Star Trek: Bendross
Episode 18 - Halfway to Nowhere
(Winter, 2083)
By
And
The Bendross Players
Hamilton’s first coherent thought was to wonder what the hell he’d been drinking. "Whatever it was," Hamilton told himself, "It had better be worth this!"
Hamilton fought to open his eyes. They seemed crusted over with sleep and his arms felt like two tons of led. He tried to raise his hands to wipe at his face and banged them into something that felt like plastic.
The plastic moved away from him as he flailed at it.
There was fresh air. It was warm. Hamilton noticed he was cold. "Passed out in the Friggin’ park again…" Hamilton thought remembering the last time and all the promised he’d made to God about that.
Hamilton felt that he was on some sort of cot. Or couch, or something.
He rolled halfway over and discovered the floor wasn’t where he left it, either.
Grunting incoherently he fell and discovered that the floor was tilted compared to his cot. Or his cot was tilted compared to the floor. Hard to be sure. He also discovered that his cot had a sizable lip along the side, from a bruise it left down his chest and side.
"Shit."
Somebody said something.
"I’m moving, officer," Hamilton said, holding his hands up to ward off the expected blow. He rolled to a sitting position and then struggled most of the way into a mostly standing position. His head made him regret it.
"Open your eyes, Ashby."
Hamilton rubbed solidly at his eyes. "I’m trying."
Eventually Hamilton rubbed his eyes clear and looked at where he was. The bed with the plexiglass bubble over it looked familiar. The tall dark haired man also looked familiar.
Eventually Hamilton remembered who Tristan Mancuso was and it all came flooding back to him.
"Ow!" Hamilton said "For a minute there, I didn’t remember where I was."
Tristan smirked at him. "I have a hibernation hangover, too Ham. I’m going to get you for making me laugh through it someday."
"Everyone needs a hobby I guess." Hamilton replied.
-*-
The very first thing Tristan did once he’d recovered enough from cold sleep was to head for the engine room.
"I need to make sure that everything’s okay and no one’s been playing with things while I’ve been asleep.
Hamilton wanted coffee and wait out the stares more than anything, but Tristan’s dedication inspired him.
Hamilton pulled his pants out of the drawer where’d he’d just placed them and found them feeling somewhat musty.
He slipped them on and then wandered out of his quarters and down the corridor.
-*-
Hamilton went and got a cup of coffee anyway. In the control module wardroom he found Michelle Gibbons looked about as bad as he felt. He was taken with the vulnerability of his team mate in morning mode. She looked really sweet.
"What!?" Michelle growled.
Hamilton started and realized he’d been staring. He mumbled "Sorry." He went to grab some coffee.
Michelle left an unsaid "uuuuggggghhhh" hanging in the air and wandered over towards a bench. Hamilton noted she had some dusty bunny slippers on. He smirked to himself.
A sip of way too hot instant coffee let him know that no, his mouth hadn’t been awake yet either and resented the intrusion.
"Anyone on the bridge?" Hamilton asked.
"Alicia." Michelle growled. Michelle was the most tolerant, open and professional members of Excursion team #2. Even the most genial of people had their limits and Hamilton guessed that a hibernation hangover in the same room as Alicia Bendross was Michelle’s.
Hamilton didn’t blame her, He’d have killed Alicia long before leaving Earth.
Sighing he turned and entered the passage way that lead to the command module and areas forward.
-*-
Alicia was sitting in the Captain’s chair.
Hamilton looked at her with slight annoyance. The little so-and-so considered herself the princess of the colony. Hamilton didn’t much like the idea to begin with. He really disliked the way Alicia rubbed everyone’s nose in the assumption.
"Ahem." Hamilton said.
Alicia looked up at him in surprise for a moment and then carefully closed down what she’d been doing on the captain’s terminal.
"How are you, Hamilton?" She asked.
Hamilton blinked. Alicia Bendross remembered his name? "Fiiiinnnne. And you?"
"Well, Hamilton, I need your help." Alicia said. She put on her best vulnerable little girl face.
Hamilton took a sip of his coffee and looked at that for a moment. Alicia’s vulnerable little girl routine was disturbingly effective. "What do you want?"
"Well, I got a memo before we left that you had some file or something like that?" Alicia said.
"Uhh- I don’t know…" Hamilton peddled.
"Hammie, I would really like it if you could give me that file." Alicia said. Her body language implied things about just how she’d really like it.
Ashby looked at her for a moment. Part of his brain was yelling "Jesus! We have a shot at the Heiress of the age! Stick her UP for it Hamilton!!"
Hamilton blinked at her for a moment and then his natural paranoia kicked in. "And what’s in that file that you want, Alicie-weesy?"
Alicia took a deep breath. "I don’t know, but I know one thing. Whatever’s in that thing can be valuable. Very valuable."
"I know. It got me my ride on this ship." Hamilton said
Alicia’s face grew harsh. Just for a moment Hamilton could see the resemblance between Alicia and her Uncle. "Maybe a one way ticket to nowhere is your idea of a good time, buddy boy but I have more important…" With great effort Alicia Bendross got back into character.
"Hammie, I am sure we could work something out." She let the offer hang in the air.
"Makes me wish I had a file to offer you, Miss Bendross. Sadly, I have nothing of the sort." Hamilton went over and slid into the main pilot’s seat. The controls of the Bendross III weren’t notably different from a large cargo shuttle’s. All the basic space flight instrumentation. All useless ten light years into deep space.
"Please don’t lie to me." Alicia said. Hamilton could hear fake sincerity all over her voice. "I’ve been lied to before. I-"
For half a second Hamilton had a picture perfect comparison in his head of Michelle Gibbons honest and subconscious vulnerability and Alicia Bendross’ carefully constructed vulnerability.
Hamilton turned around. "I’m not lying." With a shock he realized it was a habit he’d gotten out of. He didn’t miss it.
"I won’t play these sorts of games with you!" Alicia huffed. "Shoo!" she waved her hand daintily at the hatchway.
Hamilton looked at her with cold disbelief.
"Get off my bridge! Shoo!"
Hamilton got up and left the Bendross III’s bridge and headed back for the computer compartment. That’s where he needed to be to look at the computer core anyway.
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Trek. I claim original characters and situations in this story for me.