The Future Begins

by Steve Mollman

  “Captain Scott?”

  “Hm? What is it, lad?” he asked the Bolian captain.

  “Now that we’re almost on their doorstep, I believe we should contact the Witenagemot. Maybe you want to do that yourself?”

  “That I do, lad, that I do. Thanks for indulging an old man.”

  “Oh, it’s no problem, Captain Scott. It’s your project, so it’s only fair that you get to do the talking,” Loxx said, grinning.

  “I beg your pardon?” said Scotty, not quite understanding what he was going on about.

  “The fact of the matter is that I’m not all that comfortable with talking to heads of state. You, on the other hand, seem to have a bit of experience with that.”

  “Not as much as you’d think, Captain, but yes, you’re right.”

  “The captain is always right,” Loxx said, laughing. He turned to the Tiburonian standing at the tactical console. “Open a channel, Lieutenant Ramaijif.”

  The large man nodded. “Shouldn’t take too long, sir. It’s not as easy as shooting things, but it’s not that hard.”

  Loxx waved Scotty over to where he was sitting in the center of the bridge. “Ignore Ramaijif,” he said as Scotty stood up and crossed the bridge. “He’s been moaning ever since the Fleet decided to make the tactical officer responsible for communications.”

  “I have managed to open a channel to the high cyning of the Witenagemot,” Ramaijif reported just as Scotty reached the area in the center of the bridge.

  Loxx stood up and gestured graciously to his now empty seat. “It’s all yours.”

  Scotty sat down. Nice, he thought. It seemed that after centuries of spaceflight, Starfleet had finally developed a comfortable captain’s chair. Loxx nodded to Ramaijif, and the distinctive face of a Kropaslin appeared on the main viewscreen. “This is Captain Montgomery Scott of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers,” he said.

  The Kropaslin answered back, the sound of her voice revealing her to be a female. “I am Sunanios Gilvatac, high cyning of the Kropaslin Witenagemot. I take it you are here to begin the promised relief efforts?”

  Scotty realized he recognized her; she had been one of the members of the Agreement Party there on that fateful night. “Aye, ma’am.” He knew enough diplomacy not to call a head of state “lassie,” at any rate. “We’re here to provide whatever technological help we can, startin’ with the weather modification net.” Maintenance of the net had been one of the casualties of the collapse of the Kropaslin government, and now drought was raging across several continents.

  “Thank you, Captain Scott. All of Kropasar will be in your debt—this government has only been up and running for a few weeks now, and just the news that the Federation was sending aid went a long way in establishing our credibility with the public.”

  “It’s only fair,” said Scotty, “given what the Federation’s rejection of your membership did before.”

  “None of us could have foreseen that chain of events,” said Gilvatac sadly. “No one.”

  Scotty quickly glanced at a readout below the main screen. “The Akarana should be entering orbit in thirty minutes,” he said.

  “I look forward to seeing you again,” said Gilvatac. “Witenagemot out.”

  Her image was replaced by the stars streaking by, their light split up in rainbow colors, as the Akarana sped toward her destination. Scotty was eager to repair the damage caused by the previous visit of a Starfleet ship and almost couldn’t wait to set foot on Kropaslin soil.

  There was just so much to do.

  Monty Scott in the

  24th-and-a-half Century!

  A Timeline of Scotty’s post-“Relics” Journey

  In writing The Future Begins, we found it necessary to weave together the bits and pieces various novels, eBooks, comics, and short stories had given us about Scotty’s life in the twenty-fourth century into one continuous narrative. Previously, we had only received snapshots of his journey; our goal was to combine these into a coherent whole, and The Future Begins would serve as the culmination of this whole.

  The following timeline lays out what we know of Scotty’s twenty-fourth-century (and beyond) odyssey. Not everything is here: we tried to fit what would work together, and not every story can. Indeed, it is possible that not everything that is here works together without contradiction, but we tried our best.

  Thanks to Geoff “Wersgor” Hamell for his assistance in compiling this timeline.

  Bracketed abbreviations: TOS=original Star Trek. TNG=The Next Generation. NF=New Frontier. SCE=Starfleet Corps of Engineers. SNW#=Strange New Worlds anthologies. TDW=Tales of the Dominion War anthology. NL=New Frontier: No Limits anthology.

