Captain Aoife McKenzie stared down at the ancient ruins with her arms crossed as her science officer Lieutenant Shrin scraped the black overburden away from the temple’s floor as various artifacts were exposed to the light for the first time in thousands of years.

The USS Crazy Horse had been in orbit of Je’lon IV for the last four months as the ship’s science teams unearthed and ancient ruins of a past alien species, contemporary of the Iconians. The dig had been mostly boredom inducing to the captain and most of the crew who weren’t science focused until… the last few days.

“The power source is close,” the Andorian woman said holding a tricorder in her hand. Without closing the device she eagerly picked up her trowel and carefully scrapped away nutrient rich earth.  Roots popped as she removed layer after layer into a bucket to be sifted later.

With the scraping of metal on stone Shrin used a brush to push the last of the soil away.  The object was cut into a dodecahedron with ancient writing carved on at least three of the exposed sides.  The face positioned at the top had a recessed panel and pulsed with a glowing blue.

Aoife pushed a crimson strand of hair from her face.  The ocean breeze had wreaked havoc on her normally perfectly orderly regulation bun.  “Any clue what it is?”

Shrin shrugged, “Not a clue.  It’s emitting low levels of gamma rays as well an electromagnetic field.”

“Meaning?” Aoife asked

“Meaning… I don’t have the foggiest clue,” Shrin replied looking over her shoulder.  She carefully dug around the artifact extracted it from its earthen tomb.  She brushed the dirt from the sides as she rotated it in her left hand.  It was a little bit bigger than a soft ball.  The outside surface was grey and pock marked with age.  “The exterior shell appears to be made up of a platinum-gold alloy.  It was probably originally polished to a mirror like finish.”

She rolled the artifact around in her hand and stopped, “I don’t think this is writing… it looks like… well it looks like a… I think this is a star chart.”

“Star chart?” Aoife asked as she kneeled to get a closer look.  “Well, your people think this is a temple.  It is not very surprising that they would incorporate constellations into their ceremonies.  At least this wouldn’t be the first civilization to do so.”

“No it wouldn’t,” Shrin agreed. “But it begs the question; what are they saying here?  Is this a particular constellation a representation of a God or some religious symbol? Or maybe it marks the time of year for a particular ceremony.”

“Well, Lieutenant that’s your problem, not mine,” Aoife said with a grin.  “At least we found something interesting here. Is this the only power source?”

Shrin set the artifact down and stood with her tricorder and scanned the area.  “That’s it.  That is the only power source within ten kilometers minus our own devices.  I would like to take this back to the ship to get a better look at it. Maybe determine its function.”

“Let’s have Washington and Garza take a look at it before you beam it aboard.  Just to make sure it isn’t a threat to the ship first.”

“Understood Captain,” Shrin nodded.

There was a sudden commotion as excited voiced rose from the far side of the dig.  A group of archeologists clumped around a beaming blonde woman holding a dark brown object in her hands.

As they approached Aoife could make out the lines of a sword.  The blonde handed the sword to Shrin.  The Andorian woman examined it curiously, but didn’t seem to share the same excitement of the others.  “A sword? It appears to be made of an iron alloy,” she added absently.

“I did my master’s thesis on the early medieval period.  That is a classic Western European arming sword from around the 12^th and 13^th centuries.  A metallurgical scan is also consistent.”

“Wait?” Aoife asked with a raised eyebrow, “Is this human in origin?”

“Not likely. This site hasn’t been disturbed for nearly two-thousand years. Radio carbon dating from the hearth confirms that much and we’re nowhere near Earth.  This is likely the technological equivalent of convergent evolution.  An interesting piece nonetheless.  Tag it and we’ll add it to the artifact collection”

The blonde woman looking dejected nodded and the others dispersed. Aoife shook her head, “That was harsh.”

“She’s naive.  What’s more likely; a human sword on a planet a thousand light years from Earth or function dictating form?”

“Okay point taken.  Still felt a bit harsh.”

“Captain,” Shrin started patiently.  “We are in the field.  Our time here is finite.  We haven’t the time to waste on idle speculation. We can do that while on the ship.”

Aoife sighed. That was part of the reason she was here right now.  The whole science department had been going crazy over this discovery, but they had received new orders this morning.  “You have a point,” Aoife agreed.

“We’re packing up aren’t we?” Shrin asked.

“Yeah… we are.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised.  To be honest I’m surprised Starfleet gave us four months.”

“Yeah, not a whole lot going on right now though, but it was a matter of time.”

“When do we leave?”

“Day after tomorrow.  Starbase 86, and then a diplomatic mission to Argosian VIII.”

“We’ll we have nearly ten thousand artifacts to catalogue, and we now have a language to translate.”

Aoife smiled, “It looks like you have plenty of work to do.”

“Yes Captain,” the Andorian replied with a fake smile.  The disappointment clear on her face.

Aoife patted Shrin on the shoulder, “You can always resign your commission and join the archeological team Starfleet is dispatching.”

Shrin smirked this time with genuine amusement, “And risk missing the next discovery? No thank you ma’am. I’m just greedy.  I want my cake and eat it too.”

Aoife laughed and tapped her combadge, “Crazy Horse, one to beam up.”  The transporter chief acknowledged her and a moment later she was swept up in the energy beam and was gone.

CHAPTER 2.

Two days later…

Lieutenant Commander Erin Hayden stared down at the computer translation that the computer had returned.  It was utter nonsense, and she sighed. “Okay that didn’t work.”

