Star Trek; Phase One

Written by Robert Canary

"Assemble"

USS Transfer Station
Northern Sudan Territory

When peace finally came to this battered country, and it joined the new United Nation Charter, it was decided by all those involved to give this country a major role in the exploration of space.

So, with that decided, the massive Transfer station was built in the northern territory of Sudan.

It was a complex that housed fifteen Russian built transfer shuttles. It was from this Transfer station that all future crews would board a shuttle and then be taken into orbit to the massive International Space station, designated Alpha-one, which was where the Enterprise was currently in final prep, parked near to Alpha-one in what was, essentially, a garage in space.

The population of Sudan was proud of their role in these historic days of space exploration.

Richard Bashir was busy directing the maintenance crew that was prepping the shuttle that he would pilot up to the orbiting International Space Station. It would the first time that the crew of the Enterprise would actually see their massive ship. And Richard wanted his shuttle to be properly prepared for the near celebrity, James Kirk, and his historic crew.

As he was watching the crews prep the ship, Richard saw his four year old son, Julian, sitting on the boarding ramp, picking his nose. Often Richard would bring his son to work. Little Julian had become sort of a mascot for the workers at the Transfer Station.

Richard shook his head. Most kids Julian's age were already in the first phases of algebra, Julian was still counting rocks. Most his friends were learning tennis, or golf, Julian was picking his nose. His son was just slower than his peers. And that worried Richard, and his wife, Amsha, to the point that they were thinking of subjecting their son to illegal medical procedures that would enhance his abilities.

If they were caught taking his son to a country that allowed such illegal DNA enhancing, it could cost them, Richard and Amsha, their freedom. But, as Richard watched his son stick his mucus covered finger into his mouth, he decided that his son was more important to him than his career in the United Space Service.

High in Earth orbit, at nearly twenty five thousand miles, was the massive USS Alpha-one Space station. And, nearly miles away was the massive 'space garage' that was the current home of the USS ENTERPRISE.

Built with the most modern of technologies, the USS ENTERPRISE was the first of what was hoped to be a fleet of Space Ships, twelve in all, that would colonize the solar system.

Earlier attempts to colonize Mars were cut back due to budgetary limits. Now that the main powers of Earth had found peace, all the money that had been spent on weapons of war, were now spent on a new space program.

The population of Earth was amazed at how fast the entire United Space Agency program took off in terms of scope and planning. Most people attributed it to a new found hope, borne from the new United Nation Charter. But, for a select few, they knew there was something more at stake powering this endeavor: Charles-Dennison 14-850A.

Charles-Dennison 14-850A was a massive asteroid that was discovered back in the 2020s. It had been studied, and studied, and in 2043 it was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the eighteen mile wide asteroid would smash into Earth in the year 2067. The result would be the end of the world. Though that date was still seventeen years in the future, no technology currently existed that could stop Charles-Dennison from reaching Earth.

A press conference would be held in the coming days informing the rest of the world. And that the Enterprise's first mission would not be to colonize Mars, but to go beyond Mars, and rendezvous with the Asteroid and destroy it, if at all possible.

On board the USS Enterprise, many engineering crews were in the final stages of hardware and software installation into the various computers that would help maintain the ship.

The Enterprise was five-hundred and fifty feet long. It could hold a crew of two-hundred, at maximum occupancy. It was fitted with the latest in laser technology: Phasers. The Phasers were weapons that used polarized Neutrons that were super-charged in a special chamber. The beams were extremely powerful, and dense.

There were also Photon Torpedoes, developed by Chinese scientists. These Torpedoes contained experimental anti-matter electrons, which were developed using the experimental field of Quantum Mechanics, and effectively gave these new Torpedoes the designation as Quantum Torpedoes.

The engine system was a revolution in technology. Designed by noted engineer Charles Tucker, it was a departure from most theories.

Two laser satellites were put in orbit of Earth. These two satellites would beam sun powered lasers at the ship. The ship would collect the concentrated beams, and then use the energy to power the engines. When full speed was reached, nearly half the speed of light, the lasers would be shutdown. Then, as the ship approached Mars, two satellites there would be activated and would beam lasers at the incoming ship, slowing it down. While in transit to Mars, a journey that would take twenty-seven hours, special solar panels would absorb the deadly radiation from the sun, and storing it special filters that would power the ship on its mission to Charles-Dennison.

Aboard the Enterprise, on this day, was a very important person. His name was Richard Daystom. While the ship was built with, primarily, Scottish engineering expertise, it was Richard Daystom who had designed the complex computer system that would be at the heart of the ship.

And at the very center of the computer system was Daystrom's pride and joy; S.P.O.C.K. Spock was an artificially-intelligent and interactive computer that would be the Captain's direct link to the system. The personality of the computer came from Daystrom's own brain schematics, using a new psychotronic computer/brain interface which was developed by the reclusive Swedish scientist named Deanna Troi.

Her theories about how, one day, thoughts would be used to control machinery were years ahead of their time.

It was 0900 when the shuttle, with the Enterprise command crew aboard, lifted off from the Sudan Transfer station and streaked into the cloudless sky above skies of Northern Africa. The event was carried on all news outlets. Bios about the command crew were weaved in with live news broadcasts. The official launch of the USS ENTERPRISE was still one month away, but for the rest of that time the command crew would spend it up on the new ship in final prep, and training, for the mission to Mars, and onward to Charles-Dennison.

