The Runaway

ROMULAN SHIP RED HORNET

Letek had to be cautious. He would have little time to maneuver once he fired his weapons. Then the message came.

[Hello? This message is for the Romulan whose ass I kicked last night in the forest. Are you there?]

Letek froze. His bridge crew looked up.

[Are you there? I hope you’re not hurt too bad. Probably not, right? After all, I’m just a human, not a big, strong Romulan,] said the voice.

Letek couldn’t help but rub his bruised face.

[Say, you probably sent your weakest guy anyway. Tell him not to feel too bad about it. If it makes him feel any better, I almost hurt my hand slapping him around so much.]

Letek’s men were all looking at him, Tarel included.

[In fact, if he wants me to apologize in person, I’m in a shuttlecraft going home right now]

Letek had to act. His honor was on the line. Would his men believe this stranger? It had to be him. Who else knew about the fight?
‘Scan for that shuttle,” he ordered.

[Hel-looo?]

“I have it sir. Two life forms. Both human,” said Tarel. He looked at Letek a little differently.

[C’mon guys, I feel bad about brutalizing your man. Uh, he wasn’t a child was he? Gee, I feel terrible!]

“GET A LOCK ON THEM, AND BRING THEM ABOARD! NOW!” roared Letek.

A moment later, Li and Newman materialized on board the Romulan scout. In his anger, Letek had not thought to scan the passengers of the shuttlecraft. Newman, phaser rifle and all, blasted the transporter tech on duty.
“Brian! Do you know what you’ve done?” Judy was close to hysterics.
Newman looked at her. “Will you just let me handle this?” He reached for her, and Judy cringed back a little. Brian tapped her comm badge. “Paladin? Judy Li is on board the Romulan ship. Please bring her back. Right now. Thanks ever so much!”
“Brian! You’re crazy! You can’t….”
She faded out, and Newman was left alone.

“Ok, you crazy moron. Let’s go,” he told himself. He looked over at the Romulan on the floor. “One down, 19 or 20 left.” He said. He couldn’t read Romulan, or use their computer. He had to rely on their actions, and use them to this advantage.

Letek was storming down the corridor to the transporter room, with several other men in tow. Destroying the earth would have to wait. This…irritating human would be disposed of first. Since he had been insulted, his men would see that their captain could indeed kill a human. Painfully, he hoped. He entered the transporter and found nothing. Except for an unconscious Romulan. Letek was so mad, he was seeing green. “This human can’t go very far. Search the ship for him!”


USS PALADIN

Back on the Paladin, word had spread quickly that Brian Newman, the Scourge of the Paladin, was now loose on the Romulan ship. Tactical personnel began searching for signs of a ship in distress. Science officers began calculating the blast radius if a Romulan scout-class ship exploded.
When asked if he would work to bring him back, Captain Roberts sat down in his chair. “I’m thinking…”
Medical crewmembers began to prep in case of taking on Romulan casualties. The Security personnel simply smiled an evil, satisfied grin. “Either way, we win,” they said.
Ensign Levalle, who was found disrobed in the VIP quarters said, “I hope he’s alright.”
“Newman? The guy could have killed you!” her compatriots said.
She looked at them. “Not him! The Romulan commander!”

ROMULAN SHIP RED HORNET

It wasn’t hard to be wary. After all, if Newman could bring down (even if for a little while) a Galaxy-class ship, then what chance did the Romulans have? In truth, they had a great chance. Newman didn’t even calculate the odds and he wandered the ship, taking out stray Romulans as he went. He was keeping score though. “19, 18, 17 left.” Not having any idea how the ship was laid out, he decided to employ a brushfire technique. Start problems in one area, then jump to another and repeat. Thmulamulans would be bouncing from place to place, he hoped. The ruse wouldn’t last though. They’d get smart. But first, Brian would whittle down the odds. “16, 15, 14 little Indians.” The intercom system told everyone be one the lookout for a human. Almost reluctantly, they told them to be careful, and he was to be taken alive.
After using up the charge in his rifle, Newman was left using unarmed combat. That was fine. Newman happened to be very good at that. And from what he could tell, Romulans either relied on technology or brute strength for combat. Both were unreliable. As a matter of fact, when caught unawares, the Romulans were not too hard for him to take down. “13, 12, little Indians.” He decided to head to the bridge, if he could find it, and took a Romulan pistol he found. He ran into one more along the way, and fired the pistol. The Romulan dissolved into an agonizing greenish light.
“Holy Jeezus!” said Brian, and looked at the pistol. “Remind me never to get shot with one of these things! Sorry, number 11.”

