Title: Future Tense
Part: 4
Author: M
Feedback: Yes please but go easy on me. :-p
Fandom: Enterprise crossed with Titan.
Pairing/characters: Riker/Troi. Blink and you'll miss it implied T/T'P
Rating: eh...if you've hit puberty, you're good.
Disclaimer: Trip (either Sim or the original) isn't mine. Will Riker isn't mine. Deanna Troi isn't mine. The USS Titan isn't mine. Kitara, Soleta, Ren, Drew Tucker, Sara Reed...they are. Sort of. And no, Soleta isn't Peter David's Soleta. :-p I got to using the name when I created this character years ago never thinking the other Soleta would get ressurrected. So...Trek Fen, it's not that Soleta. K:-p
Summary: Well...they say no one ever really dies in Star Trek...they're not wrong.
See Chapter 1 for notes.
Special Edit: Since I've had more than a few helpful people try to help me out on this one, I'm going to make a note here. I had intended on using the Valiant which was destroyed and never repaired and have edited to reflect that. I first planned on using the Defiant but somewhere along the line in my research, things got mixed up and I read a summary or two which lead me to believe the Defiant had been destroyed in the finale of DS9 and had yet to be rebuilt. Hence the quick edit to reflect the Defiant's apparent destruction. Since that was the mixup, I'll change it. As for the class of the Defiant? That one's debatable. It's been called the Valiant class. In fact, it started out that way. Then somewhere along the line the writers got used to writing Defiant and it bled over into the ship class. So, sorry, that's not an error in canon it's simply a grey area and I'm leaving it that way.
As
for the class of the Titan? Yes. I'm leaning toward going with the Luna
class mentioned in the novels. I should point out this is NOT the
Titan of the novels however. The crew is different and the missions
will be different. I started this before "Taking Wing" was ever even
remotely published. This is actually a finished fic which I'm slowly
uploading. So while you will see some things similiar to the 'canon'
novels...not everything is going to be. And I'm going with the faster
warp crusing capability as Luna's the latest off the block and I'd
prefer going that way. I had originally intended to make Titan a
Sovereign but...went with the novel instead.
"Future Tense"
by M.
The heat of Soleta's quarters hit him like a blast furnace and his reaction was observed by the sharp eyed Vulcan who acknowledged it with barely a flicker of expression. She did, however, take pity on him and said, "Computer, lower ambient temperature by thirty two degrees."
Tugging at his collar, Trip grinned sheepishly at her. "Is it always this hot in here?"
"No." The Vulcan admitted with a look that might have been her version of sheepish. "It is the summer season in the province wherein my home is located. I do attempt to keep my quarters regulated with home. It is...comfortable to me." She crossed the spacious main room which he was observing with interest. He'd only been in the personal quarters of one Vulcan prior to her and T'Pol had never had this much on display. The basic structure of Soleta's quarters was nearly identical to the ones he'd been assigned but that was where the similarity ended. There were artifacts artfully arranged on the walls, tapestries, statues on the shelves intermingled with a plethora of books. It was sparse and yet rich at the same time. The effect was a balance and one, he had a feeling, she worked hard to maintain. "Ordinarily, I do lower the temperature prior to the arrival of guests. My level of comfort and that of my shipmates drastically differ. There are few crew mates who would enter and not notice the heat."
"It's kinda hard not to." Trip admitted, wandering toward a tapestry, examining the pattern with interest. He couldn't make hide nor hair of the words or images woven into it but he figured Hoshi'd go nuts over it. She'd probably go nuts over everything in Soleta's quarters. He was sure T'Pol definitely didn't have anything like it in hers, but what interested him the most, more than the items on display, was that Soleta thought nothing about displaying any of it and was paying no attention to his interest, going about her business instead. She was accustomed to people seeing her personal possessions. "This is amazing."
"It is a replica." Soleta admitted from where she stood at one of the few purely functional pieces of furniture in the room. Her desk console. "The original is in my family home on Vulcan. I would not dare to bring the real piece offworld. It is over a thousand years old."
