DE-173 (Challenger)
| USS Challenger | ||
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 LOST | ||
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"DE-173" The Mission was based on The Philadelphia Experiment[1]
Time Line of DE-173 Mission Events
238310.04
- During Shore Leave the Senior Staff is invited to a ceremony on Earth by Jovan the Etherial. The Captain is distrustful of Jovan and orders an armed escort.
238310.05
- Senior Staff reports to Transporter Room 13 and they are beamed to the Philadelphia Naval Yards where Jovan has set up an outdoor meal.
- Jovan seems to know all about each member of the staff.
- Jovan explains that he and his people are loving people and have followed the exploits of the Challenger since Hell’s Gate, but they are not pleased.
- Challenger staff is surrounded by a green mist and find themselves in the Philidelphia Naval Ship Yards circa 1943. With everyone in varies uniforms that are close, but not exactly fitting to the era.
July 21, 1943
- T'Preen discovers phasers have been replaced with old earth firearms and advises the staff to avoid standing out especially the women due to the time line not being highly gender integrated.
- Turner discovers that Willyard is missing, sees her being arrested, but is denied permission to go after her.
- Willyard is put in the Brig, making the SPs believe she is drunk to keep from having to explain her presence.
- Winters theorizes since the Destroyer Eldridge is docked at the Naval base, that if may have something to do with the Philadelphia Experiment and "Jovan and his Adepts have gone through a lot of trouble to make us believe it's not - which indicates they want us to do something important here, to prove ourselves in some way."
- Frazier, Winters and Turner find a suitable warehouse for the staff north west of Front Street.
- Aadi and Al'Drun secure correct WW II uniforms and IDs.
- Winters suggests a team sneak into the base, try and find the plans and designs, maybe even the prototypes, for the technology that transported the staff and that is on the ELDRIDGE.
- Frazier, Winters and Turner find a suitable safehouse in a warehouse north west of Front Street.
- Netal, Elburn and T'Preen work on a field generator, that can transport the staff back to their time and then self-destruct.
- T'Preen points out temporal implications -"If we return and leave some alteration of Jovals here, we may not have a timeline to return to."
- Tribuzio and deMarc picked up a newspaper dated July 21, 1943 while on patrol.
- Turner and Winters get food from Naval Base Mess Hall
- T'Preen points out temporal implications -"If we return and leave some alteration of Jovals here, we may not have a timeline to return to."
July 22, 1943
- Willyard is severely injured while being move to Intelligence HQ.
- deMarc, Aadi, and Tribuzio rescure Ashlyn alive, but barely.
- Turner finds the stats of the Eldridge
- Elburn, Al'Drun and Turner make contact with Doctor Reinhart on the Eldridge.
- Albert Borkowski discovers the staff in the warehouse
- Staff reports findings to T'Pen.
- Turner has found the Eldridge stats. Eldridge is due to shove off at 16:30 on July 22, 1943.
- Elbrun presents a drawing of the cloaking device that he made from reading Dr. Reinhart's mind, and pointed out that many of Eldridge's technologies seem to be experimental.
SIM Synopsis Part I
JP by SIMed by Lt. Jg. James Levin and Lt. Toni Turner (as Lt. Jg. Chris Tribuzio)
((Corridor, USS Challenger))
::Walking around inside the Challenger for the first time in months did not seem normal to Levin. It wasn’t the disoriented, homeless feeling from the first time he’d stepped aboard, but something more akin to feeling like he was revisiting a part of himself. Things looked the same, but felt different – and that bothered Levin.::
::That morning, O’Grady had brought him up to the Starbase to discuss the reappearance of Tribuzio, and they had both agreed that it should be Levin who went to see him first. He now had a rough outline of what had taken place, based on what Tribuzio had told Anderson (and what Anderson had decided to let Levin know – the thought that something was being left out was constantly in his mind, but more because he was dealing with SFI than because of the particular situation), but he needed to talk to Tribuzio anyway, to gather more information. And to be a friend – he apparently hadn’t seemed that well, which was understandable.::
::At around the same time that new tests had detected particles that implied the Challenger crew had been shipped through time, Tribuzio had come back and seemingly confirmed the story, so for the moment Levin assumed it was accurate. But that still didn’t tell him who Jovan was, or why he’d gone after the crew of the Challenger. As he stepped up to the door of Tribuzio’s quarters, Levin was thinking on these things.::
::He chimed at the door, and it opened a few moments later. It was the first time they’d seen each other in months, and Levin’s departure had been abrupt, so this should have been a moment when they smiled at each other, but Levin was struck by how tired Chris looked. And saddened, too. Things were dimmed because of it.::
Levin: Chris – it’s good to see you again. And good to know you’re back alright.
Tribuzio: Thanks, James. Good to see you too.
Levin: Do you mind if I come in so we can talk some?
