You might as well Jump
Posted on 30 May 2026 @ 4:11pm by Captain Sabrina Corbin & Commander Suzanna Batenburg & Lieutenant Commander Grayson McKinney & Lieutenant Commander Riah Amberlyn XMD & Lieutenant Commander Claire Dunross MD & Lieutenant Commander Aev Flammia & Lieutenant Ryan Collingway & Lieutenant Commander Steven Remington
3,060 words; about a 15 minute read
Mission:
Time After Time
Location: USS Arwayn
//// Bridge ////
“Senior Staff meeting in 15 minutes. Medical, be prepared for twentieth-century human baseline physiology and period appropriate pathology profiles. Be prepared for unknown injuries presenting from within the population closely associated with the temporal transition points. Stand by for further information as details become available.” Suzanna closed her comm badge after calling for the meeting.
What, precisely, was occurring here? Long-range scans continued to indicate the presence of a Class-M planet. Yet all they had located thus far was a fragment of California, circa 1984. The contradictions were deeply troubling.
Did this imply that the entirety of Earth had been displaced through time and space? Or had only a limited geographic region been affected? And by what mechanism had such a phenomenon occurred? Was it the result of a natural temporal anomaly, or evidence of deliberate intervention by an intelligence?
If only a small section had been transported, another inconsistency emerged. Why did their sensors continue to register a complete planetary mass? Where was the remainder of the biosphere? The oceans, atmosphere, and billions of inhabitants that should have been present?
And if this truly represented Earth’s past, further questions followed. Had a portion of 1984 Earth vanished at the moment of displacement? Or had the region been duplicated somehow, creating two concurrent instances separated across time and space?
Even by Starfleet standards, the situation bordered on the illogical.
//// Observation lounge ////
One by one, the senior officers entered the briefing room. Suzanna moved to her position at Captain Corbin’s right as the final officers took their seats. Once the room settled, Suzanna began the briefing.
“We are maintaining position outside a distortion envelope containing an M-Class planet. Current evidence suggests it is, at minimum, a section of Earth.” She paused briefly. “Earth from the past, the year 1984, to be precise.”
“Commander Batenburg is correct,” Corbin said. “At this stage, we do not know whether the affected region was transported, duplicated, or recreated by a mechanism we do not yet understand. We also do not know if the phenomenon is stable.”
Her gaze moved around the table.
“What we do know is that there are civilians inside that distortion. Human civilians from Earth’s past. They do not yet understand what has happened to them, and I would prefer they not discover it through panic at the edge of the world.”
Suzanna’s expression remained composed, though the implications were anything but routine. “Let us begin with reports regarding the data obtained through passive scans and analysis of the phenomenon.”
Sabrina had spent the fifteen minutes before the briefing in her ready room with Starfleet’s temporal incident archive open across her desk display.
The search had been efficient, and entirely unsatisfying.
Ships displaced through time. Individuals pulled out of sequence. Temporal loops. Alternate timelines. Enough Department of Temporal Investigations warnings to make even a calm officer reconsider her life choices.
None of it matched this.
Not a living fragment of Earth’s past. Not a civilian population. Not a piece of Los Angeles sitting inside a distortion envelope on an uncharted Class-M world.
By the time she entered the observation lounge, Corbin had stopped looking for precedent. Precedent could come later. People came first.
Corbin turned toward Operations.
“Lieutenant Jung, report.”
Jung brought the wall display online. A rough map of the affected region appeared, overlaid with transmission clusters.
“Yes, Captain. Passive collection has confirmed commercial radio, police and fire dispatch, civilian band chatter, and fragmented broadcast television. The clearest identifier came from KROQ Los Angeles. The date given was Tuesday, May fifteenth, nineteen eighty-four. Local time appears to be early evening, shortly after what residents believe was a minor earthquake.”
He keyed the display tighter.
“The affected zone appears centered on Sherman Oaks, California, with irregular boundary bleed toward Studio City, Van Nuys, and Encino. It includes residential neighborhoods, a portion of Ventura Boulevard, commercial blocks, at least one school, local parks, and a stretch of the Ventura Freeway.”
Another command populated the display with life-sign density.