"Wow." He blinked. "And here I thought Mom still having great-great-great grandma Tucker's broach was somethin'." Joining her at the desk, much as he had with Deanna earlier, his eye caught sight of a gilded, old-style picture frame. Curious, he reached out to pick it up then turned it to face him. When he did, he found himself looking at two images. The first of a middle-aged Vulcan couple in ornate robes. Taking a guess, he figured on it being Soleta's parents at their wedding. A fact she affirmed the moment she realized what he was looking at.
"My parents." Reaching out, she tapped one slender finger above each face as she named them, "My mother Saavik and my father Spock. The image was taken for them by an old friend of my father's." At this, she seemed amused. "He was told there would be no photography at the ceremony however...he rarely does what he is told."
"I'll bet." Trip laughed then stopped as the name clicked into place and he forgot both the joke and the picture frame in his hands. "You're Captain Spock's daughter!" In retrospect, that should've been obvious. He'd passed a lot of Vulcans in the crew but somehow...it kinda fit. All things considered. "Counselor Troi mentioned you might be willing to tell me a few stories about the Enterprise?"
Her facial expression did not change but he got the distinct impression that Soleta was quite pleased by the question. "I would be honored to do so." She paused, contemplating something which put a faintly mischievous look on her face "In fact, there are other arrangements which can be made as well." To his utter aggravation, she left it there.
"Oh come on now, Soleta, you can't leave it at that!" He protested as she sat at the console, elegant fingers playing across the touchpad of the desktop unit. "What 'arrangements'?"
"That, as my grandmother would say, is for me to know and you to find out," she answered placidly, not looking up from the screen.
The mention of her grandmother reminded him of the frame in his hands and Trip dropped his gaze to look at the second panel, "Are these your..." At the sight of the very human features of the elderly woman in the picture, words failed him and all Trip could do was stare. Soleta's grandmother was human.
Seeming to understand his silence, she sat back from the console, folding her hands in her lap and quietly saying, "Her name was Amanda."
"She's beautiful," he said finally, still staring at the faces, "you kinda look like her, actually." It was easy to see the resemblance, Soleta had inherited her grandmother's fine features and tiny frame. In the photograph Amanda appeared to be in her eighties and Soleta's careful wording made him realize. "I'm sorry...how long?"
"I never knew her." She admitted and there was no mistaking the sadness underlying her words. "Human lifespans, even in this day and age, still fall woefully short of Vulcans. My father and mother had one child, my elder brother, many years ago. She knew him. But many years went by before they decided to have another child. By the time of my birth, Amanda had long since passed away." She reached out, taking the picture from him. "I have no personal memories of her. I have shared those of my father and my brother in melds but it is regretful I have none of my own. She was a remarkable woman...those on Vulcan still honor her memory."
That got his attention and Trip pulled up one of the smaller stools that decorated the sitting area. "She was well known?" He had the sense he was getting a rare peek into the world the Vulcans normally kept tightly locked away and hidden from the rest of the galaxy. It was a rare treat and one he wasn't passing up.
"The entire family is." Soleta explained. "Ours is an old and influential House. Because of this, Sarek taking Amanda as wife in the time and manner he did was an event which generated much reaction on both Earth and Vulcan, the majority of it shock. A Vulcan and a human choosing to bond was not something anyone had expected at that time. Politically and idealistically we were strong allies...but no one expected anything to develop beyond that." She looked somewhat amused as she added. "I am told by my human crewmates there are few people within the Federation who have not heard the story of their romance. I am pleased by this, theirs is a story to be remembered."
"You'll have to tell me the whole thing sometime." He agreed quietly, an oddly wistful note in his voice. "They were the first, huh?" If Soleta's grandparents had been the first then that meant T'Pol and the other Trip had never quite managed to work it out. That, surprisingly, hurt.
"Indeed." She agreed with a slow nod, watching him with those inquisitive eyes of hers. "In truth, I do not believe that such a union would not have been successful prior to that. There has been some debate, though quiet, on Vulcan as to whether or not the marriage would have been successful even then had it not been for the political power of the family."
"Yeah, you said they were a little influential." He watched her set the picture on her desk, arranging it in the position it had been previously.
