Viking Love Beyond Time (Time Travel Romance) (5 page)

             
Austen sat up, the room revolved, bucked, then stayed still.

             
As she glanced up at the dome, stars appeared, familiar stars.  Was it possible then?  Had she passed though a black hole and arrived in her own back yard?

             
Her head felt curiously heavy, she glanced down then put her hand to it, her hair had grown down past her shoulders and seemed to be thick and wavy.  What on Earth had happened?

             
Clambering stiffly to her feet she sat down at the console.

             
The doors hissed open and Luke Owen appeared.  He looked like a pioneer, long hair and a beard, boiler suit, as usual, open to the waist.  At first she thought he was another hallucination but his lecherous lop sided leer made her realise he was flesh and blood.  “Owen, I gave you an order to abandon ship, what the hell are you doing here?” she snapped.

             
He grinned in reply. 
“
I decided to take my chances with you ma’am, you’re a better pilot than Adair and apart from anything else I’d rather risk your black hole navigation than go to Dalto, the brothels are dreadful!”

             
Austen fought back a smile “You disobeyed an order Lieutenant Commander”

             
Owen grinned again and pulling out a chair sat down, removed a piece of chewing gum from his top pocket and popped it in his mouth, he offered Austen some but she shook her head “Come on, Alodie, aren’t you even a bit glad to see me?  Do you know the only thing I felt when we were about to hit that black hole was disappointment that I hadn’t had time to put my plan into operation”

             
Austen glanced up “and what was that, pray?”

             
“I was going to come up to the obs deck and make love to you, whether you were willing or not, so that we could say we had screwed our way through a black hole, now
that’d
be something to tell our grandchildren, and yes, that is a proposal of marriage.  By the way, don’t ever change your hair, you look incredibl
e
like that”

             
“Owen” said Austen.

             
“Yes?”

             
“You talk too much” she logged into Mindbank.  “Well, what’s the story?” she asked.

             
“We went through a black hole Captain, it took us four years, however the good news is that time in a black hole, if not reversed, is mixed up.  The procedure seems to have rejuvenated your cells, you have lost four years –
youthened
.  I would estimate that you are now about nineteen, the same, of course,  goes for Lieutenant Commander Owen”

             
“Oh God” responded Austen “please don’t tell me he’s even more juvenile than before!”

             
“Where are we exactly?” cut in Owen.

             
Austen glanced at her star charts “Well, unbelievably, we seem to have taken a short cut home, we’re on the edge of our own solar system.  We can’t go into hyper, we’re too close to Earth but sub-light should get us home in about three hours”.  She turned to Owen, her hair seeming very heavy, and smiled sweetly  “Please be so good as to lay in a course for Earth Lieutenant Commander”

             
Owen grinned and standing up, saluted smartly, if sarcastically, and  turning, disappeared through the seal doors.

             
Austen lay back in her seat and grinned hugely.  With a bit of luck this would send Loxley into hysterics, the first and only survivor of a black hole trip and it was a female captain.  Within hours she would be back with her father again.

             
Blinking back the tears, she ran her fingers through her heavy mane of hair,  wincing as her long jagged nails caught in it, the first thing to be done when she got home was to have this lot cut off, it was appallingly cumbersome.

             
The communicator buzzed “Course set ma’am”

             
“Right Owen” replied Austen “we’ll be home before you know it, oh, and Owen....”

             
“Ma’am?”

             
“Unofficially, thanks for staying, off the record of course, I’m most appreciative”

             
“There’s nothing stopping you showing me just how appreciative right now Captain, the ship’s deserted”

             
“Over and out Owen” she replied, tersely.  She made a few calculations and flicked a few switches, the view outside blurred and went red, leaning back she put her hands behind her head “Well Alodie Austen” she said aloud “the ship’s intact and as you’re going to be a celebrity you’d better get ready to meet the brass”

             
She made her way to her quarters and, after having a quick shower, and trimming her nails, decided to change into her dress uniform.  Her hair was a problem, it would not dry properly and she was tempted to cut it but she had to admit that it looked so beautiful that she was loath to do so, compromising, she fastened it out of the way in a not very secure bun.  Then, after climbing into her tight emerald green dress uniform with the leather E & MTC motif belt around her waist, she took a last look at herself in the mirror.  To her surprise she looked wonderful,  her skin glowed and her eyes sparkled.  She was secretly thrilled with what she saw, she could not remember the last time she had felt or looked so good.  She licked her lips nervously.

             
“Why, Vice President Loxley” she said to her reflection “whatever made you think that a captain of my calibre could lose a star ship and valuable cargo?  Of course I can negotiate black holes - child’s play!” Laughing out loud she set off to the bridge.

             
Owen was already there, also in dress uniform, hair neatly pulled back in a pony tail.  As she entered the bridge he glanced up, his eyes widened at the sight of her and he swallowed, visibly.

             
“I’m going to the obs room, to take us out of sub-light” she said “I’ll contact Earth the minute we pass Mars so they can get the red carpet brushed”

             
Owen nodded in reply and pulled a clipboard down onto his lap in an attempt to hide his body’s all to obvious reaction on seeing her.  As he watched her retreating figure he wondered if she would complain to the authorities if he forced her?  Undoubtedly - would it be worth it though?  He’d never seen anything like her in his life.  She had been beautiful enough to make you cry before but now, with all that long golden hair floating about.......!  He glanced down, Jesus the thing would be ripping the material of his uniform soon!  He got unsteadily to his feet and walking over to the lift ordered it to take him to the galley - what he needed right now was a stiff scotch but he would have to settle for a cup of strong black coffee.

