Star Tracking. Part 4

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CHAPTER ELEVEN

"What a beauty!" The exclamation escaped Captain Peter Dashing without his intending it to. His gaze slid over the sleek hull, his soul was filled with admiration (and envy). Considering some of the rustbuckets he had seen in this spaceport, he'd take a ride in that any day.

"Like my ship?"

He turned startled. There was a tall brunette standing just behind him, her eyebrows raised. She shrugged. "Daddy gave it to me last month - but I've seen a better one, so he'll have to give me that one instead. I don't know what he'll do with this. Scrap it maybe." Her eyes were totally disinterested. Bored with her ship, bored with her life. A sudden flicker in her eyes took him by surprise.

"Aren't you Peter Dashing?" she demanded.

"Yes?" He thought, do I know you? Then - not another ex-girlfriend!

"I saw your picture in one of those electronic magazines. You're going to marry that Urgon woman - Bak'ton!" She smiled suddenly, and extended her hand to him. "I'm Amber Monteroy. My father knows Madame Bak'ton extremely well."

"I'm charmed." He kissed her hand. And in luck, he thought. A social climber - perfect!

"We'll probably be at the wedding, after all, events like this don't happen everyday. Are you here with Madame Bak'ton?"

"No, no. I'm all alone." Until now, his eyes suggested.

She preened herself slightly.

"My shipmates decided to throw a party for me and part of the entertainment involved leaving me in an awkward situation," he explained.

Her finger poked him in the chest. "Like one of those old stag night things!"

Clever girl. Any cleverer and she'd cut herself. "Mmm. I'm supposed to try and make my way back with nothing to rely upon but my wits. Of course, if an old friend happens to offer me a lift, then that's my good luck isn't it?"

"No luggage?" she asked, smirking slightly. Wow, the fiance of a ruler - on her ship! That was worth waking up for.

"Not a thing. What will I wear while the laundry's being done?"

"I'm sure we can find something." Taking his arm they sauntered towards last month's gift. Both extremely pleased with the situation.

~o0o~

CHAPTER TWELVE

The crew of the Endeavour arrived at the spaceport just thirty minutes too late. Dashing had gone (along with Amber, her servants and her soon to be discarded ship). Deciding that going through official channels was a waste of time, Steadfast dropped a few hints to Lt. Hashimoto, who decided to hack into the spaceport's computer and ask it a few questions.

A few questions later, and Hashimoto presented a list of recently departed ships, their crew, owners and flight plans, to his Acting Captain. It is to be noted that Steadfast did not ask him where he acquired the information and Hashimoto did not volunteer to tell him.

There were seven ships on the list. Steadfast cursed. In desperate straits, Dashing might have decided to sign on as a crew member with a male shipowner, unlikely though that was. He analysed the list. It was virtually impossible for anyone to stow away now, and the deprivations such a person would have to suffer to avoid being detected made it extremely unlikely that Dashing would try that. Plus a lot of shipowners had acquired the habit of forcibly ejecting any stowaways from their ship through the nearest airlock. Steadfast shook his head. Dashing wasn't that desperate.

Seven ships. Seven crews. And seven owners. Ah, one of the ships was owned by a Korgal. The Korgal were well known throughout the galaxy for being convinced that their race was the most superior. They would never allow a mere human to join their crew - not even a human with an ego which was every bit as big as theirs. Dashing didn't have any money so he couldn't buy passage either, so that meant that the Korgal ship could be crossed off the list. One down - six to go.

Steadfast decided that it would be better to tell the bridge crew, at the very least, the truth concerning Bak'ton and Miss Elliot. As he had expected the bridge crew were in favour of following Madame Bak'ton's plan. They had been quite prepared to help him get Dashing declared insane, (something which they suspected was true anyway), but they all agreed that this was a much better opportunity. Steadfast had some trouble calling the meeting to order, as they were all united in vilifying Dashing and a couple of them were busy debating whether or not his parents had been married, and what species they had belonged to, married or not.

