Story Star Trek 2009; Red, white and blue

Author: Earlybird-obi-wan

It will be a series of adventures on the Enterprise taking place in the 4th and 5th year of the original 5 year mission focussing on security, support and medical services.

Red, white and blue
Stardate 2268.1005
Florian McLintlock was busy. It was nine in the morning and lunch-hour aboard the Enterprise was the next moment his restaurant would be filling with day-shift crewmembers. He had to prepare soup – various soups at that including the disgusting Plomeek soup for a certain Vulcan – for starters. He had seen members from the security detail – usually called red-shirts – digging into their porridge or pancakes. And this morning their chief – Kyle Crisson – had been ordering them to hurry. “We are at earth-central-dock and we can have a rock-climbing exercise in Yosemite.” He had seen the big smiles and had told them to have a great time when they came back to deliver their empty trays.

And he had seen his friend Leonard McCoy – smiling again after the departure of Lionel Majeski – ordering toast and some good old country brew.

Florian knew. After an R and R stop at New Vulcan Lionel didn’t come back. McCoy had said ‘he has a new job on Aldebaran five. I have to find a new sleep doctor and I know one. He has been a school-mate of Lionel.’

 

“Florian was at his best Christine,” McCoy was back in the medward. “I have to see what Starfleet medical has sent us.” He went into the store-room next to the office and indicated with his hands “that’s those boxes and more. I need your help.”

“I will do the paper work,” Christine powered up the desk and she soon was busy with McCoy summing up the items and she now and then replying ‘check’ or something like that. “Alright,” She heard the main door sliding open and some soft footsteps coming to a halt before the desk.

“I am Nick Roberts.”

“Christine Chapel,” Christine shook hands with the man, observing him. He had smiling dark brown eyes in a pale face surrounded by a mop of rather longish grey hair, a scruffy beard and moustache and a long thin and gangly frame. And a bit louder she said with a big smile on her face “ah not packed in a box.”

“What?” A gruffy mumbling came from the store-room. “It is Chris.”

“I didn’t come with the atomscrambler.”

“No?”

McCoy – by now with his head around the door of the store-room – walked with a box with blue gloves in his hands towards the desk, placed the box there and said shaking hands “McCoy.”

“Nick Roberts.” Nick observed his CO. He was just as Lionel had described him, a good looking man, smiling brown eyes full of mischief and a mop of unruly dark hair.

“You are Majeski’s friend,” McCoy continued “and not yet up to starfleet reg standard. Come let me get you settled. Barber first.” With that said he steered his new sleep-doctor towards the exit leaving Christine to store and document the medical supplies.

 

The next piece has painting/night out


“Dennis Samuels,” the older man with grey hair in a crew cut steered Nick towards one of the chairs. “You sure need some tidying up to do or you will get your tail pulled every time you come to the scrub-room.” With that said and his charge covered with a sheet he grabbed the ‘tail’ and secured that with a clip on the head. He saw the file that McCoy was showing him.

“But that tail,” Nick – blinking mischievous with one eye – had his hands scrambling from under the sheet “I had it since my youth. I have Indian ancestors. Grey Horse is what my granddad said when he tied my tail when I was seven years old.”

“You had a crew-cut at starfleet medical,” the barber observed. “I can see it the way your hair was cut.”

“Just kidding,” Nick grinned. “My chief won’t have a tail to pull.”

“Ah leave the tail,” McCoy interrupted. “He is my new apprentice.”

“Apprentice I am not,” Nick waved with his right hand now freed from the sheet. “Yoda I am.”

“Crew-cut it is,” McCoy nodded. “Ally I have now. Yoda I am. Jedi-healer you are.” And with that statement he began to tell about his collection of Star Wars stuff with two avid listeners. And the two were nodding eagerly when McCoy offered a movie-watching evening at his place.

“See you soon,” Dennis saw the two leaving his barber-shop.
---

“This is the corridor leading back to the medward and here is your cabin,” McCoy halted before an opening door. “I have the override-code if you are late or in need but you can keep the others out.”

