Tales of the USS Bluefin - 9: "Ghost in the Machine"

[DavidFalkayn]

A very gripping segment--time displacement--a nice touch. I have a feeling after this episode and "Blood Cries", the Commissar isn't going to want to hear the words "Time" or "Temporal" in conjunction with travel and bubbles and displacement for a loooooong time!

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

Chapter Twenty

Note: My apologies for the constant delays to this story. This one has frustrated me considerably and I would be less than truthful to tell you it is one of my favorite stories. It is not. That being said, I believe I finally have a conclusion I can live with (and hopefully, you will find worth reading) that will at finally bring this beast to a merciful end. Now that I've got that off my chest, on with the story . . .

Stardate - Unknown
SS Eku
Sector - Unknown

Joseph Akinola's mouth was dry as he spoke. "What do I have to do?"

The apparition that was and was not Sonari Akinola gazed at her son for a long moment before answering.

"To send you back home will require a vast expenditure of energy - more than the former collective can generate on our own. Our energy levels are nearly depleted. Even now, I can feel our essence beginning to wane."

As she spoke, her appearance became more transparent and her voice seemed to come from a distance. Captain Akinola instinctively stepped forward, as if to pull her back from the edge of some ethereal precipice. Her form became more substantial, however, and she waved him back in an impatient manner. She continued.

"Each of our vessels, what you call 'cubes,' is equipped with a self-destruct mechanism. They are linked whereby any one can trigger all six. The energy released by their destruction will provide us what we need to send you back."

Akinola swallowed. "And what will become of you?" he asked, quietly.

She smiled. "We will finally be free."

* * *

Stardate 54260.4 (16 April 2377)
USS Bluefin
Sector 04341 – Near the Lesser Riven nebula

Commander Strauss wanted to pound her fist in frustration on the desk, but she restrained her emotions as she gazed at the image of Captain Rodenko on the viewscreen. He looked tired and haggard. Worse, he looked defeated.

"Commader Strauss," he said, irritation evident under his thick accent, "Gralt's wild theories aside, you still haven't given me anything substantial to change Admiral Bateson's mind."

"I realize that, Captain, but I think Gralt has a solid hypothesis on which we can build . . ."

"Build what, Commander?" interrupted Rodenko. "Let's suppose that Gralt is correct - that the Eku did not travel in distance but in time. Can you tell me to what date they travelled? Are they in the past or future?"

Strauss mentally counted to ten before replying. "As I've stated, sir, we don't have that information just yet, but I'm confident that given time . . ."

"Ah yes, time," interjected the Russian cutter skipper. "I have some knowledge of the subject," he continued cryptically, "and I know that under the best of circumstances that a rescue involving time travel is very, very risky. . . "

"No argument, sir. And I am not suggesting we act precipitously. But please - can't you ask the Admiral for a few additional days on station? Even if there's only a tiny chance of recovering Captain Akinola and the others, shouldn't we take it? Isn't that what Border Dogs are supposed to do?"

Rodenko was silent as he gazed at Inga through the open channel. He rubbed eyes that burned from lack of sleep before nodding slowly.

"Da," he answered finally. "We should do all we can, though I have to tell you, this is most likely a waste of time." He leaned back in his chair and tugged his tunic down, as if to punctuate his decision. "Commander, you are to remain on station for now, by my direct order as senior commander. I will depart for Star Station Echo at the end of the 24 hour period and present myself to the admiral for disciplinary action. That will protect you and give you at least two more days - is that understood?"

Strauss blanched, "Sir! You can't . . ."

Captain Rodenko cut her off with a sharp gesture. "Enough! I have made my decision. You have your orders, Commander, and you have two extra days with which to work. I've no doubt that the Admiral will countermand my orders once he learns what I have done. Use your time well. Rodenko, out."

The Russian captain's image abruptly vanished, to be replaced with the Border Service insignia. Inga leaned back in the high-back leather chair and absently gnawed on her thumbnail. She turned to look out the ready room viewport at their sister ship, the Scamp, which was just visible to port.

