Chapter 2
"Captain." Said the Doctor. He'd been surprised to
see me. "I was just going to call for you."
"How is he?" I asked. I'd come down to Sickbay only
an hour after seeing Brian relapse. I'd decided, with advice
from one of the ship's counsellors, to leave them alone to talk
through what they knew to have happened. Nick was taking
things very calmly but the others... they were very distressed.
"He's regressed into a critical condition."
"Why?" I asked. "I thought you said that he was
going to be up and about in a while."
"I thought he was. I can't find any reason for him to
be in the condition that he's in, physically, he's fine and I've
never known any mental condition that could case such a
severe a reaction."
"Great." I said. "Another mystery. I want it figured
out Doctor."
"I know. I'd like to bring the rest of the group in,
maybe something about them will give me a clue about his
condition."
"Very well. I suppose it would be best if I were to get
them." I said. They'd had limited contact with the crew. I
didn't know how they'd react to seeing other species. I left
Sickbay and headed for the nearest turbolift. "Deck seven,
section twenty-four alpha." I said. The familiar hum started
and less then thirty seconds later I was outside the group's
room.
"Come in." Said someone. I identified the voice as
Nicks. He still sounded calm. I entered the room, from further
advice of the counsellor there were no windows to the outside.
He was sitting on one of the chairs, humming a tune.
"What's the tune?" I asked.
"Something for an album that we're doing. Its called
'Shining Star'." Explained Nick.
"Computer." I said. "Play the song 'Shining Star' by
the Backstreet Boys." Because the song was so old the
computer took more then it's usual millisecond to respond.
Nick gaped. "How did you? But it's not even out
yet!" Then he laughed softly. "Of course, it is out isn't it? For
a couple of hundred years."
"You're taking all of this very well." I commented.
He shrugged. "What choice is there? I could take it
badly, but what would be the point?"
"Where are the others?" I asked.
"In the bedrooms, sulking, I think. How's Brian?"
"The doctor doesn't know what's wrong with him." I
said softly.
Nick took this well too. There was something wrong
with the way that he was accepting everything happening. I
decided to try to shock him. "What's it like, being homosexual
and in the public light, in this time?"
That did the trick. "What? How?" Then he calmed
down. "When?" He asked.
"You're going to... come out - is that the term? - in a
couple of years time." I said. "Do the others know yet?"
"The rest of the group? Of course, we're really really
close. We share nearly everything." He said. The light in his
eyes flickered, as if he was debating with himself about
something.
"Could you get them? The doctor wants to scan you
to see if he can get any clue about what's wrong with Brian." I
asked. Nick nodded and went to get the rest of the group.
When they all emerged from their rooms they looked very
sullen, but they were all momentarily surprised to hear the
music that was playing. Without saying anything they
followed me out into the corridor. Nick caught up with me and
walked beside me.
"Don't mind them, they're still very shocked by
what's happened." He explained.
"I don't blame them." I said. "In fact, it's amazing
that you're taking everything so well." Again I witnessed the
internal struggle in his eyes. The turbolift doors opened in
front of me and they filed in around me, even Nick stopped
talking because of the awkwardness. I was relieved to leave
them in Sickbay but only twenty minutes went by before the
Doctor let me know that it was hopeless, there was nothing
that he could learn from them, they exhibited none of the
symptoms that Brian did. I couldn't take bringing them back
to their quarters so I told the Doctor to find someone else to
bring them back.
"Come." I said. I was in my ready room and someone
had just pressed the buzzer on the door. Nick Carter entered,
escorted by a junior security officer. He had a very troubled
look on his face.
"He insisted on coming up here captain." Said the
security officer, whose name I couldn't remember.
"Very well." I said. "You're dismissed." The officer
left promptly. "What is it Nick?" I asked.
"You said that this was a time ship?" He said.
"That's right."
He frowned, as if working through a complex
problem. "So, have we time travelled?"
"Not in the way that you understand it. You see, there
is a sort of force field around the ship that keeps us slightly
outside the space-time continuum, which means that we only
ever occupy one point in time."
"Huh?"
"Right, you know that when you travel in distance,
you are only ever in one place? It's the same for this ship, in
time. So, if we travel into the past we won't meet a past
version of ourselves, Understand?" I asked.
"I... think so." He said.
