Captain's Log: Supplemental: With the Tholian threat looming, we are almost ready to initiate a temporal rift to return home. I'm sure Starfleet will be less than pleased with my actions bringing a few thousand people from an alternate timeline and into another but my conscience would not allow me to leave these people behind. If they want to nail me for breaking the prime directive, if it even applies, then that's fine. Receiving a punishment after saving a few thousand people is something I can live with.

"Captain," Fulks said from his tactical station. "Tholian Widows and Mesh Weavers are now in visual range. They are now bringing their weapons systems online."

"On screen." The triangular shaped ships appeared but did not appear any more menacingly than the previous group of Tholian ships the Alexandria fought off. The only difference was that there was more now. "M'Ress, send a message to Captain Tucker. Tell him to bring the ship in closer and we'll engage the tractor beam."

"Enterprise acknowledges," the Caitian said a few moments later.

"Bridge to Engineering. How are you coming along down there?"

"Already ready, Captain," Zofchak said. "Just need a few more minutes."

"How far in front of the ship will the rift appear?"

"It'll be right in front sir."

"So, if they get us in one of their webs then we should still be good?"

"As long it's not skin tight we'll be fine."

"Understood." He stood up from his chair. "M'Ress, hail the lead Tholian ship." She gave him a nod letting him know the channel was open. "Tholian vessel, this is Captain Jermaine Allensworth of the Federation Starship Alexandria. Are you planning to seek peaceful negotiations?"

A moment later, a Tholian appeared on screen. "The Assembly does not wish to seek peaceful negotiation with what is considered an extinct race. Carbon dating scans tell us your ship is not of this time. You do not belong here. We will however take your ship and use the crew for slave labor."

The Tholian ships took positions around the Alexandria and Enterprise and began to weave their web. Yellow beams shot from the tips of each ship to their neighboring ships. The yellow grid of the web began to take shape.

"If you even attempt to take this ship, I will not hesitate to destroy it myself and take all of you out with us."

"We do not think you..."

Zofchak's voice came through. "Got it! We're ready captain."

Allensworth made a slashing motion in front of his neck to M'Ress, who closed the channel. "Merriell, open the rift. M'Ress, send a message to Tucker, tell him we're going through."

A temporal vortex began to form. It started off as a small flicker but then quickly grew in size with white and dark blue light spinning around violently. The Tholian ships opened fire on the two ships as they entered the rift. It was just large enough for the ships to enter and it closed just as the Enterprise's nacelles passed the threshold.

It wasn't until the rift closed behind them was when Allensworth realized he had been holding his breath. In front of them was a barren planet.

"Report."

Merriell pressed a few buttons on his console. "Sensors report we are in the Ceti Alpha system."

"But when? Lieutenant Fulks, access a Federation time-base beacon. Find out when we are?"

"Beacon reports it is stardate 57171.3."

"Commander Merriell, reset our chronometers to match. So we lost two days. Not bad all things considering. I'll be in my ready room talking Starfleet Command. You have the bridge, Commander."

"That's a hell of a story, Captain" Admiral Tracy said from behind her clasped hands. "I'm sure Temporal Investigations will want to talk to you."

Allensworth leaned back in his chair but not so much that it looked like he was lounging in it. "What should we do with the people I brought back? I feel like this was our version of the Fall of Saigon."

Tracy let out a sigh and looked off to the side to think. "I'll talk to the rest of the top brass and we'll figure out a plan. You'll have to bring them to Earth so we can help with their two hundred year transition."

"And what if some of them want to remain in service?"

"Then we'll let them," she said flatly. "I see no reason to deprive them of what they originally signed up to do. Anyway Captain, you did what you felt was the best thing to do and in your position I probably would've done the same. Don't expect much blowback if any when it comes to this. I'm sure historians would love to talk to the crew of the NX-01 even if they're alternate versions. Hell, the ship alone will keep them occupied for awhile so they'll love you for that."

"And what about Captain Archer?"

"Starfleet Medical will handle him. From your reports, Doctor Phlox has all the work done, they just need to treat him which they can easily do."

"That's good to hear. It'll be several weeks before we arrive back at Earth as we can't do anything above warp five since Enterprise can't go above that."

"Understood. We'll deploy two Galaxy class ships to assist in alleviating your work load, the Richard D. Winters and the Rising Sun. It'll give us more time to prepare for your arrival. We look forward to it. Tracy out." The screen switched to the Federation logo. Allensworth stood up from his chair and stared out the window at the NX class ship that was running along side his ship. He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. He had expected something to go terribly wrong with the Tholians and was pleasantly surprised both ships made it through. He wasn't an overly religious man but he thanked the Powers That Be, possibly his mother, for getting him through his first mission as a ship commander. He rested his forearm against the window and then rested his head against his forearm as he continued to watch the neighboring ship.

