A Temporal Discussion

Posted on Fri Nov 4th, 2022 @ 1:21pm by Captain Shran dh'Klar & Commander Jonathan Grayson & Commander Samantha Howard & Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T’ghann-Travis Dr & Lieutenant Commander Callie Raven-Grayson & Ensign T'Plana-hath & Ensign James Phoenix

Mission: Living History
Location: Sickbay

Shran made his way into sickbay and spotted Sam looking like she was reviewing something on a PaDD near Seth. He made his way over, nodding acknowledgement in the direction of Callie, Shon, and T'Plana who were a few beds down. "Sam, we need to speak. I need you to clear sickbay of all staff temporarily. We have a situation and considering most of those I need to conference with were already here, I decided to use sickbay as a conference room."

Callie looked in Shran’s direction, going from what she was picking up from his emotions there was something very wrong. She walked across to him giving him a worried look. “What’s wrong Captain?”

Shon had woken on hearing Shran’s voice and the worry in it. She sat up and swung her legs over and jumped up. Whatever the Vulcan Master had done had cured her of her limp and general weakness. Her body felt good, it was just her brain that wasn’t, that and Seth was keeping her a patient. She looked over to Seth who looked asleep and decided to leave him unless the Captain wanted to speak to him. “Captain, is anything wrong?” She asked walking towards him.

Sam moved to speak quietly with her staff, moving them to a seperate room and asking them to remotely monitor the patients for a few minutes until the Captain was finished. The situation must be sensitive indeed if the Captain was using sickbay.

"The room is secured Sir, what's going on?" Sam asked, tucking her medical tricorder into the pocket of her bloodied smock. She really did need a shower and a new uniform.

Jon entered Sickbay, he had sent word to Phoenix for him to join the rest here in Sickbay. He walked over to Shran. "What's going on sir?"

James entered sickbay not long after Jon. He too was wondering why he had been summoned to the medical bay. It appeared that it could be urgent. Looking around, he did noticed mostly superior officers. However that seemed to become more normal for him recently. He quickly approached the rest of the assembled group.

Shran looked around and saw everyone that he needed to speak with was present and Sam had cleared the area for the time being. "I had hoped that our trip to Earth would be uneventful, give you all time to heal without issue and everyone time to recall every detail of what happened with the Romulans. Our luck it would seem has not improved. Deanna is on the bridge gathering more information, but it appears we have somehow been pulled through a time vortex of some sort. In one way it is good, in that we are now in the Sol system. The bad part is that we are, as best as Deanna can determine in the year 2023." Shran looked to Phoenix, "I sense you understand why you were requested ensign." Shran looked to everyone once more, "I'm afraid I have a bit more bad news. Something has altered the timeline on Earth. From what Deanna could determine thus far, two separate space missions are preparing for launch sooner then they should. The first is located in Florida, a NASA mission called Artemis-2. The other is in central Texas, a mission known as Red Dragon being run by something known as SpaceX. The Artemis missions, if you remember your history classes back at the Academy, were the precursor to the Lunar colony missions. The Red Dragon mission was a precursor to the Aries missions. Whatever has been altered could cause serious harm to the overall timeline. We are also only a few months away from when the Bell Riots are supposed to occur in San Francisco. Thoughts?"

Callie was just as stunned by those around her as to this turn of events. “Captain...if the timeline is somehow changing, how are we protected? Surely there would be changes?”

"I would assume we were protected to any changes to the future by the temporal vortex we were pulled into. I can't get into details because it is classified, but this wouldn't be the first time something along these lines has happened. I am aware that Picard and Sisko both had to deal with temporal situations much like this. We will need to focus on determining what has been changed and if we can correct the change and then hope we can get back home" Shran replied.

Phoenix was frozen in his place. Just a year before Alpha Three. But the missions that Captain said could possibly not be the only ones occurring early. James re-grouped himself and looked at the Captain. "Captain, what about the Alpha missions? Have those been affected at all?"

Shran looked at Phoenix, "Deanna didn't mention anything about an Alpha mission. You'll have to forgive me ensign, it isn't a mission I am as familiar with as I might like."

