Day 17 [2020] Semper praeteritum melius quam erat spectat.

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Day 17 [2020] Semper praeteritum melius quam erat spectat.

October 23, 2023, 08:53:20 PM

Sitting at the bar, she swirled her glass, looking at the contents. Having asked for the non-synthehol varieties an hour earlier as she'd realized it hadn't been taking the edge off. Granted, she could have stayed in her quarters to wallow, but where was the fun in that. Besides, she could turn around and see outside the ship from time to time. Others say in the very same place that had been blown to pieces weeks earlier from the whole boarding party and Martok thing.

She sat contemplating life and time, and well the traveling therein. Her mind resting as she tried to understand the series of events that brought her here. Pierce was by no means an alcoholic but she was known to get plastered when the right occasion struck. Shoreleave was one of those such occasions where she allowed her guard to be down...somewhat.

Reminding herself the old phrase, what was it now? The past always looks better than it was. It’s only pleasant because it isn’t here. Yep, that was the one. She leaned back still in her duty uniform as she took another sip of her glass before leaning forward again and swirling it once more.

That was when she noticed another newbie to the ship, a Russian? She wasn't sure but he was definitely out of time or some time or time. Her thoughts somewhat inebriated she realized he was also nursing a glass or at the least contemplating the consumption of it. She wasn't totally gone yet however and her whits were still with her despite the shine from the drink taking hold.

"Cheers..." She said as she took another sip not to take it in too fast. "What brings you here?" She asked softly, southern twang squeeking through some. "I'm imagining this glass as the time I've not supposed to think about but can't get to leave." Realizing that there was some broken english in there somewhere she shrugged. "Sorry, the drinks' talking a little. Pierce. Alana Pierce." She spoke as she reached her hand to shake the other mans.

"The look on your face tells me you're coping. Either with a loss or with time. But it's loss too. If it's time, well, I can relate..." She said leaning her back to her chair at the bar.

Re: Day 17 [2020] Semper praeteritum melius quam erat spectat.

Reply #1 – October 24, 2023, 04:43:38 AM

[PO3 Valerii Arkhipiv | | Spearhead Lounge | Deck 14 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy] | ATTN: @Pierce ]

Valerii was indeed nursing his drink, a tall pint of a beer nearly as dark as the hair atop his head. He stared out the lunge window, contemplating the direction his former ship, the Oneida, had plotted a course away from. When the woman approached him, asking him why he was drinking, a grin came across his grizzled features. When he spoke, it was with a thick Slavic accent, Ukranian, what most would easily take to be Russian.

"Oh, many things, The end of the War for one. I hope that cocksucking fascist is still burning in hell. So yes, I am indeed contemplating time. After all, Four hundred and thirty-seven years, a very long time for a man to burn." The smile that crossed his face then, there was something dark to it, paired with a dark gleam in his eye. With that, he lifted his glass, toasting to the end of that vile fascist he'd fought against before returning to himself and regarding Alana for a time.

Once he finally realized that she had extended a hand to Alana and grasped in his firm, rough hand, Thick calloused on his palm and across his fingers had developed from his 'new career' the signs of hard work well earned and worn.

"And I am Petty Officer Valerii Arkhipiv. You may simply call me Valerii or the Cosmonaut, as I am both of those things. Just do not call me Russian, though I may let it slide from you once." That greeting, rough as his hand may be and thick as his accent was, was said with some tiny cheer and a playful wink. And yet, he merely sighed, leaning back in his seat at the high table by the window and gesturing to the empty chair across from him.

"Regardless, the drink talking is not such a bad thing as all that, Alana. Though I take it that you also have a story to tell. It sounds like you are like me, 'displaced' or are perhaps recovered from something terminal or living on borrowed time. And I may be many things. One of those is interested when a beautiful woman has things to say." Was Valerii being forward, or yes, was this his first beer? No.

Re: Day 17 [2020] Semper praeteritum melius quam erat spectat.

