Nicole had been out of the loop in the hospital but she was quickly being brought up to speed walking with members of the Omega Colony Staff into the Council Chambers. She looked over at Commander Teero, "How bad is it?"
Acrylos, still reeling over the fact that Tacita was the shooter, looked over at Nicole and said, "Bad. There is a reason there is an Omega Directive. We have reason to believe the molecule has been accelerated by the Romulans at Rome and may in fact be building to the worst case scenario principle. I am uncertain that we should have been working with the molecule at all. We were in violation of the Omega Directive and Star Fleet General Orders."
Before Nicole could respond, Admiral Veltkamp, still in a sling jumped in, "The colony operates on the Omega energy farms. Three cities were built in less than one year because we have had access to virtually boundless energy. When me and my staff first discovered the Omega Molecule here, we knew its potential. We had to tap the energy. Governor's Station, the Alliance of Guardians station exists and was saved because of access to the Omega Pattern. We cannot start second guessing the start up. We have to stop this."
Everyone was shocked. Admiral Veltkamp had been relatively quiet since his arrival. Acrylos looked over at Vincent, "Any suggestions, Admiral?"
Vincent sat down. He slumped in his chair. This was supposed to be his retirement job not his damn funeral. He rubbed his hands through his hair.
Admiral Wells, still getting used to his role as Fleet Deputy Commander In Chief, stood up. He had rarely spoken in his tenure on the colony.
"Whatever if there is another solution. What if we put the fire out before it began?"
The very question peaked the interest of everyone around the table. William continued, "The Federation Department of Temporal Investigations has access to a small but functional temporal adjustment selection system (TASS) which allows members of its staff to go back short distances in time. Primarily, TASS is used to investigate crimes. I had the system brought to the Omega Colony in secret by Marine Captain Anderson Smythe of the USS Hercules in case it became necessary to prove who shot Admiral Veltkamp. My suggestion is that we use the TASS to dispatch a fire team to Vorta'Rome and the ROME research facilty at the time the molecule was accelerated and simply attack the fire at its source."
Nicole looked at William, "It would have to be someone well versed in the physics of Omega."
William looked back. Nicole was pleased. Despite her failings, William always spoke with her in a respectful way. He never spoke to her as a "lesbian art student" but as an equal.
William responded, "Agreed."
William was a temporal researcher not a fire fighter. The staff looked around the table.
Acrylos, the Chief Engineer interjected, "Dr. Skylight Greene would be the best choice. She is a doctor but she worked on a science vessel with her mother, Dr. Peaceful Greene. The doctor could be briefed and then dispatched to respond to the fire."
Nicole looked up, "Skye is my friend. Are you sure, she is the best choice?"
Vince stood up, "You're 'friend', eh?"
The Executive Officer of the colony sounded condescending for the first time. Vince continued, "You can never let friendship stand in the way of the best interests of the colony, Nikki. If we don't put the fire out, we could all be killed. Dr. Greene is the best choice and if she won't do it voluntarily, we will order her to do it."
Vincent sounded bossy and very militaristic for the first time since joining the colony. The truth is we were all beginning to get scared. Vincent paced a bit when he finally said, "We are going with the Wells Plan? We will use the TASS system to stop this chaos."
Admiral Veltkamp snapped in, "I concur."
William Wells responded, "Thank you, Sir. I will meet with Dr. Greene."
Acrylos, the Bajoran Engineer looked at the very senior staff and responded, "I will gather the equipment necessary for Dr. Greene."
Nicole was the commanding officer. In the end, it was her call. She had such horrid luck with relationships and now she had found someone older and more mature who was actually caring for her and she was about to put her in the greatest peril facing the federation; exposing her to an unstable Omega Molecule. Nicole wanted to start to cry. She had been working to stop this behavior. She had worked on it in the hospital.
Nicole looked over at Tim, at William and at Acrylos. She respected these men very much but Vincent she loved like a father. He had been her mentor as she grew as a commanding officer. He was absolutely right. This is what must be done.
"I will inform the doctor of the mission. It must be done.", Nicole spoke as a commanding officer should speak. The staff knew she was thinking of the best interests of the colony and not of herself.
The men left and Nicole slumped down into her chair. She loved Skye and now Skye could be like the others. She could be gone in an instant. Nicole was filled with worry. There was definitely trouble in paradise.
Posted by:
Vice Admiral Nicole Branson
Commanding Officer
Omega Colony
Admiral Vincent Viceroy
Executive Officer
Omega Colony
Commander Acrylos Teero
Chief Engineer
Omega Colony
Admiral William Wells
Deputy Commander In Chief
Omega Fleet
Admiral Tim Veltkamp
Commander In Chief
Omega Fleet
