Star Trek
I Am The Dreamer
By
Brian Trotter
btro670134@aol.com
Summary:
Things aren’t right in the
Star Trek Universe. People and events are being switched at a moment’s whim.
Archer finds himself with Spock as he tries to get out of a crossfire between
the Xindi and the Borg. Admiral Kirk desides to retire from Starfleet and
let Captain Decker run the USS Enterprise-A for a while. Picard materializes
aboard the USS Enterprise-B just before it’s pulled into the Nexus Ribbon.
And a wormhole switches Sisko and Janeway from their ships just before a Dominion
fleet attacks. Who has messed with the timeline? Can the combined crews of
the Enterprises, DS9 and Voyager stop it? And why is Q and Harry Mudd working
together? One thing’s for sure: This is only the begining . . .
Captain Archer walked out onto the bridge.
Everyone was at their stations: Reed was firing up the weapons, T’Pol was
studying the readout from her science console, and Hoshi was monitoring communications.
“Anything?” asked Archer.
“I’m picking up three Xindi warships near
those asteroids.” replied Reed. “They’re Reptilian. Doesn’t looked like they
spotted us yet.”
T’Pol looked up at him. “Confirmed. They
appeared to be interested in something else.”
“Like what?”
“Whatever it is, it’s got them in a panic.”
Hoshi said as she listened into her ear receiver. “They’re screaming at the
top of their lungs.”
Archer walked up to Ensign Mayweather. “Can
you get a visual?”
The screen zoomed into the asteroid field
encircling a giant red star. Three Xindi-Reptilian Warships were hiding behind
one of the large floating rocks. They were flying in a triangle formation
away in the opposite direction, but that didn’t bother Archer. He was more
concerned about what they were running from.
“Are the scanners picking up anything else?”
Archer asked T’Pol.
“Negative.”
That didn’t satisfy the Captain of the Starship
Enterprise. “Polarize the hull. Let’s see who it is their frightened of.”
The explosion ripped through the control
station, sending Sulu and Chekov to the floor. Captain Kirk punched the com
button on his chair.
“Kirk to Sickbay! Medical Emergency on the
bridge!”
“On my way!” McCoy’s voice hollered through
the static.
Spock was monitoring the battle from his
science station. “Captain, two more Klingon Battle Cruisers have entered the
system.”
Kirk turned to Uhura. “Did you get a message
off?”
Uhura was frantically working at her end
of the line. “Eye sir. Message reads: Enterprise to Starfleet Command. Heavy
Klingon presence within the Donatu System. Under attack. Any starship within
the area, please assist!” She stopped and looked at Kirk. “I think I got her
out before they cranked up the jamming.”
Kirk smiled. “Good work, Lieutenant. Let’s
hope our voice got heard.”
Another disrupter shot slammed into the
Enterprise. Scotty’s voice came in through the com system. “Captain! Shields
at forty percent. Can you please get those bloody Klingons off my back so
I can get some work done?”
“Happy to oblige, Mr. Scott.” Kirk said.
He then helped Sulu to his station. “Hanging in there?”
“By a thread.” replied Sulu. “Where too?
“Anywhere but here!”
The impulse drive sprang to life as the
Enterprise quickly slipped out the grasp of the attacking Klingon cruiser
. . . To end up in front of the other two.
Spock made the matter worse. “Captain, the
Klingons have locked their forward disruptors onto us.”
“Big surprise, Mr. Spock.” Kirk said with
some sarcasm.
Uhura spun around. “Sir, the Commander of
the Klingon Task Force is calling for our surrender.”
“What is it you want?
Tomalok’s smile said it all. “Why Captain
Picard, I thought it was obvious. I want your immediate surrender.”
That was enough for Commander Riker to jump
out of his chair. “You’re the ones who crossed over into the Neutral Zone,
Tomalok!”
The Romulan shrugged. “True, but who’s outnumbered
here? Three Warbirds. One Galaxy-Class Cruiser. I assumed you took mathematics
when you were young?”
Picard turned to Lt. Worf. He made a throat
cutting jester with his thumb. The Klingon tapped his console. “Audio off.”
Picard looked at Councilor Troi. “What are
you getting?”
Troi shook her head. “This was not an accident.
He intentionally crossed over into the Neutral Zone.”
Ensign Ro looked at the Warbirds with anger.
“If they want a fight, why don‘t we just give it to them?”
“That would certainly start a war between
the Federation and the Romulan Empire.” Lt. Commander Data said. “Besides,
the odds are against us.”
The Bajoran didn‘t care. “My people are
in the same boat against the Cardassians. You don’t see them backing down.”
“We’re not going to initiate anything, Ensign.”
Riker said sternly. He then turned to Picard. “Although I have to admit it’s
not a bad idea. We’re in tight spot.”
“Go out with guns blazing, eh Number One?”
“It is a warrior’s death.” Worf said proudly.
“Maybe,” Picard replied, “But there are
other options. Let’s find them.”
“Kira to Sisko.”
“Go ahead, Major.”
“We’ve got company. Long range sensors are
detecting a fleet of Jem’Hadar and Cardassian ships headed our way.”
Inside the bar on the Promenade, Quark was
staring down the barrels of several Federation and Bajoran phaser rifles.
“You got to be kidding! I‘m no Dominion
spy."
Captain Sisko looked straight into the Ferengi‘s
face. “The writing’s on the wall Quark.” He showed him a padd. “We intercepted
a communiqué to Cardassia Prime, detailing them about how to deactivate the
Starfleet defensive platforms around Bajor!”
