The New World
I do not own Star Trek.
Chapter 2: One Small Step…
Lara could only stare at the huge place. Emerging out of the Terminal corridor, they entered a gigantic lobby. There were various restaurants from all four corners of the Federation. Approaching a schematic of the Starbase, Lara saw that there was also a section were non-Federation embassies and trading places were located. Looking around, Lara could see all sorts of alien species in the buzzing crowd of the lobby.
She and Mr. Offenhouse followed Captain Picard through the lobby and Lara noticed quite a few heads turned as they past. Had news of their arrival spread so quickly?
They went to one of the restaurants where a man with dark blond hair sat along with a woman of an alien species. She had greenish skin, pointed ears and eyebrows and short hair. Her Starfleet uniform hugged her curvy body. Lara briefly wondered whether her size was considered normal to Vulcans.
"Jean-Luc! Good to see you again," the man said shaking Picard's hand.
"Laurence. Mr. Offenhouse, Miss Dawson, these are Captain Laurence Mansfield of the USS Charleston and his First Officer T'Mal."
"Ah, the unfrozen guests from the 21st century! To have the chance to meet people who are part of history… Welcome to the 24th century," Captain Mansfield said shaking Lara's hand first and then Mr. Offenhouse's.
The Vulcan woman merely nodded. Lara had read quite a bit about this species, the first one that humanity made contact with in 2063 helping humanity out of their violent past and into an unimaginable bright future.
"Please, sit down." Mansfield said.
Lara, Mr. Offenhouse and Captain Picard sat down at the table. They each ordered food with Lara choosing Samgyeopsal with Gireumjang and side dishes consisting of Kimchi, garlic cloves, mushrooms, onions and vegetables.
"So," Captain Mansfield asked after a short conversation with Captain Picard, "how are you two adjusting to this new time?"
"Oh, quiet well actually," Lara said with a quick glance to Mr. Offenhouse. "There are so many new things to explore, this whole new way of life, all the different extraterrestrial cultures… But mostly, I'm looking forward to see Earth. I can't just yet imagine a life without news reports of some war somewhere or threats or attacks with a racist background and all that. It will be like stepping onto a different planet."
"The past is foreign country. They do things differently there," Mansfield said. "And so do people of the future. Starfleet has of course been notified by the discovery of the cryonics satellite. And rumors have slipped to Federation outposts and Earth as well but nothing specific it seems. So don't worry about being gawked at or something."
He looked at Lara and Mr. Offenhouse curiously.
"Do you plan to move where your family lived? It must be quite a different experience for you especially being the youngest of all the frozen passengers."
Lara's expression became stony, her lips trembled.
"Can we please not talk about the past? I'm in the future now, so let's talk about the future."
Captain Mansfield nodded silently.
"Yeah, I'm going to Portland, Oregon once I'm on Earth," Lara said in a more joyful mood which was perhaps a bit too sudden. She gulped.
The captain of the USS Charleston turned to the ex stock broker sitting next to her: "And what are your plans, Mr. Offenhouse?"
"Got no plans," Offenhouse grumbled. "Except to die maybe."
"You don't mean that!"
Captain Mansfield looked shocked.
"Captain, I've built my whole life on working at the stock exchange in New York. I've made myself a fortune, I've invested in technology that could save me when my health was getting worse, I cheated death! And look around now: half the people here don't even have a concept of money, there are no real markets to speak of, not like they should be, and no wall street anymore, no America anymore. My life is gone. My world is gone, so I am gone! So if I won't die, I'll certainly won't live in this Federation of yours! There's got to be somewhere where the world is still in order."
He sat back and looked around.
"When are we leaving this station?"
"We'll be leaving in two hours," T'Mal stated.
Offenhouse suddenly got up.
"I'm gonna have a look around."
Captain Mansfield nodded: "Just be sure to be at the docking terminal when we depart."
Offenhouse turned away without and answer and went off. Lara looked after him, a hunch forming inside her. There was something fishy about this. Offenhouse hadn't been interested in exploring the Enterprise or making some form of connections. Lara didn't like the man but she was worried that he might do something inappropriate.
Lara used the following two hours to explore the lobby sticking close to the docking terminals all the same. As they day continued she tried different cuisines from other Federation worlds: Vulcan, Andorian, Tellarite or Betazoid foods. They were certainly interesting although not everything was enjoyable and some were quite bizarre, even to someone as open as Lara. She was nonetheless looking forward to explore other cuisines. As there were non-Federation embassies on Earth, Lara also presumed that there were likely restaurants serving non-Federation food such as Klingon or Romulan.
