Everything Was Going According to Plan… Until I Made It Mine – Star Trek Fanfiction (Red Directive #39)

“Captain, departure protocols for the USS Cairo require you to be aboard a minimum of thirty minutes prior to launch. If you are still here at zero fifty-five hours, you will be outside that window.” Before I could return an answer, she continued, “Captain, I am also required aboard the Cairo no less than twenty minutes prior to departure.”

I sighed, squinted my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration, “I’m well aware of Starfleet protocols, Aura. Considering our current predicament, I don’t believe Starfleet will be lodging any formal objections to my orders.”

She continued meeting my gaze with her eerily yellow glowing android eyes, unblinking, unwavering. Then she asked the question I was trying to avoid answering, “Why is Kurn in EOS Prospera’s Engineering so close to the Cairo’s departure window?”

I cringed a little bit knowing I’d have to tell her the truth. There was no hiding things with Aura. I was about to speak before she interrupted me, “Captain, Tactical personnel are required aboard the Cairo within the designated pre-departure window. Tactical’s absence during the designated pre-departure window may impact departure operations.”

“Aura!”

My tone sharpened despite myself, “We are already trying to not impact departure operations. That’s why you’re here and not there!”

“Because the station may be able to utilize my systems to generate another temporal disturbance.”

“Exactly. It also appeared to only occur when we were in close proximity. It’s safest for the crew if we wait until the last possible second to board the Cairo.”

“That does not explain why Kurn is in EOS Prospera Engineering currently.”

I hung my head in defeat for a second. When I lifted it back up to meet her gaze, her eyes hadn’t moved a millimeter. “He’s integrating a Containment Field Inversion into the station’s central energy lattice.”

She blinked once. “That will result in cascading system collapse and total structural failure to EOS Prospera.”

“That is the point.” I replied, my voice quieter now, weighted.

Even though the colonists were already fully integrated into the station, it didn’t hurt any less knowing we were ultimately the cause of their demise.

“Captain, inducing structural failure in the station would constitute a violation of the Prime Directive, as the station has demonstrated sentience.”

“If it’s sentient… then it knows exactly what it’s doing. The Prime Directive was never meant to protect something that’s actively harming others. The station’s sentience does not exempt it from the consequences of its actions.”

She offered no objection to that remark. We sat in silence for a few moments. Then, without warning, she spoke again, “According to my internal chronometer, it is zero five thirty-five hundred hours. It would appear Kurn has successfully modified the containment field inversion to mask its signature for direct integration into the central energy lattice.”

She was right. We would have known already if he couldn’t make it work. I had just assumed he had a plan to avoid detection since he had modification parameters for Pelia to adjust the EMH’s mobile emitter. “So it would seem.”

We sat for a few more moments in dreadful silence. Zero fifty-five hundred hours couldn’t come fast enough. Aura was the first to break the silence once again, “When will we beam aboard the ship, Captain?”

“I am going to have Chief Ren beam you aboard the Cairo approximately five seconds before departure, simultaneous with the EMH’s transport. I know it’s cutting it close, but I am not taking any chances that the station could prevent the crew from leaving. The Cairo will be clearing the blind spot at that time.”

“Why will the EMH be returning here?”

I wish I had known a way to not have opened this can of worms. “Kurn was able to adjust the parameters of the EMH’s mobile emitter so the station cannot detect him.”

You could almost see the calculations running behind her eyes. “The containment field inversion is not being triggered remotely due to uncertainty in the station’s response.”

I nodded. “You did say the station would become aware of the disruption.”

“It already would have, had Commander Pelia not established a localized interference field around her quarters. Lieutenant Darak and Commander Pelia have also modified the Cairo’s shields with a dampening field to mask our departure.”

“It’s starting to sound like our plan has a high probability of success.”

No words. No nod. Just that same still, mechanical stare.

“When will you beam aboard, Captain?”

Of course she would catch that. She was an android. Let’s just hope that’s all she would catch. “I will beam aboard with you and the EMH once it is safe.”

My comm badge chirped.

Saved by the bell.

“Commander T’Varen to the captain.”

I tapped my comm badge, “Yes, Commander?”

“Captain, I have been briefed on the containment field inversion plan by Commander Pelia. Chief Ren is aboard the Cairo and prepared to execute transport of all personnel at the designated intervals.”

“Acknowledged.”

“Captain, I must state, I do not approve. The probability of failure exceeds acceptable parameters.”

“Your objection is noted, Commander. Is the USS Cairo prepared for departure?”

“Commander Pelia is in Engineering. All systems are configured. Ensign Jaxa stands ready to initiate warp five seconds after departure from the station’s sensor blind spot.”

