Episode 19: The Voyage of the Discovery

Stardate (48373)

By

Jay P. Hailey

And

Dennnis Washburn

Mishimi Miatsu was describing the progress on the USS Discovery. We were having our staff briefing at Starfleet Command headquarters in San Francisco because the Discovery wasn't a complete starship, yet.

Miatsu was my new Chief Engineer. He was a fussy, precise Japanese man. He didn't have the empathy for the ship that I would have liked. What he did have was an encyclopedic knowledge of the USS Discovery and her systems. He had supervised the construction of her two previous sister ships.

"As you know, the Battle Section is 95% complete and operational, Captain." He reported. "The main bottleneck is the conversion of the Saucer Module to the new mission specifications."

The USS Discovery was a Galaxy class starship. They were the biggest and most advanced starships built by the Federation at that time. The Discovery was divided into two main sections each of which could operate independently.

The Battle Section was simply a powerful battlecruiser. They were the biggest and most powerful dreadnoughts built by the Federation so far.

The Saucer Module or "Primary Hull" was where the exploration and science were done. This huge ellipsoid was filled with modules that could hold laboratories, cargo bays and crew quarters. In a normal patrol configuration the Discovery could hold over a thousand crewmen and dependents.

Our mission parameters called for a smaller crew but a longer mission. We were going to take the Discovery out to the areas that I had recently visited as the captain of the USS Harrier.

"What new mission specifications?" I asked Miatsu. This was news to me.

Miatsu looked uncomfortable. Carlos Mendez answered for him. "You were unaware of the changes to the mission, Captain?" Mendez was a slightly older man. He had gray at his temples with a salt and pepper mustache.

I was lucky to get Mendez for my First Officer on the Discovery. He was a well known figure in Starfleet. He was once the Captain of the USS Farragut. After she had been destroyed at Wolf 359, he had cracked under the guilt and grief.

The voyage of the Discovery was his chance to redeem himself. After we successfully completed the mission, everyone expected that Mendez would be returned to the captain's chair.

With Mendez running the Discovery herself and me adding my knowledge of the unknown areas out past the Klingon Empire, I didn't see how we could lose.

Mendez handed me a PADD. "Our mission parameters were changed about the time that you were assigned." He looked at Miatsu. "We thought that it was your project, Sir."

I shook my head. "This is the first that I've heard of it." I read the PADD Mendez gave me.

It said that the Saucer Module would be altered to accommodate a colonization mission. We would be taking about seven hundred people to a planet a thousand light years outside of Federation space and then planting them there.

I looked at Mendez "This is a joke, right?"

Mendez shook his head slightly. "The conversion of the Saucer Module to a colonizer is almost complete, now. If this a joke, it's an expensive one."

"But, that's just suicide!" I was outraged.

Class "M" planets are complex places. The Earth had been under systematic investigation since the 1400's, and was still handing us surprises from time to time. A new planet was just one surprise after another.

A starship could tell you a lot by sensor readings from orbit, but there were always new surprises once you were on the surface.

The only way to learn how to live on a new planet was to go ahead and do it. This was often the job of scouts and "First In" people. They were a special breed of lunatic. Their mortality rate was high. After they had lived on the site of a new colony for a few years then the lead elements of the permanent colony would land and start to live there.

There were always casualties. Some of the surprises that a new planet held could be unpleasant. Food crops failing was a common occurrence. Some exotic poison being found in the environment also happened often. When one of these things happened a starship would respond. We would try to find a fix for the problem. If we could not then we would evacuate the colony.

Sometimes, when the supplies were accidentally destroyed by one of these surprises then the colonists could get very hungry or thirsty before a starship showed up. That was why Starfleet built and manned high speed cargo ships. They were the ships loaded up with emergency supplies and rushed to the ailing colony. When the transports didn't get there in time, then you had tragedies like Tarsus IV or Omicron Ceti III.

The new engines on the Discovery could take her three light years a day, at cruising speed. It would still take us about a year to reach the site even if we just warped straight out there.

If the new colony ran into any problems, then it would be a year or more before a rescue ship could get there.

What was worse was that the planet, Beta Howard 224, was closer to the Kliges'chee than to the Federation. They were just asking to be subjugated by the Kliges'chee.

Mendez shrugged. "It sounds like suicide to me too, Captain. None of my contacts in Starfleet Command have been able to shed any light on this mission. I have been following the mission specs, hoping that a better opportunity to ask questions would turn up."

