Title: Future Tense

Part: 5

Author: M

Feedback: Yes please but go easy on me. :-p

Fandom: Enterprise crossed with Titan.

Pairing/characters: Riker/Troi. Blink and you'll miss it implied T/T'P

Rating: eh...if you've hit puberty, you're good.

Disclaimer: Trip (either Sim or the original) isn't mine. Will Riker isn't mine. Deanna Troi isn't mine. The USS Titan isn't mine. Kitara, Soleta, Ren, Drew Tucker, Sara Reed...they are. Sort of. And no, Soleta isn't Peter David's Soleta. :-p I got to using the name when I created this character years ago never thinking the other Soleta would get ressurrected. So...Trek Fen, it's not that Soleta. K:-p

Summary: Well...they say no one ever really dies in Star Trek...they're not wrong.

See Chapter 1 for notes.

Special Edit: Since I've had more than a few helpful people try to help me out on this one, I'm going to make a note here. I had intended on using the Valiant which was destroyed and never repaired and have edited to reflect that. I first planned on using the Defiant but somewhere along the line in my research, things got mixed up and I read a summary or two which lead me to believe the Defiant had been destroyed in the finale of DS9 and had yet to be rebuilt. Hence the quick edit to reflect the Defiant's apparent destruction. Since that was the mixup, I'll change it. As for the class of the Defiant? That one's debatable. It's been called the Valiant class. In fact, it started out that way. Then somewhere along the line the writers got used to writing Defiant and it bled over into the ship class. So, sorry, that's not an error in canon it's simply a grey area and I'm leaving it that way.

As for the class of the Titan? Yes. I'm leaning toward going with the Luna class mentioned in the novels. I should point out this is NOT the Titan of the novels however. The crew is different and the missions will be different. I started this before "Taking Wing" was ever even remotely published. This is actually a finished fic which I'm slowly uploading. So while you will see some things similiar to the 'canon' novels...not everything is going to be. And I'm going with the faster warp crusing capability as Luna's the latest off the block and I'd prefer going that way. I had originally intended to make Titan a Sovereign but...went with the novel instead.

That is also why I'm going with very little description of the ship's interior. Until I get a better handle on what the novel series is doing with the Titan...I'm not going to get ahead of myself.

"Future Tense"
by M.

Having listened to everything Riker's senior staff had to say, Sara's response was understandable. Placing her hands flat on the table, palms down, she nodded once then said bluntly, "You're out of your bloody mind."

The simple, unequivocal response to the story that they had been able to piece together was, Will suspected, Sara's only attempt at remaining polite. The disbelief at the whole situation was as plain as the rather patrician nose which decorated her face. She let the PADD she'd been holding fall to the briefing room table with a clatter as she swivelled in the chair to regard him with an irritated look in her eyes.

"Captain Riker," she began with a more conciliatory tone, "with all due respect, you cannot possibly be serious. You actually believe at some point in the near future Starfleet is going to order me into the past on some sort of insane reconnaissance mission?"

"Oh I'm quite serious, Commander." He responded evenly, understanding her skepticism. "We'll take you to sickbay to examine the torpedo tube later but I'm absolutely convinced of this. It was you and you're responsible for saving this man's life." He inclined his head in Trip's direction. "We believe you did so and arranged for his rescue by us because of the information he carried. Information which indicates there is someone moving about somewhat freely in the 22nd Century dispensing nuggets of information about the future - including the Federation - to Starfleet personnel and alien races alike. You can imagine Starfleet Command's reaction to that."

"I don't have to imagine it." Sara said with a slight upturn of her lips. "The speed with which I was yanked off my previous assignment and redirected here tells me precisely what kind of reaction this information must've gotten in San Francisco." She shook her head and reached for the PADD again. "Bloody insane."

"Well I never said it wasn't." Will commented. "But it also doesn't come as much of a surprise. At least, not the fact you're mixed up in this."

"Or the fact that you are?"

"Or the fact that I am." He nodded turning to look as Soleta entered the briefing room, another PADD in hand, and joined the senior staff at the table. "What've you got for us, Commander?"

