Star Trek: Vanguard #1: Harbinger: Harbinger (Star Trek: The Original Series) by David Mack
Author:David Mack [Mack, David]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek
Published: 2005-08-01T00:00:00+00:00
13
âYour actions led to the loss of a starship and the deaths of hundreds of Starfleet personnel, Mr. Quinn.â TâPrynnâs dark and icy declaration burned brightly in Quinnâs memory. The burden of his guilt was staggering. Hundreds of lives, he told himself. My fault. To his own disgust, the only thing he could think of to do about it was order another drink.
He was on his fourth or fifth drink of the evening. In his experience, a well-told series of half-truths, omissions, and exaggerations could postpone most bar tabs for about an hour. Then his excuses for delaying payment would stretch too thin to be credible, and it would be time for him to leave. Somewhere around sixty-five minutes or four drinks into his visits, whichever came first, most barkeeps began to suspect that his tab was going to linger much longer than he himself would. To save everyone the embarrassment and effort of eighty-sixing him, he made a habit of evicting himself before his welcomes had to be officially withdrawn.
Right now his dilemma was that he was uncertain how many drinks he had downed, and his vision was too fish-eyed to actually discern the time on his chrono. Just play it safe, he coached himself. Try to sit still. If you donât fall off the stool, they have no reason to throw you out. The hard part, he knew, would be nursing his drink. Slowing his in-take wasnât difficult, but he was unaccustomed to small sips and was more likely to dribble the beverage down his shirt this way.
He had almost concocted a way to ask the bartender for a straw without making himself look stupid when a guest sat down.
Quinnâs eyes lazily slid to his left to assess the man. The new guy was human, young, thin, and appallingly handsome in the Federationâs currently most-favored, clean-cut way. His clothes were casual but looked and smelled fresh from the laundry. He smiled at Quinn and made a courteous tilt of his head. âGood morning,â he said with a mild Scottish accent.
âMaybe it is,â Quinn slurred, then he ripped out a baritone belch that tasted of bile and stank of tequila. âMaybe it ainât.â
The guy gestured toward the rows of liquor bottles lined up against the wall behind the counter. âCare for a drink, friend?â
Swaying vertiginously on his stool, Quinn shot a glare at the man with the one eye he was able to focus. âMy pappy always told me, never trust a stranger who calls you âfriend,â especially if he offers to buy you a drink.â
âDid your old man also tell you not to take the drink?â
Quinn held up his glass and called over the bartender. âAnother.â Jabbing a thumb at the Scotsman, he added, âOn him.â The visitor nodded his consent, and the bartender began pouring another double shot of tequila. Quinn lolled his head back toward his enabler. âI still donât trust you.â
Thrusting out his hand, the guy said, âTim Pennington.â
Seconds passed while Quinn stared at Penningtonâs hand.
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