Part I by Jonathon (Jaav E?thexx) Jaav E?thexx and Zena Quetan have a heart-to-heart discussion as husband and wife, Trill and former/current officers of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, as the future of Trill hangs in the balance. Part II by Mark (Cynan Mandrake) More about the future Mandrake?and the Star Eagle?is revealed as the space buccaneer unexpectedly finds some old friends in a time and place he least expected to find them. Part III by Andy (Dominic Santos) Admiral Dominic Santos rallies his old friends around him as he and the new crew of the Vanguard-A attempt to find a solution to the deepening mystery surrounding the appearance of the first Vanguard. The admiral also encounters an old foe at the worst possible time for his reappearance. Part IV by Chris (Soman Drath) Engaged in a fight to stay alive, Soman Drath and the crew of the USS Marathon believe they?ve solved the time-mystery?and it reaches back farther than anyone could have imagined. In the original ordeal at Deep Space Ten, the crew of the Astoria arrived home safely. But what if there had been a miscalculation? And what if that miscalculation led to the very event that propelled the current Vanguard 15 years into its future? _________________________________________________ Professor Jaav E'thexx Location: USS Gagarin Time: 15 Years into the Future It was a hard thing for any Captain to do, but as both her friend and husband, Jaav knew how difficult it was for Zena Quetan to admit defeat. He stood across from her desk in her Ready Room. Zena was seated with her back to him, she was gazing out of the window at the stars streaking past as the U.S.S. Gagarin traveled at high warp. "Your Chief Medical Officer tells me Ambassador Neelix is stable for now, I thought you'd like to know." There was no answer to Jaav's statement, he knew her difficulty was not with him, and he knew she was no doubt blaming herself right now. "I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of speaking with him, I noticed the Gagarin has no Counselor on it's crew roster." There came several more moments of silence, before Zena slowly rotated round in her chair to face her desk and her spouse. Zena's eyes were tired, it was to Jaav that she had wept. She dropped a PADD onto her desk with a complete lack of care before she spoke. "Thanks." Her tone was hollow, almost apathetic. "You did all you could Zena, all anybody could. By attacking a Federation Starship and almost killing Ambassador Neelix the unjoined majority have forced the Council's hand. There is no way Trill can retain it's Federation membership." As Jaav spoke he knew his words would do little to help. In many ways it was futile, Zena always had been stubborn, and frustratingly immune to him when he regressed into his counselor-mode. Zena said only one more thing before turning her gaze back towards the windows, back out towards the stars as the Gagarin streaked away from her troubled home, and made it's way to rendezvous with Vanguard, "It doesn't FEEL that way though Jaav..." Lt. Cynan Mandrake. Location: The Star Eagle, USS Vanguard; DS10s Sector. Time: 15 Years into the Future. Subject: Cosmic Coincidence. [The Star Eagle] After rendezvousing with a Ferrengi freighter and exchanging cargo, the Star Eagle set course for Bajour. Ehress's birthday was coming up and Cynan wanted to give her a very overdue birthday wish - to bring her sister home. The home that she had always talked about back in the old days. The days before his life now and before that of the Vanguard. The days back on the Akuna. Cynan: "Aeryn, the cargo transfers complete. As soon as the docking clamps are free, lay in a course for home." Aeryn: "We're going to Albion?" Cynan: "Nooo, not my home, yours!" Aeryn: "What!? Bajour!? You mean you're actually going to keep your present to my sister this year? She will be impressed." Cynan: "As of you I'm sure", he said with a chuckle. Aeryn: "You got that right. Course laid-in, going to warp." The engines hummed, started to glove a faint blue, and the Star Eagle vanished in a blur. An hour later after making the jump to warp, the sensor grid sounded its proximity alarm. "Warning, warning, collision imminent in 4 minutes 20 seconds at present heading." At the same time, a similar warning was being heard on board the USS Marathon and the USS Vanguard. The courses intersected. Cynan quickly looked at the sensor readings and brought the Star Eagle to a stop. He winced at