Going Roundtrip - Part I
Posted on Wed Aug 12th, 2026 @ 2:51pm by Captain Thorrin & Commander Marisa Sandoval & Lieutenant Commander Tarian Aloria & Lieutenant Sivek & Lieutenant C'Mila Juli & Lieutenant Addison Talbert & Lieutenant Junior Grade M'Ressa & Major Hastios Eilfaren
Edited on on Wed Aug 12th, 2026 @ 3:06pm
2,106 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
In The Nick Of Time
Location: Bridge - Deck 1 - USS Herodotus
Timeline: MD010 1300 hrs
Thorrin sat in his command chair with Marisa next to him. He had summoned Addison to the bridge to keep a medical eye on Maren. They would traverse into Maren's home and return her. He turned toward Tarian and Sivek. "Gentlemen do we have the correct temporal and universal coordinates?"
Tarian was starting to look over the calculations that he had been working on for the better part of an hour. He felt like he was getting close to having the correct time and universal coordinates as he heard the captain ask about it. Tarian looked back and said, "Yeah, I think we should have it just about right. Just need a few more minutes to make sure they're correct."
Maren stood where she had been told to stand, which already made her dislike the whole arrangement.
The bridge of the Herodotus was too open for her liking, all clean lines, steady voices, and people moving like they trusted the ship beneath them. She kept her arms folded, one hand tucked close enough to feel the hypospray Addison had given her sitting in her pocket, a small and stupid reminder that apparently existing now came with maintenance instructions.
Her eyes moved between the stations as the officers worked, catching fragments of calculations and terminology she understood just well enough to know she did not like being the thing at the centre of them. Temporal coordinates. Universal alignment. Return vector. It all sounded neat when adults said it on a bridge.
It hadn’t felt neat from inside a dying shuttle.
She looked toward the viewscreen, jaw tight, trying not to think too hard about what might be waiting on the other side if this actually worked. Her father. Dominion ships. The debris field. The exact second everything had gone wrong.
Maren shifted her weight and muttered under her breath, “No pressure or anything.”
Sivek arrived on the bridge with two data PADDs in hand--one an angry red colour, the other a muted grey. Upon reaching Tarian's station, he handed the muted grey PADD to him.
"The temporal coordinates are sufficiently constrained," he said after allowing the half-Trill, half-El-Aurian a moment to peruse the data. "The interphasic coordinates are another matter entirely."
"Very well. Do tell me when you are ready to initiate an incursion. Lieutenant M'Ressa set a course for universe 26.22.02. Full incursion. Stand by for my order." Thorrin addressed the helm and then looked over his shoulder toward Security. "Hastios. Keep weapons and shields at the ready. If Maren here is correct then we will have a welcoming party upon our arrival. I want to be ready." The orders continued as he spoke to Addison. "That goes for you as well Doctor. I need you on the Bridge in case the crossing effects Ms Malbrooke in an unforeseen way. However, please have Sick Bay ready for any casualties."
Tarian looked at the interphasic coordinates and said, "Wait! The Interphasic coordinates are within acceptable parameters! I've even double checked the chroniton field strength to make sure it wouldn't interfere with that. What parts do you think need tweaking?" He got up from his seat and walked over to the Engineering station, not out of anger or malice. But, to see what Sivek was talking about and to double check his own calculations to that of the Chief Engineers. Tarian didn't want to blow the ship up mid transit.
At her station, Lieutenant Juli accessed the coordinates that Sivek had mentioned, then scanning for information regarding the chroniton field strength. "Can we draw from the Chronal Jammer to push more energy into the chroniton field emitters?" She offered.
Sivek was not familiar with the Orion science officer but recalled her service record to be exemplary. They had not yet been formally introduced and the Vulcan hybrid had decided there would be no need for introductions today. Her suggestion wasn't incorrect--it simply lacked all understanding of what the ship's system did.
"The chronal jammer stabilizes local temporal drift," he said, his attention still on his red PADD. "It reduces interference within a single continuum. It does not establish or correct the boundaries between continuums."
He finally looked toward her, not unkindly, but with the patience of an engineer examining a tool and considering what it was actually designed to do.
"Redirecting its output would increase field intensity at the expense of coherence. We would gain power at the cost of definition."
He sighed, as though annoyed at having to explain such basic elements to Juli.
"In practical terms, we would be pushing harder into a destination we have not yet confirmed exists in the form we are attempting to reach," he explained. "Lieutenant, I believe Ms. Malbrooke would appreciate it if we did not scatter her biomatter across the temporal nexus."
Amila faced her console, taken aback by the snide way the Vulcan spoke to her. She glared at Sivek with her eyes only as she muttered under her breath. 'That wasn't... I'm not an idiot. ' But then she couldn't help but wonder if she was playout out of her league.
His expression had slowly shifted into irritation and he turned away from the Orion, swiveling in his chair to Tarian.
"Your interphasic coordinates are internally consistent," he said, as if he were granting a courtesy rather than any approval. "That is not the issue."
Setting his red PADD down beside the console, he licked his lips.
"The problem is the relationship between universes, Commander."
A few of the readings on Sivek's screen changed as the computer came up with new calculations. Sivek corrected one of the equations with one hand while still facing Tarian.
