Zero Dark Thirty at The Eleventh Hour

Posted on Fri Aug 27th, 2021 @ 8:46am by Lieutenant Percival Bálor Ph.D & Lieutenant Zero & Lieutenant JG Elizabeth Stone

2,645 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Out of Time
Location: USS Ontario | Decks 7-8 | Astrosciences - Stellar Cartography Laboratory

Whether she knew it or not, Commander Grace Vetur had given the Chief Science Officer a challenge. Take his theories and put them into action, but before that could be done he needed to figure out if his half-baked plan could work. Theoretically, he saw no reason why it would not. Starships had done similar tactics in the past. He could do some of the calculations no problem, but the tweaking that would be needed would require the Chief Engineer eventually. Something that he noted to Grace and she agreed that he could run things by Lieutenant Haruna Mizuhara, but before Percy could get to that point, there were things that were just not adding up.

Though the more he did his own calculations, Percy knew he was in over his head. Haruna alone was not going to be the answer to his scientific prayers. He needed someone who could calculate, adjust, recalculate, and adapt quicker than was Humanly possible, well beyond his reach. The computer could do it, but the computer had its limitations of creativity and adaptability. There was only one person aboard that Percy knew could provide the sort of mathematical prowess needed: Lieutenant Zero, the liberated Borg Chief Operations Officer.

Percy had concerns about this whole thing. He did not want to mess with history, but he did not want to hinder the future. It was why he wrestled with presenting his purple pill option to Commander Vetur, but destroying a Federation starship was not an option she would accept nor was killing Romulans. I need to give her more options and one of those was definitely Percy's idea of tearing open space and trying to send both ships back through was certainly....something, but it couldn't be the only something.

He wanted different perspectives but wanted to work the kinks out of his own potential plan. So who did he turn to? Lieutenant Zero, and Lieutenant JG Siren. Those two would be his think tank. He had asked them both to meet him in the upper level of the Stellar Cartography lab. He knew it very well was going to be a long night, but with the cast of characters he was assembling, it was going to be a night to remember. The Chief Science Officer took a seat behind the console in the upper level of the lab as he waited for the others.

Zero received the Chief Science Officers message to join him in Stellar Cartography, a location he had yet to see, with a fellow officer he had yet to met. The idea of taking care of both tasks simultaneously was one reason to go, but the lingering curiosity remained as to why he was summoned in the first place. The Ex-Borg was normally not someone people would seek out unless they required a specific task. As a Senior Officer, especially the department head of Operations, it was his duty to perform those tasks he was capable of doing. However, Zero would not know what the task was unless he arrived. And being the former Borg drone that he was he arrived promptly.

The doors to Stellar Cartography opened up as the officer walked in, his gloved hands behind his back, and his head forward. His blue mechanical eyes seemed to adjust as he paused for a moment to look around the room before focusing his gaze to the Chief Science Officer. He tilted his head slightly before at his appearance. Species: 5618 Hum- No. Correction. He thought as his eyes focused to the Chief Science Officer's nose. Species: 3268. Tellarite. He is a hybrid species. Zero continued processing in his mind as he began to approach the officer. "You summoned me, Lieutenant?"

Percy had not had much of an opportunity yet to work alongside the former Borg drone who had gone by Zero, a name or rather 'designation' that the half-Tellarite thought was less than appealing. The longer blonde hair and those blue mechanical eyes...You need a name change my friend Percy thought to himself. Fabio. Fabio of Borg the Chief Science Officer mused, trying to contain the chuckle.

"Yes," he replied to Fabio. "This unit's biological brain is unable to compute necessary calculations at an efficient speed. I require your assistance, in more ways than simply being my calculator." Percy tapped away at his console and brought the visual display of the star system to life with three clear items marked: The USS Ontario, the Romulan vessel, and the other Federation starship.

Percy turned and looked at zero. "Our current situation as you are aware is not ideal. Commander Vetur wants to send these starships back to their own time. I have some ideas, but I will require your assistance along with a few other..."dare I say drones Percy thought better of it. "Officers" he finished.

