The day after Benton's meeting with
the mysterious Sloan dawned clear and sunny -- the exact opposite of Benton's
mood. He was standing by the big glass doors that led out to the patio just
staring. Abruptly, he grunted grumpily and pulled the curtains shut. He didn't
want to look at the sparkling ocean or the blue sky anymore. Instead, he went
into the bedroom to finish packing. It wouldn't take him long. After all, he'd
only been in this universe a couple of weeks.
Just as he was afraid, ten minutes later he was done packing. He supposed he
might as well go back to the window and stare at the ocean and sky some more.
Picking up his bag, he carried it into the living room and tossed it on a chair
near the front door. He was just about to draw open the curtains again, when
the door chime saved him.
The front door slid aside, once again admitting Sloan to Benton's apartment,
and the two exchanged formal greetings. It was obvious there was no love lost
between them. But when Benton saw who stepped through the door next, his cold
demeanor vanished.
Sloan noted his reaction and smiled inwardly. Benton's reaction was exactly
what his psych profile had said it would be. Aloud, Sloan said, "Lieutenant
Benton, I'd like to introduce Yeoman Jamie Piper. Jamie, meet Lieutenant Benton."
The pretty, young woman stepped closer to Benton and shook his hand with a light
but sure grip. "I've heard a lot about you, sir," she said in a genuinely
friendly voice.
"Uh…. A pleasure to meet you," was all Benton could think of
to say. Piper smiled pleasantly at Benton's greeting, and though it's a terrible
cliché, her smile just seemed to light up the whole room. Benton decided
he liked Yeoman Jamie Piper.
"Piper's going to be your escort to the USS Ronin," said Sloan, and
his voice clamped the lid shut on the effects of Piper's bright smile as surely
as though a black shroud had been thrown over the sun.
"My escort?" said Benton. "I was under the impression I was going
to fly solo out to meet them."
"Slight change of plans," answered Sloan smoothly. "In addition
to Piper being an excellent pilot, she is also Admiral Pike's aide, so we're
killing two birds with one stone. We get you to the Ronin with no fuss, and
Pike gets his valued assistant at his side." The truth was, Sloan simply
didn't trust Benton to take a ship out by himself. For all he knew, Benton could
simply make off with it and never be heard from again.
"I see," said Benton slowly. He suspected that Sloan wasn't telling
him the real reason, and he suspected he knew what the reason was. "Well,
I'm ready if you are," he said, addressing Piper.
When she nodded in assent, Benton reached over and picked up his bag by the
shoulder strap, gave his apartment of two weeks one last look, and followed
Sloan and the lovely Jamie Piper out. The door slid shut behind him, and he
never saw the apartment again.
Forty-five minutes later, Benton
and Piper were in the Starfleet Orbital Office complex, heading for the airlock
that led to their vessel. When they approached, Benton got a good look at it
out one of the big bay windows. He whistled appreciatively.
Piper turned to him and smiled her smile again. "Quite a beauty, isn't
she," she said.
Benton turned from the window and looked back an Jamie. "Indeed she is."
Piper explained. "She's the latest model transwarp courier sled. It was
originally a Vulcan design, over a hundred years ago. We've made a few improvements
since then, "she smiled, "not the least of which is the transwarp
drive."
"Impressive," was all Benton could muster. Transwarp research in his
native universe had never produced any usable results. The Kelvan War simply
had claimed too many resources. Perhaps transwarp technology was one thing he
could take back to help in the fight against the Kelvans.
He noticed now that Piper was beckoning him to follow her -- he'd been daydreaming.
He took a few large steps to catch up with her. They walked down one more corridor
and around a corner, then arrived at their airlock. The thick double doors split
down the middle, revealing the inside of the sled. Piper stepped through and
Benton followed.
They settled in and made themselves comfortable. Even at maximum transwarp speed,
it was still an eight-day flight for the courier sled to the Ronin's position.
Piper was at the main controls. After confirming with the computer that all
systems were go and receiving clearance from the Office to depart, the courier
sled, the *USS Pony Express*, backed away from its dock, pivoted, and flashed
off toward the borders of the Federation, the USS Ronin, and destiny.