Hold on to your hats! The adventure between the worlds is about to begin!

Okay, one thing you need to know. This starts about a week after the events of the Star Trek: The Next generation books A Time To Be Born and A Time To Die. I know the Enterprise actually went somewhere else after that, but I don't care. This is my story, so I can do what I want, right? Anyway, please bear with me. This chapter might get a little boring in the middle, I must admit, but please read it. The end of this chapterand the next chapter will be really good, along with the rest of the story we hope. Also, I know that up to this point it has been more Star Trek than Smallville, but all that's about to change...

Anyway, you don't have to have read the two books I mentioned to read this. But if you have, congratulations, all this wil make perfect sense to you. For those of you who haven't, it's okay. You'll get a good explanation within the chapter, and that will be all you need to know.

I hope you enjoy this! Thanks so much for the reviews guys, and pleasekeep them coming! (No reviews, no more story)

Chapter 2

Three Years Later

Captain Picard studied the strange green and red cloud that occupied most of the viewscreen, which the Enterprise had been ordered to explore.

"Lieutenant, what is that cloud composed of?" Picard asked as the ship neared the anomaly, directing his question to Vale at the tactical station. The woman looked back down at her console for a moment, then looked up and frowned.

"Well sir, we know that this cloud is the remains of Krypton, a planet that was destroyed more than three centuries ago, but the material is not one that the ship's computer is familiar with."

"Mmm, curious…" Picard said. "It couldn't hurt the ship, could it?"

"I don't believe so, sir, but I do suggest that we proceed with caution," Vale said.

"All right then. Helm, move in closer, one-fourth impulse. I want to get a better look."

"Aye sir."


Down on one of the ship's observation decks, Morgan, Faith, and Kaitlyn stood near the windows, observing the peculiar cloud outside. It was late afternoon, they were off duty, and they had all been curious and decided to come here. Lieutenant Commander Data was also there watching it, but unlike the girls, the curious android had a tricorder with him. He had been there when they had arrived, and they had all exchanged hellos, but after that they hadn't spoken much. All were content just to stare out the window, fascinated by the display provided.

The cloud was mostly green, with patches of red here and there, which was odd. As the ship moved closer, shards of what appeared to be either some kind of green and red rock or gem could be spotted floating lazily about in the vacuum of space within it.

Finally one of them spoke up.

"Wow," Kaitlyn said. "It's, um…it's really pretty, but it's just…weird. I don't know how to explain it."

"No, what was weird was when we and hundreds of other young people from our century were brought here, trained, and made temporary Starfleet officers because Starfleet needed more people when they were in the war. This is nothing compared to that," Faith said back.

"I'd have to agree with Faith," Morgan smiled.

"Okay, I guess you're right," Kaitlyn laughed.

She thought back to the time that Faith had referred to. It had been a difficult transition, leaving Metropolis and getting used to a whole new century. But the Enterprise senior officers had been friendly and helpful, and even, despite the girls' low rank of ensign, they were their closet friends on board.

Yes, the war was over, and after it had concluded, most of those brought from the twenty-first century had gone back to their old homes, but a few had chosen to stay in the future. They had all been allowed to decide for themselves whether they wanted to make the twenty-fourth century their permanent home or not. Of the people from the past who had been on the Enterprise during the war, Kaitlyn, Faith, and Morgan were the only ones left. Now that things in the Federation had settled down somewhat, Starfleet Command had informed them that if they wanted to remain in Starfleet they would have to go through the academy, but so far they had not followed up on that yet. Not to mention that certain circumstances had prevented them from doing that just yet.

Kailtyn felt both like shivering and smiling when she though of the events that had unfolded in the past few weeks, involving the Rashanar site. Something disastrous had taken place, and Captain Picard had been accused of something he hadn't done. He had been court-martialed by the end of it, and the Enterprsie had had to embark on a top-secret, off the record mission to prove his innocence. They had done that, and neutralized the threat in the Rashanar site, but they would not have even been able to do that if it hadn't been for help that they had received from a long lost friend of the senior officers of the Enterprise-Wesley Crusher.

The young man, now a Traveler, had returned to help. Actually, back in the twenty-first century, among the Star Trek books she had read, there had been one that had chronicled the events of the Rashanar mission. Morgan had read it as well. The two of them had known what was going to happen, as they had occasionally over the time they had been here. They had known that Wesley was going to show up, and they had known exactly who Ensign Brewster was when Wesley had, at first arriving, using his powers as a Traveler, disguised himself. For the most part neither of them had said anything to anyone else, because when they had been brought to this century they had promised that they would never tell anything they knew, because Starfleet had known they would know things like that. Kaitlyn however, had not kept her mouth shut completely.

It had probably been foolish, but when she had gotten a chance she had let "Ensign Brewster" know that she was aware of who he really was. This, of course, has aroused Wesley's suspicions, and he had demanded that she tell him how she knew. She had, and he'd understood; though she had had to promise several times that she would not reveal his identity to get him to calm down.

Over the rest of Wesley's under-cover stay on the Enterprise, and after he had chosen to reveal himself, the two of them had developed something of a friendship. Though Kaitlyn was sure that, at first, the only reason he even talked to her was because he didn't want her to tell anyone who he was. Actually, at the beginning, Kaitlyn had been almost positive that he despised her and thought her a pest. Thankfully though, that had worn off, and he had seemed to come to think of her as a good friend. Eventually Kaitlyn had even found herself discretely telling him things from the book she had read, warning him of things.

