Chapter Text
Chapter 6: Liberty Comes Home
Year 21: Distance from Earth ~288 LY; Population 130, Approaching the Paulson Nebula
Kevin was in his office marveling at the performance reports being displayed on his computer. At their current speed of warp 2.75, Liberty would arrive back home within just shy of fifteen years. 'Libby and the other Minis ought to be in their mid-thirties or so by the time we arrive.' "Shit, I'll be ninety-one...I think after this, I'm definitely going to find a nice quiet spot and retire. Maybe I could convince Lauren to join me."
"Bridge to Captain." Robert's voice crackled slightly on the intercom.
Kevin reached over and hit the reply button. "What's up?"
"Call coming in for you."
"Understood, be right there." Sighing, he clicked off and pushed himself out of his comfy chair.
Now that Liberty had a subspace transceiver and upgraded power supply installed, Robert had his hands full monitoring the increase in communication traffic amongst the Vulcans as word of Liberty's survival began to spread. He looked up as Kevin entered the bridge and smirked his amusement. "T'eflon's on the line, Cap. He says he's been attempting to reach us for the past hour."
Kevin snorted lightly as he settled in the captain's chair, "Let me guess, he's practically chomping at the bit to find out where we are so he can set up a rendezvous?"
"That's what I'm figuring."
Waving his hand, Kevin agreed. "Sure, why not?" The bridge viewscreen fuzzed before a familiar Vulcan face appeared. Said face beamed with happiness, something that was still a touch off-putting to see on a normally stoic species. "T'eflon! Fancy seeing you again. You're a sight for sore eyes."
"Give me your coordinates. I don't care how hard I push our engines," T'eflon practically barked as way of a greeting, though the slight smirk belied the seriousness of his tone.
"You do realize that if you want pizza that badly, any Italian restaurant on Earth would be happy to make one for you." Kevin joked.
T'eflon shook his head ruefully, "It's not the same. I don't know why that is, but it's not. I think it has something to do with the company."
Kevin waggled his finger at the still smirking Vulcan. "You are by far the most 'human' Vulcan in existence." Behind T'eflon, one of the other Vulcans sent a look towards the viewscreen with the expression that clearly suggested, 'You have no idea.'
T'eflon buffed his nails on his tunic, "Something I proudly accept. Kevin, my friend, assuming Liberty is still in service by the time you return, I would like to formally submit my application to join your crew in any capacity you have available."
Surprise was clear on everyone's face. "A Vulcan serving on a human vessel? Historic, though I'd suspect it most likely has something more to do with the fact that you'll have ready access to your meat lover's pizza again and not worry we'll be separated again." Kevin deadpanned, a hint of a teasing glint in his eyes.
"You say that like it's a bad thing," T'eflon joked back. His gaze roved the bridge crew before landing on a couple of the Minis. "You have a younger crew than I remember."
"They were born on the journey back. At the helm is our eldest, Liberty 'Libby' Hansen. At the engineering station is Henrietta 'Hettie' Becker, and sitting next to Robert is Jenna Reynolds," Kevin introduced them proudly. "There are others scattered about the ship. Our population is up to 130 at last count."
"No one bearing your family name?"
Kevin shook his head, "Nah, I didn't get into the whole relationship game until a few years ago, and besides, I'm too old to start being a father despite what Doc Hartmann says."
T'eflon's head tilted, "Now that you mention it, you do look a lot younger than when I last saw you. Clean living?"
"Actually no," Kevin shook his head. "Doc found this medical rejuvenation treatment a couple of years ago and it's been an absolute godsend. I look and feel half my age. So, what's the general consensus amongst your people about us?"
T'eflon glanced off-screen and took a notepad from a crewmate. "Surprisingly good; your incredible journey after being mysteriously flung into the distant regions of the quadrant ranks high amongst the gossipy types. Your perseverance to return home despite being in uncharted territory is rapidly passing into the stuff of legends. I know of a few Vulcans who have stated that they couldn't believe that humans were capable of such tenacity. I think most of them would've just found a suitable world and settled down. Personally, I'm quite a bit jealous, getting to see and interact with previously undiscovered species, astronomical events, and other deep-space mysteries." He filled out something on the notepad before handing it back.
Kevin grinned mysteriously. "Just wait until you read my mission logs."
"So you never mentioned where you are," T'eflon remarked.
Kevin twisted his head around to see the star chart on the monitor behind him, "Are you familiar with what's in the Omicron sector?" At the Vulcan's waggled hand, he elaborated by saying, "Um, we're just now approaching the outer reaches of the Paulson Nebula." At T'eflon's confused frown, he got up and tapped the monitor, bringing up the information then transferring it to the main viewer in its own window. T'eflon leant forward a touch to peer at the incoming information. "It's near the trade route between Zeta Alpha II and Sentinel Minor IV."
T'eflon checked with his Second who brought up their own star charts. "Ah, OK. Yes, I know where you are now. You sure you don't wish to have an escort bring you home? My ship's rated to 7.8 for close to an hour; I can be there in under a year."
Kevin chuckled at his friend's eagerness, "Quite sure. I'll call you should anything changes. We upgraded Liberty's systems while we were docked with that Vulcan repair facility on Canopus so our engines are now able to cruise at 2.75."
"Really? I didn't know your ship could handle the stresses of going that fast."
"According to Maddy, the hull can handle up to warp 3 for about thirty minutes until something overloaded. She's mentioned Liberty was designed from the get-go to fly that fast."
"Right, I forgot you mentioned that before. Alright, if you're sure?"
Kevin bobbed his head and smiled softly, "I'm sure. We'll be home within fifteen years and I promise that you'll be able to visit me whenever you want. In all honesty, T'eflon? I really miss you."
T'eflon smiled fondly, "As do I with you, my friend." He raised his hand and split his fingers in the familiar farewell. "Live long and prosper."
Astrometrics, after he'd disconnected with T'eflon...
Kevin entered the lab and chuckled at the wide-eyed expressions on the scientists' faces. "I haven't seen such reactions since oh, I don't know...last week when we passed by that clump of interstellar gas." He greeted Lauren with a kiss on her lips. "Having fun?"
"Loads. We've been recording nonstop and the data we've accumulated is going to fuel research for decades to come."
He huffed good-naturedly, "Isn't that what you said about everything we've experienced since we left Sol?" Lauren shrugged and turned back to her monitor. She gave a tiny mewl of happiness when he started massaging her shoulders. "Besides all the science, anything interesting pop up?"
She shook her head, "Not really, no. I think there might've been another ship nearby, but it wasn't confirmed."
Kevin tapped the intercom, "Robert, did you detect a ship anywhere around the nebula in the past hour or so?"
"Affirmative, we sent out an IFF pulse, but either they're not on the frequency or didn't know what it was; they've ignored us."
"Understood, Captain out." He sank into an empty chair and brought up a visual display of the gaseous stream floating in the void of space. "I think I got spoiled on the false color images you usually send up. Without them, the nebula just looks sort of blah." Lauren grunted something unintelligible and continued her work. He gave her another kiss then wandered out to see what else was happening on his ship.
Hydroponics...
The moment the doors shushed open, Kevin felt himself being nearly bowled over by the volume of the music being blasted over the internal speakers. "What the..." He covered his ears and made his way over to the computer terminal.
