Episode 28 Who We Are Meant to Be pt. 2

*"Time is haunted."*
—**Jane Lakat**

### **Pre-Break**

The episode opens in a garage in Paradise City. Sorex, CAPT Sull, LTJG Lakat, LTCDR M'Qrell, LTCDR Prahl, and Slibazz are in the lair of the crime lord Ativa. M'Qrell and Sull are undercover as Sorex's arm candy, complete with a slinky dress and revealing outfit, respectively. Lakat, dressed in a pseudo-Cardassian military outfit, is posing as his chief bodyguard. Prahl, covered head-to-toe in tactical gear, and Slibazz, with his gun, are the extra muscle.

Ativa has just shown the group the body of Romulan Tal Shiar agent. She claims the agent has the same chip in his head as Sorex used to. Sull and M'Qrell ask if he's dead. Slibazz gets a little distracted by M'Qrell's seductive pose. Ativa says that he is, and then she closes the container. She says that the body has to stay in stasis so it doesn't decay. She offers them a deal in exchange for the body. She needs to make a deal with a 3rd party, who has something she wants. She proposes a 3-way exchange. Sorex agrees, and she leads them away.

On the way out, Slibazz tells one of Ativa's guards that he wants to eat the Romulan when they're done. After they leave the room, he chuckles to Lakat; he says Gorn don't eat people. Lakat, curious, asks him what Gorn do eat. He says he likes fish.

In the street, Lakat looks around, making a mental map of the city. She sees the squalor associated with life on the outside of galactic civilization. She sees the starving, the sick, and the desperate. She is briefly reminded of the stories her parents told her about life on Cardassia Prime before the military junta took over. They head towards a building marked "clinic". They see a woman and a small child leaving; they've just gotten medical care of some kind. Ativa tells them all to be on their best behavior; the man inside is the only doctor on the planet, and he does a lot of good work for the community. They enter.

Inside, the large room is dark and industrial. In the corner is a small living area with a cot and blankets and such. One corner of the room has the appearance of a medical lab. On a slab they see the corpse of a Borg drone. It is clearly dead; it's almost nothing but bones and implants. However, the implants are functioning, and there is a screen attached to them. Ativa announces the group to Diane. The screen attached to the drone flickers and they hear an electronic voice greet them. From the back of the room, a man emerges. He is human and disheveled. He looks at the group and warns them that he has eleven phasers around the room connected to an AI which will shoot them at the first hint of aggression. Ativa tells him that she wants a 3-way deal. Sorex gets a hold of the Romulan body in her possession, Ativa gets weapons from the man's contacts, and the man gets Sorex's help breaking into the Federation base under the abandoned embassy.

The man is skeptical about whether she actually has a Tal Shiar agent, and about the capabilities of Sorex's group. He says that he wants access to the implant. Sorex says that he needs the implant, instead, in order to repair the damage to his brain. The man orders Diane to scan Sorex. Afterward, she announces the presence of Borg nanites in his brain. Ativa is terrified, but the man is fascinated. He says a deal will be made, and tells Ativa to leave. She does.

The man tells Sorex that he thinks he can help. He asks Diane for a list of equipment that he requires to perform the surgery. She says he needs some gear from the same Federation facility that he already wanted to break into. He offers Sorex a deal. Sorex helps him break into the facility, and gives him four vials of his blood. In exchange, he will help Sorex. He refers to himself as the best doctor around. M'Qrell bristles at the remark, but stays silent. The deal is struck. Sull asks the doctor why he needs help breaking into a 100-year-old Federation facility. The doctor hints that he has some Federation connections, but not enough. He asks for the blood in advance, but Lakat protests. The doctor says that he can do some advance work for helping Sorex with the blood; he is an expert on Borg technology. Without waiting for a response, he takes the blood from Sorex.

Sorex takes a seat; the blood loss is making him light-headed. The doctor notices that M'Qrell and Sull are speaking a lot for just being arm candy. He suddenly asks who they all are, and he checks to see if any of them look to someone other than Sorex. Lakat makes a sarcastic comment and unknowingly glances to Sull. She goes on making sarcastic statements, clearly annoyed with the doctor. She says they have "special experience" with Federation technology. M'Qrell tries to distract the doctor by flirting with him, but he doesn't bite. He orders Diane to scan the group for any technology. Diane reports that one of them (Prahl) has a Federation phaser rifle and a Federation emergency communicator (with a special dampening field to hide from most scanners). The doctor begins to speculate on their identities, and then just asks that they explain. Sull evades the question, but he insists. Sull asks for his backstory in exchange.

The doctor disappears into a back room and returns with his Starfleet file. His name is Dr. Aaron Keel. He once held the rank of Commander; he was the chief medical officer of USS *Webster*. The ship was destroyed at the Battle of Wolf 359. Later on, he worked for the Daystrom Institute. Upon seeing his name, M'Qrell remembers reading a lot of his papers while doing research to help Sorex. She remembers reading that Keel was forced to retire for pushing the boundaries of medical ethics regarding Borg technology. After that, he vanished from the face of the galaxy. Sull asks Keel how he ended up on Nimbus III. He says that Daystrom wasn't ready to do what was necessary to prevent another Wolf 359; his work had to continue, so he went off the grid. He tells them that, when his work his finished, he may return home. Keel has Diane scan them and compare them to the Federation database.

