Chapter One
Events take place due to actions and reactions of the system. They take shape, eventually residing in our collective consciousness. They form our memories, our knowledge, our hopes and our fears. For they reside within us; they can influence, reshape, throw out of balance, and destroy. Their motions and patterns are governed by their creator's intent, they can be brilliant, unpredictable, scattered across the cosmos. In one word: beautiful. Only by artificial means do the patterns become cyclic. Only when artificially forced, do they form a perfect circle.
A perfect circle is similar to the mother's womb. It is safe, warm, comfortable, and most of all predictable. Just as all lifeforms must leave the womb once they are able in order to live, so should it be with the perfect circle. No one is perfect, nor should perfection be forced upon anyone. It will come in time, with reason, compassion and action.
The questions asked, "What do you want?", "Who are you?" and eventually, "Why are you here?" and "Where are you going?" So many questions, so many views, so much confusion. All you have to ask is, "Why are you?"
June 6th, 2155
On the bridge of the starship Enterprise, a flagship of both the Earth Starfleet and the fledgling Coalition of Planets, Captain Jonathan Archer gripped the arms of his command chair. Enterprise bucked around him. On the main view screen, all he could see was a roiling miasma of blue lights winking in and out of existence, and the Columbia, Earth's second NX-class starship.
"They look like electrons circling an atom," he mused.
The multitude of electronic sounds he could hear surged in intensity at the science and communications stations on the left side of the bridge.
"Captain, the graviton count appears to be fluctuating more rapidly," announced Commander T'Pol, science and executive officer, Vulcan and one of the only two non-humans currently serving aboard the ship.
As she spoke, she looked up from her viewer. "If my readings are accurate, they are increasing both in frequency and intensity."
"Are we in any danger?" Lieutenant Reed asked quietly in his distinctive British accent.
"Sir," Lieutenant Sato glanced towards Archer. She had touched her hand to the small earpiece she usually wore when at her station. "I've a message from Captain Hernandez. She feels we should err on the side of caution and gain some distance from the surge."
"How long before they might pose a threat?" Archer said, looking over at T'Pol.
"Twenty-eight seconds."
"Cutting it a bit close, don't you think?"
Archer nodded back at his armoury officer. "Accelerate full reverse, Travis. Try and keep her steady. Inform the Colombia of our actions."
Ensign Mayweather, the helmsman and navigations officer, entered a series of commands into the helm. "Aye, sir. Accelerating at point zero two impulse."
"At that delta V ," T'Pol was checking a readout, "we'll be clear of the anomaly in twenty-three seconds."
O-O-O
For all intents, the Wolf 359 system was of no importance to anyone any more. Fifteen years earlier it had been a deep space rendezvous point for EarthForce during the Earth-Minbari War. Now though, it was abandoned. All that remained of it it was a small marker - a hyperspace beacon - and a network of early warning satellites left behind, just in case it should ever be needed again. Not once had the early warning system ever been set off. Now though, it detected a momentary energy surge and bloom of light. As programmed, it sent off an alert to the beacon which in turn began sending a tachyon signal to its masters in a star system just over seven light-years away.
O-O-O
"T'Pol," Archer asked, glaring at the Enterprise's view screen and star field visible on it, "was that a wormhole we just encountered?" The shaking had stopped.
"Possibly," T'Pol agreed, studying her readouts. "However it did not behave like any wormhole that the Vulcan High Command has ever encountered. It had no real central point or focus, neither did it seem to lead to another star system. In fact, we're still in the Wolf 359 star system."
"Captain," Mayweather sounded little startled as he watched the view screen. "The stars... they're not where they're supposed to be."
"You are sure we're still in the Wolf 359 star system?" Archer queried T'Pol as he rose from his command chair to have a closer look at the view screen. As he studied the view screen, he began to realise what Mayweather meant. There were stars which simply did not belong, others, the few they could recognize, were slightly off-position.
"Yes, as far as I can gauge from the readings," T'Pol said clearly.
Archer nodded, then another thought drifted across his mind. Stellar drift, he thought to himself. Stars drift over time. Staying where he was, he glanced over to the science station. "T'Pol," he queried again. Not particularly liking where his train of thought was leading him. "Am I right in saying that stars drift over time?"
