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"Captain's log, stardate 45349.1. The Enterprise is on its way to Penthara IV, where a type C asteroid has struck an unpopulated continent. The resulting dust cloud could very well create a phenomenon not unlike the nuclear winters of twenty first century Earth. Commander La Forge has begun work on a plan that would counteract the devastation."
The USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D raced through space at high warp towards Penthara IV. Lt. Cmdr. La Forge and Lt. Cmdr. Data were in main engineering, overseeing preparations for the forthcoming relief mission at their destination. Presently, Commander Riker joined them. "I'm afraid the numbers coming in are already indicating climatic changes, sir." La Forge informed him.
"What kind of drop can we expect?" Riker asked.
"If the Pentharan spheral forecasts are correct, ten to twelve degrees Celsius within the first ten days." Data answered.
"If it continues like that, their entire ecosystem will be shot to hell." La Forge added.
"And I doubt they're prepared to cope with the kinda cold that's coming." Riker said grimly.
Just then, Captain Picard's voice came over the intercom, "Commander Riker?"
"Yes, sir?" Riker acknowledged.
"Would you join me on the bridge, please?"
"Yes, Captain." Riker acknowledged. "Let me know if those forecast numbers change." he said to Data and La Forge, then headed for the turbolift.
~8~
"Are you certain, Mr Worf?" Picard asked Lt. Worf.
"There was a space-time distortion back there, sir." the Klingon replied. "And there is something back there. We passed within three hundred kilometres of it."
"It's too close to be a coincidence." Picard decided. "Mr La Forge?"
"Yes, Captain?" the Chief Engineer acknowldeged.
"Would a delay of an hour affect your plan?" Picard asked him.
"Not unless another asteroid decides to pay a call on Penthara, sir." La Forge replied.
"The odds of that occurring, Captain, are extremely unlikely, given the time frame." Data added.
"Thank you, Mr Data." Picard said wryly, then turned to Ensign Felton at the conn. "Prepare to come about, Ensign." he ordered as Riker arrived on the bridge. "Let's take a look at Mr Worf's distortion."
"Aye, sir." Felton acknowledged.
"Mr Worf's what?" Riker asked.
"The lieutenant's sensors detected a temporal distortion, Number One, almost directly on our current course." Picard told him. "There seems to be a small object back there that wasn't back there a few moments ago."
Felton brought the Enterprise out of warp and into a sweeping turn. "Coming about, sir." she reported. "The object is fifty kilometres ahead."
"Full stop, Ensign." Picard ordered.
"Aye, sir."
"On screen." Picard ordered Worf, and the image on the viewscreen showed a tiny, multi-faceted spacecraft just ahead of them.
"Dimmensions, Worf?" Riker asked.
"Approximately five metres in length, sir." Worf answered, checking the readings on his console.
"Lifesigns?" Picard asked.
"No signs of any kind, sir." Worf replied. "Our sensors do not penetrate the hull."
"Try hailing it." Picard ordered.
Worf pressed the hail button on his console. "That's odd." he said after a moment.
"What's odd?" Riker asked, joining him at tactical.
"We've recieved a response, sir," Worf replied, "but..."
"Yes, Mr Worf?" Picard asked impatiently.
"They want you to... 'Move over', sir." a nonplussed Worf replied.
Picard looked at Riker and then back at Worf. "Reply that the Enterprise isn't going anywhere, Lieutenant." he said primly.
"Not the Enterprise, Captain. You." Worf told him.
Picard stared. "What are you trying to..." he began as he turned and walked towards Worf, but before he could finish his sentence, there was a sudden flash of light where Picard had just been standing and a tall, thin Human male in his late 40's appeared on the same spot. He was wearing a drab jumpsuit and a baggy labcoat-type jacket and was carrying a small satchel.
"Oops. Excuse me, Captain, but you were standing right where I needed to be." the man said nonchalantely.
"Who are you?" Picard demanded, not at all pleased at a stranger just appearing out of thin air on the bridge of his ship.
"Rasmussen's the name, sir." the man replied, shaking the confused Captain's hand. "Professor Berlinghoff Rasmussen." He then looked around at his surroundings in amazement. "Ah... this is wonderful. Actually, quite a lot larger than I thought." he rambled to no one in particular.
"Really?" Picard raised a brow.
"Where I come from, every historian knows the bridge of old 1701-D." Rasmussen said causally.
"And where exactly is it you come from?" Picard questioned suspiciously.
"Why, Earth." Rasmussen answered cheefully. "Late 26th century Earth, to be exact. You see, I've travelled back nearly 300 years just to find you."
The bridge crew could only stare in disbelief.
~8~
Picard had soon taken Rasmussen into his ready room so that they could talk privately. "Exactly what kind of historian are you?" he questioned, still suspicious.
"My focus is on the 22nd through the 24th centuries, early interstellar history." Rasmussen replied as he looked around the room like a kid in a sweet shop. His eyes fell on Picard's antique combined works of Shakespeare in it's display case. "Ya know, it was always believed this was on your desk, not here... fascinating." he remarked. "Now don't move it on my account."
"You can't expect me to believe that the layout of my ready room is of interest to future historians." Picard said sceptically.
"No less so than your legendary modesty, Captain." Rasmussen said. "I wish I could describe to you what a thrill it is to be here." He pointed to the painting of the Enterprise hanging on the wall over the settee. "This is the original, isn't it?"
"You flatter me, Professor, but I can't help but wonder what could possible have caused you to select me as the subject of your study." Picard said patiently but still suspicious. "Even in this decade, there are far wiser and more experienced Humans both in and out of Starfleet."