Shrin stood and crossed the science lab to stand next to the blonde woman that headed the operations department.  “‘The window runs high at night’? Yeah, that’s nonsensical.”

Erin sighed and pushed an errant stand hair behind her left ear, “Okay let’s do this.  I have one more translation matrix to try.” She entered the commands into the computer and the computer beeped and started running the data through the system. 

“Well ladies,” Ensign Arthur Talon announced with a grin.  The massive navigator barely fit behind the console, and even with the looseness of his uniform tunic the bulging arm muscles could be clearly made out.  “Your theory was correct.  It is a star chart.  Specifically a celestrial navigation map for Earth.”

“Earth?” Shrin asked surprised.  “Are you sure?”

“Uh… yeah I am.  I’m the navigator here.”

“Could it be coincidence?” Erin suggested speculativly.

“It’s possible I guess,” Arthur said with a shrug, “but highly unlikely.”

He brought up the scans  device they had found on the planet. The science teams had all decided that the glowing face was intended to be in the “top” position since the opposite face was blank, and was presumably the bottom. All other faces on the device were covered in markings.  Either the unknown script or the graphical depictions of stellar constellations.

“This here is Orion,” Arthur said, “and those are Casiopia, Scorpio, the Big Dipper, and that has to be Polaris and the Little Dipper.”

“Okay there’s a tie to Earth,” Erin thought for a moment.  “Perhaps there’s a language tie-in as well.  Computer, access ancient Earth languages and cross reference them to the symbols on the device.”

The computer beeped, “Working… There are three partial matches.  It is a Brythonic Language similar in structure and syntax to ancient Welsh, Scots Gaelic and Irish Gaelic.”

“Can your run a translation subroutine?” Erin asked excitedly.

“Working…” There was a pause as the computer ran the information through the database.  “Translation complete.”

Shin’s fingers danced over the terminal and brought up a holographic representation of the device with the carved characters translated into Federation Standard.  As the words rotated slowly, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Beyond the gateway in Avalon, reigns Aurthur, King of the Britons and his Knights of the Round Table.  With Merlin’s staff a lightning of time bridges the distance between time and space.”

“What does that mean?” Erin asked. “They could have been more specific.”

“Maybe not,” Shrin replied.  “Think of it. I don’t think this was intended for an advanced people.  They probably thought a transporter was a magical time machine.  Think about it.  You can move from one place to another instantly. So a trip that might take months on foot is done in a couple of seconds.”

“So this thing is a sophisticated transporter?”  Ensign Talon asked suspiciously.  “Smallest transporter system I have ever seen, but the low level gamma radiation could be a small nuclear power source.  What about the staff?”

“Which would seem like magic in it’s own right, and the staff is probably the control mechanism.”

“Well, it looks like we’re fresh out of staffs,” Talon replied.

“”Yeah, there wasn’t one in the dig.  Mostly religious artifacts. Stone statues and the like,” Shrin replied.

Erin looked up from her console breaking her train of thought,  “The message said ‘lightning of time’ what if it isn’t a transporter beam? What if it wasn’t a beam at all, but a particle stream of tachyons.  These people would have no concept of subatomic particles.”

“No…” Shrin replied thinking.  “That seems like a stretch,”

“There’s one way to find out,” Erin said with a grin as she crossed the lab and picked up the unknown device and headed out of the lab. 

The others followed her out into the corridor and down the passageway to the turbolift to deck 19.  Lieutenant Marcus Washington looked up from his engineering panel as the trio walked into main engineering.

“Commander,” Washington greeted.  “What can I do for you?”

Erin approached with a smile on her face, “Hey Mark.  You think you can generate a tachyon pulse?”

“Well, yeah.  It will take a couple of hours to make the modifications to the main deflector,” Washington replied, confusion etched into the brow of his face.

“Not out there, in here, and directed at this.” She held up the artifact to the engineer.

He stared at it for a moment and then realization creeped in and a grin spread across his dark face.  “That’s the mystery artifact isn’t it?”

“The one and only.”

“Yeah, let’s see what we can do. Set it on the master situation table. Gail get me a micro emitter array and force beam generator.” 

“You building a model deflector array?” An ensign asked from the other side of  engineering.

“That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Commander Nicholas Halstead matched his captain’s stride as they headed for engineering.  “So, they’ve had a breakthrough?” He asked.

Aoife shrugged,  “According to Commander Hayden they have translated the text and they have a working theory.”

“Working theory? I’ve heard those before.  Usually a dead end. ‘Sorry Captain.  I swear I thought it would work’.”

Aoife shrugged,  “Maybe, but the translation alone is worth a look.”

Nicholas looked less than excited.  “Sure, if you think some 1,500 year-old artifact that doesn’t affect my life in any way is worth a look.”

“I’m surprised with your attitude,” the captain replied. “This is a new culture. That is at its core Starfleet’s mission.”

Nicholas shrugged,  “Let’s just say, I’m more interested in the flesh and blood kind, not some moldy statues of some long dead civilization.”

“Well, I admit, anthropology wasn’t my favorite subject in the Academy,  but this is a mystery.  Don’t you like a good mystery?”

Halstead shrugged,  “I admit it is weird.  I just would rather be out exploring. “

Aoife laughed,  “Nicholas,  you are on the wrong ship for that.  They don’t send Excelsiors into the deep any more.”

“Don’t I know,” Halstead quipped as they approached the door to engineering.  He paused to let his captain take the lead.

