Star Trek: The Final Flight

This work is fan fiction, and as such is not even a little bit official. I claim no rights to this material. If the owners of Star Trek so request I will remove it.
Crew of the USS Constitution:
Captain Arthur Walls: 46, rising star, tall and slim, expert marksman, previously served as captain aboard the USS Saratoga, current captain of the USS Constitution, promised command of Ambassador class USS Adelphi. Greatly attached to the Connie.
Commander Ra'Shan: Andorian First Officer, 38, average height, muscular, previously served as third officer aboard the USS Lakota. Plans to accompany Walls to become First Officer of the Adelphi. Loyal to Walls after Walls saved his life from a group of enraged Tellarites. Fairly religious for a 24th century being.
Commander Evan McDunham: 40, Chief Medical Officer, previously assistant head of Starfleet Medical. Does not like serving on a starship. Plans to return to his former post with relish. Average build.
Lieutenant Commander Natalia Palivchenkovsky: 29, Russian Chief Science Officer, previous assistant chief science officer aboard the Saratoga, wants to name something after herself. Fairly short and fit but dislikes exercise. Eidetic memory.
Lieutenant Commander Reginald Freeman: 26. Black chief engineer. Promoted from assistant chief engineer upon death of previous occupant. Wants to be the engineer on a big ship... like the Adelphi, which he plans to accompany Walls to. Gigantic, hugely tall and immense strength.
Lieutenant Talek: 32, Vulcan Communications officer. Young for a Vulcan, also uncommonly ambitious. Talek wants to captain her own ship. Capable, but falters in some diplomatic situations, like all Vulcans. Tall and slender, acrobatic skills
Lieutenant Gorso Shar Hant: Tellarite Security/Navigation Officer, 25, short and broad like all Tellarites, wants to try all the delicacies so that he finds one that tastes like Earth dog (which is discouraged by Earth).
Ensign Vesta Valance: 22, Helmswoman/Tactical officer, tall and fit, wants to revert Starfleet uniforms back to Wrath of Khan era, is willing to do an astonishing amount to see this done. Walls has agreed to push to allow them aboard the Adelphi.


