As Tempos roared with laughter, Ilyra glanced at Daniels. He couldn’t see the fleet on the viewscreen, but her worried frown told him everything he needed to know.
Xen again spoke up, interrupting the Byzanthion’s hilarity. “Explain,” he said flatly. It sounded more like an order than a request.
“I’ll be happy to,” purred Tempos, clasping his hands behind his back. “You see, my Astrofleet friends, you’ve landed in the Interplanetary Alliance year 2156. You’re just in time for the beginning of the Byzanthion-Earth War.”
“There was no Byzanthion-Earth War in the year 2156,” corrected Xen. “Or any other year.”
“Yes,” Tempos said smoothly. “And no.”
“Explain,” said Xen.
“There wasn’t,” smiled Tempos, “and now there is. Thanks to me. Thanks to the miracle of temporal displacement.”
“You seek to change history,” stated Xen. “To your people’s advantage.”
“I already have,” nodded Tempos. “And you three are proof of it.”
Striding toward them, he pointed at each captive in turn. “You and you and you. You remember a history of my making. My reshaping.”
Stopping, Tempos stared intently at Ilyra. “Tell me, do you recall the Gorlack sack of Byzanthius? The subjugation and near-extinction of the Byzanthion race?”
Ilyra shook her head. “No. Those events did not happen.”
“But they did,” Tempos said knowingly. “Until I came along.”
Tempos jabbed a finger toward Xen. “You. What do you remember of the Byzanthion Civil War and the Hephaestan Intervention?”
“Nothing,” said Xen.
“Yet these things did happen. Once.” Tempos nodded solemnly. “But I have made many trips through time. With technology of the future and knowledge of what was once the past, I have reengineered history. I have rescued my people and raised them up.
“And now, I will give them an empire.” Tempos turned to stare lovingly at the fleet on the viewscreen. “We will obliterate the Earth. The Interplanetary Alliance will never be born.
“The Gorlacks will follow. When I am through with them, not only will they have no empire, they will never even have existed.
“Thus shall the Byzanthion race take its rightful place as the unchallenged imperial power in the quadrant. And you three shall watch it happen.
“You will make this victory all the sweeter,” cooed Tempos, “for even as you watch your future go down in flames, you will remember the way it once was. The way it was supposed to be.”
“You said the Byzanthion-Earth War was just beginning. When exactly does it start?,” asked Xen, sounding as detached as if he were discussing quantum theory with a colleague.
Tempos consulted a chronometer on his wrist. “One hour,” he said happily. “In one hour, this cloaked fleet will appear in Earth orbit and begin a bombardment the likes of which the galaxy has never seen before.
“And the rest, as they say, is history.” Tempos smirked with self-satisfaction. “My history.”
Inwardly, Ilyra shuddered.
Of all the challenges she and her shipmates had faced, this was far and away the most daunting.
Daniels’s shouted order came back to her: End the threat to the timeline at any cost!
But what a threat it was.
She was a seasoned Astrofleet officer. She had served with Captain Matthew Horn aboard the legendary Infinitude.
But she and her crewmates were all that stood between humanity, the Interplanetary Alliance, and oblivion. Three against a warfleet.
Considering the odds, Ilyra wavered. Reaching deep, she sought strength and inspiration.
Then, she looked down at Daniels. In his gaze, she found purchase; she found strength enough and more.
Through the empathic bond they shared, she conveyed a feeling of urgency -- the impression that she was about to take action. She flicked her eyes in the direction of the armed guards, then blinked three times, counting them for him; he nodded and his body tensed in preparation.
Sipping measured breaths, she looked to Xen. His eyes met hers, and she saw that he was ready. Telepathic himself, he had overheard her message to Wes.
Shifting slightly, Ilyra gripped the chains that fastened her to the deck. Gathering herself, she silently counted to three.
And applied formidable Epsilonian muscle power to the heavy links. It was her people’s best-kept secret; other races were always so intrigued by the Epsilonians’ sexual mystique, they rarely knew or cared that the sensual species also possessed great physical strength.
