to have to double check his math when we’re flying towards that shield at 600 kilometers a second.”

“Yeah, well, I say we space him once we’re through,” Kass said, “For my peace of mind and such.”

“For once, we agree,” Cindy Rochemonte grated.

“We space people *after* they betray us, not before,” Jake said. “That’s why we’re the good guys.”

“Don’t see what the big deal is,” Kass shrugged. “He’d land in the water.”

They heard footfalls on the docking ramp, and turned to see Aerdan Jos and Eve Dalziel making their way aboard. The away team had been assembled.

“We’re clear for launch as soon as we’re ready to leave,” Jos said. “I trust everything went well with the installation of the cloak?”

“Everything went as expected, sir,” Cindy nodded. “Provided Mr Varn’s calculations are correct, we’ll pass right through the Aegis Shield.”

“Then let’s hope Mr. Varn is the man we all remember.”

“He won’t let us down,” Dalziel said, her voice firm. “I trust him.”

“I believe your endorsement is why Captain Kane allowed him to come with us,” Jos said. “I don’t have to remind you, we’re are flying into the heart of hostile territory. There is a very good chance we’ll come under fire. You’re sure the stress won’t trigger another of Varn’s episodes?”

“He can keep himself together,” Dalziel nodded.

Jos nodded. “Well, then. We all go together.”

=[/\]=

SCENE: Red October Cockpit

Aerdan Jos was seated in the pilot’s position, with Jake Crichton manning the co-pilot’s chair. Varn was seated behind them at a multipurpose console, to which he had routed controls for the newly-installed cloaking system. Opposite Varn and behind Jake, Cindy Rochemonte sat at the engineering console. In the compartment behind them sat Eve Dalziel, Kass Thytos, and Sergeant Bellecotte.

Jos thumbed the comms control. “Red October to bridge. We are ready to depart.”

The voice of Captain Kane spoke in reply. [[Acknowledged, Commander. The word is given.]]

“Aye sir,” Jos nodded. He stretched his hands over the cockpit controls, and slowly brought the Red October to life. The shuttle lifted gently off its moorings and started forward, towards the starfield ahead.

[[Put me through to the whole shuttle, if you would,]] Kane continued. Jos complied, and Kane continued. [[Red October, this is Captain Michael Turlogh Kane. Right now, you are embarking on a mission unprecedented in the history of our Federation. You will attempt to breach the most sophisticated planetary defense grid on record in a bid to save the very soul of everything we hold dear.]]

The Red October exited the USS PHOENIX and started on its course towards Earth, and the Aegis Shield. As it flew, Kane continued:

[[This is the culmination of everything we have spent the last two years working towards. We have fought, and bled… and some of us have died… in service to an ideal: strength through diversity, unity through understanding, and above all, peace, as an end unto itself. Today, you are all that ideal. You are the best of us, standing together to rebuke those that would lead our society ever onward into war and darkness. I know what each of you have sacrificed just getting us to this point, and I am humbled by your strength, and your will to fight on. It has been my great honor to serve with each of you. The hopes and prayers of a Federation go with you… as do mine. PHOENIX out.]]

Jos deactivated the comm, and for a moment silence filled the shuttle, as each of the assembled crew reflected on the many trials they had faced in their journey away from Earth and back again. Unsurprising to anyone, it was Kass Thytos who eventually broke the silence.

“Coulda waited til we exploded ‘fore he started eulogizin’ us,” she muttered.

=[/\]=

LOCATION: Space

SCENE: Earth, and the Aegis Shield

The Red October sailed onward, undaunted, a tiny pinprick of light against the shifting green hue of the Aegis Shield. Below the shield, billions went about their lives, unaware that everything they knew and loved now rested with a small cadre of Starfleet officers, in their shuttle, which was such a tiny thing after all.

=[/\]=

LOCATION: Red October

SCENE: Cockpit

“Approaching the Aegis Shield,” Jake reported. “5000 kilometers and closing.”

