"Captain's log, stardate 45351.9. Dr Moseley has met with the colony leaders, who all agree they are willing to take the risk."

The Enterprise took up position with it's bow facing Penthara IV. The bridge crew meanwhile made final preparations for their attempt to save the planet. "Warp power has been rerouted to the main deflector dish, Commander." Worf informed La Forge.

"Keep those phasers on active surge control, Worf. We're only gonna get one shot at this." La Forge said.

"Well, this is it!" Rasmussen said excitedly.

The crew paid him no attention. "You have the sequence locked in, Data?" Riker asked.

"Yes, sir." Data replied. "After an 8.3 second burst from the dish, we will discharge all EPS taps through the phasers."

"It's time for you to return to the ship, Mr La Forge." Picard informed his chief engineer. "Mr O'Brien, prepare to transport." he said into the intercom.

"Excuse me, Captain, but I can be of a lot more help down here." La Forge countered. "We're gonna have to compensate for the density variations right up to the last second."

Picard looked questioningly at Data. "Dr Moseley's computers can accomplish the same task, sir. but Geordi would be better able to anticipate unexpected variances." the android said.

Picard turned back to the viewscreen. "Mr La Forge, you know better than anyone there's no guarantee this will work." he warned La Forge. "If it fails..."

"There's no guarantee it's going to fail, Captain." La Forge countered. "I'd like your permission to remain here on the surface."

Picard considered the request. "Permission granted." he conceded after a moment.

"La Forge remained below." Rasmussen said cockily, and sauntered over to make himself comfortable in Counsellor Troi's chair.

Once again the crew ignored him. "Good luck, Commander." Picard said to La Forge, then he and Riker took their seats.

"Thank you, Captain." La Forge nodded, and the viewscreen switched to an image of the planet, where continuous lightning flashed through the dark clouds and volcanic plumes.

A beep sounded from Data's console. "The deflector dish has been reconfigured, Captain." he reported.

Picard realised the time had come. He gave the nod to Riker, who gave the order, "Proceed, Mr Data."

"Stand by for auto-phaser interlock." Data announced. "Activating deflector beam."

Five parallel white beams of energy shot out of the Enterprise's deflector dish towards Penthara IV and made contact with the upper dust clouds in the atmosphere.

"EPS taps online." Worf reported. "Phasers firing."

The Enterprise fired a phaser shot from it's main ventral phaser array at the planet, which hit the spot where the deflector beams were converging. There was an explosion and a fiery orange glow spread in all directions, quickly enveloping the cloudy atmosphere. Then, an azure blue cloud replaced the fiery curtain, the blue travelling until it reached the point where the deflector beams were converging and a blue stream of energy leapt out of the planet at the Enterprise and enveloped the ship.

The bridge vibrated from the contact and a huge roar was heard. The crew watched tensely as events unfolded. Even Rasmussen was tense. "Activating shield inverters... now!" Data said after a moment.

The blue light, which continued to envelop the planet below, was still being drawn to the Enterprise as the ship turned 180 degrees to starboard and an even brighter blue beam emerged from the deflector dish. As it discharged out into space, the glow from the planet dissipated as the dust was sucked up through the beam towards the ship and then off into deep space. After a few seconds, it was all over. The pillar of light from the planet vanished as the last of the energy was deflected through the dish.

On the bridge of the Enterprise, the last reminders of the vibrations and noise faded into silence. The viewscreen showed Penthara IV with a perfect, cloudless atmosphere. "Mr La Forge?" Picard asked tentatively.

After a few seconds, the viewscreen showed the scene inside the lab, where everyone was safe and sound and all celebrating. "La Forge here. Still breathing, Captain." La Forge grinned, looking very happy.

"We've got particulate levels right where they're supposed to be..." Dr Moseley added, "and the sun is shining!"

"You see, Captain, I told you there was nothing to worry about." La Forge smirked triumphantly.

"Report back to the ship when you're ready, Commander." a very pleased Picard told him. "Dr, we'll stay in orbit and analyse the remaining volcanic disturbances, but the best advice would be to let them cool down on their own." he told Dr Moseley.

