Tearing through space at maximum warp for the enhanced shuttlecraft at a speed of which the Starfleet Captain could only imagine for his own ship, he sat at the console next to the pilot as he was only granted access to the sensors themselves, which where displayed directly before him as the pilot remained almost silent during the journey itself, speaking only to instruct the Captain on how to operate the console before himself as the display had been altered to a setting more familiar to himself.
"You don't speak much, do you Amanda?"
"Only when I have something to say Captain… may I call you John?"
"Of course. You grew up on Vulcan?" He said slowly.
"I did. I lived there until I was old enough to join Starfleet Academy. I haven't been back home in years…"
"I've been there myself, a few times… have you ever seen 'The Forge'?"
"No, I haven't. I was born near the City of Raal, beautiful place near the Voroth Sea? My father taught me to swim and even surf there" She said with a smile of fond memories.
"You said that you have a Vulcan ancestor?"
"Yes, my great-grandmother on my mother's side was Vulcan, she was… my idol, she wouldn't show it around other Vulcans, but I could always make her laugh. Have you ever seen a Vulcan laugh John? It's the most amazing, truly amazing laughter of the purest of joy, almost like a child. She once said that she had a human mother, but never spoke of it since. I felt a deeper connection with her then I felt with my own parents and she shared the same, she even told me. When she died, I was only five years old and I was present, she wanted me there for some reason that I still don't know why"
"It must have been difficult for you, being so young?" He said slowly.
"I've never forgotten the look in her eyes John, it was a pure smile and then she whispered to me that I would see her again, when I am much older and then she made me promise that when I see her again, I would give her a ring that she always wore, the ring that is on a chain around my neck ever since. My mother said later, that she was delusional from the illness that she suffered from due to her advanced age"
Instantly, the Captain looked down at his display as a signal alerted him to the warp signature that they had begun to trace for the past hour. Leaning over to the co-pilot's seat, she reactivated the console displays with a large smile as he looked down at the console before him as on the long range sensors, further then any ship of his knowledge could see, a large vessel appeared to be warping away from them at high speeds, speeds that he could not imagine.
"My god!"
"They won't be within range for long… accessing long range communications systems. John, sit on the deck behind my seat?" She said with a large smile on her face as he continued to look at the display before himself.
"USS Nimitz, this Commander Connor hailing on secured channel 487.2, alter your course to intercept this vessel… I repeat!"
Pacing the bridge of his own vessel, almost wearing a mark into the carpet beneath his feet, the Captain of the USS Nimitz continued to rub his right forefinger and thumb together continuously, a habit that he had picked up at the Academy to deal with stress and something that the crew of his vessel had noticed over the years of working with him. Instantly looking up from her console, Lieutenant Alan Hiltz instantly called out the news of a faint voice of which he had known for many years as the Captain instantly turned and ordered the message to played over the bridge speakers before he replied.
"Commander? Are we glad to hear your voice…"
"Eric, alter course. 180 degrees by positive 65... You're almost out of range"
"We've picked up a distress signal and on the way to assist" He said slowly, with a smile.
"Eric, do it now! You have no idea what is going on. If you've never trusted me before, now is the time. Reverse your course and meet up with me, now… we have a serious problem that I do not wish to discuss over this channel"
Looking back towards his Communications officer, he nodded as she threw him an earpiece for private communications. Placing it on his left ear with a small microphone placed on his left jaw, he spoke quietly and seemed to freeze mid step while his missing officer explained briefly what had happened as his eyes opened wide and his face, turned pale.
"Helm, reverse course, maximum warp. Open the landing bay doors and prepare for warp retrieval!"
"Captain, that has never been done before. I know that it's been theorised, but…"
"Do I stutter Mister? Alter course now. Red Alert!"
"Sir?"
"NOW MISTER!"
Recovering a vessel at warp speeds had only been theorised by Starfleet Tactical and abolished as fast due to the fact that if their calculations where off, even by a fraction of a percent, the shuttlecraft would rip through the mother ship, destroying both vessels instantly before anyone could act. Although a new theory had been placed forwards where it was suggested that the crippled shuttle, which was to be recovered would aim directly at the vessel as it approached, the mothership with a forwards facing hanger bay would momentarily drop out of warp and reverse all thrust for a fraction of a second until the shuttlecraft was inside of the bays before leaping back into warp speeds whilst all force fields and tractor beams would slow and capture the shuttlecraft safely before it tore through the rest of the ship itself.
