Chapter Five - New Additions
Allison told Damian everything that he wanted to know about their past fifteen years. In turn, Damian told her of what had happened in the ten years she had been gone.
With a Moderator and three major boardees gone, the Creative Coalition was eventually abandoned one-by-one until there was no one left, and the board shut down. World War Three escalated not long afterwards, and millions of people died. The war was dying down when the T'MrijisuL K'JnN had kidnapped the seven newcomers.
By the time they were done discussing recent events, the intercom went off. "Captain, R'IljiN requests a meeting with you at your earliest convenience," Jessie said.
"On my way," Allison called back. It was a new model of intercom, in which starship personnel no longer needed to push any buttons to answer a commcall. Quite convenient.
"Well, shall we go?" Allison asked.
"Where exactly are we going?" he asked as he followed her out into the corridor.
"Briefing Room. It's not too far." She stopped at the turbolift doors, and they obediently opened for her. She stepped inside. "You coming?"
"Are you kidding? On a ship this big, I'd get lost if I didn't." He walked over next to her, and the doors slid shut.
"Deck Nine," Allison called, and the turbolift whirred into action.
~~~~~~~
The turbolift deposited the two Vulcans on Deck 9, and Allison led Damian to the Briefing Room. It was a large room with a round table, so that everyone sitting in the chairs could see each other. The room was primarily a powder gray color, with a darker gray material for the table and chairs.
R'IljiN and Jessie were already there, waiting. R'IljiN was sitting in one of the chairs, while the intimidating half-Klingon Security Chief stood behind him. Steve and Kristian occupied two of the other chairs. Both made a move to stand, but Allison motioned for them to remain seating.
She took a seat across from R'IljiN, and Damian sat in the chair that was to the right of her. "Okay R'IljiN, are you ready to explain the behavior of the T'MrijisuL K'JnN?" she asked.
"I am prepared."
"Good. Please begin."
"My people were created by what you call the Preservers," R'IljiN began. "From your own studies, you know that the Preservers rescue primitive cultures, or place certain beings with specific abilities in the position where they could help in a situation. My species was created to be the most brilliant genetic engineers in the galaxy."
"Created?" Steve asked, surprised. "Genetically twisted clones?"
"In a manner of speaking," R'IljiN answered in a slightly miffed tone of voice.
"Please, continue," Kristian asked him, being careful not to offend this new ally.
R'IljiN nodded. "Recently, those you call the Preservers commanded us to collect specimens from the 21st century of your planet Terra."
"Why?" Allison asked, a tad confused.
"The Preservers can see the future, and can make it however they wish. There is an event that will happen in the future that must not happen the way it would without our intervention. For this, the Preservers needed fourteen beings who could know what will happen in the future, but each had to have special powers that they were not born with. You were selected because all of you were, in the past, somehow involved in what you have dubbed 'Star Trek'."
"Okay, I understand that. But why are all thirteen of the others, in some way, in contact with me in the past? Don't tell me it was a coincidence," Allison said.
"You are the Destined," R'IljiN said, pointed at her. "You are directly related to the incident. You work well with others that you know, and it was felt that the transition would be easier on the other subjects as well if someone they were familiar with was present. You have the right mental characteristics that is needed. You, specifically, are the last of your kind. The only one who remains that can accurately see the future as it is. The human called Gene Roddenbery also had this power, but he did not survive long enough to serve us. The human called Berman took over this 'Star Trek,' but he could not clearly see the future after a certain amount of time had passed. You are the only one who can truly know what will happen."
"Then what does all this have to do with me?" Damian suddenly demanded. Allison glared at him for interrupting, but he ignored her temporarily. "Why was I dragged out of my home, twisted into an alien form, and brought 200 years into the future? Was this all some source of amusement for you to pick me?"
R'IljiN looked honestly surprised by his shouts. "My kind has received no amusement from your abduction, Damian. Allison is the Destined, but you are the Protector. Without you, the great mission can not be carried out."
Damian sat back, stunned. "What do you mean?"
