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Remember always the Battle, for it shall free your land. Remember always the Blood, for it shall unite your people. Remember always the Power, for it shall give you strength. Remember always the Honor, for it is all you have. - excerpt from The Ducaines
July 14, 2031
The stars, at least, were as they should be.
Tremaine Calex enjoyed the cold winter wind that blew her hair about her face, enjoyed the sight of the fields slowly filling with thick, white snow. Too bad it was the middle of July.
But even if the weather was crazy there were some things that were the same as always. Sweet predictability. Far above a crazy Earth the stars glittered with a reassuring permanence. Even if the world ended tomorrow the stars would still be there, same as ever. There was some sort of peace in that.
Tremaine reluctantly tore her gaze from the sky and turned toward the woods behind her. Her footprints had almost disappeared under the snow, by morning no one would be able to tell she'd been there. For the best. She's already taken a great risk to come out here.
She sighed and shook her head violently, shaking loose the thick flakes of snow that had gathered in her long brown hair. She buried her hands inside the pockets of her insulated coat, determined not to give in to temptation and regulate her metabolism to warm herself. That would only make her more noticeable to the very people she hoped to avoid. If regular people could handle the frigid weather with only a coat, then she would as well. Tossing one last wistful glance at the sky above her, she began the two-mile trek back to the compound.
The small compound served as the base for the resistance had been home to her for more than thirteen years, ever since her family had been forced to flee their base of operations in Anaheim and seek refuge in the mountains. There, with a small group of other refugees, they had reformed the resistance cell and continued the fight to free Earth.
It sat in a small valley, sheltered by the mountains and trees on all sides, a river along the north side provided a source of power and clean water, although with the amount of contaminates being pumped into the environment rising every month, it wouldn't be long before the water became undrinkable. Two large buildings sat closest to the river; the dormitories, were the inhabitants of the compound lived, families and singles alike. The next building was the infirmary, equipped with some of the best medical equipment on the planet. Beyond was the research lab; a building built solely for scientific experiments. And on the far side, the armory. Tremaine had been privy to the stores inside the armory only once in the entire thirteen years she'd lived there. The leaders of the resistance were very strict about such things; only after years of training and practice were the younger members of the community allowed to handle weapons, and it was only after even more training that they were allowed to deal with the delicate and often horribly destructive weapons inside the armory. Tremaine had finally completed her training not two days ago. At nineteen she would be the youngest allowed inside the armory.
Other, smaller buildings of varying purposes, including a motor pool, were located throughout the compound. But Tremaine was interested only in sleep. The dormitory closest to the river was the one in which she resided and she trudged up the stairs to the top floor wearily, only mildly concerned that she was tracking snow all over. She was tired, weary, nervous and more than slightly scared. Tomorrow three years of training and preparation would be put into action.
Tremaine paused outside the door to her room and tilted her head sideways. Something... At the back of her mind she sensed someone in her room. She sighed and contemplated slamming her head against the wall until she lost consciousness and didn't need to deal with this. But that would be juvenile. Tremaine wasn't juvenile. Damn.
Annoyed and tired, still cold from the freezing two mile hike through the snow, Tremaine only hunched deeper inside her thick coat and reached out with her mind. Normally she used her telekinetic abilities for more serious pursuits - fighting, lifting heavy objects or forming protective shields - but it was a blessing on nights like tonight when her hands were cold and she was too tired to even lift a finger.
The doorknob - a remarkably archaic device - turned and the door swung open. Her uninvited visitor stood to greet her. "Kirin," Tremaine greeted wearily. "What's up?"
"You're freezing," Kirin scolded lightly, shivering slightly as her own telepathic abilities temporarily put her in synch with Tremaine. "Sit down. Get out of those wet clothes. I'll get you a robe." Tremaine obeyed, stripping off her wet coat and kicking her boots into the closet, narrowly missing Kirin who was returning with a thick red terrycloth robe. "What are you doing here, Kirin? It's long after curfew."
"I might ask you the same," the younger girl replied. "If anyone knew you were out in the mountains this late..."
"I'd be in deep," Tremaine supplied. "What's your point, Kirin?"
"What's so important that you'd risk getting in that mush trouble? All your privileges would be suspended. I can't believe you worked so hard to get to the level you're at just to through it away for a walk in the woods."
She wouldn't of course, and she hadn't. "I just needed to get away for a while," Tremaine explained. "Relax a bit."
"Right." Kirin's skeptical glance clearly said she wasn't fooled. She knew perfectly well that Tremaine wasn't telling her the truth.
