Every Father's Son

Disclaimer: I do not own seaQuest: DSV - If I did, the third season would have never happened. Neither would some of the second. As this is a crossover with The Thunderbirds movie, I do not own that either, cause then it would be the live action Thunderbirds series.

Chapter One – A Father's Grief

George Le Chein sat in his luxurious Jamaican compound. Most men would have loved the view of the azure waters and sparkling white sandy beaches. Most men would have been smug that so much of the lush foliage that surrounded them belonged to him alone. Most men would have gloried in the knowledge that they possessed the wealth and power to belong in such a life.

Most men had not just found out that their only son was dead.

Oh, he had suspected it. After all, it had been more than six months since he had sent his son, Maxwell, along with former Nor-Pac Captain Marilyn Stark, in a Delta Four submarine to draw out and destroy the seaQuest. The seaQuest DSV – Deep Submersible Vessel – had been Nor-Pac Commands greatest military achievement. The leviathan had been a formidable weapon for them. And then, following the ignoble end of Captain Stark's command of the vessel – as well as the end of her naval career – Nor-Pac gave – gave – the billions of dollars and years of work invested in the sub away by turning the submarine over to the newly formed United Earth Oceans. The UEO spent over a year and millions more dollars to turn the craft from a mighty weapon of war to a research vessel, dedicated to be both a peacekeeper of the final earthbound frontier – the oceans – as well as devoted to deep sea exploration.

Prior to the formation of the UEO, Le Chein Enterprises had held more than fifty undersea outposts, garnering him wealth from the bounty of the seas. Minerals, petroleum, coral were all his for the taking. Once the UEO was formed, Le Chein had been left with less than ten. Then the confederation began to make plans to take away more of his property in the name of peace and harmony. "What," he had asked, "does peace and harmony have to do with business?"

It had all seemed so simple. Outfit a former Russian submarine with a hand-picked team, loyal to Le Chein, send his son and heir along to supervise, and hire the dishonored and disgruntled former Captain of the seaQuest. Marilyn Stark was beautiful, in an ice-cold way, and known for her strategic brilliance in combat situations. Unfortunately, Stark was also known for an itchy trigger finger and a bloodlust for combat. She wanted her name to go down in the history books with as much glory as her forefathers. Instead, Stark had been forced from the service and disgraced – no high schools would be named for her. But her ignominy had played right into Le Chein's plans. Stark had claimed that she had already set the seaQuest up for defeat; she merely wanted to be there when her former command was trounced for good.

Turning his back on the tranquil scene outside his palatial home, George Le Chein eyed the messenger with contempt. He despised her for the failure to deliver on her promises. He loathed her for surviving when his beloved son had not. But most of all, he hated Marilyn Stark for being the one to destroy any hope he might have that Maxwell might still be alive.

"Mr. Le Chein, I can not tell you how sorry I am about Maxwell." Stark, calculatingly, put a slight quiver in her voice before she continued. "I owe that young man my life. I was injured and helpless when the seaQuest, in an underhanded move, attacked our vessel. Maxwell managed to get me to the mini-sub, then went back to try and get more of our crew. But the seaQuest, even though we were already damaged and vulnerable, continued her assault. When the emergency systems were damaged, the mini-sub was cast free. I don't know how long I was unconscious and helpless, before I was rescued by a rogue freighter from the Western Alliance. It was several months before I recovered enough to return, discreetly of course, to UEO territory."

Stark injected a tremor before going forward in her unrelenting monologue. "I spent considerable time, all of my resources and nearly every penny I had trying to find out what happened to my crew. I finally discovered that they were being held as terrorists – enemies of the state. They were being held without trial at Guantanamo Bay."

Le Chein simply nodded. He had found out that much himself. But he had been unable to find out if his son was alive or not. The crew had refused to identify themselves, so as not to be linked to his business. He knew some of them had died in the sub, while a few more had died after being captured. But as long as no one told him otherwise, Le Chein could hold out the hope that Maxwell was alive.

As the grieving father reached out a trembling hand to shuffle through the autopsy photos that Stark had handed him earlier, he missed the calculating look on her face. Tracing his only child's beloved features, Le Chein lowered his head so that the icy blonde woman in front of him could not see the moisture that had gathered in his eyes. "Someone will pay for your loss, mein kind. I vow before I join you in eternity, I will avenge your death."

Turning away from the despondent parent, Stark knew she had him just where she wanted him. It was time to play her winning hand. She could avenge herself upon the UEO, the seaQuest, but most of all – she could get revenge upon Nathan Hale Bridger. Captain of the seaQuest, Bridger had been the mastermind of her defeat. With the aid of the grief-stricken Le Chein, Stark would make Bridger and all of the seaQuest suffer by proxy.

"You know you can make them suffer." Stark looked out at the sparkling surf, utterly blind to the beauty of the vista. She felt more than saw Le Chein raise his head. Hiding her satisfied smirk, Stark continued. "You have lost your irreplaceable treasure, your child. An eye for eye, I believe is the expression. Captain Bridger, the whole of the seaQuest, can suffer with the loss of its heart."

Le Chein shook his head. "Bridger has no family. I looked into using them as leverage to gain information on my son. His son Robert died while serving in the military. His wife Carol died just over a year ago. There was no other family."

"No, but there is his crew – and among his crew is Lucas Wolenczak."

Raising his brow, Le Chein shrugged his shoulders. "And Lucas Wolenczak is…?"

Her back still to Le Chein, Stark pursued her plan. "The boy is part of the science contingency aboard the seaQuest. He graduated from Stanford at age fourteen with a Masters in Artificial Intelligence. Lucas was the one who uncovered my computer virus that should have left the seaQuest helpless. He turned sixteen aboard the sub. The boy is treated as a little brother by most of the crew. And to Captain Bridger, young Wolenczak is his son. Lucas Wolenczak is in fact the son of a well-known scientist who has all but abandoned the boy. Yet the boy has apparently never been happier. He has excitement, challenges and a family he has created on board the sub. And Bridger loves the boy, who in turn views Bridger more as a father than his own. Seize Lucas Wolenczak; you will be snatching up one of the greatest resources in the UEO, as well as the heart of the seaQuest. You will have the joy of Nathan Bridger's life. If you have lost what is most precious to you, why should Bridger and the seaQuest have their precious one?"

Stark's smile was cold and calculating as she saw Le Chein consider her words. She knew his heart had been shattered and he was looking for others to share his pain. His pain would become her vengeance. "Well, well, Captain Bridger," Stark mused. "The student will become the master. I will see you suffer for my humiliation. And if it takes a so-called innocent… Well, it is time for the seaQuest to learn, there are no innocents."

a/n - I always thought Stark made a hell of a villain. She deserved to come back, she was truly warped.

I know some people who read my Thunderbirds series may read this with no clue about seaQuest and many who love seaQuest don't know the Thunderbirds. Please introduce yourselves, as you will get to know them both in upcoming chapters. The action will take a few chapters as the characters begin to blend. And to my readers from before: No daily updates. Once, maybe twice a week. Sorry. Life is happening. Enjoy - and if anyone from either fandom gets confused, PM me and I will be glad to explain characters or situations. - CC