Time Times Three

A crossover fiction, between three very different fandoms. In the Star Trek universe the United Federation of Planets are mostly seen from the point of view of being the good people, with careful Prime Directives to preserve native civilisations they encounter. In the universe of Blake's 7, the Federation is run by power hungry, ruthless people such as Servalan, cold-blooded politicians whose only interest is to serve themselves and a military certainly in bed with the moguls. In the Doctor's universe, the Time Lord spends much of his time, defending the little people, saving the day, and averting all sorts of disasters from all sorts of aliens and circumstances. What will happen when they meet – and why did they meet at all?

Chapter 1

"Careful of where you are putting your feet Geordi, the crash landing rendered this particular area of the building inherently unsafe," Lt Commander Data said picking his way carefully through the rubble strewn floor of what looked to have been a warehouse of some sort, long since abandoned.

"Relax Data, I'm being super careful," Geordi replied, from the other side of the hallway, using his visor to scan the area around him. "I'm detecting a couple of faint heat sources 150 metres south, south west of my current position. One much fainter than the other - could be a body."

Data obligingly swung his tricorder to the right of him, triangulating his search from Geordi's given position. "I am picking up faint life signs," he agreed.

"Life signs? Are you sure?" Commander Riker, the third member of the away team asked. He had entered the building from the rear, after a falling timber blocked the entrance Data and Geordi used.

"Yes Commander, I am sure," Data confirmed.

"I'm definitely seeing something too," Geordi added. "Although from the steep trajectory of the life pod as it entered the atmosphere I would have thought it was impossible."

Unseen Commander William Riker nodded. He had privately thought this mission a waste of time after seeing the escape pod glow white hot to the point where the nose cone seemed to melt as it knifed through the atmosphere.

"I wonder where they came from?" Geordi mused, still walking forward.

Before Riker or Data could reply, a shudder raced through the building. The away team instinctively ducking at the sound of creaking timbers and cracking concrete, a heavy scatter of debris and other rubble rained down, filling the air with thick particles of dust.

"I suggest we leave speculation until we're back on board," Riker suggested, hastily backing away from a hole, which had appeared near his feet. "This whole building could collapse at any moment."

Resuming his search, Data strong-armed a beam, which had fallen directly in front of him and ducked beneath another. Metres away from the Lt Commander, Geordi climbed a newly formed pile of rubble that offered no real foothold, using his hands to stabilise his decent.

"I see it. I can see the escape pod," Geordi cried a moment later, sliding down a pile of bricks surrounding the vehicle. "Most of the aft section appears to be completely buried by the building. From what I can see of it, I don't recognise the design. It appears triangular and… wow, it's still warm to the touch. No sign of radiation or particle emissions. As you would expect there's lots of damage, much of the building has collapsed on it. I can't do much from here; I'll need to make my way round to the other side."

"Can you see the occupant?" Riker demanded. "I can't get through to you from this side; I'm going to try another avenue. Another shower of stones, dust, and rubble greeted his statement. "We can't stay here much longer."

"No I'm afraid not Commander, as I said the damage is too extensive."

Data pushed through another crawl space, and caught sight of the silver pod for the first time. "Geordi, from my current position I can see you and one of the occupants," he stated. "There is no movement, but there is faint life signs. I cannot get to you just yet however, my way is blocked by a steel girder of some sort, I am attempting to force my way through."

"Careful Data," Geordi commented, climbing and slipping round to the other side of the escape pod. "I can see him too. Hang on."

Reaching the prone victim Geordi searched for a pulse. "He's male, Human or humanoid. Alive, but unconscious, breathing rapid but shallow, one of his legs and one arm are at a funny angle, definitely broken," he said surveying the slim dark haired man in front of him, half in half out of the escape pod. It looked as if the occupant had pushed the escape hatch open, and then collapsed. "No uniform or any insignia."

"Is there anyone else?" Riker suggested, still trying to find a way through the rubble.

"Not that I can see Commander. "It's definitely an escape pod, designed for a single occupant, the only other thing I can inside see is a metal storage box. A couple of feet long, a fraction less wide, and half that high, with a carrying handle."

The building creaked again, causing more rubble and dust to fall just as Data reached the crashed craft. "We do not have long," he warned, sweeping his tricorder over the unconscious victim. "The survivor looks to have a few internal injuries too; we need leave as soon as possible."

Activating his combadge Riker spoke to the Enterprise. "Riker to bridge. We have found one occupant of the escape pod. Male, unconscious but alive, in need of urgent medical attention; the only thing he has with him is a metal box."

