[Runabout 'Ebro', you are cleared for departure.]
"Acknowledged. 'Ebro' departing from Bay 36," Ryan MacLeod replied to the controller. He eased the runabout from its slip, then oriented on the huge docking bay door and crept out at 1/18 impulse power. What he had once disparaged as 'hauling cargo' Ryan now appreciated more deeply. He smiled as he looked out at the stars, the blue-white orb of New Canada below him.
Very clearly he saw a familiar asterism: the Teapot of Sagittarius. Of course, Ryan was looking away from the galactic core toward the general vicinity of Earth. The Teapot was backwards, the lurid glow of the Briar Patch almost masking several of the stars.
In the other direction shone the galactic core, thousands of times more brilliant than it was from Earth. He knew that just 'below' him he'd find the Big Dipper, only greatly distorted and much dimmer than from Earth. And, of course, less than 500 kilometers below his hull was New Canada, a world which wouldn't have been discoverable in Ryan's own time.
He took a deep breath as he reveled in the view. Even with the Taelons Ryan had never gone outside the Earth-Moon system. He'd hoped to go to Mars someday. Now Mars was strictly old-hat, the trip from Earth to Mars being about as significant as the trip from San Diego to Tijuana was in his own time. Ryan could go to Mars at any time provided he could pay the passage.
My own time. Chances are I'll live a lot longer here--and have a longer lifespan here--than I did back on Earth in the Taelon universe, Ryan thought. And this is a universe where humanity gets along with the great majority of the aliens. And can do something about the ones it doesn't get along with.
He held that thought as the proximity alert sounded. Ryan had passed behind one of New Canada's moons, where a Federation firing range had been established. His mission was to dispatch three target drones being controlled from the base. One of the drones was just off his starboard nacelle.
<Warning. Enemy at 5,000 meters and closing.>
Ryan dropped the runabout into a barrel roll as the drone dove to follow. The drone 'fired' its mock phaser and scored a simulated hit. <Shields at 75%. Starboard warp nacelle efficiency at 80%.>
"Reduce port nacelle by 20%," Ryan ordered, lest the runabout begin chasing its own tail. Meanwhile, he took manual control and sighted in on the tail of the drone which was now coming back for a second run. Ryan keyed the phaser control. The drone exploded into atoms.
"One down, two to go!" Ryan hooted, then was chided by the base for breaking comm discipline. Up yours, he thought as he went hunting for the other two drones.
It didn't take long. The two drones were making a run for him.
<Enemy at 20,000 meters, 240 Mark 8>
Ryan dropped down into the canyons and craters of the moon, daring the drones to follow. They did, of course. He was reminded of an old movie--he forgot the title, something about The Force and a Death Star--as he jinked and weaved his way through a rille. The drones hung hard on his tail, deftly executing their own maneuvers but unable to get a firing solution.
Suddenly Ryan got a stroke of inspiration. "Computer--reverse thrust!" he ordered.
<Warning. Unable to comply. Maneuver will cause structural integrity to exceed design limits.>
Engineers always play on the conservative side, even in this century, Ryan thought. "Computer, manual override. MacLeod Omega-three-nine-four."
The control panel chimed as the computer put Ryan's life in his own hands. Ryan immediately reversed thrust and watched the drones shoot by him. One collided with a mountain; the other narrowly avoided the same mountain as it executed a steep climb.
Suddenly the hunter was the prey. Ryan followed the drone on its climb and placed a phaser beam straight up its tailpipe (assuming, of course, it had one). "Ebro to range officer--mission accomplished."
[Congratulations, Mr. MacLeod. You've passed the simulation with a score of 92.4%. That first hit cost you!]
"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains, guys. Returning to base," Ryan said as he laughed. Truth be told, he was happy that the runabouts had shielding. Had he been in his ancient F-22 and his opponents the Red Chinese he'd been trained to fight, Ryan wouldn't have survived the encounter.
Guess the future's all it's cracked up to be after all, Ryan thought as he received clearance. [There's someone waiting for you at Docking Bay 38, sir,] the rating at the control station announced.
"Hmm... wonder who that could be?" he thought as he finished the post-flight checklist and opened the hatch. Outside stood Tara.
