They all fell to their knees in the outpost's lab to gasps from Rodney and Prophet. Rodney went to Tye's aid as Prophet helped Flint and John to stand with several of his appendages.
"Mister Flint, your continued existence and that of the others was highly improbable," Prophet said. "As well as most pleasing," he added quickly.
Flint smiled at his friend. "No one is more surprised than I," he said.
"Did you destroy the signal's source?" Rodney asked.
"No," Tye said flatly as Rodney slumped against the lab's worktable.
"But there's hope," John added. "We should return immediately to W3 with the Monitor."
"The Monitor?" Flint asked.
"It's the Family's new timeship that Seren left us," Rodney said.
"There will be time to catch you up later," John said retrieving the tricorder from his belt. "But now we all need to talk to the queen."
John and Jen paused outside the council chambers as two O'jits, carrying two chairs each, squeezed past them in a rush. Earlier on the citadel's steps, he told her the universe would not end for another at least another ten thousand years, the time it would take the broadcast signal to transverse over three kiloparsecs. He thought she might have been more relieved.
"I can tell the mission was hard on you," she said looking into his eyes.
"Let’s just hope it was a success," he said.
"And those hopes rest on a cyborg commander previously in league both with Navis and this Wrath."
"Don't remind me," he said as they tried to enter the council chambers again only bump into the O'jits on their way out.
Once inside, John closed the door behind them with a quick nod to Mick sitting beside Clare.
"Point of order," Drac said.
"Really?" Luinan said with a sigh.
"I must insist, your Majesty," he said. "With Micah's return, I request to withdraw from the council. An even number of members is counterproductive."
"I will withhold my vote from all future motions from a full council," Luinan said. "Any more issues before we begin?"
There was not any.
"And Ambassador Draconous as Family historian and with your counterparts from a multitude of species throughout the galaxy your place is on this council," she said sternly.
"As you wish," he said as his cheeks turned a deep purple.
"John has requested a return with the Monitor to W3," Luinan said looking around the table. "He wants to confirm the destruction of the broadcast responsible for the degradation of the Higgs field at the anomaly's location.
"As the TC's mission's objectives instruct us not only to locate and capture detailed data on the anomaly but also access any threats to the Confederations, I will approve the mission's continuation. Is there counter opinion?" she asked, but no one dissented.
"Then that leaves crew selection," she said. "Unfortunately, Captain Nysas and the other Confederation officers have already left the outpost.
However, with both Prophet and Flint's Confederation certifications, the mission can still proceed."
"Is Flint's cert still valid after all this time?" Clare asked.
John saw Flint glance at his sat-chron.
"My duration since capture it still with certification parameters,"
Flint said flatly and earning a chuckle from Mick.
"Tye will have the engineer's seat with Prophet as Chief Engineer,"
Luinan said. "Flint, you will be second in command and have Tac-1. Jen you have Tac-2. Ensign Watkins will have the conn, and Wigwag will have auxiliary systems."
"Is Carl still on Trua?" Rodney asked.
"He is somewhere in the mountains above Cosain," Luinan said with a sigh. "Higgs you have science," she continued but looking at John.
"So that leaves Commander Mackinac in the chair!" Drac said excitedly.
"It would seem so," Luinan said. "You good with that, John?"
"I've only had minimal time in the chair during simulations," he replied warily as Jen squeezed his knee beneath the table.
"Is there any other counter opinion?" Luinan asked again. "Good, council adjourned," she added quickly with a glance at Clare.
"The Monitor is ready," Mick said to John. "Good hunting."
"Reverse view," John requested of Wigwag and then sat back in the command chair to watch Trua Outpost slowly recede as Carl navigated the Monitor beyond the Cannon nebula.
"Clear of the nebula," Flint reported from Tac-1.
"Warp and temporal drive status?" John asked.
"Chief Engineer reports warp drive is available on your order and temporal drive is at capacity," Tye said.
"Forward view. Dead stop," John ordered as they passed the last vestiges of the nebula."
"Dead stop," Carl repeated.
"Science," John said.
"All sensors clear," Rodney replied.
"Tac-1 ready," Flint said.
"Tac-2 ready," Jen added.
"Conn." John said proceeding through his mental checklist.
"Translation coordinates to W3 plotted," Carl replied.
"Luca, confirm navigation," John requested of the AI.
"I confirm translation to specified spatial coordinates within the W3
cloud of the Perseus Arm at 19,485 years and 1800 hours before present.
This will result in a temporal delta of approximately four hours positive from the previous team's temporal egress," Luca reported.
John knew the coordinates would put them well over fifty-thousand kilometers from the Wrath's last known location. He looked to Flint, who nodded.