"Any indication where he came from?" Picard queried, answering the call. "We have scanned the area, but other than the temporal anomaly we detected earlier there are no signs of any space craft."

"No Captain. He's not in any kind of uniform and there is no insignia." Geordi added.

Lifting the storage box out of the way by its handle, Data peered into the cockpit. "Limited controls, simple vector and speed indicators. Friction breaks, a homing signal beacon, which is no longer active. No indication of..."

The warehouse gave an ominous rumble, metal groaning loudly.

"Finish your report on-board Lt Commander." Picard advised. "Transporter room stand by. Sick bay, Dr Crusher your services will be needed."

"Riker to Enterprise four to beam up."

"Acknowledged Commander."

Bending down beside the survivor Geordi felt the tingle of the transport beam take him, just as a deafening cracking sound came from above, as what was left of the warehouse ceiling started to tumble down around them. Ducking to protect the survivor, Geordi drew a breath, coughing as the transporter beam released him back on the ship. "Boy, that was close," he said straightening.

Data stepped down from the transporter pad carrying the storage box, just as the transporter doors whooshed open to admit Beverly Crusher and an orderly with a gurney. "The Captain said I had a patient?"

"Yes, over here doctor," Geordi confirmed, "Commander I had a thought about pinpointing the origin of the escape bod by reversing the trajectory, what do you think?" he asked turning to Riker, however, the First Officer was not standing beside him, as he should have been. "Where's Commander Riker?"

All activity in the transporter room stopped for a split second.

"Has anyone seen Commander Riker since we beamed aboard?" Data asked, taking command immediately.

"You know I haven't," Geordi acknowledged.

"Neither have I," Data confirmed, crossing the room quickly. Putting the case he'd been carrying down, he addressed the transporter operator. "Lieutenant, please confirm that you transported four individuals aboard."

"I had a lock on you all," the duty officer said quickly checking through the settings on his console.

"That is not what I asked."

Geordi joined Data at the transporter console, the man they'd rescued forgotten as he walked across the room. "Is the Commander in the pattern buffer?"

"I can try again sir," the duty officer said activating the controls once more.

Nothing happened.

"Power fluctuations?"

"No sir, green lights across the board."

"There were no energy readings from the life capsule, I checked myself before I approached," Geordi told Data.

Data nodded briskly and tapped his combadge. "Data to bridge. Commander Riker has not beamed aboard with the rest of the party, are you able to raise him from the bridge?"

Struck on the head by a glancing blow, the First Officer had acted on pure instinct, diving through the broken window to his left as the building completely collapsed above him, dust, debris and glass raining over a wide area as the warehouse fell with a concussive boom.

Riker half rolled, have stumbled to a stop behind a stack of disused cates, and various flora, his ears ringing from the force of the blow to his head, feeling dizzy and disorientated with a monumental headache. Moments later an arrow landed close to his right foot, burying itself in the dirt. "What the hell?" he exclaimed, shaking his head to clear his vision as he reached for his combadge. "Riker to Enterprise," he said in a fierce whisper. "I'm not sure what happened, but I could really do with that teleport right now."

There was no reply, just a dead-toned chirp of the combadge.

Undaunted Riker tried again as he reached across his right hip for his phaser, which wasn't there, his fingers brushing up against an empty holster. "Riker to Enterprise, come in Enterprise," the Commander tried again, fighting the urge to do more than just stare incredulously as a second arrow missed his nose by a few centimetres and a third hit his makeshift hideout with a thud. "If you can hear this, I'm under fire, lost my weapon and I'm pinned down some 300 metres behind the building the life capsule demolished. I need immediate beam out."

Another arrow dug into the dirt by Riker's right foot, followed by a rock.

There came a war cry from somewhere just beyond the ruined warehouse as several figures emerged dressed in some kind of leather and metal armour, bows already nocked with arrows, spears being held high as they charged his position.

An arrow launched in their direction from behind Riker, followed in quick succession by two more, both hitting and dropping their targets with dull thuds and flurry of dust.

"Quickly now, follow me if you want to live," a female voice said from just behind his right ear as a slight dark skinned young woman with short hair, impossibly wearing a white toga suggested popping up beside him.

Riker drew a breath, "Not that I'm not grateful or anything, and I am, but who are you and where on earth did you come from?" he asked turning towards her.

The young woman regarded him with lively curiosity. "You've hit your head, probably have concussion," she announced. "There'll be time enough for questions later. Come now." With that, she ducked round a pile of crates and rubble and started running directly towards another derelict building a couple of hundred metres away.

