Salva Tempus - Rayne's Story
Authorization Alpha-1. Direct orders from Fleet Admiral Jorel Quinn. Clearance for Captain Kraf’tir to proceed through the restricted zone in Gateway system…
Rayne stood in his ready room on the Duranja holding the PADD, reading it over several times.
…and make direct contact with the entity known as the Guardian of Forever.
Violently he sent the PADD flying across the room, slamming into the opposing wall with a loud crack. “YEV. YEV YEV YEV!!” He slammed his fist on his desk hearing several of the smaller bones in his right hand crack, followed by a sharp, burning pain. There was no word strong enough in Federation Standard to translate the Bajoran profanity correctly. Holding his now-bleeding hand he crossed the room and looked out of the transparent aluminum window.
The door chimed, “Come…”
“I thought I heard a certain Bajoran throwing a tantrum,” The dark, steel-grey haired Betazoid let the door close behind her, looking at Rayne, “What is it now? Someone not clear a temporal scavenger hunt with you?” Enkla gave a small smile, attempting to lighten the mood. She could feel that something was serious, but didn’t want to pry into his mind to find out what.
He stayed standing, not turning around to greet her. He simply motioned to the PADD, which was now on the floor. Enkla moved over to pick it up and began reading it. As she finished, she brushed her long hair over the white shoulders of her uniform. Her voice was serious as she replied, “We always knew he was an asshole, Rayne. This shouldn’t come as a great surprise. I’m assuming this was never cleared with you first?”
He chuckled darkly, “Nothing in the past six months, five days, nineteen hours, and forty-seven minutes has been cleared with me in regards to Starfleet’s actions with the Krenim weapon, or anything related to time travel.” Sighing, he turned to her. His usual sarcastic demeanor was crumbled, showing exhaustion and abandoned hope. “I’ve filed reports, I’ve spoken directly with the Federation Council; I’ve done everything I can…”
The two moved to the couch and sat. Enkla had been the original First Officer on board the USS Ennex under Rayne’s command before gaining her own ship, the USS Pollux. She had been instrumental in helping to bridge the gap between Starfleet and the Department of Temporal Investigations, and helping to create the joint effort of the Department of Temporal Affairs. What Rayne lacked in diplomacy and tact, Enkla made up for.
The Ennex was, at the time, the pinnacle of Starfleet and DTI technology. Based on the skeleton of a Sovereign-class, the ship had been outfitted with experimental chronimetric projectors within the deflector dish, as well as temporal rods and focusing arrays on the nacelles. The combination allowed the ship to create minor temporal incursions to investigate unauthorized temporal activity, however the power needed for the attempts meant the Ennex lacked the hard-hitting firepower Starfleet needed during the current Iconian war.
“I heard what they did to the Ennex…” She looked down, examining her hands, “I can’t imagine how hard that would have been.”
“We always knew she was on loan from Starfleet, I guess I should have assumed they would pull her back as soon as they needed to. But if you could see her now… she’s missing both nacelles, half of the decks have been ripped open to get at the power conduits… it’s as though she never meant anything more than spare parts. Hell, now they’ve discarded her. She’s just sitting there… lifeless… a piece of junk to be salvaged by some Ferengi…” Rayne blinked away a tear, trying to compose himself. He could feel Enkla lending emotional support. “And now they blatantly defy the chain of command and override a quarantine that DTI and TA specifically placed on that planet, without even so much as copying me on the memo. I had to get that from an intercepted communiqué.”
The two sat in silence for several minutes. The atmosphere was heavy with grief and anger as well as the frustration of being powerless.
Rayne’s eyes narrowed slightly as he tilted his head, “Enkla, do we still have any pull with General Loth’Brok in the KDF?”
“It’s been a few months, but he does still run a few reconnaissance patrols for the Alliance, yes. Why?” She carefully studied him, trying to see what he was getting at.
“And the old crew... the original ones from the Ennex… they’re split between your ship and mine, right?”
“Yes… Rayne, what are you…”
The disgraced temporal agent smirked slightly, “I need you to deliver a message to them. Privately. Tell them I plan to take back what was once ours.” He looked directly into her eyes and she could tell, he wasn’t joking.
Smirking slightly she replied, “As captain of the USS Pollux and a Starfleet officer I’m afraid I’m unable to do that.” Mentally, however, she responded, I’ll monitor frequency theta for the message and relay the orders. You’re hovering dangerously close to Maquis actions by doing this.
Not wanting to tip his hand on comms he formed the thought, It’s been a while since I’ve been able to use that training for anything good. I think it’s time we see who is still loyal to protecting the timeline.
She took a deep breath and stood up. “Well, I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help to you, but I hope we can still have dinner while I’m here? We aren’t ordered on patrols until tomorrow.” He eyes glistened slightly.
“Absolutely. I understand I was probably just being overly emotional. I’m sure things will work out.” He smiled back encouragingly before returning to his desk.
As Enkla left the room Rayne stood behind his desk. Slowly, one by one, he pulled off his rank insignia, and then his comm badge.
“Computer, begin encoded message, temporal level Omega-3.” The computer chimed an acknowledgement as he examined the blood slightly dripping from his knuckles. “To all crew of the former USS Ennex, I’m hereby requesting you join me in resigning your commission and following my lead once again. Starfleet has turned a blind eye to the threats they are creating in the timeline. It was our duty to uphold the stability and peace written out by the Temporal Accords. I’m asking you to join me in doing exactly that. I anticipate your response.
“Computer, encode the message and send to the following recipients.”
As he selected the crew from the list he noticed the blood from his hand once again. After he was finished he dipped his finger in a small drop leftover on the console and put it to his left temple, outlining his Maquis tattoo.
“Tempus fugit.”
---
The USS Duranja glided into formation along with the USS Everett and USS Pollux around Starbase 381. Quietly, the crew disembarked, beaming to the station in groups. The station’s main deck was bustling with crew carrying reports and equipment, rushing around. Rayne quietly smiled at the transporter operator and swung his bag over his shoulder, smoothing out his civilian clothing. Since he ordered the entire crew on shore leave, the lack of a uniform didn’t cause much of a question among the crew.
He crossed the main promenade to the turbolift. “Deck 72.” The turbolift doors shut and he whizzed downwards. As he rode he pulled out a PADD, looking over a list of names. After his original message over 200 crewmembers had responded with their vote of support, but he knew that the Ennex would take at least 350 to minimally maintain efficiently.
The doors opened and he stepped into the hallway of a deck nearly devoid of all personnel. He cautiously glanced around before stepping into a small, dark room. A large figure sat in a chair directly across from him.
“Can I ask why all of these theatrics are needed, Captain?” A deep Klingon voice rolled across the room like a wave as General Loth’Brok stood.
“Actually, it’s no longer captain. Just Rayne. I’m assuming you followed what I asked?”
“Indeed. My ship is still under heavy cloak at the edge of the system. I beamed aboard one of the transports as it passed. As far as the base is concerned I’m simply a science officer on my way through the wormhole.”
“Good. I didn’t want to risk any communications just yet. Here, read this.” Rayne handed the Klingon the PADD with names and details of the mission he had planned.
After a few moments the Klingon barked out a hearty laugh, “You certainly are the rebel I remember! I am still in your debt from your assistance before the peace treaty between our people, so I will do this for you. I see that you are a few hundred short though. What do you have planned to make up for that?”
“The Ennex can be safely maintained with 200. But yes, I am worried there might be more repair work than when I last saw her. From what I could tell they only took the temporal components. Standard equipment like the warp core, phasers, and the like should still be intact.”
“Then may I relay a message from Klingon Intelligence. They have been monitoring the situation with Starfleet and the Romulans and are beginning to grow concerned as well. They have offered a crew of 100 to join you, if you wish. All of them, warriors who do not exist in Klingon files.”
Rayne smiled at his old friend. There was a time when the two couldn’t sit across the table from one another without a bat’leth fight ensuing. After Rayne had agreed to provide cover for the General to run a reconnaissance mission into Cardassian territory during the Federation/Klingon War several years ago, the two had become more amicable to the idea of working together. Now, they considered one another worthy allies, and almost friends.
“The crew that will be joining me have all been given transporter tags. On my command, we can beam to your ship while it is still under cloak. After that, I suggest we set course directly for the Krenim weapon. The Ennex should still be near the asteroids just around the station itself.”
The Klingon nodded once and extended his arm, “What is it that the Federation says? ‘May fortune favor the bold’?”
Rayne grabbed his forearm in a firm shake, “I prefer to ask the Prophets for help, but in this case I’ll go with either one.”
The two left the room, parting ways. Rayne made his way to the civilian deck and to a local café. He sat outside eating a fresh hasperat and spring wine, watching all of the happy families walking around. He noticed a few lesbians affectionately embracing each other in the corner and smiled. This was what he had to protect. There may be a war raging in the galaxy, but there were still pieces of happiness to be found. The Krenim weapon was one thing; it could be calculated, it could be manipulated, it could be controlled; but the blatant disregard for temporal preservation showed him that Starfleet wouldn’t simply dismantle the weapon once they were finished.
Hours passed as he sat sipping his wine and getting lost in his own memories. He was abruptly pulled back to reality by a harsh beep from his wrist monitor: it was time. Standing, he smiled at the Bolian waitress as he left the café and walked to the middle of all of the bustling people. Subtly he tapped the device, alerting the rest of his crew. When the green light appeared on his wrist he knew everyone was ready and he stood perfectly still as the red transporter beam pulled him off the station. A minute later he was standing on the transporter pad of the Klingon ship.
Loth’Brok stood with his arms crossed, a toothy smile plastered across his face. “You are fortunate that we managed to alter the transporters to emit the frequency used by the House of Duras. Now, the Federation will simply think they were the ones behind the abduction.”
