Episode 102. A Vote for the Future
Context
- Coordinated Universal Time
- Thursday, November 14, 2024 - 16:01
- Location
-
- Tellar Prime
- Zorek Spaceport
- USS Enterprise
- Officers' Mess
- Timeline
- Schak'Irra Timeline
- Previously
-
After a wild mission on Tellar Prime, the Enterprise crew managed to get out of one serious mess. To finance the ship's repairs, Agnes Rodriguez and her team agreed to take part in a plan as bold as it was risky: extracting latinum from a Ferengi in the cabaret of the Orion woman K'hoka Khol'a. But the evening was cut short when Orion pirates burst in to capture their former slave. Pinned down under fire, the team was saved at the last second thanks to Lingua, who transported them aboard Tal'Kyr. Back on the Enterprise, Captain Rodriguez can finally breathe and finance Gornok's work.
Characters
| Name | Affiliation / Branch | Title / Rank | Species | Original Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agnes V. Rodriguez | NATO / Special Fleet | Captain | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Angie Chen | NATO / Special Fleet | Commander | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi | Starfleet / Temporal Division | Commander | Andorian | Prime Timeline |
| T'Met | Starfleet / Temporal Division | Captain | Vulcan | Prime Timeline |
| Robert Gomard | NATO / Army | Colonel | 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 |
| Manu | NATO / Special Fleet | Requisitioned Civilian | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Lingua | Starfleet / Temporal Division | N/A | Artificial Intelligence | Prime Timeline |
| Q | Q Continuum | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Manifest
| USS Enterprise | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | NATO |
| Location | Docked at Zorek Spaceport |
| Captain | Agnes V. Rodriguez |
| First Officer | Angie Chen |
| Artificial Intelligence | Lingua (Unofficial) |
| Pilot | Eric Corda |
| Communications | Emilie Flores |
| Operations | Charlene Savea |
| Tactical | Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi (Unofficial) |
| Science | T'Met (Unofficial) |
| Advanced Weapons | Eros Vitos |
| Security | Robert Gomard (Unofficial) |
| Sickbay | Victor S. Calpel |
| Counselor/Consultant | Manu |
| Custodian | Manu |
| Passengers |
Robert Gomard's squad 4 Vulcan survivors from Schak'Irra Emmanuel Macron K'hoka Khol'a |
| Detainees | Vladimir Joseph Putin and his bodyguards |
TL;DR
Gathered in the officers' mess, Agnes lays out the scenarios proposed by Lingua: colonize Proxima Centauri, retake a Tholian-occupied Earth, attempt a massive evacuation, or travel back in time to correct the 1954 contamination. The debate is heated. Some dream of a fresh start, while others refuse to abandon the survivors. Between reason, emotion, and memory, every voice carries the weight of a lost world. But as the meeting ends and the team leaves the room, a familiar figure materializes: Q, the omnipotent entity, appears to remind Agnes that this decision reaches beyond the Enterprise, Earth, and even time itself.
Story
A few weeks have passed since our arrival at Zorek, and life aboard the Enterprise has returned to normal, at least on the surface. The crew is enduring the inconvenience of the repairs carried out by Gornok and his workers. Tension and nervousness have crept into everyone, but fortunately, Robert and his security team are keeping watch. As for me, I have spent my time thinking about our future and what is best to do to save what remains of humanity. My heart is torn between several options, but in the end, the decision belongs to the officers I have just summoned.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Take your seats. From this moment on, everything said in this room is classified.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
If it's classified, why didn't you summon Macron?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
I did summon him. He is the one who did not want to take part in the meeting.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Number One)
Strange. Does he know this is about our future?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Yes, he knows everything, and whatever we decide, he will approve it.
Lt. Cmdr. Eric Corda (Pilot)
Excuse me, Captain, I do not understand. What decision are you talking about?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
We will get to that, Eric. Lingua, are you there?
During the previous weeks, Captain T'Met had worked tirelessly to integrate Lingua into various Enterprise systems. Thanks to her efforts, the former Artificial Intelligence of Schak'Irra was now connected to the communication systems, allowing fluid interaction with the crew. However, despite the improvements, there was still no holographic system allowing her to appear physically in the room.
Lingua
[beep] I am ready, Captain Rodriguez. I have compiled all the information you requested.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Thank you, Lingua. We can begin. As you know, our planet has become uninhabitable and the human species is threatened with extinction. The same is true for Commander Tarsi and Captain T'Met's Prime Timeline. Thanks to the data gathered, we know a little more about the actions we can take. Lingua, the floor is yours.
