ST:UNI301 | "The Long Road Pt. III"

Earth date ~2154

Resigned to their fate having helped the Enterprise crew destroy the Toroki ship - and with it their only known route home - the cadets try to find their place among the crew. But while Enterprise's crew are accustomed to temporal affairs now, the rest of Starfleet in this time might be another matter...

---

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We return to Enterprise to find the ship now cruising along comfortably, evidently some time having passed since the destruction of the Toroki's freighter

Archer sits in his office, tapping away at his console when the door chimes, "Come in" he looks up

Kayleigh & Mari enter, now sporting Enterprise jumpsuits

Archer gives as faint smile, "Well now, don't you two look the part"

Mariel "I am completely human, putting on the uniform and you can't tell the difference from anyone in your time. Kayleigh...might be the first Vulcan to wear it, since I noticed Subcommander T'Pol doesn't exactly wear the same uniform."

Kayleigh :"And it would be even more improper for me to wear what I assume from her example is the uniform of the High Command in this era"

Archer chuckles, "That, or just how she chooses to dress. I honestly can't tell myself sometimes. Anyway, take a seat I won't be a moment"

Mariel takes a seat, "I don't think I've ever even seen what Vulcan High Command uniforms look like..."

Kayleigh sits, "I would note it as a point of research for when we get back. But right now, such plans seem... immature"

Mariel "I mean, if we're stuck here, it would be beneficial to learn more about the Vulcans of this time..."

Archer taps at his console a bit and nods, "There. I don't know what they teach in your time, but take it from me; Commanding a starship is not all it's cracked up to be. That's 27 eulogies I've written since we started this mission into the expanse now..." he sighs, refocusing on the girls, "I imagine there will be a lot of learning ahead for you now"

Mariel "Yeah..."

Archer leans back in his chair, "I can't even begin to imagine how difficult this is for you two. But I promise, we won't give up on you. We've had more than our fair share of dealings with time travel, so I know how varying it can be. There are other ways and means, we just have to find them. And we will keep trying to help you get home. But... for now, this ship is heading back to Earth for some long overdue docktime. We'll explain your situation to the Admiral and see how we proceed from there. So don't go getting too comfortable in those uniforms just yet" he smiles

Mariel "I understand. Your ship and crew's been through a lot already."

Archer nods, "And if we continue to delay, it's only going to raise suspicion and draw unwanted attention"

Kayleigh :"We appreciate your efforts Captain and will continue to be of assistance to you and this ship in the mean time"

Mariel nods, "We'll do whatever duties you see fit to assign us to, Captain."

Archer, "For now, just keep working with T'Pol and Malcolm. We'll see about something more long term once we've discussed this with the Admiral. But that will be all for now girls"

Kayleigh stands and headsout

Mariel stands and follows Kayleigh out

—

Hoshi and Travis are sittling together in the mess with Mari, catching up now the dust has settled

Hoshi, "So how are you getting on working full time with T'Pol now?" she asks, looking to Mari over a sip of her drink

Mariel "Pretty good, actually. And I think T'Pol's pretty happy with the arrangement too, as far as I can tell, being Vulcan and all. I'm probably more used to working with Vulcans than most humans in this time, which is helpful for both sides."

Travis chuckles, "Don't let Trip find out, you might make him jealous!"

Hoshi smiles and eyerolls, raising her fork to point at Travis, "On the subject of Humans and Vulcans, what are you going to do now?"

Travis flusters, "W-what do you mean...?" he tries to ask innocently while attempting to make discrete sideeyes to highlight Mari's presence

Mariel giggles, "You know, about Kayleigh and all!"

Travis facepalms, "Of course you know about what happened that day too..."

Mariel "Actually I don't, I just inferred from that time in the hallway..."

Hoshi, "Hey, there's no shame in liking someone! But before, the fact these two were trying to get home made no sense to pursue. But that's changed now, so..." she looks at him expectantly

Travis looks between the two and groans, "Oh great, so /now/ you know... and besides, I-" he quickly shuts up and clears his throat, seeing Kay enter and go to get a tray of food

Hoshi smirks and leans back a little, "Just saying, no time like the present..."

Mariel looks to Kay too and waves at her

Travis lingers on her words, glancing over again and stiffening when she spots Mari and makes her way over

Kayleigh doesn't sit down though, but approaches Travis

Travis flusters even more, "Uh... Hi...?"

Kayleigh :"You are in my spot"

Travis' brow furrows, "I'm sorry, I'm what now?"

Mariel laughs, "Of course, she's picked her spot here too."

Travis and Hoshi both give Kay a look then turn to Mari for context

Mariel "Right, you don't know yet. Kayleigh...well, she's got a quirk of picking a spot as hers to sit in wherever she goes. And she just has to sit there."

Mariel looks to Travis: "So I'd recommend you let her sit here. Especially if you, you know."

Hoshi, "What is she now, a housecat?" she chuckles

Travis gives an incredulous shake of his head as he slides over to the empty seat so Kay can sit

Mariel chuckles, "She's got a logical reason for it, but I think she's just a housecat at heart..."

Kayleigh takes her seat, setting the tray down, "Thank you. Don't worry, you will adapt"

Kayleigh looks at Mari, "I have not previously considered that analogy, but you may be on to something. If they are anything like Kittiah, they will also select strategic positions to settle somewhere"

Mariel nods, "They are kind of like Kittiah."

Hoshi, "I never knew there could be a strategy to sitting down in a mess hall..."

Kayleigh :"There are actually a lot of variables to consider" she notes, starting on her food and not considering that explanation may be wanted

Mariel "I think I have some idea of what you consider, but they've never heard it before."

Kayleigh pauses, "Right, of course. Well, first is the distance to all possible exits, equidistant is optimal. Then there is the seating direction, which should be facing in a direction to allow peripheral of said exits. It should also have the back to wall ideally to avoid any chance of unnoticed disruption. And finally it should encompasses as broad a view as possible of the surrounding area for maximum observational efficiency" she concludes, and continues eating

Hoshi, "So... in non-Vulcan convoluted speak, you like a seat with a good view"

Kayleigh pauses, not having previously considered this simplification, "...yes"

Mariel laughs, "Leave it to the comm officer to come up with a non-Vulcan translation!"

—

Some time later, all of the senior staff are gathered on the bridge

Travis: "Should be coming into view any time now..."

Archer, "Activate viewscreen"

The screen flicks on to show them approaching Earth orbit, much to the elation of almost everyone present. Save for the non-Humans and cadets

Kayleigh :"Well that looks rather more different than I expected"

Malcolm points out, "You can see the scarring from the xindi weapon there"

Trip bites his lip at the sight

Mariel examines the viewscreen closely, "I see it. I knew the damage from that was bad, but I didn't realize it was visible from orbit at the time..."

Archer, "Hoshi, contact the dockmaster"

Hoshi, "They're already hailing us Captain. We are to proceed to drydock and then report to Command"

Archer nods, "Travis, take us in"

Travis takes a deep breath, "Alright, first time actually doing this now..."

Mariel "How long have you all been away from Earth?"

Hoshi: "It's been almost a year. Ten months, give or take a little."

Malcolm, "But we didn't exactly get to stick around too long before we headed off into the expanse. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to good old fish and chips. Don't get me wrong, I love Chef's work, but you can't beat the taste of home!"

Hoshi smiles, "Say what you will, but /I'm/ heading straight for Madame Chang's as soon as we get settled!"

Travis, "You're always going on about that place..."

Mariel "Your chef's work is already pretty novel for us..."

Hoshi, "You should come! You girls too, it will be fun!"

Phlox hrms, "This is the restuarant that you say does the best food from your home region, yes?"

Hoshi smiles, "The /best/! Fancy it Doctor?"

Phlox beams, "Well since we are here, it would be rude not to!"

Mariel "You can count me in! What about you Kay?"

Kayleigh :"I don't exactly have any pre-existing engagements"

Malcolm nudges her, "Well there's plenty of options on Earth! Me and Travis have already got plans to show the good Doctor one of our favourite bars. It's right near Starfleet training and we both had fond memories of being there before. You might enjoy that as well!"

Kayleigh :hrms, "This social calendar is filling up quickly..."

Archer chuckles, "There will be plenty of time for it all, I'm sure. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves shall we"

Travis, "A little room to focus here would be appreciated..."

Everyone refocuses on the viewscreen as Enterprise slowly manouvers into the dock

With a little more fine manouvering, a solid 'clunk' confirms that the ship is locked into the dockyard and Travis powers the engines down, breathing easy

Archer, "And you didn't even scratch the paint" he chuckles

Trip, "Yeah, better than I did..."

Archer stands, "Alright everyone, lock down your posts. We'll meet in the shuttlebay in 15 minutes" and promptly heads off to his office

Mariel "The shuttleb- oh right, the shuttles are standard here and the transporters are for emergencies. Still need to get used to that..."

Trip, "Yeah, and a bit more convenient for a whole group too"

Mariel "With the tech you have now, at least."

Trip, "Just how many can you transport at once in your time?"

Mariel "Depends on the transporter. The Saturn's go up to ten as standard, I believe, but the Klingons have troop transports that can do hundreds at a time."

Malcolm gives her a horrified look, "/Hundreds/ of Klingon warriors appearing all at once?" he shudders

Mariel "It's a good thing they're our allies. Wait, was that...forget I said that!"

Malcolm considers her for a moment and laughs, "You're pulling my leg! I get it, no future knowledge..."

Mariel grins, "Maybe I am pulling your leg...you'll never know because I can't tell!"

Kayleigh :"And here I thought I was the one under constant scrutiny for that"

Mariel chuckles, "Picked up some bad habits from you, I guess. Come on, let's head down to the shuttlebay."

Kayleigh nods and joins her

—

Mariel strolls down the hall with Kayleigh, "What'd you think will happen once Archer talks to the admiral? How do they even view time travel in this era? They're still new to space exploration, let alone temporal stuff..."

Kayleigh nods, "As I understand it, this crew has come to terms with it through several encounters in a Temporal Cold War from even our distant future. As for Starfleet overall, from what I've been able to learn out of Enterprise's computer, they are still... fledgling, to say the least. I do not believe they have even considered it to be a point of consideration, yet alone determined policy on it"

Mariel "Yeah...which is why it's hard to figure out what the admiral might do with us..."

Kayleigh :"Based on my study, I would calculate an approximate 86.4% chance that he will defer to Captain Archer's judgement, owing to his greater familiarity and understanding"

Mariel nods, "Captain Archer said he'd help us find a way home, or at least integrate with the crew if that doesn't pan out. So if the admiral defers to him, it's probably good for us."

Kayleigh :"It would be the most logical. Once Enterprise heads back out it is the most likely place to be where we might encounter a suitable means of returning home"

Mariel "True. I do hope that maybe someone from one of the other time travelling encounters they've had could help us..."

Kayleigh :"Since there is nobody actively present here, then I doubt it"

Mariel "Well, let's just hope Enterprise encounters another time traveller when they head out again, then."

Kayleigh :"That. Or a Klingon Bird of Prey"

Mariel "I don't think the Klingons have access to temporal- oh, you're referencing the Bounty, aren't you..."

