It had been a long day for Casey. He woke up in his own time continuum and would sleep in a completely different temporal reality later tonight. Starfleet was exciting but happily unpredictable, Casey liked unpredictability. Captain Price and Lt. T'Lein implored him to take the rest of the night off. Casey had been working for 12 hours straight, from the time The Galaxy entered the warp conduit, till the Borg crashed on the surface of Rigel VII. Casey's mind was exhausted but his body felt fine.

He remembered he hadn't checked his messages since yesterday, and stopped at a Corridor computer console to see if he had any, "Computer display messages for Ensign Deiran Casey at this console, authorization code: DCE77197." The computer beeped once and then displayed all written messages for Casey, he had one video message from his mother it stated that it was sent 19 hours from this point in time as were all the other trans-space messages, he'd watch the video later.

All right! A letter from his sister Alexa. "No, she's getting married!?" Casey shouted it out, the entire corridor of people stared at him like he was nuts. "Who in the world did she catch?" Casey thought to himself. "Well, I know who's going to get all the attention now," he thought to himself again. One message from Liam Sketcher, asking if he'd come up with a name for the Ten Forward Band, he'd been so busy, that was the last thing on his mind, but now he could take some time to ponder it. And a message from D'tarna reminding him of their dinner tonight. He would never forget that, he'd been looking forward to it all day.

Casey clicked the computer display off and headed for Ten Forward to get a nice glass of Joktara wine, which was an interesting name considering it wasn't alcoholic at all, it was just made of Jaktaran grapes, unfermented.

When he reached Ten Forward, Liam waved for him to come to the bar. Casey walked to the bar and took a seat. "Hi, Liam, how's your day been?"

"Slow and hectic," Liam replied. "It's been slow because everyone's been scurrying around the ship doing their duty, and hectic because there's so much going on that people who are getting off duty are coming in here thirsty and tired," Liam stopped and turned to the young man sitting next to Casey, "Deiran, have you met Petty Officer MacDonald?"

"No, I don't think I've had the pleasure," Deiran put out his hand to shake MacDonald's hand, "It's nice to meet you, Bill, right?"

"Yeah, Bill's my name. How'd you know?" the Petty Officer hadn't been on the Galaxy that long to be known already. Deiran laughed out loud, "I check the crew logs all the time, I know everyone's name."

"What do you do?" Bill asked. "I'm the Assistant Operations Officer," Casey replied. "Oh, you're the one who got us here?" MacDonald asked. "Yeah, in a crazy round about way I am. But, I'll get us home," Casey replied, smiling confidently. "I'm sorry to change the subject, but I don't want to be late for an appointment... Liam, I was thinking about calling our group the 'Galaxy Crusaders', it's crazy, wild and kind of fun. It's just off the top of my head, you can think about it if you want." Casey took his tall glass in his right hand and drank the last bit of Joktaran wine.

"Bill, it's been a pleasure meeting you, hopefully we'll run into each other again. Liam, as always my man, you cool!" Deiran loved talking like a 20th century jazz saxophonist, at least around his friends. He left with a big smile on his face.

He left Ten Forward and started for his quarters when he thought of a great idea. He went to a computer console display and checked his schedule for tomorrow night. Then he looked up the location of Ensign Ti Miran's quarters. "Ah, here she is," Casey noted the location and went to his quarters.

Casey got to his quarters, happy to see his home. It was starting to feel like home. "Computer, lights." The lights came on, illuminating the room. "Computer, give me the location of Ensign Ti Miran?"

[Ensign Ti Miran is currently on the Main Bridge]

"Good, I've got time."

30 minutes later.

Casey looked one last time to make sure the flowers looked just right, he hoped that the academy psyche test was right about Miran liking Red Roses and purple tulips. "Computer lights off," Casey left Ti Miran's quarters and returned to his own quarters.

When he got back, he cleaned up, got into his 21st Century clothes and headed to meet D'tarna at holodeck 3.

To be continued.....

Ens. Chen was in Transporter Room 2 running a level 1 diagnostic on the transporter unit when Ensign Mitchell came in . Chen had been reluctant to take the transporter off-line since it was a red alert and there was an away team on the planet but she managed to modify the diagnostic program so it would only affect Transporter Room 2. It was frustrating work. She had been checking the transporter for 3 hours and she was tired.

Ensign Mitchell explained to Stephanie how his warp shell could help get Chief Jensen back.

"Got any ideas?" Ensign Mitchell says after he finishes explaining his theories.

"Hmm. Temporal anomalies always confuse me. Is the Galaxy in the wrong timeline or is Chief Jensen in the wrong timeline or are we both in the wrong timeline?" Ens. Chen thinks a moment. "OK, I have an idea. Computer, is there anyone besides Chief Jensen missing from the Galaxy?"

[No, Chief Jensen is the only crew member unaccounted for.]

"OK" says Stephanie. "That means there are at most three universes we have to worry about, the Galaxy's timeline, Jensen's timeline, and the "right" timeline or the one we want to go back to. It seems that the Galaxy is in the wrong timeline because of the away team's report of the missing city on Rigel 7."

Stephanie continues speaking. "Now back to your warp shell. Is it possible to create a small warp shell that would just be in the transporter room? If we can create a controlled temporal distortion, Chief Jensen may be able to use the transporter to get back to the Galaxy. I remember a previous incident on the Enterprise D when Dr. Crusher was trapped in an alternate timeline. They got her back by creating a warp bubble. I think we should try to create a warp shell in the transporter room since this is the last known location of the Chief. He may have activated the transporter by accident when we went through the warp conduit. I am not sure how that could have happened since there is nothing wrong with the transporter as far as I can tell. If it has been tampered with in any way, it has been well disguised."

"That's an interesting idea Chen, but I don't know if it will work. As I was saying, I want to use the warp shell to create a stable timeline so we can all get back to the right timeline. Why would you want to create another temporal distortion?"

"I think we need to create a temporal distortion otherwise how can we travel though time? Unless we can use the warp conduit to our advantage. But how can we control the temporal distortions there? We are not even sure how we got here in the first place."

"Well, I am waiting to hear from Engineering to see if they can actually generate this warp shell for us. I think Ens. Casey and Ens. Shtick may have some ideas as well. I will run some computer programs and simulations in the meantime to test this."

"OK, I will try and put this transporter console back together." In the back of her mind, Stephanie wondered what Chief Jensen was trying to do to get back to right timeline.

Ens. Chen, Operations Officer
USS Galaxy

The away team had just beamed down, but Cam wasn't intrested. He hadn't left the Lab since they had left the event, and had no intention of it till he was content with what he had figured out. Namely, that if it wasn't for the Warp Conduit, they would prob'ly be a lot more futuristic, and alot further from home. Still somethings bothered him. According to what he could gleen from the stability of the Conduit, A ship hadn't passed through it for at least 7 to 11 days. The time dialation made it hard to tell, and a ship that was small could have gone through earlier, or a larger one later, there where millions of factors. Also, he though that it was going to collapse in 3 days. But again, he wasn't sure, with millions of factors, it could have a month left, or if could have collapsed by now. And also, there was something else that really bugged him. Namely, all of the data and what not that was a reflection of the Galaxy, all the emmisions, seemed to have a twin. Even the sensor refections had a twin, but those where less obvious. He had thought it something to do with the Event, but niether of the Breen ships had this effect.

He sighed, closed his eyes and rubbed that littlebumb between them and the nose. He had a head-ache the size of his problems (which was typical, when he thought too hard for too long, he tended to get heah-aches. And the harder he thought for longer, the worse the head-ache) Cam, he thought to himself, there is nothing that you won't be able to figure out now unless you leave, and come back. He knew he was right, but what happened if it just happened to jump at him, anyways, it might take forever to get all this information into his head again.

"But your getting no-where, and sitting here is just doing worse for you. You have other things you should be doing, like that dang check-up. And now is a good time, since you feel like crap." Cam stood up, walked out of Sci Lab 4. And headed to Medical.

--Cam

Captain Price was having a cup of Bajoran Coffee as he sat in the command chair on the Bridge. It was the third cup he'd had this morning while waiting for the Away team, lead by Commander Jamson, to report back it's findings on the barren surface of Rigel 7.

Surface scans of the planet showed there was no life signs other than the occasional rodent. Quite odd for a planet that, according to the Ship's memory banks, last recorded over twenty billion people. Scans from orbit showed entire cities were simply not there. And the one that Jamson's party was investigating seemed to have been destroyed, long ago. Totally 'scooped out' of the ground by some unknown force. The mystery would not take very long to unfold.

The bridge crew was busy carrying out their normal duties. At least as normal as they would be while orbiting Rigel 7 and flying in formation with three Breen Crusader class war ships in close proximity.

Captain Price raised his mug up to take a sip just as the turbolift doors opened and Lieutenant Coe burst through, going directly to the tactical station. The Captain swallows the warm liquid as he watches Coe's expression change. The Captain though it was the first time he had ever seen the Lieutenant look frightened.

"Lieutenant, is something the matter?"

Coe moved his head slowly to face Price. "Captain, I believe the Borg have returned...."

Something clicked in the Captain's mind. It was what was bothering him about the familiarity of entire cities 'scooped up'. Somehow when Coe had said "the Borg" it made sense. Before the Captain could answer, Ensign Cassey interrupted.

"Captain! I am picking up a sub-space transmission from the surface. It looks like some kind of automated beacon of some kind."

The Captain Turned around and faced the main View screen, looking down at the planet Rigel 7 below. Lieutenant Coe quickly cross checks the signal on his tactical station.

"It is the Borg. These frequencies match those identified by the USS Enterprise D in one of their encounters with a Borg scout craft."

About to speak, again Captain Price is interrupted. The sudden influx of information slightly overwhelming.

"Sir, receiving a priority message from the Away Team." Ensign Cassey pivoted around in his chair at Ops to face the Captain as he spoke.

"Let's hear it Ensign."

"Jamson to Price." Jamson said after pressing his Comm badge and continued. "We found something very strange...."

"Yes, we have just detected it Commander. They appear to be Borg homing beacons. Can you deactivate them?"

Jamson paused for a minute before answering. He was shocked to hear that this was caused by the Borg. "I don't think so sir... They seem to be spread out around the perimeter of the Capitol City crater, some 10 Kilometers in diameter."

The Captain's conversation with his First officer was interrupted by Lieutenant Coe. "Captain, one of the Breen craft has activated it's transporter systems.... they seem to be turning their main sensor arrays towards the Warp conduit."

"Captain, I heard that." Jamson said, before continuing. "As soon as we came across the beacons and they activated, all three of the Breen transported up to their ship immediately."

"Understood Commander. Ready the Away team for immediate evacuation. Price out."

The Captain turned and looked at Ensign Cassey. "I would guess that it would be a good idea to get our sensors pointed at the warp conduit as well."

"Aye Sir, will begin scanning at once."

"Lieutenant Coe, hail the Breen Leader, Grevek." Captain Price sat back in his chair as the One eyed Breen commander's image appeared on the main view screen.

"Leader Grevek here. What you want?"

"As your crewmen have probably told you, it appears that the Borg have been here."

"You are understating the obvious Captain Price. It would appear that the Borg have been everywhere. We have been scanning the near by systems in this quadrant and have not detected any forms of life other than our ships, and yours."

Captain Price's eyes narrowed. That followed suit with what his staff had been finding from their own scans. His gut was telling him that they had some how fallen into an alternate dimension, yet the quantum signatures of everything and everyone indicated this was the right universe.

"That is even a better reason why we should work together now to find a way back home to our own time line."

"Captain! Ionic readings are increasing near the Warp conduit!" Ensign Cassey sounded excited. The Captain turned his head slightly, while still looking at Grevek.

"How about it 'mate? are we going to help each other or not?"

The Captain watched as some of Grevek's own men began speaking excitedly in Breen. He didn't know what they were saying in words, but knew exactly what they were feeling.

Grevek looks into the view screen and says "Bach." before the Comm channel closes.

"The Breen ships are breaking formation Captain... taking up attack positions and plotting an intercept course for the Warp Conduit." Lieutenant Coe adjusted a few controls. "They have cloaked sir."

Captain Price watched the view screen as the Breen ships flew off into the distance and faded away as their cloaking devices were engaged. "They are a brave race." Price thought.

"Captain? Orders Sir?" Lieutenant Coe seemed anxious to do something.

"Has the away team beamed back up from Rigel yet?"

"No Captain, we are still waiting for their signal." Cassey replied.

"Then we maintain orbit Lieutenant Coe. I'm not leaving my men behind." The Captain's voice had a somber tone to it. One that nobody on the bridge questioned.

After a short minute, Lieutenant Coe checked the long range sensors. "Captain, a ship has emerged from the Warp Conduit. It appears to be a small, round scout ship. A Borg scout ship. I'm scanning it now... there appears to be five Borg on board. And they are heading this way Captain."

"Helmsman, estimated time of arrival?"

Ensign Jiron adjusted his console before replying to the Captain. "If they maintain their present course and speed, I estimate they will be here in four minutes Sir."

The Captain nodded.

Lieutenant Coe practically burst a vein as the Captain just sat there. Finally, he couldn't keep silent any longer. "Captain. We should break orbit sir. Right now we are sitting ducks."

