S6: E1 - The Prime Recommendation

[Tora Zalos]

[Outside Magana Capital Hall - Land]

When the doctor asked about transporters, Lieutenant Davenport replied instantly.

"No Sir, too many temporal disturbances for transporters, we have to use the shuttle. Chen, Jorzon help Doc with the casualty."

The two named security officers slung their rifles and gently lifted the unconscious Kyan, Davenport took charge of leading Wey'nir and the two scientists onto the shuttle and getting them settled. Once everyone was aboard, the Cutty Sark lifted and arrowed upward in a steep climb.

For the Landsers, even though they could only partially see their passage up through the atmosphere and into the black of space, the ride left even the well seasoned Wey'nir speechless. Ensign Heinz Schlemann at the helm of the shuttle made as direct an approach to the shuttlebay as he could, but he did take a few extra seconds to give the Landsers a sweeping view of Challenger as they docked.

At Jalen's insistence, Kyan was first out of the shuttle, still carried by Chen and  Jorzon to the gurney and waiting medical team. Once he was restrained by the stasis field, the injured Onlie was rushed to sickbay. Davenport escorted the Landsers out of the shuttle and met with Lieutenant Randall.

"Welcome aboard the USS Challenger Mister President. I am Lieutenant Evan Randall, the ship's deputy science chief. Most of our senior officers are off ship, but are on the way. Otherwise, they would have met such an august visitor. Now if you will follow me, I will lead you to the briefing room on Deck One."

Wey'nir was still trying to keep up with all the changes that had happened to him in the just the past thirty minutes. All he could do was nod and follow along side Randall. When he finally found he words, he said.

"Your ship is... is... beyond what the images could possibly capture."

"We are very proud of her Mister President. We hope this meeting is the beginning of a lasting friendship."

The small party rode the turbolift to deck one in silence and Randall made certain everyone was comfortably seated in the briefing room. He hoped that someone senior to him would show up soon to relieve him of diplomatic duty.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Land Moot Airspace - Land]

The Smith pulled alongside the Mjolnir and her pilot, Ensign Qindis Norann a female Bolian, waved to Ardy before racing ahead and directly toward the dozen Landser fighters. The interceptors opened up with a frighteningly heavy salvo of cannon fire, but the weapons were completely ineffective against the shuttle's shields. This allowed Norann to lance through the formation of interceptors unharmed and forced them to scatter to avoid colliding with the nimble Type-9 Smith. As the fighter's formation split up, it opened a path for Ardy to reach the compound. Before the Landsers could regroup for another pass, the Onizuka showed up and with the two small shuttles diving directly into the path of the interceptors, the fighters had to spend all of their efforts avoiding collisions. With the interceptor pilot's attention completely consumed with defending themselves, none of them could get a shot as the Mjolnir flared for a landing.

[Storage Facility - Land Moot Compound]

Ian watched the acrobatics going on overhead and was completely green with envy that he wasn't 'at the stick' of one of the shuttles. Unfortunately, once the Mjolnir committed to her landing, it was readily apparent to the Landser soldiers who swarmed toward the away team's hiding place.

"Here's where things get dicey Mister Blackfeather. Set for wide angle stun and fire as fast as your bloody phaser will cycle. If'n we're lucky, we'll stay ahead of any projectiles that might ken our names."

Turning to Jettis and Tora, Ian added.

"Once more into the breach! RUN!"

One thing about the next minute of his life that surprised Ian was the noise. Sure he was familiar with gunfire, but the aircraft mounted machine guns on a Tomahawk lacked the volume of dozens of rifles blazing away in his direction. Another completely unsettling thing he discovered was the abject terror of the whine of a bullet as it passed by. This was all so personal, so real, and as this wasn't the holodeck, so deadly.

Fortunately, the Landsers had never seen phasers before and the wide angle setting caught quite a few of them before they adjusted and took better cover. Ian ran and dodged wildly, as did Tora, Jettis and Blackfeather, but even with their covering fire, Ian began to get a sick feeling they weren't going to make it. No sooner than he had that thought when he was hit. The bullet passed clean through his upper left arm and it burned! Ian stumbled, but kept his feet with his teeth clenched against the pain as he thought.

"Fudge. I've been shot."

He was about to pick a place to make a last stand to give covering fire for the others when some bright spark on the shuttle could see the trouble they were in and extended the Mjolnir's shields to protect the away team. Once inside this protective bubble, they were safe. Ian was the last to aboard the shuttle and he had some difficultly closing the airlock with one arm, but he got it done.

"GO! GO! GO! GO!"

Ardy didn't need any extra motivation than that and the Mjolnir leapt into the air. As there were seven on a shuttle built for six, Ian simply flopped onto the deck exhausted and held on as best as he could. He was leaning back against the bulkhead when he felt a hypo press against his neck. He opened his eyes and saw Lieutenant Zorr smiling at him.

"I believe that will help Captain. Now hold still while I treat this wound."

Ian closed his eyes and did just that. He was content. Shot or not, they'd escaped alive. The main thing on his mind however, was Kyan, all he knew was he was badly hurt and that bothered him more than whatever was left of his career after this unmitigated disaster of a first contact.

[Ensign Tora Zalos | Land Moot Storage Facility]

Why did this mission have to end this way? Like, really. Why? Couldn't they just have a normal trip back to the shuttle? No, of course not - they just had to do it with projectile ammunition flying at them with extreme prejudice! How surprising. Somehow or other Tora found it in her to stand and run with her colleagues all the way back - well, most of the way back, until the captain's grunt of pain reached her ears. She didn't even have time to check if he was alright - she looped an arm around him and helped him up the shuttle ramp as they crossed the protective bubble of the small craft's shields. Thank goodness also for the medic who took over care of the captain from her; her legs gave out from exhaustion as she dropped into the back seats and she toppled sideways, spent.

How good it felt, the delicious feeling of safety that wrapped itself around her like a warm, comforting blanket. For once in this disastrous mission, she didn't have to run for her life or hide holding her breath or even stand feeling like she was being scrutinized. That last bit she could handle but the first two, not so well. Her eyes, growing heavier by the second, drifted to the tricorder she'd been clutching in her hand for dear life. There was a wealth of information on it now; data she'd gathered on these people and their way of life. She'd have to download it all and write a lengthy report on it later with citations and all, of course - but right now, even if it were for just ten minutes, rest had the sweetest, most seductive allure she'd ever known. Tora let herself succumb.

All went black.

[Alexander Wu]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

As soon as Booker reported that the Mjolnir had lifted off the surface and was heading back towards Challenger with it's two escorts, Alex let out a pent up sigh of relief. They weren't out of the woods yet, with still some very precarious negotiations to tread through, but getting all of their crew back onboard alive, or at least mostly alive, was a huge first step in finishing the mission on a good note. Well, maybe a neutral note, depending on how much Starfleet Command would excuse their bungled first contact. He also felt unsurprisingly apprehensive at this next part of the proceedings, the diplomacy part. Alex belatedly realized he hadn't exactly told the Captain about bringing the Landsers onboard, or the political fallout that was left behind by Mackenzie.

"Lieutenant Booker, I'm going down to the shuttlebay to meet the Mjolnir, I reckon the skipper will want an update sooner rather than later. Arrange for some refreshments to be sent to the observation lounge for the Land Moot astronauts and President Wey'nir's party. You have the conn." Alex stood up, grimacing as his injured knee protested the sudden movement. "Well done everyone." He added to the bridge crew, looking around at some very tired faces. "Great team effort, all around."

[USS Challenger - Bridge > Main Shuttlebay]

Leaning against the turbolift's smooth wall, Alex tapped his commbadge, having waited until he was off the bridge in relative privacy. He needed the bridge crew to stay mission focused, it was likely one of the few things keeping them on their feet, and the news of their XO being dead would've destroyed any remnants of normalcy.

"Lieutenant Wu to Sickbay, can I get an update on Commander Mackenzie's condition for the Captain?"

