Star Trek: Voyager: A Pocket Full of Lies

by Kirsten Beyer

  Sensors had already detected the Truon orbiting Sormana. It was the only visible object within a billion kilometers of the planet that moved. Everything else was frozen, a grisly still-life painting; the subject: war.

  Within the next few minutes Farkas would have an exact count of the number of starships now positioned in what had once been the minefield surrounding Sormana. She guessed twenty or more were engaged in what looked like a dog fight. Both sides had suffered losses, as evidenced by the large pieces of broken starships conspicuous among those still intact.

  One very important ship was missing.

  “I’ve got Voyager,” Jepel reported from ops.

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s holding position, or rather, stuck like everyone else out here on the far side of the planet. It looks like she was just breaking orbit when . . .”

  “When time stopped,” Farkas finished for him. “Mister Hoch, give me a one-second burst of our impulse engine.”

  The flight controller did so and Vesta moved ever so slightly closer to the battle.

  “Bryce?”

  “Go ahead, Captain.”

  “Am I right that as long as our temporal shields are stable, we will not be affected by whatever the Krenim have done here?”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “Hoch, wait until the Truon syncs with the dark side of the planet and bring us into a slightly higher orbit. Continue to match the Krenim ship’s speed. I want the planet to stay between us at all times. Understood?”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  “It would be preferable if the Truon did not see us approaching,” Roach added.

  “We’re the only other thing moving out here. That might not be possible. At any rate, I don’t think Agent Dayne considers us to be much of a threat. He’ll leave us alone, but I want a little warning if I’m wrong about that.”

  “Understood.”

  “Whenever you’re ready, Hoch.”

  It took a few minutes for the flight controller to execute her command. Farkas spent that time marveling at the fact that right now, a number of people on the frozen starships out there were alive. Within seconds of the restoration of normal time, some of them were going die. Their families would receive word of their sacrifice. The lives of those who loved them were going to change forever. She wished fervently for the power to board those ships, to show their commanders what she was seeing. She wanted to force them to look at the faces of the men and women under their charge who were about to die and ask if, given that knowledge, they might have done anything differently. Sometimes conflict was unavoidable. Farkas knew that. This was a choice, not a last resort.

  When the Vesta had finally reached orbit, Farkas ordered, “Jepel, begin a full sensor sweep.”

  Kar exclaimed, “Captain, there’s a massive source of chroniton particles on the surface.”

  “Really?”

  “I’m only detecting six life-forms on the planet,” Jepel said.

  “That can’t be right.”

  “The sensors don’t read anything that is suspended by the temporal field,” Jepel clarified.

  “I don’t suppose you can tell me who any of those six life-forms are?”

  “Four humans, one Vulcan, I assume: Admiral Janeway, Captain Chakotay, Lieutenant Tuvok, Counselor Cambridge, and the denzit. I can’t identify the other one.”

  “Let’s hope he’s friendly.”

  “Captain, ninety percent of the chroniton readings we’re getting are coming from a single source. There appears to be a huge cache of chroniton torpedoes located on an island in the southern hemisphere,” Kar said.

  “Let me guess: our officers are on that island too?”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “There are also a dozen Rilnar shuttles in proximity to the island. Their positions suggest they are in the process of attacking it,” Jepel added.

  Farkas turned to Roach. “Agent Dayne told us that Sormana was about to be destroyed. Is there anything else going on here that could account for that?”

  “Not that I can see,” Roach replied.

  “How many torpedoes are we talking about?”

  “Five thousand,” Kar reported.

  “Bryce, clear out cargo bays two and three. Jettison anything you can’t find room for.”

  “Of course, Captain, but may I ask—”

  “I’m about to transport five thousand chroniton torpedoes into our holds.”

  “Captain, that’s not the best idea you’ve ever had.”

  “The moment normal time is restored those weapons are going to detonate. They are going to destroy the planet and everything in the vicinity, including us. Can you think of another way to prevent that from happening?”

  A long pause followed.

  “Bryce?”

  “It’s all right, Captain,” Icheb’s voice replied. “I’m walking the chief and his staff through the creation of a suitable containment field for our cargo bays. It’s based on Borg designs.”

  “I’d suggest running them through it, Ensign.”

  “Understood. We’ll need fifteen minutes.”

  “I’m giving you five. And I’m not exaggerating. I don’t do that.”

  “Five minutes, it is,” Bryce said.

  Closing the channel, Farkas turned to Roach, “I never thought the day would come when I’d be grateful for Borg ingenuity.”

  “What are we going to do once we’ve got the torpedoes aboard?” he asked.

  “Put as much distance between us and the planet as possible. We will likely become the Truon’s target at that point and I have no idea how quickly he can call for reinforcements.”

  “Lieutenant Kar, begin an immediate search for a good hiding place and transmit the coordinates to the conn,” Roach ordered. “Should we go to red alert?” he asked.

  “Not yet. One more thing, Jepel. Can I talk to Admiral Janeway?”

  “Yes, Captain, I can open a channel . . . wait.”

