Chapter Text
Laying Plans
USS Aeolia—corridor
“Captain Hobson?” Edi called out on seeing the Aeolia’s commanding officer. “May I accompany you? I would like to ask some questions if I may?”
“Very well.” The captain concurred. Speaking to the accompanying ensign, he commanded, “You may return to your post, Ensign.”
“Aye, Sir.” The ensign acknowledged, quickly returning to his station at the guests’ quarters.
“I am taking a tour of the ship, Edi.” Chris declared, “You may come with me on the condition that you give your word that you will not attempt to access any classified or privileged data.”
“You would accept the word of an AI?” Edi asked, slightly nonplussed at hearing that.
“Is there any reason why I shouldn’t?” Hobson replied, raising an eyebrow in inquiry.
“No sir.” Edi announced, “I give you my word that I will not do anything to violate your trust.”
“Good.” The captain nodded his head once, “Our first stop is the science section. Lieutenant Commander Velen and Dr. Treeya are examining the artifacts from your universe that you brought over.” Pausing for a moment, Chris remarked in a stoic, yet also respectful, tone. “I understand that several men and women sacrificed themselves so that you could escape.”
“Yes.” Edi acknowledged, “Sergeant Ruiz and his team gave their lives to safeguard the artifacts and cover our escape. Had it not been for their efforts, Shepard would have succeeded in taking the relics and either captured or killed us.
“Then…” The captain remarked as the door to the science section swished open, “Let’s be sure that their sacrifice was not in vain.”
USS Aeolia—Andie’s Place
Wide-eyed, Doris entered Andie’s—the Aeolia’s lounge, shaking her head in disbelief, “You gotta go first class on a luxury cruise liner where I’m from to find a bar like this on a ship.”
“This bar’s tiny compared to what you’ll find on some of the bigger ships.” Ensign Reynard, one of the Aeolia’s security officers assigned to keep watch over the ship’s new passengers laughed good-naturedly.
“Hey Sugar! Over here!” Treasure, sitting at a table with two of her engineers, called out to Doris, waving her and her escort to her table. “Sit down and grab a beer or two with us.”
Doris glanced at her minder who smiled, “Go ahead. I’ll just hang out by the door until you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Sugar.” Doris acknowledged with a smile as she headed off to her fellow engineer’s table.
“Have a seat.” Treasure urged as she pulled out the chair next to her. Handing a mug to the newcomer, the chief engineer introduced the rest of her group, “This here’s some o’ my crew. The dark-haired girl over there’s Lieutenant Rydell…Pammy…”
“Hi.” Doris responded with a grin as she took a drink from her mug.
“And this is Lieutenant Lan Ferag…”
“Just call me Lan.” The Bolian engineer smiled as he took a drink of his Bolian tonic water.
“Ya’ll just call me Dixie.” Doris grinned, “Everyone else does.”
“Sure thing, Dixie. So how are you adjusting to things?” Pammy asked as she refilled her mug.
“Ah’m still tryin’ to get used to that transporter.” Doris confessed, “It’s kinda scary being torn apart and then put back together again somewhere else thousands of miles away.”
“We do it so often we take it for granted.” Lieutenant Ferag remarked sympathetically.
“Yeah.” Treasure agreed, “Because we do it all the time we forget that it can be kinda off-putting for someone who hasn’t done it before.”
“Right.” Doris replied, smiling at the sympathetic response.
“I see you got through your debrief with Hobby okay.” Pam grinned.
“Is he always this formal?” Doris asked as her mug was refilled.
“The Iceman’s always been that way.” Treasure laughed. “I was chief engineer under him on the Perseus and he was just like that. I remember talking to an engineer who served with the captain on the Sutherland back when he was first officer and he said the same thing—that ol’ Hobby’s just like a block of ice—especially in a crisis. But I’ll tell you this about him…” Angela emphasized, “…I’ve never seen him not stick up for one o’ his crew. He’s a tough man to please an’ he expects a lot from us but he’s always got our backs.” Her lips turning up in a sly grin, Treasure teased, “Pammy here’ll tell ya that.”
