[sb118-khitomer] Lieutenant Charles Matthews - A Multi-Faceted Problem
Shakeel Hussein
((Conference Room, Deck One, USS Khitomer))
((OOC – The discussion between Alix and Charles was discussed with her writer prior to the writing of this sim. I’ve also excluded the conversation between Amelia and Ras under the impression that the two conversations are going on at the same time and he wouldn’t hear it.))
The conversation between Charles, Lieutenant El’Heem and Ensign Matthews hadn’t done much to help the Tactical Officer. In fact, it may have made him feel worse. With the final retort from Richard bouncing around within his head, he started to wonder if he was being too critical; if he was taking his line of thinking too far, and he questioned if the phaser clinging to his left leg was even necessary. Now, he was feeling conflicted, at a time when he really needed to not be, and he hated it.
The tension within the Conference Room as he approached an empty seat was palpable. It made the air feel almost thick with energy; but not the kind of energy that would give everyone a spring to their step or the ability to get through the afternoon without a nap; it was the kind of energy that clouded people’s thinking, that dulled their usually sharp senses and filled them with apprehension and confusion. Perhaps it was more that the situation was zapping the energy from the room, rather than making it thick with it; the energy had been taken and, in its place, were several large elephants that they were all now going to discuss. He had not one clue as to how these discussions were going to go, not even a speck of one, or how the others were thinking or may react. There were so many variables and the interference from temporally displaced visitors just made it all worse. Charles didn’t know Ensign Lacy; her return as an Admiral was troublesome but not personal, not to him, and the children that had accompanied her? He had no attachment to them in the slightest. They were just another facet to the problem.
As he nestled down into his chosen seat, Charlie spotted his Kressari travelling companion engaged in a conversation with Lieutenant Semara, and for what it was worth, tried to return to his own line of thinking. It wasn’t easy. For however conflicted he was, Matthews did spare a thought for Amelia. And for Doctor Ohnari. And for Chief Engineer Dewitt. What did all of this mean for the three of them? What did it mean for First Officer Hobart and Counsellor Dewitt? Their partners having children with other members of the crew? Their friends? If Matthews was feeling all over the place, then what the hell were they all feeling?
Deep in thought, Lieutenant Matthews let out a sigh, almost inadvertently, as he looked around the room. Despite his big, brown eyes glancing past people; the situation had the effect of him seeing them without really seeing them. That was until he noticed the whooshing doors open and close. That was until he noticed Alix. She looked how almost everyone else seemed to be looking; flat, bogged down, lost in thought with a myriad of questions smashing around within her skull. As she neared him, Charlie blinked firmly, trying to regain his focus, and a weak smile curled at the edges of his mouth as she sat down on his left.
Charles: Hi, Alix.
Harford: Response
Nodding in return, Matthews was somewhat concerned about Alix and her lack of pleasantries, but, given the situation and that she had just spotted the weapon he was carrying, he decided to let that go for now.
Charles: No, I don’t like it at all.
Quickly glancing around the room, Charles shifted in his seat, leaning in closer towards Alix and raised his arm to his face, making out he was rubbing his beard but actually trying to muffle the conversation and keep it between him and the Doctor.
Charles: What do you make off all of… this? I assume you’ve put these people through their paces.
Harford: Response
Charles: ::frowns:: Your peace of mind?
Harford: Response
Charles: Do you think she might be emotionally compromised? The others too?
Harford: Response
Charles: ::sighs:: That’s a good point. The problem is that we might need them not to be.
Matthews ran his thumb across his lower lip, shifting in his seat once more, then turned to look at Alix with a fierce intensity burning in his eyes.
Charles: Have you checked their quantum signatures? They might be from another time but what if they’re not even from our universe?
Waiting for a response, Charlie let his eyes linger on the Doctor for a second or two, anticipating her reply and interested to hear the answer, but the opportunity was quickly taken away from her; the arrival of Commander Hobart halting their conversation dead in its tracks. As if pointedly, Alix matched his eye contact and shook her head side to side. No. The answer made a grimace form under the Tactical Officers hand. Assuming she would have thought to run the checks, he gathered that she just hadn’t had the chance to do them yet, though that didn't help settle Charles in the slightest.