T'Pol knew at once exactly what the captain was implying. Had he said the same thing a couple of years ago, she would never even have considered the possibility. But after their two trips back in time during the Xindi mission, her disbelief in the possibility of time travel had changed. But, that was into the past, she thought to herself as she considered the line of thought the captain was having. "Are you suggesting, we've been displaced in time again? That would still not account for their positions. Their relative positions should be the same, some of the shifts are way too radical to account for."
"I'm not suggesting anything," he paused. "Overlay a view of the stars before our little trip through the anomaly, the wormhole." Turning back to the view screen, he saw an image of the stars from before they encountered the anomaly overlay the current live feed from the external images. "Now, factor in stellar drift and show us how it would change over time."
Around him, everyone's gaze was fixed on the view screen. As T'Pol worked at her station following Archers instructions, the positions of the stars changed with each new image. The stars, he noted was getting closer to the current live feed with every change, though that did not account for the new stars nor the lack of known stars. "Stop," Archer instructed T'Pol on the eleventh image change. "Go back in one year increments and stop when we make an approximate match of the stars we know of."
The image changed a few times more then stopped again. The overlay was now a perfect match.
"The overlay..." T'Pol glanced up at Archer, "...is showing how the stars should appear from this position in roughly hundred and five years time."
"Are you saying," Reed was incredulous, "we've been transported forward in time."
"It sure looks like it," Archer agreed.
"This can't be right," Sato said quietly as she tapped at the controls of her station.
Archer frowned. It always worried him when one of his junior officers came out with a remark like that. "What's not right?"
She turned away from her station and looked straight at him. "I'm not receiving anything on the subspace radio."
"You mean you can't get in touch with Starfleet?" Archer asked.
"No," Sato explained. "I'm not receiving anything; it is very eerie. Usually there's background noise, static, or interference on the normally active channels. I have to compensate for when receiving subspace communications. It usually is generated by any species that use subspace radio. The only thing generating subspace noise is The Columbia. We should be gettingsignals from our network in this area. There's no one out there using subspace radio! Either we lost the war or we're in another universe..."
O-O-O
The bridge of the Columbia was a flurry of activity, the senior officers trying to determine what had happened during the trip through the wormhole.
"I knew it! We should have sent a probe first," the short brown eyed blonde at the small communications station swore quietly. "Archer's too curious for his own good ."
"Want another trip to the brig, Lieutenant?" Commander Sean Ramius cautioned from where she stood, her hands resting on the metal railing behind the command chair. It was a well known fact, that Ramius and Hernandez, her commanding officer, ran a tight well disciplined ship.
"Have you tried the checking upper bands yet, Lieutenant Lass?" Captain Erika Hernandez asked, raising her voice.
"She called you Lass, George," Major John Connor whispered quietly Lass's ear. "I don't think she's that happy with you."
"Fuck off," Lass whispered back. "And only my friends get to call me George."
"Bit touchy, the boy friend dump you?" Conner gave her a lop sided grin.
"Don't make me contemplate life in prison. It's very tempting right now." her eyes shouted murder turning a chill down Connor's spine. A feeling that he had just tempted death and lucky survived.
"Ma'am," Lass said feeling slightly cowed. "We're getting a communique from Enterprise. They say they believe the anomaly has somehow displaced us into the future." Lowering her voice, she added in a hushed voice. "Oh, that's just fraking great."
"Bloody hell," Conner muttered aloud.
Sitting in her command chair, Hernandez touched a control on her armrest. "Captain to Engineering. Mr. Dax, how are things holding up down there?"
"Engineering here," Engineer Tobin Dax's voice, the ship's new Trill engineer and member of the Interspecies Engineering Exchange, faltered through the intercom. "The warp core is stable. Impulse reactors are running optimally-" Dax's voice broke off as the umph sound of two people bumping together could be heard. "Sorry."
"Sure everything is okay? Hernandez asked.
"Yes, ma'am," came a new melodic sounding voice. It was Lieutenant Alexa Folie; Hernandez's armoury and security officer. "I just accidentally ran into Mr. Dax. We're both fine except for a bump on the head."
Hernandez smiled, knowing it was probably the other way around. Tobin had an uncanny tendency to not look where he was going. "Be careful you two."
A few decks below in engineering, Lieutenant Folie was talking to Dax. "Tobin, you don't have to apologise every minute you know?" Alexa said comforting the nervous engineer.
