Temporal Initiative

Posted on 02 Jan 2024 @ 7:57pm by Commander Morgan Tarin & Commander Marisa Wyatt & Lieutenant JG Sofie Ullswater & Lieutenant JG Montgomery Vala & Petty Officer 1st Class T'Lin & Petty Officer 3rd Class Raine Ni-ya

4,625 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: Episode 19 - Tomorrow's Galileo
Location: USS Galileo-A, USS Galileo-B
Timeline: MD 01, 1555 hrs

[ON]

Both of Galileo-A's transporter rooms were currently experiencing a whirlwind of activity as crew members from both vessels departed and arrived in a coordinated ballet of shimmering beaming particles. But inside Transporter Room 2, the previous away team to Galileo-B consisting of engineers and operations personnel had just finished dematerializing then vanished, now leaving the small six-person transporter pad vacant for the next group.

Vala was the first to arrive, striding into the transporter room with a grim expression. He had a bag over one shoulder containing a few instruments he had often found useful when working on matters temporal at Daystrom, as well as his personal tricorder. This particular iteration had been with him since his days on the Antares, calbrated to the edge of its capabilities to work within his exacting requirements.

Under his other arm was a ring binder packed with handwritten notes. It amounted to the sum of his useful understanding on causality and he sensed that by the end of this affair he will have added several chapters or burned the whole thing as obsolete. He acknowledged the transporter operator with a nod and leaned against the bulkhead awaiting the rest of the team.

Raine walked in shortly after, her eyes going to Vala for a moment before she looked away. She wore blue gloves, the colour of her uniform and her quick eyes went around the room as if analysing it all. Her eyes flickered back to Vala, to the binder, her head tilting to the side as eyes narrowed slightly as if she was trying to see through the binder.

Behind them both came the sharp sound of Sofie clapping her hands together "Okay team! Hope you're all ready for our first grand outing under new management." She carried nothing extra with her other than a beaming smile. "Though I suppose when we get across we will be back under the old management for a bit."

The chief science officer gave a little conspiratorial glance to her team. "Let's all keep our eyes open over there. And our minds, of course."

T'Lin made a nod to the chief science officer. She would be more interested if there had been any further use of biocircuitry or something else that might catch her attention.

Vala stood a little straighter and caught Sofie's eye, giving a determined nod. Their earlier conversation was still fresh in his mind...

Marisa walked into the transporter room eager to get back to her own ship and hopefully help this team of scientists understand what went into the decisions and research that led to this point. They were more truculent than she expected, based on her experience aboard this ship. This was not the crew she worked with 25 years ago. Then again, she was not the same person, either. At least now, she hoped, she'd be able to show them what they needed to understand what the admiral was trying to do.. "Hello again," she said, nodding to the group. "Thank you for your willingness to look at the data we have. If you like, I can give you a brief tour of the Galileo-B once we beam over. If not, we can go straight to Astrometrics to review the temporal data."

"Will a brief tour of the ship help us with the issue?" Raine asked bluntly, looking at the woman and meeting her eyes without any hesitation. Her own were focused, cold and analytical. "Because unless it does, it seems to me to be a waste of time, Commander."

"And time is very much so of the essence, or so we have been led to believe." Ullswater added, backing up Raine. The obvious delaying tactic in a situation with such implied urgency only further cemented Sofie's suspicions of the whole affair. "Let's get straight to the data, I think."

Vala gave Wyatt an imperious look, "I concur," his terse tone joining in support of his fellow scientists.

"Time is of the essence? I am not sure I quite follow. Time is an emergent phenomena that results in the particular quantum entanglement of the situation," T'Lin offered.

"It is a thing that humans say," Raine said lightly, giving a small shrug as she looked over at T'Lin. "Which translates into hurry up and get the work done."

"Very well," Marisa said politely. She was not going to respond in kind. They would either come to understand as she did or they wouldn't. The offer of a ship tour was for their benefit, but it didn't really matter to the end goal. What mattered was the science, and the data that now resided in astrometrics. "We can proceed directly to science, then." She stepped on a transporter pad and waited to beam back to the Galileo-B.

Vala strode onto the pad, slightly adjusting his collar, his expression stony.

