Archive of Our Own

Act One

Personal log, Lieutenant Commander Lara Ann Archer, Stardate 60795.5: Well, this is just about the best birthday present a girl could ask for! A posting as First Officer! Not 'acting', not 'interim', but the actual title of XO. I've been studying the schematics and history of the USS Cutlass, the Saber-class ship where I will be serving. Looks like it used to be a training ship for Starfleet Intelligence? So it's got a smaller armory than most Sabers but in its place it has an actual science lab, and even a small holodeck! I've also been looking at the service record for Captain Jack Logan, my new CO. He's seen some shit. Border patrol during the Dominion War. Oh, and if all that wasn't amazing enough, Jamie, Roger, and Norin will be coming with me to be tactical, medical, and engineering officers! Guess we impressed some people after our little adventure with the Zhukov six months ago. I mean I know the posting is supposed to give younger officers a chance to learn under more experienced veterans, but still. It's really too bad T'Prex isn't here. She's such a good officer, and this would be such a great opportunity for her. I mean I get that she wants to try to embrace Vulcan logic and clear her head, but sometimes, you just have to be yourself and accept all the complications that come with that.

Scene 1: Transporter Room One, USS Titan, Earth Orbit

Captain William T. Riker, Counselor Deanna Troi-Riker, and Commander Tuvok accompany their departing junior officers to the transporter room, where they will depart for their new assignment on the USS Cutlass. Lieutenant Commander Lara Archer, who was promoted barely six months ago, feels a moment of apprehension as she and her Class of '79 cohorts get ready to beam over.

"Take care, sweetie," says Troi as she hugs Lara.

"You too. And take care of little Thaddeus. He's a handful. That little toy bow, I'm telling you..." Archer replies with a knowing smile.

"Well I wonder where he got the idea of being an 'archer' from?" Troi replies with an equally mischievous grin.

Archer steps up to Tuvok. Between the martial arts sparring, weapons practice, and the friendly debates, Tuvok is perhaps the senior officer on the ship who pushed her the hardest, in the best possible ways. But few words are needed. With a gentle smile, she raises a hand and gives a perfect Vulcan salute to him. "Peace and long life to you, Mister Tuvok."

Mirroring her salute, he simply responds, "Live long and prosper, Commander," giving his own unique version of a warm expression.

Finally, she turns to the man from whom she has learned so much over the last year. She doesn't know whether to shake his hand or throw her arms around him in a bear hug. She decides on the former.

"You're going to do great things, Commander. I know it." Riker smiles that big, warm smile that only he can, shaking Archer's hand, giving her both a chance to settle her nerves one last bit, but also reminding her that she has earned and deserves this opportunity. All with just a few words and a smile.

"Thank you, sir," she replies, smiling just as broadly now.

As Norin Manni, Roger Mayweather, and finally Jamie Sulu say their good-byes to the senior staff of the Titan, they take their places on the transporter pads, with their packed bags in tow.

"Good luck! Bye now!" Troi says, a bit emotional.

The last word they hear Captain Riker utter before their worlds change significantly is, "Energize."

Within seconds, the scene around Lara and her friends changes. The smooth, rounded aesthetics of the USS Titan, one of the most advanced starships in the Fleet, sparkle away, replaced by the older, more cramped, more angular, and more strictly functional lines of the USS Cutlass's transporter room.

Scene 2: Transporter Room One, USS Cutlass, Drydock 3, in Earth Orbit

Archer, Sulu, Manni, and Mayweather finish materializing into being. Before them is a middle-aged human man with hands firmly held behind his back, graying hair, a small scar across his left eyebrow, and a stern but pleasant expression. Next to him is a much younger man with an excited twinkle in his eye. Both men have the maroon-red shoulders of a command officer. The older man has four pips on his collar. The younger man only one.

"Commander Archer, Lieutenant Sulu, Lieutenant Manni, Doctor Mayweather. I'm Captain Jack Logan," the older man begins. "This is Mission Ops Specialist Ensign Oswald Reynolds," he introduces the young man next to him, putting names with the faces. "Welcome to the Cutlass."

"It's an honor, Captain," Archer responds, stepping up to shake his hand. He does not extend his in return.

"Sorry, Commander, I'm not a hand-shaker," he says, his hands still firmly behind his back. Archer withdraws her hand, the tone now set between them. "Ensign Reynolds will show you to your quarters. We are still waiting on some recent Academy graduates to join us, and they won't be here until after 0900 tomorrow. I'll want to meet with all officers for a Mutara Sector briefing at 1000. Until then, feel free to get to know your new ship. Doctor, please make sure everyone gets their initial medicals," he finishes, giving orders before the four newest officers even leave the transporter pad.

"Aye, sir," Mayweather answers.

"Commander, come see me in the ready room tomorrow 0700. The rest of you, I'll see you all on the bridge at 0800 sharp. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to check in with Admiral Makar." Captain Logan leaves the transporter room, limping noticeably on his right leg and rubbing his left shoulder. The new Cutlass officers watch him depart. Sulu looks wide-eyed at Archer but says nothing. Manni just blinks. Mayweather looks with concern after his new commanding officer, his medical mind reaching a silent diagnosis, but, like Sulu, he doesn't say anything.

"Come on then, I'll show you 'round," the young ensign says, breaking the silence with a pronounced Australian accent.

"Thank you, Ensign Reynolds," Archer answers, stepping down off the transporter pad with her bag in tow.

The young ensign smiles and says, "Ah, y' can call me Ozzie, everyone does."

Archer smiles in return, a softer tone now set between them. "Alright, Ozzie."

As the five officers are departing the transporter room, Sulu leans over and whispers in Archer's ear, "Oh yeah, so uh… happy birthday!"

"Oh that's right!" Manni interjects. "Happy birthday!" showing none of the restraint that Sulu showed.

"Whassat? Is it your birthday, for real?" Ozzie interjects. "Well many happy returns, love! Heck of a present, ay, gettin' a new ship?"

"Thanks. It was technically a few days ago but, yeah, pretty much the best present ever!" Archer says with a silly grin.

Scene 3: Archer's Quarters, USS Cutlass, still in Drydock, the next morning

First Officer's Personal Log, Stardate 60798.2: The Cutlass doesn't have a specific XO's quarters, but the senior officers' suite is about the same size as my quarters on the Titan. So all my stuff fits, at least. Definitely going to need to get some decorations. And something to hold my medals. Anyway, heading to the bridge now for my meeting with the Captain and my first duty shift as First Officer. Still can't really get a read on Captain Logan. He seems to be a pretty straight-laced, military-minded officer. Not quite as warm and affable as Riker or Picard. But that's ok. I'm sure it'll just take time to get used to a new commander and a new ship. Either way, I spent a lot of time yesterday looking through the files for all the officers and crew for the Cutlass, including the new graduates that will be joining us this morning. I have some ideas about staffing and shift rotations that I'll want to talk with the Captain about at some point, but I'm sure he has other things to discuss with me this morning.

Archer arrives on the bridge. To her mild surprise, there is no one there. However, with the ship as short-handed as the roster indicates, it's not unheard of for small ships like the Cutlass to have the bridge systems be automated while in drydock. But she mentally takes note of the lack of staffing anyway. She strides across and stands at the door to the ready room. But the door doesn't open.

"Computer, what is the time?" Archer asks.

"The time is 0648 hours," the pleasant female voice of the computer responds.

"I guess I'm a little early," she says to the door, and goes back to the bridge. She walks around, looking at all the consoles. "Hmm… kind of like the Intrepid-class bridge, but more compact, like a cross between the Intrepid and the Defiant," she says to the empty chairs. She looks at the conn, walks back to ops, over to tactical, back to the mission ops station, then the various auxiliary stations. She then goes to sit at the First Officer's chair to the left of the larger Captain's Chair. And she waits. And waits.

But no one comes.

"Computer, what is the time?"

"The time is 0703 hours."

She waits a little longer. Rather than bothering the computer, she pulls up the XO's display on her chair to see the time. 0705. Hmm, she thinks to herself. Logan strikes me as the super-punctual type, but maybe I'm wrong. She continues to wait. After a few more minutes, she looks at the time again. 0708. She gets up and goes to sit at the conn, verifying important details of the ship's condition. Drydock connections solid, power nominal, and most systems at standby. She looks at the time again. 0711.

She gets up and goes to the ready room door. Normally, whoever is inside the room would invite the person at the door in. She can hear the "doorbell" chime through the door itself. But there is no invitation. She decides to break protocol slightly by opening the door manually, entering the ready room. "Captain?" she asks as she walks in.

Empty. No one there. Lights are off. The Captain's PADD and other personal effects are there on a very orderly desk, but he isn't to be found. "Computer, lights," she says to the empty room. The lights increase to standard illumination. But they don't shed any more light on where the Captain is.

Archer's internal alarm goes to yellow alert. "Archer to Captain Logan…" she says to the room. No answer. "Captain Jack Logan, please respond…" Nothing. "Computer, locate Captain Logan."

After a short buzz and a delay that seems like an eternity, she gets a response she doesn't expect.

"Captain Logan is not aboard the Cutlass."

Her internal alarm goes to red alert. "What was Captain Logan's last known location?"

"Captain Logan was last known to be in his quarters."

"Did Captain Logan leave the ship by transporter or shuttle?"

