Dr Southgate, I Presume.

Posted on Sun Feb 12th, 2023 @ 5:01pm by Captain Freya Mannerheim & Ensign Skylar Southgate

1,633 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Chapter VI: Racing the Storm
Location: Drozana Station

Being around Daisy was too much. Skylar needed to get away from her. Her presence made Skylar feel uncomfortable, tense. Insecurity, maybe. Probably, in fact. If Skylar told Daisy their evening together meant nothing, it would be a lie. Hurtful. However, Skylar didn't know what she wanted. She needed space, time. Skylar hoped Daisy would move on from her. The scientist didn't think she could give Daisy what she wanted. Needed. Deserved.

The scientist prowled the market. It was quiet. It was late. Most of the stalls were closed. She'd got what she needed earlier anyway. A bar beckoned. She had someone to meet, but it was too early. She'd have to kill time for half an hour. The bar wasn't that far away, but she wasn't in the mood for a drink. Skylar chose to start another lap of the market.

Half an hour later, Skylar approached a woman in a bar. Short, but with presence. Commanding. She wasn't familiar with her, but she was familiar with her ship. She'd worked for Raven. Briefly. "I hear you're looking for a scientist, Captain Mannerheim." said Skylar. She leaned against the bar, looking forward.

Skylar never thought she'd leave the colony. Her brothers, sisters. But she felt she had to.

After the interview with Batsheva and Shira had concluded and Kaiae had returned to Ourainavassa, Freya had decided to stay behind at the bar. With the evacuation mission about to start and the constant threat of the Terrans discovering her treason, Freya needed a break. She was sitting at the bar, sipping on a large glass of black rum, when an unfamiliar woman approached her. She looked up with a frown. "I don't know what you're talking about. How do you know my name, anyway?"

"Those specialist hand scanners? I made them." said Skylar, ordering a glass of juice. "Well, my brother and I did. A couple of months ago. Lieutenant Lynn looked rushed off her feet. She's a good scientist, talented."

The Captain nodded. "Scanners. I remember the Colonel talking about those. With the way things have changed, I doubt they'll see much use for a while, but they'll be good to have. That still doesn't answer the question of how you know who I am, or why you'd think I'm looking for a scientist."

Skylar's drink was placed on the bar. She paid, picked up the drink. The synths only ate and drank when amongst others. It would look odd otherwise, give away their cover. That wasn't an option.

"You recently hired Batsheva Olmert and Shira Ben Asher. They did some work for me and my brother. They told me you're hiring."

"Recently, as in maybe an hour ago, yes. I didn't hire them, though, I just made the introduction. The Subcommander is in charge of hiring." Freya looked at her empty glass and put a piece of latinum on the counter. Without saying a word, the Orion girl behind the bar took the money and refilled the glass. "So," the Captain continued. "You're a scientist. Who knows our scientist, and knows the two people we just hired. Suppose that works as a character reference. But why do you think we should bring you onto the crew? What do you have to offer that we need?"

Skylar sipped her drink. This felt like a job interview. Although, it seemed fair. Expected. She was applying for a job after all. "You can never have enough scientists on board, Captain."

"You and I know the galaxy is a weird and wonderful place. It's dangerous and full of mysteries the greatest minds cannot solve. I can't solve them either, but I can help you with your mission. I know what the Tal Shiar are trying to do. I believe I can stop them." she finished.

The Captain sighed. "Unfortunately, that is no longer in our hands. Other people are dealing with that now. We must focus on what the original mission of the crew was, and that is to save innocents from the aftermath of their attempt to stop the Tal Shiar. I agree with you that the science department on Ourainavassa is woefully understaffed. As brilliant as Mila Lynn is, she is only one person."

It had been two months. Enough time for things to change.

"I see." said Skylar, taking another sip. She'd spent two months studying time travel, for nothing. She was well aware of the deteriorating Romulan situation. Billions of lives were at risk. Two entire species were at risk of extinction. "Well, I've wasted two months of my life studying time travel. However. As you're going to Romulus, I specialise in astronomy."

