Future's Children, Chapter 3
Author: Draygon, draygon_icewing@yahoo.com

Captian's Log: Stardate 4520.23

Our new guest seems to have made quite a stir with her statement that she can design a new warp engine that not only go faster than anything currently in use, but can engage and drop out of warp inside of a planet's atmosphere without harming the ship or the atmosphere itself. Needless to say, I am worried about this information getting out to the wrong people.

I have given my Cheif Engineer and Lydia Fiske authorization to begin the design of the new warp engine and both are egear to get started. I do belive that Geordi has found someone who can keep up with his enthuasism.

Captian Picard, Commander Riker, Lt. Commander Data and Lydia sat in the Ten-Forward, the officer's mess, as they enjoyed dinner together. Lydia had on a long sleeveless chinesse dress. The silk was an irridicent blue with golden dragons embroidered down the length. Her hair was pulled up in a bun held up by two golden chopsticks with golden chain earings hanging from her ears. All were enjoying some form of Asian cuisine, though Lydia prefered Sushi to any of the cooked meats.

"Is it really possible, Lydia, that you could design a warp engine that can achive warp inside a planet's atmosphere?" Data asked, harumphing thoughtfully to himself as Lydia nodded to him as she chewed a piece of sashi meat. "I am almost ashamed to have not been the first one to submit designs for such a device."

Lydia smiled, patting Data on the hand. "I have made it my purpose to think outside the box. I hate conforming to the norm in any way possible. You could even go so far as to call me part of the Lunatic Fringe." She said smiling as she picked up a thin piece of blow fish with her chop-sticks, slipping it delicately into her mouth before taking a small sip from the green tea beside her plate.

Riker smiled as he popped the last of an egg roll in his mouth, whiping the side of his mouth with a cloth napkin. "That's were some of the most brilliant ideas come from, Lydia." Riker said, sipping from his water. "People once said that traveling faster than the speed of light was a lunatics dream. Turned out they were right..." Riker smiled, getting a chuckle from Picard and Lydia. Data tilted his head until he connected what Riker said with how he had seen Zephram Cochran. He would not define him as a lunatic, but he let the matter lie. The opinions of humans were a difficult and sometimes impossible thing to understand.

Picard tapped his combadge when he heard a request for acknowledgement. "Picard here..."

"Captian, we are tracking a Romulan Warbird off to port. They have decloaked and are demanding to speak to you at once." Warf's voice came through. At the mer mention of a Romulan Warbird, everyone was on their feet and out of the door and heading toward the Bridge. Picard insisted that Lydia come with them, though he would not say why.

Picard stepped through the turbolift, Riker, Data and Lydia falling into step behind him. Data, Riker and Picard took their stations while Lydia stood beside Warf as he readied weapons, charging phasers just incase the Warbird tried anything hostile. Warf had no love for Romulans, like anyone else in the Federation, but Klingons had an extremely vile hatred of the offshoot of the Vulcan race.

"On screen..." Picard ordered. Half a second later, the face of Commander T'lyk appeared on the view screen, his head raised as he looked down his nose to Captain Picard.

"Federation Starship Enterprise..." T'lyk began before Picard could get a word in edge wise. "We have come for something of ours which you have..."

Dianna's eyes flickered to her left. She heard a steady stream of desperate thoughts coming from Lydia. She kept repeating, Who is that? Why does he look familiar? Lydia dared not move unless she bring his attention on her.

"We have nothing of yours, Commander. You are in violation of your own treaty. Turn back or we will be forced to take this contact as a hostle action." Picard said as he drew himself up to his full height. He was not about to let this Romulan warship destroy the peace of neighboring systems.

"Oh, but you do, Captain. She stands behind you, next to your Security Officer. I want her, dead or alive...your choice Captain. I will expect a transfer to be arranged in no less than thirty standard minutes. If one is not agreed to by that time, you will be fired upon." T'lyk stated smugly before he cut the connection, leaving the image of his Warbird facing them, all weapons at ready.