A short buzz of computation, then the computer answers, "There is no record of any transporter or shuttle activity since 1635 hours yesterday."

"When I came aboard with Sulu, Mayweather, and Manni," she says to herself.

"Affirmative," the computer answers, even though it wasn't asked.

She makes a quick decision. "Archer to Mayweather."

"Mayweather," he responds over the comm.

"Meet me at the Captain's quarters immediately. He's almost 15 minutes late, and the computer doesn't register his life signs on the ship."

"On my way now."

"Archer to Sulu."

"What's up?" comes a slightly more casual response that Jamie reserves only for talking to her best friend.

"Captain Logan isn't responding. Meet at his quarters on the double."

"Oh gosh… be there in a flash."

Archer goes to the hidden small arms locker in the ready room, gets a phaser, verifies that it is set to stun, and heads for the turbolift. "Deck two," she says as the doors shut, and a few seconds later, the doors open and she is down the hall. She meets Mayweather and Sulu at the door to the Commanding Officer's suite. Sulu also holds a phaser.

"Anything?" Archer asks the doctor, who is using his tricorder to scan for life signs in the room ahead.

Mayweather shakes his head. "The way he was holding his shoulder yesterday, I was wondering if he was having angina. I tried to ask him about it but he just brushed me off, saying he's 'been in pain all his life' and all that."

Archer pushes the doorbell button. The audible chime can be heard, but no sound comes after. She pushes the button a second time, with the same lack of results. She nods to Sulu.

Sulu steps to the door, weapon drawn and aimed. "Computer, override the lock on Captain Logan's quarters, authorization Sulu one three eight zero five."

The door slides open. Sulu enters, her Security training kicking in, and she checks the corners, phaser held ahead. But there is no activity. No aliens hiding in the shadows. Just a rather austerely decorated room. "Clear," she says, putting her phaser away. She beckons Archer and Mayweather to enter.

The doctor walks directly to the bedroom of the modest suite. "Here," he says with a touch of sadness.

Archer and Sulu walk into the bedroom. There, lying on the bed, dressed in pajamas, his right hand resting on his chest, eyes still open, is the body of Captain Jonathan "Jack" Logan. His commbadge is lying on the nightstand. Had he been wearing it, the computer would have been able to detect any medical distress and alert sickbay. But there it lies, less than a meter away.

Mayweather scans with his medical tricorder. The long, high-pitched tone tells Archer and Sulu all they need to know, but the doctor states the diagnosis. "Heart failure," he says forlornly. "Body temp shows he's been dead probably six hours."

"Damn…" is all Sulu can say.

Archer looks at the remains of the man who was intended to be her next mentor, her next teacher. Normally an eloquent speaker, she has no words to express the sorrow, frustration, and bewilderment she is feeling now.

"Mayweather to sickbay."

"Thomas here."

"Going to need some assistance in the Captain's quarters. I need a… coroner's kit and a forensic analysis. I know it's just you, but this is urgent."

"Uh… on my way…" comes the shaky response from the ship's only other medical staff.

"Is there anything you need from Jamie or myself, doc?"

"Nah, Thomas and I can take it from here. If we find anything off, I'll let you know, but based on my scan, this is just a case of… bad genes and bad timing."

"When was the last time a Federation citizen died of a… a… heart attack?" Sulu asks, genuinely curious and more than a little suspicious.

"I did some checking on the Captain's medical history before I talked to him last night. He was a tough bastard for sure but there are some things that no medicine can cure. Like terrible diet, bad habits, and ignoring medical advice," he answers.

Archer shakes her head. "Jeez… OK Roger. Let us know if you need anything. Sulu and I will be on the bridge. I need to contact Starfleet Command."

Scene 4: Bridge of the Cutlass, still in Drydock, a short time later

Archer and Sulu go to the bridge. Ozzie arrives shortly after.

"Oy… Cap'n's dead? Bloody hell… I was just gettin' to know the man…" Ozzie complains. "Now what we gonna do?"

"For right now, you're going to man the ops station. Sulu, you're at tactical. I'll jump on the conn if we need to do any maneuvering," Archer orders, aware now that at least some of the crew has been informed of Captain Logan's fate, probably by the medical team. It is, after all, a small ship with a reduced crew. Word travels fast.

"Copy that," Ozzie replies and moves to the station above and behind to the left of the center chairs.

The Captain's Chair. Archer stares at it. A seat that should be occupied by a man with far more experience, wisdom, and knowledge than she. A man who decided to share of himself with a younger generation of officers. A man who, unfortunately, neglected his own body and health to the point where it cost him his life at far too young an age.

Sulu watches Archer's contemplation, waiting for her to make a choice. She doesn't wait for long.

Archer moves and sits in the chair. Sulu smiles a small but knowing smile to herself but says nothing.

"Lieutenant Sulu," she begins. "Open a priority channel to Starfleet Command."

Anticipating this order, she already has the direct line to Command primed. "Channel open."

"Starfleet Command, this is Lieutenant Commander Lara Archer of the USS Cutlass."

After a pause, a female voice answers back. "Cutlass, this is Command, we are receiving."

"I am afraid I have some bad news to report. Captain Jack Logan… was found dead in his quarters this morning, of apparent natural causes. The medical team is preparing a postmortem report as we speak."

After a moment, the female voice answers back. "That is… unfortunate news, Cutlass."

"Under the circumstances, we have two pressing concerns. Since we are expecting the rest of our crew this morning at 0900, should we continue with the onboarding? And, with the loss of our commanding officer, will we be getting another captain?"

Unintelligible voices are heard in the background, but the female voice comes back clearly. "To answer the first question, yes, please continue with the onboarding of the junior officers and other crew members, as well as the two shuttlecraft. As to the second matter, Command will discuss and advise. We will contact you soon with further orders."

"Understood. We will continue as planned then. Cutlass out."

Sulu closes the channel. Ozzie, Archer, and Sulu look at each other for a moment. Then Archer does what she was meant to do. What she was born to do.

She takes charge.

"Bridge to engineering."

"Manni here," the joined Trill engineering officer answers. "Just heard about the Captain…"

"How are things down there? What's the status of the ship?"

"Uh, actually everything's looking good. I'd like to run some diagnostics as time permits but everything's in the green after the recent refit."

"Good. What staff do you have right now?"

"Myself and four technicians. Our remaining staff should be coming aboard at 0900 with the shuttles."

"OK. I may need to pull you into meetings throughout the morning, so plan some flexibility in your schedule."

"Yes ma'am, I'll be ready."

"Excellent. Bridge out. Sulu, status of tactical systems?"

"Looking good," she answers. "Phasers and shield systems on standby, and we have a full complement of photon torpedoes. Fore and aft launchers fully functional. Heh, unlike the Zhukov," she adds with a grin.

"Yes, very unlike the Zhukov," Archer says, with her own knowing grin.

"Whassat now about a Zhukov? Izzat another ship you served on?" Ozzie asks.

"Sort of," Archer answers. "About six months ago, the Titan ran across an old derelict Daedalus-class ship, drifting in space for almost two hundred years. Captain Riker decided to try to recover the vessel, and Sulu here, engineer Manni, Doctor Mayweather, and I, along with another officer, T'Prex, and a handful of other crew, ended up stranded on that ship for sixteen days."

"Oh bloody hell," Ozzie remarks, recognizing the story. "Izzat the ship that they brought to the Fleet Museum?"

"That's the one," Sulu answers.

"That was you guys?! Fuck me, no wonder they kept y'all together for this post. Good on ya, loves! Bloody brilliant!"

"Thanks," Archer answers, a mix of pride and humility swelling in her at the compliment. In that small moment, Archer feels, for the first time in months, that she is being recognized for her accomplishments, rather than her name.

A beat later, Sulu's panel signals an incoming transmission. "We're being hailed. It's Starfleet Command."

Archer shifts in her chair slightly and refocuses her attention forward. "On screen."

A male human in his early 40s speaks. "Lieutenant Commander Archer, Commander David Martin, Starfleet Command."

"Commander Martin," Archer acknowledges.

"Let me express my condolences on the loss of Captain Logan. He was well known to many of us here at Command. His next of kin are requesting an expedited return of his remains and personal effects, so we will be sending a team to assist at 0830 hours."

"Understood, we'll be ready," Archer says.

Commander Martin hesitates a bit before continuing. "With our resources still somewhat strained after the conflict with the Dominion, everything that is going on in Romulan space, and the new hostilities with the Orion Syndicate, there aren't any more senior officers that we can assign to the Cutlass."

Archer's heart sinks. Sulu's shoulders slump.

"And, with the loss of Captain Logan, Admiral Vel Makar of the Mutara sector has… declined to have the Cutlass join the 24th fleet," he continues. "In fact, most of the Admirals think that without a seasoned Captain in charge, the Cutlass is not a viable addition to any fleet."

With a resigned sigh, Archer replies. "I understand." She feels Sulu's eyebrows raise and her eyes roll without even having to turn back and look at her friend.

Then Martin gets a slight smile and continues. "With one notable exception. Admiral Kathryn Janeway has requested the Cutlass join the 17th Mobile Fleet in the Ivorian Sector, based out of Deep Space Five."

Archer's spirits instantly lift. She senses Ozzie and Sulu perk up a bit as well.