  “What?” Farkas asked, tensing.

  “Admiral Janeway is gone.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “I don’t know, Captain. She, the counselor, the denzit, and that unidentified individual just vanished from our sensors.”

  “What about Chakotay?”

  “I’ve still got him and Commander Tuvok.”

  SORMANA

  Chakotay watched with great trepidation as the admiral, the counselor, the denzit, and the servitor vanished through one of the Zahl’s temporal portals. Silbrit had assured everyone that the process was completely safe. He had visited other timelines before and never experienced any adverse effects. The deadly quantum misalignment syndrome was only a concern for individuals who entered this timeline from one of six other future lines. The Zahl believed it was a genetic issue related to mutations caused by biogenic weapons that were going to be put into use on Sormana in the next twenty years. While somewhat comforting, it hardly put the captain’s mind at ease.

  The admiral had ordered Chakotay to stay behind. She didn’t know how much latitude Dayne intended to give her in resolving the crisis and she wanted to make sure that someone could keep him talking, should he take exception to her choice to leave the present timeline. Tuvok had asked to stay as well, to provide security for Chakotay.

  Both officers stood before the display screens and were able to watch the admiral’s party arrive at Batibeh. The group soon moved beyond the range of the portal’s visual sensors but at least Chakotay knew they had reached their destination safely. He had no idea how long they would be gone.

  “I wish to apologize to you, Captain,” Tuvok said softly.

  “Why?”

  “I must take full responsibility for the chain of events that precipitated this crisis.”

  “That’s awfully big of you, Tuvok, but I think the counselor was right. This was going to happen eventually. You might have just hurried it along.”

  “I did more than that. When we arrived, I chose to separate from Kim and
Seven. When I realized that this island was also a Rilnar prison, I decided to investigate the cell blocks.”

  “You were hoping to find Dayne, weren’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Even though that wasn’t your mission?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tuvok, the moment you decided that the denzit’s choices could be justified, you betrayed your oath.”

  “You do not possess sufficient data, Captain.”

  “I don’t? Then enlighten me. I understand how complicated this is. I imagine that even for you, it’s difficult to separate your love for our friend the admiral from the denzit. But you had one job. You, among all of us, had a real chance to bring her to her senses. But you chose not to. Why?”

  “Vesta to Captain Chakotay. Do you read us?”

  The sound of Captain Farkas’s voice echoing through the chamber startled both Chakotay and Tuvok and immediately dissipated the tension flaring between them.

  “Hello, Vesta,” Chakotay said. “How—?”

  “Just before we returned we activated our new temporal shields. They work. We’re not subject to the temporal field Agent Dayne’s ship is generating.”

  “Everything down here, but us, is frozen in time,” Chakotay reported.

  “So is everything out here. We were reading six life-forms in your vicinity until a few moments ago. Are the admiral and counselor all right?”

  “They are. They had to . . .” How to explain? “They should return to this location shortly.”

  “We’ve also detected a massive quantity of chroniton torpedoes down there. I thought we might take them off your hands, if you don’t mind.”

  “Can you do that?”

  “We’re going to try. We need a few more minutes.”

  “We could use a little more help than that if you’re up for it,” Chakotay said.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “Removing the torpedoes will save the island and the planet, but not those of us in this building. It’s collapsing around us.”

  “I can transport you and Tuvok back here right now,” Farkas offered.

  “We need to stay until the admiral’s team returns. When they do, can you be ready to get all of us out of here simultaneously?”

  “Vesta’s transporters could also be used to move the other people on the island to a safe location while we await the admiral’s return,” Tuvok suggested.

  “We can’t get a lock on their life signs while this temporal field is in effect. Yours are the only clear signals.”

  “Tell your transporter operators to search for trace minerals consistent with Rilnar and Zahl bio-signatures. They might be able to extrapolate individual readings from those.”

  “We’ve got our hands full at the moment, Tuvok, but we will try. Our priorities are the torpedoes and our officers, in that order.”

  “All of this might be for nothing if the denzit and the Zahl commander don’t survive as well. They should be returning with the admiral and counselor.”

  “We’ve got clear readings on them. We’ll get all six of you as soon as they return.”

  “That was not our arrangement,” a new voice said.

  Chakotay and Tuvok turned to see that an alien male had just materialized in the center of the cavern. Chakotay could only assume that he was the Krenim officer Kathryn had met and the man currently holding countless lives in his hands.

  “Is that Agent Dayne?” Farkas asked.

  Dayne, Chakotay realized. He was Krenim?

  Of course he was. Kathryn had just told them that the Krenim were behind the denzit’s capture. It made sense that her “savior” was also Krenim. But he had been so much more than that, at least according to the denzit. Where did the lies end?

  “Whatever you can do, Vesta. Chakotay out.”

  It was strange to realize that despite the fact that time did not exist in the reality he was occupying, Chakotay’s duty now was to buy exactly that for both the admiral and Captain Farkas. Assuming the most casual demeanor he could muster despite the disgust he automatically felt for Dayne, Chakotay started toward him saying, “So you’re the denzit’s husband?”