“Adjust the beam by 500 hertz,” Shrin shouted excitedly,  tricorder in hand.

There was an azure energy beam streaming across engineering ending with the artifact.   The low hum changed in pitch as the beam intensified. 

“Chroniton particles are building up within the object,” Shrin announced.   “I think it’s reaching critical mass.”

Suddenly the object opened up like a flower in bloom.  White light was emitted from within.   Then there was a bright flash of white, and silence.

Aoife woke up staring at the sky. Not the ceiling of the ship, but a blue sky with wispy white clouds slowly floating overhead.  There was a male groan and stirring in the grass nearby.

She rolled onto her stomach and then pushed herself to her knees when a strong hand grabbed her arm and helped her to her feet.  “Where are we?”

“Good question,” Commander Halstead said scanning their surroundings.

Aoife slapped her communicator which made a disheartening no signal sound. “Mckenzie to Crazy Horse,” she said anyway.   There was only silence on the other end. Commander Halstead did the same and he too was met with similar failure.

Aoife sighed and took in her surroundings.   They were in an open field of green grass that stretched over a low hill to the north.  To the south a line of trees marked the edge of the field with a dirt lane leading east to west.

Far off to the west a village sat in a low valley. Thin tendrils of white smoke rose from what appeared to be thatched roofs over stone walls.

“A primitive… well, pre-industrial culture,” Halstead said echoing Aoife’s own thoughts.

“So it would seem,” she agreed.  “We should proceed cautiously.   Not only to preserve the Prime Directive,  but we don’t need the locals thinking we are demons or heretics of some form.  These cultures generally aren’t too forgiving.”

“We could use a cultural anthropologist,” the commander said half joking.

“Let’s just hope we blend in with these aliens,” Aoife said, “but, there’s no use in us standing here in a field.”

“What about the Prime Directive?”

She sighed looking at the village,  “We preserve it the best we can, but standing here won’t get us home.”

The Fourth Fleet was still mopping up the last of the effects from the Century Storm that had battered the region, but life was slowly returning to normal.  The  Crazy Horse’s mission to locate two of the fleet’s missions ships had turned out to be a dismal failure. Lieutenant Commander Erin Hayden tried not to let that fact get to her, but she couldn’t help it.  The best they could figure was that both ships got pulled into the rifts they were supposed to be closing. 

“Commander,” Operations announced.  “We are receiving orders to return to Starbas 86 for replacement crew.”

Erin knew what that meant.  It meant Starfleet was moving on from Captain Mckenzie and Commander Halstead.   She didn’t like the idea of abandoning her captain either.  Resisting the urge to sigh she gave a grim smile and nodded, “Very well.  Thank you Ensign.  Mr Talon set course for Starbase 86 at best speed.”

“Aye Captain,” the Ensign announced honoring the age old tradition,  “Course laid in for SB86. Warp 7.8.”

“Engauge.”

-Starbase 86, Several Days Later-

The senior staff were sitting around a table in the main recreational lounge aboard thr Crazy Horse sipping their drinks.  The lounge was affectionately referred to by the crew as the “Wild Horse Saloon”.  No one knew who named it that, only it had been passed down from one crew to the next over the decades. The doors parted, allowing the light from the outside corridor to flood in revealing the form of Commander Hayden.  She paused at the bar long enough to get a coffee and then crossed the lounge sitting down in between Diego and Doctor T’lar.

“Well?” Ensign Anthony Talon asked.   The ship’s navigator had a synthohol whiskey in his hand. “When are we going to go look for the Captain and Commander Halstead?”

Erin sipped her coffee before answering.   After a long pause she shook her head.  “We aren’t.  Starfleet is officially classifying them as missing in action and presumed dead.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Washington exclaimed, “They’re out there somewhere.”

“Marcus,” Erin started, “It’s  been six months.   The fact that Starfleet has indulged us this long is a miracle.”

“Logic dictates that it is highly unlikely that we will find them after this long,” T’lar added.  “I would also deduce that Bravo Fleet brought us to pick up our new captain.”

“Your deduction is correct,” Erin replied.

“You conducted yourself adequately during the rescue mission.   I would have much preferred you made captain but I don’t see them promoting you twice.  Is Ensign Hargrove taking your position at operations?” T’lar stated giving her high praise… for a Vulcan.

“I will be remaining in Operations,” Erin replied.

“What?  They didn’t even make you XO?” Diego demanded offended for her.

Erin shook her head.   “The new captain and XO will come aboard tomorrow.”

“Do you know who Starfleet is saddling us with?” Shrin asked who had been silent until now.

“Captain Órlaith Murphy and Commander Kevan Torin.  I haven’t personally met either officer, though Captain Murphy has a solid reputation.”

“I served with Torin on the Majestic,” Washington added.  “I liked him, but a little quiet, but I don’t know what he’s like as an XO.  I guess we’ll find out tomorrow morning.” 

  – Next Morning-

Captain Órlaith Murphy stepped off the shuttle and onto the Crazy Horse and looked around.  It was an old ship, but she was pleased with how clean and orderly it was.

Commander Kevan Torin stood at the entrance with his hands behind his back waiting on her step off the shuttle.   Beside him was Lt. Commander Hayden.

She stepped forward,  “Welcome to the Crazy Horse Captain.”

“Commander,” Órlaith said giving her second officer an appreciative nod.

“The senior staff is waiting on you two in the observation lounge,” Erin reported.

