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Posted on Mon Nov 7th, 2022 @ 1:48pm 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 & Lieutenant JG James Phoenix

Mission: Living History
Location: USS Washington

The senior officers and others that had been called together all sat at the table in the conference room. It was the fullest Shran could remember the conference table being as they listened to Deanna detail the situation.

"We were sent through time it would seem, though I still can't say with any certainty who created the temporal vortex. Engineering is still analyzing the residual chroniton particles, which seem to have a focal point on our deflector dish" Deanna began. "I can say with certainty that this wasn't a result of the Romulan temporal explosion. Now, as for the situation we find ourselves in, things are complicated. I have determined that the nation state known as the United States of America, which was the dominant space faring culture at this time is about to launch a pair of missions ahead of schedule based on history. The Artemis-2 mission is a lunar mission that will set up the foundation for what will eventually become lunar colonization, and the Red Dragon mission is the precursor for the Aries missions to Mars. It appears that a small temporal anomaly is the cause for both of these rather large changes in history. Sometime in the last decade an artificial jump in computer technology occured, allowing for the space agencies and military to vastly increase capabilities."

"An artificial jump in computer capability. Do we know the cause specifically?" Shran questioned.

"Specifically, no. But I can tell you I am detecting a Federation signature on the planet, Multiple signatures actually. Obviously they shouldn't be there" Celes responded.

“Federation signatures?” Shon exclaimed, “shades of section 31. We definitely need to explore those?”

Phoenix looked at Celes. “Any idea what kind of computer technology got that much improvement?”

"Processing speeds are nearly a decade ahead of where they should be, and they are developing artificial intelligence they shouldn't have the ability to create." Deanna looked towards Shon, "I wouldn't jump to the conclusion of Section 31. I would suggest a small Federation craft that may have crashed on the planet and somebody taking advantage of the technology." Deanna paused for a moment and looked to Shran who nodded to her, and she turned back to Shon, "This wouldn't be the first time something like this happened. The Voyager crew was transported briefly back in time to the late 20th century Earth after encountering a temporal Federation travel. While we didn't encounter such a traveler, at least we don't know of one as of yet, we seem to be in a similar circumstance."

T'Plana-hath listened intently and made notes on her PaDD as she reviewed the data on the situation. "Do you have an exact fix on the Federation signature?"

"Florida and Texas" Celes replied quickly. "The Florida signature is at a NASA facility, and the Texas signature is coming from some sort of civilian complex. I believe the civilian company calls itself SpaceX. They are apparently quite important."

Shran looked to Phoenix, "NASA was a government agency as I recall, correct ensign? Do you know anything about this SpaceX entity?"

"You are correct about NASA sir. As for SpaceX, it is, errr, excuse me, it was a private aerospace company in the 21st century. They were very instrumental in getting further into space and Mars. They have collaborated with NASA on a few different occasions. SpaceX was founded and is led by a man known as Elon Musk, who also owns a large amount of other companies, such as the electric car manufacture Tesla, and a few others. In other words, SpaceX is the NASA of the private aerospace world" James reported.

"A government facility increases the danger significantly" Ayana chimed. "This civilian facility though sounds equally interesting and challenging, especially considering it is owned and operated by the planet's wealthiest individual who happens to be some sort of genius."

Sam sat quietly, absorbing all the information before offering any suggestions. The fact there were Federation signatures was very disturbing, and combined with the fact they had infiltrated both NASA and this SpaceX was of most concern. " The weapons of the era are generally high velocity projectile, causing great damage to the body. I would suggest not getting into a situation with one"

Shon nodded, “Agreed Sam, we should take as little equipment as possible with us. If any of us are caught our technology could have a devastating effect on the balance of world power.”

“We’re going to have to avoid drawing any attention to ourselves” Callie looked around those at the table. “Deanna and I may pass as Human but any blood tests would soon reveal that we’re not, or in my case not entirely Human.”

