A Visit From the Past
by Aubrey Minnick
James T. Kirk reclined in his captain's chair and surveyed the bridge of the Enterprise. Ten o' clock and all was well. Everything was quiet. A little too quiet. He sat back in his chair and braced himself for some disaster to overtake the starship. Nothing. As the minutes ticked by uneventfully he resigned himself to the drab routine of what was considered a normal day. Once, he even caught himself twiddling his thumbs for the lack of something better to do. James T. Kirk was no friend to boredom. He turned to Spock, Sulu, and Chekov, each in turn, asking them the same question: "Are you sure there isn't anything, no M-class planets, no subspace anomalies, no nothing?"
The most satisfying response he received was Spock's comment about his usage of a double-negative. At that, he gave Mr. Spock bridge duty and went to get some lunch. Sulu and Chekov followed his example, noting it was their lunch break.
As all three stepped into the turbolift, Chekov said, "Don't vorry, Keptin. Sometink vill happen. The Enterprise is never boring for long."
As Chekov finished, an explosion shook the ship. "There's my cue," said the now excited Captain Kirk. He noticed the turbolift had stopped. That means it's good, he thought. He used the manual override to open the doors, since the turbolift sat only about a foot below the deck.
"Mr. Spock, what hit us?" he asked, striding to the center of the bridge.
"We seem to have hit a temporal rupture in subspace," Spock reported.
"Seem to? Mr. Spock, can't you be sure?"
"No, captain. It could be a pocket in space, but logic suggests a temporal anomaly over this theory."
"Why? . . . Wait. I don't want to know. You can leave that bit of lecture to your own analytical mind. What is our statis?"
"We sustained minor damage to our impulse engines and major damage to internal motor systems, such as turbolifts. However, sensor readings seem to indicate a slight temporal flux at the instant we hit the anomaly."
"Can't you be sure it really was a temporal anomaly?"
"Temporal flux is relatively common at intervals throughout the galaxy, but much of the time . . ."
Just then, Uhura interrupted Mr. Spock's scientific interlude. "We're being hailed."
"Answer them," directed Kirk, gratefully abandoning Mr. Spock's scientific know-how. An image appeared on the screen of a bald man in a red uniform of some sorts. On his shoulder he wore a pin looking strangely like a Starfleet insignia, although it did not resemble either the past or current design.
"This is Captain Kirk of the starship Enterprise," he greeted suspiciously. "Please state your intentions."
"This is Captain Picard of . . . of a Federation starship," the man in red answered. "I assure you, our intentions are none but friendly."
"Then I'm sure you won't mind if we keep to ourselves."
"Not at all."
As the comm channel closed, Kirk tried to pinpoint just what about that ship bothered him so much. "Put it on screen," he said out of nowhere. The huge starship came into view, sleek and modern, so very similar to Federation design, yet of the future. For a moment, Kirk just stared at it.
"Mr. Spock," he said finally, "I think you've got your proof."
Aboard the briefing room of the Enterprise-D, Picard reclined in his chair. "We have a problem," he stated.
"True," Riker commented, "but we also have an opportunity. Captain Kirk and the original Enterprise are the stuff legends are made of at Starfleet Command."
"And isn't it ironic that when they somehow travel into the future, we, the current ship carrying the name 'Enterprise', are the ones right there to greet them," Dr. Crusher added.
"It's unfortunate, too. We can't tell them the name of our ship without revealing our time frame, and even though they follow the Prime Directive, too, something is bound to slip, and it may be something vital. And it is very likely that we will have to combine both our efforts to send back." Captain Picard surveyed his officers' expressions.
"Why can't they just go back through?" asked Dr. Crusher.
"They sustained damage to their engines. Our estimates are that it will take several days to repair them," Geordi clarified.
"Maybe we could push them back through with our tractor beam," offered Riker.
"The framework of the first Enterprise wasn't made to take that kind of stress," LaForge interceded. "Besides, there's no knowing if the anomaly is symmetrical, if it would take them back to their own time."
