Star Trek: First Contact From The Vulcans' POV
A short one about the Vulcan scoutship T'Plana-Hath as she detected the Phoenix on April 5th, 2063.
Vulcan Scoutship T'Plana-Hath
Passing by Sol III
"Commander," Navigator and First Contact Specialist Sevok intoned, "we are now within sensor range of Sol III."
"Maintain our current distance," Commander T'Kau ordered mildly. "Our last scout's report indicated the humans were about to embark upon a doubtless devastating global conflict. We have known too much conflict in our own history to be interested, therefore." She looked mildly disparaging, if a Vulcan could. "Though I hesitate to employ the word 'primitive' to describe a sentient species, it is clear they must find enlightenment, just as Surak showed us the Way. Do not approach."
Sevok nodded. Then an odd reading caught his eye. "Commander - sensors detect a...warp signature." His eyebrow rose.
So did T'Kau's. "Interesting. Direction and bearing? Identify her."
The young man (he was a mere 62 Earth years of age) frowned. "She barely reads as a vessel by our standards, Commander. But as far as I can discern, her trajectory indicates that she originated on...Earth."
"Illogical," T'Kau too frowned. "Humans barely have space travel, powered by chemical rockets and ion drives." She studied Sevok's board. "Indeed, the vessel appears most closely to resemble a nuclear missile, possibly of the Titan series."
"And yet it is travelling at warp one," Sevok breathed. "Correction - the vessel has now dropped out of warp."
The Phoenix
Same time
"That should be enough," Commander William T. Riker decided, well pleased after their rollercoaster ride. Damn - even though they'd been going at a snail's pace compared to the Enterprise, warp one had never seemed so fast. "Throttle back. Take us out of warp."
Geordi did so. His superior officer was right; with the sophisticated sensors the T'Plana-Hath had, as he remembered from school, the Vulcans should definitely have picked up their warp signature, even though it would be minimal.
Awed and no longer frightened, Zephram Cochrane, "the father of the future", as he would become known, looked out of the window and gaped, "Is that Earth?"
Geordi nodded. "That's it." In only a few seconds they'd travelled further from Earth than the Moon, proving Cochrane's theories beyond doubt.
Succumbing to the same illusion of perspective the Apollo 8 astronauts had, he breathed, "It's so small."
Riker grinned in understanding. "It's about to get a whole lot bigger."
The T'Plana-Hath
"Fascinating," T'Kau murmured, for this certainly qualified. Logic suggested that a genius must have risen to prominence on Earth to advance her technology, and this was a test flight. Sensor readings clearly showed the vessel's warp core was of very low capacity and thus she could travel at warp for only a few seconds.
But she had. There was no question of it. She was now (T'Kau converted the distance from Vulcan units to human) 2,227,189 kilometres from Earth, and had traversed that distance in a mere 6.2 seconds (converting again), a feat utterly impossible for a chemical rocket or an ion-drive ship.
Perhaps, she speculated, the craft was a nuclear missile - a sword beaten into a plowshare, as remote observations had established the humans would say.
Her existence implied that perhaps humans had learned lessons from their past, and had left war behind - and now they were ready to reach out to other cultures.
The T'Plana-Hath, she decided, could save them the trouble.
"Follow at a discreet distance," she ordered. "Our scouting mission is hereby abandoned. We have a much more important task ahead of us."
Sevok couldn't help inhaling. "First Contact?"
T'Kau nodded. "Logic suggests they are ready. We shall track the vessel's trajectory and determine her point of origin. Then...we will land."
"And provide proof that the humans are far from alone in the cosmos," Sevok nodded. "Affirm, Commander. Altering trajectory."
"Full impulse power."
"Affirm. Full impulse."
Bozeman, Montana
As the T'Plana-Hath is descending
Picard's communicator sounded. "Worf to Captain Picard."
"Yes, Mr. Worf, Picard here," he nodded. He and the others were dressed in 21st Century-style clothing, courtesy of the replicators, to blend in.
"Sensors show a Vulcan scoutship on final descent to your location, sir." Worf paused. "It is the T'Plana-Hath."
"Right on time," the Captain nodded, "just as history tells us - or will tell us. So they definitely detected the Phoenix in warp."
"As did we, sir. Though minimal, the warp signature showed clearly."
"Thus the Borg have definitely failed," Picard growled, then a thought occurred to him. "And after all that effort to restore the proper timeline, it would be a tragedy at best if it were to be undone by the Vulcans detecting our ship."
"They will not, sir," Worf reported almost smugly. "Our sensors are sensitive enough to detect both even through the Moon, whereas hers are not and the Phoenix does not even possess sensors. We remain hidden from them, and from Earth."
"Excellent, Mr. Worf. Job well done. We'll just be a few minutes saying our goodbyes. Picard out."
Discreetly protecting his privacy (as if it mattered), Lily walked over to him and asked, "So what now?"
Picard smiled. "Enjoy the show."
It wasn't long before lights showed in the sky. The clouds were pierced by a...spaceship.
No, Lily reconsidered, with her newly altered perspective, a starship. She watched in awe as the huge (to her) vessel descended smoothly and almost silently. She didn't look anything like the Phoenix, her design was completely alien - but way more advanced, she saw with her engineer's eye.
There were, naturally, murmurs among the people of Bozeman. "Who are they?" "What are they doing here?" "Are they gonna shoot at us, Daddy?"
Picard ached to reassure them, especially the frightened little girl clutching her father's hand, that these visitors meant no harm whatsoever, but he knew that that in itself would be altering history...because of course people would want to know who he was and how he knew. Nonetheless…
He'd studied this event at school in La Barre. Meticulous records had been kept by Bozeman natives, and the site was/would be a tourist attraction. He felt privileged to see First Contact happening with his own eyes. As an ardent student of history and as a Starfleet officer, he wished he could participate.
But of course that was impossible.
"By God! They're really from another world!" Cochrane gasped.
"And they're going to want to meet the man who flew that warp ship," Riker smiled.
Dazed, Cochrane went to meet the - man? Damn, they almost looked human.
Until he removed his hood and raised his right hand in the Vulcan salute.
"Live long," Sevok intoned politely, "and prosper." Though Vulcans normally eschewed touch, observations had shown it was the human custom to shake hands. Thus he firmed up his mental shields and shook Cochrane's hand (after the latter had tried and failed to return the gesture of peace).
"Thanks," Cochrane ventured. Feeble, yes, but it's not every day you meet a man (?) from another world.
THE END
"It's a boyhood fantasy, Data. I must have seen this ship hundreds of times in the Smithsonian,
but I was never able to touch it."
"Sir, does tactile contact alter your perception of the Phoenix?"
"Oh, yes. For humans, touch can connect you to an object in a very personal way. It makes it seem more real."
"I am detecting imperfections in the titanium casing. Temperature variations in the fuel manifold.
It is no more 'real' to me now than it was a moment ago."
"Would you three like to be alone?"
- Star Trek: First Contact