Reply #2 – October 26, 2023, 11:08:52 PM

Alana listened to the man as he nursed his drink and she wondered what it was he called the man in hell, the war and how he was time displaced four hundred and thirty-seven years. Which was a far cry more than she had to do with. She could tell on the handshake that he was likely an engineer in this day and age but wasn't sure.

"Nice to meet you Valerii. " Grinning at the comment about the Russian comment. He was kidding but legitimately asking not to be called it. She followed to the empty chair across from him at the window. It was a beautiful sight taking in the stars despite it being Klingon space. But that was true of most space is that aside from the sensors, it was hard to figure out where you were because it all looked the same.

He grasped that she too was displaced as it were and she could hear the flirtacious tone to the conversation. Something she was still getting used to, often forgetting her appearance lent to often.

"Well, I am from the year 2254, and lived a fairly normal life. At least until I was pulled into a temporal anomaly in the year 2286. Then, well, things got weird when I was pulled into the year 2380." She mentioned swirling her glass before looking at the starts once more before returning the conversation at hand. "So you were from what year? 1943? 1944? Wasn't that the 2nd World War?" Pierce wondered how difficult it was for him to acclimate to this era from farther back than she was from herself. At least she still worked for the same organization. He was picked up and spat out to an unfamiliar future. Outdated much like she had been.

Alana wondered what it must have been like to work amongst everything. Minus all the technological advancements they took for granted now.

Re: Day 17 [2020] Semper praeteritum melius quam erat spectat.

Reply #3 – October 29, 2023, 03:58:58 PM

[PO3 Valerii Arkhipiv | | Spearhead Lounge | Deck 14 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy] | ATTN: @Pierce ]

A rueful smile crossed Valerii's face when Alana shared her own point of origin. A soft chuckle worked its way up from his throat, along with a soft belch from the beverages he'd consumed. Valerii made a subtle hand gesture in place of apology as he finished off his drink.

"Yes, but only in the same way that all of us are from years previous." A twisted smile came to his face as he procured another drink, and he raised his glass in a toast, a proud look coming to his face as he remembered the past.

"To my friend Yuri, you were only first because I went missing and others died." His tone of voice was solemn, but there was a proud look on his face as he sipped on the frosty mug of beer. His eyes closed as he appeared to laugh and cry simultaneously, his chest rising and falling in the spasm reminiscent of both. Valerii enjoyed being melodramatic at times, and this was certainly one of them, but Alana deserved a straight answer, so He might as well give her one without embellishment.

"In 1961 I was to be the first man in space, I reached orbit, but my capsule suffered a power failure. I still don't know what caused it, but I can assume that the tractor beam tore my capsule apart. I survived and was placed into a stasis pod for what purpose, I couldn't guess. I was found by an Archeological team about oh, 12, 13 years ago? Unlike you, I took the 'slow route' to the future, I think." another pause then as he regarded Alana curiously for a moment and shook his head lightly.

"You, as you say, are 'still part of the same organization.' You have that to help ground you here. I was cast adrift upon a sea of time, sent to a land where I knew nothing and could do nothing. " Valerii went silent then, sitting there across from Alana staring at his drink.

Re: Day 17 [2020] Semper praeteritum melius quam erat spectat.

Reply #4 – November 14, 2023, 02:45:06 PM

Listening was one of the key elements of an intelligence agent. Not to mention an explorer. Alana sat listening to his reverie of this Yuri and making it first. She wondered if it was an early space flight but wasn't sure. Feeling the solemn nature to his words, she toasted in return her ale. Not having to wait long, she received an answer to the question of his origins and she was right about the space flight.

"That's certainly an unusual way to wake up. I can imagine the acclimation hasn't been all that kind to you. But you have a few years up on me for that." She paused taking a sip as she attempted to course correct but something told her that wasn't necessary. Must have been the female mental state that made her more empathetic than she'd once been. "Slow route or not, you've accomplished quite a bit in a short amount of time Valerii."

Glancing into space momentarily she was brought back as he mentioned her still being part of the Federation and Starfleet regardless of the timeframe she arrived from. He was from another era entirely before the 3rd world war and before Zefram Cochrane. "What I've discovered with time travel is...it is what you make it. I had more changes than you know and more than I am willing to tell at present done to me on arrival to the 24th century. It was an adjustment but I envy that you got to live such a different life despite being cast adrift in stasis for centuries. Slow or not, the Theurgy is our home now."

