Chapter Title: Down to the River

Chapter Synapses: First contact is made with a race known as the Tal'Nori, who have ancient ruins on their planet of a crashed Cosmos class starship named Hyperion.

Written by: Seraph Koji

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Prime Raizel." Starwind, Collins, and a woman in lavish dress trekked through the woods.

"Captain, remind me, what are you captain of?" Raizel asked.

Starwind looked peculiarly at Raizel, "Federation starship Hyperion?"

"Hyperion." Raizel sighed, "We have a temple, here on our little world…"

Collins rose an eyebrow in curiosity.

"We call it the Shrine of the Fallen Star. Your word, Hyperion, it looks like the symbols we saw on the temple… your ship… well…" Raizel pointed over the cliff just ahead of them.

On the planes just beyond the cliff was a rusted, torn, and tattered starship half-buried.

"NX-80975." Collins read, like she had seen a ghost.

"USS Hyperion." Starwind's voice shacked with horror.

"Captain's Log, stardate 57560.1. While welcoming the Tal'Nori into the Federation, the Tal'Nori leader, Prime Raizel, has shown us something that chills even the more hardened officers on our ship to the core. Somehow, on the surface of this world, there is the hull of the USS Hyperion. We have a massive effort underway to figure this one out."

"Preliminary results show that that was, in fact, this ship, the Hyperion." Watson, the science officer, presented all the information he had thus far.

"Yeah, it took me thirty seconds of remarkable creepiness to draw the same conclusion, Quinn. Care to explain how it got there or how long it's been there?" Collins said in a bit of a patronizing manner, then caught herself, "Sorry Lieutenant, you can understand how unsettling it was to see that hull first-hand."

"I understand, ma'am." Watson said, "Well, as for the age of the ship, I'm not sure yet, but old enough that the Tal'Nori could be descended from the crew, and that would be a distant memory."

"Prime Raizel said that the Temple of the Fallen Star is a very holy site for her people." Starwind threw a fact out there, "It's possible our crew had a great impact on life on this planet."

"And preventing this end to Hyperion would undo this?" Sen asked.

"Yeah." Collins replied.

"Until we have more information, we're dismissed." Starwind stood, "We'll meet again at 0700 hours."

Collins found herself on the hull of the downed Hyperion, staring, tears being choked back.

"Dorian?" Talara walked up next to her, "Coming here while off-duty too?"

Collins did not respond.

"Dorian?" Talara caught the depressed look on Collins' face, "Are you alright?"

"No." Collins simply replied.

Talara tried to comfort her, "Well, it creeps the hell out of me. The idea that somehow eons ago we crashed here."

"I won't do it again." Collins broke down, "Not another ship, another crew! Not again!" She pounded her fist on the hull, "This world, this race be dammed! I won't do it again!"

"Are you alright?" Talara asked.

Rather than responding, Collins simply broke down into tears.

Talara nodded, "Talara to Hyperion, one to beam up."

Starwind, Phral, Watson, and VonBach stood on the downed ship's bridge.

"Chief, can you get any power to these terminals?" Starwind asked Phral

"Readings indicate Hyperion has been here for over five millennia." Watson said, shocked.

"The power cell… I can get this console on. My power cell is compatible." Phral told Starwind.

"Here's the last log entry." VonBach called. On the viewer, Collins appeared.

"Acting Captain's Log, supplemental." VonBach said into the screen, fire and sparks behind him, "To anyone who receives this message."

"Acting Captain?" Starwind frowned. That meant the he was dead.

"The USS Hyperion is lost. I have ordered the crew to abandon ship." He sighed, "As I have stated, Commander Collins died a day or so ago, and the battle has gone downhill since. The Tal'Nori have been crushed. Half the Klingon ships are crippled, and Starfleet isn't fairing much better. If there is enough chronoton energy left, I might be able to go back. Back to when this started." A console explosion was visible behind him. "Hyperion, out." Static drown out the image.

"Stardate was over a year from today." Watson shrugged, "Well, that gives us some time."

"No, whatever happens here, it isn't the first. According to these data logs, the Federation is at war." Phral read, "The log is damaged, I can't tell who we're at war with."

"We can't let Hyperion crash here." VonBach said, sternly.

