Ghosts From the Past

[Sergio Giovanni 0]

"Ghosts From the Past"

Log entry 23A: 17 February, 2155

 

Sergio was in the zone. He lined up his shot on the green bent down and made his swing, with the finesse of Tiger Woods. On the 18th hole of the Monte Carlo Country Club, Sergio watched his small white golfball land in the green, about 120 yards from the hole. "Wow what a shot" excalaimed Sergio's friend Eduardo. "Heh, heh" Sergio chuckled. "My lessons at golf school I took two years ago are paying off" he replies.

 

Good friends since childhood, Eduardo along with Juan, Pierre and Nigel took Sergio out to the prestigious Monte Carlo Country Club overlooking the French Riviera for a round of golf and a nice dinner at the five-star restaurant afterwards. It was just like old times again. Sergio thought. Though he'd been gone since September, it was almost as if he'd never left.

 

After about ten minutes, after Sergio's friends made their shots, all pretty much on the green, Sergio stepped up and made his shot. Aiming with deadly accuracy, Sergio somehow managed to shoot the ball into the hole, scoring Eagle. "Ohhh!" all excalimed in surprise, even Sergio, who didn't think he'd get it in. "What a lucky shot, eh?" Sergio said chuckling.

 

"Geez you've must have been while you were away" Juan said. "Yeah, like I had the chance. They didn't exactly have five star golf clubs where the Challenger went, these past few months" scoffs Sergio. But with that, Sergio won the mtach, scoring at about 5 under par overall. After the game, the foursome piled into their golfcart and drove out towards the five-star restaurant, adjacent to the course.

 

Over a dinner of smoked salon with lemon sauce and a glass of expensive white wine, Sergio and his pals reminisced about old times. Minutes turned into hoursand pretty soon, everyone left to go home for the night. Sergio though, drove out to Nice for a drink at a pub. Ordering a pitcher of Guiness beer, Sergio saw yet another familiar figure enter the ball from the corner of his eyes.

 

"Sergio?" the man asked. "Yes, that's me. Good to see you again, Gunter" Sergio replied. Gunter Seiben smiled and took a seat across from Sergio. They had met three years ago while water rafting in Colorado., and became friends ever since. "Came back to see Columbia off to, eh?" asked Gunter. "Yep. That seems to be what everyone is doing. Even the Enterprise" said Sergio.

 

"But I must say" Sergio added. "You did a great job on Challenger's engines" Gunter smiled. For several months during the Challenger's construction phase, Gunter Seiben worked as the Warpdriver Propulsion Manager for the Challenger project working for General Electric. "Four months of my blood, weat and tears went into that drive" Seiben said sipping on his mug of Guinness.

 

"Yeah, but I was just at the dry dock yesterday and helped in repairs. Man, who is your Chief Engineer? I'd like to have a few words with him on how to treat my engine with a bit of respect. What exactly did you did guys do to it anyways?" Seiben said coldly. Sergio held up his hands in mock surrender. "Don't look at me, I'm a Scientist, not an Engineer. But we did meet with a few cases of... hostility" Sergio said evasively.

 

"Hmph!" Seiben snorted. "And you guys actually took Challenger above Warp 5, didn't you?" When Sergio nodded, Seiben sighed and rolled his eyes. "I thought so. The Warp Drive wasn't designed to go above Warp 5. I'm surprised it didn't blow out with all the abuse your Engineers gave it" Sergio smiled. It was only natural Seiben would be so protective of his baby.

 

Sergio told Seiben about the stories of the hostilities the Challenger encountered. From the Suliban, right up to the Klingons, Andorians and Orions. "And yet the Challenger held up very good" added Sergio. Seiben nodded and munched on some roasted peanuts.

 

"But, what brings you here Gunter? Not just to see me, I'll bet" he asked. "Heh, you'd like that wouldn't you?" Seiben chuckled. "But no, I like you am here to see the launching of Columbia" "Ahh. So are you still working for GE?" Sergio asked. "Sigh, no. GE finally went out of business in November. We originally thought that the new NX Warpdrive contract would save GE from Chapter 11 bankrupcy, but it was too little too late.

 

"Now I work for Cochrane Warp Technologies, who took over the Warpdrive project when GE went belly up. I oversaw the Warpdrive Project for the Columbia's construction for them. But hey, at least GE went out with glory after the Challenger" Sergio nodded. "It's a good job. I'm earning more than I ever would've at GE. My future can only go up from here" Seiben said with a smile, referring to his new job with CWT.

 

"I hear that. I get the same thing from my friends when they hear I'm a Starfleet Officer" Seiben smiled and raised his glass. "So, a drink to our futures then, eh?"

Sergio raised his glass and clinked it with Seiben's. "I'll drink to that, my good friend" he said and downed his Guinness.