“Laws and Orders”
Stardate 72312.2;
April 29, 2395
Episode 9
Written by Chris
Adamek
Edited by David
Taylor
Additional Characters
Deemus
Nikus
Soris
Admiral T’Lari
Prologue
CAPTAIN’S LOG, STARDATE 72312.2: The Starlight is in orbit of Rutania VI, a nonaligned world opposite the Ka’Tula System
near the Alteran Expanse. With the Elorg
invasion drawing nearer every day, Starfleet has sanctioned a mission to seek
out new allies for the coming conflict.
While we
have had little formal contact with the Rutanians,
diplomatic relations are cordial, and informal contact between Federation
merchant ships and Rutanian traders is commonplace.
As he finished his log, Alan Christopher wearily shoved himself away from
his desk. On most days, he performed the
very same maneuver in his ready room, but this morning was different. He was in his quarters,
still adorning his dark gray pajamas, for today was a day that came only once
each year: April 29… his birthday.
For the first time in a very long time, he wasn’t going to rise at dawn
(relatively speaking) to go about his morning routine. Instead, Christopher decided he would mope
around in his pajamas doing absolutely nothing for as long as possible.
Yet to his dismay, ‘as long as possible’ meant only a few minutes. Otherwise, he’d run the risk of running late,
something Christopher despised to do—even on his birthday. Even so, he took his time in the sonic
shower, and wasted several minutes attempting to decide which uniform he would
adorn on the special day.
But, the sonic showers were timed—taking the same
amount of time each and every morning, and his uniforms were all the same,
making his choice irrelevant, and as a result, hastened. With his log entry already completed,
Christopher found his delay tactics had failed miserably, and he had actually
pulled ahead of schedule.
That would all change soon enough.
The door chimed.
Christopher paused for a moment as a wave of curiosity passed over
him. Not knowing who would want to
bother him this early in the morning, Christopher immediately suspected some sort
of Human birthday ritual, such as Drayge’s surprise party he had been witness
to several months prior.
While the prospects of such an event didn’t thrill him, Christopher
didn’t know what else to expect. His
knowledge of Human birthday traditions was limited to what he had learned on
the Starlight, as prior to that, he
had not been exposed to humans in a fashion where they had time to celebrate
such things.
So with curiosity brimming, Christopher slowly walked over to the
doors. “Come in,” he beckoned.
To his relief, the doorway was occupied by only one figure, that of Erin
Keller. She smiled sheepishly with her
hands behind her back as she took a few hesitant steps into his quarters.
“
“…Alan,” she said. Though she
hesitated at first, after uttering Christopher’s first name, her awkward
tenseness subsided, and she took a few more steps into the room. Then, she revealed her hands, in which, she
held a small blue box decorated with frilly green ribbons that shimmered in the
light.
“What is this?” Christopher inquired as
“Did you think I forgot what you told me back on Alarin
III? Today’s your birthday. It’s a gift,” she declared proudly. “…And my way of saying ‘thank you,’ for
saving me,” she added a moment later.
Christopher smiled as he stared down at the box. “
“I wanted to,” she insisted. “Now,
are you going to open it, or what?”
Christopher slowly examined the box.
It was light in weight, and made no noticeable rattling noises. Furthermore, Keller did not cringe when he
gave the box a firm shake. Whatever was inside, it was not going to
break easily.
Slowly, he slid the frilly green streamers aside and removed the lid to
the box, uncovering a tiny golden figurine.
It stood upon a tiny pedestal, reaching no more than a few inches in
height. It was a winged enchantress,
adorning a mystical robe and a staff that shimmered immensely.
“It’s Athena—the Greek Goddess of Wisdom and Power,”
Christopher plucked the tiny figurine out of the box and clasped it in
his hands. “So do I,”
he said quietly before carefully setting the Goddess on the edge of his
desk. “We’d better get moving. It’s not very becoming of me to be late.”
Keller grinned. “Most
definitely.”
As she stepped toward the doors, Christopher quickly erected his arm to
block her passage. “Just promise me one
thing…”
“What?” she asked.
“No surprise party. If you do,
I’ll send you on a little stroll through the airlock,” he mused.
“Yes, sir,” she said
unenthusiastically.
With that said, Christopher retracted his arm, allowing Keller to waltz
out of his quarters. He stopped, took
one last look at the tiny figurine, and followed her out into the corridor.