[video/action]

[candothat]

Enterprise? Do you read?

[A curly-headed boy, almost certainly not out of his teens, frowns at the screen. His words are rendered somewhat incomprehensible by a thick Eastern European accent in spite of his obvious attempts to annunciate.]

Ensign Chekov to bridge. Uhura? Sulu? …Mr. Spock? Chekov to engineering. Mr. Scott, can you hear me? There may have been a... ah, a malfunction with the teleporter.

Can anyone hear me?

[He sighs and fiddles with something on his device. The video feed distorts momentarily before returning to normal. When the teenager speaks again, his tone is low and words less painstakingly produced as if he’s speaking himself.]

Ai, what is this? There shouldn’t be interference this far out from the magnetic anomaly. Eto piz`dets…

Comments

voice;

[prosopopoeia]

She is a corporate vessel with TriOptimum, 'owever zhis 'Federation' ees unfamiliar to me, unless you are referring to zhe UNN. I doubt zhis, if eet were what you meant, you would 'ave said it.

It seems zhere are many of us from different... dimensions here.

voice;

[candothat]

If this is a pocket dimension, as some have said, then the likelihood that we are from a variety of dimensions is very high, yes.

May I ask what the year is where you are from, Chief Engineer Delacroix?

voice;

[prosopopoeia]

Is zhis a known phenomenon to you? I had done some research into zhe possibility of dimensional movement via our FTL-drive, but I 'ad not yet experienced it myself.

Zhe last date zhat I was aware of was July 11th, 2114.

voice;

[candothat]

Yes, it is. It has not happened to me, but I have studied cases like this at the academy. And FTL--"faster than light"?

Ah. You are from closer to my time than many others, I think.

voice;

[prosopopoeia]

Zhe Von Braun is zhe first FTL we 'ave built. It was not ready for travel, but TriOptimum sent her in February all zhe same.

I 'ave found zhis place rather backwards.

voice;

[candothat]

The technology does appear limited. It is fascinating, however, to see so many antiques.

voice;

[prosopopoeia]

Eet is very inefficient.

[And we just can't have the B[ ]

voice;

[candothat]

Not that this matters, if there is no leaving this place.

voice;

[prosopopoeia]

A constraint to be considered and compensated for.

voice;

[candothat]

Compensated? How do you intend to do that?

voice;

[prosopopoeia]

By improving zhe tools available.

voice;

[candothat]

To what end? There is nothing to do with them.

voice;

[prosopopoeia]

Zhat is not assured. Preparation for any circumstance ees preferable to idleness.

[Read: Marie Delacroix is both paranoid and restless.]

voice;

[candothat]

[He pauses for a long while.]

Would you say that again, please? Your accent is very hard to understand.

[Said, of course, with a nigh-incomprehensible accent.]

voice;

[prosopopoeia]

[Le sigh, she enunciates painfully slowly for him:]

Nothing is for certain.

voice;

[candothat]

Ah, yes, thank you. No, but it is difficult to prepare for uncertainty.

voice;

[prosopopoeia]

Difficult, but not an unworthy effort.

voice;

[candothat]

I will keep this in mind, Chief Engineer Delacroix.

voice;

[prosopopoeia]

[Ai yi yi...]

Delacroix will do, ensign.

voice;

[candothat]

Yes, Delacroix, ma'am.

[The latter is added with a bit of a cheeky tone.]

voice;

[prosopopoeia]

Thank you.

[ B[ ]