Season 14, Episode 5: The First Frontier

[Nira Said]

Ensign Danjar-Torra Addams
[Hill outside Abandoned Mine - Outside Paradise, AZ ]

Torra remained at the top of the hill alongside A'ron and Savar, looking towards the Fort.  All previous signs of light there were gone now.  And it was the same with the sounds of gunfire.  She'd intended to get the Commander's attention with her call, but the first to reach Torra was her own department's chief, Lt Banan.  When she told him about what she witnessed and what A'ron was suggesting, he seemed to consider the situation for a moment.

"I think he may be right, thank you for reporting it promptly Ensign.  Lt Savar, your department head is one of those severely injured, so until she's back on her feet, it looks like you've inherited a few more duties.   Are you good to gather together a team to go check out the town?  If so, I'll leave it to you and I'll let the Commander know about this latest bit of bad news."

[Lieutenant JG Savar | Outside Paradise Mine | Box Canyon | Arizona Territory | 190something]

Savar recoiled slightly in surprise. He had been so caught up with everything, from the temporal agent to what was wrong with Nira's mind, that he had totally forgotten about his departmental head, let alone that he was the second-ranking science officer.

Holy Surak, he thought to himself, depending on how injured she is, it sounds like I might replace her and be what Nira is now: a departmental head myself.

Truth be told, he was surprised to be temporarily in charge, but he forced himself to relax. He remembered that Nira was in the same way during a battle with a treacherous organization of Starfleet renegades, except at that time, she had been mere weeks from the Academy, so naturally, it had come as a shocking surprise to her. Whereas to Savar, he spent his duties on certain areas and certainly nowhere else.

However, he was glad at the chance to lead a team into town covertly, though he was aware that he needed to be careful. Should it look like the team will be in danger of what happened to Nira's team, he was going to make a run for it, and order the team to do the same, drop everything and get out.

"I'd be glad to," said Savar. "What do you want me and the team to do when we get there, aside from being caught?"

Then he turned to the temporal agent. It didn't hurt to have a second opinion, and he felt he could trust him, even if others of the crew didn't. He was the only one who really knew what was going on and knew everything possible about the T'hunga.

"What's your opinion?" he said. "Do you have any recommendations? And what can you recommend to us to fight the T'hunga's influence?"

[Saloon - Paradise, AZ]

"Excuse me," he said and stood up to go outside for fresh air. As he got out. Bright stars was staring down and twinkling over head. He looked up and was awed. They seemed familiar. How? He felt that where belonged. He seemed to know a name or two of them as well. It made him feel homesick. There was a shooting star that raced across the night sky.

He shifted his foot on the wooden platform as he wondered how he wanted to touch the stars themselves. He was just caught in staring and had lost track of time.

[Najwa/Nira (?) Said | Saloon | Paradise | Arizona Territory | 1899]

It was around closing time. Miss Thatcher had finally relented on letting Najwa stopping for the night. She was getting exhausted. What was more, something was nagging at the back of her mind. The overall uneasiness and eventual fatigue made her dancing less and less elegant and more and more sluggish. It seemed the men didn't care how fatigued she was or how her dancing was, she was so beautiful they just wanted to at least look at her.

Nira took the best opportunity of her being released from work by stepping out into the landing. She was hot, sweaty, almost as if she spent all day in the Arabian desert...not this desert...she wanted the night air. The coolness of the night would do her good. And she didn't want to go back to the table with Luby and Don and Graham yet...

It was a beautiful starry night. Nira looked up into the stars. As she gazed, she felt a longing to be up there. Something in the back of her mind told her this was where she belonged.

Something else had occurred to her as well, something...or somethings, plural...they've been bothering her in her mind when she got back up to dance, ever since she tried to defend Nefir...Nevir?...at the cards. The most notable thing was the Sheriff. It wasn't just her getting used to him like everybody around him. She could read the minds and emotions of everybody around her the whole time. She thought about it...maybe her psychicness was disconnected, or she didn't think of that when she rushed to Nefir's aid, but she didn't sense anything from the Sheriff. Then again, she was too distracted to even use them. She made a note to herself to feel for anything, his outgoing thoughts and feelings, the next time she got close to him. And to pay attention. She had a feeling if she tried to get into his head, he'll know.

In fact, sometimes, her imagination would send an opinion of her and the Sheriff and Harold. She could see them, Harold holding her neck jewel like a chain...except it meant it that jewel was some kind of collar. Harold was a pawn, the Sheriff was the ringleader...

...Nira wondered if it was her imagination or maybe some kind of memory...ah, hell, maybe it was made up, just like the elf...

Nira double taked at the thought of the elf. And as she did so, she saw Don, gazing at the stars. She could feel longing from him, and she knew what at once what he longed for. She approached him and said gently, "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

She followed his gaze and added, "Do you feel we don't belong here, but up there?"

She kept up gazing. She finally decided to give contact with the elf a try.

Imzadi? Are you there?

She felt inward elation, then a new thought. I am, Imzadi.

Nira was relieved. Somehow, the choice of word seemed to work.

I...just thought I'd try...make sure...

...That I'm real? he said, finishing her thought.

She paused a moment, then decided...yes.

Good. I can't talk for long, anyway. The fact that we can maintain a connection at all from this far away is nothing short of miraculous, which is saying a lot, since we don't believe in miracles...where I come from.

Nira's brow furrowed. He didn't want to reveal where he came from. And what problem did elves have with miracles?

You don't want to talk...? After...?

Oh, we can talk, but see if you can get me later. Plus, how do we know someone else may not be overhearing?

Nira was puzzled further. How can one overhear a psychic conversation...then a wry thought occurred to her: what if the Sheriff was psychic, too? And the undertone the elf made suggested he could also get into her head. Maybe it was paranoia, but Nira had a feeling to agree.

I'll bear it in mind, she said. She then gave partial focus in her mind. If she noticed anybody else getting in her head, she'll know.

[Tekin Nevir]

Ensign Danjar-Torra Addams
[Hill outside Abandoned Mine - Outside Paradise, AZ ]

Torra remained at the top of the hill alongside A'ron and Savar, looking towards the Fort.  All previous signs of light there were gone now.  And it was the same with the sounds of gunfire.  She'd intended to get the Commander's attention with her call, but the first to reach Torra was her own department's chief, Lt Banan.  When she told him about what she witnessed and what A'ron was suggesting, he seemed to consider the situation for a moment.

"I think he may be right, thank you for reporting it promptly Ensign.  Lt Savar, your department head is one of those severely injured, so until she's back on her feet, it looks like you've inherited a few more duties.   Are you good to gather together a team to go check out the town?  If so, I'll leave it to you and I'll let the Commander know about this latest bit of bad news."

NPC Crewman Helga Tragnar
[North perimeter of Abandoned Mine - Outside Paradise, AZ ]

No one Helga talked to had any clue as to what the gunfire was about, though it had seemed to come from the north and as such extra sentries had been placed along the north perimeter.  When she asked about Torra's call, again she most didn't have a clue - which was frustrating for the Klingon.  One person however pointed up towards a hill, where Helga faintly noted several figures at it's crest.  She headed there, though kept her eyes open for anyone of rank.

Helga looked back towards Lek who had managed to keep pace with her - though to be honest she was slower than usual due to her injury.  He looked a little winded to her, but she was rather impressed he'd kept up.  As she turned to begin the trek up the hill, she slowed her pace just a tad - the ache in her ribs making the upwards climb more painful that just striding across flat ground.

"A moonlit stroll on the hillside... seems after this, I can't complain that we don't do things as a couple."

[Lieutenant JG Savar | Outside Paradise Mine | Box Canyon | Arizona Territory | 190something]

Savar recoiled slightly in surprise. He had been so caught up with everything, from the temporal agent to what was wrong with Nira's mind, that he had totally forgotten about his departmental head, let alone that he was the second-ranking science officer.

Holy Surak, he thought to himself, depending on how injured she is, it sounds like I might replace her and be what Nira is now: a departmental head myself.

Truth be told, he was surprised to be temporarily in charge, but he forced himself to relax. He remembered that Nira was in the same way during a battle with a treacherous organization of Starfleet renegades, except at that time, she had been mere weeks from the Academy, so naturally, it had come as a shocking surprise to her. Whereas to Savar, he spent his duties on certain areas and certainly nowhere else.

However, he was glad at the chance to lead a team into town covertly, though he was aware that he needed to be careful. Should it look like the team will be in danger of what happened to Nira's team, he was going to make a run for it, and order the team to do the same, drop everything and get out.

"I'd be glad to," said Savar. "What do you want me and the team to do when we get there, aside from being caught?"

Then he turned to the temporal agent. It didn't hurt to have a second opinion, and he felt he could trust him, even if others of the crew didn't. He was the only one who really knew what was going on and knew everything possible about the T'hunga.

"What's your opinion?" he said. "Do you have any recommendations? And what can you recommend to us to fight the T'hunga's influence?"