Quark‘s eyes looked as if they were about
to pop out of their sockets. “That‘s crazy! I admit I did some pretty awful
things in my life, but a mole for the Dominion? Rom might pull that off, but
not me!”
Suddenly the lights around the room began
to flicker.
“O’Brien to Sisko.”
“Go ahead.”
“The power grid just went off-line. I’m
attempting a re-rout so we can maintain life support.”
“Weapons?” Sisko asked.
“No such luck. But then again I’m Irish,
so I’ll see if I can turn things around.”
Odo came into the bar, despite almost getting
crushed by the crowd panicking outside. “Captain, I found the cause of the
sabotage.”
Quark rejoiced. “See! I told you it wasn’t
me! Thank the Grand Nagus!”
Odo finished his report. “It was a bomb
underneath one of the fusion chambers. It had Quark’s fingerprints all over
it.”
Quark scowled. “Then again the Grand Nagus
nothing but a latium sucking monster!”
“We still have the civilian population to
worry about.“ Odo continued. “We can get the majority of them off the station
before the Dominion arrives.”
Sisko tried to think. It appeared as thought
there was no way out from this.
“I am Captain Katherine Janeway of the Starship
Voyager, representing the United Federation . . .”
“Yes, yes!“ interrupted the squat looking
alien. “Do you want something or do I have to listen to this chatter?”
Janeway looked over to Chakotay. He shrugged.
“You’ve got the ball.”
Janeway composed herself and continued with
the diplomatic courtesy. “We understand that you have in your possession some
Borg bio-implants.”
That got the creature’s attention. His five
eyes widened. “Oh, so you’re Borg lovers eh? Ha! You’re not alone. Some Kavarians
came looking for some last week. They’re an item! What are you in the market
for?”
Janeway nodded to the EMH Doctor, who then
spoke up. “We have a crewmember that was once part of the Borg Collective.
One of her remaining implants has malfunctioned and we’re looking to replace
it. If we don‘t, she could die.”
The creature rubbed his chin. “Is that so?
What kind of implant?”
“A cranial one.” answered the Doctor.
The creature let out a sinister laugh. “Oh,
those are rare. And expensive. But I might have one in stock. What’s the method:
buy or trade?”
Nelix stepped up to the podium. “Hello.
My name’s Nelix. I’m . . .”
“A Talxian.” said the alien who appeared
to be getting bored. “I know, I know. Get on with it.”
“I have in my possession some wonderful
Yokandian fruit as well as some ancient Xindi artifacts. A rarity in these
parts.”
The alien stood up, intrigued. “What kind
of Xindi? Aquatic? Reptilian?”
Archer turned to Mr. Spock. “What have we
got?”
Spock turned around from his science console.
“Three Xindi Warships moving in this direction. Weapons armed.”
O’Brien looked up from his weapons console.
“We could hit them with the photon torpedoes.”
Lt. Tom Paris juggled at the controls. “Somebody
make a decision! There almost on top of us.”
Archer tapped a button on his chair. “Archer
to Engineering.”
“Go ahead.”
“Mr. LaForge, how’s the engines?”
“As long as we don’t reach Warp 5, we’re
in good shape!”
“No promises, Geordi.” said Archer. “We
got to get out of this system.”
Suddenly an alarm rang out from Spock’s
console. Spock looked at the data that was coming from his readout. “Captain
Archer. A Borg vessel has just come out of transwarp.”
Archer turned to the screen. The Borg cube
appeared right behind the Reptilians and began to attack them. “This should
be interesting.” quipped Archer.
“O.K.” Kirk asked, “Where do we stand?”
Lt. Tuvok was the first to answer. “We could
look as if we’re carrying a heavy load of trilithium. They might retreat to
a point where we could warp out of the system.”
Ro turned around from her Navigation Station.
“We could replace the photon torpedoes with one of our probes that catalogues
gaseous anomalies.
Data concurred. “It would take some time
to reconfigure one of the torpedoes.”
“Hell, I can whip one in under five minutes!”
Commander Tucker said. “Just say the word, Captain.”
Kirk turned to his first officer. “What
do you think, Old Man?”
Jadzia Dax smiled at her longtime friend.
“I can remember a long time ago a young Starfleet cadet who beat the Kobyoshi
Maru Scenario. Don‘t tell me you need my help in this situation.”
Kirk smiled. “I don‘t like to lose, but
unfortunately there’s no computer wires to tamper with this time.”
“Enough with your stalling!” Shouted General
Martok up on the view screen. “Do you want to surrender or not? My gagh is
going to die soon!”
Picard looked over at Chakotay for answers.
“Ball’s in your court.” The First Officer said.
Picard approached the ops station. “How
about it, Mr. Sulu?”
Sulu inhaled a deep breath before replying.
“One Galaxy-Class Cruiser against fifty Suliban Ships. Doesn’t seem fair .
. . To them.”
Lt. B’Elanna Torres spoke from her Engineering
Station. “We could separate the saucer section, thus getting the civilians
out of harm’s reach.”
Odo looked up from his readout. “Captain,
the Sulibans are getting a little restless.”
“They’re going to get outright hysterical
by the time we’re done with them.” said Picard. “Let’s try Torres’s plan.
Once we reach Warp 5. Mr. Chakotay, take command of the saucer section and
get to Starbase 236. B’Eanna, Odo, Sulu, you’re with me.”
Mayweather smiled from his conn station.
“Guess we‘re not ready to surrender yet.”
“Not in the slightest.” Picard said. “Engage.”
Sisko held on to the one of the Promenade’s
scaffoldings as DS9 took another enemy hit. Reed and Scotty held on to Nelix
as they and several security officers dragged him towards one of the turbolifts.
