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--- trek:solstice:recap:36_act_3 [2020/02/28 19:59] – [Episode 36: The Hand of the Prophets - Act 3] scarlettsiren
+++ trek:solstice:recap:36_act_3 [2021/04/08 11:49] (current) – verbena76
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 ===== Stardate 49359.66, Thursday May 11th 2372, 1515 hours =====
 ==== Debriefing with Captain Shras’aan ====
-The //Solstice// docks in Starbase 212 without a hitch, and SCE teams descend – only to find no damage.  The senior officers – including [[trek:npcs:jen|Jen]] and [[trek:solstice:pcs:jessa|Jessa]] – disembark and head up to Operations. They enter the CO’s office and settle around the conference table; Jen pecks furiously at a padd, clearly trying to get something down before she forgets it. Captain [[trek:npcs:shrasaan|Shras’aan]] enters, sits down at the head of the table, looks directly at Mel, and utters, “To borrow an expression from Ensign Kras… what the fuck?” Jessa pipes up, “You forgot the ‘actual.’” Shras’aan grunts and replies, “Thank you, counselor. Commander [[trek:solstice:pcs:mel|Deline]], what the //actual// fuck?”
+The //Solstice// docks in Starbase 212 without a hitch, and SCE teams descend – only to find no damage.  The senior officers – including [[trek:characters:jen|Jen]] and [[trek:solstice:pcs:jessa|Jessa]] – disembark and head up to Operations. They enter the CO’s office and settle around the conference table; Jen pecks furiously at a padd, clearly trying to get something down before she forgets it. Captain [[trek:characters:shrasaan|Shras’aan]] enters, sits down at the head of the table, looks directly at Mel, and utters, “To borrow an expression from Ensign Kras… what the fuck?” Jessa pipes up, “You forgot the ‘actual.’” Shras’aan grunts and replies, “Thank you, counselor. Commander [[trek:solstice:pcs:mel|Deline]], what the //actual// fuck?”
-Mel outlines the Romulan plan and concedes, “There’s a [[trek:npcs:trell|senator]] who’s probably pretty pissed off at me in the brig right now.” Shras’aan retorts, “She’s actually in the hospital undergoing gene-resequencing therapy to stop her DNA from unspooling, but yes, she’s pretty pissed off at you.” Shras’aan also confirms that her security team has secured and disarmed four ultritium explosives. Mel explains the Romulan plan to sow chaos and destabilize the colony. Shras’aan listens and then asks bluntly, “And how exactly did you find out about this dastardly plot?”
+Mel outlines the Romulan plan and concedes, “There’s a [[trek:characters:trell|senator]] who’s probably pretty pissed off at me in the brig right now.” Shras’aan retorts, “She’s actually in the hospital undergoing gene-resequencing therapy to stop her DNA from unspooling, but yes, she’s pretty pissed off at you.” Shras’aan also confirms that her security team has secured and disarmed four ultritium explosives. Mel explains the Romulan plan to sow chaos and destabilize the colony. Shras’aan listens and then asks bluntly, “And how exactly did you find out about this dastardly plot?”
 Mel hedges, “We got a hot tip.” Shras’aan curls her antennae and asks, “And did this hot tip also provide a speed boost and a cloaking device?” Mel admits, “Yes. That was Captain Kras. Jen’s future-self traveled back. Again.” Shras’aan growls, “And the second //Solstice//?” Mel shrugs and states, “That we’re still unclear on. However, they had an excellent placement of weapons. That’s going on my vision board. Side note, I need to start a vision board.” Shras’aan rubs her forehead between her antennae and utters, “Is there anything else to add to my headache?”
-Mel admits, “Yes,” and tells the captain about Captain Kras’s warning regarding the Tokari. [[trek:npcs:saval|Saval]] supplies additional details and [[trek:solstice:pcs:fal|Fal]] openly wonders if this connects to Federation Secundus. [[trek:npcs:shantaar|Shan'taar]] quickly explains Federation Secundus to [[trek:solstice:pcs:ssleestak]] and [[trek:solstice:pcs:ktral]], as both officers are still catching up on local events. Jen finishes her work on the padd and gently pokes Ssleestak. When the Gorn looks down, she passes him the padd. Curious, he takes it and skims it – and then rereads it carefully as it displays an ingenious redesign of the plasma injectors to allow for greater efficiency! He realizes this redesign will allow for greater times at maximum warp and a decrease in their power emissions, cutting the distance to detect the Solstice from five light years down to three!