Ilyra strained...and both chains snapped at the midpoint.
Beside her, Daniels kicked his shackled feet back, upending a centurion. Ilyra heard Xen snap his own chains and lash out at a guard.
Gripping the chains at her ankles, she wrenched at them. They held fast.
Wresting an emanator rifle from the toppled centurion, Daniels turned it on its owner. Xen disabled his own opponent as Daniels fired on the remaining guard.
Heart pounding, Ilyra redoubled her efforts. This time, the chains broke apart.
She leaped to her feet and charged across the deck at Tempos.
Too late, she saw the emanator in his hand. The weapon lifted in her direction...
And the Byzanthion was caught by emanator fire from Daniels’s confiscated rifle. He disappeared in the flash of the killing beam.
“We don’t have much time,” Wes said unnecessarily, as Xen cut the rest of their chains with an emanator. “We’ve got to stop this fleet.”
“We must take control of this vessel,” said Xen. “And one of us must utilize the temporal displacer.”
“Say again?,” frowned Daniels as he got to his feet. “Why the temporal displacer?”
“In case we fail,” said Xen. “Someone must return to the future, to initiate efforts to restore the timeline.” Coolly, the Hephaestan looked from one of his friends to the other. “If the timeline is altered, only we three will remember the original version of events. Logically, one us must return to our native era.”
“We’ll have a better chance here if we don’t split up,” insisted Daniels.
“What difference will it make,” said Xen, “if there are three of us aboard the self-destructing Byzanthion vessel, or two of us?”
Wes started to argue...then stopped.
Ilyra took his hand in hers. They both knew that Xen was right.
As bluntly as ever, the Hephaestan had spelled it out for them. He had a habit of doing that.
“Damn,” Wes said softly. “That’s it then.”
If they took control of the ship and launched an attack on the rest of the fleet, they could do some damage -- but they would still be surrounded and outnumbered. It wouldn’t take long for another ship to disable them -- and the rest of the fleet would go on to Earth.
But a self-destruct could do so much more. It could trigger a chain reaction that would take out the entire fleet, or enough of it that Earth’s defenses could handle what was left.
Wes Daniels drew in a deep breath and slowly released it. Squeezing Ilyra’s hand, he turned to her.
“Good luck,” he said grimly. “If we fail, it’s all up to you.”
For a moment, she gazed searchingly into his bright eyes. Gravely, she raised fingers to stroke his cheek -- so perfect, so familiar, so loved.
And then, she laughed. Right in his face.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, playfully slapping him.
Daniels gathered himself up and seemed ready to say something that he knew she would ignore. Then, a smile curled across his own face and he laughed, too.
“Mr. Xen,” he snapped authoritatively. “You’d better get going.”
“Commander, I support your first choice,” said Xen. “Logically, Lieutenant Ilyra should return to the future.”
“That’s an order,” said Daniels, turning to shake the Hephaestan’s hand. “I’m glad I got to know you, Xen.”
&n
bsp; Xen hesitated, then returned the handshake. “And I you...Wes.”
“Goodbye, Xen,” Ilyra said fondly. She also shook his hand, then surprisingly hopped closer and pecked him on the cheek. “I’ll never forget you.”
Without another word, Lieutenant Xen spun and headed in the direction of the time chamber.
Much had been left unsaid, but he was in a hurry. Time was literally running out.
And besides, he didn’t want his friends to see the that single tear rolling past the spot where Ilyra had kissed him.
*****
Later...
The sunrise was beautiful as ever over the tropical capital city of Epsilon IV.
Streamers of rose and gold filtered through the drifting clouds, light and colors reflected in the city’s million glittering pools and streams and fountains. Amid the plentiful gardens and trees, the white walls and domes and streets blushed and brightened.
In one particular garden, in the atrium of a well-appointed home, a tutor awaited his pupil.
Sipping a steaming beverage from a mug, he reviewed the day’s lesson plan on a hand-held computer pad.
