Episode 51. The Breaking Point
Context
- Coordinated Universal Time
- Thursday, August 1, 2024 - 07:59
- Location
-
- Space
- Lunar Orbit
- USS Enterprise
- Bridge
- Timeline
- Schak'Irra Timeline
- Previously
-
Since Tarsi's revelation, the crew of the Enterprise knows that the reality they live in is only an altered timeline. The Andorian has asked Agnes and Angie to go back to 1954 to prevent the destruction of the temporal vessel Schak'Irra, even if it means risking the total erasure of their universe. Faced with that prospect, Agnes explodes: unable to accept such a sacrifice, she ends the interview and orders Tarsi kept in quarantine.
Characters
| Name | Affiliation / Branch | Title / Rank | Species | Original Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agnes V. Rodriguez | NATO / Special Fleet | Captain | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Eric Corda | NATO / Special Fleet | Lieutenant Commander | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Emilie Flores | NATO / Special Fleet | Ensign | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Charlene Savea | NATO / Special Fleet | Lieutenant | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Anthony Michaux | NATO / Starbase | Admiral | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
Manifest
| USS Enterprise | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | NATO |
| Location | Lunar Orbit |
| Captain | Agnes V. Rodriguez |
| First Officer | Angie Chen |
| Pilot | Eric Corda |
| Communications | Emilie Flores |
| Operations | Charlene Savea |
| Tactical | Eric Corda Charlene Savea |
| Science | N/A |
| Advanced Weapons | Eros Vitos |
| Sickbay | Victor S. Calpel |
| Counselor/Consultant | Manu |
| Custodian | Manu |
| Passengers | Tarsi (Confidential) |
TL;DR
Under the weight of anger and exhaustion, Agnes loses patience: she orders the return to the Starbase and has every trace of Tarsi's presence erased from the official reports. But her rage erupts when she confronts Admiral Michaux, demanding answers about the lunar inconsistencies and the secrets surrounding the Apollo 11 mission. Michaux finally cracks: the Moon landing never happened, and the evidence was falsified to hide a secret military program. Shaken, Agnes leaves his office, realizing that the truth has always been manipulated.
Story
The interview with Tarsi has only amplified my bad mood. My blood is boiling like never before. For about two weeks now, I have done nothing but take hit after hit.
First the Russians, who atomize us.
Then aliens appearing out of nowhere, determined to wipe us off the map.
And now this Andorian from the future, demanding that we sacrifice ourselves to save her reality.
Add to that an unbelievable number of mysteries clouding my judgment and putting my nerves through hell.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Mr. Corda, follow the lunar orbit and take us back to the starbase.
How long until we arrive?
Lt. Cmdr. Eric Corda (Pilot)
Approximately ten minutes, Captain.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Very well.
Lieutenant Savea, I want you to conceal the alien's vessel in the bay and seal off access to it.
Lt. Charlene Savea (Operations)
Um... Captain, that vessel is far too large for us to hide it.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
... Figure it out!
There is no way starbase personnel are getting anywhere near it.
Lt. Charlene Savea (Operations)
Um... yes, Captain.
I will deploy the sealed bulkheads in the bay.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
That's right. Do it!
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Captain.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
What now, Flores?
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Here is the scenario you asked me for, to justify our delay returning to the starbase.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Perfect.
Have all mentions of the alien been removed from the logs?
And are the people involved being kept quiet?
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Yes, Captain.
Um... Captain, are you sure you want to proceed this way?
You know this constitutes a protocol violation.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
I am perfectly aware of that, Ensign!
The situation is already complex enough without having protocols quoted at me every other sentence.
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Um... yes, Captain. I did not mean to-
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Back to your console!
Lt. Cmdr. Eric Corda (Pilot)
Captain, we have just docked at the starbase.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
I am not blind, Mr. Corda!
Flores, you have the bridge!
Lt. Charlene Savea (Operations)
Um... all right, Captain.
Even my most loyal officers are suffering through my foul mood.
I hope they will forgive me someday.
With furious steps, I leave the Enterprise and cross the starbase to reach Admiral Michaux's office. I need clear answers. Facts. Truth.
I burst into his office, sending the door slamming against the wall.
Adm. Anthony Michaux
Rodriguez?!
What the hell are you doing here?? Do you not know how to knock before entering my office??!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Latitude zero point six seven four zero eight north.
Longitude twenty-three point four seven two nine seven east.
Mean anything to you, Admiral?
Adm. Anthony Michaux
Should it...?
What is that?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
The Apollo 11 landing site.
Adm. Anthony Michaux
And you storm in here like a fury to tell me that?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
I want to know what happened to the equipment left there.
Adm. Anthony Michaux
How am I supposed to know that?!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Stop lying to me!
You dumped an ultra-confidential file on me as big as the entire Encyclopaedia Universalis, and now you pretend you know nothing?
Are you screwing with me?
Adm. Anthony Michaux
Good God, Rodriguez...
Do not tell me you went to the Moon?
What the hell did you go do up there?!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
I am doing my job!
You entrusted me with the only vessel capable of defending the Alliance, while hostile extraterrestrial ships are patrolling the sector!
How am I supposed to do my damn job properly if you hide vital information from me?!
Adm. Anthony Michaux
I-
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Do not interrupt me!
Your behavior is rather suspicious, Admiral.
Why cover my protocol violations?
Why entrust the Enterprise to me, when you have about fifteen other captains under your command?
Adm. Anthony Michaux
I-
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
I am listening!
Adm. Anthony Michaux
First... calm down.
Sit down.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
No.
I will not calm down until I have answers.
Adm. Anthony Michaux
Very well, Agnes...
I entrusted you with the Enterprise precisely because you do not always follow protocols.
But you get results.
The other captains are too obedient. Too cautious.
They would never do what you are capable of doing.
Your mission in the Black Sea in 2014... and the recent tragedy that struck Earth... prove that your place is aboard the Enterprise.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Don't you dare talk about that Ukrainian mission!
You were not there.
You have no idea what Angie and I endured at the hands of the Russians.
Adm. Anthony Michaux
I-
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Stop kissing my boots and answer me!
Why did the Apollo 11 equipment disappear?
Adm. Anthony Michaux
Um...
Because Apollo 11's destination was never the Sea of Tranquility.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
What do you mean?!
Adm. Anthony Michaux
NASA's missions were about taking possession of the Moon by installing the first stealth satellites and building a base at the South Pole.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
[Censored]!
Everything we know about those missions is bullshit?!
Adm. Anthony Michaux
Indeed.
The images, the videos, the audio transmissions...
Everything was manufactured to satisfy public opinion and divert the attention of rival powers.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
And while we are at it...
Do you have any other secrets like that?
Adm. Anthony Michaux
Honestly?
I have no idea.
High Command hides so many things that it is very possible.
But it is a necessity.
To protect the Alliance.
And preserve stability.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
My ass!
High Command is betraying and deceiving its own officers with all these lies!
Adm. Anthony Michaux
We are at war, Agnes.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Go tell that to everyone who fell!
Overflowing with emotion, I leave the admiral's office without even saying goodbye. The door slams violently behind me.
I am deeply shaken.
Everything I believed in has just cracked.
These revelations leave behind a bitter taste... and one troubling certainty: no one is worthy of trust anymore.