"They are." Soleta turned her attention back to the desk console, conveniently avoiding further elaboration. "Starfleet records contain the information as to what happened to the human members of the NX-01's crew after their service aboard the ship. Since she returned to Vulcan after her service, I have made inquiries through my family as to T'Pol. That may take longer as there are traditions to consider but I assure you, I expect answers soon." She brought up Jonathan Archer's service record first. "I thought, perhaps, you would find this one particularly interesting. Given the events of the last few years of the Enterprise's mission, Captain Archer logically chose to enter politics upon his retirement from Starfleet."
"Jon retired!" Trip stared at her in disbelief then followed the movement of her hand toward the screen where she lightly tapped a date on the record, indicating Archer's retirement. "He went into politics?"
"Indeed, at the urging of both the Andorian and Vulcan governments, he accepted a nomination for the presidency of the United Federation of Planets. President Archer's leadership is credited with the swift consolidation of the Federation during the years after the Earth-Romulan war." She sat back, giving him a chance to read the information himself. "He had a family...In fact, the current president is a descendant of his. Serena Archer was elected to her position largely because of her connection to her ancestor. There is a movement within the Federation who believe it has grown soft called the Essentialists...they strongly backed her. It is regarded as one of the few beneficial things they have done."
Shaking his head in bemusement, he sat back and stared. "Can't quite wrap my brain around it. Jon a politician."
"The Federation is not typical of most politics Earth has seen before. Though, logically, Earth is its seat of government."
"Logically, huh?" He managed a wry grin at her usage of the word. Vulcans did seem to love it.
"Quite. Starfleet was already headquartered out of Earth, making Sol one of the most heavily guarded systems in the sector. There was no logical reason to locate the headquarters of the Federation to any other world when one considered the role Earth played in the Federation's formation. It was considered a given that it would not have existed had humanity not arrived on the intergalactic scene at the point in time of history that they did." Soleta paused and rose from her chair, returning moments later with a book which she handed to him. "It is not a common occurrence to publish books in the form they once took, holonovels are more widely enjoyed now, but there are still some traditionalists who prefer the feel of pages beneath one's hands. This is a documentation of the formation of the Federation and the years that followed. It is a highly accurate account of those years of Jonathan's life and how his time aboard Enterprise conditioned him to be the man that he became. Perhaps you would like to borrow it?"
"I would. Very much." Taking it in hand, Trip ran his fingertips over the leather binding, considering. "Thanks." He looked up. "What about the others?"
"Well, your...counterpart also married and had a family but..." She leaned forward, bringing up Trip's service record. "He also chose not to return to space after the Enterprise. Captain Tucker became the head of the Constellation project."
"Which was?"
"He was instrumental in the design of the Constellation class of Starfleet vessel. It was among the widest used class of ship during the 23rd century and the basis for the modern day design of ship as well. It incorporated the best features of the NX design and Henry Archer's engine." Soleta called up the associated files and had them sent to the console in Trip's quarters for his later perusal. "I will leave these files available to your access from the console in your quarters should you wish to review them at a more leisurely pace. There is much to cover. I am in the process of compiling a reading list of important dates in the previous two centuries that you would need to familiarize yourself with first. Counselor Troi and I will go over them with you if you wish." She risked resting a hand briefly on his arm. "There is much to learn but we do not anticipate you encountering any difficulty with comprehending the material."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Trip said with a faint smile. "I'm feeling like I landed in the ultimate way in over my head situation. I'm two hundred years out of date here...it's almost impossible to imagine. Except, from what you all tell me, it's not so impossible to imagine. A regular occurrence really."
"Hardly regular." She responded dryly. "However, yes, it has happened. But such is the Enterprise Curse."
"The what?"