[Ian Galloway]

[Shuttlebay --> Bridge --> Briefing Room - USS Challenger]

When the Mjolnir touched down in the shuttlebay, Ian steeled himself for a massive information dump. Doctor Zorr had treated his wound to the point that the only reminder was the hole caused by the bullet and the dried blood that soaked his uniform sleeve. He was first off the shuttle and noted the odd, obviously alien craft parked thirty meters from the Mjolnir.

Before he could ask, Lieutenant Wu began to update him on the ship's status and the events that had occurred since he'd left the ship. He had been ready for an information dump, but this was an information tsunami. In addition to the uproar his own away team had caused in fleeing the Land Moot, it seems the original away team was responsible for the overthrow of one of the Landser nation-states.

"No way to avoid a court martial now." He thought as he rode the turbolift.

News on the ship was better. They were warp capable again along with all primary systems. There were still some secondary systems that were not fully operational yet, but they were able to move, shoot, defend, and communicate, which was all that was really necessary. On reaching the bridge, Lieutenant Booker was the first to report.

"Sir, as President Wey'nir's trip to Challenger was live broadcast in real time, we have been inundated with communications from the governments of the remaining nation-states and the Land Moot Council demanding representation for any negotiations with the Federation. What do I tell them Sir?"

"Tell them... tell them, as soon as transportation can be arranged, any party that wants ta discuss matters is absolutely welcome ta meet aboard the Challenger. Now, I need a minute ta replicate a new tunic. I will be in my ready room. Mister Mrekrerhas, with the First Officer incapacitated, you are senior, you have the bridge."

Ian then quickly entered his ready room and while he really wanted a drink, he ignored that impulse and went to the replicator and ordered a new tunic. Once he changed out of the damaged and bloody one, he exited the ready room and entered the briefing room.

"President Wey'nir, honored guests. Welcome ta Challenger. It seems we're ta be havin' others join us. I suggest we hold off on any technical discussions until everyone is assembled so that we can cover them all at once. I apologize in advance as our conversations until then are goin' ta be awkward as I am not allowed ta answer most of the questions you are likely ta have. However, given the limitations that I have, I would like very much ta get ta know you personally.

"I will go first. My name is Ian Galloway. I am from Inverness, Scotland, on the planet Earth in the Sol system, some 80 odd light years from here..."

[Jalen Kartos]

[Dr. Jalen Kartos | Sickbay, USS Challenger]

Doctor Rashar paced as he and the rest of the sickbay staff waited for the Mjolnir's arrival. This was the part he hated most.

The waiting

Being a full Betazoid, Rashar's empathic abilities were as refined as those of most Bajorans. As such he could sense that the mood on the shuttle was a mixed bag of desperation from some, wonder on the part of the aliens, and an undercurrent of dread. He frowned at that. Desperation and dread were poor bedfellows. To him, it meant that their patient was in dire straights.

"œThey're on their way. Everyone ready?" Rashar spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen on the room.

Affirmative replies followed one another until the trauma team had all signaled their readiness. Rashar nodded. "œGood."

Moments later the doors opened and the anti-grav gurney bearing the ship's diminutive first officer slid through them, pushed by a security officer. It was followed immediately by Doctor Kartos, who Rashar considered with an appraising glance. Humans had a turn of phrase that described the El-Aurian's appearance aptly enough.

He had the look of someone who'd been rode hard and put up wet. Rashar supposed this was in reference to a beast of burden, like a horse, but he'd heard it often enough to describe people as well.

"œDoctor Kartos." the Betazoid nodded. "œYou're the pediatric expert. It's your show. What do we need to do?"

Jalen turned to the Betazoid nurse and sighed heavily, he may be a Pediatric specialist, but he was not an expert on all things Psionic. He signaled for one of the orderlies to bring him the proper attire for surgery.

"œFirst off prep one of the surgical bays, as we have to get his Neuropeptide levels stabilized, as at the moment it is high enough that we are risking permanent brain damage. Set the biobed to Pediatric settings, with the Psionic enhancements." Jalen said as he began directing people to certain tasks. Jalen, once garbed and properly assisted, placed the neural monitor on Kyan's forehead.

"œAlright are we ready"¦" Jalen said as he surveyed his surgical team who all nodded in turn.  "œGood"¦ Let's be about it" Jalen popped a Jumja Sucker into his mouth and began the neural surgical procedure"¦ Over the course of the next 4 hours he and his team dedicatedly focused on the task at hand, but every time they seemed to make progress something else complicated the matter. Twice Kyan's heart stopped during the procedure, and twice he was revived. Finall mentally and physically exhausted Jalen rolled away the Neuro-Surgical rig and attached a NeuroCortical Monitor behind Kyan's right ear.

"œThat's it, that's the most we can do. Now we just have to hope he has the strength of will to pull himself out of this. Move him to a private recovery room, and if any of you believe in Prayer now is the time." Jalen said with a wain smile as he stepped back and began to disrobe from the surgical garb. He was exhausted in more ways than any around him would know. He was torn on the inside; he had literally chosen the life of this one forever child over saving his entire people, and more importantly the love of his life. Though somehow he felt no guilt at that decision. He left the surgical bay and made his way to his office and slumped down into his chair to fill out the surgical report.

[Jalen Kartos]

"Lieutenant Wu to Sickbay, can I get an update on Commander Mackenzie's condition for the Captain?"

[USS Challenger | Deck 7 | Chief Medical Officer's Office | Medical Bay]
Jalen was 3/4 of the way through his report when his comm beeped. He acknowledged it and listened to the speaker.

"Lieutenant, Commander Kyan is stabilized for the moment, but the surgery was intense and he has not yet awakened. As such I can't not give you a timeline on when he will be able to return to duty. As it sits though, he will likely need several weeks of medical leave and therapy to mitigate any lasting effects. I'll have more to report once I can give him a cognitive and psionic assessments. As well if you could be so kind as to report to the Captain that once Commander Kyan's status is properly assessed and his medical treatment plan made, I too shall be requiring some medical leave, I would be most appreciative."=/\=

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Shuttle]

As soon as everyone got on, Ardyn booked it. It was clear they had worn out their welcome, and given the exhausted-looking states of the team they had picked up, it probably would be appreciated if they didn't get into any more trouble.

"˜This is Mjolnir. We have the away team and are heading back to the Challenger.    Smith,  thanks for the help. Can you disengage?"

"Affirmative. We can probably lose them all with a good burst of speed. Returning to the ship once we get a chance. "œ said the pilot on the other end of the line.

That was a relief. If she had to give backup, she would, extra people onboard or not, but it looked like that wasn't needed, and she made it back up to the Challenger with very little resistance from the Landsers.

[Shuttlebay]

Ardy was just about done with the required post-flight checklists for this trip when she registered Alex's presence coming down here. Luckily for her, all she had to replace was one biohazard bag. There wasn't even a scratch on the paint. She couldn't help but look at the strange sort of probing device that was currently parked in here beside them.

She turned around to see Alex coming down to do his own inspections, most likely.  "œHey there, handsome.  Made it out in one piece, not a scratch," she said with a wink to help relieve the tension she could tell he was carrying.  " "œYou sure that thing isn't going to explode on us?  she asked mentally, as to not cause others to worry, notioning at the strange device.

[Alexander Wu]

[Shuttlebay]

Ardy was just about done with the required post-flight checklists for this trip when she registered Alex's presence coming down here. Luckily for her, all she had to replace was one biohazard bag. There wasn't even a scratch on the paint. She couldn't help but look at the strange sort of probing device that was currently parked in here beside them.

She turned around to see Alex coming down to do his own inspections, most likely.  "œHey there, handsome.  Made it out in one piece, not a scratch," she said with a wink to help relieve the tension she could tell he was carrying.  " "œYou sure that thing isn't going to explode on us?  she asked mentally, as to not cause others to worry, notioning at the strange device.

