Contest: VOTE Spring 2016 Fanfic Contest - The Captain's Table

[atpatp]

Memories of Nobody


The Present


“What do you mean Bella wasn’t real?” Captain Rosa’s eyebrows shot up higher than Spock’s ever could. The amber liquid trembled inside the glass, distorting and warping the reflection of Rosa’s face.


“She just wasn’t.” I shrugged, squinting at Rosa through the amber liquid. “As far as I understand, she was a psionic construct. Made by the Dia-View. To study us. I think.” I set the glass down. Carefully, unlike Captain Ument. Who was plastered enough with the real stuff to keep spilling it everywhere.


“But she was real? She had emotions? Right?” Captain Rosa probed.


“Emotions don’t prove anything!” Ument blurted out.


“Doesn’t matter, Bella had been more alive than all of us. More alive than any of us, Okay?” I interrupted. “But she wasn’t real. Just a figment of some Dia-View’s imagination.”


“Oh, it was the ‘Bride’?” Rosa asked.


“No, I mean yes. Initially, that is what we all thought. That is what she told us. She just said Bella Blunt wasn’t real. I think she lied. I think she is Bella, or was Bella.”


“Wait,” Captain Ument frowned, “I thought Starfleet maintains that it was the ‘Bride’ who cast the psionic projection?”


“Starfleet has their own theories, but this is my story and I was there. Do you want to hear the truth or what some stuffy admiral in a stuffy suit tells you what the truth is? I saw it in my own eyes! Iio-Dia is Bella!”


“So what happened on the Dia-View’s planet? What really happened?” Rosa leaned forward, rested her elbows on the table and intertwined her fingers in front of her oval face.


“Well, Ray went nuts, after Bella disappeared, stole USS Butterscotch and went to the planet where the Dia-View live. He was convinced that they had everything to do with Bella’s disappearance. Of course, Admiral Easton would have none of that. He ordered Picard and the Enterprise to apprehend Ray. But it was too late. By the time we got to Dia-View, Ray had already beamed down. Or crash landed, or was brought down, we are not sure what happened.”


“That much we know.” Ument snorted. “What happened on the planet, is murky.”


I brought the glass full of the amber liquid to my lips, but something heavy smashed into my back. The screech of the solid chair dragging across the hard floor and the splashing liquid startled me into a half standing position. I ran my shaking hand down my face, corralling the drops of my chin. I turned to face my unexpected assailant, it was Captain Ameri.


“Could you not slap my back so hard, please?” I paused. “I would really appreciate that.”


“You know each other?” Rosa asked.


“Yes!” Captain Ameri boomed, “we served together on the Enterprise when we were still sniveling red-shirts. But, I came aboard the Enterprise after the Bella-Ray Fiasco, so I didn’t see anything. Mind if I join you? No! Okay!” I just cringed.


“We were just talking about Bella Blunt and Ray Dimco.” Captain Rosa said “We were trying to get the Captain of the hour to spill the beans. But he is resisting.”


“Resistance is futile,” Captain Ameri boomed uncorking a large glass bottle with a pop. “I happen to know a way to get his lips flapping like an untied old time sail in the wind.” He pointed at me and winked at Captain Rosa. I cringed, self conscious of the long glances cast in the direction of our rambunctious guest. Even though it had been 80 years since the Borg invasion and their defeat, many people were still sensitive. Especially in this establishment where everyone was a captain. A profession that had a higher rate of encounter with the Borg than any other. Everyone here had a relative, dad or grandpa that had a run in with the Borg.


“Keep it down, you dolt, we are attracting too much attention.” I whispered at Ameri.


“Ah, relax, nobody here cares. They are probably more interested in your story.” Ameri boomed again, and pushed two glasses, one at me and one at Rosa. Rosa took the glass and smiled, her cheeks flushed red on her round baby face.


“Could you be anymore transparent?” Ument leaned back into his chair and folded his arms across his chest.


“What do you care?” Ameri yelled at Ument, “you’re married.” He turned to face Rosa. “I see a beautiful woman? A Captain at that! It’s phasers on heavy stun for me!” Rosa giggled like a giddy teenager.


“Are you kidding me?” I blurted out before I could stop myself, “you like this idiot?” I grabbed my drink and poured it down my throat. Ameri slapped my shoulder again, causing me to spill half my drink. Again.


“Now who’s the idiot?” This time Ameri and Rosa burst out in loud laughter.


“Can we get back to the story? I don’t really want to see these two flirting!” Ument exclaimed.


“Fine, fine, I will stop interrupting.” Ameri yelled. By now more beings were ambling towards our table, some were pulling chair behind them. With just as much ruckus as Ameri had done. I sucked in a lung full of alcohol saturated air.


“I will tell you everything about Bella Blunt and Ray Dimco. On one condition. No interruptions!” I met the gaze of everyone present at the table. Somehow in the reshuffling, Rosa had ended up sitting next to Ameri, almost leaning towards him.


“Aye Aye, Captain.”


Eighty Years Before


The yellow alert, personnel management program woke me up and told me to report to shuttle bay 4 immediately. I grabbed a ration out of the replicator, spend 30 seconds in the sonic shower and bolted for the door. When I got to the shuttle bay, there was 160 of my crewmates lined up in the Heth formation, with dozens of shuttles ready for launch into space. Beyond the force-field I could see the arch of a hazy yellow planet with several dozen of red impulse drives twinkling in the foreground. I made a mental note that the planet looked familiar as I fell into position and ended up next to her. At first I didn’t realize, I just blankly stared into space trying to figure out what the hell was going on. It was 0030.


“What is going on?” I asked her, stifling a yawn.


“Mister Dimco has been missing for 6 months.” She answered. Her voice was unmistakable, it had a sad sonorous note to it, I turned and did a double take, my heart tumbled straight down into my heel. It was Lieutenant Blunt next to me. At the same time my mind reeled. Dimco? What happened to him?


“Dimco?” I caught my breath.


“Ray Dimco.” Lieutenant Blunt answered. I dared a glance at her, damn how can she be beautiful? How can anyone be this beautiful? I am so jealous!


“Never heard of him.” I lied. Lieutenant Blunt let out a long breath, the frown on her face deepened. “He was recovered from ice planet DOC-A7 two years ago. He has been staying on the Enterprise as Picard’s guest. We left him on Valsalva 6 months ago.” Her worry visibly intensified. The relic? The relic? Why do you care!? Two years ago he caused a crap load of hurt for Captain Picard.


“The relic?” I blurted out. Oh crappies. She turned to face me, her light hazel eyes blazing. Oh shoot, shouldn’t have said that.


“Yes.” She let a long exhale escape her lungs. I felt like it took all her strength...


The Present


“Oh my Gods! You were in love with her! You Gods damned fool why did you say something? You should have said something, at least to her!” Ameri yelled. The whole collective table groaned.


“Stop interrupting! You fool!” Rosa playfully pushed Ameri in the shoulder.


“What should I have said to her? ‘Hello, you don’t know me, I saw you on the bridge a few times, and while we are looking for your soul mate that we lost 6 months ago, who by the way could be dead’, ‘I love you’. That seemed like a stupid thing to say! Regardless as we all know, my feelings for her were completely and utterly irrelevant.”


“Your feelings were never irrelevant.” A complete stranger said. I glanced around the table, over a dozen people had gathered, twice more of drinks were opened on the table in a multi-color array of glass bottles and flasks. Someone had dimmed the light in the bar, the table was lit by a single light from above, hanging on a black stalk.


“Please continue.” The stranger said.

 

[atpatp]

Eighty Years Before


Lieutenant Blunt launched the shuttle so fast that the shield keeping the atmosphere in, bowed outward as if a canvas shot by an arrow. I imagined the shield would boom like thunder throughout the shuttle bay once it reverberated back into its regular oscillation position.


It didn’t matter we were the last to launch, no one was around to see or hear us. I hoped that the impulse drive plume didn’t shake the Enterprise too much. Don’t want this beautiful creature getting in trouble for violating flight protocols. Damn it, what the heck is wrong with me? She is so worried about Ray and here I am, couldn’t give any more damns. Shoot, I am horrible. I concentrated on the sensor UI. If I could help her find this guy, maybe she would notice me. Valsalva. Right, the Enterprise had on away team there 6 months ago exploring the mostly dead planet. I had to babysit a bunch of geologists, who for some infernal reason were overly excited about a bunch of rocks. I still remember the heat.


“What do we know about this planet?” I asked.


“It’s a dead desert world.” She answered manipulating the controls, Valsalva loomed into the view- screen with frightening rapidity.


