STAR TREK
LAPON
Pilot Episode
Episode 1 Part one of three
“I regretfully inform you…”
“A Captain awakes to find everything he knew different.”
The final battle of the Dominion
War
Stardate 52947.9
The USS Lapon had already made a name for herself
in battle, with twenty Dominion vessels destroyed by her torpedoes, and a
Star Fleet Unit Citation for her actions during the Second Battle for Chin’Toka.
Her illustrious captain was on track to become an admiral, but he preferred
serving aboard the Lapon.
Captain John Hunt stood on his bridge barking orders
at his crew. A Breen battle cruiser wandered into Lapon’s line of
fire and received a full spread of Quantum torpedoes, blowing it apart. Then
two Jem’Hedar fighters received the same treatment, preventing them from ramming
a Galaxy class. This drew the attention of a Dominion Battleship, however,
and her luck began to run out. It fired, the first few torpedoes were absorbed
by the shields, but the next one took them out.
“Engineering, get those shields up, now!” Hunt Ordered,
“evasive maneuvers, Return__”
He never finished that order, a torpedo struck the saucer
section and he was thrown against a bulk head, and as the darkness closed
around him, His first officer, leaped over a console and ran over to get him
to safety.
Four Years later
Stardate 56844.9
Hunt awoke slowly and realized that his surroundings
were different, instead of being on his cluttered and battle damaged bridge
he was in a Sterilized Hospital room onboard a Cardassian space station. A Bajoran
nurse looked over and noticed that the patient was awake and called a doctor
in. He was a tall tanned human with wavy black hair and Lieutenant-Commander’s
pips on his collar, he introduced himself as Doctor Julian Bashir, an explained
to Hunt that he was in the Infirmary on Deep Space Nine.
“Where’s my crew, my ship?” Hunt asked.
“I’m sorry sir,” he answered solemnly, “but most of
your senior officers are dead, they have been for four years now”
“What, How, Where’s Captain Sisko?”
“Err,” Bashir Answered, “Captain Sisko is, err, missing,
sir, Colonel Kira is right outside though.” Bashir left and a Bajoran woman,
entered.
“A lot of things have changed in the last four years,
Captain that is roughly how long you have been comatose, Come with me,” she
said holding out her hand.
* * *
Colonel Kira led Hunt down the Promenade, passed many
open shops and countless aliens, Hunt found the sight almost awe inspiring
as the last time he walked down the Promenade most of the stores were closed
and there were few other people milling about. At last they came to the Ferengi
bar, a place where Hunt spent much of his spare time during the war. The
Ferengi at the bar shuffled over to welcome Hunt.
“Well, hello Captain, Want to buy a drink? I here you
just woke up after a very long nap, you must be thirsty,” Said the Ferengi.
“Quark, this man just came out of a coma!” Kira shot
back.
“Well then want to settle your tab Mr. Hunt?” Quark
asked
“Shut it, Quark, we just want to borrow one of the Holosuites,”
Kira replied.
“Maybe you should have a word with my associate,” he
pointed to a man at the Bar who looked like he came out of a ‘60s Las Vegas lounge
act.
“Vic!” Hunt said recognizing him, “What are you doing
off the Holosuites?”
“I’ve just got me a new fangled Mobile Emitter, actually,
for SFO shows,” Vic replied, “you’re… why you’re Cap’n Jack Hunt, I haven’t
seen you in ages son, so you just woke up huh?”
“I’d hate to break this reunion up,” Kira interrupted,
“Vic; we need to use one of the Holosuites.”
“Sure, this man’s a hero; he deserves to know what happened.”
Kira led hunt up the spiraling staircase to the Holosuites
and ushered him into one. Kira summoned an image of the USS Lapon
which materialized in front of them. She resembled a squashed Galaxy class
vessel with a large module bolted on top. Kira than requested that the computer
display damage consistent with that that she received before Hunt was knocked
out. Several Black burns appeared on the Hull. Finally
Kira asked the computer to display the condition that the Lapon was
found in after the battle was over. First burns turned into scars, and then
breaches appeared, followed by gaping holes, and then before it stopped its
metamorphosis several large pieces disappeared. Hunt stepped forward and
ran his hand across the holographic hull of his ship. His hand came to rest
where the bridge should have been; in its place was a gaping hole that ran
almost all the way through.
“How did this happen?” He asked softly, forgetting Kira
was there.
“Let me show you,” Kira answered, then to the computer,
”Computer: display bridge log USS Lapon, starting when Captain Hunt
was incapacitated, Objective Mode.” Kira slowly walked out the door as the
Holosuite’s walls were replaced with a battle damaged bridge; she left Hunt
alone with his ghosts.
Hunt watched in displaced fascination as his likeness
hit the floor. Vixx, Hunt’s Bolian First Officer, Expecting to hear the remainder
of Hunt’s order, turned around and saw his Captain Lying on the deck unconscious.
Leaping over the tactical console he ran to Hunt’s side and tried to shake
him awake. When Vixx realized how bad Hunt’s condition was he immediately
called for sickbay to beam him off the bridge to the Triage Center set
up in one of the cargo bays.
“Return fire Lieutenant!” He barked returning to his
seat, reconsidering he slid over into the Captain’s chair, and received a
smirk from Hunt, standing next to him.
“Sir Torpedoes are offline!” the tactical officer answered,
“We are no match for them.”
“Than target the nearest thing we can fight damn it!”
“I sir I have a Jem’Hadar Fighter approaching the Defiant
sir, she looks to be on a collision course!”
“Than what are you waiting for, FIRE!” responded Vixx.
The tactical officer fired, obliterating the fighter. He soon spotted and
destroyed two more kamikaze ships, without question. As the tactical officer
was targeting a third, however, the Battleship that had fired on them earlier
began firing again.
The first volley struck aft, shearing the port nacelle
clean off, and catching the tactical console on fire, than another volley
struck the Lapon amidships.
“Sir we’re not going to survive another hit,” the Ops
officer reported.
“Very well, all hands abandon ship!” Vixx screamed over
the din. Just then the image froze and the room reverted to being a holosuite.
“Insufficient data to display remainder of log entry,”
the computer reported to Hunt.
“That’s alright Computer” Hunt replied walking out of
the room. Kira was waiting outside.
“You alright, Captain?” she asked.
“I think I will be fine.” He answered half lying.
“Good because we have another surprise for you and a
ship is waiting to take you to Earth.” She led him out of the bar and to a
turbolift, which they took to the docking ring. At the airlock they were
greeted by a tall bearded man and a very beautiful woman with long dark hair.
“Hello, I am Captain Riker of the USS Titan,
this is my first officer Commander Troi, and we are here to take you home.”
To Be Continued