THE EDGE OF NEVER; THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK

It felt to them that the time displacement had been longer and rougher than the previous one. Systems came back sluggishly and the ship seemed to be groaning around them as much as they all where from the stiffness of being stretched to infinity for an infinitesimal amount of time. Emergency lights came back and stayed on for several minutes before all systems returned to normal.

"Temporal... displacement... achieved," confirmed the muscial voice of Jonathan Livingstone as he consulted his instruments. "we are... twenty-five point four-three standard years after our last temporal location. Stellar positionning confirms us... at the intial coordinates of the original spatio-temporal anomaly. Nothing unusual on sensors."

"No casualties," reported Elliago from both a look at his CMO chair panel and a glance around him. Then he looked with blurry eyes at the X'Ell. "What do you mean, nothing unusual? Where is this... black hole or singularity or anomaly or whatever that brought the Narada here? Isn't Ambassador Spock going through it also here, I mean now?"

" Yes, Doctor. but just like the interphasing fractures once recorded by the Enterprise near Tholian Space, this phenomenon is intermittent. here, instead of recurring once every six hours, it occurs once every twenty-five years. We should be observing it's resurgence at any moment from now."

"Okay so here's a new problem for you, for us; if this phenomenon will now occur every quarter of a century, it would create the potential risk of someone else falling prey to it and finding that someone displaced in time... capable of again distorting History... and we would be no better later than we were before."

The reasoning of the Deltan doctor made the avian science officer frown with all that it implied.

"Removing a cosmic anomaly is no small feat. Lotus Fleet managed it once with the Azimuth Horizon but it took ressources we only have a fraction of here. The sheer stellar power that would be needed is way beyond this one ship's capabilities. But you are right; this is another thing that has to be done if we are to fully succeed in this mission. We would have to..." 

An beeping from his station interrupted him. He looked at his sensor readout and then turned back toward his commanding officer.

"Sir; a massive distorsion of the fabric of spacetime is occuring  twenty-two point five billion kilometers on our starboard bow."

On the large viewer, a display of fiery lightning-like tendrils emananted seemingly from empty space before making all the floating atoms and molecules of interstellar space coalesce around a dark reddish center like a funnel opening.

"Instruments are recording the exact same data as during the emergence of the Narada and at the exact same location and angle," Livingstone confirmed to their senses. "It is the same anomaly, Sir."

"I detect a source of antimatter encased in metallic alloys emerging from the center of the phenomena," Aron'Son stated from his own tactical sensors. " Object is fifty-four point twenty-five meters long, moving at warp 8... mass and speed typical of a small, one-man scout vessel. Configuration is unfamiliar and of advanced design. Two micro-torpedo tubes, eighty Q-II types rounds, with a forward limited arc of fire, currently powered down; experimental transmetaphasic shielding currently at full capacity. Power signature and composition of alloys are unusual but definitely Federation."

When the image was magnified, it showed a diminutive, teardrop-shaped shiny vessel with a revolving propulsion apparatus behind it, making for well over fifty-percent of the whole assembly behind the spherical bow.

"I have seen that ship before", Riker noted.

"Confirmed, Captain; this is the Jellyfish, a one-man vessel prototype especially  designed for the transport of special materials by Master Engineer Geordi La Forge of Starfleet's Corps of Engineers with the Daystrom Institute for the Vulcan Science Academy. Reportedly stolen by Ambassador Spock on stardate 64334.9 after the Federation Science Council  refused him to attempt using a dangerously unstable artificial substance stored on board to stop the catastrophy. I detect something in it's very peculiar cargo hold... a matter-energy signature I've never encountered before."

"The vessel has detected us, Captain," the Jem'Hadar then announced. "It is now moving away from us at maximum speed, overetaxing it's engines; going at warp 8.4 bearing 136 mark 66... towards the Romulan Neutral Zone. It will reach it in fourty-seven point fifty-three minutes if his engines don't burn out before that."

"What is he doing?" exclaimed Elisha, eyes wide. "Crossing the Neutral Zone would mean instant war! And he should have recognized the Spectre as a Starfleet vessel from his own time! As he lost his mind?"

"Highly probable," Elliago answered gloomily.

"Helm; engage pursuit and overtake. Mister Aron'Son; target engines and wait for my signal. Lieutenant Leône, prepare tractor beam. Doctor, open ship to ship channel and disconnect the universal translator," ordered Syntron.