“There is hardly any life or water on the planet. What little there is, it’s just bacteria and fungi around toxic pools of water. Oxygen levels are low, almost like being on top of Mount Everest, except on Valsalva the tip of Mount Everest is on the surface.” She paused and swallowed a lump, “plus the temperature gets inhospitable to life, the chances of Mr. Dimco being alive after 6 months on such a planet are negligible.” Shoot, I need to help her. What is Mount Everest? No oxygen there. Hmmm. Maybe because they rest there forever? Ever rest?


“How low do we have to fly for our sensors to detect life-signs?”


“Ten thousand meters.” She answered. Her breath rapid.


“And life-forms?” She didn’t answer, I glanced at her face, but instead my gaze fell on her rumor inducing, chest size. Her head turned to face me.


“Two thousand meters.”


I jerked my head back to the sensor UI display. She slouched and sank into her seat, trying to disappear. You stupid idiot. Eyes front! The heat on the back of my neck bloomed full of shame to my face. I input the appropriate settings in the field sensors. In embarrassment and shame for having ogled her breasts in such an inappropriate situation, I had a brilliant idea.


“At what level will we be able to detect large bodies of water?” I asked. She sat up straight, understanding dawned on her face. She is quick on the uptake, I thought as she rapidly pressed a series of UI elements too fast for my eyes to follow.


“One hundred meters.” She said simultaneously as the screen beeped.


“Okay, if we fly this low then we will be able to push the sensor fields through the radio-genic interference. It would make sense to look for water. Since, if Dimco has survived, he would most assuredly need water, so if he is anywhere on this planet he would be by a body of water. The water would have to be fresh, or as close to fresh as this planet allows.” I said and instructed the sensor control elements to scan for the least toxic water source in range.


“Right,” Lieutenant Blunt seemed energized, her self-consciousness vanished. “and Ray would need shelter from the heat. Most likely he would need, a cave, a cavern or at the very least some sort of rock outcropping to hide from heat.” As she spoke I did the adjustments to the sensor parameters before I even finished the sensor alert filled the cabin.


Four Hours Later


“You let her go into the cave by herself?” Picard’s eyes were phasers.


“Sir, she specifically ordered me to stay behind and wait. She said if she didn’t return in 8 hours I was to assume the worst and contact the Enterprise. Bella-,” I stopped myself, “Lieutenant Blunt has 4 more hours before I assume the worst. Sir.” Shoot, that’s all I got. Picard eyed me.


“Contact us in 4 hours, exactly, f-o-u-r hours,” he spelled it out and continued, “not a second early or late. Do I make myself clear? Ensign?”


“Sir! Yes sir!”


“Picard out!” Shoot, shoot, shoot. It’s not like I wanted to let her go! Damn it. Damn this radiation.


“Computer is there anything that can get through the radio-genic interference?”


“Please restate your question.” Useless! Wait! Photons are getting through. At least, the planet is visible, to a certain degree. I mean the planet is covered in the yellow haze. So the photons aren’t making it into space, but are scattered somewhere between the surface and the orbit of Valsalva. But I can still see the planet more or less!


“Computer what is the visibility range?”


“Twenty kilometers.”


Lieutenant Blunt had explained as much. And they said the same thing during hasty briefing in the shuttle bay. Of course I was too busy trying to sneak a glance at Bella. Crap, I need to pay better attention. Enterprise’s orbital sensor sweeps were useless. Too much theta activation radiation. Which is why we had to use every runabout, shuttle, shuttle-pod and drone to carry out the search and rescue operation.


“Operation absolution.”


Picard had called it. Apparently quite a few people felt guilt for neglecting to discover Mr. Dimco’s absence. Far more guilt, not for losing him, but not realizing that he was gone for so long. Or at least that’s what Bella told me before she disappeared into the darkness of the cave.


Admiral Easton was on his way too. Which set everyone on edge. Plus, Commander La Forge had to figure out how the personnel management subroutine didn’t notice that Ray Dimco was missing from the ship for 6 months. Easton, naturally assumed subterfuge on Dimco’s part. Oh well, it’s their problems. Deal with your own.


“Computer what is the transmittance range of neutrino particles in this environment?”


“Twenty kilometers.” Yes! I can scan the damned cave. The micro-fusion reactors powering the shuttle could generate a massive amount of neutrinos if they had the right encouragement. Hansen did something like this a decade ago on Voyager. Except it took me 20 minutes to set up the scanner. It would have taken Hansen, or Bella, for that matter, a minute or two to do, what took me 20 minutes. Oh well, I am just a simple redshirt.


What mattered, I was flying and scanning. My satisfaction quickly turned into surprise. My eyes rolled out of my skull when I saw what was scrolling past and under me on the screen. I wanted to make a few more passes just to ogle the contents of the massive cave system. But I saw Lieutenant’s form outside of the cave system in a deep ravine on the sensor display screen, slowly making her way due north from my location. The resolution was atrocious, but there was no mistaking her feminine form. Hmm, no other forms around. Shoot, Dimco! Where the hell are you? I looked at her last known position. Wow, Bella! She had covered 37 kilometers in the lost 7 hours and 59 minutes! In a cave! In unexplored cave! Shoot! 59 minutes!


The Present


“Wait a second, wait a second, you said that neutrino scanning range was 20 kilometers. So how could you see her from 37 kilometers away?” Ameri interrupted again.


“I didn’t see her from 37 kilometers away, she was only 17 kilometers from me. Bella had walked 37 kilometers from where I dropped her off. From the entrance of the cave. She had left the cave system and was hiking towards higher ground in the ravine when I detected her. I was flying in a standard search pattern, looking at the back-scatter neutrinos.”


“Darn it, Ameri stop interrupting.” Ument muttered. “Just continue with the story.”


“Not so fast!” Captain Rosa exclaimed, “what was in the cave!?” The whole table suddenly murmured in support. I looked at all the expectant faces. They were not going to like this.


“I can’t tell you, I made a promise. To Bella. No matter what!” I said.


“Why?” Captain Ument sat up straight. “Why would you do that?”


“Because she asked me!”


“You are keeping a 80-year-old promise to a person who wasn’t even real?” the beautiful stranger asked.


“She wasn’t real? Sure. But my memories of her, my feelings and emotions about her, are certainly real. I might have been a lust addled fool back then, but now I respect and admire her memory. Even though she is gone. And Ray too.” I added.


“Might?” Rosa and Ameri giggled.


“Was Bella self-aware?” the stranger asked ignoring Rosa and Ameri.


“I don’t know, her pain was certainly real. Remember, her human family was all killed by the Borg. Her planet was frittered away completely by the Borg.”


“Wow, a Dia-View psionic projection with self-awareness and feelings!” the stranger explained. I wanted to ask her who she was, but decided not to. I liked the melancholy ambience of the mystery.


“So not even a hint of what was in the cave?” Captain Rosa probed. “I heard that it was embarrassing for Bella?”


“She wasn’t embarrassed by it,” I shrugged, “she was energized by it, she knew that Ray was alive. She spent 4 hours exploring the cave.”


“Four hours exploring the cave? How in the hell would she have time?” Captain Ameri exclaimed. I smiled.


“Ray had build dilithium waveguide cables that linked several transporter platforms positioned throughout the cave system. The dilithium cables actually guide the transporter’s matter stream thereby avoiding the problem of radiogenic interference. Bella simple beamed through the cave system. He just left it there, completely functional, when he disappeared.”


“So she spent 4 hours exploring the cave system and whatever Ray build in it and omitted this from her report?”


“No! She told Picard. She showed what she discovered to Picard and possibly Doctor Crusher. Picard was the one who struck it from her report! At least the personal contents of the cave. But the technology in the cave. Well, Starfleet picked it clean. As for Bella, she never violated her orders, her duty or her charter to Starfleet. Neither did I! When I kept her promise! Do you think she would have been able to rise to the rank of Captain is she tried to hide the contents of the cave? Or if she tried to hide her tumultuous relationship with Ray?”


“Wait, I thought Bella and Ray had a great relationship between them? The Star-Nets even dubbed them BellaRay!” Rosa asked.


“The problem was never in their own faults. It was always Admiral Easton and his Federal Security Protection Department nipping at Rays heels, or flat out sending him to the penal colonies. On several occasions too. Remember, when Doctor Crusher discovered the NuevoOrgan inside Bella during a routine medical check up, it caused an ethical and political shit-storm of epic proportions. After which Ray ended up on the New Zealand Penal Colony for two years!”


