A/N: The twenty-third chapter of my HP/ST:TNG crossover-fic.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Star Trek belongs to Paramount Pictures and, of course, Gene Roddenberry (R.I.P.), The Great Bird of the Galaxy. And all other trademarks aren't mine, but just used in the story. Lynn is all mine.
23. Shore Leave
It was three days after they'd arrived at Starbase 16. Ron had had some trouble accepting the fact that he and the Malfoy's were now related, but now he was starting to get okay with it and even calling Ensign Malfoy Brent. Right now Ron and Hermione lay on one of the planets many beaches. The temperature was about 35 degrees Celsius (about 95 degrees Fahrenheit), the sky was free of clouds and there was a nice breeze in the air. Hermione wore a full bathing suit and Ron had his bathing trunks on. Despite this they hadn't managed to walk down to the water and take a bath. Ron lay on his side, head supported by his arm which was positioned upon the sand. He was looking at Hermione. Her eyes were closed.
'I wonder if she's asleep?' Ron thought.
"No, I'm awake..." said Hermione, making Ron jump a bit.
"How did y- I just- I didn't say anything!" said Ron.
"I've known you long enough to know when you're looking at me," said Hermione.
"Yeah, I suppose..." said Ron. he looked towards the water. "Shouldn't we go take a bath? We've been here a while." Hermione exhaled.
"I'm too comfortable here," said Hermione. Ron looked back at Hermione. She still had here eyes closed.
"Oh, come on..." said Ron, smiling. "We could go for a swim...and then let the sun dry us..."
"And...?" said Hermione.
"Weeeell..." said Ron. "It is sea water, so that means that there's salt in it... And if we'd take a bath, the water would dry and there would be salt on us..."
"Why would we like that?" said Hermione.
"I kinda like salty things..." said Ron. "So I could...lick the salt of you..." He trailed a finger along her arm. Hermione shivered.
"It IS a public beach, Ron..." said Hermione, shaking some mental images of Ron's suggestion out of her mind.
"We could go to the hotel room..." said Ron. He kissed her. "Come on... Please?" Hermione still had her eyes closed, but she could've sworn that Ron had a puppy faced look. She smiled and opened here eyes.
"Okay, but only on one condition," she said.
"And what would that be, oh fair lady?" said Ron, grinning.
"That I can do the same to you, of course..." said Hermione and winked. She got up and started running down towards the water. Ron got up.
"Never thought of that one..." he said. Then he sat of towards the water after Hermione.
Picard was looking out over the plains before him. There where a few hills here and there, but except for that there wasn't a soul for miles. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh air. Then he spurred the horse he was sitting upon to set of in full gallop. Picard sped across the plain on the Arabian steed, smiling and enjoying the moment to the fullest. It felt good to be all alone, just him, the horse and the plains, away from all the things that had happened lately. Too just enjoy riding, a sense of being free, complete solitude. Suddenly the horse stopped abruptly, whinnying. Picard just barely managed to stay up upon the horse.
"What the devil?" exclaimed Picard to himself.
'What could've made the horse stop like that?' Picard thought. Then he heard a sound, and it was getting louder. He turned around just in time to see a shuttle approaching him and the horse, flying fast and at low altitude. A second later it passed a few meters above Picard and the horse. Picard cursed loudly at whomever the pilots of the shuttlecraft was. 'If I only had my communicator with me. Then I could call the starbase and ask which shuttles are out right now...' The shuttle had all but disappeared from sight now. Picard noticed that the horse had calmed down. He spurred the horse again and rode of.
"Holy shit, that was Captain Picard!" said Lynn, clasping her hands to her mouth. She, Harry, Wesley and Malfoy was on shuttle craft, having just done a low fly-by over Picard and his horse.
"You sure?" said Wesley.
"Yeah, I'd recognise that chrome dome anywhere," said Lynn. Harry chuckled.
"'Chrome dome'. That's a good one," he said.
"Oh my God, what if he reports us?" said Lynn. "Wesley, you and Brent could get into a lot of tr-"
"Calm down, Lynn," said Harry. "We went by so fast he probably couldn't see the name of the shuttle. Plus he wants to be by himself and probably haven't brought his communicator."
"Hope you're right..." said Lynn.
"By the way, nice flying, Malfoy," said Harry.
"Thanks," said Malfoy.
'That felt weird...congratulating Malfoy...' though Harry. 'Why should it feel so weird, really? It's not the same guy. Brent seems kinda cool actually. And DRACO Malfoy hasn't really been all that much a git as before the last year or so... Wasn't such a git, I mean...'
"Wanna take the controls, Harry?" said Malfoy, snapping Harry from his thoughts.
"What?" said Harry.