[USS Challenger - Main Shuttlebay]

The first person Alex had seen come out of the shuttlebay was on a gurney, a Cardassian ensign who appeared dirty and unkempt, the side of her uniform covered in blood. The medical staff moving her didn't seem to be in any significant haste though, which hopefully was a good sign. The Captain himself didn't appear much better, with a very obvious hole in his torn sleeve. Alex's report was succinct but by no means short, having to pass on information about the ship's status, their five new guests onboard, and Commander Mackenzie's grievous state. Returning to the command chair wasn't anything like riding a bike, despite the assurances of their orientation officer back on Starbase One, and he was as mentally exhausted as the away teams physically looked. Still, when Captain Galloway assigned another of his officers, a Caitian lieutenant he hadn't met yet, to take the conn, Alex felt a sudden irritation at the, probably unintentional, slight. You're not a commander anymore, and new to this crew. It's not like Galloway has any reason to trust you over one of his own, he told himself, mollified by his personal opinion that the ship's crew part in the mission had gone arguably the least awry.

His peevishness was only fleeting, especially once he saw the shuttle's pilot, and as soon as the Captain had disappeared through the shuttlebay doors with a security CPO following closely behind, Alex threw policy to the wind, wrapping Ardyn up in a tight embrace. The weight on his shoulders flowed away as he breathed deeply, her calming presence filling his mind. "No idea." He finally said, releasing her and stepping back. "Hi, I'm Alexander Wu, newly transferred onboard. Glad to see you're all in one piece." Alex introduced himself to the other three lieutenants, the Caitian, an El Aurian, and another black-eyed Betazoid. The entire first away team, he realized, minus their XO. "The Cutty Sark picked up Commander Mackenzie, he's in sickbay. Touch and go from what I've heard so far, but alive."

"I asked Chief ch'Verret to take a look at that crew capsule to make sure we wouldn't have any surprises." Alex nodded towards the Landser spacecraft. "And it's a long shot, but maybe it'll give us a better idea of the kind of technology we're dealing with. I know that when we got hit by the temporal pulse from that fold-space device activating, it blew every isolinear chip on the ship, left us entirely dead in water. That's why we weren't able to come rescue you guys right away. Didn't seem to affect the Landsers' satellites or their ground-based installations at all. I'm curious as to why."

"Lieutenant, Commander Kyan is stabilized for the moment, but the surgery was intense and he has not yet awakened. As such I can't not give you a timeline on when he will be able to return to duty. As it sits though, he will likely need several weeks of medical leave and therapy to mitigate any lasting effects. I'll have more to report once I can give him a cognitive and psionic assessments. As well if you could be so kind as to report to the Captain that once Commander Kyan's status is properly assessed and his medical treatment plan made, I too shall be requiring some medical leave, I would be most appreciative."=/\=

"Understood, thank you doctor. I know the Commander from several years before, if his condition permits, I'd like to come by for a visit. And I'll make sure your message is passed on."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger-A - Deck 19 - Main Shuttlebay]

[Shuttlebay --> Bridge --> Briefing Room - USS Challenger]

When the Mjolnir touched down in the shuttlebay, Ian steeled himself for a massive information dump. Doctor Zorr had treated his wound to the point that the only reminder was the hole caused by the bullet and the dried blood that soaked his uniform sleeve. He was first off the shuttle and noted the odd, obviously alien craft parked thirty meters from the Mjolnir.

Before he could ask, Lieutenant Wu began to update him on the ship's status and the events that had occurred since he'd left the ship. He had been ready for an information dump, but this was an information tsunami. In addition to the uproar his own away team had caused in fleeing the Land Moot, it seems the original away team was responsible for the overthrow of one of the Landser nation-states.

[Shuttlebay]

Ardy was just about done with the required post-flight checklists for this trip when she registered Alex's presence coming down here. Luckily for her, all she had to replace was one biohazard bag. There wasn't even a scratch on the paint. She couldn't help but look at the strange sort of probing device that was currently parked in here beside them.

She turned around to see Alex coming down to do his own inspections, most likely.  "œHey there, handsome.  Made it out in one piece, not a scratch," she said with a wink to help relieve the tension she could tell he was carrying.  " "œYou sure that thing isn't going to explode on us?  she asked mentally, as to not cause others to worry, notioning at the strange device.

[USS Challenger - Main Shuttlebay]

His irritability was only fleeting, and as soon as the Captain had disappeared through the shuttlebay doors, Alex threw policy to the wind, wrapping Ardyn up in a tight embrace, the weight on his shoulders flowing away as he breathed deeply, her calming presence filling his mind. "No idea." He finally said, releasing her and stepping back. "Hi, I'm Alexander Wu, newly transferred onboard. Glad to see you're all in one piece." Alex introduced himself to the other three lieutenants, the Caitian, an El Aurian, and another black-eyed Betazoid. "The Cutty Sark picked up Commander Mackenzie, he's in sickbay. Touch and go from what I've heard so far, but alive."

"I asked Chief ch'Verret to take a look at that crew capsule to make sure we wouldn't have any surprises." Alex nodded towards the isolation suited Andorian who was slowly circling the Landser spacecraft. "And it's a long shot, but maybe it'll give us a better idea of the kind of technology we're dealing with. I know that when we got hit by the temporal pulse from that fold-space device activating, it blew every isolinear chip on the ship, left us entirely dead in water. That's why we weren't able to come rescue you guys right away. Didn't seem to affect the Landsers' satellites or their ground-based installations at all. I'm curious as to why."

A little further into his detailed scan of the Landser capsule, Lahr had to pause again as the Mjolnir returned.  She carried the Captain, more of the blue-skinned aliens and more injured - including Chief Neva.  From a distance, Neva's injury didn't seem as bad as the Onlies, which the Andorian was grateful for.  He finally had a chief who didn't treat him like a lost cause; he'd have hated having to go back to Auxiliary Support.  Unsure if the Betazoid could pick up well-wishes at random, Lahr figured he'd try anyways and sent his Chief encouraging thoughts, even as the Captain was getting a ton of bad news piled on.

As the Captain left for the Bridge, Lahr was about to return his focus back to the Landser pad when he overheard the Lieutenant from the Bridge introduce himself to Zhuk and the other officers from the Mjolnir.   A-ha!  A name finally to go with the face- not that that Wu had considered him important enough to warrant an introduction.

From within his insolation suit, Lahr made a face toward the Lieutenant and for a moment mocked the man's stance and earlier hugging gesture with who assumed was his girlfriend.   It was only when Wu gestured in Lahr's direction that Lahr froze.  Oh roozh!  Could they see him?!  The Andorian swore he'd turned on the shielding that would make him invisible before starting his work.  Had he somehow turned it off while he'd been working?   Or was the head nod toward the Landser capsule just a general direction thing?

Lahr, still frozen in place, glanced down to his forearm where the controls for the suit were situated.  Everything looked to be working.

Lahr let out a relieved sigh, feeling like he'd dodged a bullet with that.  Scrubbing the hull was not as productive work as this.

Without responding to the mention of his name - because hey he didn't want to be accused of eavesdropping- Lahr returned to his work.  He wanted to be able to have something note-worthy to report, but until he had a better sense on how their technology was designed and on what principles it worked, the most he could say was that it didn't appear to have any explosive material.  Even it's fuel seemed remarkably stable.

[Ian Galloway]

[Cargo Bay One - Deck 6 - USS Challenger]

As Wey'nir arriving with two scientists had set the standard, three members for each nation that wanted to participate in negotiations became the standard for the number of delegates each nation-state could send. And all twenty-four nation-states along with the Land Moot Council wanted to attend. It took all ten of Challenger's shuttles two lifts to get all the delegates aboard. As seventy-seven people, counting the two Landser astronauts, were far too large a number for any briefing room on the ship, the conference had to be in Cargo Bay One. Ops was busy replicating chairs and security was at capacity ensuring there were escorts on the shuttles and for scanning the attendees for weapons and electronics. The few weapons that were discovered were confiscated, but electronics were nullified by a dampening field that rendered them useless.

Each nation-state had sent either their head of state or a senior ambassador to represent that country. Some nations sent two scientists, some sent one scientist and one 'assistant' who was invariably an intelligence officer. Zhuk had the bridge as acting First Officer, thus all the security arrangements for the conference fell to Lieutenant Davenport. By the time the entire group was gathered, Ian had had time to take a quick sonic shower and change into a fresh uniform. Ian stepped to the podium set up in the conference room, took a deep breath and began to speak.

