And we're back. Let's do this.
Stardate: 7589.25
Edison Hendrix sat on the couch in the observation lounge, along with the entire command crew of the Excalibur. The atmosphere was just as tense as it had been during the last meeting they held up here. Now, Starfleet's position in Hell could be threatened more than it had ever had, even more than when the three V's were likely to learn something from Angel. The problem was apparent: an intelligent demon had started to unturn some stones around the hotel, getting ever closer to discovering the truth behind the origin of the princess's new allies. But despite the possible danger this possessed, there could be an opportunity to be exploited in the demon's curiosity.
Edison's face bore half worry and frustration. This would never have occurred if Charlie and the rest of the hotel staff had been more careful. Now, they have to deal with this instead of the top priority. He sighed, he needed to get this straight.
The tellarite security officer spoke up. "The situation started at 17:00 hours." He said as he turned the monitor on a wall to show the recording of Baxter.
"A demon who appears to be the hotel's newest guest, Baxter, wandered down to where the reactor was housed using a device to point his way there. Our security measures prevented him from accessing the reactor, but instead of leaving, he made some adjustments to the device that displayed what appears to be an electromagnetic wavelength chart." Xehrarv said to Edison.
"Was he able to get anything from the scans?" Edison asked.
"We believe so; image scans show that his device could pick up Fusion Energy wavelengths. However, it is unlikely he could discern the full power capabilities of the reactor given our security measures put in place."
"My question is, why was he down there in the first place? Was it curiosity from having discovered clues to our presence in the hotel, or does he have ulterior motives and perhaps was tasked to investigate by outside forces?" Atathia posed.
"The answer I hypothesize is what I believe is the most logical, Commander," Kylkuc said. "He was simply curious due to the power the hotel could produce on its own for the devices he discovered. From there, he used his device to find the source. But I digress; this leaves us with a major incident that could compromise security. If we are to enlist the help of the demons, we must be secure."
"You can read my mind, Vulcan." Commander Xehrarv said in response. "More recently, we've had numerous close calls with our presence. Us being attacked on arrival, the Valentino affair and now this. At this point, we're not going to make any progress in getting home with us having to deal with all of this!" He said, turning to the captain. "Our main priority is to get Home. And with the hotel not providing the security that we need, we will not be able to work with them!"
"Despite the flaws in security over agreeing to assist a rehabilitation hotel, it would be unethical to break our promise now. There is also the fact that Miss Charlotte is one of the few demons both knowledgeable enough and willing to help us with returning to Federation space." Kylkuc replied.
"Well mates, I think I spot what we need to do 'ere ain't it, is it," Alastair said to the group. "We 'ave to beef up security. More cameras, more guards, and restricted zones. Wotcher all say then, mates?"
"Having guards at all will show us incredibly in the open. We might as well put up a sign saying, "Don't come! Starfleet is here!" Reynolds responded.
"Blimey! I'm an engineer, not a tactician, mate!"
"I could be passed off as some type of sinner demon like Husk, but most of our human crew will not be able to avoid suspicion unless all facial features are hidden, and that doesn't account for smell or any other detection methods demons may have." Lieutenant Sh'rel commented
"Well, we can at least up our security measures every other way until we find a workaround for interacting with the hotel's guests directly without the possibility of them learning anything they shouldn't," Atathia stated.
"Given our fabrication abilities, it is likely we could try automating most of the jobs required to be fulfilled at the hotel," Kylkuc suggested.
"I suppose that could work, but there are some jobs that require bein' present unless we rig up some DOT-7s to serve in place o' a crewman," Alastair replied.
"It's going to have to work for now," Edison said, standing up from his seat. "Now, here's what you all are going to do. Commander Atathia and Lieutenant Sh'rel, you're going to be with Charlie; find us a way back in whatever way you can and learn what you can about demonic magic. I'm sure the princess knows a thing or two. Kylkuc, put the finishing touches on the clinic. I want to make it so that Starfleet won't have to set foot there after we finish it!" He commanded as he turned to the rest of the group.
"Xehrarv and Alastair, do your best to implement as many security features as possible and ensure no traces of us are left besides what will be inside the restricted sections. Rolf, for now, you're on the comm, continue to learn more about hell itself and monitor for any traces that someone may be onto us," Edison said.