Letek was losing respect fast. Instead of finding a weakling human and killing him, he kept finding dead Romulans. On the bridge Tarel was in command. He was wondering what he had done to deserve such a fate. Letek was going mad. First this insane plan about destroying the Earth, the sidetrack with this human. Now he was loose? If he were smart, he would have cooperated with the Federation the moment they arrived in this time. They could have even gone to Romulus to advance their technology. But no, Letek would do things his way. Obviously, Letek had ‘exaggerated’ the incident on the surface. Several humans? All dead? Tarel had no love for Letek to begin with. He dared not make a move, not knowing how many men were with him, or how many Tal Shiar agents were on board. His entire career he had avoided plots and coups against those in command. Most were fine officers anyway. The few he didn’t like, well, he could tolerate them. But now all he wanted was to go home. Letek wanted glory and power. Tarel couldn’t care less. Well, let Letek deal with this human (who was now finding to be harder to capture than thought).
“Sub-commander, the Federation ship is hailing us.”
“On screen,” he said.

[This is Captain Roberts. I understand you have Brian Newman as a guest on board.]

The Federation man looked amused. “This is Sub-commander Tarel. What is it to you? Is he a crewmember?”

[No. But I was offering our assistance to retrieve him.]

“What makes you think that he has escaped?” said Tarel.

[Do you have him in custody?]

A pause. “No”

[Listen Sub-commander, I’m growing weary of this foolish exchange, as I am sure some of you are. I only want us to return to our own time and then we can go about our business. What you’re after is suicide. I ask you again. Please cooperate and let us both go home.]

Tarel looked around the bridge. “I’m sorry, Captain. I have my orders.”

[Well, then. I’ll be waiting for your call]

“And what does that mean?”

The human smiled. [You’ll see.] The screen went blank.


Newman had just about run out of luck. It was time to change tactics. He watched a Romulan give a situation report on an intercom set on the wall. When he figured out how to use it, he blasted the Romulan and made a call.

On the bridge, Tarel was receiving a report from a centurion.
[I’ll try, sub-commander, but I don’t think that…AAAAAHHHH!……………..Ahem! Is this thing on? Hell-ooo?]

“Who is this?” asked Tarel, but he knew already.
[Hey! It does work. This is Brian Newman here. Look, you guys have been running ragged trying to find me, so I’ll make a deal. You guys surrender to the Paladin, and help them go home, and I’ll surrender myself to you.]

“Brian Newman, it is only a matter of time before you are found anyway, so I will not waste time talking to you,” said Tarel. On of the men on the bridge had found out where the human was calling from, and had informed Letek and his men where that was.

[Suit yourself.] the man had said. [But this is a small ship.] Newman had put on his creepiest boogyman voice. [And I’m coming to get you…]
There was a pause.

[BOO!] Brian shouted.

A couple of crewmen jumped at the sinister laughter, and some had thought it was funny.

“Brian Newman!”

There was no reply. The man had gone silent.


By now, Brian had a pretty good idea that the search would be centered around the intercom he used.
The transporter room would be most likely guarded, and he didn’t know how to disable the engines. Actually, the only thing he could really do was kill or capture the entire crew. “Only about 10 more,” he said to himself.

USS PALADIN

On the Paladin, the search for the Romulan ship continued, but now the pace had changed. If Newman was giving them half the trouble he cause them, all they had to do was wait. The sheer fact that the Romulan hadn’t fired at the surface told Roberts that Mr. Newman was indeed becoming a Romulan headache. His call to the Romulan commander had been partcholchology, and part sincerity. Commander Lyson informed him that Sulek had finished his plan, but it still needed the Romulan quantum singularity to work. At least the situation had eased up a bit. It could still blow up, but Captain Roberts felt a little better.

ROMULAN SHIP RED HORNET

Letek had still not found the human. He had set traps in the transporter room, and in engineering. But he had not shown up. Letek had though about abandoning the search, calling all crewmen to the bridge, andtingting the air from the ship. Let him suffocate. But that was a coward’s way. He was sure everyone knew he was lying about his injuries. The only way to settle it was to find Brian Newman and kill him. And that he would certainly….
A loud scream of pain erupted from his right. He turned, only to see the faint glow of what had been his chief centurion. As he watched him fade out, the same thing repeated on his left. Letek took cover. The two remaining men did the same and returned fire. Letek said, “I want him alive!”
A disrupter was thrown out, and the human surrendered himself. Letek and the two centurions stood up, and cautiously approached the man. Letek could see him now, and he realized that this was the first time he could see the man’s face. It made him feel more ashamed.
“Don’t shoot! I give up!” said Newman.
*Jesus! I can’t believe this keeps working! * he thought.

USS PALADIN

Sokolov said, “Captain, the Romulan vessel is de-cloaking! They are hailing us.”

“On screen,” said Roberts. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He could see the Romulan Bridge. Tarel was addressing him, but standing to his right, looking just as pleased as punch, was Brian Newman.

[Captain Roberts, Captain Tarel here. There has been a change of plans.]

“Indeed?” said Roberts.

[Hello Captain,] said Newman. He had green smudges on his shirt, but otherwise looked none the worse for wear.
“Are you all right Mr. Newman?”
[Oh I’m fine,] he said cheerfully.
“May I ask what happened to Letek?” asked Roberts, not sure if he really wanted to know.

