Chapter Text
Captain’s Log, Supplemental:
Task Force Gauntlet continues to affect repairs to our ships as the situation in and around the Longlax-Teko system appears to moderate.
Starfleet Command has allowed a small group of Tholian ships (escorted by Starfleet) to help corral the second wave of compromised Tholian vessels which had been on course for the Longlax-Teko system. It looks as though whatever effects the sphere transmission had on the Tholians are of limited duration once the transmissions were stopped.
I am grateful that no further battles need be had, as I take no satisfaction from destroying ships and their sentient crews enslaved by others.
In the meantime, Reykjavík and the other ships continue to sweep the system looking for any remnants of the mysterious spheres for analysis by Starfleet.
* * *
Captain Alexander Marshall held Trujillo’s gaze across the light years, his image appearing on Trujillo’s computer terminal.
“Commodore, I’ve just received confirmation from Command that Task Force Alamo is being disbanded and Excalibur is scheduled to embark on our deep-space exploratory mission after a brief layover at Starbase Earhart.”
“Congratulations, Captain,” Trujillo offered with a genuine smile. “You’ve earned the chance to go exploring after all this.”
“I regret we were not able to participate in the battle to destroy the spheres,” Marshall said, his expression tightening.
“Think of the bright side of the equation, Captain,” Trujillo offered. “You and Alamo helped to safeguard eight-billion people, a species who was already considering applying for Federation membership. In their moment of need, you were there for them, and that won’t be forgotten.”
Marshall nodded reluctantly. “There is that, I suppose…” he trailed off, wanting to say more, but deciding against it.
“Captain Marshall, of the two of us, you may have made the correct decision in turning down that promotion,” Trujillo said candidly, though unable to articulate why.
Marshall’s expression shifted, his curiosity evident. “How so?”
“I’m discovering flag-rank isn’t all adventure and accolades. Making the tough calls is fine when your side crosses the finish-line intact, but when your decisions result in hundreds or thousands of flag-draped caskets… that’s where things become tricky.”
“You think you made an error, sir, some kind of tactical mistake?” Marshall asked.
“No, I did the best I could, given the resources I had available. Regardless, over twelve-hundred of our fellow personnel are dead. Trying to reconcile those two facts is… difficult for me.”
“If it was unavoidable, Commodore, you shouldn’t fee—”
“They’re already calling me the Widow-maker, Alex,” she interrupted, closing her eyes briefly. “I’ve gone from being a captain with some measure of renown for tactical proficiency to a ship-sacrificing butcher in the space of a few weeks.”
Marshall sat back and to his credit appeared dismayed. “That’s awful, and unfair.” He felt a pang of guilt, given that he had suspected the same of her when Saavik had placed Trujillo in command of Gauntlet.
“I appreciate you saying so, but it’s how some people feel about me now. I suppose that’s to be expected.”
“People will always talk,” Marshall offered, “it doesn’t mean they actually know anything.”
Trujillo nodded at this wisdom. “Take your ship and go exploring, Captain. Enjoy the freedom of being weeks or even months away from Command and its fickle fleet politics. A deep-space mission is something I now regret not having pursued. The admiralty will always be here waiting for you when you return, if that’s your ambition.”
“I will, Commodore,” Marshall acknowledged. “And thank you, sir.”
* * *
A high-warp courier had delivered the two men to Reykjavík as Task Force Gauntlet was scouring the Longlax-Teko system for sphere debris.
The missive Trujillo had received from Command identified the men as ‘strategic consultants’, a euphemism often used to obfuscate the identities of Starfleet Intelligence personnel.
As soon as they were aboard, Mr. Escoffier and Mr. DeMarius had requested a meeting with the commodore.
She granted them an audience in her ready room, initially observing that the two men carried themselves more like scientists than spies or operatives, lacking the reserved façades and evasiveness she had come to associate with those in the intelligence community.
They began with polite small talk, and Trujillo tested the waters by touching on Commander Davula’s colorful theories regarding the provenance of the spheres and their possible motives of their creators.
This prompted an interesting reaction from the pair, who exchanged a knowing look before turning to the business at hand.
“Commodore, you’ve done some fine work here, and we’d like to request your assistance in continuing it, ” said Escoffier, the smaller and more bookish looking of the duo.
Trujillo looked at him with open skepticism. “How so?”
