[Present] <Archaeology and Anthropology Lab, during ?The Future is Now? ? Andy> Leaning back in his chair Kieran massaged his temples and blinked repeatedly as his vision wavered slightly. Four and a half hours of trawling through reproductions of obscure Vulcan text did that to you, he realised, as he stood to get the circulation going in his legs. The statuette that Mandrake had brought back from Vulcan continued to be an enigma. Styling from one period, with a production method not consistent with that period, and a subject that came from three hundred and fifty years later: yet it was older than any of the three could account for by almost a thousand years. Again he donned the monofilament gloves and reached out to examine the thing with hand and eye, looking for something he might have missed. Sensors and equipment were all well and good, of course, but it had been sculpted of soft clay by hand and eye, and the detailing shouldn?t be any better than he could manage with his own. He could almost recreate the thing in his sleep, so often had he done this, but still he couldn?t find the key ? couldn?t explain the discrepancies. The ship had been heaving and bucking slightly for a few minutes, some phenomenon putting a strain on the inertial dampers, but there?d been no warning and no caution announcement, so he continued his work. Suddenly, the desk rose up to meet him, slamming into his abdomen and lifting him from the seat into the air. The statue shattered in his grasp, caught by the edge of the desk, and as he suddenly dropped to the deck from somewhere about head height the fragments dropped between him and the floor. The pain as the pottery shards embedded themselves through the muscles of his stomach wall was excrutiation, and he almost blacked out until his eyes fixed on something ? inside the statue had been a small, engraved, metallic toroid. He crawled up painfully, getting a little closer, reaching out with his hand for it, dragging it before his eyes. A ?Val?tasor?! Stunned beyond the ability of the pain to put him under, he tapped his comm-badge without taking his eyes off the artifact. =^= ?Medical assistance required in the A&A lab.? He wheezed, gently, before settling his head back on the deck. A ?Val?tasor? ? a soul-gem. *********************************************************** [Future] <London ? Temporal Affairs Central Command> ?I see.? Kieran offered, slowly, playing for time a little. ?Are you sure I?m the best man for the job, sir? Perhaps someone with a little distance from the situation? this is my old ship, after all. I could be on it, for all we know.? ?That?s why we chose you, my boy.? The Admiral beamed over the desk, with a wry chuckle. ?You probably know at least some of these people ? that gives you credibility and influence, both of which you?ll need to minimise their impact upon this situation.? ?Very well, sir. I?ll be on my way. Is the ?Taval? available?? ?She is, but you?ll only be taking her as far as Mars. I?ve arranged a ride with some other past acquaintances.? The smile slipped a little, and Kieran didn?t need to ask whom he meant. He did anyway. ?USS Marathon?? The Admiral simply nodded, and thought about holding the rest back. ?You should contact Dominic Santos, as well. He?ll find out, one way or another, and come riding in.? ?I see.? Kieran?s jaw clenched a little, but only a little. ?I shall be on my way.? The Admiral dismissed him quietly, even his customary jollity gone as he watched the back of the black uniform disappear back through the doors. The limp appeared to have come back. Kieran thought about transporting directly to the launch centre across the river, but took the walk instead. His knee, suddenly, was paining him, and his back ached ? it hadn?t done that for over a year. * Looking for a way out? * He wondered, quietly, exiting the building and turning right onto the riverfront walk. Vauxhall bridge was closed again, the aged stone and iron-work threatening to give way at any moment, so he was taking the slightly longer route. Lambeth bridge was still there, leading to the massive, pristine façade of the Lambeth Palace. There were older cities, more beautiful cities certainly, and cities that had become cultural centres rather than working areas, but London was still his favourite. The damage done during the industrial revolution had been, largely, restored, and the twentieth centuries coating of grime and dust had slowly been washed away during the century and a half the city had been uninhabited after the Eugenics war. It was still a quiet, subtle place, the narrow streets unsuitable for mass-transit systems, and so it retained a sense of timelessness, a motley collection of architectural wonders from thousands of years of being one of the great centres of world events. The Thames, of course, had flowed as mute witness to it all, and he followed the lines of the river past the old parliament building, under the fallen span of Westminster Bridge and on towards ?New