Turbulent Night

In his quarters, Captain Devore was laying in bed. He tried to fall asleep, but his turbulent thinking of his late wife and Admiral Beard, even his whole Starfleet career kept him tossing and turning. It had been one of trials and tribulations which forced him to open his eyes and gaze out into the darkness. These same problems now were creating a need for his late wife. He laid there hands clasped around his head wishing hard that she could be next to him comforting him this time are need.

The short three months that they were married, Sierra had helped him reacclimate himself at the Thaddeus Prime Research Station where he was assigned as a security officer. His commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander G'Keria, a Klingon who joined Starfleet only because he was not able to join the Klingon Defense Force, had a very visible hatred for humans. Being human, Ensign Devore had hell to pay every day that he was there. However Sierra helped Devore with this problem, for not only was she his "secret wife", she was also the station's counselor. More times than naught, She would tell him that the assignment was only temporary. Little did she know the truth of her statement. In a matter of months, Thaddeus Prime was attacked by a Dominion fleet that separated thousands of families and killed thousands of people including Commander G'Keria.

Immediately following the attack, Devore spent years trying to locate Sierra, but Starfleet could not turn up anything. Many of the families were never rejoined and believed captured or killed by the Dominion. Often Devore felt that Starfleet was covering something up but he couldn't prove it, and for years investigated, researched, compiled data. When it came time for him to present it to command, he hit a brick wall meant to discourage him put up by one man- Thomas Beard. It almost worked.

Beard the Lieutenant, Beard the Captain, Beard to Admiral, somehow he was involved in the investigation. If it was transporting the survivors on his ship during is field officer days, or pushing paper work at Starfleet command, Beard's name was there. He didn't think anything of it. Until the name started to be connected to the failure of Devore's investigations. The messages that Devore wrote to command were always answered by Beard. Then finally, the messages were never answered.

The constant communiques and the personal appearances at Starfleet Command earned Devore an assignment to one of Starfleet's outermost stations, mainly to get him out of their hair. Devore knew who was behind it, but didn't do anything about it. Finally his spirit was broken. After 4 long years of trying to find his love, he gave up and this angered Devore because he never gave up on anything, but now is the time that he must go on and let the dead rest in peace. Broken and discouraged, he accepted the assignment and left.

Ironically, Despite his imperfect record, Devore drowned himself in his work and won the admiration of all his commanding officers and excelled at everything. Then Devore was reassigned to command where he proved to be one of the best officers in Starfleet, to the dismay of at the time, Captain Beard. Beard did everything he could to stop the reassignment, but was quickly shot down by Fleet Admiral Ross who saw the potential. The potential proved itself on board the *Lakota* and proved even better with the command decision Devore had to make in regards to a Lieutenant Matthew Beard. Even though the decision was made impartialy, to this day, Admiral Beard feels that Devore made it to get back to him. Beard has always believed as he does now, that Devore will not stop at anything for revenge, not even murder!

Captain Devore now wide awake, laid there in bed peering into the darkness. Sleep, again, hadn't found him as the archaic analog clock he had received as a gift from his late wife those many years ago, ticked away. He turned over and looked at it, and immediately thought of Sierra. Now more than ever with the Leviathan flying through the Beta Quadrant, his nerves slightly shot, Devore needed her. It wasn't because of his crew that his nerves were shot, but because he lacked faith in himself. Devore turned over and grabbed the pillow next to him. Sleep found him. He fell asleep holding tightly to a pillow.

After about three hours, just enough time for him to fall into REM sleep, the *Leviathan's* yellow alert klaxons rung. This woke the Captain.

[Captain to the Bridge] It was Commander Harris.

"What is it, Commander?" Devore said getting up.

[Sir, I am sorry to disturb you, but we have a what seems to be a Dominion renegade fleet five light years in front of us.]

"What ! ? Understood. I'm on my way, Commander. Prepare all sensor logs. I want to know everything by time I get there. Devore out."

*I don't want another fight !* Devore thought as he grabbed his casual uniform. The suede jacket felt good as he put on. He always had loved that jacket and personally he thought he looked damn good in it.

In the corridors, other crew members, all of which with messed up hair were running through the ship trying get to their duty stations. One crew member even was trying to zip up her uniform as she rushed out of her quarters. "Crewman.. why don't you take a moment and finish getting dressed." Devore said as she bumped into him and apologizing.

"Yes sir." She said finishing zipping up her tunic and side stepped the captain. She shook her head in embarrassment as she ran to engineering.

On the Bridge, Lieutenant Rashad was at her post, Ensign Ambrose was at the helm and Lieutenant Toran was with Commander Harris at Tactical analyzing the sensor logs. Ensign Michaels was sitting at Ops with beads of sweat running down his face. Devore walked up to him and put his hand on his shoulder. "Ensign. This is your first possible conflict?" He asked quietly.

"Shows that bad, sir ?"

"Relax son. It will be fine." Lieutenant's Shaka and Barker ran on the Bridge from opposite turbolifts and took their posts. Captain Devore took his seat followed by Commander Harris. "Okay, Grant tell me what you got ?"