Star Trek: Phoenix-X
Temporal Doom! Part I
The U.S.S. Phoenix-X speeds aimlessly through space. After leaving the space station from getting technology upgrades by Section 31 and the Obsidian Order, the crew wake up like it was Christmas morning.
Seifer: Yyyaaawwwnnn!
He steps out of his bed and goes into his washroom. Inside, on his sink, is a special kind of soap, with a festive bow wrapped around it.
Seifer: “Hey, what’s this?”
Reading the instructions he finds the soap is a new technology that with the application to his skin will regenerate his cells and allow him to change its colour at will.
Seifer: “Wow! I can pretend to be other ethnic races!”
Elsewhere on the ship, RaeLuna enters Ten Forward to find a glass at the bar, wrapped in a red bow. Drinking the liquid inside, she finds the glass suddenly refills on its own.
RaeLuna: “Intriguing. The limits to such technology are unending.”
Lieutenant Commander Kugo stretches as she enters main engineering. Looking up she finds the transwarp core is wrapped in a festive bow.
Kugo: “I see no one bothered to take the annoying bows off.”
She goes over and tears the bow away, suddenly revealing a label saying ‘temporal drive’ under the old label.
Kugo: “What the??”
Ensign Gewdeque hears of this shocked reaction and runs over.
Gewdeque: “What! What!? Did you get a new hair-growth device too?”
She holds one up.
Gewdeque: “They’ve finally cured baldness. Wow!”
Kugo, shakes her head: “No. The transwarp drive has been altered from its original state. I knew Section 31 made alterations to it, but I had no idea it would be something like this.”
They read the inscription.
Gewdeque: “Temporal drive? Is that some kind of anger management drive?”
Kugo: “Negative. It’s a time-traveling device. With this, I’m almost certain we can take the Phoenix-X to any timeline imaginable.”
Gewdeque: “It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again— Wow! The wonders of over-poweredness.”
Later, some of the senior staff meet in the briefing room to go over recent events. Captain Cell sits at the head of the table.
Cell: “Now there’s been a lot of talk lately going about, of new objects and the like taking home to the bowels of our controversial ship; I just want to squash those rumours right here and now before they get out of hand.”
Seifer: “What rumours? We really do have new technologies everywhere. It’s like Section 31 was just waiting to store them somewhere.”
Cell: “It could be that Section 31 takes us as their own personal storage-compartment unit. We may be looking at possible coat-hanger syndrome.”
GoyCho: “No, no! You’re looking at it all wrong.”
He puts a dancing-baby on the table.
GoyCho: “All this new technology is here to serve our experimental purposes! Except for this dancing-baby. I’m not sure why that’s here.”
The Captain quickly blasts an energy beam at the baby, destroying it.
Cell: “Uah! Sorry, natural reaction.”
GoyCho: “The point is; we can’t dismiss the new tech that easily.”
Cell: “I guess you’re right. When people found out of my supernatural abilities, it wasn’t easily accepted either.”
Seifer: “The same went for my new haircut. Man, was that the talk of the town.”
He brushes back his spikey new look.
Amp: “Then it’s settled? The new technology is here to stay?”
Seifer: “If anything, we should completely throw our dependence on the new technologies; like we can’t live without them.”
Amp: “Oookaayy. Then you might as well hook the oxygen devices to your bodies so that they can do the breathing for you.”
Seifer: “Works for me. My lungs have been way too busy these past twenty-eight years.”
GoyCho: “Sir, your laziness is beyond comprehension.”
Amp: “My point is; we can’t depend on the new tech that wholly.”
Cell: “That’s two points in one meeting. You know we have to ration the points out for other meetings!”
Amp: “It can’t wait, sir. I think we shouldn’t throw ourselves upon the mercy of the new basketball court on Deck 14.”
Seifer: “You mean the one that plays basketball for you?”
Amp: “Yeah. Our old converted public washroom with wall-mounted toilets did the job just as well.”
Seifer: “Ah, the old basketball washroom...”
Cell: “I suppose you’re right too. We cannot lose ourselves to the glamour of new advances. The shine may ruin our eyes.”
He stands.
Cell: “Why, if we sold our souls to all the nuances and advancements we’d have nothing left to ourselves but emptiness and desolation. Our very identities would be encompassed in the cold grasp death of objectivity! Well, something like that.”
