To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)

USS Ambassador, NCC-3901, glides swiftly through the Solar system, darting ahead of her Technocratic pursuers and almost casually waylaying them with a seemingly endless bag of scientific tricks.

Captain Zolani Volanen leans back in her chair, taking a sip of Ojania Tea from a Twevani dynasty style spacer's mug. This isn't her first encounter with a arrogant, powerful, evil that had dragged itself out of the fabric of time where it had been thought dead and buried. Though perhaps the details were substantially different, the response is the same: cool and level headed determination to protect the Federation. And just a touch of scientific cleverness.

"They've certainly learned their lesson" Volanen says, setting the spacer's mug down to magnetically attach to her arm rest, and watching the viewscreen where a flotilla of Technocratic warships were shying away from Ambassador's presented and glowing navigational deflector dish, "Commander, give them a three second burst, enough to disrupt communications"

Volanen reflected that if she wanted to she could likely kill one or two of the Technocrat ships; maybe catch a couple in one of the localized temporal disruptions, certainly cut them to shreds under Ambassador's phaser banks and torpedo barrages if she wanted to risk the return fire. But it wasn't a necessary risk.

Not that she, or her crew, were opposed to fighting to protect everything they knew and loved; but was it truly necessary today? Certainly not in this hour, where Ambassador led an increasingly large amount of Technocratic ships into deep space and kept them distracted with a rotating array of technological tricks. Keeping them away from the real action instead of causing them to cut their losses and fall back on Ka'Sharren and the Solarians.

"Burst completed Captain" reports Ambassador's Human science officer, Lt-Commander Natalie Nguyen "Three point zero second burst of Tachyon particles fired into the atemporal wave producing a disrupted spacetime event consistent with a two point seven on the Maliyon scale"

"Thank you Commander" says Volanen, "Let's see how long these little Nalapa birds keep following us into the black water shall we?"

-

Tal Shiar agent Chiren brings her stolen plasma pistol up in a quick arc, catching the distracted Technocratic technician in the neck with a grazing shot.

Most of the energy beam passes harmlessly by the man, travelling across the cramped confines of the computer core maintenance centre, to turn an inoffensive bit of grey wall into molten metal.

The man dies badly, reaching for where his neck had been transformed into charred meat by the superheated air, desperately trying to understand why before he sinks to his knees and then topples over completely.

Chiren hates this kind of action. The close in knife range fights, it doesn't just mean that she's made a mistake, it also means that she has to kill. She regrets -despises, the necessity of it, and hates the Technocracy for driving so much of the galaxy into barbaric "kill or be killed" thought.

Which doesn't mean she's not trained to do it.

The Romulan team is backed up against the lower level accesses to Cheron base's computer core, eight Republic Navy Marines, one Tal Shiar Agent, and one Starfleet officer against the entire Technocratic population of Cheron base. Or how many of them could fit into the cramped and tight sections of the maintenance areas.

The agent drops her arm slightly, seeking out the weakly armoured sections of another Technocrat, but drops back down behind her makeshift cover made of spare part crates. She's not going to shoot a man in medical green dragging the injured out of the way of fire.

When she pops up again, the Technos have fallen back, leaving another mangled pair of bodies in technician's gear behind to mark the high water point of their attack.

"Tolar. How's it coming?" Chiren says, popping her head into the maintenance shafts beneath the computer core.

"I believe we are close to initializing the cascade failure across Cheron Station"

"Then I will not interrupt further, Commander," she says before returning to the makeshift barricade.

Smart man, that Tolar, he was the one who figured out the best way to wipe Cheron base's computers was to initiate a self sustaining cascading wipe from physically inside the databanks. Hopefully it didn't end with her and her team being overrun by the Technocrats before he completed his task.

"I can't say that I'm looking at going to my death in an Enforcer's uniform," says one of the Fleet Marines as she inspects her rifle, "Not even a proper rifle either" she says with distaste, "Cheap piece of Yyaio garbage" she mutters, popping open a panel to inspect the catalysing crystal.

"Could be worse. You could be a Techno dying in an Techno's uniform" says Chiren, checking the charge on her pistol.

"Heh," the Marine laughs, "You're alright for a spook"

"I try" says Chiren, grinding outwardly, trying to force the image the dying Vulcan clawing at his charred throat out of her mind.