Chuckling, the slightly pudgy, yet cute, assistant engineer responded with a playful punch to her superior’s arm. “I just got assigned to the Perseus and I knew Treasure from when we were cadets in the Academy.”
Treasure interjected with a laugh, “The two of us, along with Candy and Atris, were one helluva partying girl pack. Then we went our separate ways.”
“Yeah.” Pam agreed, adding with a smile, “Did you know that Candy and Atris are on the Valley Forge? We’re gonna have ourselves a Four Amigas reunion on Drozana Station.”
“You should join us, Sugar.” Treasure urged with a big grin on her face.
“Ah don’t wanna intrude…” Doris demurred only to be cut off by Lieutenant Rydell.
“You’re not intruding! Right Treasure?”
“Of course not!” The Northstar native exclaimed, “’Sides, you’re gonna need to blow off some steam after your meeting with Admiral Tuvok and those captains.”
“Yeah…” Doris sighed, “Any tips on how to deal with ‘em? What to say…not say…you know.”
“Admiral Tuvok’s an old hand.” Treasure answered back, “He was the chief tactical officer on Voyager under Admiral Janeway when it was lost in the Delta Quadrant a few decades ago.”
“And before that, he was on the Excelsior serving under Captain Sulu.” Pammy interjected, “Then he took some time off away from Starfleet.”
“He had some problems dealing with humans.” Lan noted, “A lot of Vulcans do.”
“Yeah.” Treasure agreed, “Sometimes Vulcans have a problem dealing with our emotions. Most of ‘em learn to shrug ‘em off, but some of ‘em take a little more time and a few of ‘em are never able to get over it. In Tuvok’s case, he felt that humans came on a little too strong.”
“That’s not an uncommon reaction for Vulcans who aren’t used to humans.” T’Pren interjected, joining the conversation. “We can be pretty tight-assed sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” Pam teased with a smirk.
“Okay.” T’Pren laughed, “A lot of times. Most Vulcans eventually get over it and those who can’t generally don’t leave Vulcan.” Glancing down at the table, the emotional Vulcan security chief asked, “You don’t mind if I join you, do you?”
“Not at all, Sugar!” Treasure chuckled as she motioned towards an empty chair. “Park it, grab yourself a beer, and join the party.”
“Thanks.” T’Pren responded with a grin. “A beer’s just what I need before I go on stage.”
“We heard you singing after you showed us around.” Doris commented admiringly, “You’ve got a nice voice. Edi said it was a Patsy Cline tune. My Momma used to love hearing her songs.”
“I like the old torch and pop songs.” T’Pren responded with a smile.
“You can usually catch her at Vic’s whenever we’re on Deep Space Nine and she likes to sing in the lounge at Belen's on Drozana. That's where we're headin'.” Teasing her Vulcan friend, Treasure grinned, “If you didn’t already have yourself a girl, T’Pren, I’d swear ya’ll had a crush on ol’ Vic.”
“Who’s Vic?” Doris inquire with a puzzled look on her face.
“Vic Fontaine.” Pam answered, further elaborating, “He’s a hologram…”
“They’re the photonic people, right?”
“Yeah, Sugar.” Treasure grinned, “Ya’ll haven’t been on the holodeck yet, have ya?” Seeing the newcomer shake her head, the blonde engineer offered, “Tell ya what, Dixie…I got me a horseback riding program—when we get to Drozana and after ya’ll get done with your business, why don’t we do some ridin’?” Her lips turning up in a mischievous grin, she joked, “Hell…we might get lucky and find us a couple of fellers to join us.”
