Final Flight of the IBEX crew

Posted on Fri 20th Dec, 2024 @ 4:47am by Commander Geraldine "Geri" Severide
Edited on on Sat 21st Dec, 2024 @ 2:09am

1,627 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Phoenix Gamble
Location: SB109

Previously…

And previously on the IBEX… (For the new folks to get the full story) https://sb109.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/viewpost/2318

{IBEX- Command Deck, Bunker mode}

The Second Star was under lockdown, Reggie had assumed control. Within the Second Star was a Starfleet command protocol, and the IBEX activating it had robbed the Second Star of their agency. For three weeks they had towed a vessel employing camouflage not knowing much at all. Fearing the worst they sent a warning ahead with clever work done to glean major information. Twenty days turned to twenty one with nobody to observe the milestone. Since Duke had gone to receive treatment the infection and injury had been treated with a new hand. The protective casing pumped antibiotics and Duke was was in better health than all of them as a result The portable replicator had given them fresh food as well, and the level of morale crept back up from the dark abyss.

The central deck had taken heavy damage, their shuttle bay ruined, and the solo Nacelle tucked beneath them in tatters. With the help of their patron starship, tolerable conditions resumed on board. A small level of conversation had returned, Alex was monitoring the ships progress but Reggie had disabled any other access after the breach of confidence Alex had shown overriding protocols.

“Second star is a merchant ship, but using an old Exclesior class? That’s a new story for us.”

Grazia scoffed, “Read the transcripts of what they had to do in court. My sister is part of that that whole operation. I can only imagine that’s part of why this ship was chosen.”

They rode in silence until Duke chimed in, “So is SB109 our new secure berth?”

Alex shook his head, “I honestly couldn’t tell you, but for us to get the refit we need would require more than 48 hours. Reggie intends us to finish repairs on our own, but if I can level with you, I think we’ve served quite enough on the mandate of secrecy here. We are allowed to designate a secure berth in every sector, DS5 isnt in the same sector, we are within mandate… yeah probably.”

Duke seemed to approve, “Good, DS5 had nothing to do, I’ll send for my things.”

Makoto had made herself demure and small, but as she woke up and emerged from the cocoon of blankets swaddling her, she whispered “It was quiet there. This is a Vanguard class Starbase, the place is huge.”

Alex replied, “We can put you on a duty rotation if you like, if I can set this up with the station commander you would all pick a duty spot and meet for away missions.”

Kolor prompted Alex to answer an uncomfortable question, “Will you be in command once we reach SB109?”

Alex shrugged, then shook his head to indicate the negative. “I’d do it all again, we’d have died without help. I don't see myself continuing on as Captain no.”

Makoto harrumphed, So Alex pushed her, “You can take the offer, go back to being Yuma Makkai, darling of Kyoto, Earth. They’ll give you a Commander rank, and your days of martyrdom are behind you.”

Duke heard the hostility, Makoto was too self focused to listen for nuance but Alex was not being kind.

“So she can leave here and go back to a normal life? Is that the case for all our us, do we all have deals Alex?”

“The cord which binds can also carry.” Kolor said his first words in three days.

Duke understood him right away as well, “I am not bound. I was rutterless in Starfleet, serving here is the peak of any career I’d have ever had with them as far as I am —

Alex spoke over the reply, “You broke protocols to save lives, and that got you here. A deal can be made for any of us.”

Makoto spoke over him to answer the question Duke was ramping towards, “If such a deal exists, would I be able to…”

Alex nodded, “Yes, I’ll be removed, they’ll refit the ship and re-assign the crew. Duke and Grazia can stay, You and Kolor will be given the option too.”

Kolor was vehement, “I am quite over the ship in space chapter of my life. The hundred odd missions we’ve done together will allow me to retire in peace, I fulfilled my sentencing years ago.”

Makoto nodded, “I haven’t been Yuma in ten years, so many other faces and names. Is this it then? I am sorry you will lose your posting captain.”