The Vulcan took her time, got settled in, then turned her attention to her captain. "It occurred to me that there seemed to be far more programming within the tube than would be required to perform the functions it did. In returning to it, I took another, more detailed, look and made a most interesting discovery." Setting the PADD on the table, she pressed several commands into the small console built into the glossy surface and the screen behind the captain lit up. "It is a data file. Video." She looked at the newcomer as she added, "It would seem, Commander Reed, that you took extra precautions to convince yourself of the veracity of this report."

On the screen a slim, blonde woman appeared. She looked nothing like the commander but the very first thing she did was introduce herself as Sara Reed, calmly rattling off two series of numbers and letters. The first one everyone recognized as a Starfleet serial number but the second one was the one that Sara reacted to.

"That's..." She stopped herself from speaking further before, they assumed, she gave away any sensitive information. After a moment's regrouping, she looked to Riker and said, "All right, I'm convinced. There's not a doubt in my mind that woman is me."

"By the looks of it, you've had some serious reconstructive surgery." He responded, getting up to take a better look. "I wouldn't even know it's you and I've known you for years."

"You aren't supposed to be." Sara explained as her altered self on screen began to speak again, detailing the objectives of her mission. "By the sound of it, no one aboard the NX-01 has a clue I'll actually be there, it's the proverbial bait and switch. I'm going under as an established member of the Military Assault Command. They won't know to suspect me."

"Well now that's something I haven't heard of in a while." Ren sat forward, looking up at the screen, her eyes on the uniform. "I remember hearing about those in the early days of Starfleet. A lot of the MACOs were offered field commissions, I believe, when their command was dissolved after the formation of the Federation. There were a few of them already serving on the Enterprise at that time I believe. By Archer's request, they were absorbed into the crew."

"So, first task, find out as much as we can about this Corporal MacKenzie you'll be - are - pretending to be." Kitara observed, turning her focus to Sara. "It seems this is the beginning of some sort of temporal loop."

"Indeed. The discovery of Commander Tucker in the torpedo tube was meant to be the catalyst which would lead to Commander Reed being assigned by Starfleet Intelligence to travel backwards in time, assume Corporal MacKenzie's identity and transfer aboard the Enterprise in an attempt to discover - and perhaps affect change to - what Captain Archer knows about the Federation. Perhaps, even assist him in this attempt to apprehend the aliens behind the Xindi's attack on Earth." Soleta put in, revealing the theory she had been working on for some time. "It does indeed seem as if preventing the formation of the Federation is the end result to which these aliens aspire."

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time." Deanna put in. "We all know the Borg tried it when they couldn't invade and assimilate the Federation by their conventional means." Her comment brought nods and grimaces from the rest of the Titan's senior staff. Those not personally experienced with that little near disaster had been let in on the know some time before. The whole thing was highly classified but, like most secrets, hadn't quite stayed that way among some circles on the 'Fleet.

"Okay, now that I missed." Trip interrupted, looking to them all with interest. "The who did tried to do what?"

"I'll tell you later." The Counselor advised with a grin that hinted there was one hell of a story behind her earlier statement. Trip was beginning to think there was one hell of a story behind just about everything they said. They didn't seem to do anything the easy way. He sent a questioning look across the table to where Soleta sat but all she did was lift an eyebrow. Which was, Trip decided, not any answer that suited him. He'd been getting half answers and aborted explanations since the whole thing had started to snowball. He'd ask something, someone would begin to answer only then that someone would be called away on an urgent matter. He was starting to think it was deliberate.

Whatever it was...it was driving him absolutely crazy.

However, he held his peace. The middle of a major briefing was probably not the place to throw a temper tantrum and demand answers. Instead, he redirected his attention to the screen where the recorded message was slowly coming to an end.

"Starfleet is not going to believe this one." Kasha commented from beside him, her impossibly dark eyes fixed on the screen. "The very suggestion of it..."

"They'll believe it." Sara disagreed. "There's no way in the world I would've given out those codes under duress." She smiled somewhat unpleasantly. "Starfleet Intelligence goes to great lengths to ensure they stay secure. Operatives would not reveal them under torture or telepathic manipulation. That woman, whatever she looks like, is me. I did - will - travel back to the 22nd Century and saved - will save - Commander Tucker's life so that he can come forward through time and alert me..."

"Anyone else getting a headache from all of this?" Will complained, rubbing at his forehead. "All right, so we know a lot more than we did. We've got a pretty good idea of why you went back Sara, and how you found out about it in the first place, the questions that remain now...are how? And for how long?"

