ST:TTV714 | "Where Someone Has Gone Before"

Stardate 98486

A new message from Eva reveals that the Architect now seeks another artifact of the civilization that was worshipped as the Olympian gods, this one even more powerful than the Trident. However, the search leads Mischa's team to encounter some surprising familiar faces...

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Keliaya@anncaris | We see a large mass of Horde thralls all around. The camera seems to be pushed forward by the thralls, and it soon becomes apparent we are viewing things through the eyes of one of the thralls - Keliaya@anncaris - in the army. Little of the world around can be discerned, only that it is clearly wartorn, with the ruined skeletons of buildings in the background and great plumes of smoke arising from the - Keliaya@anncaris:- ashes of what once must have been vibrant cities Keliaya@anncaris | Flashes of energy fire can be seen in the front of the army where the Horde meet with its foes in battle, but also above them as four fighters swoop overhead, disruptors blazing as they cut - Keliaya@anncaris:- through a swarm of Flyer thralls before turning their fire down to the armies below. One shot lands near our perspective thrall, sending a shockwave that violently rattles the view Keliaya@anncaris | The thrall gets pushed closer and closer to the front lines, which are quickly becoming decimated. The other party in the conflict soon comes into view, wearing what is recognizably Guardian - Keliaya@anncaris:- armour, though with some differences to the standard armours worn by the Guardians seen today Keliaya@anncaris | Among them however is one figure wearing distinctly different armour. It is clearly as advanced if not more so than those of the Guardians, but most recognizable is a great crest which arches - Keliaya@anncaris:- above the helmet, made particularly visibly by the fact that this figure stands a good head taller than most Guardians. In his left hand he holds a round shield which appear to be deflecting - Keliaya@anncaris:- bolts and beams back into the Horde thralls that fired them, while in his right hand he wields what seems like a glowing sword at first glance, but upon closer inspection seems more like a frozen - Keliaya@anncaris:- thunderbolt crackling with energy. With a single sweep of the weapon, he unleashes a shockwave that vapourizes several lines of charging thralls, and our perspective thrall suddenly finds itself - Keliaya@anncaris:- on the front line as all those in front are caught by the attack Keliaya@anncaris | Our perspective thrall raises a rifle in a mutated hand and opens fire, but the figure spins around, the shield deflecting the bolts back into the Horde lines. Our thrall is hit and drops to - Keliaya@anncaris:- the ground, but the view doesn't go out, as the thrall is wounded but clearly still alive. The camera looks up from the ground as the figure swipes with the weapon again, taking out yet another - Keliaya@anncaris:- wave of thralls, but the shockwave passes over the fallen thrall's head, sparing it Keliaya@anncaris | One of the Guardians steps over to the figure, "Our ships report that Horde reinforcements have arrived in the system. We don't have the ships to hold them off." Keliaya@anncaris | The figure speaks with a booming voice, "How many ships, Captain?" Keliaya@anncaris | Guardian-Captain: "Twenty-eight." Keliaya@anncaris | Figure: "Cover me. I will deal with them." Keliaya@anncaris | The Guardians advance, forming a new front line ahead of the figure as they fire on the incoming thralls. The downed perspective thrall start slowly crawling towards the Guardians, beneath - Keliaya@anncaris:- notice as they are busy dealing with thralls actively firing on them Keliaya@anncaris | Suddenly, the strange figure begins to...grow, expanding larger and larger until he is a veritable giant, with the Guardians barely even the height of his knees Keliaya@anncaris | His shield enlarges even more and he slams it into the ground, forming a massive round wall which he takes cover behind. The thunderbolt-weapon doesn't grow as much however, but it begins - Keliaya@anncaris:- hovering between the giant's hands. Streaks of crackling energy emerge from it, which the giant seems to contain between his massive palms, and soon the bolt is barely visible behind a ball of - Keliaya@anncaris - flashing energy Keliaya@anncaris | As the Guardians continue to fight around the giant, figures of Horde ships come into view over the skies. The giant lets out a battle-cry that echos like a cannon, but it is soon drowned out - Keliaya@anncaris:- by the energy that erupts from between his hands. It strikes the lead Horde cruiser, instantly blasting it to debris, but it doesn't stop there. The energy jumps from one ship to the other, - Keliaya@anncaris:- catching the entire Horde fleet in a chain of lightning. Within seconds, the twenty-eight Horde ships are no more, and the sky flares up as the pieces that remain of them begin burning up as they - Keliaya@anncaris:- are pulled through the planet's atmosphere by its gravity Keliaya@anncaris | The Horde army on the ground pulls back in retreat. The Guardians on the front line continue firing for as long as they can, but many of the others behind them have begun to turn to the giant Keliaya@anncaris | The giant slowly shrinks down as the Guardians begin to chant: "Ar-Rhys! Ar-Rhys! Ar-Rhys!" Keliaya@anncaris | Soon, the giant is not only down to the size he was before, but slightly shorter- still taller than most Guardians, but no longer towering above them. He plunges the still crackling bolt of - Keliaya@anncaris:- energy into the ground and slumps to sit down beside it, clearly drained. As the front line of Guardians turn to join the chanting, the wounded thrall takes the chance to slowly edge towards the - Keliaya@anncaris:- powerful weapon embedded in the ground... Keliaya@anncaris ...but finds its motion halted before it even gets close. Turning its head around, it sees the foot of a Renlore Guardian stomped heavily on its back. Before the thrall as a chance to do - Keliaya@anncaris:- anything, the Guardian fires his pistol right into the thrall's head, and the camera goes black Keliaya@anncaris | Meanwhile in one of the VF's lounges, Kelly seems to have suddenly spaced out mid-conversation with Mischa... Mischa@crystyl leans in a little, waving her hand in front of Kelly's face, "Kelly...? Anyone at home in there?" Keliaya@anncaris continues staring blankly for a few seconds before suddenly blinking, as if just woken up. She turns, looking at Mischa rather absently Mischa@crystyl 's betrays her concern, "Kelly, are you feeling alright?" Keliaya@anncaris nods absently before shaking her head and rubbing her eyes with the back of one hand, "I'm alright. Just...got another vision." Mischa@crystyl gives her a quirked look, "Should I be more concerned about the fact that you had a vision, or that it's 'another' one?" Keliaya@anncaris:"It's not a hallucination, don't worry. By vision I mean one of those...messages. From Eva." Mischa@crystyl:"You're sure? Keliaya@anncaris nods, "Definitely," she glances down at her drink, "Saurian brandy isn't /that/ strong." Mischa@crystyl chuckles, "Fair enough! So what's the procedure now then? Sounds like you're familiar with this so I'll trust your judgement" Keliaya@anncaris:"This one was...more detailed. I don't know if it's because we're in the Sphere and closer to Eva or something else, but I have a feeling it's important. You should let Keelah know, then meet me in - Keliaya@anncaris:- Holodeck 2." Mischa@crystyl:"You're planning to recreate the vision on the hologrid I take it?" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "What I can remember from it while it's still fresh, at least." Mischa@crystyl nods, "Alright. How long do you need to setup?" Keliaya@anncaris:"Shouldn't take more than half an hour, I think." Mischa@crystyl:"Very well, I'll hold off a little while and bring Keelah down there in half an hour then" Keliaya@anncaris smiles, "Thanks, Mischa." She downs the rest of her drink and stands, "I'll see you there." Mischa@crystyl:"Will do" Keliaya@anncaris FX | https://youtu.be/cjaejG-LDAQ --- Keliaya@anncaris | Half an hour later, Mischa arrives at the holodeck with Keelah... Keliaya@anncaris stands before a hologram of a tall, armoured figure, "Computer, raise helmet crest by...five centimetres." Mischa@crystyl & Keelah join her, looking around curiously at the sim so far, "Vivid details I see" Mischa@crystyl |Keelah follows up, "How are you feeling Kelly?" Keliaya@anncaris turns, "Oh, you're already here! I'm good, just trying to get everything down so I can save you some mind-melding," she smiles Keliaya@anncaris steps aside to give a better view of the figure.. Keliaya@anncaris FX | https://i.imgur.com/k24izjY.jpg Mischa@crystyl:"So this is what Eva wanted to show you" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "There was a large battle. I was seeing it through the eyes of a Horde thrall. I think it's a memory the Horde has, of some past battle. The Architect's connected to the Horde through her, - Keliaya@anncaris:- so she has access to everything they've seen, like when she showed us that subspace corridor route." Mischa@crystyl:"I see. So you think she has come across this 'memory' of sorts and feels something about it is pertinent" Keliaya@anncaris:"In the memory, the Horde were battling the Guardians and this figure here. He's important, but it's what he was holding that was the key." Mischa@crystyl | Keelah perks a brow, "How so?" Keliaya@anncaris:"Computer, place object 'Lightning Sword' on Unknown Guardian Keliaya@anncaris | The crackling energy weapon appears in the figure's grip... Keliaya@anncaris FX | https://i.imgur.com/LHMyYq3.jpg Mischa@crystyl:"Well that's certainly... showy" Keliaya@anncaris:"The Architect wants that. It's a weapon of some kind, this...Guardian, if that's what he was, used it as a sword at first, except every swing sent out an energy shockwave that could cut through - Keliaya@anncaris:- waves of thralls. Then, when Horde ships showed up to deploy reinforcements, he grew. Like...computer, increase Unknown Guardian size by 400%." Keliaya@anncaris | The figure enlarges in size, towering above the three in the holodeck Mischa@crystyl looks up, ".../very/ showy" Mischa@crystyl | Keelah perks a brow, "Just like the Trident..." Keliaya@anncaris:"But the Trident only transmits and amplifies energy- it doesn't generate any on its own. This thing, I don't know how I know, the Horde wasn't actively scanning it, maybe it's information they got - Keliaya@anncaris:- elsewhere that Eva sent to me with the vision. Whatever it is and however it works, it's a generator. After he grew, he harnessed its energy- the energy definitely seems to be coming from the - Keliaya@anncaris:- weapon and not him, if anything it looked like he was having trouble controlling it. But he used it to send a bolt of energy that jumped from ship to ship and wiped out dozens of Horde vessels in - Keliaya@anncaris:- that single attack." Mischa@crystyl:"I can certainly see why the Architect would want it" Mischa@crystyl | Keelah nods, "Which means we need to get it first" Mischa@crystyl | Keelah: "Could it be another relic of the same species, like the Trident? It may not function the same, but the - literal - larger than life reactive scaling certainly is consistent" Keliaya@anncaris:"It's possible. This...person," she looks up at the giant armoured figure, "The Guardians called him something like...Our-Reese. Arries? Something like that." Mischa@crystyl thinks a moment, "Ares...?" Keliaya@anncaris:"Not quite, but very close." Mischa@crystyl | Keelah looks to her, "You recognize the name?" Mischa@crystyl:"It certainly sounds like a close variant of Ares; the God of War in ancient Greek mythology. I would have to brush up on my history to see if there was any similarity in appearance or consistency - Mischa@crystyl:- with that weapon. Though from the looks of it, I am reminded of ancient mythology's fondness for descriptions of 'throwing lightning bolts' and such" Keliaya@anncaris:"He's fighting alongside the Guardians, that sounds like something a 'God of War' would do. The Guardians have devoted their entire lives to battling the Horde, after all." Mischa@crystyl | Keelah nods, "I will speak with them, see if they recognize this figure at all" Keliaya@anncaris:"I think they're our best lead at the moment. I don't have an exact recreation of the whole battle, but I think the general appearance of this Ares and his weapon is close enough that if the - Keliaya@anncaris:- Guardians know about him, they should be able to recognize him from that." Mischa@crystyl | Keelah: "Very well. Thank you for this Kelly, now why don't you get some rest?" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "Let me know if you need any other details, and I'll see what I can remember." Mischa@crystyl | Keelah: "Hopefully this will suffice, as you say. I am quite comfortable performing mind melds, but I do not wish to subject you to it if not necessary" Keliaya@anncaris:"I don't mind if it's the best way to decipher the information, but this one was more vivid than usual, and I thought I'd get the key details down on the holodeck while I still remember to save - Keliaya@anncaris:- going through all that trouble." Mischa@crystyl:"Maybe you should see if your doctor can provide a monitoring device to capture the detail for you, should it occur again" Keliaya@anncaris:"That's a good idea. I'll talk to Kazra sometime, see what she can do." Mischa@crystyl | Keelah nods, "For now, leave it to us" she shares a glance with Mischa Mischa@crystyl needs no more than that, "I'll get to work on the research from our own history texts" --- Keelah@crystyl comms Issandros and requests a consultation on the VF regarding a 'new development'. She awaits, looking out the thinking window with a cup of spiced tea in her hands, a tray already on the table Issandros@anncaris | A short wait later, the doorbell rings Keelah@crystyl:"Enter" Issandros@anncaris steps in, "Captain Keelah." Keelah@crystyl turns with a warm smile, "Thank you for coming. Please, won't you join me?" she offers, inviting him over as she sits and pours out a drink for him Issandros@anncaris walks over, taking a seat on the couch, "You said something about a new development?" Keelah@crystyl nods, handing him the drink, "Indeed, yes. The Guardians are quite steeped in their own long history, yes?" Issandros@anncaris:"Thanks," he takes a sip of the drink and nods, "That's right. We've been around for a long time." Keelah@crystyl leans back, quite casually as she continues the casual dialogue, "Is that something that interests you - history?" Issandros@anncaris:"Well, I'm much more of a warrior than a scholar, but past battles still have a lot of good lessons to teach. Especially for those in command like us, who's got to make tactical decisions all the - Issandros@anncaris:- time. If we don't learn from the mistakes of our past, we'll just lose the same way over and over again." Keelah@crystyl:"Exactly" she nods, "More than once we have benefitted from the retained knowledge of our past. Even ancient history has proven useful to us in this mission" Issandros@anncaris:"You never know when it comes in handy. And with the memories of the World Tree, we've got a fully reliable source to draw on, so plenty of us are familiar with our history, even those of us that - Issandros@anncaris:- have more front-line roles." Keelah@crystyl nods and listens, "Good" reaching for a PADD that she passes over, "I'd like you to take a look at something. Does any of this jump out at you?" Issandros@anncaris takes the PADD, looking it over closely, "Hm. Yeah, it does." Keelah@crystyl leans back again, attention holding firmly on him, "What can you tell me about it?" Issandros@anncaris opens the image of the figure from Kelly's vision, "That's Ar-Rhys. He showed up about two thousand or so years ago. Said he was a god, and that he's come to lead us to victory against the Horde. - Issandros@anncaris:- He refused to join the Guardians and we were concerned at first when he went to face the Horde. Tried to stop him, but it turned out whatever power he had was enough to shield him from their - Issandros@anncaris:- control. Seeing as he /can/ fight the Horde, we'd have been fools to turn down his help, so he fought with us for a time." Keelah@crystyl