Commander David Cody: Trial by Fire

[hoodsdavid]

((USS Daedalus - Bridge))

:: The doors to the turbolift parted and David felt somewhat strange stepping back into a command deck, let alone once more wearing the command collar and in a Starfleet uniform. He hadn't worn one of these in what? Three years? The stubble came off his chin, once more fresh-faced, and a bit more gray in his his auburn hair. The sharpness of his features he thought might have taken on a few new wrinkles, but he tried to ignore it (or pretend to, although he felt the passage of time catch up all too quickly). ::

:: Scythe stood up from the command chair and nodded. ::

Scythe: Much better. ::smiling then:: Welcome back to the Fleet, Commander Cody. The Daedalus is temporarily yours again. I trust we don't have to refamiliarize you with the starhip.

:: Ha. David was more than familiar with this particular design, given Beta Andreas' gleeful opportunity to get themselves knocking out another Prometheus design for Starfleet Intelligence a few years after the construction of the Independence-A. Plus, Intel had been after a ship for their own disposal for decades, which was how the USS Daedalus came about in 2386. The last time David had this ship, they had shot toward the edge of the galaxy at the Alpha border investigating the destruction of a cell of Breen ships found destroyed by some unknown means, hinting at galactic origin. ::

::As such, David stole a moment to convey his amused warning about age jokes to Scythe. ::

Cody: ::coming around toward the command chair:: What's our ETA?

Scythe: We're punching at maximum warp, given the urgency Starfleet Intelligence has been pushing. And Engineering's been tinkering around with  :: perking up:: So what is the mission?

:: Ah yes. As David suspected, he found messages waiting once he discovered his quarters, first from a very nasty older man who dumped David into the position of Director at the Black Tower so that one could take off chasing after Klingon commanders 'too smart for their own good', then from the current staff there, filling him in on the specifics of why this suddenly became a priority. ::

Cody: Apparently, one of our brand new outposts at the Federation-Klingon border isn't responding and the Intelligence officer in charge hasn't checked in. They're past due, so Intelligence, of course, is anxious to find out what's going on with one of their outposts. We're speeding in case the reason behind the silence has to do with our all-so-friendly Klingons.

:: A spector of Scythe's past glowered as the woman's eyes lit up. David didn't need to ask. Scythe and conflict sometimes flew hand in hand. ::

Scythe: ::a little too eager:: I'm looking forward to seeing our friends safe and sound.

:: Uh, huh...  David stopped at the chair and studied it a moment, letting a hand run across the back edge as he shook off the strangeness and stark familiarity. Too many memories collided, of fun, innocent times among friends and colleagues, the silly little pranks... to the life-threatening, game-changing moments where they relied on each other, their individual skills, strengths and weaknesses, so they all made it through to see another day. ::

:: Some of the blackest moments of his life, some of the happiest. David glanced up at Scythe, who studied him with a question without saying the words. ::

Scythe: It's different for you now, isn't it?

Cody: ::contemplating:: I've lived and died and lived again. I sat in this chair once, and I'm not sure if I did a spectacular job. ::cocking a grin:: To tell the truth, I never liked taking a back seat to anything.

Scythe: Taking front rather than getting stuck in the middle? Want to be the take-down guy, not the one who says to the right hand go put together a team and deal with it? ::a thin smile:: You started in tactical, right?

Cody: ::shooting her a raised eye-brow:: Something like that, yeah.

:: Elizabeth sighed. ::

Scythe: It's easy when you're working in your chosen field, David. Here's the real truth. Did you stop being a tactical officer when you ended up in the command ranks?

:: oO Huh... Oo He had to stop and dwell on that. At what point did he ever stop? Blinking, David thought about it, reflecting on all the various hats he wore over the years (and plenty of them). Had he ever really stopped, or left, at all? Viewing the memories over the years came the realization that no, he hadn't ever stopped. ::

Cody: ...no. I never quite did.

:: Something of an inner glow sparkled within Elizabeth's eyes as the smile deepened. ::

Scythe: You're not a tactical officer anymore. Not security, or intelligence, or whatever. You've got others to do those jobs. Your job is to give us your all and full support. Here's the real truth. You're our backup, David. You trust us to do the job, and we trust you to back us up and make sure we get back safe. 'Cause that's what the job is. You just don't know what to do with yourself in that in-between, do you?

