Chapter Eight
USS Endurance
Stardate 54185.6
Approximately 17 light years from Sol Sector
Captain's Log, Stardate 54185.6. The Endurance has completed her brief shake-down and speed trials with flying colors. Chief Engineer Klepp reports that we reached our maximum speed of warp 9.9903 with no damage or glitches. I believe that sets a new speed record for any Starfleet vessel. Cudos to Commander Klepp and his team! A commendation will go in his personnel file.
Even at such a speed, however, the Endurance could never reach Andromeda, which lies something over 2.5 million light years away- not before we were long dead and our fuel and resources exhausted. The sheer vastness of that distance is truly mind-boggling, yet K'Lnthra maintains she can enable us to cross that void in the blink of an eye. I hope she's right. If not, Starfleet will be short one 3 billion credit starship, plus her crew of 847.
One fact that is beginning to register with us is that we will be on our own for the next five years. We will have no contact with Starfleet, home and family. There will be no starbases, no support vessels, no sister ships for back-up. It is a sobering thought, yet each on this ship is ready to take the risk and plunge face-first into the great beyond. I cannot begin to express my pride and appreciation for this crew. I just hope I do them justice as their Captain.
* * *
"Hi Dad"
"Hey yourself!" Gordon Yeager's craggy face appeared on Jesse's terminal. The elder Yeager was in his mid seventies and had a pleasant, if weather-beaten appearance. A retired Border Service captain, Gordon Yeager was a plain-spoken, big-hearted man who held a special place in his heart for his only son. A widower, he had stood by Jesse following his son's near death in the war and the death of Jesse's wife.
"I thought I'd say 'so long.' We're heading for Andromeda in less than 24 hours and it'll be a while before we can speak again."
Jesse's dad, nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't be in too big a hurry to get back - I've got your cabin rented out and the fellow pays pretty good!"
Jesse laughed. "You rented out my cabin?!"
"Hell, it beats me going up there twice a week to sweep out the mouse turds. Some namby-pamby professor of literature wants to write his . . . what did he call it? Oh yeah! His magnum opus! I think that's Latin for horse shit, myself."
Jesse shook his head. "Better be nice to him if he's paying rent."
Gordon winked. "Hey, I know a sucker when I see one. I'll take the flat-lander around to see some of the Bison or maybe some wild horses after things thaw out. 'Course, I've already warned him about the skunk ape and wampus cats."
"You didn't - Dad! You'll have the guy petrified"
"Gotta have some fun, seeing how you're off gallivanting around the universe." Gordon's face became more somber and his bushy brows knit together. "Look, son . . . I know you're busy. Lord know's you've got a lot on your mind right now." The elder Yeager shifted nervously. "But before you go, I just wanted to tell you . . . I love you, son, and I'm very proud of you."
Jesse's throat tightened. He knew his Dad loved him, but Gordon Yeager wasn't one to express his feelings verbally. Jesse nodded, regaining control. "I love you too, Dad. Take care of yourself."
Gordon Yeager nodded in return, his eyes moist. "You do the same, Jesse. I'll kick the flatlander out before you get back. Then we can catch up on our Salmon fishing."
Jesse smiled. "I'm looking forward to it, Dad. See you in five years!"
Gordon grinned crookedly and waved a gnarled hand before the screen returned to the Starfleet logo. Jesse let out a long breath and stared out the viewport at the familiar stars.
* * *
Yeager entered Nine-Forward, aka "Camelot" and looked around. Several crew members and officers were present, the low hum of conversation interrupted by occasional laughter gave the lounge a welcoming feel. As he scanned the large room, he noticed Dr. Lori Menendez seated by herself at one of the large viewports, sipping from a coffee mug and perusing a PADD. Yeager hesitated, then moved toward her table.
"Mind if I join you, Doctor?"
Dr. Menendez looked up and smiled. "Not at all! Please, have a seat."
Yeager pulled out a chair opposite the CMO. A pimple-faced steward approached and Yeager ordered coffee.
Menendez raised an eyebrow. "Staying away from the hard stuff, Captain?"
Jesse grinned. "I guess my reputation precedes me. I can't stand synthehol - never really understood the appeal. I pretty much stick to beer, coffee and Jack Daniels whiskey."
"All in moderation, I'm sure," she said demurely.
He raised an eyebrow. "Moderation isn't always a virtue. Sometimes it's just playing it safe. And 'safe' sometimes has a nasty habit of raring up and biting you on the . . . um, well," Yeager's face began to flush.
"Ass," the lovely CMO finished for him. "It's part of the Human anatomy, Captain. I've seen a few asses in my line of work."
"Right - sorry!" This conversation was taking an unexpected turn. "So . . . how are things in sick bay?"
"Very satisfactory. It's by far the most advanced and complete medical facility I've seen apart from a starbase or hospital ship. And I've got a good staff, too."
"How is Verok working out as your deputy?" he asked, referring to the Vulcan healer who served as deputy CMO.
"He's a very gifted physician and has a good bedside manner, at least for a Vulcan! I think we'll get along just fine. The rest of the medical staff is gelling, too. They're a good bunch, Captain. We'll be ready when you need us."
When, not if. Yeager thought, glumly. Odds are, we'll need the Doc's services before this trip is over. Aloud, he said, "So, what about family back home?"
Her smile faded somewhat. "My husband, Raul - he was Captain of the Dunkirk, she said simply."
Damn! Yeager thought, Why didn't you read her personnel jacket before bringing up family matters? "I'm sorry, Doctor," he said, simply. The Dunkirk was just one of many Miranda-class ships that had been chewed up like cannon fodder by the Jem'Hadar during the war.
