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Without either fanfare or escort, the Enterprise, or at least what was left of her, arrived home. As the ship approached the outer markers of the Sol System, Sulu tried to arrange for a berth in Spacedock. Instead, he got an immediate clearance for the yards! In fact, the same one that gave birth to the ship in the first place. It had been held for them despite being promised to the Pompey.
Scotty was happy. It meant Starfleet was accepting his request for an immediate rebuild. Now he would put his, or rather Riley's plan, into action. The primary hull allocated for the Constitution would be used to finish the Enterprise as the next ship of the Excelsior class starship. Constitution would still be finished within a year. So Starfleet would be happy and the work schedule only partially disrupted.
Yes, Riley's plan would work well; and then Scotty would retire, for good!
He hadn't told Uhura yet, but once the actual schedule had been worked out and approval from Starfleet had been received, he would tell her.
The only obstacle to the plan was a suitable replacement for himself. Starfleet would make such a request, and if he didn't have a suitable candidate, they might hold him on active duty until he could find or train someone.
Oh well, details, details. Most of the plan was good. It was a shame Riley could not see it through.
Up on the bridge, 'B' shift had the honor of bringing the starship home. Sulu was sitting in the center seat, mostly due to protocol. He was exhausted. The combination of command, rescue mission, planet-side duty, the Klingons, nearly killing Kirk, dealing with the Romulans and losing the rescue team and several captives, was finally catching up with him.
The lack of sleep and Kevin's disappearance didn't help much either. Kevin was not just a crewperson but a good friend. More important, a friend he had forced to come along. Maybe forced wasn't exactly the right word, but basically it's what had happened. He knew how much Kevin wanted to come along on the rescue mission. As a civilian, Sulu could have put him off the ship anywhere. Instead, he drafted him. In the final report to Kensington and Walking bear, Sulu would note the action and then submit himself for whatever disciplinary action they saw fit.
Right now, though, he had to classify Riley's official fate. Missing in action was probably the closest to the truth, but not exactly correct. The Romulans had him, so he really wasn't missing. In fact, he might even be in Kirk's old stasis chamber within the Romulan Imperial Palace. The first in a new collection for the latest preator, whoever that was.
Sulu looked up at the main viewer. "Pre-approach scan, Mister Bailey. Helm, one quarter impulse. Let's give the yard chief enough time to prepare for us."
"Aye, sir," came the simultaneous replies.
Sulu punched the intercom one last time. "Bridge to sickbay; Doctor McCoy, are you about ready to transfer our casualties?"
"All set, Admiral. I have a space reserved for them at Starfleet Headquarters. There's a team of specialists just waiting to give them the once-over. After that, they should be released for duty, although Rameriz will be restricted to light duty for now. I'll keep an eye on Jim personally!"
Sulu smiled slightly. Sebor, Rameriz and Berkley would be safe and well cared for. Doctors Chapel and Tavar had volunteered to stay with the injured men during the transfer process.
Now the captain of the ship found himself wondering about Ambassador Spock. No one had seen or heard from Spock since crossing into Federation space. Uhura had forwarded a message from the Diplomatic Corps, but so far, he had not responded other than acknowledging he had received the original signal.
There was a strong feeling on board the ship that Spock was somehow embarrassed, if that were possible, by his participation in both the rescue mission and the deception at the Neutral Zone. His presence on Romulus was not entirely a diplomatic gesture. If he was discovered or his participation made public, it could mean trouble with the Diplomatic Corps. The incident near the Neutral Zone wasn't as bad. Even though he was posing as a Romulan, his back was to Admiral Jamak the entire time. So recognition was very doubtful. Still, Spock had a legitimate reason to be concerned. And it was entirely possible that he could indeed lose his status as Ambassador, permanently.
Sulu dismissed the thought. He had his own problems. Right now those centered on getting the ship docked and his crew returned to their previous assignments.
Looking up at the main viewer, Sulu noticed the intricate frame work that made up the complex of the Aberdeen Yards. Many years before, he had journeyed to this location to rejoin his fellow crewmates on the, then newly refitted, Enterprise '01. Now he had come full circle. As captain of the Starship Enterprise '01-B, he was returning her to be completed, one more time.
The intercom became alive with ship-to-dock chatter. Once again, Sulu was pulled from his thoughts. "Dock Chief MacGregor here; we are ready to commence docking procedures, Enterprise."