  2369

  Starfleet Captain Montgomery Scott (ret.) is rescued from the wreck of the U.S.S. Jenolen, where he has been existing in a transporter loop since 2294, by the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D. Captain Picard gives Scotty extended loan of the Shuttlecraft Goddard, and he sets out to wander rather than retire to Norpin V. (“Relics” [TNG])

  2370

  Blaming himself for the “death” of Captain Kirk on the Enterprise-B, Scotty travels back in time on a derelict Klingon bird-of-prey in an effort to prevent it, accidentally changing history so that the Borg dominate most of known space in the twenty-third century. History is eventually restored, and no one remembers the alteration. (Engines of Destiny by Gene DeWeese)

  Scotty meets an old acquaintance, Captain Morgan Bateson of the Bozeman, who was also displaced almost a century in time. They fight over the memory of Mira Romaine but put their differences behind them when they realize that they are still friends. (“Ancient History” by Robert J. Mendenhall [SNW6])

  Koloth engages Scotty in battle to settle a final score before heading to Deep Space 9 to track down the Albino. (“Old Debts” by Kevin Ryan [TNG Special #3])

  Scotty renames the Goddard the Romaine in honor of his former love. (Crossover by Michael Jan Friedman [TNG])

  2371

  Scotty steals the old Constitution-class U.S.S. Yorktown in order to help rescue Spock from Romulan captivity. (Crossover by Michael Jan Friedman [TNG])

  Inspired by an encounter with Burgoyne 172 on Argelius II, Scotty reenlists in Starfleet, donating the Romaine to the Fleet Museum as recompense. After taking some refresher courses to get up to speed with the new technology, Scotty joins Bateson at Starbase 12 to assist in the construction of the Sovereign-class U.S.S. Honorius. (The Two-Front War by Peter David [NF]; “Through the Looking-Glass” by Susan Wright [NL]; The Future Begins by Steve Mollmann & Michael Schuster [SCE]; Ship of the Line by Diane Carey [TNG])

  On leave at Earth to join Admiral John Harriman and his wife at their sixtieth anniversary dinner, Scotty learns of the crash of the Enterprise-D and the reappearance and death of Captain Kirk. Harriman, who is considering retiring from command of the Corps of Engineers, tries to persuade Scotty to replace him. (“Full Circle” by Scott Pearson [SNW7])

  The Honorius is redesignated the Enterprise-E in honor of the fallen ship, meaning that this is the third vessel of that name Scotty has served on. (Ship of the Line by Diane Carey [TNG])

  2372

  Scotty serves as chief engineer of the Enterprise-E on its maiden voyage under Captain Morgan Bateson. Afterward, the ship is turned over to Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the former command crew of the Enterprise-D. (Ship of the Line by Diane Carey [TNG])

  Scotty assists Bateson in completing construction on the Bozeman-A, another Sovereign-class vessel being assembled at Starbase 12. Once it is completed, he begins a tour on the U.S.S. Sovereign herself as chief engineer under Captain Sanders. (Ship of the Line by Diane Carey [TNG]; Spectre by William Shatner with Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens [TOS]; The Future Begins by Steve Mollmann & Michael Schuster [SCE])

  2374

  While the Sovereign visits Earth, Scotty helps Ensign Dorian Collins come to terms with the loss of her shipmates from the Valiant. (“Dorian’s Diary” by G. Wood [SNW3])

  2375r />
  His tour on the Sovereign completed, Scotty is contemplating retiring when he is invited by Admiral William Ross to take over for Harriman as the head of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers. (Interphase by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore [SCE]; The Future Begins by Steve Mollmann & Michael Schuster [SCE])

  Scotty temporarily assigns his duties to his assistant, Commander Leland T. Lynch, so he can take part in projects outside the office, including joining his old shipmate Admiral Leonard McCoy in making an inspection tour on the runabout U.S.S. Hudson. (“Safe Harbors” by Howard Weinstein [TDW]; The Future Begins by Steve Mollmann & Michael Schuster [SCE])

  The Hudson returns to Earth just after the devastating Breen raid on the planet. Scotty throws himself into assisting with the reconstruction efforts, continuing to neglect his duties with the S.C.E. (“Safe Harbors” by Howard Weinstein [TDW]; The Future Begins by Steve Mollmann & Michael Schuster [SCE])

  Scotty is summoned to the U.S.S. Gorkon by Fleet Admiral Alynna Nechayev to take part in a diplomatic mission to Kropasar. Afterward, he resigns from Starfleet. Leland T. Lynch takes over as the head of the S.C.E. (The Future Begins by Steve Mollmann & Michael Schuster [SCE])