Kayleigh :"I do not know any bounty hunters that well. I also do not know how they do it, only that I once heard Professor Se'Lai talk of how Admiral Kirk once created a temporal incursion with one"

Mariel "Yeah, that was the Bounty! What they named the Bird of Prey, that is."

Kayleigh :"Ah. A curious name for such a ship..."

—

With the cadets and senior staff all shoehorned in, it's a bit of a squeeze inside the shuttlepod. But not so much that everyone can't take in the view ahead

The shuttlepod peels away from Enterprise, and circles around the shipyards before making it's approach the surface

Travis points out the viewport, "Hey look, that must be the NX-02"

Hoshi peers out, "Columbia right?"

Archer glances as well, "That's it alright, Captain Hernandez got her I think"

The curious cadets also manage to catch a glimpse

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/f/f7/Columbia_%28NX-02%29%2C_early_2153.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20171112194232&path-prefix=en

Mariel peers out at where Travis is pointing, "Reminds me of the Terran ships in the Heart being salvaged and refit..."

Kayleigh :"That is Earth's second warp 5 exploration cruiser, yes?"

Travis chuckles, "What gave it away, the registry?"

Kayleigh perks a brow, "Well... yes"

Trip looks to Archer, "You served with Hernandez before right?"

Archer nods, "At the flight school yes. She was one of my testing team"

Mariel "The testing team, for warp drives like the one Enterprise has, right?"

Archer smiles and nods, a little pride in his voice, "Yes, I trained my whole life for this command so that I could be the one to take my father's engine out into the stars. For a long time, that involved early prototype testing"

Mariel nods, "I remember that from your bio. You were still using those single-pilot ships that were basically shuttlecraft."

Archer gives a quirked smile, "Yes, more closely modelled on the Phoenix" he looks between Mari and Kay, "You know, Captain Hernandez has already reached out asking for recommendations on her officer candidates. While she's got some skilled people already, she hasn't got any real experience on her roster..." he muses

Before they can comment further, Hoshi speaks up

Hoshi, "Um, Captain... we're being ordered to alter course"

Archer leans over, "Where are they sending us?"

Hoshi, "The, uh... Bay Stadium. Something about a belated heroes welcome..."

Archer leans back and smiles, "I suppose I should have figured as much... no hiding from I guess"

Trip, "Just how many high schools have you got named after you now anyway...?"

Archer doesn't reply, simply gives him a look

Mariel rolls 73 (1-100

Kayleigh :rolls 17 (1-100)

Mariel "Wait, a public welcome...are we sure it's a good idea to take Kayleigh there? I'm guessing people know there should only be one Vulcan on your crew..."

Everyone turns to look at Kay

Kayleigh look around, uncertain

Kayleigh :"Perhaps I can simply wait on the shuttlepod"

Archer shakes his head, "We're leaving a lot to chance if we settle for that. There must be something..."

T'Pol steps around behind Kay and pulls out her bun, pulling her hair out and down then out over her ears

Kayleigh watches through the top of her eyes, a little purturbed at her bun getting messed up, "You can not expect that to help"

T'Pol, "You would be surprised how often it actually works"

Kayleigh grumbles, adjusting it over the tips of her ears, "On pre-warp recon missions maybe..."

Everyone has a good chuckle

Travis, "Coming in for the final approach now. Hooboy, that's a lot of people..."

Archer looks down, "Relax, just all stick together and let me do the talking"

The shuttlepod circles around the stadium and lands to raucous cheering...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waswzjWmK-g

As Archer addresses the crowd, the cadets try and blend in with the rest of the officers. Fortunately for them, nobody is quite sure what to do with themselves and their awkwardness actually helps them blend in

Kayleigh 's bright pink... probably not so much. But at least it's covering her Vulcan ears

Mariel tries to act natural and look like just a generic background crewmember

Fortunately for Mari, everyone else is doing the same thing

Mariel listens to Archer speak while blending in, occasionally taking in the sight around them

Kayleigh focuses mostly on Archer, and occassionally doublechecking her hair is still covering her ears, but keenly observing how naturally he addresses the public and begins to appreciate more why he is -

Kayleigh :- such a regarded figure in Starfleet history

With Archer's initial speech done, Admiral Gardner ushers him back into a line formation with the rest of the crew shuffling in awkwardly

Mariel joins the crew in shuffling along awkwardly

Gardner then proceeds to work his way down the line, draping Starfleet's first Silver Cross awards around their necks in turn, starting with Archer

Gardner smiles, "Welcome home Captain. Sorry to jump you with this, but you didn't give us much notice of your arrival"

Archer glances down the line, consciously paying heed to the crowd with smiles and waves, "About that Admiral... we need to talk"

Gardner gives him a look but promptly moves on with the ceremony, adorning each crewmember in turn

Kayleigh & Mari at the very end of the line, with everyone having been shuffled in what essentially rank order. Hoshi stands next to Mari, with Kay at the end after her

Mariel gives Hoshi and Kayleigh uncertain glances at the Admiral approaches

Kayleigh glances down the line at the approaching Admiral, muttering to Mari, "This may be problematic..."

Mariel nods, "Unfortunately, my psionic talent isn't cloaking..."

Hoshi mutters to the pair, "Just relax, there's no avoiding it so best to just go along with whatever happens"

Mariel "Right..."

Gardner reaches Mari first, pausing slightly as he clearly doesn't recognize her but thinking little of it, since he knows Archer has a lot more crew than just his command staff

Mariel tries her best to continue acting natural as the Admiral reaches her

Gardner drapes the medal around her neck and moves on to Kay at the end of the line. He definately pauses with her, for obviously pink reasons. But, he's a professional and moves on

Gardner drapes the medal around her neck and clearly doubletakes as it catches the tip of one of her ears

Kayleigh promptly brushes her hair back over it before anyone can notice and bows her head slightly, mostly to avoid suspicious eye contact

Gardner meanwhile looks back towards Archer with a slight frown before turning a smile back to finish addressing the crowd...

—

Following the ceremony, the Enterprise crew relocate to HQ. While Captain Archer conducts his initial debrief with the Admiral, everyone else is waiting for potential summons in a reception area

Mariel sits with Kayleigh as they wait, "Curious what they're saying about us now. Although from what I've seen of the Xindi mission logs, we're hardly the craziest thing to happen to Enterprise."

Kayleigh :"Yes, I think it is fair to say that the Captain has a lot of ground to cover"

Mariel "Starfleet's used to these wild reports in our day, but Enterprise really was the first to conduct exploration like we do. Must be kind of overwhelming..."

Kayleigh :"A good point. Just about everything - including our presence - will be a first for them"

Mariel "Yeah. Probably only a matter of time before they call us in and ask us about this stuff. Even though we're just cadets, we still have a better grasp on these concepts just due to the time we come from."

Kayleigh :"That is why we are here after all" she looks to the others, "How does this normally transpire?"

Mariel "Good question. We should probably prepare for it."

Malcolm: "Well, it's probably not too different from being called in by a professor to discuss a paper or something, if your Academy works anything like ours. It's nothing too difficult, not like you're being put on trial or anything."

Kayleigh :"Except when I go into such a discussion, I already know what will be discussed and so can prepare"

Hoshi: "Well, it's probably going to be about you and time travel. I doubt they'll ask you about the rest of our mission, since you weren't even there for that."

Travis nods, "Yeah, the rest of us have a lot more guesswork to do."

Kayleigh :"Logical. But I would still prefer greater insight"

Kayleigh pulls the medal from a pocket on her jumpsuit and studies it in her hand, "That presentation was enough surprise for one day"

Mariel "Yeah...I definitely wasn't expecting that for sure!"

Travis laughs, "None of us were!"

Hoshi, "Though... now it does make sense why the Admiral wanted to know how many were in our party as we made our approach"

Malcolm looks to Hoshi, "Well, you could have warned us" he chuckles

Mariel chuckles, "I think she only figured it out in hindsight."

Kayleigh Hoshi smiles and gives a firm nod, "/Thank/ you Mariel. See Malcolm, at least someone around here appreciates me!" she teases

—

Meanwhile inside the Admirals office...

Archer slams his fist on the arm of his chair, "You can't be serious?!"

Gardner: "I'm sorry, Jonathan. These aren't people that'll take no for an answer, and you know that."

Archer, "But you're talking about handing people over without any consent or consultation. They are essentially civilians, not prisoners! Starfleet Intelligence might request to speak with them, but only the girls themselves can choose to engage with them or not!"

Gardner sighs, "I don't like it either. The problem is, these girls might be human, or partly human, but they don't have Earth citizenship, or Vulcan citizenship. Legally, they're unregistered -

Mariel - individuals, which gives Intelligence the right to detain them."

Archere huffs, "That's a thin technicality at best. If they have done nothing to warrant persecution, then they can not be forcefully detained!"

Gardner: "They haven't done anything /wrong/, but they're on Earth without official documentation. That's technically a violation of the law. And if we don't hand them over, they could hit you with charges for smuggling them onto Earth!"

Archer stands and paces, waving his hand, "Then let them try! See how far it gets them. With the big spotlight you just put on me and my crew you'll have the whole planet in an uproar over it!"

Gardner: "Look, this isn't the Spanish Inquisition. They're not monsters down in Intelligence. We hand them over, put in a good word, and once they see the girls are no threat to the safety of United Earth, they'll probably let them go, send them right back to you. It's just a few days of inconvenience."

Archer frowns, "That's a naive viewpoint, and you know it! They aren't interested in threats to Earth, they just want to use these girls and their future knowledge. And I won't see anyone under my care be used like that!"

The intercom chimes from the Admiral's PA, "Admiral, the Vulcan assembly has gathered and are now ready to conduct the full debriefing with you"

Gardner pinches the bridge of his nose, "Look... we'll have to come back to this after. First let's try and get through this debriefing without you biting anyone else's head off" he walks out, Archer sighing and following closely

—

The cadets are sat in Archer's office, each working away on a datapad

T'Pol sits behind Archer's desk, "I apologize for putting this upon you both. Unfortunately I have no context, only the insisted urgency with which you complete these citizenship applications. The Captain was unusually irate, even for a Human, and said nothing more apart from something about mountains and not to be contacted"

Mariel "I guess it's a legal thing, seeing the Federation doesn't exist yet and all..."

T'Pol, "The what?"

Kayleigh :"It is unimportant. We understand that these things are required sometimes, it is of no consequence"

Mariel chuckles nervously, "Yes, that. So, umm...for the family information. Do I just put my real family there? Even if they don't, well...exist yet?"

Kayleigh :"I would recommend leaving all non-essential details blank"

Mariel "Right. I see there's not even a species category, but I guess United Earth doesn't have non-human citizens yet. That should make it easier for you Kay!"

Kayleigh :"But there is a racial subcategory. Presumably for distinction of Earth ethnicity"

T'Pol, "It would be wise to classify yourself simply as Vulcan for the purposes of this exercise"

Kayleigh nods, "Logical" glancing to T'Pol and noticng she seems a bit distracted, "If we are keeping you from other priorities Subcommander, I am confident we can progress these without supervision"

T'Pol shakes her head, "There is no urgency, and I promised the Captain that I would ensure immediate completion and registration of these before anything else. I was simply calculating the requirements for my packing ahead of the task"

Mariel "Anything we can help with?"

