Lieutenant Castillo walked into the transporter room, followed by Tasha. The two had been chatting for the last few minutes about the upcoming mission and nothing. "One to beam to the Enterprise-C," Castillo told the technician who prepared for the beam out, before he turned to Tasha. "We keep saying goodbye, don't we?"

"I wish there was more time," Tasha admitted, and they both shared a rather foolish laugh. God, what was wrong with them? Tasha had never really grown up like normal girls that were a long way off the war, even if it touched every planet in the Federation. But Tasha had assumed she and her sister were both immune from this sort of feeling, given their never-ending fight with the Klingons.

"More time," Castillo shook his head wryly. "I think we have all the time we can handle as it is."

"Yeah," Tasha smiled. "I just wish we'd had more of it."

"Me too."

Tasha and Castillo shared a look before they shared a long, and passionate kiss.

"Lieutenant," Castillo spared her one last smile that had weird but nice effects on her stomach before he stepped onto the transporter platform. Even after he vanished, Tasha didn't leave the transporter room for a few minutes before the technician reminded her of where she was. Once she'd left, blushing at the embarrassment, Tasha left the transporter room.

She was confused by her feelings and she needed to know what was going to happen. And she knew where to go to get her answers.

Xxxx

"Can I get you something, Tasha?" Guinan asked, turning slowly to face Tasha Yar.

When she had felt the timelines rippling, Guinan had met people she had the feeling she had never met before, and those she knew died. Tasha Yar, tragically, was one of them; while the El-Aurian had two distinct memory lines, one saying she knew the woman, and the other saying she didn't, the latter was more prominent. Tasha was like a ghost to her.

"Guinan, I have to know something," Tasha asked desperately. "What happens to me in the other timeline?"

Guinan sighed before she picked up a few trays and walked to the bar. She had been worried the moment she'd revealed history had changed some of the crew would see her as a kind of soothsayer when she wasn't. "I don't have alternate biographies of the crew. As I said to the captain, it's just a feeling."

But Guinan had underestimated Tasha's stubbornness. "But there's something more when you look at me, isn't there? I can see it in your eyes, Guinan. We've known each other too long."

Guinan swung around so quickly Tasha was taken by surprise, but the El-Aurian didn't notice; she was too tired and frustrated with everyone treating her as a soothsayer. "We weren't meant to know each other at all," Guinan corrected. "At least, that's what I sense when I look at you." She sighed when she took in Tasha's reaction. "Tasha, you're not supposed to be here."

"Where am I supposed to be?" Tasha asked faintly.

Guinan sighed, knowing this was going to be a blow. "Dead."

Okay, she knew she could have put that better, Guinan reflected after seeing how stricken the young woman was, but there was no other way to get the point across; she would find out later anyway.

"Do you know how?" Tasha asked.

"No," Guinan shook her head, trying to picture the event in her mind; but all she could see was a desert planet, a version of Tasha who was different from the one in front of her, and some black mass… "All I can sense was your determination and desperation, and a strange entity that killed you while you tried to save friends; I don't know the details but I do know it was an empty death. A death without purpose."

Tasha gasped. When she had joined Starfleet, she had been an angry girl who was a fighter, and she had been surviving ever since; when she become an officer, she had longed to die for a reason. To find out a version of her had died an empty death was a blow.

And suddenly she knew what she needed to do, but she would need the captain's permission.

Xxxx

Tasha was a nervous wreck when she pressed the door chime after giving her plan some thought. "Come," Picard called and Tasha opened the door, seeing there was no way of turning back now. "Yes, Lieutenant?" Picard asked with only a glance before she turned back to the padd he was working on.

Tasha walked slowly up to the desk. "Captain, I request a transfer to the Enterprise-C."

That caught Picard's attention. "For what reason?" Picard asked quietly, and Tasha wondered about the expression on his face. Luckily she had the perfect excuse to be transferred to the Enterprise-C. "They need someone at Tactical, sir," she replied.

"We need you here."

"I'm not supposed to be here, sir," Tasha repeated what Guinan told her.

That caught the captain's attention. Picard stiffened when he realised that Guinan had told her something critical. "Sit down, Lieutenant. What did she say to you?" He asked her when she was comfortable.

"Guinan didn't know all of the details, but she told me I don't belong here, sir. I'm supposed to be dead," Tasha couldn't help but choke out the final word.

Picard had never felt angrier towards Guinan than he had right then. It was bad enough discovering the world he and his entire crew and the whole Federation had been enduring for the last two decades, now she was telling him what to do and was influencing his crew.

"She felt it necessary to reveal that to you?" Picard kept his expression calm, a technique gained from years of experience.

"I felt it was necessary," Tasha corrected him. "I've been noticing her looking at me strangely since the Enterprise-C appeared like she doesn't know me, and after Lieutenant Castillo beamed back to his ship, I wanted to know what was going to happen to them, and what happened to me."

Picard nodded thoughtfully, seeing where Tasha was coming from after he'd put himself in her place, and recognising quickly he would have done the same thing. "I see," he said, thinking of a way they could get through this without this brave woman dying needlessly. "You realise that the Enterprise-C may fail, don't you? We will continue in this timeline in which case your life, hopefully, will continue for a long while."