"If you wanna run away with me, I know a galaxy
And I can take you for a ride
I had a premonition that we fell into a rhythm
Where the music don't stop for life
Glitter in the sky, glitter in my eyes
Shining just the way I like
If you're feeling like you need a little bit of company
You met me at the perfect time
You want me, I want you, baby
My sugarboo, I'm levitating
The Milky Way, we're renegading
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"
He shut down the music only to hear a disgruntled voice call out from the back, "Who the hell turned off the music?!" The owner of said indignant question belonged to one of the youngest of the Minis, David Benson. David's face paled when he spotted Kevin giving him a raised eyebrow. "Oh, sorry Captain."
"Dua Lipa if I'm not mistaken, good choice; but why have it playing so loudly?"
David thumbed towards the storage area, "I was inventorying the stores."
"You do remember that we have personal players onboard, don't you?"
David shrugged, blushing brightly as he stammered, "I...well, I was alone and figured..."
Kevin silently nodded his amused understanding then gestured about, "How's it going in here? I heard that someone developed a new kind of fruit?"
Nodding rapidly, David waved for his captain to join him. "A couple of us have been experimenting and came up with a few new hybrids. This one (he pointed to a tree that bore a fruit that looked like a cross between a Key lime and a kumquat), we're calling a 'Limequat.' Then over here, we've got a fruit that is bearing something that we're labeling as a 'Nectaplum'."
Kevin pursed his lips in amusement, "Because it's a cross between a nectarine and a plum, I wager?"
"Yes, sir."
"How do they taste?"
David waggled a hand, "I'm not fond of the Limequat as it's a bit too tart for me, but the Nectaplum is pretty good. They should be ready for harvest within a couple of months." He kept glancing towards the back, something Kevin noticed.
"Something you'd like to admit, David?"
David pinked, "No, sir."
"So if I were to head back there, I wouldn't find a still bubbling away with your latest batch of moonshine?" At the sight of David's jaw dropping, Kevin merely laughed. "Kid, I know about everything that happens on this ship. John Hansen found it last week and let me know. I don't have a problem with it, it'll be useful to have something to use in trade if the results are any good. Just be careful is all I ask."
"Y-yes, sir," David stammered.
Kevin bobbed his head as he took in the experiments. "Carry on, but keep the volume to a dull roar, please?" He patted David on the shoulder and wandered off again.
Mess Hall...
"Hey, Cap. What're you in the mood for?" Night shift cook Maggie McDonnell greeted him.
Kevin pointed towards the coffee urn, "My usual for now. What's on the menu?"
"This week's special is Fusion Food. Combining cuisines that you wouldn't ordinarily assume would pair with each other." Eyebrows raising, Kevin inquired what sorts of items were being served. Maggie thought for a moment, "Well, we've got Korean BBQ tacos: A quintessential fusion of Korean marinated meat (bulgogi) served in Mexican tortillas with kimchi and spicy mayo. Sushi Burritos: Large-scale sushi rolls filled with Japanese-inspired ingredients, wrapped in seaweed and rice, resembling a burrito. Ramen burgers: A beef patty topped with Asian sauces (teriyaki/hoisin) and slaw, sandwiched between "buns" made of fried ramen noodles. I've got the list handy if you want to take a look."
Mesmerized by what she'd already mentioned, Kevin shook his head, "Nah, that's alright. I'll stop by later sometime. Is there a reason why you're combining these wildly disparaging cuisines? Are we cleaning out the pantries or something?"
"No, it just helps to liven things up every once in a while. Keeps the food from getting boring."
"I'll leave you to it then, thanks for the coffee." He saluted her with his mug and wandered out.
Two months later
CAPTAIN TO THE BRIDGE! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!
Kevin dropped what he'd been working on and rushed off towards the turbolift. The ship shuddered and bucked from being blasted by who-knew-what. When he entered the bridge, his heart nearly stopped at the sight of a truly monstrous and dangerous looking ship. "Report!"
"That thing pulled in behind us in warp space and opened fire with no warning," Aaron reported as he relinquished the captain's chair. "I gave the order to drop out of warp and was about to haul us about but they just dropped in front like that. No response to..."
Just as he finished saying that, Robert broke in, "Incoming transmission!"
"Unknown freighter, you have violated Elasian territory. Heave to and prepare to be boarded. You and your crew are hereby under arrest. Any attempts to flee will result in your immediate destruction."
Kevin motioned for a channel to be opened, "Elasian ship, this the captain of the UESPA ISA freighter, 'Liberty.' We were unaware that this is your territory. Our maps did not include this information. We will of course stand-by or if you wish, allow you to escort us out. We are a peaceful species and have no wish to become embroiled in whatever conflict might be going on."
The voice on the other end changed to something closer to awe. "Liberty? As in that crew of bipedal...what're they called...hew-mons? Didn't you have something to do with the uprising on Trellia Nine?"
Kevin groaned, "Inadvertently, but yes that was us. All we did was fly by their system while they were engaged in some kind of battle."
The awe was clearly evident now as the Elasian captain continued. "Your presence ended a hundred year long civil war for merely 'passing by.' I apologize for firing on you, Captain. We would be honored to escort your ship to the edge of our territory."
Kevin slumped with relief as he grinned nervously. "That's wonderful news, Elasian. We accept your kind offer. Just so we're aware in the future, would you be willing to give us a rough idea as to what your territory encompasses? We don't need specifics on world locations in case you're worried."
"It's not a problem, Liberty. Stand by for our transmission. In the meantime, we'll escort you to the border. Tau Tu'chi out."
Kevin glanced over at Robert who nodded that the information was being received. "Helm, resume course and speed."
Year 22: Distance from Earth ~267 LY; Population 130, Leaving the Denobulan System
Kevin met Wilhelm in the hangar bay after the shuttle they'd sent down to pick him up had brought the man back to the ship. "How was your trip?"
"Enlightening. I must say that this assignment is shaping up to be quite the adventure."
Kevin chuckled, "You're saying that now after all this time?"
Wilhelm waved his hand lazily, "Taking care of the crew is frankly routine. Nothing that an intern can't handle. No, meeting all of these 'new' alien civilizations? Learning new medical knowledge? One of these days when our faster-than-light capability is above at least warp four, I'd love to put together a consortium of medical practitioners from all corners of the quadrant."
"Ah, a sort of Galactic Doctors Without Borders thing, eh?" Kevin surmised.
Wilhelm clicked his fingers eagerly, "That's it exactly! I ought to start putting together a rough draft of a proposal now."
Patting his friend on the shoulder, Kevin escorted him towards the turbolift, "So how were the Denobulans?"
"Pretty good. I met Doctor Zinet at our last layover on Xantoras before the government switched parties for the umpteenth time. We got to chatting about using smart contact lenses in areas where handheld devices would give away the positions of undercover operatives. Those discussions eventually led to him inviting me to this visit."
"I take it that they're not as gung-ho for conflict like the Xantorans are?" The Xantorans had opened fire on Liberty despite the transponder broadcasting they'd been doing ever since they'd inadvertently flew into Elasian space. Kevin had to order the ship to fly at maximum warp until they cleared the border then contacted the doctor to see about obtaining passage with someone friendly. The two ships met up a couple of days later where Kevin and a couple of the others received their first introduction to an unusual species known as Denobulan.
"Hardly. They do have a planetary defense force, but their drive is more towards the medical sciences."
"How many people on the planet?"
"About twelve billion at the last census count."
Aaron's mouth dropped open, "Twelve billion?"