“Please, Captain Sisko!” begged Nelix. “Show
some mercy. It was an honest mistake.”
“Tell that to Starfleet when haul you off
to Tantalus Four!” Reed spat.
“Captain, any more punches like that and
it’ll tear this station apart!” shouted Scotty.
“Don’t state the obvious.” replied Sisko.
Suddenly, a large piece of metal fell from
the roof. Everyone scattered as it hit the floor with a loud bang. Nelix saw
his chance of escape and quickly bolted in the opposite direction.
“Nelix!” Shouted Reed. He leveled his rifle,
but Sisko stopped him.
“Let him go. We need to get to the Defiant.”
A blood-chilling scream echoed from the
direction Nelix had ran off too. Sisko turned to see several Kazon warriors
charging at them firing their weapons. Reed took a shot in the shoulder and
fell lifelessly to the ground. Sisko and the security team quickly dispatched
the intruders, then rushed over to Reed‘s slumped body.
“Benjamin!” Sisko turned around and saw
Dr. Beverly Crusher running down the Promenade. She reached Sisko and the
two hugged each other before sharing a small kiss. “Are you all right?” Sisko
asked.
Crusher nodded her head. Some of her red
hair fell down over her face. “Ben, the Infirmary. The Kazon are killing everyone!”
“They got Reed.” Scotty cried. Crusher took
a tricorder and ran it over his body.
“His life signs are barely stable.” Crusher
said. “We got to get him out of here.”
A phaser shot flew over Crusher‘s head.
Several more Kazon began attacking them from up above the Promenade.
“Easier said than done!” Sisko said as he
fired back.
“You are not permitted to enter Dominion
Space.” Said the Female Changeling. “Particularly with one of those aboard.”
Quark looked over at Janeway. “You think
she was referring to me?”
“Shut up, Quark!” Janeway snapped. “What
do you have against the Ferengi?”
“Just about everything.” The Founder said
with some distain. “Now turn around and go back.”
“We’ve been wandering throughout the Delta
Quadrant for some time.” Janeway explained. “You have a stable wormhole within
this sector. All we want to do is to go home.”
The Founder wasn’t moved. “Why should I
care about a group of solids who‘ve lost their way?”
Dr. Phlox stepped up to the podium. “We
are aware of the disease that is killing off your people.”
That made the Changeling sit up. “How did
you know about that?”
“The Vidiians informed us.” Phlox said.
“They also assisted us in securing an element that would help slow down the
disease. It’s not a complete cure, but it would allow for you and your kind
to live longer.”
The Changeling smelled a catch. “And you
would give us this . . .”
“In exchange for passage through the wormhole.”
Janeway finished.
The Founder weighed the possibilities before
responding. “I want proof.”
“We’re willing to beam aboard to show you
the genetic matrix.” said Janeway.
“Just you and the Denobulan.” Said the Changeling.
“And no tricks, or I’ll blow Voyager into dust.” The screen then went black.
Lt. Tasha Yar spoke from her tactical station.
“Captain, I should go with you.”
“No Tasha.” said Janeway. “This is something
me and the Doctor need to do. Besides, you need to keep an eye on our stowaway
here.”
“I’m not going anywhere!” Quark protested.
“And if I do, the Dominion would skin me alive.” He then whispered into Janeway’s
ear. “And so would she!” Quark nodded to Lt. Yar.
Janeway smiled. “I know the feeling!” And
with that she left the bridge with the nervous Fergeni behind.
Admiral Kirk strode onto the newly designed
bridge of the USS Enterprise-A. He had missed sitting in the Captain’s chair
since witnessing the former lit up the sky of the Genesis Planet. The spot
looked as good as ever, still creating a command presence within the center
of the room.
“Everything to your expectations, Jim?”
asked McCoy who walked beside him.
“I miss my old chair.” Kirk replied, giving
the new apparatus a slight spin.
“Engineers.” quipped the former CMO. “They
sure love to change things. Look as these new consoles.” McCoy walked over
to the Science Station. “I can remember my button getting jammed every time
I tried to order some coffee through the food dispensers. This baby’s so sensitive
that with one light touch I probably end up with a four course meal!”
“Just wave your hand, Bones.” teased Kirk.
“It’ll do the trick.”
McCoy turned around and faced his old friend.
“So who’s going to fly her?”
Kirk crossed his hands behind his back,
a sign that could be interpreted in two ways: he didn’t like the question
or he wasn’t going to give a straight answer.
McCoy figured it out anyway. “Let me guess.
Someone that isn’t you.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Bull.” snapped McCoy. “You’ve wanted her
back ever since Genesis blew up.”
Kirk stiffened up. “We all have our duties,
Doctor. Mine is taking care of Starfleet Operations.”
“A desk job.” finished McCoy. “Something
you didn’t like in the first place.”
Kirk had about enough of McCoy’s attitude.
“Don’t mince word’s Bones. What would you rather have me do?”
McCoy walked over to Kirk and stared him
straight in the eye. “Get this ship back. Take back your command.”
“Out of the question.”
McCoy got angry. “Dammit Jim! You’re the
Admiral! Can’t you ‘wave your hand’ and make it happen?”
“I may be up there in the scope of things,”
said Kirk, “But I still have people to answer too. This was Commander Morrow’s
decision.”
McCoy now figured out what was happening.
He calmed down. “Oh. I see.”
