Episode 111. 1954: The Year of Contamination
Context
- Coordinated Universal Time
- Thursday, July 15, 1954 - 8:50 p.m.
- Location
-
- Beta Quadrant
- Solar System
- Near Earth
- USS Enterprise
- Bridge
- Timeline
- Prime Timeline
- Previously on Trek Outta Time
-
After several weeks of rest on Proxima Centauri B, the Enterprise crew voted unanimously to correct the temporal contamination of 1954: the event that caused Schak'Irra's destruction and the deviation of their timeline. Agnes launched this final mission with a reconfigured crew: Tarsi and T'Met aboard Tal'Kyr, Gornok in engineering, K'hoka in sickbay, and the rest of the crew ready to follow her to the end. The two ships plunged together into a temporal vortex, crossing 70 years of history to reach 1954... and the precise instant when everything changed.
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 / Ground Forces | 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 |
Manifest
| USS Enterprise | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | NATO |
| Location | 1954, near Earth |
| Captain | Agnes V. Rodriguez |
| First Officer | Angie Chen |
| Artificial Intelligence | Lingua (Unofficial) |
| Pilot | Eric Corda |
| Communications | Emilie Flores |
| Operations | Charlene Savea |
| Tactical | Angie Chen |
| Science | Manu |
| Engineering | Gornok (Unofficial) |
| Advanced Weaponry | Eros Vitos |
| Security | Robert Gomard (Unofficial) |
| Sickbay | Victor S. Calpel K'hoka Khol'a (assistant) |
| Counselor/Consultant | Manu |
| Custodian | Manu |
| Passengers |
Robert Gomard's squad 4 Vulcan survivors from Schak'Irra Emmanuel Macron Gornok's Tellarite workers |
| Detainees | Vladimir Joseph Putin and his bodyguards |
| Deployed Flotilla |
Tal'Kyr (With T'Met and Tarsi) |
TL;DR
Tal'Kyr and the Enterprise emerge from the wormhole near Earth, but the jump disorients the crew of the Earth ship, which was not designed to travel through time. Agnes orders a status check, confirming their arrival on July 15, 1954 at 8:58 p.m., exactly thirty minutes before Schak'Irra's predicted destruction. The two ships move into position to intercept the enemy. From his shuttle, Gomard detects strange flashes in the area: the Tholian distortion is already forming. Agnes triggers red alert: the battle of July 15, 1954 has begun.
Story
No sooner have we crossed a wormhole than I suddenly feel dizzy. My officers do not react, and Angie has collapsed beside my chair. I kneel next to her to take her pulse. I am relieved to see that she is breathing, but the sound from the communications console echoes like a jackhammer in my head. On all fours, I do my best to crawl toward Emilie's station to answer the incoming call, but Lingua beats me to it.
Lingua
[beep] Captain Rodriguez, Commander Tarsi and Captain T'Met are calling you from Tal'Kyr.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
On... on screen, Lingua...
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
Hello, pink-skins. Did you see? That slide was super fun... Whoa, what happened? Why is everyone sleeping?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
You tell me why you two are in perfect shape and we are not!
Capt. T'Met
Captain Rodriguez, it is logically plausible to believe that the Enterprise systems were unable to compensate for the temporal fluctuations, which caused neurological disturbances in certain members of your crew.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
You could have warned us! We spent weeks preparing this mission!
Capt. T'Met
For a short crossing of 70 years, the effects are temporary. I did not consider it relevant to waste the few resources available to us installing temporal stabilizers and modulating shields to neutralize the harmful effects.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Number One)
Ow, my head. Rhaaaa, do not shout so loud, my ears hurt!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Angie, are you okay?
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Number One)
What happened?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Our two friends from the 26th century did not deign to warn us that we would suffer a dizzy spell from the space-time distortions.
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Number One)
Were we unconscious long?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
No, one or two minutes. Our officers seem to be coming back to their senses.
Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi
Hey, delicate flowers! You may have forgotten, but allow me to remind you that we have a mission to complete and no time to waste!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Waste time?! Coming from someone who masters time travel, that is rich! Ensign Flores, monitor communications and radio waves. I want to know if we arrived on the right date.
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Aye, Captain.
Capt. T'Met
That will not be necessary. Our data indicate that it is July 15, 1954, exactly 8:58 p.m. VSS Schak'Irra will be shot down at 9:31 p.m. We have little time left to intercept the Tholian ship. Captain Rodriguez, I invite you to follow us to Schak'Irra's destination coordinates.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Perfect, Captain T'Met. Mr. Corda, follow the lady!
Lt. Cmdr. Eric Corda (Pilot)
Aye, Captain.
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Captain, I am picking up radio broadcasts from Earth. It seems we are indeed in 1954, as Captain T'Met said.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Let us hear it. Put it on speaker, Ensign.
Radio Paris
...Good evening to all, this is Radio Paris. It is exactly 9 p.m. Here is a news summary for this July 15.
Sports: The Tour de France is in full swing with stage 8, from Vannes to Angers. The stage was a 190 km flat race won by Belgian rider Fred De Bruyne in 4 hours, 27 minutes, and 4 seconds.
International news: The situation in Indochina remains tense as peace talks continued this Thursday in Geneva. Hopes of ending this eight-year conflict are high, but negotiations are difficult and will resume tomorrow morning.
Domestic politics: The government discussed economic reforms today aimed at strengthening growth. Lively debates took place in the National Assembly over which measures to adopt.
And now, some music to brighten your evening. Here is Édith Piaf's latest record, La goualante du pauvre Jean, on Radio Paris...
While we listen to the old radio broadcasts from the 1950s, the Enterprise and Tal'Kyr take position near the coordinates where the hostile ship is supposed to be. I authorize Colonel Gomard and the flotilla of Class F shuttles to deploy strategically into the future combat zone.
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Captain, Colonel Gomard is on the line.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
On screen, Flores.
Col. Robert Gomard (Ground Forces)
Hello, Enterprise, this is Herbie 53. I am seeing something pretty odd. Looks like there is a storm coming.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Enterprise here. Why do you say that, Robert?
Col. Robert Gomard (Ground Forces)
I thought I saw lightning.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
If I did not know you, I would say you had been drinking again. Ensign Flores, redirect the communication to Tal'Kyr and ask T'Met to analyze it.
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Communication transferred, Captain.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Manu, do you have an explanation?
Manu (Requisitioned Civilian)
To my knowledge, nothing can explain such a phenomenon. You were right to transfer the analysis request to Captain T'Met.
The minutes pass in tense silence. My crew is on high alert, scanning the screens and the surrounding area for the Tholian ship that is supposed to attack Schak'Irra. Suddenly, Angie's voice rings out, her face tightening as she looks at her console. She reports the appearance of an unusual spatial distortion near Colonel Gomard's shuttle.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Number One, put it on the main screen!
Cmdr. Angie Chen (Number One)
I feel like it is him!
Charlene Savea
My God, Colonel Gomard was right. Look, there is more and more lightning!
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Red alert! Everyone to battle stations!