Historian's Note: This story takes place as a crossover of two worlds; two timelines. In reference to the Pokémon anime, Quadrivium takes place rougly 150 years, give or take, after the travels of Satoshi (Ash) and his friends. In the Star Trek universe, it takes place two years after the events in the Star Trek: Enterprise series finale, "These are the Voyages..."
Author's Note:This is the first Star Trek - Pokémon crossover on , and hopefully it won't be too strange! I've set it up so that hopefully you don't get lost even if you don't know Star Trek, or at least I hope I have. I'd like to give a huge slab of credit to my friend Phoenix, who is the creator of the "Chaos War" era you see mentioned in this Prologue and throughout the story. YOU ARE AMAZING, PHOE. The other slab of credit goes to Gene Roddenberry, who will live in our hearts forever as the creator of Star Trek, and to the writers of all the Star Trek series, and of course to the writers of Pokémon. Without you, this would definitely not be possible!
Prologue
Earth…
It has been my home for almost two centuries.
It amazes me to no end how far humanity has come; how far we have all come. Technology is at its peak, but with each passing day there are new advances in engineering, medicine, and every other subject known to man. The system is currently at peace, and a shot hasn't been fired on this blue-and-white marble for almost a decade. There have been inter-planetary conflicts, yes, but nothing of dire seriousness at the moment. The world isn't perfect, but this might be the closest we achieve to perfection.
But it hasn't always been like this.
Around the year 2016, a scientist known to most as simply, 'The Pharaoh' manufactured a biological weapon. Some say he was mad; some even reckon the young man was possessed. One thing for sure, though, was that he was not weak. Within eight years, he had the regions of Kanto and Johto in the palm of his hand. The Pharaoh used his formula on Pokémon to force them into a state of madness which could only be tempered by him or one of his followers. His group was known as the Yami no Kaze, or the Gale of Darkness.
He tore the world apart, for lack of a better description. This era even became known as the Chaos War. The infected were known as 'Rogues', and were both hated and feared by many. Even some of the legendaries became Rogues. They were pawns in an all-encompassing war that threatened to take over the entirety of the eastern hemisphere, and no doubt the rest of our planet. Even I was, for at least three years, one of those pawns.
Yet, as life goes, all things, good or bad, must come to an end. Such was true of the Chaos, and thankfully in the favor of the resistance group, the Kibou no Senshi. A cure was released and the world saved… Though not without cost. Hundreds of thousands of lives, both human and Pokémon alike, had been lost in the battles. Husbands, wives, siblings, best friends, and closest companions were now forever silent.
Still, the inhabitants of the planet moved on. Cleaning up after a decade-long war was not easy, but as the human adage goes, 'Many hands make light work.' Cities were rebuilt, families reunited, and peace was restored. Even the international space program restarted after being left dormant for so long. Zefram Cochrane headed the development of warp drive, something that had been nothing but a dream for so long… The thought of travelling at the speed of light, or faster, became a reality.
On April 5, 2063, the S.S. Phoenix launched from America, from Earth's surface, and into the sky. The flight was short yet successful. Cochrane broke the light barrier, stayed in space for a time, and came back to the surface. Not an hour later, an unidentified vessel landed on our planet's soil. This was the moment of our First Contact with an alien species, who looked surprisingly similar to humans. They were the Vulcans, a more-or-less benevolent race that eventually helped humanity develop the warp drive program. The Vulcans, too, had Pokémon on their planet, we soon learned, but considerably fewer species. A great alliance was formed and more species made their contacts with Earth.
About 85 years later, in 2151, the first Earth ship went on a mission of exploration. Lead by Captain Jonathan Archer, the U.S.S. Enterprise (NX-01) took off into the stars, off to seek out new life and new civilizations. As all things go, though, not everything was perfect.
Only two years after the launch of Earth's flagship, a species known as the Xindi used a prototype weapon to literally rip through the planet's surface. Their fire was concentrated on eastern Asia… The attack ripped through the Japanese regions, Taiwan, and the Philippines. In all, seven million humans and at least ten million Pokémon were lost in the devastating assault. The Enterprise was then sent to prevent a further attack, only to find that the true culprits were a trans-dimensional species known as the Sphere Builders. An unofficial truce came between the Xindi and humanity, and there were no further attacks on Earth.
After that, things stayed quiet for a few years. Alliances were forged between Earth, Vulcan, Tellar, and Andoria. Tension remained, but by 2155, the four planets formed the Coalition of Planets. This alliance proved vital during the four-year Romulan War and then with the formation of the Federation of Planets, which included at least three more species.
Now, Earth struggles with its past demons and haunting memories of the Xindi attack and the Romulan War. Still, it is 2163, and a time of celebration. It is the 100th anniversary of First Contact, and a year which all of Earth's inhabitants can enjoy. It is a year to celebrate our achievements, galactic diversity, and the hope for the future.
Despite all the unity, though, some of us choose to remain hidden away; mysteries not to be discovered. I have been hiding in the shadows of the cities for almost two centuries, never to be seen by human eyes. It is true that occasionally, someone will see me, but these times are few and far between. I never know why, though. Would they accept me as I am, or fear me as they did so many years ago? Those who know me do, but only because they are familiar with me.
Perhaps it is because my own past haunts me. Perhaps it is simply my origin and my lack of a true beginning; of always being a shadow. Whatever it is, it bothers me more than I reckon it should.
If the rest of the planet can move on, why can't I?