Her stomach clenched as she realized the enormity of the situation. By badgering Rodenko into giving her and the Bluefin's crew more time for the search, she may have cost the Scamp's C.O. his career.

Then there's no time to waste, she thought. She slapped her hand on her combadge. "Commander Gralt, Lt. Bane, report to the ready room on the double!"

* * *

Stardate - Unknown
SS Eku
Sector - Unknown

"There is one more thing," continued the visual manifestation of Sonari Akinola. "To initiate the self-destruct sequence will require the physical presence of one of you. We lack the ability to manipulate the controls."

"What?" interjected Dr. Castille. "Are you saying one of us has to go into one of those cubes and pull the trigger? That's suicide!"

"Quiet, Doctor!" ordered Akinola, sharply. He turned back to the representation of his mother. "Tell me how to activate the self-destruct mechanism."

"No way, Skipper!" Solly moved with amazing speed for a big man. He stepped between the Captain and the apparition. "You're NOT going to sacrifice yourself. I'll go."

"Stand aside, Senior Chief," Akinola's voice was quiet but firm. "I'm in command and I will decide who does what."

Brin did not back down but stepped up toe-to-toe with the Captain. His yellow eyes blazed with intensity as he stared back at his C.O. and closest friend.

"You can court-martial me if you want, but you're not going to do this." He crossed his arms, corded muscles rippling, as if to emphasize his point.

The apparition appeared by the Captain and Solly, like a referee about to start a boxing match.

"There is no need for anyone to die, Solly Brin," said the spectre. "We will transport all of you back home before you can be harmed by the explosion. The energy that's released will be absorbed into our essence, which we will channel into creating your way of escape."

"Satisfied?" queried Akinola to the Red Orion NCO.

Solly looked anything but satisfied, but he took a step backwards.

"Skipper, all we have is the word of a . . . a ghost, to guarantee your safety. Excuse me if I'm having trouble with that." He glanced at the aparition. "No offense."

Sonari Akinola smiled thinly. "It pleases me to know you have such loyal, if stubborn friends, son. But we have no time for arguments. We must do this - now."

Captain Akinola nodded sharply. "Let's do this, then."

And the next moment he was standing on a catwalk inside of a Borg cube.

* * *

Stardate 54260.4 (16 April 2377)
USS Bluefin
Sector 04341 – Near the Lesser Riven nebula

"Enough techno-babble Gralt! I need a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer. Can you determine where in time the Eku went?" Inga's voice relayed the strain and frustration they all felt.

The Telarite Chief Engineer glanced back and forth between Strauss and Bane. The hair along his skull and down his neck were raised in tension. He drew a calming breath and rubbed the side of his snout.

"Commander," he said with uncharacteristic calm, "there is no simple yes or no to your question. There are many variables that have to be factored in to such a determination. The short answer is - yes, it is possible to find them. But the real ball-buster is how long it might take to figure it out!"

Strauss sagged in her seat. "How long? Can you do it in 48 hours?"

Gralt's large, black eyes shone as he turned from Bane to Strauss. He spread his stubby hands in an all too human gesture of helplessness. "I don't know. Maybe in 48 hours. Maybe in 48 years. Maybe in 48 centuries! Like I said, there are too many variables for me to know at the moment."

Inga rubbed her nose, unconsciously imitating the Captain's gesture of frustration. "Pull together whoever you need and whatever you need, Commander. This takes priority over everything, it that clear?"

Gralt stared back. "Understood, but I make no promises."

This time, she did bring her fist down on her desk. "No excuses, Commander! This was your idea - do you stand behind it, or do I contact Captain Rodenko to tell him you were wrong and that we're packing it in?"

Gralt stood slowly, bristling with anger. "I was an engineer on this ship when you were still in suckling school! I've held this ship together while I held my own guts in my hands! Do not speak to me like I was a frakking plebe!"

Strauss stood slowly and placed her nuckles on the desk. She leaned forward and spoke softly.

"I don't give a damn about what you've done in the past, Gralt. All I care about is what you do in the next 48 hours. You want my respect? Get. This. Done."

They held each other's gaze for several seconds. Finally, Gralt turned abruptly and stormed from the ready room. Inga blew out a tense breath and collapsed back into the chair.

