LtCmdr Connor Dewitt - Rare Places

[Tim]

((The Final Piece, Museum of Jigsaw Puzzles Across the Quadrant, Dangan Prime, Alpha Isles))

The terrace restaurant at the top of the museum had grown quieter as the evening progressed. From their table, Connoer could still see parts of the puzzle-shaped structures of the complex below them. Their outlines grew more faint under the soft lighting of Dangan Prime’s night. The view should have made it easier to keep the conversation light.

Connor rested his spoon for a moment, realizing he had been talking more slowly than usual.

C. Dewitt: Then we went back. ::beat:: Long-range sensors picked up Sencha emissions from the Lagoon nebula. That same nebula. We found some things we were not expecting. ::beat:: The report covers the broad strokes.

Naxell: And that was affecting on …the crew?

Connor glanced between the two of them. The question was not difficult, the answer, however, was.

Nicholotti: It had to be.

Connor let out a breath through his nose. He slowly turned the spoon between his fingers as he searched for a way to phrase it that did not sound as strange as it had actually been.

C. Dewitt: What would you if you saw your son step off a shuttle. ::looking up at Naxell:: A son you haven’t had yet.

That had not been a particularly good job at making it sound less strange.

C. Dewitt: It pulled the rug out from under my feet. And then you learn his mother isn’t even the one you expected to share your life with.

Another beat. He knew that Naxell probably had multiple spouses. But he would be able to make that transfer.

C. Dewitt: And I wasn’t the only one thrown by it, of course. Not by a long shot. And that’s before you even get to the reason they came back… What they expected us to do. The moral implications of it all. ::shaking head:: The fact that they managed to travel through time at all… that alone has consequences we probably haven’t even started to understand.

The topic shifted slightly as Naxell turned toward Nicholotti and he was thankful.

Naxell: If these travelers came here by manipulation of Sencha technology, that’s quite unnerving, given its prominence on the battlefield out here.

Nicholotti: Agreed. Honestly, the more I learn about this Sencha stuff, the more I hate it.

Connor could not help it. He chuckled quietly. That statement landed in the part of his brain that had spent months fighting that stuff from an engineering perspective.

C. Dewitt: I think, you have just summarized the crew’s opinion on the matter.

He turned to Naxell.

C. Dewitt: Actually, the time jump required a very specific combination of equipment, data and conditions. The shuttle they used was heavily customized. I don’t believe it’s something that could be reproduced that easily. Especially not on a larger scale, even if they find suitable environmental conditions. Certainly not with bigger ships.

Naxell: And I suppose the absence of other observed singularities is cause for hope. Perhaps it really was only a product of Khitomer’s experiment.

Nicholotti: A very real possibility, though one I am unsure of any further testing.

Connor nodded slowly.

C. Dewitt: I’m inlcined to agree. ::pause:: That’s the kind of reassurance that lets me sleep at night.

Naxell: Response

Connor briefly glanced at his plate and scooped up the last piece of hasperat.

Nicholotti: Have you reached out to Captain Niac about any of it? Or gotten his theories?

Connor shook his head.

C. Dewitt: We’ve forwarded all the data we collected. Sensor logs, engineering diagnostics. Everything. ::pause:: We haven’t contacted him directly, yet. But when I get back to the Khitomer I’ll make sure we do. ::small nod:: More insight into Sencha radiation is something we definitely need. If anyone in the Isles has perspective on it, it’s Captain Niac.

Briefly Connor was reminded of the first time he had met Karrod Niac. Only one pin had been on his neck back then. Simpler times.

Naxell: Response?

Nicholotti: It's something worth asking, at least. Even if we don't ever see it again, I wouldn't mind the feedback. Or connecting to an old friend.

Naxell: Responses?

C. Dewitt: I think it’s a good idea.

The first officer cleaned his hands and lips lightly on the napkin. Then he leaned back slightly in his chair and looked out across the quiet terraces of the museum complex and enjoyed the lights playing against the dark backgrounds.

C. Dewitt: Honestly, this place is a nice change of pace. ::beat:: The cruise, Dangan Prime… All of this.

Naxell/Nicholotti: Response

A faint smile appeared on Connor’s face.

C. Dewitt: Excuse my initial hesitation to visit a museum for puzzles. This almost feels untouched by everything that’s been happening out in the Isles.

Naxell/Nicholotti: Response

For a moment, Connor thought of his travels with Ras and allowed himself to sit in that thought. Because places like this had become rare in his life. Then he turned to Commander Naxell.

C. Dewitt: Commander, have you already visited the Khitomer before joining the cruise?

Naxell/Nicholotti: Response

LtCmdr Connor Dewitt
Chief Engineer & Second Officer
USS Khitomer
A239901CD3