Westminster? and the Federations Temporal Research Institute headquarters. The walk hadn?t eased his knee, particularly, nor his back, but he had reconciled himself to the fact that the situation was coming. He acceded to the demands of his injury when it came to the stairs, though, opting for the lift to the rooftop launch centre. The Admiral had at least been thoughtful, and as he arrived an Ensign was just finishing the pre-flight checks. Nodding his thanks, he slipped into the classic Danube class runabout, and settled into the pilot?s seat to send his message to the USS Vanguard. [Future] <USS Taval - Approaching Utopia Planetia Construction Facility> Kieran looked out the window of the venerable runabout as he approached the spacedock, eyeing the lines of the new vessel. ?A fine day for a launch?? he observed to himself, as he brought the ship alongside the docking port above the long cradle. The clamps engaged and secured the ?Taval? ? he vaguely recalled walking the Taval, a trail along Vulcan?s longest dried river-bed with? Thoughts like that were just going to be counter-productive. Nevertheless, there seemed little chance of avoiding them, given the situation. ?Captain Kieran Darkwater to USS Marathon.? Requested, as the communication circuits came on-line. ?Sir, this is Utopia Planetia Communications. The USS Marathon is under restricted communication protocols.? Came a polite but firm response. ?I?m aware of that. I have an authorisation from Admiral Torenson at Temporal Affairs. Transmitting now.? There was a short delay, and then the slightly surprised voice of the Communications officer returned. ?Putting you through now, sir.? ?Captain Darkwater, this is Lieutenant Challis of the USS Marathon. I?ll apologise for making this short, we?re a little busy here right now. What can I do for you?? ?I need to speak with Captain Drath, if that?s possible?? ?I?m afraid the Captain?s very busy. I?m the duty bridge officer, I?m afraid you?ll have to go through me for now.? It wasn?t officious, but the obviously hurried tone told him they truly were working hard. ?I have orders from Admiral Torensen at Temporal Affairs to come aboard, and liaise with Captain Drath on an imminent situation.? He downloaded the orders, and waited for them to be approved. ?Confirming your orders now, sir.? The Lieutenant answered, hesitantly. It was some time ? presumably involving checks with StarFleet Security ? but finally he was granted permission, and beamed aboard. ?Sir, welcome to the USS Marathon.? Challis, it seemed, had come down to meet him personally. ?I?m afraid the Captain is still busy, I could ask him to break off if it?s vital?? ?I can speak with the Captain after the launch, so long as he is made aware that I?ve come aboard. I?m sure he?ll find a moment at some point.? ?Can I show you to the Guest Quarters, Captain?? ?I?d rather see Lieutenant Leonov, actually.? He replied, which startled her slightly. ?Ana Leonov? She?s on duty, I?m afraid.? ?Not tha.. no? Ana Leonid?s physical body must be aboard somewhere? I?d like to visit her ? we were close, once.? ?I don?t think I could?? Challis began, but a quiet voice from the doorway interrupted her. ?Let him.? Ana said, quietly, her eyes searching Kieran?s for a moment. ?It?s been a long time, Kieran.? ?Nearly six months.? He replied, quietly. Challis took her cue, excused herself, and returned to work. ?I tried to call ahead, to let you know I would be coming.? He explained. ?How are you?? she asked, ignoring the offering, caught somewhere between delight and anger. ?I?ve been busy ? work, mainly. I finally finished ?Lord of the Rings? last month, though. I was laid up after a mission inj?. Injury.? He tailed off, quietly, and her jaw tightened up a little more as he followed her into a turbolift. ?You could have sent messages.? She offered. ?Called once in a while. What happened to ?Till Death Do Us Part??. You offered that, remember, on the Hermes.? ?I remember.? He snapped back. ?You declined, as I recall. You ?didn?t need all that pomp and ceremony?.? ?So you just forgot about me, did you?? The doors hissed open to reveal a stark, sterile, computer laden room somewhere in the heart of the ship. Monitors and readouts lined the walls, and conduits and channels gathered into banks around the narrow bed located in the midst of it all. A thin, frail, bony figure ? dressed in a perfectly tailored StarFleet uniform ? nestled amidst it all, locked into connectors and sensors, an elaborate mesh of interfaces and support equipment. Sat within it, the only truly clear piece of vision in the entire room, were the two deep, crystal blue eyes of what was left of Ana Leonov, rolling downward slightly to stare at him as she had for those nine long hours in the cave on Calenset seven. ?I could never forget, Ana. Never?? he said, and she didn?t need the holographic presence to see the tears glistening in his eyes. --------------------------------- With Yahoo! 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