“That’s nice to know,” Nick began to enter a code. “You know I have been a federation SEAL. During BUD/S our instructors stormed into our rooms to rouse us for some unexpected training.” Door opening he dragged his bag inside.

“See you,” McCoy left.

Nick began to unpack. The first thing was a bundle of towels and he carefully removed the towels to reveal a painting of a beautiful landscape with a moon. Near the foot end of his bunk was the place for it. He had more paintings and each got a place.
---

Nick was unpacking the last of his stuff when the chime on his door sounded. He opened the door.

“It’s lunch-hour,” McCoy said. “You can go to the mess but I know a real nice place.”

“Lead the way,” Nick followed.

A sign next to the door indicated ‘Space-view restaurant’ followed by a menu of the day.

“My nice place to be for a night out,” McCoy walked to the counter. “I often take Christine to diner.”

“Ah the lovely blonde I met when I was coming to see you,” Nick stopped at the counter where a man dressed in a white shirt, apron and cooks-hat turned his head.

“Len, I have made green pea-soup and cinnamon-rolls.” Florian saw McCoy giving a nod and placed the items on the counter. “Ah and who is the new guy?”

“I am Nick Roberts.”

“Chief Florian McLintlock.”

“Chief, I like some of that soup if it is vegetarian and a cinnamon-roll.”

“Vegetarian it is. Here you go and enjoy your lunch.”

Nick placed the bowl and plate on a tray and added a large mug with milk and an orange. He followed McCoy to a table with a view. Through the window he could see earth and the space-dock.

“I can see why this place is perfect for a night out.”

“It is,” McCoy began with his soup. “Even when we are at Warp the view through the windows is breathtaking. Eat Nick, our communicators can interrupt everything.”

Nick began to eat.

 

Great seeing Nick's arrival and welcome. Thanks for sharing in the duos challenge.

 

and now interested in???


Stardate 2268.1019

Nick was now two weeks on the Enterprise. He had been very busy with small procedures. Ensign Jalolla had been his last patient.

And he had befriended Christine, finding out that they shared a love for basketball, watching and playing after he had taken her on a night out to the restaurant of Florian. He had been power forward on the schoolteam and Christine part of the back-court.

She had told him about her great love Roger Korby, a marriage thwarted when she joined the Enterprise. She had met him again during the mission to Exo III. He was in the body of a droid and had Andrea. Her true friends Uhura, Audrey and McCoy made her decision to stay on the Enterprise easy.

Ensign Alberts was calling him by his nickname ‘Grey Horse’ when he was passing the recreation hall. He halted to talk to Alberts. She overheard them, calling him ‘grey horse’ when she met him again in medbay. He had asked her to join him watching basketball.

Nick was sure that she was interested in him.

He was still smiling when he was shaving. The scruffy beard from yesterday had her commenting on his looks during a stroll in the botanical gardens. He had cream on his face and was busy with the razor when his communicator started to beep.

“Roberts.”

‘Medical code 10’

“Coming,” Nick cleared the door of his cabin – cream on his face leaving that and flying every which way – when he rounded the corner leading to the medward and cleared that door to head straight to the changing room. A code 10 meant surgery and he was the anaesthetist on call.

He was dressed in greens and entered the OT to see nurses Clara Deyman and Kelly Ohnaka coming in with a stretcher and halting that next to the table.

McCoy followed, “Get him under Nick. We have some bone-reconstruction to do. Matthews had an accident in the grav-gym.” He disappeared in the changing room.

-

Many hours later – lunch and dinner had been served by teams of nurses going off-duty when their replacements came in – Nick directed nurses John and Jullio to guide a still sedated Matthews to the recovery-room. He was the last one out of the OT.

McCoy had left when the procedure to reconstruct the left leg was finished. That had been 10 minutes ago.

Nick sat down next to the bed where Matthews was installed by the two nurses and he was still sitting there when Fiona Harris came in.

“Sir, I can take over. You need some rest. And doc Benson is coming in a few minutes to take over from McCoy.”

“Uh,” Nick looked up.

“Rest Nick,” McCoy peeked his head around the door of the room “Doctors orders.”

Nick stood up with a mischievous smile on his face “changing room first?”