Doc nodded, "Mm-hmm, one one continent no less. It's no wonder why they've adapted to their living arrangements or have legendary abilities for patience."
"Amazing, I thought we were cozy with just a hundred and thirty onboard. I can't imagine what their world looks like. Any problems crop up?"
"There was a moment of tension when I found out that the Denobulans practiced genetic engineering. I informed them that we had a bad experience with a subset of our species who attempted to forcibly apply those practices upon the rest of the world. My colleague commiserated but assured me that only those who've passed rigorous screenings may take part in the genetic modification programs. They have no wish to force their ideals on anyone."
"Good to know."
Doc handed him a notepad and looked up at the sound of the ping from the turbolift's announcement that they were arriving on the medical deck, "All of their planetary and civilization information is already loaded. I've got to get back. I left a tray of carnivorous Zeta Reticuli Weeper sprouts in incubation. I need to keep an eye on their progress."
Year 23: Distance from Earth ~246 LY; Population 130, 'Middle of Nowhere'
Libby was at the helm during third shift when she could've sworn her eyes were playing tricks on her. "What the..."
"Libby?" Emily's voice broke the general silence. "Is there a problem?"
Pointing towards the spot where she'd seen the apparition, Libby remarked, "Does it look like that planet is following us?"
Emily had moved alongside the young pilot and looked towards where she was pointing. Sure enough, there in the window was an Earth-sized planet keeping pace with the ship's warp speed. "That's not possible." She tapped on the intercom, "Bridge to Astrometrics."
"Astrometrics here."
"We have by all appearances a planet keeping pace with us at warp. We can see it out the forward windows on the bridge. Care to confirm?"
"One moment." The voice sounded just as confused as she was. "Uh, Bridge? Our scopes aren't showing anything within ten parsecs of the ship. Are you sure you weren't looking at a smudge on the window?"
Emily rolled her eyes and replied, "Instead of answering that, why don't you come up and take a look for yourself. Bridge out."
Poppy McCready, Lauren's second in command, stepped out of the turbolift with a teasing smirk on her face, "So where is this...mystery....plan...net..." Her eyes bugged out at the sight of the world that was indeed keeping pace with them at warp. "No, that cannot be."
Emily glanced back with a smug look. "Told you. Now what do we do about it?"
Poppy slowly shook her head in disbelief, "No idea. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Planets aren't supposed to move at superluminal speeds!" She hurried over to the intercom, "Bridge to Captain."
Kevin's sleepy voice answered a few moments later. "This had better be important."
"This is the bridge, sir and yes, I'd say it was astronomically important. Bring Lauren with you."
Both Kevin and Lauren arrived a few minutes later, the former hadn't even bothered getting dressed in something other than a pair of sweatpants, T-shirt, and a bathrobe. A mismatched pair of slippers adorned his feet. Yawning, he glared at Poppy then at Emily. "What could be so important that you woke me up at this time of night?"
Emily pointed out the window, "How about a warp-capable planet?"
Kevin stared bleary-eyed for a moment while his brain tried to engage. "Lauren?" He glanced over at his girlfriend who'd skipped right past barely conscious and went straight to wide awake disbelief. "Okay, you see it too. What do you think we ought to do?" This he directed to Emily since she was in charge at the moment.
Emily nodded, "Helm, drop us out of warp. Let's see if this thing continues to follow our lead."
Libby replied, "Aye." She pulled back on the throttles and made the necessary adjustments as Liberty's speed fell below the critical velocity back into normal space. To their surprise, the mysterious planet didn't appear.
"I would say that's weird, but this whole situation is weird." Kevin commented, scratching his chin.
"Maybe it was a test to see how you would react," a new voice responded. They all turned to see a humanoid male standing on the bridge wearing what appeared to be an old Apollo-style EVA suit.
Kevin grunted and gestured to the outfit, "Nice get up. I haven't seen stuff like that outside of a museum. Who are you?"
The person smiled mischievously, "My name is Q."
"Q? Why just a single letter?"
The now-identified Q shrugged, "It's as good as any other name that your limited minds and tongues can handle."
Kevin gave the being a reproving leer then let out a heavy sigh, "Emily, could I trouble you to play host while I go get changed into something appropriate?" He turned back to their guest with a slightly strained smile, "I apologize for my current appearance. Your visit happened at an inopportune time. Be right back." He hurried off to his office. When he returned, he held out a hand, "Let's try this introduction again. Hello, my name is Captain Kevin Garrett of the UESPA ISA freighter 'Liberty'."
Amused, Q shook his hand and snapped his fingers; his antique flight suit changing to match Kevin's current outfit. "You're a lot friendlier than Jean-Luc. He always treated me like I was some kind of pest."
One of Kevin's eyebrows rose curiously, "Who is Jean-Luc?"
Q waved his hand dismissively, "Oh, he hasn't been born yet. I last saw him in the 24th century."
"The twenty-fourth? How were you able to do that? Please, come have a seat and we'll chat." Kevin gestured towards his office.
"Time travel is but one of my many abilities." A blinding flash of light erupted bearing a bald-headed man in an unfamiliar red and black uniform who stared in open-mouthed surprise at Kevin before turning his attention to Q. Before he could say anything, another flash of light happened sending this new person back to wherever or whenever he was from. "See? Not very friendly."
"Uh, right."
Inside Kevin's office, Q's eyes roved the slightly cramped interior. "Charming. A lot smaller than I remember your species preferring for Captain's Quarters."
"It's not much, but it's home. So that was Jean-Luc? I hope he wasn't affected too badly from that rude introduction. (Q shrugged indifferently) So, Q; what brings us to your attention?" Kevin asked as they both settled onto the couch.
"Your very presence, to be frank. Humanity wasn't supposed to appear in this region until some time in your 22nd century."
Kevin huffed, "It was a shock for us too. As we learned later, a storm of some kind called a 'graviton eclipse' smacked us clear across the quadrant. We'd just launched back into warp after leaving the Alpha Centauri system and got clipped by whatever that eclipse thing was. It flung us five hundred light years from our home system. We've been endeavoring to fly home ever since. If I may, but what are your people like?"
"The eclipse? Roiling mass of charged particles and whatnot? Oh, yes I'm familiar with it. Nasty bit of work isn't it? One of these days, I ought to reroute it to somewhere less troublesome." Q's face stretched into a sardonic smirk, "Officially? We're omnipotent and immortal non-corporeal entities who strive to learn all that there is to learn in the limitless dimensions of the cosmos. That's what we may have started off as, but let me tell you, we're so much more than that now. Oh, to be fair, a large percentage of us are content with exploring the mysteries of the multi-verse but myself? I like to amuse myself by providing the impetus to lesser species to see if they can rise above the evolutionary muck."
Kevin sat back with an indecipherable look on his face, "Impetus? You mean you interfere with their natural development?"
Q smiled, though it was one that didn't reach his eyes, "To-may-to, to-mah-to."
"Uh-huh, and which of those plans involve myself and my crew?"
Q raised his hand, "Honestly, I'm just here out of curiosity. Like I said, your presence in these regions threw me for a proverbial loop. You moved faster than we anticipated, further than you should've given your limited technological achievements but now that I've learnt it wasn't by your own doing, I suppose your species' development is back on track." He leant forward slightly as if imparting a secret of the universe, "You know, if you want...I do have the ability to send you home earlier than if you were to travel under your own power."