Captain Price turned and looked at Lieutenant Coe. He admired his courage in speaking his mind. As the corner of his mouth turned upwards ever so slightly, he said. "I certainly hope the Borg see it that way Lieutenant."

"Sir??" Coe states.

"Load all tubes with Photon torpedoes JT. That should give you something to concentrate on."

"Quantum torpedoes Sir?" the Chief tactical officer asked.

"Standard photon torpedoes Lieutenant Coe." The Captain's eyes narrowed as he looked at the view screen. "I want those Borg, alive."

Bellen stood pacing around Chiron smirking. She forgot how fun it was to battle with someone else. D'tarna never needed to fight for her life like Keron. A mixed blessing, Bellen thought. The bet'leths clashed with a fierce clank. Both pushed with all their might but neither made any progress. Bellen was suddenly overcome with a sense of urgence. Then, with the strenght of ten men, she heaved with all her might and sent Chiron flying into the wall. He looked bewildered as he caught his breath.

"You Vulcan women!" Bellen laughed. Chiron got up and attacked with his bet'leth heald high. Bellen dodged and Chiron turned. They then circled each other in breathless silence. Just as Bellen was to take a swing, she felt dizzy and let down her guard. His face again. She saw it in her mind...his face. He was dead. No more...why were his images haunting her? Chiron noticed the lack of protection and lunged in with his bet'leth. Bellen fell to the ground. Chiron smiled.

"You're very good!" She got up.

Lt.jg Bellen
USS Galaxy

"Is there a problem, D'tarna?" Chiron asked. Bellen looked at him emotionless. Should she tell him. She sensed a kindness in him not often found in others. 'Take a leap of faith, Bellen. Tell him...tell someone.' Bellen walked over to a large boulder and sat down. Chiron followed. She began, "I...there is someone...from my past."

"A host?"

"No. Not a host. I met him in the Vulcan Academy."

"Your lover."

"No...it was deeper than that. He was me...my other...we knew eachother's thoughts..."

"I understand."

"I've been seeing him...everywhere. When I meditate and sleep but now...I see him when I'm awake and it's stronger. Enough to put down my guard."

"Perhaps you should see the Counselor..."

"No. I'll work it out by myself." she paused, "It's getting late. I'd better report for gamma shift. I've been working 2 shifts until we get better staffed. Let's do this again...soon. It was fun."

"Yes, it was. What did you think?"

"You're very good. Alert...you sensed when I let down my guard. Perhaps I could learn a few things from you." She smiled. "Goodbye, Chiron."

*********************
Gamma Shift: Sickbay
*********************

Bellen looked at the empty biobeds from Dr. Rousseau's office. The overhead lights were dimmed and the gamma crew was in place. The silence in sickbay made her head feel like it was going to explode. She longed for the sound of rustling papers or the wind blowing through the trees on Vulcan.

"Computer."

[beep]

"Access musical database for 1960's earth."

[Beep]

"Play Strawberry Fields." The room suddenly came alive. "Much better." She smiled. Bellen checked her messages. One from Liam Sketcher about about a jam session in Ten-Forward.

She responded "I am available any time during the Beta shift. I'll be working Alpha and Gamma shift until we get better staffed down here." She then forwarded Liam's message to Deiran. She was mezmerized by the work at hand. Suddenly, she heard a farmiliar voice behind her in sickbay. It sent a jolt down her spine. She stood stock stil and listened.

"May I help you?" Said Nurse Opel.

"Ensign Shtik reporting for my physical."

Her heart stopped. She stood, turned around and gasped as the PADD fell to the floor with a muffled clunk. The ensign looked at her. His vulcan guard fell and emotion broke through as he too stood bewildered.

"D'tarna!" He jogged to Bellen. They hugged.

"Oh, If I wasn't a vulcan I'd be crying right now!" She said painfully. Bellen then drew back. "How did you survive? The station was destroyed!"

Their whole relationship flashed before Bellen's eyes. She remembered when they met. It was at the Vulcan academy.. Both of them stuck out in the almost 100% Vulcan crowd. Him for his human upbringing and D'tarna for her divided origins. They soon found each other and were insperable until the day of his graduation in 2364. She was to stay for another year while he went on with his career. They defied logic and continued a long distance relationship. D'tarna left the vulcan academy in 2365 and went direclty to Starfleet Academy.

They met again in 2366 when he entered Starfleet. It was then and because of him that D'tarna joined with Bellen. She knew it would bridge the small age gap and solve the remaining conflicts due to their different upbringings. It helped. They had mind melded and after that were complete in the other's presence. They thought as one and loved as one. 'That's why I've been having those visions.' thought Bellen as she remembered the occasion. 'He was near...' But they were separated yet a second time when she left for Starfleet Medical. Bellen remembered the holocubes that they exchanged the day she left. The space that separated them seemed fathomless to Bellen. And yet again they reverted to a long distance relationship. Ensign Shtik was then relocated to an outpost station on the Federation/Romulan border. Communication to Earth was nearly impossible. One year ago Bellen got word of the outposts destruction...no survivors.

"What are you talking about? You left...I didn't know where you went."

"You died on outpost 22!"

"I was on outpost 21."

"21?" She asked timidly.

"Yes."

"Oh, my ignorance!" She smiled and hugged him again. Bellen then became aware of Nurse Opel's presence. "Why don't you come to my quarters later? We have so much to talk about..." He shook his head. Bellen then forced herself away from him and watched as he left with the nurse.

************************
Bellen's quarters: Later
************************

D'tarna sat in her vulcan robes meditating by a single candle. She let his images flow freely throughout her mind, now. It was foolish of her to push them away before. Everything one thinks has a reason. The doorbell chirped.

"Come in."

Lt.jg Bellen
USS Galaxy

**** Main Bridge****

" Red Alert! All hands to battle stations!" The Captain's voice boomed over the bridge as the siren began to wail. The Borg scout ship was less than 2 minutes away, travelling at Transwarp speed, Coe had calculated that the borg ship had travelled more than 2 light years in around 1 hour.

" Mr T'Lein, has the away teamed returned?"

" Yes Captain, Commander Jamson is on his way." At that moment Commander Jamson and Ensign Ti stepped on to the bridge through the turbolift doors and took their battle positions on the ship.

" Lt Coe, hail the Breen command ship."

" Yes Sir." Coe punched a few keys on his console and soon he saw the flashing light indicating that the Breen where responding. The ugly face of the breen Commander flashed up on the screen."

" Commander," Captain paused momentarily before continuing. " As you have probably already detected on your long range scanners, a borg scout ship is on an intercept course and will arrive in this sector in approximately 2 minutes. The Galaxy can handle the situation and no assistance will be required by any of the Breen ships. I do not want to destroy the Borg ship. Understood?" The Breen commander discussed the situation briefly with what Coe had thought to be was his first officer, he seemed happy with the idea of not having to face the dreaded Borg and soon replied.

" Okay Captain Price, I will order our ships to move of to a safe distance." The Breen Commander then added something that Coe, and he was sure the rest of the Bridge crew, were suprised alarmingly.

" Good Luck." The universal translator made the words sound feeble and lifeless, but Coe knew the Breen had meant something by that.

" Galaxy out." Captain Price smiled as he said it. The viewscreen showed the picture of the three Breen ships heading of at full impulse, safely away from what would soon become, a battle ground.

Chris N
AKA: Lt. Johnathon Thomas Coe
Chief Tactical Officer USS Galaxy
NCC-70637
Indentification: Foxtrot delta 769

Casey sat at Ops, trying not to stare at the Borg ship that was coming at the Galaxy, it's size diminutive because of the main screen. Deiran wasn't afraid, he'd seen the Borg before, he remembered fighting them in thousands of Starfleet Academy simulations. But, now he would face them as a Starfleet officer for the first time. He kept his cool, and his composure and readied the ships systems, allocating power to the different departments as they needed them. Casey knew what Captain Price was up to and couldn't wait to see the look on the Breen faces after this so-called battle was over.

During the slow hours of this shift, Casey had been conducting a study of the subspace readings from a downlink with the computers in the Science station. He needed the sample tricorder readings from the Away Team, but he had an idea on how to get the Galaxy home, and this time he was positive it would work, he got them here, he could get them home. After this little skirmish, he would present a report to the Captain.

He still watched the main viewer, doing his best to watch how the Borg ship would approach and keeping his eyes on the Ops console below. His mind wandered to his dinner with D'tarna on the holodeck, he had a lot of fun planned, she was becoming one of his best friends on the ship. Who would've thought that Casey would be best friends with a Vulcan? He hadn't had a chance to get to know anyone else except for Liam Sketcher. Anyway, his attention was back on the main viewer and his console.

"Give me their heading, Lt. Coe?" the Captain asked as he stood to his feet in a sort of proud, captainly, arrogant defiance, that said "common, I'm waiting for a fight!" Captain Price loved the adventure of it all.

Coe blurted out the heading, upon hearing this Casey relayed some power to engineering so that they could transfer power to the ship's rear deflectors, arrays and torpedo bays.

Casey was also on a one-to-one comm with Lt. Capizzi, Deiran wanted to be able to react to any power fluctuations that Engineering would experience in just a few minutes now.

No matter how hard he tried, Casey couldn't get the beautiful face of Miran out of his head. He just couldn't stop thinking about her.

The Borg ship was as close as the Captain wanted it to get to the Galaxy. The Battle was about to begin!

Just like that we're returned to the ship. After turning in my weapon and tricorder, Lt Sterner releases me, more occupied with the appearance of a Borg scout ship than anything else. I head over to Ten-Forward, feeling useless and in the way, watching for any moving specs of light that might be the Borg ship.

I don't worry too much about what's going to happen. I overheard someone saying that it's a small ship, so it'll be destroyed before too long. It might take a few people from this ship with it, but there's nothing I can do about that.

So, feeling sorry for myself and the incredible mess I'm in, I silently mumble an order for a large glass of water and take a seat in the middle of the room, facing forward.

They materialized near a larger crater. Ti could not believe her eyes. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, left of once had been a beautiful planet. She walked over towards the ridge that overlooked the airstrip. Wadell said something but she didn't comprehend. A Breen fell in next to Wadell. Major Jeppo caught up with Wadell and said something to him but she missed it too. The look in his eyes told her he was not happy. The airstrip was gone. How could the city, the airstrip, and all of the people just vanish? She must have let her mind wander because she heard a prop plane. Must have been thinking back to the air show. Ti looked around. She could see people. Not "see" as the word implied but they were there. She drew her arms around her.

Jeppo faced her. "What is wrong with you?"

"I sense that we are not alone. The people, they are here. It is like they are in a fog. We can not see them, but they are there none the less."

She heard Commander Jamson call her name. "The city is here," she whispered.

"Ensign?" Jamson asked.

"The city is still here sir." Ti looked up at him wide-eyed. Jamson was standing near her now.

"How do you know this?" He asked of her again. He had to be confused; she was.

"I just.. know.... I can feel it." Ti looked off towards the horizon. Being on this planet disturbed her. She wanted to leave. She remained in a daze for the rest of their stay on the planet. Ti could not shake the feeling she had being here. She followed the group down the crater side, a couple of times almost losing her footing.

When they beamed back to the ship, the away team found that the ship was under a red alert. They scrambled for their battlestations. Ti still had the uneasy feeling from the planet, but not as strong as it had been. Commander Jamson and Ti were the only ones in the turbolift heading towards the bridge.

"Are you okay, Ensign?"

"Yes, sir. I won't let my feelings from the planet interfer with my bridge performance."

Ti relieved Ensign Jiron at helm. She would have to prove that she was the best by outmanuevering the borg.

Shtik was still stunned. He had spent several hours working with ensign Vo examining atmospheric samples. When nothing definitive came up, he excused himself for the physical he had scheduled earlier.

When he entered sickbay, and D'Tarna turned around dropping her padd, his breath had come up short and his heart had lept from his lower abdoman all the way up to his chest! When she hugged him, he looked to make sure no one was looking and let a smile settle in.

Even after his phsical, after he had been pronouced fit, he still felt like there was something wrong with the artificial gravity. He felt lighter. Their relationship would be impossible to explain to a nonvulcan. It was deeper than what a betazed would call an imzati, but not quite as deep as a trill sybiotic link. The had shared minds, their katras had mirged. There was a link which could not be broken.

When the doors to her quarters opened, and he saw her there in her vulcan robes, looking just as beautiful as the last time he saw her, he again felt hisself struggle for his vulcan composure. He was glad he too had decided to wear his vulcan robes.

"Greetings, D'tarna Bellen." Shtik said, lifting two fingers toward her. D'tarna returned the jesture, running two fingers along his.

"And to you, Mr. Shtik." She said sarcastically before slapping his hand out of the way. "You know better than that!" and she threw her arms around him in a long powerful embrace, kissing him deeply and passionately. The intense physical contact brought their katras crashing together like two powerful waves. Thoughts, memories and feelings flowed together erasing the time apart.

"Don't try to get formal with me." D'tarna said as she drew back.

"Remember, I don't have the advantage of a trill symbiot to help me bypass the centeries of vulcan control. Besides, I feel it necessary to point out that you do now outrank me, Lieutenant." Shtik replied.

