The new additions to the Sunnydale Sliders entered the main control bridge of the vessel, curious as to the turn of fate that awaited, only sure it must be better than the Kromagg cells. A powerfully-built man possibly in his early twenties seemed to occupy the main control console, three young women in late teens or even early twenties seeming to be working out the various controls of their substations. The man and woman that had released and escorted them, stood off to the side at the ready as if expecting trouble from the former prisoners.
Welcome aboard the 'Sunnydale Slider,' everyone," the youngish leader greeted them formally with the slightest British in accent, standing up and walking over to them, "Once we've managed to better understand the Kromagg technology, we hope their databases will inform us as to your homeliness. I recognize all of you, or at least your equivalents, and have discussed things with four mainline sliders, Brown, Mallory, Wells and Arturo. Ms. St. Clair, you are mercenary and fiercely competitive, but you do have a great familiarity regarding your world's efforts at developing slider technology. Professor Arturo, depending on how involved you became, you are at least at the education level necessary to pick it up very quickly, and it is fascinating to see theory played out in reality. We have two Conrad Bennish individuals, both geniuses, possibly unstable in an emotional sense but trainable. We also have a Kromagg-tortured Bennish sedated in what passes as an infirmary. If lucky, we can find a world in which his eyes might be restored, along with his sanity."
"My name is Alexander Harris, I am the Commander of this vessel and this group, and here's the deal," Alexander began, looking at each one, "You become crew, learn and share everything, and to your own world only you get licensing of this technology, but agree everywhere we go will come under the protection of the Earths with whom my group is allied. We do not pursue conquest so are not a threat. As we get to your homelines, if we do, you will say nothing of us or the vessel until we depart. We will leave you with coordinates to which your worlds may contact and establish trade and influence agreements. Also, in some worlds vampires and such do exist and are the enemies of humanity, so get used to looking over your shoulder when off-vessel. Questions until I meet with you on the basis of dimensional origin?"
"Yes, uh, Commander Harris," Arturo asked, "How bad is our situation, and do we have established contact with your own people."
"Not bad at all, Professor, but while we're in the process of coordinates reclamation from a damaged timer, we will tend to form my group's practice of a four day visit to each world. With this vessel, we'll see how that effects things. The good news is that we seem to have the ability to attain an altitude of around a hundred thousand feet, or delve to around eight thousand feet underwater, and stay there on current stocks for around three weeks."
"Ah, excellent, that way if the world is inclement, we can ride it out until the slide, good."
"And with full cloak and shields, that drops to about a week, but that's still long enough."
"Excuse me, Commander," Logan St. Clair addressed him, "What do you need us for? You already have the ship?"
"An impolitic question in your situation, but fair," Alexander returned, "We'll master the vessel and all tech encountered much faster if more of us exist to pursue it."
"And you'll share all of this with us and our worlds?"
"Maybe not the weapons, unless we find your worlds under attack by the Kromaggs or Aliens."
"Now while I have a good idea of our abilities, I'm going to assign general roles until we have a better feel for each other," Xander continued, "Major Beckett, you, Captain Summers and Captain Doyle will act as our Security Detail, and primarily be responsible for the making sure Ms. St. Clair doesn't make off with the ship or betray us to those we contact. You are also our primary Search and Rescue force. Professor Arturo, you, your Bennish and Ms. St. Clair will act as our non-military Research and Development contingent, working out the vessel and other technologies. Your assistant will wear blue and be called Bennish, while this Mr. Bennish will wear red and be called Conrad. You, Professor are the Head of your team, courtesy rank of Captain."
"Why not a Major?" Beckett asked.
"The Security of this
vessel and complement are the primary concerns, Major, and the
ranking will emphasize this. Thank you for bringing the matter up,"
Xander said, pausing, "And Conrad will be placed in charge of
weapons examination and report to you. He is a lieutenant by
courtesy. Ms. Rosenberg is our lieutenant in charge of Computer
Technology, Lt. Maclay is our Medical and Life Sciences Officer and
Lt. Summers is our Chief Engineering Officer. This is a young-looking
crew, but we have years of experience but not with Kromagg
technology. Two more things, and they are important: betray us and
we'll hunt you down and burn a city around you to ensure your
demise; become part of this crew as I've outlined, and follow
orders, and even if your own world has been
destroyed, you'll
have a home here. Remember that, as having a base and support will
make anything easier."
Three days passed, the 'Sunnydale Slider' slowly making its way to where Sunnydale would be if it existed in this world. They followed Interstate Five southward, ending up in LA. In spite of the unsure nature of the crew, no incidents had occurred, and the breadth and depth of Slider knowledge had somewhat shocked the new crewmembers.
On the second day south, they'd stumbled across their Goa'uld healing device, and the girls slowly took turns healing themselves, then the sightless Bennish as the other prisoners spent most of the day learning Kromagg and translation technology to speed things up, and occasionally alighting to check for survivors or valuable materials along the way.
In Los Angeles, the group had become a little more comfortable with each other as they began to mesh in conversation and intellectual intercourse. A visit to what use to be an upscale Beverly Hills-area mall led them to the first signs of human presence in this world. They de-cloaked, and the Security Detail was sent to make peaceful contact if possible.
Maggie led Joyce and Doyle toward the main entrance of the mall, where the heat and other sensors had picked up human forms as they flew over early last night. The sun breaking over the horizon, they'd chosen to fly over semi-noisily and land in a parking area.
