Fallout Part IV - Jinxed

[WxMurray 0]

“Stick it…somewhere. I don’t care.”

 

Murray, Brady, and Williams were rummaging through main engineering. They were cleaning up bit and pieces and other debris from the firefight that had taken place there just a few days prior. Chairs were damaged, the upholstery torn and the frames bent. Pieces of many of the consoles were strewn about. The wall to Prell’s office was about to become part of the floor. It was a mess, which, of course, was an understatement.

 

Murray stood in front of the heavily damaged pool table and gazed upon the shambles that was engineering. “We have got to be jinxed.”

 

Brady, on the floor picking up chair padding that was spread about, looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

 

Murray turned and stared at her incredulously. “Uh, which Agincourt have you been serving on? Do you remember this ship’s first mission?”

 

Brady thought for a second, much longer than was really necessary, Murray thought. “Oh, yeah. That. What about it?”

 

Murray continued to stare. “Yeah. Pax Primus. Romulan and Reman terrorists. Smashed up com relay.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“And you haven’t noticed any similarities between that mission and two of the missions we’ve been on since we’ve been back?”

 

“I have.” Williams stood in the doorway of Prell’s office with a paperweight in his hand.

 

Murray turned and nodded appreciatively at the damage control specialist. “Thank you, Jay. Enlighten us.”

 

He moved to lean against the door frame, but realized that it would be a bad idea and sat on one of the damaged chairs instead. “Pax Primus was attacked by Romulan terrorists. The VDC was destroyed by Romulan terrorists. And now the Agincourt, Vancouver, Sputnik, Luther, Tallahassee, and Soval have all been invaded by Romulan and Klingon terrorists. Not to mention the fact that the Crane, Jefferson, Hope, Kutztown, Fourier, Majestic, Lightning, and Heroic have all been destroyed defending outposts from attack, an attack by the same forces.”

 

Murray nodded and began pacing. “Which means that none of these are isolated incidents. There are forces at work trying to undo everything that has been accomplished over the years.”

 

Now Brady stood up, beginning to understand. “Clearly these groups are against the Treaty of Versailles. And these people are willing to go to any lengths to see that it falls.”

 

Williams nodded in agreement. “The most likely cause is that they’re afraid of change. They’re so used to the three major powers having only a luke-warm relationship. They want to still hate us. And they’ll do what it takes to bring that back.”

 

“Echoing the sentiments of some when Praxis exploded and the Klingons signed a peace treaty more than 100 years ago. Or some Bajorans when their people applied for Federation membership,” Murray noted.

 

“Or the Romulans when the Tellarites and Andorians negotiated the treaty of the mid-22nd century,” Brady chimed in.

 

Murray shook his head. “And ironically enough the Romulans and Klingons are willing to work together to splinter themselves and us. Which can only mean one thing.”

 

Williams sighed and nodded. “Yeah. There are Federation citizens in on it, too.”