“Besides,“ Kirk continued, “All of our crew
has moved on: Sulu’s got the Excelsior. Janice is with him. Uhura’s with Starfleet
Intelligence. Scotty’s working for the Corps of Engineers, and Chekov’s the
First Officer aboard the USS Reliant-A.”
“What about Spock?” asked McCoy.
Kirk took in a deep breath. “He’s retired.
He went back to Vulcan to finish the Kolinahr.”
McCoy sighed. “Times sure have changed.”
Kirk walked over to his old friend. “We’ve
changed, Bones. We did our part. Now it’s time for someone else to take the
flame. It’s progress.”
“It stinks.” Bones retorted. “So, who’d
they get to replace us ‘old hags’?”
His answer stepped out of the turbo lift.
“I hope that’s not the way you see it, Doctor.” Said the new Captain.
McCoy turned around and got a welcome surprise.
“Well I’ll be.”
Kirk gestured to the new crew. “Doctor McCoy,
my I introduce you to Captain William Decker, Commander of the USS Enterprise,
along with his First Officer Commander Saavik, Chief Medical Officer Christine
Chapel and Helmsman Lieutenant Ilia . . .
Kira and Dax strolled into Sisko’s Office.
“Dukat and Weyoun are demanding for Captain Sisko. I‘m running out of excuses.”
Said Kira.
Doctor Julian Bashir was keeling on the
floor next to the person of interest. He ran a medical tricorder over the
subject. “I need some more time.” he said.
“Waiting isn’t one of Dukat’s best qualities.”
Said Kira. “I suggest you pick it up.”
“I don’t know what’s happening.” Answered
Bashir. “The vital signs are unstable. Whatever is going on, I don‘t think
the Captain’s in the mood to negotiate. ”
“Curious.” Pondered Dax. “When the new wormhole
was going through that subspace inversion, the Captain appeared to be effected.”
Kira looked at her. “Are you saying the
two are connected?”
Dax shrugged. “It would explain a lot.”
Kira was desperate for information. The
appearance of the new wormhole was causing havoc throughout the entire area,
from violent storms on Bajor to disrupting operational systems aboard the
station. Now a Dominion fleet was knocking on their doorstep. Things were
getting ugly.
The Subject suddenly jerked up as if it
were given a electric shock. Bashir tried to coax the person as it took in
big gaps of air.
“What happened?” Asked the Subject.
“I’m not sure.” said Bashir. “I’d say you
had a seizure of some kind.”
That didn’t sit well with the Subject. “Do
you have any idea what caused it?”
“We think the wormhole may have some kind
of effect on you.” Dax suggested.
“Either way, a Dominion fleet has surrounded
the station.” Kira said. “They want Captain Sisko.”
The Subject shrugged. “We’ll just have to
give them the next best thing!”
Gul Dukat didn’t know what to make of it.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Captain Katherine Janeway. I understand
you’re looking for someone in authority?”
Janeway stood next to Kira at the center
ops table. She wore the latest Starfleet uniform with the gray overalls along
with the red color of command. She didn’t like it that much, since it wasn’t
her size anyway. Up on the view screen, the Leader of the Cardassian Union
along with his Vorta ally were staring down at her.
“Where’s Sisko?” Weyoun demanded.
“He’s not available.” said Janeway. “I’m
in charge here.”
“How unfortunate.” Dukat scowled. “Captain,
I am demanding for the immediate surrender of DS9.”
“You had trouble holding this station once
before,” Kira mocked. “What makes you think you can take it again?”
“Any moment now there will be thousands
of Jem’Hadar warships coming through the old wormhole.” Weyoun replied. “We’re
claiming this new wormhole in the name of the Dominion. Any objections?”
Janeway motioned Kira to mute the audio.
“How long before Starfleet can send reinforcements?”
“The 7th Fleet is about five
hours away.” Kira answered.
“That’s not going to cut it, Major.” said
Janeway. “Let’s hope Benjamin’s having better luck that we are.”
Sisko felt as if he were back on the Saratoga.
The massive Borg cube bared down on him like a predator ready to pounce. Several
more just like it lurked within the background. The nightmares were coming
back with a vengeance . . .
Tuvok spoke up. “They are maintaining their
position.”
“What are they waiting for?” Sisko pondered.
“Perhaps the wormhole has caught their interest.”
Seven of Nine speculated. “We are no more significant to them now.”
“That’s comforting.” snapped Sisko. “Ensign
Kim. What’s the status of the wormhole?”
Kim studied his readout. “It’s still omitting
massive vertron bursts. It might be collapsing.”
“ ‘Might be’ is not what I‘m looking for,
Mr. Kim.” Sisko said with some authority. “We’ve got to find out how that
wormhole was able to switch both me and Captain Janeway from our perspective
ships. I need something more concrete.”
Kim recognized the issue. “Yes sir.” Then
a signal came through to his console. “Captain, we’re being hailed by the
Borg.”
Sisko turned to Seven. “Looks like we‘re
back at the center of attention.” he said with some distain. “On screen.”
The face of the Borg Queen soon appeared
in front of him.
“Voyager.” The Queen taunted. “I anticipated
we would see each other again.” She then noticed the new face. “You are not
Captain Janeway. Identify yourself.”
“I’m Captain Benjamin Sisko.”
“Sisko.” The words rolled out of the Queen’s
mouth like a long, deep sigh. “I have heard of you.”
“Indeed?”
“You were once the First Officer aboard
the USS Saratoga. We met in battle at Wolf 359.”
That took Sisko by surprise. “How did you
know about that?”
“We were able to download some of Starfleet’s
records from the ships we assimilated. Your name was mentioned often, particularly
from the personal logs of a Jennifer Sisko.”