"Before we wrap up the meeting, there is the question of what we should do with the sinner demon that almost stumbled onto the reactor in the first place." Atathia voiced.
"Given what he has figured out so far and that he is now personally involved in the hotel's goal, it is likely only a matter of time until he concludes the identity of the princess's benefactors… I propose a rather human plan, so to speak." Kylkuc said.
"What is it?"
"Despite the risks, I believe it would be in our best interest to recruit this scientist demon rather than allow him to continue attempting to unravel the mystery of our identity."
The entire room paused for a moment, with no one making a move or a sound.
"You want to recruit a mad scientist?! Are you nuts?!" Rolf voiced in outrage.
"On the contrary, he does not show signs of mental illness other than a general antisocial attitude. While Ms. Charlotte has been unable to discern all of his past so far, I believe recruiting him is a calculated risk worth taking. Given their current technological level, he has demonstrated several instances of personal innovation and ingenuity far beyond the norm. This may also be our only opportunity to acquire a demon with adequate scientific knowledge that may be willing to help us."
"We already have about a dozen demons knowing that we exist. Not to mention three madmen almost found out about us! I don't think we should risk it by telling another demon about us!" She'rl said.
"I do not discount the risks involved with revealing our presence to another individual of a pre-FTL society, I just believe that the risks of being revealed to the populace will be greater when he inevitably figures the truth on his terms rather than ours. He may be invaluable in seeing us back to Federation space."
Xehrarv groaned. "When will it stop, dammit? The longer we're here, the more and more people know about us!"
"Exactly why we need his set of skills." Kylkuc retorted.
During all of this, Edison was thinking of whether or not it was the right idea to bring Baxter to the secret. He had heard about when Archer and Kirk violated the prime directive. Then again, he was under more tense circumstances. He held the entire crew's lives in his hands, with no support from Starfleet whatsoever. Furthermore, the only allies he had were literal demons. Every decision he took here had incalculable risks, whether small ones like crew rotations or major ones like supplying the hotel with top-of-the-line medical technology.
Edison quietly sighed to himself, placing his hand on his face. "Should've stayed with Terry…." He quietly whispered to himself.
"So, how intelligent is he exactly?" Atathia asked.
"For those not already aware, he was able to make a device that was able to detect and track electromagnetic waves. And he most likely made it using scrap parts and cheap materials available to him. We can assume he is proficient in mechanical engineering." Kylkuc responded.
"Charlie did tell me about a device he used to see inside one of our tricorders. He called it a protonic wavelength distortion device. He also seems to have created it by himself."
The fact that this demon in question could create such devices gave the crew pause, given just how advanced they were compared to the current technology of Hell.
"Charlie also stated, after interviewing him, that he was more of a generalist with general knowledge in many fields but didn't specialize in any besides chemistry and electrical engineering. He probably acquired these skills from his 105 years in hell and his life on this parallel earth." Edison continued.
"How likely would you say he is to find us?" Rolf asked.
"As I've stated in my reasoning, it is a question of when, not if, he discovers us. While we could enact more security protocols and ways to hide energy signatures, I would estimate he would discover the truth in about two weeks at the earliest to two months at the latest, assuming we are not already gone by the time he pieces the puzzle together." Kylkuc said.
"So what we're saying is… to preserve the prime directive, we have to break the prime directive?" Atathia said to Edison, who was sitting next to him.
"Well, it doesn't look like we have a choice. As long as we are helping the hotel, there's no way to hide ourselves from him. Number One, you and I will… talk to him." Edison said, standing up with slight worry in his voice.
"You're all dismissed. Let's do this people." Edison said, walking towards the exit.
"Are we really sure about this? Letting another demon in on the secret?" Atathia said, following him as they both exited from the room.
"Well it's not like we have a choice anymore! It's either this or him telling every demon with internet access that a ship that can go faster than light and can cure any disease is hovering a couple thousand meters on top of the hotel." He said as they both walked into a turbolift with it closing behind them.
"Transporter room." Edison commanded before he continued his conversation. "We thought up every possible solution. It's either going to get us exposed or us killed if we don't go to him on our terms."
"I guess you're right." Atathia saif with a sigh.
Edison looked nervous as he turned to his executive officer. "What's wrong?"
"Captain, at this point, we're only making more trouble than progress. We need results. We've been so focused on the hotel and what have they given us? Nothing."