When he got to a certain section, he slowly put the computer down on the bench beside him. The world fell away as he stared off into space.
All lies. Today’s lesson was all lies.
“Teacher!” His reverie was interrupted by the piping voice of his young charge. Sunlight glinting off the ornamental headband she wore, the slim Epsilonian child hurried into the atrium.
She was so graceful, he thought. That much hasn’t changed.
“Good morning, Teacher!,” grinned the girl, sliding onto the bench beside him. “This is history day, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” said the tutor.
So graceful.
She made it all worthwhile.
“What can you tell me about the Earth-Byzanthion War?”
The girl smiled broadly; she knew the material. “In the year 2156, the Byzanthion Empire attacked Earth forces. The war ended in 2160 with the Battle of Cheron, when Earth defeated the Byzanthions and established the Neutral Zone to contain them.”
“Yes,” said the tutor.
No, thought the tutor. That’s not the way it happened.
“Xen,” said the girl, “tell me something else.”
I would like to, thought the Hephaestan. I would like to tell you everything.
But he knew that he could not. It would serve no purpose. It would not be logical.
His memories were meaningless. He was a man out of time.
After leaving his friends behind on the Byzanthion ship, Xen had found a future that was only partly repaired. With their sacrifice, Daniels and Ilyra had crippled the invasion fleet...but the war had still happened.
Humanity had been saved, and the Interplanetary Alliance...but the Byzanthions got their empire after all.
And there were more changes. More personal ones.
For example, Xen of Hephaestan had never been born.
In the new timeline, his parents had been killed in a Byzanthion attack on a Hephaestan colony. Xen was never born.
There was no place for him in this new universe.
Except here. At her side.
Ilyra.
“Why do the Byzanthions hate everyone, Xen?,” she asked him. “Do you hate them, too?”
“Hate is an emotion,” Xen said evenly, “so no, I do not.”
Yes, I do. They took everything from me.
Except her.
He was grateful that he had found her, even as a child. She was the single bright connection to his other life. His real life.
And she was his reason to go on living.
The only reason.
His operation of the Byzanthion temporal displacement mechanism had been inaccurate. He had returned to the future, but twenty years early, twenty years before his time.
Not that it mattered, to a man who had never been born.
The time travel device had self-destructed after his arrival. He had been unable to rebuild or recreate it. He had sought other means of traveling back to undo the damage and restore his timeline...but had ultimately failed. Without resources, without help, without even so much as an identity, securing transport through time was no simple matter.
And so he had searched for her. Ilyra.
He had devoted himself to her guidance and protection, and she had come to know him all over again.
He would do anything for her now, even here, in this wrong reality, this butchered timeline in which he didn’t exist. Especially here.
And he had a gift for her. He thought she might like it.
“Ilyra, there’s someone I’d like you to meet,” he told her after the day’s lesson had concluded. “His family is visiting Epsilon, and I’ve arranged for you to spend some time together.”
“A boy?,” she grinned. “Who is he? What does he look like?”
“He is very handsome,” said Xen. He allowed himself the tiniest hint of a smile, so small that only she could tell it was there.
“His name is Wes Daniels.”
*****
Bonus Treks
Exclusive to this collected edition
Neelix + Kes...A Love Story?
By Robert T. Jeschonek
Take one Talaxian roustabout with a big heart and a bigger sense of humor. Add an inexperienced Ocampa with an extraordinarily short lifespan. The result might not turn out to be a forever love, but it is an epic romance and a testament to Star Trek's philosophy of infinite acceptance.
At the start of Star Trek: Voyager, Neelix and Kes have the only stable romantic relationship aboard the starship. For a while, they stand alone as a symbol of love on the final frontier in the face of ever-present danger...and love as the ultimate saving grace.
Neelix calls Kes his "sweeting" and goes out of his way to prepare her favorite foods. They mark special occasions together, like her birthday (in "Twisted") and share an appreciation of the dazzling phenomena of the Delta Quadrant. One of their most romantic moments occurs during "The Cloud," when Kes gives Neelix a long, loving kiss as Voyager enters a beautiful nebula. "I've never kissed anyone inside a nebula before," she tells him softly.