"People of Land-Ta. I am Captain Ian Galloway of the Federation starship Challenger. I welcome you. Our meetin' today was not scheduled. Because of the devastatin' consequences of contactin' a species before they are capable of interstellar flight, our most sacred law involves the non-interference in a people's natural development. There is a very specific benchmark we look for before we make contact and for all of your tremendous accomplishments, you have not attained that threshold. Normally, would nae have even entered your system.

"However, your remarkable Fold Space technology, your 'Great Work' created a detectable effect that drew us ta your system and ta discover what was causin' what we had noticed. Our technology is no longer limited ta radio frequencies and that is what made us aware that your Fold Space was causin' ripples in time as a core principle of its function. Simply put, you cannae fold space without also foldin' time.

"The problem that we have detected is that this foldin' is affectin' the very fabric of space around your world. As best as my science department can describe it, this affect is blocked by your planet's atmosphere, thus you have nae noticed it. The critical issue is, continued use of your technology will eventually weaken the structure of the space/time of your system. What happens then is unknown. You could end up in another time, past or future, or you could enter into a completely separate pocket of space/time. All I know for certain is all of Land-Ta will cease ta be part of this space/time continuum."

At this point the crowd began to murmur its discontent.

"I fully understand the 'Great Work' is the effort of three generations and here is a stranger tellin' you just as you are on the cusp of bein' able ta use it, that you cannae. As I mentioned earlier, our most sacred law, the Prime Directive tells me I cannae order you ta stop usin' your technology. All I can do is warn you. If'n you choose nae ta listen, I will set up warnin' buoys twenty light years around your world and leave you ta whatever happens next.

"I have my science chief and his deputy here, please, have your scientists talk ta mine and have them discuss our findin's. It is my fervent hope that our two people can come ta an understandin' based on facts and that this threat ta Land-Ta can be avoided. Thank you."

Ian nodded to Jettis and Randall as he stepped away from the podium. He hoped that the facts of the science would be enough to sway the passions that were running high at the moment to some sort of understanding.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

For Zhuk, the bulk of what he had to do was acknowledge reports from the ship's departments regarding ship's status. The vast majority of systems were now fully functional with only a few tertiary systems still not quite at 100%. As Wu monitored ship's systems, Lieutenant Booker at Ops was broadcasting a live feed of the conference down to Land and monitoring how the Landsers were reacting to, what was heartbreaking news regarding their 'Great Work'.

Neva had made it to Engineering and found that the warp core was back online and all critical systems were nominal. Lieutenant jg Rebecca Fisk had really stepped up in her absence and had Challenger humming.

In Sickbay, Dr. Kartos continued to monitor Kyan closely as the Onlie rested from his psychic ordeal.

Whether the conference would smooth things out or if things were already beyond smoothing, remained to be seen and which would happen, would happen fairly soon.

[Jettis Jyur]

[Shuttlebay --> Bridge --> Briefing Room - USS Challenger]

When the Mjolnir touched down in the shuttlebay, Ian steeled himself for a massive information dump. Doctor Zorr had treated his wound to the point that the only reminder was the hole caused by the bullet and the dried blood that soaked his uniform sleeve. He was first off the shuttle and noted the odd, obviously alien craft parked thirty meters from the Mjolnir.

Before he could ask, Lieutenant Wu began to update him on the ship's status and the events that had occurred since he'd left the ship. He had been ready for an information dump, but this was an information tsunami. In addition to the uproar his own away team had caused in fleeing the Land Moot, it seems the original away team was responsible for the overthrow of one of the Landser nation-states.

His peevishness was only fleeting, especially once he saw the shuttle's pilot, and as soon as the Captain had disappeared through the shuttlebay doors with a security CPO following closely behind, Alex threw policy to the wind, wrapping Ardyn up in a tight embrace. The weight on his shoulders flowed away as he breathed deeply, her calming presence filling his mind. "No idea." He finally said, releasing her and stepping back. "Hi, I'm Alexander Wu, newly transferred onboard. Glad to see you're all in one piece." Alex introduced himself to the other three lieutenants, the Caitian, an El Aurian, and another black-eyed Betazoid. The entire first away team, he realized, minus their XO. "The Cutty Sark picked up Commander Mackenzie, he's in sickbay. Touch and go from what I've heard so far, but alive."

"I asked Chief ch'Verret to take a look at that crew capsule to make sure we wouldn't have any surprises." Alex nodded towards the Landser spacecraft. "And it's a long shot, but maybe it'll give us a better idea of the kind of technology we're dealing with. I know that when we got hit by the temporal pulse from that fold-space device activating, it blew every isolinear chip on the ship, left us entirely dead in water. That's why we weren't able to come rescue you guys right away. Didn't seem to affect the Landsers' satellites or their ground-based installations at all. I'm curious as to why."

"I fully understand the 'Great Work' is the effort of three generations and here is a stranger tellin' you just as you are on the cusp of bein' able ta use it, that you cannae. As I mentioned earlier, our most sacred law, the Prime Directive tells me I cannae order you ta stop usin' your technology. All I can do is warn you. If'n you choose nae ta listen, I will set up warnin' buoys twenty light years around your world and leave you ta whatever happens next.

"I have my science chief and his deputy here, please, have your scientists talk ta mine and have them discuss our findin's. It is my fervent hope that our two people can come ta an understandin' based on facts and that this threat ta Land-Ta can be avoided. Thank you."

Ian nodded to Jettis and Randall as he stepped away from the podium. He hoped that the facts of the science would be enough to sway the passions that were running high at the moment to some sort of understanding.

[ Land Moot -> Mjolnir, USS Challenger ]

Jettis couldn't express the relief when finally they set foot back on the ship. A part of him wondered if the Landsers would manage to shoot them out of the sky. Despite the primitive technology, he had to admit they were tenacious and determined. Reminded him of humans, in a way.

Thankfully, now that they weren't running for their lives, getting the bonds off was a simple enough job for a phaser. Once freed, Jettis turned to the man who appeared once the Captain left. The immediate embrace, ignoring any protocols told him all he needed, coupled with the relief he felt from him. He tipped his head when the Commander was mentioned, eyes widening when it was coupled with the fact he was in worse shape than all of them combined. The urge to ask about him nearly took hold of his tongue, but he crushed the thought with the intention to see for himself later. Instead he refocused on a different piece of information that interested him.

"Their technology wasn't effected at all?" He echoed. That was a very curious - and crucial piece of information. Something about their tech made them immune to the affects, something he'd seen in very few other ships or technology in his lifetime. The ships he had seen with such an effect, the inner workings had been so tightly classified discovering them would have gotten him executed on the spot.

Giving a tired nod, he forced a poor imitation of a smile. "I'll definitely take a look at that as soon as possible," he agreed. Yet another thing to spend hours on.

However, his first priority, followed closely by heading down to medbay so he didn't look like a punching back for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, those two tasks crossed paths when he was informed where she was. Unfortunately, her reason for being there was exactly what he'd expected.

He hardly regarded anyone in his path, pushing past any officers who tried to treat him first until he spotted her, looking mainly unharmed save for being a tad paler than usual. Two long strides immediately had him sweeping her up into his arms. "Dad! Are you okay?"
When he released her and rested his hands on her shoulders, she moved back to take in his appearance - a black eye, split lip, and many cuts and bruises both from the original crash landing on the planet, and the attack from the Landsers.

"Yes. Are you?" He demanded. She nodded sheepishly, and he tossed a look over at the nearest nurse for confirmation. "Yeah. I just passed out I guess, when the ship was hit." Jettis nodded immediately. Af-Kelt, not lethal. Nothing to worry about.

His shoulders slumped as he sighed. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." Pulling away to straighten up, he cracked a grin at her. "Now, stay out of trouble until I get back."
"Never."
He finally let the nurse drag him off to get looked over, not without a few words of thanks for taking care of Theresa. Unfortunately, getting (mostly) fixed up meant he was immediately back to work. He'd hardly changed into a new set of teals with his freshly recovered commbadge, than he was ordered back to the cargo bay to face a rapidly filling room full of alien faces. A brief greeting to Randell was all he got before he stepped back while the Captain took the stage, following up when beckoned.