"Don't you think I know that?" Edison said with a groan. "But we need all the allies we can get. And even though she's terrible with security, The princess is our best hope right now. The scans from Alastor's staff are still going through; we need to make a breakthrough on something soon or the crew might start losing hope."
"Listen, the science department is doing the best we can. We should have something soon, I promise."
"Let's hope our Princess can help you come up with something." Edison said as he brought his communicator up to his ear. A few moments later both Charlie and Vaggie were on the other end.
"Ms Morningstar. We're coming down." Edison said into his communicator.
"Is something wrong?" Charlie asked.
"Nothing at all. You see, after much discussion with my staff, my first officer and I are going down to see Baxter.
"You're willing to meet with him?" Vaggie asked.
"Well it's that or risk letting every demon with internet access know that a bunch of extra dimensional humans and aliens from the future are helping the princess with her hotel." He said to the two lovers. "The reactor was too close for comfort."
"I guess I should have realized he would be naturally curious, he's in the lobby right now. Should I tell him anything before you come to meet him?" Charlie responded.
Edison paused for a moment. "Tell him that someone is interested in meeting him."
"Okay I'll give you the go ahead when I've finished speaking to him."
"Good. We'll beam down soon." Edison said as he closed out his communicator. "...God help us all, Commander." He said as put his fingers below his eyes.
Back down at the hotel Baxter was currently in deep thought over everything he had discovered so far. He decided to take a stroll down to the lobby to think in front of the fireplace as his room was getting a bit stuffy from having spent nearly a whole day inside going over the data he had collected from the basement as well as analyzing everything else. He hoped the change in scenery would help him come up with a breakthrough as to why there was such advanced technology in the hotel, who made it, and for what purpose?
Whoever they were, they would have to have been largely isolated from the rest of society on either Hell, Earth, or maybe even Heaven, perhaps even by choice. However, a secret government organization didn't make much sense as the technology was too good to let go unused on the wider public unless they were purposefully burying the tech, but that didn't explain why it was in the hotel, why such tech would be pursued in the first place, or how the tech itself was at least a century ahead of what either Earth or Hell had to offer. His future hypothesis seemed to make more sense despite how outlandish it sounded.
While he had made several breakthroughs with his inventions, Baxter knew geniuses like him were a rarity and that resources in Hell were just too few and in between to pursue most of their work. The nobility also cared little for technology or investment in it at all, preferring their magic and not willing to risk investing money in anything that didn't give them a guarantee for more profit or control. There were a few Overlords that did fund some research like Vox, but the previous reason with investment also applied to him and nearly all innovations in Hell simply came from sinners introducing what had already been made on earth anyways, so few bothered with funding research at all.
Hell seemed less and less likely to be the origin of the technologies he discovered around the hotel. If they were from the future, Hell was still a possibility, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were made on Earth. In which case, just how the hell were they down in…Hell. He would have to find out more.
Just as he was thinking of investigating around the hotel further, Lucifer's daughter had appeared alongside the couch he was sitting on looking as if she had something important to say.
"Your Highness?"
"Hey Baxter, I wanted to talk to you about something very important." Charlie stated.
"Such as?"
"Well it concerns one of the hotel's benefactors besides Alastor and you and well…"
"The short version is that they would like to meet with you." Vaggie finished
"Wait- really?!" Baxter exclaimed.
"Yes, but I need you to promise me you won't freak out or anything." Charlie pleaded.
"Why exactly would I freak out?" Baxter inquired.
"Look, it's better if we show you than explain it to you. So can you promise?" Vaggie stated impatiently.
"Well I…ugh, fine I promise not to freak out or anything? Now can I see what it is you want to show me?" Baxter replied.
"Fine." Vaggie stated turning her head toward Charlie who nodded before tapping on an earpiece Baxer now noticed she had on.
"Captain, you can come down now."
"Wait- Captain?"
Right after his comment, Baxter noticed a noise behind the front door before the doors were thrown open to reveal…a canid-like-sinner he mistook as a hellhound at first carrying a few bags.
"Alright, jerks, this place better be worth it or I'm trashing the place!" The new arrival decried.
"Wait- Captain; shit!" Vaggie exclaimed as she took the communicator from Charlie who stood frozen in surprise.
"Wait, isn't she the…" Baxter started to say only to witness something that changed his outlook on everything.