"I'm getting in the habit of thanking you, Picard." Moseley smiled, and the viewscreen went back to showing the now healed planet.

Rasmussen got to his feet, regaining his swagger. "Well, I'd love to see more, but it's time for me to go." he said. "I'm tickled pink to have had the opportunity of witnessing this, Picard. And you did it all without any help." he finished patronisingly as Picard and Riker got to their feet. Rasmussen then opened his ring again and looked inside it. "Well, must run. Got some packing to do. You know, you're taller in person, Commander." he said nonchalantly to Riker, then he swaggered away to the turbolift.

As soon as Rasmussen had left the bridge, Picard turned to Worf and gave the nod.

~8~

Having retrieved his valise, Rasmussen entered Shuttlebay 3 to find Picard, Riker, Data Dr Crusher, Worf and Ensign Berman waiting for him outside his ship. "Well, would ya look at this. Who would've suspected a teary farewell." he said cockily.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to take a look in your vessel." Picard told him.

"Curious till the end, eh, Captain?" Rasmussen remarked, then saw that Picard remained stern-faced. "You can't be serious, Picard." he snorted. "We've been through this more than once..."

"A number of objects have been discovered missing in the two days, and if they're in your possession, then we would like them returned." Picard said severely.

"I'm not here in search of relics." Rasmussen snorted and looked inside his ring again. "I'm sure they'll turn up." he said dismissively and started towards his ship.

Worf barred his way. "If you will not open the vessel, I will..." he told the Human bluntly, "with explosives, if necessary."

"I doubt you have the means." Rasmussen said defiantly.

"If we don't get in that thing, I guarantee you don't either." Riker told him coolly.

A trace of panic appeared on Rasmussen's face, but he quickly thought up of a way out of the corner he was trapped in. "Considering the sensitive nature of my equipment, I think you'll understand if I request that only Mr Data be allowed to see it."

"Why Data?" Riker asked suspiciously.

"Because if I order Mr Data never to divulge what he sees in there, he won't..." Picard said understandingly, then turned to the android in question, "with the exception of anything that might belong to us."

"Understood, sir." Data nodded.

Picard gave Worf the nod and he moved away from Rasmussen's ship. "Back in a minute." Rasmussen said, and led Data towards the craft. He pressed the palm of his hand against a specific part of the vessel and a door appeared and opened. Data stepped in through the opening and Rasmussen followed him. The door closed and disappeared again.

~8~

The vessel's interior was, like it's exterior, was truly futuristic, but Data wasn't concerned with that; his attention was caught by two large collector trays filled with objects stolen from the Enterprise; a tricorder, a neural stimulator, a hypospray, a bioscanner, one of La Forge's spare VISORs, a PADD, Worf's d'k tahg, isolinear chips and other computer chips, palm beacons and even bar glasses and silverware from Ten Forward.

Data examined the loot and turned to Rasmussen. "I do not believe any of these items belong to you, Professor." he said.

"Nor does this!" Rasmussen retorted, aiming a hand phaser at Data. "This phaser is set at the highest stun setting. If I'm correct, that is sufficient to immobilise even you."

"Why have you stolen these objects?" Data asked him. "To put in a museum?"

"Oh, far too valuable for that. You see, in the century I come from, they haven't even been invented yet." Rasmussen smirked.

Data looked at the ship's futuristic design. "But this vessel...? And the temporal distortion that coincided with your arrival?"

"Oh, this is a time pod, and it is from the 26th century..." Rasmussen replied, "at least that's what the poor fellow said. You see, he decided to travel back to the 22nd century, that's my time, and he had the misfortune of meeting me. His clothes fit quite well, don't you think?" he asked nonchalantly. "Took me weeks to figure out how to work this thing." he commented as he sat down in one of the seats.

"Then you are not an historian." Data surmised.

"More of an inventor." Rasmussen shrugged. "Up till a few weeks ago, a dismally unsuccessful one."

"What are your intentions, Professor?" Data asked.