  “Spare me your judgments. I agreed to allow the admiral to attempt to salvage this situation, but I did not authorize her to remove those weapons. Contact your ship and advise them that the torpedoes must stay where they are.”

  “I’m not sure how any of us will survive this as long as they’re here. It sounds to me like we’re doing precisely what you authorized the admiral to do.” Chakotay said, “Unless you were planning to handle that detail?”

  Had Chakotay been less focused on Dayne, he might have sensed the shift in Tuvok’s demeanor before the security officer unexpectedly emitted a feral growl and ran straight toward the Krenim man, easily tackling him to the ground. To Chakotay’s shock and horror, Tuvok began to assault Dayne brutally with his fists.

  “Tuvok!” Chakotay shouted in alarm.

  “Where is she?” Tuvok demanded, punching Dayne one last time before wrapping his hands around Dayne’s neck.

  Chakotay was already moving to try and pry the commander off of Dayne when the next words Tuvok spoke stopped him.

  “Where is Kathryn’s daughter?”

  24

  BATIBEH

  The denzit was hardly convinced that trusting Silbrit and his temporal portals was a good idea. However, she was certain that no matter what the admiral did or discovered on the other side, when they returned to the cavern they were all going to die. She didn’t know if she still had the strength to hope for a better outcome. When she had first learned of the island and seen its defenses she had known in her bones that this was the last target for the Rilnar. This engagement was going to end the war. She was finally going to learn the fate of her husband and daughter. The nightmare was almost over.

  The admiral’s revelation that the Krenim had been her enemy all along, coupled with the fact that she had never even suspected this to be true, had shaken her down to her core. How many other things have I been wrong about? What happened to Dayne?

  What has he done with our child?

  Half expecting her life to end the moment she stepped through the portal, it was a shock to the senses to emerge in a fragrant field of tall grass beneath clear, sunny skies. The energy of this place was electric. Life hummed and buzzed and chirped and croaked all around her. Trees stood tall and proud, their leaves rustling in a gentle breeze. The sound of running water in the distance made her suddenly conscious of a desperate thirst.

  The portal was the only feature to mar the landscape, but on this side it was not a metal doorframe. Here, a small stone pillar stood beside the entrance and only a vague distortion of the air, like a ripple of thermal energy, denoted the access point to another time. A circle of small rocks surrounding the area would have prevented anyone from simply wandering into it unaware.

  Batibeh’s resemblance to Earth in this timeline was overwhelming. If she closed her eyes and simply allowed her senses rein, she could have easily convinced herself that she was walking around her mother’s farm in Indiana. The visceral memory was as agonizing as it was comforting. It made her heart beat faster, her hands tremble, and her arms ache to hold the life she had created and once dreamed might grow up in a place like this.

  Unbidden, a thought rose to her mind, momentarily blinding her eyes with tears.

  Home.

  “Denzit?” the admiral’s soft voice sounded.

  She locked eyes with the woman she had once planned to become. They were strangers to each other. Still, the admiral had brought her home.

  The counselor had rushed ahead with Silbrit to examine the stone table. The two women settled into a more leisurely pace as both soaked in the simple natural beauty around them. As they crested the rise of the hill where the table sat, they could see in the distance below a small, rustic village. They sensed no movement and saw no signs of habitation. But the denzit did not doubt that these buildings had been er
ected hundreds of years earlier. She’d seen images of Batibeh before it was destroyed. While there had been pockets of historical districts left untouched, a small but advanced city had been built around them. There was no trace of the tall buildings that had been the central trade district, or streets teeming with smaller service industries. The high metal fences that had bordered the city in its final years were also non-existent.

  The denzit liked this version of Batibeh much better.

  When she reached the stone table, an artifact she had never seen in one piece, the counselor was already deep in discussion with Silbret.

  “I’m telling you, the Rilnar know this to be true. They have records of it,” Cambridge was insisting. “I’ve spend the better part of the last week poring over written accounts that describe this place almost exactly.”

  “The Rilnar have never been granted access to the chroniton pools or our portals,” Silbrit retorted. “I don’t know what evidence you think you saw—”

  “But it makes perfect sense if you believe the story of the two brothers.”

  “The two brothers?” the denzit asked.

  Cambridge settled himself on the side of the stone table, his long legs dangling from its surface, and began to explain. “Two brothers, one Rilnar, one Zahl, came here after Batibeh was destroyed. They convinced the public and the authorities to sue for peace. This table was the site of the negotiations. In time, they succeeded. The war on Sormana was set to end. But they left before the final accords could be signed and an act of treachery derailed their efforts.”

  “This place hasn’t been touched by war for a long time. Those trees,” Silbrit said, pointing to a grove that lay nestled at the base of the hill near the ancient buildings “are urulian jastins. They don’t grow anywhere on Sormana now, but those are at least two hundred years old.”

  “According to that journal you found, the Rilnar believe that the brothers were real and that they almost ended the war. Why does this place make me think they actually succeeded?” Janeway asked.