One More

By J.M. Merriweather

Standard disclaimer. I don't own any of the characters or devices herein, only the lucky folks at paramount do. The soul is mine, but the body is theirs and i am only borrowing it for a while. Please note in case of lawsuit that i have nothing of value to take.

This story takes place during the early Dominion War

Meetings, reports, and eggheaded admirals. Montgomery Scott snorted at it all. Between the Borg, Romulans, Dominion, and sometimes even the Klingon devils, the federation fleet was in a sorry state. Scotty had an idea. Five hundred starships from previous eras were sitting in drydock or in "junkyards". For a fraction of the cost of building a new ship, they could be updated to handle modern threats. The Powers that Be at Starfleet Command didn't believe that the old ships could be brought up to snuff. Scotty snorted again. He knew those ships like the back of his..."

"Captain Scott?" called a harried voice from down the hall.

Scott turned around, a quizzical expression on his face.

"Admiral Nalfein wants to see you sir."

Scott glared. "Aye, I'm sure he does. You tell the....the admiral that I have had enough brass up my..that i'm busy." he retorted, barely keeping a grip on his temper.

"But sir, he agrees with your idea!" exclaimed the ensign

Scotty brightened. "Well that's different now, isn't it? Lead the way please.

Twenty minutes later.

Admiral Nalfein sat in front of Scotty, listening intently. When Scott was done outlining his proposals and estimated times of completion (multiplied by only a modest factor of two, of course) the admiral composed his ancient face thoughtfully.

"I like this idea. We could use the extra ships, the drain on our resources has been terrible. But i'm not clear on how well the old ships, especially ones that were originally in service in your day, could stand up to modern weapons.

Scott snorted. "Sir, in my day when we went out to explore space, we went where none had been before. Ever. When you didn't know what to expect. Gods, highly evolved aliens, the first federation...we stood them all down. A ship is not what it's made out of sir...it's the spirit behind it. And I'll get all the lasses right in the end, you'll see."

Nalfein thought for a moment. Then he touched his communicator. "Nalfein to Transporter Five. Two to beam to Observation Post 134 Alpha.

The transporter beam took them in it's blue swirl...and Scotty couldn't help but remember when it was a proper gold....

Scotty blinked to get his orientation...and his heart stopped. Hanging there in the drydock was a Constitution Class starship. He said aloud.

USS Enterprise. NCC 1701-A. "Ach lass..." he breathed.

"I'm sure you recognise the ship Captain. She's been here in drydock since 2294. Ever since you beamed off, no one has been allowed back onboard. No one was to be allowed until 2394. Sort of a Starfleet Time capsule. Here's the deal. You have three months and thirty engineers of your choice. Unlimited parts and supplies. I want the Enterprise-A refitted and ready to fight as a modern starship. If you can do this, and record it so that it can be duplicated, I'll reinstate you as her permanent chief engineer. If you can't...she goes back to drydock for good. Fair enough?

"Don't you worry Admiral sir. She'll be ready...