The Aoraki

Posted on 27 Oct 2018 @ 12:24pm by Commander Rhyan

1,729 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Empty Creche
Location: Shuttlebay, USS Redemption
Timeline: ED1 1300

Rhyan’s meeting with the captain was brief but the objective was met; he was free to depart the Redemption immediately for Earth. As discretion was of the utmost importance in Rhyan’s mission, he was glad when Captain Barron had shown him a set of transfer orders. Although unexpected, Rhyan found the transfer orders a suitable cover for his journey to Earth, presumably written and transmitted by Lieutenant Johnston, the President’s personal security attaché.

The shuttlebay was an unusual hive of activity when Rhyan arrived and stepped through the pressure doors. Crewmen were carrying out maintenance on a number of craft, likely in preparation for an engagement with the Sixth Fleet. For the moment Rhyan’s priorities lay elsewhere, ignoring the workmen as he spied the runabout Aoraki being prepped for him at the far end of the bay. As with most of the craft on board the Redemption, the Aoraki was named after an Earth mountain. This one took its name from one of the tallest mountains in New Zealand, also known as Mount Cook, which overlooked the only Earth-side Starfleet penal colony; a place he had, thankfully, only visited once.

‘Hopefully the Aoraki lasts longer than the Cho Oyu,' Rhyan thought to himself, remembering the runabout that he, Andrew Becker and Aran Zahne lost to the Ee Hybrid. Although he did not doubt that the runabout was still intact, he didn’t dare think what the hybrid had done to it in the months since acquiring it. Thankfully Rhyan knew that, Sixth Fleet patrols aside, their journey to Earth should be pretty clear of any danger. The Aoraki, it would seem, should survive to serve another crew.

The Vulcan approached the runabout’s airlock and stepped inside. The satchel of items Rhyan had hurriedly packed in his quarters was thrown on the decking at the earliest possible opportunity. He walked through the posterior compartment of the runabout and entered the forward cockpit where he found Lieutenant Tigan already prepping the engines for launch.

“Report,” Rhyan said as he approached the starboard pilots station and assumed a position beside the lieutenant. She did not seem phased by his arrival.

“I estimate another ten minutes before we can launch, commander,” she replied, her fingers dancing over the terminal in front of her. Rhyan was pleased to see that she still had not suffered any ill effects from her careless stunt in the biological sciences laboratory. It had now been over an hour since the anti-virus had entered her system and she looked as healthy and alert as Rhyan had ever seen her.

He logged on to the computer terminal in front of him and configured it for flight control operations. Rhyan intended that he would pilot them to Earth, leaving Aeryn to finalise her anti-virus before they administered it to President Zal. If his estimates were correct, even at full warp they still had just over five hours to spend making it as safe and effective as possible, provided that the lieutenant didn’t keel over and die half way to the Sol system.

“Acknowledged,” Rhyan said back to the science officer. He took a moment away from his console to speak directly to her. “And,” he began, softening his tone slightly from the authoritative one he usually used around his subordinates, “how are you feeling?”

Aeryn did a half-chuckle and turned to face, but not look directly at, the commander. “If you are asking if I am going to die as a result of my rash actions, then you will be glad to know that I am feeling perfectly fine.”

“That is good to know,” he replied, with a little more judgement in his voice than he had intended. It was true that he didn’t approve of what the Trill had done to herself, but Rhyan knew that had the roles been reversed he would have likely done exactly the same thing. These were dark times for the Federation and the survival of Elesa Zal was of the utmost importance to its continuing stability. The assassination of a second president would not only throw the Federation Council in to disarray; but what sane individual would want to nominate themselves for the presidency knowing full-well that they would be unlikely to see out the first year of their term.

They would succeed; they had no choice but to.

“Commander.” A third voice made itself known to Rhyan within the cockpit. Without standing he turned in his chair to face the new arrival. It was Jody Scott, looking more presentable in his black and teal uniform than Rhyan had become accustomed to the last couple of days. Although not displeased with the cadet’s appearance on the runabout, Rhyan was surprised.

“How may I help you, cadet?” Rhyan asked, cautiously. He had not expected to see Jody outside of sickbay so soon.

“I,” he said, stammering slightly as he started to speak. He stepped to within the threshold of the cockpit and used a hand to steady himself against the transporter unit. “I just heard that you had been reassigned and wanted to see you off.”

