Baton Pass
Posted on Dec 22, 2016 @ 7:33am by Thomas Varn
Edited on on Dec 22, 2016 @ 7:34am
Mission: Aftermath
“Baton Pass”
(Continued from “The Welcome Wagon, It’s Coming Around” )
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Location: USS PHOENIX
Scene: Transporter Room
Stardate: [2.16]1220.2021
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The transporter room slowly filled with the azure luminous aura of a transporter beam. It was true the PHOENIX was still docked in Spacedock orbiting the Earth but with the increased traffic of officers, enlisted, and civilians making their own personal treks all docking, shuttles, and transporter access were now being utilized. The room had been silent, even with those embarking passing through, but all that was quickly changing as the figure materialized.
“This is an outrage, an absolute outrage! How could they do this, who ever heard of that clause,” Thomas shouted as his form slowly transitioned from the transporter hue to full fledged person, “can you tell me? How in their right mind would leave something like that in place?”
The young Bajoran officer stood there in silence unsure of how to answer the man, “I beg your pardon sir?”
Thomas threw his hands in the air with his coat thrown over his arms and wings fixed into place to allow ease of movement through the corridors, “Exactly, they should be begging me to forgive what they did shouldn’t they! Oh no, they enact a clause and shanghai me at the transport to Elandipole scaring my child and wife half to death, and did they care to recall my wife? No!”
The young officer fidgeted in place stepping back slightly as Thomas walked down from the padd, “I’m sorry, sir?”
“Yes, finally someone says they are sorry. Well it’s a little too late now,” Thomas shouted tossing his right arm in the air keeping his coat close to his body draped over his left arm and walking into the corridor.
Watching the doors close behind the winged man the young Bajoran officer sighed before taking a step back to the transporter pad. He was aware that he was only on the PHOENIX until she was fully supplied and the crew had arrived and yet he couldn’t help wonder who that was. The console before him began to beep showing that another transport was ready to come aboard. It only took a few moments and the transporter pad slowly began to glow with the familiar hue once again.
As the blue slowly faded from view a small yellowish figure looked around before smiling to the transporter chief. Stepping forward Arak stopped remembering that he was not carrying his case only to pick it up and once again begin moving away from the pad itself still smiling at the chief, “Excuse me, has he come and gone?”
The young Bajoran watched Arak move closer, looking around the room as if trying to hide from a predatory figure, “I’m sorry, sir?”
Arak smiled taking a deep breath trying to calm himself, “I apologize, has Commander Varn come this way?”
“I haven’t seen a Commander, sir,” the transporter officer stated checking the manifest once again.
Arak chuckled slightly, “Allow me to describe him. He is humanoid, avian in nature, not classified as much but could be called homo-mutanis or homo-avianus.”
The Bajoran chief’s face froze as if his brain was doing all it's best to decipher the information it had received. Slowly opening his mouth the Bajoran chief sighed before closing it not being able to form the words. Arak smiled before realizing his mistake once again, “He is a human with wings.”
The young man’s face released and almost lightened up, “Yes, he is a bit unforgettable and boisterous.”
Arak nodded, “Yes, he was quite upset and displaying his frustrations to all those around him. I’m not exactly sure as to the origin of his ire; but, I am quite sure that it revolved around his being assigned to the PHOENIX.”
Both men looked to the door leading into the corridor before taking a deep breath. Arak smiled softly before bowing his head to the Bajoran transporter chief and walking into corridor disappearing behind the doors as they closed. Shaking his head slowly the transporter chief sighed, “I’ll be glad to be back on Starbase.”
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Scene: Bridge → Ready Room
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The turbolift doors slide open and a flurry of arms and feathers came quickly bursting out. Thomas looked around at the startled bridge officers and starbase personnel that were finishing the final touches on the PHOENIX before shaking his head, “where is he?!”
There came no response from the lips of those now staring at Thomas only mixed expressions of confusion and anxiety. Sighing Thomas quickly draped his coat over his left arm once again having switched it to the right in the turbolift, then quickly tapped his combadge, “Computer, location of Captain Kane.”
[[Captain Kane is currently in his ready room]]
“They changed the voice,” Thomas sighed as he rubbed his temples slowly walking towards the ready room, “I still don’t like it. You there nameless engineer in the background change the voice back!”
A group of young engineers snapped to attention startled at the sudden and unusual demand. Trading glances they stood there trying their best to understand how to quickly change the voice that was tied into the internal mechanics of the computer. Smiling softly Thomas felt satisfied at the startled expressions before stopping in front of the ready room door.