Chiren is just beginning to wonder what is taking the Technos so long when the lights die. Followed quickly by repeated ominous thudding from every direction.

It's the squad sergeant that realizes first, a grizzled veteran of seemingly every campaign ever fought by the Romulan Fleet.

"Shit." she says, her eyes widening as a memory from the Klingon front of two decades ago surfaces.

"SEAL UP." she hollers across the network, "BIO ATTACK!"

Chiren swears softly to herself. The Marines have sealed gear. But she doesn't. Better to shoot herself in the head than stay around for the attack. She's seen the Intel reports of what Technocratic chemical or biological weapons can do.

The Tal Shiar agent lifts her stolen plasma pistol, quickly at first and then slower and slower. Almost as if if someone was gently holding down her arm.

The pistol drops from her suddenly loose fingers as numbness seeps in from her exposed skin.

Chiren tumbles stiffly to the ground, locked up by a thickening layer of… something yellow that congeals out of the air around her.

She can see the Marines free around her too, a thick layer of the yellow substance slowing them down, freezing them in place, before they too become unable to move.

If she were a dedicated infiltrator, and not just a shipboard analyst and fleet liaison she would have a suicide device. Something to prevent what she knows is coming.

But she doesn't, and before that thought even finishes the lights return and the Technocratic Enforcers drop over the barricades with much shouting.

Her eyes flick from side to side, following the Enforcers as they inspect the Marines. Then her eyes land on another figure. A Vulcan in the dark green of a senior official.

"Sweep the area. We must discover what their purpose was" says the man to the Enforcers as he comes closer to her, "Prepare them for interrogation."

The kneels down next to her, studying her with a distant, dispassionate, intensity. Studying her, "Sanitize this one." he says at last

Something rough is applied to her face, the paralyzing agent wiped off, though the numbness remains.

There is no ceremony, no hesitation, no traditional words, the man simply places his hand, fingers splayed, on the left side of her face.


There is roar like all the gods the Technocracy has killed and she can see again, really see, not just flit through memories.

The tableau before her unfolds with painful slowness.

The Vulcan is flat on his back, Tolar aiming a plasma pistol at the man, the Romulan Marines around him scrambling to their feet.

The Enforcers raise their weapons ever so slowly.

Her vision is fading into blackness again as the familiar green of Liberty's embrace takes hold of her.

-

He screams. Truly, honestly screams as he has not since he was a child.

Unstable and suffering from Romulan disorders the Director screams in horror and hatred as Cheron base's computer core kills itself. Folding in on itself with a cascading sickness of lightning and heat. Decades of effort gone.

The Director frantically scrambles for a terminal and watches red lines spread across a display of Cheron base like a tree lit on fire.

Everything is gone. Everything has slipped through his fingers. And most terrifyingly of all: he'll have to justify his continued existence to his implacable superiors.

-

Seven flashes of light herald the arrival of a destroyer of worlds to Sol. Warships of the Vulcan Imperial Technocracy, menacing needles glittering with the weaponry of an empire. Powerful vessels of an Empire that fears being caught underarmed more than anything else.

Three hundred million kilometers away the plot of USS Ambassador's tactical officer quietly updates itself, the Horta watching the data as it comes in, "Captain. New contacts in system." reports Lt-Commander Hmh Er'de, "Modern Technocratic warships. Three capital ships and four frigate sized vessel"

"Thank you Mr. Er'de," Volanen says with a nod at the rocklike officer, "Inform Admiral Ka'Sharren that we'll still be attempting to delay the Technocratic ships, but that I intend to begin falling back towards Europa to prevent being caught out alo-"

"Captain!" the Laio Lieutenant at the communications station spins around with slightly more speed than is necessary, "Emergency message from Tarrak!"

The man has all of Volanen's attention, "Continue, Mr. Lark'"

"Captain Leaniss reports a successful retrieval of Liberty and her team, and they are reporting heavy pursuit forces."

Volanen nods and reaches for her spacer's mug, "Request instruction from Admiral Ka'Sharren, but inform her that I currently intend to rendezvous with Tarrak and Liberty as soon as possible." she considers the lid of the mug carefully, "Let's go try to keep people from becoming heroes shall we?"