"In case you haven't noticed, Ensign." D'tarna laughed, "We aren't in uniform now." She wrapped her arms around him again and nessled her face in his shoulder. "I can't believe I thought you were dead." D'tarna said looking into his eyes.

"Once I was assigned to the Galaxy, I tried to contact Urtak and Nota to find your current assignment. They responded by saying they didn't understand my sense of humor. They must have known you were here and assumed we had met."

"We have so much catching up to do." D'tarna said, looking into his eyes.

"Unquestionably." Shtik replied, returning the look. Just then the red alert sirens went off. Shtik and D'tarna pulled apart. "Busy ship." he said.

"Aren't they all." D'tarna sighed raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, away team, you heard the man! Get your crap together, we're beaming out! Move it! Move it!" Major Jeppo's voice boomed in the empty air, making everyone jump reflexively but effectively getting everyone together in mere seconds.

"Jamson to Galaxy. Away team ready to beam up." The shimmering beam caught all of us but we weren't prepared for what was to meet us when we got there.

***Transporter Room 1***

Almost before we had materialized, Jamson was barking out duty stations over the klaxon that was ringing throughout the ship. As the crew started scrambling out the door in a rush, Commander Jamson pulled Lt. Capizzi and Mitchell to the side.

"Capizzi and Mitchell! I want you two to start working on a formula for that warp shell and inform me as soon as you figure something out. I'll bring the Captain up to speed, got it!"

"Yes, sir!" The two said in unison.

"Alright, well get to it, men! and don't let me down! Check in with your preliminary report in 2 hours." And with that the Commander rushed out of the room.

"What do you know about Engineering principles and theories, Ensign?" The two men were rushing to the turbolift while they were discussing strategy.

"Not a heck of a lot, Lt., but I am a fast learner, and thats why you are here. I'm just here for the scientific end of things."

As they entered the turbolift, Capizzi started to say Main Engineering, but caught himself. "Holodeck 2" He spoke.

Mitchell just looked at him, puzzled. "Why?"

"We can load up Dr. Brahms theoretical lab on the specs of the Galaxy on Utopia Planetia. It is also a controlled environment where there aren't any engineers running around, getting in the way. Anyway, I can wire in the main computer core so we can run simulations." The lift doors opened almost right in front of Holodeck 2.

Capizzi strode up to the commpanel and loaded up the corresponding program. "Computer; begin program". The doors swooshed open to let the two crewmen enter.

**Holodeck 2**

"What can I do for you, gentlemen?" A dark-haired woman walked from around a stand-up schematic to end up at the top of a platform right near where the the two men were.

"Well, Lt., lets get to work. Got any ideas where to start? We essentially have to read the warp conduit from one side to another--maybe a probe of some kind? After that we'll gather readings on the status of time at both ends and compare the results. Those results I hope will give us some kind of basis to design our time-shell."

"I get your point, Ensign, but waht I'm afraid of is that we might have to get inside that warp conduit just to get it. Who knows where we'll end up if that happens."

Dr. Brahms walked over to the schematic. "Maybe I can help. What if we used the warp nacelles and deflector array to emit some kind of ionic pulse to deflect off the conduit and back at us--maybe even a form of tractor beam--to temporarily contain us in the conduit by bouncing off the protons in the matrix of the conduit? It effectively buffets us around like a wind tunnel."

Capizzi and Mitchell looked at each other.

"It could work..."said Capizzi.

Mitchell's head was tilted in thought. "One problem though..."

"Oh,oh...I don't like hearing you say that."

"For that idea to work, we need to bounce the pulses from >all aspects of the conduit, and there are two open ends..."

"So we'll drift back and forth."

"It would appear that idea will not work." Brahms whispers.

"Oh, yeah, it'll work...but we'll more help."

"I'll call for some specialists." Capizzi begins to reach for his combadge.

Mitchell reaches out to grab him. "Not that kind of help. We are going to need to either plug those holes or have something big enough at each end that can balance out the buffeting of this starship..."

"You mean...?"

"Yeah, either the Breen are going to help us, or the Borg are."

Ensign James Mitchell
USS GALAXY

The away team returned to the Galaxy. While the Commander was quickly heading for the nearest turbo lift, Joerg and his security staff were informed of the Borg scout ship that headed towards the Galaxy.

Lieutenant Sterner, having read the security reports of previous Borg encounters, decided that all vital stations of the ship must be secured at once.

"Ensign Jeppo, take some security officers and protect Main Engineering at all cost against a Borg invasion. There may be only five Borgs on the scout ship, but each of them can be a deadly foe." Joerg tried to explain to him. But Ensign Jeppo just smiled softly at the Chief of Security.

"I'll handle this situation sir. Don't be afraid, engineering will be safe against those bastards." he replied.

"Don't forget to change the frequencies of your phaser. The Borg ..." Joerg again tried to explain to the Ensign, but was interrupted by Jeppo.

"The Borg can adapt to the frequencies. Yes I know that. May I go now?" he just said while waiting for the reply.

"Yes, you are dismissed." Joerg said very astonished about Jeppo's behavior.

And with that Tinian was on his way to engineering. Joerg turned to the remaining security members Ensign Aaron and Quall.

"Ok gentlemen. Another important, if not the most important, part of the ship is the Bridge. I myself will be there and if anyone of you wants to join me, he is welcome."

"I want to be on the bridge too sir." Ryan answered.

"I think I'll return to the security office in case there is another security problem we haven't heard of yet." Ensign Aaron said and they both waited for the Lieutenants approval.

Joerg nodded and entered a turbo lift that would bring Ryan and himself to the bridge. On their way Joerg contacted other security personal to assure that the vital sections of the ship are secured. Then they both stepped onto the bridge. Everyone was busy working for the upcoming encounter with the Borg.

Lieutenant junior grade Joerg Sterner
Chief of Security - USS Galaxy NCC-70637

He could recall everything that had happened... It all seemed to be so similar to what was happening now...

Sterner was quiet, and so was Quall. Quall guessed that they both knew the gravity of the situation that was unfolding. If one of those Borg got on the ship... Ryan pushed that thought from his mind. Captain Price would never let that happen. He'd destroy that ship before it even gets close to us, assumed Quall. But he couldn't keep that terrible feeling from sinking into his stomach. That feeling that the Borg never do what you assume they would do.

The two security officers spent the remainder of the trip in silence.

When the turbolift came to a halt, Quall turned sideways to allow his superior officer to exit the turbolift first. Ryan exited right behind Sterner.

There was activity everywhere on the bridge. Everyone was getting ready for what was ahead. Captian Price turned when they exited the turbolift. The captain gave an approving nod to Sterner, and Sterner returned his acknowledgment.

"Quall, you station yourself on the other side of the bridge. I'll stay on this side."

"Yes sir." Quall waded through the moving people, over to the other side. He took up position at the top of the ramp that connected the upper and lower bridge; oppisite Lt. Sterner. Quall looked to him for approval, and he gave him a nod. Sterner then checked his phaser, and hand signaled Quall to check his.

After checking that his phaser was set to modualte frequencies, Ryan stood ready. He watched the spherical Borg ship on the view screen as he waited.

Chiron stopped by his quarters to drop off his gear from the battle in the holodeck. On his way to Engineering, he thought about D'Tarna, 'Hope she's all right...'

As he stepped onto the turbolift, he heard the Red Alert klaxon come to life. 'Hmm, I wonder what could be happening, can't be the Breen, the swore their cooperation.' When he arrived at Engineering, Skye was there.

"Skye, this is not your shift."

"'s not yours either."

"I heard the Red Alert signal and figured I would be needed here."

"You're right... Here."

Skye pushed something into his hand. Chiron looked down at it and found himself staring at the lines of a Type II Phaser, set to level 16.

"Why are..."

"Gee, you must not get the news do you?"

"No, I have been in the Holodeck with Lt. Bellen."

"One word, my friend...Borg."

Chiron looked up and stared into Skye's eyes, "Human humor is strangely vicious at times... could this be a joke I have not yet experienced?"

"I'm serious, Chiron."

Skye looked at him with all the seriousness of a man facing death... or his past.

"Yes, Skye, I can see that. It didn't show up on any Federation reports, but the Tamarian government was contacted as well during the Locutus incident. However, that was before El Adril, and your people couldn't understand us. We recorded the message and puzzled over it for several years, in fact, in a limited way, that's what helped us understand your language basics. After El Adril, our linguists had finally begun to understand Federation Standard and we decoded the message. Realizing the imminent threat of another Borg attack, the Tamarian Science Council agreed to work on building a new weapon that could be effective against the Borg long after conventional phasers were rendered ineffective."

"Let me guess, you were on this council?"

"Yes, as a Junior designer. Skye, I can modify your phaser rifles, even the ship's phasers to the specifications of our super-weapon. But I'll need your help and many others. I'll contact Lt. Capizzi, and inform him of my idea."

"Sounds good, Chiron. Every bit of an advantage could help against those things."

"Agreed."

"Good Luck."

"Thank you."

"Chiron to Lt. Capizzi."

"Capizzi here. Chiron, this better be good, we're in the middle of a crisis here."

"I know sir, and I may have a way to help..."

Eric Hanson (aka Lieutenant Junior Grade Chiron, Engineer, USS Galaxy)
(aka Lt. JG Jarod Reix, Assistant Chief of Science, Station Beta 2)

The red lights flashed overhead. Bellen looked at ensign Shtik and he at her.

"Busy ship"

"Aren't they all?" She sighed and raised her eyebrow. Ensign Shtik turned to leave. Bellen grabbed his arm, spun him around and kissed him one last time.

"We still need to talk." She said.

"I will contact you soon."

She watched smiling as he left. Bellen then changed, ran out of her quarters and headed for sickbay. On her way there, people ran back and forth taking their positions for...for god knows what! She didn't even know what was going on...When she entered sickbay everything was silent. Dr. Rousseau was in her office pouring over some reports.

Lt.jg Bellen
USS Galaxy

A few tense minutes past.

"Captain, the transporter room reports that all members of the away team have been beamed on board." The urgency could be heard in Lieutenant Coe’s voice.

"Understood Lieutenant."

The Captain’s reply was curt. When additional orders were not forth coming, Lieutenant Coe asked, "Sir? Are we going to break orbit?"

The turbolift doors swooshed open as some of the Senior officers from the away team took their stations on the Bridge. Captain Price looked over at Coe. "Negative Lieutenant."

"But Captain! That is the Borg. At least we should raise the shields."

"No Lieutenant. Keep the shields down. The Borg are able to adapt very quickly. I want to save the shields until we need them." The Captain was interrupted by Ensign Ti.

"Captain, enemy ship coming into visual range."

Price returned his gaze forward. "On screen Ensign."

The forward monitor displays the approaching image of a small, spherical shaped ship. As it draws nearer, the features of the craft identify it unmistakably. It is the Borg.

"Captain. Sensors indicate we are being scanned by the Borg vessel." T’Lein adjusted his Ops station before adding, "They are slowing to one quarter impulse."

"Let me know when the are in weapons range Lieutenant Coe."

"Aye Sir." Coe responded, checking his tactical station.

"Captain!" Ensign Ti said excitedly, "Look! The Breen are attacking!"

The bridge crew of the USS Galaxy watched as the three Breen Crusader class ships began firing their disrupters at the small Borg scout ship.

"Damn it! That throws a wrench into the works!" Price says. Then turning to tactical, "Raise shields Lieutenant. Helmsman, plot an intercept course, full impulse."

The tones from Coe’s station rang out as he activated the ship's defense systems. "Shields raised Captain."

Ensign Ti pilots the USS Galaxy out of orbit from Rigel 7 and punches the impulse engines as the ship races to engage the Borg scout ship. "We will intercept the Borg ship in twenty seconds Captain."

Captain Price watched as the three Breen ships attacked the Borg. Each one scoring direct hits using similar ‘wolf pack’ tactics as they used against the Galaxy earlier.

"I’m detecting heavy damage on the Borg ship Captain. They are not returning fire on the Breen." T’Lein reported. A tone of fascination in his voice.

"Captain, we are in weapons range. The Borg seem to be ignoring us Sir." Coe’s voice carried a tone that he was waiting for orders to open fire.

A puzzled look lands on the Captain’s face. "Why are the Borg not counter attacking?" He thinks. "It’s almost as if they don’t care if they are destroyed." The Captain’s eyes go wide as he realizes what is happening.

"Lieutenant T’Nevin, are you detecting any sub-space transmissions coming from the Borg ship?"

The part Romulan, part Vulcan Chief Science officer quickly peers into his stations scan visor as he adjusts the gain. "Nothing that I can..., Wait!" T’Nevin stands up from his seat and looks at the Captain. "They are transmitting everything back towards the Alpha quadrant. Sector Zero, Zero, One Sir."

"Too late to stop that now. They know we are here. Lieutenant, lock on a tractor beam."

Coe looks at the Captain, "What?!"

"You heard the order Lieutenant. I want that ship. I need those Borg alive."

"But Sir!"

"LIEUTENANT."

Coe sighs. Obviously wanting to destroy the scout ship rather than capture it. Carrying out the Captain’s orders, he tried locking on to the sphere shaped ship with a tractor beam. "Captain, I am unable to get a lock on the ship. Something about their hull is rendering our tractor beam ineffective."

