"He's telling the truth, captain," Deanna contributed. The pilot stared at her... and kept on staring. Startled by the intensity of amazed adoration, the Betazoid turned her head elegantly aside and tried not to blush.
"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Geordi. "Maybe — maybe he hasn't done it yet! It happened a few hours ago, for us, when we were a whole lot closer to the Trigan system, but for him, maybe it's still in the future."
"Sounds good to me," muttered Edwards.
"Now, just a minute," Riker said angrily. "If you think you're going to take over the Enterprise and do what you like and get away with it — " he broke off, feeling more than slightly foolish, with the realisation that Jake Edwards apparently would do, or had done, exactly that. And there was nothing any one of them could do to prevent it.
"A moment," Data began. "Captain, we know that Mr Edwards has beamed onto the Enterprise, rendered us all unconscious, and used the ship to fire a photon torpedo. But," his voice grew firmer and more animated, "we also know that none of the ship's crew appeared to have noticed that anything unusual had occurred during our enforced absence." He stood up, and began to pace. Riker and Dr Crusher looked at him askance, but Geordi, recognising that detective air, had to hide a grin.
"What is more," continued Data, "we know that the Captain himself authorised the firing of that torpedo. We can therefore deduce that Captain Picard will be transported through time to take his rightful place on the bridge, while his earlier self was incommunicado, here at this very table." He thumped the back of the chair with a flourish, and sat down again, triumphant.
"Can we also deduce, Mr Data, whether the rest of us were also transported through time to take our rightful places on the bridge?" asked Riker, verging on sarcasm.
Data cocked his head in thought, but answered in his usual, gentle voice: "I cannot say for certain, sir. But since none of the other officers on the bridge made any reference to our extended absence, it would seem likely that we were."
"Well," said the captain, taking a deep breath. "It would seem that, one way or another, the Enterprise is going to comply with Doctor Thurssen's request."
"Thank you, captain," their intruder said quietly. "Thurssen is a confounded nuisance, and if it were only a matter of his career I wouldn't ask anyone to lift a finger to help him. But there is rather more at stake here."
"Which I suppose you are unable to reveal to us," the captain replied with understandable annoyance.
Jake Edwards grinned disarmingly. "Correct."
"Mr Edwards," Picard went on as a fresh thought occurred to him, "from something Doctor Thurssen told me I get the impression it was your advice which led him to approach us for help. How is it that you were aware we have had some acquaintance with travellers from the future?"
"Captain! You logged the event. It was all on file. Just as well the historian whose ship was stolen by your previous visitor was a mudgatherer who didn't bother to read Starfleet records. Imagine the confusion if he'd decided not to take the fatal trip!" He paused to let this sink in.
"This is giving me a headache," moaned LaForge under his breath.
"I, on the other hand, as a mere pilot, like to know a bit about the people who've been out there before me. I'm also fascinated by prior technologies. Have been since I was a kid. I still have my collection of model starships, starting with the primitive Soyuz and Gemini rockets, and my Constitution and Galaxy models both carry the name Enterprise . Naturally I read up on the actual ships. I can't swear I could put names to all of you, but I could recite you the full roster of captains for all the Enterprises if you asked me to, and I bet it would surprise you how much I know about your missions. I can't begin to tell you what a thrill it is actually to be here!" He gave a crestfallen grin. "Even though I absolutely shouldn't be. But... there you were, mere light-minutes away from where we needed you to be, and probably the one ship in Starfleet we could contact without telling you anything you didn't already know!"
Picard felt stirrings of sympathy with this Edwards character, despite his reference to a mudgatherer' which he had a shrewd idea was a derogatory term for an archaeologist.
"Mr Worf," he announced to his communicator, "you had better bring Doctor Thurssen back in here."
"What do you want him for?" asked Edwards in honest amazement. "I can give you the co-ordinates you need, and run the transporter. And frankly, you don't want to depend on his calculations. That's how we got into this mess."
The door opened to admit a still simmering Klingon and a thoroughly cowed time traveller, whose gratitude on being told that the Enterprise would co-operate was pathetic to behold.
"Mr Data, I want you to liaise with pilot Edwards on the precise timings and co-ordinates of every aspect of this operation. Check everything, and I mean everything. Mr Data's calculations," he assured the two visitors pointedly, "are absolutely reliable."