+Mel admits, “Yes,” and tells the captain about Captain Kras’s warning regarding the Tokari. [[trek:characters:saval|Saval]] supplies additional details and [[trek:solstice:pcs:fal|Fal]] openly wonders if this connects to Federation Secundus. [[trek:characters:shantaar|Shan'taar]] quickly explains Federation Secundus to [[trek:solstice:pcs:ssleestak]] and [[trek:solstice:pcs:ktral]], as both officers are still catching up on local events. Jen finishes her work on the padd and gently pokes Ssleestak. When the Gorn looks down, she passes him the padd. Curious, he takes it and skims it – and then rereads it carefully as it displays an ingenious redesign of the plasma injectors to allow for greater efficiency! He realizes this redesign will allow for greater times at maximum warp and a decrease in their power emissions, cutting the distance to detect the //Solstice// from five light years down to three!
 Ssleestak hisses with glee as he estimates this upgrade will take seventy-two hours, and he picks out several aspects of Cardassian technology in the redesign. He hands the padd to Fal, who examines it quickly, comes to the same conclusions Ssleestak did, and utters, “This is definitely Cardassian tech. Brutal but elegant. It makes me feel dirty just saying that.” Shras’aan demands, “You cannot install future technology on the //Solstice//!” Ssleestak replies primly, “This is all current technology.” Shras’aan turns to Jen, who shrugs and replies, “So, the funny thing about the Temporal Prime Directive…” and then she turns to K’tral.
@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 Shras’aan slumps as she realizes she was the liaison with DTI in that future, so Ssleestak asks, “Can I start requisitioning for this upgrade?” The Andorian starts rubbing the spot between her antennae and Fal chirps, “That’s not a no, so that’s permission!” Jessa retorts, “Dubious consent there, Fal,” and Mel agrees. Jen mumbles, “You know what? I don’t think I want to know.” She then stands up and says flatly, “There’s something else I need to tell you, but it sounds absolutely crazy, and the person who handed me proof gave it to my future body.” She then absently reaches into her uniform pocket and freezes for a split second. She then pulls out two cylindrical objects and snarls, “God //damn// it.”
-Jen closes her eyes in clear frustration before asking coldly, “Would it be possible to get Commander [[trek:npcs:vaughn|Elias Vaughn]] and Chief [[trek:npcs:montrose|Montrose]] in here too?” Shras’aan taps her combadge and says, “Commander Elias Vaughn, Chief Rebecca Montrose, please report to Ops conference room immediately.” Jen nods in thanks, and then slides one of the objects to Mel – a pearly white cylinder with a soft tip that glows a light blue. Mel picks up the object as Ssleestak texts [[trek:npcs:sola|Sola]] the upgrades and asks if she’s willing to do this. Sola texts back, //“Where did you get this?”// but assents.
+Jen closes her eyes in clear frustration before asking coldly, “Would it be possible to get Commander [[trek:characters:vaughn]] and Chief [[trek:characters:montrose|Montrose]] in here too?” Shras’aan taps her combadge and says, “Commander Elias Vaughn, Chief Rebecca Montrose, please report to Ops conference room immediately.” Jen nods in thanks, and then slides one of the objects to Mel – a pearly white cylinder with a soft tip that glows a light blue. Mel picks up the object as Ssleestak texts [[trek:characters:sola|Sola]] the upgrades and asks if she’s willing to do this. Sola texts back, //“Where did you get this?”// but assents.
 Mel asks Jen, “Uh, what is this?” Jen growls, “It’s a 29th century data rod and it contains a message to you from Federation President Jonathan Archer.” The room goes deathly silent for a moment, long enough for Vaughn and Chief Montrose to arrive. Jen slides the second object over to Vaughn, who snatches it up so fast the others only catch a split-second glimpse of a blue-gray steel cylindrical object a little bigger than the data rod.((An Aegis servo)) The object vanishes in Vaughn’s uniform, and Ssleestak takes advantage of the distraction and surreptitiously orders his team to start work on the upgrade.
-Jen remains standing and says flatly, “The second most unsettling thing that I experienced in that future was when I went to sickbay – and stepped through the door and onto a totally different ship. I spent two hours with a woman named [[trek:npcs:meridian|Meridian]], who was very excited to share with me that she also grew up in Northampton, Massachusetts. However, she was Dai’Loq, and I was in the 29th century on the Federation timeship //Solstice//, so… yeah. And here I thought initially that Fal’s beard was the weirdest thing, but it dripped to number four pretty quickly.”