Tremaine sighed and gave her old friend an exasperated smile. "Something big's going down tomorrow, Kirin. I can't really say what, but it's got me nervous and I needed to clear my head. I was careful, no one saw me. Now stop worrying." Tremaine finished changing and dumped her wet clothes in the hamper by the closet. From the closet she pulled a pair of navy sweatpants and an old red t-shirt which she lay out on the bed. "I'm gonna take a shower and get to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure." Kirin paused at the door and glanced back. "Hey, Tre? Whatever it is you're up to tomorrow? Be careful, okay?"
Tremaine saw something in Kirin's eyes she wasn't sure of, but before she could ask, it vanished and Kirin strode out the door, closing it firmly behind her.
Tremaine stared at the door for several minutes, suddenly filled with an unexplainable sense of dread.
The Briefing Room was unusually somber that morning.
Tremaine, sitting near the head of the table, dressed in battle armor, was not impervious to the mood. The silence of her teammates, Drake and Canard Calex - whom also happened to be her cousins - was every bit as serious as her own, and every bit as apprehensive. They'd known what they were getting into, but now, with it so close, the dangerous situation they were willingly placing themselves in was taking on a startling clarity.
Tremaine glanced over at Canard. Only a year older than she, he had been one of her best friends when they were younger. Even now, years later, they were still close. "If our parents could see us now," she said wryly, "they'd kill us."
It earned the desired response as Canard smiled back at her. "Nah. But they'd certainly ground us."
"For at least a decade," Drake agreed. At 24 he was the oldest of them, and an eternally serious individual. He and Canard had a closeness Tre couldn't really explain; they were so different she was surprised they hadn't killed each other years ago. But sometimes, like now, when he let his guard down, she thought she might understand.
"They might be proud," she dared to say.
"They would, no doubt about it, cuz," Drake replied.
"But they'd still ground us until we were their age," Canard continued.
Tremaine burst out laughing. It wasn't all that funny, true, but she was wound tight with nervous tension and she welcomed any opportunity to ease the trepidation she felt. She heard the door slide open and footsteps as a small group of people entered the room. Breathing deeply to get her laughter under control she stood to meet the new arrivals.
The first was a middle aged man, not particularly tall yet still imposing. Reddish brown hair going gray at the temples and serious brown eyes complimented caucasian skin, tanned from a life-time in the California sun. An old scar ran from his right temple to the base of his jaw, the paleness of the damaged skin seeming to be at odds with the darkness of his other features. Kyle Morales was not the typical image of a military genius, but that's precisely what he was.
Of the other two, one was a woman. Teresa Knight-Ryans was petite with pale blond hair and light blue eyes. The third, an older man, probably in his sixties or even was as short as Ryans with pale skin and a shock of bright red hair. Shawn Klegghorn walked with a limp earned in battle - the legendary one of more than fifteen years ago when the Mighty Ducks had fallen before Dragaunus' onslaught.
They were three of the best revolutionaries on the planet.
They were also three of the only seven people alive who knew exactly what would happen that day. Tremaine and her cousins made six.
The seventh entered the room even as Tremaine, Canard and Drake stood. She was older as well, in her fifties, short blond hair framing her face, glasses obscuring her blue eyes. Like Ryans, Klegghorn and Morales she wore the unofficial uniform of the resistance; lightweight boots, khakis, a utility belt, long sleeved turtle-neck shirt and a jacket, usually denim, although Ryans' was leather. Each of them was armed with a simple blaster and Tremaine didn't doubt that there were more than a few knives in the room.
But there was one fact that separated this seventh from the other six. Aside from being a technical genius, aside from being the one to pull a half-baked plan together into an attainable mission, she was also the sole surviving member of the Mighty Ducks.
Tanya Drakeman was something of a hero for that.
But aside from all of this, these four were like family to the three young people. Orphaned at a young age, they had been raised by these four and had come to see them as teachers, mentors, and surrogate parents. There was no one alive Tremaine would rather have at her back than these four.
All seven took seats at the table. Ryans set three small devices on the table. Tremaine recognized them as medical tricorders. "Just in case," Ryans assured them. "It would be pretty ridiculous if all this worked and we succeeded, only to have you guys die from a concussion or something equally simple before you can complete your mission."
Tanya added three more devices to the pile. "These are trackers. They'll allow us to keep track of your locations the entire time you're gone. Keep them with you at all times."
Tremaine examined hers briefly, familiarizing herself with it before adding it to the utility belt she wore with her uniform. "Any last minute words of wisdom?"
"Now would be a good time to go over everything one last time," Morales said. "And get that look off your face, Canard."
"As you all know, 34 years ago the warlord Dragaunus launched a campaign which ultimately led to the conquest of our entire planet. Wielding the ancient powers of his Saurian ancestors, Dragaunus used deceit, trickery and pure power to overwhelm the forces of Earth and take the planet, nation by nation, as his own.
