Adventures of the Librarians: The Bridge of Death

GFCA Librarians, in...

The Bridge of Death

Entering an unidentified ship was always a thrill. Sensor readings of this derelict ship had found some interesting energy readings. And there were more than a few officers back on the USS Ajax who wanted to know what secrets this ship's databanks held.

"The Bridge should be around here somewhere." Commodore McMillan commented. He and Ensign Braxx Juventa were assigned to the away team because they were Librarians. Captain MJ Mathy had thought they'd come in handy. "There should be a large room up ahead. That must be the Bridge." He looked at his tricorder. "I think."

"You think?" Captain Mathy asked with a sigh. "Look RoB, no offence, but that's what you said three rooms ago. Are you sure this ship even *has* a Bridge?"

"Sometimes the quest is more important than the discovery," Ensign Juventa spoke up. When the others looked at him, he shrugged. "It's something I read in a fortune cookie."

Just as the team was about to turn back, McMillan pointed ahead, towards a room filled with consoles. "There! I told you! It's the Bridge!"

Quickly, the team hurried towards the main command centre. All of a sudden though, a hologram of an odd looking creature appeared. "I am the Bridgekeeper!" the hologram announced itself. "Who would access the Bridge of Death would answer me these questions three, err the many files he see."

Captain Mathy raised an eyebrow. "I guess it's an automated security system. Sounds horribly familiar, though." He glanced at the Bridgekeeper. "What happens if we get the answer wrong?"

The Bridgekeeper gave a toothy grin. "Then you will be beamed into the blackness of space!" He concluded his threat with a maniacal laugh. "Now, who if you wants to go first?"

"Can't we just deactivate this guy and download the necessary data?" Mathy asked both Librarians. "Or, I don't know, use a tachyon beam to destabilise the holographic emitter? Or something?"

But Juventa shook his head. "It'd take too long for us to find the correct frequency. We're so close!" He then looked at the rest of the away team. "We will access those files, no matter what."

"But what if we answer incorrectly?" asked Mathy. "I don't much care for floating through space without an EV-suit, you know."

"We won't," McMillan said with certainty in his voice. "For you are travelling with Librarians!" With that, both he and Ensign Juventa stepped forward, and confronted the hologram. "Ask us your questions, Bridgekeeper. We are not afraid!"

"What," the strange looking hologram started, "is a different name for the ancient Earth city of Constantinople?"

Captain MJ Mathy frowned. "Somehow I thought he would have started with a different question," He muttered.

If McMillan wasn't sure of the answer, he didn't show it. "Nova Roma," he answered. "Or Byzantium, if you're Greek."

The hologram seemed unimpressed with the correct answer. "What," he spoke up again, "is a popular Romulan sour-tasting sweet?"

This time, it was Ensign Juventa who answered. "The osol-twist," he reacted, answering correctly.

MJ Mathy had to admit, the two Librarians were doing pretty well so far. However, he had a haunting feeling that the final question would be the most difficult one yet...

"What," the hologram started again, about to ask the final question, "was the wingspan of the extinct Xindi-Avians?"

McMillan and Juventa looked at each other for a moment, before glancing back at the hologram. "What do you mean?" asked Juventa, while McMillan added: "the male or the female ones?"

At this, the Bridgekeeper blinked. "Uh... I don't know that."

All of a sudden, the hologram disappeared and seconds later, it could be seen floating in space.

"Nicely done!" Captain Mathy complimented McMillan and Juventa as the away team started activating several of the alien consoles. "I'm curious though. How do you know so much about Xindi-Avians?"

McMillan shrugged. "Well, you've got to know such things when you're a Librarian, you know." he then grinned. "Now come on, let's see what secrets we can uncover!"

Special thanks to:
Captain MJ Mathy,
Ensign Braxx Juventa
C2C Nova Storm

Editor's note: the plan is to make more of such stories... so see you next time!