"The calculation assumes that universes maintain stable adjacency. That they remain where they were upon first mapping. That is an assumption based on observation taken within a single temporal frame."
Sivek looked over to where the Captain was seated, noting the El-Aurian was listening to the exchange silently.
"We are no longer within a single continuum. Even your Ferengi crewman would agree that we must account for the divergence."
Thorrin had listened to all that was said. He walked over to where the two officers conversed. "Gentlemen, are all the temporal systems aboard this ship functioning within normal parameters? I appreciate your candor about our destination. We have the coordinates confirmed from Ms Malbrooke's own cells."
Tarian looked at the calculations really quick and listened to what Sivek said as he heard Thorrin say something about making everything right or something. He looked back at the captain and said, "Yes, sir. Right away." With that, he went back to his station and started working on adding in the stuff about the universes and making calculations updates to take everything in from Sivek.
Sivek remained silent, allowing Tarian's response to speak for him as well. Instead, the Vulcan hybrid refocused himself on the time ship's systems as they prepared for the next incursion.
"Thank you gentlemen. Lieutenant Aloria, set Black Alert throughout the ship." Thorrin said as he stepped back into the command pit. The lights on the Herodotus darkened and purple lights began to flash in certain parts. "Initiate temporal incursion. M’Ressa you may proceed through the event horizon when ready."
Tarian smiled as he heard the Captain ask him to set Black Alert. He looked back at his station, punched in a few commands and said, "Computer, this Lieutenant Commander Tarian Aloria. Chief Temporal Operations Officer. Go to Black Alert and prepare for temporal incursion."
The lights on the Bridge and elsewhere throughout the ship changed to that for Black Alert. Tarian went to work at making sure the coordinates were right and everything was good for the jump. He made sure that the new calculations were set for the universe adjacency and other issues that Sivek was talking about. Then, Tarian looked back at Captain Thorrin and M’Ressa and said, "We should be good to jump on your commands."
Maren had followed enough of the exchange to know that “internally consistent” was apparently not the same thing as “safe,” which felt like a very Starfleet sort of distinction.
She stood near the edge of the bridge, arms folded tight, watching the lights drop as Black Alert rolled through the ship. The purple flashes caught against the panels, the consoles, the clean lines of the bridge, turning everything strange for a moment.
Home.
That was what they were aiming for. Her universe. Her father. The Dominion. The exact mess she had been running from when reality had split open and swallowed her whole.
Her fingers tightened around the sleeve of her mother’s coat.
“Brilliant,” she muttered, mostly to herself. “So, we’re doing the horrifying part on purpose now.”
She glanced toward Addison, then back at the viewscreen, trying very hard not to look as scared as she felt.
“How exciting.”
Marisa sat quietly, paying close attention to the conversation around her. This was more complicated than any of the other time jumps she'd witnessed and she wanted to understand the intricacies as this was not a textbook trip. At the same time, she couldn't help being concerned that they were taking Maren back to a situation that would likely lead to her death. However, this was the young woman's choice, and they would honor it.
With a wide grin, M’Ressa brought up the temporal drive and began the transition. As she did, the sound of a strumming electric guitar could be heard through the bridge’s speakers, “engaging temporal drive. It’s just a Jump to the left……” She said as the ship transitioned into a space filled with bundles of strings flowing every which way imaginable. The irises of Her eyes expanded to fill her eyes as she tracked their path along the strings.
The ship lurched slightly not so hard that it would cause alarm, but just enough to be noticeable. The supplementary deflector released a beam of blue green energy which caused a portal to open. The Herodotus moved forward at impulse power into the event horizon and disappeared from what the DTI called the Prime Universe. The portal snapped shut and space in the Prime Universe marched ever forward.
The Herodotus was now in what Thorrin called the cords of time. A myriad of tubes that interlocked and swirled, they moved as if they were alive. Where some would have looked what was on the viewscreen with awe, Thorrin looked rather nonplussed, almost bored. "Lieutenant M'Ressa. What is the ETA to Ms Malbrooke's universe. Ship's time if you please." Thorrin watched the screen with his head cocked to the side. At the moment everything seemed to be going according to protocol. However, the conversation before the jump seemed rather ominous and weighed heavy on the Captain's mind.
Maren grabbed the nearest rail when the Herodotus shifted, more out of instinct than need.
For one breath, she forgot to look annoyed.
The viewscreen had become something impossible, all coiling lines and living motion, like space had been peeled back and someone had found nerves underneath. She stared at it despite herself, jaw tight, fingers white against the rail.
Then M’Ressa’s choice of music caught up with her.
“If this turns into a musical,” Maren said, voice a little thinner than she probably meant it to be, “I’m walking home.”
A Joint Post By
Captain Thorrin
Commanding Officer
USS Herodotus DTI-30656
Commander Marisa Sandoval
Executive Officer
USS Herodotus DTI-30656
Major Hastios Eilfaren
Chief Security & Tactical Officer
Second Officer
USS Herodotus DTI-30656
Lieutenant Junior Grade M'Ressa
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Herodotus DTI-30656
Lieutenant Sivek
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Herodotus DTI-30656
Lieutenant C'amila Juli
Chief Science Officer
USS Herodotus DTI-30656
Lieutenant Addison Talbert
Chief Medical Officer
USS Herodotus DTI-30656
Maren Malbrooke
Civillian, USS Pioneer
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