Eddies Of Time - Part IV

Posted on Fri Dec 11th, 2015 @ 2:41am by Admiral Lucius Hawke & Ensign Six of Ten & Niro & Admiral Ricky Wegener & Lieutenant Bajun Julisa & Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin & Bajun Tora

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: EFS Korenna 2360 & The Present

* EFS Korenna - Bajor 2360 *

Julisa looked at her console and said, “There’s no pursuit from the City. But that weapon is showing red hot on sensors. We need to get out of the atmosphere.”

“Agreed.” Niro tapped in the coordinates. “Darwin, get us the hell up from here.”

“Julisa, what was said about that weapon while you were in Gallitep?” Six asked.

“Enough that I think the weapon is still in testing and failed spectacularly, causing a rift. We need to find that rift, though we should take out that weapon first and hopefully make them start over. What weapons does this thing have?” Julisa answered Six.

Six laughed briefly. “An easier question to answer is what doesn’t it have. It’s a Borg ship now. There’s really nothing they have that can stop what we send at them. How soon will we be back over the prison, Dar?”

“Four minutes,” he announced, bothered by the ship’s sudden capabilities.

Julisa caught that concern and said, “Good thing Niro is going to prison for a very long time when we get back. The Cardie weapon is tracking us.”

“You wish, Jules,” Niro muttered. “Lock in the target, Six. We’ll have time for two, maybe three shots before they try to hit us.”

“Got it,” Six answered. “They likely can’t penetrate our shields but if this thing is causing the issues they think it is, I don’t want to get sucked through any new rift they might open.”

“I’ve already been in an alternate universe and now in the wrong time... I’d hate to see what other options the universe has out there,” Darwin said, agreeing with her. “Oh... well, power is going to the shields and weapons all by itself. Isn’t that special?" He cleared his throat, “Fire at will, Ensign.”

“The ship is connected to….yeah, you get the idea,” Six replied. “Firing now.” She pressed the panel before her and several photon torpedoes shot away from the Korenna.

Niro adjusted the view on the main screen. They could see the weapon at the far end of the compound below. “Be ready Darwin. When this hits, all hell may break loose.” As they watched, the weapons array took direct hits and a column of fire shot up.

“Direct hits,” Six reported.

“Julisa? What are you getting?” Niro asked.

“Let’s hope the designer of that thing was in there. No life signs immediately around it. There’s a power flux backing up,” she said just before another plume of flame shot up, this one spread out over a city block. “And there it goes.” She pulled in information from outside the atmosphere. “There’s an anomaly at point one-five to our starboard, four point seven to our dorsal. Darwin?”

“Setting course for it,” he replied. “Six, can you scan it, see if it’s the one we came through? Do you have the information for that?”

“Checking now.” Six was silent for a moment before she continued. “This rift has been in existence for 2.3 days. It appears to have opened just seconds before we left 2388. It is too small to get through now but a tachyon beam should open it up well enough. Niro?”

Niro nodded. “Do it if it will get us back home. Systems appear to be holding steady so get to it.”

“Very well. Julisa, you will be able to tell when we can safely go through. Watch the beam. There’s an eddy just at the edge of the rift. If the eddy’s readings change, yell. We’ll need to change the angle of the beam so we don’t open another rift.”

“You do realize I’m an attorney, right?” Julisa sighed and worked to keep track of what Six had just said. Her training wasn't really on consoles like this.

Darwin cloned Julisa’s console onto part of his own, just in case. “We’ve got this covered. Let’s start. But, first, I have one thing I really need to do.”

“What’s that?” Niro asked. “And is now really a good time?”

“Now is the best time, trust me!” Darwin answered, pulling the phaser at his side and firing on Niro.

Before Niro could utter a sound, he was hit by the phaser blast and knocked back against his chair. He sat upright, a look of surprise on his face for only a second, then tumbled from the chair.

Six was in motion immediately, bounding over the rail to drop down beside him. “Darwin, what have you done??” She reached for Niro’s throat, pressing her fingers there to check his pulse.

“What? My phaser is on stun,” Darwin said. “He’ll be fine. Let’s get through this rift, Ensign, then we’ll worry about the ass in the Captain’s chair. Jules, I’m starting that tachyon beam now.”

“Okay, I could almost forgive you shooting me since you’ve now shot him,” Julisa told him, reading her console. “It’s for the best, Six,” she added, wondering just why Six was concerned about Niro.

