The Transport Coordinates

Posted on 24 Jun 2026 @ 11:01am by Commander Suzanna Batenburg & Captain Sabrina Corbin & Lieutenant Commander Steven Remington & Lieutenant Commander Claire Dunross MD & Lieutenant Commander Aev Flammia & Lieutenant Ryan Collingway & Lieutenant Commander Riah Amberlyn XMD

1,791 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Time After Time
Location: Transporter room & California

// Transporter Room //

Remington and Amberlyn walked down the corridor together, he in his faded jeans and flannel shirt, with a tricorder disguised as a first generation of portable compact disc players. Riah’s medical scanner also appeared to be a hand-held music player, popularly known as a Walkman. She wore a pair of boyfriend jeans and a short-waisted halter top under a light weight denim jacket.

The jeans were a bit on the baggy side, cinched a little at the waist by a leather belt, as if indeed, she had pulled on jeans that belonged to a boyfriend a size too big for her slender figure. Her hair was in its usual slightly shaggy cut, plumped up with mousse to appear larger than usual, and just a little too much make up, including mascara that would run if she cried, pretending to be equally as distressed as the rest of the inhabitants of the neighborhood.

“What do you think about this, taking a chance on undue influence on the population of an non-warp planet?” asked Steve as they hurried toward the Transporter room.

“I think it is not a planet at this point. It is human beings caught in a tragic situation from which there is little hope of extricating them before they are all killed in one way or another. Where are the temporal police when you need them?” murmured Amberlyn as they rounded the corner and entered the Transporter Room.

Remington stopped at the door and watched as she marched on into the space, passed through the portable decontamination threshold and approached Commander Batenburg. That was not the answer he had expected, not that he was sure what his expectations had been. He spotted Ryan across the room and with a shrug passed through the decon unit, walked over to join him.

Ryan was already waiting with Batenburg, leaning against the wall and dressed up in his disguise. He nodded his greetings, though his mind was elsewhere. He knew Lieutenant Flammia would be able to pick up on his emotions, so he let them run wild before the security chief arrived. He was worried about Engineering. He was about to go down to a planet where normal rules simply didn't apply. And on top of all that, he also had to try not to contaminate innocent people with pathogens.

Not exactly an easy task overall. It was enough to start developing a headache. Probably a tension one. He ignored it.

"Hey Ryan. You're frowning," said Steve without a smile himself.

"I'm fine," Ryan assured him. "Just a lot to figure out on this one." Well, he wouldn't accomplish anything by stressing out about it. He put a clamp on his emotions and focused on the task at hand.

"Ah curiosity," replied Steve. "That's what got us all out here in space in the first place."

At Steve's words, Ryan felt his headache threatened to spike again, and the sudden feeling that he was forgetting something. He did his best to quash it. This wasn't the time or the place. "Not me," he said simply, but didn't elaborate.

Aev entered the transporter room with Ignis trailing at his heels, the AI hologram looking absolutely resplendent in his glowing golden fox form as he trotted in behind him. “We do not know what we will find down there, Ignis,” Aev said, their conversation from the adjacent corridor carrying naturally into the transporter room. “There is still a great deal we do not understand.”

Ignis flicked one luminous ear, his molten-gold eyes sweeping over the assembled team. “Well, if you do run into Species 8472, you will probably be doomed,” the fox said brightly. “But on the upside, it would make an excellent cautionary training module. Very immersive. Brief, but immersive.”

“Ignis,” Aev said, grimacing at the fox before turning back to the assembled away team. “Apologies, Commander,” he said to Batenburg, then stepped into place among the group.

"I'm not sure the 1980's is ready for Ignis," Ryan said lightly, to defuse any tension.

Claire Dunross stood beside a narrow medical cart near the transporter room wall, her teal uniform visible beneath the clean white fall of her lab coat. The cart’s upper tray held a row of calibrated hyposprays, each tagged to the away team member it had been adjusted for by species, metabolic profile, recent medical history, and projected exposure risk. Once the team had gathered, she moved quickly from one officer to the next, pressing each hypo to the side of a neck or shoulder with a soft hiss, Commander Batenburg first, then her boss Riah Amberlyn, the acting Chief Science Officer Remington, the young Acting Chief Engineer Ryan, and the Chief of Security as they came within reach.

When Ignis came into view, Claire paused with the next hypospray halfway raised, looked from the glowing fox to the label in her hand, then lowered it again. “I believe you are mercifully outside my vaccination schedule,” she said, before returning her attention to the flesh-and-blood members of the team.

“Not a cure-all,” Claire reminded them, replacing one hypo and lifting the next. “Just enough to give your immune systems a fighting chance and keep the locals from being exposed to anything Starfleet would have to explain later.” She was quietly relieved not to be stepping onto the pad with them, though there was no trace of it in her expression. Instead, she checked the final dosage marker, looked over the team with a physician’s careful eye, and added, “Sickbay will be ready if you call. Though I would be grateful if none of you made this more complicated than a post-mission scan.”

