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"Future Present, Future Past" by Lady Rainbow Rating: PG-13 (The aliens aren't nice to Hayes in this one). The first line comes from “Fight or Flight” when Trip is trying to figure out how to fly the cloaked Suliban ship. And he uses his “innate” engineering knowledge in this universe. I refer the reader to Diane Duane’s excellent “Rhiannsu” series involving Kirk and Company. The first story is “My Enemy, My Ally”, one of my all-time favorite ST novels. Thanks, Pesterfield ;) Seven “Up, down, forward, reverse...how hard can it be?” Trip Tucker sat on the floor of the strange ship, surveying the maze of electronics with a curious eye. He’d been at this for hours now, and every time he looked at it, he saw something different. If he was right, this was some sort of cloaking device to hide the ship’s signature from Enterprise’s sensors. His last scans confirmed there was a malfunction deep within the circuitry that prevented it from working correctly. The Cap’n wanted him to fix the problem as soon as possible. He felt another thrill of excitement as he thought about the engineering applications of the cloaking device and he came up with a sound tactical use for it too. Gotta remember to tell Malcolm that, he thought. Then the question popped up: Why Malcolm? He frowned and answered the annoying voice, He’s the Armory Officer, remember? But even as he said it, it didn’t sound right. Trip pondered the strange conundrum for a moment, then shook his head and went back to work. Little did he know that he was being watched. “Quite amazing.” The modulated voice echoed and re-echoed from its speaker. The overhead lights of the testing chamber threw a glare on the soldier’s helmet. “This one is resourceful. And the information we have says his position on his ship is—“ The other armored soldier consulted his datapad. “He is the weapons officer.” “I can see where he has some experience with weapons protocol, but it seems he is fascinated by technology and its uses. Are you sure that he is not an engineer?” The second soldier tapped more buttons, then handed the datapad to his superior. The first one glanced over the information, then nodded. “A pity, Iilek. Continue the testing; he might be able to correct our problem with the cloaking device.” “Yes, M’lord G’nash.” Iliek bowed as Lord G’nash walked out of the chamber, his boots booming on the smooth marble floor. Iliek resumed his watch on the Human male, his expressions hidden by his helmet visor. Matt Hayes woke up with a pounding headache. He groaned and threw an arm over his eyes. The lights were too bright, they were all wrong, and they were damn annoying. “Turn ‘em off,” he slurred to whoever was listening. “Ah, you are awake. We were not expecting you to be conscious so soon.” “I’m a light sleeper,” he muttered. “Who’re you?” “That is not important. Obviously, you are important to a lot of people, Major. A battle fleet has assembled to follow you, like a silk moth to a flame. Tell me, who is the commander of this battle fleet? A subordinate of yours? Your commanding officer? Who?” Hayes tried to clear the haze from his mind. ‘Major’? Damn idiot can’t even get my rank right. “Battle fleet? I don’t know anything about a battle fleet.” The voice was still patient, but there was a tone of danger underneath it. “Your people tried to establish a foothold in our territory, and when we defended ourselves, you respond with a massive fleet.” “Wait a minute.” He managed to push himself up to a sitting position, then swung his legs to the floor. The movement caused his head to spin; he shut his eyes tightly as the room settled. “You’re saying that the colony and the space station were in your territory? We didn’t see any signs of your presence in the entire sector. We thought it was uninhabited.” The laugh sounded harsh and mechanical, as if it was filtered through a computer circuit. “For a spacefaring race, you aren’t that sophisticated, and your manners are deplorable.” “Hey, I’ve been pretty polite so far. I haven’t even started to insult you.” “A sense of humor is lacking in your species as well.” His voice was sarcastic, even more so now than ever. “Yeah, well, you aren’t exactly making me laugh, either.” “Tell me, Major Hayes, who is...Hoshi?” A stab of dread went through him. It took him all of his composure not to react to the interrogator’s tone. “Hoshi?” “She was a constant factor in your various memories. A mate? A fellow officer? A rival? She must be important to you.” The shock gave way to anger and he used it to steer the conversation away from Hoshi. “You saw my memories? How—“ He felt a gloved hand on his chest, then he was shoved backward with brute force. He hit the back of his head against the smooth metal bulkhead. Stars exploded in front of his eyes as the pain radiated through his head. “And I was being gentle with you, Major.” The menace in the voice was unmistakable now. “Or is it Captain? No matter. Your days are numbered, no matter where, and who, you really are.” There was a pause, then the same hand closed around his throat. “I will ask you again: Who is the