“She was.” Quinn smiles. “And before that, a lot of her critical systems were damaged during the Monfette Gambit. They deemed her too difficult to fix.”
“So what changed?” Shon asks.
“A lot of things.” Quinn looks out at the starship, taking a deep breath.
“Captain Data and Captain La Forge looked her over while she was at the Fleet Museum,” the Admiral explains. “They had new ideas how to fix her - to repair the damage to her computer. She’s almost up to Odyssey standard.”
“We were going to rechristen her,” Quinn continues as Shon takes that information in, “but then the Enterprise-G was lost in action, and… well. People need their heroes.”
“That answers that.” Shon takes a deep breath, before turning to Quinn. “But why me?”
4/?
“There are many reasons,” Quinn says, a soft smile spreading on his face. “But right now, you’re a Captain - and a crew - without a ship, and this ship has no crew and no Captain… but she has the right name.”
“Fate rarely calls on us at a moment of our choosing.” Quinn chuckles. “All that matters is that you’re here now, and so is she. And right now we need her.”
“But none of those ships would be the Enterprise,” Quinn replies. “Like I said - she has the right name. And in times like this, knowing that the Enterprise has your back is a powerful thing.” He sighs. “We need that ship now, Captain, and I want you on her bridge.”
7/?
“You have an hour to decide.”
Quinn walks off, leaving Shon alone with the Enterprise. He looks out at her, his mind racing. But he knows there’s no choice.
He is a Starfleet Captain: he will never refuse the call.
The bridge module of the Enterprise-F is less a bridge in the old sense, and more of a Combat Information Centre. A multi-level, multi-purpose space, much larger than the bridge of the Belfast. Shon takes a deep breath as he looks around.
“Like it?” a voice says from behind him. Shon turns - a younger man in a leather field jacket smirks from the railing of the tactical station. “Bit ostentatious. Makes sense, I guess. Weren’t these made to be ostentatious?”
Captain Raffi Musiker rolls her eyes at Lieutenant Elnor’s pronouncement. He is looking at a list of Starfleet personnel announcements with wide, excited eyes. Raffi remembers that feeling, vaguely.
“Let me clarify,” she says, holding up one finger to forestall him. She takes a deep breath. “I know myself, Elnor. Command, I can do. But…” She closes her eyes. “I can’t be a symbol.”
Va’Kel Shon is staring wistfully at the Odyssey-class vessel hanging in Spacedock when he hears the soft tapping of boots on deck plate behind him. A familiar voice speaks, soft and inquisitive.
“There are some people who think you ought to stop repairing decommissioned Enterprises in your spare time,” the Admiral says after a moment. “It’s getting to be a bad habit.”
“There are,” Quinn agrees with a smile. “Hell, it saved us all a decade ago.” His smile fades. “But you know… I am curious about one thing, if you’ll indulge me.”
“Why this Enterprise?” Geordi says, quirking a wry eyebrow at Quinn.
“Are you sure you won’t take her?” Va’Kel Shon asks.
Captain Seven of Nine takes a sip from her drink, meeting his gaze evenly. The two sit in Club 47 on Spacedock, each nursing a glass of something bright and vile that Seven picked.
He looks uncomfortable. “I took her because Quinn asked and she was needed. An act of desperation. Now she’s in dry dock being fixed up - and she deserves her real Captain.”
So on top of the video I did canon-welding Picard’s finale and STO, I think I’m gonna write some short Trek fanfic showing how I’d do it - I know I’m never going to get to do it “for real”, so why not? 😂 Probably will link threads below this post. #startrekonline#canonwelder