Rayne shook his head, “Now that we’re on board I’m going to send a message to Command. They’ll know it wasn’t abduction, rather a joint effort. I’ll make sure to leave out the specific Klingon house, though.”
As they made their way to the bridge Rayne tried to take in how large the ship was. It couldn’t be the old raptor Loth’Brok had commanded, surely by now he would have upgraded, but Rayne never paid much attention to Klingon ship designs. Luckily, the Klingon penchant for boasting didn’t leave him wondering for long.
“Is this not the finest Klingon weapon you have been on? HA!”
“She certainly smells Klingon. I’ve gotta hand it do you guys, you certainly are consistent with that…”
Loth’Brok sneered a smile, “And you Starfleet have such weak senses. This is a Negh’Tev battle ship! One of the finest ships in all of the Klingon Empire!”
“I’ll assume that means this is something like a Negh’Var? I honestly haven’t kept up with your designs.” Rayne scrunched his nose, trying not to breathe too heavily as they stepped onto the bridge.
“The Negh’Tev replaced the old Negh’Var for the Iconian battles. Now, what is your plan? My crew awaits action!” The General collapsed down into the captain’s chair folding his hands in front of him.
Rayne moved to one of the consoles and placed a transparent PADD on top of it to translate what it said. He encoded a message to Starfleet Command,
He then input coordinates to the helm. “We have one stop to make before we get the Ennex. I have word that Starfleet Command has sent a captain to Gateway to speak with the Guardian of Forever. I intend to stop that, and if we are already too late, I intend to know exactly what that captain knows.” A small, uncharacteristically sinister, smile broke across Rayne’s face.
Loth’Brok sneered another grin, “Bosh-ta-JaH, Gateway.”
---
Rayne watched as red streaks swept the Starfleet captain, the Vulcan Kraf’tir, back to the surface of the Gateway planet, and then, a moment, later, his right arm followed him. The Klingon guard holding the PADD connected to the transporter stood behind him, smiling.
Rayne swung around on his heels, swiftly bringing the heel of his palm to the Klingon’s nose. “You honor-less petaQ! I ordered you to beam him down, NOT dismember him!” He stood over the woman as blood trickled down her face. She gave no response besides a guttural sneer as she stood back up.
Back on the bridge Loth’Brok was awaiting Rayne’s return.
“Did your… friend… have anything useful to say?”
“No. But the important thing is that they never used the Guardian. My analysis was always that the Guardian knew time better than anyone else and wouldn’t allow unnecessary temporal interference, but I never wanted to test the theory. I’ll hope that it won’t be an issue later on but Prophets know I never trust Vulcans,” the Bajoran crossed the bridge, examining his hand, and leaned on one of the support beams, “I think it’s time we pay our Krenim friends a visit.”
The bridge began rustling to their stations. It was obvious that the general had called for preparation drills and tactical plans in anticipation of the ‘big event.’
“I want notified as soon as we enter the system of the weapon. Stay cloaked. I’d rather not go storming in quite yet.” With a deep breath - one that was quickly, and severely regretted - Rayne left the bridge to collect his senior officers.
In the Klingon equivalent of a briefing room, which they called the ‘battle room’, sat the devoted senior staff of the Ennex. Thot Theo, the Breen first officer, Thrysis, the Andorian tactical commander, Somdak, a Klingon-turned-Starfleet chief engineer, and Ricki, the least intimidating, blonde, Human chief medical officer. They each stood as their captain entered. Rayne paused a moment, not used to seeing everyone collected like this out of uniform, before taking a seat at the head of the table. General Loth’Brok followed a moment later, sitting at the opposite end.
“The General tells me we’ve arrived at the research station. The good news is that we were not detected; I’ll assume this vessels cloak is a bit stronger than the standard-issue,” he paused a moment, smirking at the General who returned the smirk, “But the bad news is that there are over a dozen combat-ready vessels from all three factions in the area. On top of that, there is a heavy shield grid encircling the station and the weapon.”
The officers gave a small, frustrated sigh, but remained quiet as he continued. “The Ennex, however, is drifting 50 kilometers outside the shield grid.” He stood, activating the holo-display, which glowed red. It showed the situation clearly: They weren’t going to be able to damage the Krenim weapon, but the Ennex was still a prime target.
Thot Theo picked up a PADD and looked it over before the computer translated his electronic speech patterns, “It appears they have re-attached the warp nacelles. This could be easier than originally planned.”
“I do not think so,” Somdak brought the holo-display to focus on the ship, “They may have been thinking to convert her back to a combat vessel, however, they stopped. The warp core is completely powered down and there are multiple breaches on the hull. There is no way she can go to warp on her own power.”
“I agree,” Rayne stood up, crossing his arms, and examined his old ship, “and I wouldn’t want to even take her in a warp-tow in this condition. Without an active deflector and structural integrity field she’d rip apart before we even made it out of the system. It looks like they just removed the chonimetric focusing rods from the nacelles and, well, most of the entire deflector dish…”
The quiet doctor stood up with a small smile. She gracefully zoomed the display in on the Ennex’s forward saucer section. “Sir, does anything seem odd to you?”
The staff all looked over the hull. Multiple sections had been removed leaving large holes in the outer sections. Presumably, the assembly team for the Krenim weapon decided to begin salvaging materials once the Ennex had been abandoned. Most notably, the entire bridge module was removed. Thrysis started laughing as they all looked at her, “Well don’t you get it? Ricki is right!” She enhanced the hull plating which displayed the name ‘Ennex’, “They removed the entire registry number from the ship!” It took a moment, but everyone soon realized it. The ‘USS’ had been removed, as well as her Starfleet registry number, ‘NX-92701’. This was the same in every location it would have appeared on the ship.
General Loth’Brok belted out a laugh, “It appears your ship may very well still fall under those salvage operations you had discussed, Rayne!”
He nodded slowly, smiling. “Quinn did this. He made the ship almost useless, but left her here. Maybe my message did make an impression. He doesn’t think I can get away with it, though, or he wouldn’t have made it such an easy target. Alright, everyone. We’re taking a small team and beaming directly into main engineering. Let’s see what the damage is and if we can get the warp core online. If so, we can establish a temporary field long enough for the General here to take us to warp.”
“Scans show life-support is offline, however there is enough residual oxygen and atmosphere in that area we should be alright without EV suits.” Thrysis stood up, along with the rest of them.
“Good. Everyone, you have 45 minutes to prepare what you need. General, keep your ship within tractor range. We’ll most likely need a quick escape.” The General nodded, then exited back to the bridge along with everyone else.
---
Red streaks illuminated the pitch-black interior of the Ennex’s main engineering briefly before it was dark again. The air was thick and stale, it was obvious no one had been on the ship in weeks, and when they deactivated the warp core the residual heat was never fully vented.
“39 degrees, sir,” Ricki flipped open her tricorder which lit up the immediate area, “I wouldn’t say this is the perfect environment, but we won’t die. There’s definitely elevated radiation and plasma particles. We’ll all need to be inoculated when we return-“ She paused a moment, realizing that wasn’t the point of being there, “I mean, once I get sickbay up and running.”
Somdak activated his flashlight and the team followed suit. He carried several portable generators to the main panel across from them. After a few moments it flickered on dimly. The team spread out, each connecting their power packs to various consoles.
Rayne opened his tricorder and began scanning the warp core itself. He gave a heavy sigh before relaying his results, “We have a much bigger problem than I had imagined,” he flipped the tricorder shut, “Now I see why Quinn made it such an easy target.”
The Klingon engineer let out a roar, slamming his fist on the console, “I would have to agree…” he also muttered a few Klingon profanities under his breath.
“Would someone please like to fill me in on what’s going on?” Thrysis’ antennae stood rigid and attentive as she crossed to the other two.
“There isn’t a single dilithium crystal left in the storage chambers and not more than a few thousand micro-particles of antimatter. There’s no way we can get the warp core online.” The Bajoran looked around the dark room. It seemed they had come all this way, risking their careers and the peace treaty between two worlds, for nothing. What’s more, he was looking at what was left of the most valuable thing in his life. Now it was nothing more than a skeleton: lifeless and haunting.
The solemn silence was broken by a chirp from their communicators, “Rayne here, go ahead General.”
“You may do well to know that we are picking up faint energy fluctuations 14 kilometers off of your bow. Our cloak may be useful, but I would know a Starfleet cloak anywhere. Someone is monitoring your progress.”
“Understood. We seem to have run into an issue anyway. It seems we came here for nothing. There is no way to get the warp core back online.”
“Then I suggest haste and a timely exit before this situation escalates-“
“Wait,” Thot Theo interrupted, “what about beaming over auxiliary batteries to supplement the secondary power core.”
Rayne shook his head; “The secondary core was bled dry before they abandoned her-“
Somdak gave a toothy grin, “Yes, but the General’s ship could easily give us a large power transfer to- what is the Federation term- jump-start the emitters.”
“If we initiate any type of large transport to beam the batteries over, or a power transfer of that scale, we would be detected instantly. It would lead to conflict with the other vessels.”
“Avoiding conflict doesn’t sound very Klingon, General,” Rayne smiled at his team, “we’re doing it. Somdak how long would you need in order to tie it all together and then establish a structural integrity field?”
“At least 45 minutes, sir.”
“You have 20. General, beam over two of my engineering teams as well as a few cubic meters of oxygen as soon as those batteries are ready.”
The general gave an annoyed hiss before closing the comm channel. The command team spread out, beginning to ready the ship to power up again. There was a newfound tension of hope in the air now. They knew that it was only a matter of time before they had their treasure. Moments later, two engineering teams were beamed into the area along with the distinct smell of Klingon ship. Luckily, they could breath easier at least. Somdak immediately started shouting orders for the teams to connect the new batteries.
Twenty-three minutes later a sweat-covered Thrysis came up to him. “Everything is ready for the power transfer, captain.”