Zero didn't like the way Percy replied. This unit's biological brain is unable to compute.... It was as if he was demeaning Zero. It was no different than how some of the cadets used to speak to him. While he didn't allow it to bother him physically, he go no amusement out of it.

He looked up at the simulated stars and was almost in wonder for a few moments. Zero didn't look at the stars often. Not when he was at the Academy, and certainly not when he was drone, but the display of them seemed to stop his thinking only momentarily. He finally returned his gaze to Percy and replied. "Your task is certainly challenging, Lieutenant. Never the less, I will assist you in whatever area you assign me, so that I can contribute to the ships functions."

Siren walked into Stellar Cartography, and her hand went immediately to her phaser, which of course wasn't there. Hopefully nobody had seen that knee jerk reaction; she didn't want a lecture on xenophobia. She just hadn't met Zero in person, nor had she met an x-borg. "Sirs" She nodded respectfully to both. "What can I do for you?"

Zero turned around at the voice coming from behind him. His eyes finally locked on hers and zoomed in slightly to get a better analysis before shifting to their normal vision. Another human species. Female. He thought. Her uniform signified a Command Department position, but her rank indicated Junior Grade Lieutenant. Clearly, she wasn't the Captain or First Officer, he interacted with them already, so maybe she served a different function onboard. He would acquire this knowledge somehow. He simply nodded in return. It was the courteous thing to do after all. He had only just met her.


"It's more what we all can do," Percy replied not just to Siren, but to them all collectively. "Commander Vetur wants options one of those is to send both those ships back to where they came from. Best we can ascertain is their combined weapons fire caused a temporal fissure, and they both ended up coming through" added Percy. "Though it could very well have something to do with the nebula."

The Chief Science Officer was determined that this ragtag think tank would find am answer. "I had one idea...I don't know if this is crazy or not, but I think we can open a temporal rift to the right temporal harmonics of those ships. The deflector dish is what I was thinking, but I kneed the two of you," he said to Zero and Siren "To come up with how to make it work."

Zero just stood there, his hands behind his back, saying nothing. He was taking it all in.

Percy looked at Siren. "No, you aren't here to twiddle your thumbs," he said sternly. "Whatever we come up with, I need to know you can navigate the Ontario away from it. The last thing we need is Haruna getting a field trip to the 2250s.

Siren raised a brow. She hadn't said anything about twiddling her thumbs. Percy was cranky in full officer mode. She didn't know he had it in him. But she was used to gruff Marines, it didn't bother her. "Right." She simply replied. She turned to Zero. "If you can get me some numbers. What gravitational forces we might be dealing with and the like. I can plot us a course away from the fray."

"I do not believe this is the best course of action." Zero stated bluntly, looking around at the others. "Starfleet has a clear policy when dealing with situations like this. The Temporal Prime Directive with clearly states: All Starfleet personnel were strictly forbidden from directly interfering with historical events and were required to maintain the timeline and prevent history from being altered. The directive also restricted people from revealing too much about the future so as not to cause paradoxes or alter the timeline. These ships have been pulled from the past into this moment. They have been marked as missing and time inevitably moved on. Timeline we are all currently experiencing. By sending them back to their own time we are violating a Starfleet policy that clearly states we should not alter a moment in history which would affect the timeline. Continuing with these plans will alter history by placing these ships back where they were, shifting any and all events that happened after they disappeared, causing possible alterations to the timeline itself. Returning them may seem to be a minor alteration but alterations will occur. Minor or otherwise. The ideal plan would be to incorporate the ships crews to their new era and send them to be debriefed by their own government. Sending them back poses a far greater risk and may have disastrous effects that has not been foreseen or taken into account."

Percy placed his hands around either side of Zero's cheeks and gazed longingly into those brilliant blue eyes, man meets machine, but intellect was intellect. "Fabio, I could kiss you right now with that mind of yours, but for both are sakes I wont" Percy replied.

Zero raised his brow, looking to Percy oddly, before replying. "My designation is Zero. Please respect that and refer to me as such."