"Shouldn't we tell them that before their repairs are done and they're ready to go back?"
"That may invite too many opportunities for tampering with the time stream," warned Picard.
The meeting closed without any solution.
Not too far away, on the Ferengi Marauder Greed, Yugin grinned. He would soon fulfill his lifelong duty, his quest for profit. He checked his scanners one last time before warping toward his discovery.
"Qor," he said, motioning to his young Ferengi apprentice, "I have something to show you."
The boy slipped out of his chair and headed toward Yugin. "What is it?"
"Profit," explained Yugin. "Have you ever heard any of the Starfleet legends about James Kirk and the Enterprise?"
"Have I heard of them?" Qor spat in disbelief. "Of course!"
"Well," began Yugin, revealing the sensor-recorded information, "guess what I've found."
Qor's eyes grew big. "It can't be! Are the sensors working correctly?"
"Qor, let me tell you something. On this ship there are many things, trivial things, that just won't work. One of them is not the sensors. I, like any good Ferengi, know one of the things I can't afford to be cheap on is the sensors, because we might just find treasures such as this."
"Yes, Yugin."
James Kirk paced, looking over his science officer's shoulder every once in a while. They were getting nowhere.
Oh, Spock might say he was, but the well-known fact that Vulcans can never tell a lie was being proved over and over false.
In his frustration, Kirk, to prevent himself from tearing his hair out, hiked down to the recreation deck to play some badminton with who knows who. Sulu was already there, fencing in one corner with someone Kirk didn't recognize. He must have found a new fencing partner, Kirk mused. His last partner had been Ensign Hartmann, but the Ensign had only lasted a week.
He spied Lieutenant Darek Hopton coming out of the locker room and decided to pick on him. "Lieutenant," he greeted.
"Sir!"
"At ease, Lieutenant Hopton. Do you play badminton?"
The Lieutenant did, and soon he and the Captain started a game. After serving 4-3, Darek asked, "So what's this rumor that's circulating about another time travel mystery that Spock's trying to solve?"
Kirk slammed the birdie into Darek's court as hard as he could, but the Lieutenant hit it back up. This time Kirk tipped it over the net. Darek caught it and hit a long shot. Kirk got there, but hit it straight up into the air.
"The rumor's true," Kirk verified as he threw the birdie back to Darek. "And this time we're in the future."
"The future!"
"We're pretty sure."
"I thought Yavoam's Law stated that you can only travel backwards in time."
"It was only a theory. The Powers That Be found evidence against it a few months ago. It has to do with the age of time. It's a relative thing."
"Are we stuck? In the future, I mean?"
"The anamoly is still there, but our engines are dead, at least for the time being. Mr. Spock thinks that it may be a bad idea to go back through without further investigation."
"Why is that?" Darek served, 5-3.
"You'll have to ask Spock yourself. I told him not to explain it to me." Kirk hit back the serve easily.
A message came over the intercom. "Captain Kirk, please come to the bridge immediately."
Red alert lights flashed rhythmically. Captain Kirk marched in rhythm across the bridge and fell into his chair as the deck shuddered. "Mr. Spock, what happened?"
"A ship dropped out of warp and began firing on us," Spock answered.
"Just like that? Didn't they give a reason?"
"Negative, Captain. They gave no explanation or warning."
"Onscreen."
The viewscreen changed to show the attacker, a ship about twice the size of the Enterprise.
"Fire phasers!"
"Keptin, our phasers had no effect on their shields," said Chekov.
"Hail the other Federation vessel."
The image of Captain Picard appeared. "Captain," Kirk began, "I seem to have found myself some trouble. My ship is under attack, and from our estimates, we have no chance in this battle."
"We're moving in to help you," said the other Captain.
The screen went blank.
Kirk hit the intercom button on his chair, hard. "Scotty, I need those engines, now!"
Yugin leaned back in his command chair. "Go easy on them, Ras. This is fun. Enjoy it, savor it. Besides, that ship is too valuable to harm."
