Chapter 6
The Aldrin
"Helm, how long before we reach the Maxia Zeta system?"
"At our current rate of warp eight, four hours, Captain. Any further orders, sir?"
"No…not right now." Riker turned back to the star chart he was studying, which hovered above the desk in his office. He could see all of the active ship traffic crisscrossing the sector they were passing through, and three sectors away in Maxia. So far, things appeared quiet, but he could not help but feel a growing unease in his gut. Something wasn't right. His door chime beeped.
"Come in," Riker called out, looking up as Commander Obi stepped into the room. He looked almost cautious as he approached. Riker turned back to viewing the chart. "What is it Commander? Any word from the runabout?"
"No, Captain. They've gone silent for some reason."
Riker tapped his fingers on the desk. The runabout was unreachable. Not good.
Obi stopped in front of Riker's desk and placed his hands behind his back. "Sir, have you read the latest crew psych reports from Counselor Havens?"
Riker leaned back in his chair. "Yes."
"I'm concerned sir. Several crew members have reported to the Counselor and Chief Medical Officer for episodes of physical discomfort, nausea, and anxiety. Medical staff says it's likely there have been a number of other low-level episodes which have gone unreported. It's being described as 'temporal uneasiness'."
"They're not the only ones, Commander," said Riker heavily. "I feel uneasy. I'm sure the whole crew feels uneasy. Look what we've been through."
"But sir, what if there is something else to what they're feeling. You announced that our timeline changed from the correct one when the Ferengi interfered with events from the past. What if…what if some of us don't belong here anymore?"
Riker sighed and shook his head. "I also read the CMO's follow-up report, Obi, and Dr. Sai has chalked most of these incidents up to stress. But, as you know all five of these crew members are currently being monitored in sick bay. If it's anything more than stress, we'll catch it."
"Sir, you have to admit it's at the very least disconcerting to think that if you didn't exist in another timeline—or died in another timeline, that it is possible that you will simply disappear when we return to the correct timeline."
Riker looked squarely at his first officer. "You have a point, Obi. But that doesn't change the fact that without the Ferengi's meddling, we wouldn't be dealing with a Malkatan invasion. They wouldn't have mixed our technology with an alien graviton snare in what has turned out to be a devastating weapons arsenal."
Obi straightened. "You don't have to convince me again sir. Of course I agree. The timeline has to be corrected for the greater good. No question about that."
Riker sighed again. "I know you're only doing your duty, Commander; looking out for this crew." He hesitated. "You haven't personally felt any of this…temporal uneasiness have you, Patrick? Any kind of…shifting?"
Obi shook his head. "No sir."
Riker smiled. "Good." He gestured for Obi to sit down and then both men shifted their gaze to the star chart. As they watched a blip appeared, moving quickly toward the Maxia system from the opposite direction as the Aldrin. Riker swore under his breath. "Computer magnify at 321 mark 65." The blip grew and it was clear now that it was a ship.
"Computer, identify designation, speed, and approximate destination of the vessel traveling closest to the Captain's last stated coordinates," Commander Obi said.
"The vessel is Ferengi, marauder class, traveling at warp nine toward the Maxia Zeta system."
Riker slammed his hand on the desk in front of him. "Helm! Increase speed to warp nine point eight."
"Aye sir. We will arrive at Maxia in one hour and thirteen minutes."
Obi and Riker stood up with the same sense of urgency. "Even at maximum warp sir, they'll beat us there by at least half an hour," said Obi.
"Then we've got to try harder to make contact with the runabout. We've got to warn them."
Meanwhile on Board the Runabout in the Maxia Zeta System…
"The unidentified Ferengi marauder will enter the Maxia system in less than one hour," Geordi reported from the pilot's seat, both feeling and sounding completely gloomy.
"Doctor, as long as we continue in silent running mode, Captain Riker will be unable to contact us," Data added from the navigation center.
Beverly Crusher walked up behind Data and LaForge. "You said it yourself, Data, shutting down our communication arrays will make it harder for the Ferengi's sensors to track us."
"At least until they enter the Maxia system with us," said LaForge. "And then we're sitting ducks."
"Hardly," Troi chimed in. "You've moved us away from our old position to behind this asteroid…and we still have phasers after all. Let's not count ourselves out so soon, Geordi."
"Sorry…it's just that our chances against a Ferengi Marauder aren't good. I'm just trying to be realistic," he said, his usual upbeat demeanor notably absent.
"Geordi's right, Mom," said Wesley, fiddling with the replicated neutralizer from a nearby table. It was nearly like the one his mother had brought into the past to give to Captain Picard. "I think we should make a run for it." He hit the switch on his small graviton generator and began his experiment again.
"That will only make it harder for Will to find us. Besides, we don't know that this isn't Brom returning to deliver some more information. Everyone is right to be suspicious, but we can't know until they arrive. We're not leaving, and that's final," Beverly said stiffly.
Absently her hand dropped to her stomach and smoothed over it gently. She had checked the baby's vitals earlier that day. The baby resembled a fetus now, not an embryo as it should have. It should also have been much too early to tell the gender of the baby, but her pregnancy was more advanced than it should have been. She told herself that the baby was fine, and that was what was important. But in truth she was very unsettled by the speed at which the baby's development was proceeding.