Her smile returned. "It's alright, Captain. I've come to terms with Raul's death. He was a macho kind of guy - it was the way he would have wanted to go."
Did I detect a hint of sarcasm? Yeager wondered.
Menendez continued, "Our son, Juan, is attending university in Madrid. He hopes to attend medical school when he graduates. But, unlike his mother and father, he's going to stay Earth-bound." Her gaze lowered, as if she were now somewhere far away. She blinked, then looked back at Yeager, a sympathetic expression on her face. "I understand that you lost your wife during the war."
Yeager was only a little surprised that she knew that. He supposed that any good CMO would want to know as much about the Captain and senior officers as possible. "Yes, but she wasn't a combatant. In fact, she died in a skimmer accident. When Admiral Leyton pulled his coup d'etat, the planetary power grid went down. There were numerous deaths due to the power loss - in Yvonne's case, the automatic navigational beacons went off-line. Her skimmer lost control and she was hit head-on by an automated transport. She was killed instantly." His tone had become flat and distant. He had learned to relate the account as if from a great distance, to lessen the pain.
The Doctor reached over and squeezed his hand. "Captain - I know it hurts. You don't have to pretend otherwise." Her gaze was intense and filled with compassion.
To his surprise, his eyes began to well up with tears. He blinked rapidly and stood. "Well, I better get back to work, nice to talk with you, Doctor."
"Captain . . ."
But Yeager was already striding toward the door.
* * *
USS Endurance
Stardate 54186.3
Approximately 24 light years from Sol Sector
Butterflies flitted through Captain Yeager's stomach as they counted down the minutes until they left their home galaxy for Andromeda. He tapped the intra-ship comm stud on his command chair.
"All hands, go to yellow alert. We will go into 'transition' in four minutes. Captain, out," he said, tersely.
Commander Tamura suddenly turned to Yeager, a look of panic on his face. "Oh my God, Jesse!" he said, quietly.
Yeager looked at him, sharply. "What's wrong, Commander?"
"I . . . think I left the lights on in my apartment in Osaka!" Tamura said, with feigned dread.
Yeager looked at him for a moment, incredulous. Tamura's face spread into a grin. He winked. "Gotcha!"
Jesse shook his head, exasperated with his old friend, but he couldn't prevent a smile from cracking his face. "Thanks!" Yeager said, his tension broken.
"Just keepin' the Captain's head straight," said Tamura.
Yeager glanced around at the rest of the bridge crew. None seemed to have noticed their little repartee. Pralax was at tactical, his face serious for once. T'Vel was very intently studying intstruments at the science station. However, to Yeager's left, Counselor Benessa Shain sat regarding him, a broad smile on her pixieish features. He raised an ironic eyebrow and she shook her head - You're not fooling me! I know you're as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Yeager imagined he heard the Betazoid's voice in his head. Perhaps he did.
"Getting any emotional feedback from the crew?" he asked, dryly.
"Excitement, mostly, plus the normal amount of the jitters. It is acceptable to be nervous right now, Captain - I certainly am," she replied.
"Thanks for the insight, Counselor . . . " he began.
"They do trust you, you know," she said, softly. She peered at him with her large, dark eyes. "I do, too."
He was surprisingly touched and humbled by her statement. He simply nodded and looked forward. He tapped his commbadge. "Captain to engineering."
"Engineering, Klepp here."
"Commander, please inform K'Lnthra that we're ready for transition at her discretion."
"Aye sir," he said, a slight note of reproach in his voice. "I'll tell her."
Muttering Teutonic oaths under his breath, the Chief Engineer walked toward the warp core where K'Lnthra stood.
"The Captain said to proceed when ready," he said, brusquely.
"Thank you, Commander," said the H'lranthian. She turned toward the core, then hesitated and turned back to face the engineer with shining gold eyes. "I promise not to break anything!"
Klepp muttered some embarrassed protestations as K'Lnthra turned back to the warp core. She paused a moment as her ethereal glow began to increase and her humanoid form became lost in the brilliance.
Klepp watched, fascinated. Though the intensity of her glow increased exponentially, it was not painful to watch. The glowing figure seemed to levitate, then passed effortlessly through the containment fields into the matter-antimatter annihilation which created the power for the warp field coils.
The engineering staff watched nervously. A junior officer assigned by Klepp stood with a finger poised over the emergency core jettison control. He watched the indicators for the first sign of a core breach.
But the containment fields never wavered, although the power indicators began to rise. Klepp tapped his commbadge, "Captain, K'Lnthra has entered the warp core. We are ready to activate the warp drive."
"Acknowledged, Commander."
* * *
Yeager's palms were sweaty, but he resisted the urge to wipe them on his pants. "Helm, Warp one," he said in a steady, calm voice.
Lt. Kosciusco silently uttered an old Polish prayer as she squeezed her eyes shut and brought her index finger down on the warp drive control.
On the main viewscreen, the familiar stars of the Milky Way galaxy were immediately replaced by a new and unfamiliar mosaic of stars. Orange and red gas clouds provided a spectacular backdrop. They were somewhere in the Andromeda galaxy.
The transition had been easy and painless. There had been no sensation of movement. Yet, over 2.5 million light years had been traversed in less than one second. Yeager realized he had been holding his breath and he quietly released the pent up air. The entire bridge was silent, save for the quiet hiss of the air exchangers and soft beeps and hums of various controls.
Before the Captain could say anything of historic significance, he heard Commander Pralax speak, the Trill's tone quiet and reverent.
"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore . . ."
* * *
(With apologies to the late Douglas Adams).
Glad y'all are enjoying the story! More to come - soon!