+Jen remains standing and says flatly, “The second most unsettling thing that I experienced in that future was when I went to sickbay – and stepped through the door and onto a totally different ship. I spent two hours with a woman named [[trek:characters:meridian|Meridian]], who was very excited to share with me that she also grew up in Northampton, Massachusetts. However, she was Dai’Loq, and I was in the 29th century on the Federation timeship //Solstice//, so… yeah. And here I thought initially that Fal’s beard was the weirdest thing, but it dripped to number four pretty quickly.”
 Jessa notes that Jen is physically and mentally exhausted, and is clearly struggling to retain any form of stability she can after her temporal journey. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Armina doing the same thing – and coming to the same conclusions. Jen continues, “Meridian spoke with me for a while about the Temporal Cold War, a conflict between multiple species with time travel technology, all trying to manipulate history to their own ends. This conflict ranges from the 22nd to the 31st centuries, and has multiple factions all throughout time, most unaware of the others. The Federation is one of these factions, and works to preserve the timeline.”
@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 Jen continues, “The Krenim Imperium seems to be the Federations’ greatest rival in this war. They’re a civilization in the Delta Quadrant, about sixty-five thousand light years from Earth, and they have the temporal technology to erase entire worlds from history to alter the timeline for their supremacy.” Mel hisses, “You mean genocide,” and Jen nods wearily. She adds, “Some of the other major factions include the Tholians, the Sphere Builders, the Aegis, the Vorgons, and the Na’kuhl. The Romulans like to think they’re a major player, but apparently they’re really not.” Mel snorts in amusement at Romulan hubris.
-Jen explains, “There are minor factions and pawns in this war, including the Xindi and the Suliban, but I have no idea who most of these people are. Captain Archer’s //Enterprise// was sucked into the Temporal Cold War almost immediately after they launched in 2151, and we’re already involved too. The Tholian ships that attacked us back in December, when the captain and the chief go sucked into that alternate Borg future, was an attempt to destroy us. According to Meridian, the //Solstice// is a target because what we will do inspires the creation of the Timefleet. Multiple factions target Earth in h hopes of preventing the birth of the Federation and it’s the same for our ship.”
+Jen explains, “There are minor factions and pawns in this war, including the Xindi and the Suliban, but I have no idea who most of these people are. Captain Archer’s //Enterprise// was sucked into the Temporal Cold War almost immediately after they launched in 2151, and we’re already involved too. The Tholian ships that attacked us back in December, when the captain and the chief go sucked into that alternate Borg future, was an attempt to destroy us. According to Meridian, the //Solstice// is a target because what we will do inspires the creation of the Timefleet. Multiple factions target Earth in the hopes of preventing the birth of the Federation and it’s the same for our ship.”
 Jen sits down, clearly spent, while Vaughn and Montrose quietly compare notes and get visibly excited. Jen rubs her temples and adds, “Oh, yeah. One more thing.” She grabs a second padd and calls something up on it before handing it to Jessa. Jessa looks down to see one of the most infamous pictures in human history – the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Jen taps a corner of the picture, and Jessa obligingly zooms in – and stops and stares when she recognizes herself in the picture! The Jessa in the photo is missing her spots and looks older, but it’s clearly her. Jen says hollowly, “Meridian told me here to find you in that picture as proof of what she was telling me.” Jessa transfers the picture to the main viewscreen and the other Starfleet officers see her in the image.
-Elias Vaughn clears his throat and says, “Thank you, ensign. This is incredibly helpful.” He leans aback and adds, “For context, the Sphere-Builders come from the 26th century and are from a transdimensional plane of existence. They attempted to colonize our galaxy by creating the Delphic Expanse, and they manipulated the Xindi into attacking Earth in March 2153. The Suliban are a dispossessed species in the Beta Quadrant; some of their numbers were genetically enhanced in the mid-22nd century and became the Cabal, following orders from someone in the 28th century. Captain [[trek:npcs:picard|Picard]] encountered the Vorgons on Risa in 2366; he destroyed a weapon from the future called the Tox Uthat.”
+Elias Vaughn clears his throat and says, “Thank you, ensign. This is incredibly helpful.” He leans aback and adds, “For context, the Sphere-Builders come from the 26th century and are from a transdimensional plane of existence. They attempted to colonize our galaxy by creating the Delphic Expanse, and they manipulated the Xindi into attacking Earth in March 2153. The Suliban are a dispossessed species in the Beta Quadrant; some of their numbers were genetically enhanced in the mid-22nd century and became the Cabal, following orders from someone in the 28th century. Captain [[trek:characters:picard|Picard]] encountered the Vorgons on Risa in 2366; he destroyed a weapon from the future called the Tox Uthat.”