“You look like you need a good ice bath,” Rayne knew Andorians had little tolerance for heat, “signal the general to begin the transfer-“ Suddenly the ship rocked and a muffled explosion was heard somewhere on another deck. The portable comm chirped again.
“Rayne your ship is under attack. A Phantom-class attack ship just decloaked. We were able to extend our shields around you for the time being, but you currently have a large hole in your saucer section. I suggest we initiate the power transfer now and get out of here.”
“I was thinking the exact same thing. We’re ready when you are.”
Outside, the small intelligence-gathering ship continued firing on the Ennex’s location, forcing General Loth’Brok to drop his cloak and return fire. After the tiny ship realized what it was up against it quickly set a course for the base. Two larger ships, a Romulan D’Deridex-class, and a Starfleet Nebula-class broke their patrol formation and began an intercept course.
A brilliant yellow beam emanated from the Klingon’s deflector array, landing directly on the aft section of the Ennex. For a brief second the interior lights of the Sovereign-class ship lit up, showing the power transfer. As soon as the beam terminated, the lights went dim again.
Somdak gave a toothy grin, “Captain! The secondary power array is at 60% and we have a weak integrity field. I’ve managed to also bring inertial dampeners to 20%.”
“Is that enough to take us to warp?”
“It will get us about eight light-years, just enough to seek refuge in the closest nebula.” Thrysis was working a PADD displaying star charts she had downloaded from the Klingons.
“General, take us to warp! Everyone else, hold on to something!”
As soon as the Klingon ship activated its tractor beam, the Romulan ship sent disruptor bolts flying at the two ships. The bolts grazed the aft shields as the two ships went hurdling into a high warp; The Klingon ship cloaked again as the Ennex was pulled side-ways. Several crew members were slammed against the port side of engineering as the ship took off.
As soon as the ship was in a stable warp, Ricki tended to the wounded. Thot Theo approached the rest of the group, “The Klingons say their cloak will obscure our warp trail, and the Ennex’s current power level is too low to detect on sensors. It seems we may be in the clear.”
Rayne took a step back, leaning on the circular railing surrounding the warp core. This was it. This was the moment he had waited for.
“Now, all we need is some dilithium.”
---
A week had passed since the Ennex had arrived in the nebula. Crews were successful in restoring auxiliary power and partial life-support. They now began working on patching up the external holes and piecing together what they could.
Rayne stood in engineering looking at the workers beginning the long process of reviving the old ship; a single chirp came from his wrist. Thrysis was standing nearby and over heard the noise, “What is it?”
“Frequency Theta. The old comms channel the Special Tasks Group used to use. It’s strange… it’s just a set of coordinates and what seems to be a flight plan for a…” he broke into a small smile, “this is the flight plan for one of STG’s freighters. Enkla must have sent it. I’d be willing to bet this is a load of dilithium.”
“Well at least we know she’s for the cause then.” Thrysis stood covered in soot and grease. “But how are we getting there? The Ennex obviously doesn’t have warp, and they didn’t leave any shuttles. By this point the General is most likely back in the Beta Quadrant.”
He thought for a moment before crossing over to a console, “No, but they did leave this.” He pointed to the ventral section of the saucer. By this point Somdak and Thot Theo had joined them.
Somdak spoke, “We have no way to reach the captain’s yacht, sir. Most of the corridors between here and the gantry system have either been cut off, or are completely depressurized.”
“Well then I suppose it’s time to go for a little spacewalk. Somdak, you and Theo will stay here and continue work. Thrysis and I will go intercept the freighter. There should only be about six people on board, and with any luck they won’t question a change in the flight plan if it comes from me.” Rayne walked over and opened a closet to pull out one of the standard-issue EV suits. Thrysis followed his lead.
Making their way through collapsed corridors proved to be a greater challenge than expected. Debris from discarded bulkheads either floated into their path, or forced them into Jeffries tubes, which were hardly big enough for the EV suits. After climbing though 4 decks and half the length of the ship, they made it to the yacht.
“Sir, we hardly used the yacht even when the Ennex was fully operational, what makes you think we can even get it flying now?” The Andorian woman propped herself against the outer hull of the auxiliary craft.
“Scans show that it still has enough dilithium and antimatter to power up, beyond that, I have no guarantees. Let’s get inside and see what we can do.” He placed a manual release lever on the door and with the Andorian’s extra strength; they managed to pull the door open. Once inside, they restored life-support and partial main power. The lights gently fluttered on and there was an audible hum coming from the micro warp core.
Once at the helm, he attempted to initiate the launching sequence but was soon interrupted by the computer, “Warning, starboard nacelle gantry has been damaged. Launch is not recommended.”
“Yeah, yeah, we get it… Computer, override safety protocols for launch control, authorization Rayne Alpha-148.”
Immediately they heard the deafening sound of grinding metal and scraping, forcing them both to buckle over, covering their ears. Thrysis’ antennae laid down flat against her head, getting lost in her hair. A moment later there was a satisfying thump, then silence.
Thrysis glared at the Bajoran, “Remind me to volunteer one of the ensigns to come next time.”
He sat grinning at her, “Oh where’s your sense of adventure. Besides, it looks like we’re cleared from the main hull and the nacelles are in their flight position. I’m setting an intercept course for the freighter at best speed. We should rendezvous within 6 hours.”
“I’ll be in the back making sure that nacelle you just shredded doesn’t decide to fall off mid-warp.” She swung her legs out of the chair and walked to the back, rubbing her ears.
Hours later the yacht approached the freighter. She was unaccompanied and didn’t seem to be aware of their appearance. Scans indicated the holds were filled with dilithium and antimatter – kept safely away from one another.
“Looks like we have our treasure ship, now we just need to get on board and-“ The Andorian was interrupted by Rayne opening a hailing channel. She gave him a what-are-you-doing look.
“Freighter Drina, this is Rayne. Prepare to extend docking clamps and take on my yacht.” He smiled at her as they waited for the response.
“Confirmed, Captain. We’ll meet you on the bridge.”
“See? All you need to do is ask nicely. Now, let’s not keep them waiting.” Rayne turned to move to the airlock.
Thrysis followed, “Or, you know, give them time to notice that neither of us are with Starfleet anymore and have absolutely no authority here…”
“That too.”
---
The freighter doors gave a hiss as the two ships finished equalizing in pressure. The Bolian captain gave the two a small smile before greeting them, “It’s been a while. I wasn’t aware you still assisted the Special Tasks Group, Captain?” Something in her tone gave her away. She knew that this was an ‘unofficial’ visit.
“Well Captain Weis, I like to make sure I do my duty to Starfleet, of course.” Rayne raised his eyebrow slightly, letting her know she was right.
“Ahh.. I see… well then, please, come aboard.” The freighter captain moved out of their way and gestured to the bridge. As they walked she broke the false pretense with a smile, “I wondered why our flight plan took us out away from everything, but word has it someone has stolen a Starfleet ship right out from under their noses.”
“Salvaged,” both Thrysis and Rayne said in unison before smirking to each other. Captain Weis gave a small laugh as they entered the main bridge.
“Well Captain Rayne, my ship is at your disposal. We’re supposed to be resupplying STG’s main dilithium storage tanks, but as you know, STG doesn’t file official flight plans due to the sensitive nature of what we do. So, the ship is yours.”
Rayne moved to the conn and input coordinates. “The old Talaxian asteroid base. Traders in the area have made it a mini version of Drozana. That’s our next destination. If we’re to remove doubt from STG we need to make it look like I purchased this ship from a Ferengi dealer. Once there, you and your crew will take the captain’s yacht and head to the STG base. Thrysis and I can take it from there.”
Weis hesitated a moment, clearly not wanting to protest, but also not wanting to just turn over her entire ship, “Rayne I understand wanting to be discreet about everything, but I assure you my crew and I could be of assistance.”
“I’m sure you could, but what I have planned is going to need a very delicate touch. I’m sorry Elanis.”
The freighter captain gave no further argument as the ship set course for the asteroid base. After dropping out of warp, the crew disembarked to the captain’s yacht and launched to the station. A moment later Rayne beamed over, leaving Thrysis alone on the ship. Several hours went by as Thrysis recalibrated the sensor array for a third time. Finally, the sound of the transporter could be heard in the corridor. She grabbed a plasma pistol left behind by the crew and braced herself next to the door. She slammed a fist on the panel to open the door and then wheeled around; pointing the gun, “Drop it!”
Rayne staggered back, throwing his hands up, “It’s only me! Prophets, woman…”
“Sorry, you’d been gone a while and I didn’t want to take any risks. How did it go? Do you think Starfleet noticed and bought the bait?”
“I think we did one better than that. My husband decided to pay me a visit. I gave him an isolinear chip to give to Enkla. As far as he knows, I bought the ship. Well, at least until he reads the chip.” Rayne walked to the helm and brought the ship about, setting course for the nebula where the Ennex was hiding out.
“And what exactly was on that chip?” Thrysis took a seat next to him at the ops terminal.
“An apology to Nyvra for stealing her freighter, and an apology for dismantling the freighter to help repair the Ennex, and schematics for the temporal shielding we used. I figure if Starfleet does end up ruining the timeline, at least the STG base will be secure and maybe we can do something to fix it. I also gave them a few targets I figure the Krenim will be considering for the weapon.”
The two sat in silence for several minutes, simply staring at the streaks of spacedust as it whizzed by on the viewscreen. Suddenly Thrysis’ antennae stood straight up, “Gods! I just realized!”
Rayne snapped his head to look at her, “What is it? Do I need to drop out of warp?” He started hurriedly calculating a new course.
“No, not at all. I just realized they have a working replicator on here. I can finally get a good raktajino! After all this time on rations I could use a good replicator…” She stood up and moved to the back of the bridge. Rayne attempted to recover from the minor heart attack she had given him, but decided she did have a good point, and joined her.