"We will do our best not to disappoint you, Doctor," Riah replied.

Ryan rubbed his arm slightly, but also nodded to the doctor. He hadn't really met Doctor Dunross before. She seemed like a no-nonsense personality. Hopefully none of them would need her services later. He took his place on the transporter pad.

Remington and then Amberlyn followed Ryan's lead onto the transport pads. Remington was curious about the AI Ignis' fox form being rather difficult to disguise upon the planet. "Ignis, maybe a black lab would be less conspicuous than a golden fox," he teased, assuming the AI was able to appreciate the jest.

Suzanna stood near the transporter room display, her appearance blending surprisingly well with the era they were about to enter. The neon tracksuit was a vivid combination of blue, pink, and bright yellow, while a matching sweatband concealed the pointed tips of her ears. By late twentieth-century standards, the outfit was entirely unremarkable. By Vulcan standards, it was deeply unfortunate.

One by one the away team arrived. After all had arrived, Dr. Dunross moved among them, administering the required inoculations and conducting final medical checks before transport.

Suzanna listened as Remmington commented that Ignis might attract less attention as a black Labrador than as a golden fox. She considered the observation for a moment before turning toward Flammia.

“Lieutenant Remmington raises a valid point,” she said. “Lieutenant Flammia, Ignis should assume a form that is less conspicuous. A golden fox is not indigenous to this region and would attract unnecessary attention. The inhabitants of Sherman Oaks are unlikely to have encountered such an animal.”

A slight pause followed as she considered the practicalities. “A black Labrador, or another common domestic breed, would be a more logical choice. Our objective is to blend into the local environment, not become a subject of discussion.”

The fact that she was delivering this assessment while dressed in neon athletic wear was not lost on her, though her expression gave no indication of it.

Ignis looked up at Suzanna, his luminous golden ears angling backward in what was almost certainly a theatrical display of offense. “I would like the record to show that I am not conspicuous. I am memorable,” he said, his molten eyes flicking briefly over her neon athletic wear. “Though I appreciate the tactical lecture on blending in from someone dressed like a high-visibility emergency beacon.”

Aev exhaled softly through his nose, barely managing to restrain a sigh of irritation, and fixed Ignis with a look that carried a clear warning.

Ignis gave one final swish of his glowing tail before padding closer to Aev. “In any case, your concerns are unnecessary. I will not be beaming down as a fox, golden or otherwise. I will be returning to my ring before transport, where I shall remain tragically unseen, underappreciated, and deprived of my opportunity to terrorize 1984 Sherman Oaks as an unusually attractive Labrador.” The fox lifted his chin with exaggerated dignity. “History is safe. From me, at least.”

Once the inoculations had been administered and Ignis had adopted a more appropriate appearance, the away team assembled on the transporter pads. Dressed in an assortment of distinctly 1980s civilian clothing, they looked far removed from Starfleet officers.

Suzanna took her place at the centre of the group and performed a final visual inspection. Medical support was present. Engineering expertise was present. Scientific and tactical considerations had been addressed as thoroughly as circumstances allowed. Whether they were about to meet a displaced child, a temporal entity, or something else entirely remained unknown.

She tapped her comm badge. “Batenburg to Corbin. The away team is assembled and ready for transport.” A brief pause followed. “Mission objectives remain unchanged. We will establish contact with the subject if possible and report any significant developments immediately.”

Lowering her hand, she glanced at the members of the team. “Remain observant. We are entering a situation for which there is no established precedent.”

She turned her attention toward the transporter chief and waited for the Captain's final authorization.

Corbin’s reply came through after only the briefest pause, her voice steady beneath the controlled noise of the bridge.

"Acknowledged, Commander. I’ve sent updated coordinates to the transporter room. They should place you close to the boy’s current location, though not directly on top of him. Proceed with caution. We still do not know what he is, what he understands, or how he will react to Starfleet appearing in front of him."

There was a faint shift in the background, another voice calling out a status report before Corbin continued, dryly composed.

"In the meantime, we will do our best to keep our very confused Klingons and Romulans entertained. Corbin out. "

Lieutenant Ryan Collingway
Acting Chief Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn

LtCmdr Claire Dunross
Asst Chief Medical Officer

Captain Sabrina Corbin
Commanding Officer

LtCmdr Riah Amberlyn, XMD
Chief Medical Officer

LT Steve Remington
Acting Chief Science Officer

Lieutenant Ave Flammia
Chief of Security

Cmdr Suzanna Batenburg
First Officer
Everything fits, otherwise we'll make it fit!

 

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