Idea by – Not me. It was an idea by Ensign_Torel startrek.com message board.
Disclaimer – I own nobody. Tear tear.
************************************************************************
So it was done. The crew of the NX-01 had found and destroyed the Xindi super-weapon. They had a nice long talk with Degra and company, reassuring them that Humans had no intention to destroy them, only in self-defence. They travelled out of the Expanse, returned home, and Earth was saved. Starfleet and the US government were making treaties and with the Xindi and getting to know them – as friends, not enemies. A good number of the Xindi still opposed Humans, and then again, a large number had no idea of the existence of Humans, like Grailik before Archer showed up. But things were getting along. Kind of.
Archer now paced in his ready-room in orbit around Earth, stopping occasionally to gaze at the stars and what lay beyond out the window. He was waiting for T'pol to come; he had asked to see her. A sudden beep at the door signalled that she had arrived.
"Come in." Archer said. He turned to the door to greet her as she gingerly stepped into the room, her white cat suit taut against her every move.
"You wanted to see me captain." She said, her voice as expressionless as her face. Her green eyes shimmered with logic.
"I want to promote somebody." He said. T'pol turned to him in surprise. Archer smiled. He remembered, 6 years ago, he had been promoted to Captain. He had always felt around this time each year the air of promotion.
T'pol continued to simply stare at him for a moment, looking at the expression in his eyes. His brown hair bounced a little as he swung his arms around his back and clamped them together. "Why?" She asked finally.
"Somebody deserves to be promoted. Everybody does. Especially you. You sacrificed your career, your very life to save a planet. And it's not even your planet. T'pol, you deserve it. You're a great commander." Archer said, intent on giving his extra pip to T'pol.
"Captain, the promotion will have no effect if I am to regain my commission to the High Command. They will restore my rank and I will be under orders from them. If I am to be promoted, it is Soval who will do it. I cannot accept, Captain."
Archer sighed. Why did logic have to be so logical. "And if you don't regain your commission?"
"Then the promotion will remain useless, as a ship can have only one Captain to function properly." T'pol stated.
The smiles grew on Archers face. "You're right." He tossed the pip in the air, caught it, and put in one of the many zippered pockets on his uniform. He plopped down onto the chair in front of the computer, bringing his fingers to his lips in thought. T'pol, taking his action as a "dismissed," left him to his thoughts.
Suddenly the comm. Panel beside the door beeped. "T'pol to Captain Archer, you are needed on the bridge."
Casually Archer stood, and pressed the reply button. "Understood." The door whooshed, and he stepped onto the bridge. "Report."
"Sensors have detected a time distortion moving toward us at a high speed. It should hit us in 10 seconds." T'pol said unemotionally from her station.
"How long is it?" Archer asked.
"7 light years across, 7 light years long. We can't outrun it." T'pol stated again.
"How come you didn't detect it sooner?"
T'pol had no time to answer. The ship rocked violently as the distortion ploughed into the Enterprise, knocking her out of orbit. Sparks flew on the bridge, and after a moment there was a sudden silence. The ship was adrift beside the Earth, but in no danger of colliding with it.
"What happened?" Archer asked nobody in particular.
"According to the sensor readings, we have been thrown back to the Napoleon Era in the early 1800s." T'pol said.
A hint of a smile flickered on Lieutenant Reed's mouth, before fading like a spark.