Chapter Title: Ship of the Line
Chapter Synapses: Three years after Hyperion's destruction, Starwind attempts a daring mission with her Sentinel-class starship to save his past self at all costs.
Written by: Seraph Koji
Starwind, slightly aged, sat in the ready room of a Sentinel class starship analyzing a padd. It was causality reports. The door chimed, "Come." Starwind said sternly. A young human ensign entered. "Yes, Ensign?"
"The data you asked for." The ensign handed Starwind a padd.
"I'm going to the surface." Starwind took both padds and left his office.
He materialized in a cemetery, standing before a stone with a Starfleet and Red Squad insignia carved into it. 'Dorian Collins' was engraved between the two symbols.
"Dorian." He sighed, "They took you from me, Dorian. Those three years ago." He laid a flower against the stone, "You, Amy, Quinn, Phral, Sarah…" The memory was too painful. He rose, "But I'll tear this universe apart to change that. I will." He vowed to the stone,
He entered Starfleet Command, and approached the office of Admiral Janeway. He chimed her door.
"Enter!" She called.
"Admiral." Starwind walked into the office, "Tell me about that visit from your future self. When you returned to the Alpha Quadrant."
Janeway eyed him quizzically, "Are you planning something, Victor?"
Starwind avoided eye contact.
"Oh, Victor." Janeway shook her head, "You know, I'll have to repor this conversation."
"Yes."
Janeway sighed, "I'll hold off as long as I can. Give you the time you need."
"Ma'am…" Starwind began, "My question?"
"It was the casualties that jarred me. That showed me that my crew needed me as much as the rest of the galaxy." Janeway explained.
Starwind nodded.
"She was conceded and selfish. Flagrant disregard for the temporal prime directive, but she sacrificed herself for this future." Janeway smiled at Starwind, "Reminds me of a certain Captain I know."
Starwind hung his head, "Admiral, I…" He began to explain himself.
"Victor, if there is a chance your actions can end this war, do it. You may not have the support of the Federation, but you have my understanding." Janeway gave him peace-of-mind.
Starwind rose, "Thank you, Admiral. There's one other stop I want to make before leaving orbit."
"What happened on 57320.1?" Janeway stopped him.
Starwind turned, "A starbase we were meant to rendezvous with was testing a weapons system and targeted us as we came out of warp. Our shields had gone down to begin transport. We didn't stand a chance. Not long after, the war started."
"You think your past self can avoid this war?"
"Yes."
Janeway nodded, "I'll give you a head start, Vic. You're dismissed."
Starwind approached a house in the middle of a vast field on Earth. This is where former Starfleet officer, Penelope Harper, lived. Starwind entered. Harper ran up to him and embraced him.
"Did you rethink it?" Harper asked.
Starwind shook his head.
Harper turned away from him, "Still loyal to Dorian? She's dead, Victor."
"Penelope…" Starwind began, apologetically, "I can't do that to her. I can't abandon her."
"Three years, Victor. She's been dead three years." Harper began to cry.
"Please, Penelope." He paused, "I want you to come with me on my next mission."
Harper dried her eyes on her sleeve, "To where?"
"To when." Starwind corrected her, "Stardate 57320.1."
"Victor!"
He pleaded. "Please. I need your guidance and your piloting skill."
"Victor Starwind. You save my life, and I flock to your side after your ship is destroyed. Two and a half years of courting later, you reject my proposal. Now you come and ask me to help save your old flame?" Harper almost screamed.
Starwind felt as bad as she made him sound, "This will be my last mission, Penelope."
A sort of grim silence descended on the two.
"Either I succeed, and this future is forever lost. Changed to a different reality. A memory no one remembers."
"Or?"
"Or I die." Starwind added.
Harper walked off in tears, "Damn you, Victor!"
"Captain's log, stardate 60321.2. I am about to violate the Temporal Prime Directive. I intend to take the Hyperion-A back in time to save her namesake. Starfleet did not approve this plan. They would try to stop us if they knew. But with our ship now retrofitted with ablative hull armor, a slipstream drive, a Multiphasic Cannon, and Fusion Catalyst technology, Starfleet would have a hard time doing it."
