Triple Mission Brief

Posted on Wed Jul 17th, 2019 @ 12:20pm by Captain Enalia Telvan & Lieutenant Mona Gonadie & Petty Officer 2nd Class Ila Dedjoy & Ahreva Malana & Az'Prel & Kodria Mizu & Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Thex sh'Zoarhi & Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Lieutenant Commander Sonak & Lieutenant Asa Dael & Lieutenant Samuel Clemens XV & Lieutenant JG Rena Pacci & Ensign Varnok Jahal & Jaeih Dox-t'Aan
Edited on on Mon Jul 22nd, 2019 @ 9:05am

Mission: Mudd on the Souls of Mankind
Location: USS Hera Briefing Room
Timeline: 2396

Enalia stared out of her ready room window for a moment as she readied herself for the briefing she was about to give. Just outside her window, the Artan Family Orbital Fortress was caught in temporal flux because of a time quake that was currently happening. The Hera was doing its best to maintain shielding and was ok, but the station was cycling between the 140km snowglobe she knew and loved and an antique K-7 series deep space station that looked like it had seen better days.

Sighing, she picked up the stack of encrypted Intel PaDDs on her desk that had been preloaded with all the relevant details and headed out, walking the short distance to the conference room of the refit Nebula class ship. Thankfully, she had waited for everyone else to assemble first and waved off the attempt to call the room to order as she entered. "At ease. We've got bigger worries, as you can see by looking out the windows."

Slipping one of the PaDDs into a dock on the conference table, she handed the rest to Commander Paris so she could pass them down the table. "These contain the situation as we know it, but to be blunt... Mudd has dirtied our timeline."

"Wow, that's sad. Mudd's plan is to rewrite human history by turning it into Terran history, at the critical chronal juncture of Bozeman, Montana, planet Earth, year 2063. He greets the T'Plana-Hath with a shotgun instead of an open hand, and leads the humans inside to loot the Vulcan scout ship for it's treasures. Which sends humanity down that dark path to the Terran Empire. Which really saddens me that all of the destiny of humanity could be led astray by one jerk with a gun. I'd really like to think we're better than that. But apparently..." As Paris spoke, the orbital fortress was no more, now replaced by a K-7 series primitive outpost.

With a heavy sigh, the ancient astronaut shook her head. "Apparently not."

''I am also puzzled by the fact that the T'Plana-Hath hadn't prepared for such a contingency,'' Sonak added with a thoughtful expression. ''It is an established fact that most other sentient species do not share our emotional control. Observing the living conditions on Earth at the time would have at least raised the hypothesis that the inhabitants would be unruly, fearful and needy; prominent ingredients for agressive behavior. Even a whole mob with primitive firearms should not have surprised them like this. Those Vulcans acted... illogically.''

“Fair point,” Paris admitted. “We’ll be on the lookout for NBC agents at work as well- perhaps he’ll be using gas to overcome proper logic in both the locals and the Vulcans. Another item for the list of preparations to make- excellent observation, Mr. Sonak.”

"Chrono team, we're going back in time to unscrew what Mr. Mudd has screwed up. Infiltrate Bozeman, find and incapacitate Mudd and his daughter, bring them back to the present in stasis. Get history back on course. Mister Sonak, as the only man I know who writes his own time travel equations, you're with me. Miss Dox, I believe flying through time should be a singular experience. Mister Clemens, I will be requiring historical data, and some on the fly. Miss Dedjoy, unusual technologies are Mr. Mudd's stock in trade. Best we bring someone good with tools along who specializes in exotic technologies. Questions?"

Yeoman Dedjoy raised her hand and spoke. "As a point of clarification, with Ensign Gonadie's help, I've installed one of her cloaking devices and a Quantum Displacement Drive Interface on the Danu as well as a pair of stasis units in the small medbay. As long as we can maintain a temporal link with Lucky, we can perform up to twelve jumps, granted we stay within the confines of this galaxy and time stream."

"You worked faster than I expected. You didn't send yourself a message about this, did you?" Enalia teased with a grin.

Ila shook her head, a hint of a grin on her face. "Ah, no ma'am. I merely calculated the odds of needing such an interface and invented one after I finished the original Displacement Drive. With the fortress in flux we won't be able to replenish our supply of particles, however..."

Enalia nodded solemnly. "Any actual questions so far then?"

