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» LCARS » Newspaper: The Federation Tribune » Newspaper Archives » 2005 » Special Edition: 26th of August 2005 » Back to the Calhoun, part 1, by Rob Versteegt.
 | Back to the Calhoun, part 1, by Rob Versteegt. |  |
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It was a quiet day on Pandora Station. Commander Jalando, the Station's First Officer, was relaxing slightly. He was, after all, off duty. The USS Odyssey and the USS Solstice had both been modified with transwarp, as had the rest of the Frontier Fleet. The Calhoun, Odyssey, Valkyrie and Atlantis had, together with the Epimetheus and the Solstice, gotten transwarp. That was something to celebrate indeed.
The official celebration had been held a few days ago. It had been performed by Admiral Barclay, the Fleet's Commanding Officer. It had been a moving speech, really. A lot about transwarp, and how this would be the next step in the experimental transwarp stage. Pandora Station had of course not gotten transwarp, but it had become more important in some other way: it was now the HeadQuarters of these transwarp vessels.
A lot had happened: the ships had been refitted, and that brought along changes. Changes to the crews of these ships, and to the crew of Pandora. Changes which a First Officer like himself had to live with. At the moment though, it was as if things were still as they had used to be. The times when Pandora Station had not seemed so important. In all honesty, Jalando missed those days.
Important or not, he wouldn't let something like that disturb his off-time. Dressed in some casual clothes, Jalando sat down on the couch, drinking a nice cold glass of some sort of Betazoid drink. He never could remember the name of it, but it did help him relax. He took a deep breath, leaned back into the comfortness of the couch, and exhaled slowly. This, he realised with a happy smile on his face, was the life.
This relaxation would soon be over. A flash of light filled Jalando's quarters, forcing the First Officer to cover his eyes. This light was bright, blinding him completely. Questions as to where this light was coming from filled his mind. Was there something wrong with the lights in his quarters? Could it be an explosion in space which caused all that light? He did not know. And for a few moments, he had no way of knowing what exactly was going on.
Then he felt something weird. The surface he was sitting on. . . it had changed. It was no longer the comforting softness of the couch. . . it was the tough, uncomfortable hardness of. . . metal? How could that be? Jalando had been sitting on a couch. . .
Slowly, he opened his eyes. The bright light had vanished, but his eyes still needed to adjust to the sudden lack of light. From what he could make out, he was sitting in some sort of dark room. There were figures standing around him. Three, or at least that was what Jalando could see at the moment. "Hello?" He asked, trying to hide the uncertainty in his voice. "Where. . . where am I?"
"You're on the Federation Timeship Eternity." A female voice, filled with authority, stated. "Welcome Commander Jalando." The person belonging to this voice, said. "I am sorry we had to drag you from your quarters like that, but. . ." Again, a pause. "You are being arrested for crimes you will commit in the future. Please do not resist, or we'll be forced to shoot you."
Jalando was stunned. What was this woman saying? "E. . . excuse me?" He started cautiously. "I didn't do anything!"
"Yet." The Captain of the Eternity now said. "I realise that it must sound strange to you, but. . . we've found evidence of your presence on the USS Calhoun, in the year 2390. Just before it blew up."
"Blew up?" Jeff blinked for a moment. "But. . . the Calhoun had been with us, at Pandora Station, for the big transwarp ceremony! It certainly did not blow up!" He paused, and shook his head.
"That is because we captured you now." The Captain said, still deadly serious. She already seemed to have made up her mind. "You will not have the opportunity to go to the Calhoun and blow it up now. So, the timeline has been changed, letting the Calhoun survive, and the transwarpproject succeed." She paused again, and then turned towards another officer. "Kevin, you lead this man to the brig."
The man called 'Kevin' now grabbed Jalando's arm, and started pulling him along. Jalando tried to resist, but this was one strong person. Before he knew it, he was dragged out of this room, wherever he was. . . out into a corridor, moving towards. . . well, towards the brig, Jalando presumed. After all, he was seen as a criminal, wasn't he? But how could he be? How could this all be so unfair? He hadn't done anything! These people had no right to imprison him!
And yet, what if they were right? What if somehow Jalando was responsible for the destruction of the Calhoun? He quickly shook his head. He couldn't be responsible. . . he hated violence! He sighed, and entered the brig, together with this man named 'Kevin'. Would he ever see Pandora Station again? Would he ever get out of here? Or would he be trailed and found guilty for a crime he did not commit? Again, he sighed, and lay down on the bench in this brig. A great day had just taken a day for the worse. He shook his head softly, and went to sleep. What else could he do? Pretty soon, he entered a restless slumber. . .
The next thing Jalando knew, he was waking up in a dark room. . . very dark indeed. There was no light here, and what was even stranger. . . it seemed as if there were clothes, hanging here. Why would anyone hang clothes in the middle of a small room?
Voices now made their way to Jalando's ears. Voices which did not sound familiar. Female voices even. "We've also been asked to investigate the Vidiians, to determine if the report you received about the phage being cured was accurate." One of the voices said. "If so, Starfleet Medical is pressuring us to open diplomatic relations with them as well, since there's much to be gained from the Vidiians advanced medical technology."