A wry smile crept into her face as she responded once more. "We're all a bunch of misfits and outcasts here. Whether we live long enough to see the conclusion is the big question. Regardless, I am happy to see you've made it and are here."

Not wanting to focus in on the negatives of time travel, Alana turned the conversation another way. "What are some of the things you miss from your time, or even prefer in this time over back then?" She asked taking another sip and swirling the bluish-green liquid around her glass.

Re: Day 17 [2020] Semper praeteritum melius quam erat spectat.

Reply #5 – November 20, 2023, 07:35:15 PM

[PO3 Valerii Arkhipiv | | Spearhead Lounge | Deck 14 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy] | ATTN: @Pierce ]

Valerii sat there with his drink, mulling over what Alana said. He laughed softly at her questions, even if they were thoughtful. He sat there and leaned back in his seat, regarding her for a long moment before responding.

"You're not with the DTI, are you? The questions you ask... but I'm sure you had annual check-ins like I did. Maybe I'm special, but still, you sound like some of the better Investigators I've spent time with. You're right; adjusting can easily be what we make of it, but we are very much strangers in a strange land."

He paused then, actually thinking about things that he'd missed. There were easily plenty of things that Valerii missed about his home, the sense of duty and service he'd had, which he got in smaller doses here. Valerii had been a good Communist, but he'd studied history and had seen what happened to the Soviet Union and, later, Ukraine. Very little of it he'd have wanted to live through, and the worst of those decades were the ones that he'd skipped over. And if he was honest, he'd enjoyed being a Cosmonaut, but the track record with early rocketry was awful, and even he'd been scared. So, after a few moments, he looked up and chuckled.

"That's hard to say if I missed anything. I studied my history between now and then. So, that's not a question that I can honestly answer. But there is one thing I do miss. I miss flying, not in combat, mind you. That was terrifying, but just the peaceful act of flying. Can I do that here? Yes, in the holodeck, but it's not the same." There was a wistful expression on his face as he thought about it, imagining that he was back in the cockpit of his Yakolev, yes it had been an aircraft built for war, but so many times he'd just been on patrol, and nothing had happened.

"What about you, hmm, is there anything you miss from your own time? Were you able to reconnect with any family, or did you even bother to try?" It was an honest question, and Valerii was curious about Alana, and they might as well actually make conversation.

Re: Day 17 [2020] Semper praeteritum melius quam erat spectat.

Reply #6 – December 05, 2023, 09:31:10 PM

Alana laughed as she placed her drink down, nearly choking on it at the mention of DTI. "Hell no! I get the feeling they were interested in my particular case or really any that ended up with someone thrown forward in time. But this is my 2nd year in this century so I have yet to get that second check-in. Likely will once we're done with this mission and have our names cleared." She pondered, spinning the glass around at the thought of being a fugitive for doing the right thing.

She wondered what sort of reacclimating he'd had to go through since he was thrown a lot further forward and had to start over completely. She just got demoted with additional training. "Can't say I dealt with the same issues as you. I had a...physical issue after my time jump. But on top of that, I was demoted and stayed in the same organization. So imagine my reacclimating was less intensive than yours was." Pierce stated as she brushed the hair from her face and behind her back again.

"I had the fortune or misfortune depending on the circumstance to tour my old ship before all of this happened. To see her empty and lacking the people shows me that we're two of a kind from a lost era." She breathed in deeply and exhaled as she leaned back and looked at Valerii still nursing his drink.

All in all, Pierce was glad to have jumped so far forward and seeing how things worked out. But at a cost of lost time. Which she was now making up. She continued to listen to the cosmonaut before her and took in his expressions which varied between his accented words.

Pondering the question she'd been asked, she had to wonder what she missed. "Well, I miss my old ship. I'd give anything to serve on one of her class again, and even more to captain one albeit temporarily." Pausing for another drink. "Constitution Refit, Enterprise Class. They weren't a ship of luxury but she was home. Something I'm learning to adapt to here." Motioning the room with her arm not holding the drink.