"I sincerely commend the people of Land-Ta for their accomplishments. The idea of folding space is a concept that many have sought after. Some cultures have theorized about it for hundreds of years, others for thousands. And very few have had made so much progress in such a relatively short amount of time."

"While I regret that I cannot share everything we've discovered with you, I can share why it has taken so long to discover a workable model. Space and time are, as the Captain said, irrevocably entwined. One cannot have one without the other. And while faster than light travel is something attainable, faster than space travel poses a yet insurmountable risk. As you fold space, you are simply moving too fast for any particles in existence to acknowledge. You are stepping outside of time. This means that there is no difference between one second, and one eternity. Theoretically, you may come out at the other side unharmed. You may also come out nowhere near your intended destination. Or, you may come out a thousand years into the future. Or, you may never come out until everyone on the ship has long since died, leaving only a ghost ship to be studied by future generations."

He paused for a moment, assessing the murmurs, the dissent of the crowd before continuing. "I do not say this to dissuade you, only to explain precisely the risk you take every time it is used. It doesn't only affect the object being sent either, it leaves behind the same phenomena, scattered by the ripples caused by bending space-time. There's no way to tell where - or most importantly, when they will show up, or go away. Some will certainly appear and disappear within micro-miliseconds, too fast for any technology to ever hope to detect. However, there's no way to predict of one could appear five years into the future, large enough to swallow Light and everything else within view."

Now, with all of the surface information laid out on the table, he opened the floor. "Any further questions about the technology or it's ramifications, I will do my best to answer to satisfaction. Though we don't know everything there is to know, there have been enough unsuccessful attempts to tell us what kind of complications need to be overcome before any working prototypes are created."

[Neva Cordon]

[Cargo Bay One - Deck 6 - USS Challenger]

As Wey'nir arriving with two scientists had set the standard, three members for each nation that wanted to participate in negotiations became the standard for the number of delegates each nation-state could send. And all twenty-four nation-states along with the Land Moot Council wanted to attend. It took all ten of Challenger's shuttles two lifts to get all the delegates aboard. As seventy-seven people, counting the two Landser astronauts, were far too large a number for any briefing room on the ship, the conference had to be in Cargo Bay One. Ops was busy replicating chairs and security was at capacity ensuring there were escorts on the shuttles and for scanning the attendees for weapons and electronics. The few weapons that were discovered were confiscated, but electronics were nullified by a dampening field that rendered them useless.

Each nation-state had sent either their head of state or a senior ambassador to represent that country. Some nations sent two scientists, some sent one scientist and one 'assistant' who was invariably an intelligence officer. Zhuk had the bridge as acting First Officer, thus all the security arrangements for the conference fell to Lieutenant Davenport. By the time the entire group was gathered, Ian had had time to take a quick sonic shower and change into a fresh uniform. Ian stepped to the podium set up in the conference room, took a deep breath and began to speak.

"People of Land-Ta. I am Captain Ian Galloway of the Federation starship Challenger. I welcome you. Our meetin' today was not scheduled. Because of the devastatin' consequences of contactin' a species before they are capable of interstellar flight, our most sacred law involves the non-interference in a people's natural development. There is a very specific benchmark we look for before we make contact and for all of your tremendous accomplishments, you have not attained that threshold. Normally, would nae have even entered your system.

"However, your remarkable Fold Space technology, your 'Great Work' created a detectable effect that drew us ta your system and ta discover what was causin' what we had noticed. Our technology is no longer limited ta radio frequencies and that is what made us aware that your Fold Space was causin' ripples in time as a core principle of its function. Simply put, you cannae fold space without also foldin' time.

"The problem that we have detected is that this foldin' is affectin' the very fabric of space around your world. As best as my science department can describe it, this affect is blocked by your planet's atmosphere, thus you have nae noticed it. The critical issue is, continued use of your technology will eventually weaken the structure of the space/time of your system. What happens then is unknown. You could end up in another time, past or future, or you could enter into a completely separate pocket of space/time. All I know for certain is all of Land-Ta will cease ta be part of this space/time continuum."

At this point the crowd began to murmur its discontent.

"I fully understand the 'Great Work' is the effort of three generations and here is a stranger tellin' you just as you are on the cusp of bein' able ta use it, that you cannae. As I mentioned earlier, our most sacred law, the Prime Directive tells me I cannae order you ta stop usin' your technology. All I can do is warn you. If'n you choose nae ta listen, I will set up warnin' buoys twenty light years around your world and leave you ta whatever happens next.

"I have my science chief and his deputy here, please, have your scientists talk ta mine and have them discuss our findin's. It is my fervent hope that our two people can come ta an understandin' based on facts and that this threat ta Land-Ta can be avoided. Thank you."

Ian nodded to Jettis and Randall as he stepped away from the podium. He hoped that the facts of the science would be enough to sway the passions that were running high at the moment to some sort of understanding.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

For Zhuk, the bulk of what he had to do was acknowledge reports from the ship's departments regarding ship's status. The vast majority of systems were now fully functional with only a few tertiary systems still not quite at 100%. As Wu monitored ship's systems, Lieutenant Booker at Ops was broadcasting a live feed of the conference down to Land and monitoring how the Landsers were reacting to, what was heartbreaking news regarding their 'Great Work'.

Neva had made it to Engineering and found that the warp core was back online and all critical systems were nominal. Lieutenant jg Rebecca Fisk had really stepped up in her absence and had Challenger humming.

In Sickbay, Dr. Kartos continued to monitor Kyan closely as the Onlie rested from his psychic ordeal.

Whether the conference would smooth things out or if things were already beyond smoothing, remained to be seen and which would happen, would happen fairly soon.

[ACEO Lt.JG Neva Cordon|USS Challenger|Main Engineering->Cargo Bay 1]

Neva stood sandwiched between her beloved Warp Core and the Pool Table, arms holding her up as she read the information before her. Lahr and the others had done exceptionally well taking care of her Iron Lady in her absence, considering the wallop She took from the Landser's "Great Work."

Despite all that, Neva still wished she could've joined Lahr in exploring that ship in the Shuttle Bay. The simple desire to be an Engineer for a moment was delicious, but out of the question now. She was "Chief Neva" and her Iron Lady had to come first.

Pushing herself up, she rolled her shoulders and head to ease some of the strain she'd put her body through. With a smirk and a nasal sigh, she rubbed her hands together and surveyed her Sanctum. Her little "bees" were buzzing around and she was pleased.

Neva gave Lt. Fisk some instructions with a light squeeze on the woman's shoulder, giving thanks and encouragement. She then headed to the Turbolift to take her where the Landsers had congregated to offer her expertise if the Captain called for it.

In the Turbolift, she hit her comm badge. "Neva to Lahr. What're your impressions on that ship?" She continued as she walked down the corridor to the Cargo Bay. "To be honest my friend, I'm seriously jealous of you getting to tinker with that thing!" She sobered as she realized she was at the doors to the 'Bay. Softly she added in a loud whisper. "Send it to my PADD, ok? I've gotta get into that Landser meeting." That said, she cut the communication. She futzed with her uniform a moment to get it into a semblance of order. Squaring her shoulders after calling her ministrations good, she stepped through the doors.

She slipped slowly and carefully along the wall towards the front edge of the crowd of dignitaries, watching and listening to all that was being discussed.

[Kyan Mackenzie]

Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Somewhere Else]

Completely oblivious to the goings on around him in the waking world, Kyan ran through an old forest. It felt familiar to him, like somewhere he used to spend alot of time but hadn't come back to in a long while. It was night and the air was cool but not chilly. Like any forest, there was a cacophony of sounds and smells. He could hear owls, crickets, and somewhere far off, a dog was barking.

After a while, Kyan came to a small clearing. He stopped running and took a moment to catch his breath, and to look around. The trees were enormous with their lowest branches several meters off the ground. Their lower trunks were covered in a thick layer of spongy moss. Overhead, the full moon bathed the area in a pale light. Given where he'd just come from it was almost bright to his eyes. Stepping out of the tree line and into the clearing, Kyan saw several paths leading back into the forest on the other side.  Each of them looked like a mouth with green teeth, vying for the opportunity to eat him.