"Directly, yes." Sofie gave a little nod as she stepped up to the zone of teleportation. "That sounds good."

When all five blue-collared science officers now occupied their respective places on the transporter platform, the Betazoid transporter operator, Petty Officer Ubax, gave them a collective nod then focused her fingers on the control panel. Gently sliding three of them up the interface in unison, the primary energizing coils went to work and simultaneous, cerulean particle shimmers enveloped the group and dematerialized them within a matter of seconds.


USS Galileo-B, Transporter Room

Five new humanoid forms shimmered into existence within the Mark III Nova-class' primary transporter room. Together, the five scientists materialized aboard their future sister ship in all of their totality. The bright lights above the pads dimmed once the transport cycle completed.

Vala had steeled himself to prepare for any dramatic changes between the Galileo-A and B, but as he cast his eyes around the transporter room he could see that, aesthetically at least, the Federation had retained its functional approach.

Marisa led the team from the transporter room to the Astrometrics lab where she'd set up the temporal science data. It was a large, circular room with a holographic display filling most of the chamber of a three-dimensional timeline with lights marking key points. lines crossed and recrossed the main timeline, connecting with other lines and dots in a maze-like, multi-colored grid.

A walkway with a railing went from the door to a central platform with a control panel that consisted of a complicated touchpad with a series of shapes in different colors.

a dozen screens lined the wall. Each one had a different image on it from a different timeline. A data stream ran down the sides of each screen. A swivel chair sat a meter from each screen.

"This is our Astrometrics lab. From here you can access the data we have. Or you can use a computer console in the temporal science lab."

Marisa raised her arm and tapped keys on a wrist unit, activating the display. "For every point in time that we investigated, we can tap into a corresponding temporal stream to show how altering that particular point in time will affect the timeline as a whole."

She entered another code and each screen changed, as did the central display, altering the timelines on the screens and the color and pattern of the holographic display. "Once you familiarize yourselves with how the program works, you'll be able to plug in individuals, dates, locations, and altered events to see how those changes will affect the current and future timeline. It will also compare your altered timeline with the other timelines in the system, noting changes to significant events and their consequences."

She touched a point in the holographic display and made a hand gesture. Data from that point in time appeared on the twelve screens. Some showed events, some people, and some battles.

Finally, Marisa gave several hand signals and the displays switched to showing a dozen different events and locations, this time repeating some of the historic data Saalm showed them earlier. "Our goal is to stop what has become an extinction level event without significantly altering other key events in the four quadrants."

"Perhaps we should start with the definition your scientists used for 'key events'?" Vala enquired coldly as soon as Wyatt finished talking, "In fact it may be most useful to see the model that was developed for this mission - the original plan wherein time is altered so the files are not deleted?" His piercing green eyes narrowed, "Perhaps that will give us some idea of the extent of damage to the timeline the Federation of 2317 considers acceptable."

Raine kept silent, but she watched with keen interest. She hoped that this future group of scientists had a surgical approach. And even so, it would be enlightening to know what they classified as key events. Or expendable moments in the space of 25 years.

"Damage that, of course, we are all in agreement will be justified by the preservation of lives." Sofie added diplomatically. Sure they might all be plotting a subterfuge here but Sofie didn't want to make it too obvious. "If we know your desired outcomes and how you figure they will resolve the material contradictions at play then that would be a great starting place."

Wyatt went to the main console and pressed a series of shapes and colors. "Very well, I'll start with the events that led to this point and where we project they will go in the next five years. That will give you a baseline to understand what we're asking for and why."

The holographic timeline focused in on the point where the Cold Station 31 data was destroyed, rapidly displaying images and data that showed the progression from that point through the Romulan response to the Romulan-Klingon alliance and the subsequent war with the Federation.

At this point, the holographic display switched to the Beta Quadrant, displaying the major worlds. As the war progressed, worlds that shown as lights went dark as one by one the worlds were decimated and the people destroyed. Even many of those that fell under Klingon or Romulan control went dark as refugees were sought out and killed. "As Admiral Sallm said, the Federation will fall within a year. That, however, will not be the end of the conflict. Many of the planets that were once under Federation control were also attacked and many refugee planets as well. From what data we have, 70-80% of Federation worlds and people are gone. The Romulan-Klingon Alliance is showing signs of weakening as the Federation falls. There is a 97.623% chance they will turn on each other once they have destroyed us."

