Star Trek: The Merchant Prince

[Mark]

Jonathan Hawkins sat alone in the cockpit of his shuttlecraft. It seemed to him that he was always alone these days. This damned ship moved at a snails pace of what he was used to, taking weeks to travel to destinations rather than days. He had more than enough time these days to dwell on what had become of him. It was morbidly hilarious. Not that long ago, he was one of Starfleets "Golden Boys", earmarked for a command since they first took a look at his aptitude scores. In the Academy his instructors used to praise his "leap before you look" attitude, saying it was something long missing from the fleet. Everyone had expected great things from him, most of which he had achieved. He managed to graduate the Academy in three years instead of the usual four, with high honors, and a Distinguished Service Commendation. As a result of graduating first in his class and his meritorious service, he had even earned a commission of Lieutenant Junior Grade, rather than the usual Ensign.

During the Dominion War he truly distinguished himself. It was quite clear to all that officers like him were in short supply. He was considered a "Warrior Officer", a master of combat skills, strategy, and starship combat tactics, but somewhat lacking in diplomacy, engineering skills, and sciences. That was him, always taking the fight to the enemy, and doing so in a way that his own people would follow him to Hell and back, because they knew he would take care of them, and wouldn't hesitate to step in front of a poloron blast to save the lowliest crewman. He was charming, charismatic, and quite good looking. Everyone expected great things from him down the road, but not as soon as it did. Nobody however, could have predicted what happened next.

During the battle to retake DS9, he was serving on the USS Traveler, an uprated Galaxy class Starship, as the Security Chief and Tactical Officer. (Then) Lt. Cmdr Hawkins had been injured by shrapnel from an exploding console and taken to sickbay. While being quickly treated, the ships dorsal shield failed and the bridge took a direct hit, breaching the hull and killing the ships entire command crew. As the only senior bridge officer left, he ran out of sickbay to the battle bridge, where he assumed command of the ship. It's commonly held that his actions that day saved the ship and its crew. As a result of his valor, courage, and tactical abilities (and perhaps the shortage of ranking officers) he was promoted past the rank of Commander all together directly to Captain, and given command of the Traveler. At 27, he was the youngest Captain to ever command such a ship.

The next four years were wonderful. The war ended, and the Traveler was finally reassigned from Military Operations back to Galaxy Exploration. The only problem that Captain Hawkins had to deal with was a First Officer that was twice his age and make no pretenses about what he thought of his Captain. Hawkins was forced to reprimand him more than once, but only verbally, not wishing to note insubordination on the man's record.

But then it happened. While exploring an uncharted system, the Traveler discovered a MASSIVE asteroid heading toward the third planet in the system. It was an industrial level society, just beginning to send orbiters into space, but with no defense for a threat such as this. The Prime Directive dictated that he do nothing, as by saving these people he would be interfering in their natural evolution, a fact his XO smugly reminded him of several times. Hawkins saw the situation very clearly. If he acted now, the populace would never even know that a threat ever existed much less an "alien" species had saved them. If he did nothing, billions of innocent people would die. Using the same tactic that Captain Jean-Luc Picard used when commanding the Enterprise-D, he used his ship to steer the asteroid into a course back into deep space. He thought the matter over and done with, as they moved on to the next system. Less than a week later, his XO walked into his ready room without permission and informed him that per orders from Starfleet Command, he was hereby relieved of duty, to be confined to quarters, and returned to Starbase 116 for an Article 32 hearing on the charge of "Violating the Prime Directive."

A beeping from his control console snapped him out of his reverie. He was finally approaching Space Station Orion 2. An archaic Regula class outpost, it was one of six that monitored the edge of Orion space, trying to keep smuggling down to a minimum. It was also a popular place for merchant captains to conduct trades, relax, and hire new crew members. One thing Hawkins never expected was that the universe outside of Starfleet really DID still use money. The Federation still used credits inside its boarders, however as he quickly learned, without a hard monetary system to back the credits, they were somewhat useless outside of, or even on the fringes of Federation space. As with most Starfleet Officers, Hawkins had nearly never drawn against his pay, since he'd always had a replicator to provide whatever he wanted. When he'd actually looked at what he'd accumulated, he was amazed, thinking money wouldn't be a problem, which it wouldn't have if he'd decided to settle on one of the Federation worlds. But, as he wasn't a scientist, an artist, an engineer, or some other profession that would benefit society as a whole, he realized he really had nothing ahead of him. Plus he wanted, no NEEDED to be in space. He realized that his credits COULD be exchanged at a seriously discounted rate for gold pressed latnum, which seemed to be the accepted currency of the merchant class, as it was accepted most everyplace the Ferengi did business. Adjusting his course one last time, Hawkins couldn't help but remember, as he did nearly every hour of every day, the day his life ended.