"Engage temporal drive, Ensign," John said pushing back in the command chair.
RefPlane: 16,951 BC
The main view screen filled with the multitude of colors from the W3 cloud.
"Yellow alert," John said and tapped the confirmation into his command console on the arm of the captain's chair.
"Science," John said.
"Short-range range sensors indicate only high concentrations of dark matter," Rodney said. "Space Fleet's records show this is common for this space. However, the Monitor appears to be within a spherical sector of space roughly ten thousand meters in diameter with no antimatter and very few other particles."
"The W3's dark-matter concentrations could have greatly enhanced the dark-antimatter explosive's effectiveness," Flint added.
"That would be good news," John said.
Focused on his station's display, Rodney continued, "Long-range sensors are currently ambiguous within the cloud and beyond this spheroid lacking dark-matter. The contrast of this space to that beyond may be hindering our sensors."
"Ensign," John said, "take us just past the edge of this dark matter void."
"Aye Aye, Sir," Carl acknowledged. "Coming about to starboard, ahead one-quarter impulse. ETA to void's edge- fifteen seconds."
John counted down to himself then said, "Sensors."
"Now reading numerous sub-meter metallic objects," Rodney said.
"EM?" John asked.
"Negative," Rodney replied.
"Tac-1, Plot and display the trajectories of these objects," John said.
Flint brushed his console then activated a holo-projection replacing the main viewscreen.
John squinted at thousands of tiny arrows representing the debris that were elongating away from the void. "Calculate points of origin," he said.
The vast majority of the arrows instantly extended back to a cluster near the center of the spheroid.
John sat back in his chair and sighed.
"It seems Vejay was successful," Flint said stoically.
"Captain," Rodney said, "long-range sensors indicate weak, zero-velocity EM signal and possible life signs to port at almost one light year."
"Conn," John said, "lay in a course at warp seven."
"Aye Aye Sir," Carl responded, "ETA to sensor readings- four minutes."
"Stay frosty," John told his bridge officers as they approached the rendezvous. "Tac-1, ready a forward temporal solution positive to our
point of origin to the W3 by one hour. Tye, have the Chief ready the transporter," he added.
"Transporter standing by," Tye said.
"Temporal solution fixed," Flint said.
"Definitely life signs," Rodney said, "but only one set of readings, and they are weak."
"Full stop," John ordered.
"Full stop," Carl confirmed.
"Tac-1 you have the chair," John said standing and then heading to the bridge's port door. "Tac-2, you're with me. Wigwag, have the chief and security meet us in the transporter room."
"You're doing great," Jen told him in the corridor leading to the transporter.
"Thanks," he said turning to smile at his life partner. "To say the chair is stressful would be a huge understatement."
Prophet was waiting for them in the cramped transporter room along with a very young member of the Monitor's security team holding a phaser rifle.
"Steady with that weapon, Ensign," John told the young Auriane.
"Prepare to redirect to the medical bay with full containment and have Dr. Fanau standby," John said to Prophet at the transporter's command console.
"Ready to initiate transporter," Prophet said.
"Let’s see what we’ve got," John said to Jen and then nodded to Prophet.
The small transporter platform shimmered as a squat shape materialized in its center.
"Trap!" Vejay screamed and then collapsed on the platform.
"Red alert," John said into the com on his uniform as the Monitor shuddered. "Engage temporal solution!"
"Temporal solution completed Captain," Flint replied over the transporter room's com.
"Transport her to the medical bay, and then I want a full damage report," John said to Prophet. "And you," he said to the young ensign,
"stand guard outside the medical containment."
"Let's get back on the bridge," John quickly said to Jen.
Flint stepped down from the subtle platform supporting the captain's chair as John and Jen entered the bridge.
"It was Vejay," John told Flint.
"She warned us as soon as she could," Jen added.
John knew Jen had read the mission brief of his time on the Wrath.
"Damage," he asked Wigwag.
"Minimal," the O'jit replied quickly.
"Although aft, starboard shields are slower than specifications to regenerate," Tye added from the engineer's chair.
"Science?" John asked looking at Rodney.
"Sensors clear, Captain," he replied.
"Yellow alert," John ordered. "Let’s discuss our options in the ready room," he told Flint and Jen as he was already heading off the bridge.
"Tye," he added over his shoulder, "you have the chair."
John sat down at the ready room's table flanked by his tactical officers and pressed his com. "Status on our guest, Dr. Fanau?"
"Unconscious," she replied. "It is very weak but should recover given sufficient time."
"Can you provide treatment to enable her to speak?" he asked.
"That would require undue risk," she replied.
"Proceed and let me know when she regains consciousness," he said and then released his com.