“Wait? I thought he was in jail because he didn’t have Lieutenant Blunt’s consent. Didn’t he implant the NuevoOrgan into Bella without her knowledge?” Ument squinted at me.


“Nah, he was jailed illegally by Easton. That is what the Starfleet Tribunal found, anyway. As for the consent between Ray and Bella, remember they had that Absolute Surrender thing going on. It gave the Supreme Court a headache for a year. Bella and Ray gave each other permission to do to each whatever they wanted, which meant that they didn’t even have to tell each other what, when or how they were going to do something. Easton argued that such an agreement was illegal. But the Supreme Court overruled him in the end.” I explained. I took a long swig of the blue alcohol which was refilled so expertly and unobtrusively by the bartender calling himself ‘Cap’, that I didn’t even notice him.


“What I wouldn’t give to visit that cave on Valsalva.” Captain Rosa said and brought a bright pink glass to her puckered lips. I laughed gently.


“Well, I know a secret! If you visit Fortem-Luceat and ask the elders nicely, they might let you see it!”


“What?” Captain Rosa’s eyes bulged.


“Oh,” I leaned back into my chair satisfied, all eyes on me. “Admiral Savanas moved everything from Valsalva to Fortem-Luceat, after Ray disappeared.”


“I think I know where my next vacation will be.” Captain Rosa elicited giggles from around the table.


“I think we all know where our next vacation will be!” Captain Ameri picked up a glass and toasted the air before downing the blue contents in it.


“Did you visit the Valsalva cave system?” It took me a second to realize that the stranger was asking me.


“No, I never went there. I just saw it once on low resolution neutrino scans. That’s it.” I said.


“Do you regret it?”


“No, when I picked up Bella, I asked her about it. She was so mortified I decided not to bother her again. Since she didn’t want anyone else to see it why should I be the exception?” The stranger nodded her head in agreement.


“What?” Rosa exclaimed. “You just said she wasn’t embarrassed by the contents of the cave.”


“She wasn’t. Well, at least not with anyone else, except me. I think she knew I was in love with her.”


“Can we continue with the story!” Ument exclaimed with a few ayes of approval from around the table. “Can you guys stop interrupting with questions about irrelevant things?”


Eighty Years Before


“Security, report to the briefing room on the double.” I was stationed on the bridge that day and was the first through the doors, phaser drawn.


It had been 6 months since Valsalva, of course I wasn’t privy to the goings-on on the top decks. All I knew is it had taken 6 months at high warp cruise to catch up with Ray and his ship, a ship he miraculously built on Valsalva and named the CXV Butterscotch. The Enterprise had ended up in a completely unexplored and uncharted space by the time we caught up with Ray. No one knew anything other than everyone was excited about something!


Of course, that didn’t stop the rumors from swirling on the ship and swirl they did. Lieutenant Blunt had discovered a massive hangar bay, cut straight into solid rock, as if by magic, not far from the cave system. Inside the hangar was a massive fusion reactor. That caused every engineer and scientist aboard the Enterprise, including Bella, to lose their collective marbles.


Commander La Forge and his team spend a whole week trying to figure out how the reactor worked. On one occasion I overheard one engineer say that the reactor was violating the laws of physics. At which point the Enterprise gave chase after the CXV Butterscotch, but not before Starfleet arrived to take possession of the Valsalva installation.


“Throw this man into the brig, until he is more cooperative.” Admiral Easton barked at me and pointed at Ray. Bella was white as a sheet. Ray stood up and looked at me, “well?”


“I gave you on order! Ensign.” Admiral Easton screamed at the back of my neck. I hooked my hand under Ray’s hand and pulled him.


“Come with me, sir.” For his part, Ray didn’t resist, not even a little. I snuck a look at Lieutenant Blunt, she was still pale, her glistening eyes darted from Easton to Picard. Picard was stoic as always, his expression betraying nothing. I wanted to scream ‘I am sorry’ at Bella, but I just marched Ray out of the room and straight to the brig. I couldn’t hand over Ray quickly enough to the red shirt on brig duty. A pleasant enough Vulcan, and got the hell out of there. Straight to the gym, to beat on a punching bag.

 

[atpatp]

Three Days Later


“Hey red shirt? Why don’t you come talk to me?” Ray motioned at me from behind the humming force- field. Why is he still here? And why did I have to end up babysitting him?


“Come on, say something, I am bored out of my mind.” He rolled his eyes.


“Sorry sir, it’s against the regulations.” Ray groaned and plopped down into the brig’s cot.


“Anything but that!” his head lolled towards my direction. “Can you at least play me some music? Something by Enigma. Maybe ‘TNT for the Brain’. Awesome music.” What the hell is Enigma. What the hell is TNT?


“Sorry sir, it’s against the regulations.” He finished the sentence in perfect lockstep with me and rolled over to face the gray wall. I was contemplating breaking protocol and talking with him. But decided against it. I was willing to risk a reprimand on my record from Picard. I was pretty sure Picard would just let me off the hook with a stern talking to. But Admiral Easton was on board. One mean son-of-gun.


When the door hissed open and Lieutenant Blunt walked in. I was surprised, floored really, flummoxed, when she acknowledged me with a nod. I maintained my best poker game face. Imagining the stoic expression Picard had on his face when I escorted Ray out of the briefing room.


“Can I help you? Sir?” I asked.


“I am here on a personal visit. Ensign.”


“I understand. Lieutenant.” I moved to the most far side of the brig I could find and tried to melt into the wall. I used every ounce of my will power to be the wall. But, leaving my post was out of the question. If Easton would go ballistic on me for talking to prisoners, he would make me walk the plank at warp speed for abandoning my post. Alas I was only human. Still plainly visible. Instead I concentrated on the blinking status light on the force-field control panel.


“Relax Ensign, this is not a prison break. I just want to talk to Raymond.” She was half-turned away from the force-field. I swear I could see a hint of a smile. Did she just make a joke? Did a star just die?


“I understand. Sir.”


Upon hearing her melodic voice, Ray stirred, stood up and walked as close as he could to the oscillating force-field.


“BB, it’s great to see you.” He said. Bella smiled, it was a sad, lonely smile. A hapless smile. Ray returned on exact mirror image of her smile.


“How are you doing?”


“I am in prison, 400 years in the future!” A forceful puff escaped his mouth. “And that red shirt over there won’t even let me listen to music!” A wide grin spread across his face.


“Is the future not to your liking?” Bella bit her lower lip.


“Oh, I am liking the future more and more.” Rays tone turned conspiratorial. It took me a second to realize that they were flirting. I turned red, red as the red of the shirts red shirts wore during Kirk’s era.


“Are you happy now? I think you broke the record on how fast you ended up in jail.” Jail? What the heck is she talking about!? Jail? Ah! The ancient earth word for brig!


“I don’t trust Easton!”


“What about the Federation? You don’t trust all of them as well? You know this is not the 20th century! Besides what are you going to do with those fancy warp drives of yours?” Lieutenant Blunt asked Ray and took a step closer to the security field. Ray shrugged his shoulders.


“Bee, who cares about the warp drives, why don’t you go take a good look at the Butterscotch’s computer systems. Specifically under file structure of ‘MAST’ heading.” Ray smiled and winked at her. “You will need a fresh pair of panties! Then come back and tell me if you still want to trust Admiral Easton”.


Bee? Who is Bee. Oh I see! Damn. Pet names!


“What am I expected to find?” Lieutenant Blunt frowned, not even a hint of an acknowledgment of Ray’s ill-timed joke.


Oh well. There’s a reason they call her ‘The Ice Queen’ behind her back.


“The solution to all of Federation’s problems. And the creation of even more.” Ray smiled at Lieutenant Blunt.


“Raymond, as much as I dislike seeing you in this situation, you need to be serious. Admiral Easton is a very serious person.”


“Ha! I’ve known you for the whole of three days and you already telling me what to do!” Ray exclaimed but beamed a full smile at Lieutenant Blunt.


“My apologies, Mr. Dimco, that is not what I meant-” Her frown deepened, if such a thing was possible.


“Relax, Bee.” Ray interrupted her, “I was kidding.”


“Picard to Lieutenant Blunt, please report to the bridge.”


I stared at her com-badge as she tapped it and responded. She was needed on the bridge.


She put her palms together in front of her chest and bowed at the waist and said, ‘good bye’ in Imission. A stray strand of her hair brushed the force-field as she straightened and walked away from the security field.


It was a traditional Imission farewell or greeting reserved only for use by Imission married couples. I was stunned. I glanced at her hand as she left the brig. There was a wedding band on her finger.