T'Pol, "That is a kind offer, but it is not neccessary. I am simply preparing for a trip back to Vulcan while Enterprise is undergoing refit"

Mariel "Oh right, you're going back to Vulcan. I should've guessed that, you've been away from home almost as long as everyone on Enterprise has been away from Earth, if not longer."

T'Pol, "It has been considerably longer since I returned to Vulcan. And in the wake of recent events, it... would be prudent"

T'Pol glances at Kay, lingering on their previous conversation, but Kay is focusing on her paperwork

Mariel "What happened recently? Vulcan didn't get attacked by the Xindi too, did it?"

T'Pol, "No, it is just everything that occurred in the expanse"

Mariel "Right. That was a tough journey for everyone I heard, including you."

T'Pol, "Indeed it was, which is why many of the crew will be taking downtime for a while"

Mariel nods, "I just thought you were packing for Earth like everyone else, but yeah, Vulcan makes a lot of sense since that's your home. I don't imagine many Vulcans live on Earth in this time, beside -

Mariel - the embassy staff."

T'Pol, "Yes, and I worked there for long enough before joining Enterprise that it holds little value in revisiting"

Mariel "Oh yeah, you were at the embassy before. I think I remember it from...nevermind. Did you have to fill out one of these applications too, or did you have something different as embassy staff?"

T'Pol, "An equivalent registration was completed for all Vulcan embassy staff stationed on Earth"

Mariel "Equivalent, but not quite the same thing? I wonder if Kay is going to be the first Vulcan citizen of Earth now. I really hope this doesn't mess up history..."

Kayleigh :"In the grand scheme of things, I highly doubt that a citizenship application will have last ripples through time"

T'Pol, "Whether it does or not, we can simply react to the present"

Kayleigh :"A valid point that we are going to have accept more of as we move forwards"

T'Pol, "However, since the two of you are - for now atl east - assigned to Enterprise, I would consider this little more than a formality. And given the Captain's implied urgency for it, that only reinforces the theory"

Mariel nods, tapping her datapad some more, "What're you writing for nationality, Kay? Just Vulcan as well, or are you going to pick some specific part of Vulcan, like where your father comes from?"

Kayleigh :"I simply entered Vulcan. You however should probably be more specific than 'Human'"

Kayleigh sets the datapad down, "All should be in order now"

Mariel "That I did, but the place I was born exists in this time period on Earth too." She sets her datapad down as well, "That should do it."

T'Pol takes them both, "Thank you girls, I will see to the submissions now. You need not concern yourselves further with this, since the crew is on shore leave I recommend you partake as well"

—

Ignoring some tentative warnings from Trip about a current air of xenophobia on Earth, Malcom and Travis are quick to set plans in motion to head back to their favourite bar new HQ. Phlox also joins them, unphased by the rumours given how long he lived on Earth. Similarly for Kay, who also joins them along with Mari

Mariel looks around, "Well, I think some of the tech is different, but the atmosphere's still more or less the same as bars in our time...

Kayleigh :"It is no Queens, that much is certain. But quite pleasant in it's own way"

Mariel nods, "I've seen a few bars on Earth that's still quite similar to this. I guess Earth has that old human vibe more, while out in the Heart it's more of a mix of all sorts of cultures."

Travis, "So what's this Queens, that the name of a favourite bar back home or something?"

Kayleigh :"Something like that"

Kayleigh naturally sees no value in elaborating on just how different it is, of course

Malcolm: "Sounds like it's not on Earth. Is it on some colony world?"

Kayleigh :"It is at the Heart, the Iconi- the facility where our annex is... or was"

Mariel "Will be might be more accurate..."

Kayleigh :"In the grand scheme, yes. But in the context of our personal timeline it is now in the past, and I am attempting to reconcile this with the proper inflections"

Phlox chuckles, "Even Vulcan's can get tied in knots with temporal referencing!"

Malcolm meanwhile tekes in the view, very proudly wearing his Enterprise jacket in the hopes of serving to attract some ladies

Mariel nods, "As Shavi says, it's a language thing. Vulcans might be logical, which lets them wrap their heads around temporal concepts much better, but the Vulcan language was still designed back when they thought time was linear and could only flow in one direction, so it struggles just as much as human or Denobulan languages."

Kayleigh :"Very true"

Mariel looks around, then back at Phlox, "So, is this your first time here too?"

Phlox nods, munching a Dorito, "Mmm, mmm! Yes, though I lived on Earth a long time before joining Enterprise. This little establishment seems to have eluded me. Much as it's snacks have done. Seriously, can we get some of these to take back to the ship?"

Mariel pops a Dorito into her mouth as well, "They are very nice! Were these hand-crafted in this era too? Or well, factory crafted at least."

Malcolm chuckles, "I think they're probably mass produced"

Kayleigh tries one and hrms, "Definitely not replicated at least" she stands, "I am going to get another drink. Does anyone else require replenishment?"

Mariel "I'll have some mango juice, they should have it here since it's a classic Earth drink!"

Travis: "I'll take a beer, thanks.

Malcolm: "I'll have one as well."

Kayleigh nods and looks to Phlox before heading away

Phlox raises a Dorito, "I'm content with these for now," before proceeding to munch on it

Kayleigh :"Very well, I will return momentarily" she heads over the bar

Malcolm watches her walk away, "You know, for someone who comes across as very socially awkward your friend seems awfully comfortable in this setting..."

Mariel "Yeah, it's funny isn't it..." she leans in to whisper, "Don't tell her I told you, but she has a hidden social side which comes out in environments like this."

Malcolm gives a quirked smile, he and Travis both giving Kay another glance, "No kidding?"

Kayleigh meanwhile, turns from the bar with the drinks all somehow balanced between one another in her hands. As she turns she bumps into a tall Human man at the bar. He turns and cusses

Kayleigh :looks up, "My apologies" and continues, seeing no harm done since nothing spilled

Mariel "I think it's one of the more human attributes she usually keeps buried." She looks over at Kay as she starts heading back with all the drinks

The Human growls something about aliens under his breath, laughing at a snarky comment from his buddy

Kayleigh sets them all down and takes her seat

Mariel "Wow, good balancing skills Kay."

Kayleigh :"A skill seldom utilized, but I have had some practice"

Kayleigh looks around, sensing the halted conversation at her return, "If you wish to continue talking about me, I can leave again"

Kayleigh sips her drink innocently

Kayleigh everyone shares a glance and laughs

—

Meanwhile, somewhere in the mountains...

https://youtu.be/t_wXnZxAWZA?t=58

Kayleigh gives a cute little sneeze out of nowhere

Mariel takes a sip of her drink, "So, enjoying the bar here Kay?"

Kayleigh twitches her nose, "It is not without it's charm"

Phlox, "Are you alright cadet? Could be allergies"

Travis chuckles, "Nah, someone's just talking about her!"

Kayleigh perks a brow

Mariel "Maybe a more...logical explanation could be that we're still getting used to the Earth environment in this time. Probably a few strains of viruses and such that we're not used to, because they don't exist anymore by our time, at least not in the same form."

Kayleigh :"That would be a more logical explanation" she commends

Travis, "Pfft, no fun at all!"

Mariel giggles, "Being around a Vulcan is rubbing off on me. We were talking about how I was starting to think more tactically too!"

Malcolm, "Coming from a Vulcan, that would be quite the complement"

Kayleigh sips her drink, "So besides bar crawling, does anyone have any further plans for this shore leave?"

Travis: "Well there's plenty we could do on Earth. Sights to see, places to visit..."

Kayleigh :"Whilst some of that may be of interest to us, since we are new here. You are not touriists, surely such distractions would be superfluous?"

Travis: "Actually, I grew up on cargo ships most of my life, so there's plenty I've still to see. And Phlox might've been here before too, but I'm sure there's a lot he hasn't explored yet too."

Kayleigh :"I see. Then perhaps sightseeing with us could be of more interest than I anticipated"

Malcolm smirks, "Sounds like a date!"

Travis: "Oh no, that's not what I-"

Mariel laughs

Kayleigh looks around, uncertain of the joke, "If you and the doctor wish to go on a sightseeing date, I see nothing humorous in that"

Travis almost chokes on his drink, "What?"

There's a brief pause and they all start laughing

Mariel "I think the cities could actually be very interesting for us to see. I don't think the natural areas has changed all that much, but the urban areas might be very different."

Kayleigh :"Yes, the culture of this time is already very different as we have seen. The urban areas present a wealth of social observation opportunities"

Mariel nods, "And if we do get stuck in this time, which I hope we aren't, but worst case scenario, learning the human culture of this time can be helpful to us."

Kayleigh :"My thoughts also" she notices a couple of girls at the bar who keep glancing towards their table, and to Malcolm. But they seem to be hesitating. She stands and looks to Mari, "I believe it is time-

Kayleigh :- to pay a visit to the restroom. On the subject of local customs I have often observed female associates doing so in tandom, so would you please join me"

Mariel chuckles and stands, "That's true, but you usually don't have to ask!"

Kayleigh :"I will make a note for next time" she heads over to the restrooms with Mari

On the way, the same Human she bumped into earlier turns from the bar and almost bumps into Kay. She doesn't notice this one, but he again curses under his breath about aliens

Kayleigh turns to Mari inside the restroom, "I believe that should help"

Mariel "Help? With...what?"

Kayleigh :"Lieutenant Reed is preoccupied with attempting mating rituals. His choice of attire is akin to a peacock's flumage in this setting. There were some Human females at the bar who appeared interested, but hesitant to approach with our presence. By removing ourselves, I anticipate they will make an approach which will satisfy the Lieutenant's craving for attention"

Mariel "Wow. You really are good at this social observation thing. I'm surprised Starfleet Intelligence hasn't tried to recruit you yet or something..."

Kayleigh :"It is not that significant. He all but acknowledged it himself earlier, and I simply had the vantage point where I could see them"

Mariel grins, "Are you sure it's not all your time hanging out at Queens paying off?"

Kayleigh :"That... may be a contributing factor..."

Meanwhile in the bar...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi2jb6f_8hg

Kayleigh spends a couple of minutes checking refreshing at the mirror before turning to Mariel, "I think that should be long enough, don't you?"

Mariel "We could always peek out, make sure we won't be interrupting first. There's plenty of people, if we see something still going on we could head back in and no one'll be the wiser.”

Kayleigh nods, "A prudent measure, but doubtful it will be necessary. If they have established contact, then our returning presence will no longer hinder them" she heads back out

The pair exit the restroom to see people straightening back some toppled tables, and the atmosphere is clearly different now

Kayleigh asks as they rejoin the table, "Did we miss something?"

Travis, "Nothing to worry about. Just that jerk who bumped into you earlier trying to pick a fight"

Malcolm, "Yeah, but you did miss the doctor's little show!"

Kayleigh turns curiously to a perturbed looking Phlox

Phlox: "I, uh...wouldn't call it a show."