"If I remember it correctly, you're quite the ace when it comes to flying," said Malfoy.
"Well, that was on a broomstick, not with a shuttle," said Harry.
"Don't worry, we'll start in space. That way you have less things to crash into," said Malfoy, and chuckled. He raised the shuttle's nose, taking it into a sharp ascent. A minute or so later they had left the atmosphere. They could see the starbase in the distance. "Okay, let's get started then."
Ethan Walsh stopped. He took a water canteen from his belt, screwed the top of, and drank a bit. He put back the canteen onto the belt, adjusted his backpack, and continued walking through the pine forest. The weather was rather warm, but a bit windy. Walsh didn't mind though. He just kept on walking upwards a slope, a smile on his face as the wind ruffled his hair. Walsh had always liked walking in pine forests. Even more so in pine forests in mountain areas such as this one. He reached the top of the slope. The bare rock of the mountain was visible here, an area as big as half a football field opening up into a clearing. Walsh walked up to the edge of the cliff and looked out onto the landscape. The whole thing looked a lot like the area in which Lynn's and Wesley holo-honeymoon program took place. Walsh didn't know that, but enjoyed the view all the same. Suddenly he heard something in the wind...something like...
"Shuttle thrusters?" he said to himself. Then he saw something at the lower corner of his eye. He looked down and saw a shuttle passing, pretty close to the ground and in through a narrow part of the canyon. He chuckled. "Some ace out flying."
"OH JESUS H. CHRIST, HAROLD JAMES POTTER DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!!!!" screamed Lynn quickly. Harry had just the shuttle flown through the narrow canyon near Walsh.
"Ow! Number one: don't scream!" said Harry. Wesley chuckled at the 'Number one' thing. "Number two: don't call me Harold, and number three: since when do you believe in religious things?"
"Since you started flying shuttles with me on it through narrow passages, that's when!" said Lynn quickly.
"Calm down, Lynn!" said Wesley. "We're perfectly safe."
"Perfectly safe?! How can you- Aw, screw this!" said Lynn, and tapped her com-badge. "Lynn Walsh to transporter room seven at starbase 16."
"Transporter room seven here," said a voice over the com. "What can I do for ya'?"
"Beam me up," said Lynn.
"Okay, nooo problem," said the voice.
"Wait, Lynn, you-" said Wesley, but interrupted himself when Lynn started dematerialising.
Lynn was walking on a walking path down towards the beach that Ron and Hermione had been on earlier. She was mad about Harry being so stupid, idiotic and…well, just plain simply being a guy. But she was even madder at Wesley, who had been defending Harry. She clenched her fists, her arms along her sides.
'Defending him when he's risking our lives!' she thought. 'I'm so mad I think I'm gonna...' She let out an angry cry, making a few heads turn. Lynn ignored them and continued walking towards the beach. As she reached the beach Wesley suddenly materialised just in front of her, making her almost running into him.
"AH!" exclaimed Lynn, surprised. Then she remembered that she was mad at him. "Go away!" she started walking past him, but Wesley grabbed her arm.
"Lynn, calm down!" he said. "We were just having some fun."
"Too risk being squashed against a mountainside isn't exactly my idea of fun," snapped Lynn.
"Well, if it helps, I gave them a bit of a scolding before beaming here," said Wesley.
"Really?" said Lynn, softening a bit.
"Really. Can't have them risking my wives life, can I?" said Wesley.
"Why can't I stay mad at you?" said Lynn.
"Guess I'm just irresistible," said Wesley.
"That's probably it," said Lynn, smiling. She gave him a kiss. "Come on, let's go see Ron and Hermione. They're supposed to be on this beach somewhere." They went down to the beach. After searching for about ten minutes they draw the conclusion that Ron and Hermione weren't on the beach anymore. "Where could they be?"
"We'll soon find out," said Wesley, and tapped his com-badge. "Crusher to starbase 16"
"Here's the room," said Lynn. She and Wesley were at the hotel the group was staying at.
"Good," said Wesley, and pressed the console on the door. No one answered or opened the door. "Maybe they're not here."
"Let's go in anyway, I have to get a book from Hermione," said Lynn and tapped the console, making the door open. They went in. They started looking around, but didn't find the book. They soon had looked in every room except for the bed room. They opened the door. A moment later, Lynn's and Wesley's eyes went wide at the sight before them.
It was night, at about eight o' clock. Harry and Malfoy were sitting at a bar, drinking and talking.
"I wonder how it went for Wesley?" said Malfoy.
"If I know Lynn correctly... not to well!" said Harry, smiling. Malfoy chuckled.
"By the way, you handled that shuttle pretty well for someone who hasn't flown one before," said Malfoy. "VERY well, actually."
