Episode 126. The Temporal Chamber
Context
- Stardate
- 231738.113
- Location
-
- Earth
- USA
- San Francisco
- Downtown
- Timeline
- Prime Timeline
- Previously
-
Since arriving in the 26th century, the survivors of Enterprise have faced one setback after another. Admiral Quihoui has arrested Commander Tarsi for temporal terrorism and is erasing every trace of events linked to the 1954 temporal contamination from the official records. Relieved of her command, T'Met has been assigned to supervise the 21st-century refugees. But when an old ally, Counsel Touit'Air, reveals that evidence proving Tarsi's innocence is hidden in Lingua's archives, the AI that disappeared in 1954 with Enterprise, T'Met decides to mount a covert operation. With the help of Zaneth-Myra Lysana and her team, she prepares an audacious plan: infiltrate Schak'Irra, divert a public transporter, and travel through time to recover Lingua and, in the process, save Agnes and Angie.
Characters
| Name | Affiliation / Branch | Title / Rank | Species | Original Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T'Met | Starfleet / Temporal Division | Captain | Vulcan | Prime Timeline |
| Zaneth-Myra Lysana (Older Tarsi) | Starfleet / Temporal Division | Commander | Andorian | Prime Timeline |
| Emilie Flores | NATO / Special Fleet | Ensign | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Charlene Savea | NATO / Special Fleet | Lieutenant | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Eros Vitos | NATO / Special Fleet | Ensign | Human | Schak'Irra Timeline |
| Gornok | Zorek Entrepreneurs' Assembly | Leader | Tellarite | Schak'Irra Timeline |
Manifests
| USS Enterprise Destroyed in 1954 Last known manifest | VSS Schak'Irra | |
|---|---|---|
| Affiliation | NATO | Starfleet / Ni'Var |
| Location | 1954, near Earth | 2554, docked at the Starfleet Starbase |
| Captain | T'Met (Young) | |
| First Officer | Zaneth-Myra Lysana (Older Tarsi) | |
| Artificial Intelligence | Lingua (Initial Version) | |
| Pilot | Eric Corda | N/A |
| Communications | Emilie Flores | T'Killa |
| Operations | Charlene Savea | T'Less-Cop |
| Tactical | N/A | |
| Science | Manu | N/A |
| Engineering | Gornok (Unofficial) | N/A |
| Advanced Weaponry | Eros Vitos | N/A |
| Security | Robert Gomard (Unofficial) | N/A |
| Sickbay | Victor S. Calpel K'hoka Khol'a (assistant) |
N/A |
| Counselor/Consultant | Manu | N/A |
| Custodial Technician | Manu | N/A |
TL;DR
Disguised as Starfleet officers, T'Met, Charlene, and Emilie are covertly transported aboard Schak'Irra under Lysana's supervision. Their mission: activate the temporal chamber and travel to Enterprise eight minutes before its destruction in 1954. While Gornok and Eros keep the transporter under control, the team literally plunges into the fabric of time, an energy bubble surrounding them and hurling them toward a past where every second counts...
Story
As soon as they arrive, the team members quickly scatter around the theater of the covert operation. The transporter chosen by T'Met has two crucial features. First, it is located only a few steps from the tribunal where Tarsi is being tried, allowing rapid evacuation after the mission succeeds. Second, it is an archaic 23rd-century model housed in a dusty dome, away from curious eyes. Its age makes it easy to hack, and its isolation guarantees a certain discretion. Colonel Gomard, Eric, Manu, and K'hoka immediately take up positions nearby, watching the area to make sure no one interferes.
Capt. T'Met
Mr. Gornok and Mr. Vitos, it is your turn to operate. Do you remember what you must do?
Gornok
Grr... Obviously. Gornok wrecks the surveillance systems and tears out the control panels. The mustached one handles all the bypasses.
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
Once I take control, there will only be about ten minutes before Starfleet Security shows up here.
Capt. T'Met
Precisely 12 minutes and 47 seconds, Mr. Vitos. If we have not returned by then, you leave the area discreetly before the patrol arrives.
Gornok and Eros enter the dome. It takes them only a handful of seconds to complete their task. When the signal is sent, T'Met, Emilie, and Charlene enter in turn and take position on the pads.