Several days later they approached the nebula. Rayne brought the freighter out of warp and entered the nebula. As soon as they were within range, the proximity sensors went off in a frenzied beeping.
“Sir, it looks like the Remans have found the Ennex. I’m detecting a Scimitar-class dreadnaught holding position, weapons pointed directly at her.” Thrysis’ antennae went rigid as she attempted to mask the freighters approach.
“And here I thought it was Starfleet that would come looking… damnit… has the ship-“
Suddenly a Reman appeared on the main display. His head was draped in a silk-like cloth and his voice was like raking gravel across hot coals, “Former Captain Rayne, I presume. I am Commander B’trall’k. We have been monitoring your progress in repairing your ship after you fled the Kyana system.”
Rayne stood, straightening the long blue coat he was wearing, “I take full responsibility for the actions of myself, and my crew, Commander. Although I’d like to direct you to article 78, subsection 42 of the Federation Salvage Code, which clearly states…”
“Please. Spare us both the long explanation. I am here on behalf of the Reman Intelligence corps. We have also monitored the tests being done on the Krenim station and, much as your Klingon friends, we are concerned where the research is leading.”
Thrysis looked to the captain, puzzled, but realized he had no clue what was going on either. The two stood in shock for a moment before the Reman broke the silence.
“I suggest you beam to my ship where we can speak more on this matter. I believe you will be interested in what I have to say.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d prefer if you and I met on the Ennex. Currently we’re using the main engineering as our command center for… obvious… reasons…” Rayne winced slightly remembering that the ship still had no bridge module.
B’trall’k thought for a moment, not that his facial expression changed in the slightest, before nodding once and closing the channel. Immediately Thrysis brought the freighter within transport distance of the Ennex and beamed several crew members on board, ordering them to keep the shields up until they heard otherwise. After that, the two senior officers transported directly into main engineering where an imposing Reman stood looking around with two guards. He moved to greet the captain, “My scans of your ship do not do it justice. It is in far worse disrepair than I had anticipated.”
Rayne looked around as well. To him, the crew had made a great deal of progress since he left to intercept the freighter, but he could plainly see there was much to do still. “Yes, well, our estimates are at least 6 months before we can consider ourselves operational. I intend to dismantle the freighter to help speed the process along. We can use her hull.”
“Perhaps, then, it is a good thing I am here. When the Alliance first came to the Delta Quadrant my people found an asteroid in this nebula rich with minerals. We set up a temporary base to mine, as well as to serve vessels that were attacked by the Vaadwaur. Now that the war with the Vaadwaur is over, there are very few ships that need our assistance. Our estimations are that we could have this ship at full efficiency within two weeks… although seeing it in person I would say it would be more like three weeks.”
“So you’re actually willing to help us? You realize that could be putting stress on the peace treaty within the Alliance.” Rayne stood with his arms crossed, trying to measure the Reman’s honesty. Something like this was a little too good to be true, however Nyvra always said that he had an odd sense of good luck.
B’trall’k gave a single nod, “I am aware of the circumstances and view it as an acceptable risk. Your… talents… for temporal observation and insight are known to my people.” The term ‘talents’ seemed to be spit out, rather than simply spoken.
The senior officers gathered around to listen, although Somdak seemed to be on guard more than anything. After conferring with them the deal was made; the Remans would assist in rebuilding the Ennex, as long as any information about the Krenim weapon was shared with them.
With the Ennex in tow, the warbird and freighter set a course for the asteroid base. The asteroid itself was large, several thousand meters across, however the base seemed to be limited to two main structures and an orbital shipyard. As soon as the three ships arrived, the Ennex was docked and transport of the dilithium and antimatter began. It took several hours of tedious maintenance, but eventually the main warp core came online, breathing new life into the ship. After that, life support was reinitialized fully and workers were beamed on board to begin more intricate repairs. Since all of the temporal equipment had been ripped out, Rayne saw no need to limit the Reman repair crews.
---
Three weeks later Rayne sat in his ready room. He had decided to save materials and forego reconstructing a full-scale Sovereign-class bridge in favor of a smaller, Intrepid-class style.
His door chimed, “Come.” As B’trall’k entered, even a Bajoran could tell that something was off so Rayne stood up, “What is it?”
“I have news that the Alliance has used the Krenim weapon. Apparently there was a great disaster, so they used it a second time to repair the original damage.” He handed Rayne a PADD, “They have labeled it ‘Project Butterfly.’ It is all a bunch of nonsense to me. Perhaps you can translate it.”
The captain took the PADD and read over it, motioning for B’trall’k to take a seat. A few minutes later he laid the PADD on the desk, “Yes, I think I can explain what happened, and unfortunately it’s exactly what I was afraid of. The Alliance attempted to alter the past to postpone the Iconian’s attack. Once they arrived, they realized that their actions had… undesired, consequences, so they attempted another alteration to fix it. They’re lucky they didn’t destroy the entire balance of power in the galaxy… or worse…” Rayne walked over to the window and looked out, “I knew this would happen…”
The Reman sat, still puzzled, “If they altered the timeline then how is it that everything has stayed the same?”
“It hasn’t. For all we know, in the original timeline you and I were married and had seven kids. But since we weren’t able to get the temporal shielding online in time, we have become part of the new timeline. To us, this is the only one we know now. Unless I could reestablish a link to the shielded records on Eris that DTI keeps, I won’t know what damage has happened.” He walked back over and sat in his chair.
B’trall’k still seemed confused, but gave up on questioning things further. “Your ship should be ready within the day, captain. I look forward to hearing what you find.”
“As do I, Commander. And thank you, again, for all that your people have done for me.” The two gentlemen stood and bowed to one another before B’trall’k left the room.
Rayne walked to the replicator, “Coffee, sweet, hot.”
As he picked up the mug an alert came through on his private terminal. He spun the display around and looked at the message,
Incoming hail, Coded, Priority-One-Alpha from Starfleet Command.
Rayne sat down and paused. Apparently the Remans had been informing both sides of the situation. “At least the Ennex is back… let’s see what they have to say…” he opened the channel.
Facing him was an extremely agitated-looking Trill with white hair. At the sight, Rayne leaned back, propping his feet on the desk. A satisfied grin spread across his face, “Fleet Admiral Quinn, to what do I owe the pleasure? The last time we talked I was told you were too busy to deal with my… what did you call them… ‘petty annoyances’?”
Quinn gave no response to the remark but looked down, reading from a PADD, “As of stardate 93223.4, I, Jorel Quinn, hereby request that you, Parker Rayne, resume your duties as Director of Temporal Affairs and liaison between Starfleet and the Department of Temporal Investigations. Furthermore, your presence is requested in the Kyana system on the Krenim temporal base. If you decide to accept this, all records of your,” there was a long pause, “actions…” another long pause accompanied by an aggravated sigh, “will be wiped from record. If you do not accept, then I will be forced to send the full might of Starfleet against you and any allies you have.”
There was a long pause while Rayne sipped his coffee, looking over a few status reports on various PADDs on his desk, while Quinn stared at him. Finally he set his mug down and leaned forward, “So, what you’re saying is that I was right all along and your little time-games backfired, so now you need someone who actually knows what they’re doing to step in and clean up the mess.”
“I am not saying anything of the kind. I am giving YOU a chance to repay your crimes and help the entire galaxy defeat the Iconian threat!” Quinn seemed to be getting more agitated the longer the comm line was open. Which was exactly why Rayne decided to keep it open as long as possible.
“See, from my point of view, neither you, nor the Admiralty board would listen to my warnings, which forced me to assume my position was no longer needed, and therefore resign. As far as any other actions I may have taken, you can refer to article 78 subsection-“
“Subsection 42 of the Federation Salvage Code. I am quite aware of what you’re getting at Rayne and I assure you if I find reason, I can find a way around that.”
“Ah, so you’re saying that you’d use your power to fulfill a personal vendetta? My, my, that doesn’t sound like the kind of thing the head of Starfleet would do…” He leaned back in his chair enjoying every nanosecond of the conversation.
At this point Quinn was a vibrant shade of magenta and a vein was beginning to show on his forehead. He attempted to calm himself with a few deep breaths, but it was no use, “Listen, this is your chance to do what you’ve always wanted and save the timeline and get away with your pathetic Maquis ways. Would you rather see the galaxy burn?”
“No, I’d rather see if your head really could explode first, but unfortunately we don’t have the time,” his eye unconsciously twitched at his own temporal joke – he hated them even when he made them – but he continued, “I’ll let you know my decision shortly. Thanks for the chat, though! Rayne out.” And with that, he closed the channel as the Trill slammed his fist against the table, letting out profanities.
Casually, he stood up and walked onto the bridge, “Helm, as soon as we’re ready, take us out of drydock and set course for the Kyana system. No rush, though. Warp 4, perhaps?” The bridge all turned to look at him for a moment before smiling as the helm officer confirmed.
Rayne took his seat in his new captain’s chair, feeling the arms, “You know, maybe I am a little too lucky for my own good…”
Rayne stood in his ready room on the Duranja holding the PADD, reading it over several times.
…and make direct contact with the entity known as the Guardian of Forever.
Violently he sent the PADD flying across the room, slamming into the opposing wall with a loud crack. “YEV. YEV YEV YEV!!” He slammed his fist on his desk hearing several of the smaller bones in his right hand crack, followed by a sharp, burning pain. There was no word strong enough in Federation Standard to translate the Bajoran profanity correctly. Holding his now-bleeding hand he crossed the room and looked out of the transparent aluminum window.
The door chimed, “Come…”
“I thought I heard a certain Bajoran throwing a tantrum,” The dark, steel-grey haired Betazoid let the door close behind her, looking at Rayne, “What is it now? Someone not clear a temporal scavenger hunt with you?” Enkla gave a small smile, attempting to lighten the mood. She could feel that something was serious, but didn’t want to pry into his mind to find out what.