readouts. There were two ships heading his way. One he recognised, and one he did not. He wondered for a second if anyone he knew still served aboard the former. Aeryn: "Shall I hail them?" Cynan: "Yeah, go for it. Audio-only, as normal." Aeryn: =^= "USS Marathon, USS Vanguard, this is The Star Eagle. State your business." Aeryn was always direct. Never even a hint of compassion would you hear In her voice. Just cold, and... direct. Santos: =^= "This Admiral Dominic Caesar Santos of the USS Vanguard. Our business is our own. Please leave this sector Immediately and we can avoid any unnecessary trouble." Aeryn: "That cheeky little pri.." Cynan reached out a hand and stopped her right there, "hold it a minute will you. This is just starting to get interesting". He switched on the viewer and learned forward into the light. Cynan: =^= "But trouble is our middle names", he said with a smile. "Hello Nick". [TAG - Do you guys wanna do your interpretation of the above?] Aral: =^= "Captain, there are two more ships approaching... the USS Gagarin and the USS Bragaraia." Soman: =^= "Nick, that's Quentin and Kahn's ships." Cynan: =^= "She'Ra.. Er, hey Drath. I was wondering who was aboard That monstrosity." Ana: =^= "I beg your pardon!" Cynan: =^= "Urm." Soman: =^= "She's a beaut., Cynan", he said meaning more then just The ship, "I'd give you the tour but its just a bit above your clearance level." Santos: =^= "Gentleman please. Re-introductions can wait until later. Right now there are more pressing matters at hand. Cynan, Drath, if you'd come aboard and meet me in the conference room we can get this matter sorted out as quickly as possible." Soman cut comms. with The Star Eagle. Soman: =^= "Nick, is this wise? He's not Starfleet anymore and he.." Santos: =^= "He has a right to be here, this concerns him too after all." [USS Vanguard; Conference Lounge] By this time the USS Gagarin and the USS Bragaraia had arrived and Their respective Captain's aboard, along with their passengers. The Gagarin had brought Professor Jaav E'thexx and the Bragaraia, D'Angelo and Roch Chase. OoC: I'm not sure where the others are, if you are aboard either of these ships or not, so I'm sorry if I've left anyone out :( For the first time since the end of their seven year mission, the original crew of the Vanguard, apart from their losses, were in there entirety, in the same room. There was an eerie silence for a while, but it was soon broken. Alvon: "This is just unbelievable, that the old Vanguard could have chosen this particular date, where we have all entered the same system to the exact same spot, at the exact same time. It could mean that, that this point in time inherently contains some sort of cosmic significance. Almost as if it were the junction point for the entire space-time continuum. On the other hand, it could just be an amazing coincidence." Cynan: "As if our futures, I mean pasts, had something to do with it..." A startled look came across a few of their faces. Just what did Alvon mean by 'the old Vanguard', and just why were they now all here seemingly in some grand plan known only to the divine creator. It was an issue that had to be dealt with quickly, as soon the Vanguard of the past would soon be upon their position, one that the Admiral was about to unravel. And to complicate matters further, DS10 was about to materialise off the port-bow. OoC: I really hope I'm not opening a can of worms. You see this is what happens when there isn't a clear heading for the mission and you let the players come up with their own material! [To Be Continued...] Dominic Santos USS Vanguard 15 Years in the Future [OoC: On the verge of a Trill civil war between the Joined and the Unjoined, Dr. Jaav E'thexx reunites with wife Capt. Zena Quetan aboard the USS Gagarin, seeking her help to avert a holocaust on their homeworld. Meanwhile, Kieran Darkwater's superiors alert him to the arrival of a most unusual "artifact"-the incarnation of an older USS Vanguard has appeared in Federation space. Darkwater seeks the assistance of Capt. Soman Drath, who is about to embark on the maiden voyage of the newly-commissioned transwarp vessel USS Marathon. Darkwater's motives are further complicated by the presence of Ana Leonid, whose mind is tied to the USS Marathon's systems. How will their complicated relationship affect a mission rife with peril? Admiral Dominic Santos, who is enjoying a third (and perhaps final) tour aboard the USS Vanguard, has just had his "sunset" tour interrupted by the fast-spreading rumors that he's leaving the Vanguard-and Starfleet-to pursue his dream of administering the Atlantis Project. Although he think that his crew's (and daughter's) reactions to the rumors will be his greatest challenge, Kieran Darkwater relays the news about the Vanguard's appearance. Santos meets with Capt. Soman and interrupts his former executive's plans for a peaceful test flight. And, now, all find themselves in the Merlin Sector, where past, present and future have miraculously converged to a single point in space-time.] RPG: Cynan Mandrake looked around the room as he finished his thought. "I don't find that so improbable at all, Mr. Mandrake," Admiral Santos said. Cynan smiled to himself as he listened to his old commanding officer. He was no longer in Starfleet, but it was just like Nick to grant him the respect he would any fellow officer. "According to our best science, that which we call 'space' and that which we call 'time' may be one and the same thing." "Yes, thanks to Hawking," Stratford said. Santos nodded. "But what if everything we know-matter, energy, gravity, time-ARE the same thing?" "What do you mean?" Khan asked. "Take water," Santos said, holding up his glass. "It can exist as solid, liquid and gas. If you knew nothing about water, and I showed you steam, would you think that had anything to do with ice?" "I take your point," Khan said. "It's an interesting idea, but what does it have to do with our current situation?" Soman asked. "What happened fifteen years ago? In this area?" Santos asked. [Note: For the sake of moving the mission forward, and toward a somewhat workable conclusion, let's assume that Deep Space Ten, the Merlin Sector (our characters' current "present") and the rendezvous point fifteen years in the future are one and the same. It just makes things easier! - Andy] "But that's the point-NOTHING happened with the Vanguard here fifteen years ago!" Capt. Quetan sat forward. Soman nodded. "It was the year we spent all that time at Brigadoon, we encountered the Borg again, and we had a temporal mission to investigate the causes of World War III-that's it, isn't it!" An excited murmur went around the room. "Actually, no," Santos said. "According to my theory, we closed the loop on that mission. We have no reason to believe that affects us in any way. What else?" Silence. "There WAS nothing else," Mandrake said. "Fifteen years ago, we were performing a goodwill mission to check on the status of the long-range transporter project. It was one of the smoothest assignments we ever had." Soman chuckled. "Remember when we arrived? Captain?I mean, Admiral Santos's friends vented plasma and shut down their main warp core, causing us to think they'd been under attack. The admiral nearly signaled all of Gamma Fleet for their assistance." A ripple of laughter. Santos chuckled, then turned and looked out the viewport, contemplating. "If I'm right, our present circumstances are the result of a peaceful and uneventful mission fifteen years ago. But something-SOMETHING-happened, perhaps in another reality that has disrupted the space-time continuum. "What I'm about to say will never leave this room, but Capt. Jean-Luc Picard reported something similar happening to his crew aboard the Enterprise near the end of their first seven-year mission. And in that case, three events over the course of three separate points in time nearly disrupted and destroyed the space-time continuum." Darkwater spoke for the first time: "Could there be a significance to this very juncture in space-time? Three separate events, over our history together-a moment when we were all together at this very point in space?" "The long-range transporter project? That's older than fifteen years, and we were all together at that point." Santos shook his head. "No, cast your memories back longer than that." "Deep Space Ten," Quetan said. Unexpectedly, Santos slapped his palm against the table, causing some of the officers to jump in surprise. "Of course! Deep Space Ten!" "But, sir," Soman said, "you weren't even present at Deep Space Ten. I believe at the time, you were still aboard the Gauntlet." Santos drummed his fingers on the table. "Was there?anything strange about how the Astoria left Deep Space Ten?" "Everything was strange about that mission!" Soman said, causing everyone to laugh. "I read all of Capt. Lee's reports on the Astoria," Santos said. "I remember something about a vessel that