52 Tales of 2016: Mystery of the Defiant - Alt 9th Hour
Captain Sisko had found the other people (and robots/droids) on the Defiant. He was in the Mess Hall with Daria and Ashoka. “New Arrival in 30 seconds,” the computer said.
Sisko looked at Daria and the former Jedi.
“I got the computer to detect a pattern in our arrivals and to state a warning half a minute before their appearance,” Daria explained.
“Good idea,” Sisko said.
“Intruder Alert! Human female on Deck 2, Section 10.”
“We'll both get her,” Sisko said.
Daria nodded.
Tomoko awoke, thinking of her mother's sukiyaki. But it wasn't time for sukiyaki! It was time for breakfast! 'Odd, I don't smell anything cooking,' she thought. She wondered if her mother was feeling under the weather, then decided that she could help with the omelets. She sat up and became wide awake as she noticed more than the lack of smells related to the cooking of a savoury breakfast.
Her ear was aching from where she had been lying on it and she realised that she had been using her school backpack as a pillow. She also saw that she was in her full school uniform. She rubbed her ear and picked up the backpack, thinking that she had slept through Sunday into Monday, due to playing romance games through the weekend. She stood up and her mind cleared as she realised that she hadn't been sleeping in her bedroom, but rather some strange place, a corridor that curved off to both sides.
She saw that the closed doors were labeled with Arabic numbers. “Where am I?” she asked. “Did I sleepwalk to some weird theme restaurant? It's daring to have a décor so boring.”
“Recognised as early twenty-first century Japanese.”
It sounded strange to Tomoko as it was devoid of any discernable honorifics.
“Where are you? Who are you? Please oneesan, how did I get here? Can you help me get home, oneesan?”
“Early twenty-first century dictionary load complete. Honorable, esteemed resident of advanced, superior Nihon, the unworthy one addressing you is the dispicable computer control of the USS Defiant. The estimable Captain Benjamin Sisko extends his welcome to our esteemed visitor from the most advanced superior Nihon.”
Tomoko goggled at the archaic word choices. She would have laughed if one of her classmates had spoken like that. Some of it was so flowery that she almost couldn't understand it. “USS? So I'm on a ship? We're in the middle of the ocean? Really, I'm not seasick at all.”
“This worthless machine must inform the worthy Nihon resident that we are in deep space, about 20 light years from the beautiful Nihon coast. It is also the year 2371.”
She gasped in disbelief! Deep Space? Twenty light years from Japan? Science may not have been her strong suit but she knew she was a long way away from home. She picked up her backpack and trudged along the corridor.
“Please honorable madam, resident of the most advanced, superior Nihon, this unworthy, worthless, useless machine humbly wishes to respectfully request that the honorable madam graciously relate her lovely name, if she would be so kind.”
She stopped, the computer's diction had seemed funny at first, but now it was getting too flowery and taking ages to say anything. I'm Tomoko Kuroki, Look I'm just a second year high school student. Could you take your load of Japanese grammar and vocabulary and adjust?”
There was a moment of silence. “Right, gotcha, kiddo. We good on then.”
Tomoko sighed, thinking that the artificial intelligence might had taken some steps back from her time.
“Computer, is there anyone else aboard this spaceship?”
“Yeah, lasie, and it's 'starship'. Eight others then, Captain Benjamin Sisko, one Daria Morgendorffer, American joshi-kousei student about your age. Bender, a robot from New New York City. Another Robot, R2D2. Ashoka Tano, Jedi Knight, President Donald J. Trump and one Selina Kyle, a right piece of work that one, sort of American yakuza she is from Gotham City. You're rounding on Captain Sisko and Daria in about five seconds.”
Tomoko rounded a sharp bend and there Tomoko-chan was, two young women and a middle aged man looking at them. The girl must have been Morgendorffer, the other one, Captain Sisko.
“Hi, yeah, I'm Daria Morgendorffer. Do you understand where you are.”
Tomoko-chan could only understand a bit of the English; French was her preferred foreign language. Daria's voice was clear, but rather dry, which helped Tomoko to get the drift that she was introducing herself. Tomoko-chan was about to answer when the computer voice translated Daria's words into Japanese with the appropriate honorifics. The system must have adjusted itself again.
“And I'm Captain Benjamin Sisko,” the man said.
“I'm Kuroki Tomoko from Tokyo. It's nice to meet you, Daria-chan, and yes we're on a spaceship, many kilometers from Earth,” she paused as she had a realisation. “And years from...” She had grasped the the full weight of their situation. As the translation played out the two girls looked at each other gravely. She then looked around again. “Sutaa Tureksuku.” She had recognised the place, from an American tv show and movies. It wasn't one of the romance shows or games she liked to watch and play, but she recognised the look of the place.
“Yes, Star Trek,” Daria said. “Is it just a tv show for you too? Don't tell me it's real. Where and when are you from. I'm from late 1990's America.”
“2013 Japan. No, no, it's just a TV show. I don't watch it. No romance, although there are few cute boys, but few cute Japanese boys.”
“Come, I'll introduce you to some of the others,” Daria invited.
Tomoko-chan's stomach rumbled with hunger. She couldn't take it anymore! She collapsed to the clean floor. “I miss my mummy so much! Even my little brother Tomoki!”
Daria sat down next to her. She said tenderly. “Yeah, it's okay. I hope. I miss my 'rents too. I even miss my kid sister, Quinn.” Of course the tenderness was lost in the computer translation, but Tomoko appreciated it.
Sisko returned to the Bridge, while Daria took Tomoko to Engineering and introduced her to R2D2.
On the Bridge, he accesssed the Engineering display. He knew why Daria hadn't been able to get the warp drive online. After Thomas Riker had hijacked the ship, O'Brien had fiddled with the instrumentation for the automatic start sequence, so that attempted hijackings wouldn't be successful. A minute later, the warp drive was online.
Daria, Tomoko and R2 saw the warp core start. R2 beeped.
“Yes, we're headed to Earth,” Daria said. She waited for the translation and Tomoko's statement. 'There has to be a common language between us.' Herself, she was fairly proficient in French. Did Tomoko know that language?
“I hope we can get home,” Tomoko said.
“Yes, me too,” Daria said in French.
“Parlez vous Francais?” Tomoko asked.
“Oui,” Daria said again. Both were excited. They could communicate without the need for the computer translation.
“Sisko to all hands. The warp drive is online. I have set course for Earth. ETA is four days at Warp 9.2”
The Defiant went to warp.
Daria introduced Tomoko to the rest of the 'crew' (including Trump).