Later, Ensign Dan enters sickbay where Doctor Lox and the EMH are chatting.
Lox: “...So I says to her; The clown can stay, but the Ferengi in the gorilla suit has to leave!”
EMH: “Hahahaha! I don’t get it.”
Lox: “It’s sophisticated humour.”
Ensign Dan: “Doctor! I’ve come to voice the anger of the crew who find your methods of medical treatment absurd and highly unethical!”
Lox: “You don’t mean the third eye alterations? I let the EMH do that.”
Ensign Dan: “It’s your excuse all the time that the EMH was responsible for your doings. He is constantly your scapegoat!”
Lox: “Alright, alright! I’ll stop the random body additions to the crew. But you know, when a patient is unconscious they can’t refuse experimentation.”
Ensign Dan: “That was wrong on so many levels.”
He leaves Sickbay.
Kugo passes him in the hallways before she enters a Turbolift. She takes it to the Bridge where the Captain’s ready room is located.
#Computer: “You’ve got company.”
Cell: “Come in.”
Kugo: “Sir, you’re not going to believe this...”
He looks at her.
Cell: “What?”
Kugo: “Oh sorry. I was just pausing for dramatic effect. --The drive in main engineering has been altered on an advanced level; it’s been fixed to travel through time as a temporal drive.”
Cell: “This can’t be. Was that the big addition Section 31 had applied to the ship?”
He gets up in shock.
Kugo: “I think so, Captain. It may be, that Section 31 wants us to use the drive for a specific mission of theirs. Possibly, multiple missions.”
Cell: “If that’s true, then this would mean a great change in our daily lives. I’d like to see this temporal drive.”
Kugo: “You can’t right now.”
Cell: “Why not?”
Kugo: “Erm, well, Commander Seifer has already began charging admission to get inside. There is a huge line around engineering.”
Minutes later, the two of them get to just outside main engineering, where it has been crowded with people. A line follows inside to where Seifer is, dressed in a white and red striped suit with hat and cane.
Seifer: “Step right up! Step right up! Come see the amazement that is the new hair growth device! No more will you endure the pains of hair-loss!”
Cell, buds through: “Seifer, you will tell these people to leave immediately! There’s a temporal drive we need to examine.”
Seifer: “Temporal drive? I never knew we had that. —Alright everyone, the sale is over! Please see the Bolian barber on Deck 9 if you received too much hair over your quota.”
The crowds leave, allowing the three of them to approach the main core.
Seifer: “What is it?”
Kugo: “A drive capable of taking us through time.”
Cell: “The sheer power we possess is unimaginable.”
Seifer: “But then again, it’s always been like that. Only now we have even more.”
All of a sudden, a small view-screen against the wall behind them blinks on, showing Agent Elena and Agent Nelkast in a dim-lit shadowy room. The three of them turn around in shock.
>Elena: “As you can see, the time-traveling engine has been installed successfully. Don’t mind the spikes along its sides. They’re just there to keep you from touching it.”
Kugo: “But what if we have to fix the drive?”
>Elena: “I said don’t touch it!”
Cell: “As fascinating as it is to have the ability of time-travel. I’m afraid we just can’t accept. The possibilities are relentless! Besides, since when did the Federation get time-travel tech?”
>Nelkast: “Oh I’m sorry; Did we forget a certain 26th century timepod recovered by the Enterprise-D, nearly 14 Years ago? A certain criminal who tried stealing hyposprays and phasers from our incredible hands?”
Kugo: “Wait. Then that must mean, you guys got a hold of that timepod... and then you installed its temporal drive into our ship!”
>Elena: “Indeed. Section 31 found it in the 22nd Century. It took a while for our technicians to figure out how to dismantle it, but we finally got inside.”
Seifer: “What about the Temporal Prime Directive? The ethics of time-travel?”
>Elena: “Being part of Section 31 means you override all directives. Besides, I’m sure you’ll have an adventurous journey!”
Seifer: “But without the directives, we’re nothing! What say you to the Prime Directive, or even the Omega Directive??”
>Elena: “Ugh! That last directive was made only for those baby-Captains who need to feel important. With this, one could abolish all directives!”
Cell: “I dunno. It seems kind of presumptuous to assume that we of all crews deserve an engine of such capacity.”
