<USS Avalon> A Visit of When, Where and Who

  
A Visit of  When, Where and Who
by Fleet Captain Keith  Ketchum and Lieutenant Second Class Joshua Garrity
 
Keith made his way back  to his office, knowing that the reports were waiting 
on the next  mission.
 
As he entered, he saw one  with the Medical insignia on the back and picked 
it up, reading he saw that Josh  was back, and on leave for a bit.  
"Understandable", he spoke to  himself.
 
Walking over to his desk,  he tapped the comm, "Mr. Garrity, are you up for a 
visit from the  Captain?"
 
Josh glanced up from the  PADD he'd been working on, startled by the request 
before answering quietly, "Of  course, sir." 
 
"On my way then."   Exiting his office, Keith made his way to the 
Lieutenant's quarters and  rang the chime.  Knowing the discussion that was 
about to take 
place would  be unique.
 
Josh pressed the door  release rather than calling out and rose from where 
he'd been sitting  cross-legged on the floor to stand at attention.
 
As the door opened, Keith  entered, seeing Josh at attention, "As you were, 
this is more a social call, and  not business, I hope.  And these are your 
quarters, so I'm just a guest at  the moment."
 
Josh drew a breath and allowed  himself to relax, gesturing that the captain 
should come in and make himself  comfortable...well, as comfortable as people 
usually got in rooms with no  furniture...as he sat back down cross-legged on 
the floor, picking back up the  PADD he'd been working on moments before.  

Looking around, he  decided to sit on the floor with Josh, instead of asking 
the ship to create a  chair - as he knew was possible in the crew quarters 
with the  holo-technology.  Taking a deep breath he started, "I know what you 
saw 
was  rather unique, when you were on the other ship.  Meeting one of the 
crews  children was interesting, even for me, when I met the Captain of the 
other  
vessel."
 
Joshua looked up at Keith and nodded slightly to indicate he was  listening, 
though the expression on his face clearly indicated that he felt  
'interesting' may well be a bit of an understatement.
 
"But the reason for my  visit is that even though that crew was from the 
future and also an alternate  reality, you can not talk about what you saw 
there, 
or whom you met."  He  hated to give an order for that, it was difficult, he 
knew.  "I don't  believe you were on the ship when I gave the order that any 
contact with that  crew should not be discussed.  Though I am sure that it 
would 
not corrupt  our timeline, as if it was meant to happen, it happened."  He 
was rambling,  he knew it.
 
Josh's brow furrowed slightly  as the captain spoke."Who would I tell?" he 
asked at last, his painfully quiet  voice filled with curiosity and perhaps 
some 
small amount of confusion. "And  why?" he paused, thinking how to phrase the 
questions that ran through his head  then, wishing he knew if the Captain 
spoke anything beyond standard that might  make discussions like this easier 
for 
him.  

"Well, you could end up  telling anyone, for example, Mr. McEntire, or your 
wife, Annabelle.  And it  was an experience, that's why you would tell."  He 
knew that it would be  tough to not talk about the experience, though his only 
encounter was with  Grace.  He looked expectantly at Josh, awaiting further  
questions.
 
Josh shrugged slightly at  the captain's comment, having never found anything 
particularly difficult to  avoid discussing overall. Still, he understood his 
point. "Sir...the things I  saw...and heard...the people..." he paused, again 
reorganizing his thoughts into  a coherent and presentable manner, "They 
don't...may never...exist..." he  stopped again, trying to find the fastest, 
easiest route to his point. "I  have...no cause...to speak of them. To anyone." 
 
Looking down at the PADD  in his hand again, confusion touched his expression 
yet again, and something  else as well. Fear, perhaps? When he looked up at 
Keith, it was still there in  his eyes. "Sir...how much...." he passed, sighing 
in 
obvious frustration as he  again had to re-gather his thoughts. If only all 
topics came as easily as  engineering, he thought for the hundredth time. 
Forcing himself to begin again,  he asked, "How much...of what they said of 
what 
they knew...to be fact...of our  histories. How much of the more pertinent 
personal data do you suppose to be the  same in both timelines?"
 
He knew the question  would come up, "Based on the information I was provided 
by our own temporal  agents, which was on a need to know basis... There is a 
ship named the same as  the one that you were on, in our own future.  Her 
captain is the  same.  The location of the ship, however, at that point in 
history 
was  somewhere else entirely.  I was not provided any other details beyond  
that.  Basically, enough to ensure and confirm certain things.  If you  are 
looking to confirm that people are alive on that ship, in our future, then I  
cannot provide that, nor would I really want to."  
 
Josh shook his head slightly.  That wasn't what he was getting at, exactly. 
It was more a question of his own  past than the ships future. He glanced down 
again at the PADD in his hand and  shrugged. "It's okay, sir. It's....not 
important."  

"You obviously have  something on your mind, Mr. Garrity.  And it appears to 
be important.   I can help if possible.  Being a newly promoted Fleet Captain, 
might garner  me some privilege to access information." 
 
Josh considered his offer for  a long moment before answering. "Sir...there 
is...a name. I need to know...who  this person was. If... if what was said...on 
the other ship...was true." When he  looked up again, it was with an almost 
palpable desperation. "... it's probably  ...nothing ...it's just ...I just...I 
need to know. And ... I'm not finding him  ... not anywhere ...her...and the 
Admiral...but not him. I need..." he paused,  and again blew out a frustrated 
breath, uncertain how to explain what he needed  exactly. To prove it nothing 
more than a myth? A lie created by an old and  desperate man long after his 
prey was gone? But then how to explain the  dreams?  

"I will try.. what is the  name you are looking for?"  Keith wondered what he 
was going to be getting  into, but he knew that this seemed to be important 
to Josh.
 
Turning the PADD toward Keith,  his head down, expression obscured by a mass 
of dark curls, he showed him the  search as it had progressed, turning up no 
clear results so far for Daniel Jacob  Murgo.  

"Murgo... I know that  name from somewhere, can't put my finger on it at the 
moment."  Making a  mental not of the full name, he nodded, "I will see what I 
am able to come up  with.  Now, I hate to rush off, but I have to make sure 
the crew gets back,  as we'll be departing soon, so if you need anything from 
DS9...", he let it fade  off.  Standing back up, "You can come and talk to me 
anytime, Mr. Garrity,  any time."  Keith made his way to the door. 
 
"Thank you, sir," Josh said  quietly, standing with him and escorting him to 
the door, though he still seemed  somewhat distracted by the PADD in his hand. 
 

"We'll talk soon, I'm  sure of it", as he exited Josh's quarters.
 
Josh nodded slightly and  without commitment as he turned back into the room, 
allowing the doors to close  behind him. Silently he replicated more coffee 
and sat back down upon the floor,  PADD in hand, to resume his search  again.

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