He could hear something behind him as if it were a low pitched whirring sound that encompassed the lobby. Two orange hues that were behind the lobby desk suddenly appeared from nowhere. A few moments later the orange hues were then replaced by the focused image of two humanoid creatures. The one on the right was a human with dark brown hair in a fringe up form, pale white skin with a seemingly new stubby beard. The figure on the left couldn't be any more different. It was a woman with blue skin and pale white long straight hair, along with two antennas on the top of her head. The both of them were wearing two maroon-colored jackets and black slacks, along with a white long-sleeve shirt underneath and a golden delta pin on their left-hand chest.
The two beings' eyes widened, seeing the hotel's new arrival.
"That isn't…" The blue-skinned lady said.
"Doesn't take a scientist to tell..." The man said deadpan.
Everyone stood frozen for what felt like an eternity.
In that time, Baxter observed and thought further.
To see a human in Hell was unheard of, to say the least. Yet Baxter was only slightly surprised as the technology he found was more likely to have been developed on Earth, but seeing teleportation in action further shattered his mind over how advanced these people were.
But it was when further observing the female next to the human male that Baxter couldn't stop a specific thought from entering his head. This lady didn't look like any sinner he had ever seen before, and she was undoubtedly no hellborn species or fallen angel. Sure, sinners could take on almost any shape when entering hell, but combined with the advanced technology, the hotel wanting to keep everything a secret and the teleportation, a certain 5-letter word entered his mind briefly among all his other thoughts.
It…couldn't be that female had to be a sinner demon. He felt lightheaded.
He was beaten to the punch when he heard the canid demon behind him let out a sound before falling over.
"Oh my god." Edison said to himself as he rushed to the door as the demon fainted. After arriving at her unconscious body he grabbed her by the back and under the legs, pulling her into bridal carry and then onto one of the lobby's couches while Vaggie hastily shut and locked the door behind him.
"Shit! This is bad!" Vaggie said in worry as Edison wiped the sweat from his forehead, almost ignoring Baxter. "Husk, what the fuck! Lock the door next time, you dick!"
Cranking his head up behind the desk, the cat demon could only let out a confused grumble before slamming his head onto the desk before rubbing it, clearly hungover.
Checking the pulse of the new demon on the couch, Edison concluded she was fine. Luckily she didn't fall on her head.
"She's alright, just passed out… which I don't know is for better or for worse."
"I'm an idiot, I should have just led Baxter to his room and had you guys beam in there." Charlie lamented with her hands over her face.
In all of this Baxter had to keep himself from passing out. Atathia could see this as she turned to Charlie.
"We're forgetting someone, remember?" She said as she pointed to Baxter.
Before Baxter could say anything, Vaggie had grabbed ahold of him and sat him roughly down on the couch. The sudden movement snapping him out of it.
"Alright, buster, you had better be worth this." The Latina demon stated.
"J-j-just what in Lucifer's name is going on?!" The fish demon confusedly blurted out.
Sighing, Charlie answered, "Well…like I said, they are the benefactors."
"But they're humans! How the hell did they get here anyways?!" The scientist yelled.
"That is something difficult to explain, but before we get into that I would like to point out only one of us is human." Atathia responded
"Okay my mistake, but…are you a…sinner demon by chance?" Baxter asked the blue humanoid hoping he was correct.
Atathia looked towards Edison who gave her a nod before responding. "I'm not a sinner, I'm an Andorian."
"Wait- andorian? Like Andorian shingles?"
Atathia paused for a moment. "Um… yes. How do you know what that is?" She asked.
"I saw a vaccine for it in the medical department. What is it?"
"Oh nothing much, it makes you bleed from your eyeballs." She said sarcastically.
Baxter grimaced for a moment before Vaggie caught onto his admission.
"Medical department? Wait, that place was completely locked up! How the hell did you get inside?!" Vaggie demanded
"Uhhhh…..I….picked the lock," Baxter said while trying to look as small as possible
Vaggie's eye twitched, but before she could dish out any retaliatory justice for betraying their trust, Charlie interrupted to prevent any fight from happening.
"Before we tell him the full story, there is the question of what we are going to do about her." Charlie said while pointing at the unconscious sinner on the couch.
"You're right. This isn't a good look." Edison said with a groan. "I say we place her in a room. When she wakes up we'll follow first contact procedures from there." He explained. "From there, our only hope is that she doesn't go full gung ho on us." He said before looking at Charlie like the calm before a storm. "Your highness, one more thing."