Kevin smiled back just as slyly, "Thank you for the offer, but I think we'll be fine. If we accepted everyone's offer to get us to our destination faster, we'd lose out on a lot of potential learning and if we're not learning, your experiments to see if we muck-dwellers are capable of rising above our current status is well...pointless."
"You would limit yourself and your crew willingly?" Q seemed disappointed. "I would've thought you'd jump at the opportunity to avail yourself of the ability to advance your knowledge."
Shrugging as if to say 'but at what cost?' Kevin replied, "It's not proper to give us the so-called 'kick in the pants' if we can't learn what to do first. How can we understand what we've gained if we obtain it without learning how to get there in the first place? It would be like giving mankind the ability to make fire before they've even learned how to walk upright. That doesn't preclude us from asking questions if we get stuck, but providing us with the answers all at once doesn't really solve anything. You mentioned it yourself, you provide the impetus to lesser species to see if they can rise above the so-called evolutionary muck. I would say that someone or something already did so by sending that eclipse thing into our path. In the past twenty-three years since we arrived in orbit of Osseon, this ship and her crew has had to do a lot of growing up, both socially and technologically. We've learnt a lot about ourselves and the species that call this area their home. You offering to hand us the answers is cheating."
Q sat back and just stared, evaluating the man in front of him. "You make a compelling argument, Captain. One I wish that Jean-Luc had seen before turning antagonistic."
Kevin laughed, "Is that your way of saying he was bull-headed?"
Q snorted, "You have no idea." He gestured lightly, "You mentioned Osseon. I take it that you met the Guardian?"
Kevin revealed that they had. "Nice enough for a machine. It could get a touch condescending at times. When we first met, it tried to take the form of my dead father. If I hadn't already known that my father had died years prior, I might've fallen for the illusion."
Q scoffed, "Lopsided hunk of junk, should've been torn down millennia ago."
Not knowing what to say to that, Kevin remained silent.
Q picked at a nonexistent wrinkle in his uniform. "At any rate, I shall leave you to your travels, Captain. Your species is still too grievously savage for my tastes. Perhaps that will change in a few more centuries."
"I hope things will improve too." With a flash of light, Q vanished from the room. Kevin blinked at what he'd seen then headed back to the bridge where the others were waiting for an explanation. "That was unique."
Captain's Log June 21st, 2098
Liberty received a visit by a most unusual alien species self described as being omnipotent and immortal non-corporeal entities whose purpose was to investigate all that was learnable throughout the limitless dimensions of the cosmos. Going by the single letter 'Q,' this person informed me that he used an illusion of an entire warp-capable planet in our path to 'see what would happen.' I hope we passed this test or whatever it was. Q seemed relatively polite, if not a bit overly confident in his abilities which clearly surpassed our own in terms of knowledge of future and past events, technology, and just about everything else I gather. According to him, I'm a lot more pleasant than a future captain by the name of Jean-Luc whom he made appear and disappear in a brilliant flash of light. Q seemed surprised by our presence this far from Sol since according to him, humanity doesn't reach this sector until sometime into the 22nd century! When I informed him that it wasn't by our design, he seemed rather put out over being 'out-maneuvered' by a cosmic storm.
Q offered his services to take us home, but I politely refused on the grounds that it wouldn't be proper. True, I got the sense that he could easily transport us back home in a matter of seconds, but at the same time, his offer sounded a bit too good to be true and likely with some heavy strings attached. He seemed rather put out when I also turned him down in his offer to give me the ability to know all that will happen over the next couple of centuries. What this means for the future of my crew and I remains to be seen.
I got the sense that this being is intimately familiar with causing chaos for dare I say it... entertainment.
Time Skip: Year 26; Distance from Earth: ~204 LY (January 1, 2100)
Kevin stood on a raised platform in front of the entirety of the crew in the mess hall. They'd come to a full stop to celebrate the new century (and to make some minor adjustments to the warp reactor's sensor suite.) "If you would all raise your glasses? Here's to the New Year, may she be a damn sight better than the old one and may we all get that much closer to home by the time she's over. A lot has happened since we've left Earth all those years ago. We've grown closer than any crew has done before. Families have started, people have been born, a few have died, our spirit has been tested; but we're still here. Still striving to reach our destination. Liberty may have started off as just a nameplate on the side of the ship, but in the past twenty-six years; it's become more than that. We have become an inspiration to millions for every light year we traverse, and when we finally pull into Spacedock and set foot upon Earth; I guarantee we shall all be remembered."
The crew silently toasted the festivities, each other, and their fallen crew members. Kevin slugged back his drink and coughed. He shot David a sly wink and wheezed, "Smoothest blend ever, Dave. Let me have another."
Sickbay...
"Doc, he's coming around," Kevin heard the voice as if it were coming through a badly tuned radio message. He groaned as the light stabbed its way into his retinas. "Easy, Captain. Keep your eyes closed."
"Wha...h'ppnd..." he slurred.
"You overdid it during the New Year's party. Here I thought folks of your generation could handle their liquor. It looks like I lost that bet," Wilhelm's German accent was punctuated by laughter.
Cracking one eye slightly open, the world began to spin. Groaning, he asked how bad it was. "In what way? You didn't damage anything other than your ego and public image. You started to get frisky with your girlfriend but the two of you passed out before anything besides your shirts and shoes could be removed. Maddy and Maggie were the ones to drag your sorry carcasses to my domain."
Kevin groaned again and wished for a quick death to Wilhelm's continued amusement. The good doctor stepped back to let Yua inject a sedative into the captain's arm. "This will help you sleep and allow your body to work off the effects of the alcohol. See you in the morning, sir."
Three months later...
"Bridge to Engineering."
"Engineering here," Madison answered the intercom.
"You might want to come up here. We've detected a world that seems tailor-made for you Mads."
Confusion tinged her reply that she'd be up in a few minutes. When the doors opened, Kevin spun in his chair with a wide grin on his face. "I thought you'd get a kick out of where we're going next. Liberty received a transmission from a nearby system looking to hire a freighter to transport a load of some kind of grain. The pick up point is a planet called Myrddin."
Maddy's jaw dropped, "No kidding?"
"Nope. I knew you'd be interested."
She giggled, "I wonder if I ought to get out my witch's costume. Would it be alright if I joined the landing party?"
Kevin rose and headed to the turbolift, "I'd expect nothing else. Come, my dear. Magic awaits!"
Myrddin
"Do we know anything about this planet or the people?" Maddy asked eagerly as their shuttle descended through the atmosphere.
Emily shook her head, "Nothing beyond what we saw of our contact on the viewscreen. He appeared to be your basic looking humanoid though he did have a structured brow ridge almost like a softer version of what the Denobulans were sporting."
When they landed, Maddy (and the others) got their first shock of the day. They all witnessed a Myrddin dockworker levitate a pallet of boxes into the air using a stick not unlike the Harry Potter wands of fiction! "Wicked..." Maddy breathed in awe.
"Greetings! Liberty, I'm guessing?" A cheerful voice called out to their left. Turning, they saw an average looking man dressed in what could be described as a denim-quality work jumpsuit in an olive green color. An assortment of tools stuck out from several pockets.
Kevin stepped forward and shook the man's hand, "Hello. I'm Captain Kevin Garrett and yes, we're from the Liberty. May I introduce you to our Loadmaster Emily Pierpoint; she'll be the one to coordinate how the shipment gets loaded. Additionally, I'd like to introduce you to my Chief Engineer Madison Potter. She has a...well, a special connection to the name of your planet and the incredible ability that dockworker is able to do."
