By Denise Moreno
100305.2300
After Fixing the Song
-=Bridge; USS Poseidon=-
100305.2300
After Fixing the Song
-=Bridge; USS Poseidon=-
Nervously, Denise wondered to herself just what the hell she was doing here, as she pretended to study the readings on the console next to her command chair so she didn’t have to look to the viewscreen. She’d done it so many times already in the relatively short time she’d spent sitting in this chair that felt so ridiculously inappropriate to be doing now after being always someone’s assistant for so long. She didn’t feel like she belonged here; in this chair or this ship, and she had no interest whatsoever in the readings. At least while she did looked at them though she didn’t have to look to the other ship they’d taken captive and to ask herself how she ever expected that any one of them would get out of this alive.
She felt like she was the only one on board who truly grasped the fact that they had kidnapped the entire crew of a Federation starship. Mitchell was simply unwilling to think of anything but the danger to him personally from being here. Brody was too convinced he was invincible and far too pleased with himself to really think that these were sentient beings whose lives he played with. The rest of the crew however seemed unwilling to even think at all; not thinking about what they were doing had always served them well before.
Yet of all the people who failed in their understanding she was quite sure none took such a risk than those on board the Serendipity. They couldn’t understand; ships like this wouldn’t even be built if people truly understood just how easily they could kill. Those officers on the Serendipity couldn’t possibly know what they were dealing with and when it came to Tucker Brody, they couldn’t know who.
Likely they knew just enough to realise it was the foolish decision and to do it anyway. TC Blane was undoubtedly a very brave man. In battle brave men got themselves killed.
It did seem that the man was intent on making sure it was a battle between them, which could all too easily turn into a war he couldn’t possibly win. Denise tapped a few buttons; the only sound that could be heard on this bridge where even equipment made no sound and where no one dared speak. Again she confirmed what she’d seen before that the life signs from their men on board the other ship hadn’t moved from the brig. She sighed sadly that they were really forcing this situation.
Others may have believed that the reason Brody hadn’t yet hit back over their refusal to release the prisoners was because he wasn’t yet ready and able for the fight. However Denise knew his reasons were much darker. The most efficient way to show that you meant what you threatened was to follow through. Yet their captives were like toys to Brody and he simply wished to play awhile before he brought one of them up to this bridge and killed then in front of their crew.
It didn’t shock her to think such a thing about the man, but it did shock her how easily she accepted it. She just didn’t understand how she’d found herself among such people. This wasn’t who she was. At least it wasn’t who she’d once been.
Yet as the screen went blank when she deactivated it again a face appeared in the reflection that said it all. It was a tired face assaulted by lines no longer fine, and surrounded by shineless hair as appropriately gray as to match with what she saw in the eyes. She may never truly have been beautiful but this woman definitely wasn’t her. Maybe, she considered, this woman belonged here. She’d already done many things she never thought she would.
Her reasons for ever letting herself enter this depraved world of men who laughed from shadows were ultimately not so complicated. She had loved him. From the very first moment she saw him she had loved him, and there was so much love inside her to give. Yet he wasn’t important enough to them and neither was she for them to save him for her. He didn’t matter at all to those who were in control. That’s why she’d had to take a little power for herself, though it’d never been enough.
For so long she’d thought it would just take a little longer and she’d have acquired all that she’d need. It was always a little longer though, until finally she found herself here. Now she was in command of this sinfully powerful ship flying in the face of time itself. TI was effectively crippled and there should be nothing that could stop them from going back and righting some wrongs. If in the process some wrongs were committed then she would simply have to accept that the lesser of two evils rarely was anything good.
As much as it once would have horrified her, now she knew that if someone had to die so he could live then that was what would have to be. If a second and a third had to die too then that was harder, but it was simpler to take it one death at a time.
Turning her head up again to look out over the near still forms of unspeaking officers on this bridge she observed again the blinking lights dancing all around both their ships. The mind could trick even the most experienced of officers into believing that they were seeing the stars. They were instead however just moments captured in light as they were caught for merely an instant on the point where the temporal shell encountered real time. It was beautiful to see but it was frightening to know that it meant they were getting older and the universe wasn’t.
Denise was old enough already, which she hoped with it brought at least the wisdom to know what she should do now. She’d always been good at deciding what she should do; always so much more powerful in her intelligence than was required or even accepted in her role. For so long she had talked with herself about how different it would all be if only people like her would be put in control. Well now she was in control, and deep down she was terrified. It was her actions that would decide just how many people would die here and for once she questioned whether she really was smart enough.
She couldn’t shake the thoughts off, but at least as she truly considered this implication it helped her make a decision. She couldn’t just sit and wait. Command did not come with the luxury that she could let herself be the only one who understood.
So instead she chose to straighten up in her chair and to act like a captain; clearing her throat and speaking in a quiet but forceful voice for all to hear.
“Lieutenant,” she said to the young woman at tactical, “how many hand phasers do we have in the armoury?”
“Uh…seven, sir,” the Lieutenant answered, unsure of the exact number but certain based around her experience with Brody that it would be worse not to answer. It still felt strange for Denise, given how low her actual rank was at TI to be being referring as ‘sir’ as often as she was now, but of everything strange about this situation that really didn’t matter.