Tribuzio: er...It's a mess in here, but yeah, come in and take a load off.
::Levin came inside, and they sat down together.::
Levin: I wish I could say I was just here personally, but I’m also here on business. Apparently, they think I should be running around playing Sherlock Holmes. ::Levin sighed.:: So how are you holding up?
Tribuzio: ::slight smile:: I'm okay. :: getting up, opening the wet bar.:: Join me in a drink?
Levin: Why not?
::Levin gets up and follows him to the bar. He pours half a glass, then heads back to the chair he had been sitting in.::
Tribuzio: So Sherlock, what do you want to know?
Levin: Let’s start with Jovan. What do you remember about him?
Tribuzio: Jovan... ::throws his glass, shattering it against the wall. His face full of anger, his fists clenched:: If I had my hands around his neck, I'd choke the life out of him.
::Levin watched Tribuzio without saying anything. He was quiet for a moment, then spoke very calmly, doing his best to balance friendly concern and professional questions.::
Levin: Chris. ::He made eye contact with Tribuzio.:: I need to know everything that I can, so we can bring everyone else home and find Jovan. What happened?
Tribuzio: ::sits down again, resting his face in his hands:: All I know, James, is that we were invited to a celebration in our honor. The Captain seemed unsure about it, because she had us to send security guards ahead of us, and tole us to be on our guard. She said that the only known information about about Jovan and his “Alliance” is that his name appears in an ancient Alpha Centauri text circa their 2nd century.
Tribuzio: :: getting up, looking out the view port:: When we beamed to Philidelphia it was a typical autumn afternoon. Jovan's people were in white robes with a deep crimson and gold braid sleeked down their right shoulders, dangling at the ends front and back, a distinct wisp of green smoke puffed out from the tips of the braid.
::He turns around to look at Levin::
Tribuzio: I remember smelling Incence, and their eyes were. . . red and yellow. ::glances up at the ceiling, then back to Levin:: Their faces were tinted... azure I think was the color, and they were bald, even the women.
Levin: And Jovan?
Tribuzio: Jovan was short and heavy, and his walk was more a waddle. ::sitting down again:: He knew us all, James. All about us, even the Betazoid, Elbrun. He introduced us to his people.
Levin: ::not entirely certain who Elbrun is, then placing the name to someone new since he’d left:: Did he say how he knew?
Tribuzio: We were sitting pretty far away from the him, but I vaguely remember hearing him say something about following the activities of the Challenger since Hell's Gate.
Levin: Hell’s Gate. ::Levin shook his head. It didn’t sound familiar, like it was simply colorful language or something from before his time aboard the Challenger. Still, he rolled it around in his mind some more.:: What happened at the end of the banquet, when you were sent back in time?
Tribuzio: The ground started moving, like a small earthquake. The mist was thick, and choking. When it cleared we were in 1943.
Levin: That mist – was it the same as what was coming out of the braids?
Tribuzio: ::closes his eyes to gain a mental picture.:: Yes, only not quite as thick. The contrast would be clear day clouds to weather fronts. Does that make sense?
Levin: ::pausing to think about it for a moment:: Yeah . . . yeah.
::Levin sat, holding his drink in his hand and staring at a point on the floor between them while considering the scene at the Naval Yards.::
Tribuzio: ::asking a question he feared would have no answer, but still had hope:: Do you think you can find Jovan and bring them home?
::Levin could hear the fear in Tribuzio’s voice, and knew that it would be there for anyone, really. He wanted to be able to tell him that everyone would be home alright, and that they’d have Jovan, and that it wouldn’t take any time at all. No matter how much he wanted it to happen, Levin knew that he couldn’t say it would. He was torn between wanted to reassure Tribuzio and the obligation to be honest with his friend and colleague.::
Levin: ::speaking somewhat hesitantly:: I hope so. But I don’t know so.
Tribuzio: ::thinking of Ashlyn:: We can't lose them, James. ::his voice breaks:: Ashlyn is... carrying my child, and she is sick too. If she doesn't have treatment in our timeline, both of them may die. ::stand up, going back to the view port, apologizing:: I'm sorry, James. I was being selfish. I want them all brought home.
::So that explained his outburst earlier at the mention of Jovan – he was putting Ashlyn in danger, and not only Ashlyn, but their child. (Their child? he thought. Apparently not everything was quite the same still.)::
Levin: It’s not selfish to care about her, Chris. ::He moves closer, and puts a hand on Tribuzio’s shoulder:: We’ll get them back. Starfleet’s putting more resources than me into this – and they know how to play detective a hell of a lot better than I do. We’ll get them back.