A screen in the corner brings up the official (non-public) personnel files for Sull, Lakat, and M'Qrell (Prahl's face isn't visible for analysis). The files include mention of Sull's work for Starfleet Intelligence, and even that M'Qrell conducted a Borg nanite surgery on a Romulan defector. This indicates to everyone that Keel has up-to-date access to secure Starfleet files. Keel is fascinated by the files; M'Qrell and Sull are annoyed. Keel is particularly impressed by Sull and M'Qrell. He pulls Sull aside and discretely shows her a badge. It is a glassy black and silver Starfleet symbol. Sull has a flashback to a meeting with ADM Rhee.

It was the night before Sull left Starfleet Intelligence for good. The night before they were to join their first command on a Starship. Sull was sitting across from Rhee while he sipped coffee. Rhee told Sull that there was something they needed to know before they left to explore the galaxy. He said they were a prime target for recruitment by a secret Starfleet organization, Section 31. Sull was incredulous, they thought Section 31 was a boogey-man; a legend told in student circles. Rhee proceeded to correct that thought.

In the present, Sull looks at Keel with recognition in their eyes. Keel says that he is fine following their lead, but none of them should ever speak of him again once they leave Nimbus III. He finishes his speech with, "and with that, you are in command."

### **Post-Break**

Sorex, still weak, requests to go arrange the deal with Ativa while they infiltrate the Federation facility. Keel tells Diane to get Sorex some water and a cookie, and to get him prepared for surgery. M'Qrell tells Diane that Sorex likes snickerdoodles. Keel speaks up, saying "Diane, you heard the cat." M'Qrell hisses at Keel. He corrects himself, saying "Doctor Cat." Lakat laughs a little; the tension is broken, slightly. Prahl walks up to Sull; he says that he doesn't feel safe leaving Sorex with Keel. Sull tells Prahl that Keel's credentials are "adequate".

Slibazz requests to go with them to the Federation compound. Sull asks that he stay with Sorex. Slibazz argues; he says that he isn't a babysitter, and he asks to wait with the ship instead. Sull agrees and Slibazz leaves. M'Qrell threatens Diane's existence if any harm comes to Sorex. As the group leaves, Sull glances back to see Sorex calmly sitting in a chair, eating a snickerdoodle, and looking very bemused at his circumstances.

Out in the street, they go to the embassy. It's a decrepit structure, nearly 100-years-old. It was once intended to house the ambassadors of the Federation, the Romulan Star Empire, and the Klingon Empire. Now it is a makeshift living quarters for the lost people of Paradise City. The upper floors are occupied. On the ground level, there is a ramp leading down to a securely locked door. Lakat and Prahl look for a secure location to guard the area.

Prahl is in his element, and takes up an overwatch position. Lakat also feels comfortable; the setting reminds her of the city of Lakat on Cardassia Prime, where she spent some time. She skillfully blends into the groups of people wandering around, and she checks out the area. She surreptitiously "drops" her disruptor down the ramp in order to get an excuse to examine the door. The door has clearly been subject to repeated attempts to break through, but no one has been successful. She looks at the control panel, which seems strangely new to her as it lights up.

Lakat suggests that Keel hack the door, since none of them have engineering skills. Sull prickles a little over the communicator. Prahl, annoyed, says that they need to stop referring to Sull as "captain". Sull, annoyed, says they need to stop using their name, too. The group approaches the door. Keel is puzzled; he's never seen the door panel turn on, before. He takes a look, and he determines that it was installed recently in order to make access to the facility easier. Sull hacks the panel, and finds that it is incredibly easy. The computer is still the original 100-year-old version, but someone has placed a modern LCARS interface overtop of it. Sull considers that choosing to do something like that is both bizarre and incredibly impressive.

The doors open, and they can see that the lights are on. They all catch a glimpse of a Vulcan woman wearing a black-ribbed body suit [1]. She arcs an eyebrow at them, seemingly surprised. Then there is a sudden flash, a portal opens, and she vanishes. The console behind them sparks and fizzles, and the lights go out. Keel and M'Qrell start gathering the materials while Lakat and Sull investigate the woman. Sull goes over to the facility's computers and activates the internal sensors. They detect no life-signs, but a lot of chronitons. Sull pulls Keel aside to ask him if there is any reason a temporal agent would be interested in his work. He says "yes", but that he doesn't recall any encounters with them. He also points out that he might not remember, even if he did.

