Story:Star Trek: Prometheus/Rightful Destiny/Chapter 6

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SIX

Hours later, onboard the U.S.S. Cochrane, Leonard McCoy sat in his quarters when the voice of the ship’s captain came over the intercom and told him that they were approaching Starbase 110. McCoy grumbled a reply as he got out of his chair and went to change into a fresh uniform. Several minutes later McCoy walked onto the bridge of the Cochrane and stood next to his old friend Scotty as they both marvelled at how everyone seemed to be in awe of them, just because they served on the Constitution class Enterprise with the legendary James T. Kirk.

“We’re on approach, sir.” Captain Durham said as he stood up and offered McCoy his seat, “Would you care to do the honours, Admiral McCoy?”

“She’s your ship, captain,” McCoy said trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice, “go ahead. I don’t want to step on any toes.”

“Oh I don’t mind at all, sir.” Durham said.

“I insist, captain.” McCoy said emphasizing Durham’s lower rank in a cranky voice that told Scotty that he was about ready to have the captain busted down to cadet. Scotty chuckled to himself as he hoped that captain Durham had learned not to cross figurative swords with the cantankerous old admiral.

“Aye, sir.” Durham said as he sat back down.

Twenty minutes later the Cochrane was sitting in Starbase 110’s docking bay as Scotty and McCoy made their way to the port-side airlock where the personnel transfer umbilical was connected. As they neared the airlock McCoy grumbled to himself that he should’ve told Command where they could put their tour of inspection when he had found out about it.

“You know you were a wee bit hard on the captain.” Scotty said to McCoy, “The lad was just trying to be nice. These kids are in awe of us old geezers simply because we served with Jim.”

“If these kids are so in awe of us then why don’t they leave their legends alone. This isn’t our time, they should just leave us alone with our memories and respect us from a distance.”

As the two of them stepped into the airlock Scotty chuckled at McCoy’s comment. “You know if they did that you’d be complaining that they’ve forgotten about us and that they should be getting us to do exactly what they are.”

Looking at Scotty with a glint in his eye McCoy spoke up as the computer ensured that the atmospheric pressure and gravitational forces in the airlock matched those on the station. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re annoying when you’re right?”

“Aye, you. Every time I’m right.” Scotty chuckled as the two of them stepped out of the airlock and walked down the connecting tunnel to the station.

“Ah, so you’ve only heard it once before.” McCoy said teasing Scotty with a grin on his face, “Well…let’s get this farce over with.”

Twenty minutes later a red-haired lieutenant walked into Starbase 110’s cavernous infirmary with admiral McCoy. As they walked in McCoy was suddenly awe struck by the size of the infirmary as he noted that it was almost double the size of his sickbays on the Enterprise and Enterprise - A.

“And this is our sickbay.” the lieutenant said. A second later the two of them were joined by doctor Simon Vercetti, Starbase 110’s chief medical officer. “This is Doctor Vercetti our CMO. Doctor Vercetti this is Admiral McCoy from Starfleet Medical.”

“It’s an honour to meet you, sir.” Dr. Vercetti said nervously. “I remember being told about you and your friends’ adventures on the Enterprise in grade school. You’re the reason I became a doctor. All the other kids wanted to be captain Kirk, commander Spock, or commander Scott but not me, I always wanted to be you.”

“Man I wish Spock was here to hear that.” McCoy mused, “On second thought I don’t, he’d probably say something like ‘Doctor McCoy please restrain your enthusiasm. It was never a statistical impossibility, merely a extremely remote possibility, that someone would think highly of you.’ just to get me going. That boy wouldn’t know fun if it walked up to him and slapped him in the face. He didn’t even appreciate the dancing girls I had at my birthday party last year. He felt I should ‘comport myself in a manner more befitting my age’. I told him that the fact that I’m still alive allows me to comport myself in any manner I damn well want…Anyway I’m ranting now. Let’s get this inspection over with.”

In Starbase 110’s main engineering section Scotty looked around appreciatively gazing at the machinery. The air was filled with the milky smell of tetralubisol, a lubricant that had been in use since Scotty’s time as the chief engineer of the Enterprise. The tetralubisol in use back then had been odourless prior to an incident on the Enterprise when a mentally unstable young woman had tried to poison an Enterprise crew member that she saw as a threat to her father Antos Karidian. Unlike McCoy, Scotty was greatly enjoying this inspection tour. It was giving him the opportunity to examine the Starfleet’s most advanced equipment and the field modifications that the field officers mode to make it function better.

“Captain Scott is there anything I can do for you?” Starbase 110’s chief engineer, lieutenant commander McNabb, asked Scotty nervously who had crawled into one of the Jefferies tubes that led away from Starbase 110’s main engineering section.

“Aye, lad.” Scotty’s voice said as it came forth from the Jefferies tube, “dinnae be so nervous and get me a hyper-spanner. Your phase modulator here is out of alignment.”

“Oh there…there…there’s need for you to do that, captain Scott. I can have someone else take care of it.” McNabb stammered.

“I’m an engineer first and a captain second, lad. I dinnae mind getting my hands dirty, now get me that hyper-spanner.”

“Aye-aye, sir. Right away.” McNabb stammered.

“Relax, lad, and stop calling me Sir. I told ye to call me Scotty.” Scotty shouted out as McNabb headed for the equipment locker to get a hyper-spanner.

An hour and a half later Scotty and McCoy were back onboard the Cochrane telling each other about their inspection. Afterwards Scotty went to the ship’s lounge to have a scotch and catch up on his technical journals while McCoy decided to take a nap, the curse of closing in on a century and a half, the upper age limit that any human could reasonably expect to live to even with the most advanced of the twenty-fourth century medicine.

Forward to Chapter 7