"Fifteen years ago, almost to the day, the final battle was fought, and for Dragaunus, won. The Mighty Ducks, who had long fought and prevailed over Dragaunus, fell before the onslaught of Hunter drones, psychic powers and advanced weaponry. With his strongest adversaries defeated, Dragaunus made his next move: nuclear warfare.
"With the United States came everything in it, including the nuclear weaponry of the most powerful nation on Earth. With those weapons behind him Dragaunus threatened half the world into joining him. The other half he destroyed. Hence, the odd weather, undrinkable water and rapidly decreasing population.
"It looked hopeless. But six months ago, a group of soldiers gave their lives to bring a piece of information to our attention. This information may enable us to win this war before it's ever fought." Morales met Drake, Tremaine and Canard each in a steady gaze. "None of you know what I'm about to say. No one outside this room does. No one outside this room, ever will, if we have anything to say about it. The three of you have been sworn to secrecy and we've deliberately kept you in the dark so as to be sure that this information remain as confidential as possible, as long as possible.
"Now is the time for the whole story. Dragaunus did not win the war alone. In addition to his Hunter drones, and his three crewmen, Siege, Wraith and Chameleon, Dragaunus was aided by his fellow Saurians."
Tremaine shook her head. "I don't understand. I thought the Saurians were all still trapped in Dimensional Limbo back then. How did they-"
Morales held up a hand to forestall her questions. "They were, as far as we know. No one knows how, or why or who or when, but there were other Saurians involved. And your job is to find out who and how."
"But- that was thirty years ago!" Canard protested. "How can we find out about what happened that long ago?"
"Time travel."
Tremaine blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Time travel."
"That's impossible," Tremaine said. "No one's been able to control time in millennia. And even if we knew how none of us has that much power."
"Not necessary. You won't be traveling under your own power." Tanya took charge of the conversation with those two simple sentences. "It's taken the last six months, and research from hundreds of scholars, theorists and scientists from all three worlds, but we've managed to devise a scientific method of time travel. That is how we will send the three of you back in time to the beginning of the war.
"Once there," Tanya continued, "your mission will become threefold. Drake, you're the more skilled in telepathy, so you will be the one responsible for maintaining constant disguises. No one on Earth can know who you truly are. Canard, your strength lies in clairvoyance. You will keep track of the players in the game. I want you to keep tabs on the Mighty Ducks, Dragaunus, and whoever else may come into the picture. Tremaine, your powers are more varied. You will be responsible for training the Ducks."
"Training?" Tremaine asked. "What do you mean?"
"That," Klegghorn said wryly, "is where this gets really interesting."
Two hours later the seven were gathered around four simple looking platforms. Gleaming metal inlaid with various buttons, switches, and wires of varying colors, surrounded by a metal guardrail which separated it from the rest of the laboratory, it had the appearance of something out of a science fiction novel. The very idea that this was a bonafide method of time travel was a little confusing, rather hard to grasp, and very exhilarating.
"Okay, run this by us." Tremaine finshed her examination of the machine and turned to Tanya.
"You'll each stand on one of the platforms. You must remain completely inside the boundaries of the platform. If any part of you is over the edge, it won't go to the past with the rest of you. That could be fatal. Okay? So be careful about it." Tanya tapped a monitor on one of the many computer terminals in the room. "This will control the teleport. I just input the destination, the number of transports, so on and so forth, and in a matter of seconds you'll be at your destination. We'll be setting you down in the hills outside Anaheim, so you don't attract any attention. On the trackers I gave you you'll find a call button. Press that once you've completed your mission and the signal will trigger the teleport that will bring you back here. Here," Tanya handed Drake a small package. "This is all the money you should need while you're there, all in currency appropriate for the time so no one gets arrested for counterfeiting."
"What happens if we succeed?" Canard asked. "If we change the past. When we return to our own time, will we find ourselves back here? Or will we be in the new timeline? Will we remember the original one? Or will we cease to exist?"
"There's no way to know for sure." Tanya's expression couldn't have been more regretful, more sorrowful, if she'd tried. "The research all pertains to teleporting under your own power. None of it mentions an actual time machine."
"If there are no further questions," Klegghorn said somberly, "we should get this started."
In the sudden silence the seven revolutionaries regarded each other, each consumed by their own thoughts and concerns. This could very well be the last time they would stand in the same room together.
And then, as if by unspoken agreement, the three travelers took their place on the platforms and Tanya triggered the teleport.
And thirty-four years ago, more than a hundred miles away, history began to change.
Continued in Chapter One: The Battle
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