In the vast emptiness of space, a lone ship flew. This ship was called the I.K.S. Dreadnought, "the finest vessel in the galaxy", as her captain so fondly described her. As to what galaxy he was referring to, he didn't know. Not by any fault of his own—he wasn't stupid, and he'd break the arms of anyone who suggested such a thing. He didn't know because no one did. This was uncharted territory, coordinates far from the range he was familiar with.

He didn't know how he had managed to get so lost, either. It seemed that one minute he was in the Alpha Quadrant, and then, something had happened—what? What had happened? He had been in the Alpha Quadrant, and then… he wasn't. And unless his sensors had developed a compulsion—not to mention an ability—to lie, then not only wasn't in familiar territory, but he was very, very far from it indeed.

That had been eight days ago.

In the time since, the I.K.S. Dreadnought had travelled a total of 0.04% of the way back to the Alpha Quadrant, according to the ship's computer. He was starting to hate that computerised voice. So monotonous. So uncaring. So dreary. Almost taunting. You're quite a few thousand light years from home, Drask. In case you were wondering, there is 0.00000007% chance of you making it back and 92.36% chance of you dying out here. The other 7.63999993% is you getting trapped in some sort of temporal anomaly that causes you to repeat the last eight days forever. Have fun!

Drask had never liked waiting. Waiting meant that you had given up. Waiting meant that you had run out of aces. He was neither of these, and yet... Waiting made him feel like he was surrendering himself to the will of the universe. Waiting made him feel like he was just another insignificant speck travelling through space.

baQa'! He would not think of such things. He was not surrendering; he was not insignificant. He was Drask, the first—and only—Gorn commander in the Klingon Defence Force! Insignificant? HA!

And yet, and yet...

With thoughts of doubt and desolation prickling the edges of his mind, he fell into a dreamless sleep.