Shadows In Light

Posted on 13 Aug 2024 @ 7:08pm by Commander Morgan Tarin & Lieutenant JG Saelihn Valenis

2,076 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 19 - Tomorrow's Galileo
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 1, Conference Room
Timeline: MD 07, 1302 hours

[ON]

As the Galileo went to warp Saelihn logged off her auxiliary console and made her way to the conference room. Tarin was still doing some rounds on the bridge so she knew the captain would be in soon.

Her feelings were always hard to explain. What she perceived mixed with those feelings even more so. Not only did she feel certain things weren't right but the vibrations of certain people 'didn't fit'. Standing by the window she thought about the words she would use when Tarin came in but no doubt in the heat of the moment she would just say what came into her head first.

Five minutes passed. Then seven. Then nine. Administrative work both pre- and post-systems test seemed to be the mantra of the day, and eventually the door to the small briefing chamber swished open. Commander Morgan Tarin walked inside and around the large center table while taking notice of the other gold-collared woman present. "You needed to speak to me, lieutenant? This better not be about our guests down in the brig. They're both off this ship as soon as we return to Regula I."

"No captain." Saelihn let a soft smile dilute her true feelings. "Lieutenant's Rice and Ghemora have them suitably locked up and they are proving to be nothing more than minor nuisances." she added as a hesitance grew within her.

"I don't quite know how to put this, but it has to do with the chronitons, the white flash we all saw and how I feel. You may not know I am El Aurian and we have a 'sensitivity' to time, and the universe itself." It was almost a rhetorical question without it actually being one. "But there are certain things I have felt over the past few hours that have felt that I need to bring to your attention." Saelihn hoped the captain would be accepting of her feelings as some in the past had dismissed them as mumbo jumbo.

Tarin's demeanor quickly turned cynical and she looked at the blond security officer with skeptical eyes. "Not you, too," she muttered with a shake of her head to herself. "I'm well aware of your biological species, Valenis. Your people are a race of 'listeners'. Though what that exactly means has been open to a lot of...let's say, interpretation, within Starfleet. So what are you trying to tell me? You believe the chroniton detections were an indicator of a temporal event, like Ullswater and Vala?"

"Yes, I agree with them." Saelihn nodded as she spoke. "I experienced the flash on my rounds today and when passing Lieutenant Rice's quarters I felt..." She paused to try and find the words. "A void. Like she was missing. Then later when I was in security when I actually saw her I felt sadness, like you would feel when someone dies. Strangely though I also felt she shouldn't have been sitting there at all... and Ghemora, again like she shouldn't have been there either." she continued. "As for the moniker of 'listeners', that is something given to us and not what we call ourselves." she felt almost like she was defending her species.

There was a light pulse in her head followed by something they called a 'temporal itch'. An itch that the universe is out of sync, and one that you can't scratch for the love of the Gods. Eventually over time, no pun intended, it recedes as a new timeline develops. There was also her medical condition but she'd only use that as reasoning if pushed.

The captain rubbed her forehead with brewing frustration. This sounded nonsensical, like some sort of manifested fever dream. "Take a seat," she said to the woman before moving to the nearby replicator where she procured a cold glass of water. She returned then handed it to Valenis. "Drink, take a deep breath, relax...and then rethink what you just told me. Obviously Lieutenants Rice and Ghemora should be here because they're members of this crew whose onboardings I personally oversaw. Tell me about this 'flash'."

"But they aren't still meant to be." Saelihn replied immediately before taking a seat and then the glass of water provided. She took a small sip before looking the other woman in the eye.

"The flash, as most people experienced, a white flash of light almost as if the lights themselves saw a huge increase in power and bright enough to cause you to cover your eyes." She began in a clearer fashion. "I suffer from a condition called Temporal Tinnitus, loosely explained is that I get severe migraines if affected by a temporal event, or one happens nearby. The ripples can cause different levels of discomfort. Thankfully I have medication that helps. That coupled with my species link to space and time we mostly all have this 'itch' in our minds that makes things 'feel' different without having a clear cut explanation as to why." she took another sip of the water, the liquid satisfyingly cool.

"So, I know you personally saw Rice's and Ghemora's onboarding. That should have happened, and did happen, but when I look at them now I feel as if they shouldn't still be here now. One can speculate they left, something happened in the alternate timeline but their vibrations don't 'fit' with this ship now. Something happened, the flash was the timeline resetting, reordering itself to what will now be the future we have set." she finished. Talking about time itself often gave people a headache.

Tarin herself sat down next to the blond security officer and leaned forward with her forearms resting atop the large briefing table. "You've used the word 'timeline' several times now and you're telling me your senses indicate to you that something here's changed. Yet by every other metric, nothing has. The ship's chronometer is precise and shows no evidence of temporal deviation; short and long-range sensors reveal no alteration to the galactic landscape or position of the stars; the ship's personnel roster is identical to what it was when we departed Regula I." She sighed to herself. "When was the last time you reported to sickbay? Could these migraines be affecting your perception of reality instead of vice versa?"

