January, Year 20 of the Anglo-American Alliance
Balancing a hot, fragrant bowl of soup in one hand and a large plate of salad in the other, the young woman slowly made her way through the crowded mess hall, ignoring the whistles and catcalls of the men. Finding the two young men who had just entered the room, she set the soup and salad down in front of one of them.
“I’ll be right back,” she said to the second, but he shook his head.
“I’m not hungry,” he muttered.
The one with the food grinned wryly at her. “Don’t mind my friend. He’s not used to the situation yet.”
Edith nodded, smiling back. She understood.
Turning, she began to make her way back through the hall, but something made her turn around and look back at the young man. He grinned at her again, lifting his hand in a short wave before attacking his soup. Poor man, he ate as if he hadn’t eaten in days… after he ate, she would tell him about the shower facilities. He and his friend smelled like they had been living in a landfill.
Edith was almost back to the kitchen when she saw the clock out of the corner of her eye; already? Where had the time gone? Glancing around at the crowd, Edith noted nervously that they all seemed to be having a good time, laughing, talking… how could she interrupt that? Normally her mother gave the address, but Mary Keeler had bronchitis, and it was up to Edith…
Smoothing out the long skirt of her dress, Edith climbed up on the podium and stood in front of the microphone, clearing her throat, holding her shaking hands stiffly by her side. A hush fell over the hall. The young woman swallowed hard, then plunged ahead.
“Is everyone having a good supper?”
There was a murmur of assent.
“Well, I know you’ve all heard this before, but we do not expect you to see this as a free meal. Perhaps you have no money, but you can repay us by living good lives and by helping other people you meet. Remember that there are many less fortunate than you. You have been given food and other comforts; so if you have shelter, share it with those who do not. If you have an extra sweater, give it to someone who’s cold. Somebody once said that whatever you give will come back to you a hundredfold.” She knew she was venturing into dangerous ground by quoting the Bible, but she honestly did not care. “Th-thank you.”
Well, that had been short, but the men preferred it short, she was sure. She stepped off the podium, and the young man she had spoken to earlier gave an enthusiastic cheer among the polite clapping.
As she hurried into the kitchen, Christopher Pike stopped her. He was washing dishes, his sleeves rolled up past his elbows.
“Miss Keeler, that was risky.”
“I know.”
“Well done.” He smiled at her. “Your father would be proud.”
The meal was ending; men were coming to the window to drop off their plates and bowls. As Edith accepted them, she caught the eye of the one young man…
He sidled up to the window, his friend looking bored behind him. “Good speech,” he said.
“Thank you, Mr…?”
“Jim Kirk.”
“Mr. Kirk.” She took his dish, but he lingered, reading the sign that said ‘Please place silverware in cup’.
“So what’s a beautiful girl like you doing working in a mission?”
“My mother runs it.”
“Oh. So you’re done with college?”
“It’s still winter break,” she said. “I graduate early, though “ in February.”
“Very exciting.”
“Come on, Jim,” his friend muttered, tugging on his arm. “I need a shower and so do you.”
“Showers are right through there,” Edith said, pointing. “You’ll have to wait in line, and you’re limited to five minutes each.”
“Thank you,” Jim Kirk said with apparent sincerity. “Oh “ what’s your name?”
“Edith,” she said, looking up into his hazel eyes. “Edith Keeler.”
And then he was gone, pulled away by his friend, but not before he gave her a little two-fingered salute. She smiled after him, slightly dazed, before snapping out of it to take the next plate and hand it to Pike.
Later, after she and Pike had finished the dishes, Edith walked with him to the stairs that led to the basement. As they went through the door at the top of the stairs, she once again heard piano music, this time combined with a woman’s voice singing. Edith raised her eyebrows at Pike, who rolled his eyes and started down the stairs.
“Spock! Uhura! Quit it!”
“Mr. Pike “ “ the woman began.
“There are people up there! Do you want to get busted? Do you want the Keelers to get busted?”
“I made him play, sir “ “ That was the woman.
“I asked her to sing, sir “ “ That was a new voice, a man’s voice.
“I’m not interested in who’s to blame. The point is that you need to not do it! We have a project to work on! We don’t need music distracting two of our people!”
Edith had meant to go back to the social hall, but at the mention of a project she stayed, curious.
“Miss Keeler?”
She whirled around, coming face to face with Jim Kirk, whose hair was wet and clinging to his face.
“I was looking for you. I “ “
He broke off, frowning. “Is someone down there?”
