Jhalib Ekal, "Jump start - redux."

[Deliera Jay]

((Town center))

::The Rodulan handed him the CRI brace.::

Core: Hopefully, the dosages of the chronometric radiation you had left will do the job. The others have already had their dosages, but since you leave a residual trail of chronometric particles wherever you *walk* now, it's probably safer you get a smaller dosage closer to transport.

::Jhalib huffed in amusement, activating the brace's display. It's 25th century computer was having a fun time comprehending the temporal bubble surrounding Limbo - to it's credit, it was processing it's situation surprisingly well.::

Ekal: One of the big reasons the CRI wasn't capable of spacial transport was in case the radiation didn't do it's part - people wouldn't end up rematerializing in space when there's supposed to be a planet under foot or something. ::He stood, glancing over the CRI brace, giving a curt tilt of his head.:: Also one of the reasons I wasn't keen on changing it.

Core: It had to be done.

Ekal: I know. ::He sighed.:: I trust my equipment, even if you butchered it a little.

::The would-be dead man gave him a side eyes, and Jhalib chuckled in amusement. He gave the man a final nod and stood from the chair he'd been seated in, making his way over to the assembled group of officers.

::He was positively brimming with anticipation, like getting back on a bicycle he used to ride weekly but couldn't touch for three months straight because *reasons*.

::But at the same time, he was cautious. He hadn't thought he'd ever need it again, but he stuck the small vitals monitor that came with his breather onto his chest just down the collar of his shirt. He had no intention on using his breather for the whole trip, but in worst case scenario, he needed to be able to take care of himself. The readout at the moment was sitting at a not-great-but-not-bad reading of 85%, in the very low green, primarily because he'd just walked here. After a few minutes of standing still, it'd eventually creep back up into a more socially acceptable green.::

Delano: Good morning. Everyone ready?

Teller: Yes sir.  I just wish we could've waited for the scout team to get back, I hope they're alright. 

Kree’Ahk/Kelrod: Response?

Delano: Very good.

::Delano nodded curtly at Rahman and handed over a PADD without ceremony::

Delano: I’ve collected my log entries and notes on the agriculture project. There’s also a message for Mei.

::Ah. In case they didn't make it all work. Out of those gathered, he seemed to be the most optimistic about their being able to save the ship and the crew in the time limit predicted. Then again, he was used to tight time restraints and practiced movements. And he'd been practicing for this for nearly two weeks now, recalling where everything was aboard the ship.

::If there was one thing his medical condition had taught him, it was that if he stressed over the amount of time he had left to complete a task, he was going to not only waste precious and valuable energy on that stress but also take *longer* to complete the task. He stepped to the group with a confident look on his face.::

Rahman: Response?

Delano: Thank you, Captain. Same to you.

Any: Response?

Delano: Mr. Ekal, are you ready?

Ekal: Just adding finishing touches.

::After months of having just been sitting in a bag and gathering dust, he was finally sliding the CRI brace onto his left wrist with the intention of actually *using* it, tightening it as if giving himself the illusion that he was doing this as per usual practice, as if not intending to bring a handful of other people with him in one transport.::

Ekal: Quick rundown - the CRI brace uses two key components that work together in a twisted kind of harmony. The transporter module, and the chronometric radiation, which you've all been given a small dosage already. My condition is a result of fifteen years of continued exposure to the radiation - contrary to rumour around camp, one shot of it will not cripple you. ::He input temporal coordinates into the brace as he spoke.:: There is no one up on the Veritas, and when we get there, the Compass will be too far into Limbo's atmosphere to notice anything out of the ordinary more than they had by that point. When we get the ship back up and running within acceptable parameters, we would have already passed this point in time on Limbo. There is no timeline or event for us to inadvertently wreck. Do yourself a favour, and don't stress over that.

::The experienced traveler pulled out his rebreather, placing it onto his face. It wasn't a required piece of equipment that the others needed for the jump - not by a long shot. The rebreather was only justified given his current status as least-healthy and least-physically-capable of the group of assembled Starfleet officers. By rights, every medical professional in a 100 lightyear radius would recommend that he *not* make this trip, but screw medical advice, right?::

Ekal: With any luck, this will be the one and only time you'll have to put yourself through something like this, but word of advice: take two deep breaths before transport. And . . . keep your mouth closed, just in case.

::And that, ladies and gentlemen, was apparently the basics of time travel using the chronometric radiation interspacial transport brace.::

::He motioned to the others to gather in closer, and one by one, began laying hands on each other, forming a rough ring. He switched on his breather, giving him a mild head-rush as his muscles relaxed at the better intake of oxygen.::

Ekal: Ready when you are.

::Around him, the group of Starfleet personnel mentally prepared themselves. Ayden took two shaky and deep breaths. The stardate was set, the site-to-site set up ready to go. The CRI would 100% burn out after this use, but it was all they really needed to get back to the Veritas. It wouldn't be how he first boarded it, but at least it wouldn't be in pieces - today was, after all, the anniversary of the Montreal having discovered the Veritas wreckage in the Ekal timeline.::

::Convenient coincidental occurrence.::

::Gearing up again for what was *now* his second last time jump, he amped up his breathing as he prepared for the worst experience imaginable, allowing the CRI brace to prick into his skin like a hypospray, the chronometric radiation immediately making him feel whoozy.::

Delano: Energize.