>Nelkast: “It doesn’t matter how you seem! The only reason we installed it on the Phoenix-X was because we need you to go to this time-period, at this location, and recover this person!”
He sends the information via subspace-mail.
#Computer: “You’ve got transmission.”
>Elena: “Those are your orders. Make sure you go there, and do whatever it takes to recover him.”
The data displays on the lower computer screen.
Cell: “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about these so-called ‘missions’ you send us on. Who do you think you ar—”
>Nelkast: “You will respect the missions! Now go!”
The screen cuts out in anger.
Later; the crew prepare the Phoenix-X for temporal travel. Special shields are put up, as well as secured intertial-dampeners. Cell takes a seat on the bridge, almost ready to go.
The Commander takes the Commander’s seat next to him.
Seifer: “Sir, I’m scared. Will you hold me?”
Cell: “No.”
RaeLuna: “Captain. According to engineering, the temporal drive is up and operational.”
Amp: “My helm is showing a vast amount of time travel options. There are many paradoxes to choose from... the Multiverse paradox... the Chicken & the Egg paradox... even a Grandfather paradox.”
Seifer: “Oooo kinky.”
Cell: “Just take us to the year that Elena and Nelkast sent us.”
Amp: “Aye sir.”
He taps at the helm, rotating the Phoenix-X in space. Suddenly, the engines rev up, sounding throughout the ship. Everyone looks around in hopes that this will actually work.
After a blinding flash, the Phoenix-X jumps to another time-frame. They flash back in, finding the stars and space look the same as before.
Cell: “When are we?”
Amp: “It’s the mid 29th century, just like you ordered.”
Cell: “Ack!!”
Seifer: “Fascinating. We’ve actually traveled ahead five centuries.”
Cell: “You mean Section 31 wanted us to go to the 29th century???”
He sits up in shock.
Seifer: “Either that, or they wanted us to get new loafers.”
RaeLuna: “What are loafers? And why would anyone be living in this century, of all centuries?”
Amp: “Err, that’s not the conflict. The conflict is ‘are we going to get in trouble, as per-usual’ this time around??”
Cell: “Yes. I believe that sufficiently illustrates our present conflict.”
Seifer: “Come on, people. It’s the 29th century! How could we possibly get in trouble? I mean, the odds are incomprehensible.”
Amp: “Yeah, incomprehensibly against us!”
Seifer: “I did not just use my Thesaurus so that my linguistic efforts could be butchered by you!”
Cell: “Enough! Our orders are to seek out this man.”
He points to the screen where a Section 31 agent’s bio blinks on. The name is Agent Rave and as soon as the Captain sees his picture, he recognizes him.
Cell: “Oh for cryin’ out lou— Agent Rave??”
RaeLuna: “Augh!! This can’t be!”
Amp: “Not Rave?? He completely messed up our mission with the Hellonesian’s!”
RaeLuna: “Not to mention the rudeness, and obnoxiousness!”
Cell: “I can’t believe we traveled this far to help that annoyance! Now our conflicting attitudes have been justified.”
Seifer: “All in all, I love you guys.”
Cell: “If you weren’t legally insane, I’d kick you off my Bridge right now! But for the time being, we’d better get in contact with that idiotic Agent. Helm, set a course and engage!”
Amp: “With regret sir.”
The Phoenix-X speeds off in a hurry.
Meanwhile, on the boarder of Na’kuhl Territory there is an intense Starship battle going on. Starfleet Ship’s are blasting quantum phasers and multi-transphasic torpedoes at enemy vessels. In one of the Starfleet ships, Agent Rave has taken over and is controlling both weapons and helm himself. The bridge is torn and some equipment is damaged.
Rave: “Die you pathetic Na’kuhl, die!!!”
He speeds his ship, the Atlantis, forward at a passing by Na’kuhl ship. When he gets just above it, he blasts a dozen multi-transphasic torpedoes into their hull. The Na’kuhl ship’s anterior explodes in chaos, allowing the wreckage to lose direction in space. Suddenly, he’s hailed by the lead enemy Ship.
#Ghrath: “Starfleet vessel. You have caused far too much damage against our fleet. We ask that you move off immediately, or we will destroy you.”
Rave: “You’re asking me to back off because I’ve caused enough damage?? What kind of battle do you think this is?? I suppose you’ll be wanting to make tea and crumpets next!”