"Unfortunately, there are simply no other senior officers that we can send to the Cutlass at this time. So I'm afraid you're on your own." Martin is unable to restrain his grin.

"Wait… are you saying…?" Archer stares at the screen, trying to fathom what Martin is saying.

"Commander Archer, please stand," Martin says, still smiling.

Archer stands, nearly stumbling over her feet.

"Lieutenant Commander Lara Archer, by order of Starfleet Command on Stardate 60798.5, you are hereby requested and required to take command of Starfleet vessel USS Cutlass, registry NCC-60219. Signed, Admiral Kathryn Janeway, 17th Fleet. Computer, transfer all command codes and functions of USS Cutlass to Lieutenant Commander Lara Archer, authorization Martin two seven bravo Charlie."

A brief computer buzz, from both the viewscreen and the Captain's Chair on the ship, and the computer speaks. "Transfer complete. USS Cutlass now under the command of Lieutenant Commander Lara Archer."

After a moment of stunned silence, Archer finally forces words to come out of her mouth. "Thank you, sir!"

"See to the return of Captain Logan's remains and personal effects, get your new crew members on board, get them acclimated, and get to Deep Space Five no later than Stardate 60810."

"Understood," Archer acknowledges. "Cutlass out." The viewscreen returns to the forward view, with Earth's blue and white silhouette across the lower third of the picture.

Throwing aside all professionalism and Starfleet protocol, Sulu shouts, "HOLY SHIT DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?!"

"By golly," Ozzie says, not for the last time, "congrats Cap'n. Not even outta orbit yet and things are changin' by the minute."

Archer closes her eyes, sits back down in the Captain's Chair, and takes a moment to just breathe. As Ozzie says, things have changed rapidly in the last 12 hours. She was going to have a new mentor, a new role model, someone she could follow. Now, she will be the one who has to provide leadership and guidance to a young crew. She opens her eyes and looks at the time. 0742. She gets an idea and turns to Ozzie.

"Mister Reynolds, put me on all ship's speakers."

A quick tap or two on the ops console, and he responds, "You're on, Cap'n."

"Attention all hands. This is Lieutenant Commander Archer on the bridge. Please report to the main cargo bay at 0750 hours for an all-hands meeting. Again, everyone needs to be in Cargo Bay One in eight minutes for an announcement. I'll see you there. Bridge out." She stands and turns to face her dearest friend and best officer, as well as her newest officer. "That includes the two of you. I'll see you down there. In the meantime, I'll be in… the ready room."

"Aye sir," Sulu answers, still grinning from ear to ear.

"You got it Cap'n," Ozzie replies.

As Archer gets up and walks toward the ready room, just off the bridge, Sulu intercepts her and gives her a big hug, whispering in her ear, "Congrats! You got this! And I've got your back."

"Thanks, and likewise," Archer replies, smiling and hugging Sulu back.

She then steps into the ready room. The late Captain Logan's items are still there as the collection team isn't due to arrive for the better part of an hour. She goes to the window and looks out at the Earth. A flurry of emotions overcomes her. Fear, apprehension, and anxiety well up inside her. But then she remembers the warm, smiling face of Captain Riker, and the simple phrase he uttered just the evening before. "You're going to do great things, Commander. I know it." Her anxiety begins to fade into determination, the same determination she felt on the two-hundred-year-old bridge of the USS Zhukov. And she has the same supporting crew behind her that she did then. With one exception.

T'Prex. She has to get T'Prex back, or this will never work.

Act Two

Scene 5: Cargo Bay One, USS Cutlass, 0750 hours

As instructed, the entire crew of the USS Cutlass is assembled in Cargo Bay One, the largest open space on the ship.

"Attention on deck!" Sulu shouts as Archer enters the room, PADD in hand, precisely at 0750 hours. Everyone snaps to attention.

"At ease, please," Archer says, trying to relax everyone after her tactical officer tried to scare them. Most of them assume a more relaxed posture.

Archer turns to address the assembled crew. "As most of you know by now, Captain Logan was found dead in his quarters this morning." A few crew members who maybe missed the memo turn to look at their comrades in astonishment. "Our medical team has determined that he died of natural causes, likely due to congenital heart failure and the accumulation of damage over a long career in Starfleet." She pauses for a moment to let her words sink in a bit, then continues. "An ancestor of mine once said that how we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life." She smiles, wistfully, and says, "Nowhere is that more true than in Starfleet. And one of the ways we deal with death is by being adaptable, and by stepping up to help fill in for those that have been lost. So, I'm asking all of you to be adaptable, because Starfleet is not sending a replacement for Captain Logan." This elicits a few concerned expressions from the crew, but Sulu and Ozzie know what's coming next, so they just smile a bit. "With manpower at a premium after the recent conflicts, like the Dominion War, the situation with the Romulans, and renewed aggression by the Orion Syndicate, there just aren't enough veteran commanders to go around. Therefore, Starfleet has given me command of the Cutlass."

With the punchline delivered, Archer waits to say anything else until the crowd settles a bit. One particular technician can't seem to stop talking to the person next to him. Manni steps in and says, "Is there something you want to say to everyone, Crewman Pierce?" He locks eyes with the rowdy technician.

Crewman First Class Zachary Pierce, who is shocked that anyone would even know his name, responds with a fearful, "Uh… n-n-n-no sir!" then shuts up.

Archer gives a slight nod of acknowledgement to Manni, then continues. "As your new CO, I'm asking everyone to be flexible. We may need to shift our resources to deal with things that come up along the way. We are understaffed, that much is clear. We have no senior flight officer, and our ops officer doesn't arrive until 0900, and he is just out of the Academy. So help each other. If you see someone struggling, let them know they aren't alone, and help them if you can. Even once the rest of the crew arrives at 0900 we'll only have 25 personnel on a ship designed for 45, at least until we get to our destination. We'll probably have to work long hours just to stay on top of things." This elicits another groan from the peanut gallery. Then she turns to address individual officers.

"Lieutenant Manni?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"You are now officially Chief Engineer of the USS Cutlass."

"Yes ma'am," he acknowledges.

"Doctor Mayweather?"

"Commander?" he responds.

"You are the Chief Medical Officer."

"Understood."

"Lieutenant Sulu?"

"Aye?"

"You are Chief Tactical Officer, as well as Acting First Officer."

"Aye!" Sulu replies.

"Ensign Reynolds?"

"Aye Cap'n?"

"You and I will split the remaining bridge officer duties, at least until the other folks get here in an hour."

"You got it Cap'n!"

Archer pauses for a moment, letting everyone take in what she is saying. Then she takes a few steps forward, creating a slightly more informal, more intimate moment with her crew. "I know that this isn't what you were expecting. Honestly, it isn't what I was expecting either. But we can do this." She smiles a genuine, warm smile, not unlike the one Captain Riker gave her just a day ago. "Look to each other. Lend a hand if you can. Because we will be in the thick of things in the Ivorian Sector before the end of the week." This elicits another round of gasping and wide eyes. "Everyone to your stations. Dismissed."

Scene 6: The Bridge of the Cutlass, 1553 hours

Starship log, Stardate 60799.6, entry by Lieutenant Commander Lara Archer: All of the late Captain Logan's effects have been removed from the Cutlass, and the new officers and crew have arrived as expected, along with our two new Type 22a shuttlepods, the Allegro and the Andante. Ensign Reynolds has escorted the new people to their assigned quarters, and they've had their initial medicals from Doctor Mayweather. I am giving them until 1600 hours to report for duty, when I'll have the new officers report to the bridge.

The Cutlass's first assignment under my command is to travel to Deep Space Five to become part of the 17th Mobile Fleet under Admiral Kathryn Janeway. With increased hostilities between the Federation and the Orion Syndicate, as well as the rumors of activity along the Romulan Neutral Zone, Starfleet needs more ships and more people in the Ivorian Sector, not only to protect Federation interests in the sector, but also to expand the scientific and exploratory efforts on the coreward fringes of Federation space. However, like all ships in Starfleet right now, we are going to have to complete this assignment with a reduced crew for the time being. But there is one more officer I need to pick up before we head to DS5.

Archer, Ozzie, and Sulu remain the only officers on the bridge. Archer sits in the Captain's Chair, Ozzie at ops, and Sulu at her usual place at tactical.

"Are you sure about this, Lara?" Sulu asks Archer, worried enough to commit a minor breach of protocol and use Archer's first name on the bridge. "I mean, she has a… reputation."

Archer simply nods to the viewscreen. "I understand your concern. Please open the channel, Lieutenant," Archer says, reestablishing a modicum of decorum by referring to Sulu by rank.

A few taps on her console, and she warily says, "Opening channel via subspace relay J7 to Deep Space Five, and Admiral Janeway's Office… connecting… wow, she is actually responding in person."

Of all the negotiations and debates she has ever had, with the Skagarans, the Tamarians, or even the Rengians, this will be the most challenging. "On screen," she says.

The forward viewscreen changes to show the face of one of the most famous, and intimidating, people in Starfleet history. The former commander of the USS Voyager. The woman who quite literally wrote the book on the Borg. Rumor has it she is even working behind the scenes on a special project that only she knows about, all while still commanding the 17th Fleet.

And Archer needs to ask her for a favor.

Fortunately, Archer knows that behind that intimidating façade, Kathryn Janeway is one of the most compassionate people in the Fleet and is quite familiar with Vulcans and their unique idiosyncrasies. She hopes that's enough.

