Condor watched as the brilliant ball of light signalled the collision between the Dalriadan warship and the saucer section of the hull. There was no mistaking what had happened, and the fact that the Captain had made the ultimate sacrifice to save each and every one of them who had made it through.
"Commander, incoming shockwave."
"Brace for impact!"
The remaining section of the Lexington rolled under the impact, tossed like a toy sailboat in a storm. The crew had no choice but to roll, majority of the systems having shutdown under the onslaught from the Dalriadan warship.
Somehow, by some stroke of fortune that Condor had no idea they had come across, the helm responded and turned the ship to face the shock wave. Even so, klaxons and warnings about breaches on more than half a dozen decks sang out. The crew worked feverishly to patch what they could, and three decks were evacuated to prevent further losses.
"Status report?"
"Hull breeches on all decks, nearly all sections. Severe damage on 10 decks. Damage control teams can't secure three of those. They're been sealed to prevent further loss of atmosphere."
"Casualties?"
"Only 64 made it over before the separation." It didn't serve to note that this meant some 700 had not made it over, most of them had been killed at their stations or in their quarters when they were caught unprepared for the attack and not wearing vacuum suits when their areas were exposed to space. "Of those, 18 dead, 27 injured. There were 240 in the stardrive section. Of those, there 205 casualties, 72 of those are dead."
The comprehensive casualty report scroll across the screen. From a crew of more than 1000, there were only 214 left alive and of those, 160 were injured, some critically. Only 84 personnel were fit for duty.
"OK, it looks like we're working on a skeleton staff. Get an emergency signal off to Starfleet. The last thing we want is to find out that ship wasn't on it's own. I want essential systems up first. Ensure the stability of life support, then get the shields up. As soon as we can get more power to the engines, let's do it. At the moment, we're sitting ducks. Anyone who can assist is to assist with repairs. Did Doctor Ral make it?"
"Yes I did, commander? The captain?"
"She was in command of the other section. Doctor, I want you to check everyone out, and do what you can. I need every able body helping out."
"I have very little to work with!"
"Do what you can, doctor. We all have very little to work with!"
Condor watched the doctor leave the Bridge, knowing that he would take the Captain's death hard. For now, Condor didn't have the luxury of considering feelings. He had to get them home. Had to make sure that the Captain's sacrifice wasn't futile.
---
Time: 38 Hours later
Condor snoozed in the command chair, a position he hadn't left since arriving on board. Slowly, they had limped back in the direction of Omega, sensors on full alert and gradually getting some sort of control back on what remained of the Lexington. They had lost 5 of the injured during that time. Each time, Ral had come to the Bridge personally to tell him, rather than broadcast the news. Morale, or what was left of it, didn't need news of more deaths. They had all seen enough death in these last two days to see them through their careers, and beyond.
"Commander, we're receiving a hail!"
"On screen!"
"We only have audio."
"Let me hear it!"
"Vessel in distress, this is the USS Falcon, over!"
"USS Falcon, this is the USS Lexington, Lieutenant Commander Condor Henderson in command!"
"Commander, it's good to hear your voice. Captain Richard Cording, Commanding Officer speaking. We were dispatched as soon as your emergency beacon was heard. Glad to hear there are some of you alive!"
"Captain, it's nice to hear help arriving."
"What sort of condition are you in?"
"Not brilliant. Minimal major systems. Serious structural damage."
"Personnel?"
"203 survivors, 149 injured." Eleven more had died in the time since the battle.
"We'll get your people off and secure the vessel for a tow back to Omega. There are a lot of people wanting to know what happened out there!"
"No they don't, Captain. They don't want to know what happened out there!"
Ten minutes later, the first of the Falcon's teams beamed aboard, reparing the Lexington for tow, and gradually, the exhausted personnel of the Lexington were transferred to their transport home. Condor was the last to transfer, some 3 hours later, after every other crew member of the Lexington had transferred, and the Lexington had been secured. Captain Cording was waiting for him when he beamed on board.