"Well, that's now. I'm going upstairs to see if I can speak to Admiral Picard and try to straighten this mess out." I said confidently. "This has to be a massive mistake."

-*-

"I assure you that there is no mistake." Picard said. He carefully put the PADD down on his desk. "This is the mission that you have been assigned."

"But, Admiral! It amounts to stranding those people outside the Federation, far away from help. It seems as though it would be more humane just to line them up and shoot them."

"I told you that this would be a difficult mission from the outset, Captain Hailey. I must ask you to make another difficult leap and trust me. We know what we are doing. The mission is accurate and necessary." Picard looked me in the eye. I could tell that he knew more about this than he was telling me. I wanted to believe him.

"Can you please explain a little more about this?" I asked.

"No, he can not." I heard a woman say behind us. I turned to see a small, sharp, blonde woman. She entered Picard's office like she owned it. I noticed that while Picard was a rear admiral, with one star on his collar, the woman was a vice-admiral with two stars.

"Admiral Necheyev," Picard said politely "Good afternoon. Have you met Captain Hailey? He's in command of the Discovery Project."

I held out my hand to Necheyev. "Admiral,"

"Captain." She took my hand delicately.

"I was just explaining to the Captain-" Picard began.

"-That you're not allowed to explain." Necheyev finished sweetly.

"Really Admiral, I think I would be able to do the job better-" I started to explain to Necheyev.

She stopped me cold. "Captain Hailey, the mission of the Discovery has the greatest implications for the security of the Federation. It must stay absolutely confidential. You will discuss nothing about it to anyone not directly assigned to the mission. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"I will tell you nothing more about this mission than is stated on your mission parameters. To know more will endanger you, your ship and the whole Federation. If you simply carry out the tasks on your mission checklist, then it will all turn out correctly in the end."

"With all due respect, Admiral-" I started.

"I assigned you to this mission on Admiral Picard's recommendation, Captain. It was against my better judgment. I am your commanding officer in this case, not Admiral Picard. I place a great deal of value on subordinates who know how to follow orders. Do you understand, Captain?"

I snapped to attention. It was the only valid response.

"Yes, Sir!" I said.

"Captain Hailey, I have reviewed this mission with Admiral Necheyev and I am in complete agreement with her. Don't under estimate these colonists before you've even had a chance to meet them." Admiral Picard added.

Necheyev gave Picard a dirty look. Then she turned back to me. "Yes, Captain, by all means go meet the colonists and assure yourself. They know what they are doing and they are going voluntarily. Once you assure yourself that your superior officers know what they are talking about, I'll expect you to follow my orders. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes, Sir!" I said.

"Dismissed" Necheyev said. I had no choice at that point. I had to turn around smartly and march out of Admiral Picard's office.

I seriously considered resigning as I went.

-*-

"Are you absolutely certain that this is what you want to do?" I asked Aaron, the leader of the colony.

He was a tall, lanky, red haired man with a big nose and a disarming grin. He leaned back and thought about it carefully.

We were in his home on Mars. It was a boxy looking house with a pointed roof and a big porch. It could have been any house in the American Midwest, or on a dozen other planets. However, where the Midwestern farmhouse would have been made of wood and nails, this version was advanced fiber-composite walls, pegged together with duranium pins. This house would last nearly a thousand years on the plains of Kansas, assuming no tornadoes.

Aaron's wife Elizabeth came and cleared the table in front of me. I wanted to fall asleep. Aaron and his family had fed me straight out of their own gardens. I knew for certain now, that the best replicators were just pale imitators of real food. It had been a very long time since I had been treated so well.

Aaron looked at me carefully. "Have you spoken with Admiral Necheyev about this?"

"A little." I said "She suggested that I come and speak with you about it, Sir."

He grinned that catchy grin of his. "Did she? Well, that's interesting."

I simply watched him for a while. Aaron was a natural listener. It took an effort to shut up long enough to hear what he said. He waited for a beat and a half, and then called "Lizzie? Would you come talk to the Captain?"

A short red haired boy wandered into the dining room. As soon as everyone in Aaron's family was done eating, he had shooed them away from the dining room. The smallest boy, Woodie was intent on his own agenda.

"I'll be there in a moment, Dear." Elizabeth said.

