Kirina

Holodeck Short Stories
49
Chapter 46: Aurelia & Ahnar

June 2414

// DATA RETRIEVAL: IN PROGRESS … //
“General Mek’tor, Son of Darj.”

“Head of the house,” an Orion said as Kirina spoke the name.

“Colonel … Kogwar.”

“Captains?”

// SEARCHING … //
“Mok. Morath. K’tan. B’Luka. K’jarg. B’Kara. Kazak. M’Rel. K’nar.”
// COMPLETE //

“Ships?”

// SEARCHING … //
“IKS Lechraj, IKS Chang, IKS Jonka, IKS Hakkari, IKS Gr’oth, IKS Gal’tagh, IKS Ch’dan, IKS Norgh, IKS Doj, IKS Aktuh, IKS Mok’tar.”
// COMPLETE //

Kirina inhaled sharply after finishing the whole list in one breath. The eerie flat affect that she took on while speaking gave way to her a dour expression. The Ferasan behind her with the recording device nodded, and the Orion across the table stood. “Your friend’s information checks out. Time to go.”

Kirina wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed. Part of her wanted to see her task through to the very end. Another part just wanted to go home. And still, there was a part of her that never really believed she’d get out of this situation alive. If the Iconians didn’t get her, the Klingons wouldn’t ever let her go, she assumed.

But Aurelia wasn’t one to accept defeat so easily. She never was. Aurelia was determined to get Kirina out of Klingon hands, and so she struck a deal. She had followed up on Kirina’s info. She did what she did best. She dug up what she needed to, and she brought it to Wrot’Ka. It was the best of both worlds, really. Aurelia’s terms would still allow Wrot’Ka to finish hunting down the threat to the Empire and the alliance, and it would allow him to save face while doing it. But most importantly, it meant that Kirina could finally go home.

// INERTIAL FORCES DETECTED … COMPENSATING //
The Klingon shuttle jolted slightly as the docking connector clamped on to the Romulan shuttle. Kirina didn’t feel it. The Ferasan stepped forward and opened the hatch.

// ATMOSPHERIC CHANGE DETECTED //
Faces. Romulans, waiting on the other side. Friends. Hope. Kirina moved through the hatch, as if she expected to wake up at any moment. She smiled for the briefest of moments before she became overwhelmed by the blatant reminder that her own personal nightmare wasn’t over.

// DATA RETRIEVAL: IN PROGRESS … //
Images flashed through Kirina’s mind. So many, so quickly, that she could barely process them. But process them, she did. In 0.37 seconds, she watched all of her own memories involving every person in the shuttle. The Mandukar boy. The Senator. Her only real friend. And Ahnar.

Sweet, innocent Ahnar, who had so dutifully showed up when his sister called; a shuttle and a long ride to Republic space, all those years ago; the way he looked at Kirina, and the way he spoke to her, and the way she never even noticed.

At least, not at the time.
// COMPLETE //

“Kirina, I…”

Ahnar started to speak as Kirina approached him, but he didn’t get the chance to finish his thought. Kirina didn’t stop at a polite distance. She stepped right up and kissed him.
// TACHYCARDIA DETECTED … COMPENSATING //

3 Likes
50
Chapter 47: Deterioration

June 2414

// INPUT FAILURE //

“NO!” Kirina shouted, not that anyone could hear. She threw her tricorder across her quarters, “WH-”

// INPUT FAILURE //
// INITIATING SECONDARY PROTOCOLS … //
// ERROR: ASSIMILATION INCOMPLETE //
// ADDITIONAL NANOPROBES REQUIRED //
// REGENERATION CYCLE: ACTIVE //

Kirina dropped to her knees and grabbed her head with both hands. She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes.



// REGENERATION CYCLE: COMPLETE //
// INPUT FAILURE //
// INITIATING SECONDARY PROTOCOLS … //
// ERROR: ASSIMILATION INCOMPLETE //
// BEGINNING TISSUE CONVERSION //

"Wh… " Kirina grunted as she rolled onto her back. The pain was more dull now. “Computer… time?”

The time is zero five thirty six.

“Five hours…” She opened her eyes, and then shook her head, trying to dispel the blur of her vision. She slowly sat up, and scooted herself over towards her previously discarded tricorder.

