“It’s not going to work.” Captain Tomaz said instantly as he looked at the data flashing on the large screen in the temporal observatory. A mix of frustration and disappointment showed in his features as he rubbed his temple.

“Hang on Tomaz, we’ve not come this far to give up.” Vice Admiral Duncan stated, trying to remain optimistic. “Are we certain with what the temporal sensors are telling us?”

“Absolutely.” Alfie confirmed as he manipulated the main control panel. With every other area of the ship now prepped and ready for the chroniton field, our sensors are more precise in telling us what is happening in each section. The chevron section’s engineering has been taken over by a group of Klingons.”

“I take it then they’re not the Klingons who are members of the Federation?” Jorgeh checked.

Hearing that bit of information about the Klingon Empire joining the Federation, Jen gave a surprised reaction towards McCallister who just shook his head as if to say ‘don’t ask’. The Trill was sitting on one of the stools as he tried to understand how the temporal observatory worked. The science was ahead of him and he knew from conversations with the others from the future it was all based on Krenim and Borg inspired technology.

Leaning against a bulkhead at the back of the room, near to the main entrance, McCallister had crossed his arms against his chest while listening to the others have their conversation. “I assume that the Klingons in question are the Hunters of D’Ghor? Unless Odyssey in its future history was boarded by the Klingons?”

Duncan shook his head. “No and the temporal sensors are showing this timeframe is set in the year twenty-three-ninety-nine.”

“Hey dad, isn’t this the first time you assume command of the Odyssey?” Jorgeh asked his father.

Nodding to confirm, Duncan gave a brief outline of the events. “Yeah, we had been ordered to assist with relief efforts in the Archanis sector after the Hunters of D’Ghor had launched a number of raids and incursions in Federation space. Odyssey was sent to secure the Haydorian system, ready for the construction of the Archanis Array. We were attacked by a Klingon task group. James and several others higher in the chain of command were severely injured and it left me in command.”

“One of the more interesting missions, if I recall.” McCallister stated. “Those D’Ghor were ruthless and were intent on restoring honour to their House and wanting the Empire to go to war with the Federation.” Looking at Duncan, he smirked. “I’m glad to hear that’s all in the past now.”

“It took a bigger threat to force the Klingons to admit our two ‘house’ united was a stronger fighting force.” Duncan remarked. “Anyway, enough about that as that may not happen.”

“And let’s get back to the issue at hand.” Tomaz said, reminding them. “Taking the chevron’s engineering room is the last critical element of all of our efforts. We’re outnumbered.”

“Seeing as our sensors are better at focussing now on what is there, can we not just beam them out?” Jen suggested.

Shaking his head, Alfie answered that one. “Our temporal sensors are good but our transporters aren’t.”

“Could we flood the engineering department with a knockout gas, like neurozine?” Jorgeh proposed.

“We can’t access environmental controls for that specific area of the ship.” Alfie stated. “Even if we could make the computer think there was microbiotic contamination in the area, we’ve got no way of ensuring the ventilation system opened automatically.”

“Show me engineering again with the temporal sensors.” McCallister ordered his son.

Complying, Alfie adjusted the controls again and showed the deck plan of engineering and where the temporal barriers were along with the life signs of the Klingons who were there.

Studying the scans for a moment, he pointed to one section on the upper section of engineering. “Why is that area in green and the rest of engineering in red?”

“Green represents a timeframe we’ve adjusted and red shows the areas we’ve not.” Alfie answered.

“So the upper command level is sitting in a different time frame?” McCallister queried.

His son just nodded in confirmation.

Duncan stepped forward to stand by McCallister’s side, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking, JP?” He asked.

“I think so.” McCallister said with a smirk. “But we’re going to need more than just us six to do this.”

“Time to call in some favours then.” Duncan said as he copied McCallister’s grin.

Both men turned around and began to walk out of the room, leaving the others perplexed.

“Alf, Jor, either of you know what your fathers are planning to do to my ship?” Tomaz asked.

Alfie and Jorgeh both shook their heads. All of them turned to Jen for answers.

“Hey, I’m in the dark as much as you guys are!” The Trill man said as he raised his hands and shrugged before following his own captain to leave the room.

Doctor Obrith had heard it all in his almost ten years service of being in Starfleet. The Krenim doctor looked at the admiral, the man who had supported his application into Starfleet and then to the past version of McCallister who had become a mentor to him while at Starfleet Academy. What they had just proposed to him was something that required a miracle worker to do. He certainly was not that. “Admirals,” He paused as he realised he had called McCallister the wrong rank, “I meant admiral and captain, what you are asking me to do is not something that I could not do in the time we have left.”

“Come on Obrith, you’re good with this type of thing! Facial restructuring and genetic manipulation, it’s right up your street!” Duncan exclaimed. “You made Alfie and Jorgeh look like a pair of convincing Kazons a couple of years ago.”

McCallister looked at his son from across the room who just grinned at not being able to tell his dad why and his friend had to be surgically altered to look like a Kazon. Shaking his head in an attempt to forget it, he returned his focus back onto the ship’s chief medical officer. He found it weird that Slyvexs was not here. Apparently though Obrith had not only owed a lot to himself and Max but also to her. He had been her protege for a long time after he had graduated from the academy. “Obrith, if you can’t do it this way then is there a way you can modify the holographic camouflage mobile emitters to make us look like the Hunters, similar to how you made both Alfie and Jorgeh look like me and Tobias.”

Considering the idea for a moment, Obrith then nodded. “I can but if you want to take so many of you through then I’ll need as many hands as possible to assist.”

“You tell us what to do and we’ll follow your lead.” Duncan assured his chief medical officer.

“Follow me into the med lab then.” Obrith gestured as they left the confines of the main sickbay area and towards the large lab nearby.

Standing outside the main doors of the chevron’s engineering room, McCallister took in a deep breath. The moment they opened the large wide doors then they would be stepping through another time barrier and into a new time frame. He had not been there to fight the Klingons off his ship. It had been one of those things he had regrets over. Unable to defend what was his because the Klingons decided to ram his vessel instead of giving up in an honourable way. The Hunters of D’Ghor had made Starfleet’s life hell during this campaign. Nevertheless it was one particular point that proved to him later on that the man standing next to him would be an excellent first officer.

A beep came through on the tricorder that Duncan had in his hands. “All teams are in position. We’re ready.”

“Once more unto the breach then.” McCallister stated as he took a deep breath in.

“Who invited Jean Luc Picard to the party?!” Duncan teased with his former boyish wit. “Let’s do this JP!”

“Make it so, Number One!” McCallister said with a chuckle before composing himself.

Duncan suppressed his smirk as both men looked at one another’s reflection in the shiny doors and saw the appearance of two Klingon warriors before them.