             
Up in the obs room, Austen was having problems.  She hit the communicator button once again “Los Angeles Control, come in please” the hiss of static greeted her “that’s peculiar” she thought aloud, surely from this distance LA could pick her up and anyway EMDAR (Sol system’s defence net) would have spotted them the minute they hit the solar system “Maybe Los Angeles control’s gone down or something” she said to herself and pressed a few more buttons “Come in Sydney Control, E & MTC deep space hauler
Star City Colossus
calling Sydney....”  again nothing but the hiss of static.  Puzzled and starting to get a little anxious, she ran a full diagnostic on the communications system. Everything seemed in order.  She looked up “Mindbank” she said slowly, “I know we’ve just passed Mars and I know I can see Earth coming into view but is this an alternative universe or something and it just looks like home?”

             
“No Captain” responded the computer “this is the same universe, we are in Sol system and yes, that is Earth”

             
Austen scratched her head “So why don’t they answer?”

             
After a few seconds the computer came back to her “No communication is possible, Captain, as sub-space carrier waves were not utilised by humans on Earth in 876 AD”

             
Austen felt her stomach begin to churn “You
are
joking” she whispered.

             
“I am not at present in humour mode, Captain” replied the computer “Due to the time warp conditions in the black hole,
Star City Colossus
has been ‘catapulted’, as it were, back in time to Earth year 876 AD”

             
Austen felt physically sick, this was not happening, it was a bad dream “H - how do we get back?” she eventually managed to stammer.

             
“I have no data Captain” replied Mindbank

             
“Where’s the nearest time travelling civilisation?” she asked, trying to stem the rising tide of panic within her.

             
“Zeta Epsilon II in the NGC 253 System, approximately twenty years away at top speed and we do not have the fuel.  Unfortunately their sun is due to go supernova in six months.”

             
Austen groaned then stabbed at the communicator button.  “Owen, get up here, we’re having a spot of trouble” she snapped, then turned back to the console “Suggestions, Mindbank”

             
“Establish orbit” replied the computer “send a mayday directed at the position of the nearest black hole, it may be pulled through and possibly picked up by a civilisation which can come to your rescue, but that is all I can suggest”

             
Owen walked in “Send a mayday, what gives?” he asked, incredulously.

             
Austen did not answer him “I have searched my memory banks for any entries on the history of this period” continued Mindbank “it was a stormy one.  A barbaric group of pirates, the Vikings, were overrunning most of
Europe
,
England
particularly.  Little was known of the
Far East
and nothing at all of the
USA
,
Africa
,
South America
or
Australasia
.  Culturally mankind was in its infancy.  Most countries were either inhabited by savages, or at best ruled over by tyrannical monarchs”

             
“Look” interrupted Owen “what the hell’s going on? Whatever it is I’m involved too”

             
Austen turned in her chair and indicated the blue planet getting larger up ahead.  “Apparently Owen, we’ve been caught in a time warp.  That’s Earth down there alright, in the year 876 AD!”

             
“You’re joking!” he gasped

             
“Hardly Lieutenant Commander” she turned back to the console “Right Mindbank, back to business, why should this concern us? We can stay here on the ship until the message gets through”

             
“IF the message gets through Captain Austen, the chances of the message  being picked up by a time travelling intelligence or an intelligence able to contact a time travelling civilisation are so small as to be incalculable”

             
“and knowing the keenness of the Dolwayans, the only time travelling civilisation in our time, to help out, the chances are infinitesimal” interjected Austen.

             
“Exactly Captain” replied Mindbank “and as you know I can not send a message back the way we have come
as the wormhole goes one way and is not stable
.  I think I can say, without fear of exaggeration, that you are in severe trouble, you cannot go anywhere else as you do not have the fuel, add to this the fact that the food replicator will cease to function in just under a year and the orbit itself, due to the weight of the cargo, will begin to decay in less than two years,
Star City Colossus
will then crash to Earth”

             
“Oh Lord” whispered Austen

             
“However, if I send the message now and you are very, very lucky, help could arrive, well anytime really”

             
“But you don’t think it will”

             
“I’m almost sure it will not” replied Mindbank “it looks very much as if you will have to live, at best temporarily and at worst permanently, on Earth in 876, and if so it will be imperative that you do not betray to anyone who you are or appear unusual to look at, so that rules out your living on the American, Australasian, Asian and African continents.  I will, of course, provide you with an autodoc, weapon and communications device, suitably disguised as a piece of ninth century hardware”

             
“Wonderful” sighed Austen.

             
“I have been continually monitoring the surface of the planet since we came within range and would suggest, when you do have to land down there, you make for the south coast of
England
, a place called
Wessex
.  It is ruled by a far sighted and civilised monarch, Alfred, later to be called “the Great”.  I would also suggest, Captain” continued the computer “that both you and Lieutenant Commander Owen spend some time on the auto learner, you will need to be fluent in both Anglo Saxon and Ancient Norse”