// COMPLETE //
// INPUT FAILURE //

Kirina began to move more quickly. The implant was expanding. The nanoprobes weren’t designed to function without a connection to the collective. Kirina’s makeshift safeguards had long since broken down; the bluegill had been dead for weeks now. Without the parasite’s ‘help’, her body was unable to keep the Borg technology at bay. She was being assimilated, from the inside out. The pain returned.

“Standby mode!”

// INPUT FAILURE //
// INITIATING SECONDARY PROTOCOLS … //
// ERROR: ASSIMILATION INCOMPLETE //
// BEGINNING TISSUE CONVERSION //

Kirina fell to the ground again. She knew what commands needed to be entered, but the pathways were degraded. The implant had expanded to the point where it wasn’t willing to accept manual instructions. Instructions had to come through the interlink node. If there was someone else…

// TISSUE CONVERSION INCOMPLETE //
// INPUT FAILURE //

…she could modify a node to transmit a stabilizing command. She closed her eyes again as she accepted her fate. The sentient brain was just too complicated. It would take too long to do a proper procedure, and she was in no condition to do it safely. Her own life wasn’t worth subjecting another person to her horrors. Not again. This is the end, she thought.


Just then, she felt something soft brush against her face. By the time she opened her eyes, she felt the pressure on her shoulder, and then the weight on her chest. She opened her eyes and looked downwards, only to have her vision filled by a mass of white fur.

meeeoow

2 Likes
51
Chapter 48: Perspective
Hours had passed since she left home. The urge to explore is universal, and she felt it often. She'd never ventured quite this far before, and the region she found herself in was very different from any she'd previously visited.

She was walking through a great field, and all was quiet. Large wooden pillars stood in rows, supporting some sort of platforms high above. The ground was soft, here. Like grass without the blades, a deep blue in color.

She walked over to one of the pillars, and looked up towards the platform above. She couldn’t see what awaited her at the top, but she had a feeling. She had to know what was up there. It was what she was meant to do. So she began to climb.

It was easy, at first. The lower platform was only slightly higher than she could have reached without climbing. But once atop it, she faced a bigger challenge. The platforms were not connected. There was nothing to climb. No way across the gap. She considered giving up, and making her way back down.

But the urge returned. She simply needed to know what was up there. Nothing else mattered. She could make the jump, she thought. She must have jumped greater distances in the past. This was no different. Her goal was so close, all she had to do was…

… jump.

She opened her eyes as she landed softly atop the highest platform. She made it. And it was well worth the risk. The view seemed to go on forever. To her left, she saw a great flame, burning endlessly below a floating city. To her right, a majestic golden palace. Just a few steps ahead, there was more of the soft blue ground, and all around her, beautiful translucent cylinders. It was everything she’d imagined and more. It was wondrous.

She approached one of the cylinders, ever curious, and reached out to touch it. It was smooth, and cold to the touch; and to her surprise, it was remarkably unsteady. The lightest touch threatened to tip the whole thing. From as close as she was, she was able to see an opening in the top. If she could only get it on its side, she could look inside, she thought. And so she pushed.

As expected, the object fell. And then it began to roll. She tried to stop it, but it was too fast. It rolled on and on, beyond the blue ground and out onto the wood. And there, it only gained speed. It rolled to the edge of the platform, and disappeared over the side.

No sooner did she hear the crashing of the cylinder on the ground than did the giant arrive. A hideous, mostly-hairless creature, dozens of times taller than she. It had four extremities, but only two reached the ground.

She’d encountered others of its kind before, but none ever as ugly as this one. “You are small and soft, but not for eating,” it said, as it reached down and lifted her by her midsection, “You should not be here.”


June 2414

Kilometers away, a woman woke with a start. She was quiet as a mouse, but her sudden movement was enough to rouse her bed’s other occupant.

“Kirina, what’s wrong?”

She spoke softly as she slid out of the bed and began dressing to leave, “Nothing’s wrong, Ahnar, go back to sleep.”

The man’s worry was only partially mitigated by her reply, “Where could you be going, at this hour? … Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m always okay. I’ll be back soon.”

8 Likes
52
Chapter 49: Rock Bottom

July 2414

Why is she still looking at me?

Kirina often spoke to herself, inside her own head, but since establishing her makeshift feline collective she was doing it constantly. If only to drown out the creatures’ stray thoughts. Outwardly, she seemed distant, distracted, and others were starting to notice. Aurelia and Ahnar were worried, but this would be too strange to explain. The Betazoid Counselor could tell that something had changed as well, though she herself was too introverted to discuss it unsolicited. And then there was Divan. Divan Mandukar.

