Leap of Faith (Part 4)
Posted on Sat Oct 31, 2020 @ 9:36am by Lieutenant Cassandra Kennings
1,862 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
The Binary Suns
Location: Kansas, Earth
Timeline: 14ish years from now
"Tommy boy!" the bartender shouted, coming around the bar with an ear-to-ear grin on his face. "It's been forever since we've seen hide nor hair of ye. Where ya been keepin' yerself?"
"Here and there, skulkin' about as usual," Tommy said, grinning back and shaking the barman's hand vigorously. "Seamus, I want you to meet my better half--"
"His far better half," the blonde next to him said.
"Amber Jones," Tommy finished.
"A pleasure t'meet ya," Seamus said, taking her hand in a surprisingly delicate grip and kissing it gently. "My humble establishment has never been blessed with such a blue-eyed beauty as yourself."
"That would be 'old world charm,'" Tommy said.
"Take a lesson," she said, grinning. "The pleasure is mine. Tommy said he'd introduce me to a few friends here. I was surprised he had any."
"A fun-lovin' boy like him and you're surprised he has friends here?" Seamus said, taking her arm and leading her into the bar.
"No, I'm surprised he has friends," the blonde said, tossing back a devilish grin at Tommy.
Tommy smiled back at her and sped up to walk next to her. "Seamus, we need your best table, and a room upstairs."
"Just so long as you remember which is for your mug and which is for your--"
"Seamus," Tommy’s better half scolded, sitting down. "Two of whatever you feel like serving," she said.
"Comin' up," Seamus said, heading to the bar.
Tommy swung a leg over a chair and sat down beside her. "Told you Dublin is great didn't I?"
"It's nice," she said, nodding in agreement. "And very friendly people."
"We're all friends here," Seamus said, coming back to the table with two foam-headed glasses.
"Told ya," Tommy said, flashing her a grin.
"So," she said, toying with her glass, "to what do we drink?"
Tommy thought a moment. "To Dublin. The city that time can't touch." He raised his glass and smiled. Dublin indeed seemed untouched by time. There were of course replicators, hover cars and other modern conveniences, but they were kept at a minimum and hidden away from the eye whenever possible. Dublin had retained much of its old charm, and that's exactly why they were hiding out there.
"To Dublin," she said, raising her glass.
"I think this is the place," Cassandra said, closing her gold compact and returning it to her purse. She pushed open the door to a small pub and was instantly assaulted by noises and smells she hadn’t thought could exist outside of holonovels. "Only about three-quarters of a millennium earlier," she said. The room was all wood, with no overt signs of modern technology. The walls were decorated with ancient spears, swords and other weapons of medieval design, and the furniture looked to be about as old as well.
They stepped inside, Richard putting a protective arm around Cassandra. "Do you see them?" he said.
The ruckus, and the commotion of people standing, sitting, moving to see friends, and servers all around made it hard to see anyone, but Cassandra finally spotted a blonde head, clashing with the red- and brown-headed decor around her. "There she is," Cass said. "Back and to the left."
They pushed their way through the crowded bar and came up behind their targets, but were pulled back by a pair of meaty hands.
"Welcome!" the bartender roared, spinning them around and slapping them both on the shoulder. "Young couples are always treated to the finest tables here; why don't I show you the way?"
"That's all right," Richard said, somewhat forcefully pushing the offending hand off his shoulder. "We're actually here looking for someone, and we just found them."
"I think you're mistaken," the Bartender said, all traces of joviality gone. "Now find another seat or find another bar."
"Sir," Cassandra said gently, "I don't think you understand. I'm one of their crewmates and--"
"Cassie?" a voice said behind them.
All three of them turned to see Tommy and a blonde woman staring at them. "We're here," Cass said. "Hello Meesa," she said, looking at the blonde human.
Amber rushed into the pub, heading directly for the back where she could feel her comrades waiting. She quickly skirted around tables and patrons, heading towards the table. A large, imposing local was also there, apparently trying to stop Cassandra and some other man from reaching the table where Tommy and Amber’s doppelganger sat. As the man turned, he did a double take, looking back at the table.
"It's all right Seamus," Tommy said as he stood up, taking the second Amber in his arms and kissing her till she finally pushed him away to get her breath.
"And hello to you too, Mr. Riley," Amber said, smiling slightly.
"May I re-introduce my better half," Tommy said.
"His far better half," the second Amber said. "Sorry about the confusion with my twin here," she said, nodding to Meesa.
Amber reached over to Meesa and into her hair, pulling out a small clasp tucked inside. Meesa's blonde exterior suddenly pixelated as her holographic exterior dissolved, and she was once again green-skinned as ever.
Seamus shook his head and rubbed his eyes, trying to come to grips with the group, but finally deciding it was better if he just let it go. "This land," he said finally, "can only be enhanced by more beauty. You're all welcome."