nods, "I see, well that is certainly consistent so far. What about this battle in particular, do you recognize it at all?" Issandros@anncaris:"Afraid I'm not familiar with the details. He fought in a lot of battles. We never worshipped him as a god, but over time, we gained a mutual respect. Like you, he's one of those who we count as - Issandros@anncaris:- honourary Guardians, even though he's never joined with the World Tree. With his help, we stopped several enemy advances and was one of the few times in our history we managed to push back - Issandros@anncaris:- against the Horde, even if it was just briefly." Keelah@crystyl:"No record of what became of him?" Issandros@anncaris:"He died. Pushed his luck too many times and tried to stop a big advance, like the one on Terminu. We wanted to whittle it down slowly with guerilla warfare, as we usually do, but that would've - Issandros@anncaris:- meant having to give up multiple inhabited systems and bases as the Horde fleet advanced. Ar-Rhys got ambitious, thought he could stop it head-on. Whole Guardian chapter that fought with him - Issandros@anncaris:- followed him. None of them came back. Strong as he was, his power had limits. Over his time with us, we learned that the weapon he used wasn't actually his, but made for his father, the strongest - Issandros@anncaris:- of his people and their leader. He could barely control it, and it took a lot out of him every time he tapped into its full power." Keelah@crystyl:"Made for his... father?" Issandros@anncaris nods, "He called him king of the gods. Ziuz, or something like that. Apparently he and several others returned to their homeworld and faded away. But others like Ar-Rhys refused to go out like - Issandros@anncaris:- that. After his father was gone, he claimed his weapon and took to the stars to seek battles worthy of him." Keelah@crystyl:"It really could be them then..." she muses. "What do you know of the weapon, moreso; it's fate after his demise?" Issandros@anncaris:"None of us could wield it, so we ended up...destroying it, I think. Or tried to, so at least the Horde won't get their hands on it," he sips his drink before setting it down, "Give me a minute to - Issandros@anncaris:- draw upon the Tree's knowledge, and then I can give you the specifics." Keelah@crystyl nods, "Take your time" leaning back and sipping her drink. Briefly distracted by curiosity to observe this practice Issandros@anncaris leans back on the sofa, closing his eyes. He remains still for a good few minutes in what seems to be a meditative trance Issandros@anncaris finally opens his eyes a short while later, leaning forward again, "Yeah, we tried to destroy it. We only managed to reclaim the site of their last stand almost two decades after they died. - Issandros@anncaris:- We found shattered pieces of Ar-Rhys' helmet and spear, and the lightning weapon embedded in the ground surrounded by Horde machinery. They clearly tried to reclaim it but weren't able to. The - Issandros@anncaris:- Guardian that tried to touch it got vapourized. We knew we couldn't hold the system forever though; it was only a matter of time till the Horde made another push and drove us back yet again." Issandros@anncaris:"We couldn't beam the weapon to a ship- its energy was off the charts and overloaded any transporter that tried. But we couldn't leave it there either, even though the Horde had just as much luck - Issandros@anncaris:- as we did, given more time, they might've found a way. So we brute forced it. Cut the whole continent out of the planet and nudged it into the sun with a whole fleet of tractor beams, then got - Issandros@anncaris:- out of there fast. Resulting explosion devastated subspace for ten light years. Made the whole area inaccessible to warp. At the heart of that, the star we hurled the thing into collapsed into a - Issandros@anncaris:- black hole, something from which nothing could escape." Keelah@crystyl hrms, "That certainly is quite the decisive action..." Issandros@anncaris:"You know us. We do whatever it takes to stop the Horde. When it became clear that our scientists couldn't find a way to harness the weapon safely for ourselves, asset denial became the next - Issandros@anncaris:- priority. If the Horde harnessed it, we're in big trouble. Of course, the Horde kept trying; when they retook the area about half a century later, they pushed their way to the black hole at - Issandros@anncaris:- sublight. Even built a small station around it. Ranger ships often patrol the area, and every once in a while one sends a probe on the long sublight journey to check the station. Doesn't look like the - Issandros@anncaris:- Horde had any luck, and they've lost interest over the years too. Last stealth probe came back half a century ago and showed the station's totally deserted." Keelah@crystyl:"Well it appears that the Architect has other ideas" Issandros@anncaris:"I assume that's why you called me here? Architect's shown an interest in Ar-Rhys and his weapon?" Keelah@crystyl nods, "We have received inside information which suggests he has become aware of - and focused on - this artifact. Which would lead me to believe that no only does he have good reason to believe it - Keelah@crystyl:- has survived, but that he has a means to recover it" Issandros@anncaris:"Even if he has some means to retrieve something from the inside of a black hole- no way he can get it out in time. Carran knowledge of subspace tunnels won't help because the explosion echoed - Issandros@anncaris:- through subspace too and it's all a mess. You can't sustain a warp field in a ten light year radius around the black hole. That means forty /years/ of travel time at full impulse, one way in or - Issandros@anncaris:- out of the region. The Rangers' probes take a century to make a round trip." Keelah@crystyl thinks a moment on all of this, "That aftermath... sounds remarkably like an Omega detonation..." Issandros@anncaris:"You mean the molecules that power the sphere? Keelah@crystyl nods, "Yes, exactly that. So what if... the Architect isn't looking for that weapon itself, but rather looking to weaponize the Omega here in a similar fashion...?" Issandros@anncaris:"If he does that, wouldn't it disrupt his control over the Horde? Thought he needed all the power to fuel what he's doing to keep them under his control." Issandros@anncaris raises the PADD, "Where'd you get the intel on Ar-Rhys and his weapon, anyways?" Keelah@crystyl:"I thought so as well..." she looks back, "From the mind of my officer who's body he hijacked when we arrived here. She is still conscious in there and reaches out to us when she becomes aware of - Keelah@crystyl:- anything pertinent from the mind of the Architect. Like the subspace corridor routes we had to track the Horde vanguards through" Issandros@anncaris:"Seems to be a very roundabout way of telling you about the molecules in the Sphere, when there's easier ways to do it. If she's showing you Ar-Rhys' weapon, I think it's got something to do with - Issandros@anncaris:- that specifically. She didn't give you complex riddles when she told you about the subspace corridor routes, did she?" Keelah@crystyl:"No, which is why I first focused on the weapon. But it is possible that she is limited to what she can show us as it always seems to be events seen through the eyes of a thrall" Issandros@anncaris:"But if the Architect's trying to do something with the molecules here, he's got to be using thralls for...something. She could show you what exactly they're doing, the technical data and all that. - Issandros@anncaris:- Much more useful information than a historical battle where the molecules might've been used." Keelah@crystyl:"Your logic is sound" she smiles. "Which then just begs the question as to what has him focused on it now, and perhaps moreso; what we can do about it" Issandros@anncaris:"Well, best place to start would be the black hole. If the weapon was removed or is being removed, that's the last point we knew it to be at, and that's the only place to start the search." Issandros@anncaris:"You can't get to it through warp, and the subspace rupture would've shifted whatever corridors were in the area, if there were any leading right to the black hole. But with the right compensation, - Issandros@anncaris:- your wormhole ship might be able to open a wormhole into it. That'll save you eighty years." Keelah@crystyl smiles, "That would help. I will speak with the Observer about a recon mission. Meanwhile, we should pool our scientific resources and see if we can get any fresh ideas on retrieval" Issandros@anncaris:"I don't think retrieval's going to be the problem. If it's still in the black hole, we've got nothing to worry about. Horde don't have your wormhole tech; even if they got a way to recover it, by - Issandros@anncaris:- the time they get it out, we'll be long finished here in the Sphere. What I'm afraid of is that the Horde's already moved the weapon and is in the process of transporting it here." Keelah@crystyl nods, "There is clearly something going on to that effect for the architect to be focused on it now" Issandros@anncaris:"Exactly. The Horde monitoring station's deserted now, but it's been gathering sensor data on the black hole since it was built to when it stopped functioning. Could be data there that gives a clue - Issandros@anncaris:- to what happened, maybe why the Horde abandoned the station." Keelah@crystyl hrms and smiles, "Fortunately, I know someone who happens to revel in such tasks" Issandros@anncaris:"Who could that be?" Keelah@crystyl:"Commander Leveson-Scott. Honestly, I don't think she'd forgive me if I didn't turn to her for a mission to steal intel from an impenetrable location deep behind enemy lines" she chuckles lightly Issandros@anncaris chuckles, "I'll give you all the data we have on the region. You'll probably need it to calibrate the wormhole ship for a proper jump. Subspace rupture probably - Issandros@anncaris:- means things won't behave as expected. Hopefully a jump's still possible, but if it is, I don't anticipate it being easy." Keelah@crystyl:"Indeed. We'll assess the situation and see what we can do to get a recon mission out. Meanwhile, we should update the battlegroup command" Issandros@anncaris nods, "We'll keep an eye out on the omega generators here in the Sphere, just in case the Architect is looking to try something there." Keelah@crystyl:"It certainly can't hurt. One of the facilities we recently saw action at was in the midst of all of that after all, so it could be that he suspects we've making a similar move and now looks to - Keelah@crystyl:- counter it" Issandros@anncaris:"Anything else you want to know about Ar-Rhys, or got enough to work with now?" Keelah@crystyl:"I think that's sufficient for now, thank you" she smiles. "It would not hurt to furnish the Commander with all available information still, so if you could see your way to making everything you can- Keelah@crystyl:- available to her, I would appreciate it" Issandros@anncaris finishes his drink and stands, "I'll gather up all the data we have and give it to her." Keelah@crystyl:"Thank you again" --- Issandros@anncaris steps into the room where Mischa is doing her research shortly after his conversation with Keelah Mischa@crystyl glances back at hearing the door, "Well, isn't this quite the surprise visit. Let me guess; you've been visiting with Keelah and have managed to come up with an idea?" Issandros@anncaris:"That's right. She thought I should give you all the intel you need to work with, since you'll probably be going along." Mischa@crystyl turns with an entertained smile, "Going along? Does our illustrious Captain finally have an excuse to get rid of me?" she chuckles Issandros@anncaris smirks, "She put it more like a dangerous mission behind enemy lines, just your sort of thing." Mischa@crystyl grins, "It certainly sounds like it. So what is it that I need to know?" Issandros@anncaris:"This weapon you're looking for, the Guardians tried to destroy it long ago, after Ar-Rhys fell in battle. We hurled it into a star and the subsequent explosion, as Keelah pointed out, had an effect - Issandros@anncaris:- like what would happen if one of the omega molecules here detonated. Almost a full ten light year region around the star where you can't form a stable warp field." Mischa@crystyl:"So my theory about the warriors identity was right... I imagine such a detonation would have collapsed the star as well, yes?" Issandros@anncaris nods, "We were hoping to destroy the weapon, since we couldn't find a way to bring it with us and didn't want the Horde to have access to it. The explosion turned the star into a black hole, and - Issandros@anncaris:- if the weapon wasn't destroyed, it would've been trapped inside that black hole with no way out." Mischa@crystyl:"Sounds pretty decisive so far. Obviously there's a punchline to this" Issandros@anncaris:"Well we thought it was contained too. We know the Horde pushed their way up to the black hole and built a station there, but far as we knew, they never found a way to get the weapon out. But - Issandros@anncaris:- if the Architect's showing an interest, it has to mean they've gotten the weapon out somehow. If there's any answers to this, the best place to look for them would be that monitoring station, - Issandros@anncaris:- which has been scanning the black hole and its vicinity up till the Horde decided to shut it down for whatever reason." Mischa@crystyl:"Let me guess this straight; Keelah expects me to travel to the rim of a black hole - likely deep within enemy territory - to retrieve intel which we hope is there and will give us a clue as to our - Mischa@crystyl:- next move?" Issandros@anncaris:"It's the only lead we got. Normal journey would take you decades at impulse, but I'm hoping your wormhole ship can travel through the subspace mess." He hands her a PADD Mischa@crystyl takes it with a curious glance at the detail, "And a blind jump halfway across the galaxy to boot? It's the suicide mission to end all suicide missions" she grins Issandros@anncaris:"This is the data we collected on the region. Hopefully it'll make your jump a little less blind. You've got all the coordinates you need, but I have a feeling it won't be as easy as opening a - Issandros@anncaris:- wormhole to a regular area of space. You might need to account for the subspace rupture, but we've got plenty of data on the specific effects of the rupture from our extensive recon there." Mischa@crystyl:"Sadly not my area of expertise, I would have to defer to the Observer's judgement on the feasibility of the jump" Issandros@anncaris:"You'll probably want to show it to her, then. I've included our historical files on Ar-Rhys on there too, though the files aren't quite as detailed as the World Tree's memories. So if you want - Issandros@anncaris:- to know something that's not in the records, make sure to ask a Guardian before you set off on your mission, assuming the jump's possible." Mischa@crystyl:"I see. So your connection with the Tree allows you access to a collective memory of sorts?" Issandros@anncaris:"Something like that. We've still got to take the time to process the information ourselves, and we have to learn new skills the same way you do. It's more like a..." he glances around, "...database - Issandros@anncaris:- we can draw information from through our minds. I could request the coordinates of a star for example, but it won't make me an astronomer." Mischa@crystyl nods, "I believe I understand. Thank you for this, it should make a fine complement to my own research. Even if just from a historical point of view, it is rare to encounter such accurate - Mischa@crystyl:- detail on figures who - until relatively recently - we believed to be nothing more than the constructs of the simpler minds of our ancestors" Issandros@anncaris:"So you're familiar with Ar-Rhys' people?" Mischa@crystyl nods, looking back to the collection of images and data on her screen, "Like many Children species, mine was one visited upon by them during our earlier years of cognitive development" Issandros@anncaris:"He claimed his people ruled as gods- I presume yours was one of the civilizations he ruled over?" Mischa@crystyl nods, "Many of them did according to the... colourful history records of that era. They positioned themselves as Gods over less developed species like ours. A couple of centuries ago, Starfleet - Mischa@crystyl:- encountered a survivor of the