Chapter Text
M’Ress found herself on the bridge of the Enterprise. Captain Kirk announced the members of the landing party and before leaving the bridge he looked around the officers left. His eyes stopped at her and the surprising words left his mouth.
“M’Ress, you’re in command.” He said with surprising seriousness.
M’Ress herd the trust in his wards and that alone made her uncontrollably happy. The long awaited wish of commanding a starship, even if it was temporary command, made these feelings even harder to hide.
“Yes, sir-r.” She said, not simulating the long r at the end.
She stood up and walked to the seat in the center of the bridge. With barely contained her purring she set on the long awaited chair. She tried to memories every feeling of the so soft seat, every touch of the controls on the sides, every uncomfortable bend of her tail that she had to make to simply sit upright. These were the best feelings of her life and she would have gave up everything to feel them for a few more seconds.
SHWAMB BANG BAND SHW—WH-hhh-BDAM
The explosions around made her jump upright. She noticed a barrel of a Kzinti phaser’ barrel pointed at her. A hand reached for her tail and drugged her down behind the improvised barricade. If not for this hand the phaser shot would pierce her head just a moment later.
“Stay down ensign!” The lieutenant screamed in her ear almost deafening it.
She clenched to her ear. Her hurst was beating like hell. The room was filled with the shudder from blasting hits and phaser shots. People stamped and screamed everywhere. Kzinti language deafened even the humans. She herd and felt every single one of those things. She was lost in this world. She panicked. In fear she clenched like a child in to a little furry ball trying to get away from the reality.
“Ensign! Ensign, god demon it!” The lieutenant screamed and shook up the caitian. “You are a Starfleet officer, so take the damn phaser and fight!” The man screamed literally using the phaser in her hands.
She looked around and quickly found the body of an officer to who owned the phaser before her. The body had a big whole in her chest. Some black stuff oozed out of it. She almost threw the phaser off her when she felt a have THAMP to her left.
She quickly turned to see the face of a savager before her. The face somewhat similar to a captain one but much more animalistic looked at her with just as animalistic blood thirst in it. It’s long claws were extended and tried to reach for Shiboline’s neck.
What happened next she remembered only in a number of images. First she saw the laser shooting from her phaser at the center of the Kzinti’s body. Next was the image of it being stunned, immobilized. It felt as if the time stopped for the creature. The next image she remembered in the most of details. She saw as the clothes of the animal started melting with it’s fur. Agonizing scream stuck in it’s mouth. The bloodthirsty eyes changed in to the ones filled with fear and pain. The next mage showed as the skin began to melt and inflame in to micro-fires. In the center, where the phaser hit, the clothes already disappeared and the skin was burned away. Through the melting mussel and veins she could see the black bones. Soon the next image flashed. The skin was fully burned and the muscled melted. The black bones appeared throughout all of the body. The center was already melted through to the organs which began to burn with everything else.
Images of the burning skeleton were carved in to her memory. She didn’t study Kzinti biology but she could easily draw it’s skeleton after that day. She pushed the trigger up to the moment when every single cell was burned to nonexistence and the phaser beam was burning the ceiling only then her finger finely stopped pushing the trigger.
Breathing in and out she leaned back on the fence. Her hands were trembling, but they never let the phaser out anymore. Even when she turned to see the Lieutenant who just a moment ago saved her life, and now was laying dead on the floor, M’Ress kept the phaser in her hands.
Now she knew what death meant. Now she knew what fear for the life really was. Now she knew how taking someone’s life felt, even if taken life was an animal’s one. Now Kzinti were animals to her.
With no fear and no regret she picked out of the barricade and shot at the first creature she saw that wasn’t part of the crew.
SHW-W-w-wh THUMB
Right in target. The unlucky Kzinti who worked on the communication panel, certainly didn’t expect for the fellow crewman to be a caitian, especially the one able to kill him.
With a couple quick pushes of a control panel she locked the door to the communication room. This room was now her defense point. Well, at least it would become one if she would be able to lock the doors and send a massage to starfleet in time.
She ran to the station where a moment ago stood the animalistic creature. The Kzinti language, primitive as it was, gave M’Ress some problems. It took her a couple of minutes to understand how to send a massage to starfleet about the USS Hood and it’s condition. In just a moment the door sounded the alarm warning about an attempt to force a way in. The failed attempt of course. Kzinti were too stupid breakers through her…
SHQUA-AN
The door opened and the station’s security ran in firing at everything they saw. A couple of beams were so close to her that her right ear’s fur was burned a little. She jumped behind the panel hearing a couple of shots hitting the panel. With a quick move she armed the Kzinti phaser. The Federation one she left back on the Hood.