Where did she even come from? Kirina thought. She knew the story: some sort of transporter incident had duplicated Davin Mandukar, resulting in an anatomically female version, now going by ‘Divan’. This explanation never sat right with Kirina, however. There was more to it. … and why is she staring at me?

Another few moments passed, until it dawned on Kirina that she must look rather odd, sitting alone, silently, on the floor by the fire. Mumbling to herself. As she looked down, she realized that her hands had been idly toying with a frayed edge of the rug. Oh, she thought again, I guess it’s because I’m acting weird again. She smiled, a bit awkwardly at Divan, before standing and quickly heading for the exit.

“Input failure.”

Kirina stopped in her tracks, and looked around. Had she heard that aloud?

Some officers were playing poker nearby, while a few others conversed near the fireplace. Divan was with them, and for a brief moment, the two made eye contact. Kirina shook it off, though. Too far away. They were all too far away to have been the source of the voice.

// INPUT FAILURE //

There it was again. Clearer now, but only for her to hear. The notification droned out the feline background noise. The link was failing. This wasn’t the first time, so Kirina knew what to do.

I need to find more cats.

2 Likes
53
Chapter 50: Revelations

July 2414

The movements of the fish in the large tank occupying one wall seemed to hold her interest more than the people in the room, on this particular evening. The small lounge cleared out quickly, following some commotion that Kirina managed to mostly ignore. It wasn’t until she drew her attention away from the glow of the tank that she noticed one other occupant remaining nearby.

“I can help you, you know,” the other figure said.

It was Divan. Kirina raised both eyebrows, unsure of what she was referring to. She glanced towards the fishtank for a final moment before fully turning to face the other Romulan woman. “Excuse me?” she replied, uncertainly.

“You’re having trouble controlling the other voices, aren’t you.” She knew. Kirina was quiet for a long moment, as she considered what Divan may or may not have found out about. “I can help you,” the woman repeated in the silence.

Kirina decided that the best course of action was retreat. This was too dangerous. She shook her head and stepped towards the exit, muttering, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Divan stepped directly into Kirina’s path, causing her to stop short with widened eyes. Divan held out her hand, revealing a bracelet of sorts. It was a band of matte metallic silver, intertwined and haphazardly connected to a darker black-green cord. “Put it on,” Divan commanded, in a tone Kirina hadn’t heard from her before. And yet, there was something unnervingly familiar about it. Something oddly compelling. Despite her better judgement, despite everything inside her screaming to run away and not look back, Kirina held out her own hand, and allowed the bracelet to be placed around her wrist.


All of a sudden, the room felt cold.

The edge of Kirina’s vision blackened.

The usual idle hum of the station, the sound of people in the nearby hallway, the bubbles of the fishtank, the previously-droning voices of her makeshift collective; all of it was gone in an instant.

Kirina’s ears buzzed with deafening silence. When she spoke, the sound of her own voice was muffled and distant. “Who are you?” she asked.


In the moment of the other woman’s response, her voice was not that of Divan, but one that was unforgettable. The words echoed inside Kirina’s mind, as if it were the only sound in the entire universe.

“You know who I am,” said D’Kera Mandukar.

2 Likes
54
Chapter 51: New Beginnings

July 2414

Kirina didn’t know what to feel.

D’Kera Mandukar was here, and posing as a Republic Commander. It didn’t make any sense. But then, it didn’t matter.

Kirina burst into her quarters, and threw herself into the nearest corner, curling up to hide from the galaxy. She could barely process all the information she’d just been given. The voices were gone. Her nanites had gone dormant. She was safe and clear-minded for the first time in months.

But safe was the farthest from what she felt, after hearing what D’Kera had proposed. She felt sick, the things she was contemplating.


Could it really be done?

What about the cost?

Could I live with myself, working with HER?


Could I live with myself if I didn’t try?

2 Likes
55
Chapter 52: Direction

August 2414

“I can’t do this.”

Kirina’s words hung in the air for a moment, while she unclipped a small datapad from her belt. “Not alone,” she clarified, handing the device over to D’Kera Mandukar, who sat unconcerned in the next seat over. “We’ll need specialists in each of these fields, and at least six starships.”

