How the Time Flies

Chapter 10

"You're not serious." Nog states to me when I tell him my plan. "Just, before you start saying that hear me out." I say raising my hands in defense. "I heard your plan. And I think it's crazy." He says. "Crazier than that time we defeated the Borg?" I counter. "Yes." He mutters. "Okay....crazier than the time we strapped a active bomb onto the bottom of a shuttle pod?" I point out. "Yep." He concludes. "Really?" I ask. "Yes! Now I promised the chief I would play darts with him and Dr. Bashir. If you'll excuse me Captain." He says leaving.
I decide on going to my next option, disobeying a direct order. I was a captain but I know Star Fleet would never approve of me going into the middle of a war zone to find my friend. Even if he did help save us from an alien invasion more than once. What was worse, was the fact that Julian would force me to take him along. He couldn't loose his career, it was his life. So I head off to the hanger bay to pick out a shuttle, over the next few days I pack it with stuff secretly and take a few things from my mom's collection of Gallifreyan books. Hopefully they will help me figure out how to shut that dang device down. It was around 0300 when I hear someone come into the bay. "Hello?" I ask. I don't see anything, which makes me very, very worried. "Woah. Don't shoot." Clara says to me as I turn around aiming my phaser I had retrieved from the shuttle. "Don't do that to me." I state to her. "What are you doing down here?" I heard from Julian you'd been busy working on a project in here. Now that I'm down here, I don't see a project." She counters. "The project is the shuttle."
I say. "Yeah right. I've been with the Doctor long enough to know when someone lies." She says crossing her arms and coming inside the shuttle. "This ship looks like you could easily take a 3 week trip somewhere. Not to mention all the tech in here." Clara points out. "That's standard. I was updating the main systems and running diagnostics. It's what I do when I get bored. My old job used to be a bit more on the edge actually." I say jokingly. "Really? Your the captain of a ship in the middle of space!" Clara states excitedly. "Well on DS9, we would have anything from a plague to a entity trying to take over the base. Not to mention all the times during the war we had to use the Defiant." I say. "Well, have fun doing what your doing. I'm going to go grab breakfast with River." Clara says waving goodbye and leaving. As soon as she does, I close the shuttle door and get back to work. "Tay you in there?" Julian asks from outside the shuttle. "Yeah. Give me a minute."
I say cleaning all evidence away. "Come in! Welcome to my little work area." I say waving my hand to show him what I've been working on. "How about you. Me. Breakfast in Paris. Holosuite." He says smiling and coming over. "I can't I'm finishing these systems but maybe later?" I ask still looking down at the control panel. "You've been in here since what I'm guessing is last night. You didn't have dinner or even sleep!" Julian counters. "Hm?" I ask not paying attention. "Max your completely out of it. Come on. Do I have to make it an order?"
He asks. "Alright. Just give me....10 more minutes and I'll meet you in holosuite 3." I say looking up at him. He kisses me on my forehead and then when I think he has left. I fire up the main engines.

*Meanwhile on the bridge*
"Sir, a shuttle in hanger bay 4 has just started up, and the bay doors are opening. I can't stop it sir. Whoever it is is locking me out of the systems." Ensign Sing says. "Whose identification code is it?" Commander Nog asks. "It's Captain Stone's sir...." She says looking confused. Nog hits his hand on his chair and then says "Bring up communications." Ensign Sing responds with "Aye sir."

*In hanger bay 4*
"Captain. I know what you are about to do. Do you know what this would do to your record?! Max. You'll be court marshaled. Because of this I can order you to get back here. But I won't. Not unless I have to. Just come back here and we'll talk this out. Your the best captain in 2 galaxies, Star Fleet can't loose you." Nog concludes. I don't respond. I couldn't. I wouldn't know what to even say. Where to start. I take down the force field blocking me from leaving. I just hope that Nog won't give the order to fire. I speed off and am about to enter hyperspace when I hear someone beam aboard. I didn't have time for this. I start up the warp drive and head off at warp 8 towards Kata IV.