Knowing that Dashing did not know that Judith was in no danger only added spice to the challenge of locating him.

Steadfast presented the list of ships. One crew member, who will remain nameless, was in favour of finding each ship and blowing it out of the cosmos on the grounds that Dashing might be on board. He got quite enthusiastic about his plan and had to be forcibly reminded by a fellow crewman's fist (also nameless) that they wanted Dashing alive, blowing up innocent ships wasn't Stellarfleet policy and how were they going to get Steadfast as Captain if his crew murdered several people? The crewman saw the error of his ways (and several stars) and the meeting continued.

"Excuse me, sir," Ensign Kirenkov looked at his Acting Captain. "Wouldn't it save time if we went after one of the ships while we have this meeting? I mean, we might be able to eliminate one ship at least."

"Clever lad," the Doctor murmured.

Steadfast chose the slowest ships to start off with. The fastest, Amber's Pride, was headed straight for Earth and he doubted if Dashing would be so stupid as to head for Stellarfleet Head Office - or even go near it.

The bridge crew had managed to list the ships in order of probability by the time they caught up with the first ship. It was not very big, and not in very good condition. In fact, it was a good job they had chosen that one, as it had broken down less than three days out of spaceport. Steadfast helped them as best he could, and sent out a call for general assistance. The Explorer was the nearest ship and as soon as they arrived, the Endeavour left, sped on their way by the thanks of the stranded crew and a few pieces of information.

Lt. Commander McFadden had gone to their engine room and while helping to fix their propulsion system had overheard two of the stranded crew talking about the Endeavour and one of them insisting it was the same ship. Being a good natured man, he offered to settle their argument and was astounded to be asked whether his was the ship that Dashing had commanded.

"And how did you know that?" he asked.

The young crewman pulled out a copy of an electronic magazine, the Cosmic Interrogator, the scourge of the rich and famous. It was considered by some to be a trashy magazine, filled with gossipy articles about successful actors, various tycoons and royalty. It was considered by others to be highly informative and downright interesting. It was also well known for having the latest news.

McFadden took the magazine. Flipping past a long article on "head replacements - whose were natural, whose were fake" and a short article on whether or not Chip 'the hip' Presley was living on Mars, McFadden found himself gazing at a picture of his Captain, with the headline "Stellarfleet Hero Unfaithful to Fiancee Queen" screaming at him. Reading the blurb, McFadden discovered that Dashing had been seen boarding the ship of a certain Amber Monteroy, daughter of Cleveland Monteroy, owner of a fast food chain. While the Interrogator had not been able to determine where Miss Monteroy's ship was, it speculated wildly on what exactly Dashing was doing aboard her ship - and hinted that his marriage was not of his own choice. Grinning widely, McFadden handed the e-mag back to its owner, and left the ship.

As soon as the Explorer arrived, the Endeavour left.

~o0o~

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Amber Monteroy lay on her bed and sighed. She was bored although there was nothing new in that. For some reason, Captain Peter Dashing had been insisting on their avoiding other ships and was very much against going straight to Earth. Amber had seen the Cosmic Interrogator (sent electronically to all subscribers - and she had every issue) and although Dashing was still being discussed in each day's supplement, she knew that if they didn't get interviewed soon, the Interrogator would lose interest and stop featuring them. Also, she hadn't managed to contact any of her friends to see how they were enjoying seeing her in a twosome with the Galaxy's most eligible bachelor. She lay on her bed as she glanced through the newest copy. The Interrogator was attempting to list all of his ex-girlfriends but in the editorial, the writers had explained that their database was having trouble coping with the amount of information.

She threw the e-mag on the floor and rolled over on to her stomach. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see Daddy. And she had nothing to wear! Her sniffling stopped as she remembered that the latest fashion shows would be starting. She hadn't missed the shows since she was three! She wasn't going to miss one now! She knew that Peter wouldn't be pleased if she flew straight to the Moon (the fashion capital of the universe - the designers could be a lot more adventurous with much less gravity to contend with) but this was her ship, not his.