 Vaughn continues, “I’ve never heard of the Krenim, and only heard the name Na’kuhl. However, the Aegis is an alien species far from Earth that abducts and genetically manipulates people. These people – or their descendants – return to their homeworlds and work to prevent their species’ extinction. The most famous Aegis agent was Gary Seven, who met Captain James T Kirk over a hundred years ago. Supposedly, he had a talking cat named Isis.” Fal asks if the ‘Seven’ moniker indicates a connection to the Borg; Vaughn shakes his head and replies, “Not that we know of. The Aegis seems relatively benevolent, and like the Federation they appear to want to prevent temporal meddling.” He adds, “Ensign Kras gave me a piece of Aegis technology called a servo.”
@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 There are several moments of silence as the Starfleet officers struggle with the implications of all this information, until Ssleestak leans forward and asks Jen, “So… what was the most unsettling thing then?” Mel admits she also wants to know. Jen grimaces and replies, “That came after my return to 2387. I was only gone for a split-second by their reckoning, and I tried to go into sickbay again. This time, I discovered that by 2387, sickbay had expanded to consume the operations bay above it on deck three, and that portion was set aside for land dwellers. Deck four was aimed at water-dwellers, and I walked into a wall of water.”
-She continues, “So, side note. Arcadians and Mabrae can cross-breed.” [[trek:npcs:swims|Swims]] starts in shock as Jen turns to K’tral and Ssleestak and explains, “The Mabrae are an aquatic species occupied by the Dai’Loq. They look like chubby seals, basically.” Ssleestak nods and Jen continues, “So, Mabrae/Arcadian babies are ridiculously cute; they look like blubbery seals with Arcadian faces. Sadly, the adolescents aren’t so fortunate; they basically fell out of the puberty tree and hit every branch on the way down.” Ssleestak and several of the non-humans in the room don’t get the idiom, so Jen adds, “I can’t speak for the other bipeds in the room, but for humans, puberty is a struggle of waiting for your torso to catch up to your growing limbs.”
+She continues, “So, side note. Arcadians and Mabrae can cross-breed.” [[trek:characters:swims|Swims]] starts in shock as Jen turns to K’tral and Ssleestak and explains, “The Mabrae are an aquatic species occupied by the Dai’Loq. They look like chubby seals, basically.” Ssleestak nods and Jen continues, “So, Mabrae/Arcadian babies are ridiculously cute; they look like blubbery seals with Arcadian faces. Sadly, the adolescents aren’t so fortunate; they basically fell out of the puberty tree and hit every branch on the way down.” Ssleestak and several of the non-humans in the room don’t get the idiom, so Jen adds, “I can’t speak for the other bipeds in the room, but for humans, puberty is a struggle of waiting for your torso to catch up to your growing limbs.”
 Jessa nods in agreement, and the Andorians and Vulcan indicate that their experiences are similar. Jen adds, “So with the hybrids, it’s reversed. Their torsos grow before their limbs.” Mel winces at the image. Jen adds, “So I slam into this wall of water I wasn’t expecting and start swimming upwards when this pod of ridiculously cute… hatchlings? This pod of hatchlings comes swimming up to me, because to them, I’m the captain. They swim around me – and then smile at me, showing sharp teeth. Although they have Arcadian-looking faces, they can form expressions with them. And no matter how much you may think you’re prepared to see that, I assure you, //you are not//.”
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 Swims shudders in abject horror at the idea while the bipeds in the room struggle to envision this. Mel jokes, “You do have a thing with kids.” Jen makes a face and grumbles, “Please know I’m mentally flipping you off right now.” She adds grimly, “Also, in this future – and probably happening now, to be honest – the Dai’Loq are trying to exterminate the Mabrae by adding chemicals to the water to disrupt their natural life cycle. Mabrae population is falling at critical levels, and Swims will find a way to halt this, hence the crossbreeding.”
-That tidbit silences the room again, and Mel says firmly, “No more future stories.” Shras’aan utters a deep sigh and asks Ssleestak, “How long for the upgrade?” Ssleestak replies, “Seventy-two hours. I’ve already started.” Shras’aan grunts and orders Mel, “As soon as these upgrades are installed, your orders are to resume your original mission: investigate that set of coordinates.” Mel nods, but she and Fal note that Jen is holding something back. [[trek:npcs:armina|Armina]] and Jessa also note Jen’s reticence, and wonder if she saw something in the future she can’t – or won’t – speak about.