Bane nodded his head slowly. "I thought that went well," he said, dead-pan.

"Shut up, Nigel," Strauss said wearily as she buried her face in her hands.

* * *

Stardate - Unknown
Aboard a Borg Cube
Sector - Unknown

It took Akinola a moment to recover from a vague sense of vertigo. The sheer volume of the Borg cube was staggering. Walkways seemed to lead off into infinity and he could not tell where the vessel began or ended.

"Joseph."

Akinola turned to see his father again. It was like looking through vapor. The image of the elder Akinola smiled wanly.

"No time for good-byes, son. Just know your mother and I love you and are very proud of you. Please convey our love to Melody."

Akinola nodded, unable to speak.

The elder Akinola pointed at a post at the convergence of several walkways. "That is the destruct mechanism. We were able to disengage the safeties, but it requires your physical touch to activate."

Akinola found his voice. "What do I do?"

"Push back the top of the post. Inside, you will find a metal ring. Take that ring, close the lid, and place the ring in the depression on top."

"That's it?"

The image of Samuel Akinola faded, slightly, then became more solid. "That's it." The form morphed a final time into the image of Sonari Akinola.

"Son?"

"Yes, Mom?"

"Thank you."

Joseph Akinola nodded. Sonari Akinola smiled, then faded from view. Akinola stared at the empty space for a moment, then turned to the post. He pushed the top, which tilted back easily enough. Inside was a ring of apparently solid metal. He took it from the post and the lid slid back silently into place, revealing a round indentation. No alarms blared, no sonorous voice warned of imminent destruction.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, as he placed the ring into the recepticle.

Apparently, the Borg did not believe in delay. A sudden, bright light engulfed Akinola. He had the odd sensation of being stretched like taffy, although he felt no pain and heard no sound.

Is this what it's like to die? he wondered. He was not afraid, in fact he was somewhat intrigued by the experience.

The light continued to grow in intensity, so bright he should have been blinded. Yet his eyes were not ruined - they didn't even sting from the brilliance. If anything, he felt a vague sensation of warmth - a pleasant feeling like being under a warm blanket in winter.

The brilliance faded and, as it did, so did Akinola's awareness. The light turned to darkness as Joseph Akinola slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *
Stardate 54258.8 (14 April 2377)
USS Bluefin
Sector 04341 – Near the Lesser Riven nebula

The first sensation Joseph Akinola felt was a pounding headache.

With a moan, he sat up. The pain in his head eased and the sudden awareness of his surroundings caused him to look around in bewilderment.

He was in his ready room on the Bluefin.

 

[mirandafave]

Great to have the Bluefin back! Sure bet it pains when you get stuck on a story. But with lines like this:

Captain Akinola instinctively stepped forward, as if to pull her back from the edge of some ethereal precipice.

I gotta say there's something very visual and effective about your writing.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

All RIGHT! I'm so glad to see Akinola (and presumably the rest of the crew) safely returned to the Bluefin! I just hope that maybe, as tough as this was, this incident will give him some sort of closure about the fate of his family, especially to know that they are now free to move into the next life.

Was that the final installment? Or do we get to find out if Strauss could recall Rodenko in time to keep him from sacrificing his career now that there's no more need to search?

I know this was a tough story for you, but I just wanted to let you know that I have very much enjoyed it and all of your writing.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Wow.

I wasn't expecting that. Not sure what I was expecting, but not that. Kind of anticlimatic, are we going to find out what happened next in the next story?

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

That wasn't the final chapter. The story isn't over yet.

By the way, you might want to compare the stardate of that final segment of Akinola in his ready room with the stardate where Strauss and Gralt are going nose to snout.

 

[DavidFalkayn]

Nice! I'm glad to see you're back to writing--now if I can get through my rough patch!

So, Joseph is a member of the TTC now, eh? (Time Travelers' Club)

 

[CeJay]

I loved the way Strauss stood up to Gralt. She'll make captain any day now that she knows how to make Gralt shut up and work.

