Back in the Saddle

Posted on Wednesday 24 June 2020 @ 21:31 by Major Richard "Wolf" Johnson, Psy.D.

Mission: Race against the machine - Joint Mission with USS Andromeda
Location: =/\= Runabout Cortez =/\=
358 words - 0.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Richard sat in the copilot seat of the runabout while the young Ensign next to him monitored their course. They were heading to the Merlin after the Major had taken an emergency leave. His son had been lost in combat near the Breen border and he had gone to find him. Wolf managed to track his son down in a Breen POW camp three months after the young Captain had gone missing. It had taken Johnson to places that Starfleet would never have approved of, and the Marine had done things he still was trying to forget. But, he would do it all over again in a heartbeat to find the younger Johnson if he had to.

The Major had even gotten Starfleet to let him lead the extraction team. Once they entered they not only found Neil but twelve other Starfleet officers and ten Federation scientists from various ships and colonies. All were beaten and malnourished. Once the team had pulled out the detainees and returned to a medical starbase Wolf extended his leave to stay with his son. Now, six months later, Neil had returned to his unit fully recovered and it was time for Richard to do the same.

"Sir, we're coming up on the Merlins coordinates...." the younger man said and trailed off as he studied the sensors, "Major, I'm detecting a large explosion at those coordinates!"

Johnson sat forward with a look of concern, "bring us out of warp," he ordered as he went to press the comm.

His finger stopped just short of the button as both he and the Ensign looked out the window, "oh, that can't be good....." Richard breathed.

In front of them hung the Merlin and another ship the computer identified as the Andromeda. In front of them, however, was something Wolf had leaned about in the Academy, a planet killer, though it looked like both ships were holding distance from it.

"Cortez to Merlin, this is Major Richard Johnson, permission to approach and come aboard...."


* Major Richard "Wolf" Johnson, Psy.D.s
Company Commander
USS Merlin