"Away teams will follow first contact protocols. We also have to keep to the temporal prime directive as best as possible." Shran shifted in his seat, obviously considering all information and making decisions on the fly. "I don't think we need to worry about blood tests. The propensity for violence, particularly when it comes to security is more of a concern. We need to investigate these signatures and clean up the mess as best we can." Shran turned to look at Jon, "We will have to send two teams down to the planet, one to the NASA facility in Florida, the other to the SpaceX facility in Texas. I want you leading the NASA team, and considering his knowledge of this period and NASA directly, I think ensign Phoenix should be part of your team, along with Callie and whoever else you think might best work for the mission profile. I am thinking Sam might lead the other team, and I can send Deanna and Ayana with her, unless you feel differently.

“If Sam is leading one team I should be on the other, if nothing else than to do my job as a Doctor. Sam and I can rustle up some medical packs from records of the time.” Shon hesitated, “Captain are you assigning Lieutenant Travis to an away team?”

"Certainly sir. I think that is a good make up for the team." Jon replied. "We'll get to the bottom of this mystery."

"I know you will Jon." Shran looked to Shon. "I'll leave the personnel choice to Jon, though I think Seth might be an asset on one of the teams. He is a diplomat, and NASA is a governmental agency."

"I'd be glad to have Seth, if he feels he is well enough. Be glad to have you as well Shon." Jon replied honestly then added, "However if Sam feels he can help her team as he is a diplomat, she can have him."

Phoenix looked at Ayana, then to Shran and Jon. "I'm not sure if it will work, but I may be able to get us into NASA. It was around this time that I began preparing for the Alpha Three mission with NASA. But this is also a different timeline, and I'm 27 in appearance now, not like the younger Phoenix who began preparing for the mission at 18. But I have a feeling that I might be the only option for getting the team in."

Shran nodded in agreement with what was being said. "I think that is something you can brain storm with Jon about. I'm sure he will take whatever advantage possible. As for the other team, Sam, you would be the ranking officer, but I think you can lean heavily on Deanna and Ayana for tactical aspects. It sounds like this SpaceX will have different hurdles than the NASA side, despite both being space organizations. I think T'Plana might make a strong fourth member of your team."

"Not to worry Sam, I'll gather as much information as possible before we go down" Deanna said confidently.

"I'll take a closer look at the scans to see what tactical advantages we might be able to use" Ayana chimed in.

Sam nodded at this turn of events, she hadn't been OIC of an away team for a long time and certainly not since the few incidents of recent time. However she felt ready for the challenge and had a solid team with her "you can count on us Captain"

Shran nodded, "I know I can Sam. I trust that all of you will perform your duty at the highest manner. I'll remain on the ship and monitor everyone's progress and keep the ship ready to administer assistance if and when necessary."

T’Plana-hath finally had her data and spoke up, “Sirs, I should be more than able to hack into both computer systems being used at both the NASA and SpaceX, even with the acquired Federation technology. The computers and coding systems of this time period are primitive compared to the systems we currently use, even with the addition of Federation technology. I may be able to create some viruses that will totally disable and destroy the Federation technology being used.”

"You aren't alone in having those skills" Deanna said with a smirk. "I wouldn't recommend we start messing with computers more than we have to, and definitely not inputting viruses unless it becomes absolutely necessary."

"Agreed" Shran said with an affirmative nod. "I suggest everyone as part of their away team prep focus on reviewing Earth history about this period. Familiarize yourself with the general culture, political goings on, and potential military aspects of the time period. Consider it a way to better blend in."

Jon listened to Phoenix, "We'll have team meeting to discuss our options especially which ones are the most viable. Thankfully the away team will be small and easy to manage."

Callie had sat quiet simply listening to everyone else, she’d wished now she’d paid more attention to Earth history. Even though she was half Human besides the Academy she hadn’t spent a lot of time on Earth. “Fingers crosses this will all run smoothly. I’ll try and put my counselling skills to good use dealing with the people down there.”

Having heard from everyone Shran stood, "It sounds like the teams need to discuss their strategies and make ready to head down. I wish you all the best of luck in this endeavor. Remember, we are here to fix the timeline and in doing so, save Earth and the Federation from whatever has befallen it. Be cautious, but never forget that failure in this mission is not an option."