Varaan Posted September 25, 2003 Posted September 25, 2003 ((Corridors - Cardassian Freighter MON HALKUK))::He had never thought he would be in quite this situation. Something likeit, maybe, but this particular situation, never. After all, the CardassianWar had been over for years, and after the Dominion War the Cardassians didnot seem to be in any kind of situation to be a threat for years to come. Sohow did he come to find himself here, on a Cardassian freighter, in themiddle of a firefight?::::He remembered back almost 6 years ago. His mother had been standing on thefront porch of his family home in Colorado. She was wearing a blue dress andwaving a white dishtowel at him. She had been crying for almost three fulldays now, and refused to come out any further. Like the act of staying whereshe was had some bearing on a decision he had made two years ago. His fatherwas helping him load his belongings into the hovercar. Dad was smiling,partly because he found mom's actions humorous, and partly in pride at him.He was Albert Martinez, and he was the first Martinez of this line of thefamily to be accepted to Starfleet Academy.::MARTINEZ: Mom, I promise I'll write, and come home when I can. You know Ilove you.::Emelia Martinez almost broke out in tears yet again. She stopped wavingthe dishtowel long enough to use the corner of it to wipe her eyes. Mom hadalways insisted on having manual labor done around the house, especiallywhen Albert and his brothers and sisters tried to talk her into getting areplicator and join the 24th century. She said it built character. She wentback to waving the towel.::MRS. MARTINEZ: I know son. I love you too. Do us proud.::You'd think he was going away forever, the way she was carrying on. Hisyounger sister Maria came out of the house from behind his mother. Maria hada skipping rope in her hands, and used it as she skipped all the way acrossthe yard to where their father was finishing loading the hovercar. Albertsquatted down as Maria approached. She was only 9, and the youngest, butAlbert's favourite sibling.::MARTINEZ: Hey squirt. I'm going to go now, but I'll be back soon. I need youto do me a favour.MARIA: [still skipping] What?MARTINEZ: Mom's going to need looking after for a while. Do you think youcan take care of her?MARIA: [still skipping] Okay. See you later.::She skipped away down the block towards her friends house as Albert stoodup. Even with Maria's non-chalant attitude, he knew she would comfort theirmother after he had left. Albert's father put the last bag in the hovercarand closed the door. He walked over to Albert and placed his hand on theback of his son's shoulder.::MR. MARTINEZ: Time to go, son.MARTINEZ: Thanks, dad. Bye Mom!::They both got into the hovercar and slowly drove away as Albert hung outthe window waving back to his mother who was shaking the towel around likeshe was trying to signal a low flying shuttlecraft. Albert's father justshook his head and smiled.::::Another disruptor blast hit the wall across from him. The Cardassians wereat the far end of this cross corridor, laying down enough fire that Martinezcouldn't advance to the next available cover. He was sitting on the floor atthe corner of the T-junction. His phaser rifle in his right hand wascurrently pointed at the ceiling, in a standby position while Martinezwaited for a break in the Cardassian fire to take his turn.::::His second year at the Academy began rather normally, until he met CadetGloria Marx. It wasn't anything romantic. Not at first, anyway. At first shewas just this excitable blonde in his Military Tactics class, and they gotpartnered up for a project on Ordin's "Great Battles in Federation History."They quickly became friends, and he found out how interested she was inpulling pranks. Usually they were on other people, but he did get his share.By the end of third year, spending almost every free minute together,something happened. The night before their Probability Mechanics final theywere pulling an all-nighter, studying. They were both sitting on his bed inhis dorm room, with their backs up against the wall, reading. After a longperiod of silence, Gloria leaned over. Albert thought she was trying to lookat what he was reading, but instead she maneuvered herself and kissed himfull on the lips. Initial shock swept aside, one thing lead to another andneedless to say they both almost slept through their exam the next morning.They dated all through fourth year, but knew that come graduation they wouldalmost certainly be given distant assignments. When she was sent to Starbase285 and he was assigned to the Federation Consulate on Vulcan, they promisedto remain in contact. If got out of this, he promised himself that he wouldwrite to her.::TARA: =^= Tara to Martinez.MARTINEZ: =^= Martinez here. Go ahead.TARA: =^= Status report, ensign.MARTINEZ: =^= [another blast hits the wall] Well, no movement