I admit I didn't catch the time discrepancy either. What a twisty situation. Does this mean the last two days never happened? I'm curious to see what happens next ... or already happened ... or ... well, you know.

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

Chapter Twenty-one

Stardate 54258.8 (14 April 2377)
USS Bluefin
Sector 04341 – Near the Lesser Riven nebula

"Hey Doc! Resting your eyes?"

Octavius Castille jerked awake and blinked. He was seated in his office in sickbay. Corpsman 1st Class Sanderson was leaned against the doorway with a bemused expression on his face.

Castille rubbed his face and yawned. "Guess I dozed off Sandy. What's up?"

Sanders held out a PADD. "I finished the inventory on the pharmaceutical stores. We need to pick up some more Keldipril when we're in station since we can't replicate the stuff."

Castille nodded, still feeling muzzy-headed. The faint tendrils of a strange dream had mostly evaporated, but he felt odd - as if his days and nights had somehow crossed. He reached for the proffered PADD, but a wave of dizziness forced him back into his chair.

A look of concern crossed Sanders face. He quickly set the PADD on the counter and stepped toward Castille. He frowned as he noticed a prominent bump on the CMO's head which had taken on an impressive shade of purple.

"That's a nasty lump on your head, Doc," murmurred Sanders as he automatically reached for the medical scanner on his hip. Castille didn't protest - his head hurt too much.

The small scanner whirred melodically for a moment. Sanders read the display and grunted non-commitally. He straightened and spoke.

"Computer, activate Emergency Medical Hologram."

This time, Castille managed a weak protest. "What? Dammit, Sandy, there's no need . . ."

The EMH Mark I shimmered into existence. "Please state the nature of the emergency," it said in a confident and slightly condescending tone.

"Dr. Castille has a contusion on his forehead with marked swelling. Initial scans indicate a level one concussion."

"Allow me to be the judge of that," sniffed the EMH as he brushed past the Corpsman. Sanders glowered at the hologram but held his tongue.

"When did the injury occur?" queried the EMH as he hovered over Castille, his own scanner open and activated.

"Well, I . . ." Castille frowned as he searched his memory. He had a vague recollection of Delta and Lt. Rune standing over him. "I'm not sure actually."

The EMH snapped shut his scanner with a dramatic flourish. "Short-term memory loss. Not uncommon for a level one concussion. No sub-dural bleeding is evident. Hypo spray . . ."

The last, the EMH addressed to Corpsman Sanders, who dutifully slapped a programmable hypo-spray into his hand. The EMH twisted the handle until he was satisfied with the selection and dosage. He pressed the hypo spray against Castille's neck.

"I'm injecting you with 10 cc's of Moprosin and 5 cc's of Rymadil. That will ease the pain and reverse any minor neural damage," said the EMH in his schoolmaster's voice.

"I know what they do," groused Castille, the pain already disappearing. "I am the CMO, you know."

"Hmm, yes, I suppose you are," said the EMH, doubtfully. He turned to Sanders. "Five minutes with the sub-dural regenerator will eradicate the swelling and any internal trauma. Call me if you have a real emergency."

The haughty voice of the EMH faded like an echo as he shimmered out of existence.

"And I thought I had a bad bed-side manner," muttered Castille as Sanders went to work with the S-D Regenerator.

* * *

Lt. Commander Simms rounded the curved corridor on Deck 4 and nearly collided with Lt. (j.g) Rune. Both women stopped abruptly just before colliding.

"Oh! K'lira! Sorry about that! I must have been day-dreaming," apologized Delta.

Rune blinked and looked around, an expression of befuddlement on her exotic features.

"My fault, Commander, I was . . ." Rune frowned, looking back in the direction she had come from. She turned back toward Simms.

"Um, Commander . . . what deck are we on?"

Simms cocked her head and smiled. "Deck 4. Are you lost, Lieutenant?"

Rune shook her head, but still appeared distracted. "No . . . no ma'am. Sorry, I must not have been paying attention when I got off the turbo-lift." A thought seemed to occur to the green Orion officer and she offered a wan smile. "I do want to thank you for talking with me earlier . . . thanks for hearing me out."

