Star Trek: Voyager: A Pocket Full of Lies

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by Kirsten Beyer


  “I am a primary incursion analyst with the Krenim Temporal Defense Agency,” Dayne told them once they were settled.

  “And how often do the Krenim offer commissions to former Rilnar citizens?” Cambridge asked, feigning ignorance.

  “As you have no doubt surmised by now, Counselor, I am not Rilnar. I am Krenim. At the time of Denzit Janeway’s recovery, I was working undercover with the Rilnar to assess any activities in which they were engaged that might be detrimental to the integrity of this timeline. I was, in fact, ordered to undertake that mission when it came to our agency’s attention that the Zahl had captured Captain Kathryn Janeway using what we believed was a stolen chroniton device. The Rilnar had no idea who Kathryn was, or of her significance to the Zahl or the Krenim. I was given a great deal of latitude by my Krenim superiors in the rescue operation and in assisting with her integration into Rilnar society.”

  This revelation brought dozens of new questions to Janeway’s mind. Captain Farkas interjected before she could ask any of them.

  “What is the Krenim Temporal Defense Agency?” Farkas asked.

  “We are an organization comprised of individuals from a broad range of scientific, academic, and philosophical backgrounds dedicated to the study of space and time, in particular temporal anomalies and the analysis of the integrity of any and all timelines that may, on occasion, intersect with our own.”

  “Are you part of the Krenim military?” Cambridge asked.

  “The Imperium’s defense force is controlled by the government. Our agency is civilian, although we are permitted to call for military assistance when necessary.”

  Janeway and Farkas exchanged a meaningful glance. On the surface, it appeared that the KTDA held a similar position among the Krenim as the Department of Temporal Investigations had within the Federation. The Krenim’s use of temporal technology under Annorax’s leadership, however, suggested a very different mandate. The interesting thing was that both might be true.

  “Is your agency currently led by a man named Annorax?” Janeway asked.

  Dayne smiled. It was disarming in its genuine warmth. “Someone has found a temporally shielded buoy, haven’t they?” he asked. “I suspected you might have detected one of their signals. It was the only way to make any sense of the Federation’s sudden interest in our territory. I always believed we hadn’t found all of them,” he added with a shrug.

  Janeway’s review of those buoys had chilled her to the very core of her being. That Dayne could speak of them so casually was worse.

  “Then you know who I am?” Janeway asked.

  “I know who you must be, since you aren’t my Kathryn.”

  “Your Kathryn,” Cambridge huffed. “You speak of her warmly when you must know that right now she is leading one side of a senseless, brutal war in hopes of rescuing you from the Zahl.”

  Dayne’s face again lost all traces of lightness. Shaking his head, he said, “I know what I have done to injure Kathryn. Had there been any way to avoid it, I would have found it. There wasn’t. But the denzit isn’t still leading the Rilnar because of me. She must think me dead by now, and she might hold that against the Zahl. Believe me when I tell you that her devotion to the Rilnar cause is genuine. I helped guide her to it.”

  “For a rational man, you don’t seem to appreciate the gravity of that particular transgression,” Cambridge noted.

  “If you shared my perspective on the situation, you might judge me less harshly,” Dayne retorted. “As it is, I know what a heartless bastard I must seem to you.”

  “I would be most interested in your perspective, Agent Dayne,” Captain Farkas interjected. “What little we know of it so far doesn’t reflect terribly well on you or your people.”

  “You think you know who the Krenim are, because you know who we were in one terribly misguided version of our history,” Dayne said. “We, too, were horrified when we discovered the first of Voyager’s temporally shielded buoys in our territory. My agency was actually having trouble maintaining sufficient funding for our operations at the time. That discovery changed everything for us. For the first time, we had concrete evidence to support many of our temporal theories, as well as a new mandate: to further our studies and ensure that the tools envisioned by Annorax would never be used as he once apparently did.”

  “Then Annorax . . .” Janeway began.

