by Alan Tripp (aka. Kanej Hauk)
In a reality far, far away
Vice Admiral Kanej Ulvyrr crossed the threshold into the U.S.S. Excalibur’s Strategic Operations Center and kept going.
The Excalibur served as flagship of Starfleet’s Harbour Command.
Ulvyrr paused in his journey as he passed the massive holographic display, stopping his feet treads only long enough to download the latest sensor readings onto his personal padd and then kept going.
Across the room, two guards snapped to attention as he gave both a nod and crossed the threshold into the conference room.
Several faces turned in his direction with each threatening to rise to their feet.
“You know we’re not standing on formalities today,” the Klingon grumbled.
He motioned them to remain seated as he found his own along the circumference of the round table.
Settling in, his eyes sought out first those of his Romulan wife, Valarys (his Juliet … as the Shakespearan story would have it), and then their children, Kanej Hauk and Ahlyya – all three captains whose commands were responding to the crisis that seemed destined to re-unite them.
A bright spot in what could be yet another looming disaster.
He himself had been leading a small detachment of starships scouting out the location for a new starbase when it had been detected. … They’d just happened to be ships scattered at various surrounding points that had been with range to respond.
He allowed his eyes to linger but a heartbeat longer on his family before the flicker of their holographic projections via holo-communications reminded him of their still distance from one another and just why they were here.
So his eyes shifted to scan all gathered.
“As you know, we were scouting out a location for the proposed Marrakesh Station when the U.S.S. Artemis detected an spatial anomaly in search grid 35787,” he began.
“As captain of that ship, Capt. Shallana Ironwolf is likely best to fill us in on what they found,” he continued.
“Shayla, if you please.”
Shallana, aka. Shayla to her friends, tapped her padd causing graphics to appear at the center table for all to see.
What appeared was a massive rift in space that seemed more like a pool of energy had been simply poured into the weightlessness of the void and left to float.
Rather peaceful if you ignored the random spikes of what could best be explained as “lightning” that would strike out like a thunderstorm building and growing steadily worse.
Just looking at it conjured images of a massive hurricane threatening to unleash untold fury upon a developed coastline.
“From what we have been able to tell, this anomaly is a temporal rift that seems to cut through space, time and realities … all,” she stated. “Sending the specifics to each of you now.”
“Do we know the point of origin?”
Shallana recognized the voice, at first thought to be that of Alan Sollace only to realize it was instead that of his “twin” counterpart … Capt. Ross Rutlh’ven of the U.S.S. Calypso.
The pair were identical in just about every way.
“Sorry, Ross, that is something that was beyond our sensors to detect,” Shayla answered.
“All we know is that this thing is growing at a steady rate and although relatively isolated at the moment, it likely won’t stay that way.”
“Which is why we’re gathering all of you,” the Vice Admiral added.
“Indeed,” Shayla stated. “It was actually Capt. Ahlyya of the Highlander and her team that came up with a possible solution.”
All eyes turned to the Romulan / Klingon, who seemed to be sporting sunglasses, as she leaned forward, setting her padd on the table before her.
Legally blind, those same glasses allowed her to see properly.
In fact, they offered the scientist turned starship captain a digital readout and direct interface with computer systems as connected via her padd.
“It is our belief that with enough starships, we can position ourselves at spaced intervals around the anomaly and generate resonance beams from our deflectors, striking as one with enough umph to force the edges of the tear back together and stitch it closed like a doctor handling a bad cut,” she explained.
“And what if this thing ends up being to large to force closed and ‘stitch?,’” asked Capt. Yrsa Skysun of the Andúril.
“That would be why we’re all taxing our warp drives at the moment,” Ahlyya returned.
“Questions?” the Admiral asked.
“Wait a minute, isn’t this the location of that recently discovered stargate?” Kanej Hauk asked.
“I see someone has been reading their morning briefings,” Ulvyrr said with a slight smile.
“Yes it is … and before you ask … We’ve no idea how this will affect the gate network.
In his mind’s eye, however, Ulvyrr had fears of a ripple effect all along that same network.
But to what effect?
—- Out of Story —-
Through this, we see one end of its reach but not the origin.
THAT story is coming.