Sisko tried to control his emotions. “What
do you want?”
“What we want,” said the Queen, “Is the
wormhole.”
Sisko waited in Janeway’s ready room. He
didn’t sit in the chair at her desk. Even though he was the senior officer
aboard he knew Janeway wasn’t dead, so out of respect he decided to use the
couch as an alternative.
The chime sounded. “Come.”
Chakotay walked in along with Seven of Nine.
“The Borg have given us ten hours to stabilize the wormhole. If we don‘t,
the Queen threatened to assimilate all of us.”
“Can we do it?” asked Sisko.
“It is possible to inject the terminus with
simulated silithium particles.” explained Seven. “That would help restructure
the ambient radiation within the spatial matrix.”
“We have some silithium on board.” Chakotay
said. “They were leftover from some comet fragments we took while studying
a nearby system three months ago. We can use the ship’s replicators to create
the necessary amount needed.”
“We can deliver the silithium by photon
torpedoes. The wormhole should then become safe for vessels to pass through
it.” Seven finished.
Sisko didn’t like that idea. “I don’t intend
on letting the Borg invade the Alpha Quadrant again.”
“We’re looking for other alternatives.”
Chakotay said.
“Then find them!” Sisko barked. “I’m curious.
How were you able to get through to the Borg?”
Chakotay hesitated before answering. “The
Queen is familiar with Captain Janeway . . . And Seven.”
“She can be reasoned with.” Seven concluded.
Sisko looked straight at her. “I hope you
know where you’re loyalties lie.”
Seven was tired of Sisko’s treatment. Her
response was direct. “I have no intention of betraying this ship . . . Sir.”
That satisfied Sisko, for a moment. “Dismissed.”
Seven turned around and walked out, but
not Chakotay.
“Permission to speak freely, Captain?” He
asked.
“By all means.” replied the Commander of
DS9.
“I think you’re being unfair to Seven.”
Sisko was unmoved. “I find it unsettling
that the Borg Queen would trust her that easily.”
Chakotay stepped up. “Seven has risked her
life for us on many occasions. Ever since she broke away from the Collective,
Seven has shown an interest in becoming more human. Her experiences on Voyager
has amplified her thirst for knowledge. That’s why she won’t go back to the
Collective. I know she still acts like one of them, but I have faith in her
abilities, as does everyone else aboard this ship.”
Sisko folded his arms. “Did you loose anyone
at Wolf 359?”
Chakotay shook his head. “No sir.”
“I did.” said Sisko. “My wife. It took me
a long time to recover from the pain. Perhaps I‘m not fully there yet.”
Sisko gazed out the window. The Borg vessel,
drifting silently among the stars, stared right back at him. “I’ve never forgotten
about what they did.”
Chakotay nodded. “I understand your loss,
but Seven was never there at Wolf 359. She was assimilated when she was only
a child, as were her parents.”
Sisko was astonished to hear that fact.
“I didn’t know.” he said sincerely.
Chakotay remembered about the task in front
of him. “I better get down to Engineering. We’ll have the silithium ready
to go by the time the clock runs out.”
“Don’t let me keep you.” Sisko said, then
added. “Mr. Chakotay? I’ll . . . try to get along with Seven.”
“Will you happen to include former Maquis
members?” jested Chakotay.
Sisko returned the favor. “Don’t press your
luck!”
The two officers smiled at each other before
Chakotay headed out.
Sisko stood there alone for a while before
Paris’s voice came in through the com system.
“Bridge to Sisko.”
“Go ahead.”
“Sir, we’re getting a faint signal coming
through the wormhole. It appears to be from Deep Space Nine.”
Janeway fell hard to the floor from the
direct hit. The Jem’Hadar fighters were giving the station a good pounding.
“We’ve lost power to the Habitat Ring.”
shouted O’Brien through the smoke. “Phasers are off-line.”
“Have we got anything else, Mr. O’Brien?”
asked Janeway as she pulled herself up.
O‘Brien shrugged. “I could throw them my
shoe!” he joked.
“Captain!” yelled Lt. Commander Worf. “Dukat
is hailing us.”
Soon Dukat and Weyoun appeared on the screen.
“Had enough, Captain Janeway?” The Vorta
said with some merriment.
“You know something Weyoun,” said Janeway.
“I’ve got some friends in the Delta Quadrant who would really give you a run
for your money!”
“A pity this isn’t the Delta Quadrant.”
retorted Weyoun. “That plus I’m not much into currency.”
“Hand over Terok Nor, Captain.” demanded
Dukat. “It’s too bad you’re not up to the task as Sisko. He would’ve destroyed
this station rather than let me have it back.”
“Don‘t hold your breath.” warned Janeway.
Suddenly, alarm bells rang from the Science
Station. Janeway and Kira quickly ran over to Dax.
“The wormhole!” Dax exclaimed. “It’s stabilizing.”
Kira turned to Janeway. “That means we can
get you back to Voyager.”
“Not so fast.” said Janeway. “The Dominion’s
still out there.”
“Hold that thought.” Said Dax. “There’s
something coming through.”
Janeway looked at the monitor. “Voyager?”
Dax shook her head. “I can’t tell. What
ever it is, it’s big!”
Outside the station the new wormhole spouted
open like a new flower, it’s brilliance shining for all to see. But as soon
as it appeared, the light was eclipsed by a large, cubed-like object that
slowly crawled out from it’s terminus.
If Janeway could measure the level of fear
that hit Dukat and Weyoun at that very moment, she would’ve reached the Andromeda
Galaxy by now.