"Data, what are the readouts of that Warbird?" Picard asked, glancing back to Lydia. He was somewhat disturbed to see that all the color had drained out of her face.

"This ship is a Vengance-Class Warbird. She is quite new, and shows signs of heavy use. She has two standard phaser mounts on the bow along with four torpedo bays below the main array. She has an advanced cloaking device, making her able to fire while cloaked and has two additional torpedo bays under her belly that have been modified to drop trip-mines, Sir." Data said as he read the tactical readouts of the Warbird.

"Hmm...they are heavily over-powered. Why would they want to risk killing themselves? What does Lydia posess that they want so badly?" He asked as he looked back to Lydia as she stood beside Warf, holding herself tightly.

"I don't know Captain. But he seems familiar some how...like I've spoken to him before. I just can't put my finger on it." Picard looked to Dianna, who nodded that she was telling the truth. "He almost looks like that guy from the CIA that tried to get me to work for him a few years back, right before I published my suplimental equations."

Picard looked to Riker and Dianna, bothing giving him the same expression. This was much too much to be just a coinsidence. "Its not like they could travel through time and abduct me...right?" Lydia asked, not liking the looks she was getting in return.

"There are ways, Lydia. It seems you have found yourself in the middle of something bigger than the two of us. They seem to want you pretty badly, but for what, I still am not sure." Picard said as he sat down at the helm, stroking his chin as he waited for the thirty minutes to go by. He was not about to give her to anyone, let alone Romulans. Her mind was much too valueable.

"The new design for the warp engine!" Lydia exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. "They want the designs! They want the equations to increase their warp speed and my designs to be able to engage and disengage warp inside of an atmosphere! That's why he tried to get me to go with him! That's why he wants me now!" Lydia exclaimed, holding herself tighter. "He's not out-gunned, Captain...he's got something up his sleve, an ace in the hole. He's hiding something that could spank us pretty badly."

Riker's eyebrows went up. "Spank us, Sir? I certianly don't want that."

Picard smerked, though Lydia's words did make sence. If they were willing to challange a Sovern-Class Starship, then they were either suicidal or they were hiding something. That and the way Lydia had worded it made him cringe inside. Adult or not, being spanked was not something that a Federation Captian should never have done to him.

"Sir!" Data said, getting the Captain's attention. "They are charging weapons and have locked on to us."

"Battlestations! Ensin...Fire at will." Picard ordered, holding on to the arm rests of the helm. "Brace for impact."

"Oooohhh... and I gave up a hot fudge sundae for this..." Lydia wined as she gripped the rail as she waited for the inevitable inpact. It came as the Romulan Warbird fired a torpedo, striking the Enterprise's sheilds under the saucer section. The sheilds did little to lessen the jolt, and the entire bridge was shaken voilently. Lydia could feel her teeth grinding as she tried not to freak out. "This sucks...They suck..." Before Lydia could get the third part of her curse out, the Enterprise was rocked again by a powerful blow, causing the entire ship to lurch from the impact. The result was Lydia flying over the top of the bridge, nearly landing on the Captian as she hit the floor with a thud.

"Lydia! Are you alright!" Picard asked as he helped her up.

"Thats one hell of an Ace..." Lydia said as she got to her feet, her legs wobbeling. "I think their programming the torpedo's to look for the frequency of your sheilds. Each time one hits, it gets closer..." Lydia didnt have the chance to finish her sentance as a third torpedo hit, this time slipping through the ships sheilds and hitting the sheild generator, knocking out the shields for the top half of the saucer section.

"Bridge sheilds are down, Captian. The Romulan ship has locked on to an object on the bridge with their transporter. Attempting to bring shields back online." But before Warf could begin, Lydia's form began to discentergrate as she was transported to the Romulan Warbird. As soon as their prize was aboard, the Purist engaged its cloaking device, and engaged warp at top speed.

"Captain, their last cordinates suggest that they have set a corse for Romulus." Data stated, looking at empty star field.