The Myrddin contact smiled pleasantly. "My name is Gareth. I'm the Senior Administrator for this sector. A special connection?" His curious attention was directed on Maddy.
Maddy stepped forward and greeted him, "It's something of an inside joke amongst the crew. On our world there exists a literary character named Harry Potter and in the fantasy world created by the author, he and others like him are able to perform magic. In the story, he grew up living amongst those who hated magic, was rescued by a large man and taken back to the magical world where he learned to control his abilities. He found love, made friends and some enemies, as well as fighting against a tyranny that had laid dormant before returning. Additionally in our distant past is another literary character coincidentally by the name Myrddin who was also reportedly a wizard and able to perform miraculous feats of magic and healing. I brought along a copy of both the Harry Potter story books and historical references to our version of Myrddin if you're interested."
Gareth laughed as he took the books, "Astounding! I guess our two cultures aren't that different after all. We too, have a story about a child who grows up to lead his people and right a terrible wrong. I look forward to reading this. Now, come along and we'll get things started."
The shipment of grain was straightforward. A couple of their modules were disconnected from the ship and stored on Myrddin while the grain containers were boosted into orbit, docked to Liberty then taken to the destination, in this case a colony world about half a light year away. By the time they returned, Gareth was there to greet them. "Welcome back. No troubles, I assume?"
Kevin shook his head, "Smoothest delivery in years." He noted the Harry Potter books in Gareth's arms. "You like?"
Gareth snickered, "I couldn't believe how entertaining they were. Purely fantastical in nature, to be sure but a fun read nevertheless. While we're able to perform magic similar to this, it's not quite the same. We don't have flying brooms, fire-breathing dragons, or a way to bring people back from the dead but we do have the wands, potions, and other classes that were described in the stories. I would love for you to stay with us for at least a little while to show off what we're able to do, if you've the time?"
Pursing his lips at the idea of Maddy practically vibrating with eagerness behind him, Kevin thought that would be a wonderful idea. He gently touched Gareth's hand and whispered, "Brace yourself. (In a louder voice) I think that'd be a welcome treat. We accept." Sure enough, Maddy squealed loudly as she latched herself onto Gareth, practically drowning the man with a barrage of rapid-fire questions.
Year 27; Distance from Earth: ~184 LY (July 2101)
In orbit of the fourth planet in the Valakis system
Kevin entered Astrometrics to see an Earth-like world displayed on the monitors. "Pretty. You called for me?"
Lauren nodded as she gestured to the screen, "I did. This is the world known as Valakis or more specifically Valakis IV according to the charts we got from the Elasians. First, they're not warp-capable. I know how you feel about interfering with the natural development of the so-called 'primitives' but they contacted us first."
Confused, Kevin sank into a chair. "How'd they do that if they're not warp capable and why didn't Robert call me?"
"Because he's asleep and the Mini on duty passed it down to me thinking it was natural in origin."
"How..." he started but she pointed to the screen and said that they'd used some sort of pulse reminiscent of nuclear weaponry. He grimaced at what he saw. "If they're willing to use a nuke to get people's attention, I'm not sure we should stop."
Lauren could understand. "I thought the same so I told the officer on duty to just pull into a high orbit while we run scans for later investigation. We ran the signature from their attempt at signaling us, and determined it wasn't a true nuclear blast. We don't know what it was at this moment. From what little we've seen, they're several decades if not centuries away from achieving warp flight. They're currently in what could be described as the Information Age of the mid-20th century back on Earth so whatever they used is a complete mystery."
Kevin bobbed his head, understanding. "Gotcha. Okay, let the bridge know when we can continue. In the meantime, I'm gonna head down to Engineering to see how Maddy's doing without Ben."
"Yeah, how's he doing? I heard he caught the flu somehow."
Kevin shrugged as he rose to his feet, "I'm not entirely certain it is the flu since we were all inoculated before we left Earth, and the kids never contracted it. It's Wil's and Yua's guess that it's a flu-like illness that we picked up during our last shore leave to that ice world." He gave her a kiss goodbye and sauntered out.
Six months later...
Kevin stared in disbelief at the information that was being sent back by the probe they'd launched at a rogue planet they'd discovered drifting through the cosmic void unattached to any nearby parent star. "Life? How's that possible?"
"In one form or another. I wouldn't be the first to admit that I'm kind of biased in thinking that only carbon-based life is possible if I hadn't seen the readings first."
He waved a hand at the screen, "I've sat in the science classes with the Minis while they were coming up so I'm pretty sure that silicon-based life is impossible! How does that even work?"
Lauren bobbled her head as she brought up some relevant information, "Silicon-based life is considered theoretically possible because silicon, like carbon, can form four bonds and long chains, but it's challenging due to weaker bonds and reactivity with water, suggesting it might only thrive in extreme environments such as hot or waterless with different solvents like hydrocarbons or sulfuric acid, not Earth's water-rich, moderate temperatures where carbon's stronger, water-compatible bonds dominate. Keep in mind that these lifeforms aren't the bipedal forms we're familiar with but instead resemble clusters of crystals like you would see in a gemstone mine."
"Are they friendly?"
She shrugged uncertainly, "No idea, but as you know the probe is limited with its ability to interact with anything other than a computer port."
Sighing, he reluctantly agreed. "So we need to send someone down to make contact."
"We don't have to; in fact, I don't think it'd be worth it at this moment. I can't even think of how we'd be able to communicate with them. For all we know, they speak using chemicals that would be deadly to us. I'll mark their planet's information in the database so if anyone gets curious later, they can send a proper survey ship," she argued instead.
"Still a helluva discovery, Lauren. I daresay UESPA would probably offer to let you name the planet. What do you think? Call it Greenhill's Rogue World?"
She giggled, "I'll think about it. In the meantime, you need to get ready for Libby's birthday party."
He grimaced, "I never know what to do at those parties. It's mostly just her friends these days. I feel like an old fogey."
She kissed him on the lips, "I hate to break it to you, but you are an old fogey." She giggled again when he swept her up into his arms and hitched her legs around his waist, peppering her lips with passionate kisses. She mewled with arousal when he moved those kisses to her neck. "Okay, the kids can wait..."
Mess hall, Libby's 27th birthday party (February 2102)
By the time Kevin and Lauren finally arrived, the music was already blaring loud enough to be heard in Engineering.
"Give it to me, I'm worth it!
Baby, I'm worth it!
Uh-huh, I'm worth it;
Gimme, gimme, I'm worth it!
Baby (uh) I'm worth it,
Uh-huh (Uh), I'm worth it!"
Libby and the other Minis were engaged in what could generously be described as 'dancing' but only if someone had dropped ice down their pants. Bumping and gyrating with wild abandon, busting moves that made Kevin uncomfortable. He spotted the elder Hansens off to the side and made his way over. "Nice party," he yelled over the noise.
John cracked up and nodded ruefully, "I know, right? I swear I don't remember teaching her those moves. Hell, I know they're not found in the database anywhere."
Effie snickered though it was lost in the noise. "You're acting like our parents did when we acted this way when we were the kids' age." John whispered something in her ear that caused her to blush, gasp, and slap him on the arm.
