*****???*****
"Alright. Let's hear this story one more time." An officer aboard
wherever Sylia was being held spoke curtly. No doubt the death of his
leader did something to his courtesy.
"I told you, I'm from the past."
"The past?"
"Yes." Sylia looked down at her armband again. They had allowed her
to keep it. It shone yellow.
"And the suit?"
"It's a combat suit. May I ask a question now?"
"What?" A second officer asked. She could tell this was a boomer,
although it did an excellent job of covering it up.
"Where am I, when am I?"
"You are on board the U.S.S. Stingray. Stardate: 35731.9."
"Stardate? What about human time?"
"In human time, it is August 26, 2394."
Sylia leaned back to consider this. "I am from approximatly 360
years in the past. What is the USS Stingray? A ship?"
"A starship." The first officer didn't seem to believe Sylia's
story, even though she had just popped into the middle of the timeline
right in front of his face.
"You mean a spaceship?"
"Yes. If you really are from the 21st century, a good comparison
would be a movable Generos." The boomer said.
"Recycling air, artificial gravity?"
"Yes."
"I think we should take a while to consider what has been said
here." The first officer said. "All of us."
****USS Stingray-Stardate 35732.3-1:37PM August 26, 2394****
"Personal Journal of Sylia Stingray, To be transferred to my
hardsuit and then erased from the computer's core directly after I am
finished. It seems that I am in the future of my universe. Although I
have tried to do as little as possible to look into the past, as I am
afraid of accidentally changing the timeline, I have unfortunatly
uncovered some startling events. I am aboard the USS Stingray, The
Flagship of all starships of the 'Federation.' This starship is Tierra
class, registration NCC-166. It has been commisioned directly for the
purpose of taking on the renegade boomers." Sylia leaned back in her
chair and sighed loudly. Even in the future these problems persisted...
"It appears that the 'Boomer-manned voyage to Mars' that the
Japanese government is launching from the Moon Base in two weeks from my
normal time will malfunction and head into an unknown part of the galaxy.
When Earth joined this league of allied worlds known as the Federation,
they found the boomers from the shuttle had built more boomers, spawning
into an entire race. That race is now at war with the entire Federation.
The female I met that looked just like me appears to have been my
decendant, as well as the captain of this ship." Sylia paused. A
decendant meant that either she or Mackie had to have children. Of
course, she knew which was more probable...
"The other officers on this ship are trying to force me to take over
as captain. They think that someone that knows boomers as well as I would
be a large tactical advantage to them. Correct as they are, I cannot stay
here. Yet, I cannot leave because of a new phenomenon just found out here
is space. A time distortion. Due to the fact that Largo was not in his
headquarters, it seems only logical to conclude he not only completed the
phaser, but was able to use it to jump to any point in time. No place
would be more profitable for him than the future. He is here. In this
time. I cannot leave until I make sure he is destroyed..." A ring. A
futuristic doorbell, strange.
"Computer, save log. Make sure it's saved into a format a 2034
computer can recognize. Transfer it to my hardsuit. Then delete the file
from the main compuer core." The computer beeped in response as Sylia
answered the door.
Jeffries, the head security officer, the one who had questioned her,
walked into the room, the knobless door shutting behind him. "Have you
made your decision, Ms. Stingray?"
"Yes. I will take command of this vessel."
*****America, The Civil War*****
Linna dodged around a tree. She was tired. The cannonball had
completely destroyed her flying system, and even she couldn't run in this
thing forever.
"What is that thing?"
"A witch!"
"Burn her!"
"Damn superstitions..." Linna ducked around another tree. There were
only a dozen people here aware of her presence, but that could easily be
changed if one of these soliders got back to the rest of the men.
She had to get out of here, but she didn't want to destroy the
armband. If everyone else had ended up in their own place, she might be
the only one there if she decided to return to the Alternate world. She
didn't fancy the idea of her going up against all those boomers.
Damn Vision. Why the hell did she have to go and pull something like
this?
*****Megatokyo Genom Tower, 2033 (Alternate)*****
Vision looked to the west. There it was. The motoroid flew over some
large buildings as it headed toward Priss with her new suit. She scanned
it.
The motoroid shifted in flight...and blew up. A spark too close to
it's gasohol tank would be found as the problem. Amazing how a few inches
could change the future so dramatically.
She turned back toward Priss. Largo stood over her. His boomer
companions watching.
"You will carry this humiliation to your grave, worm." He kicked
Priss, who went sprawling over the ground.
Priss turned her head ever so slightly. "I want power, power enough
to lay this bastard low."
The three boomers circled her.
"Greater, stronger power!"
Vision smiled from her post. "And you shall have it, Priss." She
aimed her blaster.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Mackie's voice came from behind
Vision. She turned to see his blaster pointed straight at her.
"You can't stop me."
"I don't need to stop you, just delay you for a while."
"You would shoot me, a Knight Saber, instead of a boomer?"
"You're no Knight Saber, Vision." Nene's voice came in.
Both Mackie and Vision were surprised when a cloaked hardsuit came
from their side. The older Nene.
"So, you're a traitor too?"
"No. You're the traitor, Vision. You've fought Sylia every step of
the way. I've gone along with you this far, but I'm not going to stand by
anymore."
"So you are a traitor."
"Any last words, weakling?" One of the three superboomers said to
Priss below them.
"I'm not going...Ughn..." Vision collapsed. Behind her stood Daley,
in his modified K-12.
"Glad you finally joined the right side, Nene."
*****USS Stingray-10:31AM, August 29, 2394*****
"Renegade boomer ship approaching." Jeffries called out.
"Kelvin class." The sensor operator called.
"Is that stronger or weaker than us?" Sylia asked the group. She
might not be instilling them with much faith as captain, but she was
doing what was asked of her.
"Captain, Kelvin is the best class they have."
"They're...hailing us..." Jeffries said.
Sylia guessed by Jeffries tone the boomers were still usually shoot
first, ask later beings. This was odd. "Put them through."
"Hello Sylia. I must say, it's a pleasure to gaze upon you again."
Largo's crooked grin widened.
Jeffries immeaditly cut the communication. "Boomers are integrated
with each other, they don't use 'I' anym-"
"What did you do? Put him back on!" Sylia was so forceful that he
obeyed.
"Sylia, you cut so deep."
"Excuse my security officer."
Largo smiled again. "Ah, yes! Pathetic human emotions. As for you,
you seem the same as when I last killed you." The entire boomer
collective laughed in the background behind him.
"You're intruding on my timeline, Largo."
"You did it first. After all, if I didn't, we couldn't have this
wonderful chase we're about to have." He smiled again and cut the comm
channel.
"They're heading off, bearing 137 mark 001. Warp 5."
"Show me their course."
The viewscreen lit up with stars. A red line traced the ship's
estimated path.
"They're heading right for the time anomily."
"Follow them, as fast as we can."
"Warp 9.6." The person who sat at conn supplied. "Heading 137 mark
one."
"The boomer ship has increased speed to match our own."
"How long until we reach the anomily?"
"54 minutes."
Sylia settled into the captain's chair. This would be a long wait.