87Disclaimer: Star Trek and all associated characters and situations are the property of CBS studios, Star Trek Online is the creation of Cryptic and Perfect World, all are used by myself for entertainment purposes without permission or intent to profit.
Author's Note: I meant to post this during the Three-Year Anniversary, but unfortunately got caught up in moving. Sorry.
Timeframe: Between the Federation Tutorial Missions "Khitomer Crisis" and "Price of Liberty".
Character: Male Federation Tactical
"Into The Breach"
By J.T. Magnus, 'Turbo'
Standing behind the Captain's Chair, the Ensign looked around the bridge; all the other stations were now manned by enlisted crewmen and non-commissioned officers, the highest ranking of them being the Chief Petty Officer manning Tactical, and he himself was now the highest ranking surviving member of the ship's complement.
"Captain, orders?"
Captain by title, not by rank. The Ensign had never wanted to be a Captain, command a ship, he was a security officer, the closest he could come to continuing the family tradition of law enforcement service in the mostly-peaceful Federation... But he was now the ranking officer, the only survivng officer, which meant he was in command of the ship, and the truth was that he had no idea what to do.
"Sir." the crewman at the Conn station said, insistantly.
A saying his grandfather was fond of came to his mind, 'better to do something constructive now than something perfect when it's too late'.
The Ensign sighed quietly and put his hands on the back of the Big Chair, "Evacuate the compromised decks, reroute life support from those decks to whatever systems need the extra power..."
He spun the chair around and sat down in it, "Set course for the rally point..."
"Course set."
Turning the chair back to face the main viewer, he sighed again, "Shields up, weapons hot..."
"Shields up, Aye. Weapons hot, Sir," the CPO announced."
The Officer Commanding leaned forward, one forearm resting on the same-side knee, the other hand on the arm of the chair, whispering, "Once more into the breach, Dear Friends, once more, or close the wall up with our English dead... Red Alert, take us in on an attack vector."
"And pray this does not turn into another 'royal fellowship of death'," he added to himself in a whisper.
The Crewman manning the Science console overheard and added silently, 'Amen.'