"Captain, the Borg ship is still heading for Rigel 7. They have changed their course, now taking a reentry heading. I think they are trying to land on the planet sir." Ensign Ti spoke very quickly. You could tell she was getting wrapped up in the excitement of the moment.

"Hail the Breen ships. Instruct them to break off their attack of the Borg ship." The Captain watched as the Borg ship zoomed past the Galaxy, heading towards Rigel 7. The Breen ships still firing their disrupters. The crew watched as the rounded ship began glowing in the upper atmosphere of Rigel. The Breen finally had to break off their attack.

"Track them. Helm, reestablish planetary orbit."

"Orbit reestablished Captain." Ensign Ti reported.

"Captain, the Borg ship has crash landed on the planet’s surface. They are no longer transmitting. I am detecting faint life signs, and they are fading Sir." T’Nevin’s report was right on que.

Turning on his heels, the Captain looked to Commander Jamson. "Commander, I want you to beam down to the crash site and look for survivors." Price glances over Jamson’s shoulder and sees Sterner and another security officer standing near the turbolift. "Take these two security officers and have Doctor Rousseau meet you in the transporter room."

The First officer nodded. "And what should we do if we find survivors Captain?"

"I want them brought on board Commander. We will transport them directly to the Brig, or to sickbay depending on Doctor Rousseau’s recommendations."

"Understood. Captain, might I ask why Sir? I mean.. they are Borg!" The Commander’s question wasn’t a breach of command protocol, just genuine curiosity.

Captain Price looks at Jamson. "The Borg are all one collective mind Commander. They all draw from the same knowledge base. They all share each other’s experiences. I am hoping that the Borg may know something about the cause of this Temporal anomaly we have experienced."

The Commander began to under stand the Captain’s tactics. "I see. That’s a good plan assuming we can find a way to extract the data from the Borg."

Glancing over to Counselor Shivok, Captain Price nods at the Commander. "I have an idea about that. Now hurry and get down there, I don’t know how long we have before the Borg sends another ship through the Warp Conduit."

"Aye Sir." Jamson says as he and the two security officers step onto the turbo lift. Before the doors slide closed, Jamson taps his comm badge.

"Doctor Rousseau, grab your medical kit and meet me in transporter room one. I’ll brief you there."

"Aye Sir." Jamson said and headed toward the Turbolift.

"Let's go gentlemen" Jamson said to Sterner and Ensign Quall and they entered the Turbolift. in the turbolift Jamson pressed his comm badge "Doctor Rousseau, grab your medical kit and meet me in Transporter room one. I'll brief you there"

Jamson, Sterner and Quall were on their way to Transporter room one. "Sterner, I want you and Quall to secure the area. We don't know how many of them are still alive, and I don't want any surprises, understood?"

"Yes Sir" Sterner replied.

The 3 men entered the Transporter room,Doctor Rousseau was already there waiting. Jamson briefed the Doctor and the small away team stepped on the pads and with Commander Jamson nodding to the Transporter chief the away team dematerialized.

****Planet Surface****

The away team rematerialized somewhere near the Borg ship but they could see nothing...it was all dust and smoke.

"Ok guys,scan the area with your tricorders and pull your phasers." Jamson said.

"Where is the ship?" Lt.Sterner asked.

"This way" Ensign Quall said and pointed.

There it was...the Borg ship.everything was burning...there was smoke everywhere...smelled circuits and debrie...it was a mess...but Jamson didn't care,he just pulled his phaser and turned to Doctor Rousseau "Life signs, Doctor?"

The Doctor scanned for a few seconds with an experssion on her face that could easily show that she was not so happy to search after Borg survivors and to bring them back to the Galaxy. "Commander, I'm getting a reading. A Borg. 20 meters..." She turned to her left "This way." and they all followed her.

"Sir, I'm getting nothing" Ensign Quall said.

"It must be the gamma radiation leak" Lt.Sterner said.

The team approached something,it looked like a human...it was a Borg. The team freezed in place looking at him...he was not active,he just lied there on the ground and for a moment no one approached him...not even the Doctor,it was like they all wanted him to die...but they couldn't let him die.

The Doctor was the only one to approach the wounded Borg and to scan him. After a few seconds of scanning the Borg,the Doctor turned to Jamson and said "I need to get him to get him back to Sickbay immediately.

Jamson nodded and Rousseau tapped her comm badge "Rousseau to Galaxy.Two to beam directly to Sickbay."

Jamson watched her and the Borg beaming back to the Galaxy. He turned to Sterner and Quall but he didn't say a word,he was thinking about what he did...saving a Borg instead of killing him...

The 3 officers got back to the Borg ship with their phasers pulled as Jamson turned to Sterner and Quall again "We should search the remains of the ship if there are any clues that might help us to understand this situation."

And before Jamson continued Sterner jumped in and said "Sir, if I may I would like to post an extra security guard in Sickbay to keep an eye on the Borg."

"Well Mr.Sterner, I think the Doctor may find this very unpleasant, but I think it's in the best interest of the ship's security. Go ahead." Jamson answered Sterner.

While Sterner contacted the Galaxy Jamson ordered Quall to search the interior os the ship for anything the could hep them.

When Sterner turned to the Jamson,Jamson also ordered him to collect as many data about this ship as possible.

Quall was already inside the Borg ship scanning and Sterner was outside scanning the ship and the area while Jamson disappeared in the smoke. Jamson was walking maintaining an eye contact with the ship, he thought about the Borg and his mission...saving the Borg...they killed his friends and family when he was 16...could he forgive them?...

After a few minutes Jamson went back to the Borg ship, Ensign Quall was there talking to Sterner. "Your report, Mr.Sterner" Sterner reported and then it was Ensign Quall's turn to report "Have you found anything else Ensign?" Quall also reported and then both of them, Sterner and Quall waited for further orders.

"Well, I want you two to stay in here until I'll send an Engineering and Science team to scann everything down here.Understod?" both of the officers nodded as Jamson pressed his comm badge "Lt.Capizzi and Lt.T'Nevin, I want you to assemble a team of engineers and science officers to beam down here to scan the Borg ship."

Commander Michael Jamson
FO/XO
USS Galaxy

The doctor leaned over and examined the Borg. Quall had to admit that the doctor seemed to have no fear... Ryan wondered how he would of reacted if he was inches from the Borg. Scanning the Borg, Rousseau reported, "It's dying. I need to get him to sickbay."

Commander Jamson nodded, and Rousseau signalled for transport. The slight hum of the transporter beam faded in and out again as the doctor and the injured Borg were dematerialized.

Ensign Quall noticed that Sterner appeared very "concerned" after the transport.

"Sir, if I may I would like to post an extra security guard in sickbay to keep an eye on the Borg." Sterner requested.

Jamson agreed and then turned to Quall. "Scan the ship. Get anything from it you can... computers, navagational data, archives, anything."

It felt erie to Ryan to be standing metres from a Borg vessel... He had to admit it was much different in person. Never the less, I have a job to do! Quall opened his tricorder and entered the vessel.

Smoke and fires were still going inside, but they weren't dangerous... The floor was at an obscure angle, and Quall had a hard time staying upright. While walking, the hull below his feet shifted. Quall fell as the floor gave way.

Damn! Stupid...! Ryan had fallen on his side, into a pile of charred circuts. Trying to get up, he rolled onto his stomach; and sudderred with horror. Inches from his face was a Borg!!! Panic overtook any reason or logic, as Ryan scurried to get away. It was only when the Borg did not pursue him, did he realized that all the remaining Borg were dead.

Cursing himself and shaken, Quall scanned the rest of the ship without incident. The Borg, along with their ship, were damaged beyond any hope.

Quall returned to the commander and the Lt. Sterner had apparently also been told to check the ship out. Jamson doesn't think I can handle the job or something?! No, no. It couldn't be... could it? As he listened, he realized that this was the way things worked. Everyone has their opinions and findings to present to their senior officers.

When Sterner had finished, Commander Jamson turned to Quall. "What have you found, Ensign?"

"The inside of the Borg vessel is completely useless. All the important systems, computers, and data have been destroyed by the Breen attack and the crash. There is nothing that gives any hint about where they were from, or doing here.", reported Quall. "Oh, and all the Borg are accounted for... and deceased. There are no recoverable cyber implants or equipment on them, sir."

Jamson nodded his approval. Ryan felt a surge of accomplishment rush through him; along with some relief.

"Ah, Ensign? What happened to your uniform?", Jamson inquired.

Stunned, Quall glanced down at himself. Apparently when he had falled, his uniform had gotten covered in black char from the fires on the ship.

"Wa..th..uh..." was all he could manage.

Jamson smiled, "Relax there Quall! I was just kidding around."

Quall breathed a sigh of relief, and did relax a little. Sterner and Quall both then looked to Jamson for his desicion on how to procede.

Ensign Quall
Security Officer

Lt.jg Bellen
USS Galaxy

Ensign Mitchell was running his simulations on the main lab computer with the help of his assistant, Specialist Langman when a thought occured to him. The results from his warp shell tests were inconclusive to the very reason that he just couldn't find the connection between his quantum signature and the real timeline. He needed someone specialized in Quantum Mechanics.

But thinking about what ensign Chen was saying a bout a warp bubble made him think. What if a portable warp shell was created(by the way, Ensign Chen, a warp bubble is unstable and inconsistent, a warp shell is stable and constant) to encompass a small area, like a person? This way, it would create a perfect testing ground for his warp shell on a large scale. His only problem with the warp shell could be solved. It was like sending a scout ahead. All the person would have to do is keep changing the modulations and frequencies until they were in the right timeline. How they would know that is beyond me, but I do know that it would probably help find Chief Jensen. We would just have to send the right person through. The warp shell encircling them would protect them from any timeline changes. But we would have to come up with a way to determine how the person would know if they were in the right timeline.

I think its time to have a meeting of the science staff to go over all this material and maybe bounce some ideas around.

"Computer: Send the following message to all science staff, Engineering heads, senior staff and Ensign Chen."

"This is Ensign Mitchell. I would like to call a meeting of the scientific staff and engineering to the Science conference room. It regards the idea of building a test module for the warp shell that I have been keeping you up to date on and I would like your input and ideas on how to get us home. I'll be waiting with my test and simulation results."

Ensign James Mitchell
USS Galaxy

Jamson and Sterner were back on the Galaxy, the engineering and science teams were at the crash site with Ensign Quall scanning everything.

Jamson looked at Price exiting his ready room with Mr.Shivok. Shivok entered the turbolift and the Captain sat in his command chair.

"Anything new Commander?" Price asked Jamson.

"No Sir, I gave Lt.Capizzi and Lt.Sterner an order to assign an Engineering team and a science team to scan the Borg ship."

"Very good number one" Captain Price said while he was looking at the view screen.

"Is there something wrong, Sir?" Jamson looked at the Captain.

"Well Commander, I just sent Counselor Shivok to do a mind meld with the Borg..." The Captain said.

"But Sir..." Jamson tried to speak.

"I know Commander...but it may be the only way we can get the information from the Borg...if I could do it I would do it myself but I can't and Shivok is the best for this...we need to protect the Federation, and besides that it's an order." Price said still looking at the view screen.

"Yes Sir" Jamson said while he was thinking the Counselor and the Borg.

Suddenly, the Captain's comm badge beeped ["Rousseau to Price"]

"Price here" the Captain replied.

["Sir, I have serious objections against Counselor Shivk's plan to meld his mind with the Borg. I can't allow..."]

"Doctor, I heard your objections, but Mr.Shivok does, what I have asked him to do..."

["But, Sir, the Borg is barely able..."]

"And I expect you're assisting him with all your power. Price out" The Captain was a bit angry and worried.

"Sir, may I watch the mind meld?" Jamson asked the Captain.

"Of course Commander." The Captain answered.

Jamson got up and headed toward the turbolift. Before Jamson arrived at Sickbay he tapped his comm badge "Jamson to Price...." but Jamson was interupted by the Doctor,

["Rousseau to Price!"]

["Price here"]

["Sir, Counselor Shivok's mind melt with the Borg was interupted. He felt down to the floor unconscious"]

Jamson ran to Sickbay and entered the room.

Shivok was on the floor unconscious with Doctor Rousseau scanning him. The Borg was awake shouting "We are Borg! You will all be assimilated! Resistance is futile."

Jamson looked at the Borg while the Borg said it again and again... Jamson felt himself go wild and he screamed to the Borg "You! I will kill you!" Jamson jumped toward the Borg, but the 2 security officers grabbed him in time.

Commander Michael Jamson
FO/XO
USS Galaxy

*** Captain's Ready Room ***

Counselor Shivok was together with Captain Price in his Ready Room. It was obvious they were having a kind of argument.

"It is an illogical thing to do, Captain. We don't know the effect of this action." Shivok repeated at least for the fifth time.

"I know, Counselor, but it is an unique chance, to get information at first hand. And we desperatly need them. We must know, if they are responsible for this."

Shivok still kept his sceptical face. Price stood up from his chair, rounded the table and sat on the corner, just opposite of Shivok.

"I know, what risk it implies, if you mind meld with the surviving Borg, but I also know the risk, if we don't do it. The Borg have become a fundamental thread to the Federation, and if I have the chance to do anything to protect the Federation... damn... if I'd know how to do a mind meld, I certainly would do it myself, but I can't. You're the most apt person on board, not only because of your Vulcan nature, but also because of your Betazoid capabilities. You might get into regions, nobody else is able to go."

