Past Due
| Star Traks: Boldly Gone | |
| Episode name | Past Due |
|---|---|
| Season | 5 |
| Episode number | 3 |
| Writer(s) | Alan Decker, Anthony Butler |
| Year | 2502 |
| Stardate | 177320 |
| Chronology | |
| Previous in series | Breaking In Is Hard To Do [BG] |
| Next in series | Vacation 31 [BG] |
| Previous in timeline | Breaking In Is Hard To Do [BG] |
| Next in timeline | Vacation 31 [BG] |
They say elephants never forget. Well, neither do collections agencies. Lieutenant Shelly Marsden thought that when she and the USS Anomaly escaped from their problems with the Associates. Not quite. She's about to discover that one particular problem is "Past Due."
Summary
After Lieutenant Shelly Marsden applied for a credit card at Gyjik’s Galaxy Gateway in the Andromeda Galaxy then maxed it out, Gyjik’s Customer Server is trying to reach her about her past due account. The final message letting her know that they will be referring her account to Associates’ Acquisitions bounces off the Great Barrier of the Milky Way galaxy, leaving Marsden complete unaware of the situation.
Five months after the final notice, a purple ship enters passes through the gateway into the Milky Way and asks the crew of the Barrier Observation Outpost if they know where the USS Anomaly is. They do not, so the ship leaves. The BOO contacts Starfleet to inform them.
On the Anomaly, Marsden and Cole Anfibon are having a long-distance dinner date using holopods. They are discussing seeing each other in person when Lieutenant Commander Tovar intrudes on the simulation because Marsden is using up 85% of the ship’s resources to keep the simulation running at such a distance. She says goodbye to Anfibon and ends the simulation before going to see Captain Reginald Bain, expecting a dressing down for taking advantage of her position of Chief Engineer. Instead, Tovar has covered for her and said that Marsden was running a test.
Admiral Kristen Larkin comms to tell them about the Associates ship that is broadcasting continuous hails demanding to know the location of the USS Anomaly so they can talk to Marsden about her unpaid credit card. Larkin sends the Anomaly to negotiate with the Associates and see what arrangement they can come to about the bill.
Dr. Natalia Kasyov goes to see Marsden in her quarters. Marsden talks about all of the shortcuts she has taken over the years, including putting an unknown alien device in the Anomaly to get the anti-singularity drive to work. She sees the current situation as her finally having to pay the price for one of her shortcuts, and she considers turning herself over to the Associates. Kasyov says that they will figure something out and takes Marsden to see Bain, so they can develop a plan. Bain’s plan doesn’t involve much more than blowing the Associates up, but Marsden is comforted.
The next morning, she arrives on the bridge just as Larkin is informing Bain that the fleet won’t be backing him up. Starfleet has reviewed the terms Marsden agreed to, and there’s no question that she violated them. The Associates will be there in an hour. Right on time, they are hailed by Acquisition Officer Uuubopamaumau, who demands that Marsden pay her bill or surrender to them, at which point she will be assigned a task to perform until her bill is repayed. With no other option and nothing to trade that the Associates want, Marsden agrees to go. Bain sends Tovar with her to make sure everything is on the up and up and to help her pay off the bill twice as fast. Neither Tovar or Marsden are thrilled by this idea.
They are assigned to work in the ship’s galley until they are returned to Andromeda, at which time their skills will be more properly assessed. Upon learning that, even with Tovar’s help, it’s going to take Marsden 37.5 years to pay off her debt, Marsden decides that they are getting off of the Associates ship. She tries to contact the Anomaly, but the Associates ship goes to warp, cutting her off.
Bain orders the Anomaly to pursue at anti-sing, but Ensign Hector Arroyo realizes they have something that probably can pay the debt: the Associates shuttle they brought back from Andromeda. It’s with Starfleet R&D on Earth. Bain orders Arroyo to head to Earth and contacts Larkin to let her know they are coming for the shuttle.
Toflay emerges to help Tovar and Marsden deal with the line of hungry Associates in the galley.
The Anomaly brings the Associates shuttle on board, but even at anti-sing they won’t intercept the Associates before they leave the galaxy. Bain is ready to chase them into the void when Cole Anfibon comms the Anomaly looking for Marsden. Anfibon’s ship is close enough to the BOO to intercept the Associates, if he maintains warp eight. Anfibon says he can do it. Bain tells him just to stall the Associates long enough for the Anomaly to get there. Anfibon has other plans. He sees that the Associates are heading toward the Grighton Expanse, where they will have to slow down to dodge the subspace instabilities and debris from some long forgotten cataclysm that took place there. When the Associates slow down, he stashes his ship, crashes a microshuttle into their engines, and beams aboard. The Associates take him to Marsden and Tovar. After Marsden and Anfibon kiss, he says that he will help with the debt, which takes them down to twenty-five years. With Anfibon there and the knowledge that the Anomaly is on its way, Marsden is determined to escape. They make an attempt, which is quickly stopped by the Associates. Blaming Anfibon's arrival for the attempt, Uuubopamaumau says that he only needs to keep the actual debtor alive and orders Tovar and Anfibon killed. The Anomaly arrives at that moment and hails, offering Uuubopamaumau the shuttle to wipe out the debt. It's not quite enough, so Marsden says she will help fix their engines. Uuubopamaumau agrees.
Once the repairs are complete, the Associates officially discharge Marsden's debt and return to Andromeda. She and Anfibon spend the night enjoying being actually together live and in person.
Featuring
- Captain Reginald Bain
- Commander Prosak
- Lieutenant Commander Tovar
- Lieutenant Shelly Marsden
- Dr. Natalia Kasyov
- Dr. Fred Nooney
- Ensign Hector Arroyo
- Cabral
- Cole Anfibon