A further rock and now a spear embedding itself in the makeshift barrier behind which Riker was hiding decided the First Officer. Head pounding Riker had no choice but to scramble to his feet and run after his would-be rescuer. He'd been unable to reach the Enterprise and while he knew it was likely that the Captain would send down a search party to rescue him; he just needed to stay alive until then.

The young woman was as fast as a hare, already running lightly through the building she'd just entered, and out the other side into a courtyard area, paved with flagstones and overgrown vegetation. Riker's boots slapped hard on the ground, echoing round them as he followed her.

"You make too much noise! Quickly now," the young woman urged, making straight for the far corner of the enclosed space. She knelt down to lift, what at first glance, appeared to be a manhole cover, but was actually an airlock hatch.

Panting Riker skidded to a stop. "The sewers?" he questioned.

The sound of many running footsteps and furious war cries, just behind him answered his question, and gave him little choice but to follow directions. Climbing quickly into the hole at his feet, Riker was surprised to find well-used stone steps leading down.

"Hurry, and watch your head and footing, you're too tall and the floor is slippery in places, it gets quite damp after the rains."

"Has it rained recently?"

"Yes, about five days ago, what is it about you that you don't understand the word hurry; they're almost upon us now!"

Moving cautiously down a few steps, spurred by the urgency in the young woman's voice, Riker turned just in time to see her step in behind him and pull the hatch closed behind her. She activated some kind of locking mechanism with a twist of something followed by an electronic bleep. Walking down a few steps around and in front of the Commander, she turned to scrutinise him further.

"Well, are you coming or not? Or do you intend to stand there all day?"

Hesitating Riker looked back at the hatch. "Won't they try to follow us?" he asked concerned, neither the lock nor the hatch had looked particularly thick or strong.

"Oh yes, they'll try, most probably anyway. But they've never managed to breakthrough a deadlock seal as yet; I don't see why today should be any different."

Feeling a wave of dizziness wash over him, Riker stayed where he was, until the young woman reached up to lay a light hand on his arm. "Come on, this way," she said her tone more gentle than before.

With a sigh and slight nod, Riker agreed; following her down several more carved stone steps wondering what kind of rabbit hole he'd fallen into.

A few metres later the steps and hole in the ground opened out into a stone clad vault. The walls appeared damp in places, but everything was neat and tidy. There were a couple of chairs, a cot, a wooden table, couple of shelves and a console full of electrical equipment, and not a speck of dust anywhere.

Walking across the room the young woman activated one of the consoles and stared critically at the monitor. There had to be a hidden camera somewhere Riker realised, as he saw the image of the entrance they'd just passed through surrounded on all sides by four burly men, trying to use rocks and their spears to smash their way into the vault.

Grinning to herself, the young woman flipped a switch and a jolt of pure blue energy sent those closest to the hatchway flying backwards, one hit his head and lay still. The young woman nodded in apparent satisfaction. "Good, that will hold them," she said turning towards Riker. "Hungry? Running around a bit is quite exhilarating don't you find, but I'm always famished afterwards," she said conversationally.

Still assessing his new situation, and wondering if the girl were a threat to him as well, Riker shook his head. "I'm good thanks."

"Suit yourself," the woman replied with a shrug walking towards a bowl of fruit on one of the shelves Riker had just noticed. She picked up something resembling an orange pear and bit into it enthusiastically. Pink juice dribbled down her chin. "Perhaps something to drink instead? I'm a poor host not to offer you something. I'm Dayna by the way."

"Danya," Riker repeated, still standing nearly in the middle of the room watching her wearily.

"Yes that's right, and you are?"

"Riker, Will Riker."

"Well Riker, Will Riker, why don't you take yourself a seat before you fall? Head injuries usually bleed a lot, but look generally worse than they are. Here drink this and let me take a look."

"There's no need," Riker suggested, taking the metal cup of water he was offered and sitting down in a chair anyway. He watched as Danya took another bite of her fruit before setting it aside. Opening a cupboard door in front of her Danya reached inside for a cloth, which she splashed some water and approached him. "Your people are hunting you?" Riker asked.

Dayna laughed, then made a scoffing noise, reaching out to dab the cloth against Riker's head. "My people? Don't be silly! Do I even look like them?" she asked. "They're Sorrens."

"Sorrens?" Riker said wincing as the cloth touched his head. He pulled away slightly, but Dayna followed, dabbing at the wound once more.