“Acknowledged, captain out.”

I tapped my comm badge quickly to avoid any more unwanted conversations with the commander.

That was exactly why I had waited until the last possible moment to inform everyone.

It had to be getting close.

“Computer, time.”

“It is approximately zero fifty hundred hours.”

Extremely close.

I turned to watch the doors to Pelia’s quarters for Kurn to arrive.

The five-minute wait felt like a lifetime.

Because it was more than five minutes. Aura spoke, “Captain, my internal chronometer reads zero fifty-seven hundred hours. We have approximately three minutes to board the Cairo.”

My stomach sank. Kurn was still nowhere to be seen.

What if we were wrong? What if he hadn’t been able to integrate the Containment Field Inversion into the station’s central energy lattice?

I felt the edge of panic begin to surface—until Pelia’s doors hissed open. I jumped up and turned frantically, fully aware we were down to the wire.

Kurn and the EMH stepped in. Kurn was slightly out of breath.

“Apologies, Captain. The modifications required more time than anticipated—but they are complete.”

“Are we clear to proceed?”

“Yes, Captain. I will beam aboard the Cairo now to finalize Tactical readiness for departure. I will be prepared if the station chooses to resist.”

I was honestly a little surprised it hadn’t already.

I knocked twice on the wooden table behind us. Leave it to me to jinx the mission.

My nod was enough confirmation for Kurn. He tapped his comm badge, “Kurn to Chief Ren, one to beam up.”

I watched Kurn dissolve into nothing, leaving me face to face with the EMH. He had a mild grin on his face. “Who would have thought this handy dandy ancient alien piece of technology would be the thing to save us? What would we have done had I not pressed you to consider its use?”

I imagined my eye was twitching at this point. “Do you understand your orders, Doctor? The emitter is not coming with you.”

He frowned. “Can’t let me just have one small gleaming moment, can you?”

I crossed my arms, waiting.

He continued, “Yes, Captain. I will beam to EOS Prospera Engineering at precisely five seconds prior to the Cairo’s departure to simultaneously enact a multi-point override. I will then immediately deactivate and sever my connection to the mobile emitter so Chief Ren can beam my program aboard.”

“Affirmative.”

Aura stood up from the couch. “Captain, it is zero fifty-eight hundred hours.”

Two minutes.

Two minutes for this plan to succeed—or fail completely.

I reached into my pocket and wrapped my hand around my miniature Enterprise NX-01 and held it tighter than I ever have before.

It felt… necessary.

I gestured for Aura to come closer to me.

She walked over and stood next to me as we faced the EMH together.

I braced myself, waiting for the anxiety to hit.

It didn’t come.

Out of all the moments… how could this be the one where it didn’t?

“Aura, count us down from ten seconds to departure so the EMH knows exactly when to beam to Engineering to initiate the containment field inversion.”

“Yes, Captain.”

In those next few moments, time seemed to stretch. I looked at Aura and the EMH, then out the viewport at the Cairo drifting away from the station within its sensor blind spot.

They hadn’t been my crew for very long, but I was proud they were mine. We might not have made it this far with a different group. The mission hadn’t been a success—but we were alive, and I was not leaving any chance for the station to do this to another species.

I might not have been the captain they wanted.

But I was the right captain for this mission.

I knew that now.

Aura began the countdown. “10…”

“9…”

I glanced at the EMH’s mobile emitter and placed my hand over my comm badge. He was staring upward, waiting.

“8…”

“7…”

Aura’s eyes shifted slightly toward me.

“6…”

I moved. Fast. I grabbed the EMH’s mobile emitter, tore it free, and replaced it with my comm badge in the same motion.

He looked down at me, stunned—speechless.

I tapped my comm badge against him. His eyes widened as realization hit.

The blue shimmer of transport began to take him.

“5…”

I secured the mobile emitter to my chest and took one last look at Aura. “Time to beam out, Aura.”

“No.”

No?

I was already activating the emitter, initiating transport down to EOS Prospera Engineering. I saw her form begin to dissolve in blue light alongside mine.

What the hell did she mean by no?

I arrived in Engineering, grateful I had remembered the emitter’s transport function. I wasn’t taking any chances he would be detected once he dropped it to beam aboard the Cairo.

I may have failed the mission. But I was not failing my crew.

With mere seconds remaining, I located the Containment Field Inversion and stepped forward, raising my hands to initiate the multi-point override.

I closed my eyes and took a steady breath.

In that final second, I pressed down.

As everything ignited around me, I felt a cold hand grasp my wrist.

And through the chaos—

I saw glowing yellow eyes.