suddenly appeared, to make the Astoria's trip home possible. [Excerpt from "The Voyage Home?" by Andy Ho (6 Nov 1999)] =/\= "Astoria, this is Captain Zena Quetan. The wormhole appears stable, and is operating at the former frequency. All the conditions present during first testing are again present." Lee looked toward Lieutenant Quetan, aboard the Astoria. "Confirmed," she nodded, turning from the sensor readings. =/\= "Except one," came a new voice over the intercom. =/\= "This is Captain Vanier Lee of the Federation starship U.S.S. Astoria. Identify yourself." =/\= "Hello, captains!" came the jolly reply. "This is Captain Ted al-Ibn of the starship Northampton. We've come to light your way home." The Northampton's main deflector activated, firing a beam toward the wormhole. "There," said al-Ibn. "Now THAT should recreate all the conditions." "He's right," Soman said. "The Northampton was caught in the previous wormhole. Their decoy signals ought to 'fool' the wormhole into thinking that the ship is still present." "Right. Thank you, Drath." Drath nodded at Lee. [End excerpt.] "There was," Soman said, ?another vessel." Santos smiled and turned in his chair. There, on the wall of the conference room, was a painting of his first command: NCC-8167 USS Gauntlet. All were silent. ".you're welcome for the rescue," Santos said. Stratford opened his mouth and Santos looked at him, knowing what he would say before he said it. ?I know, Mr. Stratford. The names of the ships aren?t the same. But maybe I disguised the name of the ship so that none of you would know who was giving a helping-hand.? He paused, then continued: "It appears that time is like a string, and something has happened to tie a 'knot' in that string, something that happened perhaps fifteen years ago in another reality, and we need to keep that string from unraveling eighteen years in the past-at Deep Space Ten-and to make sure no other disruptions occur in the present." "?like the arrival of the Vanguard," Darkwater said, eyebrow cocked. "So...if I understand this correctly: something happened fifteen years ago that we need to stop, and something happened eighteen years ago at Deep Space Ten-the Astoria's mission home--that we need to make sure proceeds as normal." Mandrake said. "Correct," Santos replied. "I have a headache. And I wish I stayed in bed this morning." Santos stood up and tugged on his uniform. "We need to get moving. Deep Space Ten may emerge at any moment. For now, let us remain on the ships we arrived in. For those of you who are not in command, I will coordinate with your captains." Moments later, Yeoman Waters (with Terry Faucet supervising the comings and goings of such VIP's) transported all officers back to their respective ships. As Santos arrived on the bridge, he turned to Allende to signal the Marathon first. Suddenly, the Vanguard rocked. Hard. Santos lost his footing and fell over. As he picked himself up, he yelled, "Shields up! Evasive maneuvers, Santos sigma-prime! And somebody tell me who the HELL is shooting at us!" Allende's fingers flew over her board. She shook her head. "They're matching us maneuver-for-maneuver. It's as if they were expecting your order, sir." Ti'Ora turned to Santos. "Admiral, we have five bogeys in a standard aggressive 'Boomerang' posture. The lead ship is identified as...sir, it's the USS Ark Royal. And they've just hailed us." Santos whispered hoarsely, "On screen." "Admiral Santos," spat Capt. Piers St. Cloud. "Under the New Geneva Conventions under which you operate as the commander of a temporal vessel, I am placing you under arrest for violating Section 47, Paragraph 8, subsection B-cavorting with known felons and jeopardizing the safety of your crew and the temporal prime directive. Stand down and prepare to be boarded." "There is no way in hell you are coming aboard my ship, Piers." "I was hoping you would say that," Capt. St. Cloud said. "And if you'll indulge me, let me just say I've been waiting for this moment since Brigadoon." Santos was next to Allende, ordering her to cut transmission with St. Cloud. "Signal the other ships," he told Allende. "Sir, they're jamming transmission. We have no way of knowing what the reactions are aboard Marathon, Bragaina, Gargarin, or Star Eagle." Santos stood up. "Open channel." "All right, Piers," Santos said. "Here's my answer." He made a slashing gesture across his throat, and the viewscreen cut off St. Cloud mid sentence. He turned to Faucet. "Launch