The Engineer and the Time Lady - Interlude 0.2

 12. Interlude

“Commanders log, Day 1036. It is over a week since we left Alae-Lakria, as Crewman Alera-Kalrea calls it. She and Crewman Nina have fallen into a routine.”

Alpha sighed. She was certain there was more going on with Nina and Aiala than they had let on. She looked to Nina where she was looking over the data on the first alternate Earth the Baffin had encountered. 'Maybe she has found that British agent interesting,' she thought.

She shook he rhead and looked to the ENH as he sat at the Conn making slight adjustments to the ship's course as it came across variations in subspace. She then sensed the Baffin slow some.

“A slow zone, sir,” the ENH reported. “Do you want to slipstream past it?”

“A moment, Pilot,” she said.

“Aye.”

“Alpha to Engineering. Beta, what's the status of the Quantum Slipstream Drive?”

“One of the remaining Benamite crystals is in the chamber, but I don't know how long it will last.”

“It'll be a hop to get past a slow zone.”

“It is ready now, Alpha. Beta out.”

“Thanks. Alpha out. You heard him, Pilot. Initiate the Slipstream hop.”

“Aye,” the ENH responded.

The Baffin jumped to Slipstream.

“The problem is, the sensors only picked up on the presence of the slow zone. Not how big it is,” the ENH said.

“We'll Slipstream for ten minutes, then drop out again,” Alpha decided.

The ENH nodded and focused on the panel in front of him.

Ten minutes later, Baffin dropped out of slipstream back to warp speed. “ETA to Earth, one month, twenty days,” the ENH reported.

“And are we past the slow zone?” Alpha asked.

The ENH checked his console. “Yes.”

“That's good.”

Aialah entered the Bridge after having felt the strange shift in the ship's vibrations. “What just happened?” she asked.

“We just did a slipstream jump,” Nina answered.

“Can you explain that?” Aialah asked.

“Alpha got out of the command chair and came over. “The ship has two faster than light drives. The Warp Drive and the Slipstream Drive,” she said. “The Slipstream is faster than Warp, but it is more unreliable and depends upon a resource that is rarer than the resources the Warp Drive depends upon.”

Aialah nodded.

“You can have a tour of the ship if you like,” Alpha said.

“Sure.”

“Alpha to Beta, please report to the Bridge.”

“Transferring now, Ma'am.”

“Wait!” Aialah called out.

“What?” Alpha asked.

“Not him!” Aialah said. Too late, as Beta had already said the command to transfer, so he had transferred. His appearance scared Aialah.

“Is something wrong?” Beta asked.

“Sorry, I'll explain later. Ask Gamma to come,” Alpha said.

“Sure,” Beta said. “Computer, Transfer Emergency Engineering Hologram Beta to Engineering.”

As Beta transferred out, Alpha turned to Aialah. “What's wrong?”

Aialah remained silent, and looked away.

'Obviously something wrong,' Alpha thought as Gamma transferred in.

“Reporting Alpha,” Gamma said. “You must be Aialah.”

“Yes,” Aialah said, more lively than a moment earlier.

“Where do you want to start?” Gamma asked.

Aialah was in thought for a moment. “Engineering.”

“Sure,” Gamma said. She lead Aialah back to the turbolift.

Alpha was more concerned about Aialah after her reaction to Beta. “Computer, activate Emergency Medical Hologram, and transfer me to sickbay.”

“Affirmative.”

“Please state the nature of the medical emergency?”

“It's Crewman Aialah.”

“What's happened?” the EMH asked.

“Computer, replay what just happened on the Bridge, from when Beta transferred in until I transferred here.”

“Affirmative.”