Captain’s Log: Supplemental

Repairs on the Dragon are proceeding quite well, and we are almost fully operational. With repairs going so fast, I’ve barely had a moment to myself. I’ve been receiving upgrade requests, requests for transfer to another station, even requests for shore leave! It appears that, perhaps, the crew doesn’t realize our current situation…that and they don’t realize that all transfers are through my first officer, not me. Then again, these requests could just be a joke fueled by Sarah…

In a few minutes, how ever, I am going to drop what I’m doing and head to the holodeck. Perkins is due for a promotion.



Perkins, along with several other officers, were conversing in some sort of lounge in the holodeck. She knew what was coming, and had expected it for a couple of days now.

She smiled as she remembered her own reaction. Captain Harriman had come to her quarters. As he had entered, he stood at attention in front of her door way. She had been confused at first.

“Can I help you, sir,” she had asked.

Chris merely broke his military form and asked, “Permission to promote you to Lieutenant-Commander in two days.”

Of course, she had been very surprised, and was, to say the least, speechless. Then she had smiled and played along. “Granted, sir.”

“What are you smiling about,” James asked.

Perkins looked at him and said, “Just remembering how the Captain had told me I was to be promoted in two days.”

James playfully scowled and said, “Oh, quit indulging yourself!”

Perkins smiled. “You are talking to some one who, in a little while, will out rank you, Lieutenant,” she said.

He frowned, continuing to play along. “Just ‘cause you’ll be a rank ahead of me doesn’t mean you’ll be able to boss me around, my dear friend.”

“Ha!” Perkins said. “We’ll just see about that!”

“You are one lucky S.O.B.,” Lieutenant-Commander Perry Cantor stated. “You know that, don’t you? Being promoted only a few months after graduating.”

He was the junior tactical officer. Perkins smiled in reply. “Perhaps that just mean’s I’ll rise in the ranks quickly.”

“Fat chance,” Lieutenant-Commander Carey Piranol, a junior security officer, stated sarcastically. “Luck got you this promotion.”

Perkins in turn smiled to her. “We’ll just see about that.”

Perkins then looked at Lieutenant-Commander Suran, the junior science officer who was usually on duty when Lieutenant-Commander Halkrat wasn’t. “What about you,” she asked. “Any smart remarks about my promotion?” She, of course, already knew that the Vulcan would simply raise an eyebrow and say that he’s a Vulcan and would not indulge on such emotions.

Right on cue, Suran raised an eyebrow. “Of course not, Vendar,” he said in his cool, controlled tone. “I instead would like to wish you luck on your continuation in the ranks, and hope that you will one day become a great Captain.”

Perkins in turn raised an eye brow, surprised at Suran’s remark. She hadn’t expected that from him. “Thanks, my friend.”

“Captain on deck!” some one shouted.

Immediately, people stood at attention towards the main entrance. “Sorry to break up the party, every one, but it’s time,” Captain Harriman said.

Perkins smiled, setting her glass on a table, her friends following suite. “If you’ll all follow me,” the Captain said as he left.

Perkins, with a pride she’d never quite felt before, was the first out the door, every one else respectfully following her. She caught up to the Captain and followed only slightly behind him. She then frowned as she remembered something.

“Sir, why did you request my uniform, along with the rank insignias,” she asked.

The Captain smiled. “You’ll see.” This only confused Perkins more, but she followed him, matching his proud-looking march.

The trip through the starship-like halls was short. They came upon what looked to be doors to an observation lounge of some sort. How ever, when they entered, it indeed was something else entirely.

On the opposite side of the room was a large observation window, but there were no tables or chairs any where in the room. In what looked to be the exact center of the observation window was some sort of stand. On that stand was a photon torpedo casing. The stand was directly in front of some receiving port.

Perkins instantly knew what was going on as she and the Captain stopped directly by the torpedo casing. In the casing was her uniform, communicator and rank insignia in their proper place.

As if they knew what was going on, the rest of the crew formed a semi-circle around the casing in the large room, but still left a lot of space in between them and Perkins.

The Captain cleared his throat, getting every one’s attention. “I hear by declare this uniform inappropriate for your skills, Lieutenant Perkins,” he began. “Do you have any last words before this deceased uniform is layed to rest?”

Perkins barely suppressed a smile, trying to keep the funeral feeling in the room. “I do, indeed,” she replied. “I’ve know this uniform for merely three and a half months. In turn, it’s treated me well. I will miss it.”

“Ten hut!” some one yelled. Suddenly, ever one in the room, including the Captain, went into a military stance.