"I've always been good at flying, it's in my blood," said Harry.
"Yeah, but as you said: broomsticks and shuttles are a bit different..." said Malfoy.
"I dunno...maybe it's some kind of magic instinct," said Harry. A few seconds passed.
"I was wondering..." said Malfoy. "How was my forefather like? Draco Malfoy, I mean." Harry nearly choked on his drink. "Ouch. That bad, huh?"
"Um...yes and no..." said Harry.
"Okay, bring it on," said Malfoy.
"Truth be told...we were arch rivals," said Harry. "Him, having a father who was a Death Eater and himself suspected for the same thing, and me, the one who's named Voldemort's worst enemy. Not exactly the best match for us becoming friends. But in our fifth year...something happened then that changed him..." Harry looked down into his drink.
"What happened?" said Malfoy.
"His father used the Imperius curse on him to get to me. To get me to Voldemort..." said Harry. "It was the only way for them to get me from Hogwarts. Voldemorts attempt at my life didn't go to well that time, and many Death Eaters, including Draco's father, was exposed. His father was so furious that he tried to kill Draco. But he escaped. Instead his father killed his mother. He never was the same after that. It was for the better in a way. He stopped being so snotty, so damn arrogant. We actually had an okay sort of friendship around the time we were transported here."
"You call him your friend?" said Malfoy.
"Yes. I do," said Harry after a moment.
"I don't know about you, but to me that's all that should matter," said Malfoy.
"Yeah, you're right," said Harry, smiling. He raised his glass. "To friends through all times."
"To friends," said Malfoy. They drank a bit out of their glasses. Now Ron and Hermione came up to them, sitting down at the bar next to Harry.
"Hi," said Harry. He saw that they looked a bit...embarrassed?. "Something wrong?"
"Nope," said Ron.
"We're fine," said Hermione.
"Okay..." said Harry. Now Lynn and Wesley came up to the bar, sitting down next to Malfoy. They exchanged glances with Ron and Hermione. Hermione blushed. "What is going on? Have something happened?"
"Well....yes..." said Lynn. "We went to see Ron and Hermione. When we couldn't find on the beach we went to their hotel room."
"At first, we though they weren't there, since we knocked and there wasn't an answer," said Wesley. Ron ordered a drink. "That is until we opened the door to the bedroom..." Harry cringed.
"Thanks for that mental image..." he said. "Can't exactly say that two of my best friends having se-"
"They didn't exactly do that..." said Lynn.
"So, what did they do?" said Harry, almost afraid to know the answer. There was an awkward silence, and no one answered. Lynn, Wesley and Hermione looked down into the bar. "What?"
"Breakfast of champions..." said Ron. He took a sip of his drink.
A few days later everyone we're okay again, feeling slightly less awkward towards each other. The repairs to the Enterprise was complete and it was time for them to leave. Harry and Ron were in the starbase observation room, about to embark onto the ship. They were waiting on Hermione. Lynn and Wesley were already aboard the Enterprise.
"It's been a fun few days," said a sun-tanned Ron.
"Yeah, it has," said a not quite so sun-tanned Harry. Now Hermione and Malfoy came up to them.
"Ready to go?" said Ron.
"Yeah," said the even-more-sun-tanned-than-Ron Hermione.
"I suppose I'll see you sometime over the next few days," said Malfoy.
"Yeah, that would be fun, Brent," said Harry. "Maybe we could try some holodeck program?"
"Sure," said Malfoy.
Suddenly, there was a big explosion outside in the docking area. Everyone were knocked of their feet. Harry and the others managed to get after a few seconds. They looked out into the docking area. A portion of the wall had been blown away, wide open into space.
"Oh my God..." said Hermione.
"Walsh to Malfoy!" called Commander Walsh's voice over the com. Malfoy taped his com-badge.
"Malfoy here," he said.
"We need you back on the ship NOW!" said Walsh. "The Death Eaters are attacking."
"Attacking the starbase?!" said Malfoy. The group started running out towards the docks for the ships. "That's madness!"
"Yeah, well, no one said they were particularly sane..." said Walsh. "Apparently they have a lot of ships."
"How many?" said Malfoy.
"We don't know yet," said Walsh. "We have to assemble our pilots for the fighters. Unfortunately, six of them were in the section of the starbase which blew up. We got the reserves, but they're only five men. Do you know of someone else who can help us?"
"What about Ensign Crusher on the Enterprise?" said Malfoy as the group ran out onto the docking branch which the Enterprise and the Kurosawa were docked at.
"No, Captain Picard needs him to pilot the Enterprise," said Walsh. Malfoy looked at Harry.