As he crossed the clearing, Kyan craned his neck to look up at the opening in the canopy and the sky above. The stars were familiar too. He'd definitely been here before. Stopping before he got to the other side, Kyan stood and listened. In addition to the normal forest sounds, he thought he heard laughter coming from one of the paths. As he got closer the laughter became louder and was joined by familiar voices. One was a Shetland brogue that was deeper, but not too far removed from his own chirping lilt. Another was unmistakably British. The last was a gravelly baritone that he knew immediately as Korgon, the old Klingon who'd taken Kyan as a member of his house back aboard the Latinum Beetle. A broad smile broke across the Onlie's face as he hurried down the path from which the voices came.

When he emerged moments later in another clearing, Kyan saw a small campfire and three men standing around it, talking as though they were old friends. Of course, they couldn't have been. One had died more than four hundred years ago, and the other two were on opposite sides of an intergalactic Cold War. Still, there they were, swapping stories and carrying on as though they'd been friends for years. Kyan considered each of them in turn as he made his way over to the fire.

He saw enough of himself in the first man to know that it was his father, even though he couldn't remember his name. He was average height for a man born in the 1920s and had a shock of dark auburn hair that was as unruly as his son's. His beard was just a few shades lighter than his hair and neatly trimmed. He wore a uniform of some kind. The second man Kyan knew immediately. It was his adopted father, Sam Mackenzie. Although he was younger than he was when Kyan had seen him last and also wore his maroon Starfleet uniform. Aside from the undershirt, it was the same one Kyan had worn when he graduated the Academy. The last of the three was old Korgon, the Klingon from Ketha Province who he'd befriended on the Latinum Beetle.

Kyan was excited to see all of them again, but he made a beeline for his father, whose name and face had been lost to him centuries ago. When they spotted him, his father smiled and met him halfway, scooping Kyan into a bearhug. "œHey boy! It's heavy yer gettin da now, they must be feedin ya good!"

Kyan wanted to tell him everything all at once. He wanted to tell him how he'd managed to stay alive after all the grups died off, and about all the adventures he'd had since then. There were a hundred things he wanted to say, and a hundred more after that. But all he managed to squeak out was, "œAm I dead the now? Is this the Summerlands?"

His father laughed. "œNae. Yer not dead. It's asleep ye are." He put the boy down and nodded toward the others. "œBut ye was close to it, an no mistake. We was planning on takin ye on in there, but it's nae time."

That was confusing. Kyan glanced at the other two, who smiled down at him from the other side of the fire. "œBut how are ye all here then"¦ if I'm not dead?"

"œErhm"¦ well, you see.. you were dead.. and three times at that, but whoever you have as a doctor wouldn't let it happen, stubborn bloke that he is." Sam Mackenzie spoke up. "œSeems he's fairly keen on keeping you among the living."

Kyan frowned. It'd be Jalen no doubt. As grateful as he was for the El-Aurian's efforts, there was a part of him that wanted nothing more than to go off into the Summerlands with his father, Sam, and Korgon. He'd missed each of them terribly when they'd died, and now here they were. "œBut I could go with ye?" he said after a moment. "œI could go back with ye tae the Summerlands and.. "œ

His father shook his head. "œNae. Ye cannae. I know yer after seein yer ma again, and meetin yer brother.. but it's nae time yet."

"œMy brother?" he asked. "œI never had a brother."

His dad nodded. "œAye. Ye did. We never told ye about him. Ye'd have been twins if he'd lived. But you'll meet him too"¦ when it's yer time tae come."

"œBut I'm ready now!" Kyan replied, the cracking in his voice belaying his defiant tone. "œI want tae go with ye."

This time it was Korgon who answered. "œYou've more battles to fight. More enemies to send fleeing before you my boy." The portly old Klingon walked over and clapped a gauntleted hand on Kyan's shoulder. "œYou'll never get into an opera if you take your leave now."

The wind picked up then, whistling through the clearing and causing the small fire to flicker. After meeting up with the three men he most wanted to see again, Kyan had honestly forgotten why he'd been running through the forest in the first place, but a distant voice was carried on the wind, reminding him.

TELL ME THE TRUTH!

Oh yeah"¦ that. The mind ripping had been the worst pain that he'd ever felt. It had torn through every defense that he'd mounted like a hurricane through a tin shack. The An-Shok brother had shattered the resiliance that had taken Kyan decades to build. And it had only taken a few minutes. If something hadn't happened to stop him, he'd have killed the Onlie outright. Kyan looked up at his father. "œI dinnae care about getting into no Opera. And I dinnae want tae fight no more battles."

His father took a knee and put a hand on his shoulder. "œYe canne go." He said in a fatherly tone that was gentle, but also left no room for argument. "œI ken yer scared. But ye cannae give up. Ye don't remember much from before me an yer ma shuffled off, but we dinnae raise a quitter."

"œQuite right." Sam Mackenzie put in. "œNor did Juney and I. And your mates still need you."

Korgon nodded "œAnd though we're a small house, we're a family of warriors boy. You can't run from this. If you did, you'd be leaving your friends to fight on without you. And there's no honor in that."

Kyan shook his head. He knew they believed what they said, but they also weren't there. They didn't see what the Landser did. "œHow am I meant tae fight him? He's everywhere!"

Kyan's dad reached down and pulled a bayonet off the pistol belt on his olive green uniform. He held it out to his son. "œIn here, he's just a man like any other one boyo. When ye was awake an he was digging around, ye could nae do nothing. But yer in here now. Same as him."

Kyan took the blade his dad offered. He'd held it before, but that one had long since been worn down to nothing. He'd used it to cut open cans and to hunt in the years after the grups died. It had helped keep him alive then. He turned it over in his hand, admiring the oak handle and the glimmering steel of the blade itself. Korgon looked over his shoulder at it. "œThat's a fine blade. A warrior's weapon to be sure."

Sam nodded his agreement. "œIt's bully smithing that made that. A right fine pig sticker."

"œWell, it's the Huns I stuck with it so it was, but yeah, it'd do fer a pig too." Kyan's dad laughed. "œAnd now yer gonna take it an go see tae the blue wanker what's running around these woods makin that racket!"

"œBut"¦ what if"¦" Kyan started but was stopped by Korgon clapping him on the back.

"œMy boy, there are times when a warrior will be beaten down. Life will do that. Sometimes it's just a series of beatings that you must endure for a time. Sometimes a long time. It can test your heart. But you stand it like a warrior, you endure it. Then you rise to your feet. Smile at your enemy, and then you give it back!"

His father nodded, smiling at Kyan. "œTime tae give it back."

"Past time for some recompense if you ask me." Sam added in his stiff London drawl. "So what about it?"

He knew that these three wouldn't lie to him. He squeezed the handle of the bayonet. Fear gnawed at him. "Are ye sure the now that I cannae go with ye?"

His dad nodded. "S'not time yet lad. Not fer a long time now. But we'll be waiting for ye, and ready tae be hearing all about yer adventures."

"And your list of great deeds will be as long as any who have sought entry into the halls of Sto'Vo'Kor!" Korgon bellowed. "They'll have to build a grand statue!"

Sam nodded when Kyan turned to him. "Aye lad. Juney and I will be waiting to hear your tales as well. But now it's time to go."

Kyan sighed, defeated. "Fine! I'll go kill the jobby wanker then!"

The three smiled. His father laughed. "There's my boy!" he said, pulling Kyan in and kissing him on the forehead. "I love you Kyan."

"I love ye to da." Kyan answered, willing tears not to come. "I miss ye. I miss all of ye so I do."

Kyan embraced each of them in turn. When he got to Korgon, the old man shoved a da'tagh in his belt. "Your father's blade is fine, but it's not serrated enough. Take this as a spare." he whispered, drawing the Onlie in for a hug. "The boys and I will have a barrel of blood wine waiting. Perhaps you'll have a taste for it by then!"

After they'd all said their goodbyes, Kyan turned to go. After several steps he turned back, wanting to ask his father something. But by then the three of them were gone. All that remained was a smoldering campfire. He looked at the embers for a moment and then turned back to the forest. Thunder rumbled in the distance and he heard the An-Shok brother's mantra again.