"It is a legend I believe some humans have espoused. There is some basis in fact, however, as all ships named Enterprise that have flown under the banner of Starfleet have managed to find themselves in situations which add new definition to words like fantastical and impossible. The phenomena is so frequent that overtime it took on the name of The Enterprise curse. I have had opportunity to experience it myself." She sat back. "We discovered a ship trapped within a Dyson Sphere whilst I was still serving aboard the Enterprise D and in that ship, the Jenolen, we discovered two patterns in transporter stasis. Someone had rigged up a continuous loop to keep the patterns active for nearly 80 years." Soleta paused, considering her next words. "When we attempted to resolidify the patterns only one was viable. That pattern turned out to be a missing - presumed dead - friend of my father. They had served together aboard the Enterprise for nearly thirty years. He rematerialized believing only a short amount of time might have passed. Whatever time it would have taken his friends to mount a rescue mission. Except...they hadn't. The majority of them had long since succumbed to age." She lifted one brow as she added, "You might imagine his reaction when the Captain introduced him to me and informed him of who I was."
"Must've took him clear off his feet when he found out." Trip commented, finding the whole discussion absolutely surreal. He was sitting aboard a starship, two hundred years in the future, having a conversation with a Vulcan woman who happened to be part human about a man who'd gone through the same thing he had albeit via a different method of stasis. "Did he adjust?"
"He did." She affirmed. "It took some time and was not without its struggles but he did indeed adjust. We are in regular contact now. I believe he has come to view me as the daughter he never quite got around to having." The way she stated the fact, with a quiet but undeniable pride, told him Soleta had absolutely no problem being this particular gentleman's surrogate daughter. "We are quite fond of each other."
"Think someday I might be able to meet the guy?" He ventured thoughtfully. "Sounds like we have a lot in common. The whole fish out of water aspect of our little trips through time and all."
Again that mysterious look surfaced on Soleta's face. The expression she'd worn earlier. "Indeed, I do not believe this would be a difficulty." She allowed with a nod. "Which crewmate would you wish to --"
"Riker to Commander Soleta."
Soleta gave him a look that might've been aggravation before lightly tapping her communicator. "Yes, Captain?"
"Is Commander Tucker with you?"
She pressed her lips together and if Trip hadn't known better, he would've thought she was attempting to hide a wry smile. Or, maybe he was just projecting. "Yes, Sir, he is. I gather you wish to speak with him?" As if she hadn't been expecting exactly that. Trip's earlier revelation about Archer's foreknowledge of the Federation had all but guaranteed the meeting between the two.
"I'd like to speak to you both in my Ready Room just as soon as you can get here."
"Agreed. On our way, Captain. Soleta out." Rising, she looked apologetic. "We will have to conclude this later, Commander. "
"I look forward to it." He agreed with a grin. "Commander."
"Archer knew about the Federation?" Deanna stared at her husband in shock. "Will..."
"Zefram didn't tell them." He responded to her unanswered question. "At least, nothing that would give anything concreteaway. He did, it seems, try to warn people about the Borg - Starfleet isn't too happy with that but they've managed to suppress the information." And with good reason. Starfleet at least had ample occasion to understand the nature of time travel and the resulting ripple effects if anything were to be altered. They had enough scientists and officers warning them about the dangers of such risky business but the average civilian in the Federation lacked the access to such data. All they would glean from the information about Zefram's warnings and the Enterprise's inadvertent trip into the past was that Starfleet had been given an opportunity to warn themselves of the Borg threat. To, in essence, prevent Wolf 359 and had let it slip through their grasp. Will doubted grieving families would much care about the philosophical debate surrounding the Temporal Prime Directive. In theory, it was easily accepted...but when faced with the chance of regaining a family member lost to the Collective...
He didn't think logic or theory would stand much of a chance. At least, not until things had already been changed, when no one would realize the change had ever happened and it was already too late. Given what he was looking at, he couldn't eliminate the possibility that change had already occurred and they were living in an alternate timeline.
"If we are," his wife commented picking up on the thought, "I can't say this part of it isn't enjoyable."
Will grinned at her. "You say that now. Just wait until I forget our anniversary."
"You won't." She returned serenely. He didn't dare ask just what made her so sure. The answer was anyone's guess and one never trifled with a Betazoid woman to find out. Especially not when said woman happened to be Deanna Troi. "Don't worry about that."
