by Dayton Ward
“Doctor,” said Jean-Luc, and she heard the caution in his voice.
“What was your mission?” Mynlara asked. When Jodis did not answer, she pressed with, “What is the purpose of this vessel? Where was it constructed? How did you get the materials to build it? It is astounding that you were able to keep it a secret from us. I must admit to being duly impressed. Our scientists and engineers will be most interested in examining its every detail.”
“This ship’s mission is the same as that of every vessel in service to my people,” Jodis said, his tone one of disdain. “Fight. Destroy Golvonek ships. Break your will to continue this war.”
Mynlara stepped toward the bed, pointing an accusatory finger at Jodis. “The Raqilan started this war. It is your people who could not accept the simple idea that there are others who exist in this galaxy and that not all of them subscribe to your beliefs. You were not content to live in peace and allow others to do the same. Instead, you brought death and destruction to both our worlds, and for what? Because we are different?”
Glowering at her, Jodis replied, “It no longer matters why the war began, or who is to blame. All our hands are stained with blood, and none of us are above contempt or fault. We and our children will bear the burden of what we have done, unless the entire obscenity can be erased. That is what we were sent here to do. Indeed, we were sent to make sure it never happens at all.” Unable to move his arms, he instead gestured with his head to indicate the room around him. “This ship was designed with a single purpose: make sure the war between our people never happens.”
“What sort of nonsense are you spouting?” Mynlara asked. “From where were you sent? How are you supposed to undo a hundred cycles of brutal warfare that has all but destroyed both our worlds?”
Jodis shook his head, eyeing her with unfettered scorn. “I do not blame you for your lack of understanding, for I too once harbored similar thoughts, but now your words have proven that what was once only theory is now in fact reality. It was decided long ago that the only way to stop this war is to prevent it from happening at all. That is why the blood and sweat of uncounted Raqilan were sacrificed over uncounted cycles to build this ship, and it is the mission I was sent to complete.” When Mynlara said nothing in response, Jodis sneered. “Of course you do not comprehend my meaning, but you will. I come from our future, Fleet Legate, where the war has raged for nearly two hundred cycles, and our inability to find peace has committed whatever generations might survive us to eventual extinction.”
“That’s enough,” Crusher said, putting up her hand so that Mynlara could not move any closer to Jodis. “There will be time for this later, but right now, I want my patients to rest.”
“They are not your patients,” Mynlara retorted, still scowling in response to the Raqilan’s comments. “They are my prisoners, even if this one has taken complete leave of his sanity.”
Ignoring her, Jodis instead turned his attention to Crusher. “I see it in your eyes. You know that I speak the truth, as do you, Captain Picard.” He looked once more to Mynlara. “It’s already too late. Enjoy your time as our captors,” he snapped, all but spitting the words. “I promise you that your hold on us will be fleeting.”
15
Standing in the corridor outside the medical facility, Picard waited in silence as Mynlara composed herself. Though she had maintained her composure in the patient ward while confronting Jodis, it was obvious that the Raqilan’s comments had affected her. She paced back and forth several steps, and Picard noted how her hands clenched and relaxed as she walked. After several moments, with the captain and Worf watching and as her own escorts stood nearby and awaited instructions, the fleet legate seemed to have regained her bearing.
“Vedapir,” she said, shifting her attention to the tall Golvonek male she had introduced as her second-in-command. “I want security officers stationed here immediately. We are taking the Raqilan prisoners into custody. For now, they are to remain confined in the medical treatment area.” As though sensing Picard’s eyes on her, she added, “Do not interfere with the newcomers’ work to care for the prisoners, but I want regular reports on their current status.”
“Understood, Fleet Legate,” replied Vedapir. Turning his own gaze to Picard and Worf, he asked, “What about you?”
Mynlara scowled. “If the newcomers wanted to hurt us, they could have done so before now. I will be fine. Attend your duties, Foctine Vedapir.”
His posture straightening, Vedapir nodded. “Yes, Fleet Legate,” he said before turning and heading off to carry out his assignment. Once he was gone, Mynlara turned back to Picard.
“I apologize, Captain,” she said after a moment. “I confess that I am still coming to terms with what we were told in there. I . . .” The words trailed off and she cast her gaze to the deck before drawing a deep breath. “As I said before, I have never actually met a Raqilan. I was not adequately prepared for that meeting.”
Picard replied, “No apology is necessary, Fleet Legate.”
Following Jodis’s outburst, Crusher had asserted her authority and banished from the room everyone who was not a patient or a member of the medical team. Mynlara was so caught off guard by the ferocity of the Raqilan’s comments that she had not protested when Picard ushered her from the patient ward and out of the medical facility.
“Your doctor is quite intimidating,” said the Golvonek officer.
“You have no idea.” Picard could not resist the smile that accompanied his reply.
Scowling, Mynlara shook her head. “I do not understand his remarks.” She waved her hand to indicate the corridor and, presumably, the rest of the Arrow. “He and his crew and this vessel come from the future? How is that possible?” When Picard said nothing, she leveled a finger at him. “He said you knew he spoke the truth. What does that mean? Are you in league with him?”