Other moments are cornier but no less heartfelt. In "Sacred Ground," Neelix and Kes speculate about the meaning of hieroglyphics on the walls of an underground Nechani shrine. Neelix guesses they might be a fertility symbol, and Kes says they might be a blessing for good luck or wisdom. "Or happiness and love," adds Neelix, as he and Kes gaze into each other's eyes with a look so adoring, it's positively sappy.
Their personalities complement each other perfectly. Certain similarities set them apart from the other Voyager crew members and bond them more closely together. For example, they both have childlike qualities that offset the gloom and doom of the journey through the hazardous Delta Quadrant. Kes has a cheerful curiosity and a wide-eyed sense of wonder. Neelix is upbeat and playful, not afraid to be silly or provide comic relief to lift the spirits of those around him.
Together, Neelix and Kes help lighten the mood aboard the imperiled ship...and remind its crew of the importance of their core beliefs. The Federation and Starfleet were born of a philosophy of infinite acceptance of infinite diversity. The presence of two such physcially diverse beings (one with spots and an orange mullet, the other with upswept, scalloped ears and a pixie haircut) serves as a constant reminder that Voyager's mission extends even to a hostile frontier. The crew accepts their relationship without reservation, though Tom Paris at one point falls in love with Kes and tries to steal her away, without success.
The strength of the devotion between Neelix and Kes reminds everyone of the unity and self-sacrifice that can help them beat the odds and survive the wildnerness. In "Phage," early in season one, when the Vidiians harvest Neelix's lungs, Kes donates one of her own to enable him to survive and live a normal life. It's the ultimate romantic gesture, a selfless sacrifice at great personal cost to snatch her lover from the jaws of d
eath.
She helps him face the spectre of death again in "Jetrel." When a Haakonian scientist convinces Neelix that he has a fatal blood disease, Neelix pours out his darkest secrets and fears to Kes. None of it dims her devotion to him in the slightest. Kes accepts him, warts and all, and sees him through the terminal illness scare, which turns out to be a hoax.
Neelix demonstates his own devotion in "Elogium," when Kes undergoes a premature reproductive cycle. He supports her during a shocking and punishing transformation and offers to make a sacrifice of his own. When it seems the changes signal a once-in-a-lifetime window for Kes to conceive a baby, Neelix agrees to make the ultimate commitment and father a child with her in spite of his fears and worries.
But sometimes, love doesn't conquer all. Neelix and Kes survive a string of crises that would sink any other couple, only to end up growing apart. The dark side of devotion rears its ugly head when Neelix develops a huge jealous streak that leads to conflict with Tom Paris in "Parturition." Kes develops a stronger interest in her powers and her people and nearly leaves to join an Ocampa colony in "Cold Fire."
The turning point arrives in "Warlord," when Kes breaks off their relationship while possessed by a disembodied Ilarian tyrant. It's a temporary separation that ends when she's freed of the alien influence...but things don't seem to be the same between her and Neelix after that. Three episodes later in the series timeline, she breaks up with him without any outside influence. The split happens off-screen, in a scene cut from "Fair Trade."
There's no turning back for the once-devoted couple. A few episodes later, in "Before and After," Kes adopts a longer, more free-flowing hairstyle. Her vision of the future in that episode includes marriage and a child with Tom Paris, not Neelix.
Then, finally, Kes undergoes a change so extreme that she leaves behind not just Neelix, but Voyager itself. In "The Gift," she ascends to a higher plane of existence, transporting the ship across Borg space in the bargain. There can be no second chances for her and Neelix, just a touching final meeting in "Fury." They were star-crossed from the start, but in their brief time together, they remind us of the importance of finding and treasuring even the most unexpected and fleeting love in the most trying times. Sometimes, the greater the struggle, the greater the need for love, and the more profound even its smallest, most intimate moments.
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