The beams were fired back and forth, but the animals were too bad with phasers to hit her. Though they actually made several burns and cuts to Shiboline’s fur, it was nothing too big to handle. When the guards realized they lost four of their men to a single caitian woman no older then 27 they tried to use their strength and claws.
With two more people dead while running to M’ress they finely made it close enough for the close combat. What they didn’t expect was the strength and fearlessness with which M’Ress answered them. Her claws were the first to draw blood. She slid a throat of one of the guards quickly removing the blood-thirst from the creature’s eyes. Next was able to hit her chest making a deep scar and drawing it down to her stomach. With a painful groan she made two hits to that lucky animal. Its luck quickly ended when its organs started falling out of the cut on its stomach.
The happy groan M’Ress was about to make was quickly stopped by a claw hitting her face and almost cutting her eye. She couldn’t realize what happened when a second claw entered her stomach spilling the blood all over itself. With pain blurring her eyes M’Ress used a final weapon she had. She bit the creature before her right in the neck and ripped a chunk of its flesh out. With two more hits to the creature next to her she was able to reach for the phaser and shoot another one that tried to reach her.
Two more hits were fired and the room was clear, at least for a moment.
KILIK!
“M’Ress here.” She responded to the communicator’s sound.
“Commander, M’Ress report to admiral Colins immediately.” Kirk’s voice said.
“Under-rstood.” Shiboline responded.
She quickly looked at her reflection in the reflection of station’s glass. She quickly corrected the insignia and started walking to the admiral’s office.
The door to admiral’s office opened and M’Ress entered the room. Admiral Colins was standing behind the table and admiral Kirk stood near it. M’Ress felt the pressure that filled the room. She knew now something terrible happened. Admiral’s gaze was turned to the window, as if he didn’t want to see her. Kirk looked at her with happiness, proud and fear mixed in to one emotion.
“M’Ress, it’s good to see you.” Kirk said giving a small hug to his old friend.
“It’s good to see you too sir.” She said giving a hug back. “Admiral.” She said making a small nod to the other man.
The admiral turned. He looked M’Ress from top to bottom. A mistrust was easily read in his eyes. He and admiral Kirk clearly had something on their minds and M’Ress’s part in it was under question.
“Well…” He finely said. “The student is following her teacher’s steps?” He asked looking at the commander. M’Ress turned her head in questioning manner. “Commander, I have a ship for you.”
He said giving a small PADD to M’Ress. In disbelieve she took the PADD.
“A good old Detroyad class heavy destroyer.” Kirk said, looking at M’Ress’s reaction. “Her name’s Hunter. Maybe she’s not a beauty but a working horse never the less.” He added.
M’Ress looked through data. The situation was bad, but not catastrophic. The last encounter with Romulans made quite a damage and took her captain, but with some repairs and a new captain she could be flying in no time.
“If you don’t mind my language… what’s the catch? She looks quite fine for the trouble she went through.” M’Ress said looking at both admirals in confusion and suspicion.
The admirals looked at each other for a second before unpacking the secrete.
“You will have to make this ship fly in a week.” Kirk said finely.
“A week? Well, with some quick repairs it will, but it won’t bite. Plus why me? There should be captains on the station who were taught to do that.” M’Ress said almost shouting.
“You see why I was against it?” admiral Colins said turning away.
Kirk took M’Ress by her shoulder and walked her to the side.
“Listen. There is a really important mission we need you to do. And the only ship we have is this one.” He said.
“Well, if it’s important why me? There are other captains on the station.” M’Ress asked.
“There are two. One graduated academy two month ago and the other is 95 years old.” Kirk said.
“From space to hell…” M’Ress commented.
“That’s why I chose you.” Kirk continued. “You have the experience and the strength with courage to make risk decisions. I believe you are the one for that particular mission and also maybe for that ship.” M’Ress looked at the admiral with a look of disappointment. Everyone in the fleet knew that Destroyat was monster in both construction and name. “Well it, will add some beauty that the ship lucks.”
M’Ress looked at him bluntly. The command of her own ship became something of unreachable wish and now when it was right in her paws, she suddenly wasn’t ready to give an answer.
“M’Ress.” Kirk took her by the shoulders and looked her right in the eyes. “I know you for 8 years now. You are the one for this job. Take the opportunity when it presents itself. There maybe no second one.” He said.
“…” M’Ress looked in captain’s eyes. Suddenly she found trust of the power she didn’t expect from him. Trust in her abilities to command. Trust in herself. “I’ll take the command, sir.”
The smile appeared on his face and they both returned to the admiral. He only looked at her for a moment, but with no other words gave M’Ress the PADD. She took it. The whole data on Hunter and her crew was in her hands.