[He will no longer be addressing you Captain,] said Tarel.

[Yeah. You might say…his ‘heart’ wasn’t in it,] said Newman with a grin that chilled Roberts. He looked at the green blood on his shirt. Roberts could catch small wary glanced from Tarel.

[We are willing to hear your plan to return home, Captain, but I want full amnesty for my crew,] said Tarel.
“You needn’t worry about that, Captain. I think it’s safe to assume that with Letek’s…departure…from the situation, you’ll be given every accord. Will you join my senior officers and I on board for dinner this evening? We can discuss our plans in more detail,” said Roberts.
[I suppose that will be satisfactory,] said Tarel. He had nothing to lose now. The Federation was totally in control now.

Later on, the Paladin was back in one piece, and Tarel and his new second-in-command were given a brief tour of the ship, followed by a briefing from Sulek on how to get home. It was a tremendous sacrifice on behalf of the Romulans, because their engine core would have to be ejected into space, leaving the ship on emergency power. Tarel would not be well received back home, and worst of all, that slime Letek would probably be honored as a hero. What was left of him, anyway.

Brian Newman had a quiet dinner with Judy Li in her quarters. Actually, Roberts told him that the Romulans didn’t want him in the same quadrant, much less across a dinner table. They called Newman ‘Ethaon aehallh,’ the Poison Ghost. Newman kind of liked that. But he understood that they didn’t want him there. After turning the table on Letek, he had taken him to the bridge. Tarel now had the pull to take command. No one on the Red Hornet would follow a loser like Letek. Tarel had proposed a challenge in hand-to-hand combat. If Letek won, well, that was obvious. Tarel didn’t stand to live through that. If Newman one, Tarel would take command. No agreement was made about surrender, but Tarel and Brian both sensed that things would be better of Letek had been taken out of the equation. Letek was boisterous, a loud braggart, but when it came down to it, it was no contest. Newman knew that he could kill him easily, but also he had to show the remaining Romulans that humans were not to be trifled with, as he got the impression that they thought humans were weak and cowardly.
They wouldn’t think that anymore. Newman had made it short and sweet. Letek didn’t even lay a hand on Newman, and a short, bloody 2 minutes later, it was over. Letek’s body (and other parts) was seen by every Romulan crewman aboard the Red Hornet. Tarel was now in command, and Newman was someone to be treated with respect, and they could now deal with the Paladin.
At dinner, Brian avoided the gory details, but just said that all’s well that end’s well.
“So are you leaving us soon?” she asked.
“That anxious to be rid of me, huh? Actually, I don’t know where to go. America is out. The government is going to hunt for mreverever,” he said. “I have no family. No friends, not anymore. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life on the run.”
“Brian, I get the feeling you want to come with us,” said Judy. “It just wouldn’t work. You belong here, in your own time.”
“Do I? Is it because I’m so violent, I belong in your violent past?” he asked.
“I didn’t mean that, and you know it,” she said. “It’s just that this is the world you know.”
“It’s a world I don’t want to know. You’re right. It is violent. And the people I know are cruel hypocrites who get other people to do their dirty work. Judy, I’ve never asked anything from anyone, much less begged,” he said. He had trouble looking her in the eyes. “If your time is so peaceful, if people have really learned other ways of life than violence, then I want to be a part of it. I’m not going to change here. I’ve never been happy here,” he said, now looking out the window.
Judy didn’t say anything.
“Well?” he asked.
“Finish your dinner,” was all she said, and smiled warmly.

Within the next day, the Paladin and Red Hornet, now in tow, proceeded to the spot close to where they entered into the 20th century. Newman, Tarel, Doctor Floyd, and Judy Li were on the bridg “Ve “Very well, Mr. Sulek. We’re ready to proceed.”
The Romulan engine core was suspended 1200 kilometers behind them.
Roberts turned to Newman. “You know Mr. Newman, life in the 24th century isn’t necessarily any less dangerous.”
“Danger I can handle Captain,” he said. He glanced at Tarel, who didn’t smile.
“Captain, calculations are complete. By a controlled detonation, we should create a wormhole leading us to approximately 25.873 hours from when we left. The wormhole will only last for .8 seconds, so I will instruct the ship to set a warp course and countdown to engage. With your permission, sir,” said Sulek.
“Proceed, Mr. Sulek,” said Roberts.
“Aye sir, two minutes to warp speed. Mark.”
*Two minutes left in the 20th Century, * Newman thought. It felt like being reborn. But not to a better place…only different. There would be so much to learn, and so many place to go. That’s what he needed. He had been used all his life as a weapon and a tool of government. That was over.

After the operation (it wasn’t very dramatic, dimmed lights and Sulek said ‘We have succeeded”) the Paladin contacted the nearest Starbase and gave a brief report. The Romulans eventually returned to Romulan space. And as the USS Paladin jumped into warp speed, Newman thought,
*My god, am I dreaming?* He hoped he wasn’t.