The trio halted about thirty feet from the main entrance, the Major reaching for a megaphone they'd found in Barstow along with a bunch of law enforcement gear.
"Hello, the mall, we only wish to speak with you about local conditions," she called toward the entry, waiting a moment before repeating, "We will approach and enter unless you tell us not to. Please respond."
"Please identify yourself," returned a man's voice, also over a megaphone, "We've not had contact except by radio in four years."
"Did you notice the vessel in which we came?" Beckett responded, "We're the first-contact team from the 'Sunnydale Slider,' and will be leaving in twenty-three hours."
"Please holster your main weapons, and you may approach," the voice continued. Nodding to the others, she complied and stepped forward first. They came close to a fairly effective barricade, stopping a few feet from it and waited for the inhabitants to respond.
"Most survivors don't go around in space ships," an older but in-shape man smiled as he seemed to suddenly come up beside them, causing them to go into defensive stances but not draw weapons yet, "Or give women positions of importance, so you're tentatively welcome."
"Thank you, Mister …"
"Hooker," the man gestured to himself, then gestured to the barricade, to another older but fit man covering them but not pointing his assault rifle, "And that's Hodges, and we'd very much like to know how anyone is still mobile, let alone with a flying saucer."
They'd briefly outlined to the two men the concept of sliding, the threat of the Kromaggs, and that they would be leaving for a different dimension the next morning. In return, the two men, former police officers, outlined how their small colony was most of what remained in California after the Comet and the Breakdown. Both sides transmitted to their own people so as to not repeat it.
"Well, what can we do for you, Major Beckett," the former Police Academy Instructor and beat cop asked, "We don't match your technology, that's for sure."
"Well, the Commander is all about being the good guys and seeing how everyone can help each other…"
"And you, Major," Hodges, formerly on East LA gang patrol asked with a smile.
"After time in the Kromagg cells, I'm a little leery, but I'm giving it a shot."
"Good thinking," the balding man that looked a lot like Robert Duvall said to his partner, who looked a great deal like William Shatner, "Means you'll pull out of it and back to normal enough at some point."
"Well, thanks I guess," she responded warily, to be interrupted by Joyce's hand on her shoulder, and a whisper, "Oh, the Commander's gotten a fair idea from the sensors of how many of you there are, and wants to know if you want to relocate to a more populated world when we get to one?"
"What?" the two men responded to the unexpected offer, "Your ship can handle that many of us? What about livestock and possessions?"
"So you're interested?" Maggie pressed.
"To prevent the third and fourth generations from marrying cousins and sisters, yeah," Hooker smiled with slight sarcasm but real sincerity, "Unless you plan to colonize our world?"
"Maybe eventually, but the way the Commander is handling a similar situation, you'd at least get your twenty bucks for Manhattan?" Doyle quipped, "And as you said, your family tree will otherwise become a stick."
Things had progressed from there, and within a couple of hours, the two groups had met and worked out details, the nine adults and thirty-two children would occupy the Kromagg platoon 'dormitory' and they could bring about two trunks each of possessions without it getting in the way of anything. Jon and Bonnie Baker had pressed for inclusion of the horses, the motorcycles, and a few other things, but in the end four young but trained colts were allowed in a cargo area apposite the dormitory, and six well-maintained CHP Kawasaki 1000s.
Hooker and the Romanos had managed to put together a steamer trunk of cash, gold jewelry and coins and miscellaneous 'trade goods' for starting new lives, while Hector Gomez and his wives made sure the children had only what they needed, were clean, and the 'village records' were secured. Logan grumbled a bit, but the others felt better in that the majority of the new travelers, while temporary, were former police officers and had continued to maintain a solid family framework for the children.
'Hec' came up to Alexander as the last of it was secure, Bob and Stacy Romano right behind.
"Everybody ready for sliding tomorrow," Xander asked the tired yet hopeful trio, receiving nods, "Now do you want one last night in your own beds or just sleep on board tonight?"
"Well, since we're all here, and the kids are accounted for, we should probably just stay aboard and have less of a hassle in the morning," Hec replied, though I'm still thinking of heading back and making sure the livestock are definitely loosed."
"Sounds god, why don't you take Maggie's detail with you, and Ms. Sinclair as well. That way if anything they think is useful is around, they can nab it too. I'm going to head up on the roof and take a look around, get a feel for things before we slide.
"Well, Alexander," Joyce began as they looked over the stricken town as the others helped the last of the families aboard and releasing the livestock, "I'm thinking the road back toward the mountains from Sunnydale might be the best place to slide on land, it seems to be on the maps from the last few slides, and I remember driving up there accidentally when I first got to Sunnydale."
"Breakers Road, yeah, good choice, I was trying to think of someplace a little closer, but none of them really overlapped like the road does."
"Okay, and my second solution is to consider coming in out at sea and just above the water then head in."
"Even better, Joyce, let's go with that," Xander acknowledged, "I'll plot in the course."
"I guess that's our plan, then, I'll tell Major Beckett and the others, let them unwind a little after the moving, then head up there an hour before the slide. Tomorrow, for these folks, the long 'Night of the Comet' will come to a close."
Disclaimer: I do not own Night of the Comet (1984), CHiPs (1977-82), TJ Hooker (1982-86), or the movie Colors (1988).