Vidiians? Jalando swallowed. Were there Vidiians here? How could this be? Vidiians on this timeship? And wasn't it common knowledge already that the Vidiians were cured? Starfleet had already opened diplomatic relations with them. . .
"I wish I had some sage advice to give you Captain, but my knowledge of the area is too out of date." Another voice, slightly raspier than the other one, now stated. Jalando had heard this voice before, at a speech. But he couldn't quite place it. . . "Everything else is in the records."
"I'd better get going." The person belonging to the first voice now said. It appeared that this woman was on her way to somewhere. "Are you coming to the ceremony?"
The second, more familiar voice, now agreed, it seemed. "A purely symbolic presence. Shall we?" With that, Jalando heard the doors open, and close again. . .
A few moments passed by. . . but nobody returned. Carefully, Jalando leaned forward. . . causing the motionsensors to send an impulse to the closetdoor, letting it open. This however, had as a consequence that Jalando fell out of the closet. . . onto the floor. Rubbing his head, he looked around. The lights would have gone out of course if nobody was in the room, but since Jalando was here, there was still some light to see the situation clearly.
This was a woman's room, Jalando figured. Hairpins were lying on the desk there, as was a hairbrush. A big mirror was positioned against the wall, letting anyone see him or herself crystal clear. This caused Jalando to see though, that he was no longer in his off-duty clothes. . . nor in his normal First Officer uniform. No, he was in a teal Starfleet dress uniform, and had one pip on his collar. It seemed like he was an Ensign now. . . in the science compartment or so.
He then looked back at the closet he had woken up in. There, on the ground, he noticed a PADD. Since it was rather unusual for a PADD to be in a closet where clothes were usually hanging. But so was a *person* sitting there, for that matter. Still, he picked up the PADD, and tapped a few buttons. A written message was displayed. . .
The content of this message surprised Jalando slightly. It seemed as if someone on the timeship Eternity had taken pity on the First Officer of Pandora Station, and had -probably illegally- beamed him to the past. . . to the USS Calhoun, to prove his innocence. Or actually, to the Spacedock, to come on board the Calhoun as new personnel. . . and to observe the launch. . . the festivities. And of course, to join the crew of the Calhoun on their first transwarpflight. But most importantly, he had to watch out for this crew. Something would happen, it seemed. . . after all, if it wasn't Jalando who would blow up the Calhoun, then it would be someone else. . . if Jalando could find out who, and stop that person. . . then the Captain of the timeship would have no choice but to find him innocent.
Jalando sighed for a moment. This would be difficult. Blending in with the Calhoun crew wouldn't be easy, but catching someone who would sabotage the Calhoun. . . that would be close to impossible. Still, it was the only chance he had. And he would take it.
With a deep intake of breath, Jalando walked out of these quarters. . . towards -what he hoped- would be the room where the speech would be. He wouldn't want to miss this for the world. . . now that he was here, he might as well enjoy it.
A minute or ten later, Jalando was standing in the big hall, looking out of the large windows. What he saw was a marvellous, stunning view. The USS Calhoun was there, kept in place by several docking ports and lots of cables. Jalando could see the original hull plating. . . after looking at reports in his own time, the Bajoran/Betazoid Commander had seen that the Calhoun had been damaged -and repaired- a lot of times. Still, here the Sovereign Class Starship was, as new and clean as could be. As if this ship had no idea what awaited her. . .
Jalando sighed for a moment, and then tore himself away from the beautiful view of this Starship. When he looked around, he saw a face which he wouldn't forget. . . ever. Someone whom Jalando knew well. After all, he had served under this man. There he walked: Captain Jim Janssens. Of course on the fifth may of 2390 -the current date, it seemed- this man was no Captain. . . he was a Lieutenant Junior Grade, and Chief Science Officer.
Janssens seemed to be content on talking to Admiral Janeway and the woman whom Jalando figured was CO Vaun. He looked at his PADD -the PADD which he had apparently travelled from the future with him, since it contained all the names and date of those on the Calhoun- and skimmed through some files. Yes. . . there was no doubt about it. This was CO Captain Sara Vaun. The man next to her was one Jalando knew though. . . Captain Fox D. Main. Although now, in 2390, he seemed to be Commander, and the First Officer of Captain Vaun. Of course Jalando had seen Main on Pandora Station, in 2391, when Main was commanding the USS Valkyrie. . .
Another officer sat there, next to the Admiral, the Captain, the Commander, and the Lt.jg. According to the files on this PADD, this man was both Second Officer and Chief Medical Officer, Lt.Cmdr. Rovan Bren. However, Jalando immediately noticed that something was wrong with this man. After all, his face showed pain. . . and pretty soon, the rest of the high ranking officers saw that too. The Captain even got down to her knees, to examine this man. Vaun even stood up now, holding an arm around this man, helping him to go. . . somewhere. Probably sickbay, from the looks of it. Anyway, they were going to the Docking ports, that was for sure.