[Outside Paradise, AZ]

(Posted with permission from T'Lara)

With Commander T'Lara's approval, Savar was given authority to put together a team, but it did seem clear his mind was with Paradise.  The temporal agent sighed, and waiting for a group to be formed.  Once it was ready, they headed out on foot towards the north, to Fort Rim.

"You are unlike any Vulcan I have met." he commented as they headed towards the darken structure, guided only by moonlight.  "You seem to be more concerned about one person than the entire mission.  Or even entire crew.  It's unusual..." he said shaking his head.

"The T'hunga are... altered... to be temporal infiltrators.  A common practice.  They may be a faction in the Cold War, but they are not the one running the show.  Just the foot soldiers.  The psychic effect they have on your mind is cumulative; the longer they are around you, the deeper you get.  Based on previous encounters, they have two options to neutralize your away team.  One, imprisonment and guards.  But that takes at minimum a few days to a week.  The second is a sort of psychic relaxer.  Its acts like a jumpstart to accepting them.  It is entirely possible that the away team is part of the town's populace now, and not even realize it.  The effects are not permanent; they require constant influence.  More than likely there is something in the town that is keeping the people under their acceptance." he said, as they neared the large wooden structure.

From this close, they could see small fires started in the structure, as a result of the fight and set by the residents of the fort.  As for the residents... they were there.  All lying on the ground.  Many of them showing plasma burns.  Intermixed were men dressed in a uniform, with others dressed and either civilians or criminals.  And they seemed to have fought side by side instead of against each other.

A'ron activated his badge again and did a quick check.  "No lifesigns.  Looks like they retreated back to the town.  I don't get it... attacks like these garner attention.  There would no reason to risk a confrontation this open unless..." the agent looked up and into the fort itself.  Inside was the standard supplies of the US Calvary, including a line of previously panicked horses.

As the team started walking through the fort, A'ron stopped, and moved his foot.  There was a piece of paper on the ground next to a fallen bandito.  He picked it up and opened it.

"Threat of lizard men..." he read, before looking up.

"Find the fort commander's office!  See if they had paperwork talking about Paradise.  We may have found a reason." he said, looking around.

"And I think this would be a better place for your crew to settle for the night.  Fully stocked military outpost, covered walls... and little change of the T'hunga finding us." he said, looking at the horses.

"Plus... I think I have a plan for Paradise."

[Don Damien Addams]

Nira double taked at the thought of the elf. And as she did so, she saw Don, gazing at the stars. She could feel longing from him, and she knew what at once what he longed for. She approached him and said gently, "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

She followed his gaze and added, "Do you feel we don't belong here, but up there?"

[Paradise town - AZ]

"Ah yes," he had replied as he took his eyes off the stars and looked at her.

It was Nira that felt they were out of place. He had a second weird thought of her. Which he was unsure to put his finger on. The fact he was not sure he had truly wanted to share he was feeling out of place with the others. What Don mind was playing instinct on Nira being a Betazoid. The brain of his was giving him signals saying don't trust her cause she is a Betazoid and Don was one of those folks don't like anyone prying in his brain or thoughts. In a way his brain was playing intuition for him.

"I am sorry. I just need to be alone," he said. He walked away and simply was strolling down the street. He was trying to put things together. He lifted his head up as he saw bull horn rack on someone wagon. The horns had brought that image of a female with horns which he felt he had an attachment too.

He got to the end of some building and he sat down on the porch. He placed his hands to his head and his elbows on his knees. This was making him feel loss.

This being in Paradise felt wrong, like he wanted to move onward but he had wanted to stay. He was so confuse and the others felt the same. He could try round them up and talk among them. . . then he remembered the Sheriff mention some hint of not making trouble. They had meet up secretly without anyone noticing. But as now he had needed to clear his mind.

[Tekin Nevir]

[Saloon - Paradise, AZ]

Nevill Tecan was having a great night.  Between his winning streak and the free booze offered by the sheriff, he was quickly becoming one happy man.  Another hand... another bluff... and ha!  They fell for it.  But even as he watched the table, his eyes darting to the cards and the chips, he kept seeing himself learning the game.  With a window that looked out to the stars.

But even with his winning streak, his eyes kept darting to the bar itself.  A sense of familiarity.  Did he travel with them?  He must have.  He couldn't remember when he arrived here, he just remembered coming here; his own reputation helping to put Paradise on the map.  Once the Mississippi card sharks hear where the Nose was, they were sure to flock to this new town.  And he could be king of the house at that time.

Between looks to the bar, his increasing inebration, and general tiredness, he put down a full house and collected the money.  These men wanted to go for another round.. double or nothing, but the Nose could smell when it was time to stop.  Thats when the jeering started.  It seemed the reason why Nevill wanted to stop was accepted as him being able to talk to one of the dames.  He laughed and denied it, but there was the fact that he had been glancing over at them.

"You mean to tell me that you traveled with that Arabian princess and not once have you been wooed by her?"

Nevill laughed.  "Well... I wouldn't say that... but I can be a gentleman when I want." he said, shrugging as he rolled up the paper money bills and put them in his secure pocket.

"And maybe when you don't want." that got another roar of laughter.  An unfortunate sign of the times, the men at the table were completely misogynistic.  Nevill felt like there was no harm in joining them; after all, thats what they were there for, right?  But he couldn't seem to bring himself to it.  It was just... easier to say he was gentleman.

"You mean to tell us that you have no want or desire to go pirootin' with someone like that?" one of the men said, and the others turned towards Nevill.  It took a second for him to remember what that term meant, and he glanced over at the girls again.

"Y'all ever consider if you played cards as well as you focused on the horizontal refreshment, you might be able to win a hand every so often?" he said, getting laughs again.

"His bullet's ricocheting, boys, I think he just don' want to kiss and tell." he said, as Nevill stood up from the table.  "You guys need better things to do instead of drink and pine.  Maybe actually get a gal instead of talking about it." he said with a smirk, walking over towards the bar.  He walked up next to Nira and Luby, and waved a hand.

"Git me a whiskey sunrise!" he called to the bartender, as he sat down and started counting his money.  He had the look of someone pleased with his luck.  He put the cash back in his jacket and turned towards the others.

"Another prosperous night!" he said, clearly half drunk already.

[Nira Said]

[Outside Paradise, AZ]

(Posted with permission from T'Lara)

With Commander T'Lara's approval, Savar was given authority to put together a team, but it did seem clear his mind was with Paradise.  The temporal agent sighed, and waiting for a group to be formed.  Once it was ready, they headed out on foot towards the north, to Fort Rim.

"You are unlike any Vulcan I have met." he commented as they headed towards the darken structure, guided only by moonlight.  "You seem to be more concerned about one person than the entire mission.  Or even entire crew.  It's unusual..." he said shaking his head.

"The T'hunga are... altered... to be temporal infiltrators.  A common practice.  They may be a faction in the Cold War, but they are not the one running the show.  Just the foot soldiers.  The psychic effect they have on your mind is cumulative; the longer they are around you, the deeper you get.  Based on previous encounters, they have two options to neutralize your away team.  One, imprisonment and guards.  But that takes at minimum a few days to a week.  The second is a sort of psychic relaxer.  Its acts like a jumpstart to accepting them.  It is entirely possible that the away team is part of the town's populace now, and not even realize it.  The effects are not permanent; they require constant influence.  More than likely there is something in the town that is keeping the people under their acceptance." he said, as they neared the large wooden structure.

From this close, they could see small fires started in the structure, as a result of the fight and set by the residents of the fort.  As for the residents... they were there.  All lying on the ground.  Many of them showing plasma burns.  Intermixed were men dressed in a uniform, with others dressed and either civilians or criminals.  And they seemed to have fought side by side instead of against each other.

A'ron activated his badge again and did a quick check.  "No lifesigns.  Looks like they retreated back to the town.  I don't get it... attacks like these garner attention.  There would no reason to risk a confrontation this open unless..." the agent looked up and into the fort itself.  Inside was the standard supplies of the US Calvary, including a line of previously panicked horses.

As the team started walking through the fort, A'ron stopped, and moved his foot.  There was a piece of paper on the ground next to a fallen bandito.  He picked it up and opened it.

"Threat of lizard men..." he read, before looking up.

"Find the fort commander's office!  See if they had paperwork talking about Paradise.  We may have found a reason." he said, looking around.

"And I think this would be a better place for your crew to settle for the night.  Fully stocked military outpost, covered walls... and little change of the T'hunga finding us." he said, looking at the horses.

"Plus... I think I have a plan for Paradise."

[Lieutenant JG Savar | Abandoned Mine >- Fort | Arizona Territory | Earth | 190something]

Savar merely shrugged at the temporal agent's words. He was not surprised by the words; in fact, he'd be surprised if he wasn't informed so. Most everybody he met mentioned it to him at some point or another.

