The Final Mission (Revised 2015)

Author: Jadeblueafterglow17

Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Angst Wesleytorture (not to be confused with Wesley bashing...cause I love the guy.)

Disclaimers: These wonderful characters were created by Gene Wesley Roddenberry and they are owned by Paramount. I am only borrowing a few of my favorites, namely Wesley Crusher, Dr. Crusher, Picard, and a few others and I promise to return them relatively unharmed.

Author's Note: This is a Alternate Universe scenario for the episode Final Mission, the episode before Wesley leaves for Starfleet Academy. It takes place about 2weeks after the events of Patient X. It follows the original story Final Mission to Chapter 3, and then takes a life of its own! Trust me! Read on ! You may like to Read Patient X in order to know some of the references made in this story, but it is not necessary.

Chapter 1: Failed Mission

30 minutes Earlier

A soft knock at the door broke his trance staring at the glowing orange crystal around his neck flashed in time to the beating of his heart. He took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Come in."

He didn't have to turn to know the soft footsteps of the person entering his private quarters was of his own DNA. He had come to recognize the scent of her perfume. The sound of her gait as she walked; the slight sigh as she sat down on his bed, the penetrating stare that seemed to burn through his body as those eyes burned a hole to his soul.

A connection.

From the first time his tiny, chubby hand had clutched her finger, and gazed into her blue eyes, a connection had been forged. A bond that could not be broken by time, space, - not even death. He turned to face the figure on his bed.

"Hi mom."

Her features instantly softened. A warm smile reached her eyes as she patted the bed beside her. Through his tunic she could see the pulsing amber light near his sternum.

"You still haven't figured out what the colors mean?"

"Uhmmm...Kinda. I studied it and its from the people of T'leith. It uses energy of the spirit to convey emotions and life force of the bearer. But they don't really correspond to human emotions. So far I have only determined that changes in pulsing means the life force is in danger. "

"How did you find that out?"

" I was accidentally in the cargo bay during a shuttlecraft launch..." he grinned sheepishly.

"Wesley!"

"I got out before the air lock opened..." Beverly shook her head in disbelief. These brushes with death would be the death of her. He glanced at the time and leapt from the bed, donning his black shoes.

"Please be careful, you are the only son I have."

"Well if you spent a little less time in sick bay and more time in Ten Forward, I'd have a little brother by now."

He ducked with precision accuracy as a throw pillow was hurled at him. Wesley slid through the automatic doors as they closed behind them. Beverly sat quietly on the bed shaking her head, tickled at his audacity, as the door slid back open.

"I love you."

"I love you too kiddo."

Enterprise Shuttle Bay
0800 hrs

Wesley Crusher sat at the OPS station of Shuttle Nenebek, Captain Dirgo's prized possession.

"Ensign Crusher to the Bridge." Dr Crusher sat in her chair on the bridge and smiled broadly. She loved the sound of her son's voice confidently calling himself a real officer of the Enterprise, he'd worked hard to become a non-commisioned officer.

"Go ahead, Mister Crusher." Riker answered.

"Our shuttle is ready for departure Commander Riker."

"Acknowledged."

"Shuttlecraft Nenebek has cleared the bay." Commander Data reported.

"Take us out of orbit Ensign Gray."

Dirgo stared ahead and glared back at Wesley. He threw the coordinates over his shoulders expecting to befuddle him. Wesley adjusted the controls and the shuttle smoothly changed course and headed for the planet Regalus.

"You've done this... before?"

"A few times." he said dryly. "sir."

Picard, studying his PADD on Regalian law suppressed a grin as he walked in to the rear cabin watching his Ensign navigate the shuttle. He looked in his port viewer as the Enterprise - D warped away at twice the speed of light.

Dirgo walked over and pressed a lever above Wesley's head and settled back into his seat.

"The Regalians are a people of war and brutality, if your Captain isn't tougher than he looks, those miners will have him for dinner."

"Captain Picard will handle the miners. You don't have to worry about him."

For a few moments the shuttle coasted along through the outer reaches of space. Ensign Crusher sat at ops adjusting and navigating the controls with ease as Captain Dirgo controlled the thrusters and flight path.

