Estrangers In The Night

Star Traks: Waystation
Episode name	Estrangers In The Night
Season	Stardate 57---
Episode number	5
Writer(s)	Alan Decker
Year	2380
Stardate	Unknown
Chronology
Previous in series	A Dish Best Served Awkwardly
Next in series	The Joy Of Snigglesnooshes
Previous in timeline	Southern Charm [VEX]
Next in timeline	Managing Change [VEX]

Past decisions are coming back to haunt Captain Lisa Beck, but it's Lieutenant Commander Craig Porter who could find himself stuck in the line of fire. Meanwhile, the president has a little job for Security Chief Sean Russell.

Summary

Three weeks after their drunken night together, things are still very awkward between Captain Lisa Beck and Commmander Craig Porter. Kathy Beck, the captain's sister, arrives on board, but she has no intention of seeing her sibling. Federation President Bradley Dillon orders Lieutenant Commander Sean Russell to investigate a threat against Dillon's Double D Diner. The diner is staffed by Betazoids, and they believe that Baughb was thinking about blowing up their restaurant.

Upon learning that Kathy is on board, Yeoman Tina Jones informs Captain Beck. Russel, meanwhile, begins to question the Double D's Betazoid staff. He's particularly attracted to Sutrea Gral, but she quickly ends their interview after telepathically obtaining the questions Russell intended to ask and answering them. Beck goes to see Kathy and learns that Kathy is there on behalf of Astro-Tech to talk to Porter. She has absolutely no interest in speaking to Beck.

Kathy meets with Porter and tells him that she is there to talk about designs for time-drives. Porter is considered to be an expert in the area of temporal mechanics, and Starfleet has given Astro-Tech permission to meet with him. Porter finds that Kathy is all-business and very driven to find a drive method that will work. Russell hits an investigative dead end and decides to go to the Double D Diner for dinner, where he meets up with Sutrea again. Later, Porter goes to see Beck, and the two begin to repair their friendship. In the conversation, Porter learns about the rift between Beck and Kathy and determines that he cannot work with Kathy anymore.

The next morning a very-pleased Russell goes go visit Bradley and tells the president that he cracked the case. There never was a threat against the Double D. The staff made the story up on someone else's orders. Russell obtained this information during...um...activities with Sutrea the previous evening when he was momentarily telepathically linked with her. Russell leaves, and Bradley puts in a comm to his assistant, Gisele, demanding to see Mr. Auditmi. Porter tells Kathy that he won't be continuing their work because he believes that she only wants a time ship so that she can go back and save her parents. Kathy is angered and leaves the station. On her way home, she comms an unseen person and tells him that she will help him and his colleagues in exchange for their assistance.

Featuring

• Captain Lisa Beck
• Commander Walter Morales
• Lieutenant Commander Craig Porter
• Lieutenant Commander Sean Russell
• Yeoman Tina Jones
• Bradley Dillon

Also Featuring

• Stephanie Hodges
• Baughb
• Kathy Beck

Author's Comments

I liked the idea of Baughb being investigated for something he may or may not have thought. As an Andorian, it's perfectly plausible that Baughb could have been harboring violent thoughts toward the Double D Diner. From the writing perspective, my biggest problem was figuring out how Russell was going to crack the case. I went through several ideas, each less entertaining than the last. I didn't want to end up writing an episode of Law and Order: Waystation. The solution came from the most obvious of places: character. Instead of going through all of these legalistic gyrations, I needed to find something appropriate to Russell's character. The rest just fell right into place.

Links

Estrangers In The Night (text)

The Star Traks: Waystation web page