+That tidbit silences the room again, and Mel says firmly, “No more future stories.” Shras’aan utters a deep sigh and asks Ssleestak, “How long for the upgrade?” Ssleestak replies, “Seventy-two hours. I’ve already started.” Shras’aan grunts and orders Mel, “As soon as these upgrades are installed, your orders are to resume your original mission: investigate that set of coordinates.” Mel nods, but she and Fal note that Jen is holding something back. [[trek:characters:armina|Armina]] and Jessa also note Jen’s reticence, and wonder if she saw something in the future she can’t – or won’t – speak about.
-Shras’aan dismisses the crew, and Ssleestak lumbers down to the Concourse for lunch. He makes a beeline for [[trek:npcs:kelrok|Kelrok]]’s butcher stand, and the Klingon rumbles, “Do you like //rokeg// blood pie?” Ssleestak nods enthusiastically, so Kelrok offers him a ‘//rokeg// surprise.’ Ssleestak happily accepts and finds the meal is thick cuts of meat held in place by thin lattice of bones, with the center filled with warm, spicy blood. Ssleestak devours the meal and then orders several more to share with his engineering crew as a treat.
+Shras’aan dismisses the crew, and Ssleestak lumbers down to the Concourse for lunch. He makes a beeline for [[trek:characters:kelrok|Kelrok]]’s butcher stand, and the Klingon rumbles, “Do you like //rokeg// blood pie?” Ssleestak nods enthusiastically, so Kelrok offers him a ‘//rokeg// surprise.’ Ssleestak happily accepts and finds the meal is thick cuts of meat held in place by thin lattice of bones, with the center filled with warm, spicy blood. Ssleestak devours the meal and then orders several more to share with his engineering crew as a treat.
-Fal offers to get dinner in Two-Forward with Jen, as he wants a sandwich. Jen accepts and Jessa tags along, as she’s hungry too. The other officers return to the //Solstice//.
+Fal offers to get dinner in //Two-Forward// with Jen, as he wants a sandwich. Jen accepts and Jessa tags along, as she’s hungry too. The other officers return to the //Solstice//.
 ==== Message from Jonathan Archer ====
-Mel returns to the //Solstice// heads to her ready room. She sits down at her desk and pulls out the 29th century data rod. She sits back and presses her finger on the blue tip. There is a soft tone, and then Mel is sitting in the President’s office on Paris! She can see the late 22nd century architecture of the City of Lights, and she can even smell the food wafting from below. President [[trek:npcs:Archer|Jonathan Archer]] sits immobile behind his desk for a second, his hair now completely gray but he still cuts a handsome figure.
+Mel returns to the //Solstice// heads to her ready room. She sits down at her desk and pulls out the 29th century data rod. She sits back and presses her finger on the blue tip. There is a soft tone, and then Mel is sitting in the President’s office on Paris! She can see the late 22nd century architecture of the City of Lights, and she can even smell the food wafting from below. President [[trek:characters:archer|Jonathan Archer]] sits immobile behind his desk for a second, his hair now completely gray but he still cuts a handsome figure.
 Archer looks up suddenly and says, “Captain Melva Deline. This... this is weird. You’re listening to a man long dead by your history, and by my reckoning, you won’t be born for around one hundred and fifty years, if what Meridian says is true. I can’t imagine what you’ve seen or the world you inhabit.” The hologram pauses, as if gathering its thoughts, and then it says quietly, “We got sucked into the Temporal Cold War on day one when we launched forty years ago. We thought we’d helped end it, but Meridian says Agent Daniels’ claim was... premature. There’s a time joke in there somewhere.” The Archer-hologram goes silent again, and then looks directly at Mel and says softly but earnestly, “No matter how much someone may tell you how important this thing or that is to history, always remember, your first and only duty is keeping your crew safe.”
@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 ==== Two Forward ====
-Meanwhile, Jessa, Fal, and Jen have already arrived and claimed a table in a corner. [[trek:npcs:Paj|Paj]] comes by for their order; Fal wants a Terran BLT and a ginger ale, Jen asks for a roast beef melt, and Jessa wants her usual mashed potatoes. Paj heads off to fulfill their order and Jessa eyes Jen and asks how she is doing.
+Meanwhile, Jessa, Fal, and Jen have already arrived and claimed a table in a corner. [[trek:characters:paj|Paj]] comes by for their order; Fal wants a Terran BLT and a ginger ale, Jen asks for a roast beef melt, and Jessa wants her usual mashed potatoes. Paj heads off to fulfill their order and Jessa eyes Jen and asks how she is doing.