Malcolm, "Well whatever you call it, it sure was impressive"

Phlox munches on some more snacks while Mari looks between them curiously

Mariel "What exactly did he do?"

Travis, "I don't know what you'd call it even... just sort of..." he puffs his cheeks out and exaggerates with hand gestures

Mariel "Oooh. That's a Denobulan instinctive response," she looks to Phlox. "You alright, doctor?"

Phlox nods, "Everything is fine now. The aggravators have left the bar."

Kayleigh :"It is unfortunate that it timed so we were not present to assist. But I am releived to see you are well"

Phlox: "Thank you. It might've been best that you weren't here, so the fight didn't escalate any more."

Kayleigh :"You believe our presence would have escalated it? Rest assured, we are both trained and capable at self defense"

Travis: "It's not that, the guy had an issue with aliens. Having you and Phlox here...might've made things worse."

Kayleigh :"I see, so Commander Tucker's warnings were correct after all" she looks to Phlox, who clearly seems put out by the whole affair now...

—

After the incident in the bar, the group decide to get some fresh air. Following their discussion from earlier, they exit the establishment and begin making their way through the streets of San Francisco. As expected given the time as well as the xenophobia earlier, they see no other aliens as they walk, Earth being host to far less members of other species back in the 22nd century

Kayleigh :"It seems almost surruel does it not? Nothing but Humans everywhere you look, it could almost be pre-warp"

Mariel nods, "But the city itself does look closer to the San Francisco of our time than those historical holos of San Francisco before the atomic horror. There's still quite a few differences, a lot of buildings are different, but overall it resembles our San Fran more than the pre-warp one. Which makes the lack of other species even weirder..."

Kayleigh :looks to Phlox, "Did it ever look this way when you lived here before?"

Phlox: "Do you mean the buildings or the people? There have been a few new buildings erected, but the city hasn't changed /that/ much. As for the people, that's been the same as well."

Kayleigh :"I was referrring mostly to the distinct lack of any non-Human presence. Save for you and I of course"

Phlox: "Oh yes, that's always been the same. There's a few Vulcans around, mostly around this particular city since that's where the embassy is. There is the occasional visitor or trader from another species, but I believe that's only become common more recently with humanity beginning to reach out to other species more as well."

Kayleigh :"Fascinating. I was aware that this was early for Earth's involvement in the wider galaxy, but had not anticipated it being quite to this extent"

Travis: "It's still been less than a century since Cochrane built his first warp drive and made contact with the Vulcans. For most of its existance, Starfleet's just been pushing the development of warp tech. Before Enterprise, it was mostly cargo ships like the ones I grew up on that went far beyond Earth and made contact with lots of alien species."

Kayleigh :hrms, "With the timeframes involved, you must be among the first Humans to be born and raised in space then?"

Travis nods, "That I am! We Boomers have more experience with space travel than most people in Starfleet. I mean, Starfleet was conducting survey and exploration missions from day one, but they were usually short range to only the closest systems. Only Enterprise has gone as far as or even further than Boomer ships."

Kayleigh :"Boomers?"

Travis: "That's what they call us, people who were born in space. Space boomers. I take it the term's not in use anymore where you're from."

Kayleigh :"It is not a term I am familiar with"

Mariel "Me neither. We defintely don't make the distinction between born in space or on a planet anymore. I guess there's not much point when for us space travel is just as common as going from one continent on Earth to another or something like that."

Kayleigh :"I suppose that would make me a Boomer too then. Curious"

—

The next day, everyone spends most of their time helping out with preparations to begin Enterprise's refit. Come evening, Mariel, Kay, Hoshi and Travis head to Madame Changs without Phlox who is still put off following yesterday's scuffle

Kayleigh looks around as they settle, "Well this is... quaint"

Hoshi smiles, "Pro tip; big fancy looking places aren't always the best!" she sighs softly, "I just wish Phlox would have joined us still. It's so stupid being put out like that just because of some loudmouths in a bar!"

Travis: "Well, they did try to hit him, but I do wish he could join us as well."

Mariel "This reminds me of a lot of smaller restaurants back home, too. Even in our time, it's often the small, hidden places that have the best food."

Hoshi smiles, "See Kay! Mari gets it! By the way, with all said and done, it's probably a good shout still that you wore your hair down again today"

Kayleigh very consciously wraps it over the tip of her ear, "This is the most inefficient form of disguise. It defies all logic as to why it is so effective..."

Mariel "I think it's pretty logical. Vulcan ears are the most distinctive part of a Vulcan, and covering them up makes you blend in easily with humans! Not everyone walks around with a scanner checking lifesign readings, even in our time. Unless you've been spending too much time with the Hyrokee..."

Hoshi smirks, "I think she just doesn't like wearing it down. I don't know why though, it looks nice this way!"

Kayleigh hrms, clearly unconvinced and deep down sulking because Hoshi is right

Mariel nods in agreement, "I think so too!"

Kayleigh :"Well, that aside, let us enjoy this evening without any interruptions like yesterday"

Travis nods, "I sure hope so."

Mariel "Your hair should help with that!"

Hoshi smiles, sensing Kay's discomfort, "So... did Malcolm really wear his uniform to the bar yesterday just to pick up girls?"

Mariel chuckles, "Yes he did! Okay, I'm not sure if he wore it /just/ for that, but it probably was one of the reasons."

Hoshi waves her hand, "Oh trust me girl, if he wore it; that was the /only/ reason he did!"

Mariel looks to Kayleigh, "Seems you had a very good read on the social situation after all!"

Kayleigh :"Less sop on the part where several patrons to offense to mine and the Doctor's presence"

Mariel "Hey none of us saw that coming, so don't beat yourself up for it."

Hoshi, "I'm just glad I wasn't there. So this is two nights out on the trot for you all now isn't it? Starting to become a habit"

Hoshi, "I'm just glad I wasn't there. So this is two nights out on the trot for you all now isn't it? Starting to become a habit"

Mariel "Well, it is quite interesting seeing the differences between the culture of our times. And the similarities! Plus, we don't exactly have any family to visit or anything, and there's not much we can do to look at getting back home while Enterprise is still docked at Earth."

Hoshi, "Are you sure you don't have family? I mean, even Kay's got some Human heritage, so you both must have ancestors here and now"

Mariel "Looking at it that way, I /definitely/ have family here, but I'm not sure it's a good idea to visit them. It might change the timeline, and even if it doesn't, it's still a bit weird, having a -

Mariel - stranger show up and telling you they're a descendant."

Kayleigh :"Even stranger in my case"

Hoshi chuckles, "Point taken! Still, not sure I could resist the temptation!"

Mariel "Yeah, I'm half tempted to look up who they might be and where they are. Just not sure I'll actually go and visit them."

Kayleigh :"But to do so, where would you even start? It is not as though we have access to databases from our time so unless you already know who you to look for it may be fruitless"

Mariel "I have a good memory, remember? My family's not one of those who keep detailed family trees and stuff, but I know at least a few names of ancestors around this time period. If I just use the databases of this time to check for those names around the region we come from, I'll probably find someone."

Kayleigh :"Then it would at least be feasible to explore. If you so chose"

Mariel "We could give it a check when we're back on the ship or at a terminal that can access the data. But no rush to look into it, since I don't plan on actually doing anything with the information!"

Travis: "What about you, Kayleigh? Do you remember who your ancestors might be in this time?"

Kayleigh shakes her head, "Inever considered it to be pertinent"

Travis: "You mentioned you were born on a ship, right? Do you know what region of Earth your family comes from? Or which region on Vulcan?"

Kayleigh :"I know that my father hails from the Han-Shir continent, but I do not know if the family always resided there. As for my mother, I believe she came from northern Europe and of mixed racial heritage"

Mariel "Yeah, that doesn't narrow things down much, does it?"

While they chat, a waiter makes his way over to the table, "Excuse me, Ms. Kayleigh? Ms. Tanglao?" he looks around the table

Mariel "That's us."

Mariel gestures to Kayleigh to indicate herself and Kay

The waiter looks between the two, "I apologize for the interruption, but a message has been left for you at the front desk"

Mariel looks at Kay curiously, "A message? Specifically for us?"

The waiter nods, "For you two by name, yes" he walks away

Kayleigh looks back to Mari, "The only people here who know us are with the crew, and if they needed to reach us surely they would send a comm"

Mariel "Wonder what that could be. Better go check it out, I guess."

Kayleigh looks back to Mari, "The only people here who know us are with the crew, and if they needed to reach us surely they would send a comm"

Kayleigh nods and stands, looking to the others, "Excuse us"

The pair head to the front desk and after a brief introduction once more, they are handed a sealed envelope with their names on it

They open it and lean in together as they both read: "Cadets, I know you do not belong here and now. I apologize for this elusive means of contact, but I must be careful. All will be explained, please meet by the waterfront docks near here at 2200"

—

Mariel reads through the letter, then sloooowly looks to Kayleigh, "Okay..."

Kayleigh :"Well this is highly irregular"

Mariel "It's definitely not from the crew alright. Sounds like someone else knows who we are. Somehow."

Kayleigh :"It would certainly appear that way. But that does not mean they are a friend neccessarily, this could be a rouse"

Mariel "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. But it could be our best way of getting back home. Even if they're not here to help us, whoever sent this knowing who we are implies they might have some temporal technology or connection to a temporal organization. And we're definitely not going back home using 22nd century tech..."

Kayleigh :"The question remains, how do we approach this?"

Mariel looks through the letter again, "Well the letter says meet by the docks, but it doesn't say go alone."

Kayleigh :"True, you think we should share this with the others and ask for their help then?"

Mariel nods, "The crew already knows who we are, there's no harm in showing them this."

Kayleigh :"Alright then, let's get back and see what they make of it" she makes her way back into the seating area to rejoin their table

Mariel follows back to the table as well, where Travis looks at them curiously

Travis: "What was that about?"

Kayleigh :"A most curious development. It would seem that somebody knows who we are, and they want to help" she shows him the note

Travis reads over the note and passes it to Hoshi as he gives the cadets a concerned look, "Who could this be from?"

Kayleigh :"If we knew them, they would likely not need to communicate in this manner"

Hoshi hands back the note, "Well that's not at all suspicious..."

Kayleigh perks a brow, "Really? My interpretation was that it was very suspicious?"

Mariel chuckles, "She's being sarcastic there Kay."

Kayleigh :"Ah, of course. Well as Mari already noted when we first read it, this seems too distinct to ignore. Thoughts?"

Travis: "Sounds dangerous to me, but also worth looking into."

Mariel "Exactly what I thought, too!"

Kayleigh :"The time they have specified would provide us a sufficient window to naturally conclude our evening here. The sendere delivered the note here, so they know of our presence and are likely already watching. If we are to proceed with caution, the most logical would be for us to split ways upon leaving, Mari and myself head directly to the rendezvous while the two of you take a detour route to circle back to a suitable observational post"

Travis: "You sure you wouldn't want us contacting Malcolm or the MACOs to back you up? These could be powerful people..."

Kayleigh :"That is true... but I have reservations about raising such a big alarm that could not evade notice and have to be reported to Command. If it is genuine, it could put them off, and if it is not it will still draw undesirable attention towards us from with Starfleet"

Travis: "True..."

