First City, Qo'noS

28th February 2268

"No!" Kell scowled ferociously at his old friend. "I will not do it."

"No?" Koreth was not pleased. "What do you mean, no?"

"No!" Kell repeated. "It is not a difficult word to understand. No, I will not give you Mauk-to'vor!"

Busy preparing for his new command, Kell had been pleased to see his friend. He'd be leaving shortly for the front lines and Fek'lhr only knew when they'd meet again. War had broken out with the Romulans, and he'd been assigned captaincy of the Relentless, the flagship of the Tenth Fleet. It was a high-risk mission and there was a good chance that he would not come back alive. Doubtless, that was exactly what the High Council hoped. The failure of the Earth project was a major embarrassment that they were now attempting, by getting rid of the officers and troops who had served there, to brush under the carpet and pretend had never happened.

Like many of the troops, he was living in temporary barracks as he waited for his final orders. He was entitled to something better, but it was only for a few days and not worth the hassle.

Welcoming Koreth to his quarters, he'd ushered him inside, and as a good host should, offered him bloodwine. His friend had accepted, and for a few moments, Kell busied himself, rummaging through his things in search of an extra mug. Ah, there it was. Satisfied, he cut the neck off the bottle and poured it into the mugs before handing one of them to Koreth. "It's not Inigan," he said cheerfully, "and it's not even Opri, just standard Defence Force targ's piss straight from the officers' mess. But it's just about drinkable."

Koreth accepted the tankard and drank from it, grimacing at the taste but making no comment. That unnerved Kell. His old friend was used to nothing but the best, and by now, he should be complaining loudly about its poor quality. "What's wrong, Koreth?" he asked, putting down his own tankard without bothering to drink from it. "You are always welcome in my home – or in whatever quarters I'm temporarily occupying, but I don't think this is a friendly social call. So… out with it… what's bothering you?"

The story that Koreth finally told him was shocking, and Kell could not quite process it. Charged with treason? Summoned to the High Council? Kell knew how that would end. Discommendation and dishonourable death. They would surround Koreth. The chancellor would strike the first blow, and then one by one, each of the councillors would follow suit until Koreth lay dead at their feet.

The missing pieces of the puzzle were finally slotting into place, and although he still had a few questions left unanswered, he was beginning to understand his friend's request for Mauk-to'vor. "I think, Koreth, that it is time you told me the whole truth. You knew, didn't you?"

"That the withdrawal was a hoax?" Koreth nodded. "Yes, I knew. We had both received orders that we could not in all honour, carry out. I helped Krang plan the withdrawal."

Kell sighed. "I thought it had to be something like that. I heard part of your conversation in the mess hall. You always were too honourable for your own good."

"Honourable? Hardly that. I am guilty of treason."

"Are you?" Kell asked thoughtfully. "Are you really?"

"That depends on your point of view." Koreth smiled, but there was no humour in it. "My express orders were to give Krang my full cooperation and assistance. That is exactly what I did – and I did so in the full knowledge that Krang was acting in direct contravention of the clearly stated wishes of the High Council. I will tell you now, Kell, that I do not regret my choice and I would do the same again."

"And I will admit," Kell said, "that I liked Earth, but we should never have been there… at least, not in the past. In the present maybe… one huge battle to destroy Starfleet; that would have been glorious! But back then? No, there was no honour in that."

Koreth nodded. "Exactly. And think of this, my friend. You and I spent much of our careers fighting the Earthers. If Starfleet and the Federation had been retroactively wiped out of existence, what would have happened to us?"

Kell's normally sallow complexion paled a little at that thought. He was a soldier, not a scientist and things like temporal causality were outside his understanding. Still, the image that Koreth's words had painted was vivid and very disturbing.

Seeing that his friend had understood, Koreth tried again. "I do not wish to end my life under the blades of a corrupt, self-serving, and greedy government. If I must die, let it be at the hands of my friend and brother."

"I will not do it!" Kell growled. "And you will not ask me again."

"You are my brother." Koreth's eyes met Kell's, desperately beseeching him to change his mind. "If I die by Mauk-to'vor, then I regain my honour, and my son, and in turn his sons and grandsons, will be able to live their lives unstained by my treason."

Again, Kell shook his head. Maybe he had been too long on Earth, had become corrupted by the Terrans and their illogical reverence for life. Whatever the reason, he could think of no possible scenario in which he would agree to kill the best friend he'd ever had, the one man he trusted and loved as a brother. "There must be another way."

It was Koreth's turn to shake his head. "My wife has divorced me…" Ignoring the muttered comment about that being no great loss, he continued, "She's already married again, and taken my son with her. I have no one else to ask, Kell. I must die either at your hands or those of the High Council."

