CHAPTER ONE: NEW HORIZONS (part 2)

 "I don't suppose you are at liberty to disclose those details as we speak.

And I am guessing they involve Admiral Redding... But what has this all to

do with the Horizon... or me?"

 

"It has to do directly with your new first officer, Captain," Samji said

curtly, indicating he was getting to it. "I have been given permission to

say some things about the project, as they will be revealed in time

anyway."

 

Samji went on to explain the details of the trajedy that occurred.

 

"About a month ago, Rear Admiral Redding was tasked with overseeing

the tests of an experimental drive that was the basis of this project."

 

He handed Kheren a PADD containing redacted details of the drive and

the tests that occurred.

 

"With his engineering background, it was thought that Rear Admiral

Redding would be the best high ranking officer to oversee this task, and

he was even working quite closely with the engineers on the project.

During one of these tests there was a overload of the experimental drive

that caused a supercharged chroniton emission to burst from the drive.

Redding bravely saved the other engineers in the room by putting himself

directly in front of the blast. However, this resulted in him being ripped

out from our timeline, and for a while, it was thought that he was dead."

 

The details on the PADD were of course sketchy and disclosed nothing

much of the nature and purpose of the actual thing except that it would

propel the starship to where it needed to go for it's missions... A

description that could apply to a selhat in a ball rolling under the hull...

But there was one significant detail that made him almost jump in

disbelief.

 

The power core was not based on matter-antimatter reaction but

on a microsingularity.

 

Although this was the logical faster than light travel power source

most likely to arise in any beginning spacefaring civilizations, the

mastery of antimatter reaction and of warp travel occuring

surprisingly early in most known cultures had eluded that expected

technical step... except in the Romulan Star Empire, which lagged

for centuries behind it's neighbors due to lack of essential ressources

like dilithium in their core worlds to come up with a working antimatter

stardrive. And so, when they finally managed to, it was through

applied mathematics and physics of a perfectly natural, inexhaustible

power source.

 

Inversely, such a need never happened in the Federation. Why Starfleet

was now considering this alternate power source eluded him. He was not

much of an engineer after all. But there was one thing he knew that

differenciated current Starfleet drives from this one: in a matter-

antimatter core, trilithium was the waste byproduct. In a microsingularity

power core, it was chronitons...

 

Particles of time.

 

If Admiral Redding had been irradiated by those, who could say what

happened to him... except that he was probably dead...

 

Or not?

 

"Your words seem to suggest that he was not killed by the accident. "

 

Samji nodded.

 

"Quite right. I was informed merely days ago by Admiral Kotari that Mister

Redding was actually restored to our timeline about a year and a half ago.

Due to some kind of temporal effects that I don't really fully understand,

he returned to a state in which he was physically and mentally equivalent

to himself sometime in his mid thirties. This means that he essentially

reverted backwards almost forty years, but returned quite close to the

present."

 

Samji pointed at the PADD Kheren held in his callused hand.

 

"These details had to be kept strictly classified at the highest levels due

to the Temporal Prime Directive so that the events would play out as they

were meant to. Only Rear Admiral Kotari knew of his existence and that

the accident would happen, thanks to Temporal Agents. Kotari went

through the process of rehabilitating and educating this former version of

Redding. He retained all his previous Starfleet knowledge and training that

he did when he was in his thirties, so it was decided, based on various

aptitude tests, that he was mentally prepared to be at the rank of

Commander and would be able to assume a role as a First Officer.

 

"Of course, Rear Admiral Kotari wanted him to remain in Lotus Fleet to

oversee his progress. Therefore, he is in fact on his way here as we speak."

 

Kheren paused a moment to digest all of it. Then his antennae curved

slightly inward, the Andorian way of smiling.

 

"I would say this is quite extraordinary and baffling... were I not already too

well familiar with the tricks of time. Five all-different time displacement

experiences tend to somewhat make one rather... "philosophical" about it."

 

Speaking thus gave the Andorian time to compose himself. Not only was

Redding involved in what has been promised as his next assignment, in a

way that may just have compromised it... but he was coming here... and

to serve as his right hand man aboard his new command, no less.