“No Nick,” McCoy took Nick by his shoulder and steered him towards the exit. “No medbay mayhem this evening. Get to your cabin for a shower and completion of that shave. You are very scruffy.”

“Christine didn’t love that too,” Nick headed to his cabin.

tbc

 

Loved seeing the med-team and Nick off-duty as well.
Chapel's back-story is incredibly interesting.

 

It is from the first year in the 5 year mission.
Babel is in the second year and will be mentioned in the next part


Stardate 2268.1020

McCoy was early, very. It was 400 hours. The procedure had led to a tossing and turning in his bunk and getting only a little sleep. He dressed in a hurry.

He tried to contact Christine – the officer of the night-shift – in medbay but got only static. He wanted to know how Matthews was doing. Passing a mess-hall he selected a meatball sub with extra marinara sauce for breakfast or lunch and headed to medbay.

Christine greeted him in the office “I have seen Matthews and he is doing fine but still unconscious.”

After placing the wrapped sub next to another one on his desk McCoy sat down, activated his terminal and tried to input the data of the procedure.

“Getting the blue screen of death?” Christine asked. “Let me see if I can access the file.” She sat down, took the keyboard to her side of the desk and tried without any success.

McCoy contacted the technical department and got Mira Ahard on the mobile com.

‘We are working on the ship-wide problem. Uhura was the first to notice the static on her com-station. She and Watkins are setting up the diplomatic briefing with the Tholians. That’s working for now thanks to some patches.’

“We will wait,” McCoy put his communicator down on his desk where his sub was.

“It’s lunch-time for me,” Christine picked up her smoked Gouda with chicken sub and began to eat.

McCoy joined her eating his sub.

--

A rumbling stomach had Nick awake at five in the morning and feeling the now extremely scruffy face. Yesterday bed was reached after a very short shower and no shaving at all. He shaved, taking care of the hairs and headed towards the restaurant for a quick breakfast.

McLintlock was nowhere to be seen. ‘No pancakes today.’ He selected porridge, orange-juice, a boiled egg and espresso from the counter. He was eating.

A red-shirt entered and came – after filling the tray – towards his table with “Hey Roberts, wanting to be with me again?”

Nick looked up “Kyle?”

“Yes, I thought I saw a familiar face and it is.” Kyle placed his tray on the table.

“And you are now?”

“After I joined the Enterprise as chief weapons instructor I became chief of security,” Kyle replied. And you?”

Sipping from his espresso Nick began to tell more about his days at Starfleet medical and McCoy asking him to replace Lionel Majeski.

An older man with grey hair and a friendly face – seeing a new guy probably interested in his tales – joined them and shook hands with Nick “Jacob Numa, chief archives. You must be new.”

“Nick Roberts, the sleepy new guy in McCoy's medbay. And you must have been very busy with almost 4 years of missions.”

“I am,” Jacob began to tell more about his department. He had a captivated audience busy with their breakfast. He ended “you are welcome to see more.”

“I will,” Nick had finished his breakfast and stood up taking his tray “I want to see my patient.”

“And after you have seen him, come to the archives,” Kyle joined him and turning his head and giving a wink to Jacob “don’t spend too much time in the archives. I did and Jacob was still telling me about the Babel-mission when it was well past midnight. A short night full of dreams followed.”

“What was the Babel-mission?”

“Shht,” Kyle steered Nick to the exit. “It was a lot of work for us red-shirts with all those diplomats on board en route to Babel. And it was very harrowing for McCoy.”

“I can ask him?”

“Sure and come to my training room after you have finished your shift.”

“I will,” Nick headed to the nearest turbo-elevator that took him directly to medbay where he changed in scrubs before heading to the IC-ward. He had to see how Matthews was doing.

---

McCoy stood up to drop the wrappers in a bin and saw the door to the IC-ward opening. He walked into the main ward when he saw who was coming. The door to his office swished shut.

“Matthews is awake and lucid,” Nick was busy turning a used blue glove into a ball before removing the second one.

“I didn’t expect you so soon after the long procedure,” McCoy grumped good-natured when he saw the second glove getting the same treatment.

“I needed to see him and,” Nick threw the ball towards his superior.