"When you passed from the outside of the force field
to come onto the ship you underwent a slight temporal flux,
that's all."
"Are there any side effects from the 'temporal flux'?"
"There's a slight build up in temporal particles, but
nothing noticeable..." I finally saw where Nick was going with
this. I tapped my Com badge. "Doctor, have you scanned
Brian for temporal particles?"
"No. There was no need." He answered.
"Could you scan him now?" There was a couple of
second's silence.
"He's got a near lethal dose! I don't understand this!"
Exclaimed the Doctor.
I glanced at Nick and then got up from my seat, we
both rushed to the Main Sickbay and were greeted by a very
agitated doctor.
"No wonder he was reacting like he was! The effects
of the ship's temporal flux on someone with that many
temporal particles! I've got to purge him, now!"
I held up my hand. "I know what you're going to ask,
and we can't do it. Under no circumstances can we drop the
temporal shields."
"I would suggest a jump to the twenty-fourth century,
but he wouldn't survive it! We've got a temporal chamber in
storage, it has got to be done in the next five hours or it'll be
too late."
I mulled over the options for a minute. "Could he
take a passage through the temporal shields?"
The doctor consulted a PADD that he was holding.
"He could, but then we'd only have two hours to purge him."
"Take one of the delta's (Voyager's 'Delta Flyer'
design had come into widespread usage, it was the ideal cross
between a shuttle and a large runabout.) and modify it to your
needs. Use what ever people you need."
"I'll get right on it."
-------------------------
"This is the USS Blackwing requesting clearance to
dock." Said the smug sounding Doctor, I knew he'd managed
it.
"USS Blackwing, you are cleared for the Main
Shuttle bay, how did it go?"
"We were successful. He should be awake in the next
hour." Said the Doctor.
"Data, you have the bridge." I said. I wanted to bring
the good news to the rest of his group.
-------------------------
"He should be awake in the next hour or so." I
concluded, having explained what had happened. They'd
warmed up to me after realising that Brian was going to be
fine and that we weren't trying to kill him.
"Thank you." Said Nick, grinning from ear to ear.
"It's you who should be thanked." I said. "But how
did you know?"
Nick squirmed. "It was only a guess. I did a project
on time travel in school."
"Well, anyway. He's going to be fine."
"Can we go see him now?" Asked Kevin.
"Sure. You can stay with him until he wakes up." I
said.
Coincidentally, when we got there Brian was just
starting to wake up.
"It's far earlier then I was expecting." Said the
Doctor. "But it's a very positive sign."
Five of us were gathered around the bed when he
opened his eyes but the first person that he looked at was me.
He rubbed his eyes and then looked at me again. He spoke.
"Captain, I formally seek asylum."
My mouth dropped open in shock. "Did I hear you
properly?"
"I hope so." He said, now fully conscious and sitting
up.
"Very well, your asylum request will of course have
to be reviewed with full disclosure on reasons, but until a
formal decision is reached you have the full protection of the
United Federation of Planets." I said, operating on automatic.
He nodded, as if that was what he expected.
"Can I speak to Brian privately please?" I asked.
The Doctor nodded and went into his office, but the
others weren't that easy.
"I want to stay." Said Kevin. AJ agreed with him
while Nick and Howie remained quiet, but didn't leave.
I looked up at Kevin. "I need to talk to Brian alone."
"Anything that you've got to say to Brian you can
say in front of us." Said Kevin adamantly, folding his arms
across his chest. Nick pulled on his arm.
"Come on Kev, let's just leave the room, I'm sure we
can come back in in a minute." He said, looking to me for
assurance on the last point.
"I only want to talk with him for a minute or two
Kevin." I said.
"No!" Shouted Kevin, surprising me. "I'm sick and
tired of being pushed and pulled around! I want to talk to my
cousin now!"
Brian got off the bed. "Kev, just go will you?" He
said gently, but the words were strong enough to register with
Kevin.
"Why do we have to do everything that *he* says?"
Yelled Kevin.
I tapped my Com badge. "Security to Main Sickbay."
I said.
"That's typical! You can't win your own arguments
so you get someone else to do it for you!"
All the noise had attracted the Doctor who started
scanning Kevin. Kevin lashed around and his hand passed
through the Doctor.