#Ghrath: “I assumed Starfleet would hold an air of decency towards war, by allowing all soldiers to have their significance in battle. Not allow one crazed lunatic to take over in a most barbaric fashion!”
Rave: “All is fair in love and war, and this is war unless you have any other intentions! There’s no way I’m backing off! You’ve really got some twisted sense of fighting, you know that?”
Suddenly the comm. breaks out, and the battling rages on. Some of the other Starfleet ship’s are successful in warding off most of the Na’khul fleet, and destroying most of them. —And just as the lead Na’khul ship is about to take out an already shot down Starfleet ship, Rave’s Atlantis flies in and hits them along their sides. The lead Na’khul ship backs off and retreats.
After-battle recovery takes place, as pieces of ship’s are beamed around and placements reconfigured for later reintegration. The Phoenix-X approaches from the distance, slowly aware of a battle that just ensued.
Rave: “By the secret lives of Bashir's clones... It can’t be.”
He looks out his viewscreen at them in total shock. But before he can say anything more, the lead Starfleet ship hails him.
>Tulian: “Excellent work out there.”
Rave: “I thought so.”
>Tulian: “But we never authorized you to man your own vessel. You’re going to be in a lot of trouble for this.”
Rave: “Oh I’m sure you’ve got more important things to worry about. Besides, you have to admit you need me, Captain. After seeing what I was capable of? You can’t afford to not have me part of your Fleet.”
>Tulian: “Ughh. We’ll talk more later. In the meantime, I’d appreciate a little help reconstructing our damaged ships. It shouldn’t take long.”
Rave: “Yeah, yeah.”
He waves him off as the screen-cuts out. Then he remembers the Phoenix-X.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the Starfleet Left Flank meet in the conference room of a vessel known as the Jenova.
Goustas: “The Na’khul are back to their old tricks!!”
Sayjan: “But really. How old are their tricks? They seem the same as usual.”
Goustas: “Not this again, Sayjan. You always take our enemies’ sides! What is with you and taking the opposing aspect of any argument??”
Sayjan: “I just like the satisfaction of debates.”
Tulian: “Now, now. Let’s not get our sonic-underwear’s in a twist.”
Sayjan: “Thank nature for the safety of sonic-underwear. It’s been there for me at battle after battle.”
Goustas: “Yes, much like our ‘friend’, Mr. Rave.”
Tulian: “Why did you accentuate the word, ‘friend’?”
Goustas: “It’s a discretionary term!”
Sayjan: “He’s not our problem right now. It’s these infernal battles we keep getting into! You know, if the Jenova hadn’t gotten into a fight with that Na’khul ship, all the reinforcements wouldn’t have had to come this time!”
Goustas: “There you go, debating blame now!”
Tulian: “Perhaps this aggression between the two of you is just enough to work through your anger. We’re going to need your heads focused for the next battle.”
Goustas: “You may be right.”
He points his finger at Sayjan.
Goustas: “Sharleton!”
Sayjan: “Swine!”
Tulian: “...Ugh. At least come up with better insults.”
Captain Cell beams into the transporter room of the U.S.S. Atlantis, a 29th century vessel reconfigured to serve a single occupant.
Rave: “Welcome aboard, Captain. I’m surprised anyone had the guts to come aboard a powerful ship such as mine.”
Cell: “Let’s just say, if anything comes up, I’m properly equipped.”
He clenches his fist, which powers up with omni-energy.
Rave: “Meh. Wouldn’t you like to know what became of the omnis in this time?”
Cell widens his eyes in shock.
Rave: “But that’s not the reason you’re here, is it? I think I know who sent you. It was Elena and Nelkast. I had a feeling they would have eventually done something to get me back.”
Cell: “This isn’t your time frame, Rave. You belong in the 24th century with the rest of us!”
Rave: “Don’t you get it, Captain? With your time traveling technology, you belong in any time frame you desire.”
Cell: “How did someone like you get the capability of traveling this far into the future??”
Rave: “It’s quite simple, Captain Cell. The Section 31 of this time-frame needed someone from the past to help revive their old manners. It seems after centuries of constant changes, they nearly began to loose their way.”
The Captain looks at him in shock.
Rave: “That’s when they decided to get some advice from the past. They contacted us in the 24th Century and requested a transfer. Well, we knew an alien race on the side with time-capability and had me transferred over here. I was the best possible choice, considering my amazingness.”