Freya raised an eyebrow. "Studying time travel, you say? Wouldn't say it's wasted, just that it's not our priority any more. Tell me, if you've studied temporal mechanics, how's your knowledge of other timelines, so-called parallel universes?"

"There are an infinite number of parallel universes, Captain. Trans-dimensional realms exist alongside our own, some exactly like our own. They don't interact, but they can. If you can create a stable interphasic rift." said Skylar. She believed she could, in theory. She wouldn't, though. She didn't want to mess with timelines. "Then, there's subspace domains. An entire universe can be formed inside a single warp bubble. Based on the thoughts of a single mind."

"Then there's my favourite, quantum realities. The outcomes are infinite. How about universes where the laws of physics don't apply. Need I go on?"

The Captain smiled. "I see you really did do your research, quite impressive. That skill set will come in handy once we deal with the aftermath of this mess, I'm sure. So, you know about the science behind different realities, but have you ever had any direct experience with any of them, any people from a parallel universe?"

"I have. My associates have taken possession of a ship from an alternate, future reality. The 25th century." said Skylar. She drank again. She was curious. Her competence wasn't brought into question, it was straight to time travel. Alternate universes. What Skylar knew about them. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

Freya ignored the question. "Interesting. From the next century, and from an alternate timeline. How can you be sure it is an alternate timeline, and not the future this timeline is heading towards?"

Skylar noted Freya's ignorance of her question. She, Ian had studied Scharnhorst in incredible detail. Meticulous. For days, weeks. The evidence it was from future, another time, were indeniable. She lowered her voice. "The Terran Empire does not exist in this universe, Captain."

The Captain raised an eyebrow and turned to look directly at Skylar. "And we should all be grateful for that. I don't know how much you know about the Empire, but I can assure you that it is not a nice place to be." She contemplated for a moment. "If you're that knowledgeable about the Terrans, then, I'm sure you've noticed the Klein-class Tempral Destroyer that's parked next to Ourainavassa. I.S.S. Amelia."

"Yes, I have." began Skylar. Amelia was clearly more modern, advanced than Scharnhorst. A lot more. It looked like nothing she'd ever seen before. "I would suggest it is from a much later point in time in Scharnhorst's universe. Which means you haven't been born yet."

Freya chuckled. "You think it's that easy? I am very much alive in this timeline, right now. I can even tell you exactly where my counterpart is. Time travel, remember? Just because a ship is from the future, doesn't mean its crew has to. In fact, most of the crew are native to this time period, albeit in another universe." She shook her head. "I've probably told you more than I should have. So, you want to help out with the operation, yes?"

"I jest, Captain. I know how it works. But yes. I'd like to help you. It would be unwise to undertake this mission without an astronomer." replied Skylar. She was in a hurry to board Ourainavassa before it departed, before Daisy realised she'd gone. Skylar had told Ian, her brother, where she was going. She told him she needed time, space. He understood. She emptied her glass, giving it back to the bartender.

"You don't know what I know, Captain. Maybe we can help each other."

Freya nodded. "Maybe we can." She reached into her pocket, producing a single, golden rank pip. "All I can offer you right now is a place on my crew. No, I'm not talking about Amelia. There's a Nygardian freighter near the station, Skidbladnir. Report to that vessel at your earliest convenience, and I'll see that I get you onto Ourainavassa, Ensign. Not that the rank actually means anything, it's just the only thing I can offer you right now. I'd be curious to learn what you say you know, and whether it matches with what I know."

Skylar looked at the box. She was glad the rank was insignificant. She didn't want to join the military. "I look forward to it, Captain."

"Doctor Southgate, by the way." Skylar said. She stood, offering her hand. The synths had never been given surnames when they were created. But, Skylar and Ian adopted one for dealing with associates. The obvious one would have been Atkinson. But none of the Atkinson synths looked alike. So, Skylar chose Southgate. It was from a book she'd read.

Freya took the offered hand. "Ensign Southgate, welcome to the crew. Like I said, we'll do something about that rank shortly. Report to Skidbladnir and we'll take it from there. I'm sure Lieutenant Lynn will be more than pleased to hear the news."

RSS Feed