Starwind entered the bridge, "All hands, this is the Captain. We are about to commit a direct violation of the Temporal Prime Directive. Any objections should be so noted in your logs." Starwind spoke on ship-wide. He then issued orders to the bridge officers, "Ivano, set course for the coordinates I gave you earlier. VonBach, bring the new weapons systems on-line."
VonBach stood, as always, at tactical, but he now had a scar on his face, running along the right cheekbone, "Sir, those are meant to be on the front lines in the Romulan War. We are supposed to lead a charge on formerly Federation-controlled systems near the border."
"Mister VonBach, if we save NX-80975, there will be no war." Starwind explained.
"USS Hyperion, NCC-80975-A. This is Starfleet Command. We have been informed of your plan Captain Starwind. Stand down." The comm. buzzed to life.
The lieutenant at Operations looked up, "Send a response, sir?"
"Don't bother." Starwind sighed, "I was hoping this would be easier. Ivano, maximum warp. VonBach, deploy ablative hull armor and bring primary weapons on-line."
"Recommend we create the rift now." Talara said. Judging by the uniform and rank pips, it was clear that she was the first officer.
"Not yet. We need to intercept ourselves." Starwind said, "Time, Mister Ivano?"
"Give me a second to bring the new slipstream drive on-line." Ivano said, "Transiting to slipstream."
"Bringing deflector modifications online." The operations officer reported.
"Captain's log, stardate 57320.1. Hyperion was en route to a starbase for a routine crew exchange when a bizarre temporal anomaly appeared in our path."
"Something is emerging!" Talara called from ops., "It's a ship. Reading several strong neutrino emissions following it."
"Weapons' fire?" Collins asked.
Starwind nodded, "Red alert! Shields!"
The image on the screen yielded a large Starfleet vessel of Sentinel design.
"Hail them." Starwind ordered, "This is Captain Victor Starwind of the Hyperion. Identify yourselves!"
"Sir, her designation. NCC-80975-A." Talara said with a mix of shock and apprehension.
"Hyperion-A?" Collins asked.
Starwind sighed, "This means another visit from Temporal Investigations. That makes, what, three in a year?"
The bridge of the Hyperion-A replaced the on-screen image.
"You might want to close that rift, Captain." The future Starwind said.
"Do it." Starwind ordered VonBach, "What the hell are you doing here?"
The future Starwind sighed, "How ungrateful. I'm about to save the lives of your crew."
Starwind form the future and Starwind from the present met aboard the original Hyperion, in the ready room.
"What the hell were you thinking? Just being here is a violation of the Temporal Prime Directive."
"I'm here to save Hyperion."
"Ablative hull armor, full compliment of transphasic torpedoes, Fusion Catalyst launcher, Multiphasic Cannon. Seems yours is just fine."
"It isn't. In the future, you come to regret a decision you make a few days from now. It destorys Hyperion and leads to war with the Romulans. They advance technology faster than we do. Much faster. Within a year of war, they have crippled us. My ship was bound for a task force designed to bring a crippling blow to the Empire and attack Romulus.
But things aren't as good as they seem. The attack would most likely be a failure, and with that defeat, the Federation would fall. Our enemies, all of them, have banded behind the Empire. The Son'a, the Breen, the Dominion even comes back to the Alpha Quadrant to support Romulan conquest of Earth. And it looks painfully likely.
On a side note, the ensign you saved some time ago, Penelope Harper, transfers to Hyperion-A on her maiden voyage. She tries to get close to you, and eventually purposes. My advice is to limit your contact with her."
"Are you quite finished giving me a guided tour of the future?"
"Victor, you idiot! That isn't your future. If you keep Hyperion in one piece, you can preserve the peace. I can't tell you how, but…"
"We're done here."
"Dorian doesn't make it."
There was a long pause between the Starwinds.
"How?"
"Temporal Prime Directive."
"To hell with it."
"She saves your life when this ship is destroyed at the cost of her own."
"How do I save Hyperion?"
The Starwind from the present entered the bridge, "Ivano, adjust course. 174-mark-311."
"Aye."
"VonBach, red alert." Starwind ordered.
"Hyperion-A is taking our original course."
Starwind watched as that possible future left to erase itself.
"I hate temporal mechanics." Collins said as Hyperion streaked along its new course.
