Day of the Dog"
By: Kandar, Crewman, [PST]

Stardate: 58207.08 0100

==Bridge of the USS Gage==

The Captain spun his his chair to face his communications officer. "A distress call?"

"Yes Sir, audio only."

The Captain stood, and motioned for her to play it.

"This is the USS Derringer...badly..."

He turned to the Communications Officer. "I'm sorry Sir, I've lost connection."

"I've pinpointed the source, Sir," said the tactical officer. "its a half light year away, Two Akiras on long range sensor, leaving the area."

The star map was displayed on the main viewer.

The Captain sat in his chair and barked his orders, "Engage the cloak, helm set a course 0h-two-nine mark 6, warp 8, engage."

The Captain waited anxiously, griping the arm of his chair. Where every second counted, no starship was ever fast enough.

---

"We're arriving at the coordinates Sir," announced the helmsman.

"Scanners are picking up a debris field," reported the ops officer.

"Its the Derringer Sir. Completely destroyed, and one federation akira,"said the science officer.

"All stop." said the Captain, "Any signs of Federation ships?"

"No Sir."

"Scan for survivors."

The Captain turned away from the view screen and clutched the rail which encircled the center of the bridge. He was too late.

"We have one Sir...life signs are...strange Sir."

The Captain turned and looked at the main viewer. "Strange? then engage the tractor beam, get them in here.

---

==Flight Deck, USS Gage==

A rescue crew and watched as the tractor beam set the escape pod down. Medics waited nearby.

"It won't open," said one of the men.

"Hell it's fused. It must have been close to the breech."

The other man immediately began to use a phaser torch on the door. After a few minutes it fell off with a loud clang and a plume of smoke.

The medics shined a light in to the pod. All they could see were two huge glowing yellow eyes.

"What the hell is that?"

"I don't know but get him out of there," shouted the other.

The creature, wearing a marine uniform struggled lethargically as he was pulled from the escape pod and beamed to Sickbay.

The Captain stood near the biobed as the creature slowly stirred to consciousness.

"It's an Antican, Sir." said the doctor.

"A what?"

"That's right, an Antican."

The captain looked at the doctor with a dumbfound look.

The doctor continued, "...there are only 12 enlisted in the Maquis and..."

The Captain interrupted him, "have you ever seen an Antican?"

With a startled blink, the doctor responded, "well, no...Sir... Not personally. But this *is* an Antican, the canine features and..."

The captain walked around to the other side of the biobed and looked up at the doctor.

"Well I have met Anticans Doctor, and I have never seen one like this."

"You mean the pale fur and strange markings, and look at this..." The doctor turned his patient over gently. From the beasts shoulders were tightly weaved dreadlocks which came to colored points."

"I can't explain that Sir, but perhaps you can ask him yourself. He appears to be coming around."

"Can you hear me?" asked the Captain.

The Antican looked around for the voice that asked the question. He looked at the Captain for a moment, closed his eyes as if trying to muster up the strength to speak, "Ay, I can hear you. Where am I?"

The Captain looked up a the doctor and back down to the patient.

"You are on the USS Gage, Do you remember anything?"

"The last thing I remember was being at the hatch to the escape pod, and opening a panel to set up an emergency bypass to the release system on it. After that, is waking up here."

The Antican looked around the sickbay and noticed he was the only patient. "Was there any other survivors from the Derringer?"

The Captain shook his head, "I'm afraid not."

The Antican sat up on the biobed with the expression of a lost puppy on his face, and looks around.

"What is your name son?"

"Most people call me Kandar."

"Kandar..." said the Captain, about to say something when suddenly another officer entered. "Sir...?"

The captain excused himself and followed the officer out the door.

The doctor leaned over, "you are going to be okay. I'm just holding you over night for observation."

The Captain returned after a few minutes. "Your Marine CO left you a message."

He handed Kandar the padd, it began to play a message from his MCO.

"Hey Wolfman, sorry to do this to ya, but..." the image of the CMO could be seen working the release mechanism of the escape pod. "you know only one of us is going to make it off this ship to live to fight another day."

There was a great hiss and steam as the escape pod powered up.

He grunted as he tried to position the final release lever.

"..and in that other day..." he said grunting as he tried to move the lever which finally broke free.

He turned and leaned against the bulkhead, his finger on a button which now blinked, "...I believe you can do more damage to the enemy than I."

The CMO saluted, "kick their ass Wolfie..Kick their ass."

The video went dark.

The Captain took a deep breath.

Kandar set the padd down and silently muttered something in an obscure dialect of Antican, started up with a low growl, then lets out a howl that sounded like everyone on the ship would hear. After the howling, Kandar turns to the captain, "Tank you." Then he lays back down staring up at the ceiling.

The Captain nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."

Looking up at the Doctor the Captain gestured with another nod and left.

After the lights dimmed, Kandar closed his eyes, and tried to sleep. All he could think about was the MCO that got him in the escape pod, and the message he left for him.

After a while he noticed the sound of someone else in the room, he laid there pretending to sleep. His sensitive nose revealed the person was a human female. From the sound of her steps, about 120 pounds.

Realizing that the person was not a threat as they walked around the sickbay, He decided to speak, "Who are you, and what are you doing?"

The steps approached him. "I am the night nurse, is everything alright?"

He looked at the nurse for a moment, “Yes, everything is fine. At the moment, I'm just finding it hard to sleep. Tell me, is there a holo facility on board?�

The nurse looked puzzled, "why yes, but..." she looked down at the charts, "but...doctor's orders are to stay here for observation."

Kandar chuckles a little, “I'm not intending to leave right now. I am just trying to get to know what's on the ship as I am not sure where I will be going when we put in to base. Thank you. I think I am going to attempt to sleep a little before I am released.�

Kandar slept for several hours, and could be heard growling slightly.