Mariel "And if they don't suspect the two of you, you'll still be going in with a significant advantage."

Hoshi, "But technically... everyone is on shore leave right now. Sooo... there's no reason Malcolm and a few friends couldn't just happen to be visiting the right time and place... I know he can be discrete if needed"

Mariel "It would be good if we had them along. If you think you can contact them without whoever sent this message finding out..." she looks to Kayleigh for her approval as well

Kayleigh nods, "We brought this to you so as to defer to your better judgement and insight"

Hoshi smiles, "Alright, I'll give Malcolm a call" she stands and heads to the resroom

Kayleigh leans over to Mari, "How does the resroom accompaniment etiquette work when there are 3 femailes in the party?"

Mariel "Umm...are you saying we should discuss this in the restroom?"

Kayleigh looks towards the restrooms and back, "Hoshi has headed that way, but she is presently alone. Remember our discussion last night about the protocol for female friends accompanying each other to the-

Kayleigh :- restroom. But I am uncertain how the rule applies now there are 3 of us in the party"

Mariel "Oooh. Yeah, I think it won't be suspicious if we just follow her. C'mon!" She stands and follows

Travis, "Hey no fair, I can't follow you there!"

Before they can deliberate further, Hoshi returns and sits, giving Mari a funny look, "Are you... going somewhere?"

Mariel "Nevermind. I...guess Kay's social reading isn't /always/ on point..."

Kayleigh tilts her head

Hoshi chuckles, "Well, Malcolm's on board. He's scouting ahead with a couple of MACO's who were still hanging around on the ship. They know this is a covert thing, so we shouldn't have to worry about drawing attention"

Kayleigh :"Thank you Hoshi. Now let us finish this meal before we pursue the matter"

—

Following their meal, the group splits up as planned with Kay and Mari making their way towards the rendezvous

Kayleigh :"We will have to assume that our backup from Enterprise is in position"

Mariel nods, looking around nervously as they walk, "Or hope that they are. Either way, not got much of a choice since we have a timeframe..."

Kayleigh :"Try not to overly concern yourself. Even if Hoshi and Travis are not able to get into position, Malcolm and his support have had a significant head start so we can be confident of their presence. And if all else fails, I believe most Humans of this time are unaware of the extent of Vulcan physical strength. Or electro-psionics"

Mariel "True, but if they know who we are, they might not be from this time..."

Kayleigh :"You are not making it easy for me to steady your fears you know. Most inconsiderate" she deadpans

Mariel "Right. Sorry. Anyways, let's just see who this is. It's not necessarily going to be bad..."

Kayleigh :"Of course not. There is at least a 10% chance of it not being bad" she quips, sitting innocently at a bench

Mariel sits beside Kayleigh, "Wait, only 10%?!"

Kayleigh :turns to her, "I said at least. The actually probability is nearer 50%, but since that was predictable I weighed that a more extreme phrasing would help distract you"

Mariel "Not very comforting...but yeah I figured since we know next to nothing about who sent the letter, the odds are pretty much 50-50."

Kayleigh :"Comforting was not working. So I opted for distracting instead, which seems to have worked quite well"

Mariel "Good point. How tight is the security on Earth in this century anyways?" she looks around. "I hope whoever's behind this isn't perched on a rooftop with a phaser sniper. Or maybe I've just played too many of those spy holos..."

Kayleigh :"You have played too many of them. But that aside, it highly unlikely they would lure us to a location such as this if the intention was to assassinate. There would be far more efficient ways of achieving that. Would you like me to elaborate?"

Mariel "No, I get the idea. They knew we were at the restaurant, so if they just wanted us dead, they clearly already knew where to find us and didn't need to get us to a particular spot and let us know they even exist. I'm just being paranoid, sitting out here waiting for...whoever it might be."

A figure clad all in black approaches, "Paranoia is understandable, but hardly neccessary. Cadets, thank you for coming"

Kayleigh :turns at the sound of the voice, watching him as walks around in front of them

Mariel also turns, staring at the figure, "So...who are you?"

The man lowers the hood of his robe to reveal a face that would at least be familiar to Captain Archer, if nobody else from Enterprise, "My name is Daniels, I am a temporal agent"

Kayleigh :"A... temporal agent. Of course..."

Mariel "How do we know you're who you say you are?"

Daniels: "I know who you are. Most people in this era don't."

Kayleigh :"Enough do though, that is hardly compelling evidence"

Daniels: "I could show you that I have technology from the future, but that would only prove that I'm from the future, not that I'm here to help you. Same with if I tell you what I know of your time or lives. But I haven't harmed you so far, have I?"

Kayleigh :"Still hardly compelling. Tell me, if you are who you say you are; why the written note and clandestine rendezvous?"

Daniels: "Let's just say I've already involved Captain Archer and his crew in more temporal affairs than he'd like."

Kayleigh :"I hate to disappoint you then, but they are already quite heavily involved in our presence here. Intervention from a temporal agency would have been logical at the point where we arrived and before Enterprise found us. Events have transpired beyond our control which have undoubtedly affected things, so why wait until now to intervene? If you are a temporal agent as you say, surely you would be punctual?"

Daniels takes out a PADD which is clearly not from the 22nd century and hands it to Kay, "Who said I'm not punctual?"

Kayleigh :takes it and gives it a curious look over, "I see. And I am to take it then that this content is from your time the same as this PADD which is not entirely familiar"

Daniels: "That's correct. Do you believe me now?"

Kayleigh :"Perhaps. But what does this mean exactly?"

Daniel: "It means that you're supposed to be here, and the events which happened with you aboard Enterprise is the proper course of history."

Kayleigh :hrms, looking to Mari, "Are you following all of this?"

Mariel nods, "I think so. So what you're saying is, everything that happened with the Toroki ship, like Enterprise losing one of their MACOs on board, was something that needed to happen?"

Daniels: "For the future to be the way you remember it, yes. Which is why I only came here after you returned to Earth, and why I'm circumventing Archer for all this. He wouldn't be very happy with me allowing one of his men to die when I could have intervened earlier to save him."

Kayleigh :"We have learned in Temporal Mechanics class that such complications may arise from incursions, planned or otherwise. So you have asked us here to return us home then?"

Daniels: "Not quite."

Kayleigh :perks a brow, "Are you always this helpful?"

Daniels: "Well, I didn't know you needed help to get back to your time. I only knew that what happened with the Toroki needed to happen, but our records didn't have every detail of the situation."

Kayleigh :"I take that to mean you were not aware of the ship getting destroyed"

Daniels: "That's right. I came here to observe the situation and I don't have the information or equipment to locate your point of origin with enough accuracy to send you back."

Kayleigh :"Well that is unfortunate. We had speculated about temporal agency intervention in our presence here, but with the premise of correcting the timeline. If you are simply here observing a known event then... does that mean we are fated to remain here?"

Daniels: "No, that wouldn't be good for the timeline either. I shoudl say, I have the equipment needed, just...not with me."

Kayleigh :"Ok... so, can we go and get it? My intuition is telling me it will not be so simple..."

Daniels: "You have a better chance of getting it than I do. It's locked in my old quarters on Enterprise."

Kayleigh :"Wait, you have quarters on the ship?"

Daniels: "It was part of my previous missions involving Captain Archer."

Kayleigh :"I see. So all we need is to get you to your quarters and then you can send us home?"

Daniels nods, "Captain Archer has the room sealed off, so no one can access the technology in there. If you can retrieve my equipment, I can use it to get you back home."

Kayleigh :"We would not have access to it. But..." she looks to Mari, "Lieutenant Reed may have?"

Mariel "He's the security chief, or their equivalent of it in this time. If anyone other than Archer himself has access, it has to be him."

Kayleigh :"And if not, we would have to wait for the Captain to return"

Daniels takes out a small circular device, "Or you can use this."

Kayleigh :looks at the device, "Wait, you want us to go and do all of this for you? But we don't even know where your quarters are. Or what we should retrieve there"

Daniels: "Unlike me, you're welcome on the ship. And you'll know the devices when you see it. It's not like I left an entire cargo bay of future technology on board."

Kayleigh :hrms, "This feels like deceiving the crew" she looks to Mari, "Do you want to proceed as suggested or should we subdue him and take him to Enterprise?"

Mariel "I don't think subduing him is a good idea. Maybe we can talk to the crew about it, negotiate for the technology? Archer might not like him, but he has no issue with us. And if Archer's worked with this supposed temporal agent before, he might even be able to tell us whether he's for real."

Kayleigh :"A fair assessment" she concurs, pocketing Daniels' device, "Then we know what must be done, I assume this device can allow us to contact you once we have your, um, other device?"

Daniels nods, "You should, and even if you can't figure out how to work it, I'll be able to locate you when you have it. That's how I know for sure that it's still aboard Enterprise."

Kayleigh :"Understood. Then please allow us some time to weigh the options, and we will speak again once everything is done"

Daniels: "Good luck, cadets."

—

Once Daniels leaves the pair, Travis and Hoshi catch up to them first

Mariel turns as they approach, "Well good news, it wasn't a trap."

Travis: "And the bad news?"

Hoshi chuckles, "Yeah, we kind of got that impression for how it looked!"

Mariel "Don't jinx us, I didn't say there was bad news!"

Travis: "There usually is a catch to these things...

Mariel "Well...that there sort of is..."

Kayleigh :"There is definitely a catch. Tell me, are you aware of a set of quarters belonging to a former shipmate which the Captain had sealed?"

Travis: "I heard something about that, yeah."

Hoshi, "I know it's a thing, sure. But... he's never exactly been forthcoming about it"

Kayleigh :hrms, "What do you suppose the chances are that Malcolm would have access?"

Travis: "I mean, he does look after the ship's security from external and internal dangers, so I think he'd have access to sealed rooms. But at the same time, the Captain does seem to be -

Mariel - especially secretive about that room and why it was even sealed to begin with."

Kayleigh :"This does not help us resolve the dilemma"

Mariel "Didn't we get Malcolm and the MACOs to back us up? We could ask him ourselves."

Kayleigh :nods and looks to the others

Hoshi pulls out her communicator, stepping away to call Malcolm

Travis: "So what's this about the sealed room? Did the guy you talk to tell you what was inside it?"

Kayleigh :"He said it used to be his quarters, and inside there is something which can help us get home"

Travis: "He used to be on Enterprise?"

Kayleigh :"Apparently so. Does the name Daniels ring true at all?"

Travis: "Yeah, I think so. Can't say I know much about him but I remember someone by that name on the ship."

Hoshi returns, "Wasn't that the Captain's old stewards name? Malcolm and his squad will be along shortly"

Travis: "You're right, that's who he was! That was him you were talking to?"

Kayleigh :"So he claims at any rate. Though I am inclined to believe his story"

Mariel "What was the saying, the crazier the story, the more likely it is to be true?"

Hoshi, "Must be some crazy story..."

Malcom and the MACOs - all in casual attire - join the others, "What story now?"

Mariel "The one we spoke with was called Daniels. Claims he had quarters on Enterprise which the Captain's locked up now?"

Malcolm looks to Travis and Hoshi briefly, "Wait, your mystery visitor was /him/?"

