The Enterprise orbited an ocean world. The blue seas looked calm and fresh on the ship's Main Screen but no one was looking at that. They were studying the anomaly which seemed to be growing and taking over the whole stellar system
"According to information from a previous survey," Spock said while gazing intently into his viewer. "This star system should have six planets; one of them a Jupiter size gas giant with nine moons orbiting it. There are now only two planets and that singularity."
The lights flickered off. Consoles went dark. Captain Kirk grabbed the armrests of his chair as the ship bucked and – for a moment- seemed to go backwards- before drifting forwards again. The lights came on, and the Main Screen lit up, showing the planet below spinning serenely.
"Mr Sulu, are we in a standard orbit?" He asked of his pilot.
"Yes, sir, standard orbit… standard M class planet… the Black Hole is practically a microdot. At this range, it should not be affecting the ship."
"Fascinating," Mr Spock murmured.
Kirk swivelled to his Science Officer: "Any thoughts of how that Black Hole formed and how it's affecting my ship?"
"No, sir. With a singularity of this size, we would not expect gravitic distortions and time dilation on this scale, this far from the event horizon. It is unusually small. Oddly, it appears to be affecting the Library Computer, as well as other ships systems." He looked up as the lights flickered again. The turbolift doors opened they heard footsteps, then the lifts closed. No one had entered the bridge.
"The Library Computer? In what way?" Kirk asked.
Mr Spock pressed a couple of buttons and then said to the air: "Computer, describe the effects of the anomaly."
In a metallic, female drone, the computer answered: "It has long been assumed that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff…"
"That's….not the usual precise answer of the Library Computer." Kirk stared at the science station. "Is it saying that we are in a non-linear area of space/time?"
Captain Kirk entered from the turbolift, stared at Captain Kirk seated in the command chair, looked up at Spock and then disappeared with a pop of inrushing air.
"That was…. I'm… taller than I thought," Kirk said. Then he remembered it was a populated planet with an intelligent, highly industrial species. "What's happening on the planet, lieutenant? Can they offer some explanation for these affects?
Uhura pressed the big earpiece close as she frowned in concentration. "I`m having problems reaching anyone. I thought there was something wrong with the universal translator at first, but then I realised that a lot of the transmissions are talking backwards."
The ship lurched, and a blue box began to wheeze into existence between the pilot station and the Main Screen. A lamp flashed on the top, as it became solid. Spock raised both eyebrows, then spun and began deftly flipping switches and checking readouts in the science viewer.
"Sir, this box is giving off a great deal of chronotron radiation… and scans indicate …that it may be much bigger on the inside. It does appear to have shielding, so I'm struggling to get life sign readings."
Kirk fist bumped a button on his command chair.
"Security detail to the bridge- phasers set to stun."
Two men and two women exited from the far side of the box. Kirk noted the older man had white hair and a long black coat with tails; he began lecturing like a school teacher as he examined the Main Screen.
"This would appear to be classic 22nd-century design, the first great and bountiful human empire if I'm not mistaken. They called themselves a Federation, you know. We'll slip in quietly and get the lay of the land before finding the people in charge."
"Doctor, shouldn't we be doing something about that Black Hole? You said it was artificial, now how can that be?" The tall man asked.
"Grandfather…" the youngest member of the group pulled the old man's sleeve as she stared at Kirk.
"What are you doing on board my ship?" Kirk demanded. The turbolift doors opened, and men in red shirts marched in, weapons drawn. "And… what is that thing?"
"It has the appearance of an early 20th-century police telephone box. They were a form of communication before portable radios were developed," Spock supplied. He walked over to the group with a tricorder and took some scans.
The old man hustled over to Mr Sulu's station and poked the control panels: "toggle switches! I love a toggle switch."
Kirk got between the old man and the controls and pushed him back.
"Let go of me sir!" the grandfather said.
"Who are you?" Kirk demanded.
"I am the Doctor, and this is my granddaughter Susan, and here's Barbara, and Charleston," the Doctor pointed to each person as he made the introductions. The man held his hand out to Kirk, who took it and let him shake it.
"Chesterton- I'm Chesterton," the man insisted.
"Captain Kirk of the starship Enterprise," Kirk said, feeling it only good manners to finish the introductions. "Sulu, Chekov, and Uhuru," Kirk pointed out the people he named, "and my Science Officer, Spock."
