Bridge Training Cardassian Conspiracy (Part VIII)

Posted on Tue Mar 5th, 2024 @ 10:18am by Cadet Senior Grade Meghan Stefani & Cadet Senior Grade Daniel Weaver & Cadet Junior Grade Emma Mendez & Cadet Junior Grade Shafin Todenhöfer & Commodore Peter Murphy
Edited on on Tue Mar 5th, 2024 @ 10:42am

1,599 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Cadet Cruise

Bram Castello, a Cadet in the nursing program gave Dain a quick look as Dain had been in the middle of 'surgery' at the time Shafin's summons came in. Bram gave Dain a nod, and Dain a nod in return. Bram would take the call.

"Hold tight up there," Bram responded back. "Medical is on the way, Shafin" added Bram recognizing the voice of the other cadet easily.

Daniel's eyes were focused on Meghan on the floor. He kept shifting his position to get a better look, but someone in a medical uniform would always get in his way. In the meantime, he kept hearing a voice in the back his mind, calling his name.

In the way they quickly did as Bram arrived on the bridge of the Cavalier with a Medical kit. "We're a bit busy down there. Dain sends his best regards" said Bram Castello. He quickly went to Meghan's side.

He looked momentarily to catch a sight of Shafin. Of course, he was focused on duty rather than Meghan. "Cadet Stefani, I'm going to give you something for the pain" he said reaching for a hypospray and loading it before pressing it to her neck.

Bram then swapped it for Medical tricorder. "Second degree facial burns. Minor lacerations as well" he said aloud. Meghan was a science officer in training. Bram suspected that shed appreciate a good assessment.

He had a small dermal regenerator in the medical kit that he had taken as a grab and go. "Try to stay still for moment" he instructed. "I'll close the lacerations and start healing the skin. You'll need additional treatment in Sickbay later, but we'll have you looking ready for the Commandant's Ball in no time."

"I doubt there will be any dancing," she replied softly. The pain was gone, but she still felt a little light-headed. "Thanks, though." She was more concerned with how Daniel was doing.

Bram Castello looked around the bridge. "Certainly not with how things are going up here," he said. "Just stop by Sickbay after this" he added. Bram packed his kit and cleared off the bridge.

"Daniel... Daniel..."

The voice got louder and louder until he finally realized whose it was. The Op's cadet who grabbed Daniel by the arm which snapped him back to reality. "Captain!"

Daniel's eyes locked on to the cadets. They were wide as he was still in shock.

"Orders?" The Cadet asked.

"Shields..." Daniel said softly.

"They were up. Daniel... are you okay?"

"Exactly... How did they it us this hard when the shields were up?" Daniel said loudly as he looked to Emma. "Mendez! What's the status of the shields?"

Emma was already ahead of Daniel as she was looking over the shield status. "That can't be right..." she muttered. "No, that's not possible..." she continued. "Daniel, the shields were at full strength, I set them to full strength. I know I did. I checked the readings myself, but now..." she paused for a brief moment as she began to open up the logs for the shield strength monitor.

"Holy Rice Pudding with Jam!" she exclaimed. "Daniel, the shields were at full strength. But after that one hit, they lost most of their power. It was like the plug was pulled out of the socket. They just lost power. The logs show that they went from one hundred per cent power to twelve." She looked up at Daniel and gave him a look that could only be described as utter confusion.

Daniel raised a brow. "What?" He said softly, confused. "How is that possible?" He looked over to K'tarra. "K'tarra... What happened to the power to the shields?"

"Power was reallocated," the ops cadet replied. "It wasn't her fault."

"What?!" He looked around the bridge, breathing heavily, his mind racing from the confusion. Trying to make sense of it. He looked over to Tarah and shouted. "Tarah! Get us out! Now, Dammit!"

The room suddenly went silent. The image on the view screen went blank. The Bridge was full with chaos. It was over. The Bridge training had come to an end and it felt more like a nightmare. People were hurt, but not dead, and the damage to the bridge looked repairable. However, the damage from the training itself would be skin deep.

Daniel looked around at the silence at all the damage that was done. He saw the hurt people and quickly his mind jumped to one thing. Meghan. He ran over to her to try to see how she was doing.

Meghan, with the help of Bram, was sitting up. "He cheated, Daniel. Even though this was supposed to be a no-win scenario, but still, he cheated. That's the only answer that fits."

