THE EDGE OF NEVER: The launch
Posted on 10/08/2016 @ 2:19pm
Edited on on 10/12/2016 @ 12:48am
Mission:
The Edge of Never
Location: USS Spectre
Timeline: 88876.2
Posted by:
Captain's Log
Stardate: 88876.2
All preparations to depart have been completed and we are commencing with our launch from the starbase in five-point-two minutes. Department heads have all given their clearance and all stations and crew stand ready.
Upon meeting with Philter and discussing concerns raised and addressed during the conference with all officers on this mission, Rear Admiral Kotari confirmed that ultimately the decision to allow the holographic security officer to join this mission was mine. As the captain he reminded me, I am responsible for this and all other issues, decisions and outcomes that occur during this mission.
Kotari was aware of the Borg cube case and understood this is now actually a different individual Philter than the one sent to captain the USS Legion. That Philter however was in fact not at fault; neither was Admiral Redding. The fault rested with Section 31 who formerly was sponsoring that project. That coupled with the conference discussion made my decision more clear.
The holographic entity Philter was granted permission to join the crew and the mission by me, but was now placed under direct authority of security chief Lieutenant Commander Aron'Son. He will be the one with authority over any role that Philter will be involved with throughout this mission.
I also realized as we were going through this process that there may be a need to utilize a holographic security officer at some point during this covert mission where a corporeal being may not be a safe alternative. We now have that as an option.
With the log complete, Syntron exited the Ready Room and headed back onto the main bridge. From the center seat he engaged ship-wide communication for the benefit of the few officers not currently on the bridge.
"This is the Captain, prepare for launch sequence in T-minus thirty seconds."
"All moorings retracted, spacedoors open; we are free and clear to launch, Sir," the Borg-like holographic officer Philter announced from the helm.
As he was an accredited pilot and immune to fatigue, stress and failing limbs, he had been considered the best choice for taking the helm, leaving Elisha leone free to do what she did best; manning from the station at the forward right angle from the XO seat all ship's operations on a vessel now rendered more complex than any other with the high level of automation and minimal crew involved.
"Flight command confirms we have priority for launch," Elliago Nasaro-Myth added, assuming communications duty from the medical command chair at the left of the captain. He then grinned although his eyes remained deadly serious. "Admiral Kotari's last words: hope you have a good time."
With only a handful of people and a full complement of holographic doctors to assist him, he was able to fulfill this important dduty and concentrate on biosensors inside and outside the ship.
"Our flight path is cleared of all traffic," said Jonathan livingstone from the science station opposite ops across the center and fornt helm station, forward and to the left of the CMO chair.
Having updated the computer banks with all the known data about the Hobus incident, the Narada and the Jellyfish, he had also been offered by agents Dulmer and Lucsly a very special experimental circuit called T1. They would not say where this technoology originated from or for what purpose it had been developped except that it was part of plan B; but they did say that it allowed a computer to retain all original data in the case of time changes that would erase such data in favor of the altered one. This way, they would be made aware of all the changes while retaining their original knowledge. Following this, Jonathan had worked with Elliago to link this circuit to the Emergency Medical Hologram system so that, in case of the crew being swept by time distorsions, the EMH would retain the actual knowledge of the true timeline and help the crew.
Joshua riker was sitting in the Exec chair at the right hand of Syntron, overseeing the final details of the launch with David Rogers in Engineering. Aron'Son was at the tactical B station over and behind the XO chair while Neil Redding stood at tactical A station behind the CMO command chair.
The Spectre was ready to depart as no ship could ever be for this crucial mission.
From his position at the engineering panel aft, Rogers addressed the bridge on the system's readiness.
"Engage thrusters and steer us out of the starbase helmsman."
Philter, not used to interacting with people in such a fashion had a tendency to not look at who was talking too, but kept his eyes on his work, much like a drone would.
"Engaging thrusters now captain, steering clear of the starbase."
Redding gave out a small sigh, he really had to work on getting Philter a personality.
It was decided that he would be given the look of ex-Borg as opposed to a normal person, complete with showing implants so that other crew mates might be more comfortable with his odd behavior while remaining as a full Borg was deemed to distracting.
He was in all likelihood, the most 'plain' officer in Star Fleet, as no thought was taken in designing his appearance or personality as neither was needed for infiltrating the Borg.
"We are now clear of the Starbase Captain, awaiting further orders." Philter said plainly.