TELL ME THE TRUTH!

Kyan called back into the wind. "I'm comin ye great blue Goblin! Keep yer panties on and not bunched up!"

Then with his dad's bayonet in his hand and Korgon's da'tagh in his belt, the ancient boy stalked out of the clearing and back into the darkness of the forest.

[Ian Galloway]

[ Land Moot -> Mjolnir, USS Challenger ]

Jettis couldn't express the relief when finally they set foot back on the ship. A part of him wondered if the Landsers would manage to shoot them out of the sky. Despite the primitive technology, he had to admit they were tenacious and determined. Reminded him of humans, in a way.

Thankfully, now that they weren't running for their lives, getting the bonds off was a simple enough job for a phaser. Once freed, Jettis turned to the man who appeared once the Captain left. The immediate embrace, ignoring any protocols told him all he needed, coupled with the relief he felt from him. He tipped his head when the Commander was mentioned, eyes widening when it was coupled with the fact he was in worse shape than all of them combined. The urge to ask about him nearly took hold of his tongue, but he crushed the thought with the intention to see for himself later. Instead he refocused on a different piece of information that interested him.

"Their technology wasn't effected at all?" He echoed. That was a very curious - and crucial piece of information. Something about their tech made them immune to the affects, something he'd seen in very few other ships or technology in his lifetime. The ships he had seen with such an effect, the inner workings had been so tightly classified discovering them would have gotten him executed on the spot.

Giving a tired nod, he forced a poor imitation of a smile. "I'll definitely take a look at that as soon as possible," he agreed. Yet another thing to spend hours on.

However, his first priority, followed closely by heading down to medbay so he didn't look like a punching back for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, those two tasks crossed paths when he was informed where she was. Unfortunately, her reason for being there was exactly what he'd expected.

He hardly regarded anyone in his path, pushing past any officers who tried to treat him first until he spotted her, looking mainly unharmed save for being a tad paler than usual. Two long strides immediately had him sweeping her up into his arms. "Dad! Are you okay?"
When he released her and rested his hands on her shoulders, she moved back to take in his appearance - a black eye, split lip, and many cuts and bruises both from the original crash landing on the planet, and the attack from the Landsers.

"Yes. Are you?" He demanded. She nodded sheepishly, and he tossed a look over at the nearest nurse for confirmation. "Yeah. I just passed out I guess, when the ship was hit." Jettis nodded immediately. Af-Kelt, not lethal. Nothing to worry about.

His shoulders slumped as he sighed. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." Pulling away to straighten up, he cracked a grin at her. "Now, stay out of trouble until I get back."
"Never."
He finally let the nurse drag him off to get looked over, not without a few words of thanks for taking care of Theresa. Unfortunately, getting (mostly) fixed up meant he was immediately back to work. He'd hardly changed into a new set of teals with his freshly recovered commbadge, than he was ordered back to the cargo bay to face a rapidly filling room full of alien faces. A brief greeting to Randell was all he got before he stepped back while the Captain took the stage, following up when beckoned.

"I sincerely commend the people of Land-Ta for their accomplishments. The idea of folding space is a concept that many have sought after. Some cultures have theorized about it for hundreds of years, others for thousands. And very few have had made so much progress in such a relatively short amount of time."

"While I regret that I cannot share everything we've discovered with you, I can share why it has taken so long to discover a workable model. Space and time are, as the Captain said, irrevocably entwined. One cannot have one without the other. And while faster than light travel is something attainable, faster than space travel poses a yet insurmountable risk. As you fold space, you are simply moving too fast for any particles in existence to acknowledge. You are stepping outside of time. This means that there is no difference between one second, and one eternity. Theoretically, you may come out at the other side unharmed. You may also come out nowhere near your intended destination. Or, you may come out a thousand years into the future. Or, you may never come out until everyone on the ship has long since died, leaving only a ghost ship to be studied by future generations."

He paused for a moment, assessing the murmurs, the dissent of the crowd before continuing. "I do not say this to dissuade you, only to explain precisely the risk you take every time it is used. It doesn't only affect the object being sent either, it leaves behind the same phenomena, scattered by the ripples caused by bending space-time. There's no way to tell where - or most importantly, when they will show up, or go away. Some will certainly appear and disappear within micro-miliseconds, too fast for any technology to ever hope to detect. However, there's no way to predict of one could appear five years into the future, large enough to swallow Light and everything else within view."

Now, with all of the surface information laid out on the table, he opened the floor. "Any further questions about the technology or it's ramifications, I will do my best to answer to satisfaction. Though we don't know everything there is to know, there have been enough unsuccessful attempts to tell us what kind of complications need to be overcome before any working prototypes are created."

[Cargo Bay One - USS Challenger]

As the Landser scientists spoke with Jettis and Evan, the discussion quickly exceeded Ian's understanding of the physics involved. Even though he was fascinated by temporal mechanics, once they got past 'time stream' and 'inherent flow of time', he was lost. The idea of 'transverse temporal paradox loops' and 'chronical mass displacement gradients' was too much for him to follow.

"Captain Galloway."

Ian turned toward the voice and found an elaborately dressed Landser man addressing him.

"I am President Gotepi of Temarco and would speak with you."

"You have my attention Mister President."

"I am not a scientist, so much of what you and your people say about the Great Work escapes me. However, I am a good judge of people and I believe you speak truth. You actually seem concerned that our fold space will cause us harm."

"Yes I am. Imagine you have a rough stone and you rub it across a rug on your floor. You do it a few times and it doesn't matter. But if you keep doin' over and over again, eventually, the stone will make a hole in the rug. That is what your fold space drive will do to the space around your world. What happens when that hole is made, I do not know, but it will nae be good for Land-Ta."

"These words I can understand." Gotepi said with much sadness. "So much work, so much money, so much effort, so much time and we will have nothing to show for it."

"I don't have the words ta make that hurt less Mister President. I cannae imagine your frustration."

"Frustration? That is a true statement, but that is not what bothers me the most. What frightens me is what will the people do when they discover the work of their lives and that of their parents will be in vain? I can't bring myself to think of the rage we will see."

Ian kept his expression neutral, but now knew just how bad things were about to get on Land and he thought.

"And it's all our bloody fault."

"Perhaps your great leaders can soften the blow Mister President?"

"Perhaps..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Cargo Bay One - USS Challenger]

Among the actual delegates, not every nation had kept their representatives limited to diplomats or scientists. A few had sent agents to gather information on the massive ship that had appeared over Land. Unfortunately, while the agent's very carefully hidden data gathering equipment didn't seem to be working, there was nothing wrong with his eyes. All he needed to do was figure out a way to slip out of the briefing and he could memorize as much of the ship as he could see. Fortunately, these Federation people had biological functions similar to those of a Landser, so using that pretense, the agent made his move to begin his data gathering...

[Tora Zalos]

[Cargo Bay One - USS Challenger]

As the Landser scientists spoke with Jettis and Evan, the discussion quickly exceeded Ian's understanding of the physics involved. Even though he was fascinated by temporal mechanics, once they got past 'time stream' and 'inherent flow of time', he was lost. The idea of 'transverse temporal paradox loops' and 'chronical mass displacement gradients' was too much for him to follow.

"Captain Galloway."

Ian turned toward the voice and found an elaborately dressed Landser man addressing him.

"I am President Gotepi of Temarco and would speak with you."

"You have my attention Mister President."

"I am not a scientist, so much of what you and your people say about the Great Work escapes me. However, I am a good judge of people and I believe you speak truth. You actually seem concerned that our fold space will cause us harm."

"Yes I am. Imagine you have a rough stone and you rub it across a rug on your floor. You do it a few times and it doesn't matter. But if you keep doin' over and over again, eventually, the stone will make a hole in the rug. That is what your fold space drive will do to the space around your world. What happens when that hole is made, I do not know, but it will nae be good for Land-Ta."

"These words I can understand." Gotepi said with much sadness. "So much work, so much money, so much effort, so much time and we will have nothing to show for it."

"I don't have the words ta make that hurt less Mister President. I cannae imagine your frustration."