“Then you’ll have them,” D’Kera replied confidently. She had little reason not to be confident. She had a promise that few Romulans could refuse, and she was well on her way to having the means to achieve it.

“I’ll also need a full lab, with no time constraints.”

“I know just the place. But we’ll need some help getting there.”

2 Likes
56
Chapter 53: Subterfuge

August 2414

“Ahnar, dear, I need a favor.”

Kirina’s tone was light and friendly, as she called from the other room. She had a chemistry set out and was hard at work packaging a number of mixtures into experiment containers. Ahnar responded in the affirmative, though Kirina was far too concentrated to parse his actual words. It didn’t matter though. The poor thing was so smitten, she never had to question whether he’d do as she asked.

“I need the results of this experiment, but I haven’t been able to book a science lab. Could you take it down to yours today and let it run under the sensor for me?” She poured in the final mixture and sealed the final container. She noted the time on her PADD, then stood and strode into the room where Ahnar was working.

She draped her arms around him. “It’s for the University,” she explained, a practiced lie that he never saw coming, “It’s self-contained and on a timer. You won’t have to do a thing.”

2 Likes
57
Chapter 54: Betrayal

August 2414

“Oh! I almost forgot,” Kirina spoke as she lingered in the man’s doorway. “I have a surprise for you. Get your shuttle and meet me outside the station, after work.” She smiled, and didn’t give the confused man a chance to reply, “Coordinates are on your desk, see you there!”

“Kir-” was all he had time to say before she gave a little wave and moved out into the hallway, allowing the door to close behind her.



Hours later, everything was ready. Kirina reached the promenade level, and checked the time. She was too early, so she moved to the nearest wall and waited, out of the way. Only a few moments passed before the station was rocked by an explosion, followed quickly by three more. Kirina was ready, and didn’t stumble, even when the lights went out.

The power outage didn’t last long at all, though it was clear that it was the backup systems that had kicked in to relight the room.

Time to go, Kirina thought, as she headed towards the auxiliary control room.



Kirina materialized aboard the Vauthilai, and walked quickly to the bridge. As she stepped off the turbolift, she was surprised to be met with the sight of Starfleet Captain Buchanan and Aev, bloody and held by the ship’s security. Only meters away, Divan - D’Kera had just finished monologuing over the comm.

“Ah, good,” D’Kera said, “Now we can go.” The ship’s crew moved at the words, and the ship briefly shuddered under Federation weaponsfire, though by all indications D’Kera’s fleet had them vastly outmatched and outmaneuvered.

Kirina walked over towards D’Kera, her voice lowering. She indicated a nearby console, “Ahnar’s out there on a shuttle, waiting to be picked up. I can enter the coordinates.”

“That won’t be necessary,” D’Kera responded, her meaning abundantly clear, before the unexpected arrival of a Republic task force necessitated her attention return to the battle.

Kirina knew she wasn’t going to be able to overturn this decision, even less so while the ship was under fire. Even as the prisoners were unexpectedly transported off the bridge, all Kirina could do was stand there, stammering for no one to hear, “…I told him … he was supposed to come with us. I … told him to wait.”

2 Likes
58
Chapter 55: Interlude

September 2414

Kirina was sad most of the time, now.

D’Kera’s great plan required a great many things that could not be achieved working within the confines of the Federation and the Republic. They had to relocate. They had to go somewhere with the proper facilities – somewhere they could plan, and stage, and gather allies. They had to take with them, those things that couldn’t be acquired elsewhere. That much made sense.

Sabotaging the station was necessary. She accepted that, and she worked it all out. She was so careful not to hurt anyone in the process. The timing was perfect, down to the second. At precisely the correct moment, Ahnar was exactly where he was supposed to be. Sitting in his shuttle, waiting to be taken aboard. But D’Kera was of a different mind.

So they left him there, to be captured by Starfleet, and to take the blame for the theft and the sabotage.

And to make matters worse, Kirina thought to herself, if he’s not here when the time comes, there’s no going back.

It had been years since Kirina set foot on the planet of her birth. Even after she played a part in saving it from an Elachi invasion, Kirina had never returned.

It wasn’t a homecoming she was able to enjoy.

Time to get back to work.

2 Likes
59
Chapter 56: Planning

September 2414

But how?

