Starfleet Academy: The Edge by Rudy Josephs

Author:Rudy Josephs
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Published: 2010-08-29T04:00:00+00:00

Lynne had chosen a table out on the deck, with a spectacular view of water stretching out across the bay. The table kept with the intentionally tacky beach theme. It was painted to look like it had been built from driftwood. The chairs were modeled after canvas beach chairs. But it was the grass hut in the middle of each table that was the weirdest element by far. Kirk couldn’t figure out what purpose it served, other than as a freakish centerpiece.

They sat beside each other in chairs facing the gorgeous vista. The sun was setting off to their left. The fading glow made for a nice reflection in the water off the north-facing shore. A chill breeze drifted inland, but heat lamps—and his proximity to Lynne—kept Kirk warm.

He didn’t want McCoy’s story to get in the way of the date, but it was hard to put aside what his friend had said. It seemed tasteless to think of relaxing with Lynne when Jackson’s body was lying in the morgue and another cadet was fighting whatever it was she had over at Starfleet Medical.

“Someone’s deep in thought,” Lynne said, pulling him back into the moment.

“No,” he said. “I’m just the strong, silent type.”

“Too bad I like them weak and mouthy,” she replied.

Her comment brought his thoughts right back to Jackson. It was horrible to think that way of the dead. Jackson wasn’t weak. Just misguided. Kirk could understand the pressure the kid was under. He’d been feeling it enough himself. But he’d never understand going to such crazy lengths.

He felt Lynne’s hand on his. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

It wasn’t that she was overly perceptive. It would have been hard for anyone to miss that something was weighing on him. “It’s nothing, really,” Kirk said. “Now, what do you have planned for us tonight.”

“That’s a surprise,” Lynne replied with a cryptic smile. She tapped some commands into the computer screen built into the driftwood table. The mix of modern technology and throwback furniture was weird, but Kirk didn’t comment on the aesthetic. He was too busy trying to peek over Lynne’s shoulder. She’d leaned her body so that Kirk couldn’t see what she was ordering.

“I take it whatever you’re ordering is a surprise as well?”

Lynne’s response was a broader smile that brightened her entire face, with a crinkled nose, and a twinkle in her eyes. The twinkle was more the reflection of light off the water, but Kirk enjoyed it all the same. “I’m full of surprises,” she said.

As if punctuating her comment, a pair of colorful drinks appeared beneath the grass shack centerpiece. Kirk pulled the drinks from under the canopy. “You’ve got to be kidding,” he said, genuinely impressed.

It wasn’t magic. It was a tiny transporter built into the table and disguised to match the theme. Now that Kirk was paying more attention, he saw the painted transporter pad built into the fake driftwood.

He’d heard that a restaurant in San Francisco had adapted transporter technology to use for commercial purposes.

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