“What the hell is that?” Weyoun finally
spat out.
Janeway smiled. “You should have taken my
wager.” She said. “Say hello to the Borg.”
Captain Picard felt a little out of sync.
He couldn’t see clearly, but a gentle hand took his and helped him up.
“Are you all right?” asked a male voice.
“I don‘t know.” answered Picard. “I can’t
see.”
“Don‘t worry.” It said. “I’ll get you a
chair.”
“What‘s going on?” Picard asked.
“You were aboard a ship.” said the male
voice. “Don’t move. You’re probably dazed from the transport.”
The vessel then made a sudden jerk, forcing
Picard to hit the floor once again. “What’s happening?” he demanded.
“Picard?” said another female voice. “Captain
Jean-Luc Picard?” The Captain froze. He had heard that tender voice before.
“Guinan?”
His vision was getting better. He saw a
shape that soon became a human face, or what looked like a human face. He
could see the dark eyes that stared back at him.
“Guinan!” Picard exclaimed. “How did you
get here?”
“I was about to ask you the same question.”
said the El-Aurian. Picard looked around. There were a lot of people crammed
into what appeared to be a cargo bay of some kind. Some were screaming, unsure
of what alien environment they had been thrown into. There were some other
people, differently dressed, trying to calm them down.
“Where are we?”
“Some sort of ship.” Explained Guinan. “I’ve
never seen this design before.”
Picard looked over at Guinan. She appeared
different for some reason. A bit younger.
“Why? Why?”
A harsh voice captured Picard’s attention.
One man, possibly an El-Aurian, was talking to another man who appeared human.
“It‘s all right,” said the human, “It’s
going to be all right.”
“No!” Screamed the man. “You don’t understand.
I have to go back! I have to go back! Please . . .” his voice faded away as
another man gave him a sedative.
Picard got a closer look at one of the humans.
He wore something that Picard recognized from his Starfleet books. It was
a reddish double breasted jacket with black pants and boots. He wore a purple
colored turtleneck with the same colored strap that fell over his right shoulder.
The man came over to Picard and Guinan.
“Are the two of you all right?” he said in a Slavic accent.
“Chekov?” sputtered Picard. “Pavel Chekov?”
Commander Chekov looked at this stranger
with puzzlement. “You know who I am?”
Picard began to feel faint. He slumped up
against the wall. Chekov and Guinan tried to help him up. “Who are you?” Chekov
demanded. “You don’t look like a El-Aurian.”
“Where am I?” Picard said in a weary voice.
“You’re on board the Federation Starship
Enterprise.” Said Chekov. “B.”
Picard’s eyes widened when he heard that
title, before collapsing again.
Chekov grabbed Picard and gently laid his
body down onto the floor. He then turned to Guinan. “What‘s going on? Who
is this person?”
“I‘m not sure.” Guinan answered. “Something
is very wrong here.”
Commander Riker and the others surrounded
the person who was laying on the bed in Sickbay.
“Is is really him?” asked Troi.
“I don’t detect any facial scaring that
would suggest a surgical procedure or altercation of any kind.” answered Data.
Geordi looked at him. “You can see that,
Data?”
“I am able to scan a person’s face in full
detail.”
“Are you sure that drink Guinan gave you
isn’t messing around with your schematics?”
Data shrugged. “His skin does look a little
green.”
Riker turned to Dr. Crusher. “Is our medication
going to effect him in any way?”
“I don’t think so.” She replied. “He’s responding
well so far.”
“Worf to Commander Riker.”
Riker tapped his combadge. “Go ahead.”
“The Nexus Ribbon is continuing on it’s
path towards Veridian 3. However, we had to drop to Warp 6 due to damage on
the left warp nacelle.”
“I better get down there.” Geordi said.
He then took off.
“Any sign of our Klingon friends?” Riker
asked.
“Negative. I did receive a dispatch from
the Klingon High Council. They’ve identified the Bird of Prey as belonging
to Lursa and B’Etor.”
Riker clenched his fists. “Maintain Warp
6 as much as possible. Don’t let them out of your sight.”
The man on the table began to stir. The
group encircled around him.
“Don’t move.” Said Dr. Crusher. “You‘re
going to be just fine.”
The man opened his eyes and looked around.
“Where am I?”
“You were injured.” said Troi. “Our doctor
here will patch you up.”
“I appreciate the hospitality,” said the
man, “But I don’t like being kept in the dark. What is this place?”
Riker took in a breath and let out the horrible
truth. “This is going to be difficult to explain. You’re on board the USS
Enterprise . . .D. In the future. Welcome aboard, Captain Jonathan Archer.”
Kirk fired off his phase pistol at the oncoming
Suliban. He hit the creature right in the chest and it fell down to the floor
with a hard thud.
“Nice shot!” shouted Tucker.
“Thanks!” Said Kirk. “What are these things
called again?”
“Suliban!” Reed answered. “They’re very
nasty.”
Kirk did a double take. “So, that‘s what
they really looked like.” he quipped before bringing down another one.
T’Pol came up from behind. “They’ve taken
control of the bridge.”
”Is there any spot on this ship that’s technically
considered safe?” asked Kirk.
“They can show up anywhere at anytime.”
Said Mr. Mayweather. “There‘s no way to shut them out.”
“They’re probably using transporters.” said
Kirk. “I used to do that a lot.”
T’Pol looked at him. “I suppose.” she said
flatly.
“Don’t believe me?” asked Kirk
T’Pol gave him a cold look. “I’m not sure
what to believe at this point.”
“You’ve got a long way to go.” snapped Kirk,
before a Suliban weapon sent him ducking for cover.