commander of this battle fleet? What is your mission in our space? And who is this Hoshi, this woman who haunts your memories?” Hayes gritted his teeth. Why the hell do they keep thinking I’m a MACO major? Did they grab me instead of Kemper by mistake? Whoever provided their information screwed up somewhere. It gave him a glimmer of satisfaction that his captors weren’t omnipotent. On the other hand, he wouldn’t have wanted Nate to endure what he was going through now. “I’m telling you...I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The hand gently flexed once, but a new jolt of agony slammed down his spine. He tried to claw at the arm attached to it, but the grip was almost superhuman. Another light squeeze sent pain through the center of his chest. “I am still being gentle with you, Major.” The grip lessened, giving Hayes a chance to gulp precious air. “Tell me what I want to know. Who is the commander of the battle fleet? What is your mission? And who is this woman?” I don’t know! Hayes couldn’t reply, but somehow, his interrogator heard him, and it only triggered another burst of pain. A deeper part of him needed to protect Hoshi at all costs and he knew he would give his life to do that. He doubted these beings understood that at all. Malcolm Reed curled up on his cot and tried to shore up his mental defenses. He’d managed to erect some barriers between himself and the devastating probes, had recovered from his initial panic at his loss of control and turned it into a wall of determination. He employed every Vulcan meditation he knew to counteract the aliens’ serums. As a result, he was able to sort this reality from the many others he’d glimpsed. My name is Malcolm Reed. I am a Starfleet doctor. My service number is MR-0902211242A. My parents are Stuart and Mary Reed. My sister is Madeline Reed. I took an oath to heal and protect my patients. I will not abandon them. I am a Starfleet doctor. I am not an Armory Officer, an engineer, or a commander in the Royal Navy. Those men are not me. I am a doctor. His breathing slowed and his body relaxed, but his mind was still completely aware of his surroundings. So he knew when two of the soldiers approached his bedside. There was the sound of electronic equipment, then a muffled sound of surprise. “The strange readings have disappeared. I do not understand what has happened.” “Perhaps he is only asleep?” “His brainwave scans are now stable. I studied the ones we recorded earlier, but not even the Lord Surgeon could interpret it. He may have some kind of affliction that affects him at times.” “Will it be dangerous to any of the crew?” Malcolm was struck at the note of concern in the electronic voice...this had to be the ship’s captain. He didn’t blame the captain for being worried about the situation. “It is difficult to say just what kind of effect it will have. We know so little of their species, only what the Rhiannsu has seen fit to relay to us. It may only affect members of his own species. He is the only one on the ship; his companions are on Lord Captain G’nash’s vessel. Perhaps we should ask their Lord Surgeon if he has noticed anything odd about the other test subjects.” “We should keep him sedated until we know he will not be a threat.” “This one has a high tolerance for our drugs, like the starship captain. The Armory Officer can still be influenced, but it’s only a matter of time until their effects are diminished. Anything stronger might have an adverse effect on their biochemistry.” The captain’s tone became dismissive. “Well, they can still be useful. Their companions will follow us directly to the Rhiannsu, then we will strike the first blow against the encroachers.” “What if they cannot be turned?” “Well, they can always provide more medical knowledge for our databanks.” “True. I would not want to think all this was a wasted effort.” “Everything is useful, Second Surgeon. You just need to be...creative.” Malcolm kept still until the two visitors left and he heard the door slide shut behind them. The conversation had revealed much information about his captors. Apparently, they were under the control of this Rhiannsu, whoever they were; these soldiers only followed their superior’s orders. Matt Hayes and Trip Tucker were on the second ship, under the command of “Lord Captain G’Nash”. The three of them were “test subjects”, and the soldiers were worried about what to do next when the drugs completely lost effect. They can still be useful...their companions will follow us directly to the Rhiannsu...what if they cannot be turned?...they can provide more medical knowledge for our databanks... Malcolm swallowed hard as the nausea rose again in his throat. Quite efficient in their work, whoever these soldiers are. Waste not, want not. My father would have appreciated the sentiment, if not the action. But one thought overrode everything. How was he going to get out of here and warn Hoshi in time? And how was he going to help Matt and Trip on the other ship before the soldiers “turned” them, whatever that meant? He needed to think of a plan, and quickly. |
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