Simms smiled, but an odd feeling of deja-vous came over her. "Why, sure K'lira . . . uh, anytime." She began to walk away, then stopped and turned - surprised to see that Lt. Rune had also stopped again and turned toward her, the look of puzzlement back on her green features.

"K'lira," began Simms, tentatively, "when did we . . . ?"

Rune frowned. "But we . . . " She stopped, the puzzlement turning to frustration. "I'm sorry, I need to go." She turned and walked quickly away.

Commander Simms stood still for a moment in puzzlement. What just happened? she wondered to herself. Frowning, she proceeded around the curved corridor to her quarters. . .

. . . to find a rather plump, gray cat standing in the corridor, languidly swishing his tail.

"Meow?"

Simms smiled at the fluffy feline. "Why, hi there kitty! Who do you belong to?" She knelt down and the gray cat came to her, purring loudly.

She laughed softly. "You sure are a fluffy cat . . ." Her voice trailed off and she felt something akin to a chill run up her spine. In her head, she heard Captain Akinola's voice. "His name is Mr. Fluff . . . he was my sister's cat."

* * *

Solly Brin refilled his coffee mug from the beverage servitor that took up a corner of his armory office. He drank down the hot, strong brew in long swallows, ignoring the burning sensation to his tongue in throat.

Damn this sl'is jainok headache, anyway, he thought. That last batch of hooch that Deryx made must have aged too long.

Brin moved back to his battered desk and settled his large frame into the chair. Rummaging through a drawer, he found a left-over analgesic patch that Sanders had given him after the last martial arts tournament. After applying the patch to his neck, he massaged his brow with his fingers, hoping to alleviate the pounding ache that had settled in like a dust storm in a nebula.

A stray thought kept running through his mind. Is the Skipper okay? A foolish thought, certainly. Joe was either on the bridge or in his ready room now. Yet, Solly felt a very strong compulsion to tap his combadge and check on the Captain.

And what do you plan on saying, Solly? he asked himself. Hey, Skipper - you okay? I was down in my office with a headache, when I got all teary-eyed about you . . . Brin snorted. Deryx would never let me live that down.

Just then, Solly's combadge beeped and the voice of Joseph Akinola came over the open channel. Brin's eyes widened when he heard the strain in the Captain's voice:

"Solly - are you alright?"

* * *

Captain Akinola sat motionless in his chair, scanning the ready room with his eyes.

How did I get here? he wondered, Where is the Eku? Where are the others?

He stood, intending to go to the bridge and let Strauss and the crew know he was back, when his eye caught the stardate displayed at the bottom of his terminal: 54258.8. He stopped, staring at the date in disbelief.

No! It's 54260! Or at least, it was last time I checked. We're back two days before we disappeared.

Akinola tried to consider the ramifications of that fact. He had never given much thought to time travel - to be honest, the subject made his head swim. He never in his wildest imagination considered that he might travel back and forth in time.

Get a grip, Akinola! he chided himself. Play it cool, but find out what the hell is going on! He glanced at his image in a wall mirror. He looked haggard, but then, he never looked particularly well rested. He tugged down his jacket and strode through the ready room door onto the bridge.

Standing on the upper level of the bridge, he gazed out at the beta-shift crew. Commander Strauss was in the center seat, studying a PADD. Lt. Bralus was at the helm and Ensign Vashtee was at OPs. Ensign Li rounded out the bridge crew, seated at tactical. No one seemed the least bit surprised by his presence. No exclamations of, "It's the Captain!" or "He's back!"

Strauss turned slightly in the chair and favored him with a smile. "Ready to explore the mystery, Captain?"

Akinola started slightly at her choice of words. "Mystery?"

"Sure! The Finback. I'm sure you and Captain Rodenko are eager to go on board and explore her." She shook her head in wonderment. "What an incredible find! Who would have thought she could have survived intact after all these years?"

"Who indeed?" murmurred Akinola. He cleared his throat and spoke with more volume. "What of the other ships, Commander? What is there status?" He tried to be non-chalant as he spoke, but he couldn't completely hide a strained edge to his voice.

Strauss' smile faded and her face took on a puzzled expression. "Other ships, sir?"