Ryan was surprised to see Tara there. She'd spent nearly all of her free time with Jayson these days. Musn't get jealous, Ryan thought. You're better than that.
"Congratulations on passing your test!" she smiled. "But then, I had every faith you would!" She wanted to embrace him, but refrained from doing so just yet. She wanted to see how she was truly being received. She was picking up several mixed emotions from him.
"Word gets around," Ryan said, smiling. "I only just finished a few minutes ago!" Then, he remembered her telepathic ability. "I guess some people are a little more in the loop than others," he smiled. Somehow today was different. He felt more in his element, more...at home.
With her green eyes glimmering and her smile bright, she finally embraced him warmly. "This is wonderful!" As she finally pull away, she looked at him. "Care of a celebratory drink?" she asked.
"Absolutely!" Ryan responded, without hesitation. "That was some of the best damn flying I've been able to do in years--literally!"
Tara laughed. "It's good to see you happy," she replied, as she took his hand. "Where would you like to go? It's on me, of course!"
"Hmmm... not sure. I'm kind of sick of the Gunslinger. Let's try Soma tonight," he said, noticing that she'd taken his hand. He felt warm inside somehow, but it was a different feeling from what he'd expected.
"All right!" she agreed, "Soma it is!"
As they walked along the corridors, they looked back and forth at each other. She was feeling that his emotions weren't as bothersome as before. Maybe he was finally coming to terms with everything... She wanted to believe that. She didn't want to lose him as a friend, though she had been prepared for that. It had nearly broken her heart to know how badly she had hurt him...
"So how has everything else been going?" she asked, partially to start converstation and partially to hear verbally what was going on in his mind.
"Actually, not too bad. Flight training has kept me busy. It's good to be back doing something I know. It's amazing how little has really changed! And, Jayson and I talked. I think things are pretty much straightened out."
"That's good to hear," Tara replied, with a soft smile. "You know... I wasn't sure if we... our friendship... would recover after this... And I so didn't want to lose that. Yet I had cause you so much -"
"Our friendship was never in doubt," Ryan said, interrupting her. "We've had some stupid games played on us, and we've had to put up with a lot of manipulation. But one thing is true," Ryan said as he looked deep into her. "I have never stopped being your friend, and would never, for anything stop being your friend."
She took a deep breath and let it out with another smile. Tears misting her eyes. She wiped at them as she laughed a bit. "I'm sorry," she said. "Since this pregnancy began I have been an emotionaly wreck!" Gently she caressed her swollen abdomen. "But it's so good to hear that our friendship was never on the line... I was so afraid it was..."
Ryan tentatively stroked the abdomen. "Our friendship was never in doubt. I guess maybe I had some things to work out. I was projecting my feelings about Ron toward Jayson, and that wasn't fair to him or to you. Even if we were in the right universe, Ron Sandoval is centuries dead. I can't let him continue to influence my thinking," Ryan continued as they entered the bar.
She took a deep breath and let it out with another smile. Tears misting her eyes. She wiped at them as she laughed a bit. "I'm sorry," she said. "Since this pregnancy began I have been an emotionaly wreck!" Gently she caressed her swollen abdomen. "But it's so good to hear that our friendship was never on the line... I was so afraid it was..."
Ryan tentatively stroked the abdomen. "Our friendship was never in doubt. I guess maybe I had some things to work out. I was projecting my feelings about Ron toward Jayson, and that wasn't fair to him or to you. Even if we were in the right universe, Ron Sandoval is centuries dead. I can't let him continue to influence my thinking," Ryan continued as they entered the bar.
"I'll take a cranberry juice," she said, as she got comfortable. Since it still early the music wasn't that loud and the place was mostly empty.
A Ferengi jazz combo was tuning up on stage. "I'll take a vodka martini, straight up, shaken not stirred," Ryan said with a wink. The Andorian head waitress nodded and went to the bar. "So, how are you doing?" Ryan asked.
"I've been doing well, for the most part," she said. "Security has it's moments! But it's nothing like what we use to do for a living!" she laughed. As memories came to mind she shook her head. "It all seems like so long ago, and yet, it wasn't... Not really..."