“All right.” Doris agreed with a smile of her own, “Sounds great. I ain’t been ridin’ since I left Earth—my Earth. I’d love to get back on a horse again.” After taking a sip of her beer, she returned to their topic, “So…we were talking about…”
“Vic Fontaine.” T’Pren replied as she took a drink from her mug. “He’s been at DS-9 for for two...maybe three...decades. Dr. Bashir back when he was the CMO at the station purchased his program from someone named Felix. He was originally patterned after some of the big crooners from the late twentieth century…you know…Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin…and his lounge was modeled off of an early 1960s Vegas casino and lounge.”
“What Dr. Bashir, Quark, and the others didn’t realize at first, but soon found out…” Pam explained, “was that there was a lot more to Vic than him being a simple interactive hologram.”
“He was self-aware?”
“Yep.” Treasure confirmed. “So Quark did a very smart thing. He set it up where Vic’s program runs permanently and offered him a contract so that Vic performs shows and gets a share o’ the proceeds.” Chuckling, the blonde engineer quipped as she refilled her mug from the pitcher on the table, “I heard from Jadon…chief engineer on the Sutherland, that ol’ Quark was screamin’ and hollerin’ his lungs out as they were negotiating their deal! You’d have thunk that Vic was robbin’ poor Quark blind when really that crafty ol’ Ferengi was turning a nice fat profit—even after givin’ Vic his cut.”
“Anyway…” T’Pren said as she steered the conversation back to their earlier topic, “Admiral Tuvok was like most Vulcans. He thought humans were brash, reckless, and loud.”
“You obviously don’t think so.” Doris sagely remarked.
“Of course not!” T’Pren chuckled, “I mean…some humans are…but then so are some Andorians…Betazoids…Tellarites…and a few other species. Just like there are some Vulcans who are stuck up pricks. But not all of us are—not even the majority of Vulcans who follow Surak’s philosophy. One of the big things that Surak got right…and…believe it or not…I think he got a lot of stuff right…” The v’tosh k’tar Vulcan earnestly declared, “was IDIC—Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. People come in all shapes and sizes. No matter what species…or universe…they’re from.”
“I guess the time Tuvok took off from Starfleet helped him grow up a bit.” Treasure declared.
Dixie nodded her head in understanding. “Yeah. I see what you mean. A lot of the races in my old universe think we humans are bullies sometimes cause we’re the new kids on the block and…” she admitted, “sometimes we do come on a little too strong, and we do have more’n our share of bad apples. I oughta know. Seein’ as I was tied up with ‘em not so long ago and began believin’ in their bullshit.”
“Don’t feel bad, Dixie.” Pam commiserated, “Peer pressure and propaganda are powerful things.”
“Tell someone a lie loud enough and long enough, they’ll begin to believe it.” T’Pren opined as Treasure refilled everyone’s mugs.
“So what got ya to change your mind an’ what sorta bullshit were they peddlin’?” The Northstar native inquired, her expression now taking on a rare, serious countenance.
“I can tell ya what a friend of mine who I found out later was a Cerberus recruiter tol’ me. It was after I graduated college and found out that my brother was killed.” Doris recounted, “The Alliance tol’ me and Momma that he was killed by batarian pirates and terrorists in the Traverse, and I was feelin’ hurt and mad and wanted payback.”
“Understandable.” T’Pren remarked sympathetically. “Go on.”
Doris confessed, “I was feeling really mad after the batarians were turned back and that the Alliance wasn’t gonna go into the Traverse after ‘em.”
“So…” T’Pren concluded her voice edged with compassion, “The recruiter played on that anger.”
“Right.” Dixie nodded her head in agreement. “He said that since the Alliance wasn’t gonna do anything about those pirates, that I should sign on with Cerberus cause they were gonna do something about those batarians and anyone else so that they wouldn’t hurt innocent people anymore. So that’s how I got hooked in.”
“So what happened after?” Treasure asked as she refilled her new friend’s mug.