either way.The Cardassians seem content to keep me here.TARA: =^= Hold tight, ensign. I am sending you aid.MARTINEZ: =^= Understood. Martinez out. =^=::Before being transferred to the PALADIN, he had been stationed on the USSCASPIAN, a Nova-class vessel. They had been charting stars and systems onthe coreward edge of Federation space. Gaseous anomolies are all very welland good, but nothing compared to a neutrino pulsar. At least, that's whatthe boys in the science department kept telling him. Albert wasn't all thatinterested in seeing the unknown. He was more interested in the known. Hewanted to see the inhabited systems of the Federation. He had been on Vulcanfor a year, and that was interesting, but there was more to the Federationthan just Vulcan. And Earth. Instead he was out here, twiddling his thumbsto find something to keep him occupied.::::Then they came across a binary system; a red supergiant with a smallerorange main-sequence companion. Sensors were picking up the remnants of arecent warp jump insystem. The CASPIAN entered the system slowly toinvestigate. Of the 7 planets, the fourth was reading as Class-M. Accordingto the captain, normally in situations like these, the CASPIAN would takereadings but stay out of sight. Upon leaving the system they'd informStarfleet Command, and a First Contact team would be sent out here toinvestigate. That had been the plan, anyway. Right up until the CASPIAN wasscanned by whatever ship had initiated the warp jump.::::It seems that there was an indigenous humanoid species living on thefourth planet. After several attempts at communication, the universaltranslator started to earn its pay, and First Contact was made between theFederation and the Gormdin. That's what they called themselves, anyway.Albert didn't think it was a very flattering name for a species, but who washe to argue with thousands of years of evolution on an alien planet. TheGormdin demanded some answers, and Captain Hammond did his diplomatic bestto give them to the newbies on the Galactic front. Amazingly, to Albertanyway, it worked and the CASPIAN was invited back to Gorm to celebrate. Itseems the Gormdin were at the stage of developing and testing superluminaltravel mechanisms. They were basically peaceful explorers, and were curiousabout what lay beyond their solar system. Captain Hammond agreed, and tehCASPIAN escorted the Gormdin ship back to their homeworld.::::After spending almost two weeks on Gorm, spending time with the nativepopulation, Albert had come to realize that being in Starfleet was aboutmore than just seeing the sights and being where the action is. He washelping his crew teach the Gormdin about the Federation, and learning abouttheir culture in return. There were many parties and celebratory feasts, andGormdin ale was discovered to be fairly potent, even to the Gormdin. Theystood on average just over two meters, and resembled bipedal felines. Lions,actually. And strong too. One night at a party, a Gormdin almost knockedAlbert flat on his face with a congratulatory slap on the back after Alberthad successfully told a Gormdin joke in their own language. Sometimes hethought he could still feel the bruise.::::After two weeks a special Federation Cultural attachment arrived onplanet, and the CASPIAN had to leave to continue their mission. Albert wasslightly disheartened to leave, but had a renewed vigor for his career. Hepromised Fraalen, the local magistrate whom he had come to befriend, mostlybecause Albert was one of the few who could hold his Gormdin ale, thatsomeday he would return. He meant to keep that promise. He had heard overthe subspace wire that a couple of weeks ago Gorm had officially petitionedthe Federation for membership. He was glad.::::Another disruptor blast hitting the wall across from him brought him backto reality. He turned to his right ans saw a Starfleet Marine run up to him.The marine crouched down in front of Albert, facing him. The marine did notlook much older than Albert himself, but had a big smile across his face.Setting down his own phaser rifle, he reached into one of his jacket pocketsand pulled out a small, roughly spherical object. Pressing a button, heleaned out into the crossfire with no regard for his personal safety, androlled the item down the hall towards the Cardassians. Smiling again, hepatted Albert on the shoulder, picked up his rifle, and took off back downthe hall from whence he came, all without saying a word. Albert watched himgo, even as the stun grenade went off amongst the Cardassians. Albert smiledto himself as he scrambled up off the floor to his feet. He brushed theflecks of brown peeled paint off his uniform, and they fell to the floorwhere they had come from. Turning down the corridor, he made his way to theunconscious bodies to relieve them of their weaponry. Today was a goodday.::
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