"Commander Archer," Janeway begins. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon. Is that Jamie Sulu I see back there?"

"Hello Admiral," Sulu replies, smiling as best she can.

"Glad to see you are both still in one piece after…"

"Yes, we are, Admiral," Archer answers, knowing exactly what 'after' Janeway is referring to — that being what everyone has been calling the Battle of Deep Space Five, when Archer's undercover mission to Mu Arae VI uncovered an impending attack on the station, where Janeway took temporary command of the USS John Wesley Powell, the ship that Jamie Sulu was stationed on at the time. A battle that cost the lives of dozens of Starfleet personnel, in which the Powell was destroyed, but which saved thousands aboard the station. A battle that Archer herself got awarded the Star Cross for, as well as a Citation of Merit from Starfleet Tactical.

Janeway's expression changes from a smile to more of a stern look. "Why do I get the sense you're about to ask me for something that I'm going to be reluctant to grant?" she asks in that low, sultry, gravelly voice that only Janeway can pull off.

"Probably because you know that I wouldn't be calling over a high-speed subspace relay for a casual chat," Archer says, putting on her friendliest smile.

Janeway's eyes narrow. "What can I do for you, Commander?" she asks finally.

Taking a breath and saying a silent prayer to the Bajoran goddess of terrible ideas, she lays out her request. "I need to go to P'Jem to pick up Ensign T'Prex to serve as my Senior Flight Officer."

Sulu closes her eyes and turns away from the viewscreen as if to say, Wow, I can't believe she actually did it.

To Archer's surprise, Janeway doesn't seem at all fazed by the audacity of the request. "Surely you have someone that can serve as a pilot until you can get here."

As the conversation on the viewscreen is happening, the four new junior officers arrive on the bridge. Ozzie guides them toward their stations, stepping out of the way at ops to let Krohn take over.

"I don't need a pilot," Archer continues, "I need a Flight Officer, someone who I trust. And I'm just asking for a little more time to go pick her up."

"And you think it will be as simple as just dropping in and beaming her up? She is on a leave of absence from Starfleet, on a meditation retreat."

"I can convince her to come back," Archer says with more confidence than she actually feels. "Besides, as short-handed as we are, wouldn't it make sense to get every potential crew member that we can?"

"I do know a thing or two about Vulcans, Commander. And interrupting them during their meditations is not something that they appreciate," Janeway says, sounding almost like a mother panther growling at a cub that is inches from straying too far from home.

"T'Prex isn't meditating. She's waiting."

The four new ensigns assume their assigned bridge duty stations as the conversation continues in front of them. Ensign Paul Andros, a broad-shouldered, bald Andorian, takes the auxiliary station next to Sulu at tactical. Ensign Krohn, a surprisingly quiet Klingon, and the only Operations officer currently on the ship, assumes the ops station behind and to the left of the center chairs. Ensign Darveena Jaax, a joined Trill science officer and the Cutlass's interim helmsman, steps to the engineering station to avoid the discomfort of taking the conn during a tense discussion. Ensign Andrew Williams, another science officer, takes the primary science station, ahead of ops. Finally, Ozzie goes to his natural spot at the mission ops station directly behind the center chair.

Janeway's eyes narrow. "What exactly is she waiting for?"

"Permission to feel," Archer says, slowly getting to her feet. "I know Vulcans, too, or at least I know T'Prex. She needs to know that it's ok to just… be. And she needs a place where her skills and abilities matter."

Janeway seems to ponder for a moment, then shakes her head. "I don't know what to tell you, Commander. She's on leave, indefinitely as I understand it."

Archer plays her last card, hoping it's enough to convince Janeway. "Put yourself in my shoes, Admiral. If you took this assignment, and there was even a chance your ace pilot friend was available to help you, what would you do?"

The Admiral raises an eyebrow. "Why do I get the sense that you're not going to let this go?"

"If it was Tom Paris, would you?" Having served with some of Janeway's old Voyager officers, including Tuvok on the Titan, and the aforementioned Tom Paris, whom she reported to on the Enterprise for much of her time there, she hopes that dropping his name will be enough.

Janeway seems to think for a moment, narrowing her eyes at the viewscreen. Then she taps a few commands on her console. "Alright, Commander," she says finally. "I'll give you 72 hours. After that, T'Prex or no, you and the Cutlass are on your way here." She changes to a more forceful tone. "At maximum warp! Janeway, out!"

Sulu smiles to herself, shaking her head slightly, but says nothing.

Archer takes a breath, then turns to face her new officers. "Welcome to the Cutlass!" she says with a wry smile. "Now that you are all here, let's talk in the ready room."

Scene 7: Captain's Ready Room, USS Cutlass, moments later

The four freshly-graduated ensigns follow Archer to the ready room. Once inside, she turns to them and tries to put them at ease.

"As you've probably figured out by now, I'm Lieutenant Commander Lara Archer, your commanding officer. Please, have a seat," she says gently, trying to let these young folks know that they are not in the principal's office. She goes to the ready room replicator and says, "Spiced apple cider, hot." She takes her beverage and turns to the young officers. "I'm assuming that Ensign Reynolds explained the situation here on the Cutlass?"

"You mean the part where the old Captain died last night? And that we are going to be working twelve hour shifts until we get to our destination? And that I'm going to have to take the helm, even though I'm a science officer?" responds Ensign Jaax, smiling.

"That would be it!" Archer replies, noting the fact that Jaax seems to have a sense of humor about the situation. "Hopefully once we get to DS5 and get a full crew on board we'll be able to relax the duty shifts a little. And we do have Chief Barber now, as well as Ensign Reynolds, who can cover the conn, but that still leaves us short for a three-shift rotation, so two-a-day it is, at least for now."

Archer sets down her cup and picks up her PADD, pulling up Jaax's file, looking for a detail to break the ice with the new junior officers. Finding exactly what she wants, she asks, "So Ensign Jaax, where did you study kung fu? Not many Trill study martial arts on Earth."

"One of my previous hosts, Lomandra, was a science teacher on Earth for a while in Sichuan province in China. He picked up a few things," Jaax says.

"I'm a Japanese practitioner myself, karate and kendo," Archer answers. "And you're fluent in Romulan?"

"Heh, yeah Williams and I keep each other's Romulan sharp," she says.

The moment Williams has been wondering about since coming aboard is finally upon him, and Archer turns his way, with as warm a smile as she can manage. "Holy smokes, Andy Williams," she finally says. "How the heck are you? Gosh, what's it been, eight years?"

"A little over, yeah," Williams acknowledges sheepishly.

"Wait, you two know each other?" pipes in Paul Andros, sensing an opportunity to tease his friend.

"We both went to Topeka High School," Williams says. "Even competed against each other in the school science fair. She beat me by one point," he says, still seemingly surprised that her computer project beat his astronomy display.

Sensing his slight unease, Archer tries to smooth things over. "Well, I was a senior, and they almost always give preference to seniors since it's their last year in school. Did you stick with the tennis team?"

Williams now is able to brag a bit, taking some of the sting out of his loss in the science fair. "Won the whole thing my senior year. Even beat your record."

"Nice! Wow, I wish I could have seen that," Archer says with a genuine congratulatory tone. She turns to the linebacker-sized Andorian sitting in front of her. "So Ensign Andros…" she begins, missing the pronunciation and saying 'ANN-drose'.

"It's 'AHN-drose'," he corrects.

"My mistake," she says, making a note on her PADD. "Mister Andros," she says correctly, "what was it like growing up as an Andorian on Earth?"

"Hot! I don't know how you pinkskins survive!" he says, his naturally adversarial nature pushing to the surface. "At least the Yukon was tolerable."

"Looks like you also have some medical training. If Lieutenant Sulu can spare you, I might have you working some shifts with Doctor Mayweather."

Ensign Krohn, who has barely made a sound to this point, quietly says, "Nurse Andros… heh… heh heh heh…"

Andros's face turns an even darker shade of blue and he turns to Krohn. "Don't make me kick your ass!"

"Please try," Krohn says in reply, not the slightest bit intimidated by the Andorian's posturing.

"Don't make me separate you two," Jaax interjects.

Archer's intuition reads the dynamics between these four young ensigns. Andros, the instigator. Krohn, the 'strong silent' type. Williams, the brains. And Jaax, the 'group mom'. Not terribly unlike the dynamic between Sulu, T'Prex, Manni, and herself when they were at the Academy. She smiles involuntarily at the commonalities.

"Mister Krohn, what led you to the Academy from Qo'noS?" Archer interjects.

Krohn takes a moment before answering. "My mother died with honor. But my father disappeared. And none of my people had an interest in finding him."

Taken aback by his answer, Archer prods further. "Did the KDF not have any leads on your father's whereabouts?"

"They refused to look. So I left."

"Do you still have any friends in the Empire?"

"Yes," Krohn answers, "but they will not help."

Archer ponders her response. "Well, maybe we can, someday."

"Perhaps."

"Well," Archer says, starting to stand up. "I look forward to working with all of you as we begin our mission. We'll be leaving Drydock shortly, so everyone, to your departure stations." She smiles her biggest, warmest, most Riker-like smile. "And again, welcome to the Cutlass. Dismissed."