  “Annorax is revered among the Krenim as the father of temporal theory. He was the first among us to grasp the possibilities, the fluidity, the malleability of time. He designed elegant technologies that allow us to study multiple timelines, to witness the effects of the smallest actions, to understand time in all of its vast complexity. But the man the Krenim now remember also wrote and spoke extensively on the restraint required of all who dared to immerse themselves in the study of time. There were many temporal technologies based upon the discovery of chroniton particles that were natural extensions of his work, but he refused to create them. He believed time must be our teacher, never a weapon.”

  “That doesn’t sound at all like the man I encountered so long ago,” Janeway said.

  “I know. We know. Yours is a cautionary tale, Admiral. I can’t tell you exactly what made the difference between the Annorax you knew and the one we remember. Our analysis of your logs suggests that eventually, Voyager was able to force the weapon ship Annorax had designed into normal space-time and to destroy it. That is the only scenario we can imagine that would have resulted in a complete restoration of the timeline we now enjoy. None of our current scans reveal the existence of the timeline your logs reference. It has completely collapsed. Those shielded buoys you launched are the only records of it that exist.

  “For you, Annorax was a monster, a warped, deeply misguided man who believed time had a personal vendetta against him. For us, he was one of our greatest thinkers. He lived a long, incredibly productive life, and died peacefully at his home on Kyana Prime surrounded by his family and friends almost two hundred years ago. I understand that what you endured to bring about that reality was horrific. But on behalf of the Krenim, I thank you. Only those of us who know how dark the other roads could be can truly appreciate the light in which we now live. You did all Krenim a great service.”

  “Is that why you were so keen to come to Kathryn Janeway’s aid when you learned of the Zahl attack?” Farkas asked.

  “How did you learn that the Zahl had captured her?” Cambridge said over her.

  “As I said, our agency monitors various timelines and scans the continuum regularly for temporal incursions. Limited knowledge of our alternate pasts has made us mindful and incredibly protective of what we consider our ‘prime’ timeline. We also do our best to make sure that temporal technology does not come under the control of other species. While I will not disparage our neighbors, the Rilnar and the Zahl, I cannot pretend that at their current level of development it would be wise to allow them unrestrained access to technologies that could prove so dangerous to all of us. Without the centuries of study that have accompanied our development of temporal scanners, it is impossible to fully grasp the magnitude of temporal manipulation.”

  “The Zahl have had access to temporal technology for at least a few hundred years. Didn’t Rahalla share his discoveries with Annorax?” Janeway asked.

  Danye nodded grudgingly. “Rahalla was a uniquely gifted Zahl, a visionary in some respects. But we have never been able to confirm his findings on Sormana. What temporal technology the Zahl utilize now they have stolen from us.”

  “That technology would have to have been stolen by Zahl military vessels,” Janeway noted. “They have made it clear that they have no interest in continuing the war on Sormana. Even if they had stolen your technology, why would they turn it over to Sormana’s natives?”

  Dayne shook his head. “I don’t believe the official position on the war is shared by all of the colonists on either side. There are more sympathizers out there then you might suspect.

  “My ancestors clashed
with the Zahl and Rilnar regularly during the early years of their colonial expansion. Eventually we negotiated mutually acceptable borders. This agreement has allowed all of us to continue our development in relative peace. We do not interfere with the Zahl or Rilnar, except when it becomes clear that our technology has been compromised. Often our hands are tied until those technologies—chroniton torpedoes, for instance—are used. They are simply too hard to locate. But once an incursion is detected, our agents planted on both sides of the conflict do what they can to mitigate the results.”

  “Are you aware that the Zahl are currently using some sort of temporal transporter to bring reinforcements to Sormana that are not native to this timeline?” Janeway asked.