Shivok, still hesitating, sighed, and answered: "No need to flatter me, I'm very well aware of my abilities. And because of that, I know my own chances, and I'm afraid to confess, they are not very big."

Prices voice became stern: "We have to use even the slightest chance to survive." And after a moment of silence he continued more softly: "Shivok, I could give you the order to meld your mind with the Borg, but I want you to do it voluntarily. I need your help, Shivok."

Shivok reads the intense urge behind the Captain's words, his determined willingness to protect the Federation against the Borg threat and therefore estimated Price's offer to give him a choice even more.

Finally Shivok handed in: "I try, what I can do, but I need medical assistance and security personnel to prevent any unforeseen effects."

Price's relief was well heard when he smiled and said "Granted."

*** Sickbay ***

"What?" Dr. Rousseau didn't believe her ears. "What do you want to do?"

"I'm going to meld my mind with the Borg."

"He's barely in the condition to stay alive. From a medical point of view, I can't allow any..."

Shivok's risen hand interupted her: "I know about the physical condition of the Borg. And therefore I'd like you and Lt. Bellen to assist me during the mind meld."

"And you? Is there any risk for you?"

Shivok's unspoken answer was enough for Rousseau. She pressed her badge: "Rousseau to Price"

[Price here Doctor.]

"Sir, I have serious objections against Counselor Shivok's plan to meld his mind with the Borg. I can't allow.."

[Doctor, I heard your objections, but Mr. Shivok does, what I have asked him to do...]

"But, Sir, the Borg is barely able.."

[And I expect you're assisting him with all your power. Price out]

Shivok's politeness prevented him from commenting Rousseau's current emotions.

In a harsh tone she said to nobody particular: "I'm a doctor, not a voodoo priest!" Then she addressed Shivok: "OK, I'll help you, but as soon as yours or the Borg's conditions get worse, I'll stop the experiment immediately!"

"Well negotiated and accepted." Rousseau's puzzled glance followed Shivok as he moved closer to the Borg. Shivok stood for a moment there and then pressed his badge: "Shivok to Lt. Sterner"

[Sterner here]

"Lt., I'm going to meld my mind with the Borg and I'd be reassured, if more of your people would survey the experiment."

[Understood, I'll do the arrangements immeadiately]

A couple of minutes later security guards entered sickbay and took their position.

"Doctor, I will need you to revive the patient before I make an attempt to mind meld." Mr. Shivok's tone was very clinical.

Looking over to Ensign Hutchcraft and Sanchez, Doctor Rousseau sees that the security officers are standing by with phasers. "As you wish Counselor. I only hope you know what you are doing."

Doctor Rousseau pressed the hypo spray against the Borg's white skin. As the injected stimulant quickly began to work, she couldn't help but notice that some how this young Borg's face looked familiar.

The Borg stirred. His bionic eye illuminating at the same time as his human eye opens. Glancing around momentarily, the Borg begins to recognize where he is at.

"Interior, Starship. Galaxy class." His head turns as he accesses the Borg memory banks. "NCC-70637 USS Galaxy. Captain Robert Edward Lee Price commanding. You will be Assimilated." The Borg sat up, then turned his head to face Doctor Rousseau. "Resistance is futile."

As a shiver runs down Jacqueline's spine (that is no doubt felt by everyone in the room), Mr. Shivok interrupts, "Perhaps you are correct. What is your designation?"

The Borg's head snaps to face Counselor Shivok. "Vulcan, male. You too will be assimilated."

Without so much as blinking an eye, Counselor Shivok repeated the question. "What is your designation?"

"We are Borg."

"Yes, I know, but how are you addressed by your collective?"

After a moment of thinking and more device movings he said "We are Three of five."

"Three of five, you were number three on your ship?" Shivok couldn't believe the coincidence. Wasn't Hugh, before he became Hugh, Three of five?

"We are Borg, Resistence is futile, we are Three of five, number three of five on ship."

"Good, Three of five, now I want you to relax."

"You will be assimilated."

"Yes, I know, but now, I want you to relax."

"Relax?" Three of five's optical device moved and focused without stopping.

"Yes, like ... when you are deactivated."

Three of five looked at Shivok. "We are Borg."

Shivok sighed and looked at Rousseau, but she was very carfully observing the panels.

A slight head twitch. "Three of Five."

"Three of Five, I am Shivok. Might I touch you to evaluate your present condition?"

The Borg searched the Collective's 'banks, determining if the contact would pose a threat. After a few moments, it responded. "Proceed."

Ensigns Hutchcraft and Sanchez stood by as the mind meld began. Doctor Rousseau and Lieutenant Bellen also watched, over hearing Shivok's words.

Carefully taking the Borg's head into his hand, fingers spread across the temple and cheek, then adding his second hand until the Borg's head was firmly in his grasp. "Your thoughts to my thoughts."

"We are Borg!" Shivok's fingers reached for the chakras on Three of five's face.

"You are Three of five. I am Shivok." His fingers got contact, and Sivok opened his mind.

"Your mind to my mind, my mind to your mind."

"You will be assimilated!"

"My mind to your mind, your mind to my mind, I am you, you are me, we are one, Shivok and Three of five."

"We are ..." Shivok had problems to find an anchor point in Three of five's mind. It felt like an icy surface, no corners, no roughness, only a perverted smoothness. But then slowly he found what he was looking for, Three of five's old nature, the self he was, before he became assimilated.

"We are Borg."
"I am Shivok."
"You will be Assimilated."
"We are Borg."
"We are Borg. Resistance is Futile."
"We are Three of Five."
"We are Borg."
"We are Three of Five."
"We are Borg."
"We are Shivok."
"We are Borg."

Sweat drops perled on Shivoks forehead, but he didn't cease his efforts, he has already arrived further, than he has thought. And finally he achieved the meld.

"We Orbit Rigel VII."
"Rigel VII, assimilated 2014."
"Why monitor a world that has been assimilated?"
"Searching for Starships that escaped Temporal Rift."
"Temporal Rift?"
"Temporal Rift created to alter earth's past, prevent First Contact."
"We created Temporal Rift?"
"Yes. We are Borg."
"We are Shivok."
"We are Borg."
"We are Shivok."
"WE ARE BORG!"

Counselor Shivok's face contorts as if he is in great pain. The veins begin to protrude on his neck and the back of his hands as his knuckles whiten under the stress of the mind meld. Perspiration trickles down the part Vulcan, part Betazoid's temple.

"We are Shivok."
"WE ARE BORG!"
"We are Shivok."
"WE ARE BORG! WE ARE BORG! RESISTANCE IS FUTILE! YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED!"

The Borg extends it's bionic appendage as small needle like projections jut out. The Borg raised the arm to inject something into Shivok's neck, but half way there, pauses as it begins trembling violently.

"WE ARE SHIVOK!"
"WE ARE BORG!"
"WE ARE SHIVOK!"
"We are Borg."
"RESISTANCE IS FUTILE! I AM SHIVOK!"

Counselor Shivok breaks the mind meld, practically pushing himself away from the Borg unit, Three of Five, with his last bit of mental and physical strength before collapsing on the floor.

Dr. Rousseau immediately hits her comm badge. "Rousseau to Captain!"

["Price here!"]

"Sir, Counselor Shivok's mind meld with the Borg was interupted. He felt down to the floor inconscious."

["On my way Doctor."]

Lieutenant Bellen and Doctor Rousseau go to aid the fallen Counselor, only then noticing the Executive Officer, Commander Jamson who had entered Sickbay unexpectedly.

"I will Kill you!" the Commander screams, seeing Counselor Shivok's limp body fall to the ground as the Borg continues to rant.

"We are Borg. Resistance is futile."

Hutchcraft and Sanchez each grab one of Jamson's arms and restrain him. The Commander's rage is plainly apparent as he tries to get to the Borg to rip him apart with his bare hands. The Ensign's can understand the Commander's rage, but Captain Price had ordered that the Borg was to be kept alive if possible.

Lieutenant Bellen, not knowing what else to do, injects the Commander with a tranquilizer to sedate him.

With her attention diverted momentarily, Doctor Rousseau wasn't fast enough to react to the Borg, Three of Five, as he reached out with his biological arm and grabbed her wrist. It was holding a Hypo spray similar to the one Lieutenant Bellen just used on Commander Jamson. Jacqueline screamed as the Borg began pulling her closer and it raised it's bionic appendage about to inject it's assimilation needles into her neck.

A Phaser blast streaks past the Doctor's held arm, striking the Borg in the chest. Three of Five releases it's grip of Doctor Rousseau as it slams up against the back of the biobed, then rolls off and falls onto the floor. Turning around, Jacqueline can see Captain Price standing besides Hutchcraft and Sanchez as they hold Jamson's groggy body up. Doctor Rousseau nods at the Captain before kneeling down near the Borg. She makes a quick pass over it's body with her medical scanner before turning back to the Captain.

"He's dead Lee."

Captain Price nods without any signs of remorse. "What about the Counselor?"

Lieutenant Bellen and Doctor Rousseau both step over to the sweat drenched Mr. Shivok. He was laying on the ground completely motionless as she scanned him. "He appears to be all right Captain. He is completely exhausted from the mind meld, but I can't detect any physical damage." Doctor Rousseau snaps her scanner up into her hand as she completes the scan. "I could give him a general stimulant, but it would be risky Captain. There may be mental side effects from the meld that my scanner can't detect."

Captain Price took a deep breath and released it slowly as he considered what the Doctor had said. "Do it 'mate. I need to know what he found out."

Doctor Rousseau adjusted the hypo spray and placed it on the Vulcan's neck.

Moments later, Shivok began to revive. As his head cleared, he notices five faces staring down at him.

"A most extraordinary experience." Shivok sits up slowly and moves his head slightly as he rubs his temple with one hand. "I am most fortunate to still be alive."

Captain Price's face plainly showed he was relieved that Counselor Shivok appeared to be all right. "So what did you learn Shivok? Do the Borg know anything about the Temporal anomaly?"

Shivok got up off the floor and made his way to a Biobed. There he sat while Doctor Rousseau and Lieutenant Bellen ran a few scans.

"Yes Captain. It seems that the Borg created this whole timeline."

"Created it? How?" The Captain was naturally curious to learn some answers to this mystery.

"A few days ago..." Shivok paused while his Vulcan half searched for a logical frame of reference. "...Using our known timeline before this incident, the Borg launched an attack against Earth in sector zero, zero, one. A large Federation attack force resulted in the destruction of that Borg cube, but not until after a small scout ship was able to escape."

Captain Price, As well as the others in the room listened closely to what Shivok had to say.

"That ship, created a Temporal rift in order to travel back into earth's past and alter history."

Ensign Hutchcraft's eyes go wide as he interrupts with his thoughts. "So that is what created this timeline!"

"That is correct. Ensign."

"So If the Borg somehow altered Earth's history, why are we still here?" The Captain still wasn't convinced.

"As near as I can theorize, the USS Galaxy was inside of the Warp Conduit at the time that the Temporal anomaly happened. Some how, the Conduit shielded us from the effects of the timeline change."

"I see. Then the next question would be, what can we do about it?"

"A better question might be what should we do next Captain. You see, when the Borg entered the Temporal Rift they created to escape to the Earth's past, they detected a Federation Starship that followed into the Rift."

"A starship? Which one?"

"NCC-1701-E."

"The Enterprise!" Sanchez says with assurance.

"Well, does that mean the Enterprise wasn't successful? If she were, we wouldn't be here, would we?"

"That is why the Borg collective have monitoring beacons like those we encountered on Rigel, through out the quadrant. They know the Enterprise made it back into Earth's past and are trying to find her, desperately. It could be that the Enterprise has not yet completed her mission. Once she does, assuming that she succeeds, this timeline will cease to exist."

"Counselor, if this timeline ceases to exist... what will happen to us?" Hutchcraft's question was a good one. Before Shivok could answer, Captain Price replies.

"It means that we will cease to exist Ensign."

"That is correct Captain. And without knowing the where, or the when the timeline will be repaired, if it does get repaired, there is really nothing we can do to protect ourselves."

"Well, what about the Warp Conduit? It protected us before!" the security officer Hutchcraft was not being shy with his questions.

"That is true, However we do not know when the timeline will change. Unless we are as fortunate as we were before, the odds are greatly against our success." Shivok answers the Ensign's question, then looks at the Captain. "The Borg know we are here Captain. They are sending a ship to Assimilate us."

"Okay Counselor. Thank you for your help 'mate. I need to talk to the Science and Engineering departments about what we have learned. Maybe they can come up with an idea we haven't thought of yet. Let Doctor Rousseau finish checking you out, then report to your quarters for some rest, you look exhausted." Captain Price pivoted slightly and looked at the dead Borg, Three of Five, as it laid on the floor. "Ensign Hutchcraft, have the Borg transported back down to the crash site. I want it off the ship." Looking across the room, Captain Price's eyes find Commander Jamson as he sits on the floor, his back propped up against the wall near the entrance to sickbay. "When Commander Jamson comes around, have him report to my ready room."