"Really?" The Doctor swung round and examined Kirk closely.
"As a child, I had the highest score on Gallifrey for the game Star Trek: The Search for Spock," the Doctor said.
"That's not possible, sir," Mr Sulu said: "The Constellation class are the newest starships in the Federation, the specs are top secret, so no hologames have been developed yet."
"Young man, a billion years ago, my people discovered time travel and brought back games from all across time and space. I hate to brag-"Chesterton snorted, but the Doctor ignored him with dignity. "But I dare say my highest score still stands."
"Now- our mission is urgent- there is very little time," the Doctor bustled towards Uhura's communication station. "Let me show you what we're up against." It wasn't a question, but Uhura looked to the captain who nodded and she sat back a little from her control panels. The Doctor reached down, pulled off a panel and reached into the workings with his sonic ring. "Just a quick hack through their security system and you should be getting something on the Main Screen," he said.
Kirk and Spock stepped around the TARDIS, while Mr Sulu could see if he leaned over. The screen fuzzed and cleared, showing what looked like a laboratory, with desks of controls. The large amphibians that made up this world's intelligent life appeared to be distraught.
"You there!" The Doctor announced himself, "I am a Time Lord of Gallifrey, and I demand to know what you think you are playing at?"
The amphibians froze.
"We have a right to develop our technologies, without the interference of Gallifrey," their leader declared, looking into one of the cameras.
"But it's all gone wrong for you, hasn't it? You tried to build a stellar manipulator, your very own Hand of Rassilon, hmm? I've had some experience with the Hand of Rassilon, though and from what I've seen of it, yours is more a Mitten of Rassilon!" The old man laughed harshly, and the scientists started shouting and waving flippers. "Enough of this! We have only minutes to act; you will dismantle your equipment in the labs, and I will destroy the Hand from here. The Black Hole should then dissipate. If you do not comply, you know Gallifrey will intervene and intervene most strongly."
Spock leaned into Kirk's shoulder: "Captain, Vulcan researchers have found tales of Time Lords and Gallifrey among several of the species we have contacted, but they are commonly dismissed as a myth."
"I most certainly am not a myth, young man," the Doctor glared, proving that he had acute hearing. "I… am a legend."
"Then why, in hundreds of years of space exploration, have Vulcan's never encountered Time Lords?"
"One, because we are not of this galaxy, and two, you haven't done anything interesting enough to warrant our attention. Now, captain, there is a device orbiting that Black Hole which is out of control. You will need to move your ship closer, and shoot it."
Kirk raised a hand to the TARDIS: "doesn't your ship have weapons?"
"Yes," the old man tapped his head: "in here."
"I noticed that your ship struggled to move, I thought you might have realised that your warp drive technology was trying to warp an already warped space…It's rather like trying to stretch a rubber sheet which is not only already stretched but has random rivers of rubber also flowing through it. Yes, that's probably fairly accurate." He looked around at a lot of confused faces.
"So Doctor, what do we do about it?" Chesterton asked. "You seem to be saying that this ship cannot move, at the same time you are asking them to. It does not make sense."
"All the pilot needs is to be able to see the ebbs and flows of time, so I will feed the TARDIS sensors through his pilot station and- my TARDIS will protect the Enterprise from the time effects."
A tall man wearing a very long scarf walked out of the TARDIS. A member of the security team tried to grab him; there was a flash and the man aged and crumbled to dust.
"Oh, dear, the time aberration reacted with his red shirt and killed him," The Doctor explained. "No one's ever worked out why, but it's always a red shirt that sets it off."
Uhura walked up to her station and stared at Uhura already sitting in her chair. She reached out a hand.
"Please do not try to touch any other versions of yourself!" The Doctor warned. "You create a short circuit in time, and the results can either be shocking or deadly. Now, we'd better put an end to this." The Doctor marched into his TARDIS.
Uhura realised there was a chair next to hers, with a young woman working the controls. She was beautiful and also still Uhura, even though she didn't look anything like Uhura. Somehow, Uhura felt a connection to this other self, this reboot.