The Present


“Wow, wow, hang on, hang on. I thought they were married 2 years later after the Admiral Easton incident.” Ameri interrupt me again.


“No, under Imission cultural law, a couple becomes husband and wife automatically if they love each other emotionally and physically. Yes. The officiated wedding happened two years after the private ‘wedding’.” Captain Rosa explained.


“So, they got ‘married’ when? As far as I understand it, the window of opportunity was very narrow.” The stranger said.


“I don’t know. Lieutenant Blunt was on the first group of engineers and scientists to visit CXV Butterscotch.” I said.


“So what?” Captain Rosa snorted. “They fell in love in a few hours, had sex and had a private wedding all in the span of a few hours? Oh and did I mention the ship was crawling with Starfleet engineers and scientists the whole time they were together! And they still managed to keep it a secret!”


“Not true, Lieutenant Blunt was the last person to beam back, between her and the person who beamed of Butterscotch prior to her was 3 hour gap. I checked transporter logs.” I said.


“What, when?” Captain Rosa gasped.


“As soon as she left the brig. Was it a violation of my moral duty? Maybe! Was I pushing at some moral borders, sure! But I never crossed any.” The table grew quiet. “Or so I will maintain till I die.” A laugh escaped my throat against my will. Damned alcohol.


The beautiful stranger smiled at me and asked. “Did you ever get to talk to Ray?”


“No. I mean before Valsalva I just assumed he was a relic. I mean that was his nickname. I just ignored him as an oddity. Picard’s toy. I joined the Enterprise a year later after Doctor Crusher thawed him out. After Valsalva, Ray was a busy man. Pretty much in constant conflict with Admiral Easton.”


“Who thought Ray Dimco was under alien influence.” Ameri stated.


“Which, Ray flat-out denied and found absurd. Called Easton delusional.” I nodded at Ameri and continued. “Of course, many in hindsight say Easton was right, but was he? Many claim all the technology developed by Ray Dimco was nothing more than psionic leakage from the Dia-View’s leader, Iio-dia, or as some scientists maintain, Bella. But is it really? I met Iio-dia, she is a cargo-ship load of scary and then some. She couldn about us. That Astro-Sapient put Ray through torture. But she didn’t have to!”


“But they saved us! Right?” the stranger said.


“Sure, when Iio-dia went to DOC-A7 and extinguished the wormhole she spared earth from a massive dose of theta radiation. How much radiation was inside the wormhole? All that speculation is pure hearsay. Ray made it through just fine! Of course, Iio-dia claimed because the spatial constants were different inside the wormhole, the theta radiation was harmless as long as it was inside the wormhole. As proof, she said to take a look at DOC-A7. A freeze dried, radiogenic wasteland! The wormhole has opened numerous times above DOC-A7 and irradiated the planet all the way down to 2000 meters under the surface. At least, that’s what Iio-dia claims. Besides, that is what Picard heard from her. I had a totally different conversation with her.”


“You don’t believe her?” Captain Rosa asked.


“Belief is irrelevant. Look at her actions. I don’t care how advanced they are. How ‘astro’ they think they are, what they did is inexcusable! Immoral.” I yelled.


“Wait a while,” Ument swiped a refilled glass of the table. “Admiral Savanas said Iio-dia claimed she had no choice. Ray needed to be stopped. He was dangerous!” he paused to take a sip.


“And Easton claimed that Bella Blunt was retroactively created by the Dia-View to deal with Ray?” Ameri added.


“Nonsense!” I almost sputtered half my glass at him. “Iio-dia knew Ray was on DOC-A7, yet she still exposed him to her psionic energy!”


“But she had no choice!” Ameri exclaimed at me.


“Like I said! Are you telling me that she didn’t know Ray was on the planet? That is nonsense! Total crap! The Enterprise found Ray with a visual scan! For Gods sakes! From orbit! Are you telling that an Astro- Sapient like Iio-dia didn’t know Ray was on the planet? She is an Archialect! Heck, I found Lieutenant Blunt with a jury-rigged neutrino scanner on a planet irradiated by the same Gods damned wormhole. Iio-dia knew what she was doing. For all I care she did it on purpose!” I yelled.


“Calm down! All said was that she said she had no choice!” Ameri raised his hands. “At least that is what President Picard maintains to this day.” He added.


“She did.” I sat back down into my chair and swiped a bottle of off the table. “She could’ve easily teleported Ray somewhere else. Heck, she could have made him appear on the Enterprise’s hospital deck. After all the Enterprise was going to find him, anyway!”


“I get the feeling that I am missing something?” The stranger asked.


“Yes,” I said. “The fact was classified by the Federation’s Security Council for sixty years. Even when declassified, thanks to Admiral Easton efforts, it’s still a taboo subject.”


“What is?” the stranger asked again. I looked at all the captains present. Except Rosa, Ument, Ameri and me, none of them were Starfleet.


“When Iio-dia went to Frozen July, that is, DOC-A7, to extinguish the wormhole, she unleashed six trillion isotons of her psionic energy. Which means that Ray was exposed to a lot of it. Some Federation scientists claim that Ray might have absorbed as much as 25 billion isotons of Iio-dia’s psionic energy.”


“Oh,” Rosa jumped up, “that would explain the strong and instant attraction Ray and Bella felt for each other. Since Bella was nothing but psionic energy. Right”


“Maybe. No one knows for sure.” I said. “The thing is, Iio-dia looked like Bella, walked like Bella, even had the gods damned sad resting face than Bella had for all those years, but the way she acted. Damn, still pisses me off to no end.”


Eighty Years Before


“Please take a seat Mr. Dimco.” Admiral Easton motioned at Ray as I took my position by the door. Even though Admiral Easton had ordered Ray to be escorted to the briefing room, Ray was still technically in my custody, which meant I had to keep watch over him regardless of where he was. “Lieutenant Blunt has just finished briefing us on the technology you call MAST.” Admiral Easton continued as Ray sat down next to Bella.


The briefing room was filled to standing room only. Every senior crew member was there. From every single shift! The fact that there was an empty seat next to Bella interested me. Do they know?


“We would like a demonstration!” Commander La Forge exclaimed and the whole room exploded into applause. Ray’s mouth moved, but no sound came out. Bella was pleased. The only time I saw Bella happy. Genuine happiness. I grinned like a fool.


Three Months Later


I adjusted the shuttle’s course to keep pace with the drone. The drone was deploying hundreds of millions of small translucent one meter square sheets around Valsalva Prime. The star of which the mostly dead planet, Valsalva orbited. This was the site chosen for the demonstration of the rapid terraforming technology developed by Ray. Apparently these sheets were fully autonomous solar power panels developed by Ray Dimco. Bella was gushing with unrestrained enthusiasm about these things. How these things were supposed terraform a planet in a few days escaped my brain’s capacity to understand


Three months ago in a series of long negotiations, Ray had agreed to open source his technology to the Federation and Starfleet. The agreement included transferring CXV Butterscotch to Starfleet. At which point Admiral Easton promptly rechristened the ship to USS Butterscotch and flew back to Deep Space 606. Presumably for reverse engineering.


“Enterprise, do you copy?” Lieutenant Blunt asked her com-badge.


“Go head.” Picard replied.


“The Murmuration Array has finished deployment. However it will take the individual pieces 8 hours to maneuver into proper orbit and place. I will stay aboard the Platt and monitor the progress of the swarm.”


“Understood. Notify us if anything changes. Picard out.”


“What? We are going to be cooped up here for 8 hours?”


“Oh don’t be so dramatic, Ensign. We are making history!” Lieutenant Blunt stood and shimmed over to the replicator. I couldn’t help but stare at her, this tiny shuttle tended to force people into unusual shapes to get around it. The usual shapes I found extremely attractive on Bella. I secretly thanked the designer of the Type 9X shuttle. Apparently the designer sacrificed even more cabin space and comfort for speed. For same reason Bella took a liking to the shuttle. Even when she had a choice of a far bigger more spacious shuttle, she still always took the Platt.


She took out a small sleek rounded rectangle out of her pocket, a device I had never seen before. It reminded me of a smaller size PADD. She pressed at it and two cups materialized out of thin air.


“History? What history?” I asked as she handed me the cup full of hot dark liquid. “What is the big deal about this?” I raised my hand and pointed at the view screen. Hundreds of millions of small dark dots were swarming and blotting out the star. The star was visible dimming. What the frack? A chill raced up my spine.