Arrangements were made with dispatch. Jake Edwards transferred back to the Taurus, from where he assured them he could transport the bridge crew without the slightest difficulty.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what the inside of a ship is going to look like," LaForge confided to Deanna. "It's sure gonna be crowded in there, though."
He was both disappointed and bewildered, upon transport, to find that the Enterprise group had been brought to a spacious, hexagonal, comfortably furnished room which plainly served as a relaxation area. There was no sign of any technology, futuristic or not. But the room ought, by LaForge's calculations, to take up most of the volume of the tiny doughnut-shaped ship. Where were the controls? Where was the bridge? What about sleeping quarters, relaxation areas? The head?
Jake Edwards, when asked, chuckled wickedly but declined to explain.
"Data and I have arranged to put you back into the Enterprise's Observation Lounge fifteen minutes after my arrival. That will ensure that all of your earlier selves are well and truly asleep. Except for Mr LaForge; he and I will beam into the transporter in your shuttlecraft one, slightly ahead of you, so that he can put me into position to anaesthatize your earlier selves. When I'm done, I'll get back here ready to collect you all. Now, let's check through it one more time. What exactly do I do when I beam in?"
Picard and his senior officers filed back onto the bridge and resumed their seats, ready to assist in maintaining an unknown future.
"Helm, set course one zero five mark three two," the captain instructed. "Warp two. Engage."
A few minutes later the unsuspecting conn ensign announced that the Enterprise was approaching the Trigan system, and was ordered to slow to impulse.
"Sir," said Data, scanning his ops panel with particular interest, "sensors are detecting unusual activity in the vicinity of the fourth planet of the system. I am reading high levels of dolamide and ultritium dust, most likely explanation, weapons discharge."
"Continue analysis, Mr Data. On screen as soon as we are within range."
Data's console revealed, and the viewscreen confirmed, that the two vessels currently engaged in battle around the third moon of the gas giant Trigo Four were an Antican hero-class ship and a Seli marauder. Thurssen might have volunteered that much information, at least, Picard thought, but forbore to comment. Even as the Enterprise hastened closer, the antagonists sent out a devastating exchange of fire and within seconds, both exploded into shards of useless wreckage.
"Mr Data, were you able to identify the ships?" Not that it mattered greatly, Picard reflected. Those two worlds never could settle to a negotiated peace. Despite the Federation's best efforts, someone always managed to spark off another incident'. But, he supposed, their governments would be able to inform the next-of-kin.
"Yes, Captain."
"Please inform the Seli and Antican governments of the incident. Mr Worf, prepare a modified photon torpedo casing. All stop."
"Answering all stop, sir," the oblivious conn ensign replied dutifully.
"Fire when ready, Mr Worf."
"Firing, sir."
They watched the screen thoughtfully as the disarmed torpedo impacted on the moon ahead. Why was it so important to the people from the future?
"Helm, resume course for the Veldor system. Warp five. Engage. Senior staff conference," Captain Picard announced and led the way to the Observation Lounge.
It was very strange to look down at one's own self, closer than a mirror image, deep in slumber. Riker shuddered. It was not an experience he wanted to repeat.
"Let's get on with it," he said abruptly to the pilot in his borrowed Starfleet uniform who was waiting for them.
"Sure." In the blink of an eye, they were back in the hexagonal lounge.
"Tell me something," Riker asked. "Why didn't you just fire your own torpedo? You've gone to a lot of trouble to get us to do it."
"We don't carry weapons. Of any kind." Jake Edwards shrugged. "This is a timeship, Commander. Our shields are pretty well impregnable, if something should hit us. And most of the time, you wouldn't even know we were here. But since there are no circumstances whatever in which we would be justified in firing on any vessel from our own past, we are not equipped to do so. So we had to have your projectile. Now, you'd better excuse me. I have to get you back where you belong."
They didn't notice anything happening, but moments later the pilot returned and informed them it was time to send them back.
"Doctor Thurssen is very grateful. Really. He'd come and thank you all if he wasn't so busy trying to convince himself none of this ever happened." Jake smiled at them all. "You have my deepest thanks. It's possible some of you may live long enought to discover why. And it's been an experience I'll never forget." His eyes shone. "Living history!"