"You are her Anchor. You are to hold her in check until the time arrives. You are to protect her from those who would seek to harm her. You, and only you, can serve as her Balance. None other in all of your planet's history could ever replace you. Not even the Azure or the Crystal could come close to your position."
"The Azure or the Crystal?" Kristian asked curiously. "Who or what are you talking about?"
R'IljiN shook his head. "I will tell you no more, for you are not yet ready. In time, you will understand."
~~~~~~~
Quite some time later, the Briefing Room doors opened and the occupants walked out. Jessie headed off with R'IljiN to see the alien to his quarters, while Kristian headed for the bridge and Steve went back to Sickbay. Allison and Damian walked down the corridor, past Centaurians and Deirr, not really having a destination in mind.
Both were silent. Neither had been prepared for the double shock of finding that they were all-important keys to the future. R'IljiN had spoken mysteriously, and neither knew exactly what he was talking about. But to both, though unvoiced, his words brought a sense of uneasiness and anticipation at the same time. It caused both of them considerable confusion.
Finally, when they passed by the doorway to Engineering, Damian spoke up. "What do you think he meant back there, about Anchors and Destined and stuff?"
Allison shook her head. "I'm not sure. But he's right, no matter what he said. This isn't just random choosing. Something important is going to happen, and we are going to be smack-dab in the middle of it all."
Damian stared at her. "Wonderful," he grumbled. "I hate it when life throws a curveball."
The statement was so ludicrous, Allison began to laugh. Damian looked over at her and found himself laughing as well. With smiles on their faces, they made their way to a turbolift.
"Deck Three," Allison called, and the turbolift obediently hummed into action. "It's good to have you around, Damian."
"Glad to be of assistance."
~~~~~~~
Deck Three of the Yel'Hal-tor was where the senior crew's quarters were located. Allison's cabin was close to the turbolift they exited, and thus it wasn't a very far walk. She entered her quarters, which were still quite sparsely decorated, and sat down at her desk. She looked up at Damian. "So, now's the time to fix this little problem of you new people not being in StarFleet..."
"Now?"
"Why not?" She shrugged. "Computer, begin recording new personnel file, basic."
"Recording. Name of being?"
She gestured to Damian that he should speak. "Damian Beresford," he said.
"Gender?"
"Male."
"Species and degree?"
"Vulcan, full."
"Rank at time of entry into StarFleet?"
"Lieutenant," Allison told it.
The computer made a beeping noise. "Basic personnel file created and filed."
Damian raised an eyebrow. "And that's all you have to do?"
Allison grinned. "You got that right, Lieutenant Beresford. Welcome to the team."
~~~~~~~
During the next few hours, Allison had each new time-traveler report to her quarters for recording of their personnel files. All were immediately given Lieutenant ranking, rather than Ensign. A few of them were unhappy with even a Lieutenant's position, but Allison quickly made them forget about it.
"We original seven started off as Ensigns and had to work our way up the hard way," she told them. "Be glad I'm bending the rules to give you such a high starting rank. If Command had their way, you'd all be Ensigns right about now."
Nicky was almost immediately assigned to Transporter duty. The ensign in charge taught him the basics, which were pretty much: get the coordinates, push the buttons, and pray everything comes out okay. Advanced training only took a few more minutes.
Karin volunteered to help out in Sickbay, and it wasn't long before Steve started teaching her all about being a medical officer. She learned quickly, and soon became one of his assistants.
Monica and Cheryl were assigned as relief Navigator and Helmswoman. They would take over the helm/nav station if anything were to happen to May and Lia. Sam and Kat chose the jobs of Biologist and Astrophysics Assistant.
Damian, trying to figure out a suitable job for himself, finally decided on Communications Officer. Upon hearing the name Felsinger, he looked startled, but he began taking lessons from the ensign. Within days, he was pretty good at working the console, and no longer needed help with everything. Occasionally, a signal would come in that he didn't know about, but he picked up on it all fairly easily.
As for R'IljiN...he was dropped off at Starbase 23 and handed over to StarFleet security forces for questioning and possible awarding of Federation citizenship.
All in all, things were going along pretty well.