Gornok
Ready to be demolecularized?
Ens. Eros Vitos (Weapons Engineer)
Remember, you only have 10 minutes to accomplish your mission, and for us to bring you back, you absolutely must be at the same coordinates where we send you.
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
We know all that, Eros!
Lt. Charlene Savea (Operations)
Stop chatting. Send us to Schak'Irra and try not to turn us into shepherd's pie!
Capt. T'Met
Energize!
In a crackling halo of light, the bodies of T'Met, Emilie, and Charlene dematerialize, leaving a sudden emptiness on the public transporter pads. A few moments later, they reappear in a corridor of VSS Schak'Irra, where Commander Lysana is waiting for them, arms crossed.
Cmdr. Zaneth-Myra Lysana (Number One VSS Schak'Irra)
There you are at last! Hurry, you are 2 minutes behind schedule!
Capt. T'Met
Coordinating this type of operation with 21st-century humans is not an easy exercise, Number One.
Cmdr. Zaneth-Myra Lysana (Number One VSS Schak'Irra)
Captain T'Met, I must admit your disguise is so impeccable I almost believed you were your younger double.
Capt. T'Met
Thank you, Commander. Miss K'hoka put her whole heart into it, with a precision I would describe as... passionate.
Lt. Charlene Savea (Operations)
Okay, fine, you can tell your life stories later, but right now we need to move. Which way to the temporal chamber?
Cmdr. Zaneth-Myra Lysana (Number One VSS Schak'Irra)
We take the left, right, and left corridors. I made sure no officer would be on this route. Follow me.
Capt. T'Met
And Lingua?
Cmdr. Zaneth-Myra Lysana (Number One VSS Schak'Irra)
Under maintenance. She will not detect us.
Capt. T'Met
Excellent preparation, Number One. She must not detect her double when we return. The shock could be... catastrophic.
Cmdr. Zaneth-Myra Lysana (Number One VSS Schak'Irra)
Oh yes. The emotional impact would be cataclysmic, and she would not recover from it.
Capt. T'Met
Miss Savea, please adopt a posture more consistent with that of an officer. Straighten your shoulders and lift your chest.
Lt. Charlene Savea (Operations)
Easy to say when your uniform fits. T'Less-Cop's is too small; I feel like I'm in a skin-tight pin-up suit.
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Don't complain, Charlene. Mine is too long.
Capt. T'Met
Starfleet uniforms are synthesized to measure. It is logical that Lieutenant T'Less-Cop's and Lieutenant T'Killa's are not suited to your sizes.
Cmdr. Zaneth-Myra Lysana (Number One VSS Schak'Irra)
Here we are. Enter and stand in the center.
Lysana locks the entrance behind them and moves quickly to the control console. The commander's expert fingers activate the keys, entering Enterprise's coordinates recorded in Tarsi's chip. The temporal chamber mechanism slowly comes alive.
Cmdr. Zaneth-Myra Lysana (Number One VSS Schak'Irra)
Everything is ready. You have 8 minutes once the temporal bubble activates. Beyond that, you will be trapped aboard Enterprise in 1954.
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Where exactly are we going to land?
Cmdr. Zaneth-Myra Lysana (Number One VSS Schak'Irra)
When you exit the bubble, you will be on the embarkation deck, eight minutes before the ramming of Tarantula and activation of the self-destruct.
Lt. Charlene Savea (Operations)
Where?!
Capt. T'Met
The shuttle bay, Miss Savea.
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
It's going to be Armageddon. We'll arrive right when Enterprise is exposed and under Tarantula fire.
Lt. Charlene Savea (Operations)
It's too late to back out, Emilie.
Ens. Emilie Flores (Communications)
Never! I'm pumped up!
Capt. T'Met
We are ready, Commander Lysana. Activate the bubble.
Cmdr. Zaneth-Myra Lysana (Number One VSS Schak'Irra)
Good luck.
A shimmering energy field slowly emerges from the metal structures, enveloping the trio in a semi-transparent bubble. The light flickers, cutting off all contact with the present and hurling them into another space-time...