Nervously sat in the seat next to the pilot, Archer looked down at the screen once more as his eyes once again opened wide while he looked up at viewport before himself and saw a large ship drop out of warp, dangerously close to the shuttlecraft itself. Clasping his hands around the edge of the console before him, he looked instantly at the woman beside him as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes whilst time seemed to stop within the shuttlecraft, yet moving forwards inch by inch as the large shuttle bay moved closer and closer until they where both thrown forwards instantly as the shuttlecraft creaked and seemingly twisted before them. Consoles exploded around them as the frightened Captain closed his eyes for a moment as he cried out. 'Ohh BOY!' before being thrown against the console in front of him as a loud crash and thud, echoed through the shuttlecraft itself.
"Ohh my god! Was that good for you also John?" Amanda said with fear in her voice.
"What the hell was that?"
"A warp pickup! They say the first time, is always the hardest. Eric, nice job!"
"That was the most insane thing that we've ever done Amanda!" The Captain of the Nimitz cried out. "Nice timing… now, get up here and explain what the hell is going on!"
"Sorry sir, you'd better get down here. I'll explain everything, but only to you and Mandy… this situation is different then you realise"
Anger swelled within the Starfleet Captain as he stood with his fists clenched and his face burning red after the brief report from his officer, a woman that he had known and trusted for many years. Her obvious disregard for Starfleet protocol in similar situations could have lasting repercussions throughout time itself as she had exposed her true origins to a starship from two and a quarter centuries earlier and placing the entire timeline in jeopardy. Once again rubbing his thumb and index finger together only this time on both hands as he remained almost statuesque, his eyes burned with anger as he continued to growl his disappointment at the officer before him.
"Eric stop before you hurt yourself again! I did what I thought was right. You had no idea when you where, this ship is…"
"This ship can defend itself, more so now against any vessel!"
"Agreed. But if the Romulans come for us? For this ship, in force? I'll bet that we'll sustain damage, shields are not perfect, right?"
"She's right Captain" Mandy replied, in agreement. "We couldn't sustain assaults for long"
"Protocol states that…"
"To HELL with Protocol Eric! That was written by someone who isn't here, now! Only a handful of Archer's crew know about us, I made sure of that and so did he. We have to get this ship back to where she belongs… after which, I will submit myself to whatever action you see fit, but we need his help!" She said as she pointed to Captain Archer as he leaned against the shuttlecraft.
"I know why you did what you did Kiddo, but your actions could have serious repercussions into the future of…"
"Your… Federation?" Archer replied, instantly. "Relax, she told me nothing, I already knew about it. One thing is certain, you don't belong here anymore then I belong in the 29th century, long story. We have to get you back, somehow"
"I know who you appear to be, but I don't believe this…"
"Eric, believe it. He is John Archer…" Amanda said with a large smile on her face.
"Why does everyone look at me like I am some kind of…"
"Hero?" Lieutenant Amanda Sloan said slowly as she stepped closer to him. "Because, to us sir, you are. My name is Mandy, Mandy Sloan… and this unusual woman next to me is my cousin. We've heard the stories about you sir, may I shake your hand?"
"Cousin? You look like sisters" He said with a smile as he extended his hand, slowly.
"Long story. It's a real honour… before I came here, I located your ship. I almost cried when I saw her Captain… I never thought that I would see her, outside of…"
"Mandy!" Amanda said instantly.
"The history files, I could stand here and talk to you all day, and I and I am sure that my Captain would say the same, but we need to get home and soon…"
Looking down towards her feet as she blushed slightly, the Lieutenant ran her fingers through her hair as Archer saw a slight point to her ears, revealing her Vulcan heritage that was not present on her own cousin. Ignoring what he saw, if only for a moment, he looked back towards the Captain of the much larger future vessel as he nodded slightly with a half smile, a smile which was returned by the Captain himself.
"Captain Taylor, sensors have detected a large fleet of Romulan ships…" A voice called out over the speakers in the shuttle bay. "And Captain, they are approaching a Starship that I don't believe I am seeing"
"How many ships?" Taylor said, as Archer took a deep breath.