“As unlikely as it may sound, your first officer’s suspicions about the nature of the spheres encountered by Archer’s Enterprise, as well as those encountered by you, are essentially correct. We believe there is an extra-dimensional alien intelligence which is attempting to encroach on our space. The old Delphic Expanse was their first attempt to basically transform a swath of space to make it more compatible with their exotic biology.”
“And you think these spheres manipulating the Tholians was their second try?”
Escoffier shared a glance with DeMarius before turning back to Trujillo, looking a bit sheepish. “In point of fact, this was their third known attempt. There was a classified incident in the 2270’s where we believe they were trying to manipulate the energy patterns of the Helix nebula, turn it into some kind of massive resonance amplifier.”
“For what reason?”
“We don’t know for certain, as the plan was disrupted by the USS Kongo, which destroyed the spheres they encountered in the nebula.”
Trujillo frowned, appearing confused. “Wasn’t Kongo lost with all hands?”
“Yes, and the historical record reads that she was destroyed in a freak collision with a quantum filament. That was a cover story. The ship and crew met their end sabotaging a sphere that exploded prematurely, initiating a cascading collapse of the nebula’s sphere network.”
Trujillo’s expression grew pinched. “What’s the reason behind this cover up? We’ve faced down other threat species before. What necessitates that whoever is behind this be kept so secret?”
Another look was shared between the two men before DeMarius spoke up. “There’s a potential temporal component to all this. Starfleet Intel and the Department of Temporal Investigations suspect that this threat species has been engaging in this activity because they will be defeated by the Federation some decades or even centuries in the future.”
The intensity of Trujillo’s stare caused Escoffier to shift uncomfortably in his seat. “You appear dubious, Commodore.”
“You’re joking,” she accused. “Time travel? Future enemies attacking us in the past and present?”
“We share your incredulity, but many people with far more impressive credentials than we possess believe it’s likely,” Escoffier explained.
“Each iteration of the spheres is larger and more complex than the previous ones,” DeMarius offered. “Given their evident cloaking abilities, it’s nearly impossible to know where more of them may have been hidden within Federation territory.”
“Why Reykjavík? We’re not a science vessel, and despite our recent upgrades, we still lack the scientific resources needed for this kind of work.”
DeMarius made an expansive gesture with his hands. “Your ship is fast and has the tactical abilities necessary to cope with nearly any contingency. Additionally, given that you’re often called to diplomatic and military hot spots throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, your ship being pulled from other duties on short notice would not appear suspicious.”
Confusion was again evident on Trujillo’s features. “Suspicious? You make it sound as though someone is surveilling Starfleet deployments.”
Escoffier nodded vigorously. “Indeed. If the temporal component of our working theory is correct, it’s possible that the Sphere Builders have gained access to Starfleet records at some point in the future. Utilizing those, they may make… or will be making decisions about when and where to position and activate the next series of spheres based on Starfleet patrol routes and deployments.”
Trujillo rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. “I’m sorry, but this seems so entirely far-fetched.”
DeMarius gave her a sympathetic look. “Commodore, I was highly skeptical the first time I was approached about working on this threat assessment group, too. If you agree to this assignment, we’ll provide all the classified materials gathered over the last one-hundred and sixty-eight years, which are substantial. They paint a rather convincing picture.”
“I guess I’m still unclear as to what we would be doing, specifically?” Trujillo asked.
“You’d be working as part of Admiral Saavik’s defense group, as you’d previously agreed. However, every so often you will be called away from those duties to investigate possible Sphere Builder activity. You might be called upon to scan a comet swarm, or investigate a nebula, or catalogue aberrant energy signatures from a stellar nursery. It’s entirely likely that your missions on behalf of our group will be few and far between.”
Trujillo considered the pair for a long moment, weighing the potential threat posed by this allegedly time-spanning threat species. Her innate skepticism was outweighed by the death and destruction Gauntlet had just suffered at the hands of the Tholians, at the behest of those spheres.
Nandi Trujillo decided in that moment that she owed the Sphere Builders a blood debt, and she hoped that she might have the opportunity to repay it in kind and in person.
“I’m in,” she said simply.
“Excellent, we’re very pleased to have you. Welcome to the Threat Analysis Working Group’s Team Four, colloquially known as the ‘Sphere Busters.’”
Trujillo snorted. “Can I have a patch? I presume there’s a patch.”
* * *