I Don't Think So!!

Posted on Sat Sep 10th, 2011 @ 11:24pm by Chief Petty Officer Hugh O'Reily Jr. & Melody Johnson

2,249 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Mission 76 - Home comings
Location: SB400 Biospere
Timeline: Current

Melody woke up and looked at the time display on the wall at the head of her bed and was surprised at how late she had slept. She got up, replicated a cup of coffee, showered and retrieved her money pouch from under her mattress. She got dressed, had another cup of coffee and took a look at the starbase's map. Today she wanted to explore other parts of the base so she decided to check out an area called the Biosphere. She set the Blaze's alarm and headed for her destination.

Meanwhile, a small family was having a picnic. If there was one thing Janice O'Reily relished more than anything, it was enjoying the woods of her native Montana. Though the biosphere was a long way from the Cabinet Mountains, it still suited her just fine. Besides that, it was good to get her four kids out of the apartment. Hugh had been gone long enough, and the kids were getting a little rowdy and hard to handle. This was the second time she brought them to the biosphere. The first time the kids were amazed at the scenery. The newness had kept them occupied, but Janice had been a mother long enough to realize that if she didn't bring more than just the wonder of the biosphere, her kids were going to get bored fast.

She folded out the long plaid blanket, Theresa at her heals. With red hair like her mother, the two year old thought of herself as 'little mommy'. Catherine, the black haired ten year old, was picking flowers nearby. On the first day, Janice had scolded her daughter for doing so. After talking with one of the caretakers of the biosphere, however, she was told that picking flowers in certain parts was not only allowed, but highly encourage. The two boys, Michael and Patrick, were playing catch.

"Foods on boys. C'mon and get something to eat." Said Janice to the O'Reily boys.

Michael, catching a throw from his brother, sighed. "Yeah, okay." He looked back toward Patrick. "Hey, dog breath! Pop fly!"

The oldest O'Reily boy threw the ball as hard as he could. The baseball sailed over Patrick's head. The freckled, red haired Patrick tried to run and jump to catch the ball, but it was too far too late. The ball landed ten feet away from him, and rolled down a hill into a ticket of spruce trees.

"Nice going Michael!" protested Patrick. He tucked his glove under his right arm, and ran down the hill toward the thicket.

Janice O'Reily looked up, just in time to see Patrick going down the hill. "Where's he going?" she said to Michael, her arms going up, then patting down in frustration.

"After the ball." Said Michael. Before his mother could tell him, he beat her to it. "I'll go and help." He sprinted after his brother.

Patrick looked all over for the ball. The trees were thick, and going through them took his eyes off the ground where the ball more than likely lay. He was about to give up, when he heard voices threw the trees. Thinking that perhaps the owners of those voices could possibly help him in his quest to find the ball, he walked forward. A twig snapped beneath his feat, and the voices suddenly stopped. Patrick also stopped, goose bumps starting to form on his skin. Something wasn't right, and the boy knew it.

Before he could turn and run, a large figure sprang from the trees. The boy couldn't even scream, as a tough and muscular hand covered his mouth. A Nausicaan, standing almost six and a half feet tall, lifted the boy off his feet.

"What do we have here?" the Nausicaan asked, walking backward threw the trees where he came, the boy in tow.

Another Nausicaan and a human in a Starfleet uniform were in the small clearing. The human looked worried, even a little scared when he saw Patrick.

"We don't need this!" said the human in a shaky voice.

"The human youngling heard us." Said the Nausicaan holding Patrick.

The crewman shook his head. "Look, I'm only here to deal. Nobody said anything about killing little boys."

The second Nausicaan laughed. "Who said anything about killing. This youngling will fetch a good price."

Michael, looking for both the baseball and his little brother, stumbled into the clearing. He turned pale when he saw the large alien holding his brother. The trio hadn't seen Michael, and the boy started to back away, thoughts of running to his mother the forefront on his mind. Then he stepped on something that almost made him fall backward. He looked down, and saw the baseball he had thrown earlier. The boy picked it up, almost absent mindedly. He looked back at the alien holding his brother, and anger started to well within him.

"Let go of my brother you creep!" He screamed. For the second time that day, he threw the ball as hard as he could. This time, the baseball found its target, hitting the Nausicaan who was holding his brother strait in his right eye.

The Nausicaan howled in pain as he dropped Patrick and took a step backward. The other Nausicaan, surprised of what was going on, drew his knife, and headed toward Michael.

"No! Wait!" the Starfleet crewman grabbed the Nausicaan by the shoulder.

The Nausicaan whirled around, and stuck the knife in the humans gut, twisting it before he pulled it out. Without watching the surprised crewman hit the ground dead, he started after Michael.

"Run Pat! Run!" screamed Michael.

But Patrick was in shock. He could only sit there, eyes wide and sobbing.

"Time to die, brave youngling." Growled the Nausicaan with the bloodied knife.

Melody was approaching the clearing when she heard the commotion. She stepped around a tall thicket and saw the Nausicaan with the bloody knife in his hand take a step towards the young boy. Instinctively her right hand went to the spot where her phaser pistol usually hung in its holster but there was nothing there. She saw the Starfleet crewman and dove for him...rolling when she hit the ground and coming up within reach of his Starfleet issue phaser. She grabbed it, rose up on one elbow and fired at the Nausicaan with the knife, hitting him in the leg, then fired at his partner, hitting him square in the chest. She aimed the phaser back at the first Nausicaan as she jumped to her feet.