"Yes, the natives of this planet. I'm from Earth by the way. I live here with my father. He brought me here when I was just a baby. Hold still."

Mentally gritting his teeth Riker did as he was told. "There's just the two of you?" he asked looking around him again.

"Yes, and Iesha, she's a native of this planet, but had live with us since she was just a baby."

"So there are three of you?"

"Yes. I don't think the wound is too bad; you probably have a large headache though. Hold this against it for a little while until the bleeding stops," Dayna said producing a dry cloth, holding it against Riker's head, and then putting his right hand up in an effort to get him to do as she'd directed.

Riker took the cloth, looked at the fresh blood now on it, refolded it into a tighter pad than did as he'd been told, resting his aching head partially against his hand. "So the three of you?" he tried.

"Yes, just we three. You are curious aren't you?"

"It's not every day you get hit on the head, have a building nearly fall on top of you and get chased by a group of men with bows and arrows," Riker responded.

Dayna laughed at him. "You're not from round here then. It's just another boring day for me – until you and the other escape pods arrived."

"Others?" Riker was on his feet immediately.

"Relax," Dayna moved back towards him, holding out his mug of water. "I didn't get to them in time, they didn't make it. I'm sorry. Were they close friends of yours?"

Riker shook his head. "No." he answered truthfully. The temporal anomaly, which had first caught the Enterprise's attention, had not shown the presence of any large vessels. They had come within 150 km and held steady, watching the fascinating light display while Data, Geordi and the whole science division had collected as much data and information as possible. They science division had been gathering information and making their observations for around twenty minutes when they had seen a single escape pod streak past them, spinning wildly and attempt to make a crash landing on the planet he was now on. "There's been some kind of space battle?" he tried, looking for information.

Dayna shrugged. "They may well have been. But not from here. The natives are not technologically advanced enough; you saw how they reacted to a simple electrical charge."

Riker gestured around him. "There must be others on… Sarren, did you call this planet?"

"Sorren," Dayna corrected immediately. "Yes I suppose there must," she agreed, showing little interest.

"The people who build this?" Riker pressed.

"Our hidey hole?" Danya laughed. "No, this place has been here forever, there are dozens just like it scattered about. Iesha and I used to play in them as kids."

"You don't live here?"

"Here, no, of course not, it's rather primitive, and as I've said before prone to being damp, not much use for storage. But useful to watch the natives."

On screen, the Sorrens had once again regrouped and were bashing at the lock. Danya sent Riker a mischievous grin and activated the electricity field once more. "There, that should be enough to dissuade them, give them half an hour or so and they'll creep away like they usually do. We'll be able to leave safely then."

Riker instinctively touched his combadge.

Dayna looked at him thoughtfully. "Your communication device won't work down here, even if the dust didn't short its components. These rocks contain a natural em-dampening field. Useful as it increases the strength of the mag lock at the entrance tenfold, but rubbish at communicating through. Another half hour and we should be clear, you can try again once we reach the surface, or you can come home with me."

Night was falling fast as Vila stumbled through the trees. Earlier on, he had tried to follow one of the planets two suns in the hope of finding someone, but both were quickly setting now, dipping in and out of sight beyond the level of the forest canopy, creating long shadows and dark places. Vila's wandering was becoming quickly aimless. He was tired, thirsty and in a fair amount of pain, all down his left side. Hugging his left arm tightly to his chest, his wrist was at a bit of an odd angle, Vila sighed as the recess he'd been walking in widened out into a kind of basin, muddy, rock filled grassy banks surrounding him on almost every side.

With a sigh, and a decided lack of enthusiasm Vila picked what he thought looked to be the easiest bank to climb and made his way up slowly, choosing his footholds with care. His head peaking over the ridge, Vila suddenly brightened, feeling better almost instantly. A way off in the distance the horizon was much brighter than before, and as he looked, he could swear he could see a hover car taking off from the roof of a building. Civilisation, finally, all he needed to do now was get there.

Both suns had more or less set, by the time Vila had made it to the outskirts of the small town. Dark shadows all around him, Vila ran across several fields to reach his goal. There was reassurance in the nondescript building, starting to dot the landscape around him. Buildings meant people. People meant rescue, if he were clever. Most people were easy to read, especially for a talented thief. Moreover, where there were people there were usually bars or taverns, certainly many opportunities to score some money and have a little fun, and get his wrist sorted too.