Cell: “Then your job is done, Rave. It’s time for you to come home!”
Rave: “Come home? Why I’ve been enjoying myself here. In fact, I have no intentions on going anywhere with you!!”
He grits hit teeth and clenches both his fists, the reaction causes electrical currents to flow along the walls of the Transporter Room. Captain Cell looks around in shock and confusion.
Rave: “Now if you’ll please leave, kindly.”
Cell: “Not a chance!”
The Captain conjures up his omni-power and stretches his arms out at Rave. A blast of energy is shot at the Agent, but not before the electrical currents from all the walls in the room make contact with the energy blast. The fusion of powers explode and dissipate, knocking both Rave and Cell back.
Rave quickly gets up, smirking, and with his mind tells the transporter to begin tearing Cell’s body apart. The Captain quickly uses his Changeling abilities to liquefy away from the platform and onto the floor next to Rave.
When his form is taken again, Captain Cell is suddenly beamed back to the Phoenix-X by Seifer. The shields around the Atlantis then go up too late.
Cell: “Ugh!! I was so close!”
Seifer: “We saw what was going on there, Captain.”
Cell: “Send me back!”
Seifer: “I don’t think so.”
The Atlantis begins opening fire upon the Phoenix-X, knocking them back a few hundred meters in momentum. The Phoenix-X raises it’s special L-shields, at an attempt to absorb them. But the hits began causing explosions to the shields.
The Phoenix-X turns and transwarps out of there, leaving Agent Rave to his own business.
Rave: “Heh, heh, heh. Go ahead and run, Phoenix-X. We’ll see how long you’ll survive out here.”
Meanwhile, back on the bridge of the ship at transwarp, Captain Cell takes his seat.
Amp: “Well? What did he say over there?”
Cell: “He’s refusing to come with us.”
Seifer: “Sounds just like the old Rave, alright.”
RaeLuna: “We must come up with a plan. I would like nothing better than to tear him a new limb!”
There’s an eerie silence left on the Bridge from the previous encounter, just as Ensign Dan enters.
Ensign Dan: “Hey guys, why the long faces? Come on. Life’s a party!”
Cell: “You’re relieved!”
Ensign Dan: “Dammit!”
Later, Commander Seifer enters the battle arena to get his mind off things. There, he replicates a holographic opponent.
Seifer: “Hhh... the Captain’s irritated as usual. Got to get my aggressions out.”
The opponent takes a stance in the middle of the arena, Seifer meets up.
Seifer: “Computer, lower safety protocols by 20-percent.”
#Computer: “Warning. Lowering safety protocols may cause severe injury.”
Seifer: “Understood.”
The computer complies and the two fighters then begin attacking each other, dodging and blocking fist after leg after fist. Seifer launches a speeding foot for the opponent, who grabs it in mid air and spins Seifer off his feet.
The opponent then force palms Seifer in the side as he’s lost in mid-air flight, changing the Commander’s direction. Seifer is shot past the marker-line and is met with the wall. He slams into the metallic bulkhead, knocking him unconscious.
Hours later, the Commander wakes up in Sickbay, where Doctor Lox has been treating him.
Lox: “Now you just rest, Commander. We’ll have you better in no time.”
Seifer: “Ahh! What am I doing here??”
Lox: “You hurt yourself in the Battle Arena. The EMH and I just made sure you were okay.”
The Commander begins to feel around his body to see if anything has been added.
Seifer: “You didn’t add any body parts did you? You know how I hate that!”
Lox: “No, no. Of course not!”
He eyes them mysteriously.
Seifer: “You better not have.”
He gets up off the bio-bed and makes his way to the doors. Something about his movements feel different. He glances back at the two Doctor’s just before he leaves, but finds that they just continue to smile.
Seifer: “Ugh.”
When he leaves, the two Doctor’s turn to each other.
EMH: “Didn’t we promise not to make any more modifications to people?”
Lox: “We just promised not to add any more body parts! There are still a wide range of alterations that we can perform.”
EMH: “Oh.”
Lox: “Now! Who’s up for deactivation?”
EMH: “Me! Ooh! Pick me!”
Lox: “Very well.”
He deactivates the EMH. Fear!
TO BE CONTINUED...