The song ended which was a relief to Kevin's ears. He wiggled a finger in his ear, "I should've brought earplugs." Over by the computer terminal, the DJ announced the next selection from swing shift Maintenance Supervisor Eric Dyner's playlist. Kevin groaned, "Eric, you and I need to talk." Eric just laughed and motioned to the DJ to start the next song. Soon the thumpy rhythms of Billie Eilish filled the room.
Kevin dropped his head and groaned. "I'm going to see about uploading my playlist as an alternative. At least then they can listen to real music." John laughed and clapped his captain on the shoulder before allowing himself to be led away by his wife. Kevin wandered over to the counter where Maggie and Alessandro were busy serving the food. "What've we got?"
Alessandro pointed to the platters in order, "Pepperoni pizza, chicken lasagna, beef burritos, nachos, and carrot cake. Coffee's ready for you whenever you're ready."
"Carrot cake? Who requested that?"
"Birthday girl. Said she wanted something different this year."
Kevin huffed in exasperation, "Libby is the definition of different. Okay, I'll take a slice of the pizza and a burrito. I'll get the coffee myself." He accepted the plate of food and went in search of his coffee mug.
Back up in his office, Kevin stretched out on the couch and clicked on the computer to scroll through his movie choices. He felt bad about leaving the party early, but he just couldn't muster the energy to put on a happy face and partake in the festivities. "Maybe I really am getting too old for this." He wondered if he ought to turn over more control to Aaron or even Libby to give the girl some more experience.
Sighing, he closed his eyes for a moment only for them to snap open when he sensed the presence of someone or something watching him. "I know you're here. Why hide?"
Q appeared in a flash of light. His face was alight with amused indifference. "Feeling your age, Captain? It happens to the best of us at some point."
"What brings you back, Q? I thought you were done with us until we advanced a few more centuries."
Lazily waving his hand, Q admitted that there was something 'homey' about his ship. "I honestly can't explain it. Jean-Luc's ship is too...clean for lack of a better term, too fresh out of the box every time I stop by for a visit. I've only once seen it in a damaged state and that was only because he allowed his second in command to take her into battle without him. Liberty on the other hand, is more rough and tumble in comparison."
Kevin laughed lightly, "Half of that 'rough and tumble' look is likely due to my second in command's efforts to give the illusion that we're a down-on-our-luck tramp freighter rather than anything in reality."
Q appeared surprised as he peered out the window, "Really? Impressive, especially for your limited species."
"Q, I've got a question for you. How old are you?"
"Depends, mon Capitan. Are we talking about a linear time scale, or maybe using the Bajoran calendar system?"
Dismissing the Bajoran non sequitur, Kevin replied, "Let's go with linear to start with. Using the Guardian of Forever's five billion year age as a reference; how old are you?"
Q snorted derisively, "In that case, I'm only four billion years but even that is an approximation. Why?"
"I was just wondering if there was someone amongst your people who was older and if I could meet them."
Q's eyebrows furrowed, "Again, why?"
Kevin lifted his gaze to meet his guest's, "Call it curiosity. Would they be willing to stop by?" Another flash of light blazed into existence revealing an older-appearing Q, this one resembled a distinguished human male in his seventies. "Ah, good. Thank you for taking the moment to stop by. I was wondering how your species dealt with misbehaving children who liked to torment so-called 'lesser species' for their own entertainment."
Older Q's eyes switched over to younger Q and frowned, "Ordinarily, we wouldn't bother since they're both immature and mature at the same time, but in this one's case? What has he done to you?"
"Nothing so far, but he's mentioned several times that he likes to act as the impetus to entice the unnatural development of species to raise themselves out of the evolutionary muck. On top of that, he's repeatedly commented that he has a personal beef with a future captain by the name of Jean-Luc in the 24th century. I don't know about you, but amongst my people, such behaviors reflect badly upon the whole if it was to become public."
Younger Q was giving Kevin a sour look, "I had such high hopes for your species, captain. I can see that you're even more stunted than Jean-Luc." He flashed out of the room.
Kevin blinked slowly then let out a sigh of relief. "Good luck with him. He acts like a spoiled child."
Older Q shook his head ruefully, "There are times where I wish we had set the boundaries of how much we can interact with the lower realms to be more restrictive than they are. We aren't the only ones who have taken an interest in what happens in this universe and dimension, but it seems as if he's the only one who actively interferes. There are supposed to be strict interdimensional laws about what we can and cannot do, yet Q insists on breaking every single one of them."
Kevin hauled himself upright, "I take it he's been in trouble before?" He motioned towards an empty chair which older Q accepted and sank into with a heavy sigh.
"In the distant past, Q was at that time a bored child of the universe. He came across the Guardian of Forever and managed to get himself transported to a realm that was the prison reality for an extra-dimensional entity known a 0. 0 tricked Q into bringing him back to this dimension where 0 taught Q how to test younger species to see how they respond to environmental stimuli. During their travels, 0 also managed to bring forth three other malevolent entities bent on sowing terror amongst the stars. We were forced to intervene eventually, and prevailed in the end. 0 was banished to the edges of the galaxy where we erected a psionic shield to prevent him from returning. Another shield was installed around the center of the galaxy to contain another entity known as 'The One.' The other two were banished in due course. Q was put on trial and forced to care for your species as punishment."
Kevin looked incredulous at hearing that, "Why would you put him in charge of overseeing us?"
"It was during that intervention, Q ripped open time and space to redirect an asteroid that had been hurled at 0. That asteroid was the one that crashed into your planet causing the extinction of the...what do you call them?" He swirled his finger as if trying to remember a key bit of information.
"The dinosaurs?"
Brightening, older Q waggled his finger approvingly. "That's them. As penance, Q was supposed to gently guide your species. I can see now that he went back to his old ways of testing."
Shrugging indifferently, Kevin replied that if it hadn't been for that asteroid, none of his people would've been able to evolve. "That being said, the number of devastating conflicts were a bit much. It would've been nice to get this far without going through several wars first. We've met a couple of burgeoning civilizations that achieved warp flight without attempting to kill each other." Glancing over to where younger Q had sat, he asked older Q what the plan was going forward.
Older Q spread his hands as if to say 'who knows.' "Unfortunately, we're out of ideas."
A slow smirk crossed Kevin's face. "What about sentencing him to live as one of us for a period of time? Make him live as one of 'savages' until he learns his lesson?"
Older Q's eyebrows rose, "Indeed, that would be appropriate. Could I trouble you to take him on?"
Kevin shook his head, "We're at population capacity, unfortunately. I would however suggest that he be sent to one of his previous 'tested' worlds instead. See if he can help them rebuild to something greater."
Older Q smiled for the first time as the idea took root, "I like your idea, Captain Garrett. I shall take your suggestion to our council. Good day." He vanished in a flash of light leaving Kevin alone to his thoughts again.
October 2102; Educational Center
Henry Archer, now fourteen years old, stared out the window at the warp tunnel streaking past. His mind was whirling almost as fast as the light. He jumped when his teacher tapped him on the shoulder, "What?"
"I could ask you the same thing, Henry. What got caught in your mind?"
He gestured out the window, "Why does the warp tunnel react the way it does? How does the power of our warp engine determine how fast we go?"
"Did you come up with an answer?"