At least, that's what they thought.
Allison told Damian everything that he wanted to know about their past fifteen years. In turn, Damian told her of what had happened in the ten years she had been gone.
With a Moderator and three major boardees gone, the Creative Coalition was eventually abandoned one-by-one until there was no one left, and the board shut down. World War Three escalated not long afterwards, and millions of people died. The war was dying down when the T'MrijisuL K'JnN had kidnapped the seven newcomers.
By the time they were done discussing recent events, the intercom went off. "Captain, R'IljiN requests a meeting with you at your earliest convenience," Jessie said.
"On my way," Allison called back. It was a new model of intercom, in which starship personnel no longer needed to push any buttons to answer a commcall. Quite convenient.
"Well, shall we go?" Allison asked.
"Where exactly are we going?" he asked as he followed her out into the corridor.
"Briefing Room. It's not too far." She stopped at the turbolift doors, and they obediently opened for her. She stepped inside. "You coming?"
"Are you kidding? On a ship this big, I'd get lost if I didn't." He walked over next to her, and the doors slid shut.
"Deck Nine," Allison called, and the turbolift whirred into action.
~~~~~~~
The turbolift deposited the two Vulcans on Deck 9, and Allison led Damian to the Briefing Room. It was a large room with a round table, so that everyone sitting in the chairs could see each other. The room was primarily a powder gray color, with a darker gray material for the table and chairs.
R'IljiN and Jessie were already there, waiting. R'IljiN was sitting in one of the chairs, while the intimidating half-Klingon Security Chief stood behind him. Steve and Kristian occupied two of the other chairs. Both made a move to stand, but Allison motioned for them to remain seating.
She took a seat across from R'IljiN, and Damian sat in the chair that was to the right of her. "Okay R'IljiN, are you ready to explain the behavior of the T'MrijisuL K'JnN?" she asked.
"I am prepared."
"Good. Please begin."
"My people were created by what you call the Preservers," R'IljiN began. "From your own studies, you know that the Preservers rescue primitive cultures, or place certain beings with specific abilities in the position where they could help in a situation. My species was created to be the most brilliant genetic engineers in the galaxy."
"Created?" Steve asked, surprised. "Genetically twisted clones?"
"In a manner of speaking," R'IljiN answered in a slightly miffed tone of voice.
"Please, continue," Kristian asked him, being careful not to offend this new ally.
R'IljiN nodded. "Recently, those you call the Preservers commanded us to collect specimens from the 21st century of your planet Terra."
"Why?" Allison asked, a tad confused.
"The Preservers can see the future, and can make it however they wish. There is an event that will happen in the future that must not happen the way it would without our intervention. For this, the Preservers needed fourteen beings who could know what will happen in the future, but each had to have special powers that they were not born with. You were selected because all of you were, in the past, somehow involved in what you have dubbed 'Star Trek'."
"Okay, I understand that. But why are all thirteen of the others, in some way, in contact with me in the past? Don't tell me it was a coincidence," Allison said.
"You are the Destined," R'IljiN said, pointed at her. "You are directly related to the incident. You work well with others that you know, and it was felt that the transition would be easier on the other subjects as well if someone they were familiar with was present. You have the right mental characteristics that is needed. You, specifically, are the last of your kind. The only one who remains that can accurately see the future as it is. The human called Gene Roddenbery also had this power, but he did not survive long enough to serve us. The human called Berman took over this 'Star Trek,' but he could not clearly see the future after a certain amount of time had passed. You are the only one who can truly know what will happen."
"Then what does all this have to do with me?" Damian suddenly demanded. Allison glared at him for interrupting, but he ignored her temporarily. "Why was I dragged out of my home, twisted into an alien form, and brought 200 years into the future? Was this all some source of amusement for you to pick me?"
R'IljiN looked honestly surprised by his shouts. "My kind has received no amusement from your abduction, Damian. Allison is the Destined, but you are the Protector. Without you, the great mission can not be carried out."
Damian sat back, stunned. "What do you mean?"
