SECTION 23

Maybe if you had a while to thoroughly check out that Iconian relic, you’d trust it to power the time tunneler, but this is not the time to put a mysterious artifact to the test, especially inside an already-mysterious gadget left behind by someone you have to hope knew something about time travel. Instead, you find the power supply for the time tunneler, remove it carefully with some tools helpfully provided by Reginald, and then attach the leads from your Section 31 Uniform.

This time when you power up the controls, the small screen on your wrist flashes to life, displaying an absolute flood of text warning about all of the horrible mishaps that can happen when you travel in time. Once you finally scroll through it all, you are able to click OK and get back to the device’s main screen.

The time tunneler allows you to select both a time and a destination, which is immensely helpful in the current circumstances. Yes, you could have just beamed to Vulcan first through the Section 31 transporter network, but you worried that the transporter might not know what to do with an unknown piece of technology like the time tunneler. The slightest mishap during rematerialization could lead to disaster when you travel back in time.

You can feel the vest humming against you, an effect that only builds as you punch in the time and place where you need to go. Soon all that’s left is to activate the time tunneler.

“This is looking like a one-person job from here,” Reginald says with a hint of sadness.

“I’m afraid so,” you reply. “But thank you. You’ve been so helpful when you really didn’t have a reason to believe me.”

“If what you say about the timeline you came from is true, it’s more than worth it. Tell that other me that he’s a lucky man.”

“Oh, I will absolutely be doing that,” you say, flashing Reginald a smile.

You activate the time tunneler.

Reginald and the Orion ship vanish in a swirl of color as you are instantly incased in a bubble moving through a corridor of temporal energy.

Moments later, you are dumped out in the blinding sun on a surface of red dirt. Close by, you can see an entrance to the hidden facility that lies inside a massive cavern dug into the T’Rynanhyd Mountains. This is where the ship Spock will use to try to stop the Hobus supernova is being constructed.

It’s a weird feeling of déjà vu, since you were here not that long ago. In fact, you’re here now. Not you you, but the other you from before. Well, not before, since it’s still happening now, but before for you.

We’re just going to stop that right there before this becomes a scene from Spaceballs.

You manage to sneak into the facility unnoticed and make your way towards where the other you is hiding and watching events unfold. You find a good vantage point behind some crates that gives you a clear view of yourself hiding behind some nearby cargo containers as well as the Jellyfish ship that is being readied for Spock’s journey.

Any moment now, a team from the USS Anomaly consisting of Commander Prosak, Commander Vioxx, and Sub-Commander Remax will be infiltrating Spock’s ship and stealing a small sample of red matter, which they will then use to stop the supernova themselves while also sending Spock’s ship and a Romulan mining ship into a slightly different timeline where they can do whatever they do that doesn’t stop Hobus in time. It is all a bit complicated, and you got the story second hand from Reginald and your adopted son, Tovar.

Regardless, whatever they did the first time worked, but a Section 31 agent is going to show up soon and ruin things.

It’s a bit odd seeing yourself crouching a few dozen yards away. Not like looking in a mirror. More like watching a holovid, but you’re actually right over there. You could just walk over and talk to yourself, not that you would. That would absolutely mess up the timeline.

No. You just need to wait for the agent Section 31 sent to stop past you to show up and…

“Rosalyn! What in the name of H.G. Wells are you doing here?” a very unwelcome female voice says from behind you. You turn to see Captain Bridget Lornstrum of the 29th Century Federation holding a phaser on you and looking oh-so-pleased with herself. You two have crossed paths on several occasions. In fact, a version of her should be showing up shortly and stunning the past version of you.

“It’s a long story,” you say. And one you have no interest in telling. You’ve got to get her out of here before whomever Section 31 sends shows up!

“Let’s head up to my ship, and you can tell me all about it,” Lornstrum says.

If that happens, you won’t be here to stop Section 31! You’ve got to do something!

She’s got a phaser, but maybe you can surprise her and attack before she can blast you. You’re quite skilled at hand-to-hand combat. Just knock her out, then stun her with your phaser for good measure, and keep her out of the way until you take care of things with Section 31.

Or perhaps there’s another way. You’re wearing a time machine. If you activate it and go somewhere and somewhen else, Lornstrum will have no reason to stay there. Then you can circle back at the precise moment you left and still catch the incoming Section 31 agent.

If you try to catch Lornstrum with a surprise attack, go to Section 14.

If you try a random time jump, hoping it will draw Lornstrum away, go to Section 29.