"No, I'm not," he said with understanding. "You probably never even heard of the V'tosh ka'tur, haven't you? I'd be surprised if you did. Even in my century, few have even heard of them. I imagine  by your time they've all died out. Then again, the ways of the V'tosh ka'tur have been dying out for two hundred years or so now.

"Anyway," he said, "I did have a concern for one in particular. One whom I love. But, yes, it is unusual. She probably would tell me off, even if she wasn't Vulcan, V'tosh ka'tur or otherwise, for not putting duty first."

Then he listened as the temporal agent elaborated on the T'hunga. When he was finished, he replied, "Fascinating. They sound more like Jem'Hadar, or rather a variant that exudes natural hypnosis. It's a good thing the Founders never thought of a variant like that, or the whole Alpha Quadrant would be, as humans would put it, be absolutely 'screwed.' Perhaps they fell susceptible to the psychic relaxer, that's why I couldn't 'hear' my girl...Lieutenant Said, that is...until I got her unusual thoughts. If you say the effects require constant influence, getting deeper the longer they're around the T'hunga...surely it can't be that simple, but...does that mean to escape their influence, the team has to get away from the town?"

Much as he'd like to sneak into town, he decided to first go to the fort with the temporal agent. This was a demonstration that he decided to put his duty first, rather than put his personal feelings first, as all proper Vulcans do. Besides, now that Nira had established contact again, as much as he could inform her, cryptically, to advise that she and the away team get away from the town, there was a problem: If Paradise was close to the fort, then news of the attack are bound to reach it, and, again, the indigenous tribes are bound to be blamed, naturally. As such, people would be warned to stay in the town and not go anywhere.

As he looked around at the fort, the wheels in his head were turning, to coin the human expression. Once again, he began to think like Nira. There definitely weren't any indigenous tribes. Just men in uniform and men who looked like criminals. What was interesting was that they were working together and, more significantly, were displaying plasma burns typical of disruptor fire; Nira had shown him the different kinds of plasma burns; she learned what they looked like as part of her training as a forensics officer.

He saw the report the temporal agent saw. Reptile men...those had to be the T'hunga. That meant the fort personnel knew about the T'hunga and tried to assemble a force against them, even using criminals to bolster their numbers. And this was the result.

"That's an excellent idea, sir," said Savar when the temporal agent mentioned little change of the T'hunga finding them. "After all, the last place they'd expect to find us would be a place they recently attacked, now would they?"

He then proceeded around the compound, looking for the office. He kept his eyes out, paying attention, looking out for the highest rank of the fort possible. All the while, he still waited for Nira to talk to him again; he still didn't want to make contact with her, but rather, the other way around: she must contact him first. Plus, if he spoke briefly, if there was somebody aware of the connection, he'll be too fast for the T'hunga to catch him.

[Paradise town - AZ]

"Ah yes," he had replied as he took his eyes off the stars and looked at her.

It was Nira that felt they were out of place. He had a second weird thought of her. Which he was unsure to put his finger on. The fact he was not sure he had truly wanted to share he was feeling out of place with the others. What Don mind was playing instinct on Nira being a Betazoid. The brain of his was giving him signals saying don't trust her cause she is a Betazoid and Don was one of those folks don't like anyone prying in his brain or thoughts. In a way his brain was playing intuition for him.

"I am sorry. I just need to be alone," he said. He walked away and simply was strolling down the street. He was trying to put things together. He lifted his head up as he saw bull horn rack on someone wagon. The horns had brought that image of a female with horns which he felt he had an attachment too.

He got to the end of some building and he sat down on the porch. He placed his hands to his head and his elbows on his knees. This was making him feel loss.

This being in Paradise felt wrong, like he wanted to move onward but he had wanted to stay. He was so confuse and the others felt the same. He could try round them up and talk among them. . . then he remembered the Sheriff mention some hint of not making trouble. They had meet up secretly without anyone noticing. But as now he had needed to clear his mind.

[Saloon - Paradise, AZ]

Nevill Tecan was having a great night.  Between his winning streak and the free booze offered by the sheriff, he was quickly becoming one happy man.  Another hand... another bluff... and ha!  They fell for it.  But even as he watched the table, his eyes darting to the cards and the chips, he kept seeing himself learning the game.  With a window that looked out to the stars.

But even with his winning streak, his eyes kept darting to the bar itself.  A sense of familiarity.  Did he travel with them?  He must have.  He couldn't remember when he arrived here, he just remembered coming here; his own reputation helping to put Paradise on the map.  Once the Mississippi card sharks hear where the Nose was, they were sure to flock to this new town.  And he could be king of the house at that time.

Between looks to the bar, his increasing inebration, and general tiredness, he put down a full house and collected the money.  These men wanted to go for another round.. double or nothing, but the Nose could smell when it was time to stop.  Thats when the jeering started.  It seemed the reason why Nevill wanted to stop was accepted as him being able to talk to one of the dames.  He laughed and denied it, but there was the fact that he had been glancing over at them.

"You mean to tell me that you traveled with that Arabian princess and not once have you been wooed by her?"

Nevill laughed.  "Well... I wouldn't say that... but I can be a gentleman when I want." he said, shrugging as he rolled up the paper money bills and put them in his secure pocket.

"And maybe when you don't want." that got another roar of laughter.  An unfortunate sign of the times, the men at the table were completely misogynistic.  Nevill felt like there was no harm in joining them; after all, thats what they were there for, right?  But he couldn't seem to bring himself to it.  It was just... easier to say he was gentleman.

"You mean to tell us that you have no want or desire to go pirootin' with someone like that?" one of the men said, and the others turned towards Nevill.  It took a second for him to remember what that term meant, and he glanced over at the girls again.

"Y'all ever consider if you played cards as well as you focused on the horizontal refreshment, you might be able to win a hand every so often?" he said, getting laughs again.

"His bullet's ricocheting, boys, I think he just don' want to kiss and tell." he said, as Nevill stood up from the table.  "You guys need better things to do instead of drink and pine.  Maybe actually get a gal instead of talking about it." he said with a smirk, walking over towards the bar.  He walked up next to Nira and Luby, and waved a hand.

"Git me a whiskey sunrise!" he called to the bartender, as he sat down and started counting his money.  He had the look of someone pleased with his luck.  He put the cash back in his jacket and turned towards the others.

"Another prosperous night!" he said, clearly half drunk already.

[Najwa/Nira (?) Said | Saloon | Paradise | Arizona Territory | Earth | 1899]

Nira's feelings were hurt at the way Don reacted to her and turned off, away from her. She wondered what his wife would think if she saw him pushing her away.

Either way, Nira could see that Don wanted to be alone. She could see that, definitely. So she decided to make her way back to the saloon. She saw that Luby had went over to the bar and she joined her there, and was surprised at the sight of Nevir, half drunk, ordering a whiskey. Nira was perplexed by this. This was the most wrong sight of all: somebody she looked up to, someone who was their spokesperson, their...captain, in a way, reduced to an imbibing party animal.

"Well, it's good that you made as much money as I did tonight, Nefir," said Nira, her (somehow falsely) thick Arabic accent stressing the f and r to sound like an exaggerated "v" and "ll" in her accent, "but I think you had enough to drink.

"Bartender," she said, "Just coffee. All of us for coffee. Hold off on the whiskey."

Turning sternly to Nevir, she said, "I'm surprised at you, Nefir. A good leader, as you have been for us, ought to be a better example, not to get himself drunk."

[Don Damien Addams]

[Paradise, AZ]

As Don was sitting on the edge of a porch he came out of his daze. The moon was high to brighten a white building which was sticking out. There was a steeple with a cross on top.

Cross belonged to Christ and God. That what he knew because that was something he saw in his life in Boston and his own childhood the world where he came from.

The cross had a pull like the stars. He had made him think of his grandparents which he had seen all lot when he was a kid. The childhood memories from the period time where he came from. He never took that path believing in the Almighty God which Christians had fear. Not fear like scared. Fear of what he can take away from your life. He knew that this God was a author of life and he knew each one by name.

He removed one hand from under his chin as he gave a weird sigh as he felt like he was beaten by words of wisdom. He recalled there was to be good and evil. That what his grandma said. There was a God and a Devil.

Then it hit him. The female had horns like animal but not like a goat. Still she had horns and he was not afraid of her. As recall a little the devil was a male figure. Or was he? He was suppose to be deity of lies.

He felt like he was not evil. "I can walk over there. If I go up in flames. I am evil. Simple as that," he stated to himself. "Well. I go on and try it."

The fellow got up on and walked to the church. Then he paused as he was about to step on it. He cringed as he stepped on the first step.

Nothing had happened. He then tapped his foot on the step. Then he took another. Then next thing he knew he was on the top landing of this church. The entry was right front of him.

"I am not burning!" he declared.

"Ah. You expect to be one fire, my son?" the preacher asked as he stepped out from the door he had opened.

"Ah," Don was stunned to see the man. Man of the robe. Was what they called him. "Well...ah...you...see...I...never see..." he rubbed the back his head. He was feeling loss of words. "I am not sure...."