Around Sickbay, everyone acknowledges their assignments as Captain Price exits Sickbay. "We are running out of time." He thought.

By Stephane, aka Counselor Shivok
and Mark Williams, aka Captain Price
USS Galaxy

A few hours later, the Commander regained conciousness. Bellen walked over to the woozy man. Anger was still abundantly present in his eyes. "Sir, I don't mean to overstep my bounds, but why did you react in such a manner? May I be of any assistance?" The symbiot within her allowed her to understand somewhat of what the commander was feeling but a reaction of such intensity must have some other reason.

Lt.jg Bellen
USS Galaxy

"I think you should stay here Commander" Bellen said to Jamson.

"I can't! Not as long as the bloody Borg is in here!" Jamson said and looked at the Borg with anger.

"That's an order Commander! , you need to rest!" Bellen said and took another hypo spray. "I'm warning you Commander, you need to rest. Now lie down and take a nap"

"I'm ok Lt., just help me to get up and I'll... " Jamson tried to get up but he was interupted by Bellen "This is my last warning Commander! Lie down and rest or I'll use the hypo spray!" Bellen looked at Jamson with a serious expression.

"Lt. you can't understand! Now let me g....." Bellen pressed the hypo spray into Jamson's neck again.

Jamson fell to the floor and the 2 security officers grabbed him again and put him on the biobed.

Jamson was dreaming. In his mind he saw pictures from his past... When he was 16...it was a nice day at the outpost and he was playing with his Klingon friends...he couldn't remember what it was exactly...then suddenly there was darkness everywhere...people screamed and strange machines that looked like humans appeared everywhere...it was the Borg...he remembered them...they killed most of his friends...not many survived...

He never saw a Borg again until now...when he saw the Borg at Sickbay...he felt the rage and anger. He must relax now....just rest a little bit....and then revenge! he will revenge later...now he must sleep...

Commander Michael Jamson
FO/XO
USS Galaxy

"By the Prophets!"

She entered her quarters to find a large vase of roses and tulips. The bow was purple and gold and held a card. The card told her to go to her computer console and access program 18654. The flowers were from Ensign Casey. He wanted to go on a date. Miran was overwhelmed. Why her, of all people? He has not bad looking and could have just about anyone on the ship if he wanted; so why did he ask her out? She was embarrassed. She was just too tired to ponder it any more tonight.

Ti dreamed of her parents' death again. This time the guard that killed them was Robert. She saw purple tulips falling from the sky to cover her fallen parents. Behind her, Casey was laughing and pointing towards her fallen parents. Breen and Borg ships hovered overhead. Ti sat up shaking. Her dreams were becoming more turbulent. She did miss Robert more now; for if he was alive, they would have been married and she would have requested to serve on Voyager to be with him. Damn the Marquis. She decided she needed a pet. An animal might help her calm down. She would look into getting a ferret or a cat later when this fiasco solved itself.

Ti sat down at her computer console. She was intrigued by Casey's actions. She decided dinner would not hurt. She could handle it. She thought to herself, "Buck up. Dinner will not kill you. Casey has to be nice, look what he did for you."

She sighed and sent a message:

TO: Deiran Casey
FROM: Ti Miran

SUBJECT: Dinner

I will be honored to have dinner with you.

Ti Miran, Ensign USS Galaxy
Chief Helmsman

She was not honored as much as scared and nervous. She wanted to sound nice though.

Ti put on her duty uniform and decided to be on the bridge. Since she could not sleep it would be easier to be there if anything happened.

Ens. Chen had just finished putting the transporter console back together. She thought to herself I hope I put it back together right. I am sure Chief Jensen will give me grief if I mixed up some of the isolinear chips. She sighed inwardly. Chen wasn't really cut out for this engineering work. She was also glad that Ens. Mitchell came by to discuss the warp shell with her. Warp shells, warp bubbles, it was all so confusing. On top of that she was really tired and her shift was coming up soon.

**********Ens. Chen's quarters************

Geisha was very happy to see Ens. Chen. Geisha always was even if Stephanie just left for a few minutes. Dogs didn't have much of a sense of time. After playing with Geisha, Stephanie walked over to her desk and began drafting a report for her supervisor, Lt. T'Lein. She didn't know him very well but then she hadn't made much of an effort either. Things were so busy on this ship.

After she finished her report she forwarded it to Lt. T'Lein. She checked her mail and saw a message from Ensign Mitchell about the meeting to discuss the warp shell idea in the Science Conference Room. Ugh, Stephanie thought to herself. She hated meetings. She hoped that she wouldn't have to say anything and that Ensign Mitchell would do all the talking. Stephanie had never gotten over her fear of public speaking even after all those presentations she had to do at the Academy.

Stephanie wanted to get some sleep before the meeting, but first she would ask Lt. T'Lein to provide a relief officer for her just in case the meeting ran late. Something else was nagging her though. She kept thinking about how Chief Jensen transported himself off the Galaxy in the first place. The only new people on the ship were the Tholians and maybe they had something to do with it. Stephanie forwarded a report to Security to see if they could come up with anything.

Ens. Chen, Operations Officer
USS Galaxy

'Ensign Sanchez, think you could give us more security in Sickbay'

[Sure Ensign Hutchcraft. Sanchez out]

Andrew looked at the Borg attentively waiting for it to suddenly get up and start attacking everyone in the room. He looked at it and started reasoning with the Borg and himself. How in some ways he hated the Borg for all that they were, and then understanding what the Borg were about. After all, this was just another life-form, just like the terrans, vulcans, and countless more humanoids are. Except instead of it's primary mission being reproduce, it was to simply assimilate.

Which in the end, was the same mission. The Borg wanted it's species to be the ruling species. Back home on Earth, Humanity had managed to rule Earth. Surely the Borg was doing the same thing as Humanity was doing. The Ensign thought more and became slightly rested.

Ensign Sanchez walked in, and saw the Andrew looking relaxed...

"Y'know considering you just asked for more security you look pretty laid-back"

Andrew put on a serious look and simply said;"That way I can surprise the Borg should it ever recover. Which it probably wont"

Andrew grinned. At that moment Mr.Shivok walked in. Ensign Hutchcraft stood up straight again and prepared. He watched Shivok set up for the mind meld.

Just a while after he started, Shivok fell to the ground unconcious. The Borg awoke and started shouting various Borg-like lines. Just as Andrew was about to fire at the Borg, Jamson ran in screaming at the borg. Himself and Sanchez struggled to keep the Borg and Jamson apart. Bellen quickly sorted out the situation with the hypo spray, allowing the two security officers to deal with the Borg and the fallen Shivok.

While Sanchez aided another Medical Officer with Shivok, Ensign Hutchcraft stood there with a phasar pointing at the Borg, scared to use it as the borg hadn't done a thing, but wanting to fire simply because of what the Borg had done. The worry over what to do was quickly resolved, however, when Captain Price fired on the Borg from the door way behind the security team. With the Borg dead, the Ensign was slightly at ease.

Sanchez returned, helped Bellen take the unconcious commander to a biobed, and then looked at the Heather and Lt.Bellen;"Heh, you wanna go to Ten Forward after this mess? I'm kinda tired now...."

At that moment he remembered that he still had to talk to Liam about the band ...

"I've also got some stuff to take care of..." he grinned.

And yet, somehow, this Borg appeared familiar to her. She couldn't explain it yet...

She watched as Shivok melded with the Borg, now identified as Third of Five. As things began to spiral downward for the counselor, she prepared herself for the worst.

It was about that time when all hell broke loose in sickbay.

Jamson gave his cry of rage, and advanced toward the Borg. The interruption shook both Bellen and Jacqueline out of their concentration. D'Tarna was fast enough to stop him, but Jacqueline stayed at Shivok's side.

And never saw the arm that reached for her.

She felt a force stronger than anything she'd ever felt yank her up to the bed. Her struggling eventually left a line of sight to the approaching assimilation needles.

'I'm dead. This is how it ends, in my own sickbay, by a means that not even Beverly would be able to pull me out of...'

She was suprised (but grateful) to hear a phaser beam swoosh past her ear. Then, due partly to the falling Borg body, she lost balance and fell to the floor. Looking up at the Captain, she leaned over the body, already knowing what her readings would say.

"I'm sorry. He's dead, Lee."

He nodded, then indicated Shivok. "What about the Counselor?"

She and D'Tarna examined the fallen counselor. After presenting options, he decided on, what was in Jacqueline's opinion, the option with the biggest risk factor.

But she could understand his motives. They were, after all, running out of time..

Shivok gave his tale, and Jacqueline listened as best she could. It was, however, one name, or rather number, which made her stop wht she was doing and whirl around to listen for a second.

"NCC-1701-E"

Her relief that all of her friends were safe...she hoped....remained a silent celebration. She turned back to Shivok and continued her monitoring.

Enterprise...something about the Enterprise that--

'Oh, no.'

The name, and the memories it brought back, provided the missing pieces to the puzzle she'd been mulling over during the entire episode. She had seen that borg drone before. That borg drone had seen HER before.

That borg drone was Hugh.

Chief Medical Officer's log, supplemental:

The Borg, known as Third of Five, was killed, in an attempt to save me from certain assimilation. He is to be returned to the planet's surface.

Counselor Shivok continues to recover from the traumatic mind meld with Third of Five, but should recover physically soon. Psychologcally...well...I'm not qualified to make that judgement.

Commander Jamson, after his outburst, was sedated. He should come around soon....

...and a strange injury was suffered by Petty Officer MacDonald. He, somehow, shattered several bones in his right wrist...actually, shattred ALL the bones, save one. Due to the unusually severe damage to the bones, I was forced to place an osteoregenerator under an old-fashioned, plaster cast, in hopes that the cast will help him keep his wrist straight until his bones can finish healing.

"A cast? Doctor, last I checked, these things were as outdated as methods came."

"True, but you made a real mess of those fragments by rubbing on your wrist all the way up here. If this weren't the twenty fourth century, you wouldn't have a functioning wrist at ALL after this." She shook her head. "Your bones are pretty much bck where they need to be, but healing is going to take longer than normal due to the small size and great number of the bones. The cast will keep the wrist straight while the osteoregenerator helps the carpals heal."

MacDonald nodded. "So, if I get this right, if I'd shattered my...um..." He points to his shin. "leg bone..."

"Tibia. The damage could have already been repaired."

Petty Officer MacDonald walked out of sickbay, more than perturbed that, as he left, the doctor had stopped him to sign her signature on the underside of the cast...

Lieutenant Sterner and Ensign Quall both were trying to stay as calm as possible when the Borg scout ship approached. The Breen ships attacked the Borg vessel, but to everyone's astonishment the Borg didn't return the fire. They just flew on towards Rigel 7. The scout ship was badly damaged and crash landed on the surface. Hoping that one of the five Borgs has possible survived the crash, Captain Price ordered Commander Jamson, Lieutenant Sterner, Ensign Quall, and Dr. Rousseau to find and bring back any survivors of the crash.

Quickly the three officers, that were present on the bridge, entered the turbo lift and were on their way to the transporter room to be beamed down to the surface again. Arriving at transporter room one, Dr. Rousseau already was waiting for them. They all stepped on the pads and Commander Jamson nodded to the transport officer to beam them down.

The crash site was a mess. The area around the lump of metal that once was the Borg scout ship was burnt and pieces of metal were everywhere. Dr. Rousseau quickly pulled out her medical tricorder and scanned for possible life signs. After a few moments she found what they were looking for.

"Commander, I'm getting a reading. A Borg. Twenty meters, this way." she said to Jamson. He gestured her to lead them to the source of her tricorder readout. A few meters away from the destroyed vessel they found a wounded Borg. Dr. Rousseau scanned him and concluded the only way to help would be in sickbay on the Galaxy. Jamson nodded his approval and the two were beamed back immediately. Then Jamson turned to the two security officers.

"We should search the remains of the ship if there are any clues that might help us to understand this situation." the Commander told them.

"Sir, if I may I would like to post an extra security guard in sickbay to keep an eye on the Borg." the Chief of Security interrupted the Commander before he could continue.

"Well Mr. Sterner I think the Doctor may find this very unpleasant, but I think it's in the best interest of the ship's security. Go ahead." Jamson answered.

While Joerg turned away to contact a security officer on the ship, Jamson ordered Ensign Quall to search the interior of the ship for anything that could help them.

"Sterner to Hutchcraft."

[Hutchcraft here sir.]

"At this moment the only Borg that survived the crash on the planet is being treated by Dr. Rousseau in sickbay. I want you the keep an eye on him and protect the ship from any possible threat he may pose."

[Understood sir. Hutchcraft out.]

Turning to the Commander again, Joerg saw Quall scanning the remains with his tricorder. Assuming that the Commander also had a task for him he waited.

"I also want you to collect as many data about this ship as possible Mr. Sterner."

"Understood sir." Joerg said and opened his tricorder and started to scan the area, as did the Commander himself. A few minutes later they all met again where they started the search.

"Your report Mr. Sterner" Jamson said.

"As much as I can say, this ship had no problems whatsoever. It appears it was fully functional before it was shot down by the Breen and crashed on the planet. The whole equipment aboard the vessel is now useless. Perhaps an engineer could find something useful in this mess, but I think there's nothing we could use to explain our situation here." Joerg concluded his report.