"Frustration? That is a true statement, but that is not what bothers me the most. What frightens me is what will the people do when they discover the work of their lives and that of their parents will be in vain? I can't bring myself to think of the rage we will see."

Ian kept his expression neutral, but now knew just how bad things were about to get on Land and he thought.

"And it's all our bloody fault."

"Perhaps your great leaders can soften the blow Mister President?"

"Perhaps..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Cargo Bay One - USS Challenger]

Among the actual delegates, not every nation had kept their representatives limited to diplomats or scientists. A few had sent agents to gather information on the massive ship that had appeared over Land. Unfortunately, while the agent's very carefully hidden data gathering equipment didn't seem to be working, there was nothing wrong with his eyes. All he needed to do was figure out a way to slip out of the briefing and he could memorize as much of the ship as he could see. Fortunately, these Federation people had biological functions similar to those of a Landser, so using that pretense, the agent made his move to begin his data gathering...

[Ensign Tora Zalos | Cargo Bay One]

Funny how many things one can get done in two hours - by some miracle Tora had used that time to shower, grab a bite to eat, wear a clean uniform and catch a quick snooze. All in all, a pretty productive two hours. She would've loved to sleep the evening away, but she'd been asked to be there when the delegates arrived, and she wouldn't have thrown the opportunity elsewise even so. Anything to un-ding their reputation, which was currently gasping for air, of course. She mingled with the delegates and conversed easily with them, writing down whatever she could learn on her PADD. Yes, learning sometimes took place best under stress (preferrably not while running for dear life, of course!), but there was no real substitute for a good old reception, where everyone was relaxed and usually willing to do some give and take. Tora shared with them bits and pieces of Risa where appropriate while asking the same of them in return - she only hoped she hadn't somehow given them the impression that the people of Risa were all sociable, attractive reptilians. She'd have to write it all down later in a report, of course, but right now she was having way too much fun gathering more information than she ever had on the planet's surface.

Then, something caught her eye. In her time as a dabo girl she'd learned to spot when someone had an ulterior motive in mind, even if they weren't being obvious about it, and right now that one Landser man was setting that sense off like a ringing buzzer. Seeing that her colleagues were occupied with their guests, Tora slipped away, meandering her way through the delegations after him.

[Neva Cordon]

[Cargo Bay One - USS Challenger]

As the Landser scientists spoke with Jettis and Evan, the discussion quickly exceeded Ian's understanding of the physics involved. Even though he was fascinated by temporal mechanics, once they got past 'time stream' and 'inherent flow of time', he was lost. The idea of 'transverse temporal paradox loops' and 'chronical mass displacement gradients' was too much for him to follow.

"Captain Galloway."

Ian turned toward the voice and found an elaborately dressed Landser man addressing him.

"I am President Gotepi of Temarco and would speak with you."

"You have my attention Mister President."

"I am not a scientist, so much of what you and your people say about the Great Work escapes me. However, I am a good judge of people and I believe you speak truth. You actually seem concerned that our fold space will cause us harm."

"Yes I am. Imagine you have a rough stone and you rub it across a rug on your floor. You do it a few times and it doesn't matter. But if you keep doin' over and over again, eventually, the stone will make a hole in the rug. That is what your fold space drive will do to the space around your world. What happens when that hole is made, I do not know, but it will nae be good for Land-Ta."

"These words I can understand." Gotepi said with much sadness. "So much work, so much money, so much effort, so much time and we will have nothing to show for it."

"I don't have the words ta make that hurt less Mister President. I cannae imagine your frustration."

"Frustration? That is a true statement, but that is not what bothers me the most. What frightens me is what will the people do when they discover the work of their lives and that of their parents will be in vain? I can't bring myself to think of the rage we will see."

Ian kept his expression neutral, but now knew just how bad things were about to get on Land and he thought.

"And it's all our bloody fault."

"Perhaps your great leaders can soften the blow Mister President?"

"Perhaps..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Cargo Bay One - USS Challenger]

Among the actual delegates, not every nation had kept their representatives limited to diplomats or scientists. A few had sent agents to gather information on the massive ship that had appeared over Land. Unfortunately, while the agent's very carefully hidden data gathering equipment didn't seem to be working, there was nothing wrong with his eyes. All he needed to do was figure out a way to slip out of the briefing and he could memorize as much of the ship as he could see. Fortunately, these Federation people had biological functions similar to those of a Landser, so using that pretense, the agent made his move to begin his data gathering...

[ACEO Lt.JG Neva Cordon|USS Challenger|Cargo Bay 1]

Neva had moved to lean against the wall she'd first hugged in an effort to see what was going on. Now that things had broken up some, she'd shuffled herself in a position to be available but out of the way.

Something twinged "wrong" to her as one Landser went up to a nearby Security crewman, asking for a bio-break. Neva pushed away from the wall and over to the duo. That "wrongness" got stronger as she stepped up. She set a hand on the crewman in an effort to get his attention.

Putting on a winning smile, Neva inclined her head in greeting to the man in "need."

"Hello Sir, I'm Lt.JG Neva Cordon, Chief of Engineering here on the Challenger. I would be happy to guide you where you need to go." She tried to look "official" but also feminine as she squirreled one arm around his bicep, putting her other hand on top of it. Smiling brighter, she walked him out of the Cargo Bay and to the nearest exit. "Right this way. My ship can be a maze if you don't know where you're going. It would be very easy to find yourself somewhere you don't want."

Neva let go of his arm when they got to the necessary room.  Gesturing with one hand, she smiled and said cheerily. "I'll be standing out here to guide you back to the meeting." She leaned her back against the walll, taking a position of nonchalance. After what she saw of Kyan and felt during this day, she put nothing past any of the Landsers. Once inside, she tapped her badge and spoke softly. "Computer, monitor for lifesigns in this restroom and report to my badge only. Monitor also for any change in the energy output in the room." The "wrongness" she felt from him just didn't make sense. So she'd just use what she knew & go from there.

He glared at her and went inside, then began looking around the small room. He took out an instrument and turned around slowly. These Federation aliens were idiots and cabra-sha. He was sure his superiors would find favor with him and elevate his positon for what he would get. He sat down at the recepticle that was similar to what he knew and took a small coin from his pocket and slipped it  down and against the wall under the recepticle. Tapping it twice, it blinked blue once and was dark. He put away the instrument in his cloak, grinning evilly. Washing his hands, he emerged from the room to find Neva still there leaning against the wall, this time she was not smiling.

"Hello, my friend. I trust our facilities met with your approval?" Watching his eyes widen, she grinned again. Neva hit her comm badge and called out. "Computer. Send an EMP spike through the room this gentleman just came out of." There was a double chirp in answer, followed by a buzz, then an electric "pop".

Neva raised an eyebrow and looked him dead in the eyes. Neva spoke quickly and in a tone only he could hear. "You must not have remembered what I said at our meeting. I'm the Chief Engineer of this ship and She is a Lady. You do NOT harm MY Lady!"

Neva and the Landser walked back into Cargo Bay 1 as they left, her arm through his and a smile on her face. The smile was different though because it didn't reach her eyes. "Where is your superior, my dear friend?" She asked as if they were such and he pointed them out. She waded through the crowd to them and tapping one on the shoulder, she smiled brighter as they turned to her.

"Hello, I'm Chief Engineer, Lt. JG Neva Cordon. I'm sorry I have disturbed your esteemed selves, but I found this gentleman in need of biological relief. I really didn't want him to get lost in a strange environment, I helped him find it. He tells me you fine individuals are the ones he works with, so I wanted to make sure he got to you." Neva poured on the charm. "I'd just hate to find out someone of your esteemed people got sucked out an airlock." The last words were through gritted teeth. The smile popped back on. "I'm sure you'd like to keep together now, wouldn't you?"

Neva didn't wait for an answer. She set the man closer to one of the delegates-maybe a little closer than one would like-and let him go with a cold smile and a harder parting squeeze of the man's arm. The Chief Engineer bobbed her head deferentially to them was suddenly lost in the crowd.

All eyes turned to the one who was the object of the woman's "tender" mercy with both angry and shocked expressions. All he could think to do was shrug his shoulders and look penetent.