"Yes - the Vulcan ship, that old Orion raider, the . . . L-type freighter. . . " His voice trailed off as Strauss' brow furrowed.

"Sir - the only ships in this immediate sub-sector are the Bluefin, Scamp and the Finback." Strauss spoke in measured tones, her sudden concern apparent.

Akinola tried to cover his faux pas. "Sorry, Commander, I must have, uh, misread the report. Carry on." He turned and beat a hasty retreat to the ready room.

Strauss stared after the Captain. What the hell? . . . she wondered. She turned back to see Bralus and Li looking at her quizzically.

"Mind your stations!" she barked, more sharply than she intended.

* * *

Akinola leaned against the ready room door with his eyes closed, trying to regain his composure and his sense of reality. He was shaken and non-plussed - feelings with which he was not overly familiar.

He opened his eyes and they fell on an object lying on the floor by his desk. A strange mixture of feelings suddenly rushed over him - relief, concern, wonder. Akinola stepped toward the desk and looked down at the strange relic. He knelt down and picked up the small, metallic object. It was dark gray in color, bordering on black, a circle of some exotic alloy that looked totally out of place on the Bluefin. Though it looked like cold metal, the object felt warm in his hand.

It was the Borg data chip that contained the names of all the beings that had been part of collective that included his parents.

He stared at it for several minutes, almost afraid it would vanish from his hands. A smile formed on his face and a chuckle escaped his lips as he felt its reasuring solidity.

"You didn't dream this," he whispered. "It really happened!"

A thought crossed his mind and the smile vanished, replaced with a look bordering on panic. He slapped the combadge on his tunic. Before the recipient could reply vocally, Akinola rasped,

"Solly? Are you alright?"

For an interminable moment, there was no reply. A sharp spasm of fear gripped Akinola and he was about to repeat his query when he heard Solly's voice.

"Yeah, Skipper - I'm okay." There was a pause. "I was about to contact you and ask you the same thing."

Relief again washed over the Captain like a rushing wave. He relaxed and sagged against the desk. "Yeah. Listen, we need to talk Solly. I'll meet you in the armory. We need to check on the others, too."

The pause was longer this time. "Others? Skipper, I'm not following you. . ."

The wave of relief retreated and Akinola spoke cautiously. "Solly - don't you remember the last two days? Where we've been?" He remained intentionally vague, not wanting to repeat his mistake on the bridge.

Another pause. "To be honest, everything is kinda fuzzy right now. I've got one super-nova of a headache."

"Stay put, Solly. I need to check on the oth . . . on something. Akinola, out."

 

[Mistral]

So, TLR is back in action. Dang, I lost the betting pool. You were gone so long I put my money on the "killed in shish-ke-bob accident" square. Ah, well, if it means a return to the fantastic Bluefin stories I guess I don't begrudge the money!

This was a weird story all of the way around and I can see where it would give you conniptions. I'm betting next Tale will involve shooting at Orions or something equally comforting...

I don't know how "great" this story was, but it has the potential to produce a lot of tie-ins in the future....

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Awwwww...maybe I'm a really, really sentimental sap, but I really love that Akinola at least gets to have Mr. Fluff. I don't know you, but my pets are like family members to me, and even if he couldn't have his parents back...if that were me, the cat would still be one heck of a present to get. Even if you didn't like all the story...please please please Daddy can he keep him pleeeeeeeeeeeeease? *looks at you with big, watery eyes*

Thanks for sticking it out.

 

[mirandafave]

Never even thought to look at the stardates - never do understand them but normally I would read the Julian calendar dates - serves me right. I guess that's why temporal stories cause such a headache.

Now the only issue is not the Ghost in the Machine but the furball now that they have a cat to contend with on the Bluefin!

 

[CeJay]

Great segment. You did a terrific job at capturing the surreal feeling that these guys experienced after coming back from this strange trip which to them felt like a strange dream still lingering at the outer fringes of their subconscious.

The question is will they remember eventually or will Akinola remain the only one to maintain his knowledge of past events.

Great turn of events!