“They sent me to one of their tech and engineering schools for a while and that’s when they began slipping in all the anti-alien shit.” Shaking her head, Dixie moaned, “I can’t believe I fell for it. I had a best friend in college who was a quarian on her pilgrimage.” She sobbed, “She’d just wrapped things up and was getting ready to go back to the Flotilla while I was at the Cerberus school. To make a long story short, she invited me to a party to celebrate it and I ignored her. I didn’t want my teachers and ‘friends’ at the school knowing I had a friend who was an alien.” Head bowed, she sighed, “Ya’ll still wantin’ to hang out with me after hearing all this?”
“You got taken in by a slick sales pitch while you were grievin’, honey.” Treasure commiserated. “Ain’t nothin’ to be ashamed about.”
“What counts is that when you found out it was all a pack of lies you did something about it.” Lan, the Bolian engineer, declared with a smile.
“Yeah.” T’Pren added, placing a supportive hand on the Cerberus defector’s shoulder, “You did the right thing when it counted most.”
“But that don’t mean ya’ll are gonna get off the hook with us that easy.” Treasure grinned, “You gotta buy the next round.”
Smiling at her new friends, Dixie joked back, “Bring on the pitchers. I worked up a powerful thirst.”
USS Aeolia—Science Labs
“Anything interesting, Lieutenant Commander?” Captain Hobson inquired as he and his companion entered the science lab where Velen, the Denobulan science officer along with Dr. Treeya were hunched over a computer console.
Velen looked up startled at the interruption, but, on immediately recognizing his captain and Edi, beckoned them to join him and the asari archaeologist. “Captain. Edi. Please come over here. Dr. Treeya and I have been busy examining the relics she recovered. I think you’ll find what we’ve discovered interesting.”
“And more than a little disturbing.” The asari archaeologist added with a worried frown.
“It looks like Borg technology.” Chris remarked as he drew closer to the artifact in question and gave it a cursory examination.
“Indeed it is.” Velen responded, adding for the benefit of his captain, “We’ve placed it in a level ten confinement/isolation field—just to be safe.”
“Good.” Hobson acknowledged with a slight incline of his head, “What have you determined from your observations so far?”
“Take a look.” Velen answered back as he presented an image on the computer monitor. “This is a highly magnified picture of the artifact. These…” he pointed to what appeared to be small cells attached to a metallic object, “…are Borg nanites. Now, let me magnify the image even further.”
As his science officer increased the magnification, Hobson quickly spotted the anomaly. “Something has attached itself to the nanites. Do you know what it is?”
“I think so.” Dr. Treeya nodded her head, “It appears to be Prothean in origin.”
“Protheans were the race that preceded yours and were wiped out by these Reapers, correct?”
“Right.” The asari archaeologist nodded her head, “Approximately fifty thousand years ago.”
“So…” Hobson inquired, “How did these Protheans manage to acquire Borg technology and for what reason?”
“From the fragments of knowledge I’ve managed to pick up from the beacon and other records…” Dr. Treeya answered back, “one of their science teams found it. According to the records, the artifact dates from before the Protheans and even earlier civilizations such as the Inusannon and Densoran. It might be even older than the Arthenn.”
“Arthenn?”
“The Arthenn existed in our universe approximately three hundred thousand years ago.” Edi interjected, joining the conversation, “Unfortunately, not much is known about them. Just scattered fragments. If these artifacts are indeed older than the Arthenn as would seem logical—they could be hundreds of thousands…even millions of years…older.”
“The Borg have not been a sentient species that long.” Hobson noted, “That doesn’t leave many alternatives but one…”
“Time travel.” Velen concluded with a frown. “We know the Borg have time travel technology.”
“Correct.” The Captain recalled, explaining to the asari scientist and mobile AI, “The Borg launched an incursion into Federation space on Stardate 50893.5 and engaged in battle with a Federation fleet in the Sol System.”
“Right.” The Denobulan science officer affirmed, “The Borg opened a time portal to the later 21st century and the Enterprise under Captain Jean-Luc Picard followed.”
“Fortunately Picard and his crew were able to stop the Borg, Zephram Cochrane succeeded in making the first warp flight with a Vulcan science ship that had picked up on its emissions following it back to Earth. Humanity’s first contact with an alien species.” Velen concluded.