“After confirming this PADD you will practically be the captain.” Kirk said. “Congratulations, Captain M’Ress”
As his words echoed in her mind her finger touched the PADD and with a BIP she will be given her own vessel. Her wish will come true.
BIP
BI-IP
BI-I-IP
BI-I-I-I-i-i-ip-p-p-p
Her eyes opened…
The dream dissipated…
Hopes died…
“Fuck…” She murmured to the air.
BI-I-IP the alarm ringed again.
Shiboline with all her force smashed the nightstand, but a second later…
BI-I-IP The alarm ringed again.
She smashed the wall trying to turn the damn thing off.
For a moment she thought she succeeded but then…
B-I-I-IP Again the alarm filled the room.
“For prrey’s sake! Shut UP!” M’Ress shouted in to the air.
“Do you want to relay this massage to your guest?” The computer’s voice said.
“What…?” M’Ress asked in confusion.
“There is a person ringing the door bell.”
“Shit!” M’Ress jumped up from the bed.
The sun was already high surely there were no clocks to find the correct time. M’Ress ran to the bathroom. It took her quite some time to open the door. She randomly pushed the buttons on the control panel. She entered the room with a classic mirror. With a single look she understood the situation she was in. The makeup she made hours ago was partially absent, partially smudged. The scars it covered up appearing here and there. Nothing too bad. Nothing to really worry about. But still not good.
Making a new hairstyle she made a mind note that she should ask for some time with replicator.
BI-I-IP The ringtone sounded again making her jump in surprise and quickly run from the bathroom to the entrance door. There she again pushed several buttons on the control panel to randomly open the door.
Behind the slid open door she saw a young man in a uniform with red collar and a single gold pimp on it. He was a small human with disgustingly blue short hair and a strange sparkle in his eyes. His lips widened as soon as M’Ress appeared before him. His hands, hidden bihind his back, started shaking a little.
“Oh, my god…” He whispered to himself. “Ensign Jim Carter.” He shoot his hand to M’Ress. “It’s so nice to meet you!”
M’Ress was startled. His hair colour made M’Ress want to vomit. The difference in age was felt even despite him being the same height as the caitian. Yet the flame in the eyes and his uncontrollable emotions confused her feelings and now she practically didn’t know what to feel.
“Lieutenant Shiboline M’Ress.” She said slowly shaking man’s hand. “Nice to meet you too.”
The flame in man’s eyes suddenly changed in to outright fire from her words.
“Oh my God! You can’t believe how proud I am to shake your hand!” He bursted in emotions shaking M’Ress’s hand uncontrollably. “I’ve read-” He realised how hard he shook her hand. “Oh! Sorry. Um… so, I was send here to um… by captain Jonson to give you a little excursion around the institute… But I see I’m a little early…” He finished noticing the state woman was in.
“No, no. It’s fine!” M’Ress immodestly changed making herself look like everything was fine. “You can begin…” She said and quietly added. “Not like I’ve never been here before.”
“Well quite some things changed in those 80 years that you were absent…” He said and accidentally looked at Shiboline. “Should I wait for you to change?” He finely asked.
M’Ress looked at him with an expression like “Are you stupid?”
“Sadly I didn’t take anything with me from my century.” She said sarcastically.
The boy looked at her with his strange look. A fire mixed with misunderstanding.
“Oh! He didn’t tell you…” He finely said.
“Tell me what?” M’Ress asked.
“We prepared some cloths for you in the closet. The classic caitian and some starfleet for caitains. The basics you could need.” He said as if it was someone of normality.
“How did you do that?” M’Ress asked in surprise.
Replicating even such simple stuff like clothes took some time, even if clothes were as simple as caitian ones. Replicating all that stuff in just half an hour seemed impossible. It actually was impossible.
Well the word “was” is the most impotent here. M’Ress thought.
“The security department notified us of you and then we did everything by the protocol. Find the basic information like clothes sizes, psychological evaluation and such. Prepare the quarters according to species and time from which you traveled. Than… well… We waited for the security to get you here.” The boy explained.
“But how did you do all that in just-” she tried to remember how long it took her to be caught by security and then taken to the quarters. “-30? 40 minutes?”
“Well… we are actually quite a big department and we have quite a lot of resources, but the time travelers like you are quite rare. So it didn’t take much to get all department to get a started on preparing for you.” The boy said as if it was some sort of normal thing.
“Hah…” M’Ress said and finely exited her quarters.
The doors behind her closed and the boy showed her the dire action to walk.
“And how big is your department? What was it called?” She tried to remember.
