"Broken Loyalties" by Lady Rainbow Rating: PG-13 Spoilers: ENT “Horizon” and “Dead Stop” Pairings: None in this chapter, but eventually R/S Disclaimer: Don’t own ‘em. Don’t make money off ‘em. Notes: Here’s the final story in the “Boomer Bust” Trilogy. Read “Boomer Bust” and “Deadly Negotiations” to understand the deal with Travis and his brother Paul. LOTS of thanks and cookies to Volley, for graciously giving me permission to use her original character, Ensign Bernhard Mueller. :) Vielen Dank, und ich werde ihm viel zu tun geben! (I'll give him lots to do in this one!) One Lieutenant Travis Mayweather leaned back in the couch in the Lounge and stared out the window. The stars streaked by, just outside a large triangular wing parallel to the Lounge. He smiled to himself and sipped at his hot chocolate. Raven’s Revenge was a Bendara-class cargo ship, fresh off the production line from Vega Colony’s shipyards. He had to admit that his brother Paul had done very well for himself, now that he worked for Tanaka Enterprises. Raven’s Revenge now cruised at Warp 2 between Aldeberan and Eridana Colony. He recalled Commander Trip Tucker’s reaction to Paul’s new command, a mix of awe and wry humor. The conversation came back to him clearly. “Aw, for God’s sake, Paul! Tanaka’s given you somethin’ that looks like an extra-thick wedge of pecan pie with wings!” Trip laughed as he studied the engine readouts. “Damn, but those new impulse engines’ll get ya to Draylax and back in half the time it used to.” Paul Mayweather smirked and glanced at Travis. “Yeah, and that’ll make cargo runs a lot faster and more efficient.” Travis had only shrugged good-naturedly. On one of his previous visits to the Horizon, he’d tried to upgrade the engines, much to Paul’s irritation. “Stick’s probably smooth as silk too,” Trip added. “Yeah, but I’m not gonna try it till the captain here gives the okay,” Travis replied, as he gave his younger brother a light punch on the arm. Paul grinned; he learned quite a bit since he came aboard his brother’s new ship. Paul was the captain, and Travis had to respect that. “Maybe on the straightaway between Centauri and the Cassiopeia Cluster, bro,” Paul said with a grin. “Less chance of you running into stuff.” “Yeah,” Travis had laughed again and rolled his eyes. At the time, he thought he’d heard a mocking tone to Paul’s words. He’d tried to brush off the veiled antagonism on the surface and just be grateful that Paul was speaking to him again. After nearly three weeks traveling from Colony to Colony, Travis was more than ready to get to Vega. He’d met countless dignitaries of the Trading Consortiums, the main powerhouses of trade between the Colonies and Earth. The more he dealt with Consortium politics, the less he wanted anything to do with them. Yet he was Starfleet’s representative, and its newest rising star. Admiral Forrest kept reminding him of the importance of his mission. And the last stop on this trade negotiation run was Vega Colony, home of Tanaka Enterprises. Sumiko Tanaka, the esteemed head of the company, had extended Travis a personal invitation. It was somewhat fitting that Travis was being ferried by her new Cargo Director, Paul Mayweather. Travis sighed and glanced at his PADD. The message from Philippe Trieste, the new head of Estelle de Montclaire Limited, was short, but pointed: Cleaning house has been a challenge, so far, Travis, for many people were in employ of my old uncle’s regime. I will be busy for some time yet, but do not hesitate to call on me, should you need me. The Centaurian Security Force has cooperated so far in my investigation into my parents’ deaths. I only hope that we will erase the corruption in the CSF and make it an institution to be proud of again. “Hey, you still awake, Big Brother? We’ve got a big day tomorrow.” Travis looked up as Paul stood at the drink dispenser and ordered a mug of coffee. Being in command was good for him, Travis decided. He seemed more confident, more sure of himself, and less resentful of Travis’s presence on board his ship. “Just reading a message from Philippe,” Travis replied. “He’s got his hands full on Centauri.” Paul nodded and sat across from Travis. “Yeah, that was pretty ugly over there. I have the feeling that the CSF’s gonna take a while in regaining the Centaurians’ trust. Any