 

It was but a little bit akward... and in a way disturbing... if not downright

frustrating, annoying even. This was the man who had thought him an

Undine infiltrator and had manipulated his early career to "expose" him...

futilely of course... but, then again, it told much of the man's way of

thinking and manipulative nature. And now, he was back as a younger

man with allegedly no knowledge of it... after tampering again with his

promised career.

 

Forget the past and you are doomed to repeat it, so goes the proverb.

Even just meeting the man was not something Kheren was looking forward

to.

 

"Am I to assume, Sir, that part of my responsibilities will be to... nurture

him back to his former self?"

 

"That is up to you," Samji replied simply. "In fact, I don't like the idea of

forcing an officer onto anyone, so technically it is up to you whether

you even accept him onto your ship as your exec. However, I'm hoping

that you will see it as an opportunity and, of course, after reading over

his Starfleet profile, I will let you come to your own conclusion on that.

If not, we have other options. There is another ship assigned to Lotus

Fleet already on its way here, so it will not be a huge issue if you decide

to go with another candidate."

 

It took much of Kheren's Vulcan training to not spontaneously dismiss

the case in pure Andorian pragmatism and send the time-displaced

officer on his merry way... away from his ship and him. He almost did...

but then, he reflected on what it all really meant.

 

Starfleet was entrusting him with their latest ship design... and a

valuable officer in dire need of reinstatement, one that had been a

victim of his own devotion to duty as of time itself. There was a

gesture of confidence here, of hope... and no doubt some scrutiny of

how he would react emotionally as well as professionally.

 

Kheren had never been one to shy from either a challenge or his

responsibilities, or turn his back on someone in need. After all, he had

just married the two women that had saved his very life by bonding

with him, he, the self-exiled duelling master, the... abomination...

 

"Sir, I will defer to Starfleet's judgment until I can make my own.

Commander Redding should prove himself... again... a valuable officer.

Well, he'd better..."

 

"Good," Samji said, "I am glad you are willing to work with him, as I

believe he will be most likely to make the best progress under your

guidance."

 

" It remains to be seen if he himself will agree with that assessment, "

half-joked the Andorian.

 

The Fleet captain just smiled. He then stood and moved over to a

nearby shelf which on it was laid another PADD.

 

"Moving on, I'd like to now discuss another officer, who until a few days

ago, I had been planning on presenting to you as a candidate for First

Officer."

 

Don't tell me you are reinstating Commander N'Eligahn Etarudbo as well...

and again under my command... "

 

This time, the newly appointed captain of the flagship was not joking at

all. The Rethian had been for a time his Chief Engineer aboard the Artemis,

and both had parted ways with harsh words and no respect left for one

another, as they had butted heads on irreconcilable differences about

command, duty and responsibility.

 

But Allen Samji was shaking his head.

 

" Mister N'Eligahn is still under investigation about his involvement with

the Horizon Children Cult which tried to overtake your ship and nearly

contributed in destroying this universe through the Azimuth Horizon

anomaly. Whatever the verdict, I doubt his desire or possibility of

reinstatement into the ranks will come anytime soon... if ever. No, I'm

speaking of somebody else you do however know just as well. "

 

The Andorian then tought about Michael O'Conner, his first exec on the

Artemis, now chief engineer on the USS Spectre. Although their relation

ended with no open conflict, albeit in cold professionalism, they also had

parted because of the man's rejection of Kheren's command decisions,

when he had ordered almost his entire crew off the ship for Operation

Horizon. Events had proved the captain right... which would not help

in closing the gap between them if they were to be reunited again under

his leadership.

 

Kheren's apprehension was now laced with genuine curiosity. Samji took

no time to tell him.

 

" Commander Oseno Jureth, you know well," he revealed as he handed

Kheren the PADD with the officer's profile on it. "Given the way he was

able to handle command of the Alsea during the Azimuth Horizon

operation, I thought that he would be particularly suitable to the

position I had in mind."

 

He motioned toward the PADD he handed to the Andorian officer.

 

"That also contains details about the USS Polaris. The Horizon, in many

ways, is able to operate itself as sort of a mobile starbase. It is self-

sufficient and can last on a mission for decades without a starbase to

carry out repairs and resupply. It also operates in that way with its own

Aquarius-class small escort starship that is able to dock in the aft

section of the Horizon's stardrive."

