| Author | Message | ||
     RAdm. Dev Wallace |
02 JULY 2375 DANAV SYSTEM SECTION 31 TEMPORAL INCURSION FACILITY When she awoke, the familiar hum of equipment was all around her. Wall panels provided the only illumination, and she realized she was lying on something soft. Sitting up, she found herself in one of the Danav station quarters, in one of the bunks just off the main control room. Peering through the gloom in the room, she felt like she could make out someone's presence. Male... wearing dark clothes that made him virtually invisible in the shadowed control center. "Director Sloan?" she croaked. Then she remembered -- Sloan was dead. "Not quite," a familiar voice said wryly. "Computer, half illumination. Welcome back, Lieutenant," the voice continued, not losing that wry humor. The man stayed in the shadows, but now pale light allowed the woman to sit up and look around the room. Her vision was somewhat blurry. "Welcome back?" she asked, somewhat dazed. "What do you mean?" The man crossed to the bunk and sat down on the edge. "You were dead, Lieutenant. Killed by D-" "Dead?!" she cried. "That's impossible. I just laid down to sleep a few hours ago!" The woman tried to stand up, and found herself somewhat groggy and disoriented. "Trust me, Lieutenant. You were dead. Unfortunately, much as I might hate to admit it, I need you. And I could not allow your killer to live with what he had done." "The Jaunt transporter," she said, finally understanding. No wonder her vision was blurry. The male figure, just visible at the edge of the light, nodded. "I picked you up at 4am the morning you would have been murdered. Even now, the timeline around us alters its flow to adjust itself for your..." The voice grew even more wry. "...resurrection." The woman -- Lieutenant Toria Nel -- nodded. She was familiar with the temporal mechanics involved. "And by the time the timeline resets itself, nobody will remember that I was murdered." Her voice grew cold. "Especially not my killer." She turned toward the man in black. "Who was it? I will have my revenge despite the fac--" "No," the man said simply, and stepped into the light. Toria recognized Major Dev Wallace instantly, but his face was haggard, and the skin around his neck was visibly synthaskin protectant. "No," he said again. "I can't allow you to do that. I... I owe him that much." His voice became businesslike. "Get up. We have work to do." ---------- 11 JUNE 2403 REOR SYSTEM REOR'SAN STARFLEET COMMAND Tenty-eight years had passed since he had helped repair the timeline. Twenty-eight years during which he constantly regretted ever reviving Toria Nel. He wondered why those memories had come back to him last night, however, because it had been nearly a decade since he had last thought about the demented Bajoran lieutenant who had served under him in Section 31 so long ago. It certainly had little bearing on his current duty. "Beautiful morning, isn't it, Vel?" Twenty-eight years older and roughly 20 kilos heavier than he had been at the end of the Dominion War, Rear Admiral Dev Wallace still cut a striking - if slightly more rounded - figure. His presence was hardly noted by most. Few people really knew what the mysterious admiral was all about. But those who could recognize power could see in Wallace a hunger for it that rivalled that of most rogue warlords. The woman beside him carried within herself no less than that same hunger for power. But anyone who knew this father/daughter combination knew that the hunger was different for each. Wallace craved control. He knew that it was his greatest weakness: he had sought to control Time itself in an effort to preserve a Way of Life to which he had sworn his very existance. But in the end it had nearly cost everything, and it had cost a Doctor her life. The woman beside him, the Romulan raised as his own daughter, was equally hungry for power. But hers was a thirst for knowledge. Where Wallace sought to protect through control, Commander Velorna Tal sought to protect through understanding. "I have to go, Dad. I have duties aboard Coronado. And I believe you have that meeting of Admirals coming up. What is the purpose of this meeting, pray-tell? Think you can convince them to let you back into Xanadu? Maybe this time you can take the entire fleet with you and just destroy that - that whatever that was back there." Wallace grimaced. He did not like where this was going at all. "Vel, I am not a murderer. I am not a traitor. And I certainly never had any intention of dragging you in this deep or of hurting you." The two glared at one another for a bit. "Good job." A moment later, Tal had vanished in a swirl of blue mist. Wallace felt his heart sink. He had been so sincere. Why could she not forgive him? They had argued in the past over issues of trust. Why was this one any diff - His thought trailed off as a bit of movement caught his eye. For a fleeting instant he thought he had seen an old Bajoran woman peering at him from an alleyway. But when he glanced back at that spot, she was gone again. Wallace frowned. Was he going mad on top of being power-hungry? He shook his head. He needed a cup of coffee and some breakfast. That would help clear his head. Yes, a steaming mug of Starfleet's finest blend and a pile of replicated bacon, eggs, and toast would be just the things he needed to turn his day around. He had work to do. ======= Christian D. Clem '01, aka "Aggie" RAdm. Dev Wallace, Reor'san Security OOC: A large portion of this log - every part of the July 2375 bit, in fact - was originally released as a part of the 02 July 1999 teaser for Coronado Episode #214, "Thieves and Traitors". Check out http://www.jestertrek.com/coro2400/bodies/siminfo/1998sims.html for more details. Thanks, Ross, for letting us play in your playground. ;) |