"I'd love to tell you, Picard. I really would, but try and imagine what a young Caesar might have done differently had someone had given him a hint of what lay ahead, or if Lincoln had been coerced into changing his theatre plans." Rasmussen said calmly. "I truly wish I could be more specific on why you were selected, but I'm afraid the exchange of information will have to flow in one direction only." As he talked, he walked to the door and paced out the distance to the viewport. "Four... five... six... seven metres. Ha! I was right."
~8~
Picard and Rasmussen were soon with the rest of the senior crew in the observation lounge. "Why now?" Worf asked the alleged time traveller suspiciously.
"Right. If you came back to study the captain, why did you pick today?" La Forge agreed. "Why not a year ago... or a year from now?"
"Oh, I picked the right day alright." Rasmussen waved them off. "Just wait, you'll see. Do you always sit there, on that side of the table?" he asked Worf randomly.
"Usually." Worf grunted. "Why?"
"It's not important." Rasmussen waved him off.
Worf glared, really starting to dislike this eccentric man.
"Professor, at what point does time travel become a tool for historians?" Riker questioned, still suspicious.
"Now, now, Commander, you know better than that." Rasmussen told him patronisingly. "I've studied a great deal about your century, including the fact that you're all quite aware of the dangers of anyone altering the past, and that's exactly what I'd be doing if I were to divulge information like that."
"Telurian plague." Dr Crushed said randomly.
"I beg your pardon?"
" The telurian plague. Was it cured?" Dr Crusher asked. "I mean, did they find the cure by your century?"
Picard looked like he was about to reprimand her. "Oh, it can't do any harm to ask that." she waved him off.
Picard decided to bring things back under control. "I realise it must be difficult, but we must all keep our questions regarding the future to ourselves." he said wisely. "Professor?"
Rasmussen stood up. " I'll be preparing questionnaires for each of you. Please complete them at your convenience. If you're concerned about a possible breach of security, I'm sure your captain can make a determination... And, thank you in advance for curbing your curiousity."
"If I hand my assignment in on time, do I get a little glimpse into next week's poker game?" La Forge asked in his cheeky way, and Rasmussen laughed good-naturedly.
Picard decided it was now a good time to get Rasmussen out of the way. "Mr Data, please show the professor to his quarters."
Data got to his feet. "This way, sir." he said to Rasmussen and led him out through the door.
"What did he mean he picked the right day?" Riker asked Picard once Rasmussen was gone.
"You know everything I do, Will." Picard replied.
Riker turned to Counsellor Troi. "Deanna?"
"It's hard to tell, but he is holding something back." Troi replied.
"Of course he is." Dr Crusher said. "Think of all the things he could tell is... all the things he'd like to tell us..."
But Troi wasn't so sure. "That might be it, I don't know." she frowned.
"How can we be sure he's not an imposter?" Riker asked reasonably. "God knows we've run into enough of them."
"He is Human." Picard said. "The medical scans have proved that, right, Doctor?"
"He's Human, alright." Dr Crusher confirmed.
"And there was a temporal distortion back there, correct, Mr Worf?"
"Yes, sir." Worf said begrudgingly.
"And no one can deny that ship of his is unlike anything we've ever seen before." Picard continued.
"The hull is made of some kind of plasticised tritanium mesh." La Forge said. "We've nothing like it on record, at least not till now."
Worf grumbled sceptically.
"Mister Worf, I do appreciate your caution." Picard placated him. "I share it. Bring his vessel into the shuttlebay. Place it under guard."
"Yes, sir." Worf acnowledged.
"I realise that this visit is going to be difficult for some of us, but I've examined his credentials, and everything seems to be in order, so I think we should extend to him every courtesy." Picard announced to the whole meeting.
"Including questionaires?" a put upon Worf asked.
"Including questionaires, Mr Worf." Picard replied. "Dismissed."
~8~
Meanwhile, Data and Rasmussen were riding a turbolift together, with Rasmussen peering closely at the android. "This is really a thrill, Data." he said excitedly. "Like running across a Redstone missile or a Guttenberg bible. To think... the Model T of androids."
"If you are referring to the first production model automobile of the 20th century, perhaps the subsequent Model A might be a more apt analogy, since I am Doctor Noonian Soong's revised prototype." Data told him as the turbolift stopped and they stepped out onto deck 7.
"I stand corrected." Rasmussen smirked as Data led him along a corridor.
They reached some currently unoccupied guest quarters and Data led the professor inside. Rasmussen looked around the room, seemingly disappointed. "Is there a problem, sir?" Data asked him.
"I s'pose it'll have to do, for now." Rasmussen shrugged. "I'll get you a list of things I'll be needing, ok?" He went over to the sonic basin and began to wash his hands.
"Would I be correct, Professor, in assuming that you know whether or not I am still... alive in the 26th century?" Data asked him.
Rasmussen ignored him and finished washing his hands. He then held his hands out, treating Data as if he were a lavatory attendent. After a beat, Data caught on and handed him a towel, before continuing his line of questioning, "Since you seemed to know so much about Captain Picard and the ship, I assumed that you would..."
"It would be best if you kept your assumptions to yourself, wouldn't it?" Rasmussen said patronisingly.
"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir." Data said, and left the room.
Rasmussen watched the android leave then smirked to himself. So far, his plan was working perfectly.
Author's notes. Thought I'd do another Star Trek episode adaptation. I did The Best of Both Worlds back in 2021, so I decided it was time for another one. I've chosen A Matter of Time as I find this episode to be a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. I once tapped this episode off Sky 1 back in 2005 and used to watch it regularly. Looking back, Rasmussen gives me 10th Doctor vibes. Now that would be a funny crossover! Anyway, back tomorrow with more!