"What is it?"
Edison pointed at the front door. "Lock. That. Door." he said with a frustrated tone.
Charlie complied right away with the door before returning to everyone with a proposal with a look of shame and sadness on her face.
"I think I know what needs to happen until you all don't need to be around the hotel much anymore. I...I'm going to have Al broadcast that until further notice the place will be closed to all visitors for a few weeks or a month. Trusting Husk to keep the door locked has proven to be unreliable for the moment."
"At this point, Alastor's scans shouldn't take more than another day or so. From now on, our main priority is finding a way to get us back home. Everything else is secondary. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I guess Baxter could help you guys now though." Charlie replied while turning her head toward the angler fish demon.
"Where exactly is home?" Baxter asked with both nervousness and intrigue.
Edison paused for a moment before smiling. "Earth."
"You're from the living world? But what about all the advanced technology? Last I heard, humanity hadn't yet created a method of quantum entanglement, let alone one that could move full living specimens without causing death. In fact, every other piece of your technology I've discovered is centuries ahead of Earth's current technology level." Baxter asked
"Well, we're certainly not from Jupiter, are we?" Edison said. "From what we've been able to collect, we're from an alternate universe. A universe that's centuries more advanced than yours. You see, humanity, after World War Three, made first contact with a far more advanced civilization light years beyond Earth which led to the formation of a multi-species federation. Since then, we have made contact with multiple species and advanced science to new unfound heights." Edison explained to Baxter.
"We ended up here when my crew and I were sent to investigate an anomaly in a Federation star system. We ended up being sucked into it and before we knew it we were here. That's the reason why there's a three hundred meter long ship that can go five hundred times faster than light currently hovering above Hell."
Baxter was currently at a loss for words. His future hypothesis seemed partially correct if this human was being truthful. The implications of this information were simply world-shattering. It implied time travel was likely possible, but it proved the multiverse hypothesis.
Beyond that, it raised a question no one in Hell had ever seriously considered.
The existence of life outside Earth that apparently predates humanity.
Baxter felt lightheaded but stopped himself from fainting or undergoing any sort of panic attack by taking a few deep breaths and a moment to absorb what he had been told.
Before he could ask any questions,t however he was interrupted by someone gasping in shock and awe. Turning, Edison saw that the wolf-like demon who had just previously barged her way into the hotel unannounced had violently risen out of her slumber and was currently darting her head around before resting her eyes on him.
The sinner's eyes widened along with her mouth, but she was unable to form any sound until after a few tries when she managed out a full sentence.
"Wha…wha…WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" She was in complete panic.
"It's okay! Everything's alright!" Charlie said with a raised voice as she tried to placate the now panicky demon.
"ALRIGHT?! Just how is a human and whatever she is teleporting into hell alright!? Wh-What is THIS?!" The new arrival exclaimed while briefly pointing at Atathia.
"Well I suppose now that you're up, explaining things will take less time rather than having to tell you and Baxter separately," Atathia stated amusingly.
"Just what the fuck are you going to explain!?"
"Listen, you're not going to want to believe us at first but you're going to have to trust me and what I show you. I'm from a different planet than earth; Andoria."
"You-you're saying you're Aliens?"
"Well…not exactly." Atathia said as she turned to Edison. "My captain's Human. But yes, I am what you can be called an alien. The catch is that we are also from an alternate universe at least a few centuries ahead of yours."
Crymini looked as if she was going to start having another panic attack before Charlie placed her hand upon her shoulder in an attempt to comfort the sinner demon. Normally Crymini would have swatted it away, but in this instance she found the gesture a little comforting.
Seeing that the new arrival was no longer likely to freak out. Edison repeated the explanation he gave the hotel staff after their brief tour of the Excalibur while also adding in the fact that they decided to help the hotel in return for finding a way back. Which caused the demon to sit silently in shock for a bit alongside Baxter who was also stuck in deep thought.
"I know this is a lot to take in, and to be honest I don't really blame you if you don't believe us at first." Edison said after explaining to Crymini and Baxter.
The two stayed silent for a moment before Crymini posed a question.
"Is there anything you can show us to prove you're not lying or insane?"
Edison took a glance at his first officer-conveying his plan with just a simple look of his eyes looking upwards.
