Fuming at the Krenim’s audacity to erase her people’s history, Cambil’s determination burned within her. The Krenim’s plan mirrored the very thing she had fought against, a voice in her head echoing her husband’s words. Would Naprem hate her for allowing history to take its course? She had no idea. As the senior member of the hazard team restrained the Krenim, Cambil’s resolve to protect her people’s history only strengthened.

“Ensign,” Cambil called to the head of the hazard team, “Beam back to the Holana with our guests and lock them away in one of the cabins. Then speak with Commander Perez on the Themis to see if we can set up a transporter relay system between the runabout and the Themis.”

“A transporter relay?” Forbes questioned Cambil as he finished treating the scientist that Cambil had stunned earlier. 

Cambil nodded her strategic mind at work. “We should set up transporter enhancers around this escape pod and the crash site. This way, we can efficiently beam everything back to Themis while it’s in orbit of Derna.”

“A wise precaution,” T’Rani agreed.

The ensign that Cambil had spoken to agreed with their new orders and took the scientists into custody before beaming back to the runabout.

Once they were gone, Cambil tapped her combadge with her fingertips and called to Jines. “Decter, is there anything salvageable from the crash site?”

“Yes, ma’am, I think with a few adaptations to our deflector, we can modify the remains to attempt to open the same temporal vortex they used to travel here,” Jines replied. “We should be able to duplicate their deflector protocols.”

“Good, then I want you to set up transporter enhancers around the crash site and beam every piece of the remains back to the Themis. We will use the runabout as a transporter relay to get everything out of here.” Cambil told him.

“Understood, ma’am, we’ll get started straight away.”

“Then, once you’re done, I want you to beam back to the ship and start making those modifications. The sooner we can get out of here, the better,” Cambil added. “Cline, I want you to have the rest of the hazard team remain with Decter while you join T’Rani, Remi, Samris and me as we go on a manhunt.”

“Understood, ma’am, I’ll be with you shortly,” Lenjir replied.

T’Rani already had his tricorder out and was scanning the footprints they had found a short time ago. “If we adjust our tricorders to a narrow search parameter, looking for Krenim life signs, then we should be able to track Doctor Irlina.”

“I’ve got a better idea than that,” Forbes said as he joined the Vulcan. “We got the doctor’s life signs and DNA when we saved her and her team with the Constellation,” Pressing a few more buttons on his tricorder, Forbes smirked when he accessed Irlina’s information and then shared it with the others. All of their tricorders beeped. “There you go.”

“Efficient,” T’Rani praised him. 

Samris looked at Cambil. “Ma’am, before we get to her, can we confirm what the rules of engagement are here.”

Appreciating Samris’ cautious approach, Cambil answered him bluntly. “We capture her as covertly as possible.” She took out an emergency transport unit. “We plant this on her, and then she gets beamed back to the runabout with us.”

“Adhering to the Temporal Prime Directive all of the time,” T’Rani added.

“Obviously,” Forbes said sarcastically, his eyes deeply looking at his tricorder. “Even if I do find her, we can’t just beam her out of nowhere. If anyone is watching her, we can’t afford to contaminate the timeline.”

Lenjir finally caught up with them. “I’m assuming we’re not planning on trekking through these forests, but can we beam nearer to where Doctor Irlina is?”

Cambil nodded. “We can, once we’ve found her. Doctor, anything?”

Studying his tricorder for a few more seconds longer, Forbes then looked up. “Ah, got her. She is about one and a half kilometres from the village. However, I am detecting Bajoran life signs near to her. About three-quarters of a kilometre.”

“Then we’ll beam close to her without her, and those Bajorans seeing us and intercept her before she gets to the village,” Cambil instructed the group before she called up to the runabout and asked them to beam ahead.

“I take it the village is where your father will be born?” Samris asked his captain.

She nodded. “It’s a possibility. My father didn’t speak much about his birthplace when I was growing up. I knew it was a small village, and my grandparents moved the family soon after the Cardassian occupation started.”

“Then let’s make sure Irlina doesn’t have a chance to interfere,” Samris said assertively. 

After organising for the runabout to beam them ahead, the away team soon rematerialised in the open countryside. 

“Welcome to Kendra Valley,” Cambil said with a huge, proud grin. She took in a deep breath of the fresh air. “This is one of my favourite places in the galaxy.”

“It’s breathtaking, ma’am,” Samris responded. “What do you think, T’Rani?”

“It is-” The Vulcan officer paused mid-sentence and haltered her focus on her tricorder. “Aesthetically pleasing.”

“That means she likes it,” Samris confirmed with a smirk. 

“I’ve got her,” Forbes announced as he pointed towards a small path behind them. 

Looking around at their surroundings, Cambil noticed several large boulders on either side of the path. Gesturing towards her team to move into position, they hid themselves behind the enormous rocks. 

“Doctor,” she whispered to Forbes, who was near her. T’Rani was on the other side with Samris and Lenjir. Do you have your thoron generator with you?”

Forbes, holding out his phaser in one hand and tricorder in the other, looked confused at his skipper. “I do, in my medkit, why?”

“Get it out and activate it,” Cambil ordered. “It’s an old trick my mother told me that the Bajoran resistance once used to block Cardassian scanners. The Maquis used to do the same with Federation scanners. I bet we can mask our life signs in case she has a scanner.”