“Humph,” McCoy ducked and saw the blue ball sailing towards an opening door. “Fun you like to have in the aftermath of a difficult procedure.”

“Men,” Christine grinned. “One is imitating Yoda and the other a pranking Jedi healer. And both are adorable.” With that said, she entered the ward where more patients were waiting for her tender and loving care.

“Yoda you are, healer I am,” Nick had the second blue ball bouncing towards McCoy who caught the thing expertly.

The game was on.

 

Delicious subs for McCoy and Christine.
Nice meeting the Chief of Archives, who I can imagine has a lot of stories.
Nick and McCoy pranking after a procedure.

 

and more pranks to follow



After seeing no archivist Numa in the archives Nick was headed to his next after-duty stop. He had asked McCoy about the Babel mission and heard about the heart-surgery on Sarek with Spock as the blood-donor. The captain had been assaulted by a fake Andorian and had – after receiving care – returned to the bridge despite protests from McCoy to get an equally stubborn Spock to medbay to save his father. And after McBenga came in to begin his shift he knew now all about Vulcans – full blooded at that –and that Spock, Sarek and the captain were difficult to keep in their beds in medbay.

“We have quite a challenge with a captain and exec like this,” he swept into the training-room where Kyle was the only crewmember present.

He was busy with weights and lowered them with a smile that turned into a sad look. “You can say that Nick. Kirk is known to rush head-first into new missions. And sure he takes ‘red-shirts’ to accompany him and …” Kyle sat down on a bench.

“We are the ones to suffer,” Nick sat down next to him. “We have seen it in Paris and…”

“Paris yeah, we sure suffered. We had to leave our brothers. We had to find a new way of living. Becoming the chief of security I am doing my best to give my ‘red-shirts’ the means to survive.”

“I can help. I am still a qualified sniper. I have trained on the shooting-range near San Diego during free time.”

“That’s great Nick,” Kyle began to smile. “I have some guys busy next door and I like to introduce you to them. Like to come?”

“Sure.” Nick followed Kyle to the armory where he met Kirsten Vance, Dwayn Bradley and Barry Carole.

 

Nice hearing more about Babel and seeing the crew getting better acquainted

 

Stardate 2268.1026

Besides being the all-knowing expert on Vulcans McBenga was a very funny colleague.

Nick had worked with him during a gruelling week of emergencies when he was doing the nightshift.

“You've got a way to tease us all,” Nick Roberts tried to intercept Christine in an attempt to stop her from catching one the last sponges. He missed and dove with outstretched legs through the open door of a changing cubicle.

“She has but you began Grey Horse.”

Feet stopped him and he turned on his knees to hear the hollering of McCoy. Sure the man was right.

“Christine the kindergarten teacher,” Cole grumbled when the last sponge was snatched away before he could grab it.

“She is robbing us of our fun,” Jana sagged down on the floor next to Marc and gave him a kiss on his wet face.

“End of our playtime,” Nick had begun the mayhem this time after the difficult week in the medbay. The two Mirana nurses Jana John and Marc Jullio had sided with him. And as soon as McCoy came through the door of the changing room with Cole and M’Benga the fun had started. Nick had his stash of wetted sponges ready, a full laundry-basket provided by the nurses. The first sponge had landed on Cole. And soon the sponges were flying this and that way until Christine came in and began to collect the sponges in the laundry-basket.

--

“This calls for revenge and you know what is coming,” Cole grinned when he walked with Nick – after showering and getting some dry uniform – to the restaurant.

“A nice meal first and going to see the quartermaster next for some nice things,” Nick had already an idea.

“M’Benga will inform Christine, Spock and Uhura.”
tbc

 

Wonderful bit of mischief

 

and what kind of mischief?

Stardate 2268.1031

“Are you sure that he is coming,” Nick – dressed as Saruman – turned to Cole who was squeaking a bit in his Sidious outfit and M’Benga in a goblin-costume.

“We just wait,”M’Benga grinned. “I have alerted him with something he cannot ignore. And action.” That was whispered when the door slided open.

“Mwaaah haa haa haa,” Cole and M’Benga began.