“The Department of Temporal Investigation.” The boy quickly reminded her and continued. “This whole wing is ours. It can hold up to a thousand people, but usually there are only about 600 of us. It was given to us when a ship got free of a time loop. Thinks to Picard, if not for him they would be strangled there for even longer! Oh I really wanted to see him when I heard about the story! Too bad Enterprise had to continue on her mission…”
Picard… again this name. He’s the captain of the Enterprise now? Oh… Well, of course the Enterprise has to be now a new ship. 150 years would be too much for any ship… even for one as tough as the Enterprise.
“But I’m off topic! Our department also includes four floors in the main building and a couple of laboratories. We also actually have access to any equipment we need if requested.” He said proudly, but with something else mind. That ‘something’ though was quickly uncovered. “And also! We have at least ten stations only for our department across the Federation!” He proudly announced like some little boy announces his newly build model.
M’Ress looked at the boy with a look of disappointment. Almost every department she knew had at least one station. But when she saw the look on the ensign’s face she tried to make an impressed look.
“Okey… And what do you do here?” She asked.
They entered the lift and with ensign’s words it started slowly going down to the first floor.
“Oh, we do a lot of things! Calculating the mathematics of temporal distortions, solving temporal anomalies and trying to find a way to create and break temporal loops.” He said, and after a quick glans over the caitian added. “And building the Time Machine of course.”
“Hah cool.” M’Ress only said.
They exited the lift to a sort of little park area inside the glass building. She have already been here yesterday. Today, though, there were people here. A lot of people for that matter. As soon as she entered the area the loud talks quickly changed to a more normal one. Tens of eyes shoot at her making her feel really uncomfortable. To make the situation worse the boy she followed suddenly stopped and looked at her expectedly.
“What were you ordered to do?” M’Ress asked like everything was fine. “Make a tour for me of the compound?”
“Yea, I’m here to show you all the are that you have access to.”
“Access? You make it sound as if I’m a prisoner.” She said firing her eyes at the people that stared at her. They quickly turned to look away when realized she noticed their glances.
“No! No! No! You’re not a prisoner. You have access practically to the whole institute!” He quickly said as if he himself was accused of something. “But we can’t just let the time travelers freely walk around without supervision now, can we?”
“Yea…” M’Ress actually wanted to argue but realized she would do the same in their situation. “But I expected more from your century.”
“What do you mean?” The boy ask confused.
People around continued firing glances at her while the boy seemed to be absolutely fine with it. Talks now changed to whispers. People tried to her what they were talking about so M’Ress had to speak eve quieter.
“I don’t know… Maybe some sort of a satellite system that can detect and identify every single person on the planet at least.” She said, putting her hand in the pockets.
“Well, you’ll be happy know that technology didn’t go that far.” He said and then quietly whispered. “It really didn’t go that far from 98th.”
“Boy, in the starfleet academy I was trained on shuttle with two joysticks and a panel with buttons. The day I left Enterprise was expecting new shuttles that wouldn’t have those joysticks even as a backup systems.” She said and quickly hated the way she said it. Her grand-grandmother would say stuff like that. “Now you have those- those… Agh!”
“Well… They are actually quite simple! I’m sure you’ll-”
“O, shut it!” M’Ress cited him off. “You are here to make tour? Then show me where is the dining room. I’m starving.” She said hoping to get away from those eyes that followed her every move.
The boy was quite for a second. Shiboline realized she said some stupid thing and the boy was about to break her hopes once again.
“Um… We don’t really have a dining room…”
M’Ress looked at him, unsurprised of this answer. It was the future after all.
“But I can show you many more things! I- I-” Ensign said when noticed M’Ress giving up on this world. “Follow me!” He suddenly ordered, surprising M’Ress with this sudden change in personality.
She followed the boy outside. She couldn’t tell if anything changed here, as she have never visited the Institute. Despite the fact she was a science officer, Dystrom Institute was never part of her dreams. She wanted to serve on a starship and hoped to become a captain one day. But fate though of her otherwise.
The buildings around were not so high compared to the old 21 century skyscrapers. They were about 10 floor in height, made of glass and metal they looked… kinda futuristic. If not for the plants growing from the walls and down to the ground or trees breaking through the glass and trying to reach sun M’Ress would actually classify them as such. But all that green stuff only made them look stupid. Beneath those buildings were the good old break or concrete. They looked just like the ones M’Ress remembered. It’s true that universities are the only places where buildings are actually safe from time.
Those buildings were connected by small concrete paths surrounded by gras, bushes and flower beds. Rare trees looked strong as if they were hundreds years old. If not for people the location would look good, but the people in those strange clothes only made everything worse. The fact that more then half of them were wearing new starfleet uniform only made M’Ress feel depressed.