Picard advanced to shake hands with the pilot. He repressed a pang of envy as he said goodbye. One by one, the others shook hands with Edwards, until Troi came to face him. Instead of offering a handshake, she took both his hands, and leaned forward to press a gentle kiss on his mouth.
"Betazed, right?" he said with a wry smile.
"Goodbye, Jake."
And they were back in the Observation Lounge once again.
"This room is starting to give me the creeps," muttered Geordi. "When the hell are we? I've forgotten..."
"Stardate 46136.8," Lt Cdr Data informed him politely. "We are on course for the Veldor system and will arrive in nineteen hours and forty-seven minutes."
"Thank you, Mr Data," said Picard. "I think we all need a little time to re-orient ourselves. We will resume the briefing in one hour."
There was no longer an air of concern in the Observation Lounge. The ship's senior officers, gathered for the briefing, were glad of the opportunity to undertake a temporaly straightforward mission, even if the information on their imminent task was scant enough to leave them working, if not precisely in the dark, at least in the twilight.
Lt Cdr Data was explaining from the beginning again. "The Veldor system consists of five roughly earth-sized planets and one gas giant. Of the smaller planets, one is M-class, the third from the sun. It has one large satellite, 20% of the — "
"I don't believe it!" exclaimed LaForge.
A figure had appeared at the foot of the table. A tall man, his red hair streaked with distinguishing grey at the temples, clad in dark blue, and smiling broadly.
"Hello," he said simply.
"Hello, Jake," replied Counselor Troi.
Picard got slowly to his feet. "What can we do for you?" he asked slowly.
"Nothing, captain, nothing at all. I just came to say thank you."
Everyone was too taken aback to speak, except Data. "Is that not in direct contravention of your time travel regulations?" he enquired.
"Oh, it is, but I have reason to believe this is an exceptional case." Edwards grinned, and the soul of that breezy young pilot showed in his smile. "I knew you would all be assembled in here, just as you were before. And there was no chance of getting it wrong this time. My brother-in-law's calculations are absolutely reliable." He moved to stand beside the Counselor's chair. "I wanted to let you know, Deanna, that it took me nine years to find her, but I did. She's a daughter of the Fifth House, holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx and Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed." Deanna's mouth fell open. "We've been married for fifteen years, we have four sons and a little girl, and –"
A small girl, perhaps five years old, with an angelic face, huge black eyes and a wild mop of curly black hair, appeared beside her father, and emitted a squeak of excitement.
"Xani! What are you doing here! You're not supposed — who sent you across?"
The child took no notice of her father, but scurried round the table and climbed with irrepressible determination onto Lt Cdr Data's lap. Then the child flung her arms around his neck and whispered something into his ear that caused his eyebrows to elevate and his eyes to glaze for a full second.
"Lwaxana!" thundered her father. "Come here!" With an unrepentant giggle the beautiful little girl clambered off Data's lap and scampered back to her father. He gathered her into his arms, trying to look stern, but she dimpled at him and he sighed ruefully. "These Betazed women are impossible to live with. See how miserable I am? I'd better go. I want to have words with my navigator. Goodbye, Enterprise, and thank you again, all of you." And they vanished.
"Poor man," murmured Riker provocatively. "It must be hell..." Deanna snorted.
Picard stroked his head meditatively. "Let us hope that provides the final postscript to our excursions in time. Perhaps we can resume our briefing. Mr Data?"
Data's head twitched. He appeared to be processing information.
"Data? Are you all right?" asked LaForge in concern. "What did she say to you?"
"Yes, Geordi. I am fine," the android replied. His brow furrowed, and he raised confused but shining eyes. "She said, I love you, Uncle Data.'" A small, satisfied noise, the most fleeting of smiles, then his face cleared of expression. "I am sorry, Captain. I will continue with the briefing."
It was fortunate, Deanna Troi mused later, that she was not required as a member of the Away Team for this mission. Jake Edwards' visit had given her a lot to think about. Daughter of the Fifth House... The memory of a little black-haired sprite, of all the unlikely people, saying those precious words to Data, played across her mind like a blessing.