James nodded. "I understand sir. I'm not sure if it will come up later somehow while we're here, but I thought I'd ask, given its how I'm here."

"Well, your familiarity with this period and some of the potential areas we may have to infiltrate should come in handy" Shran replied.

"I sort of figured that may be the case" James chuckled lightly before falling silent. A few seconds later he spoke up again. "Any idea what caused the changes in the timeline sir?"

Shon stepped forward, “We did obviously!” she exclaimed. “Something happened either by mistake or though something the Romulans wanted connected to that ritual that has changed the timeline.”

"We don't know that to be the case yet Shon. I definitely understand why you might say that, but I have information regarding the Romulans that indicates that what they were doing was altering a future event, not one in the past. So we need to wait until Deanna gives us more information before we just to conclusions" Shran replied.

T’Plana-hath had been listening to the briefing by the captain and finally spoke up, “I am assuming that those chosen for the away team will be taking the Nightstalker scout ship to Earth? It would be the most logical as she is specifically designed to ‘spoof’ any current technology that Earth has to detect it, were as there is the possibility, however slight, they may detect the Washington.” She was not bothered by the fact they had travelled back in time, as she had studied Commander and Ambassador Spock’s mathematical equation for the slingshot back to the present, it would only require some minor adjustments to the formula. The main concern was the altering of the ‘Prime’ timeline as they knew and understood it.

“Exactly why are we here, I mean what are we supposed to do?” Shon asked. She walked over to Seth who still seemed to be asleep. “I don’t want him leaving the ship” she said quietly taking his hand.

T’Plana-hath studied Lieutenant Commander Shoniara “Since we will not be ‘making’ diplomatic contact on Earth, but investigating why the Washington was thrown into the past, and how it is connected to the altering of critical Earth timeline development, I cannot see how Lieutenant Seth Travis could be of use to us in this matter, other than he is a Terran; but it is the captain’s call and we are Starfleet Officers, bound to an oath and duty.” T’plana-hath again went to studying Shon, she definitely needed to teach her to control her emotions better, perhaps some of the more obscure meditative techniques? She knew her statement was most likely to be perceived as cold and aloof, but she herself was reconciling with grief at the loss of her great aunt and struggling with new insight into her psyche.

Shon was about to retort to T’Plana’s speech. She clenched her fists and felt an uncalled for anger rise within her but remained silent.

"I take exception to that T'Plana." Seth said through closed eyes. "I'm a diplomat, means I know how to handle and deal with people. You may find you do need me on this mission."

Shran absorbed the back and forth. "The reality is folks I can't say with certainty who will be going on an away mission just yet. I would assume at this point we will need two teams at the very least, one dealing with the Artemis mission, the other dealing with the Red Dragon mission. Jon, Sam, Callie, Deanna, Seth, Ayana, and Phoenix are all top options to be sent down. Shon and T'Plana would be candidates as well, assuming Sam can make the necessary cosmetic changes."

Shran looked to Samantha, "Sam, I'm going to need to have some of these folks available for away teams, and that will include you. I can't go down to the surface as humanity hasn't encountered alien life at this point. Shon and T'Plana can have simple enough augmentations made to disguise their appearance I hope to allow them to go down on an away team. Correct me if I'm wrong."

"I can make an Andorian look like an antelope...ok maybe not but you get my drift. I'll make sure whoever goes down to the planet looks nothing but human" Sam quipped as she already started making mental plans for the cosmetic appearance alterations.

"I'd like for us to reconvene in the conference room in an hour. That should give Deanna plenty of time to gather up as much relevant information as possible for us to discuss further." Shran looked to T'Plana, "To answer you earlier inquiry, yes, I do believe your special shuttle will come in handy. The Washington would be detected almost certainly if we attempt to get any closer to Earth that we are now without us first making significant modifications. While we may well make those modifications, shuttles seem to be the best option at present."

“Understood Captain. I would recommend Lieutenant L’Rissa be the pilot; she would not have to leave the Nightstalker and would be able to best respond to any emergencies that may arise with the away teams by keeping the Nightstalker close by. She is by far an excellent flight officer.” Replied T’Plana.

"I'll take it under advisement" Shran replied.