"Or…" A plan was starting to form in Kell's mind. "You could die at my side, fighting the Romulans…"

Koreth blinked. "I do not understand."

"Your son is safe now, legally part of another House," Kell pointed out. "Therefore, they have no hold over you. I am heading out to the front lines. Come with me."

"Come with you?" That was not funny, and Koreth glared at Kell, only to realise that his friend hadn't intended it as a joke.

"Why not?" Kell shrugged. "You've got nothing to lose. Come with me, just as you did to Earth."

"But…" Koreth really didn't know what to say. "I don't have a ship and…"

"You're a brigadier," Kell reminded him. "You don't need a ship, you need a fleet, and as it happens, there's one waiting for you. And if you need an incentive, the admiral's quarters are large enough for two, and Kolana has just signed on as my communications officer. That woman wants you, you know… and in case it escaped your notice, you're now free to marry again."

"But…" Koreth said again, wondering momentarily if his old friend was high on some illegal substance, or if he'd just gone stark raving mad. He could think of no other explanation. It was crazy… ridiculous… the stupidest thing he'd ever heard… and he knew he was going to do it.

Imagining the incredulous expression on his grandfather's face as he listened to Kell's plan, J'evuq's smile turned to a grin. As a child, he'd been caught up in the excitement of the story, its political significance escaping him, just as Koreth had no doubt intended. It was only now, having attended Krang's trial and heard that astonishing and highly improbable tale of time travel and treason, that he understood what had really happened.

Everything had gone just as Kell planned. The two men had packed the few items they needed, something which did not take long since neither of them had got round to unpacking their kitbags. Making their way to the spaceport, they had commandeered a shuttle to take them up to Kell's ship, and only an hour after Koreth's request for Mauk-to'vor, they were standing on the bridge of the Relentless, giving orders to get under way.

Somewhat to Koreth's surprise, none of the bridge crew or the captains of the other ships in the fleet challenged him, perhaps because many of them had also been assigned to Earth and were happy to find themselves serving under Koreth once again.

The Tenth Fleet had slipped away from the orbital facilities and out into space, going to warp as soon as they were clear of the solar system. By the time the legitimate fleet commander had received his orders and turned up at the spaceport looking for his ships, the fleet had been halfway to the Romulan border. The authorities, unwilling to admit that one of their fleets had been stolen and was now in the hands of a traitor, had been left spitting feathers and scrambling to cover up their embarrassment.

Whatever gods might have survived that millennia-ago massacre, had obviously been looking after the Tenth Fleet… or maybe, J'evuq thought whimsically and with more than a little irreverence, it had been a little 'thank you' from the Terran god for freeing his planet. Whatever the reason, the Relentless had come through the worst of the fighting with almost no losses, and after a string of glorious victories, they had returned home as heroes.

Things had changed in their absence. Sturka had finally lost his battle to control his councillors, and towards the end of 2269 had been assassinated by Kesh. A big, powerful man who cared little for honour, Kesh, along with Duras, had been one of the major proponents for the invasion of Earth. Sturka hadn't stood a chance.

If the authorities had harboured any thoughts of revenge for their embarrassment, they had been disappointed. The new chancellor was disgusted to find that, riding high in public favour thanks to the heroic deeds that had been broadcast far and wide by the various news channels, Koreth, Kell, and the other returning officers were untouchable. If Sturka had been watching the debacle from the gates of Sto-vo-kor, J'evuq rather thought he might have been smiling.

Planet Gateway

30th September 2368 – A Monday

Gateway was a cold, bleak planet. Barely habitable, it had rightly been labelled Class L and no one in their right mind would want to go there. Unless, of course, they knew the secret of the great stone circle that called itself the Guardian of Forever – and if they had any sense, that would give them even more reason to avoid the place. Gariff Lucsly shivered, listening to the eerie, howling sound of the wind as it swept across the featureless plains. He vehemently disliked this place; the knowledge it held was dangerous. It had been proven that even observation of past events could be enough to change history.

"A QUESTION! YOU HAVE A QUESTION…"

"No, I don't," Lucsly told the stone circle irritably. It wasn't quite true; there were lots of questions he'd ask if only it were safe to do so. He was only here because the Guardian had sent a cryptic summons to the DTI. It was not something that happened often, but when it did, the agents knew better than to refuse. The only thing he wanted to know from the Guardian was why he had been brought here.

"BUT YOU DOUBT," the Guardian observed impassively. "YOU SHOULD NOT. ALL IS AS IT SHOULD BE."

Lucsly shook his head. The Guardian was never wrong, but it could not be right. "Not possible. There's been too many changes."