The preacher listened to what Don had to say. That what preachers do well. They make great listeners. He nodded his head. The preacher smiled. "You came to the right place," he told Don as he placed his hand on the stranger shoulder.

"You see here you are able to say what you want. Speak and I will hear. I won't judge you. I can free you of your sins. That's what the blood of Christ does for the lost."

Lost. Don had tilted his head. He had felt he was lost. He was a man who had no religion he believed in every day was a day you live by. He figured the expansion of space was where life came from. Where? He was not sure. He never gave it to much thought. He was not like the boss with his 'religion' ways.

"Look, I am not here for your preaching preacher. I am just drawn to---" he was cut off.

"See? You were drawn here which he was calling you," the Preacher said.

"I heard nothing..no words," Don said.

The Preacher gave a small laugh. "Child. You felt it in your heart. Its the way of the light."

This was more what he wanted. This was not giving the answer what he was seeking. He regretted coming here.

"Look. I am sorry," he had wanted to talk about this horned female who he felt drawn too in his head. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, my child," the Preacher replied.

"What is evil?" he asked.

"Evil is the opposite of good. Evil wants to harm. Lie. Cheat. It is a very selfish. Greed. You done something that caused harm?" the preacher asked.

"Uhm no...I mean I guess not. To be honest I am not so sure," Don replied.

"Are you running from something you done. If so. I can hear it and I can have Jesus forgive you," the Preacher said.

Don shook his head. "No no. I had done nothing that sort of thing," he had a recall of flying some steal metal bird shooting other metal bird which was trying to shoot him. "What can you tell me about desires?" he asked. He was now feeling he wanted to flee this place.

"Depends. Let me assume you got a desire which is testing your heart. Desires can put you on the wrong path. Unless you desire for Christ."

Don shook his head. This preacher was not helping him. He sighed. "Can I just sit here and think?" he asked the man of cloth.

"These doors are open for he allows all to enter," the Preacher said.

Don moved over to a pew and sat down. There was a Bible front of him. He took it and opened it. The pages was much thinner he ever imagine. The text was small too. He was thumbing through it trying to find 'devil', 'horned female," and he fumbled on Songs of Song.

9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart; behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh in through the windows, he peereth through the lattice.

This popped out of the book into his mind. He remembered reading this. He was possible remembering this from a child. He smiled.

"Sir, may I have this?" he asked.

"Yes," the Preacher replied.

"Thank you," he smiled and he went back reading the Songs of Song in the Bible as he was feeling he had a connection. It was beautiful. This was possible a thing he was looking for?

[Danjar-Torra Addams]

Ensign Danjar-Torra Addams
[Abandoned Mine - Outside Paradise, AZ ]

With the decision made to relocate the crew to the more defensible Fort, Torra and Helga assisted in clearing out the dead and settling in the injured.  It was time consuming work, but it kept them busy until the senior officers came up with something better for them to do.

[Luby Wentock]

[Najwa/Nira (?) Said | Saloon | Paradise | Arizona Territory | Earth | 1899]

Nira's feelings were hurt at the way Don reacted to her and turned off, away from her. She wondered what his wife would think if she saw him pushing her away.

Either way, Nira could see that Don wanted to be alone. She could see that, definitely. So she decided to make her way back to the saloon. She saw that Luby had went over to the bar and she joined her there, and was surprised at the sight of Nevir, half drunk, ordering a whiskey. Nira was perplexed by this. This was the most wrong sight of all: somebody she looked up to, someone who was their spokesperson, their...captain, in a way, reduced to an imbibing party animal.

"Well, it's good that you made as much money as I did tonight, Nefir," said Nira, her (somehow falsely) thick Arabic accent stressing the f and r to sound like an exaggerated "v" and "ll" in her accent, "but I think you had enough to drink.

"Bartender," she said, "Just coffee. All of us for coffee. Hold off on the whiskey."

Turning sternly to Nevir, she said, "I'm surprised at you, Nefir. A good leader, as you have been for us, ought to be a better example, not to get himself drunk."

[Saloon Bar - Paradise, AZ]

"Nice dancing there tonight, my dear!" Luby said when Najwa/Nira joined them.  "And I'm more than happy with coffee, I had a drink before but just the one since I'm not a big drinker."

She too was surprised at Nevir drinking so heavily.  "My friend, you don't look yourself. A problem shared is a problem halved.  Let us take some of your burden. Tell us what is wrong!"

[Lek]

NPC Crewman Helga Tragnar
[North perimeter of Abandoned Mine - Outside Paradise, AZ ]

No one Helga talked to had any clue as to what the gunfire was about, though it had seemed to come from the north and as such extra sentries had been placed along the north perimeter.  When she asked about Torra's call, again she most didn't have a clue - which was frustrating for the Klingon.  One person however pointed up towards a hill, where Helga faintly noted several figures at it's crest.  She headed there, though kept her eyes open for anyone of rank.

Helga looked back towards Lek who had managed to keep pace with her - though to be honest she was slower than usual due to her injury.  He looked a little winded to her, but she was rather impressed he'd kept up.  As she turned to begin the trek up the hill, she slowed her pace just a tad - the ache in her ribs making the upwards climb more painful that just striding across flat ground.

"A moonlit stroll on the hillside... seems after this, I can't complain that we don't do things as a couple."

[North perimeter of Abandoned Mine - Outside Paradise, AZ ]

Although Lek struggled to keep up with Helga, he snorted in amusement at her comment, but then he felt a little bad that he'd not been spending more time with her.

"If the circumstances were different, it might be romantic. However, I do owe you an apology for not being available since you came aboard. The engine upgrades were so extensive that they consumed all my time and fat lot of good that did, as we wouldn't even be here if I'd done them correctly. And the worse part is, even if we do get back to our time, I'm going to either be busy defending myself during a court martial for getting into this mess in the first place or if I avoid being busted down to scullery maid, I'm going to be swamped with repairs of all the damage we've sustained.

"This is so unfair to you. It would have almost been better if you'd stayed on Challenger. Not that I would want that, I want you here, but nothing about your transfer has been good for you and I am really sorry about that."

[T'Lara]

[Outside Paradise, AZ]

(Posted with permission from T'Lara)

With Commander T'Lara's approval, Savar was given authority to put together a team, but it did seem clear his mind was with Paradise.  The temporal agent sighed, and waiting for a group to be formed.  Once it was ready, they headed out on foot towards the north, to Fort Rim.

"You are unlike any Vulcan I have met." he commented as they headed towards the darken structure, guided only by moonlight.  "You seem to be more concerned about one person than the entire mission.  Or even entire crew.  It's unusual..." he said shaking his head.

"The T'hunga are... altered... to be temporal infiltrators.  A common practice.  They may be a faction in the Cold War, but they are not the one running the show.  Just the foot soldiers.  The psychic effect they have on your mind is cumulative; the longer they are around you, the deeper you get.  Based on previous encounters, they have two options to neutralize your away team.  One, imprisonment and guards.  But that takes at minimum a few days to a week.  The second is a sort of psychic relaxer.  Its acts like a jumpstart to accepting them.  It is entirely possible that the away team is part of the town's populace now, and not even realize it.  The effects are not permanent; they require constant influence.  More than likely there is something in the town that is keeping the people under their acceptance." he said, as they neared the large wooden structure.

From this close, they could see small fires started in the structure, as a result of the fight and set by the residents of the fort.  As for the residents... they were there.  All lying on the ground.  Many of them showing plasma burns.  Intermixed were men dressed in a uniform, with others dressed and either civilians or criminals.  And they seemed to have fought side by side instead of against each other.

A'ron activated his badge again and did a quick check.  "No lifesigns.  Looks like they retreated back to the town.  I don't get it... attacks like these garner attention.  There would no reason to risk a confrontation this open unless..." the agent looked up and into the fort itself.  Inside was the standard supplies of the US Calvary, including a line of previously panicked horses.

As the team started walking through the fort, A'ron stopped, and moved his foot.  There was a piece of paper on the ground next to a fallen bandito.  He picked it up and opened it.

"Threat of lizard men..." he read, before looking up.

"Find the fort commander's office!  See if they had paperwork talking about Paradise.  We may have found a reason." he said, looking around.

"And I think this would be a better place for your crew to settle for the night.  Fully stocked military outpost, covered walls... and little change of the T'hunga finding us." he said, looking at the horses.

"Plus... I think I have a plan for Paradise."

[Lieutenant JG Savar | Abandoned Mine >- Fort | Arizona Territory | Earth | 190something]

Savar merely shrugged at the temporal agent's words. He was not surprised by the words; in fact, he'd be surprised if he wasn't informed so. Most everybody he met mentioned it to him at some point or another.

"No, I'm not," he said with understanding. "You probably never even heard of the V'tosh ka'tur, haven't you? I'd be surprised if you did. Even in my century, few have even heard of them. I imagine  by your time they've all died out. Then again, the ways of the V'tosh ka'tur have been dying out for two hundred years or so now.