"No," he gave her an amused look. "Now I have something else entirely to worry about."
"Which will keep you from forgetting." Deanna looked smug. "Effective technique isn't it?"
"Highly." He answered dryly. The door chimed and he looked up. "Come."
With his approval, the door slid open to admit Soleta, Trip following closely behind her, who walked forward to stop before his desk. "You wished to see us, Sir?"
"I did." Will got up and went to the door, preventing it from sliding shut as he leaned out. "Kitara, in here for a minute." Returning to his seat, he waited for his First Officer to step into the room before turning his attention to the matter at hand. "Drew and I had a rather interesting conversation earlier." He fixed a speculative look on Commander Tucker as he added, "You said Jonathan Archer knew about the Federation? That some self-professed time traveler by the name of Daniels told him?"
"Yessir." Trip nodded. "Never had much contact with Daniels myself. Well, Commander Tucker never had much contact with him but enough that he seemed to be on the up and up. Some damn weird things kept cropping up in the earlier years of the mission. Stuff from the future..." he shook his head. "Should all be in the logs...unless Starfleet's classified them."
"They have." Will affirmed. "I'm waiting on the transmissions from Headquarters. In the meantime, whatever you can tell me would be a help. Exactly what did Archer know?"
"Not a hell of a lot, really. Daniels kept it pretty vague but the impression Jon got was the Federation formed as some kind of alliance to stop a race called the Xindi. Whatever the whole temporal cold war thing was, the Xindi seemed to be on the other side. They were the ones behind the attack on Earth. Killed seven million...including my..." Trip's voice faltered and he stopped, regaining his composure. "Including my sister." No one corrected him on that one. Neither Will or Soleta would have ever thought of it and Deanna could sense the depth of Tucker's feelings without even attempting to. Whatever his genetic status, he felt as connected to the Tucker family as the original Trip had. None of them would ever fault him for that.
"He believes that was the reason for the formation of the Federation?" She said instead, disbelief coloring her response.
Trip nodded, looking at her. "Why, that's wrong?"
"It is indeed a misconception." Soleta agreed quietly. "Though conflict with the Romulan Empire certainly did much to gel the fledgling alliance that Earth created...there was no mention of a race known as the Xindi involved at that time. However, if memory serves me, there is a race by that name which does now hold membership status."
Her calm statement had Trip's gaze snapping back to her impassive features. "They're members of the Federation! They murdered seven million humans!"
"This is indeed so," she responded calmly, "then those actions were likely taken by a small few. The government of the day. It is illogical to hold an entire race accountable for the actions of a few. Particularly if those few were misled by others who have been since dealt with."
"They haven't been!" He argued. "Enterprise was still in the middle of chasing these guys down when I ended up here..."
"And here is two centuries later." Will put in, ending the argument before it had a chance to grow. "Whatever happened, Commander, happened over two hundred years ago. The people involved have been dead for years as have their children and their children's children. They can't be held accountable for their ancestor's sins anymore than ours can." His gaze went to Kitara and the duo shared a look. "The Federation has learned better than anyone how to make a friend of an enemy. Our current alliance with the Klingons has more than proven that out."
"The Klingons..." Trip's brow furrowed. "We're not at war with them."
"We were." Deanna corrected. "There was never a conflict on an intergalactic scale but hostilities between the Federation and the Klingon Empire existed for a century. Generations grew up with the constant threat of absolute war with the Klingons hanging over their heads but they are our allies now. As evidenced by Kitara's presence in Starfleet." She chuckled. "Not to mention her very existence."
When their guest's confusion only deepened, Kitara stepped forward to explain, "My mother is human, Commander. It has not been easy to grow up the child of a Klingon and a Human however...I do not regret it in the least. My existence is living proof of the bonds which have grown between Earth and Qo'noS. I assure you, a hundred years ago if you had told a human or a Klingon that there would be offspring of their two races which did not occur because of brutality...they would not have believed you."
"I'm still havin' a hard time buying us being that hostile..." Trip frowned. "What happened?"