Slipping silently between the spaces between two buildings Vila surreptitiously touched the teleport bracelet around his wrist, hidden away beneath his jacket. He had tried half a dozen times to reach the Liberator but had received no reply. He told himself he wasn't that worried, yet. Zen had said the damage to the ship had been extensive and would need 72 hours to repair the damage to his hull and systems. The oxygen had been running thin, Zen counting down to zero before the life support was shut down – just about the same time Vila had jettisoned his life pod.

72 hours. He'd spent most of the day wondering round lost in the woods, so say 60 hours left. 60 hours to have a little fun and get some R & R. With neither Blake nor Avon any the wiser. The thought cheered Vila up as he skirted round a couple of rubbish bins, slipping further into the town.

Maybe he could find a casino if he were lucky.

Rounding another corner Vila ducked into another alleyway. Windows were starting to appear on the sides of the buildings now. Most were unlit, but there was a warm and inviting glow coming from behind the blue door of one of them, set inside a small porch. Vila didn't find it odd that there were no other porches sticking out from the sides of the buildings down the dimly lit alleys. The light from the porch was warm and inviting.

Reaching the door, Vila tried the handle, to his surprise it opened at his touch.

Vila went in.

"So what do you think then?" Donna asked twirling herself around in front of the Doctor.

"Very nice," the Doctor agreed, not looking up from the gizmo he was adjusting with various bits and pieces and his sonic screwdriver.

Donna stopped hands on hips. "Doctor!"

"Yes, as I said, very nice."

Scowling, Donna moved to stand behind the Time Lord and put her hands over his eyes.

"Oi!" he complained.

"What colour is it?" Donna said patiently, amusement evident in her tone.

Caught up in putting together his clever little thingummy, the Doctor was completely baffled. "What colour is what?" he asked.

"My dress, you idiot!"

"Yes."

"I said it was nice." The Doctor squirmed slightly.

"You did, so, what was the colour of it?"

"Donna," the Doctor complained.

"Doctor" Donna replied mimicking the Doctors tone.

Recognising the fact that Donna wasn't going to give in, the Time Lord sighed. "All right, it's a very nice blue dress," he tried. Many of Donna's outfits were in fact blue, one of her favourite colours; it was a safe bet that she was wearing that colour now.

"Ha!"

Damn it. Not the colour she was wearing this time. "It's yellow," the Doctor offered. "A lovely colour yellow, sunny, bright, vibrant the colour of… ow! What was that for?" he complained as Donna flicked a finger against the side of his head.

"That was not an 'ow'," Donna said laughing, moving to kick the Doctor not too hard on one shin.

"Ow! Again! What was that for that time?"

"Yellow?"

"Yellow? Yellow's a nice colour. Did you know the entire ruling family of Targathian only ever wear yellow, they consider it good luck."

"Good for them. I bet they're not redheads though. Redheads do… NOT… wear yellow!"

"Green then,"

"Now you're reaching."

"Orange, purple, brown, mauve, pink… no wait, forget I said pink, you would never, ever wear pink!"

Openly laughing at the Doctor's whinging tone, Donna removed her hands. "You chump!"

"Lemon, tangerine…." The Doctor continued without opening his eyes.

Donna punched him on one arm. "Open your eyes you idiot" she said affectionately.

The Doctor did so and grinned at her – before his eyes widened. "Oh Blimey!"

"What? You said you were taking me to dinner, so I thought I'd wear something nice for a change," Donna said smoothing down the front of her black and white polka dot dress. It clung to her curves in all the right places. She started to grin at him.

"Yes, right, so I did," the Doctor agreed, and then stopped. "Did we set a where?" he finished cautiously seeing Donna's face didn't seem to change or seem that excited. Feverishly he racked his brains to try to remember.

"Yes, Dragus 9," Donna offered, continuing to look at a spot past the Doctor's shoulder, her expression still frozen in the half grin.

The Time Lord frowned. Donna should be sounding so much more excited. Dragus 9 was a particularly difficult place to reach, and then you needed an invitation to enter their planetary orbit, before you even thought of asking for permission to book a table. Reservations took years and it had taken the Doctor calling in several favours to reserve them a dinner. "You don't want to go?"

"No, yes of course, I want that but…"

Footsteps on the grating behind him caused the Doctor to stop mid-sentence.

Footsteps coming up the stairs towards the main console area.

Impossible; the Tardis was currently floating in space just outside the realms of the third quadrant.

The Doctor turned, automatically putting himself in between Donna and the intruder.

"Er excuse me, nice place you have here, not sure what kind of place exactly, but nice nonetheless. You wouldn't happen to have a drink would you? I'm quite thirsty see; I've been walking for hours."