Atathia sighed before nodding her head.
Edison chuckled as he took out his communicator. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing." He said as he opened it. "Well… mostly know." He admitted as he gained contact with the Excalibur.
"Captain Hendrix to Lieutenant Summers, requesting transport for-."
"Hendrix? Like Jimmy Hendrix?" Crymini asked
"Heh… sorta right." Edison said, looking towards Crymini. "My family took the name after the Third World War. Had something to do to make themselves look more important than they actually were. Guess it sorta stuck from there."
"If I had a dollar for every dickhead in Hell that tries to make themselves look or sound more important than they are, I could buy myself a mansion full of stuff signed by Freddie Mercury."
"Ow." Edison said sarcastically as he put his hand on his heart. "I am so hurt."
"Transport? Where are we going exactly and how?" Baxter asked
"Well we came down here with intent on recruiting you to help us find a way back to Federation space given you're the only demon we've found with both the scientific background to do so, and a likeness to be willing to help us given your decision to aid the hotel." Atathia explained
Crymini scoffed a little at that last part before the Andorian continued.
"Unfortunately, Ms?"
"Crymini." The hyena sinner responded .
"Ms. Cyrmini walked in on our arrival further complicating things, however given that she has clearly come to stay at the hotel as a guest and is already in on the secret we may as well include her on a tour for your new employment opportunity if you can make a few promises."
"I'm listening." Baxter replied eagerly.
"First things first, you can never under any circumstances tell anyone outside of the hotel staff about Starfleet, the Federation, the Excalibur, or anything else relating to us. If you do, you will not only be putting the staff's lives at risk, but ours as well. And we will take action to prevent that. This goes for you as well."
Atathia stated warningly while turning to Crymini.
"I suppose that's reasonable." Baxter said with a shrug.
"Well…fine. It's not like anyone would believe me." Crymini replied in a somewhat grumpy tone
"Secondly, we need your full cooperation. We have close to four hundred people up there counting on us to get them home. So in return for us helping the hotel discreetly in Hell and any compensation you want that is within reason for your aid in our research, you will have to help us completely."
"Would I be able to request any form of advanced technology in return for helping you or at least aiding in any research I wish to pursue?" Baxter asked.
Edison gave a slight glance towards his first officer; it was one of confliction and uneasiness. It was one thing to help out a group of demons that could be controlled by a somewhat trustworthy lead, but it was a whole other thing to give out highly dangerous starfleet technology to a demon of all people. This led to only one solution: compromise.
Edison then switched his head back to the angler fish demon. "We're going to have to set ground rules for that. We can't let out any more technology or information that could lead anything to us. We might seem like it, but we're not a charity." Edison informed them.
"What we're doing with the princess and her hotel is an agreement. She'll give us information and help get us out of Hell and in return we will help her with her hotel." He said as looked at Charlie and then back at Baxter.
"The same thing will happen between us. You will help us research and find ways to escape hell and return back to our universe as well. In return for your services; we'll let you conduct your experiments but under supervision." He further dictated.
"You know as much as I do that if any tech from us gets out, it's probably either going to cause a bloodbath that'll make a Klingon blush or some punk cornering a major market. You get what I'm saying?" Edison said as he finished off the agreement conditions.
Baxter looked a little conflicted over having his work supervised, but the reward was too great. "I understand."
"You'll also have to take an ethics program and psychological evaluation. Just for you to know the dos and don'ts while being on Federation property and to make sure you're not a danger. I'm sure you understand."
This, of course, sparked the most inner conflict in the fish demon. He wasn't open to discussing himself or having to go through any evaluation, and he wasn't too prone on the ethics course given he came from a time before science had readily adopted ethics as a requirement and because he wasn't exactly prone to following them.
But once again, the promise of knowledge centuries ahead and assistance with his research was just too good to pass up. If it weren't for his few patents, he would be penniless. The idea of support from people with a working spacecraft was too tempting.
Reluctantly he nodded before posing a final question.
"By the way, what's a Klingon?"
An exhausted captain with dark black bags under his eyes looks out of the observation deck gazing down at the thick clouds below. In truth, Edison James Hendrix hasn't counted how many hours, let alone days, he had slept. He felt as if he had been running entirely on synthesized coffee and bagels for the past three weeks. After all, with finishing up all construction on the hotel, convening with the staff, trying to keep crew morale high, and meeting with his science teams and demon allies on possible breakthroughs, ensured he was always busy.
