Episode 80. Body and Mind
Context
- Coordinated Universal Time
- Friday, August 9, 2024 - 04:23
- Location
-
- Space
- Earth Orbit
- USS Enterprise
- Sickbay
- Timeline
- Schak'Irra Timeline
- Previously
-
Following the special operation ordered by Admiral Michaux, Agnes's team was deployed to Russia for a high-risk mission that ended with the capture of the Grand Tsar and heavy losses. Gravely wounded while protecting President Macron, Captain Rodriguez was rushed to the USS Enterprise, where First Officer Angie Chen took command as acting captain. Meanwhile, an intervention by the Vulcan captain T'Met from Schak'Irra stabilized Agnes, whose mind seems to have glimpsed something inexplicable.
Characters
| Name | Affiliation / Branch | Title / Rank | Species | Original Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angie Chen | NATO / Special Fleet | Commander Acting Captain |
Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Tarsi | Starfleet / Temporal Division | Commander | Andorian | Prime Timeline |
| T'Met | Starfleet / Temporal Division | Captain | Vulcan | Prime Timeline |
| Emmanuel Macron | NATO / French Republic | Sidelined President | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
Manifest
| USS Enterprise | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | NATO |
| Location | Earth Orbit |
| Captain | Angie Chen (Acting) |
| First Officer | N/A |
| Pilot | Eric Corda |
| Communications | Emilie Flores |
| Operations | Charlene Savea |
| Tactical | Eric Corda Charlene Savea |
| Science | Manu |
| Advanced Weapons | Eros Vitos |
| Sickbay | Victor S. Calpel |
| Counselor/Consultant | Manu |
| Custodian | Manu |
| Passengers |
Tarsi (Confidential) Robert Gomard and his squad T'Met and 4 Vulcan survivors from Schak'Irra Emmanuel Macron |
| Detainees | Vladimir Joseph Putin and his bodyguards |
TL;DR
T'Met confirms that Agnes will survive, explaining that she harmonized her mind and body through a mind meld. Three mysterious words emerge: Angie, Koala and Area 51. Intrigued, Angie wonders what they mean, while President Macron, recovering from his injuries, confirms that Area 51 may house Schak'Irra and technologies from the future. Despite T'Met's reservations and the risks posed by automated defenses, Angie agrees to consider an expedition to the secret site.
Story
A few moments after placing her fingers on my face, T'Met opens her eyes again and looks at Angie with an almost unsettling serenity. She tells her that my condition is stable and that I will recover very quickly.
Angie is relieved.
But troubled, too.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
You diagnosed Agnes just by placing your fingers on her face... and reached conclusions in seconds?
Can you explain that to me?
Capt. T'Met
I performed a mind meld and read her thoughts.
Physically, she remains injured. She will need several days to recover.
Psychologically, however, she is the one controlling her healing. I merely guided her in that direction.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
Her thoughts?
Are you talking about... her will to live?
Capt. T'Met
Not exactly.
Her mind was not in harmony with her physical state.
Have your doctors examine her again. They will see for themselves that she is already improving.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
She is in intensive care. The doctor will confirm it soon enough.
But in practical terms... what did you see in her mind?
Capt. T'Met
It was extremely confused. A clear reading is almost impossible for me.
However, certain words kept recurring insistently:
Angie.
Koala.
Area 51.
Cmdr. Tarsi
Well, that should reassure you, Angie.
It shows Agnes cares deeply about you. One might almost think you were sisters.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
Almost.
Agnes is my partner.
Cmdr. Tarsi
Oh.
I did not know that.
That explains a great deal.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
What really intrigues me are the words Koala and Area 51.
Why would she think about that?
Capt. T'Met
The koala is an Earth creature associated, in certain cultures, with a higher state of consciousness.
It is possible that Captain Rodriguez briefly reached that state.
Cmdr. Tarsi
Nonsense, T'Met.
Twenty-fourth-century accounts told by individuals who returned from the dead.
There has never been the slightest tangible proof.
Capt. T'Met
That is correct.
The Ni'var Institute of Science has never validated those testimonies.
But the case has not been officially closed.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
We will know more when Agnes wakes up.
Cmdr. Tarsi
You are right.
And what about Area 51?
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
I think I know.
That is where our advanced technologies are developed... technologies derived from your own twenty-sixth-century systems.
Cmdr. Tarsi
You told me about that.
It is also where Schak'Irra is supposedly hidden.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
That is what NATO's classified documents claim.
We have never verified it.
Capt. T'Met
The Prime Directive requires the destruction of Schak'Irra and of all technologies created by the local inhabitants.
We must go there immediately.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
Excuse me?!
What Prime Directive?
Cmdr. Tarsi
T'Met, it does not apply here.
The damage is already done.
We cannot correct this present.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
Hey!
There is no question of destroying anything.
If Agnes thought about Area 51, it is because of the hardware stored there.
It may be our best defense against the Russians and the Tholians.
A silence settles over sickbay.
One of those heavy silences where Angie, Tarsi and T'Met stare one another down while my life is calmly debated above my body.
Prime Directive... Destruction... Area 51...
Wonderful.
And then...
A faint clearing of the throat cracks the balance.
Emmanuel Macron (President of France)
Um... excuse me.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
Oh! Mr. President.
I hope our doctors took good care of you.
Emmanuel Macron (President of France)
Very well, Commander.
I assume you are this vessel's first officer?
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
Correct.
Commander Angie Chen. Acting captain of the USS Enterprise, until Captain Rodriguez recovers.
Emmanuel Macron (President of France)
I am sincerely sorry about your captain.
She showed remarkable courage in protecting me. I hope with all my heart that she recovers.
Besides... I could not help overhearing your discussion about Area 51 and the alien vessel.
I am surprised that you know such sensitive details.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
Thank you, sir.
Since your capture last April, many things have changed.
Emmanuel Macron (President of France)
I can imagine, Captain Chen.
And if you intend to go there... you should know you will not be welcomed with open arms.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
What makes you think I intend to go there?
Emmanuel Macron (President of France)
Do not take me for a naive man, Captain.
You are surrounded by the rightful owners of the alien vessel and the technology it contains.
According to some of your officers I spoke with... your current weapons are not enough to repel these new enemies.
What are they called again?
Cmdr. Tarsi
The Tholians, Mr. President.
Emmanuel Macron (President of France)
That is it. The Tholians.
In that context, I strongly advise you to go to Area 51.
Recover anything that can help you stand against them.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
I do not understand.
A moment ago, you said we would not be welcome.
Emmanuel Macron (President of France)
That is correct.
Since the Russian attack, the defense protocols have probably been activated.
In that case, the complex has become an ultra-secure fortress.
Only a few carefully selected civilians and certain senior officers can access it... with authorization from the general staff.
To get there, you will have to use the AspiroTube network, via NORAD.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
And the authorization?
Will you give it to me?
Emmanuel Macron (President of France)
I no longer have that power. I am no longer the sitting president.
However, the captain of the Enterprise has a unique identifier, assigned when she took command.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
Captain Rodriguez is incapacitated.
How am I supposed to retrieve that identifier?
Emmanuel Macron (President of France)
As acting captain, you inherit the chair... and everything that comes with it.
Including access rights and credentials.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
Thank you, sir.
I will follow your recommendations.
Emmanuel Macron (President of France)
You are welcome.
Good luck, Captain Chen.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Acting Capt.)
Tarsi, T'Met, you will come with me.
Cmdr. Tarsi
Yeeaaah!
We are going to see Schak'Irra again!