race; the one we knew as Apollo. Through him we learned of their true nature and eventual demise. We also learned that it was part of their physiology which meant - Mischa@crystyl:- their seemingly divine lifespan was directly fed by the emotional energy of reverence, which is why they did what they did" Mischa@crystyl adds, "Though it remains speculation as to whether they evolved this nature because of the way they were, or they were that way because of a naturally evolved physiology" Issandros@anncaris:"That lines up with what we know of Ar-Rhys. He was powerful when the Guardians first met him, but as we respected him more and more after his victories, he seemed to grow in power. But even then, - Issandros@anncaris:- his power seemed to have a limit, and he eventually took on a force too strong for him." Mischa@crystyl nods, "Indeed. Though we have had limited direct encounters beyond Apollo, at least that we can be certain of, we of course found the final resting place of the one we knew as Poseidon; where- Mischa@crystyl:- Keelah's crew recovered the Trident artifact that the Architect now uses to channel his control over the Horde here" Issandros@anncaris:"This Poseidon must've been one of the ones who refused to fade away on their homeworld, like Ar-Rhys claims happened to his father, the leader of their people." Issandros@anncaris:"Ar-Rhys knows he was not the only one who left, but he didn’t know what became of the others." Mischa@crystyl nods, "Most of the race followed but a few like Apollo and Poseidon, and apparently Ares opted to remain among the Children and attempt to prolong their reverence" Issandros@anncaris:"This weapon he used against the Horde which the Architect's looking for now, he said it wasn't originally his, but made for his father. He only claimed it after his father faded away on their - Issandros@anncaris:- homeworld, and he looked like he struggled to control its full power. Don't know how relevant it is to you, but it might help." Mischa@crystyl nods, tapping to adjust the display, "That explains the inconsistencies as the described traits are more commonly associated with Zeus than Ares" Issandros@anncaris:"Oh and if you find it- don't touch it. A Guardian tried to do that and was vapourized.” Mischa@crystyl turns and chuckles, "Top tip right there" --- Keliaya@anncaris | Some time later, as the Observer prepares her craft, Kelly strolls into the hangar bay Keliaya@anncaris steps over towards the Observer's craft, "I heard you were getting ready for a difficult jump." Rianni@crystyl peeks out from the rear of the ship, "Oh hello Commander. Yes, it would seem that once again at least my ship is proving to be a useful addition here" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa peers out from the inside, "Now you know that's just not true. You are valued here as well" Keliaya@anncaris smiles, "That you are! You went on the mission to deal with the Corporations with Mischa, and did a good job from all I'm hearing!" Rianni@crystyl hrms, "I suppose so. It is just... difficult sometimes, being here alongside my template. There is no precedent for this situation so I have no guidance in my memory for it" Keliaya@anncaris:"I can imagine. But I don't think we'd be where we are now without you either, and I'm pretty sure everyone else on the crew, including your template, knows that too. You're an important part of - Keliaya@anncaris:- the crew now, and distinctly from the other Rianni." Rianni@crystyl:"Still feels like it would be easier if everyone didn't just see her when they look at me..." she sighs. "I'm sorry, I don't me to sound dejected, I am of course quite content to be here helping" Keliaya@anncaris:"Technically, quite a few of us, including me, met you before we met your template. So I'm not sure whether we're seeing her when we look at you, or seeing you when we look at her. But I don't - Keliaya@anncaris:- think that helps. Anyways, what's this difficult jump I'm hearing about?" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa: "We're following up on the lead you gave us from Eva" Keliaya@anncaris:"I thought as much. The Guardians give you a good place to look?" Rianni@crystyl:"'Good' isn't the first word that comes to mind with it" Keliaya@anncaris narrows her eyes, "Where exactly /are/ you going?" Rianni@crystyl:"Jumping blind into the disc of a black hole where we're hoping to find a Horde space station, that is deep inside their territory" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa grins, "You know, a typical fun day out" Keliaya@anncaris:"After all we've been doing out here...it's not far from that," she chuckles Rianni@crystyl:"It will certainly be interesting" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa smiles, "And your ship is only the beginning. I can honestly say that there's nobody I'd rather have with me for this" Keliaya@anncaris:"So it's just the two of you going on this mission? Planning to take anyone else along, or is the ship too small for that?" Rianni@crystyl:"More could technically fit if desired" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa smiles, "Of course, T'Lana will be along as well. That much is pretty much a given in any mission I go on these days" she chuckles Keliaya@anncaris chuckles, "Always helpful to have a Vulcan along!" Keliaya@anncaris looks to the Observer, "Anything I can do to help with your preparations, or?" Rianni@crystyl thinks a moment, "I don't think so... unless you happen to have more astrometric data on this black hole to help us plot the jump, there's not much anyone can do really" Keliaya@anncaris shakes her head, "I'm afraid Eva didn't furnish me with that information. Why did the Horde build a station around a black hole, anyways?" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa, "It was created by the Guardians to dispose of the weapon you saw Ares wielding in the vision. We determined that it was what Eva wanted to show you, and though we suspect that the Horde - Rianni@crystyl - may have already recovered it, or begun some process to. We hope to recover some intel from this station of theirs to steer us from here" Keliaya@anncaris:"Ahh, that makes sense. This weapon, it really is that dangerous, then?" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa: "You saw the vision. You tell us" Keliaya@anncaris:"Well, it destroyed over two dozen Horde ships at once, and it might have other uses in addition. Like generating power for the Trident..." Rianni@crystyl:"Even if not as a weapon directly against the Coalition, it could potentially unlock the sphere's Omega power from its current lockdown in sustaining his control. It could be a real game changer" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa waves a hand, "So yes, it really is that dangerous" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "I'll leave you two to it, then. Let me know if there's anything I can do!" Rianni@crystyl smiles, "Will do Commander, thank you!" Keliaya@anncaris smiles back and turns to head out --- T'Lana@anncaris | A short while later, Mischa, T'Lana and the Observer board the ship as they finish their calculations T'Lana@anncaris | The Observer gets the go-ahead from the VF to launch... Rianni@crystyl gets to work and launches from the hangar T'Lana@anncaris | The Spherescape comes into view as they emerge from the hangar and move away from the VF T'Lana@anncaris looks around the small craft, "Do all Junayd vessels look more or less like this but larger, or has this one specifically been tailored for your physiology?" Rianni@crystyl opens a small wormhole and casually pops through, turning back to TL and looking around some, "This vessel is consistent with Junayd aesthetics" she nods Rianni@crystyl looks to Mischa, "We will first jump to a safe region of space. The detailed astrometric readings we can get from there should optimize our accuracy for the final jump" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa nods, sitting back and reviewing her research T'Lana@anncaris:"An excellent plan," she looks over to Mischa, "Any new information that may be relevant to this mission?" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa shakes her head, "Nothing new above the initial briefing" T'Lana@anncaris nods, "Simply reviewing the intel we have so far, then?" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa: "Yes, you know me and unknowns. Not much I can do about most of them this time, but I can still brush up contextual evidence" she turns the PADD showing all her ancient history research T'Lana@anncaris:"It is far from solid intelligence, but many of the myths of these times were inspired by the figures we are dealing with now. I wish we had more information to work with as well, though we are - T'Lana@anncaris:- fortunate to have the Guardians and their access to a collective memory." Rianni@crystyl | Mischa: "Yes, very much so. And their accurate accounts provide me a cross check to validate these more... colourful historical references. I am hoping to find consistency in the common facts - Rianni@crystyl:- that could allow me to hypothesize based on the pure ancient reference" Rianni@crystyl turns, "That is quite the approach" T'Lana@anncaris:"Unfortunately, we often have to make do with what we possess, which may not be all the facts we need. Sometimes, one must deduce what remains with what is available." Rianni@crystyl | Mischa: "It's a long shot, I know. And I don't expect any results from it, but well, we have something of a journey so a little light reading is just in order anyway!" T'Lana@anncaris:"Precisely. Let us see what we can discern from these myths. Ares claimed that the weapon we seek originally belonged to his father and their leader. That would make it Zeus in your mythology, - T'Lana@anncaris:- correct?" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa nods, "That's right. How much do you know of it?" Rianni@crystyl turns, tucking her legs up under her like she's listening to storytime T'Lana@anncaris:"Only the basics. I believe that Zeus was the head of the Greek pantheon and thought to be the king of the gods. The thunderbolt is, if I am not mistaken, his primary symbol and weapon." T'Lana@anncaris reaches out for Mischa's PADD, "May I?" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa hands it over T'Lana@anncaris taps on the PADD, "Zeus was the brother of Poseidon and Hades, and the three divided up different domains to rule- Zeus over the sky and heavens, Poseidon over the seas, and Hades over the - T'Lana@anncaris:- underworld. Interesting...this here may be relevant." Rianni@crystyl:"You have something?" T'Lana@anncaris:"Zeus and his siblings overthrew the older generation of gods, known as titans, who were led by their father Chronos. During this conflict, Zeus freed the Cyclopes who aided in the conflict not - T'Lana@anncaris:- only by standing with Zeus, but forging an artifact for each of the three brothers- Zeus his lightning bolt, Poseidon his trident and Hades a cap of invisibility." Rianni@crystyl:"So these Cyclopes actually made the weapons? Were they another alien species involving themselves in undeveloped worlds then?" T'Lana@anncaris:"According to the myths, they were among the children of the first two entities in the universe, Gaia and Uranus. The titans were also their children, but the Cyclopes are typically depicted as - T'Lana@anncaris:- visually different from the titans and the other gods. That points to the possibility that they were another species, though it is also possible that the family relationship means that they were - T'Lana@anncaris:- another group of the same species, and the stories passed down through the ages simply took creative liberties with their appearance." Rianni@crystyl | Mischa: "It does make you wonder though, doesn't it; knowing what we know now. When you hear things like 'Children of the first' and such" T'Lana@anncaris:"Indeed. Perhaps there may be a connection present." Rianni@crystyl:"Do you think there is more of a connection as well in that this is another of their artifacts specifically. I mean, as opposed to being one belonging to Ares' species in general?" T'Lana@anncaris nods, "When the Enterprise encountered Apollo, they discovered a structure that was giving Apollo power, but while he was able to immobilize and likely carry out his threat of destroying a - T'Lana@anncaris:- 23rd century Constitution-class cruiser at full power, it was believed that his power was limited and he would likely have struggled if he had to confront more ships. Seeing as the Enterprise was - T'Lana@anncaris:- able to destroy the structure in the end with only one ship, the artifacts we are dealing with now are significantly more powerful. The thunderbolt destroyed a fleet of Horde vessels and the - T'Lana@anncaris:- Guardians had to throw it into a star in an attempt to destroy it, while the Trident survived a hit from the Valley Forge's phasers, which is more powerful than those from one and a half - T'Lana@anncaris:- centuries ago. I believe these artifacts in particular were emphasized for a reason." Rianni@crystyl:"I wonder if there's significance to these artifacts and their origin in particular. How after all this time, we're now looking at bringing two of them back together" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa peers over with a smirk, "If we end up hunting an invisibility hat as well. I call dibs" Rianni@crystyl pouts T'Lana@anncaris:"Perhaps. The only significance assigned to them in the myths, aside from being given to each of the leading gods, was their manufacture by the Cyclopes. Most objects of significance in these - T'Lana@anncaris:- stories were made by Hephaestus, god of craftsmanship and fire, who was a member of their pantheon. These three artifacts may indeed have been built not by Ares' species, but for them by an even - T'Lana@anncaris:- more advanced civilization, or they may have been built in collaboration with another civilization, as the Heart of War was by the Iconians and Nuhar." Rianni@crystyl | Mischa: "Interesting speculation, but I'm not sure if this line of speculation helps with our current mission" T'Lana@anncaris:"I do not believe it is particularly relevant. We are seeking these artifacts after all, not their creators." Rianni@crystyl | Mischa: "Indeed. That's not to say it isn't relevant though, we just have to maintain focus" T'Lana@anncaris nods, tapping on the PADD some more, "It is said that the thunderbolt symbol in these myths was exclusive to Zeus. While other figures have been depicted using the trident or cap of invisibility, - T'Lana@anncaris:- no other deity has ever shared the thunderbolt. That lines up with what the Guardians said about Ares having difficulty controlling its full power, and the inability of members of other species - T'Lana@anncaris:- among the Guardians of even holding it." Rianni@crystyl:"So how in the stars has the Architect managed to figure out a way...?" T'Lana@anncaris:"That is a mystery we will have to uncover. Perhaps with the Trident under his control, he is able to devise a method to tap into the thunderbolt's power as well?" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa: "Certainly a possibility. Or perhaps the Progenitors play a larger part in this mythology than we suspected" Rianni@crystyl:"Gaia and Uranus?" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa shrugs, "With all we know, can we truly rule it out?" T'Lana@anncaris nods, "That is a possibility as well." T'Lana@anncaris | Soon, the Observer's ship exits the wormhole on the edge of the intraversable region Rianni@crystyl turns back to her controls, "I just need a short time to replot the stellar cartography" T'Lana@anncaris:"Take all the time you require. This is a dangerous jump, after all. We have limited data on the results of omega detonation due to the difficulty of traversing the wake of the explosion. Like this - T'Lana@anncaris:- region, the Lantaru sector can only be crossed at sublight speeds, a journey that would take decades." Rianni@crystyl nods, "I will do all I can to prepare us for the jump. Just hope that this does not turn out to be a one way trip as I can not guarantee the conditions when we emerge; even if it is an impossible - Rianni@crystyl:- region to survive in, the circumstances may have unforeseen impacts on my drive systems" T'Lana@anncaris:"It is a risk we are all aware of. Do what you are able to minimize it." Rianni@crystyl nods as she works, "Though it is the Junayd Observers to be reproducible, as I was. My template is no longer available and I have no intention of expiring again" T'Lana@anncaris | After a little bit of work, the Observer manages to calculate a jump around the damaged subspace of the region... Rianni@crystyl finishes her work, "Ok, that's everything set" she looks to Mischa, "On your order, Commander" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa looks between the two and nods, "Let's go. And don't worry, I have no intention of losing you again" Rianni@crystyl smiles and nods, turning to her console, "Initiating wormhole" T'Lana@anncaris | The ship enters the wormhole. There is a little turbulence on the journey, but it is over before long, as even with the roundabout passing, 10 light years is not much to cross at all for a - T'Lana@anncaris:- wormhole T'Lana@anncaris | As they emerge, the black hole comes into view... T'Lana@anncaris FX | https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/d/d7/Talosian_black_hole.