“That building right there-” The ensign pointed at the building that looked like half of a sphere. “-is a Grand Holodeck. At least that’s what we call it. In reality its name is SPHSF which is too long to pronounce so we call it just that. It is made to-”
“Make very accurate simulations of the biggest events. ‘The biggest simulator ever!’ At least that was the name of the project in my times.” M’Ress said looking at the only truly futuristic building around. “Heh… I thought I would make an arrangement with the one in control to make a farewell party for the whole crew after our last ‘Memorial’ mission. I-” The words stuck in the throat. “-I thought I would return and… well- the fate decided differently.” She quickly finished the thought just so she wouldn’t have to remember the things she lost.
They continued quietly to the next building. People around looked at the newcomer. A strange caitian in strange clothes. She tried to hide her emotions but even people who stood far away could see the dark cloud above her. They quickly went through the libraries and laboratories, through compounds and recreational areas. They didn’t stop for too long to look through any one of those. Ensign continuously tried to support M’Ress but his uncertain way of talking only made the situation worse.
Finely the tour got to the important part. The classrooms. The boy said that to quickly acclimatize in this time she would have to go through a course of classes that would teach her about main things that are required to survive in this era and plus everything about the culture that seemed to change drastically from what she remembered.
The classrooms were all placed in one building. This building she recognized right from the first look of it. It was classic Federation, modular design. Big, square like shapes that were connected by one big ground floor. It was somewhat similar to the Soviet designs from the 20th century Earth. Such buildings were used as absolutely anything. A factory, an office building, a house, or even as a school. Shiboline’s High school was actually in such building.
They entered the main hall and M’Ress quickly recognized where everything was. Though the design have changed the plan seemed to be the same. The most drastic difference was the absence of the lockers mounted in to the walls, instead there were locker rooms. They were placed at each of many entrances. There were lockers for men, woman and someone called ‘transgenders’. M’Ress had to look at the name for quite a while to remember who those people were, long years of starfleet service showed their effect.
Starfleet was always known for its strictness. The division on rank and gender was strict, at least on paper. In reality ranks didn’t meant that much for personal relationships. The gander though was part of actually strictness. Men and women and no one else. If someone wanted to break this strict division he got in troubles not only with the rank but also with the whole crew. On the starships that was.
On the stations, right near civilian life, things were different. The ran meant much more there and the gander situation was a little different. There were such things that were meant only for transgenders, but everyone called those places the ‘party rooms’ as people used them to make parties that no high ranking officer would know about.
“That is a-” The boy tried to explain her the locker room, but was quickly cut off by M’Ress.
“A Party Room.” She said, disapproving the attitude towards her. She wasn’t a child.
“No… It is actually-” He tried to continue but was stopped again.
“I know what it is but for me it will always be a Party Room. Don’t disappoint me in this era, please.” M’Ress said more jokingly then seriously.
The boy looked at her with such disappointment, as if she just cursed on him.
“Why do people of your era are all so careless about gender?” He asked sarcastically.
“Because universe doesn’t care about your gander. Blackhole will kill you in any case. And Kzinti won’t care about your gander and Klingons won’t. We have enough problems in this galaxy to care about. We don’t need another one.” M’Ress said dismissively. “Ships don’t even have public washrooms or public locker rooms. We have quarters.” She added dismissively.
The boy was quite for some time. Then he finely said.
“Well… for you… fair enough.” He said, surprising M’Ress by this phrase.
“What do you mean ‘for you’? For other people it’s not ‘fair enough’?” She asked.
“Well you mostly served on starships instead of stations. About half of your service time you spend on the Hood and the other half on the Enterprise. Plus some service time on the USS Conterva of course. All your service time on stations combined is equal only to one and a half year.”
M’Ress looked at the man as if he was some stalker. It was understandable as e just named all her service record and even include the Conterva. A thought flashed through her mind. What else does he know? But it was quickly and forcefully pushed aside.
“Well, I mean…” The boy quickly got all shy about it, realizing what he just said. “The service on the stations would explain how you know about the ‘Party Rooms’ and the service on ships would explained your… attitude towards…”
“Let’s just forget about it. Alright?” She stopped him before he would dig his grave even deeper. “Just tell me how do you know about the Conterva.”
“It’s all in the open databases! Your service on the Conterva as a science officer and all your heroic acts of defending her, it’s all there!” He said and quietly added. “I mean.. I am kinda your fan so I had to know…”
M’Ress mentally exhaled realizing the situation wasn’t all bad. She didn’t want to become an icon for people to fallow. From what she saw at this point this Ensign was the only person who seemed to be amazed by her story. Which was good knowing now about what happened to poor Captain Kirk. He became a legend. Knowing him M’Ress thought he would be very against it, but… what a dead man can do?