"The Valiant." Kitara answered almost his first question almost before he'd finished it. "We know that it's possible to use the warp engines of a starship to propel that ship backward in time to a predetermined date. Soleta can do those computations with the information Commander Reed provided in her message. The surgery can be done aboard ship." She slanted a look at Ren. "Something tells me you already know how."

"Well, I don't like to brag but..." Ren inclined her head gracefully. "It'll take a few hours, there's a matter of some genetic work but...yes. I can do it here."

"All that remains is contacting Intelligence and getting the permission to go." Sara observed. "That won't take long at all." She sighed and sat back in her chair. "Guess Caspiria Prime will have to wait."

"If it's any consolation," Deanna teased with a little smile, "with time travel, theoretically you could return within moments of leaving...You won't miss a thing."

"I hate theoretical." The Intelligence agent countered, grinning despite herself. "But, you're not wrong there Counselor." She shook her head again. "You're not the only one getting a headache with all of this Captain. I expect Dr. Ren's going to have a line up of senior staff looking for analgesics."

"I'll have them lined up and ready." Ren assured.

"You don't seem to be having any trouble with this." Trip commented, looking at the Trill. Who, true to his words, was sitting back and observing the proceedings as calmly and elegantly as though she were discussing the latest crew status reports.

His words had Taija grinning. "Of course not. You forget, I've had a few lifetimes to get used to all of this."

"Another thing I've gotta adjust to." He countered with an aggravated expression.

"You think it's bad just finding out about it?" Kitara grinned. "Ren's previous host? Sponsored me at the Academy. He was a really great guy...if you ignored the penchant for salt sticks." She feigned a dramatic shudder. "Filthy habit."

"They were." Ren agreed while Trip's shock deepened.

"Taija used to be a man!"

The officers sitting at the table burst out laughing despite the preoccupation with the upcoming mission. Sara among them, despite the fact her laughter was somewhat distracted. It was an old habit, while she was conversed with those around her, her mind was already going through the thousand and one different things that would be required to prepare. "You, Commander Tucker, are going to enjoy this century."

Trip wasn't entirely in agreement. He sat back, feeling quite overwhelmed by everything all at once, and it was a bit like drowning he suspected. "Somehow, Commander...I'm not so sure." He looked up at her, took in the amusement in her eyes, and managed a wry smile. "Malcolm'd probably get a kick out of all this too. Guess his sense of humor must've been a hereditary thing."

"Oh I don't doubt it." She agreed before admitting. "I was wondering if you would connect the names. Reed isn't terribly common but it isn't all that rare either."

"Guess we know at least part of what happened to Malcolm." Trip observed to Soleta.

The Vulcan lifted a brow, conveying her thoughts on the matter easily. "Only a very small part." She put forward, and Trip had the distinct feeling he was being teased. "I assure you, when it comes to the Enterprise nothing is ever a simple story. Nothing indeed."


"Somewhere right now, Jean Luc Picard is laughing at me and he probably doesn't even know why."

Will's dry comment made Deanna lift her head from where it had been resting on his bare chest to grin at him. "Then I should probably get up and send him a message. If he's laughing, he deserves to know why he's doing so." She let her grin turn just the tiniest bit wicked as she crossed her arms on him and settled her chin atop them. She looked into his eyes and felt a thrill go through her at the expression in them. That he could still do this to her after so long...She loved it. "Especially considering..."

"You," her husband began solemnly, "are a cruel and sadistic woman, Deanna Troi." He let a twinkle of amusement enter his eyes as he brushed his hands along the silken skin of her shoulders. "Sharing such intimate details with Jean Luc? You'll make the poor man jealous."

She smiled mirthfully. "Of who exactly?"

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or complimented by that one." Will countered immediately, reaching up to brush her dark hair away from her face. "But it's a moot point anyway."

"Is it now?" She moved into his touch, eyes half shut, like a Terran cat enjoying the attention. "Why would that be exactly?"

He grinned roguishly then pulled her close for a kiss. "Simple, I don't feel like sharing you with anybody. A very archaic sentiment, I know, but I can appreciate history."

"And you accuse me of being bad." His wife teased, brushing her lips over his. "Compared to you..."

"You're a master." He finished, making her chuckle. "Don't even try and convince me otherwise. I've known you - and your mother - entirely too long for that."