Mariel "That's what he claimed, at least."

Malcolm, "So that explains who he was. What did he want?"

Mariel "He said he was just observing our little time trip. Apparently he didn't expect that we would need help getting back home, but with the equipment he left back on Enterprise, he could help us."

Malcolm, "Wait, you're saying he's from your time too?"

Mariel "No, we don't have temporal agents. At least, not that I know of. I think he comes from even further in the future, when Starfleet has branches specifically dedicated to time travel. Or maybe it's a separate organization from Starfleet, I'm not really sure..."

Malcolm shakes his head, "Forget I asked... So what is the plan? Since he walked away I'm assuming we're cooperating with him for now?"

Mariel "He does seem like our best chance of getting home. You've heard of this Daniels person as well, then?"

Malcolm nods, "I knew him, met him a few times. But then he disappeared one day and the Captain told me he was sealing those quarters up. No questions asked, so I didn't ask"

Mariel "Do you have access to these quarters?"

Malcolm shakes his head, "I helped the Captain seal them, but only he has access to open them back up"

Mariel "Guess we'll have to talk to Captain Archer about it, then..."

Kayleigh :"That, or we investigate ourselves"

Malcolm narrows his eyes on Kay, "You did just declare in front of me that you intend to breach security on the ship where I happen to be responsible for that, yes?"

Kayleigh :"No. I just said we could investigate, nothing further"

Malcolm, "Well, ok then..."

Kayleigh :"Of course that investigation could lead to the development that we have both the means and capacity to breach that seal"

Mariel facepalms, "Kay, you're going to get us thrown in the brig..."

Kayleigh :"I was simply pointing out a potential avenue that it could end up taking"

Malcolm, "Let's just... get back to the ship and if there is any investigating to be done, we do it together"

Mariel "Good idea."

—

Having settled things on the surface, the group all head back to Enterprise together. Malcolm accompanying the cadets to the sealed quarters

Mariel "So...this is the room."

Malcolm nods, gesturing to the door, "That's it. But this is all I can do, like I said before only the Captain can open it"

Mariel looks to Kay, "Think we should ask the Captain about it, or would that just get us into trouble?"

Kayleigh :"Arguarbly less so than bypassing his security at least"

Mariel "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. Best to try asking first."

Archer walks around the corner, "I'm glad you think so. I would hate to think that the future of Starfleet was in such devious hands"

Malcolm, "Captain? I didn't realise you were back"

Archer raises his hand, "I got back a few hours ago. Hoshi filled me in, at least as best as she could"

Mariel immediately turns and stands at attention, "Captain! We definitely wouldn't break in there without your permission, sir."

Archer chuckles, "I would hope you wouldn't break in even with permission"

Mariel "Well, if we had permission we wouldn't have to break in. Unless you forgot the password or something..."

Archer: "Of course, relax cadet before you sprain something. We are all on shore leave after all. Now" he looks between the pair, "Why don't you try telling me what this is all about?"

Mariel "These quarters...they used to belong to someone called Daniels, right?"

Archer nods, "My former steward, yes"

Mariel "Well he talked to us on Earth and said he was a temporal agent. Do you know anything about that?"

Archer's brow furrows, "He's here?"

Kayleigh :"Here in this time, not here on this ship"

Archer groans and gestures for Malcolm to leave them to it. Malcolm nods and walks away

Archer folds his arms, "It is true, Daniels was an agent for an agency from the distant future, moreso than your time I believe. He was here monitoring us during our first mission as there was a lot of interference from their enemy in a Temporal Cold War. Dammit! I told him after that last mess that I did not want to see him involving us in any more time travel mess!"

Mariel "That's...probably why he's not on the ship and asked us to recover his equipment for him."

Archer, "His equipment?"

Kayleigh nods, "Yes, he mentioned your... disagreement and was trying to honour it. There is equipment here apparently which he can use to send us home"

Archer, "I see... if that is the case, then he is not responsible for your presence?"

Mariel "No, I think that was the result of that Krenim technology on the Toroki ship. But he did say we were supposed to be here, I just don't think he personally played a role in getting us here."

Kayleigh :"I concur. He indicated that our presence is a fixed temporal anomaly and that history - as he knows it at least - is simply following its course. His agency knew of our presence, but not it's conclusion so he came to monitor. Only once we had to destroy that ship to safeguard Enterprise did he then conclude that intervention was necessary in order to restore us to our own time"

Archer, "And there's something in his old quarters that can do this?"

Kayleigh :"I do not believe it is a mechanism for creating temporal anomalies. He lacks the specific information needed in order to put us back to the exact temporal coordinates. I believe we are looking for some sort of monitoring device" she presnts the gizme Daniels gave her for the door, "It would be unfamiliar technology, something like this"

Archer takes the device and looks it over, then looks between the girls, "And you both believe this is the correct path forwards?"

Mariel "Well, we weren't sure until you confirmed that Daniels is who he claims to be. But now we know that, the equipment in this room is his anyways, so I see no harm in getting it back to him."

Kayleigh :"Agreed. I was satisfied with his future knowledge, but your statement confirms his role as well. I am satisfied that we can trust his intentions"

Archer returns the gizmo to kay, "Alright then, let's take a look" he steps by them and opens the door

Archer opens the door and heads inside, "It should go without saying, but don't touch anything that looks unfamiliar"

Kayleigh heads in as well with a nod, starting to search around

Mariel follows in and starts to search as well, "So this Daniels, was he responsible for all your experiences with time travel that you mentioned?"

Archer, "just about. We had one encounter in the expanse, but that wasn't really the same thing. And the last time was right before you two showed up"

Kayleigh turns, "That is when you told him to stay away?"

Archer glances over and nods, continuing his search

Mariel "You said he was monitering you, but also that he was your steward? So he was undercover on Enterprise, I assume."

Archer chuckles, "Yes, for the longest time he was just the friendly face that served dinner at my table"

Mariel "That explains how most of the crew knows him, but not what happened to him and why his quarters are sealed."

Archer, "Yes, for the most part I didn't even know whether or not his story of time travelling agents and future wars was true. I thought it best not to confuse the crew with what little was known

Mariel "Yeah, you didn't even know time travel was possible before he came along, right?"

Archer, "And didn't believe it for a long time after still" he chuckles

Mariel rolls 70 (1-100

Kayleigh :rolls 45 (1-100)

Mariel opens a locker and searches around before saying, "This looks different from anything I've seen on this ship so far."

Kayleigh & Archer both head over

Archer takes a closer look, "Yes, that's definitely not something of ours... wait, I remember this thing. What was it he called it... an observatory?"

Mariel "That's an observatory? Even in our time observatories aren't so...condensed."

Kayleigh perks a brow, "Indeed"

Archer, "Don't quote me. But if I remember correctly it made a kind of big projection all around us. He said it was a visualization of the timestream"

Mariel "I wonder how it works...no, we probably shouldn't go about randomly pressing buttons on it."

Kayleigh :"Indeed"

Archer, "So what happens now?"

Kayleigh :"Daniels said he would contact us again once we had this observatory. Beyond that, we do not yet know"

Mariel "Well since he didn't want to come on Enterprise, maybe we can head back to Earth and let him find us again there."

Kayleigh :"That may be prudent since we do not know if this device also serves for communication"

Archer nods, "Very well then. It is already late, so why don't you get some rest and we will return to the surface in the morning. I already have an early meeting scheduled with the Admiral anyway to resume our debriefing. So we can head down then"

Mariel "Sounds like a plan to me. C'mon Kay, let's get out of here so the Captain can reseal this room."

Kayleigh nods, "Thank you for the assistance Captain. We will see you in the morning"

Archer smiles, "It's a pleasure girls, and don't forget to pack like you're not coming back. Just in case"

Mariel "Good advice."

—

After parting from Captain Archer, the girls make through the much emptier than usual halls of Enterprise

Kayleigh :"It occurs to me; if this is indeed to be our last night here. Perhaps we should indulge once more while we can"

Mariel nods, "And we should say our goodbyes to the crew, in case Daniels does deliver on his promise. And from what Captain Archer said, it sounds like he very well might."

Kayleigh :"Yes, it would be rude to leave without doing so. However I have a feeling that is why the Captain asked us to accompany his early departure as well"

Mariel "What, he wants us to leave without telling everyone?"

Kayleigh :"No, I expect he wants to control our departure time to make sure we do get to say farewell to everyone"

Mariel "Oooh yeah, that makes more sense," she chuckles

Kayleigh :"Though it is unfortunate that so many are away now. Assuming of course this is indeed as we believe and we will soon be back where we belong"

Mariel "Either way, like the Captain said, we should prepare in case we do get to go back home the next time we see Daniels. Let's see who we can find to say goodbye to that's still on the ship..."

Kayleigh nods, "And hope that chef is still on board looking after them. I have found his late night dessert menu to be quite satisfyiing"

Mariel giggles, "That they are! I'll miss having cooked food so readily available..."

Kayleigh :"Perhaps you should partake more in the new facilities sprouting at the Heart"

Mariel "Oh I mean on the Saturn, although I'm sure there's at least one lounge with an actual kitchen on a ship that large..."

Kayleigh :"If any ship did have, it would be that one"

—

The pair soon arrive at the mess hall. While it very late, Hoshi and Travis are here with Phlox who is enjoying his takeout from Madame Changs

Mariel "I do look forward to the bigger areas aboard the Saturn, though being able to stretch our legs on Earth was nice. We're lucky we showed up at the end of the Xindi mission and not the beginning."

Kayleigh :"Very much so, yes. I do have a theory about what drew us in to this particular point in time now too"

Mariel "Really? What is it?"

Kayleigh starts exploring the available treats, "It came together when the Captain explained about Daniels' last interaction here being right before they encountered us"

Mariel joins in selecting her own dessert, "But he's not the one who brought us here, at least, I'm pretty sure he isn't."

Kayleigh :"I concur. This is only a theory since I lack the proper knowledge in temporal mechanics. But I believe there is a documented phenomena where temporal incursions create proverbial 'weak points' in the continuum which can serve as focal points when intersecting with spacial coordinates as well. Since Daniels returned this ship to it's rightful time and place quite recently, I believe that served as such a nexus point which our errant freighter intersected in such a manner that when the equipment on board was triggered it drew us to this particular point. I also believe that is why Daniels of all people across all time is the one monitoring our situation. Not just because of his affinity for this era, but because it is an indirect result of his own incursion"

Mariel nods along as she listens, "That does make a lot of sense." Picking out her dessert of choice, she retrieves it

Kayleigh also retrieves one, turning to go join the others, "As stated though, it is still just a theory. We will have to wait until we get back to confirm it"

Mariel nods and follows to join the others as well

Hoshi smiles at the pair and waves as they approach, "Hey! So how did it go?"

Mariel "We talked to Captain Archer, and he was very understanding of it all! We got the device we need from the sealed quarters now."

Hoshi, "So that time travel stuff was all true then?"

Mariel nods, "The Captain verified what Daniels said, so he /should/ be able to get us back to our time."

Kayleigh :"We are returning to Earth in the morning when the Captain goes back for his debriefing"

Phlox stops munching, "Aha! So that's why we all just got a request to be there!"