The trio made their way to deck one and they entered the observation lounge together.   Erin slid into her old chair and  Commander Torin sat in the XO’s seat.  Órlaith opted to remain standing.   “Good morning ladies and gentlemen.  I am Captain Órlaith Murphy and this is our executive officer Commander Kevan Torin.  It is my hope that you will continue to serve with same dedication that you did with your old commanders and Commander Hayden here as well.”

“Welcome to the Crazy Horse,” Erin repiled.

“We will be loading supplies to help rebuild the Ficus Coloney.  Mr. Washington I expect you to supervise the loading.   Mr. Talon, see about coordinating with Commander Hayden with the shuttles and cargo bays.  Doctor T’lar get me a list of medical supplies you think we’ll need.  Mr. Garza I don’t expect there will be much for you to do, but let’s increase security during the supply transfers. There’s going to be a lot of unfamiliar faces coming on board. Doctor Shrin, I apologize,  but unfortunately there is little call for a science officer on this mission.   If you chose you can take leave here on Starbase.”

Shrin shook her head, her antennae swaying softly, “I’m good captain.  I have plenty of backlogged data that requires analysis.”

“Very good Doctor,” Órlaith said. “Let’s get to work then.”

Nicholas wiped the sweat from his brow, his ears still ringing from the recent striking to hammer to steel.  It was winter now, but inside the cramped blacksmith shop with the forge roaring it was still too warm.  

Picking up a horseshoe blank with a pair of tongs Nicholas stuffed it onto the glowing coals and pumped the bellows.  As the blackend steel began to glow from a dull cherry red to a bright yellow Nicholas drew the shoe from forge and took it to the anvil where he started punching holes into the shoe for the nails.

“Making more shoes?” Aoife asked standing in the doorway between blows of the hammer. She was wearing a grey dress of homespun wool, and white linen cap ovee her firey locks and a basket  hanging from the crook of her arm

Nicholas looked up from his work and tossed the shoe back into the forge before speaking.  “Yeah, I am.  I can shape these cold if necessary.   Just trying to make life easier when spring planting comes around and I have daft horses to shoe and plow shears to make.”

Aoife dug into her basket and withdrew a glass disk. “Look what I got.  I was hoping you could make the brass part.”

Nicholas took the disk from her in a grimy hand of black  realizing that it was a lense.  Perfectly shaped and polished  lthis had been created by the hand of a master. “You’re wanting a telescope? How much did this cost?”

“I am, and nothing,” she said smugly. “I traded it for a few practical applications of the lense design.  The glass maker I was working with was suffering from a case of myopia.  Just getting him something that allowed him to see was enough to get him to do this for me for free.”

“Captain,  you are interfering with their natural development,” Nicholas admonished. 

She shrugged,  “Maybe, maybe not, but our need for this exceeds the risk. Besides, it’s a lense not a warp drive.”

Nicholas looked at her with a dubious expression,  “Captain it’s over.  We’ve been here for nearly a year.  If Starfleet was going to rescue us they would have. This is our life now. The best we can do is blend in and not change their history.”

“Nick this is NOT Earth and these people are human.  I am not sure the Prime Directive applies here.  Whatever brought these people here and artificially retarded their development is not something the Prime Directive was written for.”

“We don’t know this isn’t Earth,” Nicholas countered, “or even when this is.”

“I know this isn’t Earth,” Aoife countered, “but fair point on the time.  We assume that it’s 2399, but it could be 1399 for all we know.  But, can’t you see?  This telescope can answer definitively where we are. Well, where we aren’t.   I might be able to work some mathematical formulas to get a fix on where we are, but I need to find identifiable stars.”

“Captain,  without computer models or even star charts that’s impossible.  At best you will be able to tell if this is a recognizable solar system. These people live like it’s the 10th Century.   That’s 1,500 years of stellar drift.”

Aoife sighed.   Nicholas was right. She didn’t have the charts necessary to track the stars to get at fix on their position.  Perhaps has one of them possessed an eidetic memory that would have been a different story, or better yet a tricorder.  “You’re right, but am I supposed to just live with this?”

“Yes,” Nicholas said with a finality. “This is our life now, get used to it.”

“I won’t.  This isn’t where we belong.  This isn’t our home… our destiny,” Aoife replied.  “I will fight to get us home to my dying breath.  The crew… they have the artifact.   That’s a start for them.”

Nick pulled the shoe from the forge and sighed.  With a few last blows from the hammer he put the finishing touches into it before dropping it into a wooden bucket of water to quench and cool.  Later he would clean it up further with files and a grider, but for now the forging process was done. “Very well. You are the captain.  I’ll respect your desire to find a way home.  But what if the… whatever it is is one way and we are in the past?”

Aoife sighed and shrugged,  “Then I guess we have wasted our time, but isn’t getting back more important?”

He shrugged,  “I had nothing before.  Just a commission in Starfleet.   A few friends,  but I doubt they would miss me too much. No family.   But here I have a purpose.   This community depends on me.”

“Your ship depends on you. I depend on you.”

Nicholas shrugged,  “I can be replaced as XO, andcto be blunt ma’am we’re stuck in this together.   You want me to build you a telescope? Fine.  I will do it.  Do I think it’s productive? No.”

“Science is always important.”

Nicholas nodded, “Okay, yeah.  You have a point there.” He bent down and tossed a piece of bar stock into the forge to heat up and make another shoe. “I’ll get the brass tomorrow.”

“Thanks Nick. We’ll get home. I promise.”