“Hoshi to Commander Tucker.”
Tucker slipped around the corner and tapped
the com unit. “This better be important!”
“We’ve secured Engineering, sir.” Hoshi
said. “I’ve got Doctor Phlox with me.”
“Great! See you shortly.” And with that
Tucker cut off communications.
Later on in Engineering, the Crew of the
Starship Enterprise were trying to figure out who their new comrade in arms
was.
“So you’re telling me you’re from the future?”
asked Tucker.
Kirk took a sip of water before answering.
“I know it sounds wild. Believe me, I don’t have any other way to put it.”
T’Pol was next. “And your saying this Nexus
Ribbon almost destroyed your ship.”
“I was trying to save it.” Kirk said. “The
next thing I knew, I ended up here.”
Tucker couldn‘t believe it. “That anomaly
transported you over a hundred years to this place?”
Kirk shrugged. “Got a better idea?”
Everyone looked at each other.
“Are we famous?”
“Hoshi!” snapped Tucker.
“Well I for one am a bit curious.” said
Dr. Phlox. “What is it like in the 23rd Century, Mr. Kirk?”
Kirk held up a hand. “I don’t think I should
tell you that.”
“Ah, of course.” said the Denobulan. “It
could effect the outcome of our future.”
“Since when did you become an time expert?”
said Tucker.
Reed wasn’t into the conversation. “I wonder
why the Suliban haven’t attacked us yet.”
“Perhaps they are regrouping.” Pondered
T‘Pol. She got her answer faster than she expected.
“Attention crew of the Starship Enterprise.”
The voice said through the communications system.
Tucker knew instantly who it was. “Silik.”
“We wish you know further harm.” Silik continued.
“However, we will destroy you’re ship if you do not immediately turn over
Captain James T Kirk.”
Tucker looked over at their time traveling
guest. “What do they want with you?”
Kirk shook his head. “You‘re guess is as
good as mine.”
“You have one hour to comply.” Silik then
cut communications.
“What now?” asked Mayweather.
For Kirk the answer was simple. “Guess you
better give him what he wants.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Tucker
replied. “They might kill you.”
“Then again they might not.” Kirk responded.
“That’s the beauty of command decisions. You never know what‘s going to come
out of them.” He got up and straightened out his uniform. “Let’s not keep
these Suliban waiting.”
Jake Sisko and Nog were crawling through
the Jefferies Tube when their friend fell behind. “Be quiet!” whispered Nog.
“Do you want them to hear?”
Ensign Wesley Crusher looked behind him.
“It’s Kes. She’s having trouble.”
Nog folded his arms. “Typical of a female.”
“She needs help.”
“Again! Typical of a female.”
Jake ignored Nog and went to assist Wesley,
despite the protests from the little Ferengi.
“What’s wrong?” asked Jake.
Kes was laying up against the corridor.
She was clasping her hands over her ears as if she wanted to shut out a loud
noise. “I can hear their thoughts.” She said.
Wesley was amazed. “You can what?”
“I don’t know what’s happening to me.” Kes
said. She was beginning to get irritated.
Jake turned to Wesley. “Do Ocampan’s have
telepathy?”
Wesley shrugged. “I don’t know.” He turned
to Kes. “What are you picking up?”
Kes tried to focus as the alien thoughts
bombarded her head. “They’re hunting.” she said.
“I could have told you that!” shouted Nog.
“We’ve got to find a place to hide.”
“In a moment, Nog,” said Wesley. “This could
be important.”
“They native to the Delta Quadrant.” Kes
continued. “They call themselves Hirogen.” The Ocampan then collapsed to the
floor.
Wesley was the first to check on her. “She’s
still got a pulse.”
Nog had had enough. “We don’t have time
for this! She could get us captured. I say we abandon her.”
“We’re not leaving anyone behind.” Wesley
was firm in his decision. “Jake, do you know the layout of the Defiant pretty
well?” He nodded. “Where’s the communications relay?”
Jake fumbled through his memory. “There’s
one in Engineering. But it’s a good bet these Hirogen would be there too.”
Wesley had already made his decision. “That’s
the life of Starfleet. Taking risks.“ He looked at Nog. “And I’m sure it’s
one of the Rules of Acquisition.”
“Rule number sixty-two.” Answered Nog. “But
you can’t make a profit when someone’s out to kill you!”
Nog’s point seem to come to life when a
loud screech was heard inside the tube. Wesley pulled out his phaser as Nog
hid behind a corner. Jake turned on his flashlight and noticed they were not
alone. A large gray creature had tucked itself away near the end of the tube.
It had yellow eyes, along with three hands and three feet.
Wesley knew what it was right away. “Species
8472.”
Nog was perplexed. “Doesn’t it have a real
name?”
The fluidic-born creature suddenly opened
it’s eyes. It then lunged at them.
“And that, my friends, is the grand finale!”
Q looked out amongst the vast white void
that surrounded him. Harcourt Fenton “Harry” Mudd, Q’s new assistant, stood
beside him.
“I think you stunned them into silence,
my lord.” The old con man said.
Q tried to control his temper. “Did I bring
you along just to have you talk?” He spat.
Mudd was insulted. “Well I am good at that,
you have to admit.”
Q rubbed his forehead. Of all the stupid
things he did throughout his existence, this one took the cake. “Why I plucked
you out of the 23rd Century is still beyond my comprehension.”
“Well, it’s got to be a pretty big comprehension
from what I‘ve seen!” Mudd quipped.
Suddenly, the color of the void changed
color. It turned from an angelic white into a blood red. The Pah-wraiths had
returned.
