Fiction:Out-of-Timers

The Out-Of-Timers are a small group of individuals, usually but not always Human, who have reemerged in the modern Gigaquadrant after being removed from their original lives by a matter of centuries or millenia. Often the case for these people is that they have been put into stasis by alien observers centuries ago and left either intentionally or unintentionally. While Out-Of-Timers have likely always existed, they have only recently become a regular phenomena, especially in the Milky Way Galaxy, with the discovery of in 2820 and the resultant effort to find and rescue these people. The 's IDMP, along with other vessels and organisations from other powers in the, have been dedicated to finding and helping in integrating these often very confused and very afraid people. Despite this, after being rescued Out-Of-Timers are often confronted with a world entirely alien to them, and struggle to fit-in.

General Information
While no concrete definition exists, Out-Of-Timers are considered by most academics and legal institutions as any individuals who have been displaced from their original existence by a matter of several centuries or more for any reason-- be it due to being in stasis, stuck on a different plane of existence, having been trapped in the time-dialating gravity well of a massive astronomical body, or so on. To prevent exploitation of these individuals, all Out-Of-Timers are granted French citizenship, and are thus entitled to all the rights and protections it implies. Despite that, only some choose to settle in the French Empire proper.

Even despite a concerted search for their kind, search-and-rescue operations for Out-Of-Timers often turn up little to nothing. The timescales often involved between the initial incident and a search party discovering them are often so great that in approximately 85% of cases, it is a recovery only of very old remains. If Out-Of-Timers do survive, however, their chances for survival tend to be good. A relatively-large support network, sophisticated mental health services, and even surviving family or distant relatives willing to take them in mean that suicide rates are surprisingly low among these newcomers, and advanced medical care is often able to correct any health problems they may've had coming through.

As previously mentioned, some, especially those of French descent, choose to settle in France. Many however are keen to go on almost Gigaquadrantic trips-- either out of a sense of adventure, in search of work, or more often both-- eventually to settle in one developed interstellar nation or another. Many others choose to retire to private life permanently.

Notable Examples

 * Timonax the Macedonian, 2820 - Timonax the Macedonian is an ancient soldier who was recovered by chance from an ancient Draconis observation craft in the Milky Way Galaxy, in 2820. His strange origins and circumstances garnered much media attention, and brought into focus the question of more like him. Timonax is considered historically-significant largely because he sparked later efforts to uncover new Out-Of-Timers.
 * Hammurabi, 2821 - An elderly man of ancient Semitic descent, wearing fine clothes and being generally quite well-groomed would be found in a cryopod kept in a wealthy Draconis noble's collection of assorted oddities. It was discovered, after said noble passed away and due to him being the last of his lineage, there being nobody to inherit his property. While in good physical shape, it was clear that the Semitic man-- who indeed identified himself to doctors and interviewers as "Hammurabi, Great King of Babylon"-- suffered from several chronic health problems associated with old age, extreme stress, and the low health standards of the time. While medical practicioners tried to assist the King in his health problems, he often refused treatment in apparent denial, and as well refused to admit himself to any hospital for any great period of time, citing his royal status as giving him authority to do such things. During his period of illness, he made few friends except for a successful French businessman named Josselin Peletier, the two of which became quite close with regular correspondence. It was Peletier who would gain the trust of the old king enough to convince him to surrender himself to the hospital staff, and accept treatment. After Hammurabi was treated for his health issues, he retired to a quiet life on a small Galactican world at the outskirts of the territory.
 * Jevrin Isordon, 2823 - Found and given to Draconid authorities at a later date in the same collection as Hammurabi, the Bellowese Drodo warrior had been abducted around 2169 by Draconis observers who the Drodo had encountered only a week before, as a way of removing witnesses. Jevrin's pod was opened when it was placed in the cargo hold of a Draconid government starship which was tasked with bringing it to Minos'Drakon, and power to the pod was accidentily cut. It was only after badly-wounding three security guards-- two with his old sword, and one with his bare hands-- that he was finally restrained and confined to his new quarters, by which time he had managed to calm down. Jevrin would be granted French and Drodo citizenship and be relocated to the Drodo Empire, where he currently lives quietly with the rest of the Isordon clan and makes his living as a writer, rewriting and revising his old journals for publication.
 * Henry Barreau', 2824 - Henry Barreau is a French soldier, originally from the Napoleonic era, who was retrieved from a Draconis observation post in 2824. Living in France, he didn't adapt well to the new society he was in and became a drifter and a thug, going from petty job to petty job around the edges of Galactica and developing an alcohol habit as he did. His life would turn around starting in 2826 when he met journalist and fellow Frenchman Alain Dubost, who helped him clean up his act.