18 Months Ago

"Will the Defendant please rise?" came the order from the presiding Admiral.

Hawkins and his JAG attorney both stood. Everyone had agreed the prosecutions case was weak, and expected an acquittal. The Prosecuting Officer even went so far as to offer Hawkins a deal, allowing him to avoid any punitive consequences and retaining his rank. However, he would have to give up his command, and he'd spend the rest of his career on a Starbase as an administrator. Of course he'd refused. Nobody EVER expected him to be convicted on such a charge, especially when such officers as Captain Picard, and now Admiral Janeway did so on a regular basis. He was much better able to justify his decision than most others who had run into trouble. So his heart felt like it suddenly stopped when the Jury Foreman passed the PADD to the Judge who read the verdict.

"Captain Jonathan Hawkins, this Court Martial finds you guilty on the charge of premeditatedly violating the Prime Directive. As a consequence of your actions, you are hereby stripped of your command, rank, and position. You will spend six month at a penal colony, after which you will be dishonorably discharged from Starfleet." Banging his gavel, the Admiral then announced "This Court Martial is adjourned."

His JAG attorney stammered promises of appeals as he was escorted out of the courtroom in a daze. The next day, he was transferred to a penal outpost constructed on Ceti Alpha V. He lived for six months in an underground structure enduring their "rehabilitation". Just before his release, his lawyer told him his appeal had been rejected, and he was now filing with the Federation Supreme Court. The decision had a good chance of being overturned his lawyer thought, but it could take years to get a hearing. When he was released, he was transported to Starbase 22 and simply left to make his own way. Luck, however had been kind to him. During the battle to retake DS9, the only other surviving senior officer had been Chief Engineer Fontes, who always credited him with saving her life. The base commander was an Admiral Fontes, who turned out to be a very grateful father. He had taken Hawkins aside, and offered the despairing young man some guidance. He also gave him the most generous gift Hawkins ever imagined, his own ship. The Admiral had taken a Type 11 shuttle and had it decommissioned. He had the shuttle modified for civilian use, removing the micro-torpedo tubes, and the Starfleet database and access codes. He even had the shuttle painted black, and in a moment of irony, had the ship named "Nighthawk", making use of Hawkins' old wartime nickname.

"Sir" Hawkins said "I just don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything, lad" Admiral Fontes said "It'll make you look wise beyond your years. Because of you I still have a daughter. I want you to know that there are a lot of us who don't agree with that decision. We think people were playing politics and you paid the price. Your LOYAL former XO was given command of the Traveler, and certain members of the jury panel suddenly received choice postings. It seems strange, but all we can do is trust the system. Now, get the heck out of here kid."

With a nod, Johnny Hawkins boarded his new home.



PRESENT DAY

Hawkins had no idea what he was in store for. Everything cost money which was sapping his funds. Deuterium for fuel and bulk matter for his replicator were his biggest expenses. He discovered that civilians had restrictors built into non Starfleet replicators, and as such couldn't replicate weapons more advanced than knives. Without the might of Starfleet behind him, he learned quickly he had all new kind of worries when two thugs tried to mug him. He vented some long and pent up frustration on them, as one had a knife, and the other a stun baton, but he realized he had gotten lucky, and needed to take certain precaution. He had purchased a pair of thirty year old type two phaser pistols which he wore on either hip, plus an old type one palm phaser to hide in his boot. Those weapons had cost him more than passage on a luxury liner. Since he only had basic engineering knowledge, he had to pay for service to his ship, at non Starfleet run stations. He chose to avoid one operated by Starfleet, because he was ostracized by those he once served side by side with. This he realized he needed a job. He hoped to get a job on a merchant ship, but thus far wasn't having much luck. He had never served on a freighter, wasn't an engineer, or any other job that was in demand. Nobody wanted to hire somebody with a command background, even is a security capacity, as they seemed to be afraid he may have a hard time taking orders. He was hoping he'd have better luck here. He heard about a ship who'd lost a significant portion of her crew, but nobody knew why. He'd been warned that a lot of the people working on that ship were eccentric, and the XO was a real hardass. As he approached the station for final approach, he saw the ship at a docking port. It was an old Merchantman style freighter.