He stayed standing, not turning around to greet her. He simply motioned to the PADD, which was now on the floor. Enkla moved over to pick it up and began reading it. As she finished, she brushed her long hair over the white shoulders of her uniform. Her voice was serious as she replied, “We always knew he was an asshole, Rayne. This shouldn’t come as a great surprise. I’m assuming this was never cleared with you first?”
He chuckled darkly, “Nothing in the past six months, five days, nineteen hours, and forty-seven minutes has been cleared with me in regards to Starfleet’s actions with the Krenim weapon, or anything related to time travel.” Sighing, he turned to her. His usual sarcastic demeanor was crumbled, showing exhaustion and abandoned hope. “I’ve filed reports, I’ve spoken directly with the Federation Council; I’ve done everything I can…”
The two moved to the couch and sat. Enkla had been the original First Officer on board the USS Ennex under Rayne’s command before gaining her own ship, the USS Pollux. She had been instrumental in helping to bridge the gap between Starfleet and the Department of Temporal Investigations, and helping to create the joint effort of the Department of Temporal Affairs. What Rayne lacked in diplomacy and tact, Enkla made up for.
The Ennex was, at the time, the pinnacle of Starfleet and DTI technology. Based on the skeleton of a Sovereign-class, the ship had been outfitted with experimental chronimetric projectors within the deflector dish, as well as temporal rods and focusing arrays on the nacelles. The combination allowed the ship to create minor temporal incursions to investigate unauthorized temporal activity, however the power needed for the attempts meant the Ennex lacked the hard-hitting firepower Starfleet needed during the current Iconian war.
“I heard what they did to the Ennex…” She looked down, examining her hands, “I can’t imagine how hard that would have been.”
“We always knew she was on loan from Starfleet, I guess I should have assumed they would pull her back as soon as they needed to. But if you could see her now… she’s missing both nacelles, half of the decks have been ripped open to get at the power conduits… it’s as though she never meant anything more than spare parts. Hell, now they’ve discarded her. She’s just sitting there… lifeless… a piece of junk to be salvaged by some Ferengi…” Rayne blinked away a tear, trying to compose himself. He could feel Enkla lending emotional support. “And now they blatantly defy the chain of command and override a quarantine that DTI and TA specifically placed on that planet, without even so much as copying me on the memo. I had to get that from an intercepted communiqué.”
The two sat in silence for several minutes. The atmosphere was heavy with grief and anger as well as the frustration of being powerless.
Rayne’s eyes narrowed slightly as he tilted his head, “Enkla, do we still have any pull with General Loth’Brok in the KDF?”
“It’s been a few months, but he does still run a few reconnaissance patrols for the Alliance, yes. Why?” She carefully studied him, trying to see what he was getting at.
“And the old crew... the original ones from the Ennex… they’re split between your ship and mine, right?”
“Yes… Rayne, what are you…”
The disgraced temporal agent smirked slightly, “I need you to deliver a message to them. Privately. Tell them I plan to take back what was once ours.” He looked directly into her eyes and she could tell, he wasn’t joking.
Smirking slightly she replied, “As captain of the USS Pollux and a Starfleet officer I’m afraid I’m unable to do that.” Mentally, however, she responded, I’ll monitor frequency theta for the message and relay the orders. You’re hovering dangerously close to Maquis actions by doing this.
Not wanting to tip his hand on comms he formed the thought, It’s been a while since I’ve been able to use that training for anything good. I think it’s time we see who is still loyal to protecting the timeline.
She took a deep breath and stood up. “Well, I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help to you, but I hope we can still have dinner while I’m here? We aren’t ordered on patrols until tomorrow.” He eyes glistened slightly.
“Absolutely. I understand I was probably just being overly emotional. I’m sure things will work out.” He smiled back encouragingly before returning to his desk.
As Enkla left the room Rayne stood behind his desk. Slowly, one by one, he pulled off his rank insignia, and then his comm badge.
“Computer, begin encoded message, temporal level Omega-3.” The computer chimed an acknowledgement as he examined the blood slightly dripping from his knuckles. “To all crew of the former USS Ennex, I’m hereby requesting you join me in resigning your commission and following my lead once again. Starfleet has turned a blind eye to the threats they are creating in the timeline. It was our duty to uphold the stability and peace written out by the Temporal Accords. I’m asking you to join me in doing exactly that. I anticipate your response.
“Computer, encode the message and send to the following recipients.”
As he selected the crew from the list he noticed the blood from his hand once again. After he was finished he dipped his finger in a small drop leftover on the console and put it to his left temple, outlining his Maquis tattoo.
“Tempus fugit.”
---
The USS Duranja glided into formation along with the USS Everett and USS Pollux around Starbase 381. Quietly, the crew disembarked, beaming to the station in groups. The station’s main deck was bustling with crew carrying reports and equipment, rushing around. Rayne quietly smiled at the transporter operator and swung his bag over his shoulder, smoothing out his civilian clothing. Since he ordered the entire crew on shore leave, the lack of a uniform didn’t cause much of a question among the crew.
He crossed the main promenade to the turbolift. “Deck 72.” The turbolift doors shut and he whizzed downwards. As he rode he pulled out a PADD, looking over a list of names. After his original message over 200 crewmembers had responded with their vote of support, but he knew that the Ennex would take at least 350 to minimally maintain efficiently.
The doors opened and he stepped into the hallway of a deck nearly devoid of all personnel. He cautiously glanced around before stepping into a small, dark room. A large figure sat in a chair directly across from him.
“Can I ask why all of these theatrics are needed, Captain?” A deep Klingon voice rolled across the room like a wave as General Loth’Brok stood.
“Actually, it’s no longer captain. Just Rayne. I’m assuming you followed what I asked?”
“Indeed. My ship is still under heavy cloak at the edge of the system. I beamed aboard one of the transports as it passed. As far as the base is concerned I’m simply a science officer on my way through the wormhole.”
“Good. I didn’t want to risk any communications just yet. Here, read this.” Rayne handed the Klingon the PADD with names and details of the mission he had planned.
After a few moments the Klingon barked out a hearty laugh, “You certainly are the rebel I remember! I am still in your debt from your assistance before the peace treaty between our people, so I will do this for you. I see that you are a few hundred short though. What do you have planned to make up for that?”
“The Ennex can be safely maintained with 200. But yes, I am worried there might be more repair work than when I last saw her. From what I could tell they only took the temporal components. Standard equipment like the warp core, phasers, and the like should still be intact.”
“Then may I relay a message from Klingon Intelligence. They have been monitoring the situation with Starfleet and the Romulans and are beginning to grow concerned as well. They have offered a crew of 100 to join you, if you wish. All of them, warriors who do not exist in Klingon files.”
Rayne smiled at his old friend. There was a time when the two couldn’t sit across the table from one another without a bat’leth fight ensuing. After Rayne had agreed to provide cover for the General to run a reconnaissance mission into Cardassian territory during the Federation/Klingon War several years ago, the two had become more amicable to the idea of working together. Now, they considered one another worthy allies, and almost friends.
“The crew that will be joining me have all been given transporter tags. On my command, we can beam to your ship while it is still under cloak. After that, I suggest we set course directly for the Krenim weapon. The Ennex should still be near the asteroids just around the station itself.”
The Klingon nodded once and extended his arm, “What is it that the Federation says? ‘May fortune favor the bold’?”
Rayne grabbed his forearm in a firm shake, “I prefer to ask the Prophets for help, but in this case I’ll go with either one.”
The two left the room, parting ways. Rayne made his way to the civilian deck and to a local café. He sat outside eating a fresh hasperat and spring wine, watching all of the happy families walking around. He noticed a few lesbians affectionately embracing each other in the corner and smiled. This was what he had to protect. There may be a war raging in the galaxy, but there were still pieces of happiness to be found. The Krenim weapon was one thing; it could be calculated, it could be manipulated, it could be controlled; but the blatant disregard for temporal preservation showed him that Starfleet wouldn’t simply dismantle the weapon once they were finished.
Hours passed as he sat sipping his wine and getting lost in his own memories. He was abruptly pulled back to reality by a harsh beep from his wrist monitor: it was time. Standing, he smiled at the Bolian waitress as he left the café and walked to the middle of all of the bustling people. Subtly he tapped the device, alerting the rest of his crew. When the green light appeared on his wrist he knew everyone was ready and he stood perfectly still as the red transporter beam pulled him off the station. A minute later he was standing on the transporter pad of the Klingon ship.
Loth’Brok stood with his arms crossed, a toothy smile plastered across his face. “You are fortunate that we managed to alter the transporters to emit the frequency used by the House of Duras. Now, the Federation will simply think they were the ones behind the abduction.”
Rayne shook his head, “Now that we’re on board I’m going to send a message to Command. They’ll know it wasn’t abduction, rather a joint effort. I’ll make sure to leave out the specific Klingon house, though.”
As they made their way to the bridge Rayne tried to take in how large the ship was. It couldn’t be the old raptor Loth’Brok had commanded, surely by now he would have upgraded, but Rayne never paid much attention to Klingon ship designs. Luckily, the Klingon penchant for boasting didn’t leave him wondering for long.
“Is this not the finest Klingon weapon you have been on? HA!”
“She certainly smells Klingon. I’ve gotta hand it do you guys, you certainly are consistent with that…”
Loth’Brok sneered a smile, “And you Starfleet have such weak senses. This is a Negh’Tev battle ship! One of the finest ships in all of the Klingon Empire!”
“I’ll assume that means this is something like a Negh’Var? I honestly haven’t kept up with your designs.” Rayne scrunched his nose, trying not to breathe too heavily as they stepped onto the bridge.
“The Negh’Tev replaced the old Negh’Var for the Iconian battles. Now, what is your plan? My crew awaits action!” The General collapsed down into the captain’s chair folding his hands in front of him.