::Now, all of the sudden, Levin was going back on his decision to be honest and make no promises. He saw the look on Tribuzio’s face of someone with a family and ones he loved – and who was afraid of losing them. He recognized the look and feeling and, to an extent, knew what it was like.::
SIM Synopsis Part II
JP by SIMed by Lt. Jg. James Levin and Lt. Toni Turner (as Lt. Jg. Chris Tribuzio)
((Tribuzio’s Quarters, USS Challenger))
- Levin sat quietly beside Tribuzio, waiting a while to speak again. He tried to be considerate and cautious, but felt like all that happened was that he spoke slower.::
Levin: What happened when you all were transported to 1943?
- Tribuzio stood, walked over to the wet bar again, poured a drink, then sat back down, thinking as he twirled the liquid in the glass, trying to find a place to start.::
Tribuzio: James, I’ll try to give you the details, but it you have a question about anything I tell you, or if it seems somehow incomplete, I’ll expand as best I can.
Levin: That’s fine – just tell me what you can.
Tribuzio: ::sips his drink:: Before the mist came, J.T. must had sensed something was wrong and told us to get out of there, and Ashlyn lit out like a bat out of hell. When we arrived, we were still in the same area, except for Ashlyn. Doctor Turner saw her being arrested, but we couldn't get her until later. We were in the wrong uniforms, and needed to get out of sight quickly.
Levin: What do you mean, ‘wrong uniforms’?
Tribuzio: They were American uniforms for wartime 1943, but not quite right for the Navel base. We thought maybe Jovan had made a slight error in his research.
Levin: ::mostly to himself:: Which wouldn’t be the only one we’ve found so far… ::To Tribuzio:: What else was different? Oh, that’s a stupid question, but why not.
Tribuzio: The ships docked at the base had increased in number. Everything
from vintage battleships to Merchant Marine ships, and we could tell that the U.S.S. Eldridge was a virtually new ship. SPs were patrolling the base often, so we hid out in a warehouse until we could get the proper uniforms and ID’s. ::laughs slightly::Your buddy Buzz surprised the hell out of me. He helped J.T. make short work of getting them.
Levin: Well, he is a conniving little – ::Levin stopped himself; it wasn’t really the time for it.:: So then what?
Tribuzio: The warehouse was off Front Street, and only used for storage... bunks, desks, and things for a barracks mostly. We used it as a base, until we boarded the Eldridge.
Levin: But what about Ashlyn?
Tribuzio: We found her in the Brig at Intelligence headquarters. She was hurt, a head injury, and unconscious. Dr. Turner and I carried her onboard on a stretcher. She ended up losing 2 years of memory.
- Levin now felt that he had an idea of what had happened to the crew, and where they’d been, but he still had no clue what Tribuzio was doing sitting next to him in the Challenger, in the right year.::
Levin: But if you all were stuck in 1943 with 1943 materials – how’d you get back?
Tribuzio: Captain T’Pen felt our best chance to return to this time line was to get aboard the Eldridge, and help Dr. Reinhart with the Philadelphia Experiment. I suppose we were successful in part, or I wouldn’t be sitting here, but I am wondering how many didn’t make it, and where they are now.
Levin: ::with no clue what Chris was talking about:: The Philadelphia Experiment?
Tribuzio: Briefly, the experiment was in cloaking. Reinhart tried a military application of Albert Einstein’s generalized theory of gravitation. They wanted to see if they could render a ship completely invisible to radar. The USS Eldridge, was fitted with the required generator equipment.
Tribuzio: ::finishes off his drink, then gets up to get another, opting to bring back the entire bottle:: What another?
Levin: No, thanks. I’m fine.
Tribuzio: If there si a possiblity they are still alive, then I want to go back to Philadelphia.
Levin: ::Feeling that he might understand why, from an emotional perspective, but not certain of the practicality of it.:: Why?
Tribuzio: Because if they have any chance at all in getting back to this time line, then they’ll try again in a month when Reinhart will try his experiment again.
Levin: That’s a long time. ::Levin realized he probably could have said something more assuring, but that was all that came to mind. He stared down at the floor again, unsure about what to do.::
Tribuzio: Do you think we could do anything on this end to help them?
Levin: I don’t know, but there do seem to be strange happenings in Philadelphia these days… If you think we ought to head back there, we might as we'll head to Philadelphia.
Tribuzio: Sounds good to me. I'm going nuts here not doing anything to help.
Levin: And besides, you’ll get to meet the esteemed Lt. Cmdr. John O’Grady, who happens to be my acting boss and doesn’t seem to like me that much. I don’t know that he really has a sense of humor, which may have to do with the latter issue.
Tribuzio: I've lost my sense of humor too, so his not having one won't matter much to me.
Levin: Jovan’s cover-up didn’t work out quite as well as he intended, so
they’re redoing analyses down there now, to see if anything new shows up.
Tribuzio: I hope we can find that SOB. If we do, he's mine.
Mission in Progress - TO BE CONTINUED