“No,” Picard answered, his tone firm. “As I’ve told you all along, we only just discovered the ship adrift in space a few days ago. We are only just beginning to understand its technology.”
“But you were aware of this claim of his,” Mynlara said. “This outlandish assertion of his that he has traveled from the future to destroy us.”
Knowing that the time for obfuscation had passed, Picard replied, “Not because of anything Jodis communicated to us. We have learned that traveling through time leaves residual signs, in the form of particles we call chronitons. Our past experiences with such phenomena have allowed us to develop technology to detect these particles and determine if something or someone has experienced a temporal event.”
Mynlara’s eyes widened in undisguised surprise. “Have you traveled through time?”
“Yes,” Worf said, “but I do not recommend it.”
Picard punctuated the Klingon’s reply with a small smile, which did little to alleviate the fleet legate’s obvious concern and uncertainty. “It’s not something to be undertaken lightly, and the risks of altering history are not to be underestimated.”
“But that’s what Jodis and this ship intended to do.” Mynlara had begun to pace again. “Their goal was to travel from the future and do what, exactly? Destroy Uphrel at a point before the war takes such a grave toll on both our worlds?”
Though he had wrestled with himself over how much information to convey to her, Picard realized that to continue evading her questions served no purpose. Thanks to Jodis, Mynlara and her people already knew something of the truth, and it was up to them how to proceed with the knowledge they now possessed. To engender trust, Picard had no option but to be honest and as straightforward as he was able.
“From what we’ve been able to ascertain based on a review of the ship’s onboard computer,” he said, “we believe the mission given to Jodis and his crew was to travel back to a point before your war began. If we’re correctly understanding the data we’ve found, the ship was attacked by Golvonek forces prior to it
s time jump from the future. That attack resulted in damage to various systems, including what we believe is the mechanism required for time travel. When the ship arrived at its destination point, the crew was not revived but instead remained in hibernation until my ship found it adrift.”
Mynlara closed her eyes for a moment as though weighing the enormity of what she had just heard. “So, you are saying that it was only fortunate happenstance which saved my planet from annihilation nearly eighty cycles before I was born.”
“That’s our best guess, yes,” Picard replied.
The weight of worlds seemed to descend upon her shoulders. “I have to report this to my superiors, but I cannot see how this will not affect the ongoing peace discussions.”
“How long have these negotiations been taking place?” Picard asked.
Frowning, Mynlara said, “The current sessions have been ongoing for nearly two cycles now. They start and stop at irregular intervals, based on the mood of various participants. Great progress will be made, but then something trivial derails the agreements reached to that point, and both sides regroup before starting again.” She stared at him, her eyes narrowing. “I am a military officer, sworn to obey all proper directives from my superiors and the civilian leadership that oversees us. However, it is frustrating to watch politicians bandy about as though their actions—or lack of actions—have no consequences to those bound by their decisions.”
“Such a system, while perhaps inconvenient at times, is far preferable to most alternatives,” Picard replied. Even the Raqilan, who appeared to be the aggressors in their conflict with the Golvonek, seemed to understand the virtues of a civilian government’s authority over its military, as evidenced by diplomats endeavoring to find some kind of workable resolution to end the war. “If both sides are committed to the peace process, then hope remains.”
Mynlara replied, “There are those who do not believe that both sides—at least, not everyone on both sides—really want peace. We know that some Raqilan leaders, civilian and military alike, do not want to stop until they have wiped out our ability to defend ourselves. Perhaps they even mean to subjugate us, though it is rare to hear talk of such things. For the moment, at least, the most extreme voices seem only to be calling for conquest, but such opinions appear to be in the minority. The Golvonek are not entirely without blame either, as there are those among my government who call for increasing the intensity of our attacks against Raqilan forces. It is not enough for them merely to defend our interests. In their minds, we must take the fight to Henlona with ever greater ferocity.” Once more, she shook her head. “I do not know that my people, after all this time, have the will to support such a campaign, but what are we to do?”
She again indicated the massive vessel around them. “What will happen when my superiors learn of this ship and the power it wields? Assuming they believe this story that it came from the future to destroy us, what does it say about us that in that time to come, we are still at war with the Raqilan? I fear such knowledge will serve only to break my people’s spirit.”
“It does not have to be that way,” said Worf. “If there is one thing our experience with time travel has taught us, it is that the future is not set. It can be altered. Many times, that is a very dangerous proposition, but there are times I would argue that such ability can be used for good.”
Picard added, “Indeed. Think about it, Mynlara: instead of this being a symbol of hopelessness, your people can use it to rally support for a change. Perhaps the Raqilan people, upon seeing what the future has in store for them, will also be compelled to seek another solution.”
“Do you really think that’s possible?” Mynlara asked.
“I most certainly do.”
Releasing another exasperated sigh, the Golvonek officer said, “They are not likely to listen to one such as me, but I believe such an argument could be made by a third party. Someone who stands apart from our conflict.”