::He hit the transport button.::

((Enlisted Crew Lounge, SD 239512.23))

::The relative eerie atmosphere that came with a ship abandoned by its crew was totally and utterly disrupted when a group of six people suddenly appeared out of nowhere, all ending up in various different positions despite the tight ring they'd formed among themselves. Jhalib Ekal, in particular, attempting to grasp onto a chair the second his feet hit deck plating, but his entire body fell to said plating instead.::

::It felt like he had an intense case of heatstroke again, as if Limbo suddenly upped it's temperature by about twenty degrees and he'd made the mistake of taking a long walk along the beach, his muscles protesting any action and his head constricting in ways he wished he wouldn't ever recognize again. The rebreather was the only thing pushing air into his lungs, his chest stuttering as if his lungs were trying to re-learn how to perform their intended function.::

::There was also a minor change in gravity. Minor, but his joints and muscles were convinced it added 80 kilos to his shoulder as he tried to pull himself upright again - a stupid mistake, one he should have learned from by now. After he failed the attempt, he chose to instead roll onto his back and re-centre himself.

::Being as this was their first time transporting through temporal zones, however, the Veritas officers were suffering far more minor affects. Minor, but still fairly serious. Delano and Teller ended up on the deck alongside Jhalib, but at least they were both capable of breathing - the worst they had to worry about was losing their lunches.

::Somewhat predictably, Aron Kells got through the experience pretty much unscathed - which Jhalib chalked up to the man's body being it's own temporal anomaly all on it's own, given the man's extensive history with *time*. If Jhalib Ekal was a vulcanoid that leaked chronometric particles wherever he ventured, than Aron Kells was someone that managed to soak up chronitons like a sponge whenever he sat down for a nice and unsuspecting pot of tea.::

Teller: Knew I should've...volunteered...Taz for this trip.

Ekal: She'd refuse to make a trip like this. ::stuttered breath.:: I've asked once before.

::When he first started his career in the TIC, to be specific. She hadn't been eager to hear about it.::

Kelrod/Kree’Ahk: Response?

Delano: Well, that was thoroughly unpleasant. Is it always like this?

::Finally, his lungs kicked into gear. As if he'd been underwater too long, Jhalib gasped in a deep breath of air. The weight on all his limbs began to lift, allowing him to roll to his side and curl into himself. He still felt a bit heavy.::

Ekal: This is worse than usual. ::huff:: I think the- the spacial coordinates- ::huff:: -made it rough. ::huff:: More than usual.

Teller:  Admiral Janeway is right...time travel is stupid.  I regret suggesting it.

::Kells laughed. Jhalib just thought that Admiral Janeway was a bit of a hypocrite.::

Kells: Come on, then. The sooner we figure out what's wrong up here, the better.

Kelrod/Kree’Ahk: Response?

::Delano and Teller got back on their feet. Someone assisted Jhalib up - causing a pained cry, the organs in his chest giving a horrible dropping sensation and sharp pain to the lower right of his chest as he held onto his assisting new friend. Gingerly, Jhalib pulled the collar of his shirt down to check his own vitals.::

::His oxygen stats were good. His heart, not so much. Which would explain the chest pain. That stat was well in the yellow - any worse and he'd have to alert the others.::

::On his feet and steady, he let go of the Veritas officer assisting him, glancing over to where the others had trained their eyes.::

Delano: Wait, is that the Compass?

Kells: I think it just might be.

::Jhalib rubbed at his chest, taking three more nice and full breaths into his breather before pulling it off and clipping it back to the bag strapped to him.::

Teller:  At least we know for sure our temporal alignment calculations were right.

Kelrod/Kree’Ahk: Response?

Teller:  Sir...I'm a little out of it, but we're on the clock.  Suggest we try to get going and sort ourselves out on the way. 

Kree’Ahk/Kelrod: Response?

Delano: Right. We only have three hours to disrupt the time dilation effect before Veritas burns up in the atmosphere. Main engineering is two decks up. I suggest we make that our first stop. :: beat :: Do we need EVA suits? There should be an emergency supply closet attached to the lounge.

::The warmer it got, the better he'd feel, but there was a point where even a Blake would overheat. They moved over to the supply locker - but Teller didn't pull out suits. He pulled out phasers.

::Immediately, Ayden retracted from the group, standing up a little taller as he avoided taking a weapon.::

Teller:  Sir, the only depressurized areas of the ship will be down by the shuttlebay and the EVA suits will slow us down for now.  That said, I think we should go armed from here on out.  These time travelers have already taken two shots at us.  If they realize what we're trying to do, they might get desperate.

Kells: No arguments here.

Ekal: I sincerely doubt you're going to need them for anything else but a helpful cutting tool.

Kelrod/Delano/Kree'Ahk: Response?

Ekal: The CRI brace uses temporal beacons to lock onto temporal coordinates, but since the Artemis was destroyed, it's only been able to lock onto the ones in your past. The ones from 2400 onwards are gone, and soon the ones in this century will be affected by temporal anomalies as well. That means the TIC no longer exists. By the time the Veritas ran into their little trap, my timeline was re-written. No one's coming to finish the job.

::Time moves forward, but flows backward. It'd take too long for him to properly explain right now, but his point still stood. No one was coming to change this particular event. He was honestly still wondering when that tidal wave was coming to collect him, but evidently, it was still a fair way away.

Kree’Ahk/Kelrod/Delano: Response?

Teller:  Oh I wouldn't worry about that, we'll get the ship fixed, and that's a Good Job Gu....

::The poor Terran keeled over and lost the last meal he'd eaten, still suffering the affects of the jump. The fleet captain took a hypo from a medkit and held it for Teller to see.::

Kells: You're not allergic, are you?

Teller: Response?

Kree’Ahk/Kelrod/Delano: Response?

Kells: I just almost died down there. That kind of thing puts some pep in your step, you know what I mean? This is your ship. Where first?

Teller/Kree’Ahk/Kelrod/Delano: Response?

Ekal: The ship is without deuterium. We have to siphon what we can from the remaining crafts onboard.

Anyone: Response?


Tbc . . .

Jhalib Ekal
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