They returned back to the tour. Classrooms in this building were another drastic difference between the building and her Shiboline’s school. These classrooms were made for scientists to make long calculations to find the theoretical salvation of their problems. There were no tables in rows. Instead the tables stood randomly and each had som equipment or stuff the scientist owning this table needed. There was no teacher’s table. Instead every one of them was practically the same. Screens mounted in the walls were off but M’Ress would imagine those would have some data that ships like Enterprise collected.
M’Ress remembered her service on the Conterva. She was science officer there, at least officially. It was right after the Kzinti-Federation war began. She collected there some scientific data, before the real battles began, and now she asked herself if this data was used in one of these classrooms.
“And this is your class.” Ensign said, taking M’Ress back to reality. “It’s not much but at least something.”
They entered the room. Just like any classroom it had several tables, but they were all clear. Every one of them had a sort of monitor mounted in to them, but there were no keyboard so M’Ress questioned if she would be able to use them. In one of the walls there was a big mounted monitor. It was on. The screen showed a long line with dates and events on it. It went from the 2298 all the way to the 2376. Two things her eyes caught right away. The big wards “Dominion War” and “First Flight of Enterprise-D”
“Like what you see?” A familiar voice sounded from behind, which made M’Ress jump. “Sorry, didn’t plan to scare you.” Captain Jonson said. “I thought caitians had good hearing, though.” He said calmly.
“We do.” Said M’Ress calmed down. The man’s voice for some reason gave her feeling of so needed comfort. “When we want to.”
“It seems right now you don’t really want to listen to surroundings.” Captain calmly noticed with his deep voice. “Or even be in these surroundings.” He added.
“Can you judge me for that?” M’Ress asked. “I don’t want to be here. Never wanted…”
“Nobody does.” The captain said. “This world have a strange love to sudden turns that no one wants.” He said looking at the screen in the wall. “But, we are just people and we can’t change this world. So we have to deal with it. After all-” He calmly put his hand on Shiboline’s shoulder. “-we are starfleet officers. That’s what we do: deal with the world.”
M’Ress looked in the man’s eyes. She felt strength and confidence in them and that was… soothing.
“Heh… yea…” M’Ress finely said. “That’s what we do…”
A smile finely appeared on her face. A small smile, but smile nonetheless.
“Now we’re talking.” the man said happily, lightly hitting her shoulder. “Let’s go I have something to show you.” He said leading M’Ress to the door.
“Um… he…” M’Ress pointed at the ensign. “…said I had to meet my teacher here.” She said already guessing the Captain’s response.
“You just met him.” He said pointing at himself.
“Why am I not surrprrised…” M’Ress said smiling.
“That’s the spirit.”
Said captain and three of them continued to the place he had in mind. They walked through the building’s corridors to the elevators, yet instead of talking it they went down by the stairs. They walked down the well maintained staircase past the first floor and to the underground corridors that connected all buildings of the institute. Yet instead of going down the small corridor they stopped near a hatch. M’Ress was surprised to see that hatch here, as it was just like the ones used on the California class starships to close off the Jefferies tubes from the rest of the ship.
“Now, M’Ress that place is known only lower ranks from the Temporal Investigation’s Department and select few from other departments. I believe you can keep secrets, right?” captain said.
“Well, yes. Unless you’rre hiding a murrderr.” M’Ress said jokingly.
Captain showed even bigger smile and turned to the hatch. With several spins of a blocking mechanism, combined with a code in a hidden code panel under a door to some ‘electronics’, the hatch opened showing a typical jefferies tube, which M’Ress seen hundreds of times. The tube didn’t have any ‘mistakes’. Just like the real one it was going up at the same angle as any other. It had the same red and orange tubes going through it, and just like the real one the tube on the right was unbelievably hot. The only ‘mistake’ M’Ress found were the letters to the right from the first step of the ladder. The letters “ASSPK-114” were a drivel. To say simply they said that the tube had to go from the engineering room 1 to the torpedo loading room 1 and then to the 4th warp necelle. A drivel basically.
Captain motioned M’Ress to go in first. The situation seemed more bizarre then suspicious so she climbed inside first. At the end of the tube she saw light, something she didn’t expect. Though she didn’t know what to expect. She started climbing up. Her hands quickly remembering how to do it properly. Closer to the end she slowed down. The light before her had a warm orange color, yet this color didn’t really gave any trust. M’Ress even turned to look down, only to see the captain nodding to her. So she took all the strength left and made the last push to take a look to where the light was coming from.
As she saw where the light was coming from, her eyes slowly grew to their largest. Before her was a window in to the past. The past which even M’Ress herself saw only in books and the bar Captain Kirk visited. Before her was a literal 19s century Earth bar. It was very small. Only 5 tables, a bar counter, and a very little stage with two people playing some song from the same time as the bar itself. Walls were covered in pictures of different starships and people. There was a picture of some California class starship and a picture Kirk near the bar counter. Above the bar counter was placed the biggest picture of all. It depicted a Miranda class starship, with some modifications, docked inside the Starbase 1, and what seemed to be a full crew standing in front of it. There were about 400 people all in the modern red up and black down uniforms.
