Star Trek: Wings of the Renaissance

A Star Trek fanfiction by Andrew Joshua Talon

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fan-based work of prose. Star Trek is the property of CBS and Paramount. Please support the official release.


OTV-561 Aurora, CIS Lunar Space

2053


Work was the only thing that made sense. And work was all she could do. As it turned out, there was plenty of work to do on the Aurora, a lot of rerouting and fiddling with the systems. Work that was vital.

She was working on one of the touchscreens. Rerouting the controls from the cockpit was the work of an hour or two. Navigation was trickier but all that was needed was the use of the telescopes. She was all too happy to turn them away from Earth and focus on the stars and the moon. To save power, she pulled out a manual and did the math by hand. It had been a very long time since she'd done this, but she found a tranquility in it. A tranquility she desperately needed.

She finished the last of her calculations, and a small smile came onto her face. It was tired and brittle, but genuine. She looked around: She didn't see Dwayne anywhere. She took a deep breath, and took off from the power distribution module. She went through the tunnels of the large ship.

The Aurora was one of many cyclers built by SpaceX in the 2030s, designed to support the moon, Mars and asteroid colonies. They weren't exactly ships: Each was composed of dozens of interchangeable modules. Cockpits, power distribution, habitat, science labs, cargo pods, engine/reactor modules and so on were put together like LEGOs to form large constructs. In the Aurora's case, most of her mass was composed of cargo and storage modules for this trip.

Keiko paused at the entrance to one of the cargo pods, her fingers gripping onto the tunnel edges. She saw Dwayne floating amidst several packages and containers of supplies. He was staring at something in his palm. Something glowing.

"Dwayne?" Keiko asked softly. Dwayne didn't respond. Keiko pushed herself into the module, floating up behind the man. She reached out a hand to stop herself, and peeked up over Dwayne's shoulder.

A small holoprojector was running in his hand: Of a bearded man with a broad smile at the camera, helping a small girl fingerpaint. The little girl reached up and pressed her fingers against the man's face, leaving lines of green and red. The bearded man laughed, and affectionately pressed his fingers against her nose, leaving purple.

"James and Maggie," Dwayne said tonelessly. He sighed softly through his nostrils. "We were going to meet in London when I got back. Go see the Harry Potter museum, at long last. I'd missed so many family vacations before because of work. I promised… I promised a thousand times I would make it this time. For both of them."

Keiko reached out to squeeze his hand. "They… They might still be alive-"

"I saw London, Keiko," Dwayne said, his voice wavering. "I saw Boston… I saw… Everywhere." He bowed his head, his tears pooling up on his eyelashes in zero gravity. "Everything's ashes, now, Keiko. It's all gone…"

Keiko hugged him tightly, her own tears stuck on her eyelashes. Dwayne managed to return the hug, but he felt so… Lifeless.

"... Did anywhere…?" Keiko tried. Dwayne shook his head, a stiff motion.

"No," he said. Keiko nodded slowly.

"I… see," she murmured. They were silent for a long time. Keiko didn't even know where to begin. She didn't think Dwayne would be very interested but still…

"I um… I have news," Keiko managed. "I checked our course. That boost Renji," she paused, but managed to continue, "that Renji gave us got us out of the range of any ECON weapons systems. Looks like any remaining ECON orbital fighters are too busy to bother with us."

"I see," Dwayne managed. Keiko bit her lower lip.

"Bad news… We're going too fast to get into a lunar orbit," Keiko said. Dwayne stared into the distance.

"So… Solar orbit until we run out of air, food and water?" He asked. Keiko shook her head.

"No," she said. "We're… We're lucky. With a few thruster burns, we can get into Mars orbit."

"How long?" Dwayne asked.

"That's… The bad news," Keiko admitted. "458 days. At best. We don't have the supplies for that."

Dwayne's eyes began to focus again. He nodded with a smile.

"No, but we don't need them," he said. "Have you programmed the course corrections into the computer?"

"They won't be as precise as Renji could, but yeah," Keiko admitted. "You'd just have to initiate the program-What do you mean, we won't need them?"