:: He drew in a long breath and let it go. oO Did someone just nail me? Oo He finally turned a narrow, but nodding glance. ::

Cody: I hate sitting around doing nothing.

:: Nodding, Elizabeth stepped away from the chair and indicated it. ::

Scythe: Now you know what your actual weakness is Commander. ::smiling:: Sit down for a minute.

:: Okay... David cocked his head at her as he stepped up, glacing around the bridge briefly (and a few curious eyes), before sinking into the chair. ::

Cody: And your point, Commander, is?

Scythe: ::turning away, heading for another area:: You just made it for me.

:: He watched her leave as David closed his eyes, biting off something he almost said before shaking his head, holding off a laugh. oO How could I have been so blind? Oo He cracked his neck and settled in. A part of him felt a tearing inside. As painful as it was to hear it, something within himself shifted. David studied the screen a moment. ::

Cody: Helm, what's our speed and time here?

:: A short, smooth-faced young man, couldn't be more than mid-twenties, shot a glance back. ::

Denton: We're pushing 9.3 with an estimated arrival time an hour forty-five maintaining present speed.

:: One point over maximum cruising speed for the Class' rating. David closed his eyes briefly, getting a feel speed was of the essense. The benefit of knowing this particular ship class, he knew what it was rated for. If the outpost was under attack... ::

Cody: Tactical, Security, I want strategies for both hostile and peaceful entries, depending on what we find. Work with Science and find out everything we've got on the Garridon System. Scythe, work with Medical and inform the doctor we may or may not be facing possible injuries. :: glancing at Denton at helm, then smiling :: I didn't catch your name.

:: Denton turned around. ::

Denton: Ensign Andrew Denton, sir.

Cody: Denton, what's the maximum warp capability of the Daedalus?

Denton: ::cracking a smile:: Nine point nine, but if I push it, LtCmdr Greyson in Engineering's gonna have a field day.

:: David arched a brow. ::

Cody: Oh?

:: A flood of embarrassment colored Denton's cheeks. ::

Denton: I might have ran the Daedalus hot once or twice.

:: Several chuckles broke out across the bridge. David crinkled his eyes, wondering what the story was as he withheld joining the chuckles. ::

Cody: I see. ::opening a com at the chair:: =^= This is Commander Cody to Engineering. Greyson? =^=

:: A very alto, and female voice snapped back with a bit of a Scot-Irish brawl. ::

Greyson: =^= Oh, so yer back. I think I got a memo on that somewhere. Greyson, here, Commander. =^=

Cody: =^= You and Mr. Denton here are going to discover something for the rest of us. =^= ::he winked at Denton:: =^= We need to find out what the maximum attainable warp for a Prometheus-Class is. =^=

:: The exploding cursing over the com caused David to twitch a corner of his mouth. He hadn't heard cursing like that since his last visit to the island of Skye, on Earth. ::

Greyson: =^= Maximum attainable warp! Beggin' the Commander's pardon, but are ya daft?! Nine point nine oughta be fast enough for whatever the emergency is! =^=

Cody: =^= What's your estimated projection, Greyson? With fewer curse words, please. =^=

:: Whoever the woman was, David wanted to meet her before his tenure back was done. He heard grumblings along with a few other voices bat around numbers before she got back to him ::

Greyson: =^= Kay... mind ya that is theoretical at best. All starships are rated on the scale. Nine point nine nine is the absolute max we can put on a warp engine. Warp ten ain't ten point zero, cause that's where we cross inta space and time fluxes. =^=

:: David's eyes fluttered. Space and time... he gasped as he thought back to his father's experiments all those years ago as it suddenly struck him. ::

Cody: Threshold. ::working his mouth:: =^= Greyson, let me shoot a theory past you. Let's suppose for a moment the ten point zero velocity isn't meant to happen lineary. Suppose that velocity is supposed to have only two points, the point of entry, and the point of exit? =^=

:: The silence on the other side stretched out for moments before a more throaty Greyson came back, sounding a bit on the hoarse side. ::

Greyson: =^= That's... interesting. You're suggestin' we're not supposed to be in a constant state of speed, 'cause it might be the event horizon of foldin'? =^=

Cody: =^= What if that's the minimum velocity of folding space? =^=

:: Denton stared at David wide-eyed, along with Scythe and several others. ::

Greyson: ::with a shaky voice:: =^= ...then I guess the holy grail's been in front of us all along. Wouldn't that be a hoot? Have to admit, never thought ten point zero might be the threshold. =^=

Cody: Is there a way to test it?

