Discalimer. unfortunately, i don't own nothing of the Star treck saga.(the only thing I own is Commander Celian Lapierre and her mother's planet, Endoria. (that's not Andoria! they are two different things!)
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cross-over between T.N.G. and Enterprise; it's set after Nemsis (2380; Riker and Dianna married some months before) for what concern T.N.G., and somewhere between the last two episodes of Enterprise (i decided to set the story in 2157, 4-5 years before the end of the story;here T'Pol mother is dead from a while).i hope you will love and like it,like i loved and i liked write it. I also hope there aren't too many mistakes, because i'm italian and my english isn't ever so perfect. Now, enjoy yourself and,if you want, Review!
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Chapter 2: enemies
U.S.S. Enterprise DI, 2380.
"What? – Jean Luc exclaimed, furious – what they want to do? What do you and your damn people did?" he shouted, trying to hit the alien creature, who vanished in front of him to re-appear at his shoulders.
"We didn't do anything! – He told them angry – not until now! We're innocent; we tried only to defend ourselves!"
"Speak clearly – the commander said – what happened?"
Q made appear a chair at his shoulders and sat. He united the hands under the chin and started to tell his story, again, but now in a better way.
"They arrived suddenly. We do not know how it happened, or how they found us. We neither know why they attacked us. We tried to defend ourselves, but we failed…their mental powers were too great for us; they were able to block our mental abilities. We did not know what to do. And we decided to do the only thing we thought could save us: we called who we knew as their enemies…the Borgs. But…"
"But it didn't work, because they decided to collaborate to defeat us. – Jean Luc said, anger – But why? And who are they?"
"They don't have a name – Q answered – or at least we don't know or we didn't understand it. But the Borgs gave them the name of specie 8472. - He did a pause, a longer one, again, and then he started to look outside the large window of the captain's office, and looked to the stars. – They are technologically advanced, but they still do not know how time-travel. When the Borgs attacked them, they made a pact, a pact to destroy humanity…"
"The specie 8472? I know them, Admiral Janeway met them in the Delta Quadrant... – Celian said – but I thought they were our alleys. Or at least, that they weren't hostile. There's no sense…"
"But what the hell does this have to do with you and your people?" the captain shouted in Q's face.
"I already told you, my friend. They want – he answered calm – they want to destroy everyone is able to stop them. And they consider the Federation their greatest enemy."
"But you didn't answer our question. So I will ask you again – Celian said – what do you and your people have to do with this story? And what does all this mess has to do with time-travels?"
"Read my mind, babe."
"Only God knows what sort of garbage I could find in that basket. So, could you tell us what happened?"
"Ok, ok, you won, "commander". I'll tell what they want from us. They want us to destroy the Enterprise NX-01. No NX-01, no Federation…"
In that moment, something shot the Enterprise.
"Captain! – a female voice said from the communicator – They are attacking us!"
"Lost contact with bridge 4 and 17!" an other voice said. Jean Luc and his officers went back on Command Bridge.
"Deads or injureds?" the commander asked.
"No deads, some injureds. 2 graves." The girl who spoke for first said.
"Shields on! – Jean Luc said – teleport them to the infirmary! Captain to Dr. Crusher!"
"Crusher, I'm listening"
"We're teleporting to you several injureds. Be ready!"
"No problems. Crusher, I close."
The Enterprise was shot repeatedly, again and again, again and again…
"Since when the Borgs are so powerful?" Wolf, the chief of the security, asked.
"Here is LaForge, from machine room! – The commander said. His voice was covered from all the sort of noises – we are losing the shields! And the core is becoming unstable!"
"Maybe - Data, on Command Bridge, said – they're so powerful thanks to the help the specie 8472 gave them…"
"Forgive me… all of you." Was the last thing Q said before to disappear with them.
U.S.S Enterprise NX-01, 2157.
"Captain, the radar shows a ship near here" Sato, the young, Asiatic girl, Ensign, said, looking in to her Captain's direction, in Jonathan Archer's direction.
"Any communications?" he asked her.
"No, nothing"
"Travis, trace a course for this ship. Maybe they need help." Archer commanded.
"Immediately, Sir." Travis answered.
"Or maybe – Trip said at his right – they don't need our help, or it can be a trip. Listen Captain, I think at this point you know the space and the fact it can be dangerous and not everybody are as good as us. You can't risk the life of you own men for…"
"Be quiet Trip – Archer said interrupting his commander – nothing will happen. And I will send on the ship only a small group."
"Who are you thinking at?" the southern asked him.
"Reed, because it needs someone able with weapons; Sato, for her linguistic knowledge; the doctor, because someone can really needs medical help; and logically me and you. T'Pol will remain on the Enterprise; it needs someone who gives order."
"Acceptable" T'Pol said.
"For me it's ok. Teletransport?"