Saelihn crinkled her nose and frowned slightly. This was frustrating. Trying to explain her species perception of time and space to others was never an easy road. "I promise you captain my migraines do not, and never have, altered my perception of reality. They are linked to temporal events in the universe. That coupled with my species biology only strengthens my belief of a temporal occurrence." Now she paused as she chose her words carefully. "When a timeline changes, deviates from what it was, or even if we travel in time and are returned, once we are out of that temporal bubble then we would have no knowledge of what has happened. Technology would reset, or be as it never changed in the first place. I'm not being arrogant when I say that your species, and the vast amount of species in the galaxy, wouldn't notice these things as your biology hasn't developed or evolved that way." she sighed. "I understand I am just one person, someone you don't know very well and what I sound like is a bunch of conjecture but I couldn't not come to you. Unfortunately I don't have proof beyond the chroniton particles we found and the affect time travel has on my species biology. That and previous incidents such as Guinan on the USS Enterprise-D."

Saelihn felt she was still going to get ordered to sickbay. The ranting and raving of a lunatic, but her medical condition was well documented in her Starfleet medical records and where as there as been no proof of other changes to the timeline, and there wouldn't be, her species was well known to have this perception, even on Starfleet vessels.

Silence ensued for a long moment. The opacity Tarin had been dealing with surrounding this simple detection of unorthodox radiation particles - along with the subsequent radical theories - was becoming too much. There was a distinct lack of concrete evidence available upon which to base any theories, and much of what had been theorized to her by the science department was currently nothing more than conjecture. And now, she was dealing with another crew member's questionable pseudo-science intuitions. "Look, Valenis. Saelihn," she started, using the woman's first name to soften the upcoming criticism. "I appreciate your species' intuitiveness and I'm not questioning it. But you have to come to me with something more. This is a ship of science, and your instincts, this 'itch', isn't going to cut it. Surely not to support a radical theory such as a complete timeline change." Tarin then asked a more pointed question. "When was the date of your most recent mental health evaluation?"

Saelihn understood the skepticism. Most species saw El Aurian's talents of temporal intuition nothing more than a parlour trick, and with little physical proof she couldn't say otherwise that what she was feeling was accurate. "I understand captain." Saelihn replied solemnly. "But I can't actually remember when my last evaluation was... not that I can see why that would be relevant? This isn't a mental illness..." she felt a little offended if that was the implication.

If Tarin had been a Vulcan, she would have raised a single unconvinced eyebrow. However, as ridiculous as Valenis' warning sounded, it could perhaps warrant further investigation. Not from the captain directly, but rather through further exploration of these 'itches'. "Of course not. I don't believe you're ill. But I want you to report to Lieutenant Carlisle anyway. Not necessarily for a full evaluation, but so she might be able to trigger more of your insight through practiced clinical techniques." Tarin opened a palm to the woman in an accepting gesture. "Make no mistake, I do believe your people have a gift. Right now, I need to test it and see how far it goes." The truth for the referral was colder, unspoken and hidden.

"If that's what you want captain I'll make sure to make an appointment with Lieutenant Carlisle." Saelihn almost felt like this was a capitulation. She'd went in with hopes of convincing the captain something was wrong but instead managed to get a psych eval out of it. Of course, this was her first time trying to convince a superior of something and was the first time she'd experienced this feeling to quite the degree it had been. She'd need to contact her mother and ask about it, she was more experienced and well studied on the subject. There was a finality to their short meeting, a feeling that there wasn't a lot more to be said. "Sorry to have wasted your time." was all she felt she could say now.

"Don't apologize. I have an open door policy for a reason," Tarin responded before clarifying, "It's not that I don't trust or believe you. I just need more from you. We, the ship, need more. And the counselor can help you accomplish that. You're an asset, not a burden. Never forget that. If your instincts are correct, we need to know as soon as possible. Contact me when you've made a breakthrough." Tarin wasn't one to waste time and the El-Aurian was a valuable officer with a useful skillset. Harnessing it to its full potential, however, was outside of the captain's purview. "Dismissed."

Saelihn nodded. "Nothing like feeling like a specimen in a petri dish to make a girl feel special." she thought as the captain finished her attempt at an uplifting speech. Saelihn smiled, nodded and took in the words but wasn't sure if this was something that could be tapped into. A skillset? It felt more like a curse in this instance but she had noticed the captain finish off and looked at her before dismissing her. "Of course captain. Thank you for your time. I'll let you know how my talk with Lieutenant Carlisle goes." she said standing, a quick snap to attention and leaving the ready room.

She was pretty sure she had a normal headache now on top of the migraine...

[OFF]

--

CMDR Morgan Tarin
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A

LTJG Saelihn Valenis
Security Officer
USS Galileo-A

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