Search for Rotaton: Alliance Chronicles, #5

CHAPTER ONE

The Indomitable was a ship that could house over 100 crew and passengers comfortably, but now it held only eleven along with enough supplies for a year's journey and enough firepower to conquer a country, perhaps even a planet. Fortunately, the occupants had no desire for conquest. Instead, their purpose was one of discovery. It was ship's night, and they weren't due into Trillium Station for another 34 hours, so the Alliance was getting some much-deserved sleep, all that is except for their junior-most member, Doctor Samantha Hardy, ex-director of Tempus Fugit, the Office of Security's wing responsible for investigating time travel. Samantha was manning the graveyard watch as a way of making amends for her actions over the last few days, actions which nearly led to the destruction of the known universe.

Sam sat in the pilot's seat and read the report detailing events that had taken place in a now-aborted timeline. In effect, what she was reading never happened, though she and the other members of the alliance remembered them as if they were yesterday, which they were and were not. She looked to the ceiling to collect her thoughts. Temporal paradoxes gave her a headache.

Hey, Doc, want some company?

Sam looked over and saw Monica standing in the doorway holding two cups which were emitting scant clouds of vapor. She sniffed and smelled the aroma of herbal tea. Chamomile?

Of course, she replied while handing over a cup.

I love chamomile. What brings you to the bridge at this ungodly hour?

I thought we could chew the fat, Monica said. I don't sleep much, so I usually just read, but now that we have a new member, I thought we should get to know each other.

Sam sipped her tea and smiled. This is excellent. Thank you.

You're welcome. So, tell me about yourself, Monica prodded.

Not much to tell. I'm just your typical genius daughter of two notoriously famous parents. I have multiple PHDs along with an unhealthy obsession with an ancient race. I also have killed someone... Sam stopped when the enormity of what she had said hit her like a stack of bricks.

Monica reached over and took her hand. Take it easy. If you're talking about the guy who beat your prisoner senseless, I assure you, he's not dead. I saw him before we left. He was babbling something about becoming a monk. As for the rest of your team, they've all been reassigned without bias.

I was their leader, so I was responsible for the entire fiasco. I gave OffSec complete details on how I was able to steal the Muntz Temporal Bridge Generator. In return, they let my people return to their old jobs without reprimand or repercussion. She stopped and sipped her tea. Monica, I killed a sapient without thought or reservation. That isn't me.

You freaked out. You felt like the world was coming to an end and it was all your fault, so you lashed out at the first asshole who crossed your path. Anyway, we're talking about something that never happened.

You sound like my mother.

Is that bad?

No. Doctor Sheila Minty-Hardy is a wonderful woman, wife, and mother. Her problem, at least for me, is that she's usually right. I hate it when she's right.

And your father?

Doctor Kellen Hardy, a certified Hero of the League, yet he prefers to spend his time studying ancient races. I spent a good chunk of my life learning history under his tutelage. She sighed. "They both raised me to believe in myself. They also taught me to back up my decisions with facts and observation, yet I nearly destroyed the damn universe by going off half-assed in