"Yes. We need also some suits. We don't know how the atmosphere on the ship is like. – He said – Captain to Reed and Doctor Phlox. Ready in teletransport room. He went immediately out from the bridge, followed by Trip and Sato.
When they entered in the teletransport room, their suits were ready for them, and Reed and the doctor were already getting dressed.
"Exactly, what's the problem? " Reed asked pulling up the zip of his suit.
"Well, my friend – Tripp answered with a sarcastic smile – it's only a probably empty ship. Or someone who doesn't need our help, someone who doesn't want to do with us or it can be a trap. Who knows?"
"Or it can be someone who needs desperately our help! – Archer said interrupting him, angry – don't discuss my orders!"
"I'm not discussing your orders, Captain, but I believed you had in major consideration you men's opinion!"
"I'm not going to discuss with you my orders, neither this time nor another one!"
"Yes Sir, like you command, sir" In Trip's face there was significant trace of what he thought. He did not answer, and he went under the teletransport, followed by all the others. A few seconds later, their bodies were molecularly broken down, to be recomposed again on the other ship.
"Never seen something likes that, and I'm an engineer who has seen almost all in the universe…- Trip said – and you?"
"It's absolutely new for me, too. The scans tell the atmosphere is breathable. We can put the suits off." Archer said.
"I think I know what we have to do with." Phlox said, worried and scared at the same time.
"What are you talking about, Phlox?" the captain asked him. He worried, too.
"Do you remind the time I was almost absorbed by the Borgs?"
"Are you telling us this is a Borg ship?"
"Reed, I'm sure. This is connected with Borgs. It is not one of their cubes, but they used their technology, here. – The scans he had in hand started to sound – it is…it is strange. It seems a vital human sign. It is... Over there…"
"Human? Are you sure?"
"Yes, Captain. Absolutely:"
"Other signs?"
"I'm scanning but I found only this one. We must keep attention, it can be a trap. The Borgs don't usually abandon their ships or leave survivors."
"What did I tell you?" Trip was now speaking with a smile. Archer returned; the tension between him and his best and oldest friend was gone away.
"Don't speak too soon, my friend. We do not know what is going to happen… - he returned serious and turned himself toward his men – ready for everything. The doctor is right; this is not a common Borg behaviour. Doctor, make way. We will cover you. Let's see what we have to do with…"
The five walked through the cold, metallic and empty corridors of the ship that was almost destroyed. The vital system was still working a miracle. They go ahead for more or fewer 30 minutes, during that the communications did not work for the interferences of the system of the ship. At the end, they arrive in front of a Borg alcove…
"The signs come from here" Phlox said.
"Tripp, Sato, let's see what you can do for the communications. We will open it. Go!"
The 3 forced the alcove and opened it, discovering in its inner a woman, without senses, who fall into Reed's arms. The doctor took his medical scans and analyzed immediately the brown-haired woman. In the same moment, Sato and Trip come back.
"Everything ok with communications. - He said to Jonathan. – who's she?"
"She was the person in the alcove. – Phlox explained – cicatrized tissue. Probably they tried to assimilate her, but they failed."
"Enterprise, here is Captain Archer. We need Teletransport for six. We found what we were looking for."
Enterprise NX-01, Infirmary
"How's our patient?" Archer asked entering the ambulatory followed by Reed.
"Oh, good morning. Captain, Lieutenant Reed. She is still sleeping, but I done few analyses that, among the other things, tell me she is fine. They gave me also the answer to our question…how she resisted to the assimilation process... - the alien doctor said with a proud smile – follow me, I want you see something… - he went near a screen, followed by the two men – let's see"
"We're not expert of genetic. – Reed said him – we understand this is a DNA fragment, but we can't understand ALONE why you believe is so special."
"Excuse me – he said them – you're right. First, it tells us everything on our mysterious woman. No pregnancies, no physical problems, excepted for a degradation of the sight cured, traces of many wounds, cured too. Probably 32-33. This is her natural hair colour. Last, the most important thing…do you remind I told you the scan found a human vital sign? Well, the scan was not totally right…
"Are you – Reed asked him – are you telling us she is an alien?"
"Not exactly. She is not totally an alien. Analyzing her DNA, I found that one of her parents, her dad, was terrestrial. Her mother's DNA fragment is similar to a terrestrial one, with only few small differences. I asked T'Pol's help. No one knows the space like them; I thought they probably know where she can come from. And I was right. "
"Go ahead." Archer said crossing his arms.
"Her mother comes from Endoria, a small planet similar to Earth for conformation and evolutive story. But the most interesting thigh is that she can't exist. The Endorians never had contacts with humans, T'Pol said they had also few contacts with all the others races. They're very closed and proud."
A light appeared in Jonathan's eyes. "Her clothes…where are they?" he asked.
"What? – Phlox asked him, without understand what his captain was thinking about - here they are. But frankly, I can't understand why you need them."