“How?” was the question that everyone wanted answered. D’Kera Mandukar had managed to gather an impressive number of followers from all three Romulan factions, in such a short amount of time, using nothing but her own charisma and the promise of one thing: the restoration of the Romulus System.

Some assumed she was speaking figuratively: the promise of a new united faction. They were wrong. D’Kera’s plan called for nothing short of the total prevention of the Hobus disaster that spelled the end of the Star Empire. D’Kera made grand promises and spoke of a brighter, more correct future. D’Kera spoke of a timeline in which the Undine infiltrations of the Federation and the Klingon Empire were thwarted in their infancy; of a timeline in which the Iconians were defeated at every turn; a timeline where the galaxy contained 20 billion souls more, lives saved by our intervention. But when the time came to explain how all of this could possibly be achieved, when it was time for science and specifics, rather then rhetoric and promises, the one everyone looked to was Kirina.

And the fact of the matter was, Kirina didn’t know yet. Sure, she had a general idea, taken from D’Kera herself, but implementation would require far more than an idea.

Time travel is a very real thing. Easy, even, if you know what you’re doing. The trouble is in anticipating the effects of your actions. Blindly altering the timeline is a recipe for disaster. No – every variable needs to be accounted for. To achieve the intended goals, the fleet would need to be deposited in exactly the right moment, at the right position in space, with the right people, the right equipment, and the right plan.

3 Likes
60
Chapter 57: Step-By-Step

October 2414

Step 1: Travel Plans

A carefully performed slingshot around a meticulously selected star? Crude but effective, if slightly inaccurate. Pulsed Tachyons? Too unstable. Chroniton flux reaction? Too small a scale for a whole fleet.

Controlled chronometric particle emission: the only known method by which to accurately place an entire fleet of ships at exactly the right place at exactly the right moment. Unfortunately, only one species has been known to posses the technology to do that safely.

Getting our hands on Borg transwarp coils won’t be easy.


Step 2: Save The World

When the Hobus Star went supernova it ruptured subspace, allowing the destructive effects to travel far beyond the usual limits of such an event. It was eventually contained by a red matter singularity, but not before Romulus was devastated.

Accelerating the delivery of the red matter device could work, absorbing the supernova’s energy sooner, thereby preventing it from reaching Romulus. But that would require relying on a number of factors, including the interference of Ambassador Spock. Not a good idea.

Altering subspace to prevent the supernova from expanding beyond its own system might work, but there would be no way to be sure until that moment. Far too risky.

Destroying the star ourselves, but in a controlled manner – now that has promise


Step 3: Kill D’Kera, Save the Galaxy

Simply preventing the destruction of Romulus is not enough. The true challenge will be to acquire a position of sufficient power to influence the course of galactic events. Revealing Undine infiltrators will do no good, unless the source is believed and able to provide proof.

D’Kera, herself, was the key. At the time of Hobus, D’Kera Mandukar was a well-respected Commander in the Star Navy. D’Kera would need to take her own place. She would eliminate her past-self and resume her life, from that moment, in order to direct events as required. With her knowledge, and the support brought with her from the future, she would have little trouble installing herself in a position of immense power.

Even beyond all the deaths on Romulus and Remus, and the lives saved in the Federation/Klingon war, the Star Empire would have nearly twenty years to prepare itself - and the galaxy - for the return of the Iconians.

2 Likes
61
Chapter 58: Breakthrough

October 2414

“Protomatter!”

“What about it?”

“That’s the answer! That’s how we do it. We build an implosion device.”

“On a scale to have an impact on the Hobus Star? You’d need a weapon of mass destruction. It’s not possible.”

“It IS possible. Some Federation scientists did it a century ago. For terraforming, can you believe that? Look, it’s right here in the database…”

…

“Incredible. Thank The Elements for the Federation, I guess. Let’s get this to Doctor t’Nalah.”

2 Likes
62
Chapter 59: Genesis

November 2414

“In position.”

“Drop cloak.” The small Romulan warbird shimmered into existence above a barren-looking world. Kirina stood to the right of the command chair, watching the crew wait with anticipation. This, their first full-scale test, was the result of weeks of hard work. They’d poured through old databases, mined nebulae, made some incredible technological and scientific breakthroughs, all in secret until now.

“Fire.” A single projectile streaked out from the warbird, dropping from orbit and disappearing below the planet’s thin atmosphere. A moment passed. “Status?”

