Deck 2, Mess Hall

“So we really did jump back in time,” said Hok.

“Yes and no,” said Haia.

Nick chuckled.

“What do you mean?” said Hok, confusion in his voice.

“We didn't jump back in time.  The other Eagle did.”

“Huh?” said Hok.

“We were sent to Sefus IV…” said Haia.

“So was the other Eagle,” said Hok.

“True, but our time line is intact.  The other Eagle's ended when they jumped back.”

“How did they jump back and become us when we just got to the planet?”  Hok's head was starting to hurt.

“They didn't become us.  They just….”

“Stop!" exclaimed Hok, his hands motioning for Haia to not say any more.  ”I'm going to explode if I keep thinking about it."

“It can be difficult to understand,” said Haia.

“I enjoyed the temporal mechanics classes at the Academy,” said Nick.  “It was fun trying to figure out the what ifs, whys, maybes, and especially the paradoxes.  Good memories.”  He smiled.

"Yeah, yeah.  If you go back in time and kill your grandfather, would you still exist?" said Hok.  “Silly debates.  There's no profit in it.”

“Maybe the scientists at the facility thought there was.  Imagine what might have happened if they perfected time travel,” said Haia.

“Maybe they almost did.  Maybe something went terribly wrong, which is why the captain felt he needed to fire on the facility,” said Nick.

That brought a heavy silence over the trio of friends.

“Did you see the captain's reaction after he realized what he did, er, what he did in the future, um, what he could have done?”  Hok rolled his eyes at the paradox.

“Yes,” said Haia.  “I could tell he felt like he killed the scientists.”

“But he didn't,” said Hok.

Haia started to say something, but Hok's very stern gaze, like daggers, stopped her.

“I watched him as he went to his ready room,” said Nick.  “He was his usual self, but I could see he was carrying the weight of it.”

Hok knew Captain Kirby didn't kill anyone.  Maybe in that other time line, but in the here and now, there was no blood on his hands.  However, Hok did understand feeling guilty.  Though his father and brother chose to work with the Orion Syndicate and he did not, he still felt guilt over their deaths and his moogie being in a coma.

“I think we shouldn't stay long at Sefus.  The sooner we get away from this place, the better it will be for the captain,” said Nick.

“Staying is the right thing to do," said Haia.  “If the scientists were pushed into the future, maybe they'll appear and we can rescue them.  While we're waiting, I think we should go to the surface and look around.  Maybe we'll discover something we missed.”

“Come on, Haia," said Nick with a frown.  “The situation is bad enough.”

“I'm a scientist, not a counselor.  If something big is happening, we need to try to find out what it is.”

“And maybe that's why the captain from the future destroyed the facility,” said Hok.  “Now it can't be abused.”

“Well whatever it is, it certainly won't end here,” said Nick.  “The Department of Temporal Investigations will look into it and the company sponsoring the scientists may have a lot to explain.”

“Do you suppose they'll talk to us?” said Hok.

“Maybe, but we don't know anything.  It will all be in the captain's report,” said Nick.

“I still wish we could try to learn more,” said Haia.

At that point, the conversation ended and the friends finished their meals in silence….