Woodie crept around behind me, with a sneaky look on his face. I didn't know what to do. Woodie was not my child and disciplining him was not my job. As a guest in Aaron's home, I really didn't know what to do. So I played dumb. I kept as much of a poker face as a sneaky six year old would allow and simply ignored it.

Then I heard a whisper from behind "You play chess?"

"Hmm?" I said. Aaron turned his attention back to me.

"I understand what you must be thinking Captain, but really..." He trailed off, looking at my face.

"Uh, oh." I thought. "That's it for Woodie."

Aaron got up and looked behind my chair. I felt Woodie squirm through my legs under the dining room table.

Aaron stepped back around me as silent as a cat. I gave him my best innocent look but he wasn't focused on me anymore.

Then I noticed Alice. She was Elizabeth and Aaron's oldest daughter. She was peeking around the door and giving Woodie an all clear. From the look on her face I would not have taken it. Alice was smaller copy of her mother, with fine blonde hair and an impressive bust. She looked like a cat beckoning a mouse to safety.

Evidently Aaron was scarier, because Woodie broke for the door way. He was almost completely through it when one of Alice's arms snaked out and dragged him out of sight.

A small squeal of outrage drew Aaron's attention to the doorway. He quickly understood what happened and gave an exasperated grunt. "I apologize if my son bothered you, Captain."

"Starfleet has a strict policy of neutrality on the internal affairs of a colony." I said as dryly as I could. I really wanted to roll around on the floor and howl. That Woodie was quite a character.

Elizabeth appeared from the kitchen where she had set up two of the younger children on the dish washing tasks. "Okay. What can I do for you, Captain?"

Aaron pointed out "The Captain wonders if our migration is voluntary, Lizzie."

"I should hope so! We've spent enough on it." She said immediately. Then she looked carefully at me. "You're worried about our safety?"

"Yes. You could say that." I pictured this happy house with all of its kids and cats starving. It was not a pretty picture. These people seemed almost oblivious to the danger.

She smiled a wonderful smile. "How sweet! Rest assured Captain that this migration is for the best."

It was not really an answer, but it was close. I was wondering if I should press the issue when Elizabeth said "Wait a moment, there's been something that I've wanting to ask you about." She jumped up and ran into the kitchen. I shot an inquiring gaze towards Aaron but he simply shrugged. He didn't know where she was heading, either.

Elizabeth came back with a PADD. She pulled her chair closer to mine and waved the PADD in front of me. With horror I realized that there was math on the PADD. It was Charles Holly's mad science. He had nearly destroyed the starship Harrier and everyone in her, during our first assignment.

"Oh, well, I-" I peddled desperately. The weird science that Holly had created was probably one of my least favorite subjects.

Elizabeth's enthusiasm for it was catchy. "You're the first person who has direct experience with Dr. Holly's work that I've had a chance to talk to." She explained. I noticed Aaron's large grin. I was caught, now. With a sigh I squinted at the PADD and tried to get Holly's weird equations to make more sense.

-*-

It was dark and I was out on the porch of Aaron and Elizabeth's house making my farewells. My head was spinning. I had actually understood more of Holly's work than I wanted to admit. Elizabeth had helped me to understand even more. I wasn't sure if I approved of the stuff implied by the equations but the discussion with Elizabeth had been a lot of fun.

The whole evening had been a lot of fun. Now I was even more reluctant to take these nice people out into the hinterlands and dump them there. Except maybe Woodie, who had taken such delight in drubbing me at chess...

A big, fat cat was twining through my legs as I stood on the porch talking earnestly with Aaron.

"Do you really know what you're getting into? I have seen some colonies where thing didn't go as planned. It's not pretty. There would be no help from the Federation for you out there."

"Thank you, Jay, but I'm afraid that this decision was made a long time ago." Aaron said.

We stood together on the porch drinking in the Martian night through the transparent aluminum dome.

"Well, good night, Aaron." I said, as I disengaged from the cat and went down the steps to the front walk.

"Let us know what you decide, Jay."

Until he said that I didn't know that I had not yet decided. I didn't know whether I was going on this strange mission or not.

-*-

I was in my apartment in Vista City, when the doorbell rang. Vista City was a suburb of San Francisco. It was the closest accommodations to Starfleet Command that I could arrange. It was only a few minutes away by tube.

I was reading about a million pages of notes and data concerning the Discovery's mission. I had not crammed like that since I had graduated from Starfleet Academy. There were about a jillion things that Starfleet Command felt that it was important for a starship captain to know.