"Okay, options?" he said looking to Flint then Jen.
"We gained the initiative with the temporal jump," Flint said. "But given several of the Wrath's ships have temporal drives they probably have deduced we made a jump from our residual tachyon emissions."
"But where do we look?" Jen asked. "We need to be in two places at one time."
"More like two times in one place," Flint quipped.
John gazed out the viewport at the colorful W3. "Now that could work. If you were a Wrath temporal ship, what would be your biggest concern at the moment?" John asked. "Assuming they know nothing of the Monitor s constraints as per the Time Accords."
"I guess they would be worried we'd make a couple of transits back in time, causing several Monitor s to exist at once- reinforcements," Jen said.
"So that's probably exactly what they will do," Flint said.
The ready room's com beeped.
"Higgs here Captain. Sorry to interrupt but we've confirmed residual the temporal emissions matching Tac-1's TR in the area."
"Thanks Rodney," John said and cutting the com. "Good guess," he added looking at Jen.
"We have to stop Wrath from temporally replicating," John said gazing at a model of the Monitor's ancient namesake in the center of the table.
"This ship has safe guards to prohibit accord breaches. We cannot retrace our steps into the past creating two or more Monitor s," Flint said.
"I guess the enemy's absence here and now can have several plausible explanations," he added obviously lost in his own thoughts.
"But we can go back into the past just after we jumped forward in time," Jen said, "and preserve the arrow of time."
"Can we rig the warp field generators to dump a little plasma?" John asked remembering the old, classic tactic from Helen's research and received shrugs from both his tactical officers. John activated his com.
"Prophet, can you make the warp field generators dump a little plasma to create the impression that we had warp field failure but not cut too much into our FTL capability?"
"Yes, Captain," he replied. "A simple procedure."
"Prepare for the plasma release on my order and see if you can strengthen those aft shields. Wigwag, to the captain's ready room," John said then cut the com.
"Here’s my plan," he said looking at Flint then Jen as Wigwag joined them.
John surveyed the bridge crew from his command chair and hoped his nervousness was not too apparent.
"Tac-2, ready laser cannon," he said but Jen already had her tactical holo-display up.
"Aye Sir," she replied.
"Tye, keep our shields up," he said. "Warp field status?"
"Aye Sir," she replied. "Chief Engineer indicates warp drive and plasma dump available on your command."
"Helm, full impulse on my order," John told Carl. "We don't want to be too easy of a target."
John hoped their attacker would see them as weak and commit its energy reserves to offensive weapons rather than defensive systems.
"Captain," Dr. Fanau said over the com, "the patient is semi-conscious and says our attacker was a mech called Maker. It is commanding a spherical timeship that just managed to escape the Wrath's annihilation with her lifeboat in tow."
"Thank you Doctor," John said, now knowing with conviction that he could not allow the machines to start their self-replication cycle again.
"Science," John said to Rodney, "we'll need tight temporal monitors and sensors."
"Aye Sir," he replied.
"Wigwag?" he asked into his com.
"Ready Captain," the O'jit replied.
John took a deep breath. "Red Alert," he said calmly. "Translate."
"You're hot Wigwag," John said into his com as he entered a necessary confirmation sequence into his command chair's console and then gave the order to translate once again.
"Dump plasma," John ordered. "Full impulse, dead ahead."
"Sphere ship 20,000 meters aft," Rodney reported.
"Fire at will, Tac-2," John ordered as cannon beams subtly resonated throughout the bridge.
The Monitor lurched to port.
"Warp power to aft shields, Tye and report their strength," John ordered.
"Incrementing to nearest ten," she said, "aft shields now at 90
percent."
"Main viewscreen aft," he added and then the black sphere ship came into view firing a continuous energy beam at the Monitor.
"Aft shields 80 percent," Tye reported.
"Sphere ship's shields at 60 percent," Flint said from Tac-1.
"Aft shields 50 percent," Tye said over a loud hum resulting from Jen's re-modulating of the Monitor's cannon.
"Come on," John said through clinched teeth.
Tye, focused intently on her engineering station, reported, "Aft shields 30 per—"
"Temporal blip aft 30,000 meters, 5 seconds positive," Rodney injected.
"Keep on heading, helm," John said quickly while staring at Tye and holding his breath, hoping for a good number.
"Aft shields 20 percent," she said.
John exhaled looking to Tac-1.
"Sphere's shields 20 percent," Flint said, "and our temporal drive is down."
John did not flinch at Flint's report as he had expected the drive could fail just at this instant. "All auxiliary power to the shields," he ordered Tye.
"Sphere's shields 10 percent," Flint said flatly.
