Ahsoka Tano moved her Jedi starfighter out of hyperspace, the starfield coming into view beyond Coruscant, which loomed beyond the dome enclosing her in the little ship. "Master, I've been thinking… what if the Seps try to invade Coruscant?" The nineteen-year-old Togruta listened to her master's reply, still worried about droid attacks on the capital planet.
"I don't think they'll be trying it anytime soon, Snips. Still, even I can't help wonder…" Ahsoka was certain she heard a sarcastic tone that her master would never admit to.
Yeah, I'll bet you can't help wonder… she thought, looking about her for droid patrols.
It had been rumored for months that the droids might try to take Coruscant or a nearby system, but nothing, yet, had come to bear fruit.
High above the city, Ahsoka's eyes quickly adjusted to the fading sunlight. Here and there, shuttle transports ran people from district to district, the passengers either going home or moving toward their favored cantina for a drink or two. Speeders made themselves more scarce with each passing moment, the calm favoring the night. Among the prominent sights and sounds of the city, though, were the A-grav thrusters of vehicles and the looming figures of the Senate Rotunda and, just beyond that, the Jedi temple.
As she banked and lowered altitude alongside her master, her eyes spotted three unfamiliar objects on the ground below; they were all smaller than Republic cruisers, all of unfamiliar design, and all rounded, though their propulsion system was unfamiliar. "What are those?" she said to herself.
"I don't know, Ahsoka. But the clones don't look like they're too worried. Let's take a closer look." Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker reduced his speed and dove toward the ground, landing a few meters away from the largest of the ships, which was nearly eight hundred meters long. It had a two-hull design and what appeared to take the place of familiar propulsion systems.
Admiral Yularen made his way over to him while Ahsoka looked on. "Master Skywalker, young Ahsoka, we've encountered these vessels earlier today. They're looking for a way home."
Ahsoka spoke first. "Are they equipped with starcharts, admiral?"
The admiral looked slightly troubled at the question. "They tell us that they have maps and navigational systems, but they tell us they are from a different universe, or some alternate reality. Until we can investigate further, their ships have been grounded. We're waiting for others to inquire, but with you two here, we might yet gain some insight."
"Where's their leader?" asked Anakin, fingering the hilt of his lightsaber cautiously.
"The commanders of each vessel are of the same rank." Knowing Anakin's inquisitive nature, the admiral continued, "Their names are captain Kathryn Janeway, of the Voyager," Yularen pointed to the smallest shape, "captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Enterprise," Yularen gestured at the nearest ship, "and Aston Shepard of the Zhukov." The admiral nodded at the second-largest of the shapes, which had a similarly-designed silhouette to the other two. "They are in their private quarters respectfully, if you wish to see them."
"I'll see Picard," said Anakin, heading toward the Enterprise. "Ahsoka, see about Janeway."
"Yes, master." Ahsoka gave a respectful bow to her master and turned to head toward the smallest vessel, which stood almost level with the base of the Senate Rotunda.
She was lead aboard the Voyager by a young-looking officer in a yellow uniform tunic. "Ensign Harry Kim," said the human, nodding and smiling at Ahsoka.
"Ahsoka Tano, Jedi." Ahsoka Sensed nothing negative about Ensign Harry Kim, but he did seem tired. "What kind of cruiser is this?"
"Well, we don't really think of this as a cruiser," said Harry Kim, turning left at the upper end of the ramp. "Voyager is more like home to her crew. We were stuck seventy-thousand lightyears from our planet by some energy field we couldn't identify. We've been trying to get home for fourteen years." Harry Kim smiled again.
"It seems like you could get home in just a few days with your hyperdrive."
At this, Ensign Harry Kim frowned. "We don't have that type of propulsion. We're equipped… well, it's best I don't talk about it; part of the Prime Directive, one of our guiding laws." At an inquisitive look from Ahsoka, the human continued, "The Prime Directive states that unless the situation is absolutely imperative, we're not supposed to interfere in the affairs of an alternate universe or timeline. If we influence that timeline, even changing one little thing, the outcome of the alternate, and ultimately our own, could be disastrous. It could undo all of existence."
They had arrived outside what Ahsoka took to be a sliding door. "Here we are… captain's quarters." Harry Kim pressed a key on the wall panel, and a computerized chime sounded.
"Enter," said a gravelly female voice.
Ahsoka strode forward and allowed the door to slide open for her. She looked around; the quarters were comfortably lit, with a low table in the middle of the room, a functional, decorative lamp in one corner, and several potted plants. A view of the spaceport beyond was afforded by a row of portholes set into the wall opposite.