"Yes, sir. I'm aware of the dangers. I know enough of the Battle of Narendra 3 to know the odds, and that is precisely why I know how important it is that they don't fail, Captain. That's why I'm requesting this transfer," Tasha said.

"You don't belong on that ship, Lieutenant."

"No, Captain Garrett belongs on that ship. But she's dead now, dead in a timeline that she was never meant to be in," Tasha knew she'd made a mistake there since all of this might have been meant to happen, as the universe's way of warning the crew of what could happen if they failed to defeat the Romulans. "And I think there's a certain logic in this request."

"There's no logic in this at all," Picard argued back. "Whether they succeed or not, the Enterprise-C will be destroyed. You will die if you go with them. And even if you survived," Picard shook his head as he reflected on how the Romulans treated prisoners, "you will be imprisoned, tortured, interrogated and then killed. Is that what you want, to die?"

"Captain, I understand the risks only too well," Tasha straightened herself bravely, knowing only too well what he meant by what he said. He wasn't just worried she was throwing away classified Starfleet knowledge. He was scared she would die for nothing. "But Captain, at least with someone at Tactical, they will have a chance to defend themselves well. It may be a matter of seconds or minutes, but those could be the minutes that change history. Guinan says I died a senseless death in the other timeline, that I died a senseless death while I saved friends of mine. I didn't like the sound of that, Captain. I joined the service to fight, to make a difference. I always pictured myself living a long, great life after the war was finished and we'd won. I saw myself surrounded by friends and family, content that I'd given them the peace they wanted and needed. Captain, I've always known the risks that come with a Starfleet uniform. If I'm to die in one, I'd like my death to count for something."

Picard had listened to her speech silently, reflecting that this young woman was not throwing her life away for nothing, but was determined to make a difference. He was touched by her long-term hopes since they matched so many people. "Lieutenant," he said quietly, feeling that the words were nothing but ashes in his mouth. "Permission granted."

Tasha smiled gratefully back at him, "Thank you, sir."

Xxxx

On the bridge of the Enterprise-C, Castillo was directing the crew. They didn't have long left to go. The techs from the Enterprise-D had done a great job in helping them repair the ship from the Klingon attack only after they'd clocked many hours in repairing the ship from the Romulan attack.

They were ready for the return to their time. Now they were making last-minute preparations. The crew knew what was at stake and what was going to happen. And they were prepared for the worst.

They were determined to make sure the future they'd seen never came to pass.

On the bridge, Lieutenant Castillo was issuing instructions, wishing either Captain Garrett or Commander Tholav were here. But they weren't and he was determined to give this all he could.

"I'm showing phaser banks up to seventy percent efficiency," Castillo was saying. "We've got an hour left. Let's see if we can get them up to ninety."

"Aye, sir," an officer replied over the comm.

"Parker, you've got Ops. Fredericks, take the conn," Castillo turned to different officers, watching them take their new positions. He was about to give the Tactical post to someone when an unexpected voice cut through his thoughts.

"I'll handle Tactical," Tasha Yar said, standing to attention, "Lieutenant Tasha Yar reporting for duty, sir."

Castillo felt his blood turn to ice. Quickly he hurried over to Tasha, "You're not part of my crew."

"I am now. Captain Picard approved my request for transfer."

What the hell was going on?

"Tasha, you can't come with us," Castillo said.

"I am," Tasha was as obstinate as she was beautiful.

"This isn't a joke, Tasha," Castillo hissed in his anger. "We're going back in the rift, into battle. We're not coming back. We are going to die."

"I know, Richard," she said softly to make him see how seriously she was taking this. "I know the mission. And I know you need a lot of help with tactical. Your ship's lost a lot of people, and you're undermanned. These are my orders, Lieutenant."

"But I don't want you here," Castillo insisted.

Tasha squared her shoulders, "You need me here. Show me someone on your crew who can do the job better than I can."

Castillo sighed and Tasha hid her smirk of triumph. Something about Castillo was so boyish she couldn't help but act just a little bit childish at times. "Welcome aboard. Take your station, Lieutenant."

Tasha hid her smile and nodded, "Aye, sir."

Xxx

Military log, supplemental. Lieutenant Tasha Yar has transferred to the Enterprise-C, where she has taken over tactical duties. Meanwhile, our long-range scanners have picked up Klingon battle cruisers on an intercept course.

Xxxx

General Worf rubbed his scarred cheek. "Explain to me what the probes found, Commander."

"Two Federation starships, holding position in this system, sir," Commander K'jor reported. "According to intelligence and our charts, there's no strategic importance to that region. And the ships have barely moved beyond adjusting their positions. They have been there for several days according to command."

Worf shook his head, making his dishevelled hair swing softly from side to side. "Why would they hold that position for so long?"

"They're close to a strange anomaly, sir. They could be studying it," the commander commented.

"Typical Starfleet," Worf snorted. "No matter. We will attack. Give the command. Set a course for the ships. We're on our way back to Klingon space to rejoin our forces to fight off the Federation, but I want every single starship between us and Qo'Nos destroyed."

K'Jor nodded, "Sir."