-

"-another two hours, maybe three for them to arrive, depending on how effective their pursuers are. Shortly after that the new ships will arrive, depending on if Captain Volanen can delay them" Nash Ka'Sharren says over the communications channel to Europa base, "I'm not going to demand miracles, but one would be nice right about now"

"I'll see what I can do" says a frazzled looking Commander M'hrana, her uniform jacket open and inexplicably covered with black stains, "I think it's mostly down to getting the calculations just right, especially after you sent down that equipment from Enterprise."

"I trust you to keep us in the loop Commander, good luck" says the Admiral as she signs off.

"So, your Captain is a Human and that Human used to serve under that Andorian Admiral?" asks a Solarian scientist in fascination.

"Yes, Nash Ka'Sharren is something of a legend in our service," says M'hrana absently as she turns away from the portable communications console and sorts through a pile of Solarian and Technocrat PADDs.

"And all of your species just… get along? Even the Vulcans?"

"Yup." says the Caitian as she compares two mostly similar equations.

"No fool'n, and-"

Daystom steps between the young Human and M'hrana, "Mr Wasserman, stop bothering the Commander, we have work to do"

Daystrom turns to face M'hrana as the younger man retreats with a long backwards look over his shoulder, "Cochran field emissions" he says, handing over a Starfleet PADD.

"You're playing with me?" M'hrana says as she takes the PADD, "That simple…" she frowns, "That's so simple that anyone can do it"

Daystrom shrugs, "It only needs to work once, we just need to compensate for the exact level of Chronotron radiation being generated"

"No, I get that, but that can apply to anyone, they just have to shift frequen-"

"No, you don't understand," Daystrom says slowly, "The residual saturation from warp travel becomes part of the Quantum signature. T'pol's Second law"

"Oh" says M'hrana, scratching behind her ear. "zh'Niak's theory. So anything that isn't saturated with recent Cochran field emissions becomes passive to the effect. Resistance only occurs when the quantum signature is saturated."

"Exactly," Daystrom nods, "When Revelations activates any vessel that does not want to be removed from spacetime will need to release a precisely calculated Chronoton or Tachyon burst-"

"Right. To prevent that. Then due to the released atemporal waves we should have an easy time of opening a wormhole back to our version of Sol"

"That would be my hypothesis, yes."

M'haran smiles, and holds up hand, "This is the part where we 'hi-five', yes?"

-

A cloud of small craft buzz around the small Solarian fleet. Every operational civilian craft in the Jovian system surrounds the damaged rebels ships.

There has only been a few hours, a tiny respite between driving off the Deimos squadron and the rapid approach of the rest of the Technocratic fleet, but the Solarians have used that time to etch themselves into the annals of galactic history.

With they only remaining repair yards in Sol located at Deimos, behind the gathering Technocratic fleet, the civilian spacers of Jupiter and her moons have taken it upon themselves to provide the next best thing.

Hull breaches are sealed, dead and injured crew are replaced and treated, munitions and power cells are replaced, shield emitters replaced in record time, the very last food stocks redistributed. A feat on ingenuity fueled by fear of defeat, and hope that this might be the last battle of their long struggle.

Not that the Federation ships have been idle either. Scratch minefields have been laid, probes modified into sensor stations, tactical networks established, scans analysed, everything possible done. And finally, at the order of Admiral ka'Sharren, entire cargo bays of emergency relief supplies have been emptied in round the clock transporter operations.

-

"Now that Cheron base is out of the picture, they have to retake or destroy Europa base if they want to prevent us from using Revelations" Captain Zhang says, pointing to the moon on the map in front of her, "We'll have to stop them here while the Europa base team gets Revelations working."

"Everything they've got is preparing to come at us" says Kirk over the screen.

"It looks like they've decided to just hit us with everything at once" says Ka'Sharren with a nod, "The inner system forces are linking up with what's left of Deimos squadron, here in the asteroid belt" she pokes the map, indicating the spot, "The entirety of Cheron base's defence fleet is following Ambassador, Tarrak, and Liberty -the Romulan Liberty towards Europa" another spot on the map, "And the modern Technocratic squadron is racing in system towards Jupiter as well. They'll get her not long after the rest."