 Jen shrugs and rasps, “The hardest thing about being in the 24th century is accepting the fact that everyone I knew back home is long, long dead. Being in the 29th century felt like that all over again: you were all long dead, and I had to process that… again.” She talks a bit about her death and resurrection as well, and then the food arrives. As they eat, Jessa observes, “I can see how hard it is when your culture and everyone you love is gone.” Jen retorts, “Oh, no. My culture isn’t gone. No, it’s worse. Tidbits of it have survived to the 24th century. There’s a goddamn dinosaur in a Hawaiian shirt in main engineering listening to //Rush// albums I remember buying brand new. And why the hell do you have //Hello Kitty// pajamas?”
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 Jessa asks Mel pointedly, “Was the rod helpful?” Mel admits it was a pep talk, but Jen frowns and replies, “Meridian said there was a lot of information on the rod you’ll need.” Mel shrugs and wonders what she was doing in 2387; Jen replies, “You were an admiral, and you commanded this station.” Mel nods, as this tracks with other hints from uptime she’s encountered. There is a faint hum as Sola covertly materializes behind her and asks quietly, “Let me see that, please.” Jessa cracks a joke about touching the captain’s rod.((This was not the first joke about that.)) Mel fishes out the data rod and hands it to Sola. The AI eyes it and whispers, “This thing has ten the times the storage capacity I do, and it’s full. There’s a lot of information on this thing.”
-Sola returns the rod and vanishes. Mel wonders if the information will reveal itself as needed. Jessa makes another joke, leading Jen to call her creepy. Jessa pouts, but Fal advises her, “Funny and creepy are not mutually exclusive.”  Paj returns with a dish of Swiss chard cannelloni with fresh bread, and Mel digs in. Fal asks Jen, “Do you want me to try and organize something with the [[trek:npcs:kasta|vedek]] so my people will leave you in peace if you’re planet-side?”
+Sola returns the rod and vanishes. Mel wonders if the information will reveal itself as needed. Jessa makes another joke, leading Jen to call her creepy. Jessa pouts, but Fal advises her, “Funny and creepy are not mutually exclusive.”  Paj returns with a dish of Swiss chard cannelloni with fresh bread, and Mel digs in. Fal asks Jen, “Do you want me to try and organize something with the [[trek:characters:kasta|vedek]] so my people will leave you in peace if you’re planet-side?”
-Jen considers the offer as she eats and then says, “Darsic Kor.” Fal nods and Jen adds, “I feel the vedek is stonewalling me.” Fal concedes, “That is her MO. But in fairness, she may be processing all that’s happened.” Jen grimaces and mutters, “I hate your gods.” Fal nods but Jen continues, “Another thing in 2387. Apparently, I have a list of all the times I wanted to glass Bajor from orbit.” Fal looks stricken but Mel points out, “That won’t work.” Jen retorts, “Oh, I know. It just tells me I’m going to have to deal with them a lot.” Mel concedes the point.
+Jen considers the offer as she eats and then says, “[[trek:characters:darsic|Darsic Kor]].” Fal nods and Jen adds, “I feel the vedek is stonewalling me.” Fal concedes, “That is her MO. But in fairness, she may be processing all that’s happened.” Jen grimaces and mutters, “I hate your gods.” Fal nods but Jen continues, “Another thing in 2387. Apparently, I have a list of all the times I wanted to glass Bajor from orbit.” Fal looks stricken but Mel points out, “That won’t work.” Jen retorts, “Oh, I know. It just tells me I’m going to have to deal with Them a lot.” Mel concedes the point.
 Jen goes still all of a sudden, and then hisses a profanity. They all eye her and she says slowly, “A few things Meridian hinted at that I didn’t piece together until now. I think… I think I’m supposed to convince Them to help us in the Temporal Cold War at some point in the future. The Prophets are a faction in the war in the 29th century, but one usually allied with the Federation.” Mel replies incredulously, “They brought you here so you could convince Them to help us? That makes no sense.” Jen retorts, “I’m Catholic. This makes perfect sense.”
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 Mel jokes about Jen’s inability to deal with “Space Pope” and Jen grumbles, “The pope should not have tits.” Mel asks why, and Jen shrugs and replies, “Hundreds of years of institutional misogyny?” Mel frowns but doesn’t argue, but Fal points out how the Dai’Loq would react to a ‘pontiff with a penis’ if a male became Theárch. Mel counters, “Their males are all frothing mad.” Jessa makes a joke and Jen tells Mel, “Don’t ever say that again.” Mel insists she is a capable speaker and Jen retorts, “You once told the science department, ‘Go make science, bitches!’” Mel replies airily, “I wasn’t the accomplished diplomat back then that I am now.” Everyone stares at her and then Jen turns to Jessa and says evenly, “You going to touch that one?” Jessa replies, “Nope.” Fal offers to assemble a joint science/engineering team to examine the data rod, but Mel refuses.