:: An undisguised swear broke off on Greyson's end, but David felt it wasn't a bad thing. The woman definite thought about it. ::

Greyson: =^= An' I suppose yer wanting to test this idea now. =^= ::a very loud sigh:: =^= Denton! I know yer there. IF we're gonna test this interestin' theory of the Commander's, we're gonna have to work together 'cause this is gonna be a different kind o' flyin'. So no running us inta the red, hear me? =^=

:: Denton gulped, shooking a swift glance at David, who nodded encouragingly. ::

Denton: =^= Uh, okay. What do you want me to do? =^=

Greyson: =^= Yer gonna calculate at what point we hit our theoretical ten point zero. Before that, yer gonna pick a coordinate within whatever system we're headin' inta. Both them coordinates have to happen at the EXACT same time when the ship hits that ten point zero mark, ya hear? I'll work with ya from here. =^=

Cody: Battlestations!

:: In a moment, the light shifted from normal into klaxton red. Somewhere behind him, he heard the tactical officer speak up. ::

Tactical: Shields up!

:: David opened a com to the ship. ::

Cody: =^= This is Commander Cody, temporarily in command. All personnel are to secure themselves, wherever you are. The Daedalus is about to attempt a different kind of warp jump, and we do not know yet know the effects. =^=

:: Cutting the com, he diverted his attention to the bridge staff, active with their respective stations. ::

Denton: E'dax, can you help me with coordinates?

:: A tall Trill woman at the science station tapped in queries to the station, blinking at a string of numbers. ::

E'dax: Yes. I have a set for the Garridon System. Projecting the Daedalus' speed, I'll have a few sets depending on the rate of speed and how long it takes to achieve velocity.

:: David found himself on the back seat, for the first time, watching as they set about making this happen and for once, couldn't come up with a single thing to say or do. He watched, fascinated, while this team, leapt up. He caught a fast glance from Scythe, who was on her com, most likely talking with the doctor. She gave him a fast wink. ::

Cody: Right... ::glancing back:: What do we have for entrance strategies?

:: The tactical officer, along with another man, glanced over at him. ::

Tactical: Hard and fast scans once in the area. We won't know what we're jumping into until we're there. If there are Klingons, we'll have the element of surprise and we can adjust accordingly. If not, we'll keep long range sensors in play and proceed toward the planet.

:: The person over at com spoke up. ::

Com: Once we're in range, we'll try hailing the outpost and see if we can get a response.

:: Nodding, David returned his attention to the young Andrew Denton, who was going to be executing the manuever. Standing up, he walked up to lay a hand on the chair. ::

Cody: How are you holding up?

:: Denton shot a fast stare up at David. For a minute, David didn't see an officer, he saw an uncertain mid-twenties man who now ran the show. He smiled. ::

Denton: Honestly, sir? Scared twenty shades of gray. One slip-

Cody: You don't slip. ::clapping a fast hand on the man's shoulder:: I'm sure a helm officer who's run this ship hot a few times has several tricks. You'll do it. Let's make this a Daedalus moment.

:: Denton stared at him a moment before nodding, returning to helm as his fingers danced while the coordinates came in. ::

Denton: Engaged. Proceeding to warp 9.9, maximum warp.

:: David swiftly returned to the chair, locking himself in as Scythe joined him in the chair next to him. They shared a fleeting glance. They both had known each other a long time. He returned his attention to the viewscreen, showing the acceleration as they streaked into the stretch of space. ::

:: Greyson's voice broke through com. ::

Greyson: =^= Chamber's holding, smooth and steady, Mr. Denton. Proceed. =^=

Denton: Clocking now. Nine point nine one.

