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Episode 114. At the Crossroads of Time

Book 1 - Episode 114 - At the Crossroads of Time

Context

Coordinated Universal Time
Thursday, July 15, 1954 - 9:27 PM
Location
  • Beta Quadrant
  • Solar System
  • Near Earth
  • USS Enterprise
  • Bridge
Timeline
Crossroads of the Prime and Schak'Irra Timelines
Previously on Trek Outta Time

After traveling back to 1954, the Enterprise and Tal'Kyr detected a spatial distortion. From that rift emerged a titanic ship: the Tarantula, a Tholian war fortress three to four times larger than the Enterprise. Battle began: pierced shields, a torn-open hull, and a swarm of Meshweavers wrapped the ship in an energy web. To break free, Agnes and Angie attempted the impossible: overload the shields and reverse polarity. The explosion pulverized the web... but left the Enterprise drained, with destroyed shields, torn-off nacelles, and almost no power. Then VSS Schak'Irra, arriving from the 26th century, emerged from a new wormhole and drew the Tarantula's attention. Facing the inevitable, Agnes and her crew must now play their final card.

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
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
Lingua Starfleet / Temporal Division N/A Artificial Intelligence Prime Timeline
Manu NATO / Special Fleet Requisitioned Civilian Human Schak'Irra 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 (T'Met and Tarsi)
  • Class F shuttles (Robert Gomard and his men)

TL;DR

Agnes orders a general evacuation while Emilie Flores builds a virus to inject into the Tarantula's defense systems. The entire crew boards escape pods except Agnes and Angie, who stay aboard to execute the final maneuver: send the virus and, if necessary, sacrifice the Enterprise to allow the temporal contamination to be corrected. Lingua, aware of their choice, calmly reports that only two active biosigns remain aboard. The battle has reached the point of no return.

Story

The Enterprise, stripped of both warp nacelles, faces the sustained fire of the Tarantula's tetryon beams. Worse, the shield overload that allowed us to break free from the Tholian web has almost drained all our batteries, preventing us from using our energy weapons at full capacity.

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

Savea, transfer auxiliary battery reserves to shields and weapons!

Lt. Charlene Savea Operations

Captain, we've got to choose one or the other, not both at the same time!

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

Prioritize shields!

Flores, open a channel to Tal'Kyr!

Ens. Emilie Flores Communications

Tal'Kyr is on the line, Captain!

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

On screen, Flores!

Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi

Video channel

Enterprise, you're in bad shape! You need to fall back!

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

Out of the question, Tarsi!

We absolutely have to bring down the Tarantula.

Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi

Video channel

Have you lost your mind?!

Look at the state of your ship!!!

The saucer has been ripped wide open, you lost both warp nacelles, and you have no shields left!!!

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

That's why we need your help! Cover us so we can use our weapons!

Cmdr. Vexoriana-Lyss'ra Tarsi

Video channel

Understood, Agnes. We'll stay paired up.

I'm sending the flight plan to Mr. Corda.

Lt. Cmdr. Eric Corda Pilot

Flight plan received.

Stabilizing the Enterprise.

Tarsi positions Tal'Kyr just above us and extends its shields to the Enterprise, allowing us to divert our energy reserves to weapons.

As the battle rages, a wormhole begins to form near the combat zone. All eyes turn toward the phenomenon. A few seconds later, a gleaming white ship fitted with a ring emerges from it. No doubt about it: VSS Schak'Irra is arriving straight from the 26th century.

Cmdr. Angie Chen Number One

Captain, the Tarantula has stopped firing on us and is turning toward Schak'Irra. We won't destroy it in time!

Manu Requisitioned Civilian

Uh... stupid question.

Couldn't we send a virus into the Tarantula and disable all its defenses?

I saw that in a movie and it worked.

Lt. Charlene Savea Operations

Are you kidding, Manu?! We know nothing about their technology. I don't see how we could pull that off.

Ens. Emilie Flores Communications

I don't entirely agree, Charlene.

When they communicated earlier, the Tholians left an opening in their system that I could exploit.

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

Excellent idea, Manu.

Flores, how long do you need to disable their defenses?

Ens. Emilie Flores Communications

One to two minutes, Captain.

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

Get to work right now.

Lt. Charlene Savea Operations

But Captain, even with their defenses disabled and Tal'Kyr's support, we no longer have enough firepower to destroy it.

Manu Requisitioned Civilian

Schak'Irra could help us.

Cmdr. Angie Chen Number One

No, Manu. To restore the Prime Timeline, Schak'Irra must not be involved in the battle.

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

No need to involve Schak'Irra. We've got everything we need.

In a way, my officers are right, but I do not want to demoralize them. Faced with the urgency of the situation, it is clear that I have to act. My attention turns to Angie, who is staring at me intensely with a slight sigh that says everything. In such a moment, words are unnecessary for us to understand each other, and we both know what must be done. Angie nods in approval, and so I rise from my chair to give my final order...

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

Savea, sound the evacuation order!

Everyone abandon ship!

Get to the shuttles and escape pods immediately!

Manu Requisitioned Civilian

What?!

Now?

Is this a joke?

How are we supposed to neutralize the Tarantula???

Cmdr. Angie Chen Number One

That's an order, Manu!

Board your pod immediately!

Manu Requisitioned Civilian

I can't believe this!

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

Flores, are you done?

Ens. Emilie Flores Communications

Yes. All that's left is to send the virus, Captain.

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

I'll send it myself when the time comes. Show me what I have to do.

Ens. Emilie Flores Communications

You will only have to press the SEND button.

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

Thank you, Emilie.

Go. There's a pod waiting for you.

Ens. Emilie Flores Communications

You're not coming with us, Captain?

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

I'll join you later, Ensign.

My officers rise and, one by one, come to say goodbye before quickly heading toward their escape pods. The ship gradually empties, everyone hurrying to ensure their own survival. Angie and I remain alone, aware that we are the last two aboard able to operate the Enterprise.

Cmdr. Angie Chen Number One

Are you sure you want to do this?

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

No... but you and I both know there's no alternative.

Lingua, has everyone left the ship?

Lingua

Audio channel

[beep] Apart from your two biosigns, no one else remains aboard.

Captain, am I to understand that this is the end of the Enterprise?

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

... Forgive me, Lingua...

Lingua

Audio channel

[beep] I forgive you, Captain Rodriguez.

It has been a great joy to have been reactivated on the Enterpr[beep]...

Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez

Lingua?!

Are you there?

Lingua!

Cmdr. Angie Chen Number One

She's probably offline. The systems are failing one by one, and we don't have much power left.

We need to finish this quickly, Agnes.

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