"They'll plan to smother us all at once." Kirk says, "It's how they usually operate: overwhelming force-" his sentence cuts off as he jams a Starfleet emergency ration into his mouth, "-they've been fooling around so far because they had too many objectives. But now all they have is Europa."

"We're going to have to attack" Zhang says after a moment.

"I like it!" says Sylvia Tilly, from her command deck on Yamato.

"Bold," nods Kirk in agreement.

"That's a risky move," adds Captain Tan Ming.

"Spoiler attack?" asks Ka'Sharren

"Exactly, Admiral," says Zhang, studying the map and tapping a foot absentmindedly, "We can't let them concentrate. The temptation is to fortify and let them come to us. But I just don't think the defences here are strong enough to make that work." she looks up, "No offence intended Captains."

"None taken, Jennifer," says Kirk, "I've always been partial to keeping my opponents off balance wherever and whenever I can."

"Ambassador should turn…" Zhang overlays a map of the temporal starscape over the tactical map, "here." she pokes the table, "Now they'll shy away because they don't want to get hit again, but… Instead Tarrak and Liberty can make an arc." she gestures, "Before Volanen and Ambassador use the atemporal wave."

The Admiral studies the map, "Right, not a bad idea, but I'd rather leave the details up to Captain Volanen, but in essence she should turn and give them a good punch to the nose, possibly before Volanen actually agitates spacetime into a bad mood"

"I've done the calculations and the Inner system force is rallying too close to the Jovian system," Zhang says, bringing up a screen on the map and making a line appear linking Europa and the edge of the asteroid belt, "I don't think they fully understand how fast Enterprise is. They understand that Lightning and Luna are probably fast enough to hit them at their rally point, but they have enough firepower to repel those two…"

"But not those two plus Enterprise-C." Nash grins evilly. "So the Solarian fleet remains here at Europa to complete repair and re-armament-" she looks up to see Kirk and Tilly nod before she continues, "while Enterprise-C, Lightning, and Luna race to the rally point. If they run we've disrupted them and can return, and if they stay, or don't get moving fast enough we can take a couple of passes to shoot at every engine, thruster, and RCS in sight"

"Agreed," says Kirk, "And then when the future Technos arrive they'll be alone or the next best thing to it."

-

Squadron Commander Stesk paces the command deck of Suurok.

His instinct is to avoid the onrushing Alien vessels, to avoid risking his ships and his people against that level of firepower. But his instructions are clear: he is to hold his position and inflict the maximum amount of damage on the Alien vessels.

These downtime Technocratic commanders are colder, more wasteful, than they should be. Too quick to avoid caution and threaten arrest and reprocessing. But they have valid command codes and protocol indicates that orders from downtime commanders should take priority.

He stops pacing, "Order the fleet into formation Five-Sixteen, organized on Suurok's current position and heading," he orders loudly. The Aliens will at worst kill his people. His superiors will reprocess them if they fail to obey orders. And there is no escaping his superiors.

He grips the railing of Suurok's commander's walk as the Alien vessel approach, their speed at least ten percent higher than he'd anticipated, flashing towards his formation like an electrical discharge directed from Europa.

"Prepare for engagement," he orders. "Increase speed and bring us directly across their course, then match" it's clear the Aliens merely want to spoil his coming attack… but if forces them to slow, to avoid the risk of collision or isolation from support, he may be able to fulfill his orders.

In the space between Mars and Jupiter the two forces race to meet each other, both seeking to occupy the same space.

A dozen needle-like Technocracy warships try to position themselves directly in the course of their attackers, but they've underestimate the maneuverability of the smaller pair of ships, and the firepower of the Superdreadnaught.

Lightning and Luna split off from Enterprise-C's shadow, each increasing speed and taking a wide arc, hooking around the edges of the Technocratic formation to deliver blows to the warp rings and impulse drives of the two outermost needled warships.

Enterprise herself, takes a course directly through the middle of the Technocratic formation, coming within kilometers of the lead Vulcan ship, her powerful phaser batteries and photon torpedoes stiripping away shields before she is through the formation. Her own powerful shield arrays drink in the return fire without complaint.

While the Vulcan formation struggles to regain it's deployment and come around, Enterprise loops down and then back up, racing towards the "top" of the Vulcan formation as Lightning and Luna finish their arcs and re-enter Enterprise's protective shadow.