"I know." Daniel said softly, slightly out of breath, took her hand in his. "I'm sorry... this is my fault." He added softly.

Shafin had enough of these preposterous training simulations that they were being put through. People were tired and others had a few bumps and bruises. His fellow cadets were aching, hurting, and in general not in the best of shape. Nor was Shafin.

"I'm going to deck five," he proclaimed and started loosening his uniform already looking disheveled as it was. "If anyone needs me" he added.

As the turbolift doors opened, to allow Shafin to leave, the Commodore stood inside it. He kept his hands behind his back and stepped out with a disappointed look on his face. A face Daniel was all too familiar with. He stepped out and looked at Shafin sternly before saying. "You haven't been dismissed, Cadet." He said as he walked passed Shafin and towards the center of the bridge.

Shafin had no intentions on joining the others. "You'll excuse me if I don't vomit on your uniform" he said. "I'll be in Sickbay."

"Now... let's discuss what you all did wrong... Shall we?"

Daniel's eyes darted around the bridge before he stepped towards the Commodore. "What we did wrong? What we did wrong?!?!" He waved his hands around the bridge, gesturing to the damage and wounded scattered around. "What's there to discuss?!!" He shouted back at the Commodore. He had reached his limit with his father’s games. Now others were involved. People he cared about were hurt.

"Watch your tone..." The Commodore replied as he looked at Daniel sternly. "Cadet. You are bordering on insubordination."

"Bordering?!" Daniel countered. "I am well passed insubordination, Dad! Look around you! This was supposed to be a test, an exercise to train us into working together, and you turned it into one of you damn mind-games with a disjointed lesson attached to it!"

"If you learned nothing from this exercise, Cadet, it's that you can't handle the center chair because you let your emotional attachment get involved." The Commodore said as he looked around the room. "The Cardassians. The Bajoran Ship. All of it was to test whether you could keep your-"

"Shut up!" Daniel shouted, stopping his father’s speech in its place.

"Excuse me?!" His father said, with a bewildered look on his face, as he turned to face Daniel. "You are out of line, Cadet."

"Out of line?!" Daniel replied as he held his hands out again. "You're out of line, Sir. Put a bunch of Cadets in a dangerous simulation in order to prove a point to one Cadet about a position he never... asked... to... be in!" He gestured to Meghan. "Cadet Stefani was injured, and had she been closer to the console, may have even died." He gestured to Emma. "Tactical's controls over the shields were circumvented in order to justify your plan that this ship was damaged!" He gestured to K'tarra. "Engineering's capability to give us power...." He pointed to Tarah. "And the Helm's attempt to escape was thwarted by your involvement!" Daniel pointed to his father. "You set us up to fail!! And your twisted way of trying to teach me how much of a good Commanding Officer I would be just dragged every single Cadet on this bridge into it!"

"You failed because you took the wrong action." The Commodore countered, stepping towards Daniel.

"I failed because you kept changing the rules!!" Daniel shouted back, balling his fist.

"Daniel!" The Cadet at Ops shouted as he came up behind Daniel and grabbed his arms. He leaned forward and whispered to him. "Daniel.. he's still a senior officer. He's not worth it." He leaned back again, keeping his arms on Daniels.

Daniel stood there, staring intently at his father, The Commodore, before shrugging his arms so the Ops Cadet would let go of him. "You're right..." He said softly, looking around the bridge, before turning around. "He's not worth it." He walked passed the Ops Cadet and headed to the turbolift.

"You haven't been dismissed, Cadet Weaver." The Commodore shouted.

"I'm dismissing myself, Sir." He shouted back as he stepped into the turbolift.

Meghan stood and looked at the Commodore before she, too, walked off the bridge after Daniel. She had no words for the commodore at the moment.

OFF

Cadet Junior Grade Bram Castello
Nursing Cadet
USS Cavalier

Cadet Senior Grade Daniel Weaver
Acting Commanding Officer
USS Cavalier

Cadet Junior Grade Shafin Todenhöfer
Acting XO
USS Cavalier

Cadet Senior Grade Meghan Stefani
Acting Chief Science Officer
USS Cavalier

Commander Junior Grade Emma Mendez
Acting Chief of Security
USS Cavalier

Commodore Peter Murphy
Commanding Officer
USS Cavalier

Unnamed Ops Cadet
Acting Operations Officer
USS Cavalier

 

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