But that was not all she had found herself doing. Despite all her efforts to deny her feelings, Kaitlyn had found herself falling in love with him. But she couldn't have him. Not only was she a Christian and he obviously wasn't, but Wesley was in love with another woman. That woman, Colleen Cabot, had lost her life during the Rashanar mission, even though Kaitlyn had warned Wesley that it was going to take place. Poor Wes had taken it extremely hard, and after that Kaitlyn had not felt guilty about her feelings and tucked them away even further.

And then Wesley had left. The mission had been over, the ship and his friends safe, and he had disappeared, without saying goodbye to anyone except to his mother. That had been a week ago.

Now as Kaitlyn thought back to the weeks he had been there, she felt a single tear slip down her cheek. Quickly she wiped it away. She wished she'd never had feelings for him, that he had just been one more person she had encountered in her life, but she had, and still did. She could only hope that one day he would return again.

At that moment the door slid open, pulling Kaitlyn out of her reverie. Lwaxana Troi, (on board for some reason or another, the details of which none of them knew) strolled into the large room, Commander Riker and Counselor Troi trailing behind.

"Mother, why did you want us to come here?" Deanna asked, the slightly exasperated tone she nearly always had with Lwaxana just detectable.

"I wanted to take a good look at this, dear. You really should enjoy it, Little One. It's an absolutely beautiful sight," Mrs.Troi said lightly. With that, the Betazoid woman walked up to the windows, and Will and Deanna glanced at each other. Riker rolled his eyes almost imperceptibly.

"Hey, Deanna," Kaitlyn said in greeting.

"Oh, hello, Kaitlyn," Deanna said, now smiling. "Hello Morgan, Faith."

"Hi," Faith and Morgan said, echoing each other.

"How are you?" Riker asked. Then he noticed the android near them. "And what about you, Data?"

Data looked up from his readings. "I am doing, well, commander. Thank you," he said politely, drawing a few giggles from some.

"We're good," Morgan piped up.

"Great!" Faith said.

"Yeah," Kaitlyn agreed, unable to think of anything else to say.

"I'm glad to hear that," a new voice from the far side of the room said.

All occupants of the observation deck turned in surprise to see Wesley Crusher standing there as if he'd been standing there all along.

"Wesley?" Riker said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I never said goodbye to the rest of you a few days ago," the young Traveler answered.

"It's good to see you," Deanna smiled.

"I am pleased that you are here as well," Data said.

"It's good to see you too, Data, Commander Riker, Deanna," Wesley said, grinning.

Kaitlyn, who had stood stock still, stunned, for several seconds, finally broke into a huge smile.

"Well thank goodness," she said, feigning annoyance. "I-uh-I mean, um, we were beginning to worry about you."

Wesley looked in the direction of the three girls that he knew to be from the twenty-first century. "Sorry," he laughed. "I didn't really mean to leave so quickly, but…whatever. Anyway, how have you been?"

Kaitlyn was about to answer when Lwaxana stepped away from the windows and toward Wesley.

"Oh! Um…hello Mrs. Troi," Wesley said in surprise.

"Hello, Mr. Crusher," she said. She looked at her daughter with an inquiring glance. "That is him, isn't it?"

"Yes, mother."

Lwaxana looked back to Wesley. "Then how did he get in here like that? The Wesley Crusher I remember couldn't pop in and out like that Q friend of Jean-Luc's. But it seems like he did."

"It's a long story. Mrs. Troi…" Wesley began.

"Which you can hear later," Deanna cut in quickly. "Mother, Wesley came here to see his friends, not to explain every detail of his life to you."

"Oh nonsense. He has time. Besides, I have a feeling this is going to be interesting," Lwaxana insisted. "Now, Mr. Crusher, if you would be so kind…"

Wesley sighed internally. Deanna did the same, while giving Wesley an apologetic look. Wesley shrugged back as he began to tell Mrs. Troi about his becoming a Traveler, and the rest of those in the room exchanged amused looks.


On the bridge, Captain Picard gave the order to enter the cloud itself, and the Enterprise glided forward slowly and gracefully.


"That's fascinating," Lwaxana said as Wesley concluded his story. "But-" suddenly she stopped, and glanced over at the windows. "What is that?"

Wesley turned, as did everyone else, to see that something strange was beginning to happen with one of the windows. The various conversational groups ceased to talk, and the room fell silent. All turned toward the view of stars.

The window suddenly began to ripple, and then distort. After a moment what seemed to be something of a vortex formed in it. An image took shape. Finally it stopped changing and only sat there, rippling slightly, as if it were water. In the middle of the vortex that now took up one entire window there was now a perfect picture of a small farm.

"What in the world?" Kaitlyn breathed.

"This doesn't look good," Will Riker said, reaching up to tap his comm badge "Riker to-Whoa!"

Before he could even finish the call, all eight people in the room were abruptly sucked into the vortex image that had formed, and disappeared without a trace.


"The cloud seems to be doing something to the hull," Vale said from her tactical station. A second later she cried in alarm. "Captain, we have a hull breach!"

"Full reverse! And get those emergency containment shields up! What's wrong with them?"

"Unknown sir, they simply didn't activate, and I'm not reading a malfunction," Vale said as the ship backed away immediately from the cloud. Then she frowned. "Sir, the breach is gone. It's as if it never happened."


On the observation deck, the bizarre anomaly vanished, to be replaced by the clear window that had been there before, but the eight people who had been in the room remained gone.

The eight shouted in surprise as they were pulled through, but just as quickly as it had happened it was over, and they found themselves standing in the middle of a cornfield…