"Nine sir, Warbird Class… Captain, the ships are ancient as is the Starship. Sir, what is going on?"
"Eric, we can't allow this to happen. You know what is at stake here" Amanda Connors said slowly.
"Helm, maximum speed. Arm all weapons and raise shields… that ship, must be protected at all costs. All other concerns, are second. Am I clear?"
"Clear, Captain?" Called out the voice over the speakers.
"Computer, Four to beam directly to the bridge" Taylor said slowly as he glared at Amanda Connors. "Charlie, clear the bridge, only essential personnel granted access, am I clear?"
"No sir, but I'll get it done"
Materialising before them on the bridge twice the size of the NX Class Starship, the remaining bridge crew instantly leapt from their chairs as Jonathon Archer looked at his new surroundings in shock and awe at what he saw around him. Having only seen the smaller support craft, he now saw the most advanced technology that he could have imagined, far beyond what was even onboard a Vulcan ship of his era. Intently walking towards the helm, Amanda Connor replaced the helm officer before she turned to the rest of the bridge crew and spoke with an almost whisper as she had informed the crew around her of the current situation.
"Commander, you do realise what you have done here?" Called out the Communications officer.
"I do Lieutenant, no doubt I will be arrested and charged with high crimes once we return home. I will accept full responsibility for my actions and those of this crew… Eric, with your permission sir?"
"I don't like this Connor, not one bit. Temporal Investigations will have your head on a platter for your actions, your career is over" He said slowly.
"I'm aware of that sir. Red Alert! Prepare to intercept the Romulan Fleet, we're only going to scare them off, not destroy them. Mister Carpenter, consult the database on those Romulan ships, find the exact setting to collapse their shields only and program the phasers, no torpedoes"
"You can do that?" Archer said instantly. "That could be of vital importance to Starfleet…"
"John, don't ask us to give you that information please? Mandy, get to your post and keep an eye on the long range sensors, if any Starfleet ship approaches, I want to know about it first"
"Of course. I'll also keep an eye open for temporal distortions, maybe our way home could reappear?" She said slowly as she kept her eyes on the legendary Starfleet Captain.
"Of course. Take a seat Captain Archer… this is where the fun begins"
Cruising through space towards the location of the Prized NX-01, the earth vessel regarded as a priority target for either destruction or capture by the Romulan Senate, Commander Bochra, a seasoned officer of numerous conflicts, read over the information on the Earth Starship Enterprise as he could taste the victory which lay out before him. Having faced off against the Earth Starship once before only to be chased off by the sudden arrival of three Earth Allied vessels, he now held the advantage with a fleet of Warbirds at his command. His orders where simple and to the point, cripple the Enterprise, board the vessel and execute her crew before taking the prize back to the Praetor where he would finally receive the honour of becoming an Admiral of the Fleet. Hand chosen by the Praetor himself for this specific assignment, his confidence in his vessel and fleet had grown to almost larger then life proportions as did those of his crew around him.
Tracking the Enterprise for months, often shadowing her whilst hidden under the cloak itself, he had observed much about the Human Captain himself with regards to his tactics when under fire. Quickly reporting the status of the fleet to her Commander, the young tactical officer smiled slightly as she once again activated the cloak under her Senior Officer's orders while the small fleet responded on an encoded channel as they approached a gas giant planet, where Enterprise had been spotted seemingly waiting for something. From the corner of her eye, she looked down at her display before her as her eyes opened quickly whilst instantly looking down at the sensor readout as she blinked twice and rechecked the display.
"Commander… sensors are detecting a vessel approaching from the northern pole of the gas planet…"
"Starfleet?" He said slowly as she seemingly froze to the spot. "Sub-Lieutenant, Starfleet?"
"I do not know sir… but it's big sir, very big and approaching fast. It appears to be protected by an energy shield that our sensors can not penetrate"
Looking back towards the viewscreen before him, the image of a large vessel appeared before him, similar in design to the NX Class Earth Starships, yet much larger with it's warp engines hung below the primary hull. Standing slowly from his seat, his stomach churned while the larger vessel moved towards his own ship as a Human voice broke through the communications channels.