"Please don't do that." Said the Doctor crisply. Kevin
stared in shock and the two security officers came in the door
and from an eye signal from me they stood beside Kevin.
"It's a classic case of stress. Understandable really.
I'd like to scan you all." Said the Doctor. He caught my eye
and smoothly continued the sentence. "...In the Sickbay on
deck seven. Please escort these gentlemen to it." He said to the
security officers, who looked at me for approval. I nodded and
they left with four of the members of the Backstreet Boys, the
Doctor quickly picked up a couple of things and left. I sat
down on the Bio-bed opposite to Brian.
"Now." I said. "Why don't you tell me what this is all
about."
He sighed. "I don't know where to start. Have you
heard of the Chalimilarians?" He asked.
I thought for a minute. "Binary star system on the
edge of Plesarian space, always at war with the Vorkrans?" I
ventured.
He sighed again. "That's what we're known for,
always being at war with the Vorkrans? Do you know the
history of that war?"
"I have to confess that I don't." I said.
"It's painfully simple really. The Vorkrans are a
jealous race, always jealous of people who have what they
don't. In our case it was our excellent relationship with the
Plesarians, of course, that's not what they said. They claimed
that our king snubbed their rulers at a diplomatic function.
You see, our kingship is not hereditarily determined, the first
person who's born after the king dies becomes the new ruler,
so in the child's life, it isn't necessarily taught how to rule.
This flaw resulted in a diplomatic error, despite all the best
efforts of the royal courtiers. The Vorkrans swore then and
there that they would rid the universe of Chalimilarians, our
culture, heritage and knowledge. They waged the most terrible
of wars against us and despite our technological prowess, they
defeated us." A tear dropped from Brian's eye. "We devoted
our time to medical and beneficial studies, we were no match
for them! The Plesarians tried to help, but they had their
Romulan borders to defend an couldn't spare enough ships to
do anything but hold off the inevitable."
I didn't know what to say to him so I stayed silent
and let him continue.
"You must be wondering what I've got to do with
this." He said. "I was the Chalimilarians greatest creation,
most prized possession and their only hope."
"But you're human." I said.
"Physically. But the knowledge of an entire
civilisation is stored in my head and I carry enough genetic
information to ensure that, if I ever get the chance, the
Chalimilarians can start again."
"But why humans?" I asked.
"We've always looked to the Federation as the
embodiment of what we were about, so it was natural to
choose it. As for choosing Earth, we knew that the
TimeWeave would be in orbit, protecting the planet. And this
time seemed the most suitable. Up until the creation of the
Federation, it was the longest peaceful period of time in
Earth's history." He explained.
"But why didn't our sensors detect your interruption
in the timeline?"
"Because we didn't interrupt it. The scientists
scanned a couple who were expecting a child, took its genetic
information and replaced the child with our version. Our time
travel may be sloppy at best - I guess that's why I'm in
Sickbay, they couldn't figure out how to reduce the particle
exposure. - But our temporal mechanics were perfect."
"They killed a child?" I asked, feeling sick to my
stomach.
"Of course not! It was still only a four-celled
organism when they took it, nothing more." Said Brian,
clearly as disgusted by the idea as I was.
"Why didn't the Doctor find all the genetic material
when he scanned you?"
"I can only presume that it was because of our
superior medical technology and ability."
"Then how did the Vorkrans find you?"
"I don't know. Maybe they found some record of me
that wasn't destroyed, or they incorporated our scanning
technology into their ships." Said Brian.
"Does Nick know all of this?" I asked.
"Some. I told him 'my' temporal particle theory, so
that he'd ask someone about them if something like this
happened to me."
"Captain to the bridge." Said the computer.
"Are you familiar enough with federation technology
to find your way to the others?" I asked.
"I can work any of the ships basic systems, if that's
what you mean." Said Brian.
I nodded to him and left for the bridge. He'd given
me a lot to think about. It was clearly my duty to protect him,
and because he was part of the timeline I had to get them back
to Earth properly. I exited the Turbolift onto the bridge.
"What is it?" I asked as I went to my seat, which
Data rapidly cleared. That was my one problem with him. He
didn't warm up seats.
"Two unidentified vessels that aren't answering our
hails are heading directly for the solar system."
"ETA?"
"Seven minutes until they reach Pluto's orbit."
"They're fast." Commented Lt. Paris.