-Fal takes his leave and departs, leaving Mel, Jessa, and Jen alone. Jen looks around and leans in. She says quietly, “One other thing I saw in 2387? Dai’Loq/Bajoran hybrid babies are damned cute.” Mel concedes, “The [[trek:npcs:karzanna|chirurgeon]] made it clear what she was after form the beginning.” Jessa gripes, “When did our ship become the //U.S.S. Romper Room//?” Jen retorts, “When you came on board?” Mel snickers as Jessa concedes, “Fair enough.”
+Fal takes his leave and departs, leaving Mel, Jessa, and Jen alone. Jen looks around and leans in. She says quietly, “One other thing I saw in 2387? Dai’Loq/Bajoran hybrid babies are damned cute.” Mel concedes, “The [[trek:characters:karzanna|chirurgeon]] made it clear what she was after form the beginning.” Jessa gripes, “When did our ship become the //U.S.S. Romper Room//?” Jen retorts, “When you came on board?” Mel snickers as Jessa concedes, “Fair enough.”
-Mel wonders if Fal’s beard is a ‘father beard’ while Jessa opines it’s a virility-hedge. Jen makes a face but confirms the former. She wonders if she can use that knowledge to distract the vedek; Mel counsels against that and Jen replies, “you taught me to use whatever weapons were at hand.” Mel frowns but can’t counter her own logic. She eyes Jen and mutters, “You haven’t put in phaser practice lately.” Jen retorts, “I did, last month, and I was unconscious for half that time.” Mel chirps, “See? That’s too long!”
+Mel wonders if Fal’s beard is a ‘father beard’ while Jessa opines it’s a virility-hedge. Jen makes a face but confirms the former. She wonders if she can use that knowledge to distract the vedek; Mel counsels against that and Jen replies, “You taught me to use whatever weapons were at hand.” Mel frowns but can’t counter her own logic. She eyes Jen and mutters, “You haven’t put in phaser practice lately.” Jen retorts, “I did, last month, and I was unconscious for half that time.” Mel chirps, “See? That’s too long!”
-Jen sighs but decides shooting things might help. Jessa tags along and they find Crewperson [[trek:npcs:chilp|Chilp]] conducting a count of the arsenal in the security complex on deck three. Jessa jokes, “Your finest weapons, please,” but Chilp misses the sarcasm and hands her a box of lovingly maintained phasers. Mel tells Jen to program the computer with targets of people she needs to work out aggression on, and Jessa mumbles, “I have some Academy instructors I’d love to shoot.” Mel frowns but Chilp leans in and whispers, “Did you have Professor T’sul?” Jessa nods and shudders, so Chilp says, “Select option G.”
+Jen sighs but decides shooting things might help. Jessa tags along and they find Crewperson [[trek:characters:chilp|Chilp]] conducting a count of the arsenal in the security complex on deck three. Jessa jokes, “Your finest weapons, please,” but Chilp misses the sarcasm and hands her a box of lovingly maintained phasers. Mel tells Jen to program the computer with targets of people she needs to work out aggression on, and Jessa mumbles, “I have some Academy instructors I’d love to shoot.” Mel frowns but Chilp leans in and whispers, “Did you have Professor T’sul?” Jessa nods and shudders, so Chilp says, “Select option G.”
 ==== End of the day ====
-Down in engineering, most of Ssleestak’s crew announces they are vegetarians – starting now. However, Lieutenant [[trek:npcs:macdougal|Jericho MacDougal]] admits he likes blood pudding and bravely tries some of the //rokeg// blood surprise. He makes a face and tells Ssleestak, “Sorry to use a jingoistic term, but most humanoid mammals can’t chew or digest bone.” Ssleestak files that away and they talk cuisine, specifically Ferengi and Klingon. Ssleestak says happily, “Food should be live and wriggly. Especially //gagh//.” He then outlines the upgrade and gets to work. His crew pitches in immediately, and their intimate knowledge of their ship will be a godsend in the day to come.
+Down in engineering, most of Ssleestak’s crew announces they are vegetarians – starting now. However, Lieutenant [[trek:characters:macdougal|Jericho MacDougal]] admits he likes blood pudding and bravely tries some of the //rokeg// blood surprise. He makes a face and tells Ssleestak, “Sorry to use a jingoistic term, but most humanoid mammals can’t chew or digest bone.” Ssleestak files that away and they talk cuisine, specifically Ferengi and Klingon. Ssleestak says happily, “Food should be live and wriggly. Especially //gagh//.” He then outlines the upgrade and gets to work. His crew pitches in immediately, and their intimate knowledge of their ship will be a godsend in the day to come.
