Business as usual

Posted on 24 Apr 2016 @ 4:37am by Commander Rhyan

1,615 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Errand of Mercy
Location: Transporter Room, USS Redemption, Earth Orbit
Timeline: ED1

The familiar tingle of the transporter beam engulfed Rhyan, Jody and Daniel as their molecules were deconstructed into a waveform packet and transmitted from President Zal’s office in Paris to the waiting USS Redemption in orbit around Earth. As the departing transporter room disappeared into a blue haze, Rhyan found himself simultaneously excited, yet anxious, about returning to his duties on board the Federation’s flagship. It was an odd mix of emotions that he found difficult to reconcile; perhaps owing to the year-and-a-half that he had spent away from the Redemption as it’s executive officer.

Rhyan’s command experience was limited; everyone that had read his personnel file was familiar with that. On Starbase 54 he had been second officer for only nine months before tragedy struck for the first time, and he embarked on his first period of absence from Starfleet. It was during this time on Earth that Rhyan had saved the life of Ambassador, now President, Zal, and found himself caught up in a series of events that eventually landed him as executive officer of the Redemption. With only nine months of command experience behind him, Rhyan never understood why Captain Ashcart had seen fit to promote him to Lieutenant Commander and assign him as executive officer of the Federation flagship.

His early months as executive officer were not without their teething problems. Rhyan was forced to face up to his Romulan heritage as he faced the downfall of the Romulan Empire; and his father, Praetor Sahrin. Rhyan also commanded the mission where his lover, Ensign Sarah Kaminski, became infected with the Ee virus and was transformed into a being with an unrivalled hatred towards the humanoid species’ of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. And, in his last act as the executive officer of the Redemption, Rhyan had activated the self-destruct sequence that was intended to force the ship to burn in orbit of Thorlarus III; an act that was, thankfully, countered by an outside force before it could become a reality.

The blue haze began to shift as a rudimentary view of the Redemption’s transporter room began to appear within the confinement beam.

It had not all been negative, however. Rhyan had forged many friendships during his time on board the Redemption. Yes, some of those friendships had been tested to the limit following the events on Thorlarus; Cassandra Blackburn had held a particular chip on her shoulder towards the Vulcan, as had Lucy Inverness. But Jody and Daniel were standing with him now, and he knew that Doctor Afton would welcome him back with open arms. Even Ensign Saris, the Risan security officer, had voiced her pleasure at seeing Rhyan again when he had last been aboard for a senior staff briefing the previous month.

And then there was Captain Ashcart.

Six months ago, when the Redemption returned to Earth following its liberation from the Sixth Fleet, Rhyan found himself caught up in a maelstrom at Starfleet Command. As the ship docked at the San Francisco Fleet Yards for immediate inspection, a team of Starfleet security officers had immediately stormed the bridge and took him into custody. Thus began his first fortnight on Earth locked away in a cell at Starfleet Security, awaiting a court marshal for his actions around Thorlarus - amongst other things. It was not entirely unexpected for the Vulcan, as Becker and Zahne had highlighted him to the fact that he was considered a fugitive when they worked together to track and capture the Ee Hybrid. It turned out that losing a starship to the enemy did not go down well with Starfleet top brass.

That was where Ashcart had stepped in.

Two weeks into his custody, Rhyan was pulled in front of a court marshal and asked to explain the events around Thorlarus III. His Vulcan memory allowed the Lieutenant Commander to recount every moment from that mission with vivid clarity. From Ashcart’s presumed death, to the Ee Hybrid’s attempts to commandeer the vessel to use its transwarp drive to return her to her people. Rhyan even described in detail the wound that the Hybrid inflicted on him with a plasma torch during their confrontation in main engineering. He provided them with a story that culminated in fool-proof logic for why he had activated the self-destruct programme; but that wasn’t enough for them.