Six looked up at Darwin, anger flashing in her dark eyes. “This is not over, Darwin.” She touched Niro’s face gently and settled him in a more comfortable position on the carpet. “But I’ll steer us through, then you and I will….” She stopped and glanced at Julisa a moment, deciding that could wait. She settled in the captain’s chair and laid in the course. “Alright, it’s ready. Let it go.”

Wondering whether just one phaser blast would be enough to take out Six, Darwin lifted a brow at her. “It’s going.” Just how much had Niro screwed with in Six’s head? “Jules, are you reading this?”

“The rift is opening up. Six, what’s the size of the ship now?”

“The same. Almost there,” she informed Darwin and Julisa. “Almost…...got it! Who’s ready to get home?”

Both Julisa and Darwin answered, “I am!” They held their collective breaths as the ship slid into the rift.

“So far so good,” Six reported. “Step on it Darwin, get us through. This thing isn’t going to stay open long. Hang on!”

Gritting his teeth, Darwin decided he needed to remind Six how the Fleet’s ranking hierarchy worked. “We’ll get through, Ensign.” As he spoke, he urged the ship to move a little faster.

“I’ve lost the readings on the eddy. We’re through the rift,” Julisa told them. After another moment, she smiled, “The star patterns say we’re in 2388. Let’s set course for home.”

“Inputting that now,” Darwin said. “Six, is there anything that needs to be done to stop the ship’s nanites? I’d hate to think that the Station’s security protocols would keep us from docking.”

“The modifications you see now are as far as it will go. The ship will stay as is unless Niro decides he wants it reversed, which can be done,” she answered. She checked the small screen at her side. “We’ll be ready to dock in ten minutes.” She then knelt down by Niro, checking him over. “How long will be he out?”

“Another half-hour, maybe. I can shoot him again if you think I need to,” he was half-joking.

“Why are you so concerned? He’s the one who got us into this mess. He kidnapped us, stunned us and nearly got us killed!”, Julisa ranted.

“Long story,” Six mumbled. Realization that they were, in fact home, really settled in now and she looked up at Darwin. “Where are you taking him?”

“The Brig. Six, I think he muddled your head,” he said, stepping away from his console towards the captain’s chair. “I can guarantee that Julisa is thrilled to be going home to Solis; are you excited to see Suresh?”

“Suresh? But I...left him. We...that is Niro and I..are leaving for a few days.” Her brow furrowed in thought. “I don’t remember where we are supposed to go though.”

“Oh boy,” Julisa said. “Security will meet us... oh, incoming transmission,” she announced and put the call through on the ship’s forward screen.

“EFS Korenna, welcome back.” Gilroy’s face filled the screen. “Darwin, it’s good to see you. Is that Niro on the floor? Is he dead?” He sounded hopeful.

“Yes, it is Niro; no, he’s not dead,” Darwin replied. “Got a security team ready for us? We need to sequester Niro and Six away from anyone else.” That earned a frown from Gilroy.

“Why me?” Six asked, looking up from where she sat by Niro. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

Suddenly, Admiral Wegener’s face appeared on the viewscreen. “No, Six, you have not,” he said, “but there are a few things that need to be worked out. And much to everyone’s dismay, you will all be sequestered upon arrival. Lieutenant Darwin, glad to see you made it home safely. Proceed directly to docking bay 17. A security detail is enroute for Niro,” he said, almost embarrassed that he’d thought it had been ‘Nero’ the entire time, “and an engineering detail to ensure the ship won’t be an issue.”

“The ship won’t continue to transform, Admiral,” Six answered. “It’s reached the limits of its programming.”

“That’s good to know,” Rick replied. Looking down at Niro’s body he frowned. “Not dead? Oh well.” The screen went black.

“All of us?” she turned to Darwin. “Where?” She was a little frightened but a little relieved as well. It meant no confrontation with Suresh just yet.

"Brig? Security? Intel? Who cares? I can have a competent doctor fix me; Jules can have her lovely ankle cuff taken off. When all that's said and done, I'm telling Oz and Gilroy I'm going on a vacation."

“You deserve one,” Six agreed. “Both of you do.”

A few minutes later, the Korenna docked and immediately the four of them transported off in a swirl of blue.

*************
Lt. M. Darwin
Ensign Six of Ten
Lt. Lucius Hawke
Vedek Bajun Tora
Captain Rick Wegener
Gul Darhe'el
Lt. Bajun Julisa
Niro