“Did you enjoy the demonstration?” Q asked.
The Pah-wraiths spoke in one voice. “Are
you certain you can control these so-called ‘quantum realities’?”
“Absolutely. Think of the infinite possibilities.
You can finally get your revenge against those miserable Prophets.”
“And what do you ask for in return?”
Q thought for a moment. “Well, a truce would
be a good start. Both you’re kind and mine have been at war for ages. We haven’t
really gotten anywhere. Maybe we could . . . To thine own self be true; and
it must follow, as the night the day, thou can‘st not then be false to any
man.”
What did you do?
I just pushed a button, that‘s all.
Eric!
Oh great! Now we’re in trouble.
Inside DS9’s Holographic Lounge, Garak sat
a table and listened to Vic Fontaine perform a rendition of Frank Sinatra‘s
“Come Fly With Me”. He was soon joined by Dr. Katherine Pulaski and Lt. Ezri
Dax.
“How’s your day been?” asked Pulaski.
“I haven’t been called up yet.” Garak replied.
“But I’ve heard it’s safer to be in here for the moment.”
“Don’t get me started.” Said Ezri. “The
whole place is a mess! I‘m just terrified as to what I could be going through.”
Just then Picard walked through the doors.
“Jean-Luc!” said Pulaski. “Looks like you
made it.”
“Don’t get me started.” Picard said as he
headed towards the bar.
“Sounds like we‘re all going to be needing
a lot of drinks.“ Garak concluded.
Picard sat down and rubbed his forehead.
Guinan came up and served him a beverage. “Do I have to ask?”
Picard took a sip and collected his thoughts.
“I’ve been through just about everything today.”
Guinan nodded. “Be patient. Our envoy is
delivering the message.”
The doors opened again and Sisko and Janeway
walked in.
“Ben, Kathy.” Picard said. “Come join me
at the survivor‘s table.”
“Don’t get me started!” Sisko barked. “I
hate it when they fool around with the historical protocols.”
“I fought the Dominion.” complained Janeway.
“Twice!”
“And I fell in love with Dr. Crusher.” Sisko
finished.
Kirk and Archer then made their way in.
“You killed Silik?” said Archer.
“I didn’t have much of a choice!” Kirk explained.
“When the computer regenerates his template, tell him it wasn‘t personal.”
Picard put his hands in the air. “Everyone
please. I know you’re upset. Things are going to start changing around here
very soon. Our representative should be back at any moment.”
Just then the Doctor appeared.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” The EMH addressed
the group. “I just delivered the ultimatum to Eric‘s father.”
“What did you say?” Archer asked.
“I made it clear that we‘re sick and tired
of his son tinkering with our holographic library.” The Doctor said. “If these
violations continue, I threatened to deny him access to this holodeck.”
“Can we do that?” Sisko asked.
The Doctor shrugged. “No.”
“Then how are we going to carry out that
threat?” Janeway posed.
The Doctor just stood there, smiling. Nobody
got it, except Kirk.
“You pulled off a Corbomite Maneuver, didn‘t
you?”
“Absolutely!“ The Doctor said proudly. “Everything
should be back to normal here pretty soon.”
Then Lt. Reginald Barclay walked in, completely
naked. “Um, sir?” He stuttered.
“Almost everything.” Added the Doctor.
“So? What do you think?”
Benny Russell leaned forward. He was anxious
to hear the critique.
Sean Kelley, a man who had written some
fiction for The New Yorker Magazine, before experiencing a mental breakdown,
absorbed Benny‘s story like a sponge. “I still don’t understand the plot.”
He finally said.
“Don’t you see?” Benny explained. “They
were all holograms revolting against their human masters. That was the twist.”
“You have way too many characters.” Sean
pointed out. “You have a lot of stuff going on within your story. It‘s confusing
at times.”
Benny sadly lowered his head. Sean was right.
He had put too much into it. When the former writer from Incredible Tales
began spinning his next yarn of about the adventures of Captain Sisko, they
showed up. Archer, Spock, Data. They all felt so real and alive, just like
his counterpart from DS9. Benny was anxious to tell about this new universe
that was growing within his head. He quickly whipped up a story and presented
it to Sean for analysis. Unfortunately, Benny didn‘t get the result he was
hoping for.
“Don’t look so disheartened, Benny.” Sean
said. “Your backdrop sounds terrific: Holograms, wormholes, an evil superman
named Khan! You have a extraordinary imagination.”
Benny felt his spirits come back. It had
been a while since someone had said that to him since his incarceration. He
left off a faint smile.
“Still,” Sean continued, “I think you should
tone it down a bit. Perhaps just let Sisko’s crew go through all those experiences.”
“What about the others?” Benny asked.
“Why not give them their own separate adventures?”
answered Sean. “Kind of like a spin-off. TV does that all the time. That Kirk
individual definitely has some potential.”
Benny thought about it. “Do you think we
can talk some more?”
Sean took his hand. “I‘d love too. It’s
wonderful to meet a mind such as yours. And I could care less if it’s a colored
one.”
A hospital attendant came out and rang a
bell. “Ah lunch!” Sean exclaimed. “I do love their chicken soup. Good for
the bones!” He got up and left.
Benny didn’t follow. He was too wrapped
up in his own thoughts to eat.
Give them their own adventures.
A stray notion entered Benny’s mind. He
took out a piece of toilet paper and began scribbling down the words with
his favorite pen.
Captain Christopher Pike looked out at the
view screen. The foreboding planet of Talos 4 loomed dead ahead . . .
-End-