''I presume, Captain, that you are planning to use the slingshot effect to initiate time travel,'' Sonak said. ''Be aware that such calculations do not allow for an exact target date. We might end up weeks if not months prior or after the chosen moment in time. Each repeated attempt would put severe strain on ship, equipment and personnel, up to the point of being unable to resume the mission. Moreover, we would need a vessel sturdy enough to face the excessive gravimetric, calorific and radiation stresses of flying close to a stellar mass and the subsequent brutal release from it's gravity well. As is stands, current Starfleet technology can only allow this with only a few ships, all of at least frigate class size... unless... we have one using retractable armor technology, like the one brought back by the USS Voyager. Last but not least, the more personnel and equipment we send back through time, the higher the probability of ourselves causing alterations if only by mere presence. But there is another option solving all of those problems; the Guardian of Forever.''

The spotted Captain rubbed the bridge of her nose in mild frustration. Of course he had ignored Ila's prior comments about the drive - they weren't established science and used in the Federation outside of the experimental Section 31 ships that the pod had been ripped from and now the Hera. "Neither of which are necessary with the Quantum Displacement Drive that Yeoman Dedjoy has rebuilt from our sister ship's pod systems. As I understand it, Lucky will navigate you through a fifth dimensional quantum network of... Tubes? Roots?" Looking to Ila for confirmation, all she got was a shrug and a nod. "That runs through all of spacetime to each destination using the drive and particles built up in the pod. Of course, the longer the trip through that network the more particles are used, so..."

"As for a sturdy ship, the Danu is the only runabout with multiphasic metaphasic shielding so if you do have to do a slingshot for whatever reason, she's the only one likely to not burn to a crisp as I'm told. As for the armor technology Voyager brought back, I'm told it's still a few more years before Starfleet scientists can reproduce it. We've done a slingshot in the Hera twice before and it was not fun for many races. I'll allow Humans to go, but no Trill, no Bolians, no... " Enalia shook her head and waved off the rest of the list. "The more resilient races with strong constitutions only."

"Now... About the Vulcans on the T'Plana-Hath. Az'Prel, would you care to field this? What's the difference between the Vulcans of this universe and the Vulcans of your... or a similar universe where the Terran Empire came to power?" Enalia motioned to the Vulcan freedom fighter that had been invited to the meeting for the latter half of the mission briefing, as well as insights such as this.

Nodding, Az'Prel began. "Aye, Captain. The Vulcans of my universe were far more emotional, driven by desire as well as their intellect. Coupled with their strength, those on the T'Plana-Hath would have posed as a diplomatic party until a larger force arrived to enslave humanity in ways in which they would smile and enjoy it. In a way, the best response to the landing party was violence. If the Vulcans of this universe are all Logicians... I believe violence would backfire and cause the deaths of many as well as escalated conflict with the Vulcans, as well as any races they are allied with."

''There would be no escalation,'' Sonak objected. ''Vulcans of this era had not yet all lost their way. It is true that, before Jonathan Archer brought back the katra of Surak, the Vulcan way of life had been perverted by a few deviant individuals in high places. But when Zephrom Cochrane's first warp flight happened, the Vulcans of the survey ship were uncorrupted followers of Surak. As scientists only driven by logic, they would have made a preliminary survey of the devastated planet, noted the potential for violence of primitive Earthers and taken appropriate precautions before landing. And like their actions, their reactions would be determined only by logic; and even facing violence, violence is not the first logical response.''

Before someone would raise any counter argument, he raised a finger.

''That being said, what they would have found after some careful observations was that humanity at the time was weakened and exhausted by decades of conflict, left without resources and dulled to apathy by the fall of their civilization and the rigors of survival. Focusing on the Montana community where the Phoenix had come from, they would have found one of the more peaceful communities on the planet; one appropriate for first contact. The presence of this Mudd character there would therefore be an unexpected unknown and they could indeed be left surprised by some violent action on his part.''

His fingers joined before his lips a moment before he resumed his thoughts.

''I doubt the rest of the community in this universe would rush in and pillage the ship as it allegedly did in his; and it would be highly unlikely to succeed. At the first sign of danger, shields would go up and lift off would immediately follow. However, pillage would not be necessary to drastically alter history. Even if the people of Bozeman were to instead disarm and subdue Mudd after his crime, as would be the most probable outcome here, an attack on the Vulcans would still means the end of the Federation a century before it's birth."

"The Vulcans would depart, classify the Sol system as off limits and under surveillance... but most of all, deprive Earth of the initial Human-Vulcan alliance that helped bring forth the United Earth and later the United Federation of Planets. Without the help of Vulcan, Cochrane be unable to improvise the resources to expand upon his initial success, from which humanity found unity and purpose. Dictatorships would continue to prevail among the survivors and, if not a Terran Empire, a fractured, isolated humanity of warring territories would ensue. Which would eventually stagnate and decline, without ever contributing to the existence of our present timeline.''

The grey eyes of Sonak cut to those of his commanding officer.

''All this Mudd needs to do is fire one shot, at the right moment.''