Deanna tucked her chin and looked at him. "Will..." She tried to hold the wounded expression but failed as her laughter spilled over. "You're terrible." She kissed him again. 'But I love you anyway.'

Which he knew without a doubt. The depth if it surprised him still. It always would, he suspected. The sheer intensity of the connection had always been something that both confused, fascinated, and scared the hell out of him. It'd grown into so much more than that, of course, it was now the base on which his life rested but it still never ceased to surprise and amaze him. That was something he hoped it would always do.

Understanding the direction of his thoughts, Deanna smiled at him but said nothing of it. Instead, she commented on the thing which lingered in the back of his mind. Sara Reed's upcoming departure. Word had come from Starfleet and it hadn't surprised any of them. "This concerns you."

"Of course it does." He sighed, hands moving over her shoulders and hair once more. "Playing with time is a headache at the best of times. At others, it's downright risky. We came so close with Cochrane and the Phoenix..."

"Closer than even we were aware." She observed, nodding. Trip's word that the NX-01 had been attacked by the Borg. Borg leftover from the Enterprise's battle in orbit..."Sara's a competent officer. She's a good choice for the mission - you said so yourself - and she won't be alone. The Valiant will be going along as support."

"But she'll be alone aboard the Enterprise itself and that's not going to be a situation she's ever had to deal with. There isn't a child born on Earth who doesn't know who Jonathan Archer was...I could tell you the NX-01's crew complement and senior staff roster before I was five. I can't imagine serving with them on a day to day basis and not letting it slip." He looked faintly sheepish. "We couldn't keep it from Cochrane for one night."

Deanna laughed. "It's not the same thing, Will. Zefram already knew something was wrong and people turning up he'd never met before...we were as inconspicious as a Klingon in a room full of Tribbles. Sara will be going in as a MACO, deployed to the Enterprise at Starfleet's request. One among many. She's done this before..." She looked chagrined. "I'm afraid neither you nor I have that much experience with intelligence work."

He gave her a roguish grin and she immediately knew what was coming. "Oh I don't know Major...you make a pretty good member of the Tal Shiar..." His grin widened as he added, "I liked the ears."

The look that appeared on his wife's face was one of merry insolence as she calmly responded, "Ohhh...really, so that's why you wanted Soleta aboard, you have an ear fetish!" She lifted up to survey him with her most professional expression. "This could prove to be quite the problem you know. The Captain obsessed with the shape of a woman's ear. Perhaps, just to be safe, I should go down to Sickbay and see if Ren's done with Sara's surgerical alterations. She can add points to my ears while she's at it and then you can stare at mine..." Her lips curved up into a smirk as she added, "Wouldn't want your science officer lodging a complaint with Starfleet Command now would we?"

"Very funny." Will said with a snort of laughter as he rolled them, pinning her down and grinning at her. "Don't even think about touching those ears, Counselor. I'm quite attached to them the way they are." Leaning down, he ghosted his lips along the curve of one, making her shiver. "In fact, I think they're my favorite body part. So very soft...and the curve...Very inviting."

She shivered again despite the laughter that bubbled up. "You're crazy." She informed him around a giggle.

"That your professional opinion, Counselor?" He teased, pulling away to regard her with a very Vulcan-like raised brow. "Or just a hunch?"

"You're waxing poetic about my ears, Will..." Managing to hold back her giggle, she gave him a chiding look. "That's hardly an ear mark of sanity."

"Pardon the pun?" He pointed out before grinning. "Well, all right, perhaps I am a little crazy but after all these years, finding out I'm crazy in love with you should be a credit to you. To hear you talk, it's anything but."

"Oh, don't make that mistake." She drew him downward, kissing him deeply. "I'll never complain about this. Trust me." Her laughter faded as they traded kisses back and forth before she added, "Never..."

When Deanna's hands slipped beneath the sheets, Will couldn't help teasing, 'No interruptions this time, Imzadi.'

His wife's throaty laugh rippled through their thoughts as she agreed, 'No interruptions...I'm holding you to that. Again...'


"Well?" Sliding off the biobed, Sara stood before her audience with a curious expression on her surgically-face. "How do I look?" She turned in a slow circle for their inspection then stopped and awaited their opinions.