“It’s nothing short of ingenious.” Her hazel eyes burned. “It’s so amazing it’s criminal!” she burst out. “Why no one in the Federation hadn’t come up with this, boggles the mind!” She lowered her torso into the soft cushion, kicked of her black boots and set her long legs on the dashboard. She intertwined her fingers around her cup, moved it close to her puckered lips and let out a slow gentle stream of breath. I stared. I have never seen any lieutenant sit like that.


“What? I am just getting relaxed. You yourself just complained about being cooped up in here for eight hours!”


I moved my eyes back to the console. That amazing creature could find a way to be comfortable in any situation. Or at least give the appearance of being so. For a moment I flashed back to the academy when I was shoehorned into the very similar shuttle with a dozen or so stinking and bitching cadets. That had been the highlight of the evacuation training. I wonder how she fared. I glanced at her. She had stretched out luxuriously, the tips of her feet touching the view screen.


“Did you go through ESE training?” I blurted out. She groaned and stretched.


“Emergency Shuttle Evacuation training exercises were spectacular!” She set the cup down on one of the sleek consoles running down the center of the shuttle. “I have never had so many squirming bodies, in so tiny a space, pressed at me from all directions. Some of them were all too willing in their pressing.”


“I bet.” I said before I could stop myself. Oh shoot. “What’s in that drink?” I added hastily. A sorry attempt at a deflection. She chuckled. “Before the Borg I was a bit more outgoing.”


Bull! They called you ‘Queen of Ice’ right from the start! Right from the first year of Academy. The seniors were still talking about you when I enrolled. “I see.” Is all I said. She seemed in a jovial mood, or at least amicable for discussion. I was dying to talk about Dimco.


“Why did Admiral Easton arrest Mr. Dimco?” I ventured. Lieutenant Blunt’s chest expanded until it seemed as if she would burst, she pursed her lips a let out a long slow breath through her teeth.


“He pushed all the right buttons. Or the wrong buttons.”


“Easton’s?” I asked.


“Well, obviously.” Her head turned to face me and her eyebrows furrowed. “And Picard’s too.”


“What? I thought Picard had nothing to do with Dimco’s arrest.”


“Only because Captain Picard has too much moral integrity. What Ray said to Picard was inexcusable.” She brought her index and thumb fingers together, making a hole. “I wanted to strangle him myself!”


“What did he say?” the suspense was killing me.


“During debriefing, after we beamed him up from Dia-View, out of the blue Ray asked Picard why Natasha Yar didn’t have a personal shield with her. Picard was stunned. Admiral Easton went ballistic. But Ray just ignored the Admiral and kept pressing the issue. He asked the Admiral why he and Starfleet constantly kept deploying away teams without personal shields. Easton said that Starfleet didn’t use military tactics. But, then Ray said something that plunged the whole room into absolute zero.” She paused.


“Well?” I prodded her, holding still.


“He said, ‘Was the death of the Federation President worth the preservation of your ethical integrity by not using a force field during her dedication speech on Deep Space 9’.” I stared at her slack jawed. She continued.


“He also said some things that I don’t quite understand myself. He said the Federation is ultra- fundamental and ultra-conservative driven by technological taboo society and is a doomed state. The only reason Federation was still here was because of Starfleet. Which constantly puts its members into conflict, in exchange for progress. He asked, why the Federation was preventing research into the replication of living beings. Or why genetic engineering was banned? Why we prevent the widespread use of androids and AI? Why life extension is such a taboo subject? He said that during the early 21st century they had dreamed about all these technologies and more. And yet the Federation avoids all the technology, or refuses to develop it.” She looked at me wide eyed and continued.


“He said that the transporters on the CXV Butterscotch could easily restore the assassinated President Nanietta Bacco. Since the Public Bureau of Transporter Transportation has a copy of the matter stream pattern of every person who has ever used a transporter, on file, it would be child’s play. The briefing room was stunned into utter silence. Commander La Forge said that the transporter was designed to eliminate that possibility. But then Ray rattled off a whole list of various weird transporter incidents. In a few of which people had been made younger, by a lot!” She grew silent and played with her wedding band.


“That is when Admiral Easton had him arrested for possession of illegal technology!” she added. I stared at her wide-eyed. Are you freaking kidding me?


“Is that true?” I managed. She nodded her head, her extravagant hairstyle shaking slightly.


“Easton ordered me to inspect the transporters on board the Butterscotch. They could easily do what Ray claimed. It was so simple, I could literally modify the shuttle’s transporter right now if I wanted to and replicate myself countless times.” She motioned to the back of the shuttle. I stared at her, she back at me. A thought crossed my mind, which I banished with great difficulty by staring at her wedding ring.

 

[atpatp]

The Present


“Millions upon millions of blessed stars!” Captain Ameri hollered startling the table, “did she offer you to make a copy of herself. Didn’t she? She did!” He glanced around the table full of vigorously nodding heads.


“For the love of the stars!” I hollered back, “she did no such thing!”


“No!” the beautiful stranger exclaimed. “Bella, knew! She knew you were in love with her, that is why she worked with you on so many occasions.” The table murmured in agreement. “Ha, at the very least she implied it. Or thought it.” The beautiful stranger’s cheeks were rosy. She seemed happy, like she had gotten the revelation of lifetime.


“Whatever, it’s all a moot point. We would have both, or in that case, the three of us would have ended up in a brig at warp speed.” I said. “Besides Admiral Easton personally oversaw the engineering team that stripped out all the transporters and replicators out of Butterscotch. He even ordered Bella to forget the technology.” I started laughing. Pretty soon the whole table was having a hearty laugh, no doubt lubricated by all the alcohol and other intoxicating substances being consumed in large quantities.


Eighty Years Before


I glanced at her wedding ring. Getting the jest of her stare, all I could say was. “Really? Aren’t you in a relationship with Dimco?”


“Well!” she exclaimed, pushing me in my shoulder. “The redshirt finally shows some intelligence!” Her feigned surprise made me smile. “And here I thought you were dumber than a rock! I do believe on apology is in order.” I admit that it stung, even though it was a joke, but as my grandmother used to say, where there’s smoke there’s fire. I just gave her a weak smile. Two can play at this game. Torpedoes armed, fire at will.


“Oh well, sure, I am not the most tuned tricorder on the ship, but how does one go from being a self- proclaimed and self-appointed director of the ‘search and rescue operation’ to being married to the “rescued” in a span of a few hours? Lieutenant Blunt? Or should I call you Lieutenant Dimco?” I regretted the words as soon as my tongue stopped moving. Lieutenant Blunt did a slight motion, her open palms facing me.


“An Imission gesture of apology or submission.” Professor’s Chadwick voice echoed in my head. It had been the most boring class in history. The customs and rituals of all the member species of the Federation and their blasted colonies had to be memorized. Chadwick babbled on and on. Really, a drone in the background. I couldn’t wait for the semester to end. So why was I remembering useless Imission hand gesture trivia?


Six Years Ago


“Earth hailing Cadet Salado,” Professor Chadwick had zeroed in on me. “Please lower your defense screens.” The whole classroom burst out laughing. “Cadet Salado, can you please summarize the content of today's lesson.” I stood up.


“Uh, something to do with Imission hands?” I offered, the class was in uproar.


“Calm down, calm down.” The half Vulcan did his best to project on air of stern authority without betraying his heritage. Although and on more than few occasions I had overhead several cadets say that they have seen Professor Chadwick smile. Well, he wasn’t smiling right now.


“If you continue holo-dreaming through class you will end up nothing more than a simple redshirt.”


I glanced down at my uniform.


“No, Cadet Salado, the expression does not refer to the color of your uniform. But it is a symbolic expression of having a less than desirable assignment or duty due to one’s underperforming academic ability. Originating on the Enterprise of the Legendary Captain Kirk’s era.” Of course I knew that. So did Chadwick. But the classroom was laughing again. Which was his purpose all along.


“No, Cadet Salado we were just discussing the colony of Kepler-69c. Commonly referred to as the Purchase colony. Colloquially known as the Imission colony. The Imission colony fleet was thought to have been lost in 2180 OEC. However, the colony was rediscovered by 2360 OEC. 2700 light-years away from their intended destination. Due to the distance and long isolation from the Federation, the culture of the Imission had drastically changed. So much so, that the captain of USS Libra mistook them for aliens. Even though Imissions are humans. Their culture in 180 years of isolation has so drastically changed. Requiring the principal officers of USS Libra to follow first contact protocol.”


“But that is only due to genetic engineering!” I exclaimed.