“Population estimate is between ten and fourteen thousand. Best working number is approximately eleven thousand eight hundred, with a margin of error of roughly two thousand due to chronometric interference.”
Corbin’s expression remained controlled.
“Do they understand the displacement?”
“No, Captain. Current transmissions suggest they believe they are dealing with earthquake-related infrastructure failure. Power outages, telephone issues, traffic irregularities. There are early reports from the boundary, roads ending, compass drift, unfamiliar terrain, but most are being dismissed as confusion or quake damage.”
“That will not hold long,” Corbin said.
“No, Captain.”
She nodded once.
“Thank you, Lieutenant.”
Ryan shifted a little in his seat. "We've verified no signs of satellite activity. Even if there were, the design in 1984 is so basic we could easily avoid detection. I'm more concerned about the fact that someone is going to notice the constellations are missing. We could attempt weather manipulation to have constant cloudy weather using the deflector," he suggested.
“Captain, Commander, Lieutenant,” acknowledged LT Remington, acting Chief Science Officer, “That is a possibility, but if they have satellites in orbit that observe both planetary weather patterns, as well as outward facing scans of the solar system, they are likely to notice the lack of known space and the proper location of their sun. And what happens when their sun does not go down. Our passive scans are inadequate to really explain what is going on, but we cannot risk more active sensors until we know if this distortion is stable, and even then we run the risk of detection. However, I will add to what Lt Jung has reported. The Earth of this time period was capable of considerable outward facing scans of their own. They would be able to measure electromagnetic interference from our active scans.
"Gravitational lensing at the perimeter of the temporal boundary, the observable section of the planet, does not correspond to known black hole, neutron star, or quantum singularity models. The distortion perimeter does intermittently emits low-level subspace resonance patterns resembling encoded modulation. Signals remain too fragmented for decryption. We still cannot determine whether these are natural harmonics or intentional transmissions from the planet itself, or some extra-planetary origin.
Remington paused a moment, before continuing. "My recommendation is to maintain passive observation posture and avoid active or transporter tests until temporal boundary behavior is better understood. Continue correlating intercepted broadcasts against Federation historical databases for timeline verification and detection of divergence in that timeline. Deploy autonomous sensor probes only after establishing whether matter crossing the boundary experiences temporal decoherence. That's all I have at the moment, Captain, Commander."
Riah glanced toward Claire, a small nod inviting her to add Medical’s assessment.
Claire had been quiet through the first reports, her PADD resting lightly beneath one hand while the other remained folded against the table. The observation lounge was full of familiar authority: Corbin steady at the head of the room, Batenburg composed beside her, the department heads arranged around the table with their own disciplines already shaping the problem into something manageable.
Her gaze moved across them in turn.
Science. Operations. Engineering. Security. Tactical.
It lingered, just a fraction too long, when it reached Grayson.
Claire corrected herself almost immediately, eyes returning to the PADD before the pause could become anything more noticeable. Briefing room, she reminded herself. Not Ten-Forward. Not the holodeck. Not any of the quieter spaces where looking at him had started to feel dangerously natural.
She lifted her eyes again, composed.
“From Medical’s perspective, the greatest immediate concern is not only trauma from the displacement itself,” Claire began. “It is what happens if their infrastructure continues to fail.”
She tapped her PADD once, bringing up a brief medical summary rather than a full projection.
“Nineteen eighty-four Earth medicine can manage a great deal, but it depends heavily on functioning hospitals, power, transport, communications, and supply chains. If those begin to break down, the civilian medical burden changes quickly. Pregnancy and childbirth, cardiac events, asthma, diabetes, seizure disorders, infections, injuries from traffic accidents or structural collapse. None of those require the anomaly itself to worsen. They only require normal life to lose support.”
She let that sit for a moment.
“Beyond that, there are illnesses and exposures that are no longer part of ordinary twenty-fifth century medical practice in the same way. Measles, polio, rubella, tuberculosis, bacterial infections with more limited treatment options for their era. We would need to be careful not to underestimate diseases simply because they are historical to us.”
Her tone remained measured, not alarmist.
