((Appalachia))
“Slivin’s saying they’re ready to go,” Tiza said as the message came through.
K’lev nodded. “The starbase?”
“Ready to broadcast the signature,” he replied.
Sensing K’lev’s impatience – one didn’t need to be an empath to do so, he seemed so wound up in his seat – Lotharys looked back at Tiza. “Please let them know we’re ready to head through,” she asked.
Tiza sent the message, then the crew sat patiently for a minute or so as it was received and the frequency was cross-checked and confirmed. The station then broadcast it to the rift, calibrating it to the correct harmonic resonance for the universe and timeline to which the three ships were bound. On the viewscreen, the nebulous clouds that shrouded its event horizon shifted, almost irising open in sequence as the rift grew large enough for the three ships to enter, then stabilized. “The portal’s open,” Tiza announced after reading a confirmation message that had just arrived from the starbase.
K’lev glanced over at Lotharys and Lieutenant (jg) Sigurdsson, Appalachia’s chief science officer; both were deep in their consoles, gathering every bit of data that they could for analysis. It brought a faint smile to his face, though if truth be told his mind was on other things and so the smile barely reached his mismatched eyes, but they weren’t here to study the rift; they had a job to do. He looked forward towards Lieutenants Phillips and Sarai. “Ari, take us in.”
Phillips brought the ship up to half-impulse, and Appalachia began to edge forward, accelerating as she closed on the rift’s event horizon. Kormoran followed, holding station to starboard and slightly aft of the Federation ship, her graceful form looking as though a hawk soaring into a cloud bank.
The Slivin was able to get their impulse drive back online just before they recieved the confirmation signal from the station and swiftly maneuvered into position on the port rear quarter of the Appalachia, slightly further back then the Kormoran. Though the Romulan ship and the Republic they served were officially their allies, old habits and Kerak’s long standing distrust of the ‘treacherous green bloods’ hadn’t fully faded away.
The trio of ships made their way into the rift, vanishing in the nimbus of energy. To those aboard, the transit seemed to take both just a moment and a very long time, as ribbons of energy flashed across viewscreens and windows and hulls pinged and groaned faintly under the influence of gravimetric shears. And then, as soon as it started, it was done; the three ships emerged on the other side, in another universe and another time.
((Appalachia, Unknown Location))
On the bridge of the Appalachia, Lieutenant Sarai began consulting her navigational charts as Sigurdsson and Lotharys were already deep into scanning the area. “Particle and background radiation levels returning to normal, sir,” Sigurdsson said. “I’m detecting faint traces of the rift’s ionic signature; it appears to be reduced, but not so far that we can’t send a message through to have it reopened.”
Lotharys nodded her agreement. Sarai then spoke next. “There are discrepancies in observed stellar positions and our charts,” she reported. “We appear to have shifted in location during the transit. Based on the stellar positions we’re seeing here, sir, we appear to be in Sector 219, approximately 145 years ago.”
K’lev nodded; anxious as he was to begin searching, it would be no help to anyone if they were in no fit state to conduct a rescue. “Tiza, status reports from all ships,” he said. “And scan for active comms networks; let’s see what we’ll be dealing with.”
Tiza sent message to Kormoran and Slivin, asking both to send their present statuses, and relaying Appalachia’s to K’lev’s console; fortunately, the venerable Steamrunner-class starship had made the transition undamaged. Searching communications bands, his brow furrowed. “I’ve found several active bands, using older Klingon encryption,” he said. “There’s a buoy perhaps 12 lightyears from our present position; if we can get there, we could try to access it.”
K’lev nodded. “Let the others know. And Erik, Lia? Start scanning for ion trails, and cross-reference any you find against Goldfinch’s power signature; let’s see if we can get a course.”
((Slivin, Bridge))
“Signal coming in from the Appalachia HoD. They are asking our status and if we would be able to approach and attempt to access a nearby Klingon comms relay.” Ka’hor reported from his console to rear and left of the Captain.
“All sections report ready sir.” Bamet added.
“Reply that we are ready for action and will proceed to the relay presently Ka’hor. Bamet, deactivate our transponder and cloak the ship, prepare to make way towards the relay.” Kerak slowly stood, stretched and walking around to the rear section of the command deck, “Perform a full sensor sweep of the region, and have the results forwarded to my datalink Lt.”
“ChA’Vey HoD.”
“You have the bridge Bamet. I’m going to the race against the arrival of the much deserved impending headache I will undoubtedly be suffering from. Wake me when we arrive at the relay.” Kerak stumbled rearward through the hatch as he ever so slowly began sobering up from the recent shipwide bender.