Captain Arthur Walls:
         "Captain's log, stardate 47197.6. The USS Constitution is en route to sector Z-11 for a routine close-range exploration mission. Upon completion of the survey, the Constitution will return to Earth for decommissioning and be transferred to the Starfleet Museum. My crew and I will disembark at Earth for new assignments. I will be taking command of the ambassador class starship USS Adelphi. The Adelphi is a much newer and larger vessel than the Constitution... yet I find myself dreading leaving my ship behind. I draw comfort from the fact that she'll be sent to the museum, so that she can be properly respected, but I'll still miss her. End transmission."
         Captain Walls sat lost in thought until the comms crackled to life and the tinny voice of Lieutenant Talek, the ship's communications officer, rang out through the room: "Captain to the bridge. We are approaching system 3 in sector Z-11."
         "On my way," Walls replied, and stepped through the door of his ready room onto the bridge.
         "Captainonthebridge!" shouted Commander Ra'Shan in an almost incomprehensible jumble as Walls snapped back "at ease!" almost as fast. The Andorian first officer had won their little game. Again. Walls grimaced as he sat down, then grinned. "What've we got, Ensign?"
         "Well, Captain, we're dropping out of warp... now," replied the helmsman, Ensign Vesta Valance.
         A blue-green planet became visible. "Alright, Palivchenkovsky, what are sensors picking up?"
"I'm reading a large wariety of plant and animal life, and dewelopment on the surface suggests a population of about one billion at a technological lewel similar to Earth's sewenteenth century, Keptin. I recommend mowing into close orbit to maximize scanning efficiency." replied the Russian science officer. Lieutenant- Commander Palivchenkovsky had served aboard Walls' first command, the Miranda Class Saratoga. Walls would probably have ended up with a better ship than the "Connie," as she was affectionately termed by the crew, but he had specifically requested her after becoming enamored with the ship during his time there as a young officer.
         Unfortunately, the Connie was now almost one-hundred twenty-five years old, and it was time to retire her. In fact, Starfleet would have done so already, but Walls had pulled every string to get one last mission with his beloved ship. Walls snapped back to reality. "Make it so, Valance."
         The ship creaked slightly as it pulled against the planet's gravity, not that anyone was surprised. It wasn't unusual, nor was it unusual for the engineer to call up with a problem (or seven) as he was doing now. "Captain, we're experiencing a power drain. I recommend moving into high orbit immediately," suggested Freeman.
         "Alright then. Take her up, Valance." A few moments passed as the ship rose, then Walls called back down to Engineering: "Status?"
         "Power drain continuing and accelerating. We don't have enough power to get away now. I recommend landing in water on the planet's surface, which should minimize damage from the landing. I don't think we have many other options, and even if we did we're running out of time to take them," shouted Freeman over the clamor of a busy Engineering section.
         "Anybody have other ideas? Ensign, take her down. We'll look around for the source of the power drain. Can you find it, Natalia?"
         "Aye, Keptin. I'm detecting it about thirteen klicks from a bay which matches the Engineers recommended description. Also nearby is what appears to be the wreckage of a Daedalus class starship."
         "A Daedalus class? Those were retired almost two centuries ago! How did one get all the way out here? Alright, Valance, take us into the bay. Gently, please."
         "Aye aye, Captain."
         The ship groaned as it hurtled through the dense atmosphere of the planet before quieting down. Finally there was a huge jolt and a splashing noise, combined with straining metal. The comms panel shorted out just as the ship settled on the bottom of the ocean... and then listed twenty degrees to starboard. Suddenly every door shot open, and then the ship went dark. Evidently, the ship's power was out.
         An hour later, the crew of the Connie--about three hundred in all--was gathered on top of the saucer. Walls called a meeting of the senior staff. "OK. I think it's clear that we need to go take out the source of the power drain, so-"
         "Captain, it's not that simple," interrupted Freeman. "Our dilithium matrix was cracked due to excessive strain caused by the power drain. We aren't going anywhere without fresh dilithium. Also, we need to hurry, because although the ship is mostly undamaged for now, the lowest three decks will be crushed by the ship's weight within a week."
         "Alright. Well, it's fortunate we detected that Daedalus class then. OK. I'll take Freeman, Valance, and a coupla security guys to the Daedalus to get new dilithium while Ra'Shan takes Palivchenkovsky, Hant, Talek, and a security officer." ordered Walls.
         The returning "Aye aye, Captain!" came in unison; they had learned to as a joke for his birthday but had invested so much time and effort into learning how that they now took every opportunity to do so. Walls thought it was hilarious. Talek would have gotten out of it if she could have--it was illogical--but Palivchenkovsky had threatened to fill her sock drawer with goulash. Also illogical, but supremely unpleasant.
         Walls' party soon departed carrying a week of food and water, Starfleet issue knives, camping gear, and some engineering stuff to get the dilithium. They also carried tricorders, hand phasers, and solar-powered chargers in case the power drain was stopped. Palivchenkovsky pointed out the distant shape of the Daedalus hulk before departing towards the drain's source. It would be about a two day hike there. The power drain was coming from closer nearby.
         While hiking, Valance took samples of local flora for Palivchenkovsky. Their food, while not especially delicious, was serviceable, and the atmosphere contained a relatively high amount of oxygen, making fatigue less likely. The terrain was rough, but manageable, and despite what Palivchenkovsky had said, there were no signs of intelligent life. Animals, on the other hand, were plentiful. Although most scattered at the sight of the party, one particularly large creature which bore resemblance to an extremely large squirrel would not retreat and the nervous party skirted well around. Then, as they came closer to their target on the second day, they saw their next problem.
         The Daedalus was perched at the summit of what strongly resembled an active volcano.


         Commander Ra'Shan:
         "Is this Hovah-cursed swamp ever going to end?" shouted a tired, wet, and very angry Lieutenant Hant. He had good reason to be angry, as he was buried in muck up to his chest.
         "Actually, I think I can see a hill just over there. About a mile, maybe?" consoled Ra'Shan. "Let's head that way and check our map. Thank the Spirits for your eidetic memory, Palivchenkovsky, or else we'd be stranded here."
         "Just doing my job. Even so... If we escape, I want this planet to be Paliwchenkowsky."
         Ra'Shan chuckled at the oft-repeated refrain. "If we don't think of anything better," he responded with a grin. Palivchenkovsky grimaced in reply.
         A few minutes later they reached the hill. From the top, they could see a forest of massive trees, and the highest tower of the structure the power drain originated from. It appeared to be stone. They had reached on schedule, albeit very late in the day. In the morning they would search the ancient temple (for that was clearly what it was) for the power drain.
         They took turns for the watch that night, and rose with the sun... only to find that one of the security officers had disappeared.
         