"You are her Anchor. You are to hold her in check until the time arrives. You are to protect her from those who would seek to harm her. You, and only you, can serve as her Balance. None other in all of your planet's history could ever replace you. Not even the Azure or the Crystal could come close to your position."
"The Azure or the Crystal?" Kristian asked curiously. "Who or what are you talking about?"
R'IljiN shook his head. "I will tell you no more, for you are not yet ready. In time, you will understand."
~~~~~~~
Quite some time later, the Briefing Room doors opened and the occupants walked out. Jessie headed off with R'IljiN to see the alien to his quarters, while Kristian headed for the bridge and Steve went back to Sickbay. Allison and Damian walked down the corridor, past Centaurians and Deirr, not really having a destination in mind.
Both were silent. Neither had been prepared for the double shock of finding that they were all-important keys to the future. R'IljiN had spoken mysteriously, and neither knew exactly what he was talking about. But to both, though unvoiced, his words brought a sense of uneasiness and anticipation at the same time. It caused both of them considerable confusion.
Finally, when they passed by the doorway to Engineering, Damian spoke up. "What do you think he meant back there, about Anchors and Destined and stuff?"
Allison shook her head. "I'm not sure. But he's right, no matter what he said. This isn't just random choosing. Something important is going to happen, and we are going to be smack-dab in the middle of it all."
Damian stared at her. "Wonderful," he grumbled. "I hate it when life throws a curveball."
The statement was so ludicrous, Allison began to laugh. Damian looked over at her and found himself laughing as well. With smiles on their faces, they made their way to a turbolift.
"Deck Three," Allison called, and the turbolift obediently hummed into action. "It's good to have you around, Damian."
"Glad to be of assistance."
~~~~~~~
Deck Three of the Yel'Hal-tor was where the senior crew's quarters were located. Allison's cabin was close to the turbolift they exited, and thus it wasn't a very far walk. She entered her quarters, which were still quite sparsely decorated, and sat down at her desk. She looked up at Damian. "So, now's the time to fix this little problem of you new people not being in StarFleet..."
"Now?"
"Why not?" She shrugged. "Computer, begin recording new personnel file, basic."
"Recording. Name of being?"
She gestured to Damian that he should speak. "Damian Beresford," he said.
"Gender?"
"Male."
"Species and degree?"
"Vulcan, full."
"Rank at time of entry into StarFleet?"
"Lieutenant," Allison told it.
The computer made a beeping noise. "Basic personnel file created and filed."
Damian raised an eyebrow. "And that's all you have to do?"
Allison grinned. "You got that right, Lieutenant Beresford. Welcome to the team."
~~~~~~~
During the next few hours, Allison had each new time-traveler report to her quarters for recording of their personnel files. All were immediately given Lieutenant ranking, rather than Ensign. A few of them were unhappy with even a Lieutenant's position, but Allison quickly made them forget about it.
"We original seven started off as Ensigns and had to work our way up the hard way," she told them. "Be glad I'm bending the rules to give you such a high starting rank. If Command had their way, you'd all be Ensigns right about now."
Nicky was almost immediately assigned to Transporter duty. The ensign in charge taught him the basics, which were pretty much: get the coordinates, push the buttons, and pray everything comes out okay. Advanced training only took a few more minutes.
Karin volunteered to help out in Sickbay, and it wasn't long before Steve started teaching her all about being a medical officer. She learned quickly, and soon became one of his assistants.
Monica and Cheryl were assigned as relief Navigator and Helmswoman. They would take over the helm/nav station if anything were to happen to May and Lia. Sam and Kat chose the jobs of Biologist and Astrophysics Assistant.
Damian, trying to figure out a suitable job for himself, finally decided on Communications Officer. Upon hearing the name Felsinger, he looked startled, but he began taking lessons from the ensign. Within days, he was pretty good at working the console, and no longer needed help with everything. Occasionally, a signal would come in that he didn't know about, but he picked up on it all fairly easily.
As for R'IljiN...he was dropped off at Starbase 23 and handed over to StarFleet security forces for questioning and possible awarding of Federation citizenship.
All in all, things were going along pretty well.
At least, that's what they thought.