Time's Shadow

Posted on Tue Jun 9th, 2015 @ 6:07pm by Commander Ehlana Winter

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Temporal Affairs

Temporal Affairs Office

Ehlana was later arriving than she had intended. Earl had the early shift today and had been unusually quiet as he moved about getting dressed. She had the impression that he'd gone in earlier than he was scheduled but he'd taken pains to let her sleep in and she was grateful. She'd had time to do some things at home and now, by official time, it was late afternoon. Then again Ehlana rarely kept to a traditional clock. As far as Earl went, something was up. He'd stayed later in Sickbay the previous evening, something about a patient under observation. She also had a vague memory of a call from Solis at some point as she slept but no details. Whatever it was, they would tell her eventually. At least her own work alarm had been mercifully silent. Now she entered her office and almost before she sat down, Marie's voice came through the comm, informing her that Admiral Cruzado had arrived.

It was not often that the Director of Temporal Affairs for Starfleet Command was out this far. He'd been tied up with that stupid investigation brought on by a traitor and Ehlana had been busy herself with a part of it. Now that things had settled, they finally had time to get together. She stood as the doors opened and Tomas entered. He was silent until the door sealed behind him. He nodded to Ehlana and she pressed the panel on her desk, sealing the room off from any possible surveillance as well. The panel beeped and now Tomas smiled and stepped up to her desk. He reached for her hand, wrapping it in both of his own.

"It's been a long time since we've been able to talk face to face Ehl."

"It has indeed." His warm smile made Ehlana smile in return. "It's so good to see you out of a viewscreen." She indicated the L-shaped sofa in the corner of the office by the portal. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Coffee?"

Tomas nodded and she requested two mugs from the replicator, then carried them over and sat beside him. "Black as I recall." She sipped her coffee and smiled once more. "I see congratulations are in order? You and Marianna will be very happy together."

Tomas laughed aloud. "Is that a prediction or a revelation?"

"Merely a guess. Besides, even if I knew I couldn't tell, could I?"

"Touché, my dear." He blew on his coffee to cool it and took a drink. "I tend to agree with you, however. I do hope it runs a little more smoothly than it has for you and Earl."

"Me too Tomas. How he puts up with it I'll never know, but it has been an adventure and continues to be. All the criss-crossing..."

Tomas licked his lips and lowered his cup, studying Ehlana's face more closely. "That's one of the things we need to talk about today," he informed her. "Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

Ehlana nodded. "I have. The people here haven't noticed really, since most didn't know me before I arrived, except for Solis and Commander Nalas. But Earl was the first to pick up on it. Based on the pictures he has, I now look about like I did when we first met. And that was either four hundred and three years ago or twenty years ago, depending on how you look at it."

"Based on appearance, thirty would be my guess right now," Tomas concluded.

"Yes. He's done all the usual scans and so far has no conclusions, but it's a puzzle he is working on." She shrugged and set her mug aside, then leaned back into the sofa. A beacon from the station's exterior flashed past the portal, casting a shadow that slid along the wall. She watched it until is disappeared, but it gave her an idea. "It's sort of like the reverse of the shadow of time, isn't it?"

Tomas rested his arms on his knees and thought about that. "I suppose it could be. You know as well as I do that a travel schedule that's been so....involved as yours has been is bound to have some effect. I will leave a list of scans I want him to do on you monthly and send on to me. However, at this point, if everything shows as normal, I wouldn't worry. It could just be the other half of your heritage is settling in. You are young by our standards....very young. Some people pay dearly for surgeons to accomplish for them what is coming naturally for you." He laughed for a moment.

"Good point. So what else is on the agenda for today?"

"Several small cases but we can get to those later. First I want to address your last one. I know you must be curious?" He drained his coffee cup and stood, crossing over to the replicator to refill it. "I suppose I am due a lecture but since I run this department for the Fleet, there's no one to slap my wrist. You're elected since the rest would be afraid to do so." He returned to the sofa and sat, relaxing back into the cushions.

Ehlana raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why is that?"

Tomas laughed once more. "Why the mission? Or why would anyone else be afraid to fuss at me about it?"

"The former," she answered. "What does a JAG officer have to do with you?"

A frown settled on Tomas' face before he spoke. "Nothing...yet. But I saw how it played out and if it had remained as it was, two lives would be destroyed....no...three. Actually, make that four. Yes, four. Maybe five. That was too great a loss, Ehl, especially for some who've lost too much already." He shrugged. "As the Immortal Bard wrote, 'Better three hours too soon than a minute too late'. Besides, purely on the surface, there is no way I'd allow something caused by Eria to take a life in that manner. I didn't see such a death as acceptable for one who put her life on the line previously to save another. Call it clean-up and if preventing Eria's warped ideas from screwing up other lives is selfish, so be it. Let the wrist-slapping begin."

Ehlana shook her head. "You'll get no lecture from me. I had my own selfish mission once, remember?"

"Yes, and someone related to that is here now." He shrugged again. "I don't know why...yet. But I intend to find out if it's random chance or if there is more to it."

"Who?" Ehlana's curiosity was piqued.

"One Petty Officer Nikki Gold."

If Tomas had said Santa Claus, Ehlana would not have been as surprised as she was at the mention of Nikki. Suddenly, what Earl had muttered about the patient under observation clicked. It had been Nikki's ancestor who had tried to cause problems for Earl a very long time ago.

"Will you tell me when you know?"

A sigh escaped Tomas. "All I can promise is maybe. Nothing's come up to alert me to any problems and so far I'm not sensing anything wrong. Let's hope it stays that way."

Ehlana nodded. It was about the best she was going to get from him on it.

"I'd be perfectly happy if things stayed quiet for a little while. For both our sakes, especially with you getting married soon. Will it be strange for you, being married to Admiral Hawke's ex-wife since you two work so closely together?"

"I don't think so," Tomas answered. "They divorced almost thirteen years ago and they've all settled into a big, extended family with the kids, his wife and daughter, and Li's husband. What's one more in the mix?"

"True." Ehlana reached over to pat his hand. "You'll be fine. There is one more thing I wanted to mention. Commander Leroy. You have my report on his experience. It's rare that we see someone move through both time and dimension. I ordered him to report in to Dr. Harding once a month for a little while as I am concerned that a shift that radical could have some effect that may not show immediately."

"Very good. You can send his scans along with yours." He reached for his coffee cup and rose."And now, I've taken up enough of your time. We'll meet again next week unless something comes up sooner. Oh, and you'll be at the wedding, yes? We're holding off till Li is home."

"I will. Take care."

Ehlana remained seated as Tomas departed, leaving her alone in the office. Nikki's presence here concerned her, not on her part but because of Solis. She recalled his separation from Julisa and his problems with the current Nikki during that time. Apparently troublemaking and obsession ran deep in that family tree. She'd ask Earl about it later, she decided. Now, she had the sudden urge to call their son. She returned to her desk and pressed the panel.

"Marie, can you track down Julian?"

=^= Of course. I'll put him through as soon as I find him =^=

"Thank you." The talk of Nikki and her ancestor stirred a faint memory just out of reach, a little hunch that was tickling at the back of her mind and she intended to track it down.

**************
Admiral Tomas Cruzado
The Man Behind The Curtain

Commander Ehlana Winter
Following The Gold-Bricked Road