“Are you sure it’s time travel?” Dr. Treeya asked.
“Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.” Hobson replied, further explaining, “Once you have eliminated everything else, whatever remains, no matter how impossible, must be the truth.”
“And we know it is possible to transit between our universes.” Edi commented.
“But why?” Dr. Treeya queried. “From what I have been told about these Borg and what little I’ve read, they seem to be very pragmatic. Why would they put forth the time and resources—not to mention the extensive research—to mount such an expedition?”
“From my studies…” Edi replied, “The Borg advance by acquiring the collective knowledge possessed by the species they assimilate into their Collective.”
“And they’ve been assimilating different species for a very long time.” Hobson commented. “But while it’s no stretch to think that the Borg couldn’t do it. I don’t think they’re the party behind these trans-universal incursions. No…” the captain shook his head, “There’s another player in the game. Of that, I am sure.”
“Whoever or whatever it is…” Dr. Treeya declared in somber voice, “they’re very powerful.”
“Agreed.” Chris replied, “That makes the need to find a portal to your universe all the more urgent. Hopefully, there’ll be a few ideas at the upcoming conference. Speaking of which, We will be at Drozana Station in one standard day. If you have any additional preparations to make, I would suggest you do so.”
USS Aeolia—Andie’s Place
“You said that a lot of Vulcans have problems with humans because of our emotions.” Doris noted, “But you don’t seem to have any problems, T’Pren. You laughed at one of Edi’s jokes and you’ve got a helluva nice voice. And you’ve been very nice to all three of us.”
“I like you all.” The Vulcan replied with a smile, “But…I do have to be careful. You see, Vulcans are stronger and faster than humans—really than most other species around here. It can get ugly real fast when we lose control. Most Vulcans keep a lid on things by following the teachings of Surak and have embraced logic to keep their more violent impulses in check. But…a few of us like me…chose a different path. To express our emotions.”
“So how do you keep from flying off the handle?” Dixie asked.
“I meditate.” T’Pren responded, “A lot. And when that’s not getting the job done, I go to the holodeck to work my issues out in a more physical way that’s safe for myself and everyone around me.”
Lan echoed, adding with a wry grin, “Believe me…you don’t wanna be anywhere in the area when she loses her cool.”
“It ain’t pretty.” Pammy quipped.
“So…” Doris drawled, getting back to the original topic before the conversation went off the rails, “What did you do that got you into so much trouble with the Captain, Pammy?”
The dark-haired engineer answered with a snort of laughter, “I fucked up—bad. I had just transferred to the Perseus when I found out Treasure was the chief engineer. I…” her face turned red with embarrassment as she lowered her head, “I kinda took advantage of our friendship. I was assigned as the delta shift supervisor and came on shift late and…a little toasted.”
“Sugar…” The chief engineer shook her head, “From what Hobby told me when he chewed my ass out, you were more than just a little toasted.” Speaking to her guest, Treasure explained, “The captain doesn’t care how we run our departments so long as we meet his standards—which are a lot tougher than Starfleet’s, believe me. I’d allow the different shifts to play music while they were working. Now, the captain’ll occasionally walk the ship to make sure everything’s going okay and he’ll pop in on us and see how we’re doing. Mostly, if he sees something he doesn’t like he will pass the word on to Anara who then tells us what needs correcting.”
“Until he popped in on us when I was on watch.” Pam, her face even redder with shame and embarrassment, interjected.
“You left me a helluva mess, Pammy.” Treasure remarked with a chuckle, “Anyway…when the Boss came in and saw the mess that my best friend had made…”
Pam admitted sheepishly, “Me and the rest of my shift threw ourselves a party and we kinda broke regs—we slipped in a methyl alcohol chem into our synth-ale and got plastered and we were late reporting to our shift. Then Hobby comes in on one of his little tours and…”
“He lined ‘em all up and gave them and my engine room a white-glove inspection then and there. After that, he called me into his office and chewed my ass out but good.” Treasure recalled, “Told me it was my department and he wanted it taken care of or he’d get a new chief engineer and that I had three days to resolve the situation.”