"I think I know just the one, Sir," said Malfoy.
"Status report, Mr Worf?" said Picard.
"We are ready to leave the dock," said Worf.
"Everyone aboard?" said Riker.
"Harry, Ron and Hermione are still at the starbase, Sir!" said Wesley. Picard and Riker exchanged glances. Riker tapped his com-badge.
"Riker to O'Brien," he said.
"O'Brien here," answered O'Brien's voice.
"Can you get a lock o-" said Riker.
"Ronald Weasley to Captain Picard!" called Ron's voice over the com, interrupting Riker. Picard tapped his com-badge.
"Picard here! Where are you?" he said.
"We're thirty meters from the Enterprise!" said Ron. "It's just me and Hermione though, Harry was needed on the Kurosawa!"
"The Kurosawa?" said Picard.
"Yes, Sir! They needed pilots!" said Ron. "Okay, Sir, we're in. We can disembark."
"Good. Picard out," said Picard and tapped his com-badge. "Mr Data, close all docking ports and loosen all docking clamps!"
"Aye, Sir," said Data, and started tapping his console. "Docking ports closed. Docking clamps released."
"Sir, the starbase doors are not opening," said Worf. "I am receiving a message from the starbase saying that they are indeed inoperable."
"Mr Data, does the section around the explosion have any people in it?" said Picard.
"No, Sir," said Data. "Those sections have been evacuated by the starbase emergency transporters."
"Mr Worf, make that hole wide enough for us to get out of here," said Picard.
"Yes, Sir," said Worf. "Firing phasers." A barrage of phaser fire erupted form the Enterprise, cutting into the area surrounding the hole. After a few seconds the hole was big enough for the Enterprise to pass through.
"Mr Worf, open a channel to the other Starfleet ships in the dock," said Picard.
"Channel open," said Worf.
"This is Captain Picard of the Enterprise," said Picard. "As you have noticed we have made us a new door. I suggest we move out and join the fight."
"All ships are acknowledging," said Worf, a smile on his face.
"Very well," said Picard, also showing a slight smile. "Now, take us out, Mr Crusher. As quickly as possible."
"Aye, Sir," said Wesley. The Enterprise started moving, followed by the other Starfleet ships in the dock.
A/N: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia, whom tragically lost their lives on February 1st. These men and women served in NASA and knew the risks, just like the men and women in Starfleet.
On other chapter notes, the title is taken from the TOS episode "Shore Leave"
Sorry again for the long updating time. I think I will have to set my new update rate to two weeks apart. So check for the next chapter on Friday the 7th of March. I'll try to get a chapter up before then.
The "Breakfast of champions" thing is maybe a bit to much of a sex-loaded joke, but it's fun, so I kept it in.
And I FINALLY saw Star Trek: Nemesis! I gotta' tell ya': I loved it. It's not as good as First Contact, but just below that one. It had some really good action, some good character interaction, and a really good score. Looking forward to the DVD!
By the way, here's a great quote I found: "You can't go through life trying to avoid getting a broken heart, if you do, it'll break from loneliness anyway" - Bashir to Odo, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine "A Simple Investigation".
2 reviews since last time. Review comments:
U1 – Hm... My cousin does have valid point in his review... He points out that Picard didn't know about them being entertainment, yet there is a library with DVD's of Star Trek... Well, my explanation to this is that so for I've only confirmed that they have the TOS movies (and perhaps the episodes), and perhaps Picard missed that part of History...? All right, I fouled up. My bad.
CiA – Aye, it is. Be aware that it isn't finished yet, though ;)
Y'all come back now, ya' hear!
Emher
PS (now named "Emher's love problems").
I gave her a rose today. I was supposed to give her it on Valentine's day, but our class was cancelled so I didn't meet her. So I tried to keep the rose alive over the weekend, but then gave up and bought a new one which I gave her. At least her reaction confirms that she probably doesn't have a boyfriend, so there's still hope (GO ME!!!).
I messed up on one thing, though. When she asked (surprised and flattered I might add) why I gave her flowers, I didn't know what to say. Well, I knew what I wanted to say, but it was to early (i.e. me answering her "Why? 'Cause I love you!". Didn't do that though). So I said: "People deserve to get flowers...". She seemed satisfied with the answer (mind you, she already was flattered), and since I'd stuttered a bit I guess it was better than no answer. But now I really would like to go back in time to change it to "You deserve to get flowers...". Note the "You". Not "People", "You". Would that have worked better? Aw, nuts, I did it anyway! Time will tell what will become of us two...
Oh, yeah, another thing. I got my hair cut and now I sort of look like Tom Paris in Voyager. With glasses, though...
DS ("Emher's love problems" is to be continued...).