"Yeah, I know and I'm sorry." Noticing her gaze, he looked down at the gnawed fingernails.
"And stop biting your nails! That's a bad habit you've got there," Alexa scolded Tobin.
Reaching out for the intercom, she called up the bridge.
"Captain," Hernandez was listening to Folie's intercom filtered voice, "Mr. Dax and myself are going to inspect the weapons systems. We'll be in the armoury if you need us."
"Good, keep me informed." Hernandez said closing the channel as she directed her gaze to the view of Enterprise on the view screen at the fore of the bridge.
"Ma'am, we may have a bigger problem than we thought." The blonde haired Lieutenant Commander Samantha 'Sam' McCoy said from the science station, braking the momentary silence.
"What is it?" Hernandez and Ramius went over to her station.
"We aren't in the future; it seems we've been displaced in space not time."
"I thought," Ramius asked her, sounding perplexed, "we identified this system as Wolf 359?"
"Yes, ma'am. Most of the local stars around Sol do correlate with what we know of the Milky Way." McCoy touched a few controls, activating a map of of the local cluster of galaxies, which promptly appeared. "We are here, the Milky Way is here."
"The Triangulum galaxy?" Hernandez said studying the display.
"Yes, ma'am. We're currently over three million light years away from home... and possibly in the future."
"Bugger," Hernandez heard the commander of the ship's Maco detachment, Major John Connor, say. He'd apparently overheard the whole thing.
O-O-O
"How could we have missed this?" Archer's annoyance resonated across the Enterprise's bridge, irritating Commander T'Pol. While he knew that like most Vulcans, she was an accomplished individual and was versed in logic ergo, a good science officer. Her training, however was primarily as a diplomat with speciality training in intelligence.
At the science science station, T'Pol focused on suppressing the emotion she felt rising within her which she found much harder now than she used too; a result of an addiction she had gained to Trellium-D during the Xindi mission. She had overcome that addiction now, but the psychological effects of the addiction would never leave her.
"Although a good amount of the stars within this galaxy do correspond to stars in our own; there was no way to really identify this galaxy. All the information we have on this galaxy is over three million years old."
"You mean the light speed barrier?" Archer guessed.
"Yes," T'Pol confirmed. "when we look at this galaxy from our own, it is the galaxy from over three million years ago, due to the amount of time it takes light to travel from there to here." An image of a spiral galaxy showed up on her display. "That is our Milky Way galaxy from over three million years ago. You can even see the nebula in the Mutara sector which is estimated to be in the order of several million years old."
"It's like we're looking into the past," Mayweather glanced at from the helm with a faint smile.
"Essentially, yes." T'Pol confirmed.
"Hoshi," Archer commanded, "hail Columbia. Tell Captain Hernandez I want a staff meeting in one hour."
O-O-O
Stepping into Enterprise's mess hall, Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker III, glanced around. It was fairly quiet. He looked for Columbia's chief medical officer and spotted her near one of the view ports staring out into space. "Err... Hi," Trip said tentatively as he approached her, not really wanting to disturb her. "I heard Columbia had a Vulcan doctor." He paused a moment. "I was wondering if I could talk to you, Doctor T'Ru?"
"Sure, and it's Tru, not T'Ru. My full name is Tru Summers. But, please just call me Tru." The Vulcan pointed to a seat at the nearest round table. On it Trip could see a padd and a mug of steaming hot coffee. It looked to have been topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
"That's an Earth name," Trip said, taking the seat directly opposite her.
"Yes, it is." Tru had gotten used to getting attention due to her vulcan appearance.
"Wow, who would have thought," Trip paused again as he tried to think how to put it. "Well, I need some advice and I hear you have a psychology degree."
"Yes," Tru acknowledged as she wondered where he was going with this.
"Everything I say is confidential right? You won't report to High Council, if we ever get back?"
"No," Tru confirmed. "Do you see a Vulcan uniform, Commander? I am a citizen of Earth, born and raised in California. I have no loyalties to Vulcan also my Hippocratic oath prevents me from such things Mr. Tucker."
"Call me Trip."
"Okay Trip, what is the problem?"
"I believe I am in a relationship, but I'm not sure how it is headed."
God, Tru thought. He thinks I'm a full Vulcan, at least he doesn't think I am a vulcan fan girl who got surgery to look vulcan. Outwardly, she asked. "Can you elaborate?"