"Power to all weapons, and vessel targeted. Estimate time to firing range twenty five standard minutes." The ever efficient Jem'Hadar responded.

After a good quarter of an hour chasing the small scoutship, Aron'son's board indicated that they had neared the other into weapons range.

"Vessel in range Captain, standing by to fire."

"Channel open," the Deltan confirmed.

Syntron then spoke in Vulcan. Everyone on the bridge heard it through their own translator but on the the other end of the comme channel, it would come out in unaltered language that both ambassador and captain shared from birth.

"Peace and long life, Ambassador Spock. This is Captain Syntron of Lotus Fleet division of Starfleet, in command of the USS Spectre. Please aknowledge."

Only silence answered him.

"Ambassador Spock; we have used your own timewarp calculations to reach this time period you have inadvertently found yourself thrown into by the spatiotemporal fracture your red matter singularity created, back at the Romulus capital system. We have come here to take you back. Please power down your engines so that we may bring you inside our shuttlebay."

Instead of the expected answer through the comm channel, it was Livingstone who answered him.

"Captain; he has pushed his engines beyond safety limits; reading now warp 8.85, bearing 114 mark 7. He's trying to loose us against the nearest star,s emissions to fool our sensors."

"Ambassador Spock," Syntron said calmly but firmly. "power down your engines or, for your own safety, we will have no alternative but to shut them down from here."

Finally, a voice came over the intercom, deep and poised yet somewhat strained by more than just age.

"This is Ambassador Spock; I have detected your peculiar cloaked signature; your stealthy approach is incompatible with Starfleet rules of engagement. Your technology is incompatible with this time period. Captain Syntron is on record as Captain of the USS Phoenix. The probability of a Starfleet ship capable of travelling through time to this exact spatio-temporal coordinates and happening to have a Vulcan commanding officer is too low to be considered, too convenient to be hazardous. Whoever you are, you are obviously here to hunt me down. Your deception will not work. "

"Ambassador, there is no logic to your estimation of the situation. Why would we want to deceive you?"

"You are aware that I carry in it's entirety the most powerful and volatile substance ever created. red matter is too sensitive to be allowed into unauthorized hands."

"he has cut off communications," then reported Elliago with a sigh.

"I see no logic in this." Riker said almost sarcastically.

"Twelve point five-three minutes before reaching the Neutral Zone," announced Philter from the helm.

"Weapons are ready Captain," Aron'Son reported again not understanding why the Vulcan had not given the order to fire yet.

Redding leaned in the direction of the Jem'hadar "Mr. Spock is a respected hero of the Federation, we would no more shoot him down than you would a Founder.  

He shook his head.

"I wish I'd had a chance to talk to him. It's unlikely but he might have remembered me from the Academy."

Aron'Son looked at the executive officer "I am not suggesting we destroy the vessel Commander, I assure you I can disable it without harming Ambassador Spock. I am aware of who he is, it is required reading for all cadets."

Redding grinned.

"Sorry, I was assuming on you're nature again, I've got to watch that."

Overhearing their exchange, Syntron addressed his XO.

"Commander, I never had the opportunity to meet Ambassador Spock. If you on the other hand would be even remotely familiar to him, you may have a better probability of success than I in reasoning with him, even in his current warped state of mind."

Nodding in agreement Riker responded.

"He has encountered my, um, Uncle I guess, a few times. I might be able to reason with him from his memories of the name Riker." 

But then, Livingstone raised his voice.

"No time, Sir! I don't exactly know how, but he managed to overtax his engines and reach warp 9.2. He will cross the Neutral Zone in four point seven minutes... unless his engines explode before that! radiation is flooding his entire hull!"

"Mister Aron'Son; disable his engines now."

Even Syntron's voice had taken an uncharacteristic edge as he gave the order.

"Aye" was the Jem'Hadar's only response as he focused on the weapon controls. He did not trust the computer to make the shot and so had engaged the manual targeting. With precision that few species in the Federation could achieve in so rapid a fashion,  Aron'Son calculated movement velocity of the targeted vessel and matched it to the firing time of the Spectre's phaser arrays and reduced the output power of the shot by 40%. The Spectre's weapons responded to the soldier's deft touch and fired two shots striking at the engines of the fleeing ship in rapid succession.