"Anyway," he said, "I did have a concern for one in particular. One whom I love. But, yes, it is unusual. She probably would tell me off, even if she wasn't Vulcan, V'tosh ka'tur or otherwise, for not putting duty first."

Then he listened as the temporal agent elaborated on the T'hunga. When he was finished, he replied, "Fascinating. They sound more like Jem'Hadar, or rather a variant that exudes natural hypnosis. It's a good thing the Founders never thought of a variant like that, or the whole Alpha Quadrant would be, as humans would put it, be absolutely 'screwed.' Perhaps they fell susceptible to the psychic relaxer, that's why I couldn't 'hear' my girl...Lieutenant Said, that is...until I got her unusual thoughts. If you say the effects require constant influence, getting deeper the longer they're around the T'hunga...surely it can't be that simple, but...does that mean to escape their influence, the team has to get away from the town?"

Much as he'd like to sneak into town, he decided to first go to the fort with the temporal agent. This was a demonstration that he decided to put his duty first, rather than put his personal feelings first, as all proper Vulcans do. Besides, now that Nira had established contact again, as much as he could inform her, cryptically, to advise that she and the away team get away from the town, there was a problem: If Paradise was close to the fort, then news of the attack are bound to reach it, and, again, the indigenous tribes are bound to be blamed, naturally. As such, people would be warned to stay in the town and not go anywhere.

As he looked around at the fort, the wheels in his head were turning, to coin the human expression. Once again, he began to think like Nira. There definitely weren't any indigenous tribes. Just men in uniform and men who looked like criminals. What was interesting was that they were working together and, more significantly, were displaying plasma burns typical of disruptor fire; Nira had shown him the different kinds of plasma burns; she learned what they looked like as part of her training as a forensics officer.

He saw the report the temporal agent saw. Reptile men...those had to be the T'hunga. That meant the fort personnel knew about the T'hunga and tried to assemble a force against them, even using criminals to bolster their numbers. And this was the result.

"That's an excellent idea, sir," said Savar when the temporal agent mentioned little change of the T'hunga finding them. "After all, the last place they'd expect to find us would be a place they recently attacked, now would they?"

He then proceeded around the compound, looking for the office. He kept his eyes out, paying attention, looking out for the highest rank of the fort possible. All the while, he still waited for Nira to talk to him again; he still didn't want to make contact with her, but rather, the other way around: she must contact him first. Plus, if he spoke briefly, if there was somebody aware of the connection, he'll be too fast for the T'hunga to catch him.
[Najwa/Nira (?) Said | Saloon | Paradise | Arizona Territory | Earth | 1899]

Nira's feelings were hurt at the way Don reacted to her and turned off, away from her. She wondered what his wife would think if she saw him pushing her away.

Either way, Nira could see that Don wanted to be alone. She could see that, definitely. So she decided to make her way back to the saloon. She saw that Luby had went over to the bar and she joined her there, and was surprised at the sight of Nevir, half drunk, ordering a whiskey. Nira was perplexed by this. This was the most wrong sight of all: somebody she looked up to, someone who was their spokesperson, their...captain, in a way, reduced to an imbibing party animal.

"Well, it's good that you made as much money as I did tonight, Nefir," said Nira, her (somehow falsely) thick Arabic accent stressing the f and r to sound like an exaggerated "v" and "ll" in her accent, "but I think you had enough to drink.

"Bartender," she said, "Just coffee. All of us for coffee. Hold off on the whiskey."

Turning sternly to Nevir, she said, "I'm surprised at you, Nefir. A good leader, as you have been for us, ought to be a better example, not to get himself drunk."

[Outside Paradise, AZ]

T'Lara listened to A'ron and went along with his council, offering all the resources at her disposal. The fact was she was in a situation where she knew very little, so she went along with the person who knew more. She listened to the exchanges between him and Savar, looking curiously at the other Vulcan as he explained his behavior. She knew of the V'tosh ka'tur he spoke of, but had never considered it to be a very logical lifestyle, even though she was part human. It was a rare practice, and she wondered why she had not interacted closely enough with Savar to notice it. His mannerisms were slightly unsettling, and she preferred to keep him at a distance for now. She could sense the anxious emotion coming from him and quietly decided that she would trust him to make this team. But if his emotions interfered with his ability to do his job she would assign someone else, even if he did have a connection with one of the away team members.

They came to the conclusion that whatever was happening to the away team, (and there were many theories) they needed to be rescued somehow. And soon. T'Lara consulted with A'ron and asked the higher ranking officers in the remaining crew for their opinions as they formulated a plan. They would stay at the fort for the night and, she followed A'ron's gaze...do something tomorrow involving horses. This could be interesting.

[Tekin Nevir]

[Najwa/Nira (?) Said | Saloon | Paradise | Arizona Territory | Earth | 1899]

Nira's feelings were hurt at the way Don reacted to her and turned off, away from her. She wondered what his wife would think if she saw him pushing her away.

Either way, Nira could see that Don wanted to be alone. She could see that, definitely. So she decided to make her way back to the saloon. She saw that Luby had went over to the bar and she joined her there, and was surprised at the sight of Nevir, half drunk, ordering a whiskey. Nira was perplexed by this. This was the most wrong sight of all: somebody she looked up to, someone who was their spokesperson, their...captain, in a way, reduced to an imbibing party animal.

"Well, it's good that you made as much money as I did tonight, Nefir," said Nira, her (somehow falsely) thick Arabic accent stressing the f and r to sound like an exaggerated "v" and "ll" in her accent, "but I think you had enough to drink.

"Bartender," she said, "Just coffee. All of us for coffee. Hold off on the whiskey."

Turning sternly to Nevir, she said, "I'm surprised at you, Nefir. A good leader, as you have been for us, ought to be a better example, not to get himself drunk."

[Saloon Bar - Paradise, AZ]

"Nice dancing there tonight, my dear!" Luby said when Najwa/Nira joined them.  "And I'm more than happy with coffee, I had a drink before but just the one since I'm not a big drinker."

She too was surprised at Nevir drinking so heavily.  "My friend, you don't look yourself. A problem shared is a problem halved.  Let us take some of your burden. Tell us what is wrong!"

[Saloon - Paradise, AZ Terr]

Nevill frowned as the bartender stopped halfway with the whiskey, and instead started going for a metal pot.  He turned to look at Nira, and then to Miss Luby the teacher.

"I ain't no where near as drunk as a hog.  Besides, ain't we supposed to be celebrating?" he said, though he didn't try to argue more with the girls.  Something told him he shouldn't.

"There are only three things God put me on this earth for: poker, whiskey, and shootin'.  And I ain't about ta deny the Prophet..." he said, stopping as for a moment, he couldn't figure out why he said Prophet instead of God or the good Lord... and why did keeping visualizing more of them?  Wasn't there only one God?

As the coffee was delivered, Nevill adjusted his duster as he put a foot up on one of the rungs of the bar.  His duster fell to reveal a revolver on his leg.  Out of instinct he rested his hand on the butt of his gun for a moment, and then straightened himself, looking at the steaming cup of black water.

"I think you should listen to the fine ladies, Mr Nose.  Besides, we have a big day tomorrow." said a voice behind him, and he turned to see the Sheriff standing behind him.  This man did have his duster open showing his own weapons.  Nevill sighed, and nodded.

"Alright, alright.  Y'all right." he said, picking up the coffee and taking a drink... and almost retched at the bitterness.  He had forgotten the taste of black coffee. But it was supposed to help, so he drank it.  Best to avoid a headache later.

"I think that should go for all of us.  Rest up; we have a big day tomorrow!" the sheriff stated, and the majority of the patrons began to get up and collect their things.

With that, the group ( at least those still there) felt the urge to call it a night, and Nevill get himself up, walking out with the others.  As they entered the night sky, Nevill did what he always did.. look up at the stars.  It definitely seemed to sober him up, as others around him unhooked their horses and rode, or walked away from the saloon towards the private homesteads.. or like them, going for the inn.  For the first time in a long time, though, looking up at the stars bothered him.  He felt... unfulfilled.  Like he was missing something.

Some of the men leaving made comments about Nevill, Nira, and Luby, but those he kinda ignored.  Instead of giving a wisecrack response, he just... stood there.  He finally was roused from his trance by his companions, and he sighed.  The cardshark, the dancer, the teacher, the writer, and the artist... unlikely companions on a trek across the West until they finally found Paradise.  Tomorrow would be a big day.

"Alright...why don't we all get some shuteye.  I for one can't wait to see the benny train." he said, leading the others towards the inn, and for the night.