 

Kheren nodded. The latest designs of Starfleet were now trying to gain

benefit from earlier experiences with saucer separation and multivector

assault mode without the technical complexities and vulnerabilities of

such systems on starships. The latest capital ship designs like the

Odyssey class came thus with an integrated escort starship within the

aft section of the secondary hull, complete with it's own docking and

maintenance sections. With it's immense size and long term mission

profile, the new Lotus class therefore also had this feature.

 

"I'd like Commander Oseno to take command of that ship when it is

necessary for the Polaris to depart and carry out a task separate from

the Horizon. When docked with the Horizon, he would act as the

Strategic Operations Chief. If again, you have no objections to the

assignment, of course."

 

"I certainly have none; quite the opposite, " said Kheren with no small

amount of enthusiasm and relief showing in his deep resonant voice.

"From first hand experience, I can testify that Commander Oseno has

proven himself to be an exemplary officer and an exceptionally apt

commander, even this early in his career. The responsibilities you are

giving him here are huge, but if he could handle a Prometheus class

starship like he did against a Romulan task force and then an Undine

battlecruiser, even ending that engagement sowing the seeds of

lasting peace between us and them... I can not imagine a better

officer at my side. And if Commander Redding has any... difficulties...

in his... recovery, I am sure Commander Oseno will prove adequate to

fill up the blanks."

 

That was also a way for Kheren to tell how he would have prefered

Oseno Jureth at his right hand. But then, he remembered the late

Captain Kevin Froud saying the very same thing about him and then

Lieutenant-Commander Michael O'Conner on the eve of the launch of

the Artemis. Froud resented being imposed the freshly-minted Andorian

Lieutenant Commander as his exec over the more seasoned O'Conner

he had expressedly wanted. Now, it was Kheren's turn to play that role.

 

But, if Froud did find the in himself the professional maturity to accept

him despite his misgivings, he could do no less for Redding; especially

with someone like Oseno Jureth to back him up.

 

His antennae curved inward again.

 

"Although I must say, it would have liked to also get to command the

Aquarius escort; they're said to be all the fighting dog that the Defiant

was but without any of the glitches. Fleet captain, you're taking away

all the fun..."

 

He became more serious then.

 

"A strategic officer and department... that usually means Starfleet

Marines..."

 

Fleet Captain Samji grinned at his comment about the Aquarius escort,

and then nodded.

 

"We felt that the sheer size of the Horizon meant that the Tactical and

Security department would have their hands quite full and would benefit

from the support of a Strategic Operations Department and M.A.C.O.

Detachment, just like a starbase would. They will be primarily responsible

for the type of operation that would involve hit and run, hostage rescue,

and the capture of an enemy leader, so it will need to be staffed with

very highly skilled and trained combat specialists."

 

Samji pointed at the latest PADD in the ship commander,s hand.

 

"Jureth is certainly also the best officer we have to lead such a team,

due to his training and experience in the field."

 

The Andorian nodded.

 

"I agree... although I am not sure that I feel comfortable with a purely

military unit on board. But as long as they know who the captain is and

who is in command, I guess I can live with it."

 

Samji reflected on the Captain's statement with interest. The marines

were certainly focused more on military combat, but he didn't see why,

as a strategic addition to the existing crew, that the M.A.C.O.

detachment couldn't be a benefit. After considering it more he realized

how it could cause trepidation in the Captain's mind, however. The

intent of Starfleet was to explore... something they had lost in recent

years... and a military force was counter to that directive. He wouldn't

let it interfere, however, as he had the same goal in mind as Kheren.

Samji wanted to bring their status back to those of explorers as much

as the Andorian before him, so he offered him such an assurance.

 

"They will of course be fully under your command, Captain; you have

my garantee of that. As I said, they are only there for support in the

most specialized of circumstances."

 

The Andorian nodded again, visibly satisfied.

 

"Let us hope that they find our missions as boring as possible. It is not

so much them that I worry about than me. As an Andorian, it is easy

for me to focus on resolving a situation in a most expendient way...

maybe too expedient if i have them at my disposal. They are not the

ones that will need a good compass but me. Your words just helped me

in that regard, Sir. Thank you."