Lowering his hand, the Lieutenant returned to a normal seating position and focused on the dark-haired Executive Officer now addressing the crew.
Hobart: How long until we reach Deep Space 33, Lieutenant Korras?
Korras: Response
Hobart: No lingering effects on the ship?
Connor: Aside from the collective existential crisis? Nothing on sensors. The SDA’s prepared, Ensign Banks and I are going to operate it, if it becomes necessary.
Michaels: Between the efforts of Science :: Nodding toward both El’Heem and Semara :: and Engineering, the ship is ready.
Banks: The anti-cascade measures installed by the Science department are up and running, and fully integrated with existing systems. The Operations department recommendation is that pending a review after this mission we should consider making them a permanent installation.
Hobart: Any insight as to where the runabout came from, yet?
El’Heem: Well ::Pausing:: Yeah. Yeah…forty years into ::Lifting his hands palms up and dropping them onto the table:: the future.
Michaels: Perhaps not necessarily our future.
Richard: To jump off what Michaels is saying. We theorize that time travel involves both predestined timelines and the creation of multiple alternate futures. Logs from Deep Space 9 surrounding the prophets point to future events that are fixed and unavoidable. The distinction between if our visitors are from our future or another. Is if these travelers alters their own past, creating a paradox, or a new, parallel timeline to our own that they would be going back to.
Semara: We got a coupl’a clues from their shuttle, whatever the semantics are. It’s got heavy damage from Lattice weapons, and underwent several refits since we saw it last. There’s evidence it’s been hit with Sencha a lotta times. We still oughta search it proper.
As the others spoke in turn, Charles sat and listened, shifting his attention as each of them opened their mouths to offer little tidbits of information, though he wasn’t even sure it could be classed as information. It was more likely conjecture and speculation; if, but’s and maybe’s, theories. None of what they had was anything concrete. So, despite all that was zooming around in his head, he would listen. His trait of taking in information, assessing it and coming up with options was one of the reasons he’d taken the path of Tactical and Security in the first place.
Hobart: And, how's everybody feeling?
Zerva: You mean besides the headache I’ve got?
Ayemet: :looking at Michaels: They are from the future. They’re here to disrupt the timeline. That presence I felt in the bridge. It wasn’t Commander Dewitt :unable to make eye contact with him: It was his child, Oh and I’m feeling great, never better. Why else would they be here?
Matthews felt his brow crinkle. Ayemet, understandably, was clearly not fine, and Talia? If she focused on the table they were sitting at with any more intensity, her grey eyes would most likely set it on fire.
Ohnari: ::slightly strained:: Not well. Hoping getting some answers will help.
Charles: I’m… tickety-boo, Sir.
Korras / Harford / Any: Response
Hobart: Any… threats?
The crinkle in Charlie’s brow only grew deeper. The question; were there any threats? A part of him wanted to ask the Commander if he was being serious. Another part of him wanted to sarcastically say no. In the end, he bit his tongue and gave Lieutenant Zerva the chance to reply first.
Zerva: I have submitted our report to the Captain ::looks over at Charles:: on the results of security and tactical’s time on the holodeck training. I must say, unfortunately the odds are against us if we were boarded or attacked by the Alliance ships. It’s just enough to tip the results in the Lattice Alliance’s favor. If anyone would like a copy of that report, I will forward the results along. I highly recommend for those of you who were not with us last year during the invasion of Starbase 33, to read up on those reports. The results of that day nearly cost us the Khitomer and ::pausing lost in sadness:: there were those we lost. ::shaking his head as he tried to forget that day:: As for our visitors from out of time, the one named Kael is rather direct in his approach. He had made it known his intentions to us in the shuttlebay if we tried to harm them. I recommend exercising caution. We do not yet know what their future is like or the full reason for their arrival.
TAGS/TBC
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Tactical Officer
USS Khitomer NCC-62400
A240012CM1