[Tekin Nevir]

[Outside Paradise, AZ]

T'Lara listened to A'ron and went along with his council, offering all the resources at her disposal. The fact was she was in a situation where she knew very little, so she went along with the person who knew more. She listened to the exchanges between him and Savar, looking curiously at the other Vulcan as he explained his behavior. She knew of the V'tosh ka'tur he spoke of, but had never considered it to be a very logical lifestyle, even though she was part human. It was a rare practice, and she wondered why she had not interacted closely enough with Savar to notice it. His mannerisms were slightly unsettling, and she preferred to keep him at a distance for now. She could sense the anxious emotion coming from him and quietly decided that she would trust him to make this team. But if his emotions interfered with his ability to do his job she would assign someone else, even if he did have a connection with one of the away team members.

They came to the conclusion that whatever was happening to the away team, (and there were many theories) they needed to be rescued somehow. And soon. T'Lara consulted with A'ron and asked the higher ranking officers in the remaining crew for their opinions as they formulated a plan. They would stay at the fort for the night and, she followed A'ron's gaze...do something tomorrow involving horses. This could be interesting.

[Lt A'Ron - Fort Rim, AZ Terr]

With the crew safely inside the wooden fort, the doors were pulled closed with a couple of the security officers acting as sentries, at least for the first shift.  But with no electronics, it was just a pitch black sea they were looking at.

In the commander's office, they found exactly what they were looking for.  Notes and records about the happenings in Paradise.  Finally, thanks to the notes of an officer, the full picture was revealed.

It was about 8 months ago that the Paradise mines ran dry, and the Rinthals were desperate to hold onto their town.  It happened one day out of the blue in June; Mr. Rinthal walked into town with a stranger wrapped in leathers, and holding a white rock. The rock was a substance that the stranger called benny.  It had a peculiar power to it, and putting heat through it gave off more energy than coal ever could.

Almost overnight the stranger became part of the town, and when he revealed his face, there were no gasps, just acceptance.  It was the calvary coming into town that the first notice of anything strange occured.  The people of the town had put the stranger as sheriff, and they were more hostile to the soldiers than to the literal non-human.  The cavalry had an uneasy state of relations with the town, and spread the word to other military outposts of something strange going on.  There had been no response, and twice their runners vanished and didn't come back.

The town had since been doing a lot of mining for more of this benny, and working on a new type of engine.  As people escaped Paradise, they told of feelings of normality, and it was recently discovered that some of their missing soldiers were living different lives in the town.  A raid was being planned between the calvary and anyone who wanted to pick up a rifle against these lizard men.  The raid was planned for tomorrow; the same day that the rail lines get connected and Paradise sends out their new train.

The commander didn't put down any intentions, but he did scribble one message "Warn Washington", which he underlined, circled, and added exclamation points.

With the meeting of A'Ron, T'Lara, and the senior officers, a sample of the benny rock recovered by the dead military was easily recognizable, especially to the engineers.

Benamite.

There wasn't much time for planning; they had to rescue the away team and stop the town tomorrow, before the train left the station.  With benenite being used as a powersource, the train would end up too fast to catch on the ground.  At least with A'Ron there, they had more insight on who they were going up against.

"The T'hunga are infiltrators; they were designed that way.  Several of the subfactions took to genetic modification of different species for us.  Some to be able to blend in, and others, like the T'Hunga, to be able to hide themselves in the minds of their victims.  In addition to their natural mind altering effects, they had equipment to speed up the process, and medical concoctions made to lower the mind's mental protections.  Since they recognized the threat of the my Federation by seeing yours, more than likely all three techniques have been used on the away team, including your captain.  The longer they remain in Paradise, the harder it will be to free them from mental enslavement.  The problem is they block out who you are in place for who you could be; that way they are less likely to reject it."

He sighed, shaking his head.  "They get a perverse pleasure of finding spies and altering them to be what their cover story was.  With your actual identity hidden, all it takes is a hinted backstory and the brain naturally starts to fill in the gaps.  You first remember arriving, and maybe know of the journey there, then more bits of your past are filled in.  By doing this, the T'hunga can program you into doing what they want, or what they need.  Worst still, you would be following their plan and knowing the details about it without you realizing it.  But.. thats not the worst part;" he said, shaking his head.

"What's worse is that they have a failsafe.  Break the worldview of the victims and you risk brain damage.  It sounds unusual, but the best way to beat them is at their own game; playing the part." he said, gesturing around.

"If we fire phasers, that would risk damage; so while we are in the town, the more we keep to the times the better.  The timeline has already been damaged enough, and we can't fix it until we disable their temporal device.  So, the plan is to followed exactly what was stated," he said, putting his hand on the paperwork.

"The T'hunga tried to prevent a rain on the town; I say we give them one.  One group as a distraction, the second to find and disable the devices.  Once you are out of sight of the people, phasers are free to be used.  The distraction group, if you can find and locate the away team, then the best thing to do is knock them out." he said, putting down a hypospray.

"This is an all hands on deck type of situation.  The town is already set up to accept aliens as just a part of life.  So we have 12 hours to learn how to ride, shoot, and dress the part.  That is the best plan I've got.  Any questions?" he asked, looking around.

If there were none, then it was time to scour the fort for clothing, be able to get on horses, and of course use a projectile weapon.  Also sleep.

[Danjar-Torra Addams]

NPC Crewman Helga Tragnar
[North perimeter of Abandoned Mine - Outside Paradise, AZ ] (earlier while returning to the mine...)

[North perimeter of Abandoned Mine - Outside Paradise, AZ ]

Although Lek struggled to keep up with Helga, he snorted in amusement at her comment, but then he felt a little bad that he'd not been spending more time with her.

"If the circumstances were different, it might be romantic. However, I do owe you an apology for not being available since you came aboard. The engine upgrades were so extensive that they consumed all my time and fat lot of good that did, as we wouldn't even be here if I'd done them correctly. And the worse part is, even if we do get back to our time, I'm going to either be busy defending myself during a court martial for getting into this mess in the first place or if I avoid being busted down to scullery maid, I'm going to be swamped with repairs of all the damage we've sustained.

"This is so unfair to you. It would have almost been better if you'd stayed on Challenger. Not that I would want that, I want you here, but nothing about your transfer has been good for you and I am really sorry about that."

What had been intended as a bit of humor to defuse the seriousness of the situation, went sideways for Helga when Lek went from apologizing for not spending time with her to apologizing and taking on the blame for the whole accident.   Helga had no clue what had cause the initial crash but Lek was the most brilliant engineer she knew.

Without stopping their trek back to the mine, Helga responded to his words. "I don't believe that it was your fault.  Not for one second.  I may not know what happened.  But you are too skillful for it to be anything you missed.  There's either some fundamental flaw in the system or an unexpected factor that it was never meant to operate with.  That's what I think."

She didn't look back to see if he accepted her words.  That might show doubt, and Helga had none.  She did however continue, remarking next on their personal relationship.  "And don't you dare for one second think that I regret my transfer.  Yeah, you've been busy.. and will be busy after this. But it's not like I couldn't or won't drag attention to myself when I feel I need it.   For now, I can be patient."

It was only then that she glanced over to him, and gave him toothy-grin that held a promise of things to come.  "You're worth the wait."

Ensign Danjar-Torra Addams
[Fort Rim, AZ Terr] (morning after moving to the Fort)

Orders filtered down from those meeting with the individual known as A'ron.   Rumors abounded among the lower ranks as to who he was and why the Commander was listening to his council in the aftermath of the disappearance of the ship.  As happens with rumor, the theories grew wilder and wilder. Among the more ridiculous suggestions was that he was from a mirror-verse, or even the future.

Torra, only somewhat in the know, wanted to denounce, correct or clarify these rumors, but her voice would only be one of many having little to no authority to make such corrections and her incomplete picture might only make the rumors worse.

It was only after the entire crew had been moved to the Fort, and the Commander and the senior officers had returned from the Fort Commanders' office that things were laid bare to the crew.  There could be no confusion on what to do or it would put people's minds in danger.  With the order to proceed with the raid in disguise as Fort personnel, Torra was now passing around era-appropriate attire and weapons to all the functioning crew.

"For now we are to blend in.  Anyone with skill in horseback riding and/or pistol or rifle use... please mention these skills to your department head so you can be assigned a role appropriately." Torra calmly advised the latest group she was handing out clothing to. "Are there any questions?"

[Lek]

NPC Crewman Helga Tragnar
[North perimeter of Abandoned Mine - Outside Paradise, AZ ] (earlier while returning to the mine...)

What had been intended as a bit of humor to defuse the seriousness of the situation, went sideways for Helga when Lek went from apologizing for not spending time with her to apologizing and taking on the blame for the whole accident.   Helga had no clue what had cause the initial crash but Lek was the most brilliant engineer she knew.

Without stopping their trek back to the mine, Helga responded to his words. "I don't believe that it was your fault.  Not for one second.  I may not know what happened.  But you are too skillful for it to be anything you missed.  There's either some fundamental flaw in the system or an unexpected factor that it was never meant to operate with.  That's what I think."

