TALES OF THE RELIANT

TIME COPS

Admiral Richard Flagg gave Captain Yager and the crew of The Reliant their next job. The job was to go back in time to find and retrieve someone who had made an illegal time warp.

"Pardon me for asking, Admiral, but isn't that a job best suited for the Time Police?" Yager asked Flagg via the ship's main viewscreen on the bridge. John could tell by Flagg's reaction he wasn't too happy with his question.

"You have your orders, Captain," the Admiral said brusquely, "and I expect you to carry them out without question."

"Yes, sir," Yager replied to Flagg just as brusquely. "Viewscreen off."

Once the Admiral's image had disappeared from off the screen, first officer Commander Lisa Steiner quipped, "Boy, the Admiral really doesn't like you very much, does he?"

"Trust me," John replied, still glaring at the viewscreen, "the feeling is mutual." He peered over at the ship's android Roger. "Roger, make the calculations for time warp to the coordinates the Admiral sent."

"Yes, Captain."

"So where are we heading?" asked Lisa.

John checked the coordinates Flagg sent on the view panel on his chair.

"It says here we're going back to the year 1999 to a place called San Diego. May 22nd, to be exact."

"Who are we retrieving?"

"We're retrieving a young man named Isaac Fleming. According to the info Flagg sent, he made his own illegal time machine and went back in time before he could be stopped."

Lisa seemed impressed. "He sounds like a pretty smart young man."

"Captain," queried Roger, "might I inquire why would anyone wish to go to all that trouble to go back in time to old Earth? From what I understand, old Earth was still quite primitive back then compared to what is now."

"Frankly, Roger, I don't know and I don't care why he did it. He can explain his reasons why he did it at his hearing after we retrieve him."

"Yes, Captain." Roger looked back at his computer panel. "The calculations have been set for time warp."

"That's good." He looked at the ship's pilot Zack Renjay. "Mr. Renjay, time for warp."

"Aye, aye, Captain."

"You're not wasting any time, are you?" asked Lisa.

"Nope," replied John tersely. "The sooner we can get this Isaac Fleming, the sooner we can get back to our own time.Unlike this Isaac fellow, whoever he is, I have no real desire to go back to old Earth. Now everyone strap themselves in. It's going to be one hell of a bumpy ride."

Zack pressed the appropriate buttons on his control panel and The Reliant shot into warp. John was actually surprised The Reliant made it through time wrap given its age. But the ship made it to the appropriate time and that's all that mattered to him.

"Well, we're here," the Captain announced to his crew. "Mr. Renjay, find us a place to park."

"Captain," said Tamala, "the ship is visible to the tracking capabilities of the time."

"Engage cloak mode," ordered Yager.

"Engaging cloak mode," replied Tamala, "Aye, sir."

"Mr. Renjay," continued Yager, "have you found us a place to park yet?"

"I believe so, Captain. There's a place called a park a few miles from here."

"Sounds fine. Let's go."