Getting The Hell Out Of Dodge
Posted on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 @ 5:11pm by James Holbridge
Edited on on Thu Sep 10th, 2015 @ 9:19pm
Mission:
Further Challenges
Tags: Jackson Banning,
Jim sat on the bunk in the living area of his hidey-hole, calmly going over all the information on the main viewer. A Bajorran arms smuggle had been voted to temporarily helm the company he founded until he was “fit to return to his duties”, a euphemism for replaced informally. Jim had enacted a plan to extract himself and get to safety….
HOLBRIDGE ENTERPRISES OFFICE SUITE
STARBASE 900
TWENTY-SIX HOURS AGO
Jim made his way to his office without the use of his cane for the first time in weeks, a testament to his dedication and steadfast attendance of his physical therapy appointments. A black eye patch covered his now-empty left eye socket until a biometric implant could be fashioned for him. He smiled to his secretary, a Betazoid female who gave him a puzzled look. “Good morning, sir. I was unaware that you were reinstated by the board…”
“I wasn’t, I am going into my office to get some personal effects.” Jim replied as he breezed past her into his office via set of double oak-paneled doors. The doors slid open to reveal a wiry Bajorran man in his early fifties seated in the chair behind the desk. “Ah, Holbridge, good of you to come! I need your security code to access this terminal.” He said with an oily smile.
“Not gonna happen, Kell” Holbridge said tightly. The Bajorran was Woodwin Kell, a rival arms manufacture and former smuggler during the Dominion War. Kell had made obscene profits selling substandard weapons at inflated prices to desperate people in the Gamma Quadrant before disappearing, reappearing several years later as the CEO of Dynamic Technologies, one of Starfleet’s leading weapons suppliers along the frontier. Holbridge had met the man as an Intelligence officer on a sweep-and-clear assignment. There had been a credible report that Kell was involved in the illegal sale and transport of trilitium-based weapons and SI had sent Jim into to destroy anything he found, which Jim did with gusto. “I see you managed to avoid prison.”
“No thanks to you or that asshole Banning!” Kell replied, all pretense of civility gone from his voice. “I can’t tell you what a delicious thrill this is, me being appointed by your father’s Board Of directors to take over for you while you ‘recover’ from your wife’s tragic death!”
Jim stared in mute rage at the man behind his desk as he let what Kell told him sink in. “If I find out you had anything to do with Tricia’s death, I will kill you with my bare hands!”
“I don’t think so, Holbridge. You see, you are about to lose everything you have built out here, all thanks to me!” Kell tabbed a control on the desk. “Collins, get a team in here. Jim Holbridge is in here and threatening my life!”
“Eddie, lock down the main computer cores of all locations, authorization Holbridge one-one-zulu-one-sierra!”
=/\=Acknowledged, Mr. Holbridge,=/\= Eddie’s voice replied. =/\=Main computer systems are now locked out=/\=
Kell looked at the screen in anger, then stared at Holbridge. “Do you think that will stop me? I have the best hackers working for me and this computer will be under my control within the hour!”
“That may be, but the sensitive files will be erased permanently, the ones you hoped to access in order to crack into my archives and possibly the station’s computer itself!” Jim grinned. “Oh yeah, one more thing, Kell; see ya round!” With that, Jim Holbridge vanished as transporter beams enveloped him.
“Computer, shields up!”
=/\=Unable to comply! Code Zulu lockout in effect. Classified information 5% deleted.=/\=
“Damnnn!
SS SPECTER
Jim materialized on the bridge of his latest creation, the Specter a Ronin-class prototype purchased by Holbridge Industries to serve as a test bed for advanced designs in warp technology and other systems. "Eddie“, have you finished your download?” Jim asked as he took his eat in the command chair.
=/\=Yessir, the ‘Red Herring’ program will give Mr. Kell something to chase until we get away from the station. =/\=
“Good!” Jim turned his attention to Sam Elliott, Max Kamarov, Matt Collins, and Amanda Fulton; not quite the original Team One, but close enough. “My thanks to all of you for getting all of this together.”
Sam spoke up first. “What the heck has been going on, Jim?”
“I’m glad you asked. A couple days ago I was alerted to Kell’s impending approach to the station by my dad. The Board voted him in until I was recovered from my wife’s death. Dad learned who he was and got word to me. I spent the last few days getting this ship and the ‘Red Herring’ program that’s locking out the computer on the station ready, with help from Jackson Banning and some other well-placed personnel.” Jim turned to Matt Collins. “Speaking of Jackson, has there been any word from him?”
“Just a transmission containing coordinates, sir.” Matt replied, transferring the information to Jim’s monitor.
“Good! Amanda, take the helm and lay in this course; standby on slipstream drive!”
“Course laid in, Jim. Slipstream is standing by,” Amanda said quietly
“Engage!” Jim said quietly.
The Specter leaped away from the station’s orbit, and Jim hoped that the admiral wouldn’t be too pissed at him for rocking the base with a warp jump pressure wave, but he needed to get the hell out of dodge before Kell hacked into Eddie. “Eddie, send a message to Bulldog, Haggis, and Junior apprising them of the situation and advising a securing of their personal quarters and information.”
=/\=done, sir=/\=
Sam spoke again. “So why are we taking off in such a hot hurry?”
“Simple, Sam, Kell is preparing a list of charges to file against me and I don’t want to be in prison right now.”
“What charges are those?” Matt asked.
“Negligence, willful misconduct, taking shortcuts, and that kind of shit,” Jim replied. “He is trying to link the transport’s explosion to other accidents, of which there haven’t been any. So, either he manufactures some accidents or lies and tries to get me locked up; either way I am in a cell.”
“I still say Matt and I should have stayed behind and ran interference for you.” Sam grumped.
“Negative, I need all of you guys on the bridge as the Specter needs to be seen in this sector performing several speed tests and acceptance trials. This ship is gonna be my alibi while I dig up some dirt on Kell and get him out of office.”
“We have arrived at the coordinates, Jim.”
“Activate site–to-site beaming, Eddie!” Jim commanded.
HIDDEN BUNKER
DELTA QUADRANT
As far as bolt holes went, this one wasn’t half bad, Jim thought as he stretched out on his bunk. “Eddie, release the ‘Red Herring’ program from Holbridge Industries mainframes.”
=/\=Done, sir!=/\= Eddie replied.
HOLBRIDGE INDUSTRIES OFFICE SUITE
CEO OFFICE
Kell looked up in surprise when the screen beeped. =/\=All information purged=/\=, a new female voice said in place of the pervious male computer voice.
“Damn! No matter.” Kell said, pounding his fist into his thigh. “You tucked tail and ran and I promise you that you will never be able to come back to this place, Holbridge. “ Kell began making a series of inputs, unaware that his every keystroke and action was being monitored.
Team One
On The Road Again