“Hmm,” Chadwick frowned at me. “So you were paying attention, but, apparently not nearly enough. The Imission genetic engineering was limited to specific telomeres, to fight the detrimental effects of radiation on the human DNA during the extremely long voyage to Kepler-69c. The Imission people were keenly aware of the disaster that were the Eugenics Wars. The ongoing problems with human Augments, and the contamination of the Klingon’s DNA. Because of this, the Imission leadership and scientists exercised all due diligence when undertaking the project to make Imissions more resistant to space radiation. The Imission people’s behavior has largely remained unchanged as compared to base humans. Any change in behaviors by the Imission people has been and can be attributed to cultural progression and extreme involuntary isolation from the interstellar community. The side effects of the genetic engineering have been minor and insignificant.” Yeah right, they all look like fashion supermodels now. Some side effects!


“In this aspect of the Imission story, the interstellar community dodged the proverbial phaser blast. The genetic engineering specifically focused only on a small part of the DNA repair mechanism. Specifically the terminal transferase, a ribonucleoprotien...” Professor Chadwick continued.


“Earth to Redshirt” a female’s voice intruded.


Six Years Later


Bella Blunt stared at me.


“Where did you holodeck to?”


“Sorry, for some reason I remembered Professor Chadwick.”


“Oh! Professor Chadwick of the Interspecies Social Security and Behavioral Identity Sensitivity course?”


“Yep, one and the same!”


“Oh, what a fascinating subject!” Lieutenant Blunt actually smiled at me.


“You and I remember that course quite differently.” I took a sip from the cup she gave me.


“I am sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that you were stupid. It’s just my Imission side showing through the cracks.”


Yeah. I forgot. Imissions value their freedom of thought above all else. So much so that Imissions officers have to undergo strict Identity Politics training, otherwise they will continually offend everyone with laconic honesty. Hmm, should I try it. See how far I can push her? What did Chadwick say about Imissions? Due to their brutal honesty Imissions are practically impossible to offend. Something to do with it being a cultural immune system.


I held my breath, my chest grew tight at the thought of what I was about to ask. Career suicide? Ah, the hell with it!


“Did you have sex with Dimco on the CXV Butterscotch.”


“Yes.” Surprise painted her face.


“Why?” I said.


“Because of the usual reasons.” She snorted at me. Then let out a slow breath. “Look, Ensign Salado, can I call you by your first name? Yes? Okay! Look, Ward. I was in love with Ray for two damn years. Okay? The moment Picard picked me up from Starbase 606. It was an inexplicable attraction. Defining all rational thought and fracking logic! This is why I avoided Ray like a plague. I was so afraid of him! You won’t believe how distraught I was when he vanished. Or how fracking guilty I felt that of all people, I didn’t notice he was gone. I mean, it could be forgiven if Picard, busy running a ship, didn’t notice. Or if you, Ensign Ward Salado, Security Sec-Ops, dutifully following orders, didn’t notice.” She pointed at me.


“But me! Me!” she vigorously connected her index finger with her chest. “Me, someone who is madly in love with him, didn’t notice that he had vanished into thin air. That is inexcusable. For six months! That is downright criminal! No wonder Admiral Easton barged onto the Enterprise like a Targ during mating season!”


“Fine you were in love with him, but what about him? You didn’t just proposition him on Butterscotch?”


“Look, Ward, I am not exactly a textbook example of social graces, and as cliché as this may sound, during the last six months, while we were chasing Ray, you were the closest person I had to a friend. Even though, in the end Easton tried to use you to spy on me, I didn’t care, I don’t care! So I will tell you. You saw what Ray built on Valsalva? Right? Well, what you didn’t see was the letter he left for me. It was a confession. Apparently he was in love with me. He had the same irrational attraction to me that I had to him. He called it love at first sight. An ancient Earth idea. Apparently prevalent during his time on earth.”


“How did this happen?”


“Well if you remember, two years ago United Federation Space Lines, was supposed to ferry Ray Dimco from Deep Space 606 back to Earth. The United Earth Historical Alliance was eagerly awaiting his return. They had lined up a massive itinerary for him. Since he hails from the era before the wars, the UEHA was basically ecstatic when the Enterprise found him on DOC-A7. But Ray was apprehensive of going back to Earth. He had left his family behind, his wife and three kids. Despite what the Counselor Seishin had said he was still in mourning over them and severely depressed. So he didn’t want to go to earth. Right at the moment the umbilical disconnected from Deep Space 606 he jumped back on the Enterprise.”


“I always wondered why he came back.” I said nodding. “He was the one who kept obstructing the air lock! I remember, that day! I was posted on the bridge. The captain of the United Federation Space Lines flight ER6978 was furious. I remember him yelling at Picard. Saying that Picard’s special passenger had had a panic attack, laid out the Space Marshal and jumped ship. Before we realized what was happening Dimco was banging on the bridge door begging Picard to take him back. He was a panicked mess, literally banging his fists on the bridge door. I had never seen anything like that. Doctor Crusher had to inject a whole hypospray worth of contents to sedate him. Counselor Od Seishin considered Dimco to be his greatest failure afterwards.”


“Laid out the Space Marshal?” Lieutenant Blunt asked.


“Yeah, he punched him so hard he broke his jaw in four places. Dimco got away completely unscathed, once the situation was explained to the United Federal Space Marshal Service, the Director decided not to press charges. Although Picard had to do a lot of political favor maneuvers. This is why everyone started calling, Dimco, ‘The Savage,’ ‘The Relic,’ or even the ‘The Savage Relic.’ Some people think he faked the whole panic attack thing to get back on the Enterprise.”


“What about you?” Bella asked.


“No, it was real. The panic attack that is. He had several more of them. The thing is, Lieutenant Blunt. Before the flight home, Dimco hated talking to Counselor Seishin, flat out refused on many occasions. After the incident, he went to see the counselor like chronograph tick-tocks. Everyone thought he was getting better, right up to the moment he vanished! How did you meet Dimco?”


Bella Blunt sighed and fell back against the back of her gray seat.

 

[atpatp]

There Years Ago


“Sir please, I beg of you, reassign me to a different quarters.” I said. Picard didn’t budge. A muted rumbling sound emanated from Commander Worf’s throat. “Lieutenant Blunt, you have been aboard the ship less than 7 days and you are already having difficulty with fellow crew-mates?”


“No sir. The crew person is fine, it is what she does, that I have a problem with.” Picard ignored me.


“Lieutenant, what is the standard crew complement of the Sovereign class starship?”


“700 personal”


“What is it now?”


“1217”


“I had to beg Admiral Savannas to give you to me, are you going to make me regret that?” Picard asked me.


“Sir, no sir.”


“As per your complaint, what is its exact nature.” Picard softened his tone, but just a bit. He looked at the PADD in front of him. “Noise issues?” He looked up at me.


“Captain, I only had 5 hours of sleep, and not since last night.” I grew insistent, desperate, really. “Since coming aboard the Enterprise! Sir. Here, my biocoder, will substantiate my case.” I rolled up my sleeve and thrust my hand at him.


“There is no need for that.” Picard raised his hand. “I believe you.”


“Sir, you don’t understand.” I exclaimed. “The Tellarite snores like an unbalanced cryogenic plasma coolant pump. I had to sleep with a jury-rigged dampening force field. Just to get a wink of quiet. I couldn’t believe how embarrassing it was to explain to the engineering team that showed up at 5 in the morning why my quarters was consuming 4 times more energy than normal. Or why I had a noise deadening field generator under my bunk. I was mortified! That Vulcan engineer has zero tack. He couldn’t wait until my bunk-mate left! Wait...” I caught my breath. “Did you say you believe me? Sir?”


“Yes, Lieutenant Blunt. I believe you. Don’t worry about hurting Doctor Ocha’s feeling. She is well adjusted to her situation.” Picard leaned back into his chair, a hint of a smile on his lips. “An acoustic deadening field generator and a dampening field? That is further than anyone has ever gone! In trying to alleviate this ‘problem.’ Did it help?”


“No sir.”


“A shame. Lieutenant Blunt. As it stands right now, all the ships quarters are full. And because you are the last one to board the ship, you are the odd woman out. You will have to find a workable solution.”


“Yes sir.” My heart sank.


“Will that be all?”


“Yes sir.”


“I see, well I do have one more matter to discuss.” Picard said. I stiffened. Had I done something wrong. Oh gods, I hope not.


“Since you’re my first Imission officer, I am not sure how to approach this subject.” My heart quickened.


“But, Counselor Seishin advices me to be straight to the point with you. Is that on accurate recommendation?”