They all go out the door to their respective stations. As Archer enters, Sulu shouts, "Captain on the bridge!" with a slight smile. This will become something of a ritual between Sulu and Archer for some years to come.

As Archer takes the center chair, Jaax moves to the conn, and the other officers move to their respective places. Once everyone is settled in, the orders begin.

"Mister Krohn, ship's status?"

"All systems operational," he replies.

"Put me on all ship's speakers."

Krohn taps a control on his console. "You're on."

"Attention crew of the USS Cutlass. This is your commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Archer. We are heading to the Monastery at P'Jem to pick up our Senior Flight Officer, then we are headed on to Deep Space Five. We will be pushing the engines to the limit for the next couple of weeks, so all departments be aware. If anyone wants to schedule holodeck time during our journey, you better do it soon. Bridge out." She turns slightly to her right. "Lieutenant Sulu, get me the Dockmaster."

A tap on her tactical console, and Sulu replies, "Channel open."

"Dockmaster, this is the Cutlass. We are ready for departure."

"Acknowledged, Cutlass. Stand by," a voice says over the comm. After a moment, the voice speaks again. "Cutlass, you are clear to undock. Use departure Bravo Two."

"Confirming Bravo Two. Cutlass out. Ensign Krohn, clear all moorings. Jaax, hold station."

"Moorings disconnecting… all moorings clear," the Klingon officer confirms.

"Thrusters at station," Jaax replies, a slight excitement building in her voice.

"Thrusters ahead one quarter. Sulu, advise reaching one thousand meters off drydock," Archer adds, her own excitement rising.

"Thrusters ahead."

The drydock arms that have been the dominant feature of the viewscreen begin to slide away, and within moments, only the blue silhouette of planet Earth remains on the screen.

"One thousand meters… mark," Sulu says.

"Jaax, impulse power, departure Bravo Two."

"Aye," the Trill officer says.

The view of Earth quickly disappears off the bottom edge of the viewscreen. Ahead, a sea of stars awaits.

"Departure Bravo Two complete, we are free and clear."

"Set course for P'Jem, maximum warp."

"Course set."

The anticipation of getting underway builds to a peak across the bridge. With no idea that she is about to initiate a sequence of events that will have repercussions for years to come, Archer sets fate in motion.

"Engage!"

The sea of stars embraces the Cutlass, tiny points of light stretching into rainbow streaks. Ahead, the future awaits.

Act Three

Starship Log, Stardate 60804.9: The Cutlass has arrived at P'Jem. I am beaming down to talk to T'Prex. I hope not to be gone long. Engineering is taking the opportunity to perform routine maintenance on the warp drive after an extended period of high-speed travel.

Scene 8: The Monastery at P'Jem, Afternoon local time

Archer materializes at the entrance to the garden area. She was told by one of the monks that T'Prex often visits the garden for her meditations. It doesn't take long to find her.

T'Prex is sitting with her legs folded under her, her arms across her lap, her eyes closed. Her long, snow-white hair flowing down her back occasionally being lifted by the breeze gives her the appearance of being significantly older than she actually is. Archer assumes a similar posture sitting next to her. Not saying a word, but simply breathing and sharing a peaceful space, under the open sky.

For nearly forty minutes, these two women hold a silent space of peace. Other Vulcans, and the occasional human or Andorian, come and go, sharing the meditative space. Some stay only for a minute or two. Others linger longer. Eventually, only Archer and T'Prex remain. Finally, the long silence is broken.

"Hello, Lara," T'Prex says, without opening her eyes.

"Hey," Archer says in return.

"Thank you for not interrupting my meditation."

"Of course."

"But I must ask you to leave now," T'Prex says.

Archer shifts her posture, sitting directly on the ground, her legs to the side. "Not without you," she says calmly.

"Your… presence… is…" T'Prex searches for words before finding them. "…disruptive."

Archer shifts again, now sitting cross-legged, and facing her friend. "Good. You need some disruption."

T'Prex takes a long, slow breath and exhales. But her clenched fingers in her lap belie her seething emotions of fear, betrayal, and anger, none of which is directed at Archer, but at herself and her own inability to cope with the turmoil she feels. And at her mother.

Archer knows all of T'Prex's story. In fact, she is the only one who knows the complete story. Not even her other Academy classmates know the whole truth, though Doctor Mayweather might be able to figure it out. But he would never pressure T'Prex, and even if he did discover something, he is bound by doctor-patient confidentiality.

T'Prex is the daughter of Saavik, the former USS Enterprise officer who was present at the detonation of the Genesis Device, who later transferred to USS Grissom to study the planet created by it. Finding the regenerated body of the late Captain Spock, Saavik mated with the katra-less Spock as he rapidly went through pon farr multiple times while he was age-bonded to the planet. Once rescued by Admiral Kirk, Saavik returned to Vulcan, now pregnant with the child of Spock. She would give birth to a daughter, T'Penna. However, T'Penna became terribly ill as a young adult, and later died. Saavik was unable to come to terms with her grief and made the rash, some might say illogical, decision to clone T'Penna's DNA and re-impregnate herself with this cloned ovum in an attempt to get T'Penna back. She gave birth again, to a second daughter, T'Prex. As T'Prex grew, she became suspicious of her nature and eventually learned the truth. Saavik and T'Prex have barely spoken since.

T'Prex is ashamed of what she is. Over the years, that shame has turned into anger. But anger is not looked upon well by the Vulcan people. In an effort to suppress it, T'Prex has only bottled it. Archer knows this. And she knows it is time for her to stop.

"No, what I need is to be left alone," T'Prex says, her voice rising ever so slightly as she tries to contain her emotions.

Archer gets up and sits directly in front of T'Prex, facing her. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

"Lara… please. Go away," she replies, opening her eyes but not looking Archer in the eye, instead looking down.

Archer shakes her head. "What kind of friend would I be if I just left you?"

T'Prex's expression slowly begins to change, her stoic façade melting into genuine emotion.

"The kind I deserve," she says.

"You left because you felt you had to. I understand that. So does Jamie. And Roger. And Norin."

"You will never understand," she bites back, the slightest bit of anger leaking into her voice. But Archer doesn't react. If anything she softens even more, letting the waves of emotion crash and break against the rock of her support and caring for her friend.

"We are the only ones who can understand," she replies tenderly.

T'Prex lets her head fall forward into Archer's lap and begins to cry. The deep, wailing sobs of a person whose emotional control has completely failed despite all attempts to hold it in, and all the emotions burst out at once. Other passers-by react to the scene and stare for a moment, but Archer doesn't say a word and doesn't acknowledge any of their looks. She just holds her friend with unconditional love and support.

Scene 9: The Bridge of the Cutlass, around the same time

"Engineering reports maintenance on the warp drive is complete," Krohn announces.

"Good deal. I mean, we probably aren't going to use the warp drive for a while anyway, but still," replies Sulu.

"We're being hailed by the Monastery," says Ensign Andros, currently manning the tactical station.

"On screen," says Sulu from the center chair, temporarily in command of the Cutlass with Archer off the ship.

An ancient Vulcan man appears on the main viewscreen and speaks. "Greetings Cutlass. I am Administrator Stel of the Monastery here at P'Jem."

"What can we do for you, Administrator?" Sulu answers.

"There is a xenoarchaeology team that has been working from the monastery here for some time. They recently discovered an interesting group of ruins in the asteroid field of this system. The ruins are quite unique and would seem to indicate there may have been intelligent life in this system that predates any known species in this area of space."

Jaax and Williams look at each other, both suddenly excited at the prospect of a scientific discovery.

"Starfleet loaned them a Danube-class Runabout, the Nile, to assist in exploring these ruins. The team has made several runs to the asteroids and back and have returned a number of interesting artifacts. However, they are now more than three hours overdue and we have been unable to contact them on any frequency."

Now Andros's curiosity is piqued, as is Krohn's, and they share a glance.

"It would take many hours for a ship to get here from Andoria, and several days to get help from Vulcan. Would you be able to investigate their whereabouts? It is illogical for them to be gone this long without reporting in."

Sulu looks around at the eager junior officers, champing at the bit to investigate, and responds to Stel. "Send us their last known coordinates, and we'll see what we can do."

"Thank you Cutlass! We appreciate your efforts."

"We'll be back. Cutlass out."

"Coordinates received," announces Ensign Jaax excitedly from the conn.

"Plot a course, warp two. Engage."

Within a few minutes, they arrive at the edge of the asteroid field. "Watch your helm, Jaax. We don't need to get pulverized on our maiden voyage," Sulu says with a dash of dark humor. "Can you locate the runabout?"

"Got it," Andros says. "Bearing 005 mark 15. No external damage that I can see."

"Hold on!" Jaax says suddenly as she swerves the Cutlass to avoid a careening piece of space rock, shifting everyone in their chairs a bit.

"Williams, anything?" Sulu says.

"There's a lot of interference from… something?" the science ensign replies. "But it looks like it's coming from inside the runabout. We'd likely have to be inside it to get more information, and that might put us in danger from whatever is causing the interference."

"Well what's life without a little danger? I say we go take a look," Andros eagerly suggests.

"Transporters will not function without modification," Krohn adds. "We might be able to modulate the annular confinement beam to cut through the interference, but we would have to be very close, within 100 meters."