Qor watched his mentor closely. When he had command of his own ship, he wanted to be just as successful as Yugin . . .
This thought was interrupted by the strain of a hit, a good hit, on the shields of the Greed.
"Yugin!"
"Stay calm, Qor. It's just a galaxy-class ship. We have weapons smuggled aboard this ship they haven't even dreamed of yet."
Captain Picard puzzled as to why a simple Ferengi Marauder would attack when a galaxy-class ship sat so close by. He was not one to comment on the foolhardiness of another captain, though. He gave his orders calmly. He didn't want to destroy the ship, just disable it. Suddenly, a shudder rocked the Enterprise.
Worf's voice came from behind Picard. "Our shields have been completely neutralized."
The bridge fell silent, waiting for Picard's reply. "Evasive pattern delta. Full phaser barrage." The Enterprise responded beautifully, dodging the lethal blasts of the oncoming ship.
Yugin grinned evilly. "And now, Qor, I shall give you the honor of capturing both Enterprises. Just press this button here . . ." Yugin moved aside to reveal a small but detailed control panel, dominated by a small red button.
Qor pushed it, and an energy net erupted from the Greed, trapping the past and present flagships of the Federation within it.
Captain Kirk came to a speedy decision once he realized the impossibility of penetrating the web and that Scotty, miraculously, had completed the repairs. "Take us back toward the anomaly." Spock raised an eyebrow, and Sulu raised both, but both obeyed. The anomaly lay within the range of the energy net, so the Enterprise had no trouble reaching it. This time, Kirk viewed the passage, where a strange orange swirling light dominated the screen, then only the vastness of space. And no energy web.
"Spock," he said slowly. "Where are we? Or more specifically, when?"
Spock replied matter-of-factly. "We are in the Andromeda system, near Andromeda 3. However, I cannot yet determine the answer to your latter question."
Kirk began to pace. "Lieutenant Uhura, send out a subspace beacon to any near ships to ask for the stardate."
"Aye, sir," was the response.
"Captain, the Enterprise has just disappeared through the spacial anomaly." Data swiveled his chair to face Picard.
A thin smile formed across the Captain's face. "Follow them in." The ensign on duty paused to consider the command but soon complied, wordlessly manipulating the controls on her console. Soon the orange light of the passage engulfed the ship.
Yugin watched approvingly as the web worked, leaving no room for the two large starships to escape. "Well done, Qor." But the victory was short-lived. First the smaller ship moved. "Now, what are they going to accomplish by doing that?" Yugin mused. Then it disappeared. Soon after, the larger ship followed.
Qor sat, unbelieving, wide-eyed, as he watched it happen. Yugin was not so transfixed. He moved around, checked his instruments to hide his fury. Finally, he turned to Qor. "Why is your mouth hung open, boy?" he snapped. "Straighten up! Where have they gone?"
Qor sped back to his work faster than a cheetah runs the fifty-meter dash. "I . . . I don't know, Yugin."
"Well, find out." No wonder those starships were so famous, Yugin thought. His eyes narrowed appreciatively as he studied the viewscreen, now empty except for the useless energy web and a few obscure stars.
Jean-Luc Picard had noted the presence of the other Enterprise in their new time. "Data, begin research on how we can return to our own time." With that said, he gave the bridge to Commander Riker and retreated into his ready room to think. If the Ferengi had such weaponry . . . Why hadn't they shown it before? And what would happen to the balance of power in the quadrant? Or, even more basically, what if the Enterprise could never return back to her own time? But he couldn't let such thoughts enter his mind. Data would find a way.
His thoughts were interrupted by Riker's voice. "Yes, Number One?"
"Captain Kirk has hailed us and wishes to speak to you."
"Put it through to my office." Picard turned to face his private communications screen.
"Captain Picard," Kirk acknowledged. "I believe that you and I have the same problem."
"Yes. And I assure you, Captain, that we are working our hardest to find a solution," said Picard.
