ORIGINS: USS Hood Story Only Post Archives

Last Updated: 2260.175

2260

[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: And Then It All Went To Hell.=

Scene: Planet Monil IV, Capital City. SD 2260.102

Lieutenant Commander Sean Merrick shifted uneasily in the limousine's shotgun seat. He tried hard to ignore the loudmouth behind him and enjoy the view of Monil IV's captial city. He sighed and turned to watch the capital's intricate marble edifices blur by.

Merrick, about two dozen Starfleet crew, and several planetary officials were convoying from their hotel up to the Grand Council Hall. Their job was straightforward: negotiate for the Federation a treaty to mine the planet's dilithium reserves.

Simple enough, Merrick thought. He rolled his eyes and wondered when the councilman behind him would ever shut up about it. The chunky politician had the XO, Commander Jack Steele, well and truly trapped in the rear cabin.

"I'm telling you that the Enric provincials won't like it!" Councilman Litro argued. "They won't stand for it! Have you ever met one of them? In their minds, it is the Prasaans' fault that the sun rises and that the sun sets."

Merrick harumphed. Hatfields and McCoys evidently had extended family on Monil. As the chief engineer, Merrick had briefed the planetary council on which dilithium deposits they wanted to tap first. It had gone over like a fart in church. The majority of the mines lay in, of all places, the Prasaan province's western border. It was land that the not so wealthy, but very irritable Enric had historically disputed ownership of.

Litro carried on. "The Federation contracts will give the Prasaan overwhelming economic and political power. Protests against these treaty talks have already begun. Why, this morning, 5 people were hopitalized after a full out riot!"

"We're not about to tell you how to run your politics, councilman," Steele calmly countered. "But the Federation considers that dilithium to be of the utmost strategic importance. Disruption to its production won't be accepted. What will your government do to mitigate relations between the Prasaan and Enric?"

"Perhaps you haven't been listening Commander Steele!" Litro scowled. "The Enric don't do compromise. They won't ..."

Merrick yawned. It had been like this with the honorable Litro yesterday and the day before. He was checking his communicator's chrono again...when it happened.

All of the sudden it seemed like there were explosions everywhere. The lead car erupted in a mushrooming fireball. Glass snapped across Merrick's face even as he was thrown hard against his harness. In an instant, the whole convoy crashed to a halt.

Shaking his head, he looked up in shock. He felt as if he had ear muffs on and his vision was blurry. He glanced around. The Captain's limo, along with half the HOOD's senior staff, was a blazing hulk. His own car's driver had slumped, unconscious or dead. Merrick looked forward again. There was a line of smoke leading right up to the first limo's burning wreckage. The image stirred something in Merrick...an urgent little voice began to rise. "OH SH...!"

"Out! Out! Get out!" he yelled. "Rockets inbound!"

Then he noticed for the first time a frightful pinging sound. Whizzing and ricocheting bullets filled the car. Panicked now, Merrick unhitched his belt and dove for the slightly less exposed rear cabin. Wave after wave of shots thudded around him. He heard a short, very small cry. He peered up and beheld with gut wrenching horror the darling little asian officer from communications. She had taken two rounds to the chest. Her terror stricken eyes held his for a moment, then lost their light forever.

Coming back to himself, Merrick realized that the intensity of the shots had lessened. He saw commander Steele next to him laying on top of the councilman and shouting vainly into a communicator.

"Jammed!" he spat. The fire seemed to have come from their right, so Steele gestured left.

"Go! Go! Go!" Steele shouted as Merrick kicked the door out and they crawled into the street. But as Steele dragged out the sobbing councilman, Merrick realized that there was no real cover nearby. Their caravan had been hit in an open field. The only nearby structure, a tiny convenience store he guessed, had been taken out by a rocket that must have just missed their limo.

As shots started to patter close again, Litro began crying hysterically. "They're going to kill us! They're going to kill us!" Steele gave the incontinent man a swift slap to the cheek.

"Control yourself councilman!" Steele ordered, even as a bullet tore a respectable hole inches above his own head.

Merrick took heart at this spectacle and started thinking again. A glimmer of hope made him creep forward. Their driver had been a security guard. His pistol might not have much range, but it was better than nothing.

With some difficulty, he got the driver-side door open and pried the gun out of its holster. No sooner did he have it in hand than Steele thumped him on the shoulder.

"The car behind us is still in one piece. It will have one too," the commander said urgently. "Cover me in three ... two ..."

Merrick quickly fumbled off the safety and chambered a round. He heard Steele count "one" and popped his head over the hood of the limo. Luck was on his side. A band of six or seven was hoofing it across the open field towards them. He opened fire.

The shots caught the attackers completely by surprise. He nailed one Monillian dissident in the leg and two others hit the dirt. Immediately a volley of projectiles whizzed centimeters from his bare skull. Ducking back, he glanced left in time to see three figures outflanking his absurdly exposed position. He squeezed off six rapid shots that miraculously downed two. The third braced against a street pole, and then made the spectacularly bad mistake of trying to look around it for a target. Merrick all but cheered as his slug splattered the man's brains across the pavement.

He heard shouts and more fire behind him. Steele had made it to the other car's weapon and was now pumping a danger close assailant full of bullets. Sirens in the distance became audible. More shouts followed and a whistle call went up.

By the time Merrick had pulled another clip from his dead driver's belt, the attackers were retreating. He watched them run full tilt towards a couple of air vans off in the distance.

Bastards!" he screamed. "Get back here you bastards!" He let off a few more rounds. He wanted to run after them and make them pay for this unmitigated atrocity.

But his training overrode that instinct. Some of the attackers he and Steele had downed might still have fight in them. Grimly, he moved toward the nearest and kicked him in the head for good measure.

NRPG: Welcome Aboard the HOOD! This part of a prelaunch series Andy and I have been creating to get things fired up. He'll have a few follow-ons to post shortly after mine. Feel free to add on to them! Just reiterating what Andy's already said in his e-mails, we want to make posting aboard the HOOD as fun as possible. If you don't have time for a few pages, a 5-10 paragraph postlet would be just fine. If you're looking for ideas to get the creative juices flowing, just drop us a message. I always return e-mails within 48 hours and usually within 24. I'm always eager to JP, edit drafts, or just talk if you need.

Respectfully Submitted, Brian V. Mansur LCDR Sean Merrick FO, USS HOOD NCC-1703