"Hail them again." I said.
"Channel open." Said Tuvok at Tactical.
"Unidentified vessels, on your current heading you
will enter a protected region. Either come to a full stop or alter
your heading."
"They received it. No response." Said Tuvok.
"Break Earth orbit. Intercept them as quickly as
possible." I ordered. "Do we have any idea of who they are?" I
asked.
"The design is unfamiliar." Said Data.
"Captain, I'm detecting a slight temporal imbalance."
Said Seven.
"When?"
"We're too far away to a positive lock, but I'd say
late twenty-fourth century.
"Great." I grumbled. "Just what I need, more time
travellers. Data, send someone to get Brian Litrell up here."
"Security, please escort Brian Litrell to the bridge."
Said Data.
A minute later, while we were approaching the alien
vessel, Brian came on to the bridge.
"We are within visual range." Said Tuvok
"On screen." I said. As soon as it came on the screen
I heard a gasp from Brian. I knew my assumption was right,
they were the Vorkrans.
"You can't let them approach Earth captain, they'll
destroy everything to get me!" Said Brian.
"Don't worry, this ship has got a couple of surprises."
"Hail them again Commander."
"Channel open." Said Tuvok.
"Vorkran vessels. This is your last warning. You will
*not* be allowed to enter this solar system. Break off your
approach immediately."
"They are responding Captain."
"On screen."
"Federation vessel." Said a sneering voice, not unlike
a Ferengi's. "We will not be dictated to by you, stand down or
we will destroy you."
"I not going to stand down." I said emphatically.
"That is unfortunate." Hissed the commander of the
lead ship. Then he broke off communications.
"Red Alert. Raise shields and ready all weapon
systems." I said. "How do we compare, tactically?"
"We have far superior weaponry. The are no match
for us." Said Tuvok.
"Status?" I asked.
"They're almost in weapons range."
"Don't let them pass Tuvok." I ordered.
"Firing phasers... direct hit on their propulsion
systems, minimal damage. Boosting to maximum power.
They're firing some kind of ion weapon. Shields down five
percent."
"Launch the shield drones. Use them to boost the
main shield power." I ordered. Apertures opened along the
hull and spherical objects shot out into space. The shield
drones were nothing more then a power source coupled with
shield grids and a minimal propulsion system. Surrounding the
ship, they augmented shield power. There were pulse phaser
drones too, but since phasers weren't proving to be very
effective I decided not to use them.
"Shields are at one hundred and forty-five percent.
They're making another pass."
"Torpedoes, full spread, fire when ready."
"Torpedoes away." Said Tuvok. On the viewscreen
blue points of light hurtled towards the approaching ships and
impacted on their shields. "Their shields are down ten percent
each."
"Then keep firing them. Maybe they'll take the hint."
I said.
"They don't take hints." Said Brian softly. "If you
send them away now they'll be back, with more ships. If you
destroy them more ships will come to retaliate. Right now
they'll be transmitting telemetry constantly to someone else,
so that next time that they attack they'll know more about you,
they'll be a more prepared. They're the Borg of the Alpha
quadrant."
"I am detecting a constant datastream being
broadcast." Said the Lieutenant at Ops.
"Why didn't you detect it before now?" I asked,
angry that something like this had escaped our attention.
"It's an extremely low energy signal. It's difficult to
pick out in all this weapons fire." Explained the lieutenant.
"Broadcast a jamming signal."
"If you do that then reinforcements will come
immediately." Said Brian, as more impacts rocked the ship.
"Then suggest something!" I said, frustrated by the
limited choices available to me.
"You're going to have to destroy them, but do it
suggests that you've extended your systems to the maximum,
that way the force that they send won't be great next time.
I started firing orders to people in rapid succession.
"Tuvok, switch to photon torpedoes, mask the signature of the
quantum's, make it look like we've run out. Withdraw the
drones, make it look like they've got an extremely limited
power supply. Lieutenant Paris - cut manoeuvring thrusters to
half power and commence evasive manoeuvres. Ops, begin
high resolution scans of every aspect of their ships, I want to
know everything that can be found out about them."
Five minutes later and the ships still hadn't stopped
firing on us, despite the fact that one more torpedo each would
finish them off.
"What are your orders captain?" Asked Tuvok.
Chapter 3
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