Standing in 10 Forward, Jim looked out the portals to see the planet Haven in all its beauty and glory. Jim still couldn't get past the fact that he was living his childhood dream, in that he was seeing planets and peoples that those in the 20th century had no clue about. You see, humans from Jim's point in time are still largely ignorant to a lot of things that Jim, Sara and Greg were finding out to not only be true and present, but indisputable, as well.

In the two weeks since their arrival on the Enterprise, the three, Greg, Sara and Jim, had seen Angosians, Barolians, Klingons, and Melkotians, not to mention the other species they encountered on the holodeck programmes. There were the Caldorian eels, Bulgallian rats, Baneriam hawks and Glob flies as well as other plants and critters of all shapes and sizes.

Holding a data pad in one hand and a synth-ale in the other, Jim thought to himself that things could not possibly get any better than they were. He was living the life he had always wanted to, he had relatively unrestricted access to a wealth of information about planets, civilizations and the various advances that had been achieved in the last 400 years. Spying an empty table in front of a portal, Jim sat down and began to read from his pad keeping his voice low.

"2026-Joe DiMaggio's hitting record broken by Buck Bokai of the London Kings 2061-Warp Drive invented by Zefram Cochrane 2079-Earth recovers from WWIII 2218-First contact with the Klingon Empire 2243-Dr. Richard Daystrom invents duotronics, the basis for the computers on board the Enterprise."

"Excuse me, Jim? Mind if I join you?"

Jim snapped his head up and stared into the eyes of an angel; blue/green and very sparkly. Her voice like that of a sweet little cherub and her presence was elegant as well as confidant. The way she wore her uniform was nothing short of eye candy. This was the same young lady that Jim had passed in the corridor the previous week. Forgetting himself momentarily, Jim stood up and gestured for the woman to take a seat.

Sitting across from Jim, Drae wrapped her hands firmly around her raktajino. Normally she was confident and assertive, but for some reason, she was unsure how to present herself to this man. Settling on the fact that he was just like any other man, just 450 years younger than she was, Drae swallowed hard and sighed.

"Commander Data tells me that you'd like to share a holodeck program." she said plainly

"Uh, yes, that's right. I saw you last week with your hockey gear and was wondering if you'd like to do a little one on one." Jim asked cautiously

"That sounds fine, although we'll have to coordinate our schedules." she replied

"At present, mine is pretty open, but with Commander Data and his curriculum, I never know from one day to the next." Jim said, chuckling

"Would you mind if I asked you a few questions. I mean, you're the closest thing to the 20th Century as we're probably going to get out here." she commented

"Sure, fire away." he said, giddily

Pulling a data pad from one of the side pockets of her duty slacks she perused her notes and when she settled on her first question, she smiled. Jim just sat there and sort of gazed at her, trying to figure out how old she was. She looked fairly young, maybe in her early twenties, but he had read that the life expectancy of the average human in this time period had been extended a full fifty years, so for all he knew, this young woman could be in her 40's or maybe even her 50's. Not wanting to be indiscreet, he considered his words very carefully.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your station; your occupation"
"Lieutenant Junior Grade, Security Officer." she replied

"Wow, that's a lot of responsibility for someone so young." Jim ventured

"Not really, I was accepted to Starfleet Academy when I was 16 and graduated when I was 20, a full two years before most. I've always wanted to be in Directive Enforcement, its my life and I love it." she explained

Seeing that he was going to have a hard time getting this woman's age, Jim changed gears and asked her how he could help her, instead. She returned her gaze to her data pad and smiled.

"What can you tell me about..." she asked, looking down at her pad

Just then Guinan approached and took a seat next to Jim, lacing her fingers in front of her on the table top. Looking from Drae to Jim and back again, she smiled at him.

"So, Mr. Brass, how are you enjoying your stay with us"
"I'm learning quite a bit about your directives and advances in law enforcement. I was actually wondering if I might be able to make myself useful in some capacity. Though the education has proved invaluable, I'm going stir crazy. I'd like to earn my keep, so to speak."

"Well, you might want to speak to Commander Data about that. I'm just here to serve drinks"
"And listen." Jim interjected

They all shared a laugh at Jim's comment and Guinan got up to get him another drink. While she was gone, Drae and Jim chatted about various things including, but not limited to mechanics of various phasers , chemical restraints, law enforcement directives, etc.