The data on the screens and the holographic display continued to show what had happened and what was happening, going on to show how the war spread into the Alpha Quadrant with the exception of a few distant worlds, the majority of which were not as technologically advanced. "Humanity's chances of recovering from this are minimal. The leaders of the major Federation worlds that still exist, along with Temporal Sciences and Temporal Authorities agree that this falls under one of the extremely rare instances where changing what happened has been sanctioned."

She entered another command and the displays blanked, then the timeline went back to the Galileo-A just before the decision, changing the one event so the data was not destroyed. The 3D display and the screens showed a different progression where there were some problems, but there was no war. The Federation created shielding against the new transwarp transporter technology and shared it. It was not a perfect future, but there were also no major alterations to the balance of power within and between the two quadrants.

Raine watched the data, taking it all in, her head cocked to the side. "Question. Why do we care about Humanity?" she asked, bluntly, watching her. "And the projections, how accurate have they been so far? Or have we not yet reached a time were a projection has been proved?" she was considering the variables and the more data she had on that, the better. She paused suddenly, again, as more questions came into her head. "And why not lead with this being authorised, because in the NCO briefing there was no mention that this was sanctioned by the Temporal Authorities. Are these...people from the future, people outside the timestream...or just a group of people appointed by Starfleet?" she trailed off, her eyes on Wyatt. She didn't have any moral qualms about it, but she liked accurate information and data. If anything, it was...soothing for her mind.

Marisa inclined her head in acknowledgment of the question. It was valid and not tinged with suspicion and mistrust. "Because this war wasn't caused by assassination or desire for power or control. It was caused by two people doing what they honestly believed was in the best interest of mankind. But none of us know the future, and they were unaware that one person would twist this one act into a plot to hide something that had the potential to change the balance of power. That one act was used to turn an empire against the Federation, and to start a war they believed would lead to their conquering first the Alpha Quadrant, and then the others."

She paused to let that sink in. "The temporal authorities were part of this from the beginning, as were the best scientists from multiple worlds. It was not presented because the Admiral wanted to give you the bare facts and then start repairs while I work with you. We do not have a great deal of time if this is to succeed."

Again Wyatt paused. "No calculations are 100% assured, but there is a 99.972% chance of complete success if this one event is changed. Also, there have been notable times in our history where time has been altered to change an outcome and it was deemed necessary. They are and should be rare, but they exist. This has been deemed one such event and thus has the full support and approval of the temporal authorities."

Vala's eyes followed the model, glancing at the different aspects of the projected changes. This was obviously a display designed to help layman understand the projections that had been developed. It revealed the basics, but he would have to look at the raw data and calculations to truly understand how the 'temporal scientists' of the future had arrived at predictions that measured such an incredible chance of success.

The mention of 'temporal authorities', whoever they were, was of little interest to him. Any authority that claimed stewardship over the timeline, but then willingly allowed it to be tweaked and changed based on their own whims and values were but one thing: hypocrites.

"Commander," he began, attempting to keep his tone even and as lacking in incredulity as possible, "You have provided a staggeringly high tolerance of success... over 99.9%," he began to shake his head but stopped himself, "May I ask for some clarification on what constitutes 'success'? You mentioned the balance of power remaining intact - is this the ultimate aim? No war, but also no significant geopolitical shift? Such a thing seems unlikely with the proliferation of transwarp transporters..."

"There are no working transport transporters at this time," Wyatt said. She knew full well he didn't believe her, nor did the others. But that didn't mean what she said was untrue. "The fear that the Romulans are working on the technology has caused the Federation to come up with what they believe will be adequate shielding, but as you saw in the cold station, there are problems that may never be overcome."

Sofie had been looking intently at the displays. Probability distributions, stochastic modelling, numbers, numbers, numbers... She imagined it could be convincing to someone who wasn't a scientist, the barrage of information and calculations giving weight to an argument. It made it all look as if scientific theory was on its side, but she and her team were scientists. It irked her that their kidnappers thought this would work on them.