The name on the hull was "The Merchant Prince".

[Mark]

Well, the first part of that story I mentioned in "Civilian Ships" is up. Tell me what ya think. Criticism is welcome, (just don't make me cry )

This is just the intro and the back story......the real story will be starting next.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Interesting, Mark. Might need a few more paragraph breaks, but other than that pretty good. And da-yum, him getting cashiered like that... *Shakes head* Can't wait for more!

[stitch626]

Ouch... I really feel sorry for him...

Starfleet does need to throw out the PD.

Oh, nice writing btw.

[Mark]

Interesting, Mark. Might need a few more paragraph breaks, but other than that pretty good. And da-yum, him getting cashiered like that... *Shakes head* Can't wait for more!

I feel ya on the paragraph breaks. I was trying to condense a chapter into a couple of pages....but once he starts meeting other characters, it should be easier to read.

With luck, the next installment should be up soon, maybe tonight.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Ah, cool. I shall read/review either tonight or tomorrow, then.

[Mark]

Jonathan Hawkins made his way through the crowded corridors of the station. "Shabby" didn't begin to describe the state of this station, and the smell was enough to kill any appetite he may have had. The Orion 2 station was Starfleet surplus, and run by the local system defense force, as well as civilian enterprises. Taking note that nearly everyone he could see was armed, he kept one hand close to one of his phasers the entire time he was there. This place made him uneasy.

As he had before when looking for a berth, he signaled the ship to speak with the Captain. The stations computers advised him that the ship's comm system was down. So, after docking and paying a moderate fee, as well as an outrageous bribe, he made his way to the ships airlock, where he was turned away by a huge Nausican working for station security. The Nausican surprisingly enough, was somewhat friendly and told him he needed to talk to a man named Gibbs if he needed a job. So, he began a three hour search for this Gibbs.

The last stop on his list was the station's cantina, where he assumed some of the ships crew may be grabbing a bite or having a drink. Walking into the bar, he spied a Tellerite bartender, whom he asked about Gibbs. With a gesture to a table off to one side, the pig faced alien went back to work. As he approached the table, he noticed it had three occupants, two women and a man, who Hawkins assumed MUST be Gibbs. The woman on the left was dressed in a set of dirty coveralls with her black hair in pigtails. She was lost in whatever she was reading, a bowl of soup in front of her obviously long since gone cold. The woman on the right certainly caught his attention, as she was casually sitting at the table in nothing more than a metallic looking bikini top, a pair of shorts that seemed two sizes too small, and a pair of thigh high black boots. Her hair was caught back in a pony tail, and her eyes were both intimidating and captivating. He wasn't so lost in her beauty that he failed to notice that we was sitting with her back to the wall, nudged the man with one foot, and she discreetly slipped her hand into the top of the other, where he was sure she concealed some sort of weapon.

Looking up, the man asked "Can I help you with something?"

"I hope so." Hawkins replied "I'm looking for a Mr. Gibbs."

"Well, you've found him." Gibbs replied "Is there something I can do for you?"

Hawkins took a moment to assess the man before him. He had nearly gray hair that was still shot with some black, which he wore, cut close. His eyes were steel gray and seemed to look right through someone, and size them up from the inside out. Yet he didn't seem old. He had one of those faces that could be anywhere between 30 to 50 years old. He also gave off a "no nonsense" and "straight to the point" air.

"My name is Jon Hawkins, and I'm looking for a berth, sir." Hawkins answered.

"Don't call me sir" Gibbs replied "I work for a living. You ever worked on a freighter before?"

"No, I can't say that I have." Hawkins replied "But I've spent most of my adult life in space."

"Ex Starfleet?" Gibbs guessed.

"That's right." Hawkins answered

"Enlisted?" Gibbs asked.

"Officer." Came the replay.

"What was your track?" was the next question.

"I served in both Security and Command." Hawkins said "Saw a lot of action in the war, and served on ships my entire career."

Nodding, Gibbs said "That's good; at least you know the basics. What was your last duty?"