But Gary Mitchell was not happy, at all. CNN dedicated an entire two minutes to Gary's life, whereas Jim Kirk, his best friend, got an entire half hour segment. Mitchell was second in command and worthy, he thought, of at least a fifteen minute spot. Even Sulu got more air time and why?

Gary Mitchell was sitting next to Sulu on the shuttle. They had just left the atmosphere of Earth. They would dock with the USS ALHPA ONE two hours later. The onboard TV monitors were displaying CNN's non-stop ENTERPRISE coverage.

CNN was airing the media coverage, and the crew members each had monitors at their seats to view the TV coverage. Mitchell and Sulu were watching the biography, and the recorded interview segment with Sulu. Mitchell looked at his watch, and saw that Sulu's coverage was nearing fifteen minutes. And, watching the Sulu segment and what it focused on, Gary Mitchell believed he knew why Sulu was getting so much attention.

"Are you really gay?" Gary asked Sulu.

Sulu smiled. "Why yes, I am. Who wants to know?" Sulu raised both eyebrows.

"Oh believe me," Gary said, "I don't. I'm just fricking pissed off that you got fifteen minutes to tell your story, and I got all of maybe two minutes. And the only reason I can come up with is because you're gay. That's such horse crap."

"Well," Sulu said, "I also am the only Japanese officer among the command crew, and I do descend from nobility. I also set many flight records during my service in the Japanese Air-force, and," Sulu added, "I have also been a television food critic for several years on the New Iron Chef. You can't deny that I do have a pretty impressive back story."

Mitchell thought for a moment. "Nah," he finally said, "you got fifteen minutes because you're gay."

"I'll have to tell my agent, Sam Berkovits," Sulu said with a smile, "to go ahead and negotiate a higher fee for my action-figure line. This CNN spot will definitely raise my Q rating. It's got be higher than Chris Pine, the PRICE LINE guy's rating."

"You have your own agent?" Gary asked with a long face.

"You have to these days," Sulu said, "when you're a celebrity like us. Don't you have an agent?"

"Yes," Gary said after a pause, "I do."

James Kirk, who was sitting in the row of seats in front of Sulu and Gary, turned around, and with a smile said, "Gary's agent is his cousin Sally."

"I see," Sulu said to Gary. "Too bad, I was going to call Sam and see if he could represent you too."

Gary took a cell phone from out of his pocket, pressed a button, and then said three words, "Sally, you're fired." Then he put the phone back into his pocket.

Sulu smiled. "I will see what I can do. If you want, I'll help you make up your media profile; No one can create media-profiles like me. I'll make you more marketable."

"Cool," Gary said. "That would be really cool. And hey," he added, "And trust me, I don't care if you're gay. I'm down with that." He lightly punched Sulu on the right shoulder.

"Good," Sulu said, "maybe we can become good friends. You can take me to the bars you hang out at, and I'll take you to some of the spots I swing in. We can be buds," Sulu added with a smile.

Gary Mitchell gulped.

Three rows behind Sulu and Mitchell were Nadya Chekov, and Nyota Uhura. Chekov had been raised in Moscow Russia. Her family was considered one of the more affluent families, and traced their roots back centuries into the past. Her mother was a ballerina, and had hoped that her daughter, Nadya, would follow in her footsteps.

But Nadya's father was an experienced Cosmonaut of nearly twenty-five years. He had traveled into space fifteen times in his long career. Chekov found the life her father lived far more exciting than spinning around on the tips of her toes with other dancers.

So against her mother's wishes she joined the military and eventually, with her father's help, she transferred into the new United Space Agency. After two years of training she was selected to join the command crew of the USS ENTERPRISE. Her dad was very proud; her mother was a good dancer.

Nyota Uhura had immigrated to America three years ago. Already fluent in many languages, she decided to throw herself into the complex communication technologies that were coming to life in United Space Agency. Already with two Master-Degrees, and a Ph.D in the works, she decided to take her studies to American and tutor with the woman who had designed most of the new era communication technologies: Hoshi Sato. There was no one in the United Space Agency that knew their way around the complex technology as much as Nyota did. And for that, she was proud.

The two women were watching the CNN broadcast as well. They news channel was focusing now on Nadya Chekov. It showed archival footage of Nadya when she was nine years old, twirling around in her leotard to a very approving mother. Then they showed photos of Nadya, years later, traversing an obstacle course during her military training. Nadya watched the news story, and didn't blink one time.

"You were a ballerina?" Uhura asked.

"All Russian girls are ballerinas," Nadya responded.

Uhura smiled, she could sense Nadya's anger at her mother. "My mother wanted me to be a lawyer," Uhura said. "My father wanted me to join his Jazz band, and tour Europe with him forever. They only want what they think is best for us."

Chekov looked at the images, taken just a year ago, when she had broken the Trans-Atlantic flight speed record. Her father was among the crowd, cheering, as she climbed out of the jet. Her mother was no here to be seen.

Uhura also noticed that Chekov's mother was nowhere to be seen. Uhura made it a note to befriend Nadya Chekov. She would make it one of her goals to bring the girl out of her shell, and to help her get past rejection she believed her mom still felt for her.

Nearly two hours later, Richard Bashir slowed the shuttle down and brought it alongside the Space Station. There was a slight thump as it made contact with the Alpha-one. Moments later the crew filed out of the shuttle, one at a time. Captain Bashir was glad that it had been a perfect flight, and that his part of the historic mission, had played out on time, and without incident.

Continued...