Janice O'Reily heard the commotion also, but didn't put the pieces together until she saw security crewmen bolt towards where her boys had gone. She stood up, and started to walk, then slowly run toward the thicket of trees. "Patrick! Michael!" she screamed.

For their part, the O'Reily boys stood in place in total shock. Patrick had stopped sobbing, and only looked at the frozen body of the Nausicaan that had held him only moments before. Michael looked at Melody, then the bodies of the dead, and back at Melody again. Neither noticed the security team, responding to the situation once the station detected the phaser fire, surround the area.

"Down! Put it down!" multiple security crewmen yelled at the woman who had not only saved two innocent young boys, but inadvertently altered the plans of someone who had planned to do a lot worse to many more people on SB400.

Melody slowly lowered her weapon, half squatted down and set it on the ground. As she stood back up she raised her hands in the air...thinking to herself, "great Johnson. You couldn't just go find that poker game could you? Nooo. You had to go exploring and stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

In all her years as a "privateer" she had gotten into trouble with planetary law enforcement agencies but she had managed to avoid any entanglements with the Federation's Starfleet....until now.

Melody stood perfectly still with her hands in the air and waited for the Starfleet security officers to make the next move.

One of the security crewmen stepped forward, his phaser raised toward Melody. He slowly bent at his knees, and picked up the phaser. He looked back at the others. "Okay, take her in."

Janice O'Reily crashed through the trees. She saw Patrick sitting on the ground sobbing again, and Michael with a stunned look on his face. And then she noticed the dead bodies on the ground. Her eyes went wide, and she ran for Patrick.

One of the security crewmen intercepted her, stopping her in her tracks. "Not so fast ma'am."

"Get the hell out of the way! Those are my boys!" she roared at the security crewman.

The crewman reluctantly let her pass, and Janice ran toward her son.

"What happened? What happened?" she said softly to Patrick.

The boy only choked over his tears, and nuzzled into his mother.

Michael stepped forward, looking at his mother, then to Melody, and to his mother again. "They had Pat, mom. They were going to kill us. And then...and then," he pointed a finger toward Melody. "She saved us!" His anger, much like his father, was an emotion that hardly took hold of him. Yet, when it came, it was fiery and intense. "You guys can't arrest her! She saved us! Get away from her!" He threw down his baseball glove.

Melody looked at the boy, smiled and winked at him reassuringly.

"Mom, tell them to let her go!" Michael screamed.

Lieutenant (jg) Roger Peterson, the officer in charge of the security detail, looked at the crewmen who surrounded Melody. "Ease up, gentlemen." He walked toward Melody. "Care to explain what the hell went on here?"


"Well....," Melody said...her hands still in the air. She looked hard at the Starfleet officer's rank insignia and remembered that her father had made learn Starfleet's rank insignias, their uniforms and their ship classes.

"The Federation is growing," he had told her. "And as it grows so will Starfleet. It wasn't too long ago that the Federation and the Klingons were enemies but now they work together. Who knows what changes will take place in the next 50 or 60 years. Just remember.....Starfleet is more military than law enforcers in that they will not go out of their way to hunt down those of us who tend to stretch the laws a little every once in a while....but don't rub their nose in it by being blatant right in front of them. Respect them and they will respect your right to a little freedom. Oh....and one more thing," he had added as an after thought, "remember that even their smallest shuttle craft can probably out gun you and they are definitely faster so try not to piss them off."

"Well....Lieutenant?" Melody said. "I was basically minding my own business.....exploring your fine starbase....as this is my first visit here," she said....speaking in a soft voice that had just a hint of "sweetness" in it...., "and I happened to hear what sounded like screams of distress. I came around that hedge back there," she said and nodded her head (as her hands were still in the air) toward the hedge behind her, "and saw that one...," she nodded toward the Nausicaan she had shot first, "....try to grab one of the boys and that one...," she nodded toward the other Nausicaan, "...was standing over your officer there...," she nodded toward the dead Starfleet officer whose phaser she had "borrowed", "....with a bloody dagger in his hand." Melody smiled demurely at the Lieutenant "I just acted out of instinct....I guess," she said and shrugged innocently. "It all happened kinda fast....you know?" She adds...being careful not to sound too sweet or too innocent.

Peterson nodded. "Okay. I believe you. But you have to come with us anyway for more questioning. You understand, we have to verify your status here on the station, check your record," he gave her a polite smile, " and make sure you're not some sort of criminal mastermind. In no way are you under arrest. Yet." He looked over at Michael. "Is that all right with you kid?"

Michael O'Reily looked over at his mother. "I just want to go home."

Peterson nodded again. "I have no problem with that. What's your name anyway, sport?"

"Michael. Michael O'Reily. That's my mom, Janice. And my brother is Patrick...but I call him Pat. I have sisters too-"

Janice stood up "Theresa! I left her alone!"

Peterson motioned to one of the other security crewmen. "Vega, assist Mrs. O'Reily. Ensure they get back to their room safely. Collins, take him to sickbay then to the brig," he said indicating the injured Nausicaan. "Thrace, and Ne'Jara, cordon off the area." he looked back to Melody. "You ready to come with me, Ms...?"

"Johnson," Melody said as she lowered her hands. "Melody Johnson. And it's Captain...not Ms. Captain Melody Johnson," she added and wondered if her reputation preceded her. "I hope this won't take long. I have a date with a poker game," she said as she followed the lieutenant out of the Biosphere. "Welcome to Starbase 400," she thought to herself and gave herself a mental kick for having broke her own rule of not getting involved with other people's problems. "It bites you in the ass every time," she thought silently.

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