The Orville (the Alternate) Season Three

S3E1 Chapter One

GORDON

Gordon Malloy, arguably the best pilot in the Union, studied his face in the bathroom mirror. Average build, maybe a little on the short side, for humans that is, a good looking beard...or was it? He turned his head to one side, then the other. He'd had his beard for so long, he couldn't remember what he looked like without it.

"Grayson to Lieutenant Malloy." Commander Kelly's voice blared over the wristband comm unit, making Gordon jump.

"Turn off music!" Gordon yelled. Up Around the Bend by CCR was playing over the main speakers. Anything by CCR always made Gordon think of flying; out for a short supply run in a shuttle or doing a practice session in a bigger craft, back when he was still in pilot training. Flying was his safe place, where he could be completely in his element. And lately, he'd felt very out of his element, and so he'd put on CCR to feel like himself again.

He fumbled now for the wristband communicator which sat on the bathroom counter, and knocked it to the floor instead. It bounced on the smooth, hard surface and Gordon grimaced. If he broke another wristband communicator, he'd never hear the end of it from John. Comm units couldn't be replicated with a replicator. And they had to pass a series of security checks.

Gordon reached across the floor, on his hands and knees now, and finally tapped the comm.

"Gordon here," he said loud and clear, then he rolled onto his back on the cold surface and shivered, naked. He'd just been about to get into the shower, not because he really needed one again today, but because he'd been toying with the idea of visiting the holodeck to see Laura, and he wanted to be freshly showered. He sighed, aware of how ridiculous it all was. If anyone knew he was still in contact with "2015" Laura, they'd relieve him of duty for being certifiably insane.

"I know it's after hours," Kelly's voice echoed off the bathroom walls. "But we have something important to discuss in the Briefing Room." Her voice made Gordon feel exposed, like she could see he was lying naked on the floor.

"Sure thing," he said. "See you there." He slammed the comm unit with his palm and stared up at the ceiling. Just another day in paradise.

TALLA

"If I tell you to keep everything we talk about, private, and never tell anyone, can you?" Talla tried to catch her breath as she jogged alongside Isaac through a beautiful, holodeck generated park from her home planet Xelaya. They were taking a leisurely pace but Talla was already sweating from the high gravity settings. Isaac never broke a sweat. Talla envied him for that.

"As long as the information you pass on is not necessary for avoiding danger to the crew or other members of the Planetary Union, I am able to keep our interaction confidential, indefinitely," Isaac replied.

"Even keeping it secret from the Kaylon in your reports?"

"I do not report to Kaylon Primary anymore."

Talla glanced at Isaac. He wasn't able to lie. Or perhaps he was? Maybe if it suited his primary directive. She'd been trained to pick up signs of lying from various species, but Isaac had no 'tell.'

"I guess it doesn't matter that much, as long as you're not sharing it with the crew, the way you shared details of your relationship with Dr. Finn in the past."

"I now know that is socially incorrect."

Talla jogged for a moment, feeling that runner's high kick in. She smiled. Finally, she was acclimatizing to Xelayan gravity.

"Should I start now?" Isaac asked.

"What?" Talla took slow, deep breaths, enjoying the high. The holodeck didn't simulate the plant and tree smells of the park, which was too bad, but the air was clearer here than anywhere else on the bridge, maybe because of the open space.