“Steady as she goes,” said Jos.

Behind them, Varn’s fingers danced rapidly across the console of his station. “Bringing the phase cloak online now. It will take 20 seconds for the chronotonic field to achieve critical mass, at which point the shuttle will phase.”

“Estimated impact with the Aegis Shield is t-minus 25 seconds,” said Jos.

Jake Crichton wiped his arm across his lips, which had suddenly gone very dry. “If anyone’s sitting on any last minute confessions, now’s the time.”

From behind them, in the passenger compartment, they heard Kass Thytos shout: “I’ve been slippin’ your kids ice cream on the sly, Perfect 10.”

Jake grinned. “If you wanted to keep that a secret, you should have given Ben a napkin once in awhile, O Tannenbaum.”

“Tannenbaum?”

“It’s German for ‘Christmas Tree’,” Jake explained. “Since you’re all lit up like one.”

“I know what it means,” Kass replied. “What good’s a nickname you have to explain to everybody?”

“15 seconds,” said Jos.

“Chronotonic field at 50%,” Varn said. “Preparing particle dispersal.”

“Anionic field generator charging,” said Cindy.

The shimmering green swell of the Aegis Shield filled the entire view outside the cockpit windows now. The Red October was no longer flying; it was falling, being pulled inexorably toward Earth, the force of gravity assisted by the acceleration of the shuttlecraft’s engines. A few thousand kilometers to his left, Jake could see one of the satellites, a tiny black speck against the emerald ocean of the shield it helped sustain.

“10 seconds,” said Jos.

“Activating phase cloak,” Varn said.

A subtle hum filled the cockpit. Jake thought he felt his ears pop, but then decided he only imagined it.

“Did it work?” he asked.

From beside him, Jos said: “We’ll find out in t-minus 5… 4… 3…”

Jake Crichton closed his eyes.

=[/\]=

LOCATION: Earth

SCENE: Aegis Shield, High Orbit

The Red October, invisible save for tiny distortions of light visible to those who knew where to look, fell towards Earth, coming on ever faster. Below it, the shield waited. The shuttle drew closer, and closer…

And passed through.

=[/\]=

LOCATION: Red October

SCENE: Cockpit

“We’re through!”

Jake opened his eyes, and immediately saw that the shifting green of the shield had been replaced by coils of white cloud, with hints of blue ocean beneath. It had been over 2 years since any of them had seen Earth’s oceans, and even Varn’s breath seemed to catch in his throat at the sight.

Aerdan Jos reached out, activating the pilot’s console, ordering the shuttlecraft to slow its descent. The console replied with a sharp squawk and a flashing red light.

Jos’ antennae twitched. “The shuttle is no longer responding to controls.”

“We’re out of phase,” Varn said. “The shuttle can’t fly in the atmosphere because the thrust from our engines is passing right through it. We may as well be flying in a vacuum.”

“Why are we still accelerating?” Jos asked.

“We’re caught in Earth’s gravity,” said Varn. “Though we’re out of phase with real space, our bodies and this ship still have mass, which is still subject to gravitic forces.”

Jos turned to look over his shoulder. “Lt. Rochemonte?”

“Anionic field at 76%,” Cindy said.

Varn turned to her, eyes wide. “It’s only at 76%?”

“Taking the ship out of normal phase inhibited field growth,” Rochemonte said, her hands dancing over the engineering console controls with practiced ease. “I’m compensating now.”

Jos turned back. They’d passed through the cloud layer, and now the ocean loomed ahead, getting closer and closer at an alarming rate.

“What’s going to happen if we don’t return to normal phase?” Jos asked.

Varn frowned. “We’ll pass through the water, the ocean floor, until we reach the planet core, at which point we’ll very likely be crushed by the planet’s gravity.”

“Anionic field at 83% and rising,” Cindy said.

From beside her, Varn said, almost matter-of-factly: “We are not going to make it.”