Kane was still sitting back in his chair allowing his mind to wander in the yester years of his career. The wonderful ability of the human mind seemed to always be underappreciated at its ability to transcend time and space returning the thinker back in time. Kane, like so many others before him, was no exception to this phenomenon and remained on the edge of the day dream his mind would allow only to have it abruptly interrupted by the chime of his door.
As the private smile he had allowed himself quickly vanished behind the carefully crafted and almost frozen expression of grimace Kane sat forward, “come.”
As the doors opened Thomas quickly moved into the sparsely decorated room standing there before an almost expressionless Kane. As the doors closed behind him Thomas tapped his fingers watching Kane’s face before sighing, “why?”
“Would you clarify Mr. Varn,” Kane asked leaning back into his seat slightly.
Moving closer Thomas’ face softened, “why would you let them recall me like that? You had to see the list with my name on it. Why would you let them bring me back, when my desire was expressed simply.”
“I believe you are confusing me with the Chief of Starfleet, or the former. I had nothing to do with your reactivation or assignment,” Kane said looking at the man.
“Nothing to do with it? You had a lot to do with it Captain. You could have denied the transfer. You could have simply said that you didn’t want me on your ship,” Thomas began as he now paced back and forth his hands moving in front of his body as he spoke.
Kane watched as the winged man moved from point to point in the room before stopping in front of him once again. This man was not the same man that had been taken from the ship earlier by Cade Foster. There was a spark of life that seemed to prevalent in the man once again, a spark that showed with each word he spoke and each movement he made.
Thomas stopped dead in his tracks as his shoulders dropped and he let out an exhausted sigh as his head lowered. Turning slowly Thomas faced Kane looking him in the eyes, “Captain, I have lived and died on this ship in more ways than one. Even when I was given a second chance at living, my life was not my own and taken from me when all those that I cared about turned away from me scared and suspicious. Nothing mattered to me anymore and I had lost myself once again to this, this service. Until, I looked into those eyes.”
Thomas slowly lifted his shoulders as his face seemed to light up. Kane watched as if a new man was being born in front of him. The man before him was not the man that was just described. Before him there was a man filled with purpose, with drive, with something that Kane just could not seem to place his finger upon. Thomas slowly stepped forward taking a deep breath, “you see Captain I found her. Well, she found me to be more precise and in her eyes I did not see fear nor suspicion, only love. She only saw someone that had been taken from her but had returned and I will remain. My life changed with the word daddy.”
Kane stared at the man before leaning forward, “I am glad you have found purpose once again Mr. Varn; but, you are here because you are needed.”
Thomas’ shoulders dropped slowly before he shook his head, “no Captain, you don’t understand, I am here to do this once again.”
Slowly reaching up to the collar that was the under shirt of his uniform Thomas slowly removed the rank pips from his collar before stepping forward laying them on Kane’s desk, “Captain Kane, I formerly resign my commission from Starfleet effective immediately.”
Kane’s mind slowly went down the list of missing personnel that had yet to report to the PHOENIX which seemed to have a missing department head for his Science department now. Slowly standing Kane sighed looking at the rank pips, “Mr. Varn, I appreciate your desire to have a family but the PHOENIX needs a Chief of Science.”
Thomas nodded slowly before crossing his arms slowly, “I understand, and you are aware this is what the assistant is for. All I will promise is to ensure the department is ready when the ship leaves and that they have a smooth transition of power as it were.”
The two men exchanged glances before looking back to the doors to the ready room as they chimed once again. Kane took a breath before sitting back in his chair once again, “come.”
As the doors opened slowly Arak Schad stepped into the room stopping as he became aware that both Captain Kane and Thomas were both staring at him. Thomas’ slowly smiled and looked back to Kane, “speak of the devil.”
Arak tilted his head confused, “Ensign Arak Schad reporting sir?”
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+++ FEDCOM BREAKING NEWS
+++ DENOBULA ASSEMBLY REPRESENTATIVE & LEADERS OF DENOBULA OPENLY OPPOSE METANA LOK AND FORMER PRESIDENT MORAY’S WIVES BID FOR OFFICE.
+++ WIVES OF MORAY SHAMED AND EMBARRASSED AS LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF POLITICAL SYSTEM CAUSE DAMAGE TO CAREERS.
+++ METANA LOK TO WITHDRAW FROM ALL PUBLIC OFFICE BIDS.
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Justin K. Owens
Thomas Varn
Civilian
&
Ensign Arak Schad
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS PHOENIX