Jamson turned to Ensign Quall and asked "Have you found anything else Ensign?"

Lieutenant junior grade Joerg Sterner
Chief of Security - USS Galaxy NCC-70637

As Andrew asked the bartender for a Liam Sketcher, suddenly a red alert sounded. "Christ..." he thought to himself. He hailed Lt. Sterner

"Sir, can I help out with the borg menace in anyway?"

Sterner quickly responded

[Yes Ensign. You can help out Ensign Jeppo in engineering]

"Thanks sir. Ensign out"

With that he grabbed his phaser and marched towards engineering. Andrew thought to himself. He had always heard about the Borg and all the chaos they created. Andrew looked at them and thought about how the Borg was similar to so many people he had met as a child. Except the Borg were at least honest about what they were doing. His usual grin quickly became an aggresive frown, and he quickly gained speed with adrenline.

By the time Ensign Hutchcraft had reached Engineering, his face looked like that of a klingon in a field of romulans. He was sweating all over. He could see Major/Ensign Jeppo standing guard in engineering. He looked at him coldly.

"Ensign Hutchcraft, Sir, joining your team." his voice was not quite as fierce as before but he was still angry.

The Major looked back at him with a smile on his face. He looked significantly stronger than the Ensign, yet the Ensign did not relieve himself of his anger.

"So, Ensign, looking forward to the fight?" the Major queried.

Hutchcraft stood straight, clutched on his phasar even more than before and snarled...

"YES SIR. I want to kill a Borg. I want to make them suffer"

The Major looked almost surprised. Hutchcraft had always wandered what a marine would be like in real life, and to his surprise it wasn't bad at all ...

"Excellent. Take a position over there. And when, or if, the Borg match our phaser frequencies, use brute force to take them out. Screw the *@#$%(& prisoners".

Ensign grinned with delight with the Major's lack of protocol. He expected a lot more seriousness from a ranking marine. He had certainly lost a few stereotypes. Andrew quickly walked towards where Jeppo had pointed him towards.

Moments later, the Red Alert ended, much to the Ensigns dismay. It wasnt long however, until Ensign Hutchcraft recieved a hail

[Sterner to Hutchcraft.]

"I'm here sir" ... Hutchcraft still felt a bit of energy in his body, and was very ready to do whatever Sterner was requesting.

[At this moment the only Borg that survived the crash on the planet is being treated by Dr. Rousseau in sickbay. I want you the keep an eye on him and protect the ship from any possible threat he may pose.]

"Understood Sir" Hutchcraft gave Jeppo a quick march towards Sickbay. "Maybe I'll have some fun after all ...."

While he marched towards sickbay, he quickly reminded himself to make a note to Liam ASAP.....

He walked into sickbay slighty less aggresive, got back his grin, then saw the Borg lying on a bed. He clutched his phasar and made his way towards the Borg and Dr. Rousseau

Ensign Andrew Hutchcraft

The doctor leaned over and examined the Borg. Quall had to admit that the doctor seemed to have no fear... Ryan wondered how he would of reacted if he was inches from the Borg. Scanning the Borg, Rousseau reported, "It's dying. I need to get him to sickbay."

Commander Jamson nodded, and Rousseau signalled for transport. The slight hum of the transporter beam faded in and out again as the doctor and the injured Borg were dematerialized.

Ensign Quall noticed that Sterner appeared very "concerned" after the transport.

"Sir, if I may I would like to post an extra security guard in sickbay to keep an eye on the Borg." Sterner requested.

Jamson agreed and then turned to Quall. "Scan the ship. Get anything from it you can... computers, navagational data, archives, anything."

It felt erie to Ryan to be standing metres from a Borg vessel... He had to admit it was much different in person. Never the less, I have a job to do! Quall opened his tricorder and entered the vessel.

Smoke and fires were still going inside, but they weren't dangerous... The floor was at an obscure angle, and Quall had a hard time staying upright. While walking, the hull below his feet shifted. Quall fell as the floor gave way.

Damn! Stupid...! Ryan had fallen on his side, into a pile of charred circuts. Trying to get up, he rolled onto his stomach; and sudderred with horror. Inches from his face was a Borg!!! Panic overtook any reason or logic, as Ryan scurried to get away. It was only when the Borg did not pursue him, did he realized that all the remaining Borg were dead.

Cursing himself and shaken, Quall scanned the rest of the ship without incident. The Borg, along with their ship, were damaged beyond any hope.

Quall returned to the commander and the Lt. Sterner had apparently also been told to check the ship out. Jamson doesn't think I can handle the job or something?! No, no. It couldn't be... could it? As he listened, he realized that this was the way things worked. Everyone has their opinions and findings to present to their senior officers.

When Sterner had finished, Commander Jamson turned to Quall. "What have you found, Ensign?"

"The inside of the Borg vessel is completely useless. All the important systems, computers, and data have been destroyed by the Breen attack and the crash. There is nothing that gives any hint about where they were from, or doing here.", reported Quall. "Oh, and all the Borg are accounted for... and deceased. There are no recoverable cyber implants or equipment on them, sir."

Jamson nodded his approval. Ryan felt a surge of accomplishment rush through him; along with some relief.

"Ah, Ensign? What happened to your uniform?", Jamson inquired.

Stunned, Quall glanced down at himself. Apparently when he had falled, his uniform had gotten covered in black char from the fires on the ship. "Wa..th..uh..." was all he could manage.

Jamson smiled, "Relax there Quall! I was just kidding around."

Quall breathed a sigh of relief, and did relax a little. Sterner and Quall both then looked to Jamson for his desicion on how to procede.

Ensign Quall
Security Officer

Commander Jamson requested an away team that consisted of engineers and scientists only. Some moments later a group of people materialized at the crash site. Jamson and Sterner wanted to go back to the ship, only leaving Ensign Quall with the other away team. Sterner turned to the Ensign.

"Ensign, I want you to help and protect these people. They are here to investigate the remains of the ship. It seems there is no eminent threat by the Borg at the moment, but stay on alert."

"Yes sir." the Ensign answered.

Jamson and Sterner went away from the ship to assume transport position. Jamson tapped his communicator and requested the transport for both of them. Moments later both were standing on the transporter platform. Jamson hurried out of the transporter room to report their findings to the Captain. Sterner let the past few hours pass in his mind, while walking to a turbo lift.

'First the Tholians, then the Breen ..... the mysterious disappearance of the Rigel colony ..... then the Borg. The Borg, the most hated race in the galaxy.'

Of course he already had heard from the terrible loss at Wolf 359, although he didn't lose any of his family in that battle, he knew what these creatures could do. They assimilated whole races and destroyed armies of warships with little effort. And one of those creatures was in sickbay right now. He felt his hatred rise, but told himself just to do his job, and that was the safety of the Galaxy and all its passengers.

The turbo lift arrived at the given destination, when the delegates came to Joerg's mind again. He quickly reentered the lift and went straight to the guest quarters. He recognized one of the two security officers that guarded the quarters. It was Ensign Taylor. Knowing his duty roster he assumed the other officer must be Ensign K'arta. Seeing their superior officer, both saluted.

"At ease. I just wanted to check if the delegates are well." Joerg told them.

"They weren't very pleased with the situation, but I think they understood, sir" K'arta answered to Joerg.

"Very well. Keep me informed with the situation." Joerg replied and was just about the leave, when one of the doors opened and a delegate came out.

"I remember you. You are Sterner, responsible for the security of the ship." the Tholian said to Joerg.

"Yes, that's right. Can I be of any help to you?" Joerg asked politely.

"I really hope so. We have been imprisoned in our quarters for such a long time now, and no one found the time to explain the whole situation to us. We were only told that there is an emergency on the ship, but nothing more. I also want to know what happened to our wounded colleague. We haven't heard from him since your people took him to your health facility." the V.I.P. told him.

Searching for a way to start and explain, Joerg looked around for help. Then his communicator came to life.

[Shivok to Lt. Sterner.]

"Sterner here."

[Lt., I'm going to melt my mind with the Borg and I'd be reassured, if two of your people would survey the experiment.]

"Understood, I'll do the arrangements immediately." Joerg ended the communication.

"I'm sorry, but as you see, duty calls for me. But I'm sure these two ensigns will answer all your questions as good as I would have done. Excuse me now." Joerg said while heading for the turbo lift. The two ensigns looked not very happy with their assignment.

On his way to the turbo lift Joerg tapped his comm badge.

"Sterner to Hutchcraft."

[Ensign Hutchcraft here sir.]

"How is the situation in sickbay?"

[Everything under control. I already requested another security officer for the safety of our counselor and she is already on her way to sickbay.]

"I'm glad to hear that. Sterner out."

After that he decided to return to his office and check up with the latest events, that he might have missed during his away missions and entered the turbo lift. Some time later he sat behind his desk again and found some time to rest.

Lieutenant junior grade Joerg Sterner
Chief of Security - USS Galaxy NCC-70637

As he enters the TR, he looks at the team starting to coalesce. He doesn’t recognize to many of the people here. He sees a lab tech that looks familiar, and then he recognizes Mitchell. He waves, walks over, and they start talking. He doesn’t know Mitchell that well yet, so its mostly subdued talk of the Borg. After a minute or so, the team is ready to beam down, and they, with all the accessories, are haphazardly piled on the pad. One last look at the ship, a few seconds of a flickering blue, and they are suddenly exposed to the horrors of the Borg crash. Before the transport, there had been the constant murmur of conversation, but now… its as dead as the land.

Cam sets up the remote LCARS system, then delegates the "unique opportunity" of running it to someone else. He wants to explore. He hauls out a tri-corder and walks around to the back of the sphere. He crawls in, scanning as he goes. The very presence of evil seems to emanate from the ship. Cam reaches down to his boot to make sure his black dagger is still there. He knows its a useless exercise, but he still feels better having done it. He comes across a conduit, Borg style, with sensor readings indicating hot plasma in it. He taps his comm badge to put him in touch with the poor soul in charge of keeping this party organized.

"This is Ens Cam, Science, I have a live conduit 20 meters in on the intact side"

"Ok, thanks"

He took one last look around, and headed back to the improvised ops center. Actually, it was really just where all the personnel not wandering around where working. He was pretty sure that who ever was in charge was going to start forming groups and giving orders as to what to do.

--Cam

" Chief tactical officers log supplemental." Coe said in a tired voice as he walked into his quarters , ready for some much needed sleep.

" 14 hours ago, the Galaxy, seemingly entered a sub-space distortion of some kind. It's nature is currently being determined by the science team. It appears we have arrived, after coming through the distortion, in an alternate timeline, a timeline where the federation no longer exists, and the Borg, control the quadrant.

Once being detected, the borg sent a scout ship to investigate, after a confrontation with the borg, the scout ship was severely damaged and crash landed on rigel 7. Immediately , Captain Price sent an away team, leaded by the XO Commander Jamson, to the planets surface to look for survivors. The away team returned shortly after, with a wounded Borg. The borg was admitted to sick bay and is now in a stable condition. councilor Shivok attempted a mind meld with the borg, however the "experiment" went terribly wrong and Commander Shivok, is now in a comma. That brings us to the current state of the ship.

The feeling of the crew is not good. Since I came aboard the Galaxy, I have noticed, that at the moment, the morale of the crew members is at an all time low. Many of the ships crew feel uneasy about helping this......borg, the federations deadliest enemy. But all of us, continue to serve loyally and place our faith in Captain Price.

Computer, end log." Coe sighed, he had not slept in over 36 hours and felt that now that things had calmed down, he could sleep. He sat down on his bed, not even bothering to undress and unintentionally, he was asleep in seconds.

Chris N
AKA: Lt. Johnathon Thomas Coe
Chief Tactical Officer USS Galaxy
NCC-70637
Indentification: Foxtrot delta 769

Ensign Mitchell was running his simulations on the main lab computer with the help of his assistant, Specialist Langman when a thought occured to him. The results from his warp shell tests were inconclusive to the very reason that he just couldn't find the connection between his quantum signature and the real timeline. He needed someone specialized in Quantum Mechanics.

But thinking about what ensign Chen was saying a bout a warp bubble made him think. What if a portable warp shell was created(by the way, Ensign Chen, a warp bubble is unstable and inconsistent, a warp shell is stable and constant) to encompass a small area, like a person? This way, it would create a perfect testing ground for his warp shell on a large scale. His only problem with the warp shell could be solved. It was like sending a scout ahead. All the person would have to do is keep changing the modulations and frequencies until they were in the right timeline. How they would know that is beyond me, but I do know that it would probably help find Chief Jensen. We would just have to send the right person through. The warp shell encircling them would protect them from any timeline changes. But we would have to come up with a way to determine how the person would know if they were in the right timeline.

I think its time to have a meeting of the science staff to go over all this material and maybe bounce some ideas around.

"Computer: Send the following message to all science staff, Engineering heads, senior staff and Ensign Chen."

"This is Ensign Mitchell. I would like to call a meeting of the scientific staff and engineering to the Science conference room. It regards the idea of building a test module for the warp shell that I have been keeping you up to date on and I would like your input and ideas on how to get us home. I'll be waiting with my test and simulation results."

Ensign James Mitchell
USS Galaxy

Cam looked up from the code that he and Ens. Casey where working on to emite the dechyon and neutrino beams in sync, and to keep them from reacting with each other violently.