Glancing out the window at the mockery of her family's station, Captain Telvan came to the grim conclusion that the sensible science officer was quite correct. "Your logic is sound and explains... That... With no Starfleet..."

With a heavy sigh, she moved on to the next mission brief. "Okay, so if there are no other questions... We need to discuss the matter of Moira Artan. She still needs a genetic donor. Jaeih, Az'Prel, Malana, and Varnok will all be assigned to that mission. Lieutenant Dox has kindly allowed us the use of the ah... Kah... Kahli... Her ship."

Rather than correct the Captain on the name of her personal j-type ship, Dox simply nodded and gave a brief report on the Khallianen's status as it's name was on the report in everyone's hands. "Aye. She's fully repaired and operational, Captain. Intel has prepared new credentials, serial numbers and transponder codes so that there will be nothing to identify her as property of a Starfleet officer or an Artan Baroness at any Orion Syndicate checkpoints."

While her daughter spoke, Jaeih Dox was reading over the file on her involvement in this mission and her stomach tightened with anger. She would not let an innocent child suffer if she could help it. As Mnhei'sahe finished, the elder Romulan adder her piece.

"As for Inris Four where our target is located, I've been there on business many times and still have a few contacts I may be able to take advantage of. Security is tight, but not aggressively so considering the nature of their business and generally seedy clientele. We should be able to circumvent it without undue problems, Captain."

Then the salt and pepper haired former Tal'Shiar agent looked at her friend and partner on the mission, Az'Prel, and nodded slightly. "And I believe I can speak for Az'Prel when I say that we will not allow ourselves to fail you or Moira. You have my word."

Looking over the information that they had Thex was feeling worried. Time travel was always something to keep her up at night. I take it I'm to keep the Hera in one piece and make sure she'll be here when you get back?" She said looking at her captain.

"Yeah, I'll be occupied with the continued restructure of the Artan family as well, so the ship will be yours for the duration." Enalia paused a moment before continuing. "I've... Also had a request from the medical staff and my wife to try and get some proper rest... If you need me, I'll be around, but... Doctor's orders and all that. I have faith in all of you and know you'll all succeed without me to watch over your every move." Enalia's normal lopsided piratical grin was weary, but still there as she looked out across those assembled.

''We shall perform our duties as Starfleet officers should, Captain.''

Stating the obvious was a Vulcan trademark and Sonak was no exception. And despite having spent decades among humans, he still missed sarcasm from time to time; like now.

But his pledge was no less strong.

"Well said, Mr. Sonak, well said," Commander Paris acknowledged. The chief science officer's logic had framed the situation- now it fell to them to prevent it from coming to pass. "All right crew, we have our assignments, and we have time to prepare before we disembark. Use it wisely, because both of these missions are of vital importance. I'll assume, given the nature of time travel, that if we are successful in the past, the present should revert to normal as soon as we depart? Thus the Intelligence team may depart safely?"

''Temporal mechanics are no more of the realm of hypothesis but a well established scientific theory,'' Sonak assured her. ''It is a proven fact by many previous recorded instances that countering the alteration is but the first step in erasing it's effect upon the timeline. That must be done with great care to actually restore events exactly as they were prior to the alteration; else the results may only be another altered timeline. Although there is a margin of error before any significant alteration will be of consequence, we must aim for exactness as much as possible.''

He turned to the captain to finish.

''I will endeavor to study thoroughly this time period before we embark on our mission and bring as much data as possible to ensure our success.''

"I'll get us some period accurate clothing that won't draw attention, and we'll need scanning equipment that is adjusted to see through the Mudd shielding," Paris added in. "Also, in case this goes very sideways, Miss Dedjoy, do we have a... er, a flashy thing? A neuralizer? Something that can disrupt short term memory once introduced ocularly, possibly rendering the subject receptive to suggestion?"

Yeoman Dedjoy pulled out what looked like an antique PaDD that matched the coloration of the intel pod walls and tapped at it for a few moments before her eyebrows raised in surprise. Then her large doll-like eyes got bigger as she read the description. "Ah... Yes... It seems we have exactly that device... It works on exactly six races. Humans and anyone that's at least half human or a colonist of human descent, unjoined Trill, Rigelians, Bolians,892-IV natives, and Iotians. It's been in infrequent use on Earth since..." With this she looked up at those assembled at the table. "Nineteen forty two... When it was invented by a Polish scientist named... Ah... Aleksander Jabłoński."

''If memory serves,'' observed Sonak, ''the results were somewhat... inconsistent. However, I might be able to tip the odds in our favor with the addition of Vulcan mind suggestion techniques.''

