<USS Avalon> "First Stop: First Deck"

?First Stop: First Deck?
by Ensign Evan Benevente



Evan Benevente walked with his squad down the drab two-tone corridor of deck eight. His mind was racing and he couldn?t focus on anything except his order. Admirable, he thought, but it was lazy nonetheless. As a security officer, according to Starfleet manuals, you are the eyes and the ears of the crew of the ship. Without eyes and ears the rest of the ship is blind and deaf to its surroundings ? overkill, Evan thought, but still intriguing to mentally examine.

He tried to put the pieces together. He fought to assume the role of protagonist and analyze the problem. Evan even tried to focus on all the good things that were happening to make sense of the bad. Alas, he was no scientist. The young ensign assumed certain things had gone wrong and he assumed that things would eventually be righted and he?d end up where he should be. How long, however, was a new question. Even he was scared of never seeing the blue oceans of home again.

The turbolift doors hissed open and Evan stepped inside. His eyes sought the ceiling and his mind wandered further away from reality. There was so much to take in, so much to attempt to comprehend, and so much irrelevant information to shift through. Evan didn?t envy the scientists in the slightest. Being lost in his own thoughts he didn?t realize that the doors had closed and he was left by his lonesome. ?Computer, open doors.?

Opening up before him his squad looked at him with a carefully tilted head. Evan blinked, trying to make sense of the scene in addition to the others that were playing over and over again in his mind. Then it dawned on him, no weapons. ?I apologize. To the armory.? Evan pointed back down the hallway they?d come ? how?d he miss something as blatantly obvious as being unarmed?

?It?s all right, Ev, we?ll forgive you ? this time,? a young woman who Evan knew only as Ensign Sykora smiled and winked at him, ?I do hope, however, that if this were to happen on the bridge that you?d compensate faster than that.?

?I?ll demote you.?

?You can?t, we?re the same rank. Besides, only Commander Sierra has the authority to that, or the Captain or the executive officer. You did graduate from the academy, didn?t you? Wait, no, that showing of lack of attention is an obvious sign you slept through all your tactical classes,? Sykora smiled again as she sort of playfully shoved Evan against the corridor.

The armory opened up in its sterilized state. The forcefields had already been deactivated and the distinct hum was painfully absent. The cold metallic surface of the weaponry sat on their racks with an uninviting presence lingering about them. Evan grabbed the nearest one and slung the strap across his shoulder and turned it on. ?Lock and load.?

?What?? Another ensign that he knew only by last name, Clydeno, piped up as he grabbed a rifle.

?Nevermind, it?s just an _expression_ from long ago,? Evan smirked slightly as he watched the others grab their weapons and initiate them like he did his. There was an ominous feeling about the whole scene; it was almost surreal. Armed guards ready to make their way into battle, but this time the warriors weren?t from another ship, or another species, they were the same people. ?You guys realize that we?re going to be fighting the descendants of our own people, right??

The statement registered, albeit slowly. A sickening silence descended onto them. The weapons stopped clanging around in a frantic chaos and slipped into a mournful depression. Looks of worry and regret lined the faces of his team, but Evan didn?t have the boastful pride and ego to say something that was funny to lighten the situation ? he let them wallowing in their own doubt and personal torment.

?This hasn?t happened yet,? Clydeno mused, ?this whole future can be altered significantly if we find a way home. These people may be from our own blood, but to us they don?t exist yet. We can?t think of them as those that are our family ? they?re trying to kill us. We defend what?s ours. If that means slaying some of those bastards in the process, then so be it.? Colorful, yet to the point.

?Well said,? Sykora added as she completed Evan?s thought.

Evan saw the cohesion, he felt the bond, but he couldn?t quite pinpoint where exactly the ruthlessness was. Generally speaking it wasn?t a must for a Starfleet vessel, but they were Starfleet Intelligence and they were going to protect the brain of the entire ship ? they sure as hell better be showing some evil. ?You guys ready to handle this? The bridge is a big responsibility. If we can?t??

?Evan, please, spare us the chat,? Sykora practically shoved past him and stepped back into the hallway. ?We know that if we lose the bridge then we?ve lost everything. Just like if we lose engineering we?ve lost the Avalon all together. It?s the same spiel every time and it never changes, can we go now??

He saw no other choice but to nod his agreement. As long as he felt comfortable with his life in their hands he felt that they could handle such a mission. The Captain and Commander may argue, he thought, but that was their problem ? not his. ?Of course we can go,? within moments they were in the turbolift, ?bridge.?

The doors slid shut and a hushed silence fell over the crowd. Looks of indecision passed over all of them, except for Evan. He?d seen his fair share of atrocities, he?d seen his fair share of death ? scratch that, more than his fair share. This wasn?t going to be anything he hadn?t seen. Unfortunately, he wished that it were.

?Welcome to the bridge,? Evan said as he waltzed out onto deck one. The Captain didn?t bother looking up, he was aware that he knew they were there. Evan pointed to two different places and his group split into three sections. Sykora and another manned the doors to the ready room while Clydeno and a colleague stood next to the conference room door.

They were ready.

Evan tapped his communications badge and smiled. Two of his crew had stepped back and flanked the turbolift door. If anyone attempted to enter the bridge by anything but transporters they?d have a hell of a surprise waiting for them. ?Benevente to Sierra. The bridge is secure, Commander. Awaiting your orders.?

A static response came across the audio system, ?Understood, Ensign, stay put. Wait to initiate the containment forcefield only after Doctor Roan has dispatched her medics to establish the triage center in the conference room. Provide her with necessary protection once her teams arrive. Sierra out.?

Evan nodded to all of his teams and they returned the nod as well.

They were ready.

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