  Dayne sighed. “We are. We suspect the transporters were created from schematics stolen from our agency more than fifty years ago. They are located on Sormana, which makes it all but impossible for us to retrieve them without engaging both the Rilnar and the Zahl. No doubt the Zahl initially intended just to hide them there, but it is clear that they are now under control of the Zahl forces on the surface. My superiors have decided to allow them to continue this devastating practice, as the consequences are greatest for them and the individuals they have coerced into using them.”

  “You claim to be dedicated to the preservation of the integrity of the timeline, but this isn’t your problem?” Cambridge asked, incredulous.

  “We are not gods, Counselor,” Dayne replied. “We do what we can, though obviously, not all we would wish.”

  SORMANA

  Seven and Lieutenant Kim managed to escape the building they had infiltrated more by luck than skill. They departed the lower levels by finding the quickest route to a stairwell that led them into a squadron of Zahl soldiers utilizing the same route to exit the building and join the battle. By keeping their heads down and following the others, they secured their freedom from the frying pan only to find themselves in the blazing-hot center of the fire.

  Dawn was still hours away. Nevertheless, the wide paths and yards between the structures of the citadel were drenched in brassy white illumination, courtesy of long banks of lights that had been placed at the top of the wall and angled inward. Seven and Kim emerged into absolute chaos. There was no sense, no pattern to the battle before them. A few loud voices shouted commands and in the confusion they were taken as suggestions rather than orders. Zahl soldiers shot wildly into the groups of prisoners that could be seen. Most of the inmates had struck out on their own and were wrestling with guards hand to hand. Some of the Rilnar had acquired weapons and were using them against their Zahl counterparts, hitting fellow prisoners and guards alike.

  Seven linked her arm through Kim’s and pulled him around the side of the building, turning away from the most concentrated area of fighting spreading out from the north side of the citadel. A mad dash across an opening between a transport and a smaller building brought them a brief measure of safety, allowing them to consult their tricorders.

  “We will never make it back to our rendezvous point,” Kim said.

  “Each of the six gates has been sealed with two squads ready to defend them. We will not escape the way we came either,” Seven added.

  “We have to find Tuvok.”

  Seven nodded, retuning her tricorder.

  “Seven, there’s no time,” Kim insisted.

  “I am attempting to access the Rilnar frequency the denzit is using to trace us.”

  “Call me crazy, but I didn’t honestly think she’d compromise our security like that,” Kim admitted.

  Seven shook her head. “The denzit is not the Kathryn Janeway you and I know.” A series of short beeps indicated success. A green flashing light was moving furtively along the wall toward their position. “This way,” Seven said.

  Moments later, they caught sight of Tuvok and signaled to him. Checking his surroundings, he dashed across a clearing and joined them huddled behind a series of large crates located outside a smaller building near the southwest corner of the citadel.

  “What happened?” Kim demanded.

  “I was forced to improvise,” Tuvok replied.

  “There is no longer any way for us to evacuate the citadel. We must find a safe place to hide,” Seven suggested.

  “No,” Kim countered. “We’re getting out of here now.”

  “How?” Seven asked.

  Kim replied by removing a small beacon from his pocket. “In the event we were stranded, Chakotay ordered me to activate this signal beacon. Voyager will come for us.”

  “Have they devised a means to safely transit the minefield around Sormana?” Tuvok asked.

  “I hope so,” Kim replied.

  “Even if they have,” Seven said, “they will not be able to lock onto us as long as the island’s shields are operational.”

  “I know,” Kim said. “It will take them time to reach orbit. Our job now is to bring down that shield.”

  “We must not contact Voyager and put the lives of the crew at risk without exploring every other option,” Tuvok noted.

  “Tuvok, the minute you freed those prisoners, you eliminated any other option,” Kim pointed out. “We found the temporal transporters and more. The Zahl are storing hundreds of chroniton torpedoes here, enough to destroy the entire planet should they detonate.”

  “All the more reason to refrain from bringing down the shields that protect this island,” Tuvok insisted.