 

[Dnoth]

I think it's wrapping up rather well.

Though, I empathize with the whole not necessarily meeting your own expectations thing.

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

Chapter Twenty-two

Stardate 54258.8 (14 April 2377)
USS Scamp
Sector 04341 – Near the Lesser Riven nebula

Captain Rodenko forced himself to appear non-chalant as he watched his old ship, the USS Finback, drift silently a mere 50 thousand kilometers away. His philosophy was to never appear overly excited in front of the crew. Of course, Rodenko did not consider the occasional flare-ups of his legendary temper as being "excited," but merely excercising targeted leadership with extreme prejudice.

Boris turned in the command chair and addressed the two officers hovering over the operations station.

"Have you completed your sensor sweeps, Mr. bin Salaam?"

The slender lieutenant stood and turned to face the Russian C.O. "Very nearly sir. As our initial scans indicated, the Finback is adrift without power, but her hull appears intact. In fact, I would say she's in remarkable condition considering the years that have passed."

"Indeed," rumbled Rodenko, turning back to face the viewscreen. "Any reason we can't send a team over to investigate?"

"It should be safe enough, provided they wear e-suits. Even though we're reading atmosphere over there, it's liable to be pretty foul after all these years. Plus, there is a bit of background radiation to consider."

Rodenko turned back to bin Salaam. "Elaborate, Lieutenant."

"Nothing terribly troubling, sir, but a bit peculiar. There are slight but measurable amounts of chroniton particles in evidence. Odd, but nothing to worry about."

Rodenko's brow knit together in thought. "Chroniton particles you say?" Possibilities flowed through the veteran skipper's mind as he recalled his own recent history. "Scan for anti-Chroniton particles as well, Lieutenant."

bin Salaam's eyebrows rose in surprise. He cleared his throat and spoke hesitantly. "Sir? Anti-Chroniton particles only exist in theory . . . not in normal space."

"Humor me, Lieutenant," replied Rodenko, who was rubbing his chin in thought.

bin Salaam thought to ask why, but wisely remained silent and turned back to the sensor controls.

* * *

Stardate 54258.9 (14 April 2377)
USS Bluefin
Sector 04341 – Near the Lesser Riven nebula

Captain Akinola quickly made his way to the lower decks - his old stomping grounds - and soon entered the armory which served as NCO country. He was glad to see that none of the other non-coms were present as he rapped on the doorway of Senior Chief Solly Brin's office.

"Come!" bellowed Solly.

Akinola entered the compartment that had served as his own office when he had been Chief of the Boat over two decades earlier. Brin and Akinola had known each other too long to stand on ceremony, so the burly Orion remained seated with his feet propped on the desk and gestured toward the servitor.

"You know where the mugs are," replied Solly, still rubbing his forehead. Akinola shook his head and took a chair opposite Brin.

"Maybe later. Solly, I . . ." Akinola hesitated. "Hell, I'm not sure where to start."

Solly took his feet off the desk and leaned forward in the chair. He frowned as he regarded his old friend.

"Damn, Skipper! You look spooked - what's up?"

A wry grin crossed Akinola's face. "An appropriate choice of words, under the circumstances." The smile faded and he focused a piercing gaze on Solly.

"What do you remember about the last two days, Solly?"

Brin chuckled. "Hell, Skipper - are you testing me to see if I can still hold my booze?" The laugh died in his throat when he noticed Akinola's expression and Solly immediately became serious.

"Okay, but I hope you'll tell me what's going on . . . Let's see. We've been on routine patrol, pretty quiet of late now that the ion storms have died down. We boarded a small merchant ship and found some Ferengi contraband - no problems from the ship's master, we cited him and let him go. Yesterday we picked up a malfunctioning subspace marker buoy. Poletka repaired it and we set it back out. Then, we received word from Scamp about finding the Finback. We made a high-warp run and arrived on station six hours ago . . . I must have still been sleepin' off this hangover . . . and now I'm sitting here playing 20 questions with the Captain."

Akinola nodded, but his gaze was unfocused. The Captain didn't speak for almost a minute. Solly sensed the inner turmoil in his old camrade, but remained silent - giving Akinola time to choose his words.