He scowled, "Sort of. I remembered what the engineers of the mid-20th century went through to get a rocket plane to break the sound barrier and wondered if there were any analogies to warp theory." He clicked his computer terminal and brought up the history of supersonic flight. "Here, this is the Bell X-1 and it was just barely able to fly faster than Mach 1 or about 700 mph at 43,000 feet. Later developments included a more powerful engine and swept wings. Now, I was wondering if we could do a warp-equivalent of the same thing. Right off the bat, I know we have some limitations. First and foremost, we'd never be able to modify Liberty's physical structure so what if we were able to project a barrier of some kind ahead of the ship and alter that to shape the warp field as it flows around Liberty? I haven't figured out the engine improvements yet but it's a start, right?"
His teacher nodded thoughtfully, "Have you taken this idea to Maddy yet?"
He shook his head, "No, I just came up with it last night and was starting to puzzle it out when you startled me just now."
"Well, I like where you're going with this idea. Do you have your theory written down?" He tapped his notepad. "Good, then this will be your project for the year. Talk to Maddy when class is over. I'd like to see where you go with this. Even if you're not able to get anywhere practically, you'll still have the theory worked out by the time we reach Earth. In the meantime, I need you to return your attention to the lesson on quadratic equations."
Sheepishly, Henry stowed his notepad away and focused on the board.
Later, in Engineering...
Maddy was silent as she reviewed Henry's theories and notes. "Intriguing ideas, Henry. Have you had the opportunity to run any computer simulations yet?"
He shook his head, "I didn't even know that we had such software."
She crooked a finger for him to follow her back to her office where she got him set up on a spare terminal. "Are you familiar with the field of Fluid Dynamics?"
"Sort of. It has something to do with studying how gases and liquids flow around an object?"
She bobbed her head approvingly, "Close enough. Warp dynamics is the newest subdiscipline of that study. By inputting your parameters of ship design, power requirements, et cetera into the program; you can test out your ideas as much as you want. I'm as curious as you to see how well your theories hold up to scrutiny. I'll get you started then I need to head back. I'll stop by in a while to see how you're doing."
When Maddy returned, she was amused to see Henry figuratively neck deep in calculations as he ran simulation after simulation against his theory of improving warp flight. "How's it going?"
His eyes narrowed at the screen as he tweaked the numbers slightly. "I think I've made some headway. I recreated Liberty and used what I'm calling a 'deflector dish' to project an energy field ahead of the bow. By changing the projection's shape, I can get the model to fly quite a bit faster than it ordinarily would."
An eyebrow rose, "How much faster?"
He pointed to the results box, "This latest configuration, I can get Liberty to fly at warp 3.5 for an hour before the software starts generating error messages."
Astounded, Maddy slid into the seat next to him. "Show me."
Captain's office
Kevin eyed the notepad that had been slid over to him with trepidation, "Mads, you know that warp field theory was never my strong suit. I can understand the basics but I'm confused by what you're showing me."
"You know Henry Archer? Reggie's boy?"
Kevin scoffed, "Of course. What about him?"
"He's going to be breaking records by the time we get home, if not now. Remember how you thought Cooper was good, you'll be blown away by the research that Henry's done. I introduced him to the warp dynamics software I have in my office and already he's invented a way to increase Liberty's speed, theoretically of course."
Kevin's eyebrows rose, "How much faster?"
"Warp 3.5 for about an hour before the software starts seizing up."
His jaw swung open, "No way... Three point five?? That's incredible even if the real Liberty couldn't handle such an increase in speed. Right?"
She nodded, "Yes, and it's a damned shame. You want me to walk you through what he explained to me?"
"No, I suspect it'd just go in one ear and out the other," he joked. "How far along has he worked on his thesis for this? Do you think it's far enough along to transmit to UESPA?"
She made an indecipherable noise in her throat, "I'm worried that some scientist would disregard the work because it was done by a teenager and stuff it in the archives where it'd just collect dust. I was hoping that Henry would receive some kind of recognition and technical assistance, heck even a scholarship by the time we got home."
Kevin reached for the intercom, "Captain to Communications."
"Communications, Holly speaking." Holly Paddington was one of the affectionately nicknamed 'Tiny Tots' and a classmate of Henry Archer's.
"Holly, do you know how to contact UESPA, specifically Harland Bennett?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good, contact them and patch him to my office, please." He clicked off and sat back. "Harland should know someone." The monitor on his computer flared to life, Harland's face grinning back at him. "Hey, Harland. Thanks for taking my call. Listen, I've got an engineering genius onboard and was hoping you might know someone trustworthy there who'd give him some help with his theories."
"Sure, what's the kid's name?"
Time Skip: Year 32, Distance from Earth: 0 LY, Approaching the coordinates of the Oort Cloud (September 2107)
Libby was at the helm again. She was humming a tuneless song under her breath as she monitored Liberty's flight. Behind her, Kevin and Aaron were chatting excitedly as they discussed what they were going to do when they emerged from the warp tunnel at the Pluto Mandatory Waypoint. An idea bubbled up in her mind causing her to let out a sharp snort of amusement. "Libby? You got something?"
"Sorry, sir. I just had a funny idea on how to make our return memorable."
Aaron laughed, "You mean besides the tales of our epic journey?"
She bobbled her head, "Yeah, so picture this. A fleet of UESPA ships are gathered to welcome us home, expecting us to emerge from warp and pull to a graceful stop."
Kevin leant back in his chair, "I'm with you so far."
"Well, what if we were to hijack their communications as the heart-pounding music of let's say ACDC's Thunderstruck or Metallica's Enter Sandman fills the air as we come ripping out of the warp tunnel at full sublight speeds?"
Everyone on the bridge burst out laughing, including a smugly grinning Libby. Aaron moved over and tousled her hair, "I knew there was a reason why I love this kid. Boss, we've got to do something like that. How difficult do you think it'd be to get Liberty to pull a loop or something?"
Kevin was clutching his sides from laughing so hard, wheezing out, "Ow, that hurts. Libby, you're crazy. Aaron, not a chance in hell. Not only don't I think the ship would be able to handle such maneuvers, but also Maddy would come up and personally kick your butt back to Osseon for even suggesting it." Snorts of laughter were still heard by the others. "Still, we can still run with the music portion of your idea. Holly? Put in a call to Harland, will you?" She acknowledged him and turned back to her station to carry out his request.
Earth's orbit, twelve hours later
Harland Bennett, now UESPA's Director of Operations, Sol Sector stood on the bridge of the fleet's newest flagship, the Columbus-class UE-101 'Intrepid.' He idly watched as the Captain quietly issued orders to his crew while at the same time bursting with anticipation at Liberty's imminent arrival. On the viewscreen, he could see the other ships of Earth's defensive fleet standing by. "Director? You seem jumpy," Captain Marcus Arroway observed.
Harland shook his head, "Just impatient for Liberty to arrive."
A call went out from Weapons Control. "Sir, Pluto's automated sensors report an unauthorized vessel that failed to stop as per regulations. According to the readings, it's traveling at warp 2.75. We predict it should be within targeting range in fifteen minutes."
"Captain, aye. Plasma cannons on standby, ready spatial torpedoes. Wait for my confirmation." He spotted the concern on Harland's face. "Just in case it's not Liberty."
Fifteen minutes later, every communication officer ripped off their headsets at the same time the onboard speakers roared to life blaring out the heavy metal sounds of ACDC's Back in Black at full volume:
"Back in black
I hit the sack
I've been too long, I'm glad to be back
Yes, I'm let loose
From the noose
That's kept me hanging about
I've been looking at the sky
'Cause it's gettin' me high
Forget the hearse 'cause I never die
I got nine lives
Cat's eyes
Abusin' every one of them and running wild."
