Through the Looking Glass
Posted on Sun Jan 5th, 2025 @ 7:23pm by Lieutenant Commander Tarian Aloria
Edited on on Mon Jan 6th, 2025 @ 4:00am
1,084 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Like Sands Through The Hourglass
Location: Earth/Shuttlecraft Emporia/Kok Station
Timeline: MD001 1100 hrs
Tarian walked from the back part of the Type-4 shuttle that he procured from Starfleet HQ to reach his new assignment aboard the Starship Herodotus. Tarian recently found out that his transfer request to the Herodotus was approved, but he would have to be at his new assignment in a few days. He would have to reach the Kok Station near the Carlson nebula before they left the station for their next assignment within that same nebula.
Since Tarian was technically dead to Starfleet and the rest of the Federation, he would have to figure out what his next moves would be and how he would get his hands on a shuttlecraft to reach Kok Station. Tarian worked with the DTI for several decades and had several aliases under his belt. Since the Herodotus was classified as a “science vessel” under the official Starfleet and Federation records, Tarian thought that a science officer going to his next posting would make for a good cover. He had just the one and managed to pull off the science uniform quite well, but he still had to make it through security checkpoints and to the Quartermaster’s office without incident.
Starfleet had heightened their security since the incident with the synths over a decade prior. They did various scans of a person before they even walked into the structure that held Starfleet HQ. However, Tarian talked to one of his handlers after he explained his transfer and had his handler input all the information about his new assignment before Tarian even transported in. The handler even put in new stuff, so nothing in the system would be set off as to Tarian’s real identity.
But, nothing was ever perfect. Especially when you messed with time and what could be considered spy work.
Tarian walked into the building and checked in with the front desk, asking where the Quartermaster's office was. He was guided to the fourth floor of the building and once off the turbolift, Tarian was instantly greeted by one of the various Quartermasters that filled the space. It took a moment to realize who was actually talking to him, but when he did, Tarian said, “Ah, yes. I need to borrow a shuttlecraft to reach my next assignment. Would you be able to do that for me and help me out?”
The Quartermaster said, “Yes, we can. If you don’t mind following me to my console and we can get you set up.” The two men walked to a nearby console, where the Quartermaster input some information into it, pulling up all the available shuttlecraft that HQ had to loan out. After what felt like an eternity, the Quartermaster asked, “Can I have your ID, so I can pull up your assignment information?”
Tarian pulled out the ID that his handler had made for him and handed it over. The Quartermaster put the information in and said, “Oh, so you’re a science officer that was recently transferred to the Herodotus? That’s awesome! Must be pretty smart to get on that vessel.”
Tarian replied, “I just made sure to study really hard while at the academy. Published a few papers and here I am. Just glad to have finally gotten the transfer to the ship approved though. Took me a bit to hear back about whether or not I’d be going.”
“I’m glad that they finally approved it for you. I’ve heard through the grapevine that people have been waiting to hear about their transfers because of how many requests have been made this year alone. But, I’ve got you a shuttle. It’s a type-4, but the engines have been tweaked to make it a little bit faster for you. It’s parked in shuttlebay four on Starbase 1. Is there anything else that I can do for you down here on Earth?” the young Quartermaster asked.
Tarian smiled and replied, “No, that will be all. Thank you for all of your assistance today. It has been a tremendous help!”
With that, the Quartermaster handed over an isolinear chip with all the pertinent information for Tarian, telling him that it would give him access to Starbase 1 and its shuttlebay, as well as to get the shuttle off the ground. Tarian shook his head and headed back to the turbolift, taking it back to the ground floor before anyone realized anything was suspicious about his credentials.
It didn’t take long for Tarian to transport up to Starbase 1 and get the shuttle set aside for him down on Earth. Before long, Tarian had gotten out and was well underway towards Kok Station.
While en route to the station, Tarian made it a mission of his to gather all of the information that he could about the Carlson Nebula and what was becoming known as the Carlson Rift. It appeared to be a basic rift in the space-time continuum, but something was nagging at Tarian about it. It had been open for quite some time and appeared to be rather steady. Why wouldn’t the various things within the nebula have made it harder for the rift to stay open? Was there someone behind the rift being open?
Tarian knew that if there was anything nefarious about this rift, him and his new crewmates would have to do something about it. Not only that, but it appeared that the crew of the Herodotus was the only line of defense standing in the way of anything bad happening. Tarian was a bit excited about it, not because he wanted something bad to happen. But, it felt good to be working with a crew again. Tarian had been undercover for so long that he almost forgot what it was like.
It didn’t take long for Tarian to make it to Kok Station, where he opened hailing frequencies to their operations. He requested clearance to land his shuttle and make his way to his new ship. The Kok Station replied back with landing coordinates and Tarian was onboard before he could even snap his fingers.
Tarian gave the man in the shuttlebay his ID and was guided to where the Herodotus was docked. He took a deep breath in as he got onto the turbolift and said, “Here goes nothing!”
A Post By
Lieutenant Commander Tarian Aloria
Chief Temporal Operations Officer
USS Herodotus DTI-30656
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