"Seeing it in person, I'm sure of it. I wouldn't know it was you if you walked up and told me as much." Will commented finally, taking in the newly-lengthened and colored dark blonde hair, the slender, elegant features, the willowy figure. If he concentrated, he could imagine where signs of the woman he knew as Sara Reed still existed but the woman that now stood before him was a stranger. "Incredible."

"That's not the word for it." Trip put in, his reaction containing a good deal more surprise. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear I was lookin' at MacKenzie. You even sound like her."

Sara chuckled and touched a hand to her throat. "A very tiny implant. Undetectable to 22nd century Starfleet sensors. I admit, that's the part which takes the most getting used to for me. The change in my vocal patterns, accent, inflections...the surgical alterations don't impact nearly as much as speaking and hearing someone else's voice saying the words." She took the mirror that Ren was holding and surveyed her features. "Impressive work, Doctor." She complimented. "The surgeons Intelligence employs couldn't do better and they've got Starfleet Medical's facilities at their disposal."

"Why thank you, Commander. Knowing those surgeons...I'll take that as high praise." Taija chuckled at the look her captain gave her. "What? You think you were the only offer I got after I left the Science Academy?" She shrugged, grinning. "As fun as the odd spat of cosmetic surgery is...I much prefer the challenges of starship duty to patching up intelligence agents. No offense intended, Commander."

"None taken." Sara assured with a laugh. "There are days I'm not sure I should've ever said yes to this job either." Admitting to a rare case of nerves, she added, "This day would be among them."

"I was going to ask if you were nervous," Will put in, "but..."

"You didn't want to call attention to the fact that a spy shouldn't be that easily read?" His old friend laughed. "If I cared that you knew, Will, you wouldn't know. I'm not that easily read."

"Well then, I stand corrected." He countered, amused.

The conversation lulled then and never one to miss a hint, Taija stepped back. "I think I'm going to go grab a mug of raktajino and congratulate myself on my superior surgical ability. Care to join me, Commander Tucker? We can swap stories about the good old days of the 22nd century."

Trip hadn't missed the unspoken message from the other two officers anymore than the doctor had and gallantly, he offered her an arm. "Be my pleasure, Doc. I'd buy but...I'm afraid I'm a bit short on pay."

"Oh, I imagine that won't last long." She said, walking with him to the door. "Starfleet does technically owe you two hundred years back pay...that's going to be a pretty penny. If, that was, we still used pennies."

When they were alone, Sara looked up at Riker and commented, "Your doctor's quite the character isn't she?"

"More like five different characters." He joked, nodding. "Things're never boring in Sickbay, I'll grant you that. She keeps an old style hypodermic needle around here somewhere for when she gets a troublesome patient. Tells me that humans have an instinctive fear of them which goes to the genetic level." He feigned a shudder. "I'm inclined to believe her. Damn thing gives me the willies."

Perching himself on the edge of a nearby biobed, he got down to the business at hand. "When do you and the Valiant leave?"

"Just as soon as Soleta finishes the computations for the trip." Sara responded, sitting down on a biobed as well. "I'd've used my own science officer for this but, with one of the best in the 'Fleet at my disposal and time of the essence - pardon the pun - I asked her."

"It's a good idea. She's got more than her fair share of experience in these matters." Will stopped, considering his next sentence carefully. "Am I permitted to know what your standing orders are for this? I'm talking about the ones that go beyond 'go back there and find out what the hell Archer knows and how he knows it'...we both know that's not even the beginning of it."

"The Borg." She responded bluntly. "Starfleet has no record of an encounter with the Borg in the 22nd century. No logs from the NX-01 and no reports in other Starfleet Command records either yet Commander Tucker can recall an incident with them and information being provided by Starfleet Command.." She inhaled slowly, buying herself time before admitting, "The Temporal Prime Directive comes into play here, Will...between then and the Enterprise's first contact with the Borg, your Enterprise that is, those records disappeared."

"And the standing theory is that you're the reason they disappeared." He realized aloud. "You've been ordered to erase them."

"I have." Sara nodded. "The decision wasn't made easily, I know that much, some people were of the opinion it should be left alone, perhaps reduce the casualties at Wolf 359...perhaps, prevent it from ever happening..."

Will closed his eyes, thinking of his former Captain and the hell that the Borg had put him through. The guilt he carried over the battle...the lives and ships lost..."I'm probably not the right person to be telling this to." He admitted. "My gut reaction is to agree with those people."