Hoshi frowns and nudges him, "Doctor!"

Mariel "Wait, you all-" she looks to Kay, "I guess you were right about the reason the Captain wanted us to go with him!"

Kayleigh :"Apparently so"

Kayleigh Phlox looks around confused

Travis laughs, "I think it was meant to be a surprise, Doctor"

Mariel laughs, "Too late now! But wow you /are/ good at reading social things, Kay!"

Kayleigh :"Just calculating odds"

They all have a chuckle

Mariel "Just like your calculations for your seat..."

Kayleigh pauses mid-munch and thinks, "...yes" and continues, inviting more chuckles

Travis sighs, "Well as nice as it will be not to have worry about where I sit again. We're going to miss you guys!" she smiles, raising his glass

Hoshi smiles and raises hers with him

Phlox is too busy enjoying his takeout

Mariel smiles and raises her glass too, "Yeah, it's nice to be going back home, but I'll certainly miss everyone here! And this ship too, even if it doesn't have so many of the comforts we're used to in our time, it's still grown on me."

Kayleigh gives Mari a somewhat perplexed look over a spoonful of icecream, clearly trying to fathom how a ship grows on a person. Or at all

Mariel "Don't tell me it hasn't grown on you either!"

Kayleigh gulps her dessert down, "It is a ship, not a bacteria..."

Mariel "Wha- oh no, I don't mean literally!" she laughs

Hoshi just eyerolls at Kay's obliviousness

Mariel "It's a figure of speech, it just means like...getting fond of the ship."

Kayleigh :"Ah. What a curious little phrase"

Kayleigh :"Well then, I suppose I should say that it has grown on me too. And while it will be agreeable to return to normality, there will be a sense of longing remain for this ship and it's crew"

Mariel "Well, we could visit the ship again. The crew...not so much."

Travis shudders, "To think, we'll all be long gone by then won't we..."

Phlox chuckles, "Such is the natural course of life!"

Mariel "Hey, Kay and I will probably be long gone by the time Daniels is born, too. But we're all here in this era right now, because...time travel."

Kayleigh :"Indeed. And with my limited understand of the value Humans particularly place on longevity and legacy, you should consider yourselves quite fortunate that unlike the statistical majority of, well, any species really, you all are very much not forogtten. At least by our time, I can not speak for beyond that"

Mariel nods, "I doubt any of you'll be forgotten as long as humans are still active in the universe. And judging from Daniels, that'll probably be a long time."

Hoshi, "I'm not sure if that's better or worse..."

Travis: "You said something about visiting the ship again, though?"

Mariel "Oh, I uhh...I'm not sure I should say more about that..."

Kayleigh :"I think with the amount already said, it will make no further difference"

Mariel "Well, we have detailed holosimulations in our time that feel exactly like the real thing. But the real Enterprise still exists too, preserved at the Fleet Museum."

Kayleigh :"The holos may have been an unneccssary mention..."

Hoshi waves her hand, "Oh don't worry, we know about that technology already! We might not have it yet, but we've heard about it"

Travis, "Um, big picture here; there's a fleet /museum/?! And Enterprise is in it?"

Kayleigh :"Yes, they all are"

Kayleigh completely misses the irony after just saying about unnecessary mentions...

Travis: "What'd you mean, all?"

Kayleigh :"That... well, this Enterprise is not the first ever ship to carry the name is it. Not even the first space vessel, just the first warp 5 one. I have seen the pictures in the Captain's office"

Travis: "True, I guess there'll be more spaceships called Enterprise in the future."

Kayleigh :"It is only a natural and logical deduction really, given that you already have knowledge of Starfleet's continued growth and existence centuries from now"

Travis: "Good point. Still, I didn't have knowledge of a fleet museum, though..."

Mariel "Okay, maybe that was an unnecessary mention..."

—

The next morning, Kay and Mari pack their thinks into some small holdalls and make their way to the hangar

Mariel "Still haven't gotten used to heading to the hangar instead of the transporter...the convenience of transporters is one thing I'm looking forward to when we get back."

Kayleigh :"That. And replicators. I still can't believe the quartermaster recycled our own uniforms for raw material to offset producing these. I had no appreciation for how lean operations were in this time"

Mariel "You and me both!"

They arrive at the hangar, and to no surprise all the senior staff who are currently around are there to greet them

Mariel smiles, "And there's the not-so-surprise party!"

Kayleigh leans sideways towards Mari, "Is this the part where we are supposed to feign surprise?" in perfect earshot of everyone, of course

Malcolm chuckles, "It's a bit late for that."

Archer chucklesighs, "I guess you girls were on to us then"

Mariel "Maybe a little...sorry Captain."

Phlox shrugs, "That is apparently my fault Captain"

Archer chuckles, "The important thing is that we are all here to - hopefully - bid you girls farewell"

Mariel "I wouldn't say it's entirely you Doctor, I think Kayleigh's been suspecting it even before. But I appreciate you all being here and taking time away from your shore leave to say farewell to us!"

Travis: "You might only have been with us for a short time, but you're members of the crew now. You've even got the uniforms and everything! Of course we had to come."

Kayleigh nods, "We long since determined that would we would not wish to depart without bidding farewell to you all"

Mariel "And Kayleigh guessed that you probably wanted to do the same!"

Kayleigh :"It was only logical"

Archer chuckles, "Of course it was..."

Mariel smiles, "Well, you have our thanks for being such good hosts and everything you did to help us get back home."

Archer smiles, "Like we said, you're a part of this family now. We're going to miss you girls, but we're glad to see you going home"

Mariel "We're glad to be going back home, but we're definitely going to miss all of you too."

Kayleigh :"Yes, this crew and this ship"

Hoshi steps up and hugs them each in turn, "Ok, stop before you set me off! Stay safe out there ok?"

Mariel "That we will! Hopefully no more unintended trips in the future..."

Kayleigh :"Or the past"

Mariel laughs, "Or that!"

Everyone has a good laugh, all taking turns to part with the two individually

When just Archer is left he smiles to the pair, "Ready then? We should get going"

Mariel nods, "Let's get going, Captain."

Archer gives a firm nod and climbs down into the shuttle

Mariel follows inside

The gang all wave and call out a final goodbye to the pair as they enter the shuttlepod too

—

Archer and the girls settle in to the shuttle and depart Enterprise. He peers out, "If all works out, should be the last time you see that view"

Kayleigh peers out

Mariel peers out as well to take in the view

Mariel "Well the ship is still there in our time, but it does look pretty different."

Archer glances back at her, "It is? But... different how exactly?"

Kayleigh :"Well it is not literally at the exact same coordinates"

Mariel "There's that, but probably not the most satisfying answer. I don't think we're going to change history by telling you that she gets some refits since this point..."

Archer chuckles, giving another glance, "Well she's getting one now. It makes sense"

Mariel "I think she gets more in the future. But in a good way! Not because of the damage you got on the Xindi mission, but to incorporate new tech that's been developed since launch and to expand the ship. I shouldn't say any more though...but she definitely looks different in the Fleet Museum."

Archer, "Yes, I heard about this museum of yours"

Mariel "That's probably not too much of a surprise, the Phoenix is already in a museum now, right?"

Archer, "Yes, although something tells me yours is a bit... more" he chuckles

Mariel "Maybe a little...

Archer, "So any idea what happens once we get to the surface?"

Mariel "Daniels says he'll be able to know where we are through his device. So if he isn't waiting for us right as we land, I think he'll probably be able to track us down."

Kayleigh :"It is likely that he will be in the nearby area monitoring for our arrival"

Archer nods, "That does sound like Daniels"

Mariel "Yeah, he said he'll be able to contact us. I mean, he found us even before we had his device, he can definitely do it again."

Kayleigh :"Indeed"

Archer gives the two a look, "Do I even want to ask...?"

Mariel "It wasn't all that dramatic, though he did leave a very mysterious letter for us..."

Archer, "A letter?"

Mariel "We were at Madame Chang's, a restaurant, and there was a letter from him. Although we didn't know it was him at the time, he claimed he knew who we are and asked us to meet."

Archer, "Well that's... different. But I suppose circumstances are rather different this time"

Mariel nods, "He claimed he didn't want to upset you. Which probably means he won't be waiting just as we land. We'll probably have to move away from the shuttle, maybe find somewhere isolated where he can make contact again."

Archer, "Well I guess I should be someway glad that he's trying to keep his promise now" he chuckles, "I'll be at HQ for a good few hours. So if you get no joy by midday, meet me back at the landing zone"

Mariel nods, "And if Daniels does manage to whisk us back home, thanks again for everything, Captain. And it's been an honour to meet you."

Kayleigh :"Indeed it has"

Archer smiles, "I could say the same of you two. I was starting to have my doubts about everything after recent events here. But seeing what the future holds now, it's a breath of fresh air. So for that, you have /my/ gratitude"

The shuttlepod touches down and Archer stands, giving the two one final look

Archer, "Ladies"

Kayleigh stands to attention, "Permission to disembark one last time, Captain"

Mariel stands at attention as well

Archer smiles and nods, "Permission granted girls. It's been a bit of a bit of long old road, but now get yourselves home" he smiles, ducking out of the pods door and heading off

—

The pair wave Captain Archer off, and are left alone at the landing pad

Mariel "So...we should probably make for somewhere away from prying eyes so Daniels can contact us."

Kayleigh :looks around, "Any recommendations?"

Mariel "Maybe back to the spot where we met him last time? Though it might not be as quiet during the daytime..."

Kayleigh :"A reasonable suggestion. Do you know which way that is from here though? I lack sufficient knowledge of the local terrain to relate this landing pad to the one we accessed then"

Mariel looks around, taking in the skyline and the various buildings that fill it before pointing, "This way, I think." She starts leading the way out from the landing pad

Kayleigh :follows with trust

Kayleigh :comments after a few minutes of walking, "Have you spent much time on Earth? In our own time I mean"

Mariel nods, "I was born on Earth, though I only ever spent a few months in San Francisco. I was born on Luzon, the biggest island in the Philippines."

Kayleigh :"I have never been to that region. Is it much like this?"

Mariel "It's an island, so there's a lot of water, but other than that, the climate's pretty different. The Philippines are a lot more tropical, closer to what you get in Central and South America."

Kayleigh :"Like Risa then?"

Mariel nods, "Yes, quite a bit like Risa actually!"

Kayleigh :"Interesting. I should consider exploring there one day"

Daniels approaches from their side, "If you like Risa, you would certainly enjoy it"

Mariel jumps at the sudden voice, "Oh, it's just you."

Daniels smiles a little, "Sorry, I did not mean to make you jump. I believe you have the observatory"

Mariel "So it is an entire condensed observatory...and yes we do!"

Daniels holds out his hand, Kay hands it over. He turns it over in his palm, "Not in the traditional sense exactly. This is a temporal observatory, you see. I believe you are familiar with the Krenim and their temporal technology?"

Mariel nods, "I've heard of it. We believe it was their tech that sent us here in the first place."