"The type one phaser was smaller and used around 2266 The type 2 phaser was used around the same time and was roughly the same size as the type 1, but a bit more streamlined. The type 3 is more like a rifle in its size and efficacy. The type 4 phaser was a medium sized emitter device that was primarily mounted on vehicles and shuttlecraft, but wasn't standard issue for all." she explained

In their quarters Sara and Greg were going over some data pads when Jim returned, elated. With a huge smile on his face, he plopped down on the sofa type seat by the porthole and began to prattle on about his new friend. Gesturing wildly with his hands, he was alight with fascination.

"She's young, beautiful, brilliant and funny. Though I couldn't get her age out of her, I suspect she's somewhere in her mid twenties."

Looking over at him, Greg smiled.

"What's her name"
"Lieutenant Junior Grade Drae Spacey."

Having learned how to use the data pads almost immediately, Greg tapped a few keys on the desktop computer type device and seconds later came up. Turning the set to face Jim, Greg smiled.

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Drae Spacey. Date of birth 46500.4. Born on Starbase 11 to Balthazar and Ghanima Spacey, who is Betazoid. Entered Starfleet Academy on 46516.2 and excelled in Theoretical Physics, Molecular Biology, but changed her MOS to Security after witnessing a colonist uprising on Daleb IV. She went through her training and graduated head of her class and immediately requested and was assigned to duty here on the Enterprise-D. Her interests are 2oth century sports including but not limited to Ice Hockey, Baseball, Rugby and oddly enough Fly Fishing." Greg explained

"Wow, you found all that out after just punching a few keys?Betazoids, they can read minds, right? " Jim asked "Yeah, they can. Be careful, man. Well, once you get familiar with the workings and functions of the various keys, it's a snap. What else do you want to know?"

Thinking hard, but not too hard, he asked the obvious.

"Search for me. What happened to me?"

Turning the screen back to face him, Greg tapped a few more keys and then the expression on his face turned from one of whimsy to glumness. After a few seconds, Jim pressed him. Reluctantly, Greg gave the information.

"Well, apparently we, that is all of us, were a missing persons case. We were at that scene on La Mesa and then "Poof!", we were gone. The FBI got involved in the investigation but nothing ever came of it. Several of us were given memorial services. But as for you, your daughter, Ellie, cleaned up her act and named her first born child, a son, after you; James Francis Brass Jr. Consequently, your relatives are listed here, too. You've got a great,
great, great, blah, blah, blah, grandson named James Francis Brass IX. He's the security chief on the USS Crazy Horse which is now docked at Starbase133 for routine repairs. You want I should contact him so you two can meet?"

Hearing all of this, Jim wasn't sure what to think. Not only had Ellie changed her ways, but he had a legacy. As it turned out one male from each generation of Brass's had the first male named after him, in memoriam. Part of him wanted to tell Greg to set up a meeting, but another part of him wasn't so sure. What would his relative think if his predecessor suddenly showed up 400 years in the future looking just as he did when he'd gone missing? What would they have to talk about? Jim was incredibly uneasy about the prospect of meeting this man, but in the end his curiosity got the better of him and he agreed to the meeting. Summoning Commander Data, Greg relayed the info and Data sent the message off. Amazingly enough, the reply was near immediate. Apparently Jim Brass IX was in his quarters when the message came through. Looking at the screen, Data explained.

"Chief Brass, this is Commander Data of the Starship Enterprise. I have someone here that wishes to speak with you. Have you got some time?"

From the computer came the reply.

"Yes, sir. We're here for reparations, so I've got some time."

Getting up and turning the seat over to Jim, he sat down and looked at a near mirror image of himself, which was odd in and of itself because Ellie was not biologically his. The man before him appeared husky, with a receding hairline, the same thin lips, distinctive eyebrows and intense eyes as he, himself, had. Seeing his blah, blah, blah grandson and he him, they just sat there, quiet, for several moments. Finally, the younger Brass began to rummage through, Jim assumed, a desk and produced a very worn photograph of Jim when he'd graduated the academy. Seeing this, Jim smiled uneasily, then the silence was broken.

"Oh, my God. We all thought you'd been lost or worse. How is this possible"
"Something to do with a man named "Q"
"Ahh, we've heard of him...big mischief maker, he is"
"Yeah, no joke."

Without hesitation, the younger Brass made an invitation.

"Would you like to meet? I can requisition a runabout and meet you on the Enterprise. It'd only be a two day trip. We've got lots to catch up on."

Turning to Data, Jim shrugged and Data replied.

"Let me check with the Captain. I don't believe it'll be a problem. In the meantime, you two speak and I'll see the Captain."

Leaving the room, Data headed right for the bridge while Greg looked up the rest of the relatives of the group of Crime Scene Investigators.

TBC?