Rayne moved to one of the consoles and placed a transparent PADD on top of it to translate what it said. He encoded a message to Starfleet Command,
Attn: Starfleet Command, c/o Fleet Admiral Jorel Quinn. I, Parker Clayton Rayne, being of sound mind and body, hereby inform you of my resignation from Starfleet, and by doing so, relinquish my position as Director of Temporal Affairs.
I have adamantly objected to the Krenim weapon project and have noted many time the consequences of using temporal warfare, however it seems my objections have fallen on deaf ears. It is for that fact that I can no longer sit by and take part in this. I speak on behalf of my entire crew, who’s resignation letters are also enclosed. We have fought our entire lives, we have trained, and we have defended the timeline with honor. By continuing down this path, it is evident that Starfleet Command has no respect for our actions, and has thereby lost our loyalty.
This letter is also being written to inform you that the remaining pieces of the USS Ennex will be confiscated and taken under my personal possession. As she is no longer a fully operational starship, she falls under salvage rights and will therefore be treated as such. Any attempt to stop this will be met with my own temporal and combat knowledge. The other ships under my command have been left at Starbase Sierra awaiting new commanding officers.
May the Prophets help you. May they help us all.
I have adamantly objected to the Krenim weapon project and have noted many time the consequences of using temporal warfare, however it seems my objections have fallen on deaf ears. It is for that fact that I can no longer sit by and take part in this. I speak on behalf of my entire crew, who’s resignation letters are also enclosed. We have fought our entire lives, we have trained, and we have defended the timeline with honor. By continuing down this path, it is evident that Starfleet Command has no respect for our actions, and has thereby lost our loyalty.
This letter is also being written to inform you that the remaining pieces of the USS Ennex will be confiscated and taken under my personal possession. As she is no longer a fully operational starship, she falls under salvage rights and will therefore be treated as such. Any attempt to stop this will be met with my own temporal and combat knowledge. The other ships under my command have been left at Starbase Sierra awaiting new commanding officers.
May the Prophets help you. May they help us all.
He then input coordinates to the helm. “We have one stop to make before we get the Ennex. I have word that Starfleet Command has sent a captain to Gateway to speak with the Guardian of Forever. I intend to stop that, and if we are already too late, I intend to know exactly what that captain knows.” A small, uncharacteristically sinister, smile broke across Rayne’s face.
Loth’Brok sneered another grin, “Bosh-ta-JaH, Gateway.”
---
Rayne watched as red streaks swept the Starfleet captain, the Vulcan Kraf’tir, back to the surface of the Gateway planet, and then, a moment, later, his right arm followed him. The Klingon guard holding the PADD connected to the transporter stood behind him, smiling.
Rayne swung around on his heels, swiftly bringing the heel of his palm to the Klingon’s nose. “You honor-less petaQ! I ordered you to beam him down, NOT dismember him!” He stood over the woman as blood trickled down her face. She gave no response besides a guttural sneer as she stood back up.
Back on the bridge Loth’Brok was awaiting Rayne’s return.
“Did your… friend… have anything useful to say?”
“No. But the important thing is that they never used the Guardian. My analysis was always that the Guardian knew time better than anyone else and wouldn’t allow unnecessary temporal interference, but I never wanted to test the theory. I’ll hope that it won’t be an issue later on but Prophets know I never trust Vulcans,” the Bajoran crossed the bridge, examining his hand, and leaned on one of the support beams, “I think it’s time we pay our Krenim friends a visit.”
The bridge began rustling to their stations. It was obvious that the general had called for preparation drills and tactical plans in anticipation of the ‘big event.’
“I want notified as soon as we enter the system of the weapon. Stay cloaked. I’d rather not go storming in quite yet.” With a deep breath - one that was quickly, and severely regretted - Rayne left the bridge to collect his senior officers.
In the Klingon equivalent of a briefing room, which they called the ‘battle room’, sat the devoted senior staff of the Ennex. Thot Theo, the Breen first officer, Thrysis, the Andorian tactical commander, Somdak, a Klingon-turned-Starfleet chief engineer, and Ricki, the least intimidating, blonde, Human chief medical officer. They each stood as their captain entered. Rayne paused a moment, not used to seeing everyone collected like this out of uniform, before taking a seat at the head of the table. General Loth’Brok followed a moment later, sitting at the opposite end.
“The General tells me we’ve arrived at the research station. The good news is that we were not detected; I’ll assume this vessels cloak is a bit stronger than the standard-issue,” he paused a moment, smirking at the General who returned the smirk, “But the bad news is that there are over a dozen combat-ready vessels from all three factions in the area. On top of that, there is a heavy shield grid encircling the station and the weapon.”
The officers gave a small, frustrated sigh, but remained quiet as he continued. “The Ennex, however, is drifting 50 kilometers outside the shield grid.” He stood, activating the holo-display, which glowed red. It showed the situation clearly: They weren’t going to be able to damage the Krenim weapon, but the Ennex was still a prime target.
Thot Theo picked up a PADD and looked it over before the computer translated his electronic speech patterns, “It appears they have re-attached the warp nacelles. This could be easier than originally planned.”
“I do not think so,” Somdak brought the holo-display to focus on the ship, “They may have been thinking to convert her back to a combat vessel, however, they stopped. The warp core is completely powered down and there are multiple breaches on the hull. There is no way she can go to warp on her own power.”
“I agree,” Rayne stood up, crossing his arms, and examined his old ship, “and I wouldn’t want to even take her in a warp-tow in this condition. Without an active deflector and structural integrity field she’d rip apart before we even made it out of the system. It looks like they just removed the chonimetric focusing rods from the nacelles and, well, most of the entire deflector dish…”
The quiet doctor stood up with a small smile. She gracefully zoomed the display in on the Ennex’s forward saucer section. “Sir, does anything seem odd to you?”
The staff all looked over the hull. Multiple sections had been removed leaving large holes in the outer sections. Presumably, the assembly team for the Krenim weapon decided to begin salvaging materials once the Ennex had been abandoned. Most notably, the entire bridge module was removed. Thrysis started laughing as they all looked at her, “Well don’t you get it? Ricki is right!” She enhanced the hull plating which displayed the name ‘Ennex’, “They removed the entire registry number from the ship!” It took a moment, but everyone soon realized it. The ‘USS’ had been removed, as well as her Starfleet registry number, ‘NX-92701’. This was the same in every location it would have appeared on the ship.
General Loth’Brok belted out a laugh, “It appears your ship may very well still fall under those salvage operations you had discussed, Rayne!”
He nodded slowly, smiling. “Quinn did this. He made the ship almost useless, but left her here. Maybe my message did make an impression. He doesn’t think I can get away with it, though, or he wouldn’t have made it such an easy target. Alright, everyone. We’re taking a small team and beaming directly into main engineering. Let’s see what the damage is and if we can get the warp core online. If so, we can establish a temporary field long enough for the General here to take us to warp.”
“Scans show life-support is offline, however there is enough residual oxygen and atmosphere in that area we should be alright without EV suits.” Thrysis stood up, along with the rest of them.
“Good. Everyone, you have 45 minutes to prepare what you need. General, keep your ship within tractor range. We’ll most likely need a quick escape.” The General nodded, then exited back to the bridge along with everyone else.
---
Red streaks illuminated the pitch-black interior of the Ennex’s main engineering briefly before it was dark again. The air was thick and stale, it was obvious no one had been on the ship in weeks, and when they deactivated the warp core the residual heat was never fully vented.
“39 degrees, sir,” Ricki flipped open her tricorder which lit up the immediate area, “I wouldn’t say this is the perfect environment, but we won’t die. There’s definitely elevated radiation and plasma particles. We’ll all need to be inoculated when we return-“ She paused a moment, realizing that wasn’t the point of being there, “I mean, once I get sickbay up and running.”
Somdak activated his flashlight and the team followed suit. He carried several portable generators to the main panel across from them. After a few moments it flickered on dimly. The team spread out, each connecting their power packs to various consoles.
Rayne opened his tricorder and began scanning the warp core itself. He gave a heavy sigh before relaying his results, “We have a much bigger problem than I had imagined,” he flipped the tricorder shut, “Now I see why Quinn made it such an easy target.”
The Klingon engineer let out a roar, slamming his fist on the console, “I would have to agree…” he also muttered a few Klingon profanities under his breath.
“Would someone please like to fill me in on what’s going on?” Thrysis’ antennae stood rigid and attentive as she crossed to the other two.
“There isn’t a single dilithium crystal left in the storage chambers and not more than a few thousand micro-particles of antimatter. There’s no way we can get the warp core online.” The Bajoran looked around the dark room. It seemed they had come all this way, risking their careers and the peace treaty between two worlds, for nothing. What’s more, he was looking at what was left of the most valuable thing in his life. Now it was nothing more than a skeleton: lifeless and haunting.
The solemn silence was broken by a chirp from their communicators, “Rayne here, go ahead General.”
“You may do well to know that we are picking up faint energy fluctuations 14 kilometers off of your bow. Our cloak may be useful, but I would know a Starfleet cloak anywhere. Someone is monitoring your progress.”
“Understood. We seem to have run into an issue anyway. It seems we came here for nothing. There is no way to get the warp core back online.”
“Then I suggest haste and a timely exit before this situation escalates-“
“Wait,” Thot Theo interrupted, “what about beaming over auxiliary batteries to supplement the secondary power core.”
Rayne shook his head; “The secondary core was bled dry before they abandoned her-“
Somdak gave a toothy grin, “Yes, but the General’s ship could easily give us a large power transfer to- what is the Federation term- jump-start the emitters.”
“If we initiate any type of large transport to beam the batteries over, or a power transfer of that scale, we would be detected instantly. It would lead to conflict with the other vessels.”