This is a continuation from USS Feuos: An Exchange of Science 

It was a beautiful day in Avalon as Aoife McKenzie walked down the street of the village she found herself in.  In her plain tan and brown homespun dress she completely blended into the local populous after being stuck there for nearly a year. 

Aoife had opened a school for the children. These were Humans so surely the Prime Directive didn’t apply.  At least that’s what she told herself  so she unashamedly taught math, science,  and social studies.  Sometimes she would catch the ire of the local Bishop, but for the most part the local spiritual leader left her alone,  and in turn she and Nicholas would attend mass once a week.

With a basket under her arm she stopped at the edge of the road where she knew some medicinal plants grew. With her small pin knife she made several clippings of some leafy green plants and placed them into her basket.

A commotion drew her attention to a group of people gathered around one of the farmers carrying an unusual device.  She approached the group, “Hail John.”

“Hail Lady Aoife,” the farmer greeted.

“What have you there?” Aoife asked. 

John looked down at the device,  “I don’t know.  The Lord delivered it on lightning.  I saw it with my own two eyes.”

Aoife had no idea what it was, but it was certainly Federation technology, a Starfleet property tag was affixed to the main housing. It was clean and looked as if it hadn’t seen any time in the elements. That could only mean one thing: it’s a recent arrival.  Her crew could still be looking for her… or it got pulled in a the same time and for some weird twist of fate it was just now arriving.   That seemed unlikely to Aoife.

“How much?” Aoife asked John. She and Nicholas had saved up a few gold coins, but this was mostly a barter and trade economy.  “I can get you that plow you have been eyeing for sometime.”

“Lady Aoife…”

“It will take years before you can afford that plow,” Aoife urged.  She knew he was torn between his needs to take care of his family and make his life easier with what he saw as a gift from God.  “You need not pay me for teaching your children.”

That sealed the deal.  It was a struggle every year for he and his wife to provide the tuition to send their kids to school, and he also knew that was their path to the merchant class. John Rolfson may not have been a good farmer, but he was a good father.

John reluctantly handed her the device and Aoife gave him an encouraging smile. “May God be with you,” he said to her.

“And you as well sir.  Come by the shop and the plow is yours.”

He nodded,  “I will.”

Aoife turned and ran for blacksmith shop at the far end of the the village.   Their little cottage sat behind the shop.  She entered panting and out of breath, with Nicholas in mid strike with his hammer.   His eyes were wide with concern. 

“Aoife? What’s the matter?”

Through panting breaths,  “They… haven’t… given.. up… on… us.”

“Who?”

“The crew!” She exclaimed showing  Nicholas the device. 

Her first officer carefully set his hammer down and reached for the device. Aoife gladly handed it over, and after turning it over in his hands a few times he spoke, “I belive it’s a tachyon emitter.”

“Tachyon emitter?” Aoife said in thought, “Why would they send us a tachyon emitter?”

“It has to be the key to getting home,” Nicholas said excitement in his voice.

“Yeah it does. I would say it would be safe to assume that the current settings are a good place to start.”

“I agree.  They wouldn’t have sent it to us otherwise.”

Aoife spread the legs of the tripod and pointed it at the back of the shop.  She shrugged doubt creeping in.  It seemed too easy.  “Well, here goes nothing.” She flipped the switch and an energy beam danced across the far wall.

“Now what?” Nicholas asked. 

“I… I don’t know,” she said honestly.   

“What if we have to be in contact with the energy beam,” Nicholas suggested. 

Aoife nodded, “Well, here goes nothing.” Walking around the emitter she hesitated at the edge of the blue beam.  Taking a deep breath she stepped into it.  Nothing. 

A loud gasp drew both of their attention to the entrance of the shop.  One of Aoife’s older students stood at the door.  She dropped her basket and ran off in terror.

“That’s not good,” Nicholas said.

“We got to hide the emitter,” Aoife said.  “It didn’t work this time but it has to be the key.”

Aoife sat by the fire sewing a pair of trousers for Nick.  Nick sat at the dining table with his newest creation from the forge.  With long strokes, Nick slid the edge of the two-handed sword along the sharpening stone.

Setting down her sewing, Aoife added another log to the fire, walked over to Nick, and watched him work, “It’s beautiful.”

He looked away from his work.  His skills as a blacksmith had grown by leaps and bounds since they had come here.  He had a basic understanding of the job as a hobby back in the 24th Century.  

Perhaps it was the 25th century now, Aoife mused.

“Thank you,” Nick said, examining the sword with a critical eye. He tested the sharpness by shaving the hairs on his arm.

“How much is something like that worth?”

Nick shrugged,  “Not sure.  Probably two or more cows or a few months’ salary.”

“Who is going to buy it?” Aoife asked. “Farmers can’t use it or afford it.”

Nick shrugged again, “More than likely.  Maybe this was about testing my skills.”

“Your skills would be better suited to getting us food for the winter.  We were pretty skinny coming out of last winter.”

Nick frowned, remembering that lean time.  He traded work for food, and it was just barely enough,  and that work debt hadn’t been fully paid off until late summer.  Now it was late fall coming on to winter. “I have another plow shear almost finished,” Nick said.  “Nate Thatcher has expressed interest and is willing to trade a pig and a cow for it.”

Satisfied, Aoife smiled, “I will check my supplies. I think we have a little coin for salt if there’s not enough to preserve the meat.  But I expect that will get us through the winter and spring.   The garden was a success, and we have bags of potatoes and dried beans in the cellar.”