For a brief moment, Jalando was considering following them. To see what he could do. . . maybe he could help this man in some way? Or at least learn more about this? But he then decided that there were far better doctors there than he was -he was a scientist, not a doctor- and that anything he would do, could alter the timeline. . . and that was something he didn't want to do. All he was here for, was to prove his innocence.
So he simply watched, as several people helped Dr. Bren to. . . well, to wherever they went to. Jalando kept standing here, now looking at the senior officers. . . wondering what they would do now. Maybe. . . maybe he could look around, scan for temporal anomalies. . . things which were out of place, or rather, out of time. Besides himself, of course. If there *was* someone planning to destroy the Calhoun, that person could also be here as well. . .
Jalando opened his tricorder, and started scanning. If anyone would ask, he would just say that he was scanning for a viral agent or something. . . after all, Doctor Bren could have been in pain because of that. Even though it was highly unlikely. . . If there was a virus during the launching ceremony, the Calhoun would not have been launched. . .
A few minutes later, while Jalando was still scanning, someone entered the room. Someone who looked rather. . . suspicious. It was a Cardassian. Even though Jalando tried to remain objective, Cardassians were still not his most favourite of races. The Dominion war had caused quite some scars in him. . . in fact, in this period of time, the Jalando from 2390 was still in the Academy, in his final year, trying to cope with the immediate effects these scars had on him. The inability to fire a phaser, for example. Or the hatred of the use of force.
Quickly, Jalando pushed these thoughts aside. He wasn't here to analyse himself. . . he was here to prove himself innocent. In order to do that, he either had to let the Calhoun crew survive, or find the one who would want to destroy the Calhoun. Or both.
This Cardassian did look suspicious though. Could he be the one who wanted the Calhoun to be destroyed? Could it? Well, there was always a chance, of course. Nevertheless, Jalando looked at his PADD. . . and quickly found a match. This man was Consul Devon Torlith. . . a diplomat assigned to the USS Calhoun. That probably did not make him a saboteur, since such a person would have to keep a low profile. An Ambassador usually had to stay out in the open, to make contact with everyone. Although. . . this Ambassador seemed to do just the opposite. Maybe he was the saboteur indeed! Yes. . . Jalando would have to keep an eye on this person. . .
The Bajoran/Betazoid kept doing this, trying to move around as inconspicuously as possible. The readings he got from his tricorder though, did not seem to hold anything interesting. Well, at least it didn't show him the things he was looking for: temporal anomalies, or anything -more likely anyone- which did not belong in this time. No readings of anything like that though. Either that meant that there was nobody here from another time -except himself- or who/whatever was here from another time could mask those readings. Either way, the tricorder had not really been helpful.
Walking around the room scanning had helped him to pass the time though. Because just when he closed his tricorder. Commander Fox D. Main started speaking. The time was 1745 hours. . . the speech to officially commission the USS Calhoun. This was certainly something Jalando did not want to miss.
"Let me welcome you all to the christening of the newest ship in the fleet." Commander Main started. "I'm commander Fox D. Main, the First Officer. First of all I have to excuse the captain and our doctors for not being here with us at the moment, I have been informed there was a medical emergency." Jalando frowned at this. . . clearly there was something wrong with the 2O/CMO. Yet, Jalando couldn't interfere. . . after all, he was here to *stop* anyone from interfering. What kind of timetraveller would he be if he would interfere himself?
"The USS Calhoun, which we are about to christen today, is the first ship in the fleet with a working transwarpdrive, although it still is experimental." Commander Main continued. "You have off course all heard about the USS Excelsior which also was equipped with a experimental transwarpdrive. Unfortunately, Starfleet had abandoned this project, when it turned out not to be reliable. Now, due to the information we got from the USS Voyager," There was a pause, when Commander Main looked at Admiral Janeway, the former CO of the Intrepid class Starship. Main continued quickly after that though. "Starfleet did start a new transwarp project, resulting in this fine ship. Our first mission will be to go to the Delta Quadrant and make new diplomatic relations."
Jalando nodded at this. If only Commander Main, and the rest of the Calhoun crew would know what the Calhoun would find in the Delta Quadrant. What adventures they would face. . . and how their transwarp project turned into the refitting of several other ships with these faster than warp engines. . .
"Well, enough talking I think," FO Main continued, while picking up the champagne bottle which was standing next to him on a table. With it, the First Officer of the USS Calhoun turned to the Admiral, who was standing on his other side. "Admiral Janeway, do you want to take the honours of christening the ship?"
Apparently, the Admiral did not mind. . . and not a long while later, the champagnebottle -and the champagne in it- collided with the outer hull of the USS Calhoun. It was official now: the USS Calhoun, Starfleet's first working transwarpship, was christened. Jalando smiled, and joined the applause. This ship would pave the way towards a future with transwarp ships. The future Jalando belonged in. This ship would be the beginning of it all. And that was something to applaud for. . .
Next time: Jalando travels alongside the Calhoun crew. Will he interfere, of will he stand by and do nothing, while the Calhoun might be destroyed? Next time, in 'Back to the Calhoun'.
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