"Hope you don't think I'm pushing you, wanting to have this in place. Just the last thing I want is to be in transet, and have these two beams disagree" Actually, Cam was worried that Casey felt he was crowding in on his project.

Casey looked up and smiled "No, no problem at all"

"Ok, It should output the current dechyon and neutrino beam emmisions, as well as the projected max/min for each in the top graph, and the frequences and projected max/min in the lower graph. I'm using Grytions Flux Formula to help with the projections, and... there, lets see how this portion works" The pool table between them lit up with the pair of graphs running across it, along with a couple other graphs displaying the unknown variables.

Casey reached over, putting some of the Unknowns into the extreams. "I don't think that flux formula will work... I'll see if I can't write my own to do it"

"Ok, just make sure it returns the DRate, DMhz, NRate, and NMhz in under 25 nanoseconds, they delay on this program is already 3 microseconds."

They worked a few more seconds in silence, Cam on the code, Casey on the projected conditions that they would be encountering.

Cam made a small show of looking up and around at the other 2 lab techs in SciLab4. "Its funny, you can almost smell the fear, yet the only Borg we have had any contact with are crashed on a planet" He was trying to get a bit more conversation going, he liked the silence when he was working, but right now it was getting to him. He had to admit some fear of the Borg to himself.

--Cam,br. Sci Officer
Uss Galaxy

"Price to Coe..." Coe was awoken startled by the voice. He quickly gathered his bearings and after a few seconds, answered the hail in a slightly gruggy voice.

" Coe here." He checked his watch after saying it. 10:23, he had got just 6 hours sleep.

" Ah LT, sorry to disturb you." Coe could clearly here the unique Australian accent in Price's voice.

" No problem Captain, what can I do for you?"

" Lt, Commander Jamson is currently.......busy, if you could, I would like you to lead the joint scientific-engineering team to the planet, on a information searching mission?"

" Of course Captain."

" Good, the away team has already assembled in transporter room two. Make it there as soon as you can."

" Understood. Coe out." With that Coe ended the conversation and quickly got dressed into his uniform. Two minutes later, he was on his way out.

Whilst heading down the hallway, he quickly checked his watch again and remembered something. He pushed his comm badge.

" Coe to Blair." After a few seconds he heard the response. Obviously, Blair was enjoying himself in ten-forward.

" Yes Sir."

" Ensign, I have to lead an away team to the Planets surface, I am due to be on the bridge right now, could you please take my spot?"

" Of course Sir, I'm on my way as we speak." Coe ended the conversation and smiled as he continued down the hallway, he liked a punctual officer.

He arrived at transporter room two and stepped in as the doors opened. 14 crew members awaited him, standing patiently at attention.

" At ease." Coe looked over at the 4 security officers in the room. Ensigns Jeppo, K'arta, HutchCraft and Quall all stood at the side of the room. Coe began to issue orders.

" Right, the security detachment and myself will beam down first and secure the area, as soon as we get there, I want you guys (pointing at the security detachment) to spread out and make sure the area is secure, although it has already been cleared, we are dealing with the Borg, and should take all precautions. After the area has been cleared, I will give the order for everyone else to beam down. Understood? " A murmur off approval came out of the group.

" Okay, lets go then." The security detachment and Coe all stepped onto the transporter pad.

" all right men, phashers on stun.....Energise." Coe felt the familiar feel of the transporter beam embracing his body and before he knew it he had materialised on the planets surface.

" My God....." Even though he had heard the reports, Coe was still shocked by what he saw. He quickly regathered himself and began to address the detachment but stopped. He just smiled.

" LT Sterner has trained his men well." He muttered to himself. He looked over at Quall as the Ensign gave him a nod of approval. Coe tapped his comm badge.

" Coe to Galaxy, begin sending down the teams." Soon, the away team were materialising across the surface. Coe, knowing this could be a lengthy process, set up a temporary command station near the borg ship. He gathered the team around the post and stood up on an empty crate so that everyone could see him.

" Right Guys, lets get to work!"

Chris N
AKA: Lt. Johnathon Thomas Coe
Chief Tactical Officer USS Galaxy
NCC-70637
Indentification: Foxtrot delta 769

He remembered he hadn't checked his messages since yesterday, and stopped at a Corridor computer console to see if he had any, "Computer display messages for Ensign Deiran Casey at this console, authorization code: DCE77197." The computer beeped once and then displayed all written messages for Casey, he had one video message from his mother it stated that it was sent 19 hours from this point in time as were all the other trans-space messages, he'd watch the video later.

All right! A letter from his sister Alexa. "No, she's getting married!?" Casey shouted it out, the entire corridor of people stared at him like he was nuts. "Who in the world did she catch?" Casey thought to himself. "Well, I know who's going to get all the attention now," he thought to himself again. One message from Liam Sketcher, asking if he'd come up with a name for the Ten Forward Band, he'd been so busy, that was the last thing on his mind, but now he could take some time to ponder it. And a message from D'tarna reminding him of their dinner tonight. He would never forget that, he'd been looking forward to it all day.

Casey clicked the computer display off and headed for Ten Forward to get a nice glass of Joktara wine, which was an interesting name considering it wasn't alcoholic at all, it was just made of Jaktaran grapes, unfermented.

When he reached Ten Forward, Liam waved for him to come to the bar. Casey walked to the bar and took a seat. "Hi, Liam, how's your day been?"

"Slow and hectic," Liam replied. "It's been slow because everyone's been scurrying around the ship doing their duty, and hectic because there's so much going on that people who are getting off duty are coming in here thirsty and tired," Liam stopped and turned to the young man sitting next to Casey, "Deiran, have you met Petty Officer MacDonald?"

"No, I don't think I've had the pleasure," Deiran put out his hand to shake MacDonald's hand, "It's nice to meet you, Bill, right?"

"Yeah, Bill's my name. How'd you know?" the Petty Officer hadn't been on the Galaxy that long to be known already. Deiran laughed out loud, "I check the crew logs all the time, I know everyone's name."

"What do you do?" Bill asked. "I'm the Assistant Operations Officer," Casey replied. "Oh, you're the one who got us here?" MacDonald asked. "Yeah, in a crazy round about way I am. But, I'll get us home," Casey replied, smiling confidently. "I'm sorry to change the subject, but I don't want to be late for an appointment... Liam, I was thinking about calling our group the 'Galaxy Crusaders', it's crazy, wild and kind of fun. It's just off the top of my head, you can think about it if you want." Casey took his tall glass in his right hand and drank the last bit of Joktaran wine.

"Bill, it's been a pleasure meeting you, hopefully we'll run into each other again. Liam, as always my man, you cool!" Deiran loved talking like a 20th century jazz saxophonist, at least around his friends. He left with a big smile on his face.

He left Ten Forward and started for his quarters when he thought of a great idea. He went to a computer console display and checked his schedule for tomorrow night. Then he looked up the location of Ensign Ti Miran's quarters. "Ah, here she is," Casey noted the location and went to his quarters.

Casey got to his quarters, happy to see his home. It was starting to feel like home. "Computer, lights." The lights came on, illuminating the room. "Computer, give me the location of Ensign Ti Miran?"

[Ensign Ti Miran is currently on the Main Bridge]

"Good, I've got time."

30 minutes later.

Casey looked one last time to make sure the flowers looked just right, he hoped that the academy psyche test was right about Miran liking Red Roses and purple tulips. "Computer lights off," Casey left Ti Miran's quarters and returned to his own quarters.

When he got back, he cleaned up, got into his 21st Century clothes and headed to meet D'tarna at holodeck 3.

To be continued.....

When Casey saw D’tarna waiting for him at holodeck 3 he hoped she was early, and hadn’t been waiting for him long. "Hi, D’tarna, are you ready for some fun?"

D’tarna smiled at him, "I’ve been ready since this morning, it’s been driving me nuts. You’re a scoundrel for not telling me what you’ve got planned!" D’tarna faked like she was upset, but couldn’t wipe the playful smile off her face.

"Shall we?" Casey asked as his arms and hands were pointed in the direction of the doors to holodeck 3.

"Computer load program Casey 12," the computer beeped and chirped and seconds later:

[Holodeck program: Casey 12, ready and loaded]

The holodeck doors opened to a shining city. D’tarna looked at Casey with surprise, "Paris?"

"There’s a great restaurant here that my family used to come to every week when we lived in San Francisco, I wanted to take you there. I miss this place." Deiran seemed a little home sick. D’tarna and Deiran walked several blocks until they reached a quaint, charming little sidewalk café, and just up ahead was the famous Eiffel Tower.

Deiran ordered a filet mignon cooked well, D’tarna ordered something she always wanted to try, escargot. "Are you sure you want to try that?" Deiran asked. "I’m a Vulcan. Eating is logical. It doesn’t matter what you eat as long as you ingest enough energy to sustain life."

"Please, let’s have the Trill side of you tonight, I want to have fun. It’s nothing personal against vulcans, I just don’t like to be logical all the time," casey smiled.

"I don’t either," D’tarna replied, and they both laughed together.

Paris at sundown, the lights were just beginning to come on, the Eiffel Tower was all lit up. It had just rained, shallow puddles of rain reflected the distant lights shining down upon them. It wasn’t dark yet, a cool midnight blue painted the sky above. Deiran needed to open up.

"I heard from my sister today, she’s getting married to an interplanetary businessman, some guy named Warren Jumar. My sister’s last name is going to be Jumar! Alexa Jumar, I don’t like it!"

"You should be happy for her," D’tarna insisted.

"Oh, I want her to be happy, I just don’t like change. My sister and I are very close. When she was born, I was two years old, our father had just been promoted to the rank of Captain, the USS Phoenix-C, was the ship. I grew up on that ship. When we had no one else to play with we’d play together, as we grew older and more mature we grew closer in a different way. We talked all the time, we’d have adventures together just for the sake of doing something – together. I really miss her." D’tarna just listened, vulcans are good listeners. "Now, those days are gone," Deiran wasn’t having a pity party just making conversation and allowing D’tarna to get to know him. "They’ll never be again."

"What was your sister like?" asked D’tarna.

"It’s funny D’tarna, she’s like you, she’s the same age as you, she acts like you, of course she’s not vulcan, but your trill side is like her. She has blonde hair instead of black hair, and blue eyes just like mine. Wow, I never realized how much you and Alexa are alike, it’s frightening really."

"If you wouldn’t mind, we could do a mind meld, it would help me understand your relationship with Alexa, and I could sort of take her place while you’re seperated from her?" That shocked Deiran, he never expected D’tarna to suggest that. He thought about it for a minute.

"I’ve never experienced a mind meld with a vulcan, I hear it’s really intimate and the bond that takes place is unbreakable through the lifetimes of the people who took part in the process, isn’t that correct?" Casey wasn’t sure, he needed to know.

"Yes, that is correct," D’tarna responded just like a vulcan, in a serious, logical tone.

"D’tarna, you honor me. I’m overwhelmed by your sensitivity and compassion. You truly are a good friend. I would be proud to do a mind meld with you. Right after dinner, okay?"

"Your father is Admiral Thomas Casey isn’t he?" D’tarna asked.

"Yes, he’s commanding Starbase 112 right now, my mother is stationed with him as his CMO. My sister lives in San Francisco, she teaches the children of the Ambassadors of the Federation who live on Earth."

"I’ve studied up on your father’s record, the man is quite impressive."

"Yeah, that’s what people keep telling me. Every single time I hear it, makes me want to overshadow him. I know a lot of people think I’m too driven, too ambitious. But, they don’t know what it’s like having a Admiral for a father, and a grandfather and a great-grandfather, and a great-great grandfather….it goes on. The line’s never been broken, no Casey has ever died in the line of duty, no Casey has ever failed to reach the rank of Admiral. That’s a lot of pressure. But, it’s been on me all my life, my mother said that people would ask her and my father, ’is he going to be an Admiral when he grows up?’ My father didn’t hesitate to answer. I chose to go into Starfleet Academy, I worked my way in, I didn’t receive any special treatment from my father and never would except any. I will either fail or succeed, but I’ll do it on my own! I can guarantee you I won’t fail."

"This is good dessert isn’t it?" D’tarna stated.

"Yeah, this cheesecake is good. I program my holodeck programs to cook the different restaurant’s meals just as the chefs would cook them, so the replicated food doesn’t taste the same everywhere I eat in the holodeck."

"Deiran, that’s ingenius. I wonder if anyone’s ever thought of that?" D’tarna responded with trillian amazement.

"Probably. What did your research find out about my father?" deiran asked.

"Well, I read the Starfleet records, the accounts of his missions into Romulan space, discovering three new planets, saving Federation outposts and Starbases countless times, it just goes on and on."

"Believe me, I’m familiar with it all, I lived most of it with him, as did the rest of my family. I suspect my wife and children will live my adventures with me also."

"You know everyone is talking about you and Ti Miran." Deiran interrupted her.

"What, how I haven’t mentioned anything!"

"You didn’t have too, it was written all over your face. I remember the first time I saw it in your eyes."

"Okay, I won’t deny it. I’m human! It doesn’t matter if people are talking anyway because I already asked her out on a date." Deiran smiled.

"What did she say?" D’tarna asked,