As the Federation force closes again with the Technocratic squadron they turn to an old Starfleet standbye. All three vessels dip their saucers, letting their dorsalphaser batteries strip the remaining shields away from the Vulcan ships, before they quickly raise their course, launching torpedoes and another phaser barrage from below the rim of their saucer sections.

The torpedoes home their course in close, striking Vulcan exhaust arrays and warp rings, blowing chunks of durasteel away into space, and causing puffs of air and fire to erupt along the hulls of the elongated vessels.

And the the engagement is done in those two passes, Enterprise, Lightning and Luna, racing back to Europa, leaving air bleeding wrecks behind them, two warships destroyed outright, and another six mission killed and adrift.

There would no longer be a wave of ships sweeping in towards Europa from the Inner system.

-

The counterpunch in the outer system goes less smoothly.

"BRING US AROUND" Orders Leaniss, yelling over the sound of Tarrak shaking, "GET OUR STERN LAUNCHERS ON THAT LEAD SHIP. FIRE AT WILL"

"YES, MA'AM" replies Lt-Commander Kahurangi, struggling with his console as Tarrak's information warfare department struggles with the sudden increase in effectiveness of their pursuers' ECM and ECCM.

He suspects that someone had been holding onto that trick until one of the Federation ships approached into range. And now they were also holding the range close enough to Tarrak that Ambassador couldn't risk firing her tachyon pulse at the wave without fatally catching her fellow Starfleet ship in the event.

Kahurangi's hands race over the panel as a flash of insight hits him and he programs a new algorithm on the spot, working feverishly with his department to compensate for the Technocratic trick.

His hand slams down on the panel and the flickering red dots of Starfleet photon torpedoes leap from their tubes and race towards the lead Technocrat ship.

The impact is impressive… but the ship continues through the pounding, firing anew at Tarrak, shaking the ship once again. If she continued much further they would be past the Temporal wave and their best chance to turn back or damage their pursuers would be lost.

Then Liberty, decloaks, racing by on an almost perpendicular arc to Tarrak, catching the unshielded lead Technocrat ship and finally killing it in a blaze of plasma fire, an aurora of explosions radiating off of the ships as she turns into fine particles on the stellar wind.

Liberty increases her speed, diverting shield and weapons to impulse drives as she pulls even with Tarrak, risking the fire from the trailing Vulcan warships.

And then space twists and distorts, their pursuers trying to turn away, to go around, or halt. But too many of them were moving too fast, too intent on Tarrak and Liberty. Almost a dozen ships plow into the active, and agitated, knot of disturbed spacetime, sections shearing off, others ceasing to exist as the ships are destroyed or simply disappear entirely.

Kahurangi whoops loudly, joined by other members of the bridge crew, though they cheer out of relief, not bloodlust.

"My Compliments to Captain Volanen" says Leaniss, as she slowly releases her deathgrip on her chair's armrests, "And someone get me a damage report. I'm not happy getting singed like that, but at least it was effective."

-

"Europa base's capacitors will be charged and ready for Revelations in fifteen minutes, give or take thirty seconds" says Commander M'hrana as she enters the bridge and returns to her science officer's station.

"Welcome back Commander M'hrana" says Captain Zhang, "I expect that you are making the appropriate modifications to our shields?"

"Yes, Captain, fairly simple. Well, not quite, it's actually a modification of our Cochran fields, with a bit of extra chronoton emissions, as it turns out there was some last second interference from Belzan's constant, so Doctor Marcus came up with a truly inspired work around that didn't involve proto-"

"Thank you M'hrana, I'm glad that you enjoyed your fieldwork" says Zhang, as she exchanges a smile with her first officer, the Orion officer Kol Deva.

"Simply fascinating people, almost makes me miss labwork with Yoyodyne, though our deadlines were a lot less… deadly"

"Captain Zhang," the Fiirial tactical officer raises a claw, "Final count of time to arrival of the Technocratic fleet is five minutes, thirty six seconds"

"Thank you Mr. Tiiriad," Zhang takes a deep breath, "This will be a close one."

"Prepare for Contact!"