"As are we." Kirk seemed to mull something over in his mind, then spoke again. "Captain, I think I can safely assume that you are from a future Federation. I would like you to know that we will not tempt you to violate our Prime Directive." The screen went blank.
Picard leaned back in his chair. "Captain," came Data's voice.
"Yes, Data."
"I believe I have a solution to our predicament."
"I'm on my way," said Picard as he strode back out onto the bridge.
"Captain, I have the stardate," informed Uhura. "22831.4."
Far enough from our time, Kirk thought. He glanced at Spock, whom he expected to pop up with the solution. Instead, Spock sat calmly, engrossed in the information he was putting together.
Kirk was not fond of waiting. He stared at the viewscreen, at the starscape, and let his thoughts wander . . .
"We're being hailed," announced Uhura, interrupting his thoughts.
"Answer them."
"Hailing frequencies open, sir."
Captain Picard's image appeared onscreen. "Captain Kirk. We believe we have found the solution of how to return to each of our times. We think that the spatial anomaly is radially symmetrical, meaning that if we go through it a full rotation, our ships will return to our own times."
"An interesting theory, Captain," Kirk said. He wondered at the simplicity of it, though. If all one had to do was go through the thing enough times, shouldn't he and Mr. Spock have thought of it before? "Let's try it." Picard's face was replaced by the starscape.
"Mr. Sulu, set in a course for the anomaly, full impulse." The Enterprise followed the larger ship in.
Data cocked his head to one side, thinking. Captain Picard took notice and asked, "Data, what is it?"
The original Enterprise had returned to her own time, but the Enterprise-D had not. Picard had given Data the problem of not returning inside the energy web that had trapped them before.
"There is a theory which states, essentially, that time is relative. If that were to apply here, all we would have to do is wait until the Ferengi ship gives up on us, then return."
Picard frowned. "Wouldn't we return to the exact moment we left?"
Data's face remained expressionless. "Not according to this theory. We would return precisely the amount of time after we left that we had been gone.
"I have reason to believe this theory applies because all history including Captain Kirk after the point of his life in which he visited our time was not altered."
"Should it have been?"
"Most time travel theories state that it should have. It is possible, if the areas of space surrounding each of the points of the anomaly are saturated with such substances as neutrino particles, that they are held to different time travel laws than the rest of space."
Picard began to comprehend.
"How long will the Ferengi wait for us?" asked Riker, who had listened in on the whole conversation.
Worf spoke up. "That is indeterminable. The Ferengi have been known for their impatience, but also for exactly the opposite."
"How long has it been since we first entered the anomaly?" asked Picard.
"One-point-five standard days," Data quickly replied.
Picard pursed his lips for a moment, thinking. "Let's wait another day, just to be sure."
So went the course of events. When the day was done, the Enterprise again moved toward the spatial anomaly that would bring them home. The orange vortex dominated the viewscreen, and soon so did something else. The energy web.
Yugin had waited two-point-five standard rotational shifts and was ready to give up when Qor gave a startled cry. "They're back! But just one of them. The Enterprise-D."
It was then that Yugin noticed the amount of power left in the Greed's energy cells. "Qor!"
"What is it, Yugin?" Qor was confused. If one of the ships they wished to capture reappeared after they had thought it was gone for good, then why was Yugin's tone so sharp?
"We have no power left. They're going to get away!" As if on cue, the energy web dissipated. Yugin could only watch as it completely disappeared, and with it their prize, the Enterprise.
All returned to a state of well-being aboard the Enterprise-D. In fact, things went so well that the senior officers decided to have a double-elimination fencing tournament. Data won, of course.
"If there are advantages to being an android, strength and accuracy would have to be it," observed Riker, panting a little, after Data had scored the final touch against him. "Not to mention you don't experience fatigue."
Data cocked his head at this, as he did to many such comments. "An interesting observation, Commander. I shall have to research it."
"Data," Riker laughed. "It was a comment, not a scientific observation."
Data fell silent for a moment. He must research human behavior more thoroughly before he would understand. He spoke nothing of this though, instead, "Good game," and extended a hand to the Commander.