Star Trek: On the Line – Episode 1 – Part 1
Ensign Christopher Campbell – Personal Log – Stardate 86088.4
The U.S.S. Falcon arrived at Vega Colony two days ago. Given the number of other Federation vessels here, the place appears to be a jumping-off point for operations on the Klingon border. We’ve taken on sufficient supplies for a six month cruise, and we’ll be heading out tomorrow.
The door hissed open in front of him, and Christopher Campbell stepped into the ship’s lounge. One of the few recreation areas on the small ship, it was currently packed with just about every off-duty crewman. Of course, that still only numbered about thirty people. Miranda-class vessels weren’t known for their size.
Walking over to the replicator, Campbell ordered a Bolian tonic water. His friend, Imjim, had turned him onto it over the course of their years at the Academy. He found the taste to be decent, but it was the drink’s calming qualities that he most enjoyed. And, right now, he needed to relax.
He was anxious. That much was certain. Tomorrow they would leave for the front line of the war, and he really didn’t know if he had it in him to be a warrior. He went into Starfleet to get off of Earth and learn starship engineering. And, even though he’d been trained for combat, that didn’t mean he was ready. Especially if he had to take command, for which, again, he had trained.
In truth, though, he hadn’t volunteered for command training. He was “volun-told”, as the saying went. Mr. O’Brien, one of his engineering teachers at the Academy, felt that Campbell had “the instinct” for leadership. O’Brien had insinuated that if Campbell didn’t take command training, that he might fail Transporter Theory. So, he took the command class, and passed with flying colors. Still, that didn’t mean he wanted it.
What he really wanted was to explore. He wanted to see and discover things that no one else had ever experienced. That was part of Starfleet’s mandate, and a war was just a needless distraction from that. Instead of an explorer, he’d have to learn how to be a soldier. Under simulated conditions, with his friends at his side, he’d been a lion. But, now he was on a new, real ship with a totally different crew.
And that brought him back to what was making him nervous. He didn’t know this crew yet. He didn’t have a strong understanding of their capabilities and attitudes. Realistically speaking, there were only a handful of officers of higher rank than him aboard. It didn’t take that much imagination to see that he might very well have to take over in an emergency. And, the simulations were over. Real people could die if he made a mistake.
Captain Qat’Anmek seemed to have full confidence in him and the rest of the crew, which gave Campbell some reassurance that everything would be alright. He took another sip of his tonic water and sighed.
At that moment, Lieutenant Commander Mercedes McMary, the Falcon’s Tactical Officer, strolled into the lounge. “Mercy”, as the captain called her, was a vibrant, athletic woman that possessed a piercing stare and a warrior’s spirit. On Campbell’s first day aboard, she’d tested his martial arts skills in the ship’s gym. He lost.
Her gaze swept across the room, eventually settling on Campbell, sitting alone and quietly drinking his beverage. She smiled and walked over to him. “May I join you, Ensign?”
“Yes ma’am.” He smiled and casually gestured to the seat next to him. Since their sparring session, they hadn’t interacted beyond official bridge duties. Perhaps she wanted to get to know him as much as he wanted to get to know the rest of the crew.
“Well, Ensign, now that you’ve been here over a week, how do you find the Falcon?”
“She’s a good ship. Old, but sturdy. I’ve noticed a number of the subsystems must predate the Dominion War by a few years.” In actuality, he’d even seen a few items that indicated that the ship was close to sixty years old.
“She’s old, its true.” Mercy nodded, then shrugged. “But, the Federation needs all the ships it can sail. The Klingons are cranking out warships twice as fast as us. Which means older vessels, ones that should be mothballed, are being pressed into front line service.”
“Well, at least the primary systems are more contemporary. Which means we should be able to hold our own in an open engagement.” One of his first duties aboard was to familiarize himself with the ship’s shields, weapons, and warp core. They were probably an equal match for a Bird of Prey.
“Which we have, Mister Campbell. This isn’t an untested ship or crew. You might be new here, but the rest of us aren’t.” She stood and straightened her uniform. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have duties to attend to.”
“Yes ma’am. I appreciate your visiting with me.” With that, she nodded and walked out. Campbell wasn’t sure if he’d pressed a button with her, but he certainly felt she had gotten very defensive with him. Perhaps that was just her personality. He would just have to figure it out later.
A number of the crew began to filter out of the lounge and he glanced up at the room’s chronometer. It was about time for a shift change, which meant he was due on the bridge in a few minutes. He downed the last of his tonic water, which brought back thoughts of his friends. He started to wonder how they were handling their new assignments.
Suddenly, an alert klaxon started blaring and red lights began flashing on all of the wall panels. A voice boomed over the sirens, “This is your captain speaking. Red Alert! All hands to battle stations! This is not a drill! Borg vessels have entered the system and are on an intercept course. I repeat, incoming Borg!”
Campbell stood and turned to face the outside windows. Sure enough, the Starfleet vessels surrounding Vega Colony were already engaged with the Borg. His mind raced back to his Kobayashi Maru test and his conversation with Admiral Riker afterward. “Just because we haven’t seen them doesn’t mean they’re gone,” the old man had told him. Blinking his eyes away from the memory, he rushed to the bridge. Today, he knew, would not be a good day.
To be continued . . .
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Author’s Notes: First off, I’m giving credit where credit is due. Many of the situations, characters, and events that will be featured in this series come from the minds of the writers of Star Trek Online at Cryptic Studios. If it wasn’t for their dedication and imagination, I wouldn’t have such a wonderful piece of source material. So, I especially want to thank all of them. This is why I consider this to be a fan-fiction series, rather than a truly original work.
That said, I have gone about twisting and adjusting a number of the events from the game to suit my purposes. Some of what I will write will be entirely original work. Additionally, I am not using any mission specific to the game’s primary plot lines. This series will use the game’s side missions as an inspirational basis for my own plot(s).
Star Trek is copyright and trademark CBS Studios Inc.