“Scanning.” A small flash of light on the surface made the officer’s report unnecessary. The device had impacted the ground. Before long, the light began to grow in size and intensity. It barely took a few moments to spread across the surface, and only a minute or two later, the wave of energy had engulfed the planet.

As the light faded, alterations to the surface became visible from orbit. Barren, lifeless brown and gray was replaced by lush and fertile blues and greens. Some of the warbird’s crew cheered, but most just stared in awe. A few muttered prayers to the Elements.

Kirina simply moved to sit in the center chair. “Reactive the cloak.”

2 Likes
63
Chapter 60: Doza

December 2414

“Make sure the beacon reaches the proper depth. If they reach it too soon, we won’t have time to extract the transwarp coils.”

Twenty-six hundred lives to save three billion. It seemed like decades had passed since Kirina made that decision, to save a single world from the Tal Shiar. The stakes were so much higher this time: eighty thousand lives to save trillions.

Doza IV was a Federation fringe colony. It sat virtually alone at the edge of an unexplored sector. Its population of eighty thousand had only recently colonized, and barely explored beyond their settlement. The colony was modern in every sense of the word. They had the very latest in Federation technology. But they were strategically insignificant; poorly defended, because none of the major powers would have anything to gain by attacking. It was the perfect bait.

“Beacon active.”
“Excellent. Now we wait.”



When the Borg came to Doza, there was no stopping them. They detected something unique below the planet’s surface, and they simply had to have it. The Federation responded more quickly than expected, but they were no match for a full planetary assimilation group. They managed to save a few, but not enough to make any difference. Within the first few hours, the Borg began landing assimilators. The colony never stood a chance.

“It’s time. Signal Mandukar’s fleet, then begin scanning for the coils on the surface. I’ll beam down once the orbital forces are occupied.”
“The fleet is in transit. Away team standing by.”

The plan was not without its flaws. The Federation arrived sooner than was convenient, and more ships were lost than anticipated. For a moment, it seemed as though the the plan might have failed, but somehow, D’Kera managed to convince a group of Republic ships to defect mid-battle, and that really turned the tide.

The ground team fared far better, though. All fifteen coils were recovered successfully, with minimal losses. Even some of the peripheral components were obtained without too much trouble. It was time to go, so Kirina and her team were beamed aboard Mandukar’s flagship. Unfortunately, there was too great a risk that the Borg would be able to follow, or figure out what they planed to use the stolen technology for. They had entered a critical stage, and any potential disruption could be devastating. It was simple enough to stay one step ahead of the Federation, but the Borg are a whole different story.



“Fire,” D’Kera said, just as Kirina was stepping onto the bridge.

Torpedoes streaked out towards the planet on the viewscreen. The Federation fleet tried to intercept them, but it was too late. As Mandukar’s fleet rapidly moved to depart for their next destination, the Genesis Wave swept across the surface of Doza IV.

2 Likes
64
Chapter 61: A Moment In Time

December 2414

All was quiet aboard the Vauthilai. The battle of Doza was hours in the past, and several more would pass before the newly acquired components could be installed into the custom-built temporal drive. Kirina sat, still and silent, in the ship’s dimly-lit medical bay. A few meters away, a man in a ruined Starfleet Captain’s uniform laid unconscious and restrained on a biobed. For the first time in months she had something truly interesting to work on, but for some reason she couldn’t find the energy to get out of her chair.



The man on the table slowly began to stir.

The sedative can’t have worn off that quickly, Kirina thought, but she’d lost track of time. How long had she been sitting there? With the newfound urgency of the Captain’s slowly gaining consciousness, she hauled herself out of her chair and walked over to the biobed.

The man, who looked outwardly indistinguishable from a Human, had striking white hair, and looked to be in remarkably good health, considering he’d just survived the destruction of an entire planet. But that was just it: he wasn’t Human at all. In fact, he was nothing that Kirina had ever seen before. He was something new. Her initial scans revealed that he had an absolutely incredible capacity for self-healing. This could have been Kirina’s biggest scientific breakthrough since the control implants. If the abilities held by this man could be duplicated, it could improve billions of lives, all over the galaxy. It could revolutionize modern medicine.


But then, why was it so difficult to concentrate?


Kirina prepared another dose of sedative and lackadaisically put the man under again. I just need to sleep, she thought, as she returned to the nearby desk. Just for a little while. After all, they were on track to return to the past - to change history. There would be plenty of time for experimentation later. She raised the hypo to her own neck and injected the remaining sedative.

