Timeless

"What day is it?" time traveler Thomas Grant asked. "I don't know how y'all feel, but something feels; it feels important."

Most of them shrugged, but Otra D'Angelo knew. The half-human, half-Witannen quietly said, "This day, 1100 years ago," she sighed, "I can't, I can't put it into words."

Admiral Carmen Calavicci tapped on her PADD until she found it. "February 27, 2015. A death. A human-Vulcan hybrid." She showed the information to the others.

"What good is time travel if we can't, you know, save someone like that?" HD Avery asked. "I mean, it would be otric, right? He would be here, and not there. It's not impossible."

"No," Sheilagh Bernstein said, putting a hand on his arm. "We can't save everybody. We can't preserve the world. The past stays in the past."

"Why not?" asked Chief Engineer Kevin O'Connor. "This is one person. Carmen," he pleaded, "we could promise never to do it again."

Carmen looked out at her charges. "I don't know."

"Maybe we should," Levi Cavendish murmured. "I mean, this would be, it would be epic."

Richard Daniels said, "I wouldn't normally go along with it. But he's, he's special. We're all feeling it, not just Otra. That's got to mean something."

Dr. Milena Chelenska added, "You did the same thing for me. So why not for him?"

"He's very sick," Crystal Sherwood explained, looking at the information on her PADD. "But you can cure that, right?"

Milena looked over her shoulder. "Yes, of course. There are any number of miracles here." She had a Czech accent and it was particularly pronounced at that moment. "I should recuse myself from the voting. I'm too close to it."

"Me, too, seeing as I brought Milena here in the first place," Rick added. "You're both quiet," he said to Polly Porter and Deirdre Katzman.

Polly, who had a psychology specialty, said, "It wouldn't be an easy adjustment. Over a millennium. Then again, you seem to be coping pretty well, Milena."

"I have someone to help me." Milena smiled at Rick.

"Don't look at me," Deirdre said. "I just fix the time ships."

"Well, same here, darlin'," Kevin said, "but I got no qualms votin'. I say what the hell."

"That seems so flip," Tom commented. "But it feels like the weight of the universe is on my shoulders. And looking around at the rest of you, I think y'all are feeling the same way."

"He would know things nobody else would know," HD explained. "Plus, why was he in the 21st century to begin with? He was born way after that. He's already in the wrong place and the, heh, wrong time. So let's fix that."

All eyes turned to Carmen, but then Otra's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed. She was having a vision.

Thousands of people making a splay-fingered salute as an elderly Vulcan gamely returned the gesture. The Vulcan spoke. "I am fortunate. I do not deserve your adulation. But I am grateful. And I will dedicate my newly extended life to peace among our peoples. My mother always used to say one profound thing. 'A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.' Live long, and prosper."

Otra awoke from her vision. "I have seen," she reported. "And I know Carmen's decision, even before she makes it. But I won't say anything. Carmen, you have the floor."

The admiral turned to them. "We will never do this again. But we will do it now," she whispered. "Now go," she shouted, and the sudden increase in volume startled everyone in the room, "and do it before I change my mind!"

They scattered to do her bidding. The engineers made sure the time portal was working perfectly. The time travelers put together gifts, reassuring things reminiscent of a long and accomplished life. Crystal put together a blue science uniform from the correct era. Polly loaded up a PADD with literature from that long life. Tom helped her, finding art from the period, and HD found music.

They all put on dress uniforms, too, looking polished and professional. "Are you nervous?" Milena asked Rick. "I don't know as much about him as the rest of you do. I wonder why he was in that century."

"I guess we'll find out."

They stood at attention. Kevin said, "We only got one shot at this. Let's make it a good 'un." Deirdre and Levi helped and the three engineers pulled levers and pressed buttons and read off displays.

There was a shimmering, and the time portal brought one person ahead 1100 years.

Carmen stood in front, and made the splay-fingered salute. "Welcome to 3115, Mister Spock."

Behind her, Levi thrust a small plate into the surprised half-Vulcan's trembling hands. "Here's your pumpkin pie."