Jan. 10th, 2024

Lower Decks – Western
The Federation might have been more developed in the later part of the 24th Century, but even so, there were still areas that were akin to the American West 500 years earlier. Places where California class starships were frequently sent.

Starbase 80 was certainly not alone in being neglected when it came to upgrades. It had simply built up it’s reputation over time. The area in question was nearby, far from where the Dominion had threatened.

USS Cerritos NCC 75567 dropped out of warp in an otherwise unremarkable star system less than 5 light years from that much maligned starbase.

“Report,” Captain Carol Freeman ordered.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Lieutenant Shax reporterd.

“Bring up the information,” Freeman ordered.


Cerritos approached the M-class planet in the system and established a standard orbit. The Federation colony of New Arizona had been established in the late 2260s, based upon an idealized version of the Post-Civil War American West, without the displacement of those that had inhabited the region before them, nor the social disparities amongst the settlers. Even so, new problems had emerged, including some that reflected the problems faced by their ancestors.

“Hail the Chief Sherrif,” Freeman ordered.

“Aye, Captain,” Shax acknowledged.


“This is Captain Carol Freeman of the USS Cerritos to the Chief Sherrif of New Preoria.”

“Cerritos, I have been expecting you. There are some problems that you can help solve down here.

“What sort of problems?” Freeman asked.

It would be best if someone would beam down.

“Understood.”


It was barely ten minutes later when a team lead by Lieutenant Beckett Mariner materialized on the platform of New Preoria’s main train station. She immediately realized that the architecture of the station resembled those of 19th Century America, although she knew that the rails serving the station were maglev. She lead the team out of the station towards the Chief Sheriff's office next door.


“Lieutenant Beckett Mariner to see Chief Sheriff Jones.”

“He is expecting you,” the secretary said.


“Welcome!” the Chief Sheriff said.

“So, what is this situation that you couldn’t explain to my Captain earlier?”

“There is the usual jobs Starfleet engineers do regarding our infrastructure,” Jones said.

“Yes…” Mariner said impatiently.

“And we’re also having trouble with highwaymen?”

“You mean, pirates?”

“No, Lieutenant. They’re operating from somewhere on the land surface, not in space or from our oceans,” the Chief Sheriff said.

Mariner rolled her eyes. “Highwaymen. Got it.”

“And my deputies, while capable, can’t catch them. We need Starfleet assistance.”

“Like calling in the Marshals in the old days.”

“Too true,” Jones said with a self-depreciating smile.”
9th

Excerpt from: Spider Quinn
“Yes. I find it interesting,” Anna said. “It seems I like all those old stories.”

“I admit I haven’t really read them,” Quinn said. “Like, Leprechauns look so, creepy, ugh!” She added with a shudder.

“Well, there’s more to it than Leprechauns,” Anna said.

“Of course,” Quinn added.

“I suppose that I have been interested since I saw Darby O’Gill and the Little People when I was young.”

“Is that a movie? I haven’t seen it.”

“It’s an old Disney movie,” Anna explained. “It has Sean Connery in it. I think it was before he was Bond, but I’m not sure.”

“OK,” Quinn said.

It was at that moment that Ben came back. “Oh! That Connery film again, Anna?”

“You’ve seen it?” Quinn asked.

“Too many times,” Ben groaned.

“I see,” Quinn said.

“But it is worth seeing once,” he added.

“I’ll consider it,” Quinn said. ‘In between everything else. School, being SpiderGirl, watching Anime with Stacy, dates, now this mentoring thing…’ She shook her head and saw Gerald approaching.


Gerald sat and saw that Ben and Anna were already familiar with each other. ‘Of course they are. I can see that they’re going to be a clique and Quinn’s going to focus on them.’ He knew that such things happened all the time.


“Now, Anna started talking earlier about Irish folklore,” Quinn said.

“Not just Irish,” Ben said.

“Oh?” Gerald said in an annoyed tone.

“Celtic stuff in general,” Anna said.

“So, Welsh and Scottish too?” Quinn asked.

“And Galicia in Spain and Brittany in France,” Anna added.


As Anna continued to tell of how she became interested in Celtic folklore, Gerald felt uneasy. He was sure that he didn’t want to open himself up to three others he barely knew.


Anna finished.

“That’s good, Anna,” Quinn said. She turned to Ben. “Ben. I know you are hypochondriac, but that’s not a fair description.”

“It isn’t. But It has lead me to be interested in medical related topics,” Ben said.

“That’s certainly true,” Anna said with slight laugh.”

“So, forensic medicine?” Quinn asked with slight interest.

“Yes. The sciences of investigating the causes of trauma or death,” Ben explained.

“I knew it was something like that,” Quinn said. “Before my father died, he had had a heart attack and I had looked at medical texts during that period.”

“Oh!” Anna said.

“I’ll say something more about that. That I’m still deep in grief,” Quinn added.

Gerald had had enough. If Quinn was going to pour her heart out. “I’m going…”
Words: 421


Total: 321

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