arrival . ota

[chaotica]

Hugh Cambridge is partway through an analysis of an artifact - an old one, part of an extended paper that he'd never finished - when the transition comes.

At first, he assumes the ship's entered some sort of anomaly, and he turns away from the viewport (the stars have shifted, how odd), his hand moving to his combadge. A quick touch, and he starts, "Cambridge to -"

This isn't Voyager. In fact, this is the Ten-Forward of a Galaxy Class starship, unless he misses his mark. Populated with a few handfuls of people, some out of uniform, some in uniform, but those in are wearing the style that was in use twenty years earlier. Cambridge's uniform has shoulders of a grey-purple, and the turtleneck inside is medical/science blue. His combadge is thinner and sleeker.

"- Oh, bugger," finishes Cambridge. It's an illusion or it's time travel - neither of those bodes well.

Comments

[chaotica]

"It's the going theory," explains Cambridge. "There has been some travel between universes, as well, but it's difficult to locate and explore the exact points of divergence. And the travel itself is necessarily extraordinarily rare." He remembers something about too much foreign matter destabilizing the universe itself, but all of that's a bit fuzzy.

[dictaphonic]

Will nods as Cambridge speaks, taking all that in. "I must say, that's very intriguing!"

It begs the question of why people with time travel capabilities don't take constant advantage of the lack of paradoxical consequences, though. It seems to Will that, under these circumstances, one could just go back in time repeatedly until one landed upon an iteration that one liked.

"Is, um, time travel very common here?"

[chaotica]

A broad shrug. "Much of it's kept secret, I imagine." But it's possible. It does happen.

[dictaphonic]

"Yes...that would make sense." Will pauses. It seems unlikely that he'll get any more information about it from Cambridge--at least not for now, especially if Cambridge really is worried about sharing the future he's come from with the past. "Well, thank you. It's good to learn about this universe! But I, ah, suppose you'll still be wanting to go to the command center."