"These calculations are indeed impressive Commander Wyatt." She turned her head back to the others "But we are scientists, not soothsayers, and this feels a lot more like astrology that the kind of material analyses that are expected of us as scientists."

She reached out with her arm pointing to some data that indicated the moment that Tarin and Blake had decided to delete the data. "Its true that a single spark can start a prairie fire, but only if the land is dry." She folded her arms and shook her head "You can't prevent every spark, another can always pop up, you have to deal with the ground. To us that is dealing with the causes, the motive forces, the lead to this alliance against the Federation. What have the historians and analysts of this time had to say on that? What forces brought these two powers together against us?"

"You are proof that the ground is very dry indeed." Marisa's tone was cool. "To your other question, I am a scientist and historian and I told you what took many of us fifteen years to research. It was then that the temporal authorities began to work with us and decided that it was vital that we find a way to prevent the war. It took two years for temporal scientists and others to find the exact place and time." She was not sure what happened in the cold station to make Sophie and the others so obdurate and mistrustful, but she hoped they could get past that and actually look at the data. "Let's not pretend that you didn't make up your mind the moment you got here that we are the villains and that nothing we say can possibly be correct. But think on this. What if everything we've told you is the truth? What if you are humanities only hope and you choose to do nothing?"

Marisa had been wrong to think that she knew the crew, that they would listen to what she and the others had to say. "I'm not here just for the Federation. I'm here because there are hundreds of billions of people who died in this war, and hundreds of billions who will yet die if the past is not changed. There is no negotiating. There is no surrender. The Federation tried. There will be no end until there is no one left." She pushed a button on her wrist tricorder and the 3D display disappeared and the screens went blank. "Perhaps it is time that you let go of your anger and mistrust and consider that ."

"Perhaps I am biased," Sofie's tone was level, her words placed down with her normal oratory precision and balance, only a little of the massive irritation she was harbouring seeped through. "Victims often are biased against their kidnappers. But I'm not wrong, you are being unscientific. If you want our help then stop obfuscating the truth. Stamping out this one spark doesn't solve any underlying problems. So tell us: what is the motive force behind this alliance against the Federation?"

Marisa nodded. There was no obfuscation, but she knew Sofie wouldn't believe her. Still, she would answer the question. "In early 2393, the Cold Station logs and research documents were leaked by an unknown source within the Federation. It is believed that the Romulans were behind it, but we have no proof of which spy was responsible. Shortly after, an emergency meeting was called on Vulcan with the Federation, Romulans, Klingons, and Cardassians, along with other key Alpha and Beta Quadrant species."

"It did not go well. Rumors spread that the Federation was covering up knowledge of a secret weapon that would change the balance of power. While the rumors grew, Klingon and Romulan relations improved. Then information about the discovery of a new dimension and its geopolitical ramifications spread, further damaging the Federation's reputation. We could not prove we didn't have the technology, especially with the leaks from within the Federation. The Klingons have long been mistrustful of the Federation. The Romulans used this to widen the rift. Eventually, as a show of power, the two began having joint military exercises which escalated to harassment and minor skirmishes and then war."

"To put it simply," Marisa concluded, "This is because information that was already in the hands of the Romulans was destroyed by Starfleet officers, then leaked by Romulan spies, along with rumors that we were covering up for having advanced technology that would permanently alter the balance of power. Fear and mistrust did the rest and nothing we could say or do could or will change it."

"They are right to be afraid." Sofie replied "The Federation is using the Cold Stations to secretly conduct illegal research. Why would the Federation keep that work secret unless it thought that it could be used to gain the upper hand in great power competition? It seems like we were the ones who wanted war and this action by our enemies was defensive."

She continued, her tone softening and her words becoming less harsh "I understand that many have died in your time, that you would want revenge and for the Federation to have the tools to win this war. But we are not burdened by that loss in our time. It seems to me that rather than perpetuating a cover up of the Federation's nasty secrets we should be bringing them into the light. How many Cold Stations are there? Who is responsible for them?"

"This is not about revenge, or finding a way to win the war. The war is already lost. This is about preventing the war from happening and saving the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. Is also not about the cold stations in general. Most of them were already closed when you found the one near Regula I. The rest were closed shortly after," she said for clarification.