My head whirling with a series of unconnected facts. The Bajorans had found a wormhole and then lost it when a terrorist attack had closed the mouth. Ambassador Spock was on Romulus organizing an underground Surak movement. It made a certain amount of sense. After all, that was how Surak did it.

A truly horrible treaty signed with the Cardassians had led to a demilitarized zone and an open rebellion against the Federation and the Cardassians.

Klingon and Cardassian tensions were on the rise. The Federation and the Phoenix Domain had just finished up a pocket war.

The door bell rang again to let me know that it was not a hallucination caused by information overload.

I gratefully put down the PADD I was reading and told the door to open.

There was short brown woman there. She was wearing robes of solid red, and a strange oval hat. She had no eyebrows and very wise eyes.

"Hello." I said "May I help you?"

"My name is Guinan." She said "I'm a friend of Admiral Picard's."

"Oh. Welcome. Please come in. May I get you something?" I gestured her into my apartment. I offered her a seat and she asked for a prune juice from my replicator.

In a few moments she was settled in like she visited me every day.

"Admiral Picard tells me that you've drawn the Discovery Project." Guinan said.

I was shocked. This woman looked about as civilian as civilian could be. "Well, ah. You know, I'm not really allowed to discuss it."

She held up a hand. "Don't worry. I am playing my small part in that effort, too. You can talk to me."

"Frankly, I don't know how much longer I'm going to be associated with that project." I said uncomfortably.

"Captain Picard told me of the problem you had with the idea of taking the colony out into space and dropping it there."

This Guinan person was easy to talk to. "Have you met the colonists?" I asked.

"Yes. I have met most of them."

"I don't know if I have the stomach to strand them. It's virtual death warrant."

"You'll feel better if someone else does it, then." She said mildly.

I was horrified. "No! I don't think they should go at all! There are plenty of open worlds inside the Federation. Why do they have to go out into the back of beyond?"

"That's not really the question any more though, is it? The question boils down to who is going to take them."

"Resigning is the only power I have to change this." I said. I realized that I was ready to fight the whole project. It was disquieting. "Once I resign I can take this to the media."

"By the time you do that, the Discovery will be halfway there. Who will be in her when she sails?"

I realized that if I resigned I would be pulling the plug on my own career. I was not foolish enough to believe that many of the crew would follow me.

"Who would Admiral Necheyev name to replace you?" Guinan asked.

I knew then that I had to go. I didn't want to strand Aaron, his family and all of their fellow colonists out in the boonies. On the other hand, I really didn't want to walk away and leave their fates and the fates of my crew in the hands of whoever Admiral Necheyev would pick. That was the key, wasn't it? The Discovery was my ship and her crew was my responsibility. It was too late to back out now.

"When you decide, look up Aaron Sheffield and Elizabeth Jackson. I think that you'll find some interesting coincidences." Guinan said

-*-

My computer search turned up two people who fit my description. Aaron Sheffield was a major stock holder in about every company that built starship weapons, shields and drives. Elizabeth Jackson was a minor stock in all of these and a research physicist for many of them as well.

The only inconsistency was that the Elizabeth Jackson and Aaron Sheffield in those records had sold out of these companies and then dropped out of public sight about twenty five years ago.

The pictures were of the same people I had met on Mars. Twenty-five years had not changed them at all.

I didn't know what to do with the knowledge and so I held onto it, waiting for later.

-*-

The dome on Mars didn't look so much like an idealized mid-west anymore. The plants had all been cut down and processed. The raw material went to the USS Discovery. The seeds and genetic material had been stored away for use on the colony world.

The machinery and the equipment had been broken down and stored away. The furniture and the houses were being stored aboard large, shallow cone shaped ships. They were the landing crafts. They would be filled with everything and lifted by tugs up to the USS Discovery. They would be docked and covered over with the outer hull. They were only good for one trip to the ground.

Most of the animals had been stored in cold sleep hibernation. Some of them had been transported up to the Discovery. She was now the most "natural" smelling starship in the fleet. They would make the trip alive and active in order to keep the colonist's training with them up to date, and as a back up in case we lost the animals in cold sleep.

I watched with Aaron as his house was broken down for storage. Soon Aaron would fly his shuttlecraft up to the Discovery and dock it there. Aaron's shuttlecraft was not a model that I was familiar with, but there were thousands of shuttles built in the Federation every year. No one could keep up with them all. I thought that it was kind of extravagant of Aaron to take his personal space ship with him to the colony. It could be very useful, while the fuel held out. After that it would be a complex garden shed. I noticed the name stenciled on the side, Rosinante.

