The Aftermath

Schematics of the timelines stretched out on the display before him, twitching and shifting as if they were nervous creatures with lives of their own. Black spots would form along their lengths and appear to consume the timeline before exploding into maelstroms of erroneous lines and alternate paths. It was beautiful in a way, but the display was merely a three-dimensional representation of the sudden and destructive forces unleased on time itself. The reality was not as pretty as the glowing lines projected in the air of his ready-room. The reality was war and all its collateral damage, destruction and death.

Captain Walker of the USS Pastak pinched the bridge of his nose and ignored the ever-shifting displays for a moment. The Temporal Accords had been created to halt the very problem now faced by the signatories. His door chimed, drawing him from his musings.

“Come.”

Commander Nereda entered, a stack of PADDs under one arm and a mug of raktajino in her other hand. The Cardassian first officer set the stack of PADDs on a free corner of his desk, hooked a chair with a foot and dragged it over so she could sit across from Walker.

“Well, this is an unmitigated disaster.”

Walker grimaced as the commander said what everyone else was thinking. “Did you find anything?”

Nereda pushed a few PADDs before him and sipped her drink. “A few leads. It’s like trying to find patterns in static. Any word from our esteemed guest from the early 25th century?”

“Nothing so far,” he said with another grimace. He’d been charged with introducing a temporal celebrity to their organization and it had all fallen apart so quickly and so unexpectedly.

“Hmm,” Nereda mused, fingers tapping against her mug. “Well, then I guess we have to start assembling the profiles on our own.”

Walker nodded. “I’ve been trying to figure out the connections we might have missed. Noye had Na’kuhl support for example.”

“The representatives were surprisingly antagonistic,” Nereda said with a frown. “Most Na’kuhl I’ve known through work have been a bit more accepting.”

“Most are,” Walker agreed. “Which makes me think these Na’kuhl might be hardliners. This is the most threatening of the hardline leaders.” He pushed a data PADD across the desk. She picked it up and quickly read through it.

“Vosk?” She questioned. “He hasn’t been conclusively linked to the recent activity, but it’s been speculated he’s been involved.”

Walker nodded. “He’s a temporal terrorist, and he’s opportunistic. What happened at the accords could be a huge opportunity for him. Still, there’s something bothering me about this.”

“One of the more peaceful and secured moments in our history was more or less blown up, Ben,” Nereda said. “There is a lot to be bothered by.” Her tone was teasing but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Incidents like this could send lasting shockwaves across time. It was a Temporal Agent’s worst nightmare.

“Yes,” he agreed, “But is this an opportunistic coincidence?”

Nereda’s eyes widened. “Do you think there was collusion? He hasn’t worked with others before.”

“At this point, I don’t know. If Vosk is involved and trying to make a move, then it could go either way. He’s smart enough to see things coming and take advantage of them, but he’s also ruthless enough to try to shift things to his benefit.”

“Why? And when would they even have met?”

“That is one of the better questions. I’ve been trying to figure things out since I returned to the ship. I’ve put in a word with Command; they’re sending us an operative with extensive experience in dealing with rogue Na’kuhl elements.”

“Trying to get ahead of them.”

He nodded. “And if this Krenim, this Noye fellow, has managed to collude with some temporal terrorists, well it begs the question, who else has he been speaking with?”

“The Sphere Builders, for one,” said Nereda as she scanned another PADD. “If this after-action report of yours is accurate, Researcher Noye’s timeship is utilizing Builder tech in several key systems.”

Walker pinched the bridge of his nose again. “Considering the Builders’ history, I can’t help but wonder which one is manipulating the other in that relationship.”

“Sounds like we’ll want a word with Daniels on all of this, Ben,” replied Nereda. “He’s had his share of experience dealing with both Vosk and the Builders… more’s the pity, really.”

“Agreed. I’ll make the calls. Hope you don’t have any plans for the next thousand years or so,” Walker managed a thin smile as his first officer grimaced. “It appears we have other plans.”

“Commander Drij?”

The tall Orion woman in full Klingon battle dress stepped off of the transporter pad and took in her surroundings.

“That’s the name they gave me, Commander…?”

“Nereda. I’ll be your liaison here while you work with us. Welcome to New Khitomer Station.”

Drij smiled at the Cardassian Starfleet officer waiting for her. “Thanks… looks bigger than it did in the holos. Too bad the Krenim had to come in here and shoot the place up.”

“Nothing we can’t fix, in time. If you’ll follow me, we can get started.”

Drij nodded and walked along with Nereda as they moved through the main hall of New Khitomer station. Damage from the recent attack was heavy; the repair teams had their work cut out for them.

“Looks like they really hit this place hard,” Drij mused as she pointed at a partially-collapsed support column. “And not just the Krenim, either… those are Breen cryo blast points, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Good eye,” replied Nereda. “Some Krenim had the nerve to take the Breen Ambassador hostage during the attack. He was less than amused.”

“Ouch. I take it a Klingon was involved as well,” Drij pointed at an array of disruptor scorch marks on a nearby wall.

