DL | "The Inbetween" | CO | Capt Landon Neyes

Posted on Thu Aug 15th, 2013 @ 7:37pm by Captain Landon Neyes

561 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Secret Meetings
Location: Bridge, USS Vindicator
Timeline: Post-Battle, In Slipstream

=/\= Bridge, USS VINDICATOR =/\=

Neyes sat at his chair in the center of the Vindicator bridge, a stupefying sense of accomplishment at the back of him mind. Several other ships sped through the slipstream conduit with them on their way to Earth, backlit by the sweeping blue glow as they raced home. Ships that came to their rescue; fighting off the remaining Romulan forces and now joined them in a rescue mission to the heart of the Federation. Captain Lassiter had congratulated Landon and his crew for withstanding the onslaught for so long. “A hardy ship,” he’d called the Vindicator and her officers.

The ship had been in a rough circumstance, a stone’s throw from complete destruction, and their systems still less damaged than it might have appeared to an outside onlooker. Half of deck 29 lay in shambles, their warp systems were compromised, shields slowly recovering, and hull breaches peppered the decks. He knew repair crews were efficiently taking on the tasks as quickly as could be expected, but one aspect of the damage wasn’t going to recover as quickly… the morale of the crew.

The USS Vindicator had been a victim of a desperate political game. A few more minutes and they might not have survived what Neyes would call a betrayal. Lassiter looked into the orders for Landon as soon as they escaped, and found a ‘Commodore Irons’ responsible for the command which led the entire ordeal to unfold. Leading them to the Romulans was just the beginning, in what appeared to be a string of orders which would lead the Federation into an all-out battle with the rebel Romulan group “The Commonwealth.” Forcing the commonwealth to take credit for the attacks on the Starfleet ship, the Vindicator would have simply been a tragic loss, a beacon to mark the point when Starfleet admiralty would call for added military support. With so many enemies on their doorstep, the people of the Federation would have no choice but to agree.

It had all been for naught, though, as Neyes sat on his newly-acquired command. It had been nearly a half-hour since they’d jumped to slipstream and escaped the attack, and Landon had hardly said one word since then. He had things to do, of course, but his mind needed time to recoup.

How could he protect this crew if the very people who commanded him regarded him as nothing more than a pawn?

Now Starfleet HQ was essentially gone. Communications from the Sol system indicated a massive incursion into Earth space, and an attack directly to the planet’s surface. Cardassians, Tholians, Romulans (who were allies of the Federation against the Triad), it was all a little more than Landon would have liked to deal with coming into this command. Captain Dar was still unconscious, the coma making him a silent party in their disaster. Part of Neyes wished he’d wake up and make Landon just another pilot again, take back responsibility for all the lives they’d lost today. Part of him wanted nothing more than to take vengeance for their loss, and the rest… just wanted to be there to keep them safe.

“All senior staff report to the briefing room in one hour.” Landon said after tapping his commbadge, “Maintain red alert.”

=/\= END LOG =/\=

Captain Landon Neyes
Commanding Officer
USS VINDICATOR

 

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