Dwayne turned and pushed himself into the cargo. He got near a very large, coffin-shaped package attached to the ceiling. He undid the wrappings, glass and advanced plastic being revealed. Keiko's eyes widened.

"A cryopod!" She gasped. "We're carrying them?"

"Yes," Dwayne said, pausing a bit. "There's one in here, and one in the other cargo pod." He turned to Keiko, tossing the wrappings aside. He managed a smile. "This one is for emergency use only so it's all hooked into the power system. I could start it up right now, actually."

"Right now? I-" Keiko protested, but Dwayne shook his head.

"The more we breath, the more we use up our supplies. We don't have time to argue!"

"Yeah but, how will you get set up without help?" Keiko asked. Dwayne snorted, shaking his head.

"Look: This is my speciality. I know what I'm talking about. I can get you set up in here, but we don't have time. All right?"

Keiko took a deep breath. "But you need me to-"

"Look! Keiko, we don't have time to have a debate. I can get you into cryosleep and I can get myself into cryosleep. You have the entire thing set up, I just have to start the sequence. So why are we arguing?"

"I…" Keiko began. "I just think maybe we can work this out! Consider more options!" She turned away to try and find a tablet. "Maybe calculate, at least, how this all works-"

She was stuck from behind, and slammed against the cushioned packages. Her vision went hazy as she felt dizzy. She felt Dwayne take hold of her and pull her over into the pod. He shoved her in. She felt restraints go over her wrists, ankles and waist. She found her senses in time to struggle, managing to glare at Dwayne.

"Dwayne, what the fuck-?!"

"I'm sorry," he said. He stuck tubes into her nose, and sensors onto her wrists even as she struggled. "I'm sorry I lied. There isn't another tube, just this one. And even if there was, I couldn't get into it without help."

"Dwayne! Dwayne, you are not killing yourself for me! DAMNIT DWAYNE DO NOT DO THIS YOU STUPID MOTHERFUCKER!" Keiko screamed. Dwayne sighed, and hit a button on the side of the pod. Sedatives filled her system, and she went limp. Her feelings became a confused jumbled mess, a dull haze. She glared up at Dwayne, even as he put a breathing mask over her lips.

"My life's all gone, Keiko," he said sadly. "My family's all gone. I was going to die anyway, to be with them." He looked intently at her, as her vision swam. "You? You have a future… Make it a better one than what we made."

He shut the pod tight, and everything became icy cold. She breathing slowed, her struggled faded. She closed her eyes and everything went dark.

There was nothing… But the cold.


Everything had been slowed, slowed to nothing. To be so still, to be so slow and alone… Death was supposed to be a release but no, she was still alive. Death wasn't what she feared. It was being trapped, slowed to nothing and forced to be nothing.

It was all so cold, a big, cold nothing of experience she was aware of but not fully aware of. Nothing made sense. Nothing could be quantified. All there was… Was the cold.

And then it was shattered.

Blood pumping through her veins. Fabrics on her skin. Air in her lungs. Light in her eyes. She began to scream as her senses were overwhelmed, thrashing and kicking furiously as the agony burned through her brain. She felt people grab her, and she struggled harder. Everything was a bright blur as her eyes slowly readjusted to being used.

Then a hiss, and a feeling of chemical drowsiness overtook her. She drifted off, despite fighting it furiously.

She dreamed. Dreamed of the icy cold of space, her tomb lost forever among the stars. She dreamed of family, frozen and silent and staring at her. She dreamed of Dwayne and Renji.

Finally… She woke up.

Keiko slowly opened her eyes, shivering. The lights were dimmer this time, and her eyes had time to adjust. A dull blue and gray ceiling greeted her, light panels embedded in it producing a soft, warm glow.

Keiko's hands slowly slid out from her body, feeling things as she looked around. She was in a bed-Comfortable but a bit cold. She was wearing a blue hospital gown and nothing underneath. The room itself was plain and sterile save for a few paintings on the walls. There were boxy cabinets on either side of her, with several panels on the bed itself with various things being displayed. A double door was the entrance to the room. She turned her head to look behind her.