The latter was the reason why the captain was at the observation deck in the first place. After close to a month of work he was about to learn of the developments that the demons and science team had come up with, and it couldn't have come at a better time. After this, he could probably take a break day, watch a movie or read a comic book. Or maybe just pass out for a couple of hours. No, he had to pay attention to the real matter at hand.
He slightly twitched as he heard the door behind him ring out. "C-Come in!" Edison exasperated as he rubbed his eyes.
Edison's exhausted face was met with the familiar sight of the people he had spent the last month with meeting. There was his First Officer and Science Officer Atathia, Princess Charlotte, her business partner Alastor, and the recently recruited scientist demon Baxter.
Shuffling into the room Charlie was the first to break the silence.
"Not getting any sleep again?" The princess said with any air of sympathy.
Normally Edison would have expected such a comment to come from a fellow crew member. The fact that even someone living outside the ship was able to pick up on his lack of sleep was probably a good indication that he should see Kylkuc again.
"You think?" Edison grasply chuckled.
"You know Ed, if you're having trouble sleeping I could always put a spell or two to use to ensure you have a good night's rest." Alastor offered.
Edison paused for a moment. "Please… do not do that."
"Be it magic or sleep aids from the infirmary you are going to need some rest eventually. But before we discuss that I have some good news on the progress we are making." Atathia stated.
"What have you got?"
"So far we are continuing to try to understand how magic around hell works. Despite a lot of it not seeming to give the laws of physics any mind, from our universe at least, it does appear to have at least a basic set of rules of its own. There are a lot of abilities especially with Alastor that are centered around spatial distortion. Think of it as every time he uses his power it weakens the field of space-time. Only it appears to wear it down over time." Atathia explained.
"So what you're saying is he's weakening the field of space-time everytime he uses his powers?"
"Precisely my friend, it seems even I have yet to learn everything about my own abilities." Alastor answered.
While Alastor was speaking, Atathia turned towards the computer to show a map of the Diringel system, the very same system that started this nightmare.
"Furthermore, the location of the Diringel system could have been a factor at play. The system was near a black hole. Far enough not to get sucked in, but close enough for the field of space-time to be "tugged". Other side effects include subspace distortion that can wreak havoc on unprotected systems," Atathia explained.
"And with the combined weakened space-time field, it was only going to be a matter of time before this incursion occurred." The First officer said. "This wormhole connects our universe to this one, but from what we know, it's only one way. It's like a highway to Hell."
Edison nodded, with his mind connecting the dots of the events leading up to that fateful decision to go closer to the wormhole. The subspace distortion caused both system failures at Roosevelt Station. But that only left one more question.
"What about the wave that hit us? It took out most of our main systems."
"You're not that far off from the truth, sir," Atathia responded. "From what we can collect from our scans, the wave was seemingly caused by an immense buildup of subspace emission build-up. We were simply at the wrong place, at the wrong time. That's what knocked out our systems."
"I'm almost tempted to say it seems like an act of some god." Alastor commented in amusement.
"What we need to know is if this type of distortion has caused a singularity event before and if it can be recreated as a possible means of reaching your universe." Baxter spoke up.
"Not to mention that our universe seems to be ahead of you in terms of time. I've gathered that we're roughly three hundred years ahead of you." Edison said to Baxter, showing that he was still up to date with his developments.
"It is likely that time between our universes is due to either the sheer randomness of the multiverse or we have a sizable amount of Chroniton particles that allow us to go ahead further in our universe." Atathia explained.
"Well, I think it's about time we get to the elephant in the room. What have we come up with in terms of a method of getting back to Federation space?" Edison asked.
The room paused before Commander Atathia spoke up. "Have you heard of string theory, sir?"
"Well, I've heard pieces about it in the academy. But I wouldn't really call myself an expert, so to speak… why?
The first officer gave the engineering head a look of hesitation before turning back to the captain. "What we hypothesized is that their universe and our universe both work off it. Let me explain." She decided to explain it to her captain.
"Every universe has its own wavelength, so to speak. Its own… vibration. This is a very barebones summary of this, but we're thinking about what could do for the Excalibur to be fitted with a machine or an apparatus. And that device could in some way match the vibrations of our original universe- sending us back. It would also have the ability to transport other ships in the future… but that's all in the realm of theoretical consideration."