Finally, the Captain spoke. "Solly . . . what if I told you that I have a completely different recollection of the past few days . . . that, in fact, it should be two days from now and not today . . ." His voice trailed off and he gazed back at Solly.

Solly frowned but did not speak right away as he considered Akinola's words. "I'd say . . . I'd want to hear your version of events."

Akinola related his own experiences, including the discovery of the other ships, boarding the Eku, and how their small band had been whisked away to parts, or at least, times unknown. He finished by placing the Borg data chip on Solly's desk.

"That was on the deck of the ready room. It's the only tangible proof I have to corroborate my story."

Solly picked up the small, round object and examined it, nodding his head slowly. "Yeah, I've seen a few Borg relics before. But Skipper . . . to be honest, you can find these at a few of the shops in Merchant's Alley on the station. Hell, I think Deryx has one in his quarters."

"Yeah, I know that. But this has the names of all the people that were assimilated by those Borg cubes - including my parents!"

Solly glanced sharply at Akinola before returning his gaze to the Borg artifact. "Then, let's check it out."

Brin stood and led the Captain out into the armory. He opened a locker and pulled out a combat scanner, adjusting the gain and sensitivity of the device. Activating it, he placed the ring-shaped object directly on a sensor pad.

The scanner hummed momentarily, then a stream of data began to flow across the small screen. Akinola smiled, but the smile quickly faded as he looked at the data stream.

"It's gibberish," he said, morosely, "the data must have been corrupted somehow."

"Maybe it was damaged somehow, or maybe there's some kind of encryption key required?" suggested Solly.

"Maybe. . ." replied Akinola doubtfully. It seemed the only evidence of the Eku's existence and the fate of his parents was gone - erased in a spiteful twist.

"Look - let me get Deryx and Poletka to check it out. They're good at this kind of thing . . ."

Akinola shook his head. "Maybe later, Solly. Let me talk to the others, see if any of them remember what happened."

"You haven't spoken to any of them yet?"

The Captain shook his head. "No. I verified with the computer that they were on board and safe. I wanted to talk to you first."

Solly shook his head, looking grim. "Skipper . . . I do believe you. But I just don't remember any of what you told me . . . sorry!"

"No need to be sorry. And thanks for listening - just keep it under your hat for now. In the mean-time, I need to get with Captain Rodenko about checking out the Finback."

"Are you going to tell him?" asked Brin.

The Captain paused, considering. "I don't know. Maybe."

Brin nodded. "If I do remember anything, I'll let you know."

"Sure. Thanks, Solly." Akinola turned to leave, then paused again.

"One more thing, Solly."

"Sir?"

"You might find this a good time to talk to K'lira."

Solly looked surprised. "Why do you say that?"

The Captain smiled. "Call it a hunch . . . or a window of opportunity. Your call. I'll talk to you later." With that, Akinola stode out of the armory, leaving a puzzled Solly Brin with much to consider.

In the turbo-lift, Akinola said, "Bridge." The lift began to move when Akinola spoke again.

"Belay that. Sickbay." The lift slowed to stop.

Might as well see if Doc still has that knot on his head before I contact Rodenko, Akinola thought.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Hmmmmmm...no data on that chip--but we've still got Mr. Fluff...

And hey, maybe if Solly and K'lira are able to reconcile a bit, that'll trigger something in their memories...

 

[Mistral]

Very interesting.... (adjusts glasses and settles German helmet on head before fading back into the bushes)

 

[mirandafave]

Feel sorry for Akinola to finally find answers to the fate of his parents only to be landed with tempoaral amnesia and more questions in its place.

 

[CeJay]

Yep, that's one big setback for the skipper alright. He also better tread carefully. If he remains the only one to remember these events, too much of the truth might cause serious damage to his reputation. As in ... the loony Border Service captain who claims he traveled through time but nobody else remembers .... right.

On second thought. Picard got away with something very similar in the season finale.

 

[DavidFalkayn]

The only one to really remember...but at least he got a chance to say his final farewells to his parents...if you think about it, in a way, Joseph received a very precious gift.