Kirk and Spock followed the old man into his box. Kirk still wasn't convinced the old man wasn't a bit crazy. He stood just inside the door, staring at the wide, high room. Spock walked up to the console and began studying it: "fascinating. There have been several attempts at time travel on Vulcan, but nothing on this scale."
"Why is it bigger on the inside?" Kirk asked.
"Makes it easier to park," the Doctor smirked.
The Doctor flipped switches and pressed buttons. "There, your Mr Sulu can now scan the time streams around the Enterprise, and I've extended a force field around the ship that will stop most of the time ghosts." The Doctor turned to Kirk: "well, young man, you better close your mouth and order your people to get on with it. We don't have all day you know."
Kirk shut his mouth, walked out the narrow doors onto his bridge and couldn't resist walking around the blue box. Then he remembered himself:
"Mr Sulu, take us within weapons range of that Black Hole, best possible speed.
"Chesley! Drat, where is the man- Chesley?"
Spock walked out the doors, hands behind his back, looking thoughtful.
"Mr Chesterton, I believe you are wanted."
"Oh? But I was just discussing the history of Russia with Mr Chekov."
"I am told we don't have all day," Spock said as he returned to his science station. He watched Chesterton walk into the TARDIS and then put a tape into the system and began recording all his scans of the TARDIS and her crew. He noted that he could also get the pilot's scanner feed on his viewer, and watched the scans and information with interest. It looked like an old wooden box, but the TARDIS could scan time and space in ways even the Vulcans were not yet capable.
It's a little-known fact that while The Doctor was involved in something technical, Barbara and Victoria slipped away and stocked up on any make-up or perfume products that were available. They had bumped into Ensign Rand who had shown them where the knee high boots and mini dresses were stored and were having a happy time looking for their size.
The Enterprise engines began to strain as Sulu took her up to warp eight. Kirk stood to one side so that he could see the Main Viewer around the TARDIS, and it didn't look like they were moving.
"Sulu, report?" he asked his pilot.
"Sir, the time streams are flowing against us, it's like we're trying to swim up a waterfall. Once we get to the top though, we should-"
The Enterprise surged forward, the crew thrown around by the sudden acceleration. They were close enough to see the cloud of matter orbiting the Black Hole and the small satellite hovering above it
"Almost in range!" Sulu reported, hanging on to his console with one hand as he pressed buttons. "Firing phasers….. Now!"
The twin beams streaked from the ship then followed the warped space and curved away from the target.
"You need to account for the curve of space/time, Chekov said, like making a long putt at golf.
"Are you sure?" Sulu asked, "We've only time for one more shot."
Chekov plotted a course on his console and pressed the button that brought it up on Sulu's viewer. "Aim along this line in three… two… one!"
Sulu pressed the buttons, the phasers curved away to port.
"It missed," Chesterton said, feeling his stomach fall towards his shoes.
The phasers curved back around, caught in the gravity of the Black Hole and struck the copy of the Hand of Rassilon. As the Enterprise streaked away, it blew up, releasing the Black Hole. Without the artificial pressure, the matter making up the Hole blew apart, spreading hydrogen gas all around the ship.
The crew picked themselves up as Sulu throttled back the engines and brought the Enterprise around.
"Bring us back to the area of the Black Hole, and all stop," Kirk ordered as he took his seat. "I want to be certain that satellite is gone."
The Doctor left the TARDIS and looked around with a smug expression.
"Well, that seems to be sorted out, we'll just pop down to those laboratories and make sure they've dismantled that equipment," he said to Chesterton. Chesterton looked forward to it- usually, he had more to do.
The turbolift doors opened, and Barbara and Susan walked in. They were wearing matching blue mini dresses, black tights, and shiny boots. Chesterton couldn't help staring.
"Barbara- what are you wearing?"
"I'm trying a change of style," she said as she walked past and into the TARDIS. Chesterton followed.
"No granddaughter of mine is going out dressed like that!"
"Grandfather, I'm 67 years old, I think it's time I started making my own choices," Susan announced as she walked into the TARDIS.
Kirk held his breath as the blue box wheezed and faded out of reality.
"Well Mr Spock, do you still think Time Lords are myths?"
"No, captain, although if I were prone to emotions, I would find his unconscious assumption of superiority rather irritating."
"Of course you would Mr Spock, after all, that's your job." Kirk grinned, managing to get the last word.