"I've… -Archer said them, insecure – I've only just remembered where I saw this uniform first… during one of the "travels" Daniels made me done, I… I saw some Starfleet officials… wearing this uniforms. I'm sure."
"Do you think she comes from the future? But if it's true, why did she come back?" Reed said, looking at the woman who was still sleeping. He did not believe she could come from the future. What reason could she have to come back in time? She looked so…normal. And needy of help.
"The drugs I gave her will lose their effect in less than half day; tomorrow morning she will be awake and you'll able to ask her everything."
Same place. The morning after.
Jonathan Archer entered the ambulatory again. The doctor told him the woman they rescued was now almost totally awake and able to speak and tell them if not everything, at least something. She was sitting on her bed, wearing a white pyjama, drinking a hot tea, a special blend Phlox did with some herbs from his home planet. It looked she liked it.
"Good morning to everybody – he said taking a seat near them – I'm Captain Jonathan Archer. I would ask you few questions."
The woman looked at him, and then she looked away, to the stars. She seemed sad and tired.
"I'm sorry- she stated – but…but I don't know how help you. Or how help myself." She answered crying.
"May I speak with you, Captain? – Phlox took the captain and went outside the room – I am sorry, but I do not think she can help you, now. She cannot answer your questions. She does not remember anything. I believe the assimilation process damaged her mind. In addition, I am not able to tell you if it is permanent or not. Her memory can came back in a mouth or more or less… I'm sorry."
"And we haven't the instruments to do a dating analysis…and we're too far from Earth to send her or her things to the command to understand who really she is."
"Did you already speak with the command, what did you tell them?"
"I said we found a damaged ship with only a woman on board, and I omitted the particulars. I don't want she became a sort of guinea pig…"
"Where will she stay? I don't think she can stay with…you haven't the intention…"
"Why not? Then, what do you want to do? We can't come back, there are ships or stations in light-years…or do you want to abandon her in the deep space?"
"In that case…but what do we do with her? We cannot call her only "you", if she will stay with us. Don't you believe she needs a name?"
"On Earth, when a person is found without memory and is not identifiable, it gives him, or her, the name John or Jane Doe. I think it's our case…"
"I'll ask her opinion."
Same place. 3 months later.
"Problems?"
"No, only sometimes a headache. And stomachache. Sometimes the food is really…I don't know if use the word "terrible","disgusting" or "dangerous"." She said him smiling. Jane was sitting on the bed while the doctor was controlling her.
"I can't do anything for the food, but I can give you some analgesics. And what about the memory? Changes?"
"nah, nothing – she answered getting vitally up – I don' remember nothing about myself or my life before I woke up. I do not know where I came from, where I belong, who I am. Doctor… - she said with low voice and eyes – do you believe one day I'll remember?"
"Jane, listen – he told her putting a hand on her shoulder – each case is different. I cannot tell you in a definitive way if you will remember or not. Maybe yes. Maybe not. No one knows, neither you nor me. But now there's only one thing you must absolutely remember…"
"There will be ever a place for you, here, at least until we don't make return to the Earth…" she said with a mix of sarcasm and bother.
"I see you already know everything."
"Everyone tell me exactly the same things. Everyone except T'Pol, I think she still believes I'm a sort of trap."
"Hello?" a male voice came from the entering.
"Lieutenant Reed, good morning. Any problems?" the Doctor asked him.
"I think he is here for me." Jane said smiling.
"We must do some tests." He answered, smiling at her, too, and giving her right arm.
"He is trying to teach me to shoot. I think I must go. See you soon, Doc." The half-alien woman said, crossing her arms, convincing Reed to retire the one he offered her. Malcolm followed Jane outside the ambulatory, and saw she was still smiling. In the last two months, she started to be not only more "open" with them, but also more…happy. It was no more a problem for her the lack of memory, or if it was, she was able to maintain the fact hidden to everybody. To him, too.
"You know – he said her whispering in her hears, going the nearest possible to her face- I don't have to teach you nothing. You've a great instinct."
"Thanks" she said shy, becoming red in face.
"I didn't know you were so shy" he said her, now at a certain distance, like he was making fun of her.
"There's a first time for everything, my dear Malcolm."
"You know, you are one of the three persons on the Enterprise who call me Malcolm and no Reed. Besides you, only the captain and the commander call me Malcolm"
"Do you prefer I call you Reed?" she asked serious and, it seemed him, sad.
"Absolutely no. I like it. It reminds me I am more than an officer. Here you are – he said stopping himself in front of a door – see you later?"
"Of course – she said smiling – you don't have not to ask. See you later, Malcolm." She said entering, after have give him a kiss on his right cheek. For few instants, he desired to answer her innocent kiss with a deeper, more passionate one; but for some reasons he did not. But he remained motionless, jammed in front of the closed door telling her only "Hi" and touching the cheek she kissed, like to convince himself it was not a dream.