“That would be the Federation Ambassador to Qo’noS. I heard the two of them had a wager as to who would take down the most Krenim.”

“Any idea who won?”

“No, but I can tell you who lost - the Krenim.”

“Heh! I’d be surprised otherwise!”

Nereda stopped before a door and pressed the access chime. After a moment, the voice of her commanding officer came through the door speaker.

“Come.” With that, the doors parted before the two women. Nereda smiled at the Orion and gestured inward. “After you, Commander.”

Drij walked into the small office suite and stood at attention before the desk within. “Commander Drij, KDF Special Security Division, reporting as ordered… sir.” The man behind the desk looked up from a series of holo-readouts and stood to greet the new arrival.

“Captain Ben Walker, Starfleet Temporal Operations,” Walker shook the hand offered by Drij with a slight smile. “Thank you for making the trip out to New Khitomer, Commander… I know it’s not a quick hop from Qo’noS.”

“Oh, it wasn’t that bad, Captain,” Drij took a seat next to Nereda in front of Walker’s desk. “My first time through the wormhole, actually. Breathtaking view, though my stomach wasn’t as fond of it as my eyes were.”

“Have the same problem myself,” Nereda said with a grimace. “The Bajorans have a great remedy for it though. Remind me before you head back, I’ll set you up with a ration of it.”

“Most kind, Commander. I’ll trade you for some raktajino; I hear the good stuff is hard to get out here in Gamma.”

Nereda grinned at Walker. “I like her already.”

Walker nodded in reply. “Commander, I take it you’ve been briefed on the recent incident. You’ve been assigned here as part of a task force formed in the aftermath. Specifically, because of your particular knowledge in Na’kuhl matters.”

“Mm. I worked undercover on Qo’noS for two years as part of an operation that took down one of their criminal families there,” Drij replied. “Fair to say I know a few things about their less-than-lawful elements.”

“Glad to hear it,” said Walker. “What are your initial thoughts about their involvement with the attack on New Khitomer?”

“Well, it’s highly unlikely any of the Seven Families are involved,” said Drij. “Gamma’s way out of their zone of operations… no profit in it for them, and that’s before the Dominion and their harsh outlook on all things criminal factors in. No, they’re strictly Alpha and Beta Quadrant operators - where the Syndicate and the Ferengi aren’t in effect, of course.”

Nereda called up a holo-image of a stern male Na’kuhl. “What do you know about this charmer?” she asked.

“Ah, the infamous Major Vosk,” said Drij with a smile. “Visionary, freedom-fighter, and a true believer in Na’kuhl supremacy. Not above getting his hands dirty with the Families, either.”

“Oh? A high-ranking military officer, working with criminals?”

“It takes a lot of resources to keep a secret army operating. Vosk can’t rely on donations from law-abiding Na’kuhl, so… he’s turned to the Families. I hear he runs grey-market goods for them from time to time, along with the occasional strong-arm job when they need a little military-grade muscle.”

“Any ideas on why he’d be working with the Krenim?”

Drij gave it some thought for a moment. “That’s… a real good question. Money, probably. Word is that Vosk and his cronies have some secret project in the works that goes through latinum like gagh through a targ.”

“What about tech,” asked Nereda. “Both groups have a definite interest in time travel, the Na’kuhl in particular. Noye and the Krenim had some advanced temporal gear… maybe the Na’kuhl cut a deal with them for some of it?”

“Entirely possible,” Drij replied thoughtfully. “It’s no secret Vosk is obsessed with time. If this Noye had something that’d get him closer to his goals…”

“There could also be an enemy-of-my-enemy situation in play,” mused Walker. “Vosk has no love for the Federation, and it’s clear there are elements within the Krenim of a similar mindset.”

“Mmmaybe,” Drij said in response. “Though from what I’m seeing in this after-action report, if there was an alliance, it didn’t last long.”

Walker nodded in agreement. “That’s true. Several Na’kuhl ships wound up firing on Krenim vessels during the space battle that followed the ground incident. We’re still not sure why.”

“That’s something I can look into,” said Drij with a smirk. “Among other things… we’ve been concerned about Major Vosk’s little project for a while now, along with this hidden base of his.”

“Hidden base?”

“Yeah. Word has it that Vosk’s forces operate from a very well-hidden starbase or station somewhere,” Drij’s smirk faded. “Some say it’s outside normal space… outside the timeline. Beyond the reach of any sensors out there, even experimental gear at Daystrom.”

Nereda whistled in response. “A base like that would be mighty appealing to the criminal element, wouldn’t you say, Commander?”

“Mighty appealing, indeed,” Drij said with a grin. “I’ll get to work on this right away… I’m dying to get to the bottom of all this.”

“So are we,” Walker said. “Nereda, if you would be so kind as to show Commander Drij to her workstation?”

“And a raktajino pot,” added Drij. “Unravelling criminal conspiracies is thirsty work, after all.”

Nereda chuckled. “I think that can be arranged. Follow me, Commander.”

Drij gave Walker a respectful nod as she stood to leave the office with Nereda.

“Oh, and don’t worry, Commander, ” she smiled at the other officer. “I’ll brew enough for two.”