A Hero's Requiem

Posted on Sat Aug 6th, 2011 @ 5:17pm by Ensign Brandy Ragen

741 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Mission 76 - Home comings
Location: USS Laffey
Timeline: Current

Stardate 65096.1

Tomorrow the Task Group was slated to arrive in the Talos System to begin the time honored duty of escorting a hero home to his final resting place. Commander James Winter entered the mess hall and noted that Ensign Brandy Ragen, his helm officer was seated at a table and eating alone. Since he had become Tactical Operations Officer, and Admiral Bremer had assigned him his own starship he had been actively selecting his own staff for his ship. Ragen's record was short but impeccable and he had selected her when he had temporary command of the Saratoga during the Tholian Mission.

Now the Laffey was his permanent command, a Defiant-class Escort. There wasn't much in the way of quarters or amenities that larger starships could take for granted, here with how small the ship was everyone had to be close knit, a family as it were.

"Sir?" Brandy said upon seeing him approaching her table with a Tray of food and what looked like a Mug of Ratajinko.

"As you were Ensign. Are you alright?" He asked as he sat down opposite of her at the same table. "Yes sir, just that I'm a bit nervous."

"What makes you say that?"

"The Enterprise Mission to Talos IV has become somewhat a legend. Everyone knows that Commodore Pike made the first contact with the Talosians."Brandy noted.

"That's true, the rest of our group may also be thinking the same thing. We are the first group of Starfleet Officers since the Enterprise had visited twice, once under Pike and once under Captain Kirk."

She sighed, "Is there anything Command hasn't told us sir?"

"I'm in the dark as you are Brandy. Whenever Command gets enigmatic I know we are about to face a challenge. But consider the uniqueness of our mission. Only a Handful of Ensigns such as yourself will see a planet that is normally considered off limits, a world we know nothing about." He said as he took a bite of his meal.

She was feeling reassured. "Captain, Why did you select me when you could have asked Ensign Drigget to be your senior helm officer?He is after all senior to me."

She was doubting herself. She had spent the last several months as a runabout pilot, simply a glorified taxi driver, but now she was the senior helm officer of the Laffey, a Defiant Class starship.

Putting down his drink he replied warmly, "While Mr. Drigget's record is exemplary yours is as well. Your record as a pilot is untarnished, piloting a runabout in the triangle is no small feat considering the nature of our mission in that region of space. Being the helmsman of a starship offers much greater challenges and opens up your career in more places that could get by simply being a taxi driver. Think of the Laffey as a overgrown runabout, with much better guns and able to have more people aboard."

"Did you spend your entire career on Ships?"

"I've bounced around some, my last position before coming to SB 400 was as First Officer on Explorer, a Galaxy Class starship under command of Captain Sula."

"Isn't Tactical Operations a step down from being a First Officer?"

Smiling the Captain of the Laffey replied, "If it was any other man that had been making the request instead of Admiral Bremer I would have turned down the request. He saved me and my ship, the Sun Tzu when I was a Lieutenant on board and forced to assume command of the Miranda-class vessel. In the end I felt I should repay the admiral for his kindness by serving along side him. The old phrase was pay it forward. I'm doing exactly that Ensign."

She hadn't considered that her immediate superior, Commander Winter was helping repay what klingons called an Honor Debt.

"I hadn't thought of that sir."

"Good, now you have something new to think about." Growing serious he said, "This is just a first step in a great career Ensign. Relish it, these times are hard to come by who knows maybe in about twenty years you'll be in command of your own ship."

"Have you met your goal sir?"

"My goal? Sure I have command of my own ship for as long as she lasts but she's got a proud tradition Brandy, never forget that." Finishing his meal and taking a drink he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow Sir."

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