"We will cover that later." Soleta assured. "It is a very long and complex story." She looked faintly amused. "The Enterprise features prominently in the resolution as well." Turning back to the Captain she put forward, "It is possible that this is the reason for which Commander Reed is in the 22nd century. If Archer knows about the Federation but is operating under such flawed data...he could inadvertently do much to damage it's very development."
"She's right." Kitara agreed. "Jonathan Archer played a big role in the Federation's creation. If he thinks that we founded it in order to fight a war..."
"I'm inclined to agree." Will said with a nod and a look in his wife's direction. They both did. The potential what ifs of such a scenario were dangerous. The birth of the Federation was a string over very lucky coincidences. Even something as trivial as a misconception about the organization's intent could have derailed it before it was ever born. The very thought of that was enough to send a chill down his spine. "Hopefully Starfleet will be able to tell us more...including where Sara is. If she hasn't left yet, I'd like to know what she knows."
Trip dropped down into a chair in front of Will's desk and put his head in his hands. "This is surreal." He complained, looking up into the sympathetic face of the Captain. "Everything's completely over my head. How the hell am I ever going to catch up?"
"You're going to." The Captain assured. "I assure you, Commander, from my own experiences?" He smiled. "These people won't stop," he nodded at Soleta, Kitara, Deanna...the whole crew really, "until you do."
"Indeed." Soleta agreed. "I have been told that we are most notoriously bullheaded. At the time, I must admit, it was not intended as a compliment however..."
"Lieutenant Zarell to Captain Riker..."
"Y'know," Trip couldn't help grinning, "that can get pretty annoying."
Will snorted. "You've no idea. Trust me. Sometimes, I think they do it deliberately." As Deanna tried valiantly to contain her laughter, he turned his attention to his Tactical officer's hail. "Yes, Lieutenant?"
"Sir," Kasha, a Betazoid, sounded as if she were torn between bemusement and concern. Will was tempted to accuse her of eavesdropping but a wave of smugness from his wife told him what'd really happened. "There is a Valiant-class starship decloaking off the port bow. Sir...it is the Valiant herself."
The revelation of the ship's name had the modern day officers in the room frowning in concern.
"I thought the Valiant was destroyed during the Dominion War." Deanna commented as she and her husband came to their feet in one swift movement.
"It was." Soleta affirmed, adding the date and location of the ship's destruction.
"Looks like Starfleet wasn't content to let sleeping vessels lie." Kitara said dryly as Will walked past her, exiting the Ready Room and emerging onto the bridge with his little band in tow. "Can't really blame them though, the fact they haven't made this public knowledge... curiouser and curiouser as my grandmother would say."
"Mine would say Starfleet's hedging their bets. The Valiant's their proverbial ace in the hole. As long as it's reconstruction is kept secret...they have an added advantage." He answered as everyone moved to take their stations, Trip following Soleta out of curiosity to the back of the bridge where the Science and Engineering consoles were located. As he passed a tall brunette at one station, she smiled a warm greeting but did not spare time for conversation as her gaze went back to the readouts scrolling across her screen. Didn't take much speculation to identify her as the previously speaking Lieutenant Zarell. She had the Armory Officer stance down. Malcolm would've loved her. "Report, Lieutenant."
The lieutenant looked up again. "They're hailing now, sir."
"On screen." Will took the center seat as the screen lit up to reveal a redhead with a friendly smile. "Well, well, well...look who finally turned up. How've you been, Sara?"
"Busy." The Starfleet Intelligence agent responded crisply despite her smile. "And well on my way to a well deserved respite on Caspiria Prime until Starfleet suddenly directed me here." Rising from the captain's chair, he stepped closer to the screen. "What's going on, Captain?"
"You're not going to believe it." He responded. "I'm sure of that much. This one...trust me, it's out there."
"I suspected as much, with you Captain, things are rarely simple or ordinary." Reed said simply, subtly amused. "I trust I'll get the full story just as soon as I beam aboard, hmm?"
"No." He disagreed then, unable to resist teasing her, said, "but we'll tell you what we know. I promise...it's worth the trip."
"I'll hold you to that." She cautioned mirthfully, before the screen returned to the starfield.
TBC