-

When the final Technocratic storm of the Jovian system begins twenty five of sixty ships are now permanently decommissioned; never to leave Sol again. Ten have been trapped in or behind temporal anomalies generated by Ambassador and are too far away to arrive in time. Five ships are still out of position, simply not fast enough to respond in time from their original stations.

This leaves twenty ships remaining from the Technocratic second fleet that had started this day on the verge of victory against the Solarian rebellion. They are joined by seven vessels of the modern Technocracy, advanced and battle tested warships with veteran crews, three Battlecruisers and a quartet of bulky, and deadly, cruisers.

Arrayed against them is the remains of the Solarian rebellion: two dreadnaughts, a frigate, and a cruiser. And standing with them are the two newest and largest vessels in the inventory of the Federation Starfleet, assisted by a light cruiser, and a frigate more advanced than any other in the fleet, plus an only somewhat out of place Romulan warbird.

There is no negotiation. The Technocrat commander answers no hails, and sends none herself. This is a battle to the death, the Solarian rebellion and the Extratemporal threat ends here, today.

The battle starts with a mixed advance, the advanced sensors of the Technocratic flagship and her escorts sweeping aside the mines and traps, and the older vessels shielding their superiors with their hulls and lives.

Two older vessels fall out of formation, drives sputtering, mine detonations knocking them adrift into the dangers of the Jovian system. A third vessel is destroyed completely, an apparently derelict civilian craft suddenly revealing automated torpedo launchers and guiding in a deadly salvo before the Technocrat fleet can react.

The first shots of the battle are fired by Enterprise-C and Ambassador. Long range shots, barely effective in the cluttered Jovian system, but important in gauging the Technocratic reaction. Careful eyes across the fleet analyse how the Technocratic sensors turn to view the attack, weaknesses and strengths gauged.

And then the Technocrat ships surge forwards.

Their commander opting to close to knife range, relying on her squadron's greater numbers and size to swarm the larger Starfleet and Solarian vessels.

On both Enterprises, their masters order close formations, Enterprise and Enterprise back to back, Yamato and Ambassador finishing the square, the remaining fleet sweeping behind as the second line. A deadly phalanx which sweeps ahead, engulfing a pair of hapless Technocrat frigates as they become so many spare parts.

The formation loosens, shifts, as it must in the close confines of the Jovian system, the back line hurrying to and fro to keep itself between the Vulcan fleet and Europa. The forward quartet are instead hunters, their powerful array of weaponry seeking out and reducing nearby Vulcan warships to clouds of dissapaiting air, fire, and dust.

Which is not to say that the defenders are not taking hits.

Aboard Yamato a single torpedo from Sarek screams into her side, blowing through her forward compartments, opening sixteen decks to space, and throwing three hundred emaciated forms out into space as the dreadnaught herself slowly leaves formation, her RCS controls fused or missing, her course taking her inexorably into a slow death in deep space.

Lightning dives, dives from her formation to swoop down on a pair of older cruisers who were skirting the battle, her shields taking repeated hits, her own return fire scattered by sudden jamming from the Battlecruiser V'Las, who has chosen this moment to race out from behind a Jovian moon, all filled with fire and brimstone for her much smaller opponent.

On Lightning's bridge, Captain Wolfe of Starfleet intelligence sits in a borrowed space suit and watches the numbers on Lightning's shields spin down, preparing for the worst.

Lightning is not alone. Luna charges down, her course a spiral, lancing phaser strikes fired towards V'Las, buying time for Lightning to fall back.

Sixteen of Luna's crew die heroes in her auxiliary life support section before that brave ship is past the Battlecruiser twice her size and is able to pull a long looping arc into the protective shadow of Ambassador.

V'Las comes on with her sister Surak, their smaller sisters Seleya, and T'mir, plus a quartet of their older cousins rounding out their formation as they lock their course for Europa base.

They are stopped at terrible cost.

Independance dies gloriously. Horrifically. Commander Decker able to do nothing but ram his suddenly disarmed and dying cruiser into her Technocratic twin. Vengeance for a brutally slain father.

Archer dies too. A small frigate, she focuses on Seleya, twisting and turning around the larger destroyer, darting to and fro around moons, asteroids, and drifting mining platforms to avoid the fire of the larger hunter.