-Later, Mel tries the data rod again, but it only plays the same message. The following day, with the //Solstice// undergoing the upgrade, Jessa camps out in her shared office and waits. To her surprise, Senior Chief [[trek:npcs:roya|Roya]], Chief [[trek:npcs:trin|T'rin]], and Crewperson Chilp all show up at different times without prompting and she learns Shan’taar ordered his team to seek counseling today. She makes a note to thank him as she listens, and the three security personnel have the same issue: Captain Kras relied on future-Shan’taar’s calculations without question, so how do they treat her? She counsels then to treat her as a human.
+Later, Mel tries the data rod again, but it only plays the same message. The following day, with the //Solstice// undergoing the upgrade, Jessa camps out in her shared office and waits. To her surprise, Senior Chief [[trek:characters:roya|Roya]], Chief [[trek:characters:trin|T'rin]], and Crewperson Chilp all show up at different times without prompting and she learns Shan’taar ordered his team to seek counseling today. She makes a note to thank him as she listens, and the three security personnel have the same issue: Captain Kras relied on future-Shan’taar’s calculations without question, so how do they treat her? She counsels then to treat her as a human.
-Senior Chief [[trek:npcs:darzana|Darzana]] and Crewperson [[trek:npcs:chabat|Chabat]] also drop by briefly, but their schedules are consumed by Ssleestak’s upgrades, which echo throughout the ship. Both are ‘checking in’ but she can tell both women seem rattled by what happened yesterday. Rebecca Montrose also drops by and talks freely on the couch instead of going to the //Thunderbird//; she admits having something concrete – even as vast and daunting as the Temporal Cold War – has been helpful. She also admits she feels vindicated now, as Captain Kras came back in time to save lives again. Finally, Chief [[trek:npcs:edgly|Edgly]] walks in. They settle in and he starts to talk about how, intellectually, he knows he did everything he could but he can’t get the sight of three hundred patterns losing cohesion in space out of his mind. Jessa listens, knowing he will spin out of his guilt by talking.
+Senior Chief [[trek:characters:darzana|Darzana]] and Crewperson [[trek:characters:chabat|Chabat]] also drop by briefly, but their schedules are consumed by Ssleestak’s upgrades, which echo throughout the ship. Both are ‘checking in’ but she can tell both women seem rattled by what happened yesterday. Rebecca Montrose also drops by and talks freely on the couch instead of going to the //Thunderbird//; she admits having something concrete – even as vast and daunting as the Temporal Cold War – has been helpful. She also admits she feels vindicated now, as Captain Kras came back in time to save lives again. Finally, Chief [[trek:characters:edgly|Edgly]] walks in. They settle in and he starts to talk about how, intellectually, he knows he did everything he could but he can’t get the sight of three hundred patterns losing cohesion in space out of his mind. Jessa listens, knowing he will spin out of his guilt by talking.
 Fal spends the day managing his department and encouraging his team to seek counseling as needed. He laments, “We’re not allowed to touch the captain’s rod,” although it’s clear many scientists want to do exactly that. He heads to engineering at one point to check on the upgrade; Ssleestak greets him and proposes a ‘divide and conquer’ strategy, he works on the plasma upgrade while Fal gets the data rod. Fal admits he already tried, but promises to keep at it – and if he succeeds, he will provide Ssleestak with a detailed account.
+<WRAP hide>
+=====Summary=====
+The senior officers meet with Captain Shras’aan for the briefing. Jen reveals she was in 2387 and passes a redesign of the plasma injectors to Ssleestak, claiming she is operating under Admiral Shras’aan’s direct orders – and she butchers Andorii to prove it. She reveals her trip to the 29th century and meeting Meridian and lays out much of the basics of the Temporal Cold War – including Jessa’s presence at the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy. Mel views a message from UFP President Jonathan Archer, recorded circa 2190, on a 29th century data rod. Jen, Jessa, and Fal get dinner and talk, and Mel joins them. Ssleestak begins the upgrade. Jen, Jessa, and Mel go to the shooting range. The following day Fal manages his department while Jessa sees her patients after yesterday’s events. Ssleestak continues with the upgrades.
+===== =====
+</WRAP>
+----
 <WRAP group>
@@ Line 111: / Line 119: @@
 </WRAP>
 <WRAP half column rightalign>
+[[{}trek:solstice:recap:36_epilogue|Epilogue]]
 </WRAP>
 </WRAP>
+{{tag>star_trek solstice recap}}

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