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20190309000019&path-prefix=en Rianni@crystyl | Mischa leans in, staring out at the ominous view with a hand on Observer's shoulder, "I knew you could do it" T'Lana@anncaris | The Observer however quickly realizes that something is wrong- the black hole's gravity is stronger than it should be, and even at their current range, they're already stuck in its - T'Lana@anncaris:- gravitational pull! Rianni@crystyl shakes her head, hastily working the controls, "We're not through this yet Commander. Gravitational fields are far stronger than predicted, we're already being drawn in. Attempting to compensate" T'Lana@anncaris steps over to a console, "These seem to be tachyon and tetryon readings, in extremely high volume. I believe subspace may be seeping into our space at the heart of the rupture. We should be well - T'Lana@anncaris - away from the black hole's gravity to not be in danger, but the presence of subspace has altered the way physics is behaving." T'Lana@anncaris | The Observer finds the gravity is indeed too strong for the range they are at, and the craft is unable to compensate enough to break away Rianni@crystyl:"That is correct, I am unable to compensate. If we can not recover, I will have to take us back out" T'Lana@anncaris:"Do we have the power to try again?" Rianni@crystyl:"Escape is our only option if we can't evade the gravity" T'Lana@anncaris taps on her PADD, "Calculating by the current gravitational pull...the new gravitational equations suggest that we are already too far in to break free of the gravity. It seems we have no other - T'Lana@anncaris:- choice, then." Rianni@crystyl nods, "Executing emergency jump" T'Lana@anncaris | Another wormhole forms and the craft enters through it. The journey goes as usual at first, before suddenly the turbulence sets in, this time stronger than ever. The craft seems to be veering - T'Lana@anncaris:- off course inside the wormhole as well... Rianni@crystyl fights with the controls to maintain stability T'Lana@anncaris | All the Observer is able to do is keep the craft from tearing apart. Ahead, their wormhole seems to end, but they don't emerge out into regular space, instead finding themselves hurtling - T'Lana@anncaris:- through another tunnel, this one dark and ominous rather than the more calm swirling of the wormholes created by the Observer's craft Rianni@crystyl:"I have lost navigation, we are out of control!" T'Lana@anncaris | After a minute of travelling through this new tunnel, the craft finally emerges back into real space. The dark, ominous looking 'wormhole' closes behind them, leaving them in the midst of an - T'Lana@anncaris:- unfamiliar system... Rianni@crystyl scrambles to bring overloaded systems under control, stretching and ducking all around the cockpit to reach lesser used redundancies, "Is everyone in one piece?" T'Lana@anncaris nods, "I am physically unharmed. Commander?" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa nods, steadily recovering her position, "I am fine. What happened?" T'Lana@anncaris:"I am...uncertain. I believe the damaged subspace in the region intersected our wormhole and pulled us into a different passage." Rianni@crystyl shakes her head, "Unknown anomaly. Hypothesis; wormhole reaction to subspace damage in the region as before, but the aperture allowed the extreme gravity to impact it" T'Lana@anncaris | As systems start coming online, the Observer sees four vessels moving into the system towards them. Judging by the assortment of shapes and lifeforms on board, they're most likely Horde ships... Rianni@crystyl:"Commander, we have multiple Horde ships moving on us" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa: "I don't suppose we're in any shape to make another emergency jump?" Rianni@crystyl shakes her head, "Sublight evasive, that's the best I can do until systems are restored" T'Lana@anncaris:"We have four minutes until intercept. Restore what systems you can in the meantime. Is there anything we are able to do to assist?" Rianni@crystyl:"Do what you can for tactical and core systems. I'll try and get the wormhole generator back in sync" she hurries to the back of the room T'Lana@anncaris nods and gets to work. After 2 minutes, she announces, "I have communications back online. Tactical should be ready before they arrive. Shall we send out a distress call?" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa: "It couldn't do any harm" T'Lana@anncaris:"Distress call away. Continuing to restore tactical systems now." T'Lana@anncaris | Another minute passes, and it's clear the Observer can't get the wormhole generator ready in time, and sublight evasive might be the only option... Rianni@crystyl returns to the front, "It is not repairable in the time allotted. I will attempt to evade them at sublight, as my armaments are minimal" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa slides into an adjacent seat, "I'll do what I can with them" T'Lana@anncaris | The Horde ships come into view, one large cruiser staying in the rear and currently out of weapons range as a frigate and two raiders close in first to intercept the small craft... Rianni@crystyl does her best to evade any target locking, "Commander T'Lana, is there anything in the system we can use?" T'Lana@anncaris taps on her console, "We are close to the sixth planet. The rings around it may provide additional cover." Rianni@crystyl checks her readouts, "Altering course" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa, "We can use this to our advantage if you lure them in" T'Lana@anncaris | The Horde ships begin opening fire, chasing close behind as the Observer's craft heads towards the rings T'Lana@anncaris | One of the shots come close, flying just past them as the Observer evades Rianni@crystyl | Mischa provides covering fire from the minimal rear weapons while the Observer continues evasive flying T'Lana@anncaris | The weapons don't seem to make much of a dent on the shields of the Horde ships, and do little to ward them off as they close in, firing more aggressively T'Lana@anncaris | One of the shots glance them this time, causing the craft to shake Rianni@crystyl continues into the rings T'Lana@anncaris | As they begin to near the sixth planet, before they have a chance to dive into the rings, another ship suddenly appears in front of them T'Lana@anncaris FX | https://i.imgur.com/AHTSpt9.png Rianni@crystyl quickly evades the closer-than-comfortable arrival, turning a sharp 90 degrees and skimming the gargantuan hull Rianni@crystyl | Mischa peers out, "What the... is that...?" T'Lana@anncaris | The three pursuing Horde vessels behind them immediately crumble up like sheets of aluminum foil. The Horde cruiser begins to make a retreat, but is pulled in towards the new arrival T'Lana@anncaris | The cruiser soon suffers the same fate, becoming little more than a ball of debris before its core detonates in a flash, vapourizing all the debris which had been crumpled around the core by a - T'Lana@anncaris:- sudden gravitational force T'Lana@anncaris nods, "That appears to be a Regulator vessel. And they are hailing us." Rianni@crystyl taps at her screen, "Regulator vessel, your timing is most fortuitous" T'Lana@anncaris | A male Regulator with his helmet active appears on the screen, "This is Supervisor 9055-256-024 of Regulator Vessel 103-9061-07. Identify yourselves." Rianni@crystyl | Mischa steps in, "Commander Leveson-Scott with the Coalition frontline battlegroup. We were on a priority mission behind Horde lines when we got thrown off course by an anomaly" T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "I am not familiar with a Commander Leveson-Scott, nor any Coalition forces with technology similar to your vessel. You appear to have several systems offline. We are taking you on - T'Lana@anncaris:- board to check for Horde influence. If you are clear, we will assist with your system restoration." Rianni@crystyl | Mischa: "Very well" T'Lana@anncaris | The Observer's craft finds itself slowly pulled into one of the Regulator ship's hangars. Before long, there is a thud as they land T'Lana@anncaris looks to Mischa, "I am also unfamiliar with a Vessel 103-9061-07 currently with the Coalition, but this is unmistakably Regulator technology." Rianni@crystyl:"Am I the only one who has a bad feeling from the way he said he doesn't know of any Coalition vessel like this..." Rianni@crystyl | Mischa: "It is no surprise for your technology to be unfamiliar to them, and you know what Regulators are like. but no... you are not the only one with a bad feeling about it" T'Lana@anncaris | A message pops up through comms as they land, requesting that they disembark Rianni@crystyl stands, "I guess that means they want us to head out" Rianni@crystyl | Mischa mutters, "They could have just knocked. Remain wary, they do not trust us so will take little provocation" T'Lana@anncaris | They step out of the Observer's craft to find six Regulators in front of them. One steps up to each of them silently, simply looking them up and down, then sharing glances with each other T'Lana@anncaris | One of the Regulators in the back finally speaks after a long silence, "Follow me." Mischa@crystyl perks a brow, "I'll take that to mean you're satisfied" she didn't pose it as a question T'Lana@anncaris | The Regulator doesn't reply, silently leading the way T'Lana@anncaris | The trio is led into a small, fairly minimalist office where a Regulator male sits. The Regulator that leads them stays outside, though gestures for the three to enter Mischa@crystyl heads in, standing before the boss T'Lana@anncaris | The Supervisor speaks as they enter, "Have a seat. I assume by our initial conversation that you don't know where you are?" Mischa@crystyl sits, "Thank you. And yes, we had not yet had the opportunity to recover by the time you intercepted the Horde" T'Lana@anncaris | The Supervisor nods, "Understandable. You have scanners on you?" Mischa@crystyl nods, presenting her tricorder T'Lana@anncaris | The Supervisor shakes his head, "Not for me. /On/ me. Run a quantum scan on me. Or anything in this room." Mischa@crystyl narrows her eyes at what he seemingly already knows as she flicks open the tricorder and begins scanning T'Lana@anncaris | The scan results come back, showing a clearly different quantum signature T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "Now on yourself." Mischa@crystyl does so and shows the readings to the others as she looks back, "Well. This is inconvenient" T'Lana@anncaris | Scans of the team meanwhile give a quantum dating of around -150.. Mischa@crystyl | The Observer frowns, "A negative quantum reading? But that doesn't make sense..." T'Lana@anncaris:"It means we are no longer in our own timeframe as well." T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "Correct. You show no signs of Horde influence and have implants that are clearly designed to defend against it, so I believe your claims that you are a member of the Coalition of - T'Lana@anncaris:- your universe" T'Lana@anncaris | The Supervisor leans forward, "The question is, how did you arrive here, and was it intentional?" Mischa@crystyl shakes her head, "It was certainly not intentional. I do not know how comparable our universe's are, but our mission was to a black hole created by the Guardians to destroy an ancient artifact of a- Mischa@crystyl:- being they called Ar-Rhys, or Ares in our tongue" T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "If such an artifact exists here, we have not yet been made aware of its existence. I assume the black hole had something to do with the anomaly you arrived through?" Mischa@crystyl nods, "We suspect so, yes. We arrived at the black hole to find gravitational eddies far in excess of predictions. We executed an emergency escape, but the wormhole was affected by the anomalous - Mischa@crystyl:- nature of the black hole. Then we ended up here" T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "Show me where this black hole is located on your starcharts." Mischa@crystyl takes back the tricorder and taps some to show the charts before handing it across the desk T'Lana@anncaris | The Supervisor takes the tricorder, activating his helmet as he checks it out. "Thank you. Explain to me one thing- I recognize your species, and though the technology is more advanced than - T'Lana@anncaris:- your civilization currently has here in this universe at this point in time, I can see some points of consistency, enough to make it seem like a feasible evolution over time. But your ship, it's - T'Lana@anncaris:- not like your technology, here in this universe or what you brought with you," he raises the tricorder Mischa@crystyl:"That's because it is not of my peoples making. It is not my ship even, it is hers" she looks to the Observer who glances back briefly T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "She's a member of your species, is she not? A Human?" Mischa@crystyl | Observer, "Technically I am, but that is because I was created to Observe them as candidates to establish first contact with. My creators are called Junayd" T'Lana@anncaris | The Supervisor nods, retracting his helmet again Mischa@crystyl:"So do you recognize that region of space?" T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "Yes and no. It's in Horde territory, as you said, but the Administration has no further details. We'll return to the Sphere and consult the rest of the Coalition, specifically the - T'Lana@anncaris:- Guardians. Your people are there as well- they are not precisely 'your' people, but members of your civilization in our universe. It is likely you share a common history with them to the point of - T'Lana@anncaris:- divergence between our universes, whatever that may be, and they could be better suited to brief you on the situation here as we are returning anyways." T'Lana@anncaris:"Curious. If we are indeed 150 years into the past, then first contact between the Federation and the Regulators and the formation of the Coalition occurred significantly earlier in this universe." T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "Like I said, we have limited data on your history." Mischa@crystyl nods, "Very well. Eager as I am to find a way home and complete our mission, I am not blind to the opportunity of studying the parallels in the hope of learning new information that may assist us" Mischa@crystyl:"Indeed, I will happily share knowledge on this" T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "Likewise. If you're looking for an artifact that could help with your war effort, it may also assist ours as well. Come with me." T'Lana@anncaris | The Supervisor stands and activates his helmet, stepping out Mischa@crystyl stands and turns, "This may be an accidental occurrence, but that doesn't mean it can't be a beneficial one. to us both" she smiles faintly as she follows T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "Indeed. I assume you're familiar with the Regulators of your own universe?" Mischa@crystyl nods, "Yes, they are also key members of our Coalition. We also worked with them to develop our countermeasure implants" T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "Our histories have that much in common, then. Does your Administration also field Survey Vessels equipped with mycelial displacement drives?" Mischa@crystyl nods, "Yes. I do not know how comparable the numbers are, but we have encountered such vessels" T'Lana@anncaris | The Supervisor leads them to the bridge of the ship, "This should be nothing new for you in that case. We are one such vessel and we will be commencing jump back into the Heart of War.” T'Lana@anncaris | The Supervisor makes his way to the centre of the bridge, leaning forward on a railing. The viewscreen, which still shows the debris of the destroyed Horde ships, soon changes view to the - T'Lana@anncaris:- familiar inside of the Heart of War... Mischa@crystyl:"I am curious to learn the state of affairs here" T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "If you have a Coalition, it may not be so different from how things are in our universe, though the Coalition may be composed of slightly different members." Mischa@crystyl:"What about the Horde presence within the Heart of War?" T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "The Architect betrayed us and seized control of the Sphere. We are attempting to take it back." Mischa@crystyl:"That much at least is consistent" T'Lana@anncaris | The Regulator vessel cruises through the Sphere at sublight. They pass by a few vessels with familiar silhouettes resembling Colonial Fleet and Lodzki designs, though many of the specific - T'Lana@anncaris:- classes are clearly different. One Lodzki class appears to be identical to one seen in Mischa's universe. Lupan ships soon come into view and are as varied as always, but still recognizably Lupan in appearance Mischa@crystyl takes in all the sights quietly as they progress T'Lana@anncaris | They pass by a number of completely unfamiliar designs as well, many of them perhaps Guardian ships, as the Guardians often show up with a medley of previously unseen ships in our universe too T'Lana@anncaris | A few minutes later, the Regulator ship slows down as they approach a ship with not only a design that is all too familiar, but a registry as well... T'Lana@anncaris FX | https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints/discovery-era-enterprise/11.jpg --- T'Lana@anncaris FX | https://blog.trekcore.