I’ll just close my eyes for a moment.

2 Likes
65
Chapter 62: Time Marches On

January 2415

“Status?”

“Holding at the incursion point. Drive is charged, deflector is aligned to the test coordinates.”

“Proceed.”

Kirina stood in what had, over the past few weeks, become her default position aboard the Vauthilai. From just beside the command chair, she directed the various officers preparing for the first test of the temporal drive. The lights dimmed as the ship’s systems struggled to meet the demands of the new components. Borg technology isn’t exactly cooperative, after all. After a few moments of anticlimactic waiting, the drive finally kicked in. A temporal vortex formed ahead of the fleet, and they proceeded through.

It was not a smooth ride. The turbulence forced Kirina to brace herself against the chair, and was enough to draw D’Kera out to the bridge. Another few moments passed and the motion settled. The vortex cleared the viewscreen, revealing a small system with a dim yellow star.

“Target acquired,” one of the bridge officers called from his station.

“On screen.” The viewer obligingly snapped to a wide-angle shot of a comet, trailing through the system. D’Kera and Kirina exchanged brief nods and the Commander returned to her ready room. Kirina smiled triumphantly, “Excellent. Begin charging the drive for the return trip, and bring us within tractor range.”


Changing the orbit of a comet may have seemed like a trivial task to many of the crew at the time, but this first test proved that the temporal drive - and proper calculations - would allow Vauthilai to alter small details of the timeline to influence galactic events.

2 Likes
66
Chapter 63: Time Flies

3.7 Million Years Ago

On Vulcan and Qo’noS and planets all over the quadrant, the first primitive inhabitants were only just learning to use stones as tools. Human life was still many stages of evolution away, on Earth. Meanwhile, Mandukar’s fleet floated along idly in orbit of a young, bright blue binary star.

Seemingly without warning, the smaller of the two stars pulsed brightly. On the bridge of the Vauthilai, the crew cheered as the weapons officer declared that the device had activated successfully. Soon, large dark spots appeared over the surface of the star, bathing the Romulan fleet in shadow. From there, only a few moments passed before the star went dark completely.

The dark chunk of rock where the smaller star had been would soon fall into the larger, and where once there was a binary system, only a single star would remain.


“Final calibration test complete, Commander.”

2 Likes
67
Chapter 64: Time Heals All Wounds

January 2415

To Derri and Tamas of s’Nalah, residing on Artaleirh Colony,

We have never met, but I know you. The story you’re about to hear is going to sound very strange, and I know you have no reason to believe anything I say, but I beg you to read this message to its conclusion.

When I was twelve years old, there was a disaster on my people’s home world. Billions of people died. Every able body and every working ship in the sector was asked to help. It was not a safe thing to do, going back to the site of the disaster, but my parents operated a small civilian transport and felt they had a duty to act. So they chose to return to try to rescue any survivors, and provide whatever assistance they could. I never saw them again.

Years later, I learned that my parents’ ship was destroyed in an accident, while trying to free a group of survivors from the wreckage of an orbital station. I was not entirely neglected for the remainder of my youth, though obviously my teenage years were less than ordinary. As soon as I was old enough, in some misguided search for purpose, I enrolled in my people’s military academy, or what was left of it. Inspired by my parents’ sacrifice for others, I became a doctor. I wanted to help my people. I wanted to heal my people.

But there was little good to be done. The loss of the homeworld was not something easily fixed. Colonies split into factions and fought among themselves. Doctors learned to destroy, scientists became soldiers. Our ‘new’ homeworld was established, only to be devastated again, by invasion. After a time, it seemed as though nothing would ever be right with the universe again. I started to give up hope. I started to resign myself to the fact that I could never fix everything. That I’d simply have to go about my life as best I could.

Then one day, with an insane plan, everything changed. We had a way to fix everything. To make a better world, for ourselves, for our children, for everyone. We found a way to improve countless billions of lives. To do it, we’ve had to make many sacrifices. In recent weeks I’ve found myself wavering, wondering, if we’re doing the right thing.

When I have trouble getting through the day, I find myself thinking about my parents. They were good people. They were hard-working, intelligent, and peaceful. They made their home on a colony, but they never forgot where they came from, and why that’s important. They gave up everything, for their world and for their people.