Edison took in all the information with deep thought, even with his sleep-deprived brain begging him to pass out on the couch. It could work if the string theory hypothesis were correct, but it was in the realm of theoretical science and speculative nature. It being in "the realm of theoretical consideration" was probably one of the biggest understatements of the century. But then again, their being in hell was against all lasting scientific laws. If current laws still applied, they likely would have died at the wormhole, not be hauled off to the literal physical embodiment of pain and suffering with their atoms intact.
In light of this, he would have to assume that nearly all theories related to wormhole travel and multiverse studies would have to be taken with fresh eyes. It wasn't odd for someone to body swap with their Terran Universe counterpart, but it was another thing for a ship and it's crew to be sent to another universe. Unbeknownst to Edison Hendrix, the last time this happened was the USS Defiant being sent to the mirror universe, but with the notable expectation of the Defiant's crew.
It seemed to be their only shot, and it was a far better option than blowing themselves and a several million people up. However, Hendrix's main concern was whether or not it could be done. They were literally working from the ground up with no scientific literature to draw from for the theories or engineering required to create such a device. What was worse was the added fact that the laws of physics in this universe may introduce new factors to cover.
He would just have to hope it could be done.
"Alright…if the science team thinks it is our best shot… then let's do it."
After weeks of work and countless fabrication orders, the hotel's new facilities for guests were now fully operational. This included an automated clinic, several new storage rooms with one to serve as a food pantry, several fabricators to provide the food and any other amenities for Charlie and her closest friend's exclusive use to keep away prying eyes, an advanced water filtration system, a small hydroponics farm, and a private internet connection forged by the tech team to cut off any dependence on Vox Industries that Starfleet itself was also using to continue their monitoring of hell. The latter had the added bonus of unlimited free media and entertainment for the guests.
Security had also been upgraded to its maximum level, every area of the hotel that guests were not allowed in was virtually impenetrable without advanced burglary tools along with general upgrades and repairs to the majority of the inside of the hotel.
The added tech also gave the current staff a few more duties to manage. The clinic would of course manage itself outside of Kylkuc restocking any medicine or any rare instances that would warrant his intervention as well as security and repairs of advanced tech being managed by the Excalubuir's crew. However, the others required some management from hotel staff. Helping to ensure there were no more screw ups with security was now the primary goal that everyone in the know was to participate in. The pantry would also of course have to be restocked and someone would have to handle giving out food and the hydroponics bay required some care that the automatic watering system couldn't cover. Charlie of course saw it as a wonderful opportunity to give guests a tranquil activity to do that could help in their rehabilitation.
The place was essentially ready to be reopened, and with the go ahead from Edison and a broadcast from Alastor advertising the new services offered by the hotel, the doors opened a full month after Baxter's recruitment.
In the lobby Charlie waited hoping at least one more guest would be willing to give redemption a shot. Sipping on a cup of hot chocolate she stared at the door.
"Still waiting hun?" Vaggie said as she sat down next to her girlfriend.
"Yeah." The princess replied
"Charlie I know that look, and it means something's troubling you. Talk to me please."
"I know the aid from the Excalibur will help the hotel and all, but now we have to make sure no one else finds out about starfleet. I know it's kinda silly, but I don't like keeping secrets like this from people who we need to get to trust us."
"I know you want to help everyone down here babe, but there's nothing to feel ashamed about at all. You're not keeping something from them that concerns them, your doing it to protect our the crew of that ship and to stop people from fucking things up even further in hell."
"I know Vaggie, I just can't help it knowing the world is no longer what I thought it was. I don't think I've even come to grasp what life beyond earth and here even means still."
"Well, think of it like this. If someone were to find out I think it's safe to say they wouldn't react by lashing out at you for keeping it from them. Instead they'd probably understand and be stuck contemplating it too."
"Maybe you're right. Even Angel has joined in on fighting for when it's his turn to use the PADD to read what he can on the Federation. Though it still feels weird. We're the only people in this universe that know we are not alone."
Before the two could talk further, a knock was heard on the front door. Giving a look to each other Charlie gave her girlfriend a joy filled smile before she got up to answer the door.
Opening it she was met with an image not of a sinner but of a female hellhound who was clearly into a goth style of dress whose first words were:
"You guys had better be fucking serious about this free medicine stuff."