Lingua
[beep] Thank you, Captain Rodriguez. The first suggestion is to establish a colony in the Proxima Centauri system, located 4.24 light-years from Earth. In my reality, the first human colonists settled there in the 22nd century. Planet Proxima Centauri B is rich in resources, but frequent stellar flares will pose challenges. With Tal'Kyr's 26th-century technology and the Enterprise's 21st-century resources, it will be possible to build protective domes and adapt the local fauna and flora for settlement.
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
That looks more comfortable than Mars. Are those pictures from the future?
Lingua
[beep] Ensign Flores, the images I am projecting are data extrapolations, not authentic photographs.
Lt. Charlene Savea (Operations)
I could see myself in the blue dome. Hee, hee, hee...
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
What will become of Tarsi and T'Met if we choose that possibility?
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
My position has not changed. Whatever your decision, our fate is in your hands.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Continue, Lingua.
Lingua
[beep] Very well, Captain Rodriguez. The second suggestion is to return to Earth. Thanks to the information Tarsi gathered during her time jump in this temporal frame with Tal'Kyr, we know the Tholians have occupied the planet since the starbase was destroyed. At this very moment, they are flushing out the last pockets of resistance. First, Area 51 will have to be retaken and the assaults repelled. From there, we can set up our HQ and wage a fight whose chances of success are estimated at 17 %.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
We already did that in Moscow and it was no picnic. Besides, only ruins are left of it.
Lingua
[beep] Correct, Colonel Gomard, but not impossible. I estimate it will take humans 521 years to drive the Tholians off Earth.
Lt. Charlene Savea (Operations)
Why suggest that possibility if our chances are nil?
Lingua
[beep] Captain Rodriguez asked me to present the main scenarios.
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Earth is destroyed and nothing will bring back the people we lost. I would much rather live under a dome on Proxima Centauri than in an irradiated underground environment fighting alien spiders!
Lt. Cmdr. Eric Corda (Pilot)
Lingua, how many survivors are left on Earth?
Lingua
[beep] Lieutenant Commander Corda, I do not have that information.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
Can you make an estimate?
Lingua
[beep] Yes, Colonel. With a 48% margin of error, at this hour the number of human survivors would be approximately 5 million.
Manu (Requisitioned Civilian)
I don't know about you, but leaving that many people to die doesn't sit right with me! We could try evacuations and take them to Proxima Centauri.
Lingua
[beep] That scenario is the third suggestion. Its chances of success are 0.001 %.
Manu (Requisitioned Civilian)
That low? Why?
Lingua
[beep] The Enterprise's boarding capacity is already at its maximum. For such a rescue mission, the Nauvoo docked in the bunkers must be included in the equation. However, from what I read in NATO's files, those vessels were not prepared to venture into space.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
That is correct. I will also add that during the journey, the fleet would have to face assaults from Tholian ships.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Number One)
Evacuating Earth is not feasible. A single beam shot can destroy a Nauvoo. We saw what happened with USS Washington, which had no chance at all.
Capt. T'Met
The Tholians exploit your technological vulnerabilities. Granted, you have energy shields, but for them to work, you must also protect your data systems and increase the speed of your energy reroutes.
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
What T'Met means is that the Tholians easily infiltrate the Nauvoo computer systems to learn the shield frequency.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Number One)
Thank you, Tarsi, I understood, but it would take too much time to upgrade all the Nauvoo the way we did with the Enterprise.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
I agree with Angie. This evacuation plan has no chance of success. What are the other options?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
You may continue, Lingua.
Lingua
[beep] The fourth suggestion is to restore the Prime Timeline by correcting the contamination in 1954.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
Here we go! Back to science fiction and time travel again... Seriously, you believe all this nonsense???
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Robert! Let Lingua continue her presentation!
Lingua
[beep] Thank you, Captain Rodriguez. When Schak'Irra emerged from the vortex in 1954, we were attacked by an unknown vessel and crashed on Earth. That event is the origin of the temporal contamination.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
We already know that, since we found you in Area 51...
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Robert!!!
Lingua
[beep] The mission will consist of traveling back in time to neutralize that vessel before Schak'Irra arrives.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Number One)
That's all very nice, but I have a ton of questions. How do we travel back in time? What is that unknown vessel? What will happen to our temporality if we succeed in correcting the contamination?
Lingua
[beep] I was getting to that, Commander Chen. To travel back in time to 1954, Captain T'Met and Commander Tarsi will take command of Tal'Kyr and create a temporal vortex. Once it is stabilized, Tal'Kyr and the Enterprise will enter it. Upon arrival, we neutralize the unknown vessel.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Number One)
You don't know who we'll have to fight? And yet you witnessed the attack with T'Met.
Lingua
[beep] That is correct. Captain T'Met and I were aboard Schak'Irra, but no data was recorded, since our fate was decided in barely a few seconds.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Number One)
What do you mean, no data?