McCoy cringed when he was about to enter the medbay in a hurry. His pager had alerted him that there was something of an emergency waiting for him but this.

“AAAuuuwww,” Nick produced a piercing cry.

That cry had him entering anyway and seeing some white figure before seeing nothing and being lifted by hands, lots of hands. And there were sounds of moving feet, a swishing door, a turbolift activating, another door, grunting ‘he is heavy’, shuffling feet, ‘indulged too much on the soup this afternoon’ and more inarticulate grunts.

‘Those grunts; Cole and Nick for sure,’ McCoy began to laugh. “Cole put me down.”

“Mwaah haa haa haa enter your shallow grave.”

That was a different voice, feminine. McCoy felt hands going and something muddy and slightly wet with his left hand. And the why he was seeing nothing was removed. It was a black bag. And he was staring up in the face of … “Uhura?”

“No I am the helper of baron Samedi. Meet him and your doom.”

‘Definitely Uhura, all that white make-up and red markings and head-dress and black lace gown cannot hide her. But who is baron Samedi.’ Uhura’s face disappeared and was replaced by… McCoy knew and grinned “you pointy eared hobgoblin, who tricked you in joining the medbay mayhem gang?”

“I did. Rise from the shallow grave my dear Dracula and let’s go on a candy-hunt.”

“Christine,” McCoy sat up, discovered that he was in a rectangular box in the hydroponic garden – explaining the wet mud – saw Nick, Cole, M’Benga, Marc and Jana dressed in various kinds of Halloween costumes and reached for the offered hands. And he saw the costume waiting for him. He donned the black gown and cloak and false fangs.

Christine helped to apply some white and red make-up.

McCoy was ready. “Let’s go for some trick and treat.”

The restaurant of Florian McLintlock was the place to go for that.

And Florian had been busy decorating the place with all kinds of stuff. There were spiders and their webs, tombstones and open coffins to sit in and various pumpkins.

Black and red were the main colours with only candles in the pumpkins giving a gloomy light.

“Hey that looks like a devil in the dark or a Horta,” Christine walked towards a pumpkin perched on a tombstone next to a dragon. “And that is a Gorn.”

“What’s a Horta?” Nick asked.

“You can ask our master bricklayer,” Christine replied.

“Who?”

“McCoy of course,” Christine looked this and that way but the black-cloaked McCoy was nowhere to be seen. “Ah what, let’s get some treat from McLintlock.”

“Maybe he knows where he is,” Nick had a red-apple pie on his tray. “And I sure know someone who must know all about a Horta. And what’s a Gorn?”

“Ask the captain,” Christine took a glass of red wine. “He has tangled with a Gorn and invented black powder again.”

“As in gunpowder for a nasty particle-gun,” Kyle was sipping through a straw inserted in the opening of his stormtrooper mask.

“Nice uniform Kyle,” Nick grinned. “I doubt it will resist a phaser.”

“It doesn’t,” Kyle replied. “And your Saruman is quite cumbersome for running an obstacle course. You’re invited tomorrow.”

“I can?” Nick turned to Christine.

“You have the nightshift,” Christine answered. “Take your time and visit Numa too and” she pauzed for a long time before continuing “don’t be late or dracula and I will come to hunt you.”

“Mwaaah haa haa haa,” McCoy took Christine by her arm and swept her away.

 

Stardate 2268.1101

Nick had met Kyle for a practise-run through the obstacle course and was now after showering headed to his cabin when he passed the office of Jacob Numa ‘might as well pay him a visit to ask about that horta and gorn. And more about Babel would be nice too.’ He entered “good morning lieutenant Numa.”

“Just call me Jacob, lieutenant Roberts.”

“Nick is alright for me. Yesterday we had the halloween party at Florian’s and I like to hear more about a horta and a gorn.”

“Ah some of our earlier missions,” Jacob said with a smile on his face. “You are interested in history?”

“Sure,” Nick replied. “When I was at Starfleet medical I have heard about the missions of the Enterprise and the altered timeline. Timelines, that’s what’s fascinating me. I am living here in this universe. I have read about the Enterprise going through a wormhole and ending up near Shedu Maad and meeting Jedi. In another timeline Nero, Khan, the third worldwar and eugenics war never happened. Star Trek was a TV-series and Star Wars were movies and series.”