Kirina looked up from her writing and out towards the window, just in time to catch the change in view as Vauthilai dropped out of warp. She closed her eyes a moment, letting the sounds of the crew moving about the mess hall drone out any other idle thoughts kicking around her head.

“It’s all worth it,” she murmured to herself. “We’re here. Everything is ready. It’s all worth it.”

“Doctor t’Nalah, you’re needed on the Bridge.” Kirina snapped her eyes open at the sound of the intercom. She took a deep breath, then exhaled, before climbing to her feet and carrying her PADD off towards the turbolift.


You are good, hard-working, intelligent, and peaceful people. If you receive this message, then you won’t need to give up everything for your world and your people. You have years ahead. Be who you are. Never forget where you came from, and why that’s important. Teach your daughter these things. Stay with her and treasure that time, for as long as you can.


2 Likes
68
Chapter 65: Time's Up

January 2415

“The drive is prepared. The chronometric matrix will begin charging once we reach optimal position.”

The little red-haired Romulan spoke to the crew as she strode out onto the bridge. D’Kera Mandukar sat in the center chair, wearing a mask of contentedness, as her lead scientist began issuing instructions. “Helm,” Kirina said, not so much with authority as an air of simple superiority, “Set your heading 041, proceed 20 thousand meters to the incursion point, and come to a complete stop.” The helm officer, a Star Navy Sublieutenant, looked back to D’Kera for confirmation, even as Kirina circled around to a different station. “Activate the power bypass, and decloak the ship,” she instructed, “Align the deflector to the following temporal coordinates…”

As the bridge crew prepared their stations, there was a buzz of excitement in the air. It wasn’t limited to the Vauthilai; aboard all sixteen warbirds, Romulans waited in quiet anticipation, finally ready to embark on what they believed to be the most important mission in the history of Romulus. Sixteen warbirds - tens of thousands of Romulans, from three different factions, were gathered just a few lightyears away from the ruins of their former homeworld. Changing history and surviving to know about it was to be no small feat. And yet, despite all indications that they had finally reached the eve of their victory… something was off.


“Stop.” D’Kera hadn’t spoken a word in some time. There had been no orders issued; no charismatic speeches; no questions about the progress of the project. She sat in silence for hours, until that moment. “Deactivate the drive. Power down all non-essential systems.”

Only silence followed.

Sudden and awkward silence fell over the bridge of the Vauthilai. The officers looked to each other, confused about the order they were just given. They looked to D’Kera, who offered no explanation. And then they looked to Kirina. Kirina, who had been so intimately involved with the conception of their noble mission. Kirina, who must have known about a planned delay in the activation of the device. Except she didn’t. She was visibly as confused and concerned as the rest of them. “What’s wrong? What do you see?” she asked, assuming she’d missed some flaw or abnormality or nearby threat to the plan.

“It’s over. We can’t win. The Federation will be arriving shortly to take us into custody. If you wish to leave, the time is now.” The officer at tactical shook his head. There were no Federation ships within sensor range.

“… D’Kera, that’s ridiculous,” Kirina said, stepping close enough to lower her voice, “we’re finally ready. We’re here. It’s going to work. We’re going to restore Romulus.”

“We can’t win. I can’t win. It’s over, Kirina. We lost,” D’Kera’s speech was dry, almost monotone. This was not the same voice as the woman who seemed able to convince anyone to flock to her cause. “Deactivate the drive,” she repeated, “Power down non-essential systems. Inform the other ships that we will be surrendering.” Kirina stood in speechless silence. No objections were raised. The bridge crew followed Mandukar’s orders.

“Commander! Enemy fleet just entered sensor range!”

The tactical officer’s report was met only with another quiet utterance of, “I can’t win.” Mandukar’s gaze fixed forwards upon the viewscreen, as she sat motionless. Waiting.


What followed, for Kirina t’Nalah, was a moment of realization. They’d been so close. Literally on the verge of success. There was nothing wrong. Every reading, every test, every system, working exactly as she’d planned. The science was flawless. They were ready and able to return to the past, and she was absolutely certain of it. Months of meticulous work, countless thousands of deaths on her hands, everything she’d worked for; all of it wasted away before her eyes in that single moment. That moment when she figured it out: they’d already done it.

It didn’t work.

They could have done it hundreds of times, and it would have changed nothing.


It never worked.


92080

13 Likes