Life is but a dream...

[Ki'rok 0]

Ki’rok awoke with a start. The stars streaming by outside his window told him they were at warp. However, they were of no value when trying to determine the time. He sat on the edge of his bed, feeling the vibration of the Galaxy Class warp engines beneath his feet. He had heard that engineers could actually tell when the ships engines needed aligning just by that vibration. He, on the other hand…having just been assigned to this vessel, had no clue as to the engines current status.

 

It had been a most disturbing dream. The Republic was passing through a wormhole and was struck by a ferengi ship…ending up a couple hundred years in the future. In searching for a repair site, the Republic had been detected by a Rexxar satellite. They believed the ship to be a Rogresh vessel and launched a Nuclear attack. The Republic initially deflected the missiles. However, a chronoton wave interfered with the operation and several million Rogresh were killed in the ensuing explosions. Then the Crickets had shown up along with the Sprint, a future federation vessel. The Republic, in no shape to fight, hid in an asteroid while the two ships fought. In a valiant effort to save the Sprint, the Republic engaged the Cricket vessel. However, the timing of the attack was off and ended up fatally wounding the Republic. The ship…battered and broken…slid into the Cricket ship and exploded. But the worst part of it all, was being locked in the Sprints brig…and listening to Hans sing…for lack of a better term

 

At this he smiled, despite his Vulcan training. What an imagination! He thought back to his days at the Vulcan Science Institute. Had he ever had such a vivid dream? He believed the answer would become apparent after some meditation. However, since he WAS awake now, he could do some research on the people of Rogresh.

 

Ki’rok stood and walked to the desk. “Computer”, he said, “display all information on the Rogresh.” What appeared on the screen was a grouping on nonsensical letters and icons. At first, he didn’t understand, but soon the logic became evident to his Vulcan mind. He could not read the writing because he was unconscious. This was no dream.

 

Ki’rok opened his eyes once more, this time to the harsh reality of the Sprint’s less than plush brig. He looked around at the few crewman in the cell with him. He had only met a few, other than in passing in his brief time on the ill-fated Republic.

 

He expected some degree of gratitude from the Sprint crew…the future federation vessel they had saved. Instead, the crew found themselves locked in the brig…facing charges, no less. It seemed the crew of the sprint blamed the Republic for some irreparable damage to the timeline. Even with his knowledge of temporal dynamics, this was hard to accept. Until they had seen the devastation caused by this war…the broken shell of the moon sent shivers down Ki’rok’s spine. As a Vulcan, he should have been able to remain impartial, but the sight was overwhelming and he wasn’t even from Earth. It was no wonder the Terrans were speechless.

 

Finally, upon meeting up with the rest of the surviving crew, they had learned of Captain Velos’ plan to use the Guardian of Forever to send them back in time to thwart a plot to undermine the federation as well as frame the crew of the Republic.

The possibilities for error were mind-numbing.

Edited April 26, 2004 by Ki'rok