Forbes nodded and put his weapon down momentarily before rummaging through the rucksack with him, pulling out the thoron generator and activating it. The doctor then picked up his phaser and peeked around the boulder. Several minutes later, he looked back at Cambil and spoke. “She’s coming,” He whispered.

  Cambil took a deep breath, this time not to enjoy the fresh air but to calm her nerves. Phaser tightly gripped in both hands, she span around and aimed at the doctor as she approached the boulders. 

“Stop right there, doctor!” She shouted.

Irlina quickly raised her hands instantly. Though she wore a long hooded robe that covered most of her face, it was clear to Cambil that the Krenim scientist was injured from the bruises and cuts across her face and the dirt smeared across her uniform that was under the robe. “Don’t shoot!”

“Then surrender!” Cambil ordered firmly. Her phaser still posed on Irlina as the others made their appearance known. All of them had their weapons trained on her. 

“You are outgunned and surrounded, doctor; please make the logical choice and surrender,” T’Rani said in a calm voice with her phaser aimed at Irlina.

“I might be outgunned, but you do not have the advantage here,” Irlina said as she placed her hands behind her head.

“Now that’s illogical,” Samris said confidently.

“Not really, counsellor,” Irlina said as she soon recognised everyone from the Themis crew. “Captain Cambil, I like how you and your crew have gone completely native.”

“I’m already native,” Cambil spat back. “And I have had enough of you and your lot thinking you have the right to erase my people’s history.”

“I’m trying to save my people,” Irlina countered back.

Cambil was confused by the doctor’s words. “How does preventing the Cardassians from occupying Bajor and murdering my family save your people?” 

Sighing, Irlina spoke up. “After you and the Constellation left, we ran simulations and calculations the next few months to determine what went wrong with the Paradox Machine.”

“You told us that it was overloaded by registering too many paradoxes in the space-time continuum,” Lenjir stated. “What has that got to do with Bajor and your people?”

“In more than one paradox, your Starfleet interferes with something, causing a ripple effect across time itself. In some of them, my people suffer. We go from being a beaten civilisation, left to roam what is left of our territory after some of our neighbours beat us, then we are thrust into the dominant species before it is ripped from us.” Irlina explained.

“You’ve still not explained why you’ve picked Bajor as a target and Captain Cambil’s family as a target,” Forbes remarked.

“By my calculations, if we prevent the Cardassian occupation, Bajor remains an independent world that does not join the Federation. The station that the Cardassians force the Bajorans to build is not constructed,” Irlina said.

“You’re talking about Terok Nor,” Cambil said; she slightly lowered her weapon. “Deep Space Nine.”

“That’s right, which means your precious Emissary is not called upon because he is not assigned here as a Starfleet captain, meaning the Bajoran wormhole is not discovered,” Irlina said. “This means Starfleet’s deep space exploration of the Gamma Quadrant or any other quadrant does not gain traction. By wiping out the Cardassian invasion fleet, it cripples the Cardassian military. They do not pose a threat to the Federation, meaning the Federation’s war with them is not as bloody and ends in a victory for the Federation. The Cardassians are forced to join the Federation as their economy is in shambles, and their people can’t feed themselves. Uprise on Cardassia removes the military, and a civilian government takes over, and they are the ones to request Federation membership. All of this means that nothing changes here on Bajor; the Bajorans are not considered potential candidates due to their religious and societal practices, meaning Starfleet’s presence here does not take place, which also means there’s no Demiteralised Zone, meaning there’s no Maquis. Which means Voyager does not need to enter the Bajoran Badlands and is not pulled across the galaxy by the Caretaker.”

“Meaning Voyager does not encounter your people on its journey home?” Cambil guessed.

“Precisely. We stop Janeway meddling so much, and your people do not return to explore the Delta Quadrant. This leads us to our guarantee that by preventing your birth, our Paradox Machine survives, and you don’t stop us.” Irlina said with conviction. 

“Well, I’m sorry to ruin your plans,” Cambil sarcastically replied, raising her phaser at the doctor. But the only place you’re going now is our brig, which means you’ve failed.”

“Wait,” T’Rani said with a cautious tone as she stepped forward and approached the doctor. “How did you plan to destroy the Cardassian forces if your ship is destroyed.”

“You keep forgetting how many of us there were,” Irlina said.

It then dawned on Cambil. “There were five of you on that prototype.”

“And we only found four of them,” sighed Forbes.

“Where’s the fifth member of your team?” Cambil said through gritted teeth as she went to grab hold of Irlina, but her hand passed through her. Surprised at this trick, Cambil was unsure how she was doing it. “Holography?”

Irlina smirked. “No, the same technology we use in our chroniton torpedoes.”

“Fascinating. You are in a state of temporal flux,” T’Rani examined as she took out her tricorder.

“You won’t be able to stop me,” Irlina said as she passed through the away team and continued walking towards the village.

“We’re not going to let her just go and kill your father, are we, ma’am?” Samris questioned.

“We’ve got to stop her and find the other member of her team,” Lenjir added.

At that moment, Cambil had no idea what to do or what her next action would be. After watching Irlina walk further away, she turned to the others. 

“Jines to Cambil,” came the voice over her commbadge.

“Go ahead, Dexter,” Cambil answered.

“Ma’am, we’ve attempted to beam some of the crashed Krenim ship up, but our relay has been blocked.”

“Blocked by what?”

“Another Krenim ship.”

Cambil wanted to swear as their situation went from bad to worse at warp ten.