The Clock Is Ticking

[DrDMatthews 0]

Standing on the bridge, listening to the Captain and XO debate the Reaent's next move was all the proof Debbie Matthews needed. She'd definitely made the right choice when she decided to go into medicine.

 

This mission had gone from puzzling to downright bizarre. First, they'd stumbled onto a ship tucked away in a nebula. But this wasn't any ordinary ship. It was called Odyssey.....ISS Odyssey.....from another dimension and another time. Two away teams spent hours on the Odyssey. Though they'd gathered a great deal of information, they still couldn't explain how the ship managed to create a vortex that took both it and the Reaent back in time and into the universe from which it came.

 

As much as Debbie didn't want to admit it, the Odyssey was in that nebula for a reason. It had been left there intentionally by its crew....a crew that was murdered by a sizable boarding party. When the proper entities found the ship, it was preprogrammed to return to its own time and universe. And why would the Odyssey hand itself over to an alien crew from another time and dimension?

 

Those who designed and built the ship must have known it was quite possible Odyssey wouldn't be able to complete its mission. When failure was inevitable, they hid the ship in a place where it would be found by forces who might feel obligated to finish the job Odyssey was designed for.

 

Before turning control of the ship over to them, the away teams were carefully scanned and determined to be the correct species, primarily humanoid. Then the ship returned to where it had come from, carrying one of the away teams with it. Of course, the Reaent followed. Now it was the Reaent who was out of place....in a universe where it didn't belong and a hundred plus years in the past.

 

In this universe, the Terran Empire had recently been defeated by a coalition of planets they had once ruled over with an iron hand. Everyone on Reaent knew what happened to the human members of the Terran Empire once it collapsed. They were enslaved and they blamed their demise on James T. Kirk.

 

Kirk was a legend throughout the Federation. Kids in grade school read about his exploits as Captain of the USS Enterprise. Kirk was the first to make contact with the "mirror universe." Because of his interference, the Empire became a far more democratic institution. But they failed to consider some of their former "subjects" might not be willing to let go of their hard feelings. So the coalition was born and the rebellion began.

 

The Empire had neglected its weapons program and soon fell to the collation forces. But not before they created a secret weapon....a weapon that would guarantee a victory against the coalition.

 

The existence of a ship like Odyssey was unknown until yesterday. It appeared the Empire had funneled a great deal of its resources into developing this ultimate weapon which was tucked away aboard Odyssey.

 

And now, the Reaent sat beside Odyssey while Captain Michaels and Commander Ridire debated their next move. The Odyssey brought them back to this place and time so they could activate the weapon and destroy the coalition forces. This action would make up for Kirk's interference and save the human race from enslavement. Or at least, that's what the Odyssey's creators expected from the Federation personnel who found the ship.

 

From what Debbie could see, it was obvious Captain Michaels was more than willing to live up to those expectations. Ridire had serious doubts. So did Debbie. But she also understood the logic behind the CO's opinion. Again, she was absolutely certain she'd made the right decision when she chose to pursue a career in medicine. The Reaent's current dilemma was a no win situation. Maybe the Academy would incorporate this scenario into their training exercises....if Reaent survived to tell anyone about it.

 

Whatever they chose to do, it would have to happen soon. Their arrival hadn't gone unnoticed. They'd already fought off two Klingon ships. A third got away. But it would be back and it wouldn't return alone. The clock was ticking. They were quickly running out of time.

 

Debbie looked at the Captain, her expression grim. "With your permission, I'd like to return to Sickbay," she said as calmly as possible. The Captain nodded and Debbie turned toward the lift. She turned as the doors swished open and glanced at Aidan Ridire. Their eyes met for a brief moment. He offered her a slight smile, trying to reassure her without saying a word. Debbie shook her head slightly and tried to return the smile. She wished she felt as confident as Aidan appeared to be. But there was no use pretending. Once more, she had serious doubts about ever seeing home again.