"Well, thanks to your captain, it seems my intentions have changed slightly." Rasmussen replied. "I was quite content with returning with these trinkets." He pointed to the trays of contraband. "I'd 'invent' about one a year. But now... look what fortune has graced me with." He stood up and gestured to Data. "You will take a little longer to figure out than a tricorder, but it should be well worth the effort." He checked his ring. "If the auto timer is programmed the way I think it is, in about two minutes, we should be on our way back to a place called New Jersey." He aimed the phaser at Data again. "I'm afraid you won't be awake for the ride." He pressed the fire button.

Nothing happened.

Panicked, Rasmussen readjusted the phaser and tried to fire again. Once again, nothing happened.

"I assume your hand print will open the door whether you are conscious or not." Data said calmly.

~8~

The vessel's door opened and Rasmussen stepped back out into the shuttlebay, followed by Data who now had the phaser. "That weapon was working yesterday." Rasmussen grumbled.

"You were correct to suspect him, sir." Data told Picard, handing him the stolen phaser. "But he is not from the future, he is from the past."

Picard turned to Rasmussen. "Trying to make my history unfold in a way other than it already has, eh, Professor?" he said dryly.

Rasmussen laughed nervously, trying to figure a way out of his predicament. "This was all just a misunderstanding, Picard. Just... let me back in there and we'll forget the whole thing."

"Now what possible incentive could anyone offer me to allow that?" Picard challenged coolly.

"I believe you will find all of the missing items in the vessel, sir." Data told Riker, who gave Worf the nod. Worf acknowledged and entered the vessel with Berman.

Rasmussen turned to Dr Crusher with a desperate, pleading look. "Doctor..."

"A very nice performance." Crusher said icily.

"Not all of it." Rasmussen said with a touch of remorse. "Some of it was real." But Crusher's cold stare told him that he wouldn't get any sympathy from her. He checked his ring and turned to Picard, panicking now. "Captain..."

"He claims to be a 22nd century inventor, Captain." Data informed Picard.

Picard turned back to Rasmussen. "A pity you weren't more inventive." he said. "If fewer things had disappeared, we might never have suspected you. As it was, the only stumbling block was your ship. Our sensors couldn't penetrate it. But once the door was opened, the computer was able to detect and deactivate everything you'd stolen, including this." He held up the phaser as Worf and Berman returned with the trays of stolen items and handed it to Worf.

Worf then held up his recovered knife. "It is a great insult to steal a Klingon's d'k tahg." he told Rasmussen crossly.

Rasmussen shifted nervously. "I'd love to hear more, Picard, but I really must get back in that pod."

"Take him to a detention cell, Mr Worf." Riker ordered. "And notify Starfleet that we'll be dropping him off at Starbase 214."

"Aye, sir." Worf acknowledged, and went to take Rasmussen into custody.

"You can't do this!" Rasmussen protested. "I've got to get back! I don't belong here!" But it was too late.
The door on the time pod closed, then the ship shimmered and disappeared.
"No!" Rasmussen cried as he was left stranded 200 years into his future.

Picard calmly turned to him. "I'm sure there are more than a few legitimate historians at Starfleet who will be quite eager to meet a human from your era." he said as Worf began to walk Rasmussen towards the exit. "Oh, Professor..."
Rasmussen stopped and turned.
"Welcome to the 24th century." Picard finished.

Worf led Rasmussen out of the shuttlebay and on to the brig as the Enterprise left Penthara IV and set off towards Starbase 214 with it's new prisoner.

Author's notes: And here's the finale. Penthara IV is safe and Rasmussen's true nature has been revealed. If Enterprise had continued on, I wonder if they would've done a sequel to this episode where Rasmussen's time pod turns up. Since that ship returned to the 22nd century by itself, it should still be somewhere in 22nd century New Jersey. Missed plot opportunity there! Anyway, hope you liked this episode adaptation. I might do some more when I'm in the mood. Probably have to be from season 3, 5, 6 and 7 as I've got those seasons on DVD. I've also got the whole of TOS and DS9, so I can do some TOS and DS9 adaptations too. So, goodbye for now!