Disclaimer:
Star Trek doesn't belong to me. I'm just borrowing some characters for this story.
Author's notes:
English isn't my first language. So (aside from possible typing errors) there may be grammar mistakes or clumsy/bumpy expressions.
This story's title is inspired by a song from the musical "If/then". The Guardian of Forever is from TOS. It/he also appears in some Star Trek novels.
This story takes place right before STB.
Chapter 1: The Guardian of Forever
She wasn't supposed to exist. Well, at least not as a woman. She knew that. But here she was. And she was probably about to do something very dangerous and very stupid. For a greater good of course. But that didn't make it less risky.
While the young woman was walking down the ship's corridors to the transporter room her hair fell in dark golden waves around her face and down over her shoulders on her black and golden uniform. Her bright blue eyes had the transporter chief fixated when she stepped through the door. "I'm going down. It shouldn't take too long."
The Chief, a human man, nodded.
She saw the curiosity in his eyes. He was wondering why she was beaming down alone. He was new to the ship and she knew he wouldn't dare to ask what she was about to do. Without any other word she stepped onto the transporter platform and ordered to energize. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath when the familiar tingling began und even kept them shut when she felt the slight breeze on the planet's surface. Was she getting cold feet? Another deep breath. She opened her eyes and looked around.
There it was. A stone portal between ruins. Out here on a far away planet on the edge of the Alpha Quadrant. Slowly she headed for it while the sun went down at the horizon.
"I am the Guardian of Forever. I was expecting you", a deep male voice rose and the unevenly shape ring of the portal lit up.
She stopped right in front of it. "So, you know why I am here."
"Yes."
"And will you help me?"
Silence.
She bit her lip und sighed. "A lot depends on it", she added silently.
"I know."
"So?"
"You need to be certain."
"Of what? Stepping through? I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." Her heart beat a little bit faster now.
"You need to be certain. It may be dangerous."
She slightly nodded. "I know. I will be very careful not to interfere with the timeline. I just need to... talk to him. He knows what we can do. There is no other way to win."
Now the voice sighed. "You are so young."
She was about to answer that she wasn't that young. But then it occurred to her that he didn't mean her. He meant Humanity. She just shrugged. "Yeah... maybe..."
"But I see the potential."
She looked up. "So...?" she picked up her earlier question.
"Once, in another life, he stood before me where you are standing now", the Guardian of Forever suddenly took the conversation into another direction.
"I know."
"How?"
She chuckled and was suddenly more confident of her decision now. "Shouldn't you know that?"
"Ah, so you think, I see everything and know everything?"
"Sort of."
"Well, yes. And no."
"Why do you higher beings always have to talk like that?"
The Guardian of Forever laughed. "I was not aware that you had met others."
"I heard enough."
"From him?"
She sighed again. "Why do we have this conversation when you know everything?" She crossed her arms. "Will you open the portal or not? You know how screwed up the timelines are and what is happening because of right now." She pointed up the sky. "The whole Alpha Quadrant is in great danger, hell maybe even the whole galaxy for all we know. I need to do something. And this is the only way."
"The only way you can think of."
"So I could do something else?"
"I did not say that."
Now, the young woman grew angry. "Will you help me or not, Guardian of Forever? Will you allow me to step through the portal? Or not?"
Silence.
"Look, just say yes or no. I... please, this is important! ... Or am I asking too much? Can't you send me where I want to go?"
"I am the Guardian of Forever. I can see everything. All that is, all that was and all that ever could be. And I am not allowed to interfere."
She rolled her eyes. "So this is a no?" She was confused. Maybe the letter she had received was wrong.
"I am not allowed to interfere", he repeated.
But to her surprise the portal started glimmering and some kind of energy vortex formed. And then she understood. He had simply answered her question. Yes, he could sent her into the past. But she would be on her own - he could not help her there.
"I know that there is something else. Do not deny it. You also want to ask him about the other you... But I need to warn you: You may think you know what you need to do or what you want to learn there. But what if you are wrong?"
She hesitated. Suddenly she was even more nervous than while beaming down. But she stepped forward und vanished in the shimmering and swirling energy of the time vortex.
"Be careful, Jamie Kirk."
Autor's note: She may not be who you think she is... Just wait and see...