Moment of Stability

Posted on Thu Mar 21st, 2024 @ 4:13pm by Liha t'Ehhelih & Nollel Livaam (*)

Mission: Fractures
Location: Lounge
Timeline: a near future
1760 words - 3.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Nollel had no idea where she was as she blinked, and she was no longer walking along the corridor with Evelyn but alone in a compartment. She glanced around and realised that she was at least in the bar of the SS Mary Rose, which was best option she had, had in days because she could see bottles behind the bar and headed for them.

She pulled the nearest bottle down from the shelf and got a glass easily measuring enough out to settle her nerves from the Borg ship. She leant against the bar taking in deep breaths reflecting for a moment everything that had happened in the last couple of hours in the future that a few moments in the present had not allowed her.

Liha looked up from the darkened corner where she had been sitting. Was that the Nollel from her time or different one? At this point she wasn't sure if it mattered. "If you're pouring, I'll take one too," she said rising, albeit cautiously - she'd found she wasn't welcome in all timelines.

The blonde looked up to where Liha sat and just grabbed the bottle and another glass walking over passing both over to the woman. She retrieved her own and sat down heavily across from the woman. She was at the point where she did not care if it was her Liha or another one. “What kind of day are you having?” She ventured.

Day? Liha wasn't sure measures of time meant anything now, but the question put her on the side of assuming this was some Nollel from some other timeline, if for no other reason than that she hadn't asked about Burnie. "Long one," she replied tersely, taking the bottle and pouring herself a generous portion. "You?"

“Weird.” The woman stated downing the glass leaning over to pour another glass and just held it in her hand.” and long. And I have no idea where my husband is.” She whispered trying to focus from the trauma she was starting to feel from the Borg finally sinking into her.

Husband... so this was the future or not too far in the past. How much did anyone jump? Was it possible to skip by only a few minutes to wind up right in front or behind yourself? Liha took a swallow from her glass, washing that thought away with the burn of the alcohol. With it came the thought that this might be her Nollel. After all, she wouldn't know when she was and Nollel was smart. If Taev had been on Temperance, she wouldn't have asked after him without knowing exactly whom she was asking. But that cut both ways - if this wasn't her Nollel, Liha was loathe to disclose that she was from elsewhen. "I'm afraid I can't help with Burnie. I seem to have ...lost him."

"Me too and he was unwell," Nollel said quietly into her glass trying to figure out how she was going to find him when the very reason they were going to do different times was why he was unwell. "I seem to have forgotten today's date. What is it again?" She asked stronger as she tried to decide one and for all if this was her Liha or if this was another one and she would escape and trying to figure out another option.

Interesting question... One that Liha couldn't actually answer, but neither could another time jumper. A covert signal? Had being around Romulans rubbed off on Nollel? "I couldn't say, honestly. Hard to keep track of time lately." She took a swig of her drink, then looked carefully at the blonde. "How unwell was Burnie? The last time I saw him, he was in a medbay." She watched to see if 'a medbay' rather than 'medbay' would register, and if so what the reaction would be.

Nollel turned to Liha and smirked. "Of course he is. Where or more specifically what time fracture was he in?" There was no guarantee that she could get to one where he was but at least she could try and start looking for him through them if she had a better idea.

Well, no need to wonder about which Nollel this was now. "It was somewhere back when this was a Starfleet ship. I was sitting in their medbay keeping an eye on the doctor ...and the next I was in some weird future with the ship all but abandoned, and after that..." She shook her head. "The only good thing about all the weird jumps is that I know there are bunch of futures, and given the apparent ages of the people I saw in them, so they can't all happen."

"You do not want to know where I have been. I am ... I am going to need to talk to someone after I find my husband but until then as long as he does not go anywhere near dark abandoned ships I am happy." Nollel commented putting the glass down half full. She had, had enough now to say the least.

"I just hope you need to be conscious to transit, so he's still in an ancient but fully functioning medbay," Liha said, pouring herself more booze.