"Take us to the portal of the pocket universe beyond the Azimuth Horizon. Heading one seventy-three mark four. Increase our velocity to warp eight point five once we cross the threshold distance from the starbase Mister Philter" Syntron commanded as he leaned back and prepared for the first leg of their journey.
"Warp 8.5; ETA with Azimuth portal fourteen point twenty-six hours," confirmed the sentient hologram as soon as the viewer jumped from fixed to streaking stars.
Barely an hour went by when Livingstone blinked before his sensors readout.
"Sir... I am detecting an unusual energy wave directly aft. It's not gravimetric, electromagnetic or atomic... yet it shares the properties of all three... and I've never seen such a concentration of chronitons before, even in artificially induced conditions. I can not pinpoint any source, be it in space or..."
He blinked again and his beak dropped open as he frantically ajusted his instruments, his plumed crest raising and trembling as he did so while the lights dotting it flashed furiously.
"Captain? Starbase Lotus... it's... gone!"
"Confirmed... breathed Elliago sifting through all the frequencies on his command monitor. "All starbase telemetry and comm traffic have suddenly stopped!"
"These could be the affects of this time-shift taking effect at a faster rate than we had calculated" Syntron surmised without emotion, nevertheless recognizing the dire ramifications involved.
"The T1 circuit is compiling the discrepancy as we speak," the Avian chief of science stated then. "according to the data comparison, in our original timeline, Starbase 10, constructed in early twenty-third century was moved from near the Neutral Zone in the Bolarus sector to the Hromi sector in early twenty-fifth century to become Lotus Fleet's HQ; but now, in this timeline, Lotus Fleet is stationed at Starbase 343 near the Klingon border of the Hromi sector under... Admiral Nova. The Starbase 10 of this timeline was destroyed on the start of the... second Klingon-Federation war..."
"Admiral Nova founded Lotus Fleet right before his retirement," Elliago reminded them all, then added; "but there never was a second Klingon-Federation war. It was stopped at the first engagement by the Treaty of Organia."
"There is one now," Livingstone flatly retorted. "According to this altered History, it was triggered by an incursion of the USS Enterprise commanded by Captain James T Kirk near the Klingon homeworld. Kirk was violating Klingon space in pursuit of a murderous terrorist called John Harrison, which turned out later to be the revived twentieth century dictator Khan Noonien Singh. There was a battle near Q'onos between the Enterprise and a Starfleet Dreadnought, the USS Vengeance, under the command of Admiral Alexander Marcus, which prompted the Klingons later on to send a punishing expedition against the Federation. being allied with the Romulans in those days, they went through Romulan space unobserved to start a diversional skirmish in the far away Bolarus sector. Destroying Starbase 10 diverted Starfleet and hid the massing of their fleet at the border of the Hromi sector. It was stopped with the Organians as the Klingon fleet violated their space with warships, using their immense power to deprive the Klingon Empire of warp flight by drenching their space with a classified particle that destroyed subspace."
"Well, if we wanted proof that that the timeline was indeed in peril, this is a good one," the deltan doctor grumbled. "Who knows what else is different now..."
"Worse than that," the X'Ell added; " it proves that as the time distorsion moves towards the paradox point of the Hobus incident, it moves up faster. We may not have the twenty-two hours window originally calculated since our departure."
The Vulcan captain addressed the helm.
"We need to crossed beyond this anomaly threshold immediately and proceed at maximum warp to the planet where this second Guardian is located. We literally have no time to lose."
"Aye, Captain," Phlter responded, activating his console. "Increasing speed to warp 9.3, making new ETA with Azimuth portal at nine point seven hours."
Syntron swung his position and attention to the remaining bridge officers.
"Have the ship prepared to enter atmospheric flight once we reach our destination. We must also have the Guardian's timeflow synchronized at the precise time and location already predetermined if we are to have any chance of preventing these affects from occurring. We must enter through that time portal before we end up with the same fate as our now former starbase."
"Aye sir. Preparing for atmospheric flight", David responded from his seat.
Syntron shifted his attention to the Olive green Orion officer at the front console.
"Lieutenant Commander Leóne, work with Rogers to allocate all energy reserves needed to maintain ship integrity and flight maneuverability."
"Working on it now, Sir" Elisha responded from the Ops station as her fingers worked carefully diverting resources from wherever could be spared. This meant continuing to shut down unoccupied sections of the ship to conserve power as she lowered all consumption except that which was absolutely essential to bare minimal levels.