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/header-213-discussion-enterprise.jpg T'Lana@anncaris | The camera cuts to the familiar bridge of the original USS Enterprise...or mostly familiar. It seems to resemble most closely the configuration it possessed in the late 2260s, though it is not - T'Lana@anncaris - entirely identical. Some elements of the bridge have clearly been altered, though it is not as drastic as the refit that would later entirely change the appearance of the ship. The bridge crew - T'Lana@anncaris:- and their uniforms, however, are still very much the same T'Lana@anncaris | Uhura: "Captain, the Regulator ship is hailing us." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Put them through." T'Lana@anncaris | The Regulator Supervisor appears on the viewscreen with his helmet deactivated T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Supervisor! What can we do for you today?" T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "We have rescued a vessel with a crew you may be interested in." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Oh?" T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "They are your people, from one and a half centuries in the future of another timeline, by your calendar." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "My people? From another timeline? Like the Mirror Universe?" T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "Correct. Two Humans and a Vulcan, to be precise. From what I have gathered so far, their timeline has not divulged as drastically, but it would appear contact between our - T'Lana@anncaris:- civilizations and the formation of the Coalition did not happen until very recently for them in their universe." T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Fascinating. I presume they travelled here by accident?" T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "That's what they claim, and I see no reason to doubt them. They say they were searching for an ancient artifact that the Guardians may have more information on. I'm going to - T'Lana@anncaris:- confer with the Guardians and send our guests over to you." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk nods, "Very well. Let me know if you learn anything." T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "Of course, I will keep you updated." T'Lana@anncaris | The comm ends and Kirk stands from the Captain's chair, "Spock, with me. Mr. Sulu, you have the bridge." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk and Spock steps into the transporter room, where Scotty is on the transporter console T'Lana@anncaris | Scotty: "They're ready to beam over, Captain." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk gives a nod and looks over to the transporter pad as Mischa, T'Lana and the Observer materialize... T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: “Welcome to the Enterprise, ladies. I’m Captain James Kirk, this is Spock, my First Officer, and Chief Engineer Scott.” Mischa@crystyl looks around at the oddly familiar setting and can't help but smile a little as steps off the pad, "Captain James T. Kirk, it is an honour to meet you Sir. I am Commander Mischa Leveson-Scott. This- Mischa@crystyl:- is my second in command Commander T'Lana, and the Observer" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "The...Observer? That's an unusual title." Mischa@crystyl smiles, "She's an unusual girl, but we can get into that later" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk nods, "Come with me," He sets out with Spock, leading the way through the halls T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Commander Leveson-Scott...you wouldn't happen to be a descendent of Scotty, would you?" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "A most illogical assumption, Captain. Scott is a common Earth surname." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "I know, Spock. I was trying to make small talk." Mischa@crystyl smiles, "And here I thought awkward small talk was more of an English tradition, not an Ohio one. But to answer your question, no; your Mr. Scott is not a part of my bloodline" Mischa@crystyl describes it in such a way to sound closer to the importance of a Klingon heritage than is typical of Humans T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Bloodline? Most inhabitants of Earth have not been concerned with tracking bloodlines since the time of the Third World War." Mischa@crystyl:"The Leveson-Scott family is one of the oldest families in our part of the world. Few remain to our present time, but they do exist beyond ours" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "I don't think I've heard about them, but we've been away from home for a long time now. You seem to know a lot about me, though. I never told you my middle name, or the fact that I was - T'Lana@anncaris:- raised in Ohio." Mischa@crystyl:"Information is my business. But you and your crew were pioneers of exploration in our universe, so you would be hard pushed to find a Starfleet officer who doesn't know of this Enterprise" Mischa@crystyl | Observer looks to Mischa, "Don't you have rules about revealing things and time travel?" Mischa@crystyl:"We do. But this situation is outside of those circumstances. We are in a disassociated timeline, and given the common goals we share with the people here I do not believe it would help either side - Mischa@crystyl:- play the usual elusive 'future spoilers' card" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "I presume our missions in your universe must have been quite different, seeing as we did not encounter the Regulators nor form the Coalition." Mischa@crystyl:"Indeed. From what I've learned so far, I suspect the divergent point came earlier in Starfleet's history. I believe in your universe, the experiments with Spore drive technology continued into - Mischa@crystyl:- mainstream use. That likely pushed you far beyond the regions that standard warp travel did in ours, and so accelerated your presence in this region" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "An interesting theory. You are correct in the regards that a spore drive is being developed as one of multiple potential transwarp technologies, but they have not yet been implemented - T'Lana@anncaris:- into standard use. As of our departure from Federation space, prototypes of the drive are being tested by Doctors Justin Straal and Paul Stamets onboard the USS Glenn and USS Discovery, with no - T'Lana@anncaris:- breakthroughs so far." T'Lana@anncaris | As they walk, they pass by two Arshai wearing red Starfleet uniforms Mischa@crystyl | Observer follows the conversation, "Wait, wasn't one of those the ship Emma came from?" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "We're the only Federation starship out here. We have no support from the rest of the fleet, and I've had to take in locals who were willing to enlist to replenish my crew. We were - T'Lana@anncaris:- originally on a mission to explore to the edge of our galaxy, maybe even beyond if we could, but we couldn't ignore the threat posed by the Horde once we found out about it. I assume we didn't - T'Lana@anncaris:- embark on such a mission in your history?" T'Lana@anncaris:"There is a record of a mission where the Enterprise encountered the galactic barrier, but you did not encounter the Horde." Mischa@crystyl:"No... but the parallels to our present circumstances are quite astounding" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk leads the way into the conference room and takes a seat, inviting the three to sit down as well, "So, what's the situation in your universe right now?" Mischa@crystyl:"From what I can tell, rather similar to yours presently. We are in a comparable position insofar as there being a single Starfleet vessel on exploration, and learning of the Horde to end up here. - Mischa@crystyl:- We recently found the Heart of War and were betrayed by the Architect who now controls the Horde remnants" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock raises a brow, "That does sound surprisingly similar." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Only that it happened to us a hundred and fifty years earlier. Why?" Mischa@crystyl:"That may well be a pertinent factor. Given the stark similarities here, I find it difficult to count the temporal variance as mere coincidence as well" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "You think our universes might be...closely linked to one another? Like the Mirror Universe?" Mischa@crystyl:"It is possible, though I am unaware of such circumstances which would also accomodate a temporal displacement" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Perhaps our present circumstances tie together our two points in history despite the temporal difference. The Heart of War is a facility of incredible power. It is possible something - T'Lana@anncaris:- regarding the Sphere's activation or usage has caused both our points in spacetime to become some sort of temporal nexus for our timelines." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Or maybe it's the Architect..." Mischa@crystyl nods, "I am inclined to agree with Commander Spock, though we can put nothing past the Architect at this point" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Not him, exactly, but Q. Q said something about this being our final judgement. Judgement Day, the Day of Resurrection, Ragnarok, the end of times. We know the Architect is the source - T'Lana@anncaris:- of the devil figure in many mythologies across the Federation, the whole galaxy, even. His return is supposed to herald the beginning of the end." T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "I do not know if it would be wise to take them so literally." Mischa@crystyl:"Especially where Q is involved. In our timeline it was almost a century from now before Starfleet learned of him, also that we learned of the Progenitors and our shared nature as Children species. - Mischa@crystyl:- Perhaps those two facts are more closely associated than anyone suspected. But Q is a juvenile trickster, even if his heart is in the right place most of the time. I would not put it past him to - Mischa@crystyl:- stage something like our accident to 'nudge' both of our paths together in order to steer the galaxy the way the Q want" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock nods, "What was the nature of this accident that brought you to our universe?" Mischa@crystyl:"Were were on a mission deep into Horde territory - to a black hole the Guardians created when attempting to destroy an artifact belonging to the unnamed species who served as the mythological Gods - Mischa@crystyl:- of many Children species. Tell me, did you encounter Apollo in this universe?" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Apollo...the Greek god? No, we haven't encountered him, but the artifact that the Architect's using now, we recovered it from the ruins of a civilization that my science officers - T'Lana@anncaris:- believe was ruled by an entity that once wielded the artifact, an entity that might've been tied to the old Greek gods." Mischa@crystyl nods, "Poseidon's Trident" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "He's done the same thing with it in your universe, I take it?" Mischa@crystyl:"Indeed. And it is another artifact of this species which we were searching for; Zeus' lightning spear. We learned that Ares - or Ar-Rhys - took it for himself when the rest of the race left this - Mischa@crystyl:- galaxy behind. He fought alongside the Guardians thousands of years ago to hold back the Horde. But he was unable to wield the power of the spear as well as Zeus, and eventually fell. The - Mischa@crystyl:- Guardians tried everything to recover the weapon, then destroy it. In the end out of desperation, they tore apart the planet where it lay and dragged a chunk of it into the star which they then - Mischa@crystyl:- forced into a black hole. If not destroyed, they figured that it would indefinitely protect it from the Horde. That is that black hole we approached when the accident sent us here" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Depending on when our timelines split, it is likely that the same black hole and weapon also exists in our universe." T'Lana@anncaris nods, "We may wish to determine where our histories divulged, and for what reason, if possible." Mischa@crystyl:"A reasonable deduction. Sadly, the Regulator Supervisor had no data on that region, but I hopeful that the Guardians here have a similar level of knowledge from the past as I would surmise they - Mischa@crystyl:- function the same way and can call on those memories from the World Tree" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk nods, "He's consulting with them now. While we wait for him, let's figure out just how different our universes are, like T'Lana suggested. You say you paused development on this spore - T'Lana@anncaris:- drive technology?" Mischa@crystyl:"More like... completely shut it down and buried all records of it so deeply that only a handful of us in service across the whole of Starfleet even have clearance to know of it" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Why? Did something go wrong with the project?" Mischa@crystyl:"Indeed. Stamets' team on the Discovery made startling, um, discoveries regarding the nature of the Mycelial network and the only means they had to effectively operate the drive was the abuse of a - Mischa@crystyl:- living being. They used it out of desperation beyond that a few times, but shortly after the Discovery was... 'lost', there was an incident on the Glenn - and that was enough for command of the - Mischa@crystyl:- time to bury all knowledge of it" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Perhaps the same is about to occur in our universe." Mischa@crystyl shakes her head, "Doubtful. You have others around you now with far greater experience of that technology to help and guide with it, so I would not be concerned" T'Lana@anncaris:"At the point you are currently at, this would have already occured in our own." T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "If that is the case, then your development of the technology must have been significantly accelerated." T'Lana@anncaris nods, "The project was pushed to the forefront due to the outbreak of the Klingon War, which was likely a major cause for all the accidents that occurred." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "The...Klingon War?" Mischa@crystyl:"Yes, /the/ Klingon war. Not our last with them either" ss T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "We've had skirmishes with the Klingons all the way back to Archer and the NX-01, but we've never had anything large enough to count as a war." Mischa@crystyl:"Sadly we have faced multiple conflicts with them by our time. Though the different circumstances here may well mitigate a lot of that" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "We ran into a Klingon expedition out here. We were at odds at first- they were working with the Lupan, and we were working with the Arshai. After the release of the Architect and the - T'Lana@anncaris:- formation of the Coalition, they joined us as allies." Mischa@crystyl:"What about the Nuhar Constructs, I assume they are also present here?" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "That is correct. It was no easy feat, but we were able to resolve their civil disputes for the common purpose of seeking and protecting the Foundries here in the Sphere." Mischa@crystyl:"Likewise. What about the Iconians?" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "We have the Sphere, and some of the technology from the other facilities we found, but the Iconians themselves are long gone." Mischa@crystyl:"Not in our universe, just in hiding. By our recent history, they returned and there was a terrible war against them before we resolved things. They were but a handful of survivors, grossly altered - Mischa@crystyl:- over time. There was however, a genetic archive here in the sphere which recreated a pure clone of one who is now helping us" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "We are aware of the Archive's capabilities, but we are unaware of altered survivors." Mischa@crystyl:"She was the last living curator of the archive. We believe when she determined that no more replacements were coming, she figured that her own people had fallen and so added herself to the archive - Mischa@crystyl:- to preserve the Iconian genome alongside all the others. It is quite likely that she is in your archive as well" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock nods, "We will look into the possibility of resurrecting the Iconians, preferably once the situation with the Architect is resolved." Mischa@crystyl:"Of course. It is worth keeping in mind though that her unique genome allows her control of elements within the sphere which other species do not. She could be an asset" Mischa@crystyl:"We were lucky enough to have Mia along when we first arrived here. She could emulate the Nuhar drones and gain sufficient control of things" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "We brought Nuhar along the second time we entered here. They were the ones that helped us activate the Foundries." Mischa@crystyl:"But back to the current point, we still need to determine the divergence point between our universes. What about your mission? It was well documented for us so we should be able to compare notes - Mischa@crystyl:- rather easily" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Our original mission was to explore the edge of the galaxy, see what's there and what lies beyond. The further we got from known space, the more and more rumours we began hearing about - T'Lana@anncaris:- the Horde, so we began to investigate. We never ended up reaching the galaxy edge, yet, at least." T'Lana@anncaris:"The Enterprise of our universe did indeed carry out such a journey, but they encountered the galactic barrier. What was the specific course you took?" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock pulls up the map of their route on the central computer T'Lana@anncaris examines the map, "That may explain the discrepancy between your mission and the one carried out by our Enterprise." T'Lana@anncaris looks to Mischa, "The Enterprise we know travelled a very specific route to avoid passing through the Klingon Neutral Zone due to the relatively recent war with the Klingons. That specific - T'Lana@anncaris:- course brought them to a section of the galactic rim that had not yet been taken by the Horde at the moment. In this universe, the Klingon War never occurred, and there never was a Neutral Zone - T'Lana@anncaris:- to circumvent." Mischa@crystyl:"That mission was also directed as a result of Captain Pike's incident" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Captain Pike's incident?" Mischa@crystyl:"Yes, a terrible fate unbefitting such a distinguished officer. Some telepathic aliens were involved and your mission was guided from the shadows to deliver Pike back to them so he could live out - Mischa@crystyl:- his days in happiness. That also led you to cross the galactic barrier and learn the extreme side effects at the cost of one Gary Mitchell, I think it was?" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "That has not occurred here. We received the unfortunate news of /Admiral/ Pike's passing approximately three years ago. A figure from Earth's distant past by the name of Khan Noonien - T'Lana@anncaris:- Singh was discovered to be alive in stasis. He hijacked the starship that awakened him and attempted to build his own empire, beginning with Earth. Pike was lost in the line of duty during his - T'Lana@anncaris:- initial surprise attack. Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell was also lost, but under very different circumstances." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Mitchell /is/ the Architect now." Mischa@crystyl:"Interesting. In our history, it was this ship that encountered the Botany Bay. So Mitchell is the one, the Architect also inhabits one of our colleagues in our timeline as well. The divergent point - Mischa@crystyl:- must be further back then. If Pike never encountered that planet, then circumstances earlier in his career must have been different somewhere along the line. This may still come back to the spore - Mischa@crystyl:- drive experiments as he and this ship became heavily involved up until the loss of the Discovery" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "That is possible. What was the route we took to the galactic rim in your universe?" T'Lana@anncaris taps on her PADD before patching it in to the computer T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Interesting. The path the Neutral Zone forced us to take seems perfectly designed to bring us just far enough away not to encounter the Horde. It is almost as if someone /engineered/ - T'Lana@anncaris:- the Neutral Zone in your universe so that the events triggered here would not occur for another one hundred and fifty years." T'Lana@anncaris:"To engineer such a specific political situation would require agents on both sides. I believe it is far more likely to be a coincidence." T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "It is an /extremely/ specific placement." Mischa@crystyl:"Remarkable, but not out of the question. I still find it hard to believe that the Horde could have been present within range of your early mission to have drawn attention when they are all the way - Mischa@crystyl:- out here in our universe" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Without the Klingon War and the neutral zone, the Federation naturally explored much further, and we took a different path that brought us out here." T'Lana@anncaris | The comm sounds and Kirk stands, stepping over to it Mischa@crystyl:"I suppose that's fair" she concedes the Vulcan T'Lana@anncaris:<C - Uhura> We have communications from the Regulator vessel. T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Patch them through here." He returns to the table and the visage of the Regulator Supervisor appears on the computer screen T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Any news, Supervisor?" T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "The Guardians confirm that they fought alongside a being of extraordinary power by the name of Ar-Rhys approximately two thousand years ago. Ar-Rhys was lost along with an entire - T'Lana@anncaris:- Guardian Chapter when he tried to stand against a large Horde advance and the Guardians attempted to dispose of his weapon in the same fashion, causing a black hole to form at the same coordinates.” T'Lana@anncaris:"It appears our histories are identical that far back." Mischa@crystyl:"So then, the black hole is also here. That means so is the weapon, and our way home" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Spock, if we study this black hole, do you think you can find a way back to their universe for our friends?" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "I will have to examine the black hole first." T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "The detonation of the weapon impacting the star has rendered the surrounding region inaccessible to your warp drives. You will not be able to reach it." Mischa@crystyl:"That is why we had to use the Observer's ship to approach it" T'Lana@anncaris nods, "Now that we are aware of the effects of the subspace anomaly, we can open a wormhole at a safe distance, one which the Enterprise can follow through as well." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "If that weapon was made by the same people who created the Trident, and it's still out there, it's in our best interests to find it. And the best way to do that is by examining the - T'Lana@anncaris:- black hole formed by the attempt to destroy it." Mischa@crystyl:"In our universe, the Guardians monitored a Horde station they built over the centuries of trying to recover it. Our goal was to reach this station and recover all available intel on their operation- Mischa@crystyl:- since our Architect recently turned his focus towards it" T'Lana@anncaris:"If our timelines did not diverge until recently, around the time of the First Klingon War, then the station will likely be present here as well." Mischa@crystyl:"That is my hope" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Let's go check it out, then." T'Lana@anncaris | Supervisor: "Your vessel is still in our hangar. Return when you are ready to launch." Mischa@crystyl:"If it is ok, I would like to remain on board the Enterprise. We tend to just be in the Observer's way anyhow" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk nods, "Of course, you're welcome to stay," he nods to the Observer, "Scotty can beam you back to the Regulator ship." Mischa@crystyl | Observer stands, "Thank you, Captain. I'll head back immediately and see to the repairs" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "You remember the way back to the transporter room, or should I send down an officer to guide you?" Mischa@crystyl | Observer shakes her head and smiles, "I have a perfect recollection, no need to trouble your staff!" she chirps, heading out Mischa@crystyl watches with a chuckle, "As I said before, she is a... special girl" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "So why /is/ she called the Observer?" Mischa@crystyl:"Despite her appearance, and anything a medical scanner even from our most advanced facilities will tell you, she is not Human. She is in fact a perfect artificially matured clone of a young girl - Mischa@crystyl:- who serves on the Starfleet ship which is in your position in our timeline. The Observer was made by a species called the Junayd; a sort of highly specialized infiltrator whose sole purpose is - Mischa@crystyl:- to 'become' a member of a civilization they consider as potential candidates to make first contact with. She replaced her template as a cadet and served for almost two years on a starbase in that - Mischa@crystyl:- role before circumstances led to her discovery and exposure" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Not unlike our own studies of pre-warp cultures, only far more elaborate." Mischa@crystyl:"Indeed. Sadly, Regional command did not take so kindly to being on the receiving end of such judgement. I will spare you the grizzly details, but suffice to say they were harsh in their judgement - Mischa@crystyl:- of the Observer. I was the Intelligence officer assigned to her prosecution before things fell apart" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "How is she here with you now, with her own ship?" Mischa@crystyl:"After that regrettable incident, the template girl was returned to us alongside this Observer. She was... I suppose, repurposed to act as an intermediary between the Junayd and Federation in an - Mischa@crystyl:- effort to salvage the situation in the face of a common enemy. Not long after this, the mission to the sphere commenced and we lost contact. She sought out the mission ship to ask for their help - Mischa@crystyl:- as the war had gotten worse for the Junayd and they faced extinction. She still believed in the Federation, but only trusted a select few who she deemed to embody the value she placed in the - Mischa@crystyl:- Federation, and in the species she was made to emulate" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "And that's why she works with you now- because you were assigned to her before and she trusts you?" Mischa@crystyl:"It is more fair to say that she trusts her template, and the Captain of that ship. However, we have grown closer since she joined us. We all helped save the Junayd, and they are now part of the - Mischa@crystyl:- Coalition though solely in support with the Arshai at Vue En where they can help most. The Observer - as a recon scout - was sent back out with our mission to the Heart of War in the hopes that - Mischa@crystyl:- her ship could provide an tactical advantage, and that is certainly has" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "The ability to generate wormholes precise enough for use in travel is very theoretical technology at the moment. Federation scientists are still far from working out even the formulae." T'Lana@anncaris nods, "And it is still not possible in our future." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk stands, "Come with me to the bridge. We'll get a chance to see this technology working firsthand, Mr. Spock." Mischa@crystyl smiles and stands, "My pleasure, Captain" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk begins leading the way out to the nearest turbolift, "As you've probably noticed by now, our ship's gotten quite a few modifications since we left Federation space. We've had to conduct - T'Lana@anncaris:- multiple repairs without Starfleet shipyards using what resources we had. Scotty still complains to no end about it every time, but I'm quite proud of his work." Mischa@crystyl:"As well you should be. It's the mark of a skilled engineer to not only keep a ship serviceable in these circumstances, but to evolve it accordingly" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk smiles, "We've had to upgrade the ship significantly. Our hull is almost completely rebuilt with Nuhar neutronium alloy and our main phaser banks replaced with their beam weaponry. The - T'Lana@anncaris:- other banks have been enhanced with Lodzki technology. The nacelles and deflector dish were overhauled at Vue-En, and we've made a few improvements to the warp engines with what we've learned on - T'Lana@anncaris:- this journey." Mischa@crystyl:"An impressive array of upgrades. Some which our exploration vessel shares even in our time, you might like to know" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Many civilizations in this region make use of remnants of Nuhar technology, which is more commonly found here than anywhere else in the galaxy. It would not be surprising that your - T'Lana@anncaris:- vessel has similarly capitalized on the resources at hand." Mischa@crystyl:"Technically not my vessel..." T'Lana@anncaris | They step into a turbolift and Kirk grabs one of the handholds on the side, "Bridge," he looks to Mischa, "You have more than one ship out here?" Mischa@crystyl nods, "Starfleet's exploration mission is a sole ship - the Valley Forge. The thing is, over the centuries since your pioneer 5-year mission, Starfleet has learned to be less cavalier with it's - Mischa@crystyl:- long range initiatives. And so, T'Lana and I followed about 3 months behind the Valley Forge with a discrete observational platform" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "I can see why. What I wouldn't give for some more Starfleet ships out here. Well, at least we have the Klingons. They know what they're doing when it comes to a fight." T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Ever since we have gotten past our initial differences, House Dronurr has been a most staunch ally." Mischa@crystyl:"Yes, the Valley Forge does have a Klingon raptor in support. We only revealed our presence to them when it was necessary to preserve their mission during the initial skirmish at the Heart of War" Mischa@crystyl looks to Spock, "Dronurr? Remarkable..." T'Lana@anncaris | Spock nods, "That is the House to which the expedition here belongs. I presume they were not allies with the Federation at this time in your history?" Mischa@crystyl shakes her head, "No, but that raptor I mentioned belongs to that House. Or at least the remnants of it. Your Dronurr expedition fell to the Horde in our universe and they came to learn of - Mischa@crystyl:- their fate" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Interesting. Despite the difference in time, much has still occurred in a similar fashion. Perhaps this may be attributed to the intervention of beings such as the Q, or perhaps time - T'Lana@anncaris:- has a direction in which it naturally seeks to flow. Like a river, its course can be diverted, but the new stream will continue to flow in the direction where the terrain is lower." T'Lana@anncaris | The lift door opens on the bridge.. Mischa@crystyl:"The universe is infinitely more complex and alive than any of us really understand still. Anything is possible" T'Lana@anncaris | The group steps out onto the bridge. Spock moves to his usual station while Kirk takes the command chair. The rest of the bridge turn, observing their guests curiously Mischa@crystyl looks around, smiling at the setting while taking up an observational position to one side T'Lana@anncaris | Sulu: "A small ship just launched from the Regulator vessel and has taken position in front of us, Captain." