THE RELIANT

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT

John, like every other Captain of an Alliance ship, had to submit reports to Alliance command whenever they had a major event such as a first contact or whenever they had a mission. But there were things that happened aboard the ships whether it was a Class A ship or a smaller ship like The Reliant on a day-to-day basis that occurred that didn't warrant a report to Alliance command. And sometimes with good reason. Here are just a few of the strangest, wackiest and downright funniest moments that has happened aboard The Reliant:

***

John was lying in bed asleep one night. He woke up at one point and turned over. He happened to gaze around his darkened quarters where he saw this strange dark figure standing next to his bed gazing down upon him with two red eyes. John's eyes grew wide as saucers as he quickly sat up in his bed and shouted, "Computer, turn on the lights!"

The lights switched on and he saw . . . nothing. There was no one else in his quarters but him. He got up out of bed and stepped over to the intercom on the wall. He turned it on and said, "Bridge, this is the Captain."

"Yes, Captain," Bortis replied.

"Check the sensors and see if there's anyone else onboard the ship."

"Captain?"

"Just do it, Bortis."

"Yes, Captain."

John waited for Bortis to respond to his request. After about a minute, Bortis said, "Sensors show no one else is onboard the ship, Captain."

"Are you certain, Bortis?"

Bortis sounded irritated, which wasn't unusual for the Morlon, and replied, "Yes, Captain, I am certain."

"What's this about, Captain?" Tamala, who was in charge of the bridge, asked him via the intercom.

John hesistated before he answered her. "I thought I saw . . . something in my quarters."

"Excuse me, sir, but did you say you saw something in your quarters?"

He let out a frustrated sigh. "Yes, I did, Lieutenant."

"Could you describe what you saw, Captain?"

He let out another frustrated sigh. "Never mind, Lieutenant. Maybe I was just seeing things." He chuckled a little as he added, "It's kind of like when I was a kid and I'd ask my dad to check under my bed for monsters."

"Would you like for me to come to your quarters and check under your bed for monsters, Captain?" Bortis asked him.

John wasn't sure if Bortis was being sarcastic with him or not. "Uh, no, Bortis, that's fine. I'm going back to bed."

"Good night, Captain," Tamala said.

"Good night, Lieutenant. Captain out."

He turned off the intercom and headed back to bed. He got back into his bed and then, remembering what he said to Tamala about what his dad used to do when he was younger and was scared to go to sleep, he checked underneath his bed. Of course, he found nothing there. Feeling like an idiot, he sat back up and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"John, come on, what the hell are you doing," he muttered to himself, letting out a breath. "Computer, turn off the lights."

The lights immediately went off again in his quarters, and he laid back down as he pulled the covers up over him. He was having a little trouble going back to sleep, so he turned over and there the figure was again standing next to his bed and staring down at him with its bright red eyes. John quickly sat up again in bed and said, "Computer, turn on the lights."