As Dirgo made a modification to thruster output suddenly an explosion of electricity and fire catapulted Wesley away from the OPS station as he flew through the air and crashed into the opposite console landing with a thud on the floor.

Dirgo glanced back at the fallen boy , but was frantically trying to regain control of his ship.

Captain Picard came back through the door and immediately noticed Wesley was no longer at OPS but a small electrical fire and blue smoke was in his place. He looked to the floor, horrified to see Wes lying on the floor, his uniform singed, eyes closed, and bleeding. A white pulse of light emanating from his chest.

He grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. He tossed the empty canister aside as the craft began to shake violently. The lights and control panels began to flicker on and off and a constant vibration was felt throughout the vehicle.

"Dirgo, what the devil happened?" Picard asked scrambling to the other console, Wesley at his feet. He heard him moan and glanced down and puts two fingers to his wrist and released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Navigation is gone." Dirgo exclaimed..."Port thrusters too." Dirgo was struggling for control of the ship.

Wesley groaned and began to stir as he started to sit up. Lines of pain spread across his young face.

"Ensign Crusher stay put...you may be seriously injured." he demanded. "You're bleeding."

Wesley put his hand up to his temple and wiped the blood from around his brow onto his pants. His right hand was charred black and was bruised up to the charred hole in his uniform exposing angry red burns.

"I'm okay sir. You may need my help." He cradled his right arm to his side as he struggled to get up. Picard reached down to grab him and steady him in the twisting and turning shuttle. Wesley sat down at the console.

"I don't doubt I will Mr. Crusher." he said quietly patting Wesley's shoulder.

Wesley pressed a series of buttons as Captain Picard took over the control of the ship.

"Captain, stabilizers are offline, guidance coupling is gone." Wesley half slurred.

Dirgo tried to reach Pentaurus "Shuttle Nenebek to Pentaurus station come in please" there was no answer. "Communication is off line, switching to manual navigation"

"Captain Dirgo what is our position?"

"Too damn far away from Pentaurus V, at least 30 million kilometers."

"Ensign Crusher scan for a Class M environment on the surrounding moons."

"Aye Sir...scanning now." Wesley pressed a few buttons as he struggled to stay upright. He couldn't let on how bad he was hurting; not now, the Captain needed him.

Dirgo continued to fight with the shuddering shuttle controls as the ship continued to pitch and turn wildly. "We are losing impulse engines. C'mon baby just a little bit longer."

"Sir, one of the moons is barely a class M, that is our only chance. Oxygen and nitrogen levels are tolerable. Temperatures are roughly fifty degrees Celsius (130 Fahrenheit). No life forms are present, but there is a strong magnetic field that may be causing interference with the scanners."

Dirgo made the adjustments manually as they headed towards the red colored moon.

"Ensign, reconfigure the thrusters, optimize them for manual input and navigation." Dirgo stared at Picard infuriated he would leave such an important task to the boy.

"Yes, Sir." he replied softly. Picard stole a glance at him. He was going to catch hell for this. He could already see the ire on Beverly Crusher's face when she sees the condition her only son is in.

"Captain Picard... will you take the helm?"

Dirgo goes to Wesley, shoulders him aside; Picard takes the Conn.

"You will need to reroute the flow of deuterium, otherwise the impulse engines will fail."

"I know. I am going to manually trip the bypass from the main engine to the thrusters..." the shuttle shudders again and is now being affected by the moons gravity and atmosphere. Dirgo stares at Wesley as if he has horns growing out of his head.

"How did you know how to do that...you re just a kid?" Wesley glared at him.

"Captain, power is restored."

"Well done Ensign." Picard swiftly guides the craft as it still violently rumbles and lurches. Dirgo returns to OPS.

"Shuttle hull temperature 1,900 degrees. We're coming in too steep."

Smoke infiltrated the cabin, as the shuttle glides lights flicker and a violent shaking was felt as they were jolted into the control panels and pitched into the darkness as the shuttle crashed to the surface. No further movement came from inside the shuttle.

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Updated 11/2015