our rear torpedoes at the lead ship and turn on the others. Firing pattern: Niagara. Ready? FIRE." From Christopher Jackson Capt. Soman Drath. U.S.S. Marathon 15 years in the future Soman had given the orders, instinctively after the first torpedo left Vanguard. Marathon?s red alert claxon rang throughout the ship and her crew readied themselves for what would be Marathon?s baptism of fire. Soman as well steadied himself in his chair, taking in the spectacle before his eyes. Vanguards torpedoes flew and struck the two lead ships, sending them listing off; out of their formation. The other ships following Ark Royal quickly broke formation and accelerated to battle speed. Soman: Challis, get me the Vanguard. Challis: Can?t, sir. All communication is being jammed. Echeb: Who?s jamming? Challis: It?s the Ark Royal and her entourage. .. Before Challis could continue, two quantum torpedoes slammed into Marathon?s shields. [past] ooc: snip from Nov, 5th 1999 post entitled ?The Voyage Home?? Lee turned toward Ensign Soman Drath. =/\= "Mr. Soman, signal our thanks to Deep Space Ten." Soman nodded and turned toward his console. =/\= "Deep Space Ten, this is Astoria. It's been a pleasure working with you." =/\= "Astoria, this is Mendon. Likewise." There was a pause as Mendon obviously checked something on his end. =/\= "Class-2 probe is online. We are monitoring it carefully. Activating wormhole." "On main viewer," Lee ordered. Highwaij complied with the order silently. The bridge crew watched as the wormhole appeared spectacularly in the distance. OOC: End of snip. Stark: Captian, I?m detecting weapons fire, but. . . Vanier K. Lee?s attention jumped at the notification. The situation was just beginning to improve. Astoria was on her way back to her space/time continuum. Lee: Speak up Stark. Stark: sensors are detecting weapons fire, but, there?s nothing there. Soman looked at his board to try and corroborate Stark?s readings. As Soman tapped his board, Astoria began to shake as thought restrained against some unseen force. Captain Lee: Mr. Niak? Niak: We?re encountering resistance at the event horizon to the wormhole. Cmdr. Halloran: go to full impulse. Niak: Shearing forces increasing. The more we push, the stronger the resistance seems to get. Lee: Soman, contact DS10. Ask Captain Queton if everything is a go on their end. [present] Soman stared up at the ceiling of shuttle bay 1. Unsure if the sway of the deck was his head or the ship, Soman opted to stand and find out on his own. The strong hand of Mr. Stratford held him fast to the deck while CMO Xristha Droin continued to examine him. Xirstha: Hold still. You were out for almost a minute. That was quite a jolt you received. Sam McCaw ran past the three, riding the swaying deck as if it came naturally. Tapping a few commands into the console, trying to monitor containment. Soman: Are we still under attack? Xristha: What?! I didn?t think we were under attack. Alvon shook his head, confirming Dr. Droin?s assessment. Confusion washed over Soman as a jumble of memories flooded his mind. Struggling against Droin?s preventative hand, Soman tapped his COM badge. Soman=/\= Soman to bridge. Captain, how far are we from the Merlin system? Santos =/\=: We?re less than a light-year away, commander. As soon as we can clear this neutrino storm, we?ll . . . just a moment. [future] Challis: Ark Royal is pursuing the Vanguard. The Hood is going after the Cynan?s ship and Capt. St Cloud has ordered his remaining ships to fire on the Gagarin, Bragaraia and us if we move to interfere. As Soman digested the information, Kieran Darkwater emerged onto Marathon?s bridge, his eyes darting, noticeably between the battle and the holographic Ana Leonov. Soman was not thrilled to have a noncom on the bridge at a time like this. Darkwater: I?ve been monitoring the situation, Captain. We don?t have time for this. Soman: I thought TID?s motto was ?we have all the time in the world.? Keiran ignored the remark. His concerns seemed focused on something else. Soman followed his gaze. Off to Marathon?s port side, flares of light began to coalesce and grow. Echeb: detecting massive neutrino readings to port. The phenomenon seems to be growing at an exponential rate. Darkwater: Captain, under TID protection protocols, I am now authorized to provide you with this information. Soman was caught off guard by the official proclamation. Keiran removed from his tunic and handed to Soman, a DAT sheet. Soman read over the