“Yes sir.”


“Frankly, I don’t like shipborne drama, but a few of our, shall we say, conservative crewmates, have expressed concern about your extravagant hairstyle. I understand what the unique hairstyles mean to the Imission people. I wouldn’t ask you to change. But perhaps you might consider it. Since you are the only Imission aboard the Enterprise. If only to eliminate the potential for friction between crewmembers.” My neck grew warm, the heat bloomed to my face and all the way to the tips of my ears.


“I, um, I will tone it down a bit. Sir.” I said mortified.


“Good, you are dismissed, Lieutenant.” I nodded at Picard and Worf and made my way to the door. I wanted to phase straight through the floor and be out of sight.


Thirty Minutes Later


I was nursing a disgusting drink, doing my best to maintain the appearance of enjoyment, for the sake of my host. Why in the underworlds did he think I would like it. And why did Admiral Riker gave this place such an unusual name? Happy Bottoms Riding Club. I made a mental note to look up the meaning of it, when he walked in, looking downtrodden, sleepy and sad. I almost fell of my bar stool. It’s as if my somersaulting heart had caused the gravity field to shift under me. I grabbed the bar to steady myself. He looked at me, light blue eyes like phasers. I looked away quickly and nervously downed my disgusting drink.


“The usual.” The bartender said. Setting down a large glass mug of dark brown liquid with amber foam on top. “Kvas.”


“Thanks.” He picked up the glass mug, glanced at me, gave me a weak smile and left, to sit in one of the dimly lit booths. He chose the one flanked by a huge panoramic window.


“Lieutenant Blunt please report to the ready room.” It took my brain several moments to process that my badge was talking at me. The noise drew his eyes at me. We made eye contact, and I froze.


“Lieutenant Blunt please report to the ready room.” It was Picard again. My hand trembled as I reached for my chest and looked away from his eyes.


“Lieutenant Blunt here, I am on my way, sir.”


“Acknowledged.”


Five Minutes Later


Picard and Worf were still seated exactly the same. As if they haven’t moved. Counselor Seishin was present too. Seated right across Worf. They talked and talked. But I was in a haze. Thinking about that man I saw in the bar. Who was he? He didn’t wear a Starfleet uniform. He must be a civilian living aboard the ship. A consultant? Perhaps. I kept nodding and nodding my head until they dismissed me. I leaned against the wall inside the turbolift like a stray puppy. Trying to remember what they were talking about and why it mattered to me. Oh gods please help me. Inari Okami I beg you don’t do this to me.


Right, I remembered, I needed to visit Ray Dimco, in suite 717, and see if he would bunk with me. He lived in the massive ambassadorial suite. Plenty of space for a whole family of Tellarites. Picard had suggested that I talk to him and see if Mr. Dimco was willing to share his suite with me.


The door leading into 717 played the melodic acknowledgment that I had permission to enter. The door slid open, and I took two steps inside and froze. What in the name of Amaterasu is going on here. There were hundreds of PADDs scattered across the couches, tables and shelves. Hundreds of traditional books too. Everywhere! Hundreds of multicolored arrays of holographic displays of some sort of machinery blueprints floated in the air. Some of which I recognized instantly as nanotechnology. Others looked like power generation blueprints.


“May I help you?” I regal woman walked into the room in slow motion. Her eyes were black. Her expression intense. It took me a moment to realize she was a holograph.


“I am looking for Ray Dimco.” I stammered out.


“Why?” the amazing intensity of the woman increased. I quickly stammered through the explanation.


“There is hardly any space left here.” The woman motioned across the room. I glanced at the space her hand covered. A huge array of networked FTL computers where humming on the floor. Connected to a portable fusion reactor power generator. I took out my tricorder and scanned the room. Sure enough, there was a low level subspace field around the networked computers.


“Does Captain Picard know about this?” I asked the holographic woman.


“No” she answered, stating the obvious. “Mr. Dimco is not doing anything illegal or unsafe.” She was right, many a computer enthusiast throughout the Federation had computer systems even more powerful than what was in Dimco’s quarters.


“May I ask what Dimco is working on?”


“Of Course.” The woman answered. “Rapid Terraforming technology, proton-proton chain fusion reactors, transwarp propulsion, transwarp terminals, human life extension without genetic engineering, portable synthetic singularity furnaces for synthesis of matter...”


I giggled, “anything else?”


“Dyson swarms, synthetic dilithium...”


“All right, I get the point.” I raised my hand to stop her. “You are quite busy. I will let you be.” I would rather deal with Doctor Ochoa’s snoring then live with some quack pseudo-scientist. I made my way back to my quarters, dejected, plopped into my bunk and tried to sleep.


Sleep came to me in aborted fits. When I did sleep,I would instantly dream of holographic woman and their uses. I would drift back up to consciousness and feel disgusted with myself. Is that why Dimco had her around? The red glow of the chronograph menacingly reminded me that Ochoa would soon be done with her shift soon. And here I was, barely a wink of sleep in me. The door chimed. I was so stressed out that I jumped into full panic and reached for my phaser under my pillow. I stared at the phaser in my hand and tried hard to realize it was the damned door and not a borg drone trying to assimilate or disintegrate me.


I was ready to murder whoever was interrupting the precious moments of my peace. It was him. I felt the heavy cluck of the phaser next to my right foot. The man’s amazing blue eyes widened when he realized I had just dropped my phaser.


“Is this a bad time?” He was unsure of himself. I stood dumbfounded, on empty plank. Why would he visit me?


“I... uh, come in.” I mumbled and bend over to grab my phaser. I straightened out and took a step back.


“You are not going to phaser me are you.” He stepped inside and gave a nervous smile. Oh my Goddess, his smile is so beautiful. How could you do this to me, Inari Okami?


“Um...no...no.” I quickly hid the phaser behind my back. It felt heavy, threatening to loosen from my grip. I squeezed the handle as hard as I could. There is no way I could drop it again.


“Look I am sorry for waking you up, I should have realized that you are one of the new officers from the night shift. A scientist right?” Oh my gods. I must look horrible. Damn. Damn. Damn.


“How can I help you?”


“I am Ray, Ray Dimco. You came to my quarters earlier in the morning looking for better living arrangements. I can see why.” He glanced around and stuck his hand out in a customary earth greeting. I did the same. He shrunk away and took two steps back. I was still clutching the phaser.


“I am sorry, I am sorry!” I ran towards my bunk at hid the phaser under the mattress. When I hastily returned, he stood there wide-eyed. I wanted to hug him so bad, I felt like my heart was going to break.


“Sorry, I can see this is an inconvenient time for you. The ambassadorial suite is reconfigurable, I just wanted to tell you that I will have the engineers come by tomorrow and split the suite into two. The halves will still be twice as big as this room.” He motioned his face into the dark depths of my quarters.


“Thanks.” I said meekly as he left quickly. I fell back into my bunk. I let the great big darkness swallow me. Great! The love of my life is a delusional pseudoscientist 400 years from the past and I just threatened him with a phaser.


Six Years later


“Wow that is how you met him? Amazing. Did he give you the quarters?” I asked her.


“Sure, the personnel management subroutine sent me a notice the next day that my new quarters was ready. I still live there to this day.”


“Damn, Bella, for two years you lived next to him with such strong feelings and didn’t do anything about it. At the very least maybe you could have phasered a hole in the wall.” I laughed.


“Shut up Ward.” Bella chuckled and glanced at one of the consoles. “The murmuration array is fifty percent deployed.”


I shrugged my shoulders. “Why does Admiral Easton has it in for Dimco? Other than Dimco’s mouth?”


“It’s simple. He thinks Ray is under the influence of aliens. Specifically, Astrozoms. He doesn’t believe someone from the past, can be this smart. Plus what Ray said during debriefing didn’t help.”


Six Months Ago


“Captain it’s the CXV Butterscotch. Holding geostationary orbit above the planet. No attempts to flee.” I reported my heart thumping in my chest. I so badly wished to see him. To know if he was doing well.


“Yellow alert. Onscreen.” Picard ordered. I touched a luminescent UI element that I had prepared in anticipation of Picard’s order. A sleek one piece ship filled the viewscreen. I heard commander La Forge whistle. ‘CXV BUTTERSCOTCH’ was emblazoned in golden blue holographic letters across the saucer section. With, ‘EXPERIMENTAL 001’ under the name. Ray sure likes his holographics.