Nick squeezed her shoulder,  “We are making a life here. You got your teaching, and I the blacksmithing.  We are important figures in this community.”

She sighed, “It is true.  We are better off this year than when we were last year.” She sat down on the other chair and rested her arms on the wooden table. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Uh-oh,” Nick said in a teasing tone. “That’s a scary thought.”

She playfully slapped his shoulder,  “You remember the inscription on the artifact?”

Nick shook his head, “Nope. Can’t say as I do.”

“I don’t remember it exactly, but it mentioned something about Marlin’s Staff. What if the tachyon emitter functions as that staff.”

“So?”

“So, we can point that emitter all over Avalon.  At ourselves. The sky.  It won’t matter.  It’s just the control mechanism.  We need an artifact on this side.”

It was Nick’s turn to sigh.  He set the sword across his lap and sat back in the chair. “So where do we find that artifact?”

Aoife shook her head, “I don’t know.”

Suddenly there was a bang on the door, “Nicholas and Aoife Halstead, come out and answer the charges!”

Fear crossed Aoife’s face, “Charges?”

Nicholas stood and crossed the room. He peeled back the oiled skin window covering and peered into the night. Stepping back with a frown, “It’s a mob and looks like it’s led by the bishop.”

“We should run.” Fear etched on her face.

“Too late for that,” Nick said.  He slid the sword under the mattress of his bed before walking to the door.  He hesitated for only an instant before lifting the bar and swinging the door open. “What is this all about?”

The bishop pushed his way onto the single-room cottage, followed by the justice of the peace and two burly men.  None of the intruders said anything as the burly men bound Nick’s hands with rope and Aoife’s.

Drug out of their cottage, they were forced down the street as villagers mocked and spit on them.  Aoife’s eyes were wide in terror as torches cast a demonic glow upon the faces of people whom she had considered friends.   

At the home of the justice of the peace, Aoife and Nick were shoved into the smoke shed, and the door slammed shut, casting them into pure darkness.   The thump of a bar locking the door made for the finality of the situation. 

“Your trial for heresy and witchcraft will start tomorrow,” the bishop said through the wooden slats. “May God have mercy on your souls.”

Aoife didn’t know what time it was.  It was still dark.  She and Nicholas had sat huddled together on the dirt floor of the smoke shed with hams and bacon hanging above their heads.  Sleep had been mostly impossible with their violent shivering and puffs of frozen breath.

The day had started early for Alexander, as it always did.  He’d found exile suited him and his unusual talents in agriculture aided him in making it through the rough winters.  The readings had come first over his fresh breakfast and then his markings on his maps as he wandered into the depths of the forest, and mountains had taken most of the morning and afternoon.  This was his late afternoon lunch, prayers, a meditation on his studies, and finally, the chance to rest his weary bones.

That had been before his friend from the village had come running as the sun was falling.  Something terrible was going to happen to someone.  There was something about them…and the things they were accused of that his friend thought might aid him in his search.  Black thought for a moment and agreed.  He gathered his supplies, staff, and sword.  He was soon riding across the land on his sturdy horse Thunderstruck, following in the stead of his friend Tomass.  They arrived in town as darkness swept over them.  Alexander had his friend get him one more horse and set them up a bit away from where they were being held.  The guard was indifferent.  He was too young to have known Cleric Alexander William Black or his reason for exile. It worked to his advantage as he approached the boy, acting all the way like a doddering fool.  A swift and hard punch to the face sent the boy to the ground, dead to the world.  He went to the door and carefully pushed and pulled the door open.

With her hands bound behind her she stared wide-eyed in terror at the stranger. Had the bishop decided to forego a trial and kill them in the night?

Nicholas made an effort to put himself between Aoife and the stranger. He braced himself for an attack that didn’t come.

He smiled wide and whispered, “Cleric Alexander William Black. Exiled heretic.  Here to help you escape.  I hear you have something that has the power of Merlin and Arthur.”  He leaned in, “I know they did not find it in your home.  I have three horses.  We can move quickly in the quiet village.”

“Merlin?” Aoife said, her voice weak and uncertain. 

Black gave her and the man a look, “If I were to kill you, you’d be dead already.  The point is the legends of Merlin tell of powerful tools and magics – you certainly caused a stir with yours.  We could stand here speaking until someone comes to check on your guard.  I don’t wish to be here when that happens.  You must retrieve the thing from wherever you hide it, and then we must tide like the winds of the tempest.  They will unleash hell to find you again when they find you gone.  I can hide you far away.”

She still wasn’t feeling at the top of her game, but she nodded.  She glanced at Nicholas, and the decision crossed her face.  They had nothing to lose, “It’s not exactly the power of Merlin, but I believe I know what you refer to.”

“It is hidden in the blacksmith shop next to our cottage,” Nicholas added.

“If we are to journey,  we will need provisions,” Aoife said.

Alexander gave them another look, “Our horses are ready for the journey with provisions I have brought.  Your importance in this world and its history…so much possibility hinges on just the two of you…come, let go to your shop and get on our way.  You need rest, food, and the healing waters near my home.”

Black had cut their bounds, and they fled into the night. The village street was quiet at this hour. There wasn’t even the barking of a dog or the clucking of chickens.  

Nicholas and Aoife glanced at each other as they walked, “I’ll get the emitter.”

“Good.  You need anything in the house?”

“Grab that sword. I feel we may need it.”

Aoife nodded and headed into the cottage. Nicholas looked at Black, “You are the first here to mention Merlin.  When we first arrived, we asked a few times, but people would clam up.”