         Walls:
         "Well... That complicates things. Hum. Let's go take a look. I'll take Valance with me to the bridge to see if we can learn what happened here. Freeman, you go to Engineering and see if we can get some dilithium."
         "Aye aye, Captain."
         At the end of the day, Walls and Valance had reached the summit of the volcano. They searched for an access hatch, but were unable to find one. However, they did find a gaping hole torn in the hull. Since the ship was Daedalus class, the primary hull was spherical. It was also upside down. They could tell that the "top" of the sphere was battered and crushed, as was much of one side. It was mostly not overgrown, but it was extremely weather-worn. Despite the rust-resistant nature of the hull, it was heavily corroded due to extreme age and the wet climate. Nevertheless, it was still stable as they walked inside. As they moved through the hallways to the centrally-located turbolift hub, they searched for clues as to what had happened. They found nothing. No bodies, which was good, but also no signs of survivors, which was bad but also unsurprising. They reached the inverted turbolift shaft and forced the doors, then carefully looked down. It was nothing but a tube with boiling lava at the bottom. They slowly backed away and accessed the hatch to the Jefferies tubes, moving through the ship slowly. Finally they reached that hatch which should lead to the bridge. Walls forced it open to a not-pretty sight. The roof of the bridge, where their floor would have been, was melted. The consoles were clearly non-operative, but that wouldn't have mattered much; the power was out. They could, however, see the ship's dedication plaque, very tarnished and half melted but clearly legible:

USS COCHRANE

NCC-185

         "Well. That's a bust. Alright. Let's go to the main computer core. I'm not sure, but I think we can take the memory cores and then once the Connie's back online we can see what happened," ordered Walls.
         They moved back through the ship to the computer core, then used an access panel to get to the memory banks. "Ah. Well. That's a problem." The memory banks were roughly the size of a refrigerator, certainly not something they could carry out. "All right. Well. I guess whatever happened here will remain a mystery," said Walls. Valance nodded her agreement.
         Then their tricorders chirped.
         
         Ra'Shan:
         "Jameson? JAMESON! Where did he get off to? Alright. Fan out, two groups, two people each. We'll find him. Meet back here in half an hour."
         "Aye aye, sir."
         They split up and it took only a few minutes to find Jameson. He'd gotten himself tangled in vines at the edge of the trees, apparently just out of shouting distance. Within the hour they had moved to the entrance of the temple, and there stood the first humanoid life they'd seen so far. They wore green robes the same color as the moss on the temple, and held elegant spearlike weapons. As the party approached, one of the guards called out: "Akra'SchT BorS'gatres ArtOmLoSha'DOrGa!"
         The party stopped in confusion, before abruptly realizing their universal translators were powerless. Fortunately, all members of Starfleet were required to speak English (so as to understand computer displays). The non-humans in the party had simply switched to English automatically, but they'd forgotten they were doing so. The party withdrew to discuss.
         "How do we get in without a common language? This is not going to be easy." complained Hant.
         "It is little problem," replied Talek, "Their language is highly logical, I think. If you can get them to speak more, I believe I may be able to devise a rudimentary translation." She pulled out a pen and paper. "I'm ready."
         "OK. Let's go, Hant."
         The four walked back towards the guards. They seemed nonaggressive and made no move toward the party. Their expressions seemed welcoming. They appeared like humans, except they had visible chin ridges. Astonishingly, they seemed not at all bothered by the incredibly versatile party they were faced with.
         Ra'Shan began attempting to speak to them in English and prodigious gesturing, and eventually they were able to start identifying things in each other's languages. Talek scribbled furiously. After about three hours, Talek abruptly stopped. "Be'GraSh'T KouK B'roKasTa Mouk'rAhr'Hlis" she announced to the guards.
         The guards stared at her. Then they stepped aside and opened the immense door of the temple. Talek walked in only slightly smugly. Ra'Shan grimaced and conspiratorially whispered to Hant: "I thought Vulcans weren't supposed to have emotions, but I guess I was wrong. I don't think I've ever seen a face that smug on anyone but Talek." Hant grinned.
         They walked into the temple. It was well lit with torches, and a half dozen natives with green robes scurried around. These looked less like guards and more like monks or priests. The party walked towards the center of the temple, which held, suspended in the air, an immense life form which had six legs arranged in a circle like a crab and an immense sword sheathed at its side.
         "Travelers of the stars, why dost thou seekest me hither?" bellowed the figure. The three aliens in the party blinked in confusion, not understanding the antiquated English. It was Jameson who replied "We have come to...uh... seekest thy favor and blessing."
         "Well, Earthling, what dost thou proposest to do to earn my favor?"
         "...uh... such a humble... applicant... such as I could never hope to guess at the desires of such an enlightened being..."
         "Twas well said! Very well. I shalt allowest thee a choice among three options. If thou dost completest one task of thine choice, then I shalt grant thee the favor that thou wisheth: to allow thee to return to the stars. Thine options are thus: firstly, thou couldst leaveth a complete copy of thy ships' memory banks, which I shalt use to improveth the lives of the inhabitants of this planet. Secondly, one of thou couldst serveth out thine lives in my service. Thou wouldst be comfortable, but thou wouldst be required to aid me in my quest to improve the people's lives. Thirdly, and lastly, one of thou couldst leavest the "Constitution" for which thy ship is named," the alien announced.
         "We'll leave the Constitutions. Every single one in Federation history, if you'll disable your power drain," answered Ra'Shan.
         "Although thy style of language is unbeauteous to my ears, I respect thy decision. I shalt "disable the power drain," as you say." It snapped its fingers and an acolyte ran over and whacked a rope with an ax. Immediately, the party's tricorders chirped.
         "Um...ah... we thank thee, o... generous... one...?" replied Ra'Shan.
         As the party left, the alien smiled benignly.


