Running from the past stright into your furure

Posted on Friday 31 March 2017 @ 07:17 by Captain Melody Jones & Captain John "Apollo" Barstow, M.D.
Edited on on Monday 3 April 2017 @ 20:13

Mission: The Perez Nebula
Location: USS Thunderchild
Timeline: Flashback
965 words - 1.9 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

--------FLASHBACK------------

It had been 3 Weeks since Melody had been rescued from the Borg and the seemingly endless counselling appointments had become too much for her. She now found herself stood inside a shuttle. She was going to steal it. She had spent a lot of time hanging around the shuttlebay, watching all the pilots, asking questions. The Starfleet Officers seemed happy to tell the young girl anything she wanted to know.

It was now midnight and the shuttlebay was deserted. Now was the time!

She sat down at the controls and tired to remember the launch sequence override. After a few attempts, the atmospheric forcefield snapped on and the bay door started to open. She smiled to herself although she did not feel any emotion at the time "Got it" she said to herself. She power the engines and was heading for the forcefield before the doors were fully open.

------Main Bridge--------

The bridge was quiet, the lights dimmed for the night shift. Lieutenant Brooks was in Command. The Captain was napping in the ready room. Suddenly the stillness was disturbed by an alarm at tactical. Brooks jumped up out of the command chair "Report!"

The ensign at tactical frowned "Sir, there's a shuttle launch in progress!"

"WHAT! There's nothing due to be launched. Do they have clearance?"

"No Sir"

Brooks hit her Comm badge "Bridge to shuttle. Stand down!" She turned back to tactical "Can you stop it?"

The ensign worked the control then shook his head. "No sir, whoever it is they've initiated an emergency launch override. They've cleared the bay doors!"

Brooks looked surprised "Already? Tractor beam!"

"Aye!........... Sir, their flight path is highly complex, I cannot establish a lock."

"You cant establish a tractor lock?" She turned and looked at him in disbelief. Who's on that shuttle?

The ensign worked the control, his face paled. "Sir, its that young girl we rescued. It's Melody Jones!"

Brooks mouth fell open. she then touched her comm badge again "Captain. Sorry to disturb you but I think you better get out here."

The ensign from tactical spoke up again "Sir! She's gone to warp!"

---------- Shuttlecraft 03 ------------------

Melody had been talking to different shuttle pilots and they had been kind enough to show her the basic controls but now it was like instinct, it was like she had been born to fly. The shuttle bobbed and weaved like a seasoned veteran was at the controls. Tractor beam, she thought to herself. Standard procedures. Now to get out of range. She picked a random vector and punched the warp drive.

As the stars turned to streaks of light she tweaked and tinkered with the warp field parameters to get the last ounce of speed out of the system. She looked out of the window and time seemed to slow down, all of her worries and troubles were suddenly forgotten. She was crying, but these were tears of joy. She felt free, liberated, happier than she had ever felt.

The comm system beeped and she turned it on. 'Uh Oh!' she thought to herself.

-------- Main bridge --------------------

With the Captains arrival on the bridge, Brooks assumed the tactical position relieving the ensign. The Thunderchild had gone into warp following the shuttlecraft.

Brooks cleared her throat and reported to the Captain "Sir, young Miss Jones has gone and stolen a shuttlecraft. She knew the emergency override codes and she managed to evade a tractor lock long enough to go to warp. We are currently in pursuit."

Captain John Liconie raised an eyebrow as he made his way to the command chair and turned to face the viewscreen, giving Brooks a quick look to let her know he was going to want to know how Jones had managed to pull that trick off, "status."

Studying the readout Brooks let out a slow impressed whistle. "Sir, she's exceeded the maximum designed speed for that class of shuttle by 3 tenths of a warp factor."

"Damn it, open a channel," the CO ordered and took a few steps closer to the viewscreen.

"Aye Sir, opening a channel." Brooks open a comm link to the shuttle.

"Thunderchild to shuttle craft three, Miss Jones, I know you're scared and confused. That's alright, but, running away won't fix that. The only thing running will do is make the situation that much worse when it catches up with you, I know," he said with a sigh, having been a Major General until a failed relationship drove him into a bottle where he hid for over a year, "and right now you are in danger of being destroyed, I need to throttle back."

------- Shuttlecraft 03 ----------------

Melody listened to what the Captain was saying. He was making a lot of sense. She brought the shuttle out of warp and came to a full stop. Over the comm system the Captain spoke again.

John nodded to himself, "good, now put my shuttle back where you got it and report to my ready room, Thunderchild out."

Melody smiled to herself as she brought the shuttle back around the far side of the Thunderchild and lined up with the shuttlebay. She brought the craft back into the bay and parked it exactly where it had been before she had taken it. Powering it down, she just sat there for a moment. 'Time to face the music' she thought as she opened the shuttle doors.

She soon found herself standing in front of the Captain in his Ready room. She kept her eyes down, looking at the floor. She knew this was not going to end well.

"Enter," John called and looked up from his desk, "Melody, we need to have a talk about your​ future....."

OFF:

Captain John "Razor" Liconie
Commanding Officer
USS Thunderchild

&

Melody Jones