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

[captainproton]

"That's true. I'm sorry. " That was an interesting slip though. Tom filed it away. "I can't even begin to imagine what it was like to have to live through it. And what it would be like to have to do it again. But you can't change things--especially something as massive as Wolf 359. You understand that, right?"

[chaotica]

A flat stare.

"Well, now you're making me want to roll my eyes again," says Cambridge. "Do you think the rest of us use our brains at all, or are you the only one?"

Though this really is somewhat disingenuous. Cambridge, unlike Temporal Investigations, doesn't believe that any timeline has inherent virtue over another. But, in all fairness, he also knows that the existence of the multiverse itself is at stake.

[captainproton]

Tom also wanted to roll his eyes at Cambridge and make a snarky remark. "Gee, I don't know. You don't sound like it right now. I get it, your life sucked. Wolf 359 was terrible and a lot of people died. So what are you planning to do about it? Captain Janeway taught me a lot and time travel was one of those things. It's bad. Stay away from it. And if you can't, try not to screw up the universe."

Tom sighed, still repressing the urge to just throttle and hit Cambridge. "Look there's every possibility that we can't change things. That Q will just sweep everything under the rug and everything will go along as planned. But I'd like to get on Voyager when it leaves. "

[chaotica]

Cambridge chokes.

"Captain Janeway," he says. "Captain Janeway taught you to stay away from time travel."

Well, then something must have changed in the meantime.

[captainproton]

Since Tom as no idea what you're talking about, he's just going to look at you funny. "Uh yeah. She hates time travel. Gives her a headache that probably rivals her coffee withdrawal. I take it you've never met her?"

[chaotica]

"Unbelievable. Oh, no, we've met."

He doesn't explain. He just gets to his feet.

"Before we speak again, I hope you make up your mind," says Cambridge, "on how much you would and would not like to know about your future on Voyager. In addition, you can decide or decide not to have any further interaction with me. I won't take it personally. Voyager is where I belong, but not your Voyager." A tight, and bitter smile. "You don't know me from Adam."

And, if there's nothing else, Cambridge will go.