“If we reach the point where intervention is authorized, our treatment options would need to be filtered through more than clinical effectiveness. A dermal regenerator, a tricorder, even transporter-based evacuation would be incomprehensible to most of them.” Her gaze shifted briefly toward Corbin. “The more visible we are, the more likely we are to be interpreted as a threat before we are understood as help.”
Claire glanced once toward Riah, then back to the command team.
“So my recommendation, for now, is continued preparation rather than contact. Medical can build likely casualty profiles based on the region, period, and reported infrastructure failures, and we can identify what care could be provided quietly if Command determines intervention becomes unavoidable.”
She paused, then added more softly, but no less clearly.
“These are not only historical civilians. They are frightened people with a limited frame of reference. If we do have to help them, how we are seen may matter almost as much as what we can treat.”
Corbin let Claire’s final words settle for a beat before her gaze shifted back around the table.
“Noted, Doctor. And Lieutenant Collingway, I appreciate the suggestion regarding weather control, but we will not be manipulating their environment to hide the truth from them. We are not trying to shield these people from what has happened. We are trying to prevent panic while we understand it.”
Ryan nodded. "Then, adding to Doctor Dunross' ideas for preparation, it wouldn't hurt to determine who the ruling government currently is on the planet based on radio broadcasts. They would be our best resource to prevent a wide-spread panic if contact becomes inevitable."
With a cooling cup of coffee in hand, Grayson leaned his hip against the bulkhead, projecting the easy, practiced confidence that usually put his leads at ease, though today it served a different purpose. He kept his posture relaxed, even as his mind methodically cross-referenced the sensor data from the California anomaly.
"I’m siding with Remington on this," Grayson said, his tone carrying that specific, steady rumble he reserved for the bridge. He looked toward Captain Corbin, his expression shifting into a brief, dry smile. "The threat board is green. We are entirely alone out here, which is exactly why the obvious needs stating. We are parked next to a structural impossibility, and I prefer not to break the space-time continuum before lunch."
He gestured toward the viewscreen, where the fragment of 1984 hung in the void.
"If this is a parallel variant missing its nineteen eighty-four Sherman Oaks, the physics demand a balance. I can’t help but wonder what unfortunate piece of real estate they received in the mail instead. That kind of exchange doesn't usually happen without a wake."
His demeanor sharpened as he transitioned from the observer to the tactician.
"While I don't detect any active signatures or hostile intent, we shouldn't confuse 'quiet' with 'safe.' I’m not keen on leaving our back door open to a ghost story." He brought up a tactical overlay on his PADD. "I suggest launching a pair of long-range sentinel drones on a high-elliptical orbit. They’ll maintain a passive surveillance perimeter throughout the system, tethered to our local network. They won't broadcast, and they won't trigger any standard interference, but they will give us a warning if anything, or anyone, else decides to drop into this pocket of reality."
He paused, the wry humor in his eyes fading into the disciplined alertness.
"It's a precaution, nothing more. A way to make sure that if the house starts shifting again, we’re the first to know. We’ll keep sensors tuned to a passive baseline, keep the ship running dark, and let the sentinels do the heavy lifting while Science tears this mystery apart. If we’re going to be guests in another universe's history, I’d at least like to know if we’re overstaying our welcome."
The Captain turned slightly toward the display, where the affected region still hung in its impossible outline.
“Let us refocus. Lieutenant Remington and Lieutenant Jung have both raised a more immediate concern. We cannot assume this is simply nineteen eighty-four Los Angeles displaced from our own historical record. It may be a parallel variant, a reconstruction, or something else entirely.”
Her expression remained composed, but her tone sharpened with purpose.
“I want confirmation on three points: where they came from, whether their timeline matches our own, and whether the phenomenon containing them is stable. Until we know that, every option we discuss is theoretical.”
"Engineering is working on modifying the sensor probes right now based on initial scans from the phenomenon," Ryan said, and glanced at both Claire and Riah. "The last time we were near a temporal rip the entire ship had displacement sickness due to our proximity. We used anyon particles to temporarily protect us from the effects. We have those again on standby if needed."
"Thank you, Lieutenant," Amberlyn replied. "At present, there've been no reports of illness, but we are still far away from the phenomenon and it's only been a few hours, so people may yet start showing up in Sickbay." She looked to the Captain. "If we move closer or there are cases of temporal sickness, we've got that covered."