~o0o~

"Where the hell are we going?" Dashing had looked at the consoles in Amber's up-to-the-minute ship and realized that the circles they had been flying around in had become a straight line heading for a definite destination.

The navigator looked up, startled.

"Well? I asked you a question!" Dashing said, imperatively.

It was unheard of for Amber or any of her guests to actually speak to any of the bridge crew. The only people they spoke to were each other or their actual servants. But to speak to any of the people who actually worked on the ship was beneath them, so the navigator was rather confused.

"Are you speaking to me, sir?" he asked hesitantly, even though he and Dashing were the only ones on the bridge.

"Of course I'm speaking to you - you idiot!" Dashing shouted, "WHERE ARE WE GOING?"

"The Moon, sir."

"The Moon? The Moon?"

"Yes, sir. It's a small planet. It circles Earth," the navigator offered nervously.

Dashing was outraged. Did this pathetic specimen of humanity think he was stupid? He bawled, "I know what the moon is - I went to Stellarfleet Academy!"

His face was puce. The navigator, Johnson, was torn between fear and total fascination. It looked as though Dashing's head was about to explode.

"Why are we going to the Moon?" Dashing screamed.

"Er, er...Miss Monteroy's orders, sir."

Dashing was actually vibrating with rage. "The Moon!" he howled. "I can't go to the Moon! Turn the ship around!"

"Er...er...." Johnson wanted to explain that he couldn't turn the ship around without direct orders from his Captain, who took his orders from Miss Monteroy, but he didn't dare.

"Are you deaf? TURN THE SHIP AROUND!"

"Yes, sir." Johnson altered the ship's course and breathed a sigh of relief as Dashing left the bridge. As soon as the lift doors had shut, Johnson contacted the Captain and explained everything to him. The Captain was less than happy. When he had first got this job, it had seemed like a good idea. He had naturally assumed that Amber would spend most of her time visiting friends. She did, but she also had a bad habit of turning up whenever she wanted without any notice and expecting the ship to take off there and then. If he hadn't signed a year's contract (her father had had trouble keeping any crew on board the ship until he'd thought of that), he would have quit.

When Amber heard what Dashing had done, she was furious. She ordered the Captain to head straight for the Moon and went to see what Dashing had to say for himself.

As soon as the doors opened she shot through them. Dashing looked up and scowled. He had had enough of this spoilt brat and was very close to saying so.

"Why did you order my navigator to turn back?" she demanded.

He stiffened. Who did she think she was talking to him like that? He had kindly allowed her to have the prestige of having Captain Peter Dashing on board her ship - and in her bed - and here she was, demanding things of him.

"I thought we'd agreed to stay away from Earth!"

"I wasn't going to Earth - I'm going to the Moon!"

"The Moon isn't very far from Earth though, is it?" He glared at her.

She glared back. "I'm going to the fashion shows and if you don't like it, you can get out and walk!"

"Walk? In space? Are you stupid? I'm Peter Dashing! I'm a Captain! I can take command of your piddling little ship!"

"My piddling little ship came to your rescue though - didn't it?" she sneered. "Your friends left you at that spaceport and I gave you a lift! I didn't have to, I could have left you there!"

"You were too impressed with who I am to leave me there! You're a social climber," Dashing shouted.

Amber was furious. No one had ever dared to say that before. Her father was too wealthy for her to put up with insults. "I'm not a social climber - I felt sorry for you!"

"Sorry, for me? You couldn't feel sorry for a dead mongoose!"

Amber was flummoxed. No one had ever dared to argue with her either. In a fury she reverted back to her original stance, knowing that it infuriated him. "We are going to the Moon whether you like it or not!" she screeched.

"Right, that's it! I've had enough of pandering to you. You are the most boring woman I've ever come across! And..." he delivered his ultimate insult, "you're bad in bed!"

