May the dreams of your past be the reality of your future.

--Unknown

"So, what is it, Jack?"

Back in their cabin, the captain turned the object over in his hands cautiously while his lover, first officer and however many greats-grandson watched.

"I don't know, Kam."

"But it looked like…" Kam stopped abruptly, biting his lower lip. He hadn't meant to challenge Jack like that, especially not in front of the first officer and Kyle.

But Jack's expression when he turned his face to Kam was curious, not upset, and Kam wondered when if ever his earlier experiences would stop colouring his expectations of Jack's reactions.

"It looked like what?"

"Like you recognize it."

"I don't, not exactly, but it reminds me of something. Something very dangerous."

"What?"

"A device that fell through the rift on Earth. Alien tech. It was in two parts, like this--" He demonstrated, slipping the two halves apart.

"What did it do?"

"Well, when you used half of it, it showed you the past. Things that had happened at your location that had aroused strong emotions. Ghosts, if you will, but the person using the device didn't just see the events, he or she experienced the emotions."

"And if you used the whole thing?"

"Then it showed you the future, or a possible future. It was like you were living it."

"But this isn't the same."

"No, just—similar." He looked up at his lover, laying the device on a side table. "Kam, the other one, there was something compelling about it. Something that made people WANT to push the buttons and engage it. Whatever this is, I think it's probably equally dangerous so—be careful of it, okay?"

"You think I'm going to go around punching random buttons?"

"No, I don't. But I still—worry. It has nothing to do with trusting you, or your experience, or your judgment. It just has to do with being in love with you."

Kam nodded his acceptance of the explanation.

"But Jack, what's so dangerous about seeing the future?"

"The problem is that you can't just be content seeing the future, Kam. It's human nature to try to change it. And that never goes well."

"That does still leave us with two other questions, Sir."

"And what are they?"

"Where did it come from, and how does the Empire know we have it?"