Trip flushed. "Well, I can sense that she likes me, I like her a lot as well."
Seeing the signs with his body language, she asked, "Have you consummated your relationship?"
The flush went a deeper shade of red. "Yes, a few times."
"So who is the lucky girl?"
"Umm... Commander T'Pol," Trip said quietly.
"Not an answer I expected." She paused. "Vulcans do have emotions, though they deny it. Some are better at hiding than others."
"So you're a Vulcan who doesn't hide emotion?" Trip enquired curiously.
"Something like that." Tru nodded.
"Wouldn't the Vulcans frown upon a relationship like ours?"
"Not as much as before V'Las was removed from power. It depends on her family. Some families are more open minded then others. I am surprised your relationship has gotten to a physical level. Vulcans rarely partake in the pleasures of the flesh unless it is to procreate."
"Huh?" Trip raised an eyebrow, a very Vulcan-like expression.
"It means that she really likes you Trip," Tru said.
This brought a light in his eye . "Speaking of procreation. Would our children be accepted? Would they be normal? I want to have kids."
"Yes, you can have children," Tru again confirmed. "You suffered a loss recently, I can see it in your face."
"Yeah my sister," Trip said a little sadly. "Elizabeth, she was all I had for family."
"And that baby," Tru added, having read the dossier. "I am sorry for your loss." She paused, wanting to respect his pain. "I would not worry about having children. Now I want you to promise me something in return."
"What?" Trip asked curious.
"Confidentiality on your part."
"You're keeping my secret, I'll keep yours," Trip nodded.
Making sure Trip was observing, Tru took a hair pin and pricked her finger. The look of shock was apparent on Trips face.
"My grandfather crash-landed on Earth..." as Tru spoke, Trip listened intently. "...in a small town, where he met my grandmother. I am only a quarter Vulcan, though my appearance is more Vulcan. My brother looks human and he has copper based blood unlike me. it's ironic how genetics work."
"So wasn't that a story?" Trip said; he remembered the tale T'Pol had told himself and Captain Archer. "Carbon Creek?"
"You heard about Carbon Creek?" It was Tru's turn to be surprised.
"Yes," Trip told her. "T'Pol said her great grandmother was there. She said it was just a story."
"I'll definitely have to talk to T'Pol then." Tru decided.
Trip studied her face, noting the decidedly non-Vulcan features in her face. "I was wondering how you got the light hazel green eyes."
"Yes, I get it from my mother; also my hair colour." She took out a picture from what seemed to be a small binder.
"Wow," he looked at the raven-haired beauty with hazel green eyes.
"Thank you for compliment."
"Are you a vegetarian?" Trip asked, his curiosity peeked.
"No, I am addicted to cheese steak sandwiches, something my brother hates." Tru smiled; making a crewman at the drinks dispenser look over at them oddly. "Though he did learn how to make them just for me. He's a vegetarian you see."
"Brotherly love," he mused. "Do you miss him?"
"Yeah, he's my older brother." Tru informed Trip. She paused. "I miss him, he is quite the fanboy"
O-O-O
An hour after Captain Archer called for the staff meeting, the senior officers of the Columbia entered the Enterprise's conference room to start the meeting. Noticing Tru enter the room, Trip motioned for her to sit next to him, which earned a stare from T'Pol.
"Looks like she is jealous," Tru whispered in his ear.
"You can read her pretty well, it took me a while to notice her moods." Trip pushed his chair back. "Want something to drink Doctor Summers?" he raised his voice.
"Coffee, half-and-half with whipping cream on top, please."
"Will do," he got up to get her the drink, the glare not breaking from T'Pol, despite her sipping her green tea, trying to not show anything.
Tru grabbed a chip from the tray, "Lime flavoured potato chips."
"I thought Vulcans didn't like touching their food?" Archer asked taking his seat at the head of the table; opposite Captain Hernandez.
"We don't. We also don't drink milk products," T'Pol looked disapprovingly at Tru.
"Vulcan's don't act like jealous girlfriends either," George's comment caused T'Pols silence as she brooded in her tea. Tru smirked at her friend.
"Ouch," Trip gave her the cup. "Boy, does she has a mouth on her," he whispered to Tru.
"That she does," Tru nodded. "It's gotten her in Columbia''s brig a couple times. Wait till you see her collection of 20th century antiques, it's extravagant."