"Maybe I would have been better if I'd been having fun!" She noticed that his eyes were starting to bulge. "I might as well have been in bed with a corpse!"

He choked. No-one had ever even hinted that he might be bad in bed - he'd had too much practice for that.

Her voice rose by several decibels, "Now get off my ship!"

Captain Peter Dashing was not one to take defeat lightly. He stole a shuttlecraft instead.

~o0o~

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Are you sure that the information is correct, Ian?" Steadfast looked at McFadden. He had heard of the Cosmic Interrogator (who hadn't?) but he'd never read it.

"Well, sir, I'm not saying that they're perfect, but my wife swears by it. And she's usually right."

Steadfast turned to the intercom. "Lt. Hashimoto."

"Yes, sir?"

"Where is Amber's Pride headed for?" he demanded.

"Earth, sir."

It was fortunate that Steadfast chose to contact Stellarfleet and ask them to check their database for Amber's Pride. Within ten minutes, Steadfast knew that Amber and her ship had changed their destination and were now headed for the Moon's annual fashion show.

~o0o~

Once they arrived, Steadfast ordered most of the crew to form teams and visit the fashion show and search for Dashing, or failing him, Amber Monteroy. The majority of the bridge crew, himself included, went as well.

Steadfast had heard of the fashion shows, but he had never visited one. And considering what he saw that day, he never wanted to visit one again.

It was Ensign Kirenkov who found Amber first. Once he had managed to drag her attention away from the gravity free clothes being displayed, he had more of her attention than he wanted.

"Well," she said as she looked him up and down, "it's not often that I get accosted by a handsome Russian in uniform. And what do I owe you for the pleasure?" She smirked at him.

"Er...I was looking for Captain Dashing...It's very important." Kirenkov almost took two steps back - predatory females were not his style at all.

The smirk vanished. "Oh, him. He left." A note of outrage entered her voice. "He stole one of my shuttlecrafts. My favourite shuttlecraft."

"Could you tell me when he left?"

She shrugged impatiently. "What does it matter? He left. I don't care." She turned back to the catwalk, then glanced back at him. "But if it had been you who'd left, well, that would have bothered me." She fluttered her eyelashes at him and was pleased to see his eyes widen. If she'd known it was with fear she would not have been as pleased.

"Thank you, Miss. That's very kind of you." Kirenkov knew his duty and was determined to stand his ground until he'd got the information he needed. No matter what it cost him. "Could you tell me the name of the shuttlecraft?"

Amber frowned. This conversation was so boring. This guy might be cute but he obviously didn't know how to respond to a woman's advances. Briefly she considered teaching him how to flirt, but dismissed the idea. What was the point when she could have much more fun with some of the hunks she'd seen around here? "It's called the Beauty. Anything else?" she added sarcastically. What was she, an information bureau?

"Er...no, Miss. Thank you. You've been...very helpful." He backed away.

Amber watched him go then shrugged. He wouldn't have been worth the effort. A sudden thought struck her. Why was he looking for Peter? Dismissing the matter from her butterfly mind she turned back to the catwalk in search of new wings.

Kirenkov contacted Steadfast and told him what Amber had said. Steadfast considered going and questioning her, but decided not to. Stellarfleet didn't want to make it public that Dashing was fleeing from his advantageous marriage, besides, Amber's shuttlecraft should be easy to trace.

While Steadfast and most of the crew were on the Moon, McFadden had taken the opportunity to do some searching of his own. He had subscribed to the Cosmic Interrogator and downloaded it into the ship's computer. He had then told the computer to search the e-mag for any mention of Dashing. When Steadfast and the crew returned to the ship, they found that McFadden, (and the Cosmic Interrogator) could have saved them a viewing of the latest fashions. McFadden knew where Dashing was, or at least, where he had been when the Interrogator had been transmitted.

~o0o~

Part 5.