"Well, Captain Hailey, thanks for your help." Aaron grinned. I had been drafted to carry furniture all afternoon. "Maybe it's time for you to tell me what you came to say."

I took a deep breath and could feel it in my shoulders. I wasn't used to physical labor. "I have decided to take the assignment. I'll drive you out to Beta Howard 224." I looked him in the eye. "I won't make anyone stay there. If anyone wants to stay on the Discovery and ride back to the Federation, I will welcome them with open arms."

He watched me for a moment, measuring. "Thank you, Captain. I appreciate it for what it's worth."

-*-

The USS Discovery was ready to launch. All the equipment was installed and working. All systems were go.

"T-Minus three." Said Lucas McCoy, my roguish Chief of Operations. He had a catchy good humor and was murder at the poker table. He was a late bloomer in the command ranks. The voyage of the Discovery was a break for him.

Mendez read his control panel in the seat next to mine. "Report by sections, readiness for launch."

"This is Sickbay." Reported Marcella Burlington, my new Chief Medical Officer. She was wealthy. She had equipped the Discovery's Sickbay with the cutting edge of medical technology out of her own pocket. What she was doing in Starfleet was a mystery to me. I hoped that I would find out eventually. "We are ready for launch."

"Tactical is ready for launch." That was Lieutenant Commander Stephanie Anderson. She had transferred with me from the USS Harrier.

"Engineering reports ready for launch." Miatsu said. His engineering section probably looked like a madhouse. The Discovery was launching from Utopia Planitia for the very first time.

"Operations reports ready for launch." McCoy said, playing his part in the drama.

"Flight Control is ready for launch Captain." Said Lieutenant Spaat, another Transfer from the USS Harrier.

"Commander Anderson, open a channel to Admiral Howard at Utopia Planitia, please." I said. Stephanie opened the channel.

Admiral Howard came on the screen. He was the commander of the ship yards.

"Admiral, I request transfer of command to the USS Discovery." It was a scripted moment. When he gave permission, the Discovery would, for the first time, be a separate unit of Starfleet.

"Is your ship ready for space, Captain?" He asked. That was part of the ritual. No Federation starship ever launched unless she was completely equipped and ready for space anymore. The "Lesson of the Enterprise-B" was not forgotten.

"We are fully equipped and ready for space, Sir."

"Then, Captain Hailey, I officially separate the USS Discovery from Utopia Planitia. The ship is yours." Finishing the scripted he grinned. "Congratulations, Captain."

"Thank you, Admiral. Permission to leave the yard?"

"Granted. Course data has already been relayed to your Conn."

With that the USS Discovery was separate starship.

Now we had to leave the dock. I turned to the Admirals Picard and Necheyev. They were seated in chairs especially set up for them on the Bridge.

"Admiral Necheyev, would you care to give the word?" She was the boss of the whole mess. It was appropriate that she start the ball rolling.

With a sidelong glance at Picard, Necheyev said "No, Captain. I believe that I have given all of the orders I need to in this project. The Discovery is your ship."

Nodding, I said "Thank you, Admiral. Take us out, Commander Mendez."

Mendez gave the orders. "Helm, ahead one quarter impulse. Take us into standard orbit."

"Aye, Sir." Spaat said. He entered the orders and the USS Discovery started to move.

-*-

From standard orbit around Mars we made our first cruise.

"This is USS Discovery to Mission Control Houston. Do you read?"

"Discovery, this is Houston. We read you loud and clear."

"Houston, Discovery requests a trajectory from Mars to Earth."

"Roger, Discovery. We are transmitting your course now. Enjoy the ride. Houston out."

"Thank you, Houston. Discovery out."

"One half impulse, Mr. Spaat. Take us to Earth."

"Aye, Sir."

The Discovery began her slow stroll to Earth. Along the way we picked up an entourage. There were several civilian ships and shuttles paralleling our course. They all kept to a ten kilometer separation.

Then the Starfleet ships began to cruise with us. The Enterprise-E was there as well and the USS Hannibal and the Beijing. Their captains called and wished us well. It was a great send off, and a sight that I will remember for a long time.

The Voyage of the Discovery had begun.

-End-

Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Trek. I claim original characters and situations in this story for me.