“We’ll make it,” Cindy said.

“This was your part of project, lieutenant,” Varn said sharply. “I was right. You are emotionally compromised, and is affecting your-”

“Tom!” Jake turned in his seat to scowl back at Varn. “Let the woman work.”

“We’ll make it,” Cindy repeated.

The ocean was close enough now that Jos could see whitecaps on the waves below them. His antennae twitched again.

“The particle generator isn’t working fast enough,” said Cindy. “I’m initiating an overload of the cloaking system.”

Varn’s eyes widened. “That will burn out the cloak! We’ll be stuck-”

“Do it!” Jos shouted.

There was a crack, and a sizzle, and suddenly the cockpit smelled of ozone. Jake thought he felt that ears popping sensation again, and then there was a loud splash as the Red October struck the ocean. The crew were all rocked hard in their seats; Jake flew forward, hitting his forehead on the console and opening up a shallow cut. Red alert klaxons immediately began sounding. Jos shook his head, reached to the controls, and activated them. This time, they responded.

“We’ve touched down,” Jos said. “We’re in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 20 miles of the coast of California.”

“That was a rough landing, but the ship is still in one piece,” Jake said, examining the readouts from the copilot’s station. “She’s still sea-worthy, sir.”

Aerdan Jos leaned back in his seat and let out a slow hiss of breath. Then, when he had finished: “Good work, everyone.”

“What happened?” Varn asked.

“Overloading the cloak kicked the particle field generator into overdrive,” Cindy said. “It was enough to coat the ship in anyons and brings us back into normal phase.”

In spite of himself, Varn found himself nodding. “An unconventional solution. I’m impressed.”

“I didn’t do it for you,” Cindy said. She hadn’t even looked at him.

“Of course, if you’d properly compensated for the effects of phase shift to begin with, we’d never have found ourselves-”

“Enough,” Jos said. “What matters is we’re here. We’ve breached the shield, and we have Edgerton backed into a corner. It’s time we finished this.”

“Aye, sir,” Cindy nodded. She still didn’t look at Varn.

“Setting course for Point Bonita,” Jos said, activating the pilot controls one more. “Weigh anchor.”

“And hoist the mizzen,” said Jake.

=[/\]=

NRPG: I had originally intended to take this a little farther, but it took me longer to get this far than I thought and I don’t want to put this post off any further. In review: we’ve finally breached the Aegis Shield and returned to Earth! It’s time to storm Edgerton’s base and bring an end to his reign once and for all. But it won’t be easy; Edgerton sits in a nigh-impregnable underwater bunker, surrounded by his most loyal troops - many of whom might simply be misguided rather than Neo-Essentialist true believers, as we saw in Philip’s post. Getting inside won’t be easy, and getting to Edgerton will be even harder… and let’s not forget, the old man still has his finger on the doomsday button.

Fortunately, we’ve got backup inside the Point Bonita facility: Selyara, Barton, and Raxl. And who knows, maybe they’ll even run into a friendly local with a nice cat they can pet who might point them to a way to open the doors for the PHOENIX crew? ;-)

And don’t forget; the assembled might of Starfleet waits in orbit overhead. What will Kane and Marxx do next?

I will post again this weekend, and if we haven’t already gotten there, I will go ahead and move the action into the underwater facility proper. However, you don’t have to wait for me! This is the big finish! The grand finale! The culmination of the metaplot we’ve all been working together to develop for the last two years! Time to be big damn heroes.

PHILIP: I wanted to do some stuff with Lynette in this post, but I didn’t quite get that far. I plan to use her in my next post, but don’t feel like you have to wait for me if you’re itching to write!

EVERYONE ELSE: Moar posts!


Shawn Putnam

A.k.a.

Jake Crichton

Chief Engineering Officer

USS PHOENIX

And moonlighting as…

Cindy Rochemonte

Assistant Chief Engineering Officer

USS PHOENIX