Alex laughed it off, “I was Starfleet once upon a time, they’ll re-assign me into the fleet somewhere safe. I won’t be punished for anything, this whole affair is beyond top secret. I’ll probably find little to no luck advancing to Captain of anything, maybe get a spooky message to remind me I'm being watched, but we shall see what the future brings right?”

Duke scoffed, “No hiring from within then? Will they consider me for captain?”

Alex had to be truthful and concise to minimize the hurt here, “No, this organization contacts Captains, the need-to-know you have all operated under is due to the trust they place in me. I had to train for a year before they allowed me to even view the job, and then my real training began.”

A loud and angry voice sounded, “The Second Star sent a message ahead of our arrival!" Reggie was furious, increasing volume to compensate for not having power to manifest his holo form. "I stopped most of it, analysis of what made it through suggests a likelihood they have far more information than they should!”

Alex trusted Starfleet would act reasonably with the requests for confidentiality but the crew of the Second Star hadn’t done their duty and stayed silent. Reggie was sounding the alarm, intent to wipe the computers clean.

“They have a bio-organic hardware suite more sophisticated than anything I’ve ever seen and on a merchant vessel! It was like reprogramming a living brain…” Reggie suddenly took on an angry countenance, “It is a living brain. I see the ODN line connecting it to systems. That's why?!"

Reggie flickered in a livid panic, "Alex,if i cant scrub this from the database I will send the warp core into overdrive!”

Kolor gave a fob loaded with a homemade cypher to Alex, “This program is a memory virus, deliver the coding directly to the opposite source from the power. On the circuit path, Reggie will lose the ODN connections."

Duke was angered at the notion of Reggie killing them all, he raged into the cold wrecked ruins of the command deck. "Shucks Reggie, no need to blow us all to hell! We can cover our tracks after we recover from the mortal wounds."

Alex pleaded as well, "Do not take action against the Second star, they were conscripted into this!"

Reggie was furious at the level of information Judah obtained. Living organic supercomputers made for towering opponents in AI warfare. Reggie prepared to sever the power supply to the infirmary in a self sabotaging overload when the sinister effect Alex input took hold.

Alex sat up, "They'll back it up to presets, Grazia reprogram him quick!"

She shot him a glance, of course he knew they all had their own overrides to Reggie. Alex was truly good at his job, it was a shame they would relieve him of this ship. Since it was Armageddon there was no point in hiding.

Three officers of the IBEX input their command codes for overriding the innate software package and Frenemy known as Reggie. The Second Star had done an honorable turn, they wouldn't let Reggie do God knows what to keep them quiet. It was their last stand together, and a long time coming. Before they turned this ship over they'd leave their mark and get their revenge for all the crew silenced in the name of the mandate of secrecy.

Alex waited, watching Kolor finish the programming and executing. A much more pleasant version of Reggie pronounced from the speakers, "I am the the Delphic interface subsystem, please choose a designation to begin my Identification assignations!"

Grazia smiled, her sometimes cute toothy grin, in the way an upbeat animal was despite a missing jaw. "Surgery complete. I took out the teeth, gave it an expanded skill-set for problem solving."

Kolor added, "The interface is updated and restored regularly, so I made a shell copy for it to interact. We will take only the updates we wish."

Alex smiled, his team was a great one and found a moral ethical solution to their issues.

"Okay so we are in control, release Second Star and open a channel." Alex hoped Quinton Beck would appreciate the candor.

"Second Star, come in, we are IBEX a vessel of the Federation." He said it with optimism but Quinton answered less than fairly.

"IBEX?" Quinton replied from channel , leaving it open. The visual feed took longer but the full image appeared. A sonic wave landed on their ears and the auto levels went to maximum to contain it. Fala had just been informed of the ship in tow, it was her dear sister.

Quinton clearly was tussling on his end, "Fala says you're trusting us, can you show us your trust by giving us back control of our vessel?"

Alex didn't hesitate, "On the way Captain, but we will need to maintain our camouflage. Proceed with the course and speed to SB109. ETA?"

"Ten minutes!"

Alex didnt even mind, ten minutes was enough time to say goodbye.

-TBC-

 

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