Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Mon, 19 Jan 2004 03:24:49 -0500 (EST) In: alt.startrek.creative From: kdj2020@webtv.net (Kevin Johnston) Title: A Time For Explanations Author: Kevin Johnston Series: The Original Series Rating: PG Archive: Yes for ASC Feedback: Always wanted and welcomed. Author's Note: Was it just me, or did the fact of Starfleet, in ST:VI, having its two finest ships and crews exploring gaseous anomalies make very little sense?.... SPACEDOCK ALPHA, ORBITING OVER SAN FRANCISCO, EARTH It was a rare sight, that of the Starships Enterprise and Excelsior docked side by side. Aboard both ships, old friends planned joyous reunions, dinners in familiar places, picnics on the grounds of Starfleet Academy. But for two captains, the reunion, fated to be anything but joyous. In the dockside office of Vice-Admiral Stocker, both sat, listening to the words of their superior officer. As he finished his words, the implications began to sink in. Kirk spoke first, giving voice to the disbelief he felt. "Sir, due respect, but what you've just told us sounds like some kind of fairy tale." Stocker's voice, one of the few left from the old days, came back, firm, full of resolve. "Gentlemen, believe me when I say this is no fairy tale." Hikaru Sulu, with his own thoughts. "Accepting what you've just told us, as truth, what, exactly, are we supposed to do?" A grave look fell on the older man's face, as he answered the question. "You're to do nothing, unless the situation changes drastically. Any single event, or series of events, that in your opinion warrant further study, are to be reported to myself, or Commander, Starfleet." Jim Kirk, again. "To whom are we to report first?" "Myself, unless I, for some reason, am, in your opinion, not to be trusted. At that point, you are to report directly to Commander, Starfleet. In person, if at all possible." And Sulu, taking his turn. "How does the Admiral define "drastic"? Turning slightly in his chair to face the youngest of the three of them, Stocker replied calmly. "You are to define it as any situation that threatens the stability of the Alpha Quadrant. That includes any threat to either the Klingon or Romulan Empires." Sulu, again. "I presume the Admiral has a plan for allowing both ships to monitor the timeline?" "I do. Enterprise and Excelsior are both going to be assigned purely scientific missions, to last somewhere between two to four years. Both ships, while here in Spacedock, are to be outfitted with special sensors to detect and examine gaseous anomalies." Kirk, not sure if he believed his own ears. "That's our cover story? Gaseous anomalies?" "Bear with me, Captain. This will all make sense, as soon as I finish explaining." "Of course, sir." "Now, along with your new sensors, both of your ships are going to be equipped with trans-dimensional warp drives. They will allow you to transit from our own universe to one that is identical to ours, with one very important difference." "Which is?", Sulu asked, curious and wary, all at once. "It possesses no life, whatsoever. Any readings you take of any spatial phenomena, will correspond precisely to its counterpart in our universe. Your comm systems will be rigged to deliver and receive transmissions between universes. Only yourselves and your senior officers will be aware of your presence in that other universe, and of the true nature of your shared mission." Kirk, talking it out. "And if we detect any major changes in the timeline, we report them, and if need be, return to our own universe to deal with them." "That is correct, Captain Kirk. As I've told you both, the alterations in the timeline have their roots in a Temporal Cold War, being waged in the Thirtieth Century. However, since the first changes were made, various factions and other interested parties have increased the pace of changes, and the scope thereof, as well. Earth's own history has been altered, to a significant degree, as has the history of the Federation. I've prepared a full packet of briefing material for both of you to study over the next few weeks." Kirk, with an idea to offer, "What about The Guardian?" A shake of the head. "This goes far beyond changing one single event. Using the Guardian Of Forever to try and change one thing, and one thing alone, would be pointless. No, gentlemen, we must watch, and learn. Careful study will give us the information we need to act upon." Sulu, with another question. "Why a mission length of two to four years?" "Because, we need to keep your cover story as believable as possible. Setting an indefinite time limit gives those of us here at Starfleet Command the ability to recall one, or both ships, without arousing undue suspicions." Kirk, with a final question. "Would I be correct in assuming that the task of restoring the timeline, or as much of it as is feasible, will then fall to other ships, other crews?" "You would be correct, indeed. Not because you're considered not up to the task, but because we want to, need to, study every single bit of information, very, very carefully. As a practical matter, restoring everything to its original state may well be not feasible, or even desirable. Every change we make, has to be considered with utmost caution. What if we were to learn, for example, that in the original procession of history, that Earth no longer exists? Or, that a vast war has destroyed all life in this part of the galaxy?" Stocker paused, letting that sink in, then finished his words. "In short, gentlemen, the reality we live in may well be the one we're stuck with, and, speaking honestly, can either of you condemn things as we know them to be unacceptable? Can either of you find any great fault with the course of history as we know it?" Seeing the looks on both men's faces, Stocker then stood, and shook Kirk's hand, then Sulu's. "Dismissed, Captains, and best of luck to both of you." -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Stories Only Forwarding In the Pattern Buffer at: http//trekiverse.crosswinds.net/feed/ Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. From ???@??? Tue Jan 20 00:34:09 2004 Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n2.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.75]) by eagle (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aIOvgCj3NZFji0 for ; Mon, 19 Jan 2004 21:32:42 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-12962-1074576598-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.