He pulled the door open, entered the shop, and lit a lantern.  It only took a few minutes of digging. Under a bench covered in canvas, Nicholas removed the tachyon emitter.  He stared at it for a moment and glanced at their benefactor, “This is going to be a dangerous journey, isn’t it?”

The Avalon citizen chuckled, “There is danger in everything we do, friends.  Life is dangerous for someone exiled from their home…danger is always at my heels.”

He lifted the lid to a trunk, and inside was a full suit of plate armor, “I’m not sure why I made this.  Well, I do, sort of.  I was testing my skills to see if I could.” He shrugged, “The helm and breastplates were the hardest, but I did it.”

Black leaned over and admired the armor, “It is a work of art.  If you were to stay here, you could challenge the blacksmith to his throne.  But you cannot stay.  And we must go.”  The sounds of alarm in the distant village reached their ears, “We must go now.  Bring the armor. The horses can take it.”

Aoife rushed out lf the house with their cloaks, a bag of food, and the sword tucked under her arm.  She threw the bag over the saddle and shoved a cloak and sword into Nick’s arms.  Her eyes were wide with fear.  They had just missed whatever fate the bishop had in store for them,  and they weren’t free yet.

They moved quickly, and within moments everything had its place.  Alexander hoisted himself on his horse as the other two did the same, “We must ride like the wind – that danger you spoke of has arrived.”  Each of them kicked their horse, and the three flew off into the darkness, with Black leading through the edges of the community and beyond.  The aging woods soon filled their vision until they were swallowed into it, leaving their pursuers at the wall of dense trees.

The sun was breaking over the horizon, turning the sky red to grey to black in the early dawn hours.  Aoife was slumped over her horse with her cloak drawn around her against the chill.  She wasn’t asleep, but she wasn’t fully awake either.  She yearned for a warm fire, tea in her belly, and someplace to stretch out and sleep.  It didn’t even have to be soft as long as it was motionless. 

Alexander Black led the party through the heavily forested hills.  They had been riding through the night, desperate to find safety in the cover of the forest.  Plenty of legends and real stories wove together to keep most wanderers out.  His legend had been enough to keep the villagers at a distance.  Exiled for heresy, witchcraft, and dark magic he’d gone beyond being a pariah.  He was moderately feared at a distance and liked it that way.  The group climbed up an embankment that slowly pulled them out of the valley and onto a rugged mesa that was still dense with the overgrowth, but just inside the shadows was the familiar shape of a home, old and worn but still a home.

He slipped off his horse, “You are welcomed to The Holy Respite, my home for the last…well, many years.”  He ambled to the door and whispered a phrase, and it duly clicked open. He stepped inside and tossed his hands at the various candles.  Fire lit from them, and after an incantation or two, the fireplace was alight and breathing warmth into the room as he went about the work in his kitchen on the far side of the home.  A tea pot was placed on the stove; a fire breathed to life underneath.

Aofie pulled down the bag of their meger rations and followed Black into the cottage while Nicholas stripped the tack from the backs of the horses and rubbed them down.  After tuning them out to the corral he forked hay into the pen and they eagerly started munching on their breakfast.

Inside Aoife removed the cloak and hung it on a peg on the wall and watched their benefactor move about the kitchen. She couldn’t understand his energy. She was dead on her feet.

“The power of Merlin can be controlled.”  He rolled up his sleeves to reveal crude devices that echoed the one they had brought, “I must charge them in the sun, but I have been able to craft multiples so that I am not without my limited powers.”  He ruffled through his pantry, “Tea…tea…Ah, yes.  Merlin’s Beard is some of the finest.”  A moment later, he had the tea steeping in the kettle, and within minutes mugs of steaming warmth were in the hands of his new friends as he found his supply of dried meats and slipped them onto a warming pan.

While the tea was brewing, Nicholas entered the cottage smelling of hay and horses. He looked as tired as she felt.  They all slid into chairs as the tea was being poured.  Aoife was ordinarily an avid tea drinker, but she just sat there with her hands wrapped around the cup, feeling the warmth. After a moment, she spoke, “What you call the power of Merlin is what we call a tachyon beam. The fact that you have been able to replicate the technology is fascinating.”

Black shrugged at her use of the unfamiliar word, “It has taken many years, many tries, and many failures.  Your device has a certain…beauty to its look – it was designed intentionally with a precise function.  Mine were experimentations based on the various sites I’ve journeyed and the limited information I found.”  He returned to the pan and began to dole out the steaming meat onto plates as he snagged two warm potatoes from the front of the fireplace and laid them gently on the table, gesturing for them come to the table, “You are weary and in need of refilling.  If we are to find a way for you to do what it is that you need – we will need to be ready for what comes next.”

“And what is it that you think we need to do,” Nicholas asked out of curiosity. 

Aoife glanced at Nicholas and then to Black, “I think we all should start at the beginning. You seem to know us Mr. Black, but we have never met.”

