Editing The Falthgood Devices (section)

===In the Past, Being Ordered to Recover the Devices===
NRPG: This all starts with a dream, a dream that hops into three distinct time-periods. 
RPG:

''(Dreamscape, Sytav VII - Main Temple Chamber - Captain [[Falthgood]] - Long Ago)''

"We found them, Sir." the security guard said unnecessarily. Behind him were three people, two of them scientists. Zach, his arms behind his back, turned away from them briefly, deep in thought. All three were gagged, they made little sound, and his security force was one of the best trained in This Mans Starfleet... they wouldn't have said a word unless it was deathly important. 

Finally, Zach held out a hand, "Phaser."

One was slapped into his hand almost immediately. He gestured to the door; all four security guards immediately stepped out. Once the door was closed, the Captain sat down heavily upon a chair. His face was rock, the phaser held lightly in his hand, but his eyes gave away the callousness of his projected attitude. 

After long moments he took a deep breath." I know you three were trying to escape with the device, and I can appreciate why..." he began slowly. "But none of you ever had a chance. Whatever your motivations were, you were watched from the start."

HE sighed, "I can sympathize. After all these years, I've finally had enough." he almost regretted saying that, the gleam of hope that entered their eyes was just too much to bear. He forced himself to remember the price of failure, and said "I will be leaving all this shortly, by ways that cannot be refused. But to do that, all major witnesses to what we uncovered must be silenced. And the devices we've found here must be hidden away, never... ever... to be found again. The price of failure in this is too high to contemplate, and if certain people within the fleet get a hold of them..." He let his voice die, the consequences didn't need to be muttered.
The hope died in the eyes of all three, the scientists and the one Starfleet Officer.

Zach brought up the phaser, "I'm sorry. Rest assured, I have my own little piece of hell waiting for me at the end of all things."

The scene shattered with the phaser beam, and he was no longer sitting in judgment over several scientists in the ruins of an ancient temple. Zach looked around and noted the office of his boss, on board the Indefatigable. 

~The face of [[Rodrigo Doenitz]],~ Falthgood mused for the thousandth time, as he found himself looking at the Boss, ~Is rather humorous when its turned beet red.~

Captain Falthgood waved his hand, "It's that simple, Admiral." he finished.
"I'm out."

[[Doenitz]] said nothing for long moments, but his face did turn several more interesting shades of red. Falthgood didn't so much as twitch a muscle; he remained standing with his hands behind his back, gazing impassively at the Admiral. He was now engaged in the most dangerous of games, one that had gotten thousands killed in years past. 

After long moments, he said; "Nobody leaves, ever, Mr. [[Falthgood]]. You know that as well as I do."

"I'm an exception." Zach said, coldly. "Break me, rip apart my bio and send me to the furthest ends of the galaxy. But don't think to threaten me.
Everything I know has been safely hidden, ready to break if I should suddenly come up missing." He came to attention briefly and then turned for the door. 

He paused just before the door, his head raised high. After several seconds he came to a decision, and he began speaking without turning back around.
"One more thing, Admiral Doenitz." he said in a solid voice. "I have the Trinity, Sociable and New Destiny devices. One last bit of insurance for my sake, and the sake of all others. Continue your projects, you will have nothing to fear from me." he turned slowly so he could see the Admiral out of the corner of his eye. "But I swear to whatever Gods above, if you ever come after me or mine, Ill bring those devices out of storage and show you their full capabilities. Not even your mighty fleet could save you then, think on that in your darkest nightmares."

Doenitz said nothing. Zach reached up and unclipped all but two of his pips, and dropped them to the ground. And then, without another word, he stepped out of the office and out of Doenitz's [[Reverse Technologies group]] for what he hoped would be forever.

He turned a corner and found himself stepping into a very small space, a turbo-lift. He shuddered briefly as he caught look at his passenger. He brought his hand up and touched his face briefly.

Zach's face was haggard, pinched. Pulled back in a way that made him look skeletal. Where grins and conspirital smiles usually rode, now only death was written. His eyes, usually joyful, were haunted and sunken. 

Across from him in the turbolift, Richard Lee looked no better. After two hours in close conference, his own jovial look had been replaced with one of great worry. Even the stress of controlling the strategic assets of the fleet hadn't hit him as hard as Zach's news. 

The door opened, two soldiers snapped to attention. Zach and Rich stepped off on the same foot, into the Admirals' Quarter, the section of the Talons devoted to Fleet Command. LoDona's new permanent residence. 

"Come in gentlemen." Came the weary voice from behind the Admiral's desk at the far side of the room. Zach took a moment to look around, it was less of an office then a gigantic room separated into 'working areas' by nothing more then tables or computer consoles. There was nobody in here now, the room was quiet. Lee had called ahead and requested a private audience. 

Apparently, they had caught LoDona's interest.

They both came to attention before LoDona's desk, but were waved off and pointed to a chair. [[Robert LoDona]] looked exhausted, which was to be expected. They were all fighting for their lives; the Admiralty would be feeling the strain.

Zach settled himself in the seat, which groaned ominously, and crossed his hands over his stomach. Rich did much the same. In the mean time, the Admiral looked at both of them. "Speak." He finally said.

"Sir," Zach began. "You know by now what I was part of, long ago."

The Admiral nodded an affirmative.

[[Falthgood]] paused to gather his thoughts, and to work up some courage. "Sir, one of my old projects has come back to bite us in the ass. [[Project Mystery Train]]." He paused again, "To keep it short Sir, it's a temporal gate which can transport anything from one place to another near instantaneously. Think of it as a portable wormhole. I got a hold of some intelligence, they continued the project after I had thought it closed. and now it's operational. We had some, start-up difficulties, originally."

"Any way to counter it?"

Zach smiled grimly, "Yes Sir."

The Admiral must not have liked the look on Zach's face, because his own tightened and he leaned forward. "If I were going to like this news, you two wouldn't have asked for a meeting. So, out with it."

Zach looked over at Rich, who nodded shallowly. Zach turned back again, "Fear, Sir. There is no way to stop it directly, not without a lot of preparation time that simply isn't practical in combat situations. The only thing that Doenitz ever respected was fear." Zach paused again, if he continued he would be committed. 

~I already am.~

He shook his head and stood up, looking off in another direction as if looking into the past. "When I left Doenitz's team and [[Reverse Engineering Technologies]], I needed a trump card. I had seen thousands killed to keep the secrets that we were researching; I would be no different unless I had a trump card. So. I took three of the major devices that we had found and figured out, weapons of awesome power. Things that frankly scared the bejesus out of us all, and there were some very heartless men on my team. I used them as my trump, I threatened Doenitz and his empire with their use, along with releasing all the information I had accumulated about his black projects if I so much as sniffed an assassin coming my way."

Zach turned back stiffly. "I still know where those devices are kept, Admiral. Doenitz will not even consider mothballing Mystery Train unless you give him proper incentive."

LoDona leaned back in his seat again. "And what do these devices do?"

"Do you really want to know?"

The Admiral searched Zach's face for long moments. "Their use will make us monsters, yes?"

Zach nodded.

"Then no, I don't." LoDona folded his own hands together. "Alright, Mr Falthgood. You're going back to the Nimitz, but be ready for a call from us."

Falthgood nodded and turned to leave, but was immediately stopped in his tracks by LoDona's call. He turned back around, "Sir?"

"Is there no other choice?"

"Yes, Sir. There is always another choice. We can loose. I don't know which would be worse at this point."