“Good,” Denise acknowledged, though in fact she was unsure if it was at all a good thing that they should have so many. “I want you to open a channel to the Serendipity.”
“Sir?” the Lieutenant asked, confused by her conflicting orders. “Commander Brody said…”
“Commander Brody’s not here,” Denise insisted firmly, not really such an angry woman but with some resentment she didn’t quite understand for this woman whose face said she was far too naïve to belong here.
“Patching through to the internal communications,” the Lieutenant said, wearily trying to follow at least someone’s orders here when she felt so unready.
“No,” Denise replied insistently and the young woman cursed herself inside for making yet another stupid mistake she was sure she couldn’t afford. “I just want to talk to the bridge.”
“Aye, sir.” The young woman answered quickly and even more uncertainly as she input the commands.
Soon the face of TC Blane appeared on the screen before them. He did not look at all happy, clearly quite prepared at the moment to go another round with Tucker Brody and not at all expecting Denise’s face.
“Captain,” Denise implored him. “I have a favour I must ask of you.”
TC’s face clearly seemed to say ‘like hell I’m doing a favour for you’ but those were not the words that he spoke.
“Yeah…and who exactly are you again?”
“I am De…I am Captain Moreno of the USS Poseidon.”
“What happened to Brody?”
“Nothing,” Denise explained, though she could understand why those on the Sera would think he’d been in charge especially as her manner of dress was clearly not a Captain’s uniform. “I am in command.”
“So then you’re the one who’s threatening to blow up my ship and kill our officers?” TC asked slightly incredulously, though while Denise may not look the part he was entirely too seasoned to think that that could make any difference.
“They are Brody’s threats, but make no mistake; they are ones I will follow through upon if I must.”
TC found the way she spoke the words to be curious; as much an assurance to herself as a threat to him. He could tell she was uncertain, and uncertainty in a critical moment was exactly how battles were lost.
“You’re getting nothing from me if you don’t give me something first,” he replied, with the authority of a man who knew his opponent was shaken. “I want to see the officers you claim to be holding.”
“I can not arrange that,” Denise said flatly, noting the lack of surprise in TC’s eyes.
“I thought you said you were in command?” Blane scoffed, having surmised that Brody was really running the shots and that at the very least challenging Denise over that might get a reaction out of her.
Denise however saw through this and chose simply to state what she wanted and to give Blane the chance to make the smart choice.
“I want you to release the prisoners you have in your brig.”
Clearly TC wasn’t about to agree to this now anymore than he’d been willing to before.
“Look, I’m going to tell you the same thing I told Brody…” TC began, but Denise cut him off.
“You don’t understand,” she quickly insisted, her words becoming slightly more desperate. “You can not stop us from getting them out ourselves. You do not have the power or the resources. Your only choices are either you do it yourself or you force our hand. If you force our hand that’s when people get hurt.”
TC paused momentarily unspeaking but with a look in his eyes that seemed to ask Denise if she was joking, in the most intimidating way it could be done. He could see there was something more here than just her trying to bluff her way to the prisoners’ freedom, but that something was not enough for him to release their only bargaining chip.
Instead he pretended not to even notice that that something was there.
“So basically you expect me to take your word that you can get them out and so let them out myself. To what? To save you the trouble?”
Before he’d even opened his mouth Denise knew he wasn’t about to help. At that moment she looked all ready to challenge him again, to try to explain just how hopeless his situation was and all the costs if he weren’t to do what she asked. However it quickly became apparent that this was not a man she’d be able to defeat by idle threats. She was too smart to try.
“No, I don’t expect you to,” she assured him sadly, before concluding with what was more sympathy than a compliment “You are a very brave man.”
Then without another word she gave the signal to close the channel.
TC’s face was soon replaced by the blinking lights again, and Denise was left to question whether the course of action she was considering was really in anyone’s best interest. If she did nothing then when Brody returned from his fun and found their prisoners still in the brig then someone would die. What she was considering however may potentially result in many more deaths, but if it convinced the Serendipity crew of the futility of fighting back then it may well save all of them in the end.
“Ensign,” She ordered with the uncertainty that said she knew she didn’t have time to be happy with any decision she could reach. “Return us to regular temporal alignment.”
The young man at navigation, though nervous, was smart enough to know it would not be a good idea to mention Brody’s wishes that they continue skimming at this point. So he entered the correct series of commands and soon they were once again looking upon the simple beauty of normal space. The stars were once again still, including the nearby burning sun in this otherwise empty system.
“Lieutenant.” Denise then turned towards tactical, hating each word as she spoke it, “I want you to beam four hand phasers into the Serendipity’s brig.”
“Aye sir,” the young woman replied with confusion that she’d not been asked to beam a phaser over for every person there but not wanting to create any trouble. Soon Peterson and his companions were surprised to find the weapons had materialized between them. “Would you also like me to deactivate the brig’s forcefield as well?
“No,” Denise decided, having already though this through. “That would be too easily detected. If our people deactivate it right however then by the time they find out, they’ll already be free. Then the crew of the Serendipity will understand there’s nothing they can do.”
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Ensign Denise Moreno
Commanding Officer
USS Poseidon
Ensign Denise Moreno
Commanding Officer
USS Poseidon