He Stays a Stranger

You're a Lousy Waitress

Yimar and the twins also shook their heads. "What do you think?" Hoshi asked Tom.

"Me? I'm just the pilot, ma'am."

"Maybe there's another bidder. Or there's another manufacturer," Arashi speculated. He smiled. Either way, he'd be sure to get a generous profit.

"Let them in," Hoshi said, "this should prove most interesting."

=/\=

And in 2192, a small Calafan time ship, the Light of Lo, crossed over from our universe and arrived at Lafa V. It had just been a hunch on Yilta's part. She had heard from her people that they were all going to the mirror. Communications were different with her species, as some messages could be passed through the use of group meditation and didn't need technology at all.

She had gotten the message, and then she had checked her people's history. And so she knew that, in 2192, the mirror High Priestess, Yimar, had successfully stood up to the notorious human, the Empress Hoshi Sato.

She didn't know the details, and did not know if she would be able to find Kevin again. But right now, the mirror in 2192 seemed to be the right place and the right time. She cloaked her ship and watched as the Defiant docked with a time ship from her lifetime. She even recognized the name – HG Wells.

=/\=

A guard escorted Deirdre and Rick to the conference room. Rick was pretty sure he recognized the guy, although the man had aged. Rosenblum? Rosenfeld?

No.

Rosen.

=/\=

Jia and Ines left with the babies and the rest of them sat with Helen. "Ya'll got anything to eat here?" she drawled, a little whiny.

Lili sighed a little. "I'll heat up some leftovers."

"What, no hospitality for lil ole me?"

"Save it," Tommy said sharply, "'cause we don't wanna hear it."

"You actually believe that other fellow?"

"I'm withholding judgment," Neil said, sitting between his mother and Norri, "I gotta call Ines," he got up.

"Surely you don't think we'd just magically accept you," Norri said to Helen, "you're a stranger to us."

"And he is, too," Helen pointed out, "yet you don't seem to have as much of a problem with him. Unless you've got some sort of a reason to trust him."

"And why would you ever imagine that we would give you any details about that?" Lili asked, her voice a little annoyed. She roughly dropped a plate of leftover elekai stew onto the table in front of Helen.

"You're a lousy waitress," Helen complained, realizing that no one in the Beckett house was ever going to be on her side.

"I am a professional chef," Lili said, "I haven't had to personally deliver food to anyone who isn't family for nearly three and a half decades."

=/\=

Tom nodded at Rick and Deirdre as they sat down. "We're here to talk to you about ship parts," Rick began.

"Oh? To counterbid or to offer an alternative?" Arashi asked.

"Neither," Deirdre said, producing a PADD, "instead, we're here to show you a bit of the future, and why you should buy from these people."

"And why should I care about what you have to say?" Hoshi yawned, "This is getting dull."

"We can not only show you the future," Rick said, "but we also know all about the Flux Capacitor. We know how to fly it. We know how you can replicate it. But we'll need to take it on a shakedown cruise, making sure it's working."

"I won't let you just take it," Hoshi snarled.

"Of course not," Deirdre said, "so have someone come with us. The, the security crewman, perhaps," she indicated Josh Rosen, who was standing at attention nearby.

The door slid open. It was Doctor Stone and Frank Ramirez. "Jennifer?" Frank asked.

"Yeah?"

"You, uh, it's been a long time. I remember the old man said you were dead."

"He must've been mistaken."

"I guess he must've."

"Who are you again?" Hoshi asked Rick.

He swallowed. Dammit, she knew him! It was unnerving, still. "Ritchie," he said, "Ritchie Daniels," using her name for him, the name he – after their affair – he always used while in the mirror. It was not out of love for her, but because she was a memorable piece. And, because, he wanted to remind himself of what he really could never have – any sort of a relationship with Jun.

"Oh," she said, "if anything's gonna be taken out for a shakedown cruise, I want my people there."

"I can go," Frank volunteered, "and you'll show me how to work it. The pilot should go, too. You'll teach her what to do."

"We'll take our ship, too," Rick said, "There's a tandem pulse shot we can discharge, and create a large temporal field."

Tom stared at him. This was all nonsense, but he figured he'd go with it. "It looks like ya'll will need passengers, too, to monitor the transmissions. Maybe send our own shuttle through to wherever and whenever."

"Why not my own people, and my own ship?" Hoshi demanded.

"If there's danger, Ma, well, that might not be such a bad idea," said Izo.

"Send someone expendable, and someone who knows what they're doing," Frank said, "say, Aidan and Susan."

"Susan?" asked Arashi, "she's nothing but a teacher."

"Exactly," Frank said, "and no one on the Defiant has a little kid anymore, so she's useless. Have Security watch, if you like," he indicated Josh Rosen, still awaiting instructions.

"You could put one of your people on each of the ships." Deirdre suggested, "And send out four ships – the Flux Capacitor, the HG Wells, the Calafan shuttle and one of your own shuttles. Once the shakedown cruise is done, we'll head over to where the contraband parts are being made. Negotiate a fair price and the HG Wells goes on its merry way. Do we have a deal?"

Arashi looked up. "If there's negotiating, I gotta be there."

"We'll all go," Hoshi decided, "and split up. So I'll go on the, what did you call that ship?"

"The Flux Capacitor?" Deirdre asked.

"Yes, that one," she said, "I'll go on it, and him," she indicated Milton, "he'll go on the Wells. Aidan and Susan will go on the Calafan shuttle with Rosen. Ramirez and Pike will go on our shuttle for now. And, actually, I want Doctor Stone, too, I want him on my own shuttle, and you two as well," she indicated the twins. "If you are really mine, I want to know that immediately. I don't want to wait."

"That's acceptable," Rick said, "my colleague," he indicated Deirdre, "and I will pilot the Wells; and he," he indicated Tom, "will do basic piloting on the Flux Capacitor. The others will split between the two time ships. It will be a bit crowded but you'll be able to see everything."

=/\=

Can't buy me love, love

Can't buy me love, oh

– The Beatles (Can't Buy Me Love)