  Seven shook her head. “We don’t have to destroy the shield generator. We could create a small power overload, just enough to momentarily drop the shields and allow for our transport. The Zahl will surely restore them as soon as they realize the shields are down.”

  “Then timing this maneuver will be critical. How will we know when to bring the shields down?” Tuvok asked.

  “Voyager will signal us through this beacon when they are in position,” Kim said.

  “Do we know where the shield controls are located?” Tuvok asked.

  “We do,” Seven replied.

  “Very well. Signal Voyager,” Tuvok ordered Kim.

  VOYAGER

  “Captain, Lieutenant Kim has activated the emergency beacon,” Lieutenant Kenth Lasren reported from ops.

  “I see it,” Captain Chakotay acknowledged. A report had been sent to the data panel embedded in the arm of his chair. Turning to his first officer Chakotay asked, “Where are we with the minefield?”

  Commander Paris immediately tapped his combadge. “Paris to Lieutenant Aubrey. Report.”

  “Aubrey here, sir. At this point I can recommend six different courses, all of which should be safe.”

  “Should?” Chakotay asked gravely.

  “We still don’t know how often the Rilnar and Zahl alter the activation patterns of the mines. The courses I would recommend have all been shown to be free of active mines within the last twelve hours.”

  “That’s not good enough,” Paris warned.

  “If it’s the best we can do, we don’t have a choice,” Chakotay replied. “Kim wouldn’t have activated that beacon if there was another option.”

  “Lasren, open a channel to Demeter and Galen,” the captain ordered. Seconds later, the main viewscreen was split, showing the faces of Commanders O’Donnell and Glenn.

  “Voyager is about to attempt an emergency evacuation of our away team. Both of you should fall back at least a light-year and wait for our signal or Vesta’s to regroup.”

  “Whichever comes first?” O’Donnell asked grimly.

  Chakotay nodded. “Voyager—”

  Before he could conclude, Commander Fife interjected, “Captain, may I ask how you intend to safely navigate the minefield?”

  “We’re going to follow a course recorded over the last few hours,” Chakotay replied.

  “As soon as you run the blockade, won’t the Rilnar and Zahl respond by activating all of the mines?” O’Donnell asked.

  “Let’s hope not,” Chakotay replied. “We will advise them of our intentions. We’ve been t
otally accommodating up to this point. If they understand we are on a rescue mission . . .”

  “Didn’t the denzit prohibit us from assuming orbit?” Commander Glenn asked.

  “Circumstances have changed,” Chakotay said. “We’ll just have to hope she understands where our loyalties lie and remembers where hers once did.”

  “There might be another option,” Fife said.

  “Go ahead,” Chakotay ordered.

  “My tactical officers and I have been studying the minefield for the last few days. We have mapped several sections of the field near the Rilnar checkpoint based upon the courses utilized by vessels that have safely transited it . . .”

  “We did the same thing,” Paris interjected. “But given the fact that only certain mines are active at any given time, it’s impossible to create an accurate map of any section of the field.”

  “I know, Commander Paris,” Fife said. “Our scans suggest that the density of the field is its only weakness. If we assume that all of the mines will be activated once Voyager breaches the blockade, the only potentially viable alternative is to detonate a wide range of the field prior to entering it, setting off a chain reaction and clearing a safe course between you and the planet.”

  Chakotay sat back in his chair and turned to Paris. Both were clearly sharing the same thought. Neither liked the idea of stripping the natives of Sormana of their defense against orbital attacks. But, then there were no other options at this point.

  “Excellent idea, Commander Fife,” Chakotay acknowledged. Commander O’Donnell was beaming at his XO with considerable pride.

  “Would you care to borrow Fife for the next hour or so?” O’Donnell asked.

  “I would,” Chakotay agreed. “Transport over at once, Commander Fife, and report to Lieutenant Aubrey in astrometrics.”

  “Aye, sir,” Fife said, and could be seen moving immediately to exit Demeter’s bridge.

 

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