From: neale@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Neale Davidson)
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
Subject: STTRR 20/20
Date: 18 Aug 92 17:17:07 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center


 
 
  - STAR TREK        -------------------------------------------------
  - THE RAVEN'S ROAR -------------------------------------------------
 
  Part Twenty of Twenty
 
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
 
  CHAPTER TWENTY
 
        Captain's log: Stardate 10162.0
        Captain Thomas William Riley reporting
 
        All is well. The ENTERPRISE is travelling at warp three
        to starbase six, where she will spend the next six weeks
        undergoing an extensive refit. I have scheduled three
        weeks of that time for the crew to have some extended
        shoreleave.
 
        The ENTERPRISE crew has performed admirably, even under
        the rough conditions we've been placed under. I consider
        myself fortunate to have them. I recommend all of the for
        honors.
 
        As for Sunak, he'll be going to trial almost as soon as
        we reach starbase. Likely, the Romulan government will
        want him and his wife expedited, but I can't say where
        his fate inevitably lies.
 
        As for me, I'm looking forward to this coming rest. But,
        sitting in the command chair, knowing how good of a job
        we did, I can finally accept my Captaincy of this fine
        vessel. I'm even becoming comfortable with it.
 
 
        "Course set for starbase six," Tiber announced as Riley 
  filled out one report after another.
        "Excellent, we'll put in there for a week for emergency 
  repairs, and then go back to Earth for a refit," Riley 
  commented upon hearing the news. "Engage at warp four, steady 
  as she goes," he commanded, somewhat relieved that the crew was 
  finally going to get a break.
        Matthews came in griping, "A handful of my medical bay 
  computers are misdiagnosing simple cases. I don't think the 
  ASSISTER's engineering crew knew what the hell were they doing 
  when they came aboard."
        "Problems, Doctor?" Riley asked with a faint smile.
        "God damn programmers aren't smart enough to use the 
  technology they've been given," Matthews fumed. "I'm about 
  ready to lobotomise them, but I doubt that fleet's going to let 
  me go and do that."
        "Fleets doing a lot of unpopular things lately," Riley 
  replied, his mind not on Matthew's problem in the least bit.
        "Oh? What do you mean?" Matthews quiered, his mind 
  suddenly shifting track.
        "I've been reading our orders," Riley began. "With 
  tensions so high in the Neutral Zone, they feel that we should 
  continue our patrol duty after our refit."
        "Look, captain, sir. We've been in three battles already, 
  and we've only barely managed to come out of them. Why in God's 
  name should we be going out there again?" Matthews protested.
        "The ENTERPRISE has the most firepower of the ships in 
  that fleet and so they want us that much more," he tried to 
  explain, though he didn't exactly approve of the decision.
	"I'm glad to see that you like the idea so much." The doctor
  looked into the star pattern showing on the monitor. "I don't
  know, it seems that all these ships are good for is fighting.
  That's all fleet is caring about now."
	Riley looked over. "That's not true, not entirely at any rate.
  Fleet designed this as a battleship, which is what they need.
  The Federation is not in the habit of designing warships all
  the time."
	"This ship seems like a warship," the doctor muttered under
  his breath. "A luxury warship. USS ENTERPRISE, NCC-1701-B.
  Nicely disguised as a exploration vessel."
        "Well," Riley replied, giving up, "I've spoken to Fleet 
  about reassignment. Hopefully we can get some exploration duty 
  once the ENTERPRISE is finished in dock."
        "That would be a nice change," Matthews retorted, not 
  quite believing that Fleet would indeed give the go-ahead for 
  such a venture. "Anyway, Grissom's looking for a sparring 
  partner in holodeck two. She's beaten everyone who's gone 
  against her so far. You interested?"
        "What's the game?" Riley pondered, pleased with the 
  invitation to escape for a short while.
        "Blade-dueling," Matthews replied cooly. "I don't 
  approve of it, but I'll be damned if that little girl's going 
  to get an ego boost of her blade handling."
        "Well then, if you think the Captain should crush Paula's 
  ego," Riley smarted. "I'll go, I'm needing the practice 
  anyway." He stood, following Matthews to the turbolift. But he 
  stopped for a moment before actually entering, his eye caught 
  by a patch of gold on the wall.
        Riley looked next to the turbolift where the insignia 
  plate had been placed. In the time he had been captain, he 
  hadn't once looked it over. The ENTERPRISE logo and her 
  registry number were the dominant features were the most 
  notable, but there was some smaller text which caught Riley's 
  eye and imagination.
        "Space, the final frontier," the plaque said, "these are
  the continuing voyages of the starship ENTERPRISE. Her ongoing
  mission, to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life,
  and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone
  before."
        The ENTERPRISE burned her way through space, continuing
  the legacy set forth so many years ago, and would continue so 
  many years from now.
 
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
 
  Next Story:
 
  Earthside... the ENTERPRISE crew tries and fails to get some 
  rest on Earth while the ship gets repaired.
 
  --------------------------------------------------------------------