Rhyan eyed the cadet, noticing how withdrawn he looked in comparison to his usual self. Jody was certainly not the feisty human that he had encountered at Starfleet Academy only a week ago. “Thank you for the sentiment, cadet,” Rhyan said honestly. “My assignment is only temporary and I fully intend to return as soon as it is complete.”

Jody gave a half-hearted smile. “I look forward to your return. I…” He began another sentence but gave up on it and turned to walk away.

“What is it, Jody?” Rhyan broke with formality and used the cadet’s given name. He knew that Jody wanted to say something more but was refraining from doing so. Rhyan suddenly worried that something bad had happened to Daniel Sutherland since he had been in sickbay. “Is it the Ambassador?”

“Oh, no,” he replied, sadness entering his eyes when Rhyan mentioned Dan’s name. The Vulcan quickly regretted bringing Sutherland into the conversation, but was relieved to hear that he was not Jody’s concern; at least, not in this moment. When Rhyan thought the cadet was about to finally walk off he was pleased to see him turn round again and address the commander. “I wanted to know if you could help me find out why I have telepathic abilities.”

Rhyan silently nodded his head for a moment. It would be false of him to deny that the same question hadn’t entered his own mind. Jon Marshall appeared to be obsessed with Jody’s telepathic link to the Ee Hybrid, but at no point did anyone stop to question why the cadet had any telepathic abilities at all. He was a human, and human’s rarely, if ever, showed any ability to use telepathy.

“Of course I will help you,” Rhyan finally said, catching Aeryn in the corner of his eye trying to hurry him up. “As soon as my duties on Earth are concluded, I promise you, I will start researching your unique abilities.”

“Thank you,” Jody said in reply, giving Rhyan another sad smile in return.

“You know,” Rhyan said, prolonging the conversation despite the lieutenant’s non-verbal protestation, “I am sure Doctor’s Afton and Kolmak would be able to help you while I am off-ship. Keisha does enjoy a challenge after all.”

Another empty smile donned the cadet’s face. “I will ask them. Thank you.”

‘Talk to Keisha, Jody,” Rhyan said, this time with a more assertive tone to his voice. He could see the cadet hurting and, as the only counsellor currently on board the Redemption, he had nobody else to talk to. Rhyan had found Keisha’s counsel helpful in the past, and he knew the cadet could find it equally as useful now.

“I will.”

“Good.” Rhyan gave a warm smile back to the cadet. “And, if you don’t mind, I would appreciate an update on the Ambassador while I am away. I am sure the President would appreciate the news, should I get the chance to speak to her.”

“Of course,” Jody said, his eyes catching the impatient Aeryn Tigan and taking the hint. He bid his farewell to Rhyan and stepped out of the cockpit, and out of earshot.

Rhyan was less than amused. “Did you have to be so dismissive?”

“I am sorry, commander, but the runabout systems are online and we are ready to depart. I fear that every second is going to count on this journey to Earth,” she said sternly. Rhyan found her inability to look him in the eye unusual given that she was so adept at firing orders at him. Keisha’s words given to him early that morning kept playing in the back of his mind: did she really have romantic ideations about the two of them?

‘Forget it,’ Rhyan thought, remembering how his two previous relationships ended. Badly.

His mind returned to the task at hand. “Close all airlocks and signal the bridge to drop the ship out of warp,” he said, watching as the lieutenant followed his orders. Within thirty seconds she signalled to him that they were ready to depart. “Release the umbilicals and then take us out, lieutenant.”

Rhyan sat back in his chair and watched, through the oval forward window, as the runabout lifted off from the Redemption’s shuttlebay and manoeuvred itself through the open bay doors. A slight electrostatic charge could be felt in the air at the moment the runabout passed through the protective force field that retained the shuttlebay’s atmosphere. Once they were in free space, Rhyan instructed the craft to turn about, allowing them one final glimpse of the colossal Excalibur-class vessel before it jumped back to warp. Rhyan entered a new heading in to his terminal and felt the sudden jolt of the Aoraki also jumping to faster-than-light speed.

“Right,” Rhyan said, releasing his controls temporarily to the runabout’s autopilot. He turned so he was directly facing Aeryn. “It is about time you got back to finishing off that anti-virus. Five hours, thirteen minutes and counting.”

‘Provided the engines could maintain warp 9.97 for all that time,” Rhyan thought to himself as he resumed control of the runabout’s flight control systems.

 

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