Capt. T'Met
That vessel cannot be detected by instruments, like the Tholian vessels we fought at the NATO starbase.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Number One)
So it is a Tholian?
Capt. T'Met
Not with certainty. The polyhedral design and the damage to Schak'Irra may suggest it is Tholian, but as I said during the starbase attack, we were facing an illusion.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Number One)
I remember. But at the starbase, we shot down a few of them thanks to the Rodriguez-001 maneuver. So we have a chance against a single vessel.
Lingua
[beep] Do not sell the Tholian's exoskeleton before you have decrystallized it, Commander Chen. We know it is a heavy-tonnage vessel with heavy artillery.
Manu (Requisitioned Civilian)
I don't understand. You come from the future, you have had contact with these aliens, and now you cannot identify one of their vessels.
Lingua
[beep] Affirmative, Counselor Manu. To do so, I would have needed a little time to analyze spatial emissions. In addition, the Tholians are isolationist, and Starfleet has very little data on this species. For all these reasons, I am unable to provide detailed information on the vessel to be fought.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
Basically, it's another suicide mission. I'm starting to get used to it.
Lingua
[beep] I do not share your opinion, Colonel. We have the element of surprise, we know its position, and we will have numerical superiority.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
Uh, what do you mean, numerical superiority?
Lingua
[beep] The unknown vessel will be caught in a pincer by the Enterprise, Tal'Kyr, your shuttles, and your DXS.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
Seen from that angle, it sounds like a good plan. Agnes, I hope you have qualified pilots for the shuttles.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Do not worry, Robert. You will volunteer to command our flotilla.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
[censored]
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Captain, what will we do once we have destroyed the enemy vessel? Will we return to our own era?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Lingua, I will let you present the different scenarios in the event of success.
Lingua
[beep] The Enterprise and her crew will be under the protection of Starfleet's Temporal Division. Captain T'Met of Schak'Irra will offer you two alternatives.
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
When Lingua speaks of Captain T'Met, she is referring to her younger double, the one we will have saved in 1954.
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
Uh... Two T'Mets??? This story is getting stranger and stranger...
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
For heaven's sake, Robert! Think! T'Met, Lingua, and the Schak'Irra survivors we recovered on Earth all have their doubles in 1954!
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
Heeeeey, don't get mad, Smurfette. I'm trying to understand!
Lingua
[beep] May I continue?
Col. Robert Gomard (Army)
Sorry, Lingua. Go ahead. Explain it to us.
Lingua
[beep] The young Captain T'Met will follow Federation directives by relocating you in 1954 to an M-class planet where you will not be able to create cultural contamination. From that perspective, it is highly likely she will choose a planet in the Proxima Centauri system, as I proposed in my first suggestion.
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Charlene has already reserved the blue dome. Ha ha ha...
Lt. Charlene Savea (Operations)
Yes, provided there is sunshine...
Capt. T'Met
Starfleet will help you settle there and will check in regularly to ensure the Prime Directive is respected.
Manu (Requisitioned Civilian)
On a deserted planet, apart from the local fauna, we are not likely to contaminate many people.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Number One)
Stop joking. What is the second alternative, Lingua?
Lingua
[beep] The Enterprise crew can request temporal asylum and will be welcomed in the 26th century, where you will be able to start a new life.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Thank you, Lingua. Our future depends on our choices. I ask all of you to take the time to seriously consider the possibilities discussed during this meeting and to think of the crew. As soon as you feel ready, fill out the ballot Lingua sent to your pads. You are dismissed.
Everyone leaves the mess, and I find myself alone, sitting at that large empty table. I close my eyes and think back over the scenarios. My choice is made, but I doubt my officers will follow me. I hope they make the right decision. While I am lost in thought, a familiar voice calls out to me. I slowly open my eyes and jump...
Q
Agnes, Agnes, Agnes...
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Q! You again!
Q
Yes, me again. Why on Earth are humans always so surprised to see me???
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
What are you this time? A spirit, an illusion?
Q
Hmm, today I was in the mood to take on a human appearance. But if you prefer, I can turn myself into a Saurian larva.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Uh, no. Your human appearance is fine. What are you doing here?
Q
I am making sure you take the right path. I am surprised that you ask your subordinates for their opinion so they can make important decisions for you. The other captains I have known were far more despotic.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Our society is hierarchical, and my officers represent my crew. It is legitimate to ask for their opinion, especially since this concerns their future.
Q
Wrong, my dear. This is not about THEIR future, but about the future of the galaxy!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Sure! In that case, why don't you call S.O.S. Guardians?
Q
Unnecessary. For now, you are playing your role to perfection. I will drop by again, my dear...
As usual, Q snaps his fingers and disappears again.