Episode 54. Two Worlds, One Truth
Context
- Coordinated Universal Time
- Thursday, August 1, 2024 - 10:55
- Location
-
- Space
- Lunar Orbit
- NATO Starbase
- USS Enterprise
- Gym
- Timeline
- Schak'Irra Timeline
- Previously
-
After intercepting a mysterious signal from the Moon, the USS Enterprise discovers an unknown vessel and takes aboard an Andorian named Tarsi, who claims to come from the future. Her revelations shake the crew: their reality may be the product of a temporal contamination caused in 1954 by the crash of the Schak'Irra. Between doubts and tensions, Agnes Rodriguez confronts Admiral Michaux, discovers the lies surrounding Apollo 11, then confronts Tarsi in a duel that turns into mutual understanding. Two realities, two truths, and in the middle of it all, one certainty: time itself is beginning to crack.
Characters
| Name | Affiliation / Branch | Title / Rank | Species | Original Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agnes V. Rodriguez | NATO / Special Fleet | Captain | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Tarsi | Starfleet / Temporal Division | Commander | Andorian | Prime Timeline |
Manifest
| USS Enterprise | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | NATO |
| Location | Docked at the NATO Starbase |
| 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
Exhausted, Agnes and Tarsi talk side by side, sharing their respective realities. Agnes's catalytic water intrigues the Andorian, who sees it as tangible evidence of temporal alterations. Tarsi reveals that their world is deeply contaminated: in her reality, Russia never sank into totalitarianism, the Apollo 11 mission really happened, and humanity survived. In Agnes's reality, by contrast, every divergence seems artificial, as if someone were manipulating history. Between fatigue and lucidity, the two women understand that they may be the only ones who can restore the timeline... or condemn it forever.
Story
Completely exhausted, I sit down in the middle of the gym. My short breath betrays the intensity of the fight with Tarsi, whose endurance seems almost inexhaustible. I pull a small vial of regenerative catalytic water from my pocket and, without hesitation, pour its contents over my head.
The sensation is immediate.
A wave of freshness, followed by an almost euphoric clarity, runs through my body and relaxes my still aching muscles.
Tarsi sits down beside me. She watches me, intrigued.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
What is it?
Why are you looking at me like that?
Cmdr. Tarsi
It is... strange.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
What is?
Cmdr. Tarsi
That purple liquid with shimmering highlights that you just poured over your head.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Oh, this?
It is regenerative catalytic water.
It helps you recover quickly after intense effort. Nothing particularly unusual.
Here... try it.
A little hesitant, Tarsi takes the vial I hand her and pours some on herself in turn.
Cmdr. Tarsi
I have... a strange sensation.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
It is supposed to stimulate cellular regeneration and reduce fatigue.
But honestly, I mostly think it feels nice and cool after training.
Cmdr. Tarsi
Cellular regeneration... fatigue reduction...
That sounds like much more than water.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Well... You know, our laboratories are constantly putting out new products to improve our performance.
This one is just one example among others.
Cmdr. Tarsi
In my temporality, this kind of product with comparable effects only appeared at the beginning of the 24th century.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Ha ha.
Here, we are not in your reality.
Cmdr. Tarsi
Exactly.
Your civilization has been influenced far more deeply than you imagine.
Even in details as ordinary as that one.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Speaking of contamination...
Are there really that many differences with the 21st century of your reality?
Cmdr. Tarsi
Enormously.
From 1954 until the early nineties, the discrepancies are not really perceptible.
But beyond that period, the changes become major.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Which events were decisive?
Cmdr. Tarsi
The USSR collapses, and Boris Yeltsin becomes the first president of a democratic Russia until 1999.
In your reality, six months after his election, the new FSB overthrows the government and places Putin at the head of the country.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Strange...
A democratic Russia. Who would have thought?
So, in your reality, Russia does not control half the planet?
Cmdr. Tarsi
Correct.
I have the impression that someone deliberately manipulated your reality to push humanity toward self-destruction.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
That seems a little far-fetched to me...
Cmdr. Tarsi
I do not think so.
For example, the Tholians currently patrolling this sector are not supposed to come near Earth.
Much less attack it.
I am convinced that some entity is pulling the strings.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Are you referring to the terrorist factions from the temporal cold war you mentioned earlier?
Cmdr. Tarsi
That cannot be ruled out.
When I was on the Sea of Tranquility, waiting for your arrival, I detected traces of old vortexes.
I still need to analyze them in detail.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Why did you choose that place to send us a distress call?
Cmdr. Tarsi
To stay in the sector, there were almost no alternatives.
Earth is uninhabitable, and if I had presented myself directly at your space base... I doubt I would have been welcomed warmly.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Probably.
But I meant the site itself.
The Apollo 11 site.
Cmdr. Tarsi
Ah... that site.
I wanted to see it with my own eyes, in its original state.
No tourists. No infrastructure.
But I have to admit I was disappointed to find... absolutely nothing there.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
I believe you.
I recently learned that the mission was a huge hoax meant to divert Soviet attention.
Cmdr. Tarsi
That is another difference between our two realities.
In mine, the mission really did take place.
Eventually, Tarsi lies down beside me. We stare at the gym ceiling, letting silence settle intermittently as the conversation continues.
We keep exploring the gaps between our two realities, their ramifications, their scars.
And little by little, a mutual understanding emerges.
I begin to see Tarsi no longer as a messenger from the future... but as a victim, caught in the manipulations of the space-time continuum, simply trying to survive, like anyone would in her place.