Archer is finally caught, fatally, amidships. Her death throes catch Seleya with weakened shields. Thrown off course, her helmsman, on fire, panics and brings her onto a pre-arranged course that catches an older cruiser with a sickening crunch. Seleya survives, but drifting, the ship damaged and the crew ashamed.

Tarrak and Liberty are all that are left between the Vulcan force and Europa. They need to stall long enough for the forward formation to fall back or for Revelations to fire.

Tarrak, already damaged from an earlier engagement takes the brunt of the incoming fire. V'las and Surak concentrate on her Ventral shielding when she snaps her saucer up to catch a frigate in a devastating fullisade of fire.

Tarrak's ventral shields disappear.

Her engineering section is opened to the void. Her interior fills with fire and radiation. Ninety crew become names on a memorial in that instant, and thirty two more in the next sixty seconds.

Captain Leaniss Larai hollers orders as Tarrak rights herself, turning to her face her intact Dorsal shields towards her assailants.

But the incoming fire continues, V'Las and Surak determined to end Tarrak. To strangle her to death in the orbit of alien moons.

Lt-Commander Kahurangi watches the icon representing the dorsal shields wink out of existence. He braces for the end. Leaving his eyes open to go into the next world undaunted.

Liberty saves his life, saves the lives of all of Tarrak's remaining crew.

She decloaks and lashes Surak with a tremendous amount of fire and the slightly smaller ship dies. Killing one instant and killed herself the next.

Liberty pays dearly. V'las switching targets to the fire at the closer threat, racking her phasers along Liberty's unshielded ventral hull as she dives to reenter cloak. Liberty shakes, decks opened to space, but she does escape, her internals shattered under the assault, but most of her crew alive despite their courage.

The end comes for Tarrak. V'las shifts her targeting sensors back to Tarrack, brushing aside her shields and preparing a final salvo.

Enterprise intervenes. Jim Kirk takes his beloved ship into the teeth of V'las, climbing up from the remains of another Technocratic ship.

V'las rocks under the fire and her captain orders a dive past Enterprise. If he can avoid the ship he can climb again and finish Tarrak.

He is then hit by a Revelation.

-

A sweeping wave of time passes over the battlefield.

Yamato and Enterprise return to their time, along with their people, victorious, if still poised over a precipice.

Ambassador fires a chronoton pulse into the wave, opening up a wormhole to another time. Another, more peaceful, Sol. She and her sisters dive in, Tarrak gently cradled between Enterprise, Luna, and Lightning; a beloved sister once again being brought home for well a deserved rest.

They have but minutes left. But they tarry for a moment longer.

Liberty remains.

-

"Go home, Tolar," Velim stands behind the Vulcan man who had manned her science officer's console since her own officer had been wounded in the flight from Cheron base, "You deserve to return to your home, we can transport you over to any of your ships right now"

The Vulcan shakes his head, "Liberty will cease to exist, once we've gone, once the local spacetime settles down. Your timeline will be changed, but you will be trapped outside it like the Technocrat ships."

"A small price to pay for saving the Republic." Velim smiles slightly, "It would be interesting to see what a timeline with a weaker Technocracy would look like."

The Vulcan almost looks… guilty, to Velim for a moment, "I can take you back. With your science officer injured, only I have the right skills. I can send you back. Along with the Solarians. Follow the rest of the Sol system, there is still time."

Velim chuckles, "Whatever time means."

"Yes," Tolar is deadly serious, "The Solarians will need someone to help them prevent being reconquered. And someone to vouch for them with the Republic of your time."

"Really. Very generous of you."

"And..." Tolar pauses, "I do not wish for you and your crew to vanish. You do not deserve it."

"And your own people?" Velim's eyes narrow, "You have a rule do you not?"

"I believe this is a more ethical solution." He looks down at his uniform, "Some will understand, some will not."

Velim nods, "Very well, I accept your proposal." She takes half a step away before she pauses, "I was going to give my congratulations to Admiral ka'Sharren and Captain Leaniss. Perhaps you would like to join me in wishing them farewell and a safe journey home?"

-

[1 Q Point]
[Time saved. +25 PP]
[Lightning Is now Blooded]
[USS Tarrak requires repairs - 3 quarters, 90 br, 70 sr. Casualties: 1O 1E 1T]