Zofchak walked out of the bathroom in his quarters, drying his hair. He had just gotten out of the Sonic Shower and was going to head down to Ten Forward. He walked past Kennedy's room to see she had fallen asleep while reading a PADD. He crept over and pulled the PADD away and set it on the stand next to her bed. He kissed her on her forehead before heading out of the room.

He walked into Ten Forward and sat at the bar. He glanced around the room seeing various people, including some from the NX-01. He returned his attention to his drink as he pulled out a PADD and scrolled through several pictures. One was of him and two girls in older Starfleet uniforms. They were his sisters, Riley and Avery. Dustin was in the middle with his arms around both girls and he held them close. All three of them had smiles on their faces. Another picture was of him and a girl of Asian descent hugging each other with giant smiles on their faces while looking at the camera. The third picture was of him and the same girl in sickbay. The girl was holding a newborn while Dustin kissed the newborn's forehead.

His eyes shifted to the right when he saw movement next to him. He figured it was someone just ordering a drink. It turned out to be Counselor Nycz.

"What can I do for you, Counselor?" He asked.

"Can't sleep?"

"That doesn't really answer my question but to answer yours: no I can't. Considering how little sleep I got since this mission started, you'd think I'd be out before hitting the pillow." He motioned to the stool next to him, which Nycz gladly accepted. She glanced at the picture of Dustin and the two girls on the PADD.

"You and your sisters. I remember seeing them at the academy. You three were together a lot."

Dustin nodded. "Riley graduated from the academy a year after you and I did and Avery graduated the year after her. This picture was taken right after the first incident with the Borg. The Enterprise was under repairs and we were granted shore leave. My two sisters just happened to be on Earth at the time so we had this picture taken. We each have a copy of this picture." Dustin leaned back and a smile spread across his face. "Heh, this one time back home, the three of us were out walking and this rain storm came out of nowhere. We ran back home to avoid getting wet but it was futile considering we were soaked just standing in the rain for five seconds. We were running alongside this hill and Riley slipped on some mud and began to fall over the hill. I grabbed her but I began to fall too and then Avery grabbed me but it didn't help and all three of us went tumbling down this hill. We were covered in mud from head to toe when we got back home."

"I'm sure your mother was thrilled." Dustin scrolled to the next picture. Who is the woman in this picture? Is that Kennedy's mother?"

Dustin nodded. "Her name is Hyunhee. She was a security officer on the Enterprise-D and E. We started dating and then she became pregnant with Kennedy. We were so happy together. We were planning to get married after Kennedy was born. Hyunhee didn't want to look fat in her wedding dress. Only...that day never came."

"What happened?" She asked.

"Having a family in Starfleet comes with a lot of risk. Some are lucky while others are not. I got hit twice."

"What did?"

"First was the Borg."

He only had to mention the Borg and Christine could put the rest of the pieces together. "Oh my god."

"I was part of Commander LaForge's Alpha team. We went down to the planet to help make sure Cochrane made his first contact flight. Hyunhee was on the Enterprise and helped defend it against the Borg. She was assimilated. I found her body on Deck Seven. Doctor Crusher removed the implants so that Kennedy could see her before the funeral."

"Where was Kennedy during all this?"

"Hyunhee had beamed her down to me before the crew began their fight. I had such a hard time focusing on my work while knowing Hyunhee was fighting the Borg on the Enterprise. Only me and the senior officers knew what was going on. They kept it a secret from everyone else except for them losing contact with the ship. That was a hard time and I am very grateful for Counselor Troi's help. But that wouldn't be the last time she would help me through that."

"What else happened?"

"The Dominion War started that same year. Late in the war, while Riley was aboard her ship and I was on the Enterprise, Avery was stationed to guard a communications array on AR-558 in the Chin'toka system. She was killed during a Dominion assault to retake the array. The thing that pisses me off is that they fought hard to keep that array out of Dominion control but then the Breen come along and they retake Chin'toka and we lose the people on AR-558 as well as the array. So Avery died for nothing.

"All I could think about while I was being chased by that Jem'Hadar on the Breen ship was that I was going to die. Then I thought about Avery and how she died. That's when I snapped. I wanted to do to him what they did to Avery. The Jem'Hadar also remind me of the Borg in their methods and how they function. They have no mind of their own and just take orders. I just unloaded my fury on him. I lost control. All my hatred for them came to the surface. It is because of them, that I feel so alone in the universe."

"I don't think you're the only one that feels that way," Nycz said. She pointed behind Dustin, motioning him to look. He turned around to see one of the NX-01 crewmembers sitting by herself as she stared out to the streaking stars. "They have been displaced from their own time and probably feel just as alone. It may be good for both of you to get to know one another. You can help them adjust to their new lives in the twenty-fourth century."

The End