“Fully functioning is better than anything. He will be stable…” Nollel said firmly not just for herself even if the woman would never admit it. “So that leaves us to work out where we are?” Nollel felt helpless as she rose to the console just inside the door.

"If that's working in this timeline, it should easy enough to check a news feed to see the date," Liha suggested. It had occurred to her when she arrived earlier, but she'd wanted a quiet corner to observe and listen before doing anything that might called attention. She'd just about decided that it was safe when Nollel had appeared.

Nollel pressed the console and the screen instantly came alive. “Positive it recognises me… ha…” She smiled a little as she saw her name flash up across the screen and it said Nolle Burnstein. She glanced as Liha and smiled. “Well it looks like we are only 3 months into the future.”

"Huh." Liha glanced around. "I guess it's nice to know that in some timeline the ship is in decent shape after the battle with the Temperance." Another thought occurred, and while a given future, even a near-term one, was no guarantee, it still seemed worth checking. If nothing else it might give them an idea of how far this timeline varied. "Can you pull up a crew list? Is everyone we know on it?"

Nollel nodded at the suggestion though she was not at all sure she wanted to know who and who was not on it. and started going through it. “Several people are missing. Cassie, That kid in comms Billy and well Saa is not longer on the manifest.” Dixoho Saa was still firmly on their manifest despite her being safe at a resident facility to see if there was anything that could be done for her.

Liha couldn't imagine Gregnol would take Saa off the manifest unless she was actually dead, so that was probably a sure sign this wasn't their timeline. "Okay, so likely not our future." She paused toying with the idea of looking up the Burnie here, but if he had the same disability - and from what she knew of the man, any version not in Starfleet would have had to have been subject to a forced discard - then whatever time particles might be clinging to them could put him in a coma. "I guess it's stable enough though, and it's nice to have a spot to take a breath. And have a drink." She took another swallow by way of illustration.

“Possibly. But everyone else, me, you and everyone we like is still onboard.” Nollel shrugged and offered a smile as she looked over at Liha taking a drink. “What do you think caused this mess?” She wondered coming back over to sit opposite the woman.

"I wish I knew." Liha frowned into her rapidly emptying glass. "But if I had to guess, it's got to be something tied to whatever took Burnie out in the Grotto. Either that, or SoC got hold of a temporal weapon..." She shot the rest of her drink. "Not sure which of those is worse."

“Sons of Cheron are not bright enough to get temporal weapons so that leaves us with the grotto.” Nollel decided looking at the woman clearly. “I met the Borg,” she spilled out grabbing the bottle and just held it in her hand as she thought about the dark room and the Borg head.

"Borg..." Liha suppressed a shudder. "I haven't run into that one. Makes me think we might be crossing into possible pasts as well..." She recalled Burnie once alluded to having been assimilated in alternate life, something about carrying a virus to kill them... of course it figured if all else failed Burnie would opt for human bomb. She frowned, hoping Burnie had stayed put in the pre-Borg era, especially if he was still comatose. She decided not to voice of that to Nollel. "Looks like you got away, so that's good."

“Just about.” Nollel explained suppressing a shiver. “Have not seen Jaxx since though I hope he is okay.” She said aloud hoping her next shift would allow her to find out where both Jaxx was and to track down her husband.

"I hope so too." Liha hadn't really gotten to know the new doc, but she hoped everyone escaped the Borg. "If that's a possible timeline, I may have to grab some better weapons while I'm here." Her mouth turned in a wry smile. "There are going to be future Burnies in couple timelines wondering who raided the weapons lab. Jake, Kali and I wound up back when Sons of Charon first stole the Temperance and decided to leave surprise in a plasma conduit."

Now that pipped the woman’s interest and she found herself smiling just a little bit at the notion that eventually when they all got back to where they were meant to be that they got somewhere safe. “Good.” She commented as she get the sickly feeling come over her that she was starting to recognise if she was calm as the feeling of shift. “I think…” she started and then was gone.

Liha sighed. "Guess I'm finishing the bottle on my own..."