word on his investigation?” “Nope. He just said that he’ll be busy for a while. I think he filled up the entire communications burst with what little he was able to say to me.” Travis hid his unease under a casual expression. He and his brother were lousy liars and Paul’s interest in Philippe’s business was a little too intense. Travis had become adept in sidestepping his curious questions. I know he’s keeps in touch with Tanaka ‘cause he’s her new Shipping Manager, but I’m not so sure he won’t tell her about my connections with the other Consortiums. “Then this should lift your spirits, Big Brother.” He handed Travis a comm chip. “Got this on the hourly message queue. It’s from Ensign Mueller, on board Enterprise.” “Bernhard? It’s probably about Malcolm.” Travis took the chip and plugged it into his PADD. The broad face of Malcolm Reed’s Armory second-in-command appeared on the screen. Travis couldn’t help but smile at the sight. “Hello, Lieutenant,” Mueller said in his deep voice. “I know that this will come as a surprise to you, but I wanted you to know that Lieutenant Commander Reed has recovered from his injuries, but he will be delayed in joining you on Vega. As a result, Captain Archer has authorized me to meet you on Vega as part of your security detachment, in Commander Reed’s stead.” Mueller’s eyes crinkled in humor. “As long as you don’t pull any of your practical jokes on me, I think we can have a smooth working relationship. I have been in contact with Tanaka Enterprises’ security chief and we expect no problems on arrival, but...” He raised his eyebrows as he said the next words. “...I would rather be safe than sorry. Security protocols are included with my message. I’m looking forward to seeing you on Vega. Haben Sie einen guten Abend, Leutenant. Schlafen Sie gut. Mueller, out.” The ensign’s face disappeared from the screen, to be replaced by columns of text. “Good old Bernhard,” Travis said as he glanced at the information. “About as thorough as Malcolm would be. He’s learned a lot from Malcolm.” Paul inclined his head. “Hoshi told me he calls Malcolm ‘Der Kommandant’, but not to Malcolm’s face.” “Actually, that makes sense.” “So you’ve kept the tradition of the practical jokes?” Paul asked with a smile. “Yeah. Remind me to tell you about the one I pulled on Hoshi with strawberry jello. I really got her good with that one.” “Strawberry jello? Uh-oh. Do I wanna know?” Paul teased. He took a calculated sip of his coffee. “What’d Mueller say at the end?” Travis chuckled again. “He said, ‘Have a good night, Lieutenant and sleep well.’ Nothing too exciting. He’s always been pretty polite. And Bernhard’s right; I should get some rest. We’re arriving in Vega in the morning.” “Zero-seven-hundred exactly. Tanaka’s pretty punctual. If she says that she’ll be some place at a certain time, she’ll be there. I’m pretty sure Enterprise has smoothed the way for your arrival.” There was a hint of something in Paul’s voice, a dark tone that bothered Travis. “Well, I’m looking forward to seeing Captain Archer and Hoshi again,” he said. “I know they’ve been working non-stop to pull this off. So, breakfast? Six-thirty?” “Sure. G’night, Big Brother.” “You get some rest too, Little Brother.” Travis placed his empty mug in the recycler, tucked his PADD under his arm, and headed for the guest quarters on C Deck. As soon as he was in his cabin and activated his security lock, he replayed Mueller’s message again and frowned. “As long as you don’t pull any of your practical jokes on me, I think we can have a smooth working relationship. I have been in contact with Tanaka Enterprises’ security chief and we expect no problems on arrival, but...” He raised his eyebrows as he said the next words. “...I would rather be safe than sorry.” Travis had never pulled any jokes on Mueller himself, though the ensign had assisted him on several of them. Mueller knew how to keep a secret and he knew how to get his point across. Stick close to me when you arrive. There is danger here and Commander Reed has entrusted me with your safety. And if anything happens to you, he’ll string me up and use me for phase rifle practice. “I hear ya, Bernhard,” Travis said softly. “I won’t do anything stupid. At least, not on purpose.” Continue to Part 2

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