“Avoiding conflict doesn’t sound very Klingon, General,” Rayne smiled at his team, “we’re doing it. Somdak how long would you need in order to tie it all together and then establish a structural integrity field?”
“At least 45 minutes, sir.”
“You have 20. General, beam over two of my engineering teams as well as a few cubic meters of oxygen as soon as those batteries are ready.”
The general gave an annoyed hiss before closing the comm channel. The command team spread out, beginning to ready the ship to power up again. There was a newfound tension of hope in the air now. They knew that it was only a matter of time before they had their treasure. Moments later, two engineering teams were beamed into the area along with the distinct smell of Klingon ship. Luckily, they could breath easier at least. Somdak immediately started shouting orders for the teams to connect the new batteries.
Twenty-three minutes later a sweat-covered Thrysis came up to him. “Everything is ready for the power transfer, captain.”
“You look like you need a good ice bath,” Rayne knew Andorians had little tolerance for heat, “signal the general to begin the transfer-“ Suddenly the ship rocked and a muffled explosion was heard somewhere on another deck. The portable comm chirped again.
“Rayne your ship is under attack. A Phantom-class attack ship just decloaked. We were able to extend our shields around you for the time being, but you currently have a large hole in your saucer section. I suggest we initiate the power transfer now and get out of here.”
“I was thinking the exact same thing. We’re ready when you are.”
Outside, the small intelligence-gathering ship continued firing on the Ennex’s location, forcing General Loth’Brok to drop his cloak and return fire. After the tiny ship realized what it was up against it quickly set a course for the base. Two larger ships, a Romulan D’Deridex-class, and a Starfleet Nebula-class broke their patrol formation and began an intercept course.
A brilliant yellow beam emanated from the Klingon’s deflector array, landing directly on the aft section of the Ennex. For a brief second the interior lights of the Sovereign-class ship lit up, showing the power transfer. As soon as the beam terminated, the lights went dim again.
Somdak gave a toothy grin, “Captain! The secondary power array is at 60% and we have a weak integrity field. I’ve managed to also bring inertial dampeners to 20%.”
“Is that enough to take us to warp?”
“It will get us about eight light-years, just enough to seek refuge in the closest nebula.” Thrysis was working a PADD displaying star charts she had downloaded from the Klingons.
“General, take us to warp! Everyone else, hold on to something!”
As soon as the Klingon ship activated its tractor beam, the Romulan ship sent disruptor bolts flying at the two ships. The bolts grazed the aft shields as the two ships went hurdling into a high warp; The Klingon ship cloaked again as the Ennex was pulled side-ways. Several crew members were slammed against the port side of engineering as the ship took off.
As soon as the ship was in a stable warp, Ricki tended to the wounded. Thot Theo approached the rest of the group, “The Klingons say their cloak will obscure our warp trail, and the Ennex’s current power level is too low to detect on sensors. It seems we may be in the clear.”
Rayne took a step back, leaning on the circular railing surrounding the warp core. This was it. This was the moment he had waited for.
“Now, all we need is some dilithium.”
---
A week had passed since the Ennex had arrived in the nebula. Crews were successful in restoring auxiliary power and partial life-support. They now began working on patching up the external holes and piecing together what they could.
Rayne stood in engineering looking at the workers beginning the long process of reviving the old ship; a single chirp came from his wrist. Thrysis was standing nearby and over heard the noise, “What is it?”
“Frequency Theta. The old comms channel the Special Tasks Group used to use. It’s strange… it’s just a set of coordinates and what seems to be a flight plan for a…” he broke into a small smile, “this is the flight plan for one of STG’s freighters. Enkla must have sent it. I’d be willing to bet this is a load of dilithium.”
“Well at least we know she’s for the cause then.” Thrysis stood covered in soot and grease. “But how are we getting there? The Ennex obviously doesn’t have warp, and they didn’t leave any shuttles. By this point the General is most likely back in the Beta Quadrant.”
He thought for a moment before crossing over to a console, “No, but they did leave this.” He pointed to the ventral section of the saucer. By this point Somdak and Thot Theo had joined them.
Somdak spoke, “We have no way to reach the captain’s yacht, sir. Most of the corridors between here and the gantry system have either been cut off, or are completely depressurized.”
“Well then I suppose it’s time to go for a little spacewalk. Somdak, you and Theo will stay here and continue work. Thrysis and I will go intercept the freighter. There should only be about six people on board, and with any luck they won’t question a change in the flight plan if it comes from me.” Rayne walked over and opened a closet to pull out one of the standard-issue EV suits. Thrysis followed his lead.
Making their way through collapsed corridors proved to be a greater challenge than expected. Debris from discarded bulkheads either floated into their path, or forced them into Jeffries tubes, which were hardly big enough for the EV suits. After climbing though 4 decks and half the length of the ship, they made it to the yacht.
“Sir, we hardly used the yacht even when the Ennex was fully operational, what makes you think we can even get it flying now?” The Andorian woman propped herself against the outer hull of the auxiliary craft.
“Scans show that it still has enough dilithium and antimatter to power up, beyond that, I have no guarantees. Let’s get inside and see what we can do.” He placed a manual release lever on the door and with the Andorian’s extra strength; they managed to pull the door open. Once inside, they restored life-support and partial main power. The lights gently fluttered on and there was an audible hum coming from the micro warp core.
Once at the helm, he attempted to initiate the launching sequence but was soon interrupted by the computer, “Warning, starboard nacelle gantry has been damaged. Launch is not recommended.”
“Yeah, yeah, we get it… Computer, override safety protocols for launch control, authorization Rayne Alpha-148.”
Immediately they heard the deafening sound of grinding metal and scraping, forcing them both to buckle over, covering their ears. Thrysis’ antennae laid down flat against her head, getting lost in her hair. A moment later there was a satisfying thump, then silence.
Thrysis glared at the Bajoran, “Remind me to volunteer one of the ensigns to come next time.”
He sat grinning at her, “Oh where’s your sense of adventure. Besides, it looks like we’re cleared from the main hull and the nacelles are in their flight position. I’m setting an intercept course for the freighter at best speed. We should rendezvous within 6 hours.”
“I’ll be in the back making sure that nacelle you just shredded doesn’t decide to fall off mid-warp.” She swung her legs out of the chair and walked to the back, rubbing her ears.
Hours later the yacht approached the freighter. She was unaccompanied and didn’t seem to be aware of their appearance. Scans indicated the holds were filled with dilithium and antimatter – kept safely away from one another.
“Looks like we have our treasure ship, now we just need to get on board and-“ The Andorian was interrupted by Rayne opening a hailing channel. She gave him a what-are-you-doing look.
“Freighter Drina, this is Rayne. Prepare to extend docking clamps and take on my yacht.” He smiled at her as they waited for the response.
“Confirmed, Captain. We’ll meet you on the bridge.”
“See? All you need to do is ask nicely. Now, let’s not keep them waiting.” Rayne turned to move to the airlock.
Thrysis followed, “Or, you know, give them time to notice that neither of us are with Starfleet anymore and have absolutely no authority here…”
“That too.”
---
The freighter doors gave a hiss as the two ships finished equalizing in pressure. The Bolian captain gave the two a small smile before greeting them, “It’s been a while. I wasn’t aware you still assisted the Special Tasks Group, Captain?” Something in her tone gave her away. She knew that this was an ‘unofficial’ visit.
“Well Captain Weis, I like to make sure I do my duty to Starfleet, of course.” Rayne raised his eyebrow slightly, letting her know she was right.
“Ahh.. I see… well then, please, come aboard.” The freighter captain moved out of their way and gestured to the bridge. As they walked she broke the false pretense with a smile, “I wondered why our flight plan took us out away from everything, but word has it someone has stolen a Starfleet ship right out from under their noses.”
“Salvaged,” both Thrysis and Rayne said in unison before smirking to each other. Captain Weis gave a small laugh as they entered the main bridge.
“Well Captain Rayne, my ship is at your disposal. We’re supposed to be resupplying STG’s main dilithium storage tanks, but as you know, STG doesn’t file official flight plans due to the sensitive nature of what we do. So, the ship is yours.”
Rayne moved to the conn and input coordinates. “The old Talaxian asteroid base. Traders in the area have made it a mini version of Drozana. That’s our next destination. If we’re to remove doubt from STG we need to make it look like I purchased this ship from a Ferengi dealer. Once there, you and your crew will take the captain’s yacht and head to the STG base. Thrysis and I can take it from there.”
Weis hesitated a moment, clearly not wanting to protest, but also not wanting to just turn over her entire ship, “Rayne I understand wanting to be discreet about everything, but I assure you my crew and I could be of assistance.”
“I’m sure you could, but what I have planned is going to need a very delicate touch. I’m sorry Elanis.”
The freighter captain gave no further argument as the ship set course for the asteroid base. After dropping out of warp, the crew disembarked to the captain’s yacht and launched to the station. A moment later Rayne beamed over, leaving Thrysis alone on the ship. Several hours went by as Thrysis recalibrated the sensor array for a third time. Finally, the sound of the transporter could be heard in the corridor. She grabbed a plasma pistol left behind by the crew and braced herself next to the door. She slammed a fist on the panel to open the door and then wheeled around; pointing the gun, “Drop it!”
Rayne staggered back, throwing his hands up, “It’s only me! Prophets, woman…”
“Sorry, you’d been gone a while and I didn’t want to take any risks. How did it go? Do you think Starfleet noticed and bought the bait?”
“I think we did one better than that. My husband decided to pay me a visit. I gave him an isolinear chip to give to Enkla. As far as he knows, I bought the ship. Well, at least until he reads the chip.” Rayne walked to the helm and brought the ship about, setting course for the nebula where the Ennex was hiding out.
“And what exactly was on that chip?” Thrysis took a seat next to him at the ops terminal.