"Wow," Trip's eyes glossed in envy.
"Captain Archer," Hernandez said from across the table. Do you want to start this meeting? It is your ship?"
"Ladies first," Archer grinned.
Hernandez nodded. "We are in a grim situation," she continued more formally. "As Lieutenant Commander McCoy and Commander T'Pol have found out, we are not only over three million light years from Earth, but possibly in the future as well. We need to either find a way to reopen the wormhole to go back home, or we be forced to make a home here."
"Have we gotten anything new on sensors?" Archer asked.
"We did find an awful lot of tachyon emissions," Sam started with T'Pol adding, "they appear to be artificial in nature."
"Could they be responsible for us being stranded here?" Reed pipped in.
"We are investigating that," the data appeared on the various padds and the two view screens on either end of the room.
"Could this be a television or radio signal?" Lass commented.
"Who would broadcast television or radio using tachyons?" Conner voiced.
"She may be on to something," Ensign Sato's excited voice chipped. "When we isolate the signals, they form patterns, similar to those we used to use in the broadcast of television concurrent with the early 21st Century."
"Ensign Sato, why don't you work with Lieutenant Lass on this," T'Pol paused. "If they use tachyons for communication, maybe we can find a local power to help us."
"I would like Lieutenant Commander McCoy and Commander T'Pol to investigate the area of the wormhole to see if it will reappear or we can artificially recreate it," Archer ordered.
Doctor Phlox finally spoke. "I would recommend a medical and psychological check-up on the crew, to make sure that everyone's in their game, as you humans call it. I hear that Doctor Summers has a degree in psychology, which may be helpful for the crews, once they hear the news."
"On our end," Trip said, glancing across at Lieutenant Reed who was nodding confirmation. "The engines and weapons have been checked and doubled checked."
"Same with the Columbia," Lieutenant Folie put in.
"Tactical has determined the two structures which are ten light minutes apart, do not contain any weapons." Reed started.
"There are several dormant fusion power plants on each of the pylons of the structures. I recommend a view of them," T'Pol added.
"We can put this on our agenda," Hernandez suggested. "Why don't we leave probes to monitor the area while the Columbia and the Enterprise separate to investigate the two structures separately. Any objections?"
"No sir, I'd love to see what they are and what makes them tick." Lieutenant Commander McCoy said as T'Pol nodded her affirmation.
"Then it is settled," Hernandez nodded. "We meet in twelve hours to give updates, barring any surprises."
"Agreed," Archer said getting ready to rise from the table. "Dismissed."
"Commander T'Pol, can we have a little chat?" Tru asked. "In private?"
"As you wish," T'Pol nodded. What does this V'tosh ka'tur want? T'Pol thought to herself.
"Don't let her intimidate you," George whispered in her ear. "She seems very nervous."
"I won't Old Woman." The deceitfully young Lieutenant's death stare was very apparent.
"Kids, today." Lass could just be heard muttering under her breath.
Tru approached T'Pol, starting in Vulcan, "I wanted to show you this." Tru handed her a photo.
T'Pol stopped short. "T'Mir," she paused, "how did you get this?"
"My grandfather," Tru said.
"You're the descendent of Mestral?"
"Yes."
"You are part human," T'Pol stated more then asked.
"I am mostly human, only a quarter Vulcan." Tru sounded a little defensive.
"Do you have siblings?"
"An older brother, he looks human. Though he has a copper-based haemocyanin, unlike me."
"You have an iron-based haemoglobin?"
"Yes," Tru confirmed.
O-O-O
"I don't fucking believe it," Lieutenant Lass exploded as she stared at the display mounted atop the situation table in the Enterprise's small situation room behind the bridge. She paused, glancing at Ensign Sato who was staring bug eyed at her. "Did I just... Did I just say that aloud?"
Sato just nodded. "Think half the bridge crew heard that. Be thankful Captain Archer and Commander T'Pol are having breakfast right now at the captain's table."
"O really?" The two communications officers glanced up to see Lieutenant Reed leaning over the railing that separated the bridge from the slightly lower situation room. "I'd try to keep from using such language in front of Captain Archer, if I were you."
Lass just nodded meekly.
"Now," Reed stepped down to the lower level joining them, "what got you so excited?"
