The crew of the Carolina have been plucked from their various places in time and space and sent to a manufactured time line where another Carolina and a female Captain Seelowe awaits them.
Real Earth Scotch whisky and Andoran Ale were a regretful
combination thought Mimps as she quietly massaged her temples and stared
thoughtfully into her extra large mug of coffee, she savoured the smell but was
uncertain of the effect the liquid would have on her disenchanted digestive
system.
She looked
around her crew quarters and at the stars streaking past her window. She
thought about the evening before in the crew lounge and the captain and crew of
this Carolina. It all seemed strangely familiar and yet it was, at the same time,
also strangely unfamiliar.
“How in the
name of all the gods and dragons did I end up here,” she thought to herself.
“You know
perfectly well how it happened,” answered her own conscience with a prim voice
inside her head.
“Oh shush,”
thought Mimps with a scowl as she reached for the coffee. But her conscience
was right, she knew exactly how it happened......
It was at
that bar, that dusty bar on that dusty planet. It was hot outside but inside
the bar it was cool, she pushed open the door with her shoulder and blinked a
few times as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit interior. The barman greeted
her with a nod and a freshly poured drink. Mimps raised a questioning eyebrow
at him but he shook his head, she gave a curt nod of understanding then took
her drink and sat down in a quiet corner. She frowned a little as she took her
first sip. The barman was a friend and kept an ear open for possible customers
for the charter service Mimps flew around the neighbouring systems but things
were quiet at the moment. In return Mimps kept the barman supplied with the
occasional case of exotic liquor that may or may not have had all the taxes
paid on it.
She had just
finished her second sip when she sensed someone behind her.
“Commander
Masala,” said a low voice and her whole body went tense, every nerve on alert.
“You must
have me confused with someone else,” she said slowly though gritted teeth.
“I’m sure I
haven’t,” said the dark figure swinging into the seat beside her.
Mimps glared
at the unfamiliar man and quickly noticed that he wore no recognisable insignia.
“He’s not Starfleet,” she thought to herself, “Who else…”
“Colonel
Aurer sent me,” the man said answering her unspoken question. “You have to
return to the Carolina.”
Mimps couldn’t
help herself, her mouth popped open and she sat there for several seconds
looking like a stranded fish before she regained her composure and snapped her
mouth closed again.
“No…” she
shook her head and folded her arms defiantly. “No…no…no…The Carolina is gone,
no one can find her. Besides I can’t go back. Starfleet want me behind bars not
on one of their star ships.”
“Don’t worry
about Starfleet,” said the stranger with confidence. “It was only a small ship
you stole and the damage when you fired on the USS Gibraltar was easily
repaired. The time violations are a little trickier to fix but Colonel Aurer is
working on those.”
Mimps’ mouth
almost popped open a second time but she caught her self and reached for her
drink while she thought about how to answer. The stranger also reached out and
placed his hand gently on her arm. She was a little startled at this show of
compassion so was unprepared as he leaned forward and spoke quietly and earnestly.
“Commander,”
he said, “I know that ship means a lot to you and now we need that ship, we
need you, we need to save the universe.”
The stranger’s
grip tightened around Mimps' arm, she felt something click around her wrist. She
looked down and saw the blinking lights of a personal transporter band at the
same time as she heard the stranger say, “One to beam up.”
....."hmmm," she thought as she drained the last
of the coffee, "that was HOW it happened, now I just need to know
WHY."