A woman strode out of a hissing door to the left, and before it closed, Ahsoka glimpsed a more-than-adequate bed in the room beyond. "Hello. I'm captain Kathryn Janeway, of the Federation Starship Voyager."
Ahsoka noted that this woman was not someone whose bad side she wanted to see. "I'm Ahsoka Tano, Jedi."
The captain nodded. "If you'd like, you could sit down. To be frank, I like to talk as equals to anyone I encounter on my travels." Ahsoka found the sofa quite comfortable. "Would you like something to drink?"
"No, captain. Thanks." Ahsoka nodded politely. She watched as the captain strode to a cubby set into the wall, said, "Coffee, black," and walked back toward her with a mug of a steaming drink in her hand.
"Are you here to investigate how we came to be here?"
"Yes, captain. My master, Anakin Skywalker, is aboard one of the other ships as we speak. The… Enterprise, I believe?"
Janeway nodded. "Jean-Luc. That's a good captain, there." She took a sip from her mug and continued. "Well, our sensors picked up ionic and protonic emissions. However, I suspect that there were high levels of neutrinos, as well." At Ahsoka's look of confusion, she said, "You've never heard of neutrinos?"
Ahsoka shook her head. "Captain, I'm more of an engineer and gunner than I am a scientist. I know about the formation of stars, but I'm not that knowledgeable."
Janeway smiled, the turned her head to look toward the door, but out into the middle-distance. The bun perched high on her head was prominent as her nose, though it was a far more opposing feature, making her appear human, rather than alien. Turning back to Ahsoka, she said, "Well, I'll put it this way… neutrinos are highly-charged waves of energy that can create phenomenon in space and, in most cases, time, as well. They disrupt sensors and are hard to detect. Ions and protons were also present, but they deal more in matter; this tells me that there was, at one point or another, a star at the exact point where we disappeared from our universe and found ourselves here." She paused for a moment. "D'you understand?"
"Yes, captain," nodded Ahsoka, folding her hands in her lap. For a moment, she remained quiet. Then; "Captain, there's something you ought to know… it's important that you understand you've landed your ship in the middle of a war between the Galactic Republic and the Separatists, people who want to disrupt the peace and quiet, and fend for themselves, forging their own way, making their own credit. If your weapons are as powerful as I think they are, they'll do anything they can to get their hands on them; as for your technology, I think you'd probably best not even mention it to Master Skywalker. He'll catch onto how it works, but even so, there're spies everywhere."
The captain looked neutral, but despite that, even without her jedi senses, Ahsoka could sense a concerned, if not terrified look in the captain's face.
"Thank you for the heads' up. I'll keep that in mind." Standing, despite her smaller stature, Janeway looked formidable. "I have one request, Ahsoka, and you can appeal to your superior. I ask, though, that you not mention it to anyone outside of those you know you can trust."
"Of course, captain." Ahsoka stood; her prominent Togruta horns made her thirty or so centimeters taller than her host.
"We'll need a guard, of sorts, aboard each ship. The guard might have to share quarters, but you'll find that Starfleet is often more than hospitable, even in times of need on our part. We'll also need someone with knowledge of local space, so that we'll be able to take advantage of spatial and temporal anomalies that could take us home." Captain Janeway returned her mug to the cubby and keyed in a command; it disappeared, leaving the space empty as before.
"We might be able to provide one or two jedi to these ships, captain. We're spread thin as it is, but we should be able to assist you where we can. And our clones might afford you extra defense."
Kathryn Janeway turned to the orange-skinned woman and smiled. "I think we might be able to take up that offer."
As the starfield came into view on the main viewer, captain George Alcott shifted uneasily in his chair. "Status-report," he barked to his science officer.
"All systems normal, sections reporting no abnormalities; however, sickbay reports minor scrapes and cuts, no major casualties, no fatalities." The Ferengi science officer looked up at his superior officer. "No time has passed between our entrance of the anomaly and now, sir."
Captain Alcott shook his head, muttering under his breath, "Damn." Several moments passed while he pondered his next order, but before he could reach a decision, the Ferengi spoke again.
"Captain, large flotilla entering sensor range at high speed! Range, three-point-four-two lightyears and closing! ETA, seventeen seconds."
"Impossible," murmured Alcott. "Red alert. All hands, battle-stations. Helmsman, bring us about and increase to maximum impulse." The warning sirens barked three times and the red alert flashers winked. "Where are we?" said Alcott to his navigational officer.
"Unknown, captain. These star formations do not appear on existing charts." Turning to the man, "We're lost in space."
As these words left the junior officer's mouth, the bridge rocked with the contact only weapon-fire could bring. "Evasive maneuvers! Concentrate phasers on the nearest vessel! Lock torpedoes and fire full salvo!" The orders were met with practiced ease by the bridge crew, and as the twang of the torpedoes died from the bridge, several more vessels entered sensor range, followed by a large squadron of fighters. It was unmistakable; Captain Alcott had brought the Thomas Paine right into the middle of a conflict they ought not to be anywhere near.