“In that timeline they had global warming and youths protesting against that and eventually getting the climate under control. In our timeline space-exploration came after Zefram Cochrane invented the warp-drive. The Enterprise under command of Captain Archer was the first to explore the galaxy,” Jacob began to tell more with Nick as his audience until an ensign came in with a steaming mug of coffee and some data-disks. “Hmm, let’s head to the rec lounge. I can continue with year two but first coffee.”

“That’s nice,” Nick stood up and followed Jacob.

 

Love the comparison of timelines

 

and continuing in this altered ST 2009 timeline with


Stardate 2268.1114

“Hey where is the stormtrooper gear?” Nick came into the gym to see Kyle dressed in a very familiar uniform. He had been at work in medbay all day until Cole Benson relieved him.

“It’s Wedge Antilles today,” Kyle replied. “Yesterday I had combat-training in my stormtrooper gear against the funny guys.”

“Ah you mean Alex and Will,” Nick began to smile. “And they managed to…”

“Demolish my gear entirely,” Kyle continued. “It will need repair and those two are the ones to do it.”

“Will Travaille leading of course with his knowledge,” Nick continued. “Jacob told me the details of the mission to Shedu Maad.”

“I was there and could engage in a friendly sniper-contest with Kyle Katarn. I took pictures from the stormtrooper targets and with those taken I had a captive audience when I returned. Alex and Will have made stormtrooper-uniforms and even the weapons. Now some training on the obstacle-course?”

“Yes,” Nick followed Kyle.

--

One hour later two exhausted friends – clean after a shower and in their usual uniforms – were passing the rec-lounge and entered.

“Yes Lieutenant, this was great,” Sean McGinnis clapped in his hands. “Another one?”

“Another one,” Nyota Uhura sang one note, heard the soft reply from the Vulcan harp played by Spock and began.

“The skies are green and glowing where my heart is.
Where the scented lunar flower is blooming somewhere, beyond the stars.
Beyond Antares
I'll be back, though it takes forever
Forever is just a day.
Forever is just another journey
Tomorrow a stop along the way
And let the years go fading
Where my heart is
Where...my love eternally is waiting
Somewhere, beyond the stars
Beyond Antares”

 

*purrs* That song.

 

and heard again on

Stardate 2268.1121

“McGinnis take it easy for a while,” McCoy had removed the bandages. “Those burns are healing but the skin is still tender.”

“Ah the same as Mister Scott,” Sean replied. “I hope the captain takes care of our wee barns. They have suffered so much in the past four years.”

“He is trying,” McCoy drawled.

“But not always succeeding,” Nick had his head around the door of the treatment room. “I can go?”

“Sure, see you.”

On his way to the restaurant Nick passed the rec-lounge. Tears dribbled down his face when he heard the Vulcan harp and the last words ‘somewhere, beyond the stars, beyond Antares.’ He had heard it the evening before he lost two friends.

 

Great showing how the song is now connected to sorrow

 

and more adventures to follow as is hinted in the next piece


Stardate 2268.1206

“One month and we are celebrating four years on the Enterprise,” McCoy was busy with his administration when he saw Christine coming in.

“A busy day for the captain,” Christine saw the names of various crewmembers on the screen. “You are recommending all who have been here from the beginning for a medal?”

“They deserve it and,” McCoy saw Jana and Marc coming to begin their shift “keep it a secret.”

“We will be very busy the coming days,” Christine mused. “We have medical check-ups for half of the crew to perform. But,” she had a big smile on her face “not Jim and Spock. We have six months to develop ideas to get those two here.”

“Maybe Nick has new ideas. He has tangled with the top-brass at Starfleet headquarters.”

“Good morning,” Nick strolled into the office “What about new ideas?”

“To get you know who for their medical check-ups,” McCoy answered with a big smile on his face.

“Ah the main diaster magnet and his side-kick,” Nick saw what was on the screen. “And that’s a secret for us.”

“Yes and maybe you have to persuade some to keep that medal,” Christine gave a knowing nod.