"What about doing a space jump?" asks Jaax. "We'll need to have EVA suits anyway to protect ourselves from whatever is inside."

"I'm in!" Andros shouts.

"Do you WANT to get smashed by asteroids?" Williams asks. "If even a small rock hits us at these speeds, we'd be crushed or… perforated."

Sulu mulls over the options and comes to a decision. Smiling, she says, "Andros, Jaax, Krohn, Williams, suit up for EVA and get to Transporter Room One. We'll get in position long enough for you to beam over, then we'll back out of the field and maintain comms. Lieutenant Manni, report to Transporter Room One. Ozzie, take the helm."

Scene 10: The Monastery at P'Jem, a private room near the Gardens

T'Prex rests on a meditation lounger in one of the private rooms near the Gardens. Archer sits next to her. She can tell that T'Prex is still agitated, but she seems to have stopped crying for now.

"I apologize for my lack of emotional control. I… you shouldn't have to see me like this," T'Prex says.

"Hey," Archer replies, tenderly, resisting the urge to hold her hand. "You have nothing to apologize for. We all have feelings. We can't deny them. And the more you bottle them up, the deeper they get entrenched. Like a tapeworm."

T'Prex raises one eyebrow. "What is a 'tapeworm'?" she asks with exactly the appropriate amount of disgust.

Archer is barely able to control her reaction to T'Prex's facial expression. "I'm sorry, you have to make that face for Sulu sometime. She'll bust a gut!" she says, no longer able to stifle her laugh, and she descends into a hearty laugh. T'Prex's expression changes from a brief moment of exasperation, to a slight eye-roll, to a slight smile, and finally she, too, is overcome with laughter. A deep, healing laughter that both ladies desperately need. "Speaking of gut, sorry, a tapeworm is an Earth parasite, lives in your intestines feeding off what you eat. Sorry, that probably wasn't a good analogy."

After a moment, T'Prex has tears in her eyes again, but this time for a different reason. Archer sees her tears and looks at her. T'Prex, now smiling slightly, looks directly at Lara. "I have missed you so much, my friend," she says finally. "But I cannot go back to the Titan with you. I would not be able to face Captain Riker or Commander Tuvok."

Archer looks at T'Prex, confused, then suddenly realizes her mistake. "Oh… no… I'm sorry, T'Prex. I'm not on the Titan anymore. I…" Archer faces her friend directly. "I have my own ship now. The Cutlass, a little Saber-class. And Jamie, Roger, and Norin are there, too, as my senior staff!"

T'Prex is taken aback. She looks at the pips on Archer's collar and confirms that she still holds the rank of lieutenant commander.

Sensing her confusion, Archer begins to retell the tale of her transfer to the Cutlass, the death of Captain Logan, and everything that has happened since.

Scene 11: The Runabout Nile, in the P'Jem asteroid belt

The four ensigns are excited and nervous about their unexpected first away mission. They mill about the transporter room a bit until 'momma Darveena' gets them focused. "Safety first," she says. "We go over, assess the situation, and decide from there. None of this 'shoot first ask questions later' stuff, OK? It's a rescue mission."

"Who put you in charge?" Andros asks with belligerence.

"Well she is technically older than all three of us put together, you know?" Williams answers, spelling out the facts for his pushy friend. "She's even older than Mister Manni here."

Andros shrugs under his EVA suit, deciding to drop the matter.

"OK," Manni says after the arguing dies down. "I have the annular confinement calibrated to penetrate the interference. Good call on that Mister Krohn." Krohn nods at the recognition but says nothing. "Bridge, this is the transporter room. We're ready here."

"Acknowledged," Sulu says. "Ozzie, take us in."

"Bloody hell… right then, headin' in."

The Cutlass moves in, parallel to the paths of most of the asteroids, giving the easiest approach to the location of the Nile. Ozzie is a capable Flight Officer but the path is not an easy one, especially since they are running with shields down so the away team can beam over. But he gets the Cutlass in position.

"That's as good as it's gonna get," he says.

"Locking on and energizing," Manni says.

The four ensigns vanish in sparkling columns of light.

"Transport complete."

"Cutlass, this is Jaax. Confirmed, we are aboard." Jaax confirms from inside the Nile.

"Ozzie move us to a safe distance," Sulu orders. "I'm raising shields."

"Gladly, love!"

Ozzie pilots the Cutlass back out of the asteroid field to a prearranged rendezvous point, well away from the paths of the deadly rocks.

From inside the runabout, the four ensigns quickly ascertain the fate of the scientists.

Jaax and Williams, the science officers, have tricorders out and are scanning the aft compartment. Andros looks around for combat damage, while Krohn assesses the status of the ship itself from the cockpit.

"Nucleonic radiation," Jaax says, reading her tricorder. "Wow, high enough to kill a herd of targs. Krohn, check the replicator."

"Acknowledged," he replies.

Moments later, Williams makes a grisly discovery.

"Oh god!" he stammers. "Here! The scientists!"

Jaax walks back to him and nearly trips over the bodies of the two Vulcan crew members of the Nile. On the floor, bodies still twisted in agony, skin visibly blistered with radiation burns, lie T'Porta and Saldan, the two Vulcan xenoarchaeologists.

Andros walks back toward the aft section at that moment and sees the bodies. His cavalier, aggressive demeanor gets hit with a reality check as the gravity of the situation sinks in. "Damn…" is all he can say in response.

"Krohn to away team," he says over the comm. "The replicator is severely damaged. I am powering down the unit. It may take a few minutes for the radiation to clear." The moment Krohn shuts off the replicator, their EVA suits' 'Danger:Radiation!' alerts slowly start to fade out to 'Caution:Radiation' as they are continuing their investigation.

"Can you tell what happened to it?" Jaax asks.

"Some kind of internal damage. Have to take it apart to find out more."

"OK go ahead. We need to figure out what caused the problem so it doesn't happen again or break something else."

"Understood," Krohn replies.

Jaax sees the stunned faces of Andros and Williams, still transfixed by the deceased Vulcan scientists. "Hey guys, you awake?"

"Yeah…" Andros finally says. "Just… didn't expect to see dead bodies on my first Away Mission."

"Tell me about it," Williams agrees.

"I hear you," she agrees. "But I guess this is part of the job. I mean, 'danger' is Andros's middle name, after all," she jokes, which lightens the mood just enough to get everyone back on track. Andros grins, and Williams rolls his eyes with a slight smile. "Williams, can you check the computer, see if there are any records from the scientists that might help us out? Andros…"

"I'll check the bodies, see if they can tell us anything more," he interrupts. "I mean, I'm the one with the medical training. Plus, I mean, we can't just leave them on the floor like this."

Jaax nods. "I'll check these stasis pods here, see if they can tell us anything."

Scene 12: Bridge of the Cutlass

Ozzie, Sulu, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Veel Bix, a Bolian man, are the only people on the bridge. Sulu is technically in command but also manning the tactical station, as usual. Ozzie is at conn, and Bix is manning ops.

Sulu looks puzzled at her console. "That's… what is that?" she asks no one in particular.

"You lookin' at that distortion at 170 mark 22?" Ozzie asks.

"Yeah… thoughts? I've never seen anything like it. Not gravimetric, not subspace…"

"You think maybe this had something to do with the damage to the Runabout?" Bix posits.

"Or maybe it's just some sorta reflection off our shields?" Ozzie says.

"Oh shoot, I guess I put them up while we were getting out of the asteroid field. Maybe we don't need those up now," and she reaches for the control to lower them but hesitates. "Nah, until we know what that distortion is, I'll leave them up."

"Oy, good call," Ozzie replies. "Crazy thought, but how 'bout we move a bit, see if the distortion changes?"

Sulu looks at Ozzie. "I was literally about to suggest that. Move us ahead but keep us in range of the rendezvous point."

"Copy that, thrusters ahead," he replies.

The Cutlass eases forward through space.

Sulu nods. "OK the distortion is staying put… wait… no it's moving with us now?"

"That's odd…" Bix says.

"What the bloody hell is that thing?" Ozzie wonders. "Think our engineer might have a thought?"

Sulu continues to be impressed with Ozzie's instincts. "Bridge to engineering."

"Manni here," comes the Trill officer's reply over the comm.

"Can you tap into the conn station from your end, see what you think of this distortion we are seeing?"

"Sure let me take a peek… huh that is kind of odd."

"We thought maybe it was some kind of reflection off the shields. But when we moved the ship, it lagged behind but then followed us."

"Yeah if it was a distortion echo, or some kind of interference pattern between the shields and the navigational deflector, it should appear in front of us, but this is behind us," Manni concludes.

Sulu's hackles are raised at this statement. She looks at Ozzie, who is also clearly uncomfortable.

"Thanks Norin. We'll keep an eye on it. Bridge out."

"I don't like this one bit, Lieutenant," Ozzie says.

"Same," Sulu replies. "I'm going to yellow alert."

Scene 13a: The Runabout Nile

"That is the coolest thing EVER!" Darveena Jaax cries. "A silicon-based PLANT? That SPROUTED through the stasis chamber?" The Trill xenobotanist is ecstatic at finding something utterly new to her experience.

"Yeah, the computer records say that they thought these were stone tablets from Vulcan prehistory, going back to the Abinak era," Williams replies. "They thought the 'marks' on the side were chisel marks from tools. But as I'm looking at it, they just can't be. Too smooth. Plus, quantum dating doesn't line up. Less than a 45% chance these are from that age."