As Amber sat down next to Cassandra, she nodded to the man who'd joined them. "So," she said, turning to Tommy, "what was it like having an Orion woman be your girlfriend for a day?" She gave him a slightly playful smile.
"Well," he said, "the dame's mood was about the same." When Amber gave him a playful smack on his arm, he couldn't help but grin. "But the sex was out of this galaxy."
Everyone in the bar suddenly screamed and moved back as a body went flying across the room.
Tommy picked himself up and dusted his suit off before limping back to the table. The others gave him a 'serves you right' look.
"I don't mean to intrude here," Richard said, suddenly speaking up, "but Cassandra's informed me that we're all in danger. Shouldn't we be...doing something?"
"Richard," Cassandra said gently, "don't worry. This is how they clear their minds." She looked at Amber pointedly. "Right?"
Amber, however, lit up and looked at the newcomer. "So you're ‘Richard,’" she said, absolutely delighted.
"Not now, Amber," Cassandra said tightly. "What's the next step?"
"We’ve found the file, and I’ve looked it over,” Amber said. “It’s as bad as Meesa said, and it’s most definitely the Admiral’s handwriting. We traced it to--" Amber suddenly stopped and spun towards the door, soon followed by everyone else as it flew open and two officers in Starfleet Security Commando uniforms came bursting in, phaser rifles aimed.
"Hands in the air!" they said, sweeping the room quickly before setting their sights on their targets.
"What do ye think yer doin'?" Seamus bellowed, red-faced angry and coming towards them.
One of the commandos swung their weapon towards him and tightened his grip. "Hold it right there. We're here to take certain individuals into custody. Once we have them secured, you can go about your business."
"Clear out!" Seamus barked. Patrons jumped and scattered, leaving out the back entrances of the main room of the pub, leaving just him, the intruders and their targets.
"Now," Seamus said. "Yeh have until the count of three to clear out as well, or we'll clear yeh out."
"We will arrest you as well if you obstruct us," the male commando said, stepping forward.
"You're outnumbered three to one," Amber said, standing up. "Care to explain how you're going to do that?"
The female commando hit a button on her chestplate, and an alarm started beeping. Before they could move, ten more commandos transported into the building.
"Shit," Cassandra said, standing up. "Here we go."
“I thought you said there were only two of them!” Richard said, standing up next to Cassandra.
“You know them shooters,” Tommy said, getting to his feet as well, “they multiply like jackrabbits.”
By now they were all standing, with Seamus still off to the side. “Formation Epsilon?” Meesa said to Amber quietly.
“No,” Amber said. “We’re equally dangerous now. They don’t know which of us has the copy, or which of us has read it.”
Meesa nodded, taking up a position next to Cassandra and Richard. Amber did the same and they, along with Tommy slowly formed a semicircle around the table, squaring off with their attackers.
“You have one more warning to stand down,” the lead Commando said, addressing Amber, taking her to be the leader.
“Now, let’s not let things get out of hand,” Cassandra said, putting her hands up in a submissive gesture. “Doctor Jones heard you the first time, and I’m sure she’ll be happy to discuss this with you. She’s a sensible, level-headed, thoughtful person.”
Amber smirked and the commandos suddenly didn’t know where to train their rifles as every archaic, but nonetheless deadly, weapon flew off the walls and hovered a foot in front of each of the commando’s faces.
“Of course, sometimes she can be a real bitch,” Cass said, standing back.
The commando’s all sidestepped as the weapons flew forward and thudded into the walls. As they dodged however, they had only a one-handed grip on their weapons, which were suddenly yanked away, flying through the air and into the waiting arms of Amber and her cohorts.
“I’m not much of a fighter,” Richard said, hoisting his weapon anyway, “but maybe we should exercise the better part of valor.”
“Or,” Amber said, pressing her trigger. The others followed suit. The shots that hit knocked the commandos off their feet. The ones that missed punched holes in the walls. The commandos who were knocked however, were slowly getting back up.
“They’ve got body armor,” Meesa said.
“And these things don’t have a stun setting that I can find,” Tommy warned.
The lead commando pulled out a phaser pistol and aimed it at them, but it was shot out of his hand before he could pull the trigger. All heads turned to see Seamus holding his own phaser rifle and aiming it at the lead commando’s head. “No one shoots my guests,” he said.
Amber blew Seamus a kiss. “Thank you, but we’ll be alright. Head out the back.” She raised her weapon, as did the others and aimed it at their assailants’ heads. “Now, you all behave and let him go.”
Seamus backed up slowly. “You alright?” he said, looking at them.
“We’re fine,” Tommy said. “Thanks for your help.”
Seamus nodded and left quickly, shutting the door behind him.
Amber and the others kept their weapons trained. “I’m open to suggestions,” Meesa said.
Amber tapped her combadge. “Energize.” They disappeared as the commandos pulled out their pistols and began firing, the beams lancing through the transporter fields and striking the rear wall.
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