In front of the welcoming committee, the space erupted in a supernova explosion of as Liberty ripped out of the tunnel at full throttle, scattering the fleet in a thunderous wash of gravitational energy.
'Cause I'm back
Yes, I'm back
Well, I'm back
Yes, I'm back
Well, I'm back, back
Well, I'm back in black
Yes, I'm back in black
Back in the back
Of a Cadillac
Number one with a bullet, I'm a power pack
Yes, I'm in a bang
With a gang
They've got to catch me if they want me to hang
'Cause I'm back on the track
And I'm beatin' the flack
Nobody's gonna get me on another rap
So look at me now
I'm just makin' my play
Don't try to push your luck, just get out of my way!"
Onboard Liberty...
Libby pushed the throttles to the max, her lips peeled back in a manic grin as she hauled back on the controls the moment they blasted out of the tunnel, shoving the ship onto her tail as she screamed 'skyward.' Behind her, Kevin and the others had wisely strapped in; Kevin in particular was gripping onto the armrests with a death grip, once again wondering what possessed him letting her run with this wild idea. He shot a glare at Aaron who whooped with delight as Libby pulled the ship out of her loop before snapping her over for a tight turn around the fleet like a fighter pilot. "I blame you for this idiocy! You get to deal with Maddy," he yelled over the noise of the music.
"Admit it, Kevin. Libby was born to do this from day one. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the ship herself isn't in tune with her flying as well. Look at well she's handling the stress." Sure enough, a quick check of the engineering monitor showed Liberty pushing everything she had to the red lines and incredibly, somehow 'loving' every minute of it.
Onboard Intrepid...
Everyone watched the vintage freighter pull maneuvers better suited for a fighter craft in stunned silence (a few heads were bobbing to the music); Harland cheered and danced a jig as Liberty skewed to a stop alongside Intrepid. "Contact Liberty, Captain if you will."
Kevin's face fuzzed in, his face pale and slightly sweating though there was a hint of a relieved grin. "Hi, miss us?"
Captain Arroway scoffed, "What the hell kind of flying was that? Do you have any idea the kind of trouble you're going to be in because of that stunt?" His attention was redirected to the sight of Libby dancing some kind of moves in the background. "Who's that?"
Kevin let out a relieved chuckle, "That would be Liberty Hansen. She's my pilot and eventual replacement if I have anything to say about it. It was her idea to pull off that performance and trust me, there was no one better to do it. She and the ship have some sort of mystical connection that defies explanation, to be honest."
Harland entered the transmission. "Congratulations are in order for both the entrance and your triumphant return home. Permission to dock with Starbase 1 is wholeheartedly approved at Berth 94. Welcome home, Liberty."
Epilogue
September 1, 2112; Southern California Mojave Desert, Palmdale Spaceport
Five years later and after all of the speeches, parades, and debriefings; the crew of Liberty were finally released to their families (what remained of them) or to seek out their fortunes elsewhere if they so desired. The ship had been moved within UESPA's orbital drydock so the engineers and other scientists could go over every square inch of her, curious about what sorts of improvements Maddy and her team had made over the years. They were most interested in how they'd incorporated Vulcan technology into the original equipment. The Vulcan High Command tried to censure Maddy and Kevin for theft of their outpost but were essentially ignored by all involved. Harland even went on record to suggest that they shove their complaints 'where the sun don't shine.' Once that had been done, she'd scooped up Cooper and Henry and disappeared into UESPA's Engineering department ostensibly to revolutionize warp flight and long-term deep-space spacecraft designs.
Aaron retired and moved to Northern California where he bought a ranch to spend his remaining days in relative isolation yet minutes from the nearest major city thanks to modern transportation. When asked why, he would sigh before replying that he wanted to spend the rest of his days surrounded by wide-open green natural terrain instead of metal walls. "I've had enough of living in a tin can breathing recycled air, no disrespect to Liberty intended. I can't even live in the city anymore. Too closed in and crowded for my tastes these days."
Lauren and her team were scooped up by the various astronomical agencies to disseminate all of the information and data they'd collected over the past thirty years in 'uncharted space.' The last he'd heard from his girlfriend, she was giving a lecture in Paris at the International Astronomical Union. She promised that when she returned, they'd be passionately christening every flat surface, multiple times if necessary. He eagerly looked forward to that day.
The Hansens bought a parcel of land in Scotland at Effie's request and settled down to watch over their growing family. Their twins were making noises about finding their own homes away from their 'gross parents.' Magnus had revealed a couple of months later that he was thinking of shipping out on a research ship to investigate rumors of a crashed ship full of cybernetic humanoids on the moon of Solis in the Omega Sector. Libby had been accepted into UESPA's Command School and used her time on Liberty to prove that she had what it took to command her own ship. From her last letter, it looked like she would be getting her pick of the newest generation of freighters.
Flashback...
After receiving her letter, he'd called her up to inquire about her decision to captain a freighter as opposed to one of the new deep-space cruisers. "So, a freighter? I would've thought you'd have enough of them after growing up on Liberty."
Libby shrugged, "I figured I'd stay with what I know and I know that just because a ship starts off one way, doesn't mean that it'll always stay that way. As we've proved, a freighter can have a life of its own."
"So when do you ship out and do you know which one you're getting?"
Libby checked her calendar, "I fly out of Palmdale Spaceport September first and I'll be getting the flagship of the newest class of the DY series."
"Yeah? Which class are they up to?"
"DY-500. Three thousand metric ton gross vehicle mass. She's able to cruise at warp 3.75 with a max speed of 3.9 for forty minutes. The ship's name is ironically Liberty II. I wish they hadn't decommissioned the original. I'll miss her."
He smiled fondly, "I'm not surprised they did. Liberty was pushed beyond her design so much that she was essentially a new ship. She'll live out the rest of her days at the Smithsonian's Orbital Museum where I plan on visiting her soon."
She shared a fond smile as well. "So how do you like living on Earth? It must feel strange to wake up each morning and see a sunrise instead of a warp tunnel."
He huffed, "The first month was like something out of a dream. The number of 'firsts' I had...anyhow, you said you'd be flying on on the first of September? I'll swing by to see you off. A sort of full circle since that was the spaceport I flew out of at the beginning of our journey."
Present...
"Uncle Captain Kevin?" Libby's cheerful teasing voice broke him out of his introspection.
"Libby. Silly girl. It's good to see you again. Ready to get going?"
She bobbed her head, solemnly gazing out of the window. "I am. Earth's nice but I really can't see myself putting down roots unless forced. You going to be okay without me?"
Laughing, Kevin replied that he still saw the others often. "Aaron's coming by tomorrow in theory to share a beer and watch the game, but I suspect in reality to make sure I haven't stolen Liberty to make 'one last run'." They turned at the announcement for the shuttle to Starbase 1. Kevin embraced Libby and kissed her forehead, "Be safe, Libby. You're the future of everything."
She pulled away and gave him a tearful smile then saluted him. "As Aunt Lauren would say, you worry too much. It's just a milk run to Vulcan. I'll be there in about four months. What could go wrong?" She gave him a wink and hurried off.
Kevin returned to the window and watched as the boarding ramp disengaged from the shuttle and began retracting. He sniffled as the shuttle spooled up its engines and lifted off the ramp, roaring towards the stars. In his mind's eye, he could see himself and his ship making the same preparations for launch. "Once again, Liberty takes flight; to boldly go where no one has gone before."
Fin.