March/April 2025 Challenge: Time Travel. There aren't any other constraints.
Trek BBS: March/April 2025 Challenge
"Time Travel: Chrono Triggered"
The Prometheus-class U.S.S. Phoenix-X backed off from the Ordek Nebula as its Xeenar entity was returning to refill its volume back to what it was before. A small, energized orb of energy was ejected slowly out and toward the ship.
"Dear Phoenix-X crew," the Xeenar's voice echoed. "Whenever my kind re-enters non-corporeal existence, we shed an excess of temporal material, like a terribly constructed Guardian of Forever, with pieces falling all over the place."
Captain Seifer blinked from his chair upon the Bridge. "Ew. Also, are there people out there building those? Imagine the paradoxical toolboxes?"
"You get it. You know about being a handyman, but in a time travel sense," the entity unified. "The point being, our kind usually just shoots these into unsuspecting populated planets but, since I know you Starfleet types absolutely love time travel stuff, I am gifting you mine, as thanks for returning me to an existence of Wogneer creature hunting. Ohhh, I could go for one of those, especially knowing that your Picard remains retired."
As the communication disconnected, the exterior view of the nebula switched to a close-up shot of the moving white temporal orb. "A free time travel pass?" Briggs queried from operations. "Can we go to the future and see if any of us ranked up?"
"Whoa, whoa. We have to use it for good and stop Romulus from being destroyed," Hachi turned from helm. "Or, at least Mars from being on fire."
Tong perked from tactical. "Good is subjective. We should use it strike known targets in the Dominion War. Surely the Seventh Fleet could use some advance non-explodey help."
"I'd suggest fixing continuity errors on some past vessels like the Discovery or the NX-01. Prime Georgiou did not need to be killed. Also, did Pike's Enterprise have gaps in its pylons or not?" Veker criticized from science.
Seifer rolled his eyes. "The timeline is already messed up. Were the Gorn lumbering strong men or vicious egg-burying raptors?" he added in seemingly support. "What I mean is, if we use this, the Temporal Integrity Commission will be on us like a dentist to a grishnar cat."
"The Captain is right," Gewdeque defended, entering the Bridge from Engineering. "The last thing we need is to cause an alternate reality of non-stop fast-paced action, lens flares and blindingly white Bridges. Time travel has been an endless easy-out."
Xyrenia crossed her arms, interrupting her medical attention to an unconscious officer. "Can we please stop bringing up that life-reversing, nonsensical timeline? Ethical protocol should be more than enough to stop us from Na'khul-ing ourselves into Nazi America."
"You both are drawing the same conclusion," Seifer finalized. "Time is an easy twist until it’s a chaotic Loom-hungry Protostar chase. Let's send this McGuffin-fueled racquetball back to the nearest probability-infused planet."
Everyone nodded in agreement but, before the Phoenix-X could do anything, the slow approach of the temporal energy neared so close, its bright flash filled the screen. "Captain, we took too long talking and skipped right to the point in time where it's too late to do anything!" Hachi pointed as the ball hit the Prometheus-class ship and engulfed it in a temporal wash out.
"Wait. Is doing nothing a form of time travel??" Seifer blurted as the Phoenix-X suddenly flashed to no change whatsoever. "Did Einstien know about this entropic subtlety? Report!"
Tong checked the starcharts. "According to this, we're several minutes into the future. Two? Maybe even three! The Phoenix-H, finally exiting the nebula, left a warning beacon and an annoyed message that we were too busy to respond for wrap-up scenes."
"Oh. Well, that was a waste," Seifer drooped. "I kind of would have been okay with a First Contact Borg thing, a trial of tribblations or something hilarious in Roswell, New Mexico."
Veker tapped a nearby screen which was blinking 12:00. "You may get something after all, Captain. It looks like all our onboard clocks were reset to factory defaults. They're all stopped and flashing twelve?"
"What? You mean we can't see what time it is? We have to fix this?" the Captain added in sudden panic as he tried to adjust his own chair arm screen. "You have to hold the clock button and then keep tapping the minute button."
Briggs scrambled at his console. "We're trying, sir! It's impossible to maintain simultaneous taps with multiple fingers, causing us to have to start all over again? And that blinking 12:00 is so distracting? Why are we still on digital in this century??"
"No, no, no," Seifer shook, unable to get a control of his time interface either. "Admiral Nechayev was going to call me at a certain time today and I wanted to make sure I sent it to voicemai—"
But it was too late and the screen clicked on to an older woman, looking down upon the Phoenix-X like they were a complete nothing. "You! Explain your pointless vessel! And what the hell is with all your attempts at illegal space-time violations??"
"Uggh," Seifer slumped, giving up and in trouble. Then, to himself, said, "Damn it, I hate time travel."