“Then Treasure chewed my rear out.” Pam recounted, “She gave me two choices—take reduction in rank to ensign and earn back her trust or keep my rank and transfer off the ship. She also made it clear to me that if I chose option number two, she’d never speak to me again. Treasure’s my best friend.” The pudgy engineer, still shame-faced, declared. “So I chose option one. It took me about a year and a lot of hard work to get back her trust.”
“And now Pammy’s a damn good assistant and one day she’s gonna make someone a damn good chief engineer.” Treasure exclaimed, patting her best friend on her back. “Anywho…three days later, just like he said, Hobby pulled another white-glove inspection and we passed.” Angela smiled, “Here’s the funny thing about Hobby…a lot of people have the wrong idea about the Captain. Yeah…he’s real stiff and formal and doesn’t show it when he’s angry. Hell…when he chewed my ass out, he didn’t raise his voice once—he just gave me that look and believe me—that was enough. Anyway…like I was saying, yeah, Hobby’s strict, but he’s also fair and believes in giving people second chances. When he made that inspection there were at least a dozen little things I spotted that he coulda gigged me on, but he let ‘em all slide and told us that he expected to see the engine room like that all the time.”
“Sounds like you guys work pretty well with each other.” Doris noted, her tone slightly envious. “Kinda like it was on the Normandy before I found out just how ugly a snake pit it was and that some of the people I thought were my ‘friends’ really weren't what they said they were.”
“Wanna talk about it, Sugar?” Treasure encouraged as she refilled her guest’s mug.
“Yeah.” Doris nodded her head, “I think I’d like to.”
After Dixie had finished her tale, Treasure, shaking her head, remarked sympathetically. “Damn…you weren’t jokin’ Sugar. You really were in a snake pit.”
“Yeah.” Pam agreed as she pushed a full mug of beer towards their new friend, “Your CO had a behavioral chip implanted in her to make sure she stays in line. Your XO’s a sociopath. The guys you thought were your friends ended up being war criminals and mass murderers. And the people you were working for were gonna turn you into some sort of monster. Good thing you got the hell outta there!”
“There were some good people there too.” Doris pointed out as she daubed her eyes with a napkin. “Hawthorne…he was our shuttle pilot. He always treated me right an’ I think he was genuinely sorry that he had to shoot at us when me and Edi escaped. And then there was Mess Sergeant Gardner…” smiling a winsome smile, she remarked kindly on the Normandy’s chief cook and handyman. “He always had a kind word and a cup of coffee for me. I hope they’re okay and that Cerberus doesn’t do to them what they did to Jackson.” Lowering her head, the young Alabama-born engineer moaned, “Sometimes I wish I’d have never found out about Benji though. I thought we were…I mean…you know…but he ended up being as rotten as the others.”
“Yeah.” Treasure commiserated. “We know…we’ve all been there.”
“You meet someone you think might be the one—or at least one of the good ones.” Pam remarked in a gentle tone, “Then you find out he’s a snake.”
“All that’s behind you now.” Lan, the Bolian engineer, declared emphatically. “You’ve got a chance for a fresh start.”
“Ain’t a whole lotta people get that chance.” Treasure said, “Take some time and think about what you wanna do. Maybe…depending on what the Captain decides, I might have somethin’ for you—if you want it.”
“What?”
Shaking her head gently, Treasure demurred, “I don’t wanna say anythin’ yet cause I don’t wanna jinx it…but I think it’s somethin’ you’ll go for.” Glancing at the chronometer, the chief engineer stretched, signaling the others at the table that it was time to go. “We better turn in. Tomorrow’s gonna be a busy day. If you want, Dixie, I’ll walk ya to your quarters.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” Doris smiled back. “I’m feelin’ kinda tired and, like you said, tomorrow’s gonna be a long day.”