E'lax: Readjusting entry coordinates to you, Denton.

Denton: Nine point nine four.

:: David clenched the arms of his locked chair, feeling his breathing hard and feeling a tenseness. The hardest thing, he decided, was being able to sit here and not being able to help do something! oO Let's hope we're right... Oo Or rather, he hoped he finally interpreted how his father had pulled it off, and they weren't about to burn themselves out of space and time. ::

Denton: Nine point nine seven!

Greyson: ::a slight, longish distortion breaking through:: Smooth and steady, laddie! Slight shaking, but we're smooth! =^=

:: Sweating, Denton watched as the numbers jumped, feeding in the coordinates from E'lax. oO We're doing this! Can't believe we're going to do this! Oo He watched and counted off the next shift, fast approaching the max any ship could achieve before bending time and space, as the Voyager found out. ::

Denton: Nine point nine nine! Coorindates locked! Countdown commensing!

:: David braced himself, feeling a strange sense of stretchness from his gut and feeling somewhat nausious. ::

Denton: Ten... nine... eight...

:: A shimmering shudder ripped through the ship, as if someone David felt like he was being stretched into a giant rubber band. oO Steady... Oo He forced himself to breath, hearing it echo. ::

Denton: ::his voice long, stretched out:: ...four... three... two... one...

Cody: Punch it!

:: Denton punched the two coordinates and executed as the Daedalus hit the warp ten threshold. ::

:: David didn't know how to describe it, as if someone everything stretched thin like a single strand of hair. In the viewscreen, the stars and space colessed into what he could only call a single thread of pinprick light... and feeling a snapping thrust bringing his lunch up into his throat as another shudder snapped the Daedalus forward, accelerating in a blink into a white hot blast----------- oO Event horizon? Oo ::


((Garridon System))

:: A resounding snap blasted David back into his chair, recoiling as what sounded like a strike of lighting ringed in his ears, then suddenly shunted forward and slammed into his chair's restraints while the ship's alarms continued sounding. A few sharp cries out from around the bridge as people held on, shifting one way, then back. ::

:: Shaking his head clear, David took stock. ::

Cody: Damage and injury reports, now!

Tactical: Aside from losing my lunch?!

:: Denton gasped, flung back in his chair as he reached back for helm, breathing hard and fast. And sweating. Along with Greyson's howling laughter coming out of the coms, which David found mildly irritating. ::

Greyson: =^= All these years, the answer lay smackin' us noses! =^=

:: Greyson, David decided, sounded entirely too cheerful. Himself, he still wanted to throw up as he took fast stock of the bridge crew, all looking decidedly 'delicate'. ::

Cody: Any injuries?

Tactical: Aside from a few minor sprains from a few on their feet, most just lost their lunch.

:: Groaning, David refused to comment on the pun. ::

Greyson: =^= Not bad, considerin'. Ablative Armour took most of it with only a very slight stress on the armor, negligable. But, this was a verra short jump. Gotta come up with a name fer it, though. =^=

:: Scythe rolled her eyes as David shook his head. Later... ::

Cody: Scans?

Tactical: Three Klingon warbirds floating dead in space. Another Starfleet vessel parked in orbit around Garridon V.

::Three dead warbirds floating in space and another starfleet vessel? David's brow shot up. As far as he knew, no one was told Intelligence had an outpost out here. Then again, he didn't learn until not long ago himself. And they managed to take out three warbirds. oO I'm impressed. Oo ::

Cody: Registry?

Tactical: ::after a moment:: It's the USS Gemini.

:: David frowned. He wasn't familiar with the ship. ::

Cody: Let's hail them. Denton, proceed on course, maximum impulse.

Com: Channel open.

:: David straightened his shirt part of the uniform and swung a leg on the other, undoing the strap. ::

Cody: =^= USS Gemini. This is the USS Daedalus, NX-69510, Commander David Cody, temporarily commanding. =^=

Frost/Es'Aleh/Morgan/Riel: [TAG]


TBC...


Commander David Cody
temporarily commanding
USS Daedalus, NX-69510

"There is no great invention, from fire to flying, which has not been hailed as an insult to some god.”
― J.B.S. Haldane