“You’re asking me to address your world’s leaders?” Were this any other first contact scenario, such an act would not be unusual. Like any starship captain, Picard was empowered to represent Starfleet and the Federation as their ambassador in such situations, and so in that regard he was at ease with such a prospect. However, Picard could imagine hearing the complaints from agents of the Department of Temporal Investigations even across the expanse of light-years as he considered what they undoubtedly would consider a deliberate meddling with possible future events.
To hell with them, he mused. I live in the here and now, I refuse to be bound by predestination, and I refuse to stand by and allow others to be so enslaved. Not if there’s anything I can do to prevent it.
“If I agree to speak to your superiors,” he said after a moment, “you must know I am required to do the same for the Raqilan. I cannot take sides in your conflict, and I cannot commit the Federation to such action. We must remain neutral, but I am willing to explain this situation as well as I’m able, to leaders from both sides.”
“I understand,” Mynlara replied. “Perhaps our leaders can be convinced to let you address the peace delegations.” Her expression changed. “But there is much to do before we reach that point.”
Picard asked, “What do you intend to do with Jodis and his crew?”
“They are still prisoners of war, Captain,” replied the fleet legate. “For now, duty requires that I continue to treat them as such, just as it demands that I make preparations to transfer this vessel to one of our facilities. I must notify my superiors of our current situation and receive further instructions.” She nodded to Worf before adding, “If you will excuse me, Captain.”
“By all means,” replied Picard.
After she had left two members of her security detail outside the medical facility, Mynlara departed, presumably returning to her transport craft in the landing bay.
Once she was out of earshot, Picard gestured for Worf to follow him up the passageway, away from the Golvonek guards.
“This is a most complicated situation,” said Worf in a low voice.
With a wry grin, Picard replied, “Number One, I see that the years have not yet taken their toll on your gift for understatement.”
Worf crossed his arms. “Do you think addressing the Raqilan and Golvonek leaders will accomplish anything?”
“It certainly can’t hurt,” Picard said. “A formal first meeting with representatives from one or both sides would likely have occurred if we’d continued our investigation into the system. Now that we’re aware of their situation, our only course if we wish to establish relations is dealing with both planets.” The captain just hoped that the gathering of leaders representing both worlds would allow him to demonstrate that there was an entire universe out there, waiting for them to resolve their own differences and embrace the hand of friendship which had been extended across the stars. While the Prime Directive allowed him to make such overtures to planets that had progressed to faster-than-light travel capabilities, there still existed a number of stipulations he was required to observe when meeting with representatives of less technologically progressed civilizations. In fact, Picard was treading in one of the gray areas where theory and procedure often failed to anticipate some twist or gap provided by reality. It was in situations like these that the experience and judgment of a starship commander became ever vital.
Behind him, the door to the medical facility opened and Crusher emerged. “Captain,” she said, presumably for the benefit of the Golvonek security officers still keeping vigil, “may I see you a moment?”
Entering the room once more, Picard and Worf waited as she closed the door before turning to them.
“Jodis wants to talk to you.”
Cocking an eyebrow, Picard replied, “Really? Did he say why?”
Beverly shook her head. “Only that he wanted to talk to you without Mynlara or any of her people present.”
After directing Lieutenants Cruzen and T’Sona to watch the door, Picard moved into the patient ward, where Jodis still lay immoblized on his bed.
“I apologize for the restraints,” he said, moving to stand next to the Raqilan.
“It is I who apologize for making them necessary, Captain.” Pausing, he eyed Picard for a moment before adding, “As a child, I used to enjoy stories about traveling to distant worlds and meeting the people who lived there.” He turned his head enough to look past Picard and study Worf. “None of those stories featured people like you, though. Still, when I was a boy, I used to wonder what my ancestors imagined about such people, before they and the Golvonek met.” He snorted. “Most of those stories seemed so far-fetched. Then again, stories about time travel were fanciful, as well.”
Picard replied, “And yet, here you are, having traveled through time. We know what your mission is, or at least what it was supposed to be.” When Jodis said nothing, the captain continued, “My people have managed to access your computer data and determined that you’ve been in hibernation for a very long time. You failed to awaken after your ship made the jump from the future, and therefore you’ve missed your objective. The war began and continued while you slept, Jodis.”
“I know,” the Raqilan finally said. “Your doctor was kind enough to show me information from our computer. The war has raged for nearly one hundred cycles. My people and the Golvonek have already inflicted enough destruction on each other that it will take generations to repair, but all is not yet lost. There’s still a chance.”
“A chance for what?” Picard asked. “To carry out your original mission? That’s rather unlikely. You’re a prisoner. Even as we speak, Fleet Legate Mynlara is preparing to have this vessel moved to one of her military bases so that it can be studied. Don’t you see what that means? Even if you were freed to carry out your mission in some manner, your ship’s temporal displacement equipment has been damaged beyond repair. You’re stuck here, Jodis.”