appreciations Lt.JG Taelon - Time Warp, Again

[Doz Finch]

Taelon does a wonderful job of describing the initial moments of a harrowing "time shift" event on the USS Gorkon here, as the universe changes around them and reveals a galaxy completely ruled by the Borg. It's a really fun read from the distinct perspective of an El-Aurian, along with a couple of additional characters that Taelon's writer uses to really set the scene. Great sim!

Lt.JG Taelon - Time Warp, Again (google.com)

Quote

((Sto’Vo’Kor - USS Gorkon))

Taelon hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since his arrival and beamover; things being what they were, as work lulled into waiting on computations, he’d gone to collect Cyri and find something to eat. And to explore the ship, since he’d not had the opportunity.

The main crew lounge seemed the most sensible place to go. It was impressive, much larger than he’d expected; the Narendra’s lounge had been somewhat humble in comparison. Two decks, a mezzanine, large picture windows - and the familiar smell of Klingon food and liquor.

Cyri trailed her father into the lounge. The little girl had an oddness about her - she was small, looking about 10, but her eyes had a glint to them of experience and intelligence beyond her years. Her countenance was certainly a little too familiar with the bar - she went ahead of him, hopping up onto a barstool, legs swinging idly. She was looking up at the bar and its lights, the rows of bottles, the nice seating.

Taelon followed suit as the bartender stepped away - just his luck. He sank onto the stool, legs too long to swing and instead wrapped around the stool’s stem. The bloodwine behind the bar drew his eye, even as ARIA’s distant signal hummed in the back of his mind, still rapidly examining and re-examining their sort-of-stolen data.

Sevo: Hey. Here for a break as well?

Namura: Sickbay has a way of making you wonder if Hell is a vacation world ::Her wry smile barely lasted a second.:: If I have to listen to one more theory about Johnson's whereabouts, I might just implode.

Taelon huffed a sort of laugh; he wasn’t in the women’s conversation, but he couldn’t help but agree. The bartender came back with the women’s drinks.

Crauw: Another free cocktail. ::He placed the glass in front of Tali.:: My only request is that you come up with a name. ::He smiled.:: In return, I’ll host a party for the winner.

Namura: You have a deal, kind sir.  

Taelon managed to get Crauw’s attention, hand politely raised. Next to him, Cyri hopped upto her knees on her barstool so she could lean on the bar around her father’s shoulder, her smaller raised hand mirroring his.

Taelon: Umh, could I get some bloodwine? And a glass for - ::He remembered himself, and clarified.:: A, um, orange juice for her? Non alcoholic.

Cyri: ::She rolled her eyes, but her expression was fond - kind, even.:: Can I get extra pulp -

She cut off as Taelon suddenly reeled. The world around him warped; suddenly the room seemed off, as if slanted by a billionth of a degree from where it was before. He rose, hitting the bar with his legs, breath sucked in loudly. He knew this sensation. He’d spent 30 years in it.

A time shift. His El-Aurian blood screamed through him, body and mind hyper-aware of the ripping timeline. And this one was even worse than before - this was no ripple, no subtle change. A wave of displaced time washed through their universe and, for a long moment, he stumbled with it. Only Cyri’s hand on his shoulder centered him.

Sevo: Something’s going on out there.

Whatever response his stumble might have gotten, the rising murmur of worried voices immediately re-colored the room. Taelon turned to look to the windows -

Namura: Can't we have a simple, straightforward day for once?

Manura’s sarcastic comment was utterly lost on Taelon as the planet outside began to change. To say his blood ran cold was an understatement; he froze, world coming down to the ticking of seconds even more than before.

Anyone: ?

Crauw: What the…

The bartender dropped the glass he was holding, which got Cyri to look, too. Her hand on Taelon’s shoulder squeezed, the little girl confused, then scared.

Sevo: No, no, no, no.

Namura: Well that can't be good.

Sevo: That…that was a temporal vortex. Time changed, and now the… the Borg have assimilated this planet.

Lachlan / Anyone: ?

Cyri was the one who asked the obvious question, her wide eyes flicking from her father’s shaking form to Sevo.

Cyri: But - but we’re still here. Why didn’t we change?

Sevo: The vortex protected us from the changes. A similar thing happened to the Enterprise-E. M…maybe Johnson did something in the past? But why help the Borg?

Taelon: ::He finally spoke, shaking voice full of fear and an equal measure of contempt.:: If he’s helping them, he’s a lost - a lost cause. You’d have to be…

ARIA had sensed his distress and paused its tasks; its response to his queries did not calm him. Even a tentative redrawing of the Borg territories to accompass this system meant thousands of planets that should have been free were now theirs. The trillions of people - plants, animals…He looked to the planet outside, now a black and green ball where the sickly brown clouds of pollution didn't cover the surface.

No secret of Starfleet’s was worth that.

The screaming klaxons of a Red Alert broke the momentary silence. As the crowds surged to the doors, duty stations awaiting them, Taelon scooped up Cyri. He didn’t know where to go - his duty station and onboarding briefing hadn’t been done.

The medical officer near them downed the rest of her drink. Understandable. But then she knelt to help with the broken glass.

Namura: I believe you should call the cocktail "Resistance is Fruitile" in honor of this.

Taelon made a noise in his throat. Cyri had wrapped her arms around his shoulders, still staring wide-eyed at the planet outside.

Taelon: Is now really - no, I’m sorry, I - where -

He didn’t know what to do; all his instincts said run. The Gorkon was a mighty ship, but if this territory now belonged to the Borg, they were in shit so deep they’d next to no chance.

Sevo/Namura/Lachlan / Anyone: ?




Lt. JG Taelon
Science Officer
USS Gorkon
O239303T10