“Forward face,” the Captain ordered briskly. Perkins turned to look out the huge observation window, every one else following suite.

The Captain faced the window last. Two officers came and closed the torpedo casing. They then pushed the casing into the torpedo tube, closed the port, and then backed into the crowd again. Chris then activated the launcher.

With the sound of decompression in the tube. The torpedo casing then was ejected into space. “Salute,” Chris ordered, bringing his hand up above his right eyebrow. Perkins did so as well.

Suddenly, the torpedo flashed, stretched, then vanished. It looked as if it were heading for a white dwarf not far from this simulated ship or station.

Every one finished the salute after it warped away and then looked back to Perkins. Some one handed Chris 2 full pips and one half pip.

The Captain walked to the other side of the stand and began placing the pips. “With these pips,” he began. “I hear by promote you to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander.”

Perkins felt a huge grin come across her face as the Captain pulled away after he finished, and was also smiling.

“Now for the real surprise,” the Captain said. This confused Perkins, for she thought it was already over. She wondered if presents would be presented to her.

“Lieutenant-Commander Vendar Perkins,” the Captain began. “Will you embrace and take on the responsibility of section leader? Are you willing to attend regular daily meetings?” As the Captain went through the list, Perkins realized what he was doing, and let her surprise show. “Are you willing to take all reports from your subordinates, and to handle all station changes your section’s subordinates wish to make?” The Captain took half a step closer to Perkins. In a quieter voice, he finished, “And are you willing to become friends with all of the senior officers?”

She was speechless, to say the least. She hadn’t expected to be asked to take on the role of Senior Ops Officer. She had expected that the ops officer from the Frontier would have taken the place of senior officer.

Finally, she smiled. “Yes, Captain,” she said enthusiastically.

“Then as of, or at least what should be, stardate 52157.12, I hear by make you Senior Operations Officer of the starship Dragon…and give you all the rights and privileges you have so rightly earned.”

“Thank you, sir,” Perkins said. The Captain extended his hand, and Perkins took it, giving a few good shakes. “And when we aren’t in meetings or on the bridge, you may now call me Chris.”

Perkins smiled even greater. “Thank you, sir.”

The Captain frowned. “Chris!”

Perkins went to a grin as she took her hand from his. “Chris it is, then…” Chris smiled. “Sir.” At this, Chris raised an eyebrow, and then looked to the crowd surrounding them.

As if on cue, they all began applauding. Chris looked to her and said, “Oh, and congradulations on being the youngest officer ever to become a senior officer.”

Perkins hadn’t realized it until now, but it was now in plain site.

“Thanks, Chris.”

“Captain, the defense base is hailing us,” Perkins stated.

“On screen,” Chris ordered.

Admiral Piarn’s familiar green face appeared on the screen. “Captain Harriman, I’ve just received word that a large Vorkalai fleet is massing near System Q-487,” the Admiral began.

Suddenly, Chris felt dread through out his entire soul. The dreaded moment was approaching them.

“How many ships,” Chris asked.

Piarn sighed. “So far, over three hundred thousand ships.”

Chris froze. He couldn’t believe it. He heard right, but he just couldn’t believe it.

“Captain,” Piarn said, striking Chris out of his temporary laps. “What in the name of Tolakar are we going to do?!?”

Chris sighed. “The only thing I can think of is to pull all of our defenses back to the home system. That’ll cut supply lines very, very short, and our defenses, not just ships, will be very concentrated that way.”

Piarn shook his head. “Can’t do that. We’d run out of supplies far too quickly. The Hintaru system can barely support itself with our technologies.”

Chris was lost now. “And ships are still gathering,” he asked.

“Yes,” Piarn said. “Approximately a new ship about every minute.”

Chris pounded his arm rest. “We’ve come too far to be stopped by this! We’ve preped day and night for over a month! We can’t lose now!”

“Defeat is imminent,” Piarn stated dryly. “The only viable solution I can think of is a peace treaty.”

Chris glared at Piarn. “We can’t do that. You know it won’t be honored, and that they’ll do with us as they do with all other prisoners.”

Piarn shook his head. “Better to save those lives then to have them die in one battle.”

“Better to die fighting than to die in humiliation,” Chris shot back. “Klingons live by this code of honor, and they are one of the most powerful Empires in the Alpha Quadrant.”

“Did your Klingons ever face these odds,” Piarn asked.

Chris smiled. “They’ve faced worse odds, actually,” Chris stated matter-of-factly. “If we fight for what we believe in, and if that object is just, we WILL prevail.”