         Walls:
         "Well that's convenient."
         "Chir-chirp"
         "Walls to Constitution, lock on to my signal and beam me in. I will be accompanied by a computer core."
         "Aye aye, Captain"
         A few minutes later he was back in the Cochrane with Valance. They hiked down to the engineering hull of the Cochrane, which was immersed in the jungle and overgrown with plant life. It was about a kilometer from the spherical primary hull. It was also on fire.*


         Freeman:
         Freeman led his party to the secondary hull of the Daedalus class. The walked in through the broken, gaping hole where it had once connected to the sphere. Freeman led the way to the warp engine.
         "Here we are, boys. Earth's first warp 7 engine. Isn't she a beauty?"
         "Uh... sure." replied the random, not engineering inclined security officer.
         "Okay. Well, let's get to it!"
         Hours of a crazy engineer crawling through a two hundred year old engine and swearing followed.
         Finally, he whacked a pipe with a wrench and a panel across the room exploded. Freeman drew in breath to start swearing again... and then came the unmistakable (to an engineer) hum of a fusion reactor. The lights turned on, and at least ten panels exploded simultaneously.
         Including the one for the dilithium matrix. Freeman swore again.


         Walls:
         "Maybe we can help, Freeman. If we all grab crowbars the combined force should be enough to pop the matrix chamber open," offered Walls as he and Valance climbed into the room. "They were designed that way."
         They did so, and in short order they had the dilithium out. By some miracle, it was undamaged. Walls called back to the Connie, and they beamed in. After assessing the ship's systems, Freeman gave the ship a bill of good health, and with a great deal of groaning on the part of the Connie, they got into the atmosphere. From there, they fired a probe with data banks including every constitution in the Federation, along with any others they could access.
         It was with a bittersweet feeling in his heart that Walls gave the order to leave the system: "Alright, Mr. Hant, plot a course for Earth, warp factor seven."
         "Ready, sir."
         "Punch it."


         Epilogue:
         "Captain's log, stardate 47208.5. The USS Constitution has completed what is planned to be her final mission. We are on our return home to Earth for decommissioning. I'll miss the Connie dearly. She's brought me out of more situations than anyone has a right to escape from, and I don't think any other ship will be quite the same." he sighed, then turned as his personal computer beeped. "Pause recording," he said, before reading the screen.

ENCRYPTED

STARFLEET COMMAND

         "Admiral Wallace! What can I do for you?"
         "Well, Walls, y'know how you've been pushing for the Connie to stay in service?"
         "Yes, sir."
         "Well, you've got your wish. War with the Dominion, from the Gamma Quadrant, is coming, and Starfleet needs every ship it can get. I'm supposed to tell you to report to Starbase Twelve as soon as possible, and also to ask you if you want to keep commanding the Connie."
         "Yes, sir, I understand. The Connie will go to Starbase Twelve right away and I would love to continue in this position. However, I would like to request that Chief Engineer Freeman be reassigned to the Adelphi. I know he was greatly excited to serve on a larger vessel."
         "I'll see what I can do, Walls, but consider it done."
         "Thank you, sir."
         With that, they ended the call, and Walls walked onto the bridge, grinning hugely, so hugely, in fact, that Ra'Shan beat him to the punch again. Walls was so excited he barely noticed. "Hant, lay in a course for Starbase Twelve. Sounds like Starfleet's not done with the Connie yet!"

*this is when the panels exploded.