"Aft shields critical," Tye cried out just before a brilliant flash filled the bridge.
"Sphere destroyed!" Rodney announced ecstatically.
"Forward View," John ordered just in time to see Wigwag pilot the Lann through a barrel roll around and past the Monitor. The O'jit gave a thumb up from the cockpit to the bridge crew cheering at the fighter's victory.
"Science?" John asked as his crew regained their composure.
"All sensors clear, Captain," Rodney replied elatedly.
"Yellow Alert," John said with a sigh of relief.
"Temporal Drive back online," Flint said before he stepped next to the captain's chair and whispered to John, "That will be one for the Space Fleet academy. Who said a science vessel with just laser cannon cannot defeat a temporal warship?"
"I guess they didn't reckon on a single O'jit in a well-armed fighter,"
he replied and then looked at Jen, who was proudly smiling at him through her tactical display.
"And good thing the TC could not touch the Lann with all their bureaucracy," Flint added.
"Helm, lay in a course back to Trua Outpost with minimum temporal delta," John ordered gazing into W3 and then leaned over to Flint. "Seems the queen will have a very interesting tale for the TC," he whispered and then they both laughed.
John and Jen walked into the Hourglass to see Luinan chatting to Mick from a line of beer engines behind its signature bright green labradorite bar.
"Brings back memories," John said eyeing the Guinness Luinan had just placed in front of him on the shifting hues of green from the immense plagioclase feldspar specimen.
John smiled seeing a shamrock etched in the ale's creamy head.
"I see you haven’t lost your touch," he said to the queen.
"You know what they say about practice," she said with a wink while placing a shot of Midleton in front of Jen. "Neat, yes?"
"Who’s the kid?" John asked with a nod to the skinny, blonde with considerable, intricate tribal ink, belting out a familiar tune he recognized from Helen's classic rock collection.
"Perfect," Jen replied as she held her glass up to the queen then Mick standing beside her.
"Gin," Luinan replied.
John looked to Jen then to her glass as it approached her lower lip.
"That's Midleton's double, special reserve," Luinan clarified while tapping the edge of the squat crystal bottle in front of her with an index finger. "Gin is her name," she added looking over to the singer.
"Young singer, an old Zager and Evans tune," John said thoughtfully trying to remember the lyrics and sing along to himself.
"All from before your time," the queen said through a sly smile directed to Mick appearing behind Jen.
"Hi Mick," Jen said without turning and with a smile.
"Hey Sis," he said as he took a spot at the bar between John and her.
"Seems you guys are the talk of the outpost as well as Time Corps," he added.
"How'd they react to the preliminary mission report?" John asked cautiously.
"Do not worry about it," Mick replied with a grin to Luinan.
"Ignore Mick," she said. "The TC was so impressed they have authorized all maintenance and upgrades for the Monitor indefinitely."
"Wow," John said softly before his first sip of Guinness.
"Okay then, Captain," Jen said with a sigh. "Any word on the TC
fleet's recon of Wrath's transmitter array?" she asked Mick.
"They have dealt to a few mech stragglers and several mining bases but nothing substantial so far," Mick replied trying to sound hopeful.
"But the multiverse is a big place," Luinan added.
John looked around the Hourglass. He knew that if a major mech plague could start from a small derelict scavenger ship, they could not let down their guard. A trio of Khargs preparing for their evening's sets on the bar's small stage eased his worries.
"Over here!" he called out to Jennifer entering the Hourglass. She looked roughly the same age as Jen and he instantly saw a change in her frac twin; Jennifer seemed actually joyful.
"Hi you guys," Jennifer said, giving Jen a hug and then giving Mick and John quick pecks on their cheeks.
"You're coming back to Trua with us," John said. "The twins insist,"
he added with a smile.
"I'd like to stay for a while, if that's okay," she said. "Some family time would be good."
"Longer the better," Jen said giving her another hug.
John smiled a creamy mustache as he saw Prophet and Flint arguing strategy against Vejay, Tye and Carl across a chessboard with just a few remaining pieces standing.
Jennifer interrupted his moment with a gentle tug on his sleeve.
He turned to see Wigwag proudly standing beside them in a Space Fleet Command uniform. John immediately came to attention and saluted the O'jit even though the gesture was no longer fleet protocol.
Wigwag smartly returned the archaic custom.
"At ease Mister Wigwag," Mick said with chuckle.
With teary eyes, both Luinan and Jen smiled at the O'jit in the small dark-green tunic above black trousers and boots.
"So do you know which ship you've been posted to yet?" John asked.
The O'jit shrugged his lanky shoulders under the green fabric.
"No matter where you go," Wigwag replied, "there you are."