"I was right," Lass said working to keep her tone normal. "They are using tachyons for television and communications broadcasts."
"Here," Sato touched a series of controls on the edge of the table, transferring the information to the large display on the situation rooms back wall. "Here take a look."
The display, he observed was split up into six sections, showing a series of what appeared to be videos. One was showing a black and white movie. Is that King Kong? Reed thought. Another was a soccer match. Two of them appeared to be showing some sort of children's video. The fifth was just static, and he passed it right by as he glanced at the sixth. "Is that a news broadcast?" Reed asked, pointing to the last image.
"Let's find out," Lass said casually, entering a few commands causing all but the last image to disappear. The sixth image expanded, filling most of the display except for a small section at the bottom which showed the actual data stream.
The woman, Lass thought it was a woman anyway, was dark skinned with black shoulder length hair and reminded her of some of the old 20th Century newscasters she'd once seen a long time ago. She was well dressed, and wore a badge with the English characters ISN on her left breast. "There," Lass entered a final command. "We should have audio now." Stepping back, she let Ensign Sato and Lieutenant Reed watch the broadcast with her.
"...with the stunning revelation today," the anchor woman began, "of evidence purporting to show that the death of President Santiago was not an accident, but an assassination planned from within. Furthermore, then-Vice President Clark was involved with this alleged conspiracy. The evidence is currently undergoing tests designed to determine its authenticity. Meanwhile, several senate committees in Earth Dome will hold closed sessions to discuss the issue and are strongly urging the appointment of a special prosecutor to evaluate the evidence. In other news..."
Lass cut the channel. All three of them wore an expression of confusion on their faces.
"Rough translation I take it," Reed commented, frowning.
"That was untranslated," Sato said. "She was talking in an Earth language... English to be precise. That should not be possible."
"Duh," Lass said. "Did you notice she looked human too?" Lass though, was obviously just as confused. What are humans doing way out here?
"Lieutenant," Sato said, ignoring the Lass's jibe, and pointing at the data stream. "This has a time-stamp. It's February 15th, 2260."
"I think," Reed said thoughtfully and still frowning. "Captain Archer should be informed; Captain Hernandez, also. They're going to want to see this."
O-O-O
"This structure is amazing," McCoy said glancing up from her viewer at the science station on Columbia's bridge. "It has a reaction control system which allows it to expand or shrink; much like our dry docks at home."
"Is it a dry dock?" Hernandez asked.
"It looks like one, but I doubt it." McCoy explained further. "Deep scans show a transphasic form of the rare isotope of potassium, K 40 embedded in each pylon."
"In English please, Lieutenant Commander McCoy."
"Part of the atoms are shifted to another layer of reality," McCoy said smiling inwardly. "I would say something similar to subspace but not subspace..." McCoy broke off as an alarm went off. "Sensors just detected a pair of spacial anomalies forming near the Enterprise."
"On screen," Hernandez said. She glanced up at the main screen on time to see two bluish looking vortexes form, and a what appeared to be two very large bulky looking ships emerge. Both ships, she noted seemed a have a central rotating section. A moment later, the vortexes collapsed in on themselves , disappearing in brief flashes of light. "What was that?"
"Unknown," McCoy stated. "I'm now picking up the ships on sensors. Each appears to be over seventeen hundred metres long."
"Have they detected them?" Commander Ramius asked from just behind Hernandez; in her usual spot.
"Yes, ma'am." McCoy confirmed.
"Captain," the relief communications officer said, turning in his chair. "They're hailing Enterprise."
"Can we listen in?" Hernandez asked. "I'd like to know what they're saying."
"No, our transceiver array needs to be recalibrated to be able to get the tachyon signals," the relief officer said. "Only the Enterprise's has been."
"They're firing some kind of particle beam," Lieutenant Folie said from her tactical stations. "Looks like a warning shot."
"Polarise hull plating," Hernandez looked around everyone for a moment. "Tactical alert, all hands to battle stations."
"Enterprise is hailing, ma'am," the communications relief officer said. "It's Captain Archer."
"Archer to Hernandez," Archer's filtered through the communications system. "Go to warp. We're transmitting rendezvous coordinates to your helm officer. Enterprise out."
"You get those coordinates, Ensign Paris?" Hernandez asked.
She nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Then engage, warp two." Hernandez ordered, settling into her command chair.