Major Cassandra Blackburn had testified against him at his court marshal. In her own words, Rhyan had “acted with inexperience and incompetence, putting the lives of the crew at risk and abandoning the ship without considering the consequences of his actions”. Those words had cut the Vulcan deep, but thankfully she was so intoxicated with alcohol on the day that her testimony had to be struck from the records – although the damage had seemingly been done. Doctor Afton had provided some kinder words, but struggled to agree with Rhyan’s actions on the day. The only person to speak in his favour was Daniel Sutherland, who had witnessed the events of the Redemption’s fall from Rhyan’s side – but even the President’s right-hand man couldn’t save the Lieutenant Commander from the inevitable outcome of the court marshal.

Then, as the court marshal was about to be drawn to a close, Captain Azura Ashcart stepped into the room and testified on behalf of his Vulcan first officer. His words had been kind, and built Rhyan up to be a more-than-competent commanding officer. Even though Ashcart – the real Ashcart that is – had not been present during the evacuation of the Redemption, he had surmised that his own actions would not have been too dissimilar from the Vulcan’s. The only thing he would have done differently, he said, was that “I would not have left that ship until I knew for sure that she was going to blow”. At the time, Rhyan reminisced, he had grinned at the Captain’s comments, as he knew them to be completely true; in fact, Ashcart would have happily gone down with the ship in order to stop it from falling into Sixth Fleet or Ee hands.

The final ruling from the court marshal had been settled quickly, the cohort of Starfleet Admirals taking only ten minutes to discuss the Lieutenant Commander’s fate and return to announce their decision. It had been Admiral V’Lar, a Vulcan woman whom Rhyan was familiar with, that announced the decision.

“Lieutenant Commander Rhyan,” she began, her Vulcan façade giving Rhyan no clue as to the result of the commune, “we have debated the evidence put before us, and we have reached a decision; albeit without unanimity. With three votes to two, we have found you not guilty of abandonment of post and the loss of a Starfleet vessel to the enemy. However,” and unusually for a Vulcan, she leant forward in her seat to lock eyes with Rhyan directly, “this decision has only been granted given the testimony of your commanding officer, and the cooperation you have provided the Ee Research Institute and Starfleet Intelligence upon your return to Earth.

“It is therefore a stipulation of our ruling that, effective immediately, you will be seconded to Starfleet Science – namely the Ee Research Institute – until such time that the Redemption is fit for return to active service. If you do not agree to these terms, a less lenient consequence of your actions may have to be enforced.” She paused, not for dramatic effect as a human might have done, but to take a few short breaths. “Are you agreeable to our terms, Lieutenant Commander Rhyan?”

“I am,” he had said at the time, ending the court marshal and enjoying the freedom of roaming Earth for the first time in over a year. Ashcart had personally commended him for his actions in preserving the crew around Thorlarus and in recapturing the Redemption from the Sixth Fleet. They had then returned to the Redemption for a final tour of the vessel before Rhyan began his six months at the Ee Research Institute. The only other times he set foot on the vessel were for senior staff meetings, or the odd time to visit those of his friends who had remained on board after its return; namely Ashcart and Afton.

Rhyan’s train of thought was broken as the Redemption’s transporter room finally shimmered into existence. Seeing the grey walls for the first time in a month, Rhyan knew he was home; his feelings may have been mixed, but he knew where he wanted to be. He had more than earned his right to be the chief science officer on board the ship, and he was beginning to understand that he had also earned the right to sit next to Ashcart on the bridge as his first officer. His thoughts echoed those he had on Earth after giving his lecture at Starfleet Academy; the Redemption was his home as much as Earth was. And for the first time in nearly two years, it was business as usual on board the ship.

“Welcome on board Commander,” the transporter technician announced, the first of many unfamiliar faces that Rhyan would have to get used to, “would you like me to take your bag to your quarters for you?”

Rhyan grinned. It definitely was good to be home.

OOC: Welcome on board to our new crew members! I hope you have as much fun with the sim as we have had over the years. Hopefully you will pick up some of the back story and become involved with the multitude of threads that exist in our universe. We do like it a little dark at times!

 

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