"Romulan Fleet, move away from this system or be destroyed. This is your only warning"
"How are they doing that Lieutenant, Lieutenant?" He said instantly towards the frightened young officer.
"I have no idea sir, but they can see us through the Cloak!"
"How in the name of the Gods could Earth build a ship like that, without our knowledge? Attention Fleet, transfer all power from your cloaks to your weapons and shields. Forget Enterprise, that vessel is our new Target!"
"The Fleet is responding Commander"
Decloaking instantly and surrounding the large unknown vessel, weapons fired into the protective shielding as it seemed to wait, testing their attacks. Deep within himself, Commander Bochra could feel his confidence slipping away as each weapons impact against the shields of the enemy vessel seemed to do little or no damage and moments later, energy blasts from multiple points around the large and unknown vessel slammed against the shields of the Romulan fleet. Explosions tore through the bridge of his ship as he ducked instantly and protected his face from debris of an exploding console before as the crew began to report the status of their ship.
"Shields are down, Torpedoes and Disrupters are off-line. Commander, we must withdraw!"
"Press the attack, find a way past those shields" Bochra yelled.
"NO!" Cried out the second in command. "Helm, bring us about… order the fleet to withdraw. We must gain reinforcements. That vessel is like nothing that we have seen before, they collapsed our shields with one volley, and not just our shields Commander, the entire fleet"
"Commander, for a moment… I was able to scan that vessel beyond her shields. There are close to 1'000 humans and none humans onboard, but for a brief moment I believe that I detected some form of temporal signature… from the future. I cannot be sure until I analyse our readings, we must withdraw Commander"
"Very well, order the fleet to pull back to secondary position, but keep that vessel on your screen Lieutenant"
Shock and awe echoed through Jonathon Archer as the vessel had done what was seemingly impossible for his or any other ship that he had known, crippled and entire Romulan fleet with a single volley of their weapons. Smiling slightly to himself at the prospect of learning how this could be done by his own ship, or perhaps even asking the crew of the magnificent vessel to remain in this century, he quickly shook off the idea as foolish as their presence had already interfered with the timeline to a point where the Romulan Star Empire had seen this remarkable vessel and would now begin to track her down, where ever she went.
"They're backing off" Connor said slowly, with a deep sigh.
"They'll be back, in greater numbers. We have to get out of here before we do more damage to the timeline"
"Captain, I was looking over the historical database, I don't think that we have. History reported that on this day, at this time. A fleet of Romulan ships where disabled by a large and unknown vessel whilst they attempted an assault on the Enterprise" Called out an officer, from the rear of the bridge.
"Thank you, Mister Shran!" The Captain said slowly.
Instantly looking behind himself at the sound of a name that he knew well, Archer saw a tall blue male walk towards him as he stood slowly.
"Shran?"
"Not an uncommon name on my world, Captain Archer. Captain Taylor, as I was stating, the Romulans referred to a mysterious vessel, translates as 'The Black Death' which once attacked a Romulan fleet and disappeared shortly afterwards. They spent years, searching for the ship only to find nothing. Our presence here, is not a coincidence"
"A Pre-Destination Paradox?" Connor said from the helm, with a slight smile upon her face.
"What ever the reason for you people to be here, if he was going to show up, he would have done so already" Archer said with a half smile. "Daniels… I've had dealings with him in both the past and the distant future"
"Whatever the reason for us being her John, we must get back before those Romulans return, with a larger fleet! Captain Taylor, we need the sensor data from Enterprise, when I arrived here, I almost crashed into her. She must have sensor data on my arrival?"
"I won't allow anymore contamination then has already occurred…"
"Then send me back sir, with Archer and the shuttle? I can hide the shuttle in their sensor blind spot, it's tight but I can fit the shuttle inside of it, I'll beam over with Archer directly to their bridge whilst in this uniform, get the data and beam back to the shuttle, alone. Mandy can look over the data herself?"
"Do it! Amanda, you are on thin ice with hot blades, be careful what you say and do. Archer, how long will that take?" Taylor said with a smile towards his childhood hero, that he could never imagine meeting in person.
"I had all of the files deleted, recovery could be a problem. Three, maybe four hours… with T'Pol's help"
"Do it!" He said with a nod. "You have four hours Amanda, no more. If you can't recover the data by then, we'll find another way home"