“No. No. There’s no one down there.” Her voice came out squeaky and high-pitched.
Kirk started down the stairs, but Edith stopped him. “Really, Mr. Kirk. There are rats down there. It hasn’t been cleaned out for years “ “
“I could help you clean it out,” he said cheerily. “To repay you for that wonderful meal.”
He started walking again. She flung herself in front of him.
“Mr. Kirk, don’t do it “ don’t go down there “ “
“What is it, Edith?” Frowning again, he brushed her aside and ran down the rest of the way.
Edith followed, fearing the worst. The room was deserted. No doubt they had all gone to hide in the bedroom. A very old, worn plaid blanket had obviously been hastily thrown over that mysterious object in the center of the room, which was now much larger than it had been two years ago when she had last noticed it. This, she knew, was their “project” “ the “project” of which, despite years of listening at the top of the stairs whenever she was home, she had not been able to puzzle out the nature.
It was this that drew Jim Kirk. Going over to it, he pulled the blanket off, and gasped in shock. Edith looked over his shoulder; it was big, made of metal, electronic-looking, with flashing lights and all kinds of buttons. In the center of a glass case were several crystals “ diamonds, Edith realized.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“Warp drive,” he said, running his fingers over it gently, lovingly. “The beginnings of one, anyway.”
There was a scuffle and a commotion from behind the tapestry, and Edith and Kirk turned as one to look at it. After a moment, a big young man with dark hair and an expression of shock on his face stepped out.
“Now how the hell did ye know that?” he demanded in a thick Scottish accent.
There was a moan of despair from behind the tapestry. Ignoring it, Kirk said calmly, “My father worked with Zefram Cochrane to develop the first warp-capable starship. No one knew my dad was involved but Cochrane himself, and fortunately he didn’t talk in the prison camp.”
Edith stared from Kirk to Scott, utterly confused. “Warp-capable? What?”
The tapestry was pushed back again, and Chris Pike emerged. “Faster-than-light travel, Miss Keeler. That’s our project.” He turned to Kirk. “You won’t talk, will you?”
“Then I guess you’re hiding from the Enforcers?”
“Well, yes.”
“So am I, so don’t worry. I won’t talk.”
Kirk turned back to the metal thing as Pike called behind the tapestry, “It’s all right.” The woman they called Number One and the black woman Uhura clambered out from the other room, along with Sulu, the Asian man who had been with Pike from the time he had moved in.
Uhura looked excited. “So you know how to construct a warp drive?”
Examining the object, running his fingertips over it, Kirk said, “It looks like you’ve got it right. Mind you, I’m not an engineer or a scientist, but it looks about right.”
“This is wonderful,” Scott said, clapping Kirk on the shoulder. “Ye’ll stay with us, o’ course “ “
“Hey, hey, hey,” Kirk objected. “I don’t know who you people are. I’ve got a friend I’m staying with “ “
“Is he trustworthy?” Pike asked at once.
“He’s not sympathetic to the Enforcers, if that’s what you mean,” Kirk said stiffly. “As for warp-capable starships…” But he trailed off.
Edith went over to the thing, examining it. How strange it was… strange and alien… and beautiful, after a fashion, despite its clunky look of old things thrown together. How she wished…
Glancing up, she caught sight of the clock on the wall. “Goodness!” she said at once. “I have to go! And Mother sick… Mr. Kirk, you had better come too, or your friend will worry.”
“Oh “ right, of course,” Kirk said with a guilty start. “I won’t say anything, you know…”
Pike nodded briefly, but Edith was already running up the stairs, hardly looking back to see if Kirk was following her. Too much, too much to do…
“Edith!”
She stopped at the top of the stairs, and Kirk stopped beside her. “Edith, do you take boarders?”
“No, but they do,” she said, pointing down. She shut the door between the hall and the stairs. “Why?”
“Well…”
“Do you need a job?” she asked suddenly. “Money?”
“Er…”
“You could help out, like Christopher Pike does. Wash the dishes, sweep the floor.”
“Edith…” he hesitated. “My friend Gary and I “ we’re sort of on the run. We left grad school halfway through.”
“So you can’t get a real job. That’s why I’m offering.” She smiled up at him. “I am not unintelligent, Mr. Kirk.”
“I could tell.”
“Then do we have a deal?”
“Yeah.” He held out his hand, and she met it with her own. His grasp was firm and warm and he was smiling brightly and…
Breaking the contact, Edith hurried off down the green-carpeted hall to see to her guests.