The waitress returned with their drinks. "And here we are, calmly accepting an order of drinks from a lady whom just weeks ago we'd either be trying to recruit into the Resistance or attempting to dissect!" Ryan said, laughing nervously as he hoped the Andorian hadn't heard them. "This is all a brand-new thing, Tara. We should treasure it and make the most of it. Best of all, we don't have to worry about bills anymore!"
She laughed again. "Now that is true!" she said as she tapped her glass to his. "It's not that I don't love it here. I have grown to appreciate this place more than you can know, and yet..." She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I think about before and those we left behind. But we're in a better place," she smiled. "And Zoe will grow up safe and happy and have all the chances in the universe that she might not have had on our Earth... Zo'or had plans for her. I don't know what, but something..."
"Zoe? Is that the name you've settled on?" Ryan asked. "Sounds Taelon," he said with a grimace that had as much to do with the martini as with the name.
Again she laughed. "Not quite! It's a name that's been around long before the Taelons arrived! Trust me on this! And if it were Taelon it would have to be Zo'oe!" With that she laughed again and took a drink of her cranberry juice. She thought of Ta'al. If it were a Taelon name, it wouldn't have been so bad, as long as it were in memory of him, she thought... The one Taelon that had become her family.
"I know," Ryan said. "I just had to give you a hard time--you know that!"
She play-punched his arm. "Brat!" she said with a laugh. "I can't believe her due date is almost here... She'll be born in the next three weeks or so."
"Let me know. I want to be there!" Ryan said as he gulped down the rest of his martini. "One more round for the lady and I--this one's on me!" he said.
"Well, there is something else I wanted to speak to you about, Ryan," she said. Suddenly her green eyes took on a seriousness. She finished her cranberry juice as she waited for the next. "It's about the baby."
"What about her?" Ryan said, suddenly very concerned. "Is everything okay?"
"Oh, she's fine!" Tara reassured. "I didn't mean to concern you like that. It's just that... Well, Jayson and I have spoken about this and he agrees with me. Should anything happen to us, we would like you to take charge of Zoe. We want you to be her Godfather... Her guardian in our stead, should the worst ever happen..." Her green eyes emplored him for an answer. He was the only one she truly trust this job to. He had to know that, she thought.
"You've made me an offer I can't refuse," Ryan said, faking a very bad Italian accent and placing his pinky to the corner of his mouth. "Absolutely! I'd be honored. Just don't expect me to marry Jayson should you get killed or something--things might be different here but I'm just old fashioned that way!"
She laughed as she leaned over the embrace him, planting a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Oh, but you two would make a smashing couple!" Her green eyes danced as she giggled.
"Naah...he plays too rough!" Ryan said as he squeezed her shoulder.
Her giggling increased, when suddenly she let out a surprised noise. Her hand flew to her abdomen. She shook her head. "That child of mine has a very strong kick!"
"I think I almost saw that one!" Ryan said, glancing down at her swollen midsection. "These skintight jobs they wear around here don't leave much to the imagination."
"Definitely not... And then my body keeps having these practice contractions on me... Sometimes I think I'm already in labor only to discover I'm not..." she replied. "They get quite strong too. I'm not sure how I will tell the difference when the time comes, though I'm told I will know..."
"Well, you know how to find me," Ryan said, pointing at his combadge. "I definitely want to be there!"
"I'll let you know, the moment I do... Uncle Ryan..." she smirked.
"Uncle Ryan," Ryan said thoughtfully. "I like the sound of that!"
There was a definite twinkle in Tara's eye as she took a sip of her cranberry juice. They were going to be okay... They really were, she realized happily. "She'll end up having you wrapped around her little finger... I can see it now!" She smiled.
They chatted a little longer, then Ryan reluctantly retired for the evening. As he entered his quarters (somewhat less austere than they had been), he found two messages waiting for him. "Computer, play messages," Ryan ordered.
[Mr. MacLeod, this is Colonel Tarik. I have heard some interesting things regarding your flight training. Please schedule an appointment so that we can discuss the matter face-to-face.] Ryan groaned. Can't seem to get through a single day without pissing off someone! he thought. But why should this be any different from the 21st century?
The second message was anonymous. A female voice. [Good shooting, MacLeod! I saw you at the firing range. Let's fly together sometime, okay? Bye for now!]
Ryan went to bed very puzzled that night.