Alexander smiled quietly, “An understandable question.  I am Grand Cleric Alexander William Black, Order of Merlin and Keeper of the Flame of Arthur.”  He shrugged, “Well, I was.  Until I was exiled out here thirty years ago.  The Order of Merlin are the greatest clerics – only the supreme can pass the gauntlet of tests required.”  He caught a look from Aoife, “And yes, Keeper of the Flame of Arthur – I was the champion and carrier of the soul of the Great King.  I wore him around me in a large necklace…his spirit was contained in a box that hung from it.”  He gestured around the room, “All that was taken from me.  I theorized that Arthur was more than just a man…that he was a traveler of sorts.  Many of the scriptures I’ve encountered in my exile from the various sites I’ve visited hint at a much larger…something.  Merlin was a magician and a wizard…but his history is as cloudy and confusing as his King’s.”  Black went to a shelf and pulled off several manuscripts and placed them on the table for the two to read, “There is mention of bridges, passages, caves, and more – all referencing a world beyond our own.”  He sipped at his tea, in thought, before he spoke, “These ideas were quickly disowned by the Clerics of my town and the county – I keep all of it here, study it, and set out to search for the things mentioned.”

“There are worlds beyond this one,” Aoife said.  “Nearly as many as there are stars in the sky.”

“I have always wondered what lay beyond the stars.”  He thought for a moment and then the Cleric went to the shelf and searched for a moment for a notebook and shouted with glee when he found it and placed it on the table, flipping pages until it settled on one about a bridge.  He pointed at the device illustrated, “It is very similar to what you have.  I have seen such things in the ruins…but I cannot charge them or restore them like what I have on my arms.  They are uniquely powered…and I cannot discern how.”

“It is electrical power… it is well it is lightning though the processes that are at play are different,” Aoife replied.  “It has what we call a battery which harnesses the power of lighting and stores it for later.  Let me ask, have you ever seen a device… an artifact that is multifaceted and the general shape of a sphere about so big,” she demonstrated the size with her cupped hands.

Black furrowed his brow and returned to his shelf as he answered her while searching the spines, “There are references to a ‘ball of power’ or a ‘sphere of destiny’ or in some cases ‘Destiny’s Sphere’.  So many people wrote about it the true name is lost to history.”  He took a few minutes until he pulled out a thin book and set it on top of the other books and papers on the table.  “See…here.”  He flipped the thin pages carefully until a page illustrating a spherical object appeared.

Aoife took a single look and showed it to Nicholas who raised an eyebrow at that. “That’s the artifact,” he said.

“That’s what brought us here with the use of the emitter,” Aoife added.

Alexander nodded, lost in thought as he unraveled what he knew, “I’ve been searching for this very artifact for the last year.  This planet has plenty of sites and places to look – I’ve managed to narrow it down to three remaining possibilities.”  He glanced at the book, “But I think we can narrow it down to just one.”  He went to another shelf where rows of journals sat lovingly organized and placed.  He muttered his way through two shelves until he found the one he was looking for and pulled it out, flipping quickly through the pages.  His eyes searched each scribbled page until his smile broadened and placed the page before them, “There’s a site that has a mention of a bridge and an orb…it is called The Palace.  I had initially dismissed it because it seemed too good to be true.”  He sighed, “But you’ve convinced me this is the way.”

“The Palace? And where would this be?” Aoife asked.

He moved across the room to the massive map that was hung, “It is a day’s journey from here.  We could set out in the morning.”

“Home of the Knights of the Round Table no doubt,” Nicholas said with a chuckle.  “If we’re lucky we’ll get to meet Lancelot.”

Aoife gave her XO a dirty look and turned her attention back to the map.  “Tomorrow sounds good. We all need time to rest.  What can we expect? Not only in the journey but once we get there.  As Nick so tactlessly pointed out: who lives there?”

Black frowned, “No one lives out here…or there.”  He thought for a moment and chuckled, “Perhaps the question is who lived there, I suppose.”  He filled a mug with some hot tea and sat roughly in one of the chairs, “The Palace is rumored to be a place where King Arthur is to have stayed in his travels.  It wasn’t his castle…I’ve been searching for that these years and no luck.”

“So it’s a ruin,” Aoife replied.   “The…well where was Merlin rumored to be? I would think that should be the first place we look.  Was it at the palace? I got to be honest my knowledge of Arthurian Legend is a bit limited, but wasn’t he tied to Camelot?”

Alexander nodded sagely, “Camelot – the holiest of sites in the legends of Arthur.  I do not think it lies here on our planet, but there are numerous references to bridges that would take you to Camelot.”  He glanced at each of them as he spoke, “It is spoken in the books and studies that there are multiple Camelots out in the…’beyond’ is how they phrased it.  You seem to be saying there might be planets out there with a Camelot site on them.”  He mused, “It truly is bigger than we ever imagined.”  He flipped through some more pages, “As for Merlin, the last place he was rumored to be here was a stone structure that has a unique design – its purpose is lost to time, but it’s on the way to the Palace.  We may find more with what you know and what I’ve learned from you today.”

“Then I guess it is decided.  What dangers if any along this journey? Bandits or other foul creatures?”

Black chuckled wryly, “Among other things.  I’ve managed to scare the bandits out of my paths, so they won’t be a bother.  Foul creatures are a certainty – the village knowingly drives them away and into the hill and mountains.”  He shrugged, “We are all capable in the face of danger.”

Aoife nodded, “Not sure how capable I am, but I have you two strapping lads to protect me.”

Black chuckled, “Lad – haven’t been called that in some time.”  He gestured to them both, “We need to rest and prepare to leave at first light tomorrow.  I’ll get started – you both take some rest – no exceptions.  My home, my rules.  No point in running out with our feet barely able to carry us.”

“Wise words,” Nicholas said. “Wake me for next watch.”  With that the two Starfleet officers rolled out their bedrolls and curled up next to the fire and both were immediately asleep having ran on adrenaline only for hours.