Starwind looked over his shoulder, "First thing's first. We need to find out how VonBach got to be here five thousand years ago." He thought a moment, "Phral, go to Engineering, see what things are like down there. Watson, do your thing. VonBach and I will search the ship."

"Aye." The other three replied.

Collins lay in her bed, asleep, rocking in nightmares.

She remembered Valiant. Moving to the Tactical position, she analyzed the situation, "Main power is still off-line, but I do have phaser control." She turned to the commissioned Ferengi, "Shall I return fire?"

A flash blinded her memory and she was in a biobed of the Defiant, with Nog looking down at her.

"He may have been a hero. He may even have been a great man. But he was a bad Captain." Nog placed the Red Squad insignia in her hand.

"Waters?" Collins asked.

Nog shook his head, "Starwind."

Collins awoke with a start at the chiming of the computer, "The time is 0630 hours."

"Report." Starwind said after the last of the staff had filed in.

Watson began, "After comparing notes with Phral, the reason for the time travel was a reaction in modified deuterium injectors reacting with a chronotron emission."

"We warped time and not space." Phral elaborated.

"Can we prevent the destruction of Hyperion." Collins asked.

"Yes. The effect on the Tal'Nori is immeasurable, but we can." Watson nodded.

Phral protested, "I think, with the right tools, there will be no effect on the Tal'Nori."

Starwind became remarkably interested, "Explain."

"A chronotron force field surrounding the ship may protect it from alterations to the timeline." Phral explained.

"When do we save ourselves, and how?" Collins asked her question conveying a sense of importance.

Starwind nodded, "Phral, how long 'til you can have the chronotron field around the downed Hyperion?"

Phral thought for a moment, "By 1300 hours."

"Do it." Starwind tried to coordinate their efforts, "In the meantime, contact Prime Raizel, ask her to beam aboard to prepare to be transported to Deep Space Three, there to be taken to Earth."

"We should find out who the Federation goes to war with." Collins suggested.

Starwind nodded, "Talara, see if you can't extract any more of the log entry"

"I'd like to…" Collins began.

Starwind interrupted, "Unless the rest of that sentence is 'Have a talk with West about my breakdown on the hull', permission denied."

Collins shot Talara a glare.

"It was for your own good." Talara said defensively.

"Talara's Personal Log, stardate 57562.4. Though I've been able to piece very little of the logs together, I have made note of one important factor. Whatever act precipitated this elusive war, Shran did it. Delphinous attacked someone for some technology and it blew up in the Federation's faces. Meaning that the one way to prevent this war is to peruse Shran with renewed vigor."

Starwind sat a moment after Talara explained this to him. "So, that's what Shran's been up to since 56772."

"We don't have a clue how long we have. And we aren't sure if Phral's theory will protect the Tal'Nori." Talara explained, standing in Starwind's Ready Room.

Starwind nodded, "I'm hesitant as well, but I have a crew to save. They are priority."

Talara understood, "Recommend we wait it out some, sir. I don't think we should alter the Tal'Nori's history until we have to."

"Agreed." Starwind poked at his computer terminal, "Send your report on to Starfleet Command. I'm sure Temporal Investigations will visit the planet soon."

"Aye, sir." Talara exited.

Collins stood at the door of Starwind's Ready Room.

"Feeling better, Dorian?" Starwind asked.

"I'm not losing another ship, Vic." Collins approached him, "Promise me that we won't lose Hyperion."

"Not without a hell of a fight." Starwind responded, "Not while I'm in command."

"I saw the log. Hyperion was through a hell of a fight and you weren't in command." Collins countered.

"I kept my promise, then." Starwind said, with a light air.

"Sir…"

Starwind sighed, "Alright, Dorian. I promise you I will do everything in my power to defend Hyperion against all enemies. I just don't know what more you want me to do."

"Can you take the pain away, Captain? The hundreds of people I left for dead, their pain, can you take it all away?" Collins fought tears.

"We aren't talking about Hyperion anymore, are we, Commander?"

"Then you can't do anything for me."

"Dorian, you need to talk to Counselor West." Starwind said, clearly not enjoying what he had to say next. "Dorian Collins, until Counselor West pronounces you fit for active duty, you are relieved."

"What?" Collins said in protest.

"That decision is final." Starwind stood and exited his Ready Room for the bridge.