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk stares at the screen before looking back to Mischa and T'Lana, "/That's/ the Observer's ship? Are you sure it can generate a wormhole large enough for us to follow through?" Mischa@crystyl smiles, "As a certain Captain I know might say; good things come in small packages" T'Lana@anncaris | Uhura: "I'm receiving a signal from the ship. It says...wormhole generation is ready?" Mischa@crystyl:"That means she's ready to go when you are" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk nods, "Tell her we're ready too.” T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk and the bridge crew look to the viewscreen as a wormhole appears in front of the Observer's ship and it disappears inside T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Incredible... Helm, take us in, half impulse." T'Lana@anncaris | The Enterprise follows into the wormhole, and the viewscreen is soon filled with a view of the wormhole interior. Spock taps around on his console, gathering readings T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "The wormhole is holding stable around us." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Even after all we've seen out here, sometimes you just can't help but marvel at what the universe has to offer." T'Lana@anncaris | After a short while, the Enterprise emerges from the wormhole with the black hole ahead on the viewscreen and the Observer's ship not far off. This time, they do not get pulled in! T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Analysis, Mr. Spock." T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "It is more than a black hole, Captain. The location of the black hole in our universe is also the epicenter of a massive subspace rupture, which is what prevents our warp engines from - T'Lana@anncaris - functioning in this region." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "How powerful must this artifact have been to have caused all this?" Mischa@crystyl:"That is consistent with conditions in ours" T'Lana@anncaris looks to Mischa, "I do not believe Starfleet is aware of the full power of omega molecules at this time. The Lantaru incident has not yet occurred." Mischa@crystyl:"I suspect as much as well" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "I am detecting a small monitoring station in orbit around the black hole. No lifesigns." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "This must be the Horde station. Abandoned?" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "It would seem so." Mischa@crystyl:"That should be the Horde facility. The Guardians in our universe believed it to be abandoned, but we have no idea what to face here" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Looks the same way here, but we'll be prepared for anything. Helm, take us to transporter range, three-quarters impulse." He looks back at Mischa and T'Lana, "I presume you'll want to - T'Lana@anncaris:- join this excursion?" Mischa@crystyl smiles, "How could I pass up such a cordial invitation?" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "And the Observer? Will she be remaining on her ship?" Mischa@crystyl:"She will happily do so, though I would strongly recommend taking her with us as well. Her physical and mental capability is far in excess of her Human template, and more akin to that of Khan" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "I'll have Scotty beam her over, then. Spock." T'Lana@anncaris | Spock nods and heads over towards the turbolift, "We will need to wear suits. The station is currently inactive and does not possess a breathable atmosphere." --- T'Lana@anncaris FX | The team beam down in the dark hallways of the abandoned station, all wearing EV suits from the Enterprise. They activate their flashlights, illuminating the environment around them Mischa@crystyl scans around, "Charming decor" T'Lana@anncaris | Mischa's tricorder picks up biological remains across the area... Mischa@crystyl finds a nearby sample for closer analysis T'Lana@anncaris | Both the bone structure and the DNA reveals signs of the extreme mutation caused by Horde hybridization... Mischa@crystyl stands, "It's a thrall. Or what's left of one anyway" T'Lana@anncaris steps over to a different skeleton, examining it, "No sign of violence, on the remains or across the station." Mischa@crystyl speculates, "Natural degradation?" T'Lana@anncaris nods, "It would appear so. The Horde must have left these thralls behind, as they would likely not survive a decades-long journey out of this region at sublight." Mischa@crystyl:"Expendable tools. Fits the profile" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Horde efficiency at its most terrifying. So this station is abandoned...why?" Mischa@crystyl:"Presumably because they got what they wanted and no longer required it" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Or they determined that recovery of the artifact was not possible." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Let's hope it's the latter. Can we get this station started up again?" Mischa@crystyl:"Lana?" T'Lana@anncaris nods, "There is enough power left in the systems to restart its core. It should be this way." Mischa@crystyl follows, "Stay sharp" T'Lana@anncaris | They proceed through the station, but find little more than some other remains before reaching the core. The door doesn't open, and T'Lana manually overrides the lock before proceeding inside T'Lana@anncaris | The core is as dark as anywhere else, though the flashlights illuminates various mechanical structures dotted all around T'Lana@anncaris gets to work rerouting power with Spock's assistance, using their tools to directly manipulate the machinery as the consoles are all down Mischa@crystyl half-heartedly pokes around, knowing she can't really do much until the power is back. Looks to Kirk, "You always find such charming places to bring ladies out to then?" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk smirks, "Seeing a black hole this close is quite a view, isn't it? If only the Horde built windows into their station...but I guess they're too efficient for that, aren't they?" Mischa@crystyl:"No fun at all!" she agrees in jest T'Lana@anncaris | Before long, the core lights up, followed by the consoles blinking to life across the area T'Lana@anncaris stands, "Power should be returning to the station now." Mischa@crystyl looks around, "Nowe we can get to work" she finds a nearby console to start interrogating T'Lana@anncaris | As Mischa makes her way up to a console, the core suddenly starts flashing red and Spock rushes over to a nearby console, "Self-destruct sequence, automatically triggered upon reactivation of - T'Lana@anncaris - the station. No doubt a trap set by the Horde. Attempting to break through the encryption to deactivate it now." Mischa@crystyl rushes across to assist, "Encryptions are my speciality. We can do this" T'Lana@anncaris | Mischa's future intel ability allows her to quickly help break the encryption, and Spock deactivates the self-destruct, with the core fading back to a calmer blue once again Mischa@crystyl smiles, "Nicely done Mr. Spock" can't help but feel funny still that she is even saying that T'Lana@anncaris | Spock gives a nod and heads over to another console, "Fortunately, it appears the sensor data collected by the Horde over the years are still accessible." Mischa@crystyl returns to her previous console, "Then let us see what they have to tell us" T'Lana@anncaris | The station's records reveal that the stellar collapse was so powerful that what was created was not an ordinary black hole, but a rip in space-time. It's not unlike the black hole that the - T'Lana@anncaris:- Spock of our reality ultimately disappeared into after stopping the Hobus supernova, only that this one is also affected by the subspace anomalies Mischa@crystyl takes not, continuing to search for details on the weapon T'Lana@anncaris | The Horde spent years calculating the potential location of the weapon. The subspace anomalies made it very difficult, and they ultimately narrowed things down to three locations-timeframes - T'Lana@anncaris:- when the weapon is likely to emerge, its trajectory, and which stellar bodies it will come into contact with. They spent a few more years ensuring there wasn't a fourth location before shutting - T'Lana@anncaris:- the station down. The station has no records on searches that occurred in these locations, nor of whether the Horde ever located the artifact or any trace of it, but the three calculated - T'Lana@anncaris:- locations and the likely trajectory taken by the ejected weapon can be extracted from the computer Mischa@crystyl groans, "Well, it's technically better than nothing I suppose" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk joins her at the console, "You have something?" Mischa@crystyl shows him, "Seems they determined that the weapon was ejected by the formation. They plotted a number of trajectories" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk nods, "I suppose we'll have to search for it manually, but it is better than nothing." T'Lana@anncaris | Spock announces from his console, "I believe I have found a way for you to return to your own timeline." Mischa@crystyl:"I still have my doubts as to the integrity of this information. But it is indeed better than nothing" she turns, "Now that is more promising news" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "The subspace damage here is extensive, but it is stable- meaning that the anomalies should not shift any further without additional disturbance. I do not believe this space-time tunnel - T'Lana@anncaris:- bridges our universes by default, but it was affected by your wormhole to form that bridge. By opening the exact same wormhole at the same precise location, you should be able to reform that - T'Lana@anncaris:- tunnel bridging our universes and return to your own." Mischa@crystyl:"That is reassuring indeed. How much can you tell about the subspace ruptures here? Is it possible that the weapon was lost into subspace, rather than the locations predicted by the Horde? Or even - Mischa@crystyl:- at those locations, but in the wrong universe?" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "Unlikely. The tunnel's properties without external interference only allows it to connect to other points in space-time within the same universe. It could potentially result in the - T'Lana@anncaris:- branching of a new universe if it arrived in the past and its arrival altered reality, but all the projected destinations are in the future relative to the moment of the black hole's creation." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "But they're in our past now- which means the weapon is out there somewhere." Mischa@crystyl:"The divergent point..." T'Lana@anncaris:"It is a possibility. If these two temporal points within our universe are indeed connected, due to the artifact, the Sphere, the Architect or some other reason, it is likely that when we return, - T'Lana@anncaris:- we will not return to precisely the moment we left, but the time that passes while we are here would have passed in our universe as well. After all, we arrived at a point in the Horde conflict - T'Lana@anncaris:- similar to that in our own universe, which means despite the different points in galactic history, the two timelines are still flowing parallel." Mischa@crystyl:"Good point. But I was thinking more of the point we were discussing earlier about when this universe and ours went their separate ways. What if that root cause was the ejection of the weapon from - Mischa@crystyl:- here into one of those universes?" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "If that is the case, it would have occurred long before our histories diverged. I believe the weapon was ejected into the same location in both our universes, and our timelines - T'Lana@anncaris:- diverged much closer to the present, the exact cause of which is yet unknown. Judging from the differences in recent history, there may have been more than one cause. I have a different theory - T'Lana@anncaris:- from the evidence we have witnessed so far." Mischa@crystyl:"I look forward to hearing it. But for now, we should focus on closing out our business here" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "I have downloaded all relevant data." T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Let's return to the Enterprise, then." Mischa@crystyl nods, "Right behind you, Captain" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk opens his communicator, "Kirk to Enterprise. Five to beam up." Mischa@crystyl realizes in that moment that she missed the opportunity of a lifetime and pouts quietly to herself --- T'Lana@anncaris | The team materialize back on the Enterprise and take off their helmets as they step off the transporter pad T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Searching for the artifact could take a while with three trajectories to cover, and if these two points in time in our universes are connected, it means if you stay here and help our - T'Lana@anncaris - search, you'll be delaying your own, won't you?" Mischa@crystyl nods, "We must return as soon as possible. But I would still feel more comfortable doing so if we better understood the connection between our universes. I would like to hear Mr. Spock's theory" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk nods, "Very well. Go ahead, Mr. Spock." T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "The political situation of your mid-23rd century, specifically the war with the Klingons and the resulting changes such as the formation of the Neutral Zone, almost appear specifically - T'Lana@anncaris:- engineered so that we would not encounter the Horde. While it could simply be that your universe is one of the few in a myriad of universes where this occurs, as there are virtually unlimited - T'Lana@anncaris:- possibilities to choose from, there is one other explanation which would better explain why our universes are linked to the point of being able to unintentionally travel between them." Mischa@crystyl perks a brow, "Oh?" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "That members of our universe engineered yours, Commander. In your timeline, our path was altered by differing circumstances, and the result was that you encountered the Horde one - T'Lana@anncaris:- hundred and fifty years later in the future- at a time when the Federation is clearly more advanced and more understanding of Iconian technology. The relationship between the Federation and - T'Lana@anncaris:- Klingons of our universe are far more amenable at this time than it was in yours. Perhaps we do not succeed here. Perhaps the survivors of our universe, Federation and Klingon alike, travelled to - T'Lana@anncaris:- the past to cause the conditions to divert the Enterprise's path so we do not encounter the Horde until the Federation is ready." Mischa@crystyl:"A fascinating theory. But if they did all of that, then they miscalculated. As we have already experienced direct intervention from a failed future timeline" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "It would have been an act of desperation, not one guaranteed to succeed. And by your statement, one that has been done to your universe already. Against an enemy as numerous and - T'Lana@anncaris:- relentless as the Horde, it is possible that victory may only come at the cost of multiple failed timelines." Mischa@crystyl:"A distinct possibility. It is definitely something we must remain open to" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "You have a point, Spock, and if their universe is the one intended to defeat the Horde, we shouldn't delay them any longer. But I'll be damned if we don't try our best to win here and - T'Lana@anncaris:- now," he looks to Mischa, "We have one last favour to ask of you before you leave. The Enterprise is going to need another wormhole to return to the Heart of War. I'll be old enough to retire by - T'Lana@anncaris:- time we get out of here at sublight speeds." Mischa@crystyl smiles, "The journey - however brief - will allow us to savour this rare opportunity together" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk smiles back, "Agreed. Back to the bridge, then?" Mischa@crystyl:"Sounds good. Though... I really should slip into something more comfortable" she chuckles, pawing at the rest of the EV suit T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk chuckles as well, "Agreed." T'Lana@anncaris | After changing out of their EV suits, the Observer returns to her ship and the rest of the team reconvenes on the bridge T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Tell the Observer we're ready to return when she is." T'Lana@anncaris | Uhura nods and sends the message as Kirk sits down on the Captain's chair and waits for the Observer to open the wormhole Mischa@crystyl | The Observer soon takes up position ahead of the Enterprise once more and gets them on their way T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk leans back in his chair, enjoying the view for a moment before looking to Mischa, "So, you're familiar with us in your universe, but we're known for very different deeds." Mischa@crystyl joins him, "Very much so, yes" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "What else did we do in your universe, other than encountering this galactic barrier?" Mischa@crystyl hrms, "Well... there was the whole Khan thing. The V'Ger probe, oh and a lot with the Klingons of course. There's also Genesis... hmm, what of Carol Marcus in this universe?" Mischa@crystyl asks curiously, and innocently T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk narrows his eyes before smiling, "I'm always more surprised than I should be when you know something about me you shouldn't. It's all too easy to forget that you're from over a century in - T'Lana@anncaris:- the future, and I'm history to you. Yes, I've met Carol here as well, and she's back in Federation space, working on one research project or another." Mischa@crystyl:"Well. That's good to know. Might want to keep an eye on those projects of hers" she winks T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "I'll keep that in mind. What about this war with the Klingons? I've seen how they fight, gone head to head with them a fair few times already before we formed the Coalition. They know - T'Lana@anncaris:- what they're doing in a battle. War with them couldn't have been easy." Mischa@crystyl:"It never is. Our Jim Kirk was as much a legend in their storytelling as in our own. Many Klingon warriors would lick their lips at seeing the Enterprise and a chance to test themselves against this- Mischa@crystyl:- crew" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "As much of an honour as I'm sure that'd be, I think I prefer the honour of fighting side by side with them, as we do here." Mischa@crystyl nods, "You are in a far better position here now. At least with them" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk nods as well, "You said the Klingons here were taken by the Horde in your universe?" Mischa@crystyl:"Yes, the Dronurr expedition to fell to them. We don't really know the full circumstances. Only that a few were eventually recovered and reclaimed by the Guardians" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Well, however this war turns out, at least we had the chance to give them the tools they needed to fight back. It's...much better than the alternative, especially for a Klingon." Mischa@crystyl nods, "Indeed... Out of curiosity, how did you manage to protect yourselves against being enthralled?" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Spock came up with the basic theory, but we had to work with the Arshai and Regulators to make the device work." Mischa@crystyl:"Device?" T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "A small implant, though our original designs were much larger and more cumbersome. We were limited by our technology and were unable to construct a working prototype until the Captain - T'Lana@anncaris:- convinced the Regulators to apply their technology. Did you possess the means to make them on your own?" Mischa@crystyl:"The subdermal implants" she nods. "Though we still had to work with the Regulators to refine the overall technology" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Even without your technology and knowledge in the future, we've made it this far," he looks to Spock with a smile, "Maybe I'll prove your theory wrong again this time." Mischa@crystyl looks curiously between the two T'Lana@anncaris | Spock: "I do not usually comprehend the enjoyment you derive from proving me wrong, but this is one of the theories I would prefer to be inaccurate." T'Lana@anncaris | The view on the screen changes to that of the Spherescape as the Enterprise exits the wormhole. In the distance, the shape of a classic D7 battlecruiser can be seen flanked by two small bird - T'Lana@anncaris:- of preys as it patrols the Sphere T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk: "Here we are. Thanks for the wormhole, Commander." Mischa@crystyl:"Thank you for the aid in our mission, Captain. I regret that we must depart so soon, but time waits for no man and parting is such sweet sorrow" T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk nods and stands, "One more question before we part ways- are all Command officers as lovely as you two in the future?" He asks with a grin T'Lana@anncaris and Spock raise their brows T'Lana@anncaris:"We are not Command officers." Mischa@crystyl:"Oi, speak for yourself" Mischa@crystyl chuckles, turning back to Kirk with a teasing smile, "And no Captain, they are not. Not even close. So you'd better appreciate just how lucky you are" she winks, turning to make a satisfied exit T'Lana@anncaris follows into the turbolift T'Lana@anncaris | Kirk meanwhile glances over to Spock, "Maybe I was born in the wrong century..." --- T'Lana@anncaris | Returning to the Observer's ship, they return through the wormhole towards the black hole T'Lana@anncaris:"As we are returning through the same method we arrived, we should expect similar issues upon arriving. According to Spock's theory, we will likely arrive within the same system in our universe. - T'Lana@anncaris:- The Horde may not be present there for us, but we should immediately make for the cover of the sixth planet's rings in case they are. We also cannot count on the presence of Regulators in the - T'Lana@anncaris:- vicinity to come to our assistance." Mischa@crystyl | The Observer nods, "I will be prepared based on our previous experience" T'Lana@anncaris:"I will attempt to bring the ship's systems online more quickly based on previous experience as well." Mischa@crystyl:"Then let us return home and move on with our mission" looks around, "Oh, and one /very/ important thing, ladies" T'Lana@anncaris looks over, "Yes, Commander?" Mischa@crystyl | The Observer glances back curiously as well Mischa@crystyl deadpans, "Nobody can tell Keelah that she's walking the same path as James Kirk. None of us could survive that ego inflation. That is all" she turns back, chuckling internally T'Lana@anncaris raises a brow, "Are you suggesting that we tell her we simply received the data from the Horde monitoring station in our own universe?" Mischa@crystyl:"Restricting details is certainly a viable option. Perhaps we can simply keep 'loose' on the specifics such as ship and crew names" T'Lana@anncaris:"That is an option, though she will likely attempt to inquire into the ship and crew. Given your ability at evading her specific queries so far though, I am sure you will be able to manage." Mischa@crystyl:"We will see how things play out. First things first, time to go home" Mischa@crystyl | Observer nods, "Opening wormhole now" T'Lana@anncaris | The wormhole opens and as before, they are quickly pulled into a different tunnel. The ship rocks with turbulence and the Observer has to work to keep them together, but they made it through - T'Lana@anncaris:- the other side intact, albeit once again with multiple failing systems Mischa@crystyl | Observer works quickly to recover things while Mischa tries to get their bearings T'Lana@anncaris gets to work on restoring systems as well. Mischa notes that they have indeed appeared in the same system, though this time, there are no Horde ships in range Mischa@crystyl:"No Horde. That's a good start" T'Lana@anncaris:"That should give us plenty of time to restart our systems. Comms should be coming online soon." Mischa@crystyl:"Can you get a fix on our temporal position?" T'Lana@anncaris taps her console, "Stellar positions line up with our own records. Scanning nearest moon now...no variance in quantum signature, Commander. We should be back in our own universe at roughly - T'Lana@anncaris:- the same timeframe we left. I will have to scan a known system for an exact time." Mischa@crystyl:"Good enough. Let's get systems back online and return to the Valley Forge then" T'Lana@anncaris nods and gets to work restoring systems. After a few minutes, the Observer manages to get the wormhole generator back without the Horde to pressure her this time Mischa@crystyl | Observer: "That should do it. One more jump and we're back" she gets them underway once more T'Lana@anncaris | The jump passes smoothly, and before long they see the Spherescape in front of them once again, this time with the profiles of modern Coalition ships and the Valley Forge Mischa@crystyl:"As welcoming a sight as it is, it's still not quite as magical as that old ship is it" T'Lana@anncaris:"Indeed. Seeing the Enterprise in person, even though it is not precisely the same as the one from our own history, is certainly a unique experience." Mischa@crystyl | Observer: "We should be docked shortly" T'Lana@anncaris | The Valley Forge draws nearer and nearer, before tractor beams guide them into the hangar and the Observer's craft settles down T'Lana@anncaris:"Time to report our findings to Keelah. But perhaps not all of it?" she looks to Mischa Mischa@crystyl stands, "Perhaps. We will see if it becomes pertinent" --- T'Lana@anncaris | Mischa and T'Lana enter the ready room, where Keelah and Kelly are waiting Mischa@crystyl | Keelah looks up, "Welcome back ladies, I trust your mission was fruitful?" Mischa@crystyl smiles, joining them on the sofa, "To a point" she passes a PADD with the coordinates to the pair T'Lana@anncaris joins them on the sofa as well, "There were some complications, but we have obtained further leads for where to search for the artifact." T'Lana@anncaris | Kelly taps away at the PADD, "/Three/ possible trajectories?" Mischa@crystyl nods, "A fourth was theorized but not plotted" T'Lana@anncaris | Kelly: "You got this data from the Horde station?" Mischa@crystyl:"From... /a/ Horde station. But all available evidence supports it being the same" Mischa@crystyl | Keelah perks a brow T'Lana@anncaris | Kelly tilts her head, "What do you mean?" Mischa@crystyl looks to TL, "You're better at collating science terminology into Captain-speak" T'Lana@anncaris:"The anomalies in the area amplified the gravitational pull of the black hole far beyond what we expected, and our attempt to escape drew us into a different reality. From the information we were - T'Lana@anncaris:- able to learn from their version of the Coalition, their timeline split much more recently, and the attempted destruction of the weapon and creation of the black hole occurred in exactly the same - T'Lana@anncaris:- manner. Thus, the information we acquired will be accurate for both universes." Mischa@crystyl | Keelah: "That's... quite the intuitive leap" Mischa@crystyl:"It's better than coming back empty handed, and T'Lana is right; we have every reason to believe the information is accurate here as well" Mischa@crystyl | Keelah: "So this... alternate reality. I presume it was something akin to that which our future selves previously intervened from?" Mischa@crystyl:"There was a temporal factor involved" she nods elusively Mischa@crystyl | Keelah hrms, "Well, I look forward to the full report then. Back to the matter at hand; where do we stand with these different locations now?" T'Lana@anncaris | Kelly: "If this is from a Horde station, then the Horde knows of these locations and would be searching for them too. Dispatching the Observer's ship alone would be too dangerous. They could - T'Lana@anncaris:- always flee through a wormhole if they encounter the Horde, but if the Horde find the weapon first or at the same time, they'll have a distinct tactical advantage." Mischa@crystyl:"We should get these locations mapped on your charts and see what assets we have in the areas" T'Lana@anncaris | Kelly nods, "I'm on it," She looks over to Keelah's computer. "May I?" Mischa@crystyl | Keelah smiles, "By all means" T'Lana@anncaris | Kelly steps over to the computer, tapping away, "It looks like one of the points is on the edge of Horde space....and accounting for the passage of time if it emerged there, it would've passed - T'Lana@anncaris:- beyond Horde space now. It's close enough to the Waystation that several different Coalition powers should be able to send ships to search there." Mischa@crystyl | Keelah: "Sounds reasonable. What's next?" T'Lana@anncaris | Kelly: "The other two look to be behind Horde lines- no known Coalition assets out in the area. One's roughly around a region we've passed through, and the other is in space where the only - T'Lana@anncaris:- data we have comes from the Guardian-Rangers." Mischa@crystyl | Keelah: "The one in the region we passed through should be reachable as well then?" T'Lana@anncaris | Kelly nods, "But it'll take at least a few weeks at warp, so it may be quicker to travel using the Observer's wormhole as well." Mischa@crystyl:"Then we send one mission through the wormhole from here while routing allies to check the other location. 2 of 3 is a reasonable start and if we come up blank on those, we know it's an all out push - Mischa@crystyl:- to the third" Mischa@crystyl | Keelah nods, "That could work" T'Lana@anncaris | Kelly: "Are we going ourselves, or sending a different ship from here through a wormhole?" Mischa@crystyl | Keelah: "This is too important to leave to chance, we will go" T'Lana@anncaris nods, "With Vora, Issandros and several other Coalition leaders in the Sphere, the tactical situation should be under control here. Pursuing this weapon is a more vital priority at - T'Lana@anncaris:- the moment, as it has the potential to tip the scales of the war." Mischa@crystyl | Keelah: "Then it appears we have our next move" T'Lana@anncaris | Kelly nods and stands, "I'll make sure the Valley Forge is ready. And it'll be nice to be out and about again- as pleasant as the view inside the Sphere is, we can use a change of scenary." Mischa@crystyl:"Something to look forward to then" she smiles