"But the officer in you is telling you something else." She sighed. "Yes, I know. I'm feeling the same. I can't imagine how interfering with foreknowledge of the Borg could make things worse but...How can we take the chance? What could we inadvertently make worse? Someone is already messing around in time and we have know way of ever knowing what that's done to us. For all we know, the Federation we exist in now might pale in comparison to the one that existed in the original timeline. We have no idea what's been done and what's been changed. Whether for the better or the worse..."

"True." He rubbed at his forehead and exhaled heavily. "Deanna and I'll be having a go round on this one for a while." He smiled wryly. "Sometimes I think time travel was the worst discover Starfleet and the Federation ever made."

"It changes the story." Sara agreed. "It's one reason I never liked those Choose Your Own Adventure books people so loved to write in the 20th century. My grandmother had some in her attic and I found them when I was a very little girl. I loved reading them at first but then she pointed something out to me. Whenever I made a decision and ended up some place I didn't like, I just went back to the previous choice and went the other way. That, she told me, defeated the purpose of it. Living with our choices is something every person must do. Having the ability to go back and change those choices if we don't like the outcome...It takes away the weight of making the choice to begin with. It becomes no choice at all."

"Your grandmother was a smart woman." Will commented with a little smile.

"Naturally." She gave him an aristocratic look which, no matter what her facial features, was vintage Sara. "She was a Reed afterall."

"So, 'when' exactly did you plan on making the switch?"

"With Corporal MacKenzie?" Sara waited for his nod of agreement before answering. "Just shortly after the Xindi assault on Earth. Things will be chaotic enough that no one will notice if I'm a little off at first. Everyone will be behaving out of character at that point. It wouldn't surprise anyone if the good Corporal makes a comment or two that seems out of character for her."

"You won't have any problems getting to the intelligence on the Borg?" He couldn't imagine that part of her assignment would be particularly easy. Anything surrounding First Contact and Zefram Cochrane would be highly classified at best. Mysterious aliens who'd attacked Earth and then been inexplicably defeated... that was information which would definitely not be easily gotten to.

"Not likely." She said briskly. "I've had more difficult assignments given to me. Ones where security schedules, passcodes, subroutines, protocols and every possible detail of the shifts and facilities in question weren't available to me." She allowed a little smug grin at that. "I have to admit, as assignments go, that part will be almost child's play for me. It's not really a fair fight on that front. Starfleet Security won't even know I've been before I'm gone."

"True." Will agreed, smiling as well. "I hadn't thought about it that way. But you're right." When one took into account the differences in technology, experience and the plethora of data Starfleet had on its own past history... "It's a wonder they're sparing such a highly qualified agent for it."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Can you ever remain serious about anything for more than five minutes?"

"I can." He assured, eyes twinkling with mischief. "But in this case, even the serious parts of the conversation have an air of incredulity about them so, I admit, it's proving to be a challenge this time. You can't tell me it's lost on you, Sara. Sitting here having a perfectly serious conversation about time travel and breaking an entering into a facility which both you and I have free access to everytime we visit Earth?"

Ducking her head, Sara laughed. "Oh I can most definitely assure you this isn't lost on me either, Will. Rest assured that it isn't lost on me." She paused then admitted, "History is such a nebulous thing. Looking back at it, one knows it had to have happened in order for you to be here, for all of this to be here, but the very idea of coming face to face with it, walking around in the midst of it...they were so very vulnerable back then, especially when compared to today. The NX-01 didn't even have shields, Will. The schematics show they used polarized hull plating." She shook her head in disbelief, aggravated by the sudden swing of her now-long hair. "The idea of letting a ship go into deep space so under protected...It's a bloody miracle they lived long enough to even begin founding the Federation."

"It is." Will agreed. "But they did." He got up and walked over to lay a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you can handle this? This one's not going to be like anything you've ever faced before."

"That I am extremely aware of." She looked up at him with confused eyes. "I know my duty, I know my orders, and I will see to both. I can do no less...it just..." Sara smiled faintly. "Won't be easy. But..."

"We didn't sign on for easy." He finished for her with a nod. "Yeah, I remember that one myself." He paused then grinned. "Look at it from this perspective...you've already succeeded. There's only the little matter of actually completing the mission to contend with now."

"Oh yes." Sara noted dryly. "Just that little old thing. Nothing to it."

TBC