The Quest: Chapter 6

[IRIS]

"Aggimar? Have any idea how that's spelled or shall I search for it phoenetically?" IRIS said as she appeared in her usual holographic avatar form. "Sorry for just showing up like this, but I was linked to Ambassador Morris's watch and it sounds like you need a database, which I am."

"Astrid, meet Iris, I like to consider my digital sister. My mother created her with the help of one of my grandfather's creations." Seraphina explained.

"I prefer the MIKI system, less formal. More cute." Jack shrugged his shoulders.

"And less robust in terms of database Professor." IRIS said with a slight cock of her head and a haughty grin. "If you can give me a frame of reference I check all Alliance and new UFP databases, as well as the cross temporal database."

[Astrid Vogler]

"I would reference the old UFP," Astrid suggested. "Don't ask me how or why, but I think it deals with the U.S.S. Exeter's second five year deep space mission."

[IRIS]

"That's pretty far back." Iris said as she cocked her head slightly. "Well that's curious... Exeter files require additional authorization." she glanced at Nick. "Sir... I'm using your codes. Who has higher access than you?"

"A few. I never had as high an access level as people think... I typically had my own database." Nick replied and tapped his finger on his wrist. "Buuut... I do have a copy of Memory Alpha which you are connected to. We always feared the old Imperium would try to corrupt it or destroy it to submit their own take on history." he handed Iris a small chip. "Use this. Epsilon Database."

"Ah. Now that's better." Iris 'threw' a holographic screen and displayed files from the Exeter. "Now let us see what we have on this... Aggimar." she gave Astrid a smile. "Ah ha... I think I have the file."

[Astrid Vogler]

Astrid approached the holographic display, an expression of wonder. Summarizing from Captain Ronald Tracy's log, "The crew beamed down on a planet and encountered a race of humanoids, in a medieval stage of development. It was a surprise to Tracy, as sensors had indicated an anti-matter power source. The Exeter crew was arrested and was charged and convicted of witchcraft. It doesn't say why they didn't beam back to the ship. Aggimar was a thief imprisoned with the crew. Tracy suspected that Aggimar was an alien to that world."

[Nick Ryder]

"Not a huge shock there, especially in that era, post Klingon War... lots of people thought they could 'cash in' and corrupt pre-warp civilizations and find a good hiding place away from the wars." Nick theorized. "Hell, Terra Alpha was once a pirate way station, used to be inhabited millenia ago, proto Borg wiped it out, took more centuries before anyone used it, namely pirates. Then we took it over. Rest is history."

[Astrid Vogler]

Astrid needed in acknowledgment. "Hax'ma Prime, " she read from the log. It was 400 light years from Earth. That is where we need to go."

[Seraphina Morris]

"That's quite a ways... good thing we have a faster way of getting there." Seraphina cleared her throat and looked at Jack.

"Oh sure... I'm always the bloody taxi service." Jack said with a smirk. "So... Hax'ma Prime. What's the closest major planet?"

[Astrid Vogler]

Astrid raised an eyebrow at them but didn't comment. "Who knows what we will find there, but one thing is certain; The Empire of Earth will come here sooner or later. It will happen."

[Nick Ryder]

"Well then we need to beat them there and we need to address them once and for all." Nick said as he looked at her. "Course if they have the Klingons working with them, that's not going to make things a bit difficult, since they probably hiding pretty much everywhere looking for a fight. I can handle cloaked Klingon ships, but when they're full of 'righteous rage and furious anger' then it's hard to negotiate with them short of double barrels of quantum torpedoes. Part of the reason why the Alliance gives Earth a wide berth. Other part is, last time we did try to cross into their 'Empire' they made a whole religious thing and tried to make US the bad guys."

[Astrid Vogler]

Astrid smiked, "As a godless heretic, you are. Atheists, Muslims, Papists, Jews, Protestants and so on have all been declared the enemy."