Enterprise Bridge
5:00 PM
Something was off.
Technically his shift was now over, but Sulu intended to stay at his post for as long as possible while this insane situation
landed. He was pretty sure that the Captain would order him to rest soon however. Considering how fast that anomaly
could expand and who knew what else the Enterprise needed all crewmembers, particularly the ones at Helm and Navigation,
to be as sharp as possible.
He would have the conn until the Captain returned, but although he loved to sit in the Captain's Chair, as he'd stared
at the large frightening anomaly that had thrown him and his crew into a whole other universe, he felt nervous away
from Helm. Uneasy at being away from the pilot's seat and able to fly the ship from danger in case that anomaly decided
to act up again.
Eventually they would have to fly through it again. He was not looking forward to that at all. But if he ever wanted to see
his family, his daughter again, he knew that he had no choice.
The thought of being trapped here, of never seeing them again…
He glanced over at Navigation where Lieutenant Darwin sat; Chekov was off going over data, while in comm conference
with the Saratoga's navigator.
The Saratoga.
Sulu looked up at the screen at the tiny ship floating nearby.
Something had been off about it. During the times when the bridges were in communication he had always sensed vibes
coming from its crew. Not hostile but definitely uncomfortable.
He had spoken extensively with the Saratoga's Helmsman, who also had the conn. He'd been pleasantly surprised
to learn that the man, Lieutenant Harutu Akari, was also of Japanese descent like him, although he had been born and
raised in Japan as opposed to San Francisco.
The two had had lengthy discussions. Sulu would always be first and foremost a pilot but he did have a doctorate
in astrophysics and a master's certificate in interstellar navigation, not to mention having completed a wide assortment
of advanced seminars in subspace theory. So while he wasn't in Spock's, Chokov's or Scotty's league, he was no slouch
either. Akari's scientific skills were mainly geared toward anthropology, but he was skilled in interstellar navigation as well.
Their talks had been thorough and professional but Sulu had sensed an undercurrent of tension.
Once during a break in their talks while they were waiting for data to download, he had asked Akari if by any chance
he knew any martial arts.
"I train with the katana in the technique of Battōjutsu," had been the reply.
"I use the katana as well. I practice both fencing and hand to hand." He'd attempted to add a bit of levity.
"My captain and I often have friendly sparring matches. I usually end up handing his butt to him though."
Akari had immediately stiffened and his expression darkened. "Indeed," was all he'd said but his displeasure
had been obvious.
Now Sulu once more gazed out at the small ship.
Something was clearly off about its crew. They definitely had some sort of problem with the Enterprise,
but he had no idea what.