She didn't look back to see if he accepted her words.  That might show doubt, and Helga had none.  She did however continue, remarking next on their personal relationship.  "And don't you dare for one second think that I regret my transfer.  Yeah, you've been busy.. and will be busy after this. But it's not like I couldn't or won't drag attention to myself when I feel I need it.   For now, I can be patient."

It was only then that she glanced over to him, and gave him toothy-grin that held a promise of things to come.  "You're worth the wait."

[North perimeter of Abandoned Mine - Outside Paradise, AZ]

Lek was pleased Helga wasn't mad at her. He hadn't meant to ignore her, but when he had an engineering task to solve, he knew had a tendency to become consumed by that task. He especially took heart in her confidence that them being trapped in the past wasn't his fault. He wasn't certain he believed her, but it felt good to hear her say it.

"Thank you Helga. I'm fairly certain I don't deserve you."

[Lt A'Ron - Fort Rim, AZ Terr]

With the crew safely inside the wooden fort, the doors were pulled closed with a couple of the security officers acting as sentries, at least for the first shift.  But with no electronics, it was just a pitch black sea they were looking at.

In the commander's office, they found exactly what they were looking for.  Notes and records about the happenings in Paradise.  Finally, thanks to the notes of an officer, the full picture was revealed.

It was about 8 months ago that the Paradise mines ran dry, and the Rinthals were desperate to hold onto their town.  It happened one day out of the blue in June; Mr. Rinthal walked into town with a stranger wrapped in leathers, and holding a white rock. The rock was a substance that the stranger called benny.  It had a peculiar power to it, and putting heat through it gave off more energy than coal ever could.

Almost overnight the stranger became part of the town, and when he revealed his face, there were no gasps, just acceptance.  It was the calvary coming into town that the first notice of anything strange occured.  The people of the town had put the stranger as sheriff, and they were more hostile to the soldiers than to the literal non-human.  The cavalry had an uneasy state of relations with the town, and spread the word to other military outposts of something strange going on.  There had been no response, and twice their runners vanished and didn't come back.

The town had since been doing a lot of mining for more of this benny, and working on a new type of engine.  As people escaped Paradise, they told of feelings of normality, and it was recently discovered that some of their missing soldiers were living different lives in the town.  A raid was being planned between the calvary and anyone who wanted to pick up a rifle against these lizard men.  The raid was planned for tomorrow; the same day that the rail lines get connected and Paradise sends out their new train.

The commander didn't put down any intentions, but he did scribble one message "Warn Washington", which he underlined, circled, and added exclamation points.

With the meeting of A'Ron, T'Lara, and the senior officers, a sample of the benny rock recovered by the dead military was easily recognizable, especially to the engineers.

Benamite.

There wasn't much time for planning; they had to rescue the away team and stop the town tomorrow, before the train left the station.  With benenite being used as a powersource, the train would end up too fast to catch on the ground.  At least with A'Ron there, they had more insight on who they were going up against.

"The T'hunga are infiltrators; they were designed that way.  Several of the subfactions took to genetic modification of different species for us.  Some to be able to blend in, and others, like the T'Hunga, to be able to hide themselves in the minds of their victims.  In addition to their natural mind altering effects, they had equipment to speed up the process, and medical concoctions made to lower the mind's mental protections.  Since they recognized the threat of the my Federation by seeing yours, more than likely all three techniques have been used on the away team, including your captain.  The longer they remain in Paradise, the harder it will be to free them from mental enslavement.  The problem is they block out who you are in place for who you could be; that way they are less likely to reject it."

He sighed, shaking his head.  "They get a perverse pleasure of finding spies and altering them to be what their cover story was.  With your actual identity hidden, all it takes is a hinted backstory and the brain naturally starts to fill in the gaps.  You first remember arriving, and maybe know of the journey there, then more bits of your past are filled in.  By doing this, the T'hunga can program you into doing what they want, or what they need.  Worst still, you would be following their plan and knowing the details about it without you realizing it.  But.. thats not the worst part;" he said, shaking his head.

"What's worse is that they have a failsafe.  Break the worldview of the victims and you risk brain damage.  It sounds unusual, but the best way to beat them is at their own game; playing the part." he said, gesturing around.

"If we fire phasers, that would risk damage; so while we are in the town, the more we keep to the times the better.  The timeline has already been damaged enough, and we can't fix it until we disable their temporal device.  So, the plan is to followed exactly what was stated," he said, putting his hand on the paperwork.

"The T'hunga tried to prevent a rain on the town; I say we give them one.  One group as a distraction, the second to find and disable the devices.  Once you are out of sight of the people, phasers are free to be used.  The distraction group, if you can find and locate the away team, then the best thing to do is knock them out." he said, putting down a hypospray.

"This is an all hands on deck type of situation.  The town is already set up to accept aliens as just a part of life.  So we have 12 hours to learn how to ride, shoot, and dress the part.  That is the best plan I've got.  Any questions?" he asked, looking around.

If there were none, then it was time to scour the fort for clothing, be able to get on horses, and of course use a projectile weapon.  Also sleep.

[Fort Rim, AZ Terr]

Lek listen to A'ron, who he already decided he didn't like with increasing concern for the Captain and the others of the away team. However, when it came to the idea of a raid on the town, Lek had had enough.

"Are you out of your gorram mind? Does it look like I could ride one of those beasts?"

[Nira Said]

[Saloon - Paradise, AZ Terr]

Nevill frowned as the bartender stopped halfway with the whiskey, and instead started going for a metal pot.  He turned to look at Nira, and then to Miss Luby the teacher.

"I ain't no where near as drunk as a hog.  Besides, ain't we supposed to be celebrating?" he said, though he didn't try to argue more with the girls.  Something told him he shouldn't.

"There are only three things God put me on this earth for: poker, whiskey, and shootin'.  And I ain't about ta deny the Prophet..." he said, stopping as for a moment, he couldn't figure out why he said Prophet instead of God or the good Lord... and why did keeping visualizing more of them?  Wasn't there only one God?

As the coffee was delivered, Nevill adjusted his duster as he put a foot up on one of the rungs of the bar.  His duster fell to reveal a revolver on his leg.  Out of instinct he rested his hand on the butt of his gun for a moment, and then straightened himself, looking at the steaming cup of black water.

"I think you should listen to the fine ladies, Mr Nose.  Besides, we have a big day tomorrow." said a voice behind him, and he turned to see the Sheriff standing behind him.  This man did have his duster open showing his own weapons.  Nevill sighed, and nodded.

"Alright, alright.  Y'all right." he said, picking up the coffee and taking a drink... and almost retched at the bitterness.  He had forgotten the taste of black coffee. But it was supposed to help, so he drank it.  Best to avoid a headache later.

"I think that should go for all of us.  Rest up; we have a big day tomorrow!" the sheriff stated, and the majority of the patrons began to get up and collect their things.

With that, the group ( at least those still there) felt the urge to call it a night, and Nevill get himself up, walking out with the others.  As they entered the night sky, Nevill did what he always did.. look up at the stars.  It definitely seemed to sober him up, as others around him unhooked their horses and rode, or walked away from the saloon towards the private homesteads.. or like them, going for the inn.  For the first time in a long time, though, looking up at the stars bothered him.  He felt... unfulfilled.  Like he was missing something.

Some of the men leaving made comments about Nevill, Nira, and Luby, but those he kinda ignored.  Instead of giving a wisecrack response, he just... stood there.  He finally was roused from his trance by his companions, and he sighed.  The cardshark, the dancer, the teacher, the writer, and the artist... unlikely companions on a trek across the West until they finally found Paradise.  Tomorrow would be a big day.

"Alright...why don't we all get some shuteye.  I for one can't wait to see the benny train." he said, leading the others towards the inn, and for the night.

[Najwa/Nira (?) Said | Saloon >- Inn | Paradise | Arizona Territory | 1899]

Nira flinched. Surely the word Prophet was familiar to the Nose. But then, she saw the Sheriff arrive again. She was a little surprised at how he appeared unexpectedly. It was like he had appeared out of nowhere. Remembering that she wasn't paying attention last time, Nira tried to feel something from the Sheriff...what he was feeling, what he was thinking...

...what she saw disturbed her so much, she shivered in unease, though she made it pass as a shiver of pleasure through her. She couldn't feel anything from the Sheriff, but there was more: not only could she not feel any emotion or thought, he was a walking psychic dead zone, practically a walking void. Nira had a wry thought that she wouldn't be surprised if she saw that he literally didn't have a soul, that where there should be a skeleton and cartilage under all that flesh was a shell containing sentient oblivion. Definitely a vampire.

Then, as he spoke, she instantly felt the urge to call it the night, like the rest of them. Nira knew she was fatigued from dancing, but the urge...the thought of needed bed didn't occur to her until now. But something disturbed her even further: the urge was not her own. It was implanted into her, an outside suggestion. Definitely a vampire, one with natural hypnosis.