Aev sat quietly, listening as the others discussed the physics, the science, and the abnormalities of the temporal phenomenon they had encountered. His eyes moved from person to person, though not always to whoever was speaking. He could feel their minds lapping against the shore of his own before they even uttered a word.
He wasn’t reading their thoughts, not exactly. It was more that he sensed their intentions, the emotions beneath the words they released into the ether and the strange feelings they pushed toward him without realizing it. Following the thread of the conversation was difficult with so much pressing against him at once.
“Captain, if I may,” Aev said at last, once the deliberations had come to a pause.
Corbin gave him a nod of approval.
“Earth in 1984, especially Los Angeles, was an extremely violent place. If this is truly a segment of Earth from that time period, or even some kind of simulacrum, then there is a chance the people here could be equally violent. There is also the Temporal Prime Directive to consider. I recommend we exercise extreme caution. We should not risk historical contamination if these individuals are, in fact, from that period.”
Corbin regarded Aev for a moment, her expression thoughtful rather than dismissive.
“Agreed, Lieutenant. We will not assume that unfamiliar means harmless, nor will we assume frightened civilians are an enemy force. Caution is warranted. So is restraint.”
Her gaze moved across the table, settling each officer into place by turn.
“Lieutenant Flammia, I want Security monitoring civilian and emergency-band communications. Police, fire, medical dispatch, anything that gives us a sense of public order inside the affected zone. Identify likely flashpoints: hospitals, schools, traffic corridors, boundary roads, and anywhere panic may begin to concentrate. No contact. No insertion planning beyond contingency work.”
She turned next toward Tactical.
“Lieutenant McKinney, proceed with your sentinel drone proposal. Passive only. I want a perimeter watch that tells us if anything else enters this system, if the distortion shifts, or if someone is observing this as closely as we are. Quiet eyes, nothing that announces our presence.”
Then her attention moved to Engineering.
“Lieutenant Collingway, continue work on the modified probes, but establish clear safety thresholds before anything crosses that boundary. I want to know what a probe, a shuttle, a transporter beam, or even a directed comm signal might do to that envelope before we test any of them. Keep the anyon particle protections on standby, but do not deploy them unless Medical or Science gives us reason.”
Her gaze shifted toward Science.
“Lieutenant Remington, your priority is origin and stability. Compare every intercepted transmission against Federation historical records. News, weather, music, advertisements, political references, emergency reports. I want to know whether this is our nineteen eighty-four, a close cousin, or something wearing the shape of it. Continue analysis of the subspace resonance as well. If that signal is a message, I want to know who, or what, is speaking.”
She softened slightly as she looked toward Medical.
“Doctor Dunross, work with Commander Amberlyn on humanitarian contingencies. Build casualty profiles for infrastructure failure and identify what care could be provided with the least possible contamination if the situation deteriorates. I also want Sickbay watching our own crew for temporal exposure symptoms. We have no reason to believe we are affected, but I would rather be proven cautious than surprised.”
Finally, Corbin turned to her first officer.
“Commander Batenburg, I want an intervention matrix. Observation, covert stabilization, humanitarian aid, direct contact, full disclosure. Define what conditions would move us from one level to the next, and what authority would be required at each stage. Until we understand the phenomenon, we do not improvise our ethics.”
She let the words settle, then drew a slow breath.
“We are not going to the planet. Not yet. Our first responsibility is to understand whether helping them might harm them more. Once we know that, we can decide what kind of help Starfleet is morally and legally able to offer.”
Her eyes returned to the image of Sherman Oaks suspended inside the distortion.
“For now, we observe. We prepare. And we do not mistake inaction for indifference.”
Lt Ryan Collingway
Acting Chief Engineer
Lt Aev Flammia
Chief Security Officer
Lt Steve Remington
Chief Science Officer
apb Riah
LtCmdr Claire Dunross
Asst Chief Medical Officer
LtCmdr Grayson McKinney
Chief Tactical Officer
Commander Suzanna Batenburg
Executive Officer
Captain Sabrina Corbin
Commanding Officer
[I hope I didn't forget anyone, but I dont think I did]
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