 

Great exchange and secret plans

 

but first this

Stardate 2268.1227
Florian was listening to the conversation in his restaurant. Two crewmembers were walking away with their trays. He was smiling ‘Jacob will have a great audience tonight and...’

“Chef an ile flotante please with lots of chocolate.”

Florian looked up to see McCoy with now a slightly bronzed face due to the recent shore-leave. “Coming your way Len. And you?”

“Yes chef,” Nick replied “I too like to sample an ile flotante but without the pure chocolate. I have an unusual reaction to chocolate. You can wait for a few seconds after I have ingested pure chocolate and the sneezing begins.”

“Here you are,” Florian placed the two bowls on the trays where a vegetarian stew for Nick was and a beef bourguinon with Brussels sprouts for McCoy.

“Those horrible rodents … there went my sandwich… but we had fun… and before that we had those nasty bugs coming from Miss Chilliera… more history tonight.”

“Jacob will be busy after that delightful shore-leave,” McCoy sat down at a table. “He will be going in great detail about how we conquered the beetle-virus.”

“It wasn’t exactly coming from the beetles,” Nick sat down. “The spider, beetles and whatever was in Miss Chilliera’s soup gave Jana and Marc the clue to search Numa’s vast database leading to that entry in a medical log by an X-wing pilot on the Hands Down.”

“I have read that entry after my recovery,” McCoy said.

“I am glad that we have this time-line,” Nick had a thoughtful look on his face. “Jacob has told me about a time-line where they had Star Wars and Star Trek as movies and tv-series. They had no third world-war but a climate crisis and a virus that spread world-wide.”

“And that virus and what came after that critter was conquered after they stopped eating exotic animals,” McCoy took a look at his beef. “Even this beef became a luxury after they discovered that too much mammal meat gives diseases.”

“And now?” Nick began to dig into his stew.

“I love this beef bourguinon but only once a month,” McCoy was slicing his beef. “It’s a luxury for me too.”

 

Nice discussion

 

and continuing with a cliffie


Stardate 2269.0106

“That was nice Florian,” Nick Roberts placed his tray on the counter. He had seen the chef coming in and wanted to thank him personally. “Hey also a medal?”

“Yes for four years on the Enterprise,” Florian McLintlock replied smiling. “And I have heard we will be going for one more year of exploration when the captain gave me the medal. I saw your department getting medals too.”

“I know and I have to go now to check on a patient in the ward,” Nick left the restaurant. Only one patient – Ken Hammer from the science department – was under his care after the removal of his appendix.

Entering medbay in a hurry and coming to a stop in McCoy’s office Nick saw Tinco Gherian observing the medal in its box and McCoy’s and Christine Chapel’s smiling eyes.

“You deserve it Tinco. Don’t give it back to the captain. Knowing him he will be very grumpy and disappointed and…”

“And making a beeline or not to his equally grumpy country doctor,” Christine laughed.

“Just for staying here for four years?” said Tinco with a startled look on his face.

“Yes. We have lots and lots of changes here. Lionel, Jeran, Ker…”

“I know but they left for personal reasons,” Tinco said with eyes turning sad for a few moments. “More friends left. The Enterprise is full of changes and leading us into dangerous missions. I lost friends in the security department. But I will stay. I really like working for you. I hope I can stay until my retirement or go with you where you go after the Enterprise retires.”

“The Enterprise or another ship,” Christine gave a soft pat on McCoy’s shoulder. “My next thirty years will be spent here with him.”

Nick shook his head and continued on his way to the ward. He sure didn’t want to stay for another thirty years. A few years more and after that settling in a nice university hospital on earth was more to his liking. He donned a pair of blue gloves and walked to the bed where Ken Hammer was snoring loudly. The vitals were looking good and an IV bag was almost empty. “I will get you a new one,” he whispered not wanting to wake Ken. A few steps and he was near a cabinet with supplies and opened the door.

A tremor shook the Enterprise.

Nick lost his footing and landed on his butt.

The cabinet disgorged most of its contents.

Nick tried to get up and yelled “what’s that?”

 

Superb cliffhanger