"Shall we, Lu?" she asked. "Miss Stone will worry if we're out too long."

Returning to the inn, Nira...no, Najwa... felt so sleepy. But a part of her mind left her quite uneasy. It seemed two halves in her mind battled out, the suspicious half combating against the side that wanted to follow the Sheriff's urge. Finally, it seemed they both reached a compromise. Sleep will come, but thinking matters lying down helped.

Najwa was so tired that upon reaching her room, she just simply let the saloon dress slip off. Bits and pieces strewn about, but she made sure she wrapped a blanked around her until all that showed were just her legs and shoulders. Somehow, the idea of being au natural didn't bother Nira; others like her didn't mind...but she furrowed her brow. Arabs? Surely not. Betazoids, may...be...?

She lay on the bed. Sleepy as she was, there was plenty bothering her. Something was wrong here.

Somehow, she couldn't decide what she could mention to her Imzadi, her elf. What could she even tell him? So she talked to Lu, as she had intended. She moved silently to Lu and spoke quietly.

"Lu...don't you think we even belong here? Don't you think...something's wrong here?"

[Lt A'Ron - Fort Rim, AZ Terr]

With the crew safely inside the wooden fort, the doors were pulled closed with a couple of the security officers acting as sentries, at least for the first shift.  But with no electronics, it was just a pitch black sea they were looking at.

In the commander's office, they found exactly what they were looking for.  Notes and records about the happenings in Paradise.  Finally, thanks to the notes of an officer, the full picture was revealed.

It was about 8 months ago that the Paradise mines ran dry, and the Rinthals were desperate to hold onto their town.  It happened one day out of the blue in June; Mr. Rinthal walked into town with a stranger wrapped in leathers, and holding a white rock. The rock was a substance that the stranger called benny.  It had a peculiar power to it, and putting heat through it gave off more energy than coal ever could.

Almost overnight the stranger became part of the town, and when he revealed his face, there were no gasps, just acceptance.  It was the calvary coming into town that the first notice of anything strange occured.  The people of the town had put the stranger as sheriff, and they were more hostile to the soldiers than to the literal non-human.  The cavalry had an uneasy state of relations with the town, and spread the word to other military outposts of something strange going on.  There had been no response, and twice their runners vanished and didn't come back.

The town had since been doing a lot of mining for more of this benny, and working on a new type of engine.  As people escaped Paradise, they told of feelings of normality, and it was recently discovered that some of their missing soldiers were living different lives in the town.  A raid was being planned between the calvary and anyone who wanted to pick up a rifle against these lizard men.  The raid was planned for tomorrow; the same day that the rail lines get connected and Paradise sends out their new train.

The commander didn't put down any intentions, but he did scribble one message "Warn Washington", which he underlined, circled, and added exclamation points.

With the meeting of A'Ron, T'Lara, and the senior officers, a sample of the benny rock recovered by the dead military was easily recognizable, especially to the engineers.

Benamite.

There wasn't much time for planning; they had to rescue the away team and stop the town tomorrow, before the train left the station.  With benenite being used as a powersource, the train would end up too fast to catch on the ground.  At least with A'Ron there, they had more insight on who they were going up against.

"The T'hunga are infiltrators; they were designed that way.  Several of the subfactions took to genetic modification of different species for us.  Some to be able to blend in, and others, like the T'Hunga, to be able to hide themselves in the minds of their victims.  In addition to their natural mind altering effects, they had equipment to speed up the process, and medical concoctions made to lower the mind's mental protections.  Since they recognized the threat of the my Federation by seeing yours, more than likely all three techniques have been used on the away team, including your captain.  The longer they remain in Paradise, the harder it will be to free them from mental enslavement.  The problem is they block out who you are in place for who you could be; that way they are less likely to reject it."

He sighed, shaking his head.  "They get a perverse pleasure of finding spies and altering them to be what their cover story was.  With your actual identity hidden, all it takes is a hinted backstory and the brain naturally starts to fill in the gaps.  You first remember arriving, and maybe know of the journey there, then more bits of your past are filled in.  By doing this, the T'hunga can program you into doing what they want, or what they need.  Worst still, you would be following their plan and knowing the details about it without you realizing it.  But.. thats not the worst part;" he said, shaking his head.

"What's worse is that they have a failsafe.  Break the worldview of the victims and you risk brain damage.  It sounds unusual, but the best way to beat them is at their own game; playing the part." he said, gesturing around.

"If we fire phasers, that would risk damage; so while we are in the town, the more we keep to the times the better.  The timeline has already been damaged enough, and we can't fix it until we disable their temporal device.  So, the plan is to followed exactly what was stated," he said, putting his hand on the paperwork.

"The T'hunga tried to prevent a rain on the town; I say we give them one.  One group as a distraction, the second to find and disable the devices.  Once you are out of sight of the people, phasers are free to be used.  The distraction group, if you can find and locate the away team, then the best thing to do is knock them out." he said, putting down a hypospray.

"This is an all hands on deck type of situation.  The town is already set up to accept aliens as just a part of life.  So we have 12 hours to learn how to ride, shoot, and dress the part.  That is the best plan I've got.  Any questions?" he asked, looking around.

If there were none, then it was time to scour the fort for clothing, be able to get on horses, and of course use a projectile weapon.  Also sleep.

[Lieutenant JG Savar | Fort Rim | North of Paradise | Arizona Territory | 1899]

Savar looked at the reports with the temporal agent. So, the cavalry noticed something was wrong with the town, and it seemed they were finally dealt with. What disturbed him in particular was the mention of benny...bennyrock...benamite. Of course he recognized it. The science personnel - and Savar was the second-ranking science officer - was told about benamite, and how critical it was to slipstream systems.

"How the hell is there even a deposit of benamite here on Earth?" he asked with surprise. "Seems like, in a way, a godsend. Which is saying a lot, coming from a Vulcan, even a V'tosh ka'tur. If we need slipstream, it may be what we need," he added, turning to Lek.

As the temporal agent explained further on the T'hunga's means of mind manipulation, Savar held on to every detail, rapt with attention. So, in a nutshell, getting them out of the T'hunga mind control was definitely to get them away, but it's not so simple. He and the rest of the team would have to play the part, pretend they're a part of the times. Knocking them out, the distraction team was to do. Savar nodded. The idea of a failsafe causing brain damage made him extremely uneasy. Even a mind meld to jog a memory could potentially set it off.

"That can be manageable, Lieutenant," said Savar when he showed them a particular hypospray. "We find any members of the away team, we knock them out in the safest way possible. How many others do you have like that with you?"

He was starting to like the hypospray the temporal agent was bringing already. If he had more like it, excellent, but if not, it's fine anyway. If he saw Nira first, so much the better, but any of the away team came across will do, no matter the order.

"I do have a question for you, Lieutenant," he asked the temporal agent when he asked for questions. "What are we going to do about the benamite? I've been thinking about it and I might have an idea. The Discovery's likely going to need it for its slipstream drive; assuming we can get in contact with the ship again...well, I had a thought: Supposing we stole the benamite from that train? And we seal off the mine so nobody can get to it? We could collapse the mine, make it look like an accident, then wait until we can come back for the deposit back in our time. But I appreciate any ideas you have for the benamite."

Ensign Danjar-Torra Addams
[Fort Rim, AZ Terr] (morning after moving to the Fort)

Orders filtered down from those meeting with the individual known as A'ron.   Rumors abounded among the lower ranks as to who he was and why the Commander was listening to his council in the aftermath of the disappearance of the ship.  As happens with rumor, the theories grew wilder and wilder. Among the more ridiculous suggestions was that he was from a mirror-verse, or even the future.

Torra, only somewhat in the know, wanted to denounce, correct or clarify these rumors, but her voice would only be one of many having little to no authority to make such corrections and her incomplete picture might only make the rumors worse.

It was only after the entire crew had been moved to the Fort, and the Commander and the senior officers had returned from the Fort Commanders' office that things were laid bare to the crew.  There could be no confusion on what to do or it would put people's minds in danger.  With the order to proceed with the raid in disguise as Fort personnel, Torra was now passing around era-appropriate attire and weapons to all the functioning crew.

"For now we are to blend in.  Anyone with skill in horseback riding and/or pistol or rifle use... please mention these skills to your department head so you can be assigned a role appropriately." Torra calmly advised the latest group she was handing out clothing to. "Are there any questions?"

Savar turned to Torra when she brought up questions. "Well, technically, I'm my own department head, albeit temporary," he said, "given Lieutenant Halverstrom is still incapacitated. I'm definitely going to need to learn to ride and to shoot. I can probably act the part, though...and it may be best to keep my mouth shut for the most part."

He instantly began to change. He arranged his hair so they covered his ears and found a hat. Finally, he turned to some of the security personnel. He recognized Lieutenant Pardek and Crewman Gohun. At least he knew where he could learn to shoot.

"Excuse me," he asked, "but could either of you be able to provide me some basics in regards to shooting a weapon?"