"Commander, welcome aboard!"
"Thank you, captain. Is there somewhere that I can send a priority message to Omega?"
"This way, but you look dead on your feet. You need..."
"Captain, this is more important than a few hours sleep. I need to speak to Vice Admiral Brooks immediately!"
"This way!"
Moments later, the face of Vice Admiral Brooks appeared on the viewscreen!
"Commander, what happened out there?", asked Brooks, skipping the formalities.
"Sir, the Lexington was attacked by a Dalriadan warship. She ordered us to surrender and when we didn't react immediately, she opened fire. Their captain called the ship His Majesty's Cruiser Vortex. Admiral, the attack was unprovoked by the Daldarians."
"Captain Lee?"
"Killed during the battle, sir. In fact, her actions saved those crew members who survived!"
"How bad, Commander?"
"There were 203 survivors, 149 of which are injured. Of the 149, 22 are expected to live until we reach Omega, even with all the assistance available!"
"And the Lexington?"
"Saucer section destroyed, in turn destroying the Daldarian vessel. The remainder seriously damaged. She'll have to be scrapped, sir."
"What's your appraisal of the situation, commander?"
Condor was shocked for a moment, that the admiral wanted him to provide his opinion on this whole situation.
"I'd say that we're at war with the Dalriada, sir. Any ships going out there had better use extreme caution. The Dalriada aren't asking any questions!"
Brooks nodded, taking all of the information in. "I will speak to you upon your arrival at Omega, commander."
"Yes sir!"
"Omega out."
At this point, Condor collapsed, the exhaustion taking control. He had warned Starfleet, he could do no more.
---
Scene: 48 hours later, approaching Starbase Omega
After his collapse, Condor had slept for nearly all of the return trip. Even then, Cording had ordered the medical officers to wake him. As first officer of a lost ship, he would have a lot to answer for to the admiral. There had been more than a little concern about his condition, and Doctor Ral had insisted on keeping track of his condition personally. It would be better, insisted Ral, had he been left to wake naturally; however, with the warp tugs having arrived only hours behind Falcom to take charge of the remainder of Lexington, the ship was immediately recalled to bring the survivors of the stricken explorer to the starbase. As Condor stared at the Starbase, it was evident that the place was on a war footing. The amount of activity was greater than it had ever been during his career and not more than a handful of the ships were the civilian merchantmen that normally frequented the busy port.
"Commander, what happens now?", asked Johg.
"The Lexington, at least what remains of it, will be mothballed." He couldn't bear to tell the crew that she would likely be scrapped. "And we'll be distributed amongst the fleet, I'd guess. Each of us will be eagerly snapped up, having seen what Starfleet is up against. Whatever happens,we won't get too much of a rest!"
"When will we know?"
"I'd say within an hour of arrival. More than likely, I'll have to report immediately to the admiral. He won't hesitate in getting us back into action, and he'll want to know as much as he can!"
"So, this is it for the Lexington?"
"For the time being. Who knows, maybe one day we'll be there when they launch another one."
"It'd been an honor to serve with you, sir!"
"Likewise, Johg. Good luck with everything!"
Immediately upon arrival, there were escorts waiting to take Condor to the Admiral's office. Brooks looked up from his desk at Condor's arrival, a grim look on his face. Evidently, he hadn't had a great deal of sleep lately.
"Commander, welcome back. We've downloaded all the records that we could from Lexington, but any information that you can provide will be vital."
"I'll provide what information I can!"
The admiral nodded grimly. "Colonel Sorill will conduct the interviews of the surviving crew. Please join him in the conference room," stated Brooks indicating a door on the side wall.
As he stepped into the conference room, Condor's thoughts turned once more the the remainder of the Lexington, bidding a goodbye silently.
Respectfully Submitted,
Andrew Bell
aka
Lieutenant Commander Condor Henderson
Executive Officer
USS Lexington, NCC-1703-D