Debriefing Alternate Reality (Part II of II)
Posted on Thu Mar 28, 2019 @ 10:22pm by Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin & Commander Caleb Ryan & Lieutenant Annora Tessaro & Civilian Jason Haines
1,464 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Doors of Perception
Location: Guest quarters
Timeline: MD06 11:15 am
Previously on Debriefing Alternate Reality
"In our universe, Vulcans are highly intelligent and ruled by logic," Jason said. "What about in your universe?"
Shavias laughed uproariously. “Logic?” he asked. “No one ever accused a Vulcan of being logical! They are all passion! Rage and anger and lust! They put Klingons to shame. At least Klingons have honor!”
"What about the Romulans?" Jason asked. "How have they reacted over the years?"
Sh'vet's antennae twitched in confusion. "The who?"
And now the conclusion...
“What is a Romulan?” Shavias asked.
"Well, in our universe, way back when Humans were just learning to draw on cave walls, Vulcans were quite a bit more advanced, but equally as barbaric," Jason replied. "They brought themselves to the brink of extinction until a Vulcan named Surak, who espoused a message of logic, intellectualism, and suppression of emotions. The message caught on and soon the Vulcans used this to be able to focus on intellectual pursuits and made it to the stars. There were a group of them, however, that weren't so keen on the whole logic and suppression of emotions. Eventually they officially broke away and took off into the universe. They finally settled on a planet they called Romulus. Over the course of time, even though they have similar characteristics, they developed a distinct look. They are still as cunning and ruthless as their ancestors were."
"If the Vulcans in their reality never embraced logic, than it's likely there was never reason for a splinter group to colonize another planet. The Vulcans remained violent and essentially became what the Romulan Empire likely still has aspirations to become."
While the rejection of logic by the Vulcans had a major impact, Annora was surprised by how similar other aspects of the reality were. The Bajorans were still under the thumb of the Cardassians and the Ferengi continued to sell arms to anyone who paid. From what she had heard, the visitors easily had a strong case for asylum.
"Tell me, how did you find the portals which brought over into our universe?"
“We ran into it,” Shavias said. “The Vulcans found our hidden base in the cave system. They sent a kill squad in to ferret us out. We were cornered in a dead end at the bottom of the system, someplace we had never explored, as it was too dangerous going that deep. That was when our sensor pads picked up the spatial-temporal distortion. With Vulcan cries of killing our compatriots echoing in the tunnels, I decided it would be better to take our chances with whatever was through the portal than with the rape, mutilation, and torture that we would face when the Vulcans got their hands on us.”
Although he didn't let his thought show, Jason was having a little bit of a hard time reconciling his knowledge of Vulcans in this universe with those that Shavias was describing. The strength of Vulcan's rivaled Klingons, and Jason could only wonder how that, fueled with the level of barbarism these people were indicating their Vulcans had, would be like.
That answered some of the questions Annora had about their arrival on Pangea. Faced with the known horrors of their versions of Vulcans and the unknown of a different reality, they chose the latter. Not that she blamed them. It wasn't unheard of for soldiers to prefer death over being captured by the enemy.
Pulling up a star chart, she attempted to get an idea of where they came from.
"Thankfully you came out into a reality where things are better than where you left. We've had expeditions thrown into the past into the middle of a war. Do any of these planets line up with where the Vulcans discovered you?"
Shavias studied the chart and pointed. “Risa,” he said. “We were on Risa. There is a large penal slave colony there. We were trying to get some of our people out.”
"Can you show me on the planetary map where the penal colony is?" Jason asked. He had concerns about the whole portal system and the stability of the portal end-points. Were they random or were they stable? The logical conclusion would be that there could be some of both. Then there was the question, did they span across all universes and times or just select ones. The thought of these alternate Vulcans having access to a stable portal like this was not very comforting to Jason. These Vulcans made those in the mirror universe sound like choir singers.
So, the only way to figure this all out was to start to create a map.
Sh'vet put her finger on Temtibi Lagoon. In this universe it was a tropical beauty spot, with great diving, surrounded by mountains draped in verdant jungle that teemed with exotically coloured birds. "There. If you got out of line they'd tie you to posts in the lagoon. If you were lucky, you drowned, or the sea creatures would eat you."
While Jason asked the exact location, Annora composed a quick message to be sent to Risian security. If the Vulcans did show up there, local authorities needed to be alerted.
"Certainly not. The Tropic Resort it is here. Now that you've crossed over into our universe, what are your plans?"
“The actual portal is there, though.” Shavias pointed to the nearby mountains that hemmed in the tropical paradise. “Maybe five klicks from the camp in the cave system. The Vulcans weren’t aware the system runs under the prison. A lot of it is underwater. It’s pretty foolish and dangerous. But we needed to get our people out.”
The one-eyed Andorian took a breath. “As for plans, we’re still getting our bearings. Someone from Andoria here is supposed to be coming to meet with us, I was told?” He seemed unsure. “But we should try and get back. We have people back there. We would be grateful for any assistance. If you could give us weapons, medical supplies, anything we could use to tip the balance.”
It wasn't a surprise they wanted to return. If her own journey had occurred even as little as two years prior, Annora would have been chomping at the bit to go back to her original time.
"If Andoria is sending a representative, I'm sure they're on their way. I'll check on it when we're done and keep you informed. As for assistance, I'm afraid that's not my decision to make. For the most part we're not to interfere with other cultures, but there's always loopholes."
Jason was quiet in regards to the assistance. He was conflicted on this. The Prime Directive was quite clear in the answer. The Temporal Directive as well. His mission parameters, however, muddied the waters a bit here, as well as his personal feelings on the matter.
Shavias scowled. “Are we prisoners here then?” he asked. “You will just leave our compatriots to die because you do not want to get involved?” His voice rose a bit in that proud Andorian indignation. “Is it because you are in bed with the Vulcans?”
"No, we are not," Jason said. "But we have laws and orders we have to follow like any member of a military. Our CO is the one who can say yes or no to breaking the particular laws we are talking of breaking."
"We never said we would refuse to help, just that it's not our decision to make. And no, you're not prisoners. If you wish to return to your reality then that's your right. As for the Vulcans, they're not the bloodthirsty barbarians of your universe. While some felt they babied us too much in the early days of warp travel, they never tried to slaughter or subjugate us."
Walking toward the door, Annora tried to defuse the situation. "Let's go see your friends in sickbay and go from there."
"But after that," Sh'vet said, "we want to see your Commander."
"I'll make the arrangements. She may even have information on the Andorian envoy."
As they exited the room, Annora dismissed the security guards. "I'll take it from here. We're heading to sickbay and a few other places from there. Thank you for your help."
Motioning down the corridor, Annora pointed towards the turbolfit. "If you'll follow me."
Jason waited until they were out and then followed the group. Even if Annora had dismissed the guards, he wanted to tag along to watch and listen to their guests. So far they had been pretty consistent with their story and actions. He hoped it stayed that way.
[OFF]
Lt Annora Tessaro
Chief of Security
Lt(jg) Jason Haines
Chief Intelligence Officer
Shavias Ch’zath
Andorian revolutionary
Isilde Sh'vet
Resistance Fighter
(NPC by Soran)
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