This was the question that Hawkins had been dreading. As soon as he had told the other freighter masters he had been a Starfleet Captain, they were done with him. He hesitated before answering, giving a moments consideration to lying.

Suddenly Gibbs' eyes got hard, and all he said was "Don't."

"Don't what?" Hawkins asked confused.

"Lie to me." Gibbs answered. "Lie to me and we're done, right here right now."

Taking a deep breath, Hawkins looked Gibbs in the eye and said "My last posting was as Captain of the USS Traveler."

At this, both women looked at him incredulously. The one on the left looked at him eagerly, while the one on the right looked at him quite suspiciously. Both looked at him for a moment then looked back at Gibbs.

Surprise registered on Gibbs' face "I'll be damned if your not telling me the truth. If you were a Starfleet Captain, what the hell are you doing out here looking for a spot as a crewman in the merchant fleet?"

An uncomfortable look worked its way across Hawkins face. "I was found guilty of violating the Prime Directive, and discharged."

Gibbs looked at him closer "Did you?"

Hawkins met Gibbs' stare for a moment before dropping his eyes in shame. "I don't think so, but a jury of my peers did."

Gibbs sat back thoughtful for a moment, before he asked "What do you have that separates yourself from any other applicant whose come to me looking for a place on the Prince?"

Hawkins shook his head "Nothing more than the skill set I've told you about. All I have in the galaxy anymore is me and my shuttlecraft."

Now all three looked interested "You have your own shuttlecraft?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, why?" Hawkins asked cautiously.

"Here's the deal." Gibbs stated in a no nonsense kind of way "You and your shuttle come as a package deal. An auxiliary ship will come in useful in all kinds of ways, and the Merchant Prince needs a new full time helmsman. I've got a couple of part timers for relief, but they're mainly cargo handlers. Being ex Starfleet and the fact that you've got your own ship means you can fly, right?"

"Quite well actually" Hawkins replied his heart thudding in anticipation and relief. "I served as a combat pilot in the war as well."

Gibbs went on "Let's get this clear. I don't care that you were a Captain before. We have an existing command structure on the Prince. Captain, XO, Officers, Crewmen, and Probationaries, in that order. You start out on probation, like everybody else. That means you have no rank at all, and no authority. Your past as a Captain means nothing on that ship. You are on the low tier. You get paid a set monthly salary, plus a percentage of any haul that we make. While your shuttle is working for us, we'll maintain it and supply it, but if you break it on your own time, that's on you. Got it?"

Hawkins replied with an affirming nod and Gibbs went on "After six months you come for review. If we decide to keep you, you'll be offered a contract with a pay raise, and become a crewman. If we don't, we'll part ways at the next port of call. You'll get your own bunk and footlocker, but you'll be sharing quarters with five other probationaries. Your responsible for your own personal supplies, including clothing and weapons. On the ship, you will go armed at all times, but if you ever draw on a fellow crewman, give serious though to turning it on yourself, because I'll sure as hell make you wish you had. The Prince only has one bulk replicator that all the departments share, so we have a full time cook and galley. Meals are served every six hours, for those pulling off hours shifts, but you can always find a sandwich in there. Drinking and gambling are allowed within reason, but no drugs whatsoever. If you abuse the drinking and gambling privilege, I'll yank it. We've got some on board that can't engage in either. If they're caught with you, you'll suffer the wrath as well. Fraternizing is allowed, as long as both parties are willing and it doesn't effect your work. I'll forward you a complete list of the ships do's and don'ts when we get you aboard and on the rolls. You with me so far?"

"Yes, sir" Hawkins replied, from force of habit.

"You've got to get over than sooner rather than later, Hawk." Gibbs said. "Being called Sir grates on my nerves."

"Hawk?" the woman in the overalls asked

"Hawkins doesn't roll of the tongue as easily, Abby." He replied glancing at her briefly. Looking back at Hawkins, he said "By the way, this lady here in the stained overalls is Abby Pinuto, the Prince's chief engineer. She'll be taking care of your ship as well from now on.

"Hiya, Johnny" She said with a huge smile and an impulsive hug "Welcome to the family!"

"This here" Gibbs continued motioning to the scantily clad women "is Tina Zambrano, the Prince's head of security.

With his best charming smile, Hawkins offered her his hand. He found it very hard to keep his eyes where they belonged, as Tina was a VERY well endowed and attractive woman.