Beyond huge windows, she could see a vast expanse of gray regolith, underneath a black starry sky. Keiko awkwardly turned, getting onto all fours, and pressed her hands against the glass.

The moon… I'm on the moon…?

Something hissed behind her, and she turned quick, clutching her blankets to her. A thin Filipino woman with her dark hair up in a poofy bouffant was standing in the doors with a smile. She was wearing a strange blue and black jumpsuit with a blue overjacket, and carrying a tray of what looked like food.

"Good morning," the woman stated cheerfully. "How are you feeling?" She walked right up to Keiko, and set the tray across the bed. Small metallic supports popped up to take hold of the tray, making Keiko edge back even further. "You must be hungry. I brought you breakfast."

"Wh-What?" Keiko managed. The woman kept smiling, locking her arms behind her back.

"I am sure you have many questions," she said slowly and calmly. "But you really should eat first. I'm Doctor Melanie Dimaano, by the way. And your name is?"

"M-My name?" Keiko stuttered. Doctor Dimaano kept smiling.

"Yes! Your name?"

"Matsunaga Keiko," she replied. "Doctor Matsunaga Keiko."

"Oh!" Dimaano nodded. "You're a doctor? Interesting! Of what?"

"Engineering," Keiko responded. She hesitantly sniffed the food. She could feel the heat coming off of it, which immediately relaxed her. She took hold of a spoon and scooped up some of the porridge looking stuff. She brought it up for a taste. It wasn't terrible, but it was very bland. That said, it was warm so Keiko could forgive it. She dug in, suddenly feeling famished. The doctor stayed at her side, looking at a tablet of some kind.

"Mmph… What's that?" Keiko asked. Dimaano looked at her, as though remembering Keiko was in the room. She smiled.

"Oh. This is just a PADD. It's a small computer we use to document things," she said. She turned the PADD to face Keiko. "See? It's just a-"

"A touchscreen interface, yes," Keiko said with a nod. Dimaano raised her eyebrows.

"Oh! You had those in your time then? That's good. It won't be so confusing for you," she said, reaching out to pat Keiko's palm. Keiko narrowed her eyes, not liking the woman's tone.

"What do you mean 'my time?' How long have I been in cryosleep?" Keiko demanded.

The doctor hummed. "This is usually the hardest part for anyone in your… Situation," Dimaano stated. "Maybe you should finish your food first before you hear it-"

Keiko glared at her. "Where am I, and what year is it?" She demanded. The doctor sighed.

"Very well. You're on Luna, Earth's moon. This is Joseph Kerwin Memorial Hospital. It is Stardate 44002.3. The Earth year 2366." She stared intently at Keiko. "You've been in cryosleep for over three hundred years."

Keiko was silent for a while. She stared at her porridge. The doctor tensed a bit, concerned. Finally, the woman sighed softly.

"Three hundred thirteen years," she murmured. The doctor nodded.

"Yes. I'm very sorry. I'm sure this must be a great shock to you."

"Was… There anyone else?" Keiko asked. Dimaano shook her head.

"No, I'm afraid not," she said.

"I see," Keiko murmured, looking down at her hands. Dimaano smiled, and rested a hand on Keiko's shoulder.

"Now. A lot has changed since you went under. It's going to be a big adjustment. But I'm sure you'll make it soon enough."

"Did… Did we at least win?" Keiko asked. Dimaano blinked.

"Who? Win what?" She asked. Keiko looked intently at Dimaano.

"The war against ECON," she specified. Dimaano hummed, thinking. Then she smiled.

"Oh! World War III?" She answered, and Keiko immediately tensed. "I can't say there were any winners in it. After all, both sides destroyed one another. The whole thing was ridiculous." She reached out and patted Keiko's palm. Keiko's hands curled into tight, angry fists.

"I'm sure it must have seemed important at the time, whatever you were fighting over," she said with that damned smile, "but I'm sure in time, you'll realize it was ultimately pointless and could have easily been resolved if you'd cared more about peace-"

Which is when Keiko slugged her.


More to come.