Sull asks Keel if they are allowed to ask about what he's been working on. He says that they can ask, and he will say what he can. Lakat overhears the conversation and asks what is going on with them. Both Sull and Keel give vague answers, which frustrates Lakat. Sull asks Keel if he's had contact with "his organization" recently, and he says "no". They ask if he's close to any breakthrough technologies, and he says that he's already had several successes. Lakat speculates that the Vulcan was there to watch Keel, but Keel is doubtful. The Vulcan didn't show up until they did. He suspects that she was after Sull. He tells Sull that he will forward any information he discovers, even after they leave.

Sull goes to investigate what the Vuclan woman was looking at when she disappeared. There is a crate. Sull opens it and sees a stockpile of modern medical supplies which are far too new for the facility. They appear to have been deliberately left behind for them to find. The rest of the facility is 100-year-old technology and leftovers. There are some perfectly preserved rations, which M'Qrell and Lakat grab to bring back to MCPO Theq and LT Vrenn, respectively.

Prahl greets the group as they leave. He says that no one came snooping while they were inside. Sull pulls M'Qrell aside on the walk back. Sull says that Keel could be useful for treating Sorex. M'Qrell says that she will do it if Sull trusts Keel. Sull says that they don't trust Keel, but he might have enough value to be worth the risk. Sull asks M'Qrell if she can do it alone; she says that she could, but she doesn't want to. Sull gives Keel the information on Sorex's situation.

They return to the lab. The body of the Tal Shiar agent is already there, with Sorex standing over it. He stares down and speaks of the stupidity of Tal Shiar ideology, and of all the lives lost in the name of "Romulan superiority". Sull tells him that they will save him, at least, and any other Tal Shiar they can. Sull says that such dedicated operatives don't deserve to have their brains melted. Sorex says that the only way Romulus will know peace is if the Romulan Senate is restored to power. He says Sela must be stopped, and he needs to know why Mendak wants him.

Keel perks up at the mention of Mendak and Sela. He laughs, and says that Sorex is doomed if Mendak is his adversary. He asks if Mendak caught Sorex working for Sela, which would explain why Mendak is after him. Everyone else perks up, surprised. Sorex is confused. Keel says that Mendak has been making trouble for Sela for years. He says it's common knowledge, and that the special technology Mendak has in his possession is "fascinating". Sorex asks him outright if Mendak and Sela are enemies, and Keel is surprised that Sorex would think otherwise. He says that he has it "on pretty good authority" that Mendak is opposed to Sela. This causes all of the crew to pause.

They switch to the task at hand. M'Qrell briefs Keel on the technology that she developed for treating Sorex's condition. She mentions acquiring the Borg nanites from Pa'thor, which intrigues Keel greatly. He had been unaware of a colony of ex-Borg's in Klingon space. Lakat and Sull use Diane to scan the chip in the Tal Shiar agents brain. They get the complete schematics. Keel and M'Qrell perform surgery on Sorex. Keel does most of the work, and M'Qrell is frustrated, but impressed. He moves with seemingly inhuman speed and accuracy.

Once the surgery is complete, Keel has Diane scan the crate of medical supplies. Diane discovers a small pocket of chronitons around one item. Keel digs through the crate and finds a Federation data pad. He opens up the information. It's course settings and coordinates to a uncharted wormhole. It will appear in 2 days at a distance only 6 hours from Nimbus III. The other end of it will be near a particle fountain in the Jotaym System, in the Shackleton Expanse (which is where USS *Ross* is headed). The wormhole will appear and be stable just long enough for one vessel to pass through before it collapses. Keel hands the data pad to Sull. Sull apologizes to Lakat, saying that "time is indeed, haunted". Sull reflects that they are truly being played by forces beyond their control. Sorex begins to stir. His face twists into a grim, sarcastic smile, and he whispers one word...

"Father".

## **Cast**

* Eric Campbell - Game Master
* Revati Dhomse - Jane Lakat
* Gina DeVivo - EXEO (absent)
* Sam de Leve - Azeri Sull
* Aki - Olyn Madzhin-Nil (absent)
* Xander Jeanneret - Theq Lynadas (absent)
* Bonnie Gordon - M'Qrell
* Taliesin Jaffe - Aaron Keel

## **Non-Player Characters**

* Sorex
* Ativa
* Yeri Prahl
* Slibazz
* Aaron Keel
* Diane

## **Locations**

* Nimbus III
	+ Paradise City

## **Notable Lines**

*"What happens on Nimbus III stays on Nimbus III."*
—**Ativa**

*"I only ever need pep-talks from people who are smarter than me."*
*"Would you like me to give you a pep-talk, then?"*
—**Aaron Keel** and **M'Qrell**

*"I'm from wherever you want me to be."*
—**M'Qrell**

*"The cat is out of the bag."*
—**M'Qrell**

*"Time is haunted."*
—**Jane Lakat**

*"Don't look a gift tachyon in the mouth."*
—**Aaron Keel**

*"Everyone's weird."*
—**Aaron Keel**

## **Notes and Trivia**

* In the Graduation Day two-shot ("Graduation Day", "Graduation Day pt. 2"), Gina DeVivo played a young female Vulcan named Envaar, who was recruited into the Temporal Defense Initiative at the end of the story arc.