"I'm sorry, Zero" Percy corrected himself. "I already tried to explain the temporal risks to both the Captain and First Officer. Hell, I even tried to reason blowing both ships up to preserve how history presently states them, missing. What we are doing is not concrete, Zero. We're here digging for answers and trying to find some options" noted Percy.

"There may be a possibility altering that event would result in major events being altered. Even officers no longer existing because, in some way, this event may have played a part in there conception." Zero looked at Percy firmly, before looking around at the group, as he continued in his usual tone. "The lives of many could be affected by their return. Placing these ships back could, in theory, erase many people from both factions from existence. And, by extension the people who they have affected prior to this point." He looked back to Percy and concluded with. "We should not be the ones who comply and adapt. Both ships who have been brought to this moment should comply to the directive set by Starfleet itself and adapt to their new surroundings."

Percy sighed. He knew Zero had valid points because to an extent they matched his own that he attempted to point out. "I know, but this is part of the process, we're here to generate ideas and think. If you want to file an official objection to sending them back, that's your prerogative and I would completely support you on that Zero. I won't make you work on this aspect Zero, but I would appreciate it if you did. We need different options to be present to Commander Vetur and Captain Michaels as soon as possible. If you want, when we have something, we can try to talk them out of sending these ships back."

"Starfleet frowns upon the senseless deaths of many for a small few. By sending these ships back we could be causing a far greater amount in both the Federation and Romulan Star Empire." Zero countered before stopping. He looked around at the group before walking back to the Stellar Cartography main console. "If I am ordered to work on this project I will have no choice. However, as per your request, I shall file my objection to this decision and plan to bring this point back up when this plan is presented." He stopped at the console and stood there quietly.

Siren had no desire to get in the middle of a philosophical discussion. She didn't know if this would mess up the time stream, and frankly she didn't care. If it did, she highly doubted she'd have any memory of it. "Soooo, I can expect those numbers?" She simply asked. Like any good marine, she had her orders and just awaited the tools she needed to carry them out. All this talking about it was so Starfleet, but she would have to get used to it.

Zero turned his head slightly, focusing on Siren our of the corner of his mechanical eye, before tapping the console. "The calculations you require, Lieutenant, will vary depending on the method we decide to use. Since, a method has not been discussed, your patience with those numbers will be required." He brought his focus back on the representation brought up by Percy, adjusting the view to get a better look at both the Starfleet and Romulan ship. "As of this moment I have no numbers to give."

"Alright, well do you need anything else from me?" She aimed her question more towards Percy.

Percy shook his head. "Get some rest," Percy said to Siren. "We may not have anything yet, but Zero and I will burn the midnight oil, but if you come up with anything yourself, just let us know."

Siren nodded. She would offer to stay, but really she did not have the skillset of a scientist. She was a pilot through and through. She had a good grasp of space physics and enough spacial geometry for proper targeting, but she was certainly not on par with the two officers in the room. No doubt the only thing she could offer would be coffee, and they could do that themselves. "Good luck."

The Chief Science Officer resumed his position at the console and pulled up a display of the nebula. "Alright, Zero, you and I are going to be in for a long night. Where do you want you start?"

Zero looked at him intently. He was unsure of spending a long time with the Chief Science Officer. Putting aside the fact that he eventually require to use his alcove to regenerate, he felt he was strange, which had nothing to do with his appearance. It was his actions toward him that made him reluctant. The way he grasped him earlier and referred to him by a name Zero did understand the reference for. Nevertheless, he was given instructions and his cooperation would prove useful. "Do you have an estimation as to how like this long night shall be? I may require regeneration in my Borg alcove."

Alright, think tank later, one science officer's continued quest for answers thought Percy. "Okay," he said looking at Zero. "I do not, but problem four hours maybe more. If you need to regenerate, proceed. I'll do some of the initial work and request scans from the Constitution Class starship." With that, Percy cracked his knuckles and knew he'd be spending time compiling information before anything further would happen.

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