  Scotty returns to Scotland briefly, until he is hired by the Risian government to rebuild their weather control network. After finishing the job, he sticks around, and eventually ends up employed as a greeter by the El Dorado Hotel. (Renaissance by Peter David [NF]; The Future Begins by Steve Mollmann & Michael Schuster [SCE])

  2376

  Scotty sees two Kropaslin at the El Dorado, inspiring a confrontation with Nechayev. Following this, Admiral William Ross meets with Scotty to discuss the Kropasar mission in one more attempt to get him to return to the Fleet. (The Future Begins by Steve Mollmann & Michael Schuster [SCE])

  Scotty is assisted by Morgan Primus and Robin Lefler in stopping the plot of Rafe Viola to sabotage the El Dorado computers. Afterward, he finally formally returns to Starfleet. In his capacity as head of the S.C.E., he begins pushing resources toward the reconstruction of Kropasar. (Renaissance and Restoration by Peter David [NF]; The Future Begins by Steve Mollmann & Michael Schuster [SCE])

  Scotty, in his capacity as head of the S.C.E., is heavily involved in coordinating Starfleet’s response to the crisis precipitated by the mass activation of Iconian gateways across the galaxy. Even once the gateways are deactivated, the S.C.E. must engage in various cleanup operations. (Doors Into Chaos by Robert Greenberger [TNG]; Here There Be Monsters by Keith R.A. DeCandido [SCE])

  During the gateways cleanup, the Enterprise-E returns to Earth, and Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge is able to see Scotty for the first time since Scotty’s resignation and reinstatement. Scotty tells La Forge the whole sordid tale. (The Future Begins by Steve Mollmann & Michael Schuster [SCE])

  Scotty assists the da Vinci crew in responding to the appearance of Shanial spheres in the middle of San Francisco. (Aftermath by Christopher L. Bennett [SCE])

  2377

  Scotty is part of a covert mission to the Watraii home-world aboard the U.S.S. Alliance. (Vulcan’s Soul Book 2: Exiles by Josepha Sherman & Susan Shwartz)

  2379

  Scotty is part of an inspection team assigned to the Enterprise-E. (A Time for War, A Time for Peace by Keith R.A. DeCandido [TNG])

  2422

  The Montgomery Scott Engineering Sciences Complex of Starfleet Academy is dedicated. Scotty is present to officially cut the ribbon. (Engines of Destiny by Gene DeWeese)

  About the Authors

  STEVE MOLLMANN lives in Colerain Township, which is a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio best known for possessing a large garbage dump, but he loves it all the same. He has been a Star Trek fan since before he can remember, for which he blames his mother. Maybe if someone lets him write another book or ten, he can make up for all the money he has spent on the franchise over the years. He is currently studying education at Miami University of Oxford, Ohio, and hopes to one day teach English at the high school level. He has never met Michael Schuster.

  MICHAEL SCHUSTER lives in Austria on the other side of the pond and believes himself to be only the second nonnative speaker of English to write a Star Trek story after Jesco von Puttkamer. Michael has been studying English as a secondary language ever since his third year in school, and he likes to think that it shows. His love for science fiction in general and Star Trek in particular began somewhere around his twelfth birthday. While he always wanted to be one of the authors of such adventures, he never really believed he would eventually become one. The fact that this did indeed happen is generally attributed to his collaboration with Steve that started years before they worked together on The Future Begins and is unlikely to end anytime soon. Being the older of the writer pair, he of course takes all the credit for everything except the mistakes, which is as it should be.

  The S.C.E. Celebrates the

  40th Anniversary of Star Trek!

  What’s Past

  A special S.C.E. event that flashes back to previous adventures of the S.C.E. crew from the twenty-third century to the height of the Dominion War, with special guests from all across the Star Trek universe!

  NEXT MONTH:

  #63: ECHOES OF COVENTRY

  BY RICHARD C. WHITE

  2375: Before he joined the crew of the U.S.S. da Vinci as their linguist, Dr. Bartholomew Faulwell served as a Starfleet cryptographer during the Dominion War. Of the many missions he performed, however, it is the one he cannot discuss that still haunts his memory….

  He is assigned with a team of specialists to a secret starbase near Dominion-controlled territory to listen in on enemy communications. At first the assignment is routine, but soon they discover vital intelligence that may change the face of the war effort!

  COMING IN APRIL 2006 FROM POCKET BOOKS!