Sasparilla Pardner

Posted on Thu Dec 27th, 2018 @ 8:18am by Commodore Tyler Malbrooke & Lieutenant Commander Larim Myles
Edited on on Thu Dec 27th, 2018 @ 8:24am

1,046 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 5 - It Would Be Their Pleasure
Location: Holodeck 2
Timeline: MD007 1300 hrs

Larim, or "Lar" as he was known in his little Western town was decked out in period wear. He guided a horse down the trail, whistling to himself as he made his way to town.

Basically he was lost in thought as he rode, not really paying attention to his surroundings. Which came to bite him in the butt, with hilarious results. Long story short. His horse stumbled on a rock, bucking Larim right on a cactus.

"God I hope no one saw that" he said.

"You alright there friend?" Tyler said from the back of his paint horse that he named Doc, after Doc Holiday. His Oklahoma accent was always kicked into high gear when he was in this program. So much so that Tyler brought the Oklahoma slang back into his vocabulary.

Lar turned red as a beet. "I will be I guess." He nodded..he winced as he started to pull needles. "I've got yer number, Cactus" he said, slightly laughing.

Tyler hopped off Doc's back to assist Larim to his feet. "You have to stay alert when riding. It is okay to let your mind wander, heck, it's encouraged. Such is the nature when one goes for a relaxing ride. The trick is get in sync with the horse. It is a partnership, you'll get there." He helped the man up and then patted Doc's nose.

"I'll remember that, thanks Captain." He said, more than slightly embarrassed. His face was still red. "Heh, at least I know to avoid cacti now"

"I avoid cacti in all things except drinks. The occasional tequila is a good thing. Where are you off to?" Tyler spoke as he re mounted his horse. Doc pulled at the bit a couple of times and Tyler patted the horses neck to calm him down.

"Eh, nowhere special." Larim replied as he mounted his own horse. "Just trying to clear my head a little bit. Maybe grab a drink in town."

"Well I can't let you drink alone. Come one let's ride." Tyler kicked his horse into a walk, and when Larim was at his side he spoke again. "So what's on yer mind pard?"

"Just the AU I was in with Jenn Masters." He said. "So similar, yet so different. It is good to be home." He smiled.

"I read the reports and spoke with Jenn. That must have been a trying experience. The Borg they have a way of adapting and surviving. One wonders if there are any left at this point. If you would like to talk about it. I would love to hear your side of it." Tyler replied.

Larim kicked up his horses Pace to match Tyler. "Well, on the Pioneer. It was my friend Bervag in command. And Lax was there. So when the Borg struck. And their airborne nanoprobes. The only thing I could think of was "blow the ship" Then it hit me. Lax"

"Mmmmm, I can see that having to decide between ending a Borg threat or your friends and family. But I am curious did Lax know who you were? If she did what happened to "her Larim"?" That was something that had been nagging in Tyler's head since he got back. He wondered where the Tyler's went off to as well.

"You know what? That's a great question." Larim replied. "I don't know. They just assumed we were who we were."

"That is something that is going to have to be looked at. Perhaps I will set our new XO to it, he seems rather interested in what happened to all of us. Anyway, continue your story..." Tyler's voice trailed off as he stared out at the mountains. As an afterthought he added "The best way to view the world is through your horses ears."

"This is nice, I gotta agree" Larim grinned. "Slower pace. Fresh air" he said. "Oh.. right. Story. Woke up to see Lax after that blue light. Which was weird, a little. 2360s unforms with current comms. Weirded out I took in a little walk. Where I ran into Jenn. After a trip to sickbay life kinda normalized aboard ship."

"Jen told me that I wasn't there. That someone else had command of the Pioneer. I wonder where I go off to. All of these reports make wonder what would have happened if I made different decisions in my life." Tyler responded.

"Certainly makes you think. Doesn't it?" Larim said. "Just out of interest. What was yours like?"

"I travelled to multiple universes for some reason. The first was actually the past, and in that past Starfleet was a work of fiction with an abundance of people who liked it. They thought I was crazy for saying that I was a Starfleet Captain. The second I was a Maquis Commander of Breyet Nor and the last I was the Captain of the Pioneer however, it was a different Pioneer. Elloma Essu for example did not serve in Starfleet. She was a mesomorph on her homeworld." Tyler stared off into the distance as he spoke lost in thought.

"Wow. You certainly got around" Larim smiled.

"Yup and for now I want nothing more than to get around these plains at a gallop would be preferred." Tyler responded with a laugh.

"You're the Captain" Larim said, laughing too

Tyler kicked his horse into a gallop and the animal took off like a shot. Most Captains felt at home on the bridge of his ship, well most except Tyler. He was most at home on the back of horse, with the wind in their hair. It was in this moment that he forgot about everything, including Larim. Tyler let the horse lead the way and see where the day took them both.

Larim eagerly followed.

The two cowboys rode with the wind and where the wind took them. In these moments there was nothing but the future, the unknown ahead of them. Both the past and parallel were left behind in the dust.

A Joint Post By

Lieutenant Larim Myles
Chief Security/Tactical Officer, USS Pioneer

Captain Tyler Malbrooke
Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer

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