"So if it all goes very south and we need an historic crowd to forget what they really saw, and instead remember the history from the datafiles, we might just have an option. I'll take those odds, thank you both very much." Paris beamed a smile at each of them in turn, then redirected to the Captain's yeoman, and the inventory keeper of the hoard. "For the record, Miss Dedjoy, you're with the boat on this one. We're going to have multiple teams in the field at once, and I need a command center with eyes and ears on everything. That, Miss Dedjoy, is your contribution to the mission, if you don't mind."

"I have the eyes for it and I'll have sensors in as many places as possible, Commander," Ila replied, confirming the order.

"Cochlear implants for everyone- we can't afford to be tapping our badges and making that cute little 'incoming' sound, so turn them on silent please, and keep them out of sight. Mr Sonak, may I assume this model's transporter accommodate this many transporter locks?" One thing Rita was never afraid of was admitting what she didn't know, and she would rather ask than assume.

''Our current transporter system can not only keep lock on all of us but in case of emergency keep all of us in the pattern buffers until each one of us can be rematerialized on our limited number of pads. Not the ideal conditions, but safely serviceable for our upcoming mission parameters. Standard protocols dictate that the highest ranking officer is to be beamed back first while the rest would be in transit, thus ensuring foremost that the mission commander is safe and sound.''

Sonak said this looking straight at his wife. He knew better than anyone else her past history with transporters and her anxieties regarding the device. After all, it made her a ghost for many years and torn her away from her own life, time and universe. Fortunately, the quantum imbalance causing it all had been corrected, and the risk was now null; but he understood her feelings were still there. Thus he wanted to assure her nothing of the sort would happen ever again.

Ila knew of the issues as well, as their experiments in curing Paris had almost ripped the entire ship through spacetime once or twice. "I might add that I have a personal emergency transport system built in as well. Range is severely limited, but should the need arise, it is an option."

"Good to know, Miss Dedjoy, Paris acknowledged. Then the bombastic blonde shook her head and grinned. "How much do you want to bet that somewhere out there... somewhen out there... there are Starfleet officers doing the same sort of thing we're doing right now," Rita Paris mused. "Officers from our future- who safeguard not only space, but time as well. Kirk did Starfleet authorized missions to the past for exploration and to test Spock's equations. I wonder how many time travelers are time touristing at that spot in Bozeman that night? I guess we might just find out while we add to that number. Or paradoxically we were always there... or is that predestination paradox?"

The Vulcan frowned a bit.

''A predestination paradox would occur only if our presence would have been the actual catalyst of the proper historical event; which is most unlikely, as we are embarking on a mission to stop an interference with those said events, not induce it. The chicken and the egg is no mystery any longer. In a causality universe, the egg came first. Here, there was the original event, then the altered one and now we will create the correcting event, erasing the alteration to bring everything back to its proper original state.''

He paused and frowned a bit more before finishing.

''Future time traveling officers will not be a problem; not only will they follow the Temporal Prime Directive and the Temporal Accords, as laid down by several of those officers met during the previous years and centuries, but what we are about to do is part of their own past history. Assuming we succeed. But whether or not we do, they will not intervene."

"The problem might lie with officers of the past, as much as those time travelers who do not follow the Accords or the Directive, the ones responsible for the Temporal Cold War history warns us about. These may try to interfere... or worse, participate, knowingly or not, in the very alteration we are trying to correct. Thus we must consider any intervening person a potential threat, and hazard to our mission, and deal with such a person accordingly and correctly. Stopping Mudd may be the least of our problems.''

Enalia twirled two fingers in the air. "I have a contact I should be able to get in touch with still to at least apprise them of the situation. If anything, they should be able to at least minimize the threat of you running afoul of any agents of the Temporal Cold War. As for the Temporal Prime Directive... Do your best not to break it. If you have to... Use your best judgement and don't mess things up. At least I know that whatever you do, it won't be as bad as what Mudd is doing."

''Degrees of... badness are irrelevant, captain,'' Sonak somberly pointed out. ''If we fail to restore things at least ninety-four point seven percent as they were, we will only start a new Krenim incident... but this time in our own quadrant of the galaxy. And may I remind you that the Krenim tried to alter history and then, even with the most advanced chronotechnology in our current time period, spent hundreds of years in a futile attempt to restore it... until the USS Voyager destroyed the source of the corruption; the technology itself. We should do everything to avoid falling into the same trap. And this will require the upmost attention to every detail of what we do and don't do.'''

“Preserve the proper flow of history, put things right that once went wrong, and hope that the next leap will be the leap home. Can do, Captain- we'll get it done,” the first officer offered with a smart salute. “All right people, we have our assignments and we know what we’re doing. Please be suited up to blend with the locals in 2063, and meet on pad 9 in an hour to get underway. Dismissed.”