"If it was an organic seed, those would probably be troughs in the shell where water could get in. Maybe these are similar, but for energy or mineral absorption? This is amazing! I mean, don't get me wrong, it's tragic that people died finding it. But still." Jaax concludes.

"Yeah, still," Williams agrees. Then Williams looks at Andros, who has a perplexed look. "Paul? You OK?"

"Something's not right…" he says, looking outside, his antennae twitching, which his friends know means his telepathic senses are active.

"Repairs are complete," Krohn interrupts, coming back to the aft compartment with dirty hands and a satisfied expression. "The replicator will have to be replaced, but all other systems are nominal… what?" he says, looking at Andros.

"Let's get to the cockpit and run some diagnostics," Jaax says. "We need to get out of this asteroid belt anyway."

Scene 13b: Back on the Cutlass

"Is it just me," Bix asks, "or does that distortion look like it's getting bigger?"

"Naw mate, it's getting closer—" but Ozzie's words are interrupted by a shout from Sulu.

"Klingon Bird of Prey decloaking! Evasive action!" she screams.

"Bloody hell!" Ozzie shouts as he jams the Cutlass into a steep turn, just as the enemy vessel unleashes its weapons. Had he not done so, the damage would have been severe. As it is, it's bad enough, even with the shields up. Sparks fly across the bridge, and the Cutlass shudders under the impact of the disruptor barrage. "Bloody hell!" he repeats. "Red alert! All hands battle stations!" he shouts as Sulu is busy with getting the weapons online.

"Returning fire!" Sulu shouts above the noise of the Red Alert klaxon. The Cutlass's type VIII phasers bite back at the unknown attacker, but their agile vessel limits the damage to their shields. "Ozzie, get after them! Firing torpedoes!" Sulu looses a volley of photon torpedoes at the enemy vessel, which does significant damage but doesn't deter them from continuing their attack.

"I'm tryin'! They're quick as lightnin'!" Ozzie tries to maneuver into a better position for the Cutlass's phaser arcs to line up. Without checking with Sulu, who is technically in command, Ozzie starts barking orders. "Bix, I need more power to engines! You gotta help us out here, mate!"

"Incoming!" Sulu shouts as the enemy ship unleashes a photon torpedo of its own, which causes significant damage. The auxiliary panel behind the tactical station explodes, showering Sulu's right shoulder and hip with debris. She screams in pain and collapses to the deck.

"Christ on a bike!" Ozzie shouts. "Medical teams to the bridge! I need help up here! Bix, take tactical, mate!"

Bix runs across to the tactical station, but since he is more of an engineer and systems operator, it takes a few precious seconds for him to get his bearings. Eventually, he says, "Starboard shields at 42%. Warp drive offline. They're coming around!"

"All weapons fire, mate!"

Bix manages to fire the Cutlass's phasers at the enemy vessel, but the Klingon ship also unloads its disruptors at the Cutlass, causing more damage. The ceiling explodes above the ops station, and had Bix still been standing there, he would have been impaled by the debris. As it is, he is nearly knocked off his feet. But he manages to relay an important update to Ozzie. "They're moving off and going to warp. Looks like they are headed toward the planet."

Doctor Mayweather emerges through the turbolift door, with one medical assistant and one repair technician in tow. Mayweather immediately goes to Sulu's aid. Seeing no other injuries, the medical assistant goes back to the elevator.

"Bix, open a comm channel to the Monastery, mate," Ozzie says.

"I can't! Communications system is damaged!"

"Bloody hell… no warp drive and no comms. No way to warn the Cap'n that trouble is coming…"

Scene 13c: The Runabout Nile

"Something is really wrong now! I think they're under attack!" Andros insists. "Look!" He points out the window, where far off in the distance, there seems to be a star twinkling with orange and green highlights.

"Let's go!" Jaax orders.

Their EVA suits removed and stowed, the four ensigns take positions in the cockpit of the Nile. Jaax sits at the pilot's seat, with Krohn next to her at the systems management console. Andros and Williams go to the other auxiliary stations.

"Firing thrusters," Jaax says as they lift off from the large asteroid they were landed on, heading toward the pre-determined rendezvous point. "Andros, does the Nile here have any weapons?"

"Type VI phasers port and starboard, forward firing arcs only, no torpedoes," he replies.

"Williams, can you contact the Cutlass?"

"Trying hailing frequencies… Uh, I'm not getting a response."

"Look out!" Krohn shouts. Jaax swerves quickly to avoid a large piece of flying space rock.

"Shields up, weapons hot!" Andros says, his combat-oriented mind ready for action, his zeal now justified.

"Going to impulse power. Keep trying to hail them," Jaax says. "Intercept in one minute."

"Something just warped away. Looks like maybe headed toward the planet?" Andros informs everyone.

"Isn't the Commander down there?" Krohn asks, concern mounting in his voice.

"Yeah," Williams agrees, "along with a whole monastery of unarmed meditators."

"Closing on the Cutlass. Somebody scan them."

"Their shields are up but shaky, starboard side down to 42%," Andros says. "Phaser banks charged, torpedo bays loaded."

"Detecting residual weapons signatures," Williams adds. "Including… type three disruptors and non-Starfleet torpedoes. Klingons?" he posits.

"These signatures are from older disruptor models," Krohn adds, looking at the scanner readings. "While the ship may be Klingon in origin, those in command are likely not. Many older ships were sold on the open market, often by troubled Houses to pay off debts." Coming from the Warrior caste of the Klingon Empire, Krohn is well-versed in his people's ships, weapons, and tactics.

"Still can't get through to the Cutlass," Williams adds. "So their communications are probably out. And that warp signature is definitely leading to the Monastery. Should we warn them?"

"We have to go after them!" Andros cries. "The Monastery is defenseless."

"And our Commander is there," Krohn adds.

Jaax thinks for a few precious seconds. "There's nothing we can do for the Cutlass right now. Hopefully they're OK. I'm setting a course to the Monastery. Williams, see if you can hail them."

"Got them! On screen."

"This is Administrator Stel," the ancient Vulcan says. "To whom am I—"

"Administrator," Jaax interrupts, "this is Ensign Darveena Jaax aboard the runabout Nile."

"Oh wonderful! You were able—"

"The Cutlass has been disabled by an unknown attacker which we believe is heading toward the Monastery. We are heading your way to assist, but you need to get your people into shelter."

Stel frowns. "It is not logical to attack a place of peaceful meditation."

As Jaax pushes the Nile into warp, she continues. "You're right, it's not. But that doesn't seem to concern these guys."

"We will sound the alarm and move our people into shelter. Thank you for the warning."

"We will be there soon. Nile out."

The four ensigns look at each other, the weight of what is happening sinking in. This was just supposed to be a quick mission to pick up an officer, but everything has gone sideways.

Scene 14: The Monastery at P'Jem

T'Prex stands in her room at the Monastery. She has changed into her travel clothes, as she doesn't have a Starfleet uniform with her. She looks at herself in the mirror. Archer stands next to her.

"Shall we?" Archer says, smiling.

T'Prex turns to her and says, "Thank you, Lara. For the opportunity. And… for having faith in me."

Archer smiles, and is about to say something, when bells start ringing across the Monastery. To her great surprise, Archer gets a message through her commbadge.

"Commander Archer, this is Administrator Stel."

"Archer here. What's going on?"

"We received word from your officers aboard the Nile. Apparently, the Cutlass has been disabled by an unknown attacker, and now the belligerent vessel is coming here. We have just detected it in the atmosphere!"

"Why would someone attack my ship, then come here?"

"It is illogical, I agree. Nevertheless, the ship is nearly up on us! Your officers on the Nile are coming to our aid, but we have no weapons or defenses."

"What is the Nile? Is that a ship?" T'Prex asks.

"There is no time! You must take shelter in the catacombs! Hurry!"

At that moment, one of the monks comes to T'Prex's door to usher them out. "This way, please hurry."

Grabbing Archer's arm to hold her back, she says to the monk, "I know the way to the catacombs. We will join you presently."

The monk nods, then departs. T'Prex goes to her closet, opens a hidden compartment, and removes a Vulcan lirpa, which she takes, and some sort of sword. She hands the sword to Archer. "This is a Romulan Honor Blade. I believe you will find it to your liking."

"Hiding weapons at a peaceful monastery?" she says, teasingly, as she takes the sword.

"They were gifts from my mother. I intended to throw them into the sea. But I believe I have found a better use for them now. The catacombs are that way," she says, pointing to the left as they exit the room, but then turning right, toward the courtyard. Archer follows, smirking, making a mental note that her instincts about T'Prex were right — that when everything is on the line, she will do the wrong thing for the right reasons, making her the perfect complement to Archer, Sulu, Manni, and Mayweather.

Weaving between various people trying to run for the catacombs, they reach the courtyard just in time to hear the roar of engines as some sort of ship lands just outside the Monastery entrance. There is another sound, like a ramp extending, followed by the unmistakable report of disruptors blasting the front door open. Archer and T'Prex take cover, weapons at the ready, but knowing a sword and a lirpa are no match for disruptors. Then, they see them.

Nausicaans!