“That’s our second group of students.” Said captain Jonson noticing ow M’Ress looked on the picture. “They were stock in a time loop with the Enterprise and thanks to her crew were freed from it about a decade ago.” He explained before pointing to another picture. “That’s our first student, or patient actually. He was from 21st century Earth and tried to use a Time Machine to become reach in his time. He boarded the Enterprise and pretended to be a scientist from 24th century that came to study the past. Luckily commander Data uncovered his lies and was able to detain him.”
The picture showed what M’Ress could only describe as a homeless man. She asked herself Who could have even thought he was a scientist? That’s clearly an imposter. Then a though came in her mind.
“Was it the same Enterprise captained by the Picard?” She asked.
“Yes, how did you know?” Asked captain somewhat surprised.
“Well that’s explains it.” She commented on Jonson’s response. “I had some time in the Grand Museum.”
“Oh. Well that’s good.” Said captain and walked to the only taken table to join the already drinking people.
M’Ress looked around. Ensign took his place on the table near the exit and was constantly firing glances at M’Ress. A caitian woman was sitting by the bar counter and drinking something from a bottle. Her presence, as the only caitian in the facility and the third caitian M’Ress saw in last 30 years, immediately raised Shiboline’s interest.
She walked up to the counter and took her seat, one chair away from the caitian. Though M’Ress tried to keep her posture, she could keep from taking a quick glance at the woman. Her look was strange and even bizarre for M’Ress. She was wearing this new ugly starfleet uniform with this uncomfortable ‘sweater’ as M’Ress called it. Wearing this thing was hell for her and she couldn’t imagine how this woman could keep her calm posture. Yet what truly surprised M’Ress was the colored fur. Her face had green, orange and violate lines that didn’t make any sense, like those letters in the fake jefferies tube. Her hair was musically absent and what was left had a gray color. She looked strange.
The woman noticed M’Ress’s stare and didn’t take er time start the dialogue.
“Have we met?” She asked M’Ress.
“What?” M’Ress immediately asked back caught off guard. “Um… uh… No! It’s just- It’s just your look is…” M’Ress didn’t finished her Santander thinking she was clear on the meaning of it.
“My look what?” Caitian genuinely asked.
“Um… Are you one of the Rrawthi?” M’Ress asked.
The Rrawthi were a religious group on Cait. They prayed to the sister of the goddess Rrikalla, the sort of dark counter part to the goddess, and were known for coloring their fur in strange meaningless patterns.
“Rrawthi? No. Why do you ask?”
“It’s just that the… drawings on your face don’t have any meaning.” M’Ress explained.
“Do they have to?” The woman more stated than asked.
“Um…” The question caught M’Ress of guard. “I mean it should? Back on Pontherraia every drawing had its precise meaning.”
“Pontherraia?” The woman asked surprising M’Ress.
“Yea. The main contenant on the Cait.”
“Oh. I’m sorry, I’m not from Cait.” The woman said. “I was born on Thuorra.”
“Thuorra?” Now was the M’Ress’s time to ask this question.
“Yea, the second colony…” The woman said and then suddenly changed the topic. “You know? Let’s start from the beginning. Name’s Aurri Am-Thet.” She said giving her hand for a shake.
“Shiboline M’Ress.” M’Ress said surprised by the human gesture but followed it. “Your name. You meant M’Thet?” She asked pronouncing the name correctly.
“Oh, really? That’s cool.” The woman said a little surprised, but her voice didn’t say she would change that.
“You don’t seem super surprised.”
“Well, I kinda knew it. Suspected it. My adoptive parents Were humans and served on a starship. They couldn’t hear or pronounce some of the sounds I could. Plus the caitians I met had some problems with pronouncing my name so I suspected it.”
“But now that you know your actual pronunciation you are not gonna do anything?” Guessed M’Ress.
“Yea. You are starfleet too?” M’Thet asked.
“Kinda.” Answered M’Ress.
“What do you mean?” M’Thet asked.
“I’m… I’m an ancient. Agh! I’m a time traveler, from 22ed century.” M’Ress finely said.
“Oh. It was quite some time since we had time travelers here. At least 2 decades, from hat I know.”
M’ress looked at her with surprise. The woman looked only about 30 years old. Starfleet academy graduated students who were at least 20 years old. It was impossible for the woman to serve in the Institute for 20 years even in the best scenario.
“How old are you?” M’Ress asked, confused.