The stone circle said nothing. Instead, it came to life, scenes flashing by, too fast for the human eye to process, and then settled on one scene. A couple – Klingon male wearing a black uniform, and a human woman… and Lucsly recognises them both, although in this scene they are older than he remembers. They are standing on a beach, drinks in their hands, surrounded by their extended family, their children, grandchildren, and friends. It is night, and above them, three moons, all of them full, illuminate the scene. Out to sea, a pod of small, green dolphins leap from the waters. Wherever they are, it is not Earth.

The scene changed… Earth this time, the location appearing to be late twentieth century London. Another couple, and again Lucsly recognises them. Both of them belong in this period, but they have forbidden knowledge of the future that should have been wiped from their minds. They are getting married, and the bride looks beautiful in her white gown and veil. Standing outside the registry office, ana ambulance decorated with ribbons and a 'just married' sign visible in the background, they are talking with a formally dressed man who is standing with his back to whatever camera or device is recording the image. Slightly overweight and with long hair tied back at the nape of his neck, he is holding a little boy in his arms, the child wearing a very similar suit. A woman approaches him, dressed in a long, formal gown that indicates she might be a bridesmaid. She is holding the hands of two little girls who are wearing matching white dresses and carrying bouquets of brightly coloured flowers.

The man turns as she approaches, laughing in response to something she has said, and for the first time his face becomes visible… Dark, hawklike eyes look out from beneath a heavy brow that is smooth but marred by just the faintest hint of scarring. Whoever this man is, he is not human.

Yet again, the scene changed… This face that appears is instantly recognisable… Khan Noonien Singh. The abandoned DY100 Troop carrier has been repaired and refitted, the latest in cryo-technology installed in readiness for a long journey, and his people are already onboard waiting for him. The genetic superman who had fought so tirelessly against the Klingon invaders, and had once ruled much of Earth, has been defeated by those he considered inferior. He stands in the entrance to the ship, his expression inscrutable as he ponders the future, and then, going inside, the door shuts behind him. As Lucsly watches, the ship slowly moves into space, the words 'Botany Bay' becoming clearly visible as it passes.

The picture faded to nothingness.

Lucsly snorted. The images were compelling, but he was not ready to be convinced. "As it should be? Hardly! There's a whole bunch of people living in the wrong time-period. And…" he added sarcastically, "just because everyone forgot about the invasion doesn't mean the timeline is back the way it's meant to be! The certificate we found proves that!"

The DTI agents had spent hours sifting through the records protected by the temporal shielding, looking for any clues as to how badly the Klingon invasion had changed things. It had been a difficult job; what little had survived the Klingons had been destroyed by the subsequent wars, and they had almost missed it. Thinking that would be nothing important about a marriage licence, even one signed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Garcia had tossed it aside. The Deltan agent, however, was a bit of a romantic and he had picked it up and opened it. Tucked underneath it, he'd found a wedding certificate. Ranjea's heart had almost stopped as he read the names. Kevin and Marla. Married at St Mary of the Heavens, 2nd February 1994. The records were shielded, protected from temporal change. It wasn't possible, but there it was, the stark evidence that the invasion had always been part of the timeline.

"ALL IS AS IT SHOULD BE," the Guardian repeated, and if an inanimate stone circle could show emotion, it was sounding insufferably smug. "EACH PERSON IS IN THE RIGHT PLACE AND TIME. ALL THAT HAS HAPPENED IS FOR A PURPOSE. THE TIMELINE IS AS IT MUST BE."

Author's note: Memory beta lists Kesh and becoming chancellor after Sturka's death in late 2269. It makes sense for him to be one of Sturka's opponents and hence, a supporter of the Earth project. Canon is contradictory as to who ruled the Empire when, especially since Discovery. I've therefore gone with what feels right for this story.

The DTI agents are from the various DTI novels and episodes and are not mine. Likewise, the Guardian of Forever is from the TOS episode.

Big thank you once again to RobertBruceScott, whose review of the previous chapter can be found below. Huge thanks also to my wonderful Beta, Linny.

At least they don't have to slingshot around the sun...

And here the story concludes and we're awaiting the conclusion of the trial. A fun sequence with the starbase - 24 would indicate it was one of the earliest starbases and probably was a watch station in less friendly times.

The klingon restaurant aboard is reminiscent of Wesley Crusher's favorite klingon joint that he and the Doctor time/space traveled to in Star Trek Hunter. Although I never revealed this in the STH series, that pub was in a seedy neighborhood on the former Federation colony of Rising Sun, which was captured by the klingons in Episode 27 and by the time Wesley visited it, had become a jointly run colony as both a federation member planet and a protectorate of the Klingon Empire...

Thanks! rbs