Revelations

Posted on Sun Mar 24th, 2024 @ 9:33pm by Lieutenant Amelia Fox

888 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Fortuna
Location: Captain's Ready room.

ON:

As Amelia was being escorted up to see the Captain she could tell something was wrong, but she could not put her finger on what it was. She knew of the starship Brittanic only by reputation.
They had fought in the Dominion War, just as she had on the Kennedy, fresh out of the academy. And the Kennedy had been blown out from under her feet. She knew what war did. She knew the toll it took on people.
As he passed crewmembers in the corridor she could see that look in their eyes, but it looked fresh. The Dominion War had ended over 25 years ago.

Captain Fredricks was someone she again, only knew by reputation but it was for a fair and seasoned officer.

She was escorted into the Ready room and she came to attention, still not able to shake the feeling that something was not right.

"Commander Amelia Fox, XO USS Andromeda. Starfleet service number SA 353-5627B, reporting as ordered Captain."

Fredricks smiled at the newcomer and straight away noticed differences in her uniform. The last he had heard, the Andromeda had been destroyed in the first battle of Chin'toka. He stood up and offered his hand to the Commander standing in front of him. "A pleasure to meet you, Commander. I'm Captain Fredricks of the Britannic. Please take a seat." He said gesturing to free seats in front of his desk with his other hand. "A weird question, but what year is it?"

The knot in Amelia's stomach tightened suddenly. Deep down, part of her had been expecting a question like this but still, the implications in carried were not lost on her. She got the distinct impression that the answer she was going to give him was not going to be the one he was expecting.

She swung her leg over the back of the chair closest to her and sat down. She composed herself as best she could before answering slowly and clearly, to avoid any confusion. "Sir, as far as I'm aware, the year is 2402."

Fredricks gave a small smirk. "I see." The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place. "What happened to make you and 4 other crew members get into an escape pod?"

Amelia shifted uncomfortably in her seat, getting the distinct feeling that a visit from temporal investigations was imminent. "The Andromeda was investigating an uncharted area of space that Starfleet believed to belong to the now-extinct Techne Empire when we were attacked without provocation. It was a pitched battle and we managed to disable the enemy ship but not before we sustained enough damage to initiate a warp core breach. The saucer section was separated successfully but the resulting explosion of the stardrive section pushed us into the atmosphere of a nearby planet. The last thing I remember was I was on the bridge just before the saucer section impacted the planet's surface. Apparently, Lieutenant Syvar, He's my husband, beamed me off the bridge into an escape pod that had been launched along with our 2 children, Lieutenant Ren and Lieutenant Stevens.
I woke up in the escape pod just before you rescued us."

Fredricks listened to the Commander's explanation as more pieces of the puzzle fell into place. He took a deep breath. "It would seem you and your fellow survivors have travelled back in time. The year is 2375. The Dominion War finished about 6 months ago. Britannic is currently located in the Chin'toka system." Lukas paused for a moment to allow the information to sink in. "I appreciate this is a massive shock to you but my mission must take priority over your arrival. I must also swear you and crew to silence. No one on this ship must not have foreknowledge of the future."

He was right! While part of her had been expecting this, it was still a shock to her. It was a good thing that Amelia was sitting down as she felt her legs go weak and the colour drained from her face. "2375..." She repeated quietly. "That's 27 years ago. I served aboard the USS Kenedy during the Dominion War, she was lost at the second battle of Chinto'ka and I was transferred to Starbase 308. I was stationed there right up until the Andromeda was launched."

She looked at him and straightened up as best she could "Yes sir, I understand the need for security."

"There's a good chance the Kenedy is probably out there now floating amongst the other debris." Fredricks replied with an understanding nod. "I understand being here at this time will be difficult for you. I promise yours and those of your shipmates will be my priority once our current situation is resolved. As you can see we are badly damaged and have masses of casualties."

Despite her disorientation, her Starfleet training kicked in. "How can we help Captain?"

Lukas looked at the out of time officer. He saw the need and want to help. Due to the Britannic's current circumstances, he may be forced to include the newcomers into his ships mission. "First, we need to discuss what's happened with your people. Then you all need to rest and take in what's happened, while we assess the next steps to take." Fredricks explained.

Amelia nodded in agreement. "Yes Sir. Let's get started shall we?"

OFF:

 

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