"Captain, one of the irregularly-shaped vessels is hailing."
"Onscreen."
A tall, thin man of slightly greater than middle-age appeared on the viewer. His gray beard hid most of a frown, and he fingered a twisted, cylindrical-shaped device in an unconscious manner. "My name is Dooku. Power down your weapons and prepare to be boarded."
"Not until I know exactly what I've got my ship into," replied Alcott, rising from his command chair and allowing indignance to overpower his fear.
"You are in no position to make demands," said Dooku. Curiously, he leaned in. "Who are you?"
"I am captain George Alcott of the Federation Starship Thomas Paine."
The man named Dooku considered Alcott for a moment. "Lower your shields, and perhaps we can negotiate a surrender. Although I am not on a tight schedule, I can hardly allow you to take your time in doing as I ask." Dooku gestured to someone offscreen. "Perhaps you could provide us with the secrets of your technology. That could release a great deal of your crew when we board your ship."
"What you fail to realize, Dooku, is that the Federation is hardly the people that would give up their technology lightly. You've shown us acts of possible aggression, and that's something that doesn't exactly give us reason to trust you with our technology."
Dooku shook his head. "It was a mistake to oppose the Confederacy of Independent Systems so openly; it would be far worse if you were to oppose us as our prisoners." The face on the screen winked out and George Alcott turned to his crew.
"Is there anything we could do to get out of here now?"
"Warp propulsion is at forty-seven percent efficiency, captain. We might be able to make two-point-three, at best, but only for a period of some fourteen minutes, thirty seconds."
"Would that get us out of range of those ships?" The captain gestured toward the viewer with a jerk of his head.
The helmsman shrugged. "We might be able to buy ourselves enough time to prepare for a fight. Other than that..." His console blipped. "Captain, one of those oblong ships is pulling us in with a tractor."
"Fluctuate shield frequency. Don't let them lock on."
There were several moments of tension in which all officers attempted to find a solution to their dilemma. "No response, captain. We won't move under our own power."
"Fire a full salvo at their tractor, on my mark!" Captain Alcott stood, waiting to give the order. All eyes were on the captain; his eyes were riveted to the screen, waiting for oblivion. In the collective held breath of the bridge crew, the one word rang above everything else, even the steady thrumming of the engine's idling status. "Fire."
The Ferengi officer tapped at his console, and the twang of photon torpedoes met the ears of the waiting crew. Three flashes of light met the eyes of the watching, helpless onlookers, a sight that, although welcome, was the most critical moment. Nothing could be so beautiful or deadly for anyone in space, not for the Federation. The flash of fire meeting their eyes was enough to keep them open.
After several moments, the Ferengi looked down. "No effect, sir. Their tractor has not even slowed our motion toward them."
Alcott shook his head. "Jem, prepare for intruders. Commander Fisch, you have the bridge."
"Sir, seeing as they're an enemy we obviously know nothing about, I advise against that."
"Noted, Ephelia." Turning to Jem, the Ferengi, he said, "You take a squad and have them patrol the lesser corridors. I'll take a patrol up the mains. Rally point is the mess hall. If there's trouble, we meet there. Understood?"
"Yes sir." Jem pulled a phase rifle from behind his station and handed it to his superior, charging his own phaser and stalking after the captain.
"Captain to all hands: prepare for a boarding party. Possible intruder alert." When the lift had begun its descent, he and his officer felt the first stings of battle in the form of a shuddering turbo. "What do you think that would do to the shields?"
Jem shook his head, his large, protruding ears stationery over their globe. "If that did anything at all to the shields, supposing it's not an ion weapon, we'd probably only be able to take a few hits." He looked at his captain. "I've never been in battle before, captain, but I'm not a Ferengi that would run from a fight."
Alcott looked at his subordinate and smiled. "Don't let Weston hear you say that," he said with his knowing smirk. "I don't like the stereotype anymore than you do, but you can, of course, understand where she might get her distrust?"
"Of course, captain." The two did not say a word, and the turbolift doors opened.
"Captain, we're about to be boarded," said ensign Charlton, holding a phase rifle at a bear-arms position in respect for his commanding officer. "We're only a hundred meters from their docking bay, sir. It'll only be a few minutes." The captain nodded, a singular motion that he knew would not embolden the young man, though he seemed relieved. "What's the plan?"
"If that ship's as big as we think it is, the best we can do without sabotaging their ship is stall them. If a miracle appears in any form, we'll die doing our damndest to stop them from taking what they want."
