Two men dressed in Starfleet red strolled along the main boulevard in Downtown Serenity City. The day was sunny but not hot for this time of year, and they were enjoying the ambiance of the bustling metropolis.
"It's hard to believe this was all farmland less than ten years ago," commented Commodore Rick Hunter as he looked up at a particularly tall skyscraper.
The man beside him nodded absently. The war with the Mullurans forced the Federation to pour a tremendous amount of resources into the sector. In a way, you have them to thank for your shining city on a hill."
Hunter looked sideways at the man walking along beside him, Admiral Jeffrey Pike, all the way from Earth. He had never considered thanking the Mullurans for anything before. They were a brutal people who had enslaved entire worlds, and he was glad their small but annoying empire had been defeated and divided up amongst the surrounding governments including the Federation, Ferengi, and G'kra. Still, he had to admit, if it weren't for tensions between the Mullurans and the Federation, Serenity would still be nothing more than a forgotten frontier world, and if it hadn't been for the big war effort last year he wouldn't be here; he'd probably still be on Earth teaching cadets recent Federation history. His own personal silver lining.
"You're probably right, Jeff," said Hunter. "But we're a lot more than a fancy forward re-arming point now. Since the war ended, we've made it a point to build up our sciences and exploration efforts. Most of the surrounding sectors are barely charted, never mind about explored."
"How's that going?" asked Pike. He stopped beside a colorful sidewalk vendor's cart and perused the array of fresh fruits. The merchant, a hooded monk-type character, looked on with studied disinterest, an odd attitude for a businessman, thought Pike.
"The transition from a wartime footing is proceeding fairly smoothly," replied Hunter, "with a few notable exceptions... Try the Vesputian globefruit, Admiral," he suggested, pointing to a pile of large, purple spheres.
Pike picked up one of the globefruits. It looked and felt like a grape the size of a grapefruit. Its skin was translucent, and the soft pulp could be seen sloshing around inside. "How much?" he asked the merchant.
The monk raised two fingers. Hunter interjected. "Allow me, Admiral." He handed the monk two slips of latinum which the monk pocketed. He then handed Hunter a slender, metal tube. "Thanks," said Hunter.
The two Starfleet officers resumed their stroll. Admiral Pike was eyeing his exotic purchase dubiously, wondering how one was supposed to eat these things. Hunter reached over and plunged the metal tube the monk had handed him through the fruit's skin into the juice inside.
"Ah. Thanks," said Pike. He took a tentative sip, and when that turned out to be cool and sweet, took a longer drink. He lowered the globefruit and said, "You were saying about the transition to a peacetime footing not being entirely smooth?"
"Yes, Admiral."
"I assume you're referring to the starfighter squadrons still stationed here."
Hunter nodded. "With the Mulluran War over, we're having a hard time finding work for them."
"You've got several large starships assigned to this sector, not to mention the Cat's Eye system patrol craft," said Pike. "Those are more than enough to guard from the occasional Son'a renegade or Ferengi privateer."
"Exactly," said Hunter. "We tried putting the pilots in 1-man Scorpions outfitted with extra sensor equipment and sending them out on short exploratory missions instead of using regular starships, but that hasn't been working out too well. I'm sure you know what happened to Banshee Squadron on their mission out to the Trojans."
Pike chuckled. "Yes, that report caused quite a stir back in San Francisco. Imagine! An entire network of wormholes crisscrossing the universe! That was quite some discovery they made."
"Of course, Admiral," said Hunter. "But they also lost an entire wing of starfighters, a Cat's Eye ship, and revealed the existence of the Guardian of Forever to the Breen. If a fully equipped starship had been sent on that mission instead of a squadron of one-man recon planes, none of that would have happened."
Pike grunted thoughtfully and sucked on his globefruit.
Hunter pressed his point. "I know you've always been a strong proponent for the Banshee Program -- ever since the Talosian Incident while you were captain of the USS Knight -- and it's been hugely successful. Our victory over the Mullurans is at least as much a result of the Banshees' involvement as anything else. But it might be time to put that project on the shelf for a while, sir."
Pike cocked an eyebrow and looked at Hunter. "That's just a little presumptuous, don't you think, Rick? A Commodore dictating policy to an Admiral?"
Hunter was ready with an apology for speaking out of place like he had, but then he noticed the slight smirk on Pike's lips. "Not dictating, Admiral," he said. "Just opining, much as it pains me. I've come to know the Banshees quite well over the last year or so. I like them. I hate to see them get reassigned somewhere doing something they'll hate, but facts are facts."
Pike grunted again. "With that I agree completely," he said. "However, I have a new project on the R&D backburner that some of the former Banshees might be suited for."
The two men had reached a pleasant, tree-shaded overlook that afforded them a splendid view of the Serenity Spaceport. They stopped, leaned on the black, iron railing, and watched the air traffic come and go.
"Can I ask what this new project is?" said Hunter.
"It's no secret," replied Pike. "It's a new ship with a new type of power source, among other things. Technology Voyager brought back from the Delta Quadrant. Once it's ready, I'll be assigning her to the Serenity Sector to begin exploring the area. She's got an engineering staff, but most of the other key positions are still vacant."
"And you're thinking of offering the jobs to the Banshees."
Pike nodded. "I'll make the offer. Captain Matthew Cross and Commander Lee Carter are both exemplary officers, and the rest of the team members each have their own specialties which would make them valuable assets on an exploratory mission."
Hunter looked dubious. "It's quite a change from being a starfighter pilot," he said. "I'm not sure they'll go for it."
"It'll be in the best interests of their careers to accept the assignment, but I'm not going to force them," said Pike. "Your suggestion to let them choose their own assignments as a sort of thank-you for their service during the war is a good one and I plan to stick to it. Starfleet can always use another starfighter squadron along the Tholian border, but that's an awful long way from here. I think they might surprise you."
"Well, let's hope so," replied Hunter sincerely. "When will this new ship be ready?"
"Not for a while," replied Pike. "Until then, you can keep the Banshees on light duty, or give them the option of extended leave with pay."
"Yes, Admiral," said Hunter.
The two men lapsed into silence, content to watch the steady stream of arrivals and departures at the spaceport. Pike finished his Vesputian globefruit and tossed the empty rind into a nearby recycler. Finally, Hunter commented with a smile, "We should do these informal meetings more often. Much better than sitting in my stuffy office."
Pike smiled in response and said, "Tomorrow then. Same time. I need to get around to telling you about the actual reason for my visit here.
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