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Archer curses under her breath. She easily recognizes the biggest, ugliest one as one of the three beasts that assaulted her on Risa when she was on shore leave from the Enterprise. With various meditators still scrambling for cover, she stands up and yells at the Nausicaan thug. "HEY! YO MAMA EATS DEAD GAGH FROM A REPLICATOR!"

"There she is! Kill her!" Six Nausicaans aim their disruptor pistols at her. She jumps for cover behind a low wall just as they fire, blasting holes in the wall behind her and showering her with shrapnel. She winces in pain but rolls out of cover, dashing through the inside of the building and out the back. T'Prex follows.

"Are they after you?" T'Prex asks as they run.

"I guess?"

The Nausicaans are practically on their heels. The two ladies weave through the alleyways between various buildings but the thunder of a dozen pairs of heavy feet is nearly upon them. The Nausicaans take pot shots at the women as they round corners. Fortunately for Archer and T'Prex, their aim is as bad as their breath. However, despite their lack of aim, they nearly have the two Starfleet ladies cornered and surrounded.

A new sound is heard above the din of running and growling.

"Is that…?" T'Prex asks, daring to hope.

"Phaser fire! Cavalry's here!" She fully expects to see Sulu leading the charge.

"Behind us! Starflee— AAAGH!" one of the Nausicaans cries. Some of them turn to fire at whomever is shooting, giving Archer and T'Prex a momentary advantage they don't waste. With their weapons drawn, they move in and engage the two closest enemies, knocking their disruptor pistols away and pressing the advantage.

Phaser and disruptor fire continues, punctuated by a decidedly Klingon roar. "Krohn?" Archer says, unaware of the situation with the four ensigns.

Andros, Jaax, Krohn, and Williams had pursued the enemy vessel into the atmosphere but were unable to engage them, landing their runabout a matter of seconds behind the Bird of Prey and racing on foot to catch up to the Nausicaans. Krohn's Klingon strength and stamina allowed him to catch up to the enemies first, and he started firing his phaser rifle — four of which were stocked on the runabout — getting the Nausicaans' attention. Andros wasn't far behind, and Jaax and Williams eventually joined them. Jaax actually scored the first hit from over 100 meters away.

Now, all four are pressing the attack to save their commander and the defenseless civilians of the Monastery, even though they are outnumbered two to one. Archer will quickly come to appreciate just how blessed she was to acquire these particular young officers.

After taking down two of the Nausicaans, Archer suddenly finds herself face to face with the biggest, ugliest one. He draws his serrated dagger and engages her. After a fierce exchange of blows, his size proves to be too much of an advantage in the close quarters of the alleyway, and with a swift kick, he knocks her down, sending her loaned sword flying, shattering it against the side of the building. He pins her to the ground, raises his dagger, and says in a menacing tone, "Know that today, you died at the hands of Captain Azmok!"

But before he can thrust his dagger home, T'Prex tackles him from the side, knocking them both away from Archer. T'Prex pays the price, however, as Azmok manages to slash her across the side of her hip as they land, eliciting a cry of pain and staining his blade green.

More phaser fire is heard, now closing in, as stunned Nausicaan bodies crumple over. Azmok, realizing that his comrades are all down, snarls at Archer, "This isn't over!" and taps his shoulder, vanishing in the swirl of a transporter beam. Moments later, engines are heard as the Bird of Prey takes off and escapes.

"I need a medic here!" Archer cries, rushing to T'Prex's side. Andros slings his rifle over his back and runs up to assist. Archer looks at him, bewildered. "Andros? What are you doing here? And Krohn? Williams? Jaax, you too?" she asks, looking at the four ensigns.

While Andros puts his field medic training to good use, Jaax simply says to Archer, "Yeah, we had a little… adventure… while you were here."

Scene 15: Back on the Cutlass

Starship Log, Stardate 60805.6: Lieutenant Sulu, Ensign T'Prex, and the rest of the crew have been treated for their injuries and are back on duty. Chief Engineer Manni has the warp drive back online and we are almost ready to resume course for Deep Space Five. The unexpected attack by the Nausicaans has me concerned. Since it seems that they were specifically targeting me, it raises a great many questions. Who are they? Why do they want me dead? Who is this 'Azmok'? And perhaps most importantly, are they working with the Orion Syndicate? In the meantime, the samples aboard the runabout Nile have been returned to the Vulcan Science Academy for further study, and the Cutlass is taking the Nile with us for now. After all the reports are filed, there are just a couple other things I need to take care of.

Archer is working in her ready room. She sets her tennis trophy — which reads 'Kansas High School Tennis – 2375 – Women's Singles – State Champion' — on the upper shelf. She sets the disruptor pistol she claimed from her fight with Azmok next to it. The door chime rings.

"Come in," she says. The four ensigns Andros, Jaax, Krohn, and Williams enter. She smiles at them, with her own version of the proud Riker smile she saw during her recent time on the Titan. "Have a seat, please." She walks to the replicator. "Spiced apple cider, hot," she says. The device buzzes for a few seconds, then produces her beverage.

She sits across from the young officers and speaks. "Your work yesterday was outstanding, well above and beyond the call of duty. You worked together, solved a mystery, fixed a runabout, and saved a lot of lives on P'Jem, my own included. I have written a commendation for each of you and placed it in your permanent file." She sips her cider, waiting for their reaction.

"Thank you, sir!" Jaax says enthusiastically.

"I smell promotion!" Andros jokes.

"You just graduated!" Williams says.

Krohn simply grins his quiet Klingon grin at the other ensigns.

"Oh, and good news," Archer adds. "Jaax won't have to pilot the ship anymore. We got our Senior Flight Officer."

"Good! I can hang in the science lab!"

"Me too!" Williams adds.

"Actually, both of you will probably have alternating shifts on the bridge. I know it's not standard, but Starfleet's mission is as much scientific as anything else, so I want to have a science expert handy."

Jaax and Williams look at each other as if to say, Bridge duty?! Cool!

Archer continues smiling. "Again, great work, all of you. We'll be getting underway to DS5 shortly. I'll see you on the bridge. Dismissed." The four officers file out, grinning.

Archer goes back to setting up her ready room until her next meeting. She hangs her framed Citation of Merit from Starfleet Tactical on the wall behind the desk, then moves it to another spot, before moving it back. She sets her medals in their display case on the shelf below her tennis trophy and Nausicaan disruptor. She opens the case for a moment, to dust off her various awards: the Lunar Crescent Medallion, which she earned for her undercover mission on Mu Arae VI; the Star Cross, which she got for her actions defending Deep Space Five; her Palm Leaf of Axanar Peace Mission award for her diplomatic endeavors with the Tamarians while on the Titan; and her Christopher Pike Medal of Valor, for her leadership during the Zhukov incident and her interactions with the Skagarans.

As she is getting everything in place, the door chime rings again.

"Come in," she says, trying to control her smile a bit this time.

Ozzie Reynolds and T'Prex walk in. T'Prex has changed into a standard Starfleet command officer's uniform, and she has dyed her hair to match the dark coloring of most other Vulcans. Archer motions them to sit down, picking up her hot cider as she sits across from them at the ready room desk.

"Ozzie," she begins. "Sulu tells me that you handled things well on the bridge during the Nausicaan attack. Well done."

"'Preciate that Cap'n. Oy, it was a mess for sure," he says. "Just tryin' to keep the plates spinnin', y'know?"

"T'Prex," she says, turning to her long-time friend. "It's good to have you back." She can't contain her smile any longer.

T'Prex nods slightly in acknowledgement and, in a rare moment of humor, says, "You would be lost without me."

"Yes I would," Archer agrees, then seemingly gets more serious. "There is a slight issue with the command structure on this ship," she continues. "All these ensigns and no middle officers. I don't want any confusion about who stands where. So…" She pulls two small boxes out from under her desk and places one in front of T'Prex, and another in front of Ozzie. Ozzie realizes what is happening and starts grinning from ear to ear. T'Prex does her best to control her emotions but even she reacts with her version of pleasure.

"Ensign Oswald Reynolds, Ensign T'Prex. You are hereby both promoted to the rank of lieutenant junior grade. Congratulations," she says. "At the end of shift today, feel free to pick out some new quarters. I'll see you on the bridge. Dismissed… lieutenants."

The two freshly minted junior lieutenants open their boxes, pin their pips on their collars, and get up to head to their duty stations. "Wait, I think you got yours on upside down," Ozzie says jokingly to T'Prex as they leave the ready room.

Archer recycles her cider cup in the replicator, then goes to look out the window at the nearby asteroid field. She takes a moment to breathe and recenter herself, executing a few movements from a karate kata, then heads out the door.

"Captain on the bridge," Sulu says, smiling as Archer enters.

Archer walks to her rightful place and sits in the center chair. T'Prex is at conn. Sulu at tactical. Krohn at ops. Ozzie at the mission ops station. Andros, Williams, and Jaax are also on the bridge at auxiliary stations. She sets her crew in motion.

"Krohn, ship's status?"

"All systems nominal," he replies.

"Sulu, anything on sensors?"

"Just an asteroid field and a lot of space," she replies.

"T'Prex, set course for Deep Space Five, maximum warp."

A few taps on her console, and she answers, "Ready."

With a smile, Archer says, "Let's go home. Engage."

A tap on the 'engage' key, and the USS Cutlass and her crew race ahead to whatever awaits them in the Ivorian Sector.