"Enterprise is ready as well, Chief. Engage automatics at your discretion." Sulu relaxed as the 'Grand Lady' was now someone else's responsibility.
"Automatics engaged, relax and leave the driving to us. Tell Admiral Scott that the new primary hull is already on the way. Tugs Wright and Langley have signaled they should be here in about fifty hours, MacGregor out!"
Sulu smiled outwardly, fifty hours and the process to rebuild would begin. Most estimates to complete the job were six to eight weeks. Scotty would have it done in less than a month. The C.O. turned to M'Ress, "Inform Mister Scott, will you?"
"Yes, Admiral."
"Oh, yes, tell mister DeSalle he has permission to escort our contingency of Academy graduates back to Earth and tell them thanks for a job well done! Anyway, it would be a shame if they were late for their 'first assignments.'"
In a relatively short time, the Enterprise was docked with all umbilicals and support systems in place. McCoy confirmed that Rameriz and the others had been safely transported to the Starfleet Headquarters Medical Facility. Both Chapel and Tavar had gone along and would rejoin the crew shortly.
Meanwhile, the 'A' shift bridge crew had assembled in the main transporter room and were waiting for Sulu to join them.
On the bridge, Sulu turned to Garrovick, "It's all yours, Bob. Make sure you get the logbook and see to the crew. Kensington wants everyone assembled in the Grand Hall, ASAP. I'm not sure if it's for a debriefing or a chewing out, but that's what the Admiral wants."
Garrovick managed a half smile. "Don't worry, I'll bring the 'kiddies' home safe and sound. As soon as we shut down all the systems and hand the ship over to the relief crew, we'll join you."
Hikaru Sulu shook the man's hand before making his way to one of the turbolifts then turned to face the crew. "Well done people, it was pleasure serving with you. Whatever your next posting is, I'm sure you will all do well." As Sulu entered the turbolift, he heard Garrovick say something and turned to see the entire bridge crew stand. "The pleasure was all ours, sir." Garrovik declared with genuine pride and sincerity.
"Here, here!" was the unanimous cheer which followed Garrivick's statement.
As the turbolift doors closed, Sulu realized that, despite all the problems of the past few days, he was genuinely sad to be leaving the Enterprise as her captain. But there was still one duty left to perform.
Sulu was worried. The civilian workers aboard Enterprise were a touchy subject. Now that the ship had returned to Earth, what was to be done with them? They couldn't be allowed to discuss their experience but were not obligated to maintain secrecy as Starfleet personnel were. Also, they had been placed in jeopardy and, although they had been given a choice, ultimately Sulu would have been held accountable had any of them been injured or killed.
Fortunately, the persons who could assist him with this problem were the first to come aboard Enterprise after it made port. Actually, they arrived prior to the actual docking procedures at the request of Walking Bear.
Starfleet Intelligence Chief and the head of Starfleet Security arrived with their respective staffs in tow. They focused immediately on the civilians. Chekov had insisted that no communications be allowed until Command had a chance to decide how to handle the situation and the civilians were beginning to get... anxious. On the way to meet the yard workers, Sulu explained that if he had put the dockworkers off the ship before leaving port, the mission would have been cancelled. The civilians would have complained loudly about missing out on their bonuses. Too many questions would have been asked and that would have raised red flags everywhere. To keep them happy and quiet, they were allowed to remain aboard and even given the opportunity to disembark prior to entering Romulan space.
During the meeting with the yard workers, Kensington, Johnston and Jurzak informed them that Starfleet would agree to award the bonuses with one condition. The mission into Romulan space would remain a secret, forever. If not, they would lose their bonus, job and freedom. The workers agreed, eagerly. Employers also agreed, especially when they found out that Enterprise was to be rebuilt and they would be part of it.
Once they had accepted the conditions, the civilians were allowed to leave with the personal thanks of Sulu and Kensington. Later, in a private ceremony, several of the workers were awarded commendations from Starfleet, presented by Sulu and Scott. The yard workers were suitably surprised and pleased. The commendations were the civilian equivalent of Starfleet medals awarded for outstanding performance of duties. Scotty even managed to recruit two of them to join Starfleet to work on future projects. The Scotsman called it his best day's work!
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© 2024 Brad McDonald / U.S.S. Kitty Hawk
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