sheet Soman: Is this true?! Darkwater: We weren?t sure until just now. The neutrino storm is the commonality. If things continue as we predict. . . Before Darkwater could finish his statement, all attention was taken back to the neutrino surge as something else occurred. In the midst of the maelstrom, a single starship emerged. [present] Soman emerged onto Vanguard Bridge, trying with all his might to ignore the dizziness threatening to overtake him. From the time he?d left the shuttle bay, Vanguard had gone to red alert. Vanguard lurched suddenly, violently to the side. Highwaij: Shields down 61%. Santos: Mandrake, evasive pattern Santos 2. Soman: What hit us, Highwaij?! Highwaij: From what I can tell from these readings, a single Quantum torpedo. . . Soman came to Santos? side, his understanding of the current situation not improving by the second. Soman: How could a single torpedo take so much out of our shields. I thought we were state of the art. Santos: First, a ship very nearly matching our own signature and readings appeared and disappeared. D,Angelo thought it might have been a sensor echo. Then, this ship appeared, moving along the same vector as the previous one. It says it?s Starfleet, The U.S.S. Ark Royal to be specific, but there?s nothing like it in the database, and you know what happened next. Soman: that can?t be the Ark Royal. I know for a fact that the Ark Royal is under refit at Brigadoon, right now. D?Angelo: Whatever it is, it has altered course and is heading towards us, now. Highwaij: incoming message, Captain. They?re demanding our surrender. Santos: Unknown ship demanding surrender? Whoever is in command of that ship has lost his mind. [Future] Challis: Detecting a distress call from the ship emerging from the neutrino surge. It Identifies itself as the U.S.S. Northhampton. Their warp core has become destabilized. Soman: The Northhampton? Why is that familiar to me. Darkwater: It?s a memory echo. Because you were the nexus of events, you have two memories of the same event. Ana: Kieran, what?s going on? Darkwater: This temporal anomaly and everything that?s happening now. . . Soman: Everything that?s happening now is apparently my fault. It happened 18 years ago, aboard my old ship, the Astoria. Darkwater: Stardate 83291.1 Challis looked up, the only other person on the bridge who was there. Challis: The mission in the alternate timeline. Darkwater: Captain, how did Astoria get back to her own continuum? Soman: As I can recall, we were working with Deep Space 10 in that reality to reopen the wormhole that brought us there in the first place. Everything was going smoothly but we miscalculated the resonance frequency of the aperture. Fortunately, the Northhampton came along and helped us through. Challis: Captain, excuse me, but that?s not what happened. [past] Soman: DS 10 confirms everything is a go on their end. Astoria continued to shake under the increasing resistance from the wormhole. Computer: Warning, sheering forces at dangerous levels. At current power, structural failure will occur in 3 minutes. Lee: Ok Niak, back us off. Niak: I have been attempting to for the past few seconds sir. The helm is no responsive. Vokar:=/\=Engineering to bridge. The plasma injectors have locked. We?re going to continue our push. Halleron: If we multivector separate, could that displace the stress? Allow us to get out of this? Vokar=/\=: That wouldn?t work. With the sheering forces would rip us all apart. Soman: I have an idea, sir. Lee: Speak up, mr. Soman: This is a wormhole. To stimulate the wormhole back home to open up, we fire a neutrino beam into it. If we fire an elevated neutrino pulse from our navigational deflector, we could open it up enough for us to get through. Vokar=/\=: I?ll have to run the calculations but I think it could work. Lee: Alright people, let get ourselves a neutrino pulse going. Good work, Soman. OOC: I hope you can follow my line of thinking here. To be frank and earnest, I thought about trying for a mission ender, but I didn't have much to work with. Then I got sick, and then Midterms came along. Sheesh. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ********************************************************** USS Vanguard: http://ncv80221.netfirms.com/default.htm Gamma Fleet: http://gammafleet.startrekrpg.org/ FreeLists: //www.freelists.org Vanguard Archives at Freelists: //www.freelists.org/archives/ncv80221 **********************************************************