Act 3: The Beginning.
Chapter 21b: Being In Two Places At Once

Walking through the mazes of halls and tunnels of the complex, Tabitha leaves the Casion

and heads for the temporal control center on 3IO. She meets almost no resistance as she

enters the complex, and heads to one of the older units that she is already familiarized

with centuries before. As she looks at the controls, she see that nothing has changed as

far as her basic design goes, but was simply made more compact for one person to

operate with a much improved AI system to take care of the calculations and adjustments

once its starts running.

Looking around, Tabitha finds a set of temporal beacons inside a drawer besides the

console, but thinks to herself, 'Damn, no weapons. I hope I don't get into a fight doing

thisä' She immediately starts programming several beacons as she starts up the console

with the coordinates on her Comm-board.

"Excuse me, what are you doing here.", a female voice says from behind her.

Tabitha slowly turns around and see that it is L'zerdah standing behind her, with a small

personal weapon in her paw.

"Its me, Tabithaä", Tabitha tried to say.

"I know its you, but this is my complex you are in. And I am going to ask one more time,

what are you doing here? Your next words better answer that.", L'zerdah explains.

"I think this would explain it better than I couldä", Tabitha started to say as she

stepped away from the console while holding the Comm-board to show L'zerdah. L'zerdah

takes the Comm-board and quickly reads over the diagram.

"So, you found Zyekmal. You spoke to Hepzedah about this?", L'zerdah asks.

"She's with the Historical Fighters and can not be disturbed.", Tabitha tried to explain.

"So you figured that you could try to retrieve him on your own? How quaint.", L'zerdah

said.

"Well, you have a better plan?", Tabitha asks.

"If Norzal catches you on his ship, consider yourself, what was it called in your time-

oh yes, Road Kill.", L'zerdah explains.

"I'll take my chances with Norzal. Are you going to help me or get in my way?", Tabitha

started to say as the tip of her tail slowly rose above her head while she turned around

and leaned over the console's control panel. Waiting for an answer, Tabitha reaches for

the temporal beacon that remained upon its programmer.

"You got 2 minutes to find him and return.", L'zerdah said.

"Two minutes?", Tabitha almost shrieked but held back the urge. At least her tail

lowered as she though to herself, 'At least I did not had to spray this one.'

"Two minutes. That is all I can spare.", L'zerdah makes her demands clear.

"Its going to take two minutes just to get my bearings and find him.", Tabitha argued.

"I cant keep the temporal doorway open indefinitely. These things need to cool down for

one.", L'zerdah stated.

"I designed these things to be cooled down while they are on.", Tabitha stated.

"Kaisha Corporation designed these things to be cooled down while they are running. But

it is not enough to keep them going no more than several minutes at a time.", L'zerdah

explains.

"Several minutes is more than two.", Tabitha complained.

"Norzal's ship has temporal infiltration sensors. It will take his crew two minutes to

pin point where the door way is at and send a security crew to neutralize it and anyone

they find there.", L'zerdah explains.

"OK, I see your point.", Tabitha stated.

#

Captain Lasivelle sits by her desk going over the mission's plan of attack. The door of her

office opens and Wozingen enters the room.

"Remind me to put in a security panel on the door, Woz.", she tells him as she continues

to read the mission's documents.

"What for? Any security panel put in would be overridden by the senior officers.",

Wozingen says.

"I think you missed the point.", Lasivelle stated.

"What point would that be?", Wozingen asks.

"Never mind. Is the Wraith and her crew ready?", Lasivelle asks.

"Yes. But that is what I been wanting to talk to you about.", Wozingen says.

"Orders are orders, Woz. I can not go against them, you know that.", Lasivelle says.

"The orders are to ram this ship into the Orion homeworld while the three Orion Rift

reactors on her go super critical. I think that those orders were created by a mad furä",

Wozingen started to say.

"WOZ! I wont have such negative talk of our leaderä", Lasivelle started to say out loud

but draws to a softer tone. "You're right, but orders are orders.", she continued.

"Look, Lassie. Both you and I have served directly under Norzal since the beginning of

our careers. How often has he broken the rules?", Wozingen started to say.

"More times than I can count.", Lasivelle stated quietly.

"And of those times, how often has he has us two workout the figures to break the rules

in order to get away with it.", Wozingen stated.

"Every time.", Lasivelle stated quietly.

"So, why don't we do the same?", Wozingen stated.

"How do you propose to do that?", Lasivelle asks.

"If summarized, the mission only states that the Orion Home world is to super nova'd out

of existence. Using the Wraith's three Orion Rift Generators seems to be a waste of time,

energy and resources; when only one will do.", Wozingen explained.

"Even placing one of the Wraith's Orion Rift Generators within the gravity well of a star while it goes super critical, would be more than enough to give those little silver bug-eyed freaks more that just a headache. That I know.", Laviselle says, "But Norzal is the kind of aggressor that wants to see the expression of his victim's face as he pulls out the dagger from their chest."

"You want to be the captain of this ship or not?", Wozingen asks.

"You know my answers, but you also know that I cant break from orders.", Lasivelle stated.

"What he does not know wont hurt him...", Wozingen says as he starts to walk out the room.

#

On board the Starship Ayogatlam, a temporal portal opens, and a lone individual steps out onto the deck of the ship. Once the individual steps out a couple of steps away from the portal, it closes behind, leaving that person on their own.

"Damn you, L'zerdah.", she say to herself. Walking to a nearby wall, the individual looks at a diagram of the ship's floor layout for that sector. After tracing a path with her finger, she quickly walks down the halls to her destination.

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