2375: Loose Ends

(Nothing, Arizona – Main Street – 2375.03.06, 0932)

Saraya walked onto main street and smiled. She ran a hand through her short, gray hair. At age 131, she would have been old for a Klingon. But being half-Vulcan had its perks. Her doctor had once calculated that she would have a lifespan of at least 215. ~I wish mom could see this.~ Alas, she was the only member of her family on Earth. And one of two still in land of the living.

Her grandparents, Faros and T'Rana, had retired to Vulcan decades ago. They had died of old age long ago. Her father, the infamous Tango, had left Las Vegas in 2310. He had landed a job as Chief of Security aboard the SS Denver, a Federation freighter. For eight years, he had defended the ship against various forms of scum and villainy. He had been killed when Denver had been attacked by two Orion interceptors. But he had won the day. Thanks to his sacrifice, the Denver had escaped to the nearest Starbase. And Starfleet had launched a massive campaign in retaliation, wiping out ever Orion pirate base in eight sectors.

One of the ships in that campaign had been the USS Halsey, which had been under the command of her mother Captain T'Vorall. The Ranger-class USS Halsey had been decommissioned in 2270. She had been replaced by a Miranda-class ship. Said Miranda-class had been in service from 2270 until 2340. She had passed the torch to the current Excelsior-class version. Under the command of Commodore T'Vorall, she and five other starships were out fighting the Dominion right now.

Saraya returned her attention to the here and now. She reached the town's tavern, which had a big sign that said 'The Old Tent'. ~Hello, old friend.~ Next to the entrance was a copper plaque. She had heard rumors about something having gone very wrong in this town, but now she had solid evidence. ~X-18, March 2373.~ The plaque had six names. Amy and John Wright were Human, Korav and Laren Daza had been Bajoran, next came an Andorian male called E'Movis and finally there was V'Livaa.

V'Livaa had been a Vulcan female. There was a mark behind her name, indicating that she had died in the disaster. Her study of the plaque was ended when a Human male came out The Old Tent. He had Caucasian skin, with short red hair and blue eyes.

"Want to come in ?"

"Yes," Saraya walked into the tavern, which had a bar and a whole lot of tables. ~It's nice.~ She even spotted a corner, where the latest incarnation of Tango was sitting. ~Good to see that some things haven't changed.~ "I'm Saraya, by the way. I like what they did with the place."

"You've been here before ?"

"I used to own the place."

"Well, in that case, I'm Frank," They sat down at one of the tables. "I inherited this job from John and Amy Wright. They were the ones who reopened the bar. But they took their children and left after nearly dying in the X-18 disaster. So, here I am."

"Has the town changed a lot ?"

"It's become bigger. And it's in middle of the desert again."

Saraya nodded as she studied the people around them. They were a mix of species and ages. ~This place is still a refuge for who normally fall through the cracks. The tired, the poor, the huddled masses.~ While technical things had changed, the spirit of the town was still the same. And nobody here cared about the politics of the galaxy. Everybody was welcome here. There was a Cardassian female cooking, while a Romulan girl was watching some entertainment on a screen two tables over.

"Everybody seems happy."

"Well, except for Sebastian Dieter, he's the town librarian and grumpy old man."

"Every town has one." Saraya said. In fact, some people had considered her father the big, old grump of Las Vegas.

"So, you want anything to eat or drink ?"

"Can we still pay with whatever happens to be in our pockets ?"

"Yes."

"In that case…" She searched her pockets and came up with a few Darseks, along with a couple of jewels. "…I'll take a bloodwine and whatever Klingon food you have."

"I'll see what we have."

Frank took her payment and went to find her some food. ~He's a good sort.~ Part of her considered staying here, while another part of her brain wanted to leave for Vulcan. That had been her original plan when she had arrived here. Just a quick pitstop and then on to Las Vegas to board a transport to Vulcan. Maybe one day, when the war was over, her mother would join her there. And yet… ~Dad raised me here. This place is home.~ No matter how much the buildings had changed. Before she could ponder it further, Frank came back with her order. She dug into her meal.

(Nothing, Arizona – Spaceport – 2375.03.06, 1205)

Sayara had finished her meal and had been touring this new version of Nothing. Now, she was standing outside her final stop, the spaceport. But at the moment, it was more of a construction site. A large collection of shipping containers was surrounded by scaffolding. There were also people on top of the collection, welding and attaching things. She doubted if the ship, if it was worthy of being called that, would survive take-off. ~Not matter how much they upgrade it, this thing is a disaster waiting to happen.~

"So, what do you think of our little ship ?" A voice said, making her around turned to see a Human male. He was wearing a make-shift police uniform and a nametag that said Carl. "And yes, Nothing has a police force now. I know, we're starting to get ridiculously close to become a civilized town." He shrugged. "Who knew ?"

"I think it's disaster waiting to happen. Speaking of disasters, why are you trying again after what happened to X-18 ?"

"Because sooner or later, Washington DC will figure out that we're here," Carl sighed. "And we'll need all the help that we can get."

"You're sending her out to find allies ?"

"Officially, no. But between the lines…yes, that's the reason we can't throw in the towel yet. If this ship fails to launch, however, this town is over."

"So, what can I do to help ?" Saraya had a feeling that she was not going to like the answer.

"Well, this crazy plan of ours has a few backers scattered throughout this solar system," Carl made a face. "But if this program and the town as a whole is going to survive in the long run, we need allies in other systems. And somebody is going to have to find us those allies."

Sayara turned back to the ship. The ship was indeed a disaster waiting to happen. But Nothing and the people who lived there had beaten the odds before. ~That is part of the town's spirit as well. Not giving up.~ The two voices in her brain stopped arguing. ~Off to Vulcan I go.~ But now she had an extra reason. She thanked Carl and walked away. It was time to find a ride to Vegas, she had work to do.

The End