"Engines offline," the X'ell confirmed from his sensors as, on the screen, they all saw the revolving part of the strange-looking craft slow to a halt and the entire vessel start to drift. "He had put so much reserve power in his propulsion, his shields were too weak to deflect our fire even at such low setting. We have a lock on it."

Syntron did not hesitate as he stood up.

" Well done Lieutenant Aron'Son. Lieutenant Leône, put a tractor beam on this vessel and bring it inside our hangar. Lieutenant Livingstone, confirm temporal correction and calculate our next appropriate timewarp; hopefully back home. Commander Rogers, transport ambassador Spock directly to sickbay. Doctor, please attend immediately to our guest. I will accompany you. Commander Redding, you have the bridge."

Redding took the con.

"Aye Captain."

"Initiating site-to-site transport captain," Rogers confirmed from the aft station.

As the Deltan rose to follow his commanding officer into the turbolift, he tapped his combadge.

"Computer; activate EMH in sickbay and confine beamed-in subject in a level 10 forcefield."

"EMH activated; transport complete; forcefield active," confirmed the disembodied but familiar feminine voice of the ship's computer.

"Ambassador Spock's ship is now secured in our main hangar bay," confirmed the orion woman at ops.

"Livingstone, make sure that ship's safe to bring aboard, I'd rather not have an explosion OR a black hole being created inside the hangar bay." Redding said quickly. "And see if we got anyones attention out here before we go back into stealth mode"

He hoped to leave no loose ends.

"Aye, Commander. Both wise precautions."

The X'ell's feathery crest lighted up with his brain implant manipulating his instruments and a few lights and chirps later he reported on his work.

"The special containement for the red matter has not been damaged. I have locked down access control to it with the captain and your command code. The warp core of the ship is offline and all systems now in condition grey under the activation  authorization code of all command grade and above officers on board only."

He then turned to his sensor readout and made a complete scan of the immediate area.

"No vessel on short range sensors. Sweeping now the entire sector with long range sensors... negative for twenty light years around us, Sir."

"What about cloaked ships?" wondered Leône. "This close to the Neutral Zone..."

"The Romulans are just now experimenting with their cloaking technology in this time period," Jonathan reassured her. "It will be first tested on a brand new War Eagle class also sporting their prototype plasma torpedo launcher against Federation outposts two years from now. And our state of the art 25th century scanners can even pick up cloaked ships of our time period short of the advanced Scimitar class technology. And our DYCEP is just as effective as their current cloaking capabilites, so we should not be discovered unless we choose to."

As the others were working Aron'Son  tapped his combadge.

"Aron'Son to Security; full security team to main hangar. Secure the hangar, no unauthorized personnel are to be permitted inside without orders from the captain or executive officer. Reduced security team to Medical, post inside the door regardless of any objections." 

"Aye Sir," was the disembodied response.

Aron'Son had not had time to read the duty roster of people assigned and so was not sure which officer it was, but knew his orders would be carried out.

It was Livingstone who solved the mystery for him.

"it is fortunate that all Lotus Fleet ships are equiped with a complete hologrid accross the entire hull; otherwise, our Emergency Holographic Officers would not be there to carry your orders.... as we bridge crew are the only living souls aboard... except now for Ambassador Spock and our Romulan prisonners of course."

Aron'Son looked at the avian alien for a moment with a cold emotionless stare then shook his head,

"I would prefer soldiers to holograms," he said evenly. "Had I been aware of this I would have insisted on a complement of security or marines."

"I understand your concern," Jonathan said, "even if your holographic technology is what saved my people from a Klingon invasion. But you were at the briefing just as I was. This whole ship had been automated so that only a handful of officers, us, could be risked in this time-altering mission with a significant probability of success and a minimum danger of worsening the situation. Every individual diplaced through time is a potential hazard. Look what just two of them, Nero and Spock, almost did; destroy all reality. Bringing in even just one squadron of security officers of soldiers was simply out of the question from day one. Your insistence would have been for naught."

He cocked his feathered head and blinked his golden eyes at the Jem'Hadar; his peculiar way of smiling.

"Fact is, Lieutenant, you were chosen for this most delicate and difficult mission of all because you were the only security officer in all of Starfleet that could do the job without the need of a squadron."

"I objected from the start too, so don't feel too bad. One of my closest friends is a sentient hologram, but I have also had sentient holograms betray and try and kill me." Riker added.

"That is why we are all here. For lack of a better word, you always need the human factor."