“Lieutenant Blunt, what am I looking at?” Picard asked. I was prepared. I have always done my due diligence when it came to my duties. I love space, I love science. I love Starfleet. Here was a very cool looking and very scientific ship in space. Build by a man who I was secretly in love with. But now I knew he also was secretly in love with me. I had found the love temple he built for me on Valsalva.


No one knew except Captain Picard, Doctor Crusher, Counselor Seishin and just by chance, Sec-Ops officer ensign Ward Salado. After I discovered the love temple, I went straight to Picard and confessed to everything. After much poking and probing by Doctor Crusher and much psychoanalysis by Counselor Seishin, I was found to be normal and healthy. Just completely and utterly in love. Which made me happy to no end. Because of the nagging thought that perhaps I was under some sort of alien influence, or worse, he had doped me with smart psychoactive drugs.


The six months it took us to catch up with the ridiculously fast CXV Butterscotch, I had studied every scrap of data, every measly sensor contact. With a bit more enthusiasm than usual. The most mind blowing thing was that Ray wasn’t running. He was just flying around, exploring space! If he had been running, we would have never caught up with him. We would have needed a Vesta class ship. We were even more blown away when we found a massive Dyson swarm seemingly build and abandoned by Ray all in the span of a few days!


Now this insignificant star had another massive Dyson swarms around it. Which had magically appeared in a few days. In fact this is how we found and tracked Ray. We simply looked for stars that had dimmed suddenly and inexplicably.


“It’s the CXV Butterscotch. Sir. No life-signs or life-forms present of any kind. The ship is in low power consumption mode. Two large proton-proton chain fusion reactors situated right behind the bussard ramscoops are completely shutdown. There is no warp core per se, but it appears that two very large dilithium monolithic crystals are completely integrated into the warp nacelles.”


“The warp cores are inside the warp nacelles?” Captain Picard asked.


“Actually sir, the warp coil assemblies are the warp core. The antimatter reaction takes place inside the warp coils directly energizing the coils.” I answered. La Forge hovered over my left shoulder.


“Unbelievable.”


“How is the matter antimatter reaction controlled?” Picard hovered over my right shoulder.


“Sirs. The warp coils are inside a massive monolithic dilithium crystal. Various parts of which have been doped by exotic particles. Creating areas inside of the crystals that have different conductive properties. Sirs. The dilithium crystal is a semiconductor. Or a very massive plasmatronic computer.” Picard straightened out and tugged at his vest.


“What medium do the warp coils or these plasmatronic computers use to make their calculation?” he stared at the ship his eyes narrowing. He was catching on quick. No wonder this man was a living legend.


“Since the warp energies are controlled by the dilithium plasmatronic transistors by the in situ antimatter manipulation. This means that these warp coils are using warp fields as the carrier medium for the information. Information that happens to correspond to warp waveforms that induce the drive effect. Simply put, the warp nacelle assemblies are giant computers. But instead of using electrons or photons, these computers use actual warp fields to do their calculation. By solving certain strings of equations in a rapid sequence, the ship goes to warp. Different equations would correspond to different warp speeds or other warp effects. I imagine.”


Eighty Years later


“Damn you Ward, we know all that, it's being taught in the Academy these days.” Captain Ameri hollered at me. “And I read all of Bella’s reports on Dimco or The Dia-View derived technology. I want to know what happened on the Dia-View planet.”


“What? You want me to skip over how the Butterscotch’s warp drive led to the invention of the transwarp terminal and stable apertures?” I asked.


“Yes.” The table groaned in unison.


“Fine.” I said in resignation.


Seventy Two Years Ago


The graviton charge hit me straight into the gut and sent me flying backwards. Something hard and unyielding stopped my flight. It was a timber pole. Picard’s phaser lashed at Ray, but his personal shield refracted the energy into a hundred beams. The nadion particles dug into the heavy timber poles of the ancient temple, sending wooden shrapnel exploding everywhere. But it was too late, Ray ducked into the timber frame temple and disappeared into the darkness.


I stood up clutching my stomach and ran up to Captain Picard’s and Captain Worf’s position. “Lieutenant Commander Salado are you alright?” Picard asked me.


“I am fine, nothing the NuevoOrgan can’t take care off.” I added. I glanced around. The smoking twisted hull of the Butterscotch lay in the distance. Smoke billowing up from the surrounding buildings. “Sir the Enterprise confirms there are no life-signs or life-forms present on or near the wreck.” I nodded in the ship’s direction.


“Did the Dia-View evacuate?” Picard asked turning to face Captain Worf. His ship, USS Discovery had been the first to arrive on the scene.


“I am not sure what had transpired here.” Worf said. “When we arrived, the Butterscotch was already wrecked on the surface of the planet. Not a person or life-form in sight. We detected Ray Dimco limping towards this specific temple when we tried to apprehend him he opened fire on us. With some sort of graviton beam weapon. This is when you beamed in.”


“Should we go inside?” I asked.


“Proceed with full caution. Lieutenant Commander.” I drew my phaser and advanced. I entered and froze, literally two steps from the smoldering door. The phaser from my hand vanished. I saw Picard and Worf in the exact situation, to my right and left. There was no force preventing me from moving, or a force-field. I could talk or move back, left or right, but if I tried to take a step forward, it was as if I had forgotten how to walk.


“Everyone okay?” Picard asked.


“Um, sir, it seems to me that I have forgotten how to walk forward.”


“Me too, Lieutenant. Me too!” is all Picard ever said.


A sudden brilliant purple flash illuminated the temple, and it dissolved into nothingness. I saw Ray doubled over in front of a woman. She was wearing a beautiful, strapless white wedding gown. It flowed down to the ground. Her blond hair glowing a brilliant purple. Her eyes, black, her pupils shining like purple lasers. She stood in front of the sobbing Ray in a nonchalant contraposto. She looked at me and winked. I recognized her instantly. My strength left me and I fell to my knees. It was Bella.


“Give her back,” Ray sobbed and said over and over again, his face buried in his palms. “Give her back, give her back...” The glowing woman in a brilliant white wedding dress who looked like Bella crouched down in front of Ray.


“There never was a Bella Blunt. She never existed. She was a figment of my imagination. Created only for one function.” She ran her fingers through Ray’s hair. She closed her fist and lifted Ray’s head to face hers. Holding his head up by his hair, she put the open palm of her other hand on his tear smeared face. A massive pulse of energy erupted from within Ray, followed by a soul chilling agonizing scream from him. The energy flow stopped just as suddenly as it started. The woman stood up, letting go of Ray’s head, it fell like a doll's, he lay motionless. A thunderous portal appeared behind the woman and she turned to leave.


Picard called out to her several times, but she ignored him, she ignored us. As if we weren’t even there. Anger welled up from deep within my soul. All this time I had envied Ray. Wanted to be with her. And she turned out be a callous Astro-Sepeiant. I felt intense pity for Ray.


“You owe him an explanation, you bitch!” I shouted on that of my lungs. Instantly she was in front of me. The heat of her purple flame roiling of off her hair a searing sun. Her glowing pupils locked on to mine.


“There are two paths in the Universe.Transcend your corporeal body and become like the trickster Q. Or ascend and achieve Godhood. Choose the latter path, Ward. For there is much sorrow in this Universe.” She was gone, the portal was gone, the light was gone, the temple was gone. The idyllic Dia-View city was gone too, even the wreck of Ray's crashed ship was in orbit.


Ten Years Later.


“Admiral Picard? How may I help you?” I asked.


“Captain Salado, I am issuing a general notice. If you come across the CXV Butterscotch. Let it pass.”


“He finally did it?” I stated more than asked.


“Yes, it took him ten years to repair Butterscotch without Iio-dia’s energy, what took him 6 months to build with her energy.”


“Amazing. Where is he going?” I asked. Picard gave me a melancholy smile.


“Where else? To find her!” Picard said. “And you know what? I hope he does.”


“So do I sir, so do I.”


Historians Note


The story was taken from the book published by the niece of Ex-president Ward Salado on the twentieth anniversary of his disappearance. The book was largely a compilation of letters written by Ward Salado to his niece during the last year of his second term as UFP president.


It is generally now assumed that Ward Salado, Ray Dimco and Bella Blunt have long since ascended with the influence or help of the Dia-View. It is now understood that the involvement of Iio-Dia in the life of Ray Dimco was a stealth technology transfer from the Dia-View to the Federation before their departure from this universe. Perhaps to avoid the attention of other Astro-sepients.


Many historians and scientists now think that the day of Bella Blunt’s disappearance marks the presumed date of the Dia-View’s ascension to godhood, that is, the creation of their own universe and their subsequent exit from ours.