"As for family, I discovered someone I...dated...in my cabin shortly before the mission that led to time travel, had a child shortly after I was presumed MIA. Eventually, landing me here. Almost 100 years later with a great grand daughter who is serving on this very ship. You may bump into her. She's on the CONN and an Ensign not much younger than I am...or appear to be." She chuckled.

"Suffice it to say, it's complicated but we're getting to know one another. She looks up to me as a role model since I was her reason for joining Starfleet oddly enough. Strange times."

She finished her drink and stretched out a little with her arms and legs before heading back to the bar to grab another drink. After the refill, Alana proceeded to sit back down, relaxing by crossing her legs upon one another.

"Anyone of your lineage end up bumping into you too? Mine was a shocker..." She was attempting to keep conversation going but without drawing attention to the fact she was in fact not the mother of the initial ancestor leading to Lauren, but the father.

Re: Day 17 [2020] Semper praeteritum melius quam erat spectat.

Reply #7 – December 25, 2023, 07:24:26 PM

[PO3 Valerii Arkhipiv | | Spearhead Lounge | Deck 14 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy] | ATTN: @Pierce ]

   Valerii took small sips as he conversed with the Commander, mostly keeping his counsel. The man was attentive and engaged as he marveled at the likelihood of bumping into another on the same ship in a similar situation as he was. Though mentioning how intensive the reacclimating was, he shook his head and coughed a little.

   "Commander Alana, while we can easily say that a wrench is a wrench, and a woman is a woman, I have had to learn math that wasn't even theorized when I was deemed a 'highly capable and educated paragon of the Soviet Union.' I was the same rank you happen to be when I became lost to time and history." He frowned, flicked the rank tab on his collar, and shrugged. "I would have to assume that while we both had massive adjustments in our way, you are still capable of being an officer." Perhaps he was a bit harsh with the Commander, but neither knew what the other had gone through, and it was the easiest way to make the point about such assumptions.

   "I, for one, would never ever wish to climb into a Vostok capsule again. Maybe in a museum, perhaps, but no." Still, his eyes had a dreamy look, and she just smiled at that. Still, it was nice that she'd met a relative she got along with. For Valerii, that had always been unlikely, at the very least. But there had been a time several years ago when he'd tried.

   "Quite a few actually, none directly. I may have left a few little bastards running around the Western front, but none that I knew." Another shrug was given at that. What more was there to say about a soldier in wartime? "My extended family, though, that is a different story, to be sure. There were many wars in Ukraine and Russia between my time and now, such as the Eugenics Wars and the Third Great War. And, of course, the State did all it could, which was quite a lot, to erase me from history after I disappeared. Of course, you must understand that when I said 'quite a few,' I mean with a genetic similarity of five percent or greater."

   Valerii sighed and focused on his drink, giving the barest of smiles after a moment. "So what about hobbies? Hmm, what do commanders do in their off time these days? I knit and crochet; it was essential. Mittens, gloves, and scarves were all needed and never supplied."

Re: Day 17 [2020] Semper praeteritum melius quam erat spectat.

Reply #8 – December 27, 2023, 11:29:37 PM

Alana took a walk back to the replicator and gathered another drink as she listened to the man out of time before her regaling her with his thoughts. She was both humored and took the gentle but direct jab as it was meant to. She had an easier acclimation only being slightly demoted. He had to start over completely in this era. Nodding, she listened to his family possibilities and wondered what she'd do in the future. The thought of childbearing caused a shiver in her as she drank again to mask it.

The topic of hobbies came up and crochet was not one she expected him to say. "Interesting hobby. Would never have pegged you as a crocheter. Hmm...well, I enjoy mountain climbing, sitting in nature, and feeling the sun and air on my face. It's refreshing and honestly relaxing. As much as I enjoy being on a Starship, I enjoy peace and quiet."

"My other hobbies are holonovels and exploring."

Taking a sip of her cola this time, she looked back at him. "What's one of your newfound interests either technologically or societally since coming this far forward in time? I've discovered the Holodeck is one of mine and the full amenities that were absent in my previous posting. Granted, still better than what you were in when discovered."