“An apology to Nyvra for stealing her freighter, and an apology for dismantling the freighter to help repair the Ennex, and schematics for the temporal shielding we used. I figure if Starfleet does end up ruining the timeline, at least the STG base will be secure and maybe we can do something to fix it. I also gave them a few targets I figure the Krenim will be considering for the weapon.”
The two sat in silence for several minutes, simply staring at the streaks of spacedust as it whizzed by on the viewscreen. Suddenly Thrysis’ antennae stood straight up, “Gods! I just realized!”
Rayne snapped his head to look at her, “What is it? Do I need to drop out of warp?” He started hurriedly calculating a new course.
“No, not at all. I just realized they have a working replicator on here. I can finally get a good raktajino! After all this time on rations I could use a good replicator…” She stood up and moved to the back of the bridge. Rayne attempted to recover from the minor heart attack she had given him, but decided she did have a good point, and joined her.
Several days later they approached the nebula. Rayne brought the freighter out of warp and entered the nebula. As soon as they were within range, the proximity sensors went off in a frenzied beeping.
“Sir, it looks like the Remans have found the Ennex. I’m detecting a Scimitar-class dreadnaught holding position, weapons pointed directly at her.” Thrysis’ antennae went rigid as she attempted to mask the freighters approach.
“And here I thought it was Starfleet that would come looking… damnit… has the ship-“
Suddenly a Reman appeared on the main display. His head was draped in a silk-like cloth and his voice was like raking gravel across hot coals, “Former Captain Rayne, I presume. I am Commander B’trall’k. We have been monitoring your progress in repairing your ship after you fled the Kyana system.”
Rayne stood, straightening the long blue coat he was wearing, “I take full responsibility for the actions of myself, and my crew, Commander. Although I’d like to direct you to article 78, subsection 42 of the Federation Salvage Code, which clearly states…”
“Please. Spare us both the long explanation. I am here on behalf of the Reman Intelligence corps. We have also monitored the tests being done on the Krenim station and, much as your Klingon friends, we are concerned where the research is leading.”
Thrysis looked to the captain, puzzled, but realized he had no clue what was going on either. The two stood in shock for a moment before the Reman broke the silence.
“I suggest you beam to my ship where we can speak more on this matter. I believe you will be interested in what I have to say.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d prefer if you and I met on the Ennex. Currently we’re using the main engineering as our command center for… obvious… reasons…” Rayne winced slightly remembering that the ship still had no bridge module.
B’trall’k thought for a moment, not that his facial expression changed in the slightest, before nodding once and closing the channel. Immediately Thrysis brought the freighter within transport distance of the Ennex and beamed several crew members on board, ordering them to keep the shields up until they heard otherwise. After that, the two senior officers transported directly into main engineering where an imposing Reman stood looking around with two guards. He moved to greet the captain, “My scans of your ship do not do it justice. It is in far worse disrepair than I had anticipated.”
Rayne looked around as well. To him, the crew had made a great deal of progress since he left to intercept the freighter, but he could plainly see there was much to do still. “Yes, well, our estimates are at least 6 months before we can consider ourselves operational. I intend to dismantle the freighter to help speed the process along. We can use her hull.”
“Perhaps, then, it is a good thing I am here. When the Alliance first came to the Delta Quadrant my people found an asteroid in this nebula rich with minerals. We set up a temporary base to mine, as well as to serve vessels that were attacked by the Vaadwaur. Now that the war with the Vaadwaur is over, there are very few ships that need our assistance. Our estimations are that we could have this ship at full efficiency within two weeks… although seeing it in person I would say it would be more like three weeks.”
“So you’re actually willing to help us? You realize that could be putting stress on the peace treaty within the Alliance.” Rayne stood with his arms crossed, trying to measure the Reman’s honesty. Something like this was a little too good to be true, however Nyvra always said that he had an odd sense of good luck.
B’trall’k gave a single nod, “I am aware of the circumstances and view it as an acceptable risk. Your… talents… for temporal observation and insight are known to my people.” The term ‘talents’ seemed to be spit out, rather than simply spoken.
The senior officers gathered around to listen, although Somdak seemed to be on guard more than anything. After conferring with them the deal was made; the Remans would assist in rebuilding the Ennex, as long as any information about the Krenim weapon was shared with them.
With the Ennex in tow, the warbird and freighter set a course for the asteroid base. The asteroid itself was large, several thousand meters across, however the base seemed to be limited to two main structures and an orbital shipyard. As soon as the three ships arrived, the Ennex was docked and transport of the dilithium and antimatter began. It took several hours of tedious maintenance, but eventually the main warp core came online, breathing new life into the ship. After that, life support was reinitialized fully and workers were beamed on board to begin more intricate repairs. Since all of the temporal equipment had been ripped out, Rayne saw no need to limit the Reman repair crews.
---
Three weeks later Rayne sat in his ready room. He had decided to save materials and forego reconstructing a full-scale Sovereign-class bridge in favor of a smaller, Intrepid-class style.
His door chimed, “Come.” As B’trall’k entered, even a Bajoran could tell that something was off so Rayne stood up, “What is it?”
“I have news that the Alliance has used the Krenim weapon. Apparently there was a great disaster, so they used it a second time to repair the original damage.” He handed Rayne a PADD, “They have labeled it ‘Project Butterfly.’ It is all a bunch of nonsense to me. Perhaps you can translate it.”
The captain took the PADD and read over it, motioning for B’trall’k to take a seat. A few minutes later he laid the PADD on the desk, “Yes, I think I can explain what happened, and unfortunately it’s exactly what I was afraid of. The Alliance attempted to alter the past to postpone the Iconian’s attack. Once they arrived, they realized that their actions had… undesired, consequences, so they attempted another alteration to fix it. They’re lucky they didn’t destroy the entire balance of power in the galaxy… or worse…” Rayne walked over to the window and looked out, “I knew this would happen…”
The Reman sat, still puzzled, “If they altered the timeline then how is it that everything has stayed the same?”
“It hasn’t. For all we know, in the original timeline you and I were married and had seven kids. But since we weren’t able to get the temporal shielding online in time, we have become part of the new timeline. To us, this is the only one we know now. Unless I could reestablish a link to the shielded records on Eris that DTI keeps, I won’t know what damage has happened.” He walked back over and sat in his chair.
B’trall’k still seemed confused, but gave up on questioning things further. “Your ship should be ready within the day, captain. I look forward to hearing what you find.”
“As do I, Commander. And thank you, again, for all that your people have done for me.” The two gentlemen stood and bowed to one another before B’trall’k left the room.
Rayne walked to the replicator, “Coffee, sweet, hot.”
As he picked up the mug an alert came through on his private terminal. He spun the display around and looked at the message,
Incoming hail, Coded, Priority-One-Alpha from Starfleet Command.
Rayne sat down and paused. Apparently the Remans had been informing both sides of the situation. “At least the Ennex is back… let’s see what they have to say…” he opened the channel.
Facing him was an extremely agitated-looking Trill with white hair. At the sight, Rayne leaned back, propping his feet on the desk. A satisfied grin spread across his face, “Fleet Admiral Quinn, to what do I owe the pleasure? The last time we talked I was told you were too busy to deal with my… what did you call them… ‘petty annoyances’?”
Quinn gave no response to the remark but looked down, reading from a PADD, “As of stardate 93223.4, I, Jorel Quinn, hereby request that you, Parker Rayne, resume your duties as Director of Temporal Affairs and liaison between Starfleet and the Department of Temporal Investigations. Furthermore, your presence is requested in the Kyana system on the Krenim temporal base. If you decide to accept this, all records of your,” there was a long pause, “actions…” another long pause accompanied by an aggravated sigh, “will be wiped from record. If you do not accept, then I will be forced to send the full might of Starfleet against you and any allies you have.”
There was a long pause while Rayne sipped his coffee, looking over a few status reports on various PADDs on his desk, while Quinn stared at him. Finally he set his mug down and leaned forward, “So, what you’re saying is that I was right all along and your little time-games backfired, so now you need someone who actually knows what they’re doing to step in and clean up the mess.”
“I am not saying anything of the kind. I am giving YOU a chance to repay your crimes and help the entire galaxy defeat the Iconian threat!” Quinn seemed to be getting more agitated the longer the comm line was open. Which was exactly why Rayne decided to keep it open as long as possible.
“See, from my point of view, neither you, nor the Admiralty board would listen to my warnings, which forced me to assume my position was no longer needed, and therefore resign. As far as any other actions I may have taken, you can refer to article 78 subsection-“
“Subsection 42 of the Federation Salvage Code. I am quite aware of what you’re getting at Rayne and I assure you if I find reason, I can find a way around that.”
“Ah, so you’re saying that you’d use your power to fulfill a personal vendetta? My, my, that doesn’t sound like the kind of thing the head of Starfleet would do…” He leaned back in his chair enjoying every nanosecond of the conversation.
At this point Quinn was a vibrant shade of magenta and a vein was beginning to show on his forehead. He attempted to calm himself with a few deep breaths, but it was no use, “Listen, this is your chance to do what you’ve always wanted and save the timeline and get away with your pathetic Maquis ways. Would you rather see the galaxy burn?”
“No, I’d rather see if your head really could explode first, but unfortunately we don’t have the time,” his eye unconsciously twitched at his own temporal joke – he hated them even when he made them – but he continued, “I’ll let you know my decision shortly. Thanks for the chat, though! Rayne out.” And with that, he closed the channel as the Trill slammed his fist against the table, letting out profanities.
Casually, he stood up and walked onto the bridge, “Helm, as soon as we’re ready, take us out of drydock and set course for the Kyana system. No rush, though. Warp 4, perhaps?” The bridge all turned to look at him for a moment before smiling as the helm officer confirmed.
Rayne took his seat in his new captain’s chair, feeling the arms, “You know, maybe I am a little too lucky for my own good…”
