Chapter One: Yesterday

 Star Trek Online: Pendragon

Book 2 - Angle of Incidence

The Andorian found this infuriating. 

Three years of clandestine research and development, keeping most of the actual details of the project off the official record so that Bajoran whore would be caught back-footed when the time came... and then that grozheth toy of his clock-work bastard of a predecessor snatch triumph away.

"We have it on long range, Inquisitor," the pink-skin female at tactical stated.

"Time to intercept?" The Andorian Inquisitor asked, idly rubbing the remaining stump of his left antenna. 

"Five minutes."

Inquisitor Duth let a soft growl escape his throat. Too long had he been in the shadow of the emperor's favourite "Admiral". Leeta had been nothing more than a comfort girl until she managed to somehow gain the powers of the Pah-wraiths. Since then, she had clawed her way up the ranks, finally being appointed Admiral and being given command of the Emperor's own prize: The Enterprise. It didn't hurt, of course, that she was clearly engaging in regular jamaharon with the Emperor.

It left a sour taste in Duth's mouth. He had, after all, been genetically built to serve the Empire, designed with the genetics of Earth's greatest leaders and tacticians: Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Kahn Noonien-Singh... All wrapped into the superior Andorian body.

The insult of being passed over by that Bajoran whore was enough to spur him into action. Hence, three years ago, he began the Pendragon Project.

Research, threats, torture, and murder allowed him to access all the secrets of The Enterprise: all her weapons systems, engine specifications, defences, and everything that made her the ultimate weapon in the Empire.

Duth used that knowledge to secretly build The Pendragon. Officially, The I.S.S. Pendragon was a simple cruiser. Off the books, however, she had been designed with a single goal.

The Pendragon was meant to destroy The Enterprise and put an end to Leeta once and for all.

This, of course, was only part of his plan.

Duth needed to gain the favour of the Kosst Amojan. So long as Leeta had the power fo the Pah Wraiths, she was largely untouchable. Bajoran myths, however, told of the Kosst Amojan; the leader of the Pah Wraiths who was greater than all others. Inquisitor Duth knew that, to kill Leeta, he needed to sway the Kosst Amojan to his way of thinking.

Finally, after three long years, Duth was close enough to his victory, he could almost taste that Bajoran whore's internal organs. The Pendragon had been completed. He had located the Grand Stellar Citadel of the Kosst Amojan and he had even installed the "Inquisitor's Test" into the Pendragon's computer systems.

And that's where things went wrong.

The "test" had been created by Duth's predecessor, the artificial man who called himself  "Lore". Inquisitor Lore felt he had become superior to every organic life form, and yet, still wished to improve himself. His core programming forbid him rising up against The Emperor, so he was, in his opinion, stagnating. For this reason, Inquisitor Lore created the sentient holo-program of Sherlock Holmes to continually test and expand his mental capabilities. 

Sadly for Inquisitor Lore, however, Holmes didn't prepare him for a stab in the back from an Andorian with a nanite-laced  Bat'leth. 

Thus, Duth had inherited both the position of Inquisitor of the Empire and the Holmes program.

Unbeknownst to anyone, however, installing that program into the computer core of The Pendragon allowed Holmes to steal the ship.

Now, pursuing in The Defiant, Duth was finally near striking distance of his prize.

"Tactical, target engines ONLY and fire on my command!"

"Yes, Inquisitor!" the human woman replied.

At this moment, the vastness of space tore open in front of The Pendragon. A swirling red-orange vortex yawned into existence, swallowing the massive ship.

"FOLLOW IT!" Duth cried out. And The Defiant disappeard into the miasma.

Duth found himself no longer on the bridge of his ship. Instead, he was in some kind of... well, it was another ship, but nothing like he'd ever seen before. The crew wore uniforms, but... softer-looking. The crew was of mixed species, even a Trill was present.

In the command chair, sat, well, Duth, himself.

His hair was longer and his antennae were unclipped, but his face was unmistakable.

Duth's surroundings changed again. He found himself on a dark, misty cobblestone street surrounded by humans in ancient clothes. One turned to him as the rest froze in place.

"It is new," the strange person said, "It does not belong with us."

Duth reached into his belt for his ushan-tor.

"You do not tell the Inquisitor of the Empire where he belongs!" he shouted, swinging the serrated blade across the throat of the man who'd spoken to him. It swept through the flesh of that throat as though it had been nothing more than smoke. A woman now spoke.

"It cannot remember, but it can never forget. It seeks... information... data...answers."

Swinging blindly, Duth tried to remove the insolent woman's head.

"I forget NOTHING!"

 "We do not speak of the Duth."

A bright flash of light filled The Inquisitor's eyes. When they cleared, he found himself back on the bridge of The Defiant, his crew seemingly as befuddled as himself.

"Where is The Pendragon?" he barked.

"It's not on our sensors, Inquisitor. And..." the young Terran male at the helm began.

"What?"

"We seem to have moved. We're no longer near Terok Nor. Scans show us about 20,000 clicks Qo'nos."

 Without a word or pause, the Inquisitor's ushan-tor slid from his belt and through the spine of the helm officer, his head tipping forward, then continuing to the floor as his body slumped in its seat.

"Find my ship and get this filth off my bridge!" Duth growled as he strode to his ready room.