With a sultry look she took his hand in a firm grip and stepped in close. In a voice that was nearly a whisper she said "Feel free to look all you want, Spacejock. But if you ever think about trying to touch, I'll jettison your nacelles for you."

Any wisecrack that could be made was cut off by a deep voice bellowing "Gibbs!"

Looking back over his shoulder were five heavily muscled Orions pushing their way through the crowd. They came to stand in front of the group effectively blocking them in. One Orion, larger than the others stepped up to Gibbs, less than a foot away.

Tina whispered into Johnny's ear "That's Zetar. He's the Captain of the Corsair. He's more a pirate than anything. Be ready, just in case." With that, she stepped away to make room.

"That was my salvage Gibbs!" the burly Orion bellowed "You stole it!"

"Zetar," Gibbs began "It's only salvage if you find it adrift like we did. If you attack it and cripple it, THEN take it, its piracy, at least on this side of the line."

"Don't try to make a fool of me!" The Orion screamed "You saw my ship right there! You knew it was mine!"

Nodding, Gibbs said "Yeah, we saw you there alright. We saw you with your engines disabled too. How in the world did a hundred year old robot freighter disable your ship anyway?"

The Orion Captain's face twisted in a snarl of outrage, as his fist suddenly flew through the air at Gibbs.

[stitch626]

Nice. One question, any significance to the names of these people? They seem... familiar.

I like the set up, and the rules are nice and simple (for now). Dialogue is good.

Another question, are you going for a long novel style or a semi-short story?

One error: near the end, in the paragraph discussing weapons and personal effects:

because I'll sure as hell make you with you had.

I believe with should be wish.

Something a spell checker would never see.


Can't wait for the next post.

[Mark]

Thanks Stitch....if spell checkers were as on the ball as you, I'd have no trouble.

The length of the story is really up in there air. At this point I don't even know what I'm going to write yet, so long or short I couldn't say.

And yes, I'll freely admit to borrowing partial names from two of my favorite NCIS characters. Our half naked security chief is based on a girl I went to high school with. She'd dress as scantily as she could...just inviting guys to look and make a move. But, if you dared to cop a feel, she carried a straight razor and just found an excuse to use it. I'm going for as eclectic a mix as I could, and you've only seen the first three people. Wait till you meet Igor the cook, the emotional Vulcan Sorral, or the bastard of a cargo master, Rocky Vance.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Nice, very nice. *Ducks the Gibbs-smack* I like the crew, here. And nice cliffie as well.

[Sonic Glitch]

Thanks Stitch....if spell checkers were as on the ball as you, I'd have no trouble.

The length of the story is really up in there air. At this point I don't even know what I'm going to write yet, so long or short I couldn't say.

And yes, I'll freely admit to borrowing partial names from two of my favorite NCIS characters. Our half naked security chief is based on a girl I went to high school with. She'd dress as scantily as she could...just inviting guys to look and make a move. But, if you dared to cop a feel, she carried a straight razor and just found an excuse to use it. I'm going for as eclectic a mix as I could, and you've only seen the first three people. Wait till you meet Igor the cook, the emotional Vulcan Sorral, or the b*****d of a cargo master, Rocky Vance.

I just saw the description of the cargo master and I wanted to say, you could perhaps base him or another supply/engineering officer off the personality of the great Admiral Hyman Rickover

Also, I'm very impressed, but I thought man's "more evolved sensibility" would've put us past the realm of fleet politics

[Mark]

Very true. Thus did Picard gain the flagship after abandoning his last ship to the enemy purely on merit....and Janeway promoted to Vice Admiral on sheer brilliance and her stellar leadership qualities

Looks like I'll have to Wiki "the great Admiral Hyman Rickover"

[Sonic Glitch]

Very true. Thus did Picard gain the flagship after abandoning his last ship to the enemy purely on merit....and Janeway promoted to Vice Admiral on sheer brilliance and her stellar leadership qualities

Now, I didn't say they weren't above good PR Think of it with Janeway: "Hm, they've been lost for 7yrs, seemingly a successful return, the public's really excited and we need to somehow recognize this "achievement'...hmm, I know, let's make her and Admiral!"

Looks like I'll have to Wiki "the great Admiral Hyman Rickover"

He was the father of America's Nuclear Submarine force and famous as a penny-pinching asshole.