One hour after they stepped onto the space station, the lights were dimmed for a moment indicating the celebration of New Year's Eve which had started now on Earth. There was even a small firework lit up in one of the halls especially made for celebrations like this. Lara enjoyed the unique experience quite a bit: celebrating on a Starbase was not something you did many times after all. As Lara glanced up at this illuminating joy she thought back to her last five days. Those five days on a luxurious space vessel of exploration, the Endeavour of space travel. Stranded into a new age full of brightness, happy lives and sentiments the like of which could not have been found even with the richest of people of her time. And now she would be travelling to the very heart of it all, a paradise as some here on the outskirts of the Federation named it. Earth. Ten days she would be travelling. She wondered how the Charleston would be like. It was a different class than the Enterprise, one that had been built a century before. Smaller than the Enterprise's galaxy class.
As she slowly wandered about the lobby heading towards the docking terminal connected to the USS Charleston, Lara heard someone calling out her name.
"Miss Dawson!"
She found Captain Mansfield approaching her with a worried look on his face.
"I'm glad you're back, we're about to head off. Have you by any chance seen Mr. Offenhouse lately?"
Lara shook her head and quickly looked around the lobby. As T'Mal joined her captain, Mansfield spoke to one of the walls.
"Computer, locate Ralph Offenhouse!"
"Ralph Offenhouse is on level 205."
Mansfield frowned.
"But that's the industrial section."
"What's loaded there, where is it carried?" Lara asked.
Mansfield looked at him.
"It's primarily cargo such as ores, minerals and such. It's where freighters arrive or take off. The material is either going to central Federation sites such as the Utopia Planitia shipyards on Mars or…to the edge of Federation space, the outmost colonies!"
Lara's eyes widened.
"That's where he's heading to. He wants to go somewhere where there are still valuable things to get and sell."
Captain Mansfield raced to one of the elevators. T'Mal and Lara followed him. They quickly told the elevators their destination and it rushed downwards.
They came out deep into the stations heart. It was poorly lid with light only illuminating when people passed through the section. Far into the distance they could see the light apparently moving to and fro as people walked about the place. Using a tricorder, a highly sophisticated scanner, T'Mal quickly located the spot where Offenhouse was. Only he wasn't there. Suddenly T'Mal bent down and picked something from the floor.
"It's his combadge," she said. "Computer, when is the next freighter taking off and what is its destination?"
"The SS Joseon, on rout to Omicron IV."
"It's a mining colony duridium, an ore," Mansfield explained. "But it's very close to the Ferengi border."
"I think I've read about them," Lara said. "Didn't you just establish contact with them?"
"Yes, and they're vile. A greedy people at the height of a capitalist culture like Earth has never seen from what we've been able to find out. That's gotta be heaven for Offenhouse."
They ran through corridors as fast as they could. Finally heading around a corner, they saw the familiar shape of Offenhouse slowly approaching a hangar where a small, rusty freighter could be seen. People were busy unloading cargo.
"Mr. Offenhouse, wait!"
He turned around.
The way he stared at them made Lara gulp: his face was lined with anger and stubbornness. The face of a man who had made a decision – a difficult one no doubt. For no matter on how much you resented the idea of going to a peaceful, moneyless Earth, the idea of venturing to a fully unknown world not knowing what you would find there was unnerving. At least, it would be to her.
"I'm not going to this Earth!"
Captain Mansfield started to approach him slowly.
"You should have at least informed us about your decision, Mr. Offenhouse."
"Why should I have? You would've only dragged me to your ship anyway."
Lara ran up to him.
"No one is forcing you to do anything! Why don't you try out life on Earth first?"
"Don't be naïve! D'you think that is life? What are you going to do all day, sit around, enjoying your workless day? I've done something for my life. I've invested in my future! I won't let others dictate on how to live."
"We're not forcing you to do anything," Mansfield insisted. "But Miss Dawson is right. Perhaps you find that you can get used to the current situation on Earth. It is the heart of the Federation, after all. The center of our government. Other embassies will be there. Perhaps you can even help us to deal with some of them, those who still use money, for instance."
Offenhouse moved his piercing eyes from Lara to Mansfield.
"Fine! But I can assure you, I won't be easily impressed."
Grumpily, he went along.
The USS Charleston was smaller than the Enterprise. And unlike the flagship of the Federation, there were no family members on board. As Lara looked out from the windows of her new quarters, she took one last look at the Enterprise stationed in the docking area and then at the starbase itself. Another ten days she'd have to wait. Then, finally, she could set her feet on actual, real ground…
In the episode, the characters from the past were mere archetypes. I would like to give them real character. If you have any suggestions or comments, please let me know in your reviews. :)