“Well I’m surely lunged then you are.” M’Thet smiled. “I’m 35.”
“Hah, you were right. You’re younger than me.” M’Ress said. “I’m 46.”
“Uf! I thought you were 30 at most.”
“Heh, thanks.” M’Ress said.
A bartender suddenly appeared from behind the wall of different bottles and drinks. It was an alien. It was large, all muscular with four arms and apparently a female. The voice only confirmed the last observation.
“Hello there, it’s always good to see new aliens here. What can I get you?”
“Japanese sake.” M’Ress ordered.
Paradoxically M’Ress rather liked the drink, unlike her ex-lover Sulu. He, despite being Japanese himself and being raised in the Japanese culture, hated the drink.
“Are you sure?” Asked the bartender. “I mean, it’s a good way out of your situation, a poetic one some would say, but still…” She said honestly worrying for the caitian.
“Did you just made a whole sentence to describe the word suicide?” M’Ress asked. “I am in a very problematic situation but to commit a suicide was never in my plans.” She reassured the bartender.
“I know, that’s why I didn’t imply a suicide. I just remembered, that the last time I saw you drinking sake it ended up with a bar fight.”
Both Caitians looked at the woman with shock and in disbelief.
“The Klingon crew was of course asking for that, but it was the crew of Klingon delegation… So you were declined the promotion-”
“Wait, wait, wait!” M’Ress stopped her. “I have never in my whole live started a bar fight, and I was never declined my promotion! And how in the world would you, some random bartender, know about that. Even if it happened it mast have been almost a century ago!” She protested.
The situation was literally impossible. She didn’t remember that event. She most serially would remember it simply because alcohol for a caitian is still a risky affair. She took every opportunity to get a promotion and she would have most certainly remembered if she was declined one.
“Well, you were drank!” The bartender calmly answered. “You took 3 shots of sake. Maybe little shots for a human, but apparently enough for you. The Klingons began bragging about how they are stronger than humans, and when you confronted them began calling you a human cat and insulting Cait. So you started the fight and Enterprise’s crew were only happy to help.” She described the event and added. “And about revoking your promotion I herd from the Kirk himself the next day. He seemed sad about it.”
The story was even less realistic than before for M’Ress.
“Even if it happened how would you remember? How old are you?” M’Ress asked distrustfully.
“You know, it’s rude to ask the woman about her age.” She asked knowing full well on Cait it was different. “I don’t really remember actually. Lost my count on 2nd century. But anyways, of course I would remember it. You started the biggest fight in my bar!”
M’Ress opened her math to ask anther question, but was stopped by a sudden sound of a bird. She quickly turned in the direction of the sound. It was a clock mounted on the wall. For the two doors a wooden bird figure appeared, made the sound, and came back.
“What is it?” Asked M’Ress, quires about the construction.
“God bless you Jenkins!” Said M’Thet, without anything good in her tone. “That means the good time is over, we have to leave.”
The people in the bar started going one by one in to the tube. The captain and ensign walked up to M’Ress, waiting for the crowd to climb down.
“Had good time M’Ress?” Asked Jonson.
“Yea. What’s happening?” She asked. Her ears were folding back in rapid succession.
“Agh, it’s commander Jenkins again. He’s the embodiment of a biological robot. ‘Everything must be according to starlet regulations!’ Is his love phrase. He opposes our department as whole and this bar in particular.”
“A suck-up.” M’Ress said.
“Yea.” Ensign confirmed and continued instead of the captain. “He tries to find this bar. This signal notifies us if he is close to finding us. We have some people in the security to look for him. It’s 5th time on this month!” The guy said throwing his hands emotionally.
“F-sh…” M’Ress hissed not liking this Jenkins already.
M’Ress climbed down in to the tonal and looked around. People were walking in different directions. The group that was sitting with the captain walked down the tonal. Behind them M’Thet turned around and waved her hand back to M’Ress, making a strange but warm human smile. M’Ress waved her back and turned to the Jonson and the boy.
“I see you found yourself a friend there.” Noticed Jonson, when the group turned to walk in the opposite direction.
“Maybe…?” M’Ress said unsure of what her relations with the caitian were. “I’m not sure. We just met.” She said honestly.
“Well your whiskers say differently.” The boy said.
M’Ress’s tail tip flicked from frustration, when she realized her whiskers were actually quivering. She mentally forced them to stop and lower her tail, so that it’s flickering went unnoticed.
“And the tail only confirmed it!” Proudly announced ensign smiling.
“Oh, shut it!” M’Ress shouted and lightly slapped him on the back of his head.
The loud slap sound filled the tonal, but was followed with laughter. The group of three people continued on their way back to the compound for deserved sleep.