Daniels, "I see, that helps actually" he starts fiddling with the gadget, "Well, this is a bit more advanced. But is a very similar technology to their timestream monitoring"

Mariel "It does? Well, that's good to hear. The last thing we remember was being on the derelict ship, then we woke up on Enterprise, the NX-01. Since the Toroki ship came here with us, you probably don't want to send us back there, since it'll just bring us back here again."

Daniels smiles and starts walking, "This way. We don't want to cause a scene out here. And yes, knowing the technology helps me pinpoint the exact temporal coordinates. Like everything else, it has a unique signature"

Mariel follows, "I figured we'd want to be somewhere secluded. We were part of an away team with the USS Saturn, NX-98900. If you can return us there..."

Daniels leads them into a vacant building lot, "That much, we had on record. If I recall, it was your first training tour yes?"

Mariel "That's right. And it's been quite an eventful one."

Daniels, "A close second to Ms. Tierno's I believe. While you girls you have been through a lot, neither of you died so I think she still has you beat there"

Mariel "You know about Tierno? Of course you would know about Tierno..."

Daniels chuckles, "She is pretty known to us, yes. Quite the troublemaker really..." he eyes the pair as if he wants to say something more to that comment but restrains himself

Mariel "Yeah, she's already making waves in Starfleet in our time, and she's still pretty young."

Daniels, "She's not the only one..." he taps away, "Right, here we are" the observatory springs to life, projecting all around them

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/0/04/Archer_and_Daniels_in_the_Temporal_Observatory.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20101219024834&path-prefix=en

Mariel spins, looking all around at the projection, "Woah. This is how you monitor the timeline?"

Daniels nods, preoocupied analyzing the data

Kayleigh :looks around as well, "Fascinating..." she reaches out to touch a holo element, "Ow!"

Daniels slaps her hand away, "Don't touch"

Mariel "Maybe we let the future man use the future tech, Kay..."

Kayleigh :frowns, shaking her hand off, "You could have simply said as much"

Daniels, "Fine, that's on me. Just like the rest of this it seems. Ok-" he points, "-I have you, right here"

Kayleigh :looks, having no understanding of what he's reading in the stream of data

Mariel looks as well, "Okay...uhh, I have no idea if that's right or not."

Daniels, "Trust me it is" he hrms, pulling another gizmo and tapping away at it, "Ok, this should work well. Looks like there was an active transport in process at the time you diverged from. I am setting this so that you will be returned to the point where the away team rematerializes on the Saturn. Anything other than that, you'll just end up back here again"

Mariel nods, "That sounds like a good idea. We don't want to end up on the ship again."

Kayleigh :"Yes, thank you"

Daniels closes the observatory and pockets it, turning to the pair, "Ok, ready to go home?"

Kayleigh :"I believe it is time"

Mariel "Let's go. And thanks, Daniels. If that even is your actual name..."

Daniels doubletakes at a deadpan looking Kay, "... Yes, it is my name, and yes it is time to go home..." he taps more on the gizmo and a microwormhole type aperture opens up beside them

Daniels, "I would warn you two to stay out of temporal trouble. But... I don't think it will make any difference. Good luck girls"

Kayleigh :shares a glance with Mari and a final look back to Daniels before tentatively stepping through

Mariel gives Daniels a nod before tentatively stepping through as well

—

In the Saturn's transporter room..

The Ship is as red alert already as Meghan and her battered team materialize and scramble off the pad

Meghan staggers forward, helping one of the team into the arms of waiting medical staff. She looks to the operator, "No! We have to go back, the cadets-"

The operator 'ahems' and leans to one side, looking past Meghan

Meghan turns to now see Kay and Mari standing at the back of the pad. And in their NX-01 jumpsuits..

Meghan doubletakes, "But... how? what..." she squints, "What the hell are you wearing?!"

Snows voice sounds through the intercom, "Commander?! Status report! The ship just... disappeared into an aperture, we're still analyzing it but-"

Meghan, "Captain, all away team members present and correct..."

Snow, "...but in the evac call you said-"

Meghan, "I know! And don't ask, because I don't know..."

Snow, "...I eagerly await your report then"

The channel closes and Meghan looks to the two girls

Mariel "It's...a long story, Commander."

Meghan gestures for them to follow as she heads out, "Well you've got from here until the ready room to summarize it"

Mariel nods, "Well in short, that was a temporal aperture the ship just disappeared into, and we /were/ on board."

Meghan gives the pair a glance, looking them up and down, "I see..."

Kayleigh :"I believe medical can get a scan of our quantum signatures and verify that we are temporally out of sync by several days now"

Mariel "Yeah, we went to the past for a little while, and then a temporal agent helped us and sent us back here."

Meghan, "Well, we'll have to get you checked out in sickbay regardless of this. So we'll head there first and you can fill me in"

—

Meghan and the cadets arrive in one of the medical bays. All is quiet here, so the injured away team are likely being treated elsewhere

A Denobulan Lieutenant in a medical uniform makes her way up to them, clearly not Phlox given she is a Denobulan female, though there is still some resemblance due to the species...

Denobulan Doctor: "Commander, Cadets. How can I help you?"

Meghan, "Lieutenant, could you please give the cadets here a cursory check up"

Denobulan Doctor: "Of course. Just have a seat on the beds."

Kayleigh nods and heads over to one, hopping up to take a seat

Mariel sits down on an adjacent bed as well. The doctor moves over and starts scanning Kayleigh first, "She looks to be in perfectly good health to me."

Meghan, "Anything anomalous at all?"

Denobulan Doctor: "Hmm...she seems to be out of temporal sync. Just by a few days, nothing that'll affect her health. Have you been time travelling?"

Kayleigh :"Yes, and that duration is a fair approximation"

Meghan nods, "And I assume it is the same for Cadet Tanglao"

The doctor moves on to scan Mari for a few moments before nodding, "By the same amount of time as well, it seems. Do you need me to check you, Commander?"

Meghan, "Just see to the surface scratches, there's no concern over temporal anomalies for me"

The doctor nods, retrieving a regenerator and starting to tend to any surface scratches and bruises

Meghan, "So, not that I really doubted it given your appearance, but this seems to confirm your story"

Mariel "And I'm sure the science officers will figure out the rift the derelict just disappeared through is temporal in nature too. It took us back in time by quite a bit."

Meghan looks her up and down again, "Evidently" she chuckles

Mariel "But don't worry! The temporal agent said that the ship and ourselves were supposed to be a part of the timeline there, so we didn't change history or anything."

Meghan, "A temporal agent was involved?" She sighs, "This is going to be a lot of ground to cover..."

Mariel "I had a feeling that might be the case...well we'll help as much as we can and give you a detailed account of everything that happened!"

Meghan gives a faint smile, "Honestly, I'm just glad to see you two are alright. I feared the worst until you appeared on that pad"

Mariel "I'm glad we're back, too. For a while we thought we might be stuck in the past there."

Kayleigh :"Yes, it was looking rather uncertain there for a while"

Meghan, "The important thing is that you are back, and you are well. So, let's go get the Captain up to speed"

—

After being cleared from medical, Meghan and the girls head to Snow's ready room to debrief

As they arrive at the ready room and press the doorbell, Snow announces, "Come in."

Meghan leads the way, "Captain"

Snow: "Commander. So, you said the Cadets didn't make it back in your report?"

Meghan, "We lost them during the evacuation of the ship. But, as you can see, they appeared back with us when we rematerialized here"

Snow: "I can already tell this report is going to be a nightmare..." He sighs. "What was it, Q intervention? Quantum duplicates? Iconian gateways?"

Kayleigh :"Temporal anomaly"

Snow nods, "That fits with our readings of that aperture the ship disappeared into. But how did you get back after you were separated from the team? Was there already temporal irregularities on board before the ship departed?"

Kayleigh :"From what we learned, the ship was carrying Krenim salvage among other things. This was the source of the incursion. We were returned with the aid of a temporal agent after completing what he deemed to be our predestination involvement"

Snow: "Not Q, but not any easier to file a report for. I take it from your uniforms you didn't just go through time and immediately come back here?"

Meghan, "Medical confirmed, they are several days out of temporal sync"

Snow nods, "So what happened while you were temporally displaced?"

Kayleigh :"We have spent that time aboard the NX-01 Enterprise, who encountered the vessel after the Toroki awoke"

Snow: "The NX-01...yeah, Temporal Investigations is going to love this..."

Kayleigh :"We have assurance from the temporal agent that this was a predestination paradox and that the timestream is unaffected by this event"

Snow: "That's good to know. But still, I'm going to need everything that happened while you were over there."

Kayleigh :"That much information will requie a lot of transcript. May we present the summary now and follow with full details in a written AAR?"

Snow nods, "A summary'll do for now, but I expect every last detail in a full report. The Department of Temporal Investigations will definitely have lots of questions."

Kayleigh :"Well as Commander Meghan noted, we were incapacitated aboard that ship during the confusion. We were found this way by the Enterprise crew and first regained consciousness in their sickbay. The Enterprise was at the immediate post-Xindi conflict stage, prior to it's initial return to Earth. We worked with the crew to restore the timeline and remove the ship from theirs under the assumption that it contained a means for us to do so. A secondary objective in place to protect that time from contamination if not. The Toroki that was in cryostasis initially had been enthralled by the Horde. It was intended to be released on Earth, we believe, and awakening in that condition but without the control of the Architects mind, it reverted to more base instincts. This resulted in an armed conflict with the Enterprise in which we were forced to destroy the ship in order to safeguard Enterprise and it's crew. Following that we returned to Earth with them intent on taking guidance from Starfleet there and then. However this did not transpire since the temporal agent made contact. He was known to Captain Archer, and proved reliable in returning us to the present once given events had played out. He stated that our incursion was known to them, but not the means of return. So once he saw the freighter was destroyed he knew intervention was necessary"

Snow listens intently as Kay explains, "That's quite an adventure you two have been on. How're you doing now that you're finally back in our time?"

Kayleigh :"Well, it is less of a concern for me. But I suspect Mariel will be thankful not to have to duck every time we come into this office. Though I do appreciate the distinct lack of a canine odor in here

Mariel chuckles, "That, and all the other comforts we have in our time."

Snow: "We're glad to have you back with us safe and sound, Cadets. Anything else of note to report from your unexpected trip through time?"

Kayleigh :"I do not believe so" she looks to Mari

Mariel shakes her head, "I think Kayleigh's covered everything."

Snow: "Very well then. I'll let you two get some rest for now. You've been through a lot. Just make sure you have that report ready for me before we get back to the Heart."

Kayleigh :"Understood Captain"

—

With a gentle fade out and back in, we find ourselves back at the Heart Annex. Kay is in her quarters working at her screen when the door chimes and Mari walks in

Mariel looks to Kay as she enters, "Hey Kay!"

Kayleigh looks up, "Hello Mari. Is it time to go?"

Mariel nods, "You ready?"

Kayleigh set Kittiah down from her lap as she stands, "Yes, let us depart" she turns to leave with Mari

Mariel turns to lead the way out

As Kay stands, we see her screen. It shows the image that Daniels presented to her back on Earth; an image of Archer delivering his famed speech, the Enterprise crew all looking awkward behind him, and Kay and Mari looking right at place in the middle of them all...