For those unfamiliar with my experiences, when I stepped through the now-destroyed “Iconian Gateway” three weeks ago, I was transported to a desolate planet somewhere in the universe. I was alone, I was unprepared for the harsh environment, and I soon realized that I would probably be stuck there for the rest of my life. The “Iconian Gateway” was, after all, a one-way trip. The portal only led away from Iconia, it did not allow me to return.
So, for the last three weeks, I – my “past self” -- was forced to survive on that planet. I had already started to build a home for myself in the back of an ancient cave. I was preparing for what would likely have been a very cold winter.
Then, earlier today, while I – my “past self” -- was exploring the ancient ruins a few miles from my cave, I discovered the “Guardian of Forever”, a strange time portal that informed me that I could, indeed, go home, but I would have to travel through time in order to do so. I had found hope in the last place I expected it – a strange ancient device that defied the laws of physics – a device that shouldn’t be able to exist.
I returned to my cave, gathered my meager belongings, and tomorrow, I returned to the Guardian. Tomorrow afternoon, my “past self” stepped through the time-travel “Guardian of Forever” portal, and returned to Iconia. I stepped through, three weeks into the past, and returned to Iconia minutes after the original me originally stepped through the “Iconian Gateway” and was send to that distant planet. At that moment, two of me began to exist – the me who had already lived three weeks on that planet (and had just made it back home), and my “past self” who just stepped through the “Iconian Gateway”, and would have to survive on that planet for three weeks.
Right now – this evening -- three weeks have passed since our away team stepped through the Iconian Gateway. Tomorrow, my “past self”, on that distant planet, will step through the time-travel “Guardian of Forever”, return to Iconia three weeks ago, and become the me writing this post.
Tomorrow afternoon, there will, once again, be only one of me in the universe. The loop will end, and this whole ordeal will be over. Today I discovered a way home. Tomorrow I will survive… and I lived the last three weeks all over again, only this time, safely aboard the Enterprise.
It's a good thing I studied Temporal Mechanics at the Academy. Perhaps that was God and his sense of humor saying, “Yes Mr. Archer, you really ARE going to need to know this someday.”
-Lieutenant Sam Archer
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November 19, 2364 -- (Original Devron Timeline)