The ensign looked forward, not gulping, though he sweated profusely. "What do they want?"
"How the hell should I know?"
A squad soon joined with the captain, Jem and the ensign and covered a docking hatch that could be penetrated if the enemy was persistent enough. Alcott directed the placement of his men, who obiediently, solemnly and quietly moved for cover where they could find it, leveling their weapons at the port. The captain, himself, stood to the right of the lintel, scanning his men for possible improvement in cover. No, he had no time to do it. He had no time to place them any better than he already had.
Peeking around the corner, captain George Alcott noted that it was too quiet. Pulling back to catch his breath and wait, he swallowed and looked around.
The universe exploded...
Captain Alcott woke up an indefinite time later, lain out carefully on a comfortable surface under a searchlight. No, he thought as he came to. No, it's an exam light in sickbay. He felt fingers touching his forehead, and as his vision cleared, he recognized the face of Dr. Borglem. "Are you okay, captain?" said the doctor, scanning him with a tricorder.
"I'm fine."
"You had a nasty scrape back at hatch three. The intruders set some kind of charge on the door that went off and destroyed half that section." The doctor's face was pulled tight into a grimace. "Thirty-one wounded. Almost eighty dead."
"How...?"
"It's not from the door alone. You were one of the two injured. Three died from that blast."
But Alcott still wanted to know. "What combat wounds suffered killed that part of the crew?" His appeal to ship's doctor went unanswered for a while. "They were defending the ship from intruders. It took a couple hours to push them back, but we had a little help."
"From whom?" Two faces loomed into view; a woman in her fifties or sixties wearing a Starfleet uniform, her hair pulled back into a ponytail, soot caking her face. "Captain Janeway," said captain Alcott, smiling. "So Voyager is still trying to make her way home?"
"Yes."
George studied the other face; she was young, no more than seventeen or eighteen, but with her blonde hair draped over her shoulders, she looked quite a bit younger. "I don't recognize you or your uniform."
The young woman nodded. "I realize that, captain. I'm from a time about two hundred years in your future. I'm not Starfleet, so divulging this little bit of information shouldn't be too much problem - in the time you came from, a well-renowned family by the name of Tipton is currently on a voyage to begin their own private government, apart from the United Federation of Planets. They have a few outcasts from different species following them." She paused for a moment. "I'm captain Bailey Picket, of the Tiptonian naval vessel Founding Father."
Alcott sighed, closing his eyes. "There've been rumors about a secret government flying about Starfleet for years. I guess this is what they meant." Turning to Janeway, he said, "How'd you come to be here?"
"I don't know, George. The only thing I know is that we arrived through a wormhole that seemed to be strafing us, almost like a phase rifle was leading its moving target." There was an awkward silence. "It's been quite a hell of a fourteen years. We've got to travel even further, apparently. And now that we're in a different universe, we're going to have to work on a way to get back to our own. Let me tell you in advance that we'll have to use our every engineering and science technique available to return."
"Captain Janeway, my ship is equipped with temporal equipment that might be of some use," said captain Pickett, straightening her dust-colored navy shirt. "We might be able to simulate a temporal effect that might help explain, if you provide the specifications of your spatial and matter reconstruction models for the time of departure from your timeline."
"Noted. B'ellana won't like it, but with the temporal effects taken into account, it'll add an entire new set of equations to her calculations. Still, if it gives us a way home... I'll get working on it immediately. Thank you, captain." She looked down at captain Alcott. "I think you should be good to leave sickbay, now. That is, if your doctor isn't objectionable."
Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Voyager, Ahsoka Tano stood behind the helm console of lieutenant Tom Parris, who tapped commands into the panel before him. "Sensors don't detect any vessels within range. Still, that doesn't mean they're not cloaked." He turned to Ahsoka. "D'you Sense anything?"
Ahsoka shook her head. "No. If I do, I'll let you know." She fingered the hilt of her lightsaber nervously. "I can't get over the feeling, though, that something's not right. Even when they're overwhelmed like that, the Seps don't give up that easily unless they're hiding something, regrouping, maybe. Their actions didn't match up with Dooku's words."
"Their ion trail is dissipating," noted Tuvok. "Perhaps, if we were to send a probe to follow the trail, we might gain some clue as to their plans."
"This isn't our war, Tuvok," said commander Chakotay. "I don't think we want to become any more involved than we already are."
"Your logic is faulty." Tuvok looked at his commander. "The Republic has been hospitable, commander. Perhaps our most effective course of action at this moment is to send a probe after the vessels. This could provide us clues to a way home."
Chakotay turned to him. "When you put it like that, it's hard to argue Tuvok." Facing forward again, he said, "Tom, do it."
"Yes sir."
