CRISIS ON COLONY ALPHA V
Chapter 2
Down in engineering, Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott was personally overseeing repairs and bypasses needed to correct short-circuit and burnouts brought about by the recent disruption of space-time. Locally, if not galactically. "Tha's it, lads", he said with his characteristic Scottish burr, sweat glistening on his wrinkled-with-worry brow. "Get those systems switched o'er fast as ye kin. We may need to zip outta here like our tails're on fire at a moment's notice."
"Mr. Scott, damage and status reports," Captain Kirk called above the din of rabid repair.
"Would you want the long version or the short, sir?" Scotty asked as he slowly spun to face his commander with a groan and a grimace.
Thinking about how Spock and then McCoy had gone off on technical tangents when giving their reports, Captain Kirk swiftly responded, "Short, Mr. Scott. Very short."
Meanwhile, up on the bridge, Spock was fervently, yet still quite logically, working to figure out exactly what had caused the disruption he'd earlier reported to his captain, not just because it was his duty and an order, but because his scientific curiosity was piqued.
But his duties as science officer would now be intruded upon by his duties as first officer, when Lt. Uhura reported, "Incoming message, Mr. Spock...from the ANTARES."
Suddenly, the scientific curiosity gave way to a simpler curiosity as he stood and proceeded to the center seat while calmly commanding, "On screen, Lieutenant."
"Aye, sir," Uhura replied even as Spock took his stiff-backed place in the captain's chair with an expression that left little doubt that the Vulcan could command as adequately as Kirk.
The viewscreen's image of starry space shimmered away to be replaced by the slightly distraught visage of the commanding officer of the ANTARES.
"Captain Ramart, I presume you find yourself wondering why you are approaching a day earlier than scheduled," Spock said in a steady monotone.
"Yes", the ruggedly handsome ANTARES commander replied haltingly with an expression of complete confusion. "We weren't supposed to reach this sector for another ten to twenty hours. What's worse...I can't for the life of me remember what, exactly, we were going to do at this rendezvous even though my own log states that I requested it."
"Interesting," Spock said almost to himself with an emblematic lift of one slanted brow.
At that moment came the barely audible hiss of turbolift doors causing everyone, including Spock, to swivel in its direction to see Captain Kirk bound onto the bridge. Spock stood in order to relinquish both command and the center seat to the man in the gold-green uniform tunic.
"Captain Ramart?" Kirk wondered aloud even as he planted himself firmly in front of his command chair, scowling at the larger-than-life image on the viewscreen. "Report, Mr. Spock."
"Obviously, the ANTARES has entered our immediate space, and, apparently, Captain Ramart does not share the same recollection of recent events as ourselves."
"But how can that be?" Kirk asked loud enough to be heard by Ramart, who still appeared perplexed. "Captain...although we're still not quite sure ourselves, I think I need to let you know what has transpired."
Several severely slow-ticking minutes later…
"That explains a lot," Ramart said with a scowl, "but I still don't understand why you seem to be the only ones with any memory of all this."
Already heading back up to the second tier of the bridge, in order to once again begin in-depth analysis, Spock had left Kirk's side, even as Kirk, himself, now sat in his center seat.
"My science officer's gathering data on that now, but it seems clear to me, at least, that it was by some cosmic design that we remember. But you say you have no orders or records regarding the bringing of a Charles Evans over to the ENTERPRISE?"
"No," Ramart said with a single shake of his head. "In fact, according to our records, a passenger by that name was beamed down to Colony Alpha V a few hours ago. Apparently he has distant relatives there. After all, he'd been marooned alone..."
"On the planet Thasus for fourteen years," finished Kirk with a yeah-we-already-know tone to his voice. "We already seem to be aware of that much...even though we shouldn't."
While Kirk continued to explain the situation to the commanding officer of the ANTARES, Dr. McCoy sent the last of the crewmen back to their posting prior to the mysterious cosmic event as Chapel stepped to his side.
"Well, Christine, looks like we dodged a phaser blast on that one. I just hope Spock and Jim can figure out just what the hell happened and make sure to avoid it," he exhaled wearily.
"What exactly did happen, Doctor?" Chapel asked innocently with furrowed brow and slight tilting of her blonde-haired head.
Giving her his patented stare, McCoy bemoaned, "Why ask me? I'm a doctor, not a professor of quantum physics."
END OF CHAPTER 2