She was genuinely curious to hear the answers as she was not sure how he'd managed to reacclimate with the changes, despite not having much choice much like herself. Pierce took note of her appearance once more as she recalled what she used to appear as. Granted, it had its perks at times she smirked thinking about aspects of the changes.

Re: Day 17 [2020] Semper praeteritum melius quam erat spectat.

Reply #9 – February 28, 2024, 06:38:27 PM

   [PO3 Valerii Arkhipiv | | Spearhead Lounge | Deck 14 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy] | ATTN: @Pierce ]

   Shrugged at the comment about not seeing him as someone who crocheted, he smiled and chuckled softly. "It was a useful hobby, and it was something creative that could be set down and picked back up, as well as easy to travel with." He smiled, thinking about some of the pieces he'd made previously, a bit of a laugh coming from his as he pulled a handkerchief out of a pocket with something in Cyrillic crocheted along the edge.

   "You can always do something with meaning to you, even if it only has meaning to you, and its something you can always keep close to you." He trailed a finger along the multi-colored work crocheted into the handkerchief. Lines of letters in yellow, blue, red, and black lined the handkerchief several centimeters deep into the square of white cotton. "My way of carrying their names with me. My family, my loves, my comrades, the ones I lost, the ones I killed. If I had found their names, This is something I keep adding to when I get the chance."

   At the mention of Holonovels and new technology, he thrust a hand into the air, pointing to the sky, His voice rising to a crescendo. "YES! PRECISELY! I am able to experience the world an author envisioned as they actually envisioned it! In some cases, this is great, but there are some times when I much prefer my own imaginings. But for me, the great benefit of the Holodeck is getting to experience all of the advancements in aviation that I missed out on or were otherwise classified. Just the other day, I was flying an American Thunderchief in a close air support mission in Vietnam, and yet, for me, this was not especially a new plane! It was designed as a Nuclear bomber, but it was never used for such a purpose and was never one I could have flown. Of course, it was American, not Soviet. The things that I got to experience with Holodeck have been fascinating. I find the history of what was, even if simulation, to be far more interesting than imaginings sometimes. I am still catching up even after a decade here."

Re: Day 17 [2020] Semper praeteritum melius quam erat spectat.

Reply #10 – March 13, 2024, 08:51:50 PM

Alana pondered the art of being creative. She thought back to when she was in the Academy and built her models of the NX class starships and the original Constitution class, pre-refit. It did bring her joy at the time. Possibly something to tinker with in the future she thought.

"That's honestly not a bad idea. I used to build model starships. Something I hadn't thought of reintroducing as a hobby until you brought up yours. A way to remember my past as well and those I served with."

Smiling briefly in thought at the prospect of spending time doing that once more, she heard the bit about the holodeck novels and his excitement, she perked up a little more. "I've participated in crime noir dramatizations, looked at the Fleet Museum, and a plethora of other outdoor situations like cliff diving, and places on the Romulan homeworld."

The mention of history triggered thoughts of entertainment in her mind. "Truth be told, I never thought about visiting historical time periods to entertain the thoughts of periods I'd not been involved with. Or ones I have over 100 years ago. I love old crafts too."

Catching up. The one thing she was constantly finding herself doing when it came to things both in the Fleet and her personal stakes. Not in terms of duty but that was another story. "It definitely can be a rush. I've heard stories of malfunctions on those things too where it can become quite dangerous, or the A.I. that was given life from the technology."

Swirling her drink, she took a drink and let the carbonation hit too fast as she belched rather loudly and the burn came out of her nose as well. Lurching forward, she laughed. "Sorry, that hasn't happened in a while. Burned my nose too!" Rubbing her nostrils with her hand as she leaned back attempting not to think of the singed sinus cavity.

She smiled and downed the rest. "Thanks for the good conversation! I have to get back to work but I'll look forward to seeing you around. Plenty of us time travelers on board not to run into another one." She nodded and returned her glass to the bar before heading out into the corridors once more.

-FIN