"Captain Tarin and Commander Blake made a mistake by deleting the information about the cold station because they thought it was too dangerous to be disseminated. Once the rumors began to spread, the Federation explained that the research had been destroyed, but the other powers saw this as a coverup so we could use the technology for our own purposes. Just saying it was gone was not enough. Information that it existed was already out there and mistrust and fear were growing. By then it was too late to release anything—even if we had it.

Marisa then answered another question. "The Klingons attacked first because of their mistrust. It was not the Federation seeking for power or control. Then the Romulans joined the war. We tried to explain, to negotiate. We even surrendered, but they accepted none of it. That is why we brought you here: to correct the mistake that was made by destroying the information. It should not be kept secret. You must go back and bring the cold station information to light."
 
"Lieutenant, most of the Federation and its people are gone. That includes stations, colonies, and cities. This is where Regula I used to be. It is now a wasteland and far from what remains of the Federation. Whatever happens here, this is a one-way trip for us. The Klingons and Romulans were manipulated by a faction that wanted this war. They're victims just as much as we are. All we want is for you to correct the mistake that was made and give your future a chance."

"Then surely our aim should be to break the status quo, rather than restore it," Vala said acerbically, "If some sinister cabal was able to manipulate geopolitics to the extent than one fateful decision by the Commanders of the Galileo-A led to an intergalactic war, then perhaps it is that faction we should be going after."

He did not have the patience to hear another explanation about how this one event had somehow guaranteed this terrible genocide of the Federation. His tone reflected that, "If we are meddling with the timeline anyway then why not clear it out. Why can't we expose these sinister forces, shed light on the cold stations, and hold those who will allow such a war to unfold to account? If we simply save this data none of those individuals or conspiracies will be held responsible for what you assert has been a terrible, violent conflict."
 
T'Lin didn't voice her thoughts. As far as she was concerned given the events and the parties involved, it was logical that the Klingons and Romulans would soon be at war with each other. The alliance had been the glue but now the defeat of the Federation they would soon turn on each other. She thought, "Perhaps it is best that all these so-called start empires disappear. The galaxy would be better off without them."

Marisa wondered why they were so obdurate about accepting the simple, straightforward solution. "Because temporal streams are extremely sensitive," she said. "Our understanding of temporal science does not currently allow for the complexity needed to unravel such a complex series of causality that could go back for decades. Eliminating an entire network of Romulan spies and subterfuge would necessitate so many drastic changes to the timeline for all major powers that it is not an option. Instead, the temporal scientists focused on a simpler, more direct solution that has the greatest chance of success without unbalancing the timeline. And that is having you go public with what you learned about the cold station."

Vala closed his eyes and took in a lengthy breath. There was no point in arguing further. To him any alteration of the timeline was drastic and the idea that preventing a monumental quadrant spanning war was anything but was ludicrous.

Presumably Wyatt's assessment was that his own expertise on causality and temporal mechanics were antiquated, and perhaps they were, but he couldn't shake the feeling that such massive change wouldn't cause others to suffer greatly so the Federation might live on.

The proposed alteration might be the correct decision, but it was abundantly clear to him by now that this future Federation's ethics were in question. And the Galileo-A's crew would have to live with the consequences of that if they proceeded as they were bid.

"Commander," he said as he reopened his eyes, "I would be... reassured to examine the raw data for your 'ideal' model as soon as possible. I have no further questions."

Marisa nodded. "That can be arranged. Although your access will, of necessity, be limited. Specifically, you will be able to examine the raw data and use the program to assess how different manipulations will affect the overall time stream, but the core data and the program cannot be altered on this end. I will remain available to answer any questions and help you become familiar with the updated technology."

Vala gave the commander a sharp nod, his eyes perpetually narrowed, then glanced to Sofie, "I am ready to proceed if Lieutenant Ullswater is."

Sofie raised her eyebrows with a faint smile, an incredulous smile. "Of course, I would simply love to see a demonstration of this process."

[OFF]

--

LTJG Montgomery Vala
Deputy Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

PO1 T'Lin
Science Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Warraquim]

LTJG Sofie Ullswater
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo-A

CMDR Marisa Wyatt
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo-B

PO3 Raine Ni-ya
Science Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Rice]

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