“I don’t think my abilities would be of much use to anyone whilst on Earth Captain” Callie looked at Shran. “I’m already picking up on chaotic emotions down there, I’ll need to tone down my senses or I won’t be of any use to anyone.”

"I can offer a neural inhibitor which should 'reduce the noise' so to speak, if you want it of course" Sam offered to Callie.

“I think Callie would be very useful down there, even to just give us an insight into the minds of the people down there. In many ways they will be like aliens to us,” Shon said.

Callie looked towards Sam. “An inhibitor just to take the edge of would be helpful. That way I can still give insights.”

"I agree. I think you would be very useful on an away team Callie" Shran said. "Your empathic abilities would be very useful. Same reason why I'll be sending Deanna. Your Betazoid abilities are useful, and you look human, so they won't know about those abilities, making you doubly useful."

Shon walked back over to sit with Seth, “I can’t hear you any more.” She said sadly. “Are you in pain?”

Seth smiled a weak smile at her, "It's manageable Shon. How are you doing?" He asked his concern for her paramount.

T’Plana-hath overheard Shon’s comment to her bond mate. She slowly made her way over to the two of them. “Pardon the interruption; first I meant no disrespect to either of you, second Commander Shoniara you must reengage a bounding meld with your husband. Once you do that you will feel his presence once again. Last before I leave to prepare for the briefing Commander Shoniara I offer my services in training you to accept the new neural pathways provided to you when you were carrying Lodzhal’s katra. I believe some of the more the more obscure meditative techniques.” With that she bowed to both and left the sickbay.

“What do you think that was about?” Shon asked her husband, “do you still want our bond?”

Seth looked at her like she had grown another head, "Of course I do Shon. Why would you even ask me that?"

She turned towards him so no one else could hear them. She took his hand in hers, it was warm and strong and she felt a rush of love and thankfulness that he was safe. “Sometimes I think it is too much and, I know Shran does not approve of all this and I quote ‘Vulcan mysticism’.” She smiled and kissed him not caring if anyone saw her. “I wish you were out of here and we were home with Shasta and the boys.”

"It is not too much Shon. Stop worrying about it." Seth replied as he held her hand. He looked past her and towards the captain before his eyes came back to her. "Not overly concerned about what the captain thinks Shon. I wish I was out here as well and back where we can all be together."

She smiled at his remarks about the Captain. “I suppose he is only doing what he thinks best, it must be difficult to have the responsibilities he does. What do you think about all this time travel business?” She sat down next to him still holding his hand.

"I suppose so." Seth agreed. Before he turned his thoughts to Shon's question. "I think we need to be very careful. One misstep can change the future that we know."

She nodded sagely, “I am feeling more and more like being an old fashioned country doctor.” she laughed. “Once this is over I am going to throw myself back into my work, that is until the boys are born.”

Seth nodded at Shon's statement. "I think that is a very good idea, Shon. An excellent idea in fact. Being a doctor is your first love and it is what you excel at."

Shon looked towards Sam in the office. “I am going to see if Sam needs me, check she is all right. Love you.”She bent down and kissed him.

Callie decided to leave Shon and Seth to talk in private, right now she was worried about their current predicament. Being stuck in the past was a huge problem. She offered Jon a brief smile as she looked towards him. “I'll be in my office wrapping my head around all this, I’ll see you in the conference room in an hour.” She kissed him on the cheek then headed for the door.

"Sure thing Callie." Jon replied, returning her kiss but his mind was on the upcoming mission. It was a step back into the past, where every move would have to be considered carefully.

Shran exited sickbay, leaving Sam to work on the health of those who were under her care. He needed to get back to the bridge and see what Deanna had learned.

Sam returned to her office as the team dispersed, leaving her alone with her thoughts. How they ended up stuck in the past was anyone's guess, but the thought of sending an away team to the planet, when the civilization still hadn't agreed on peace on a global scale was almost scary. Humans in this era were notoriously self-centered and unwilling to accept other possibilities. If they got found out? What would happen to them?

Shon entered the office noting Sam deep in thought. “Are you okay Sam, is there anything I can do to help you?”

Tag Sam