CHAPTER TWO

                Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise picked himself off the command deck and surveyed the bridge. Everyone was doing the same, no one having been able to keep their footing during the severe buffeting.

                "Report," William Riker, his Number One, said from next to him.

                "All systems are coming back on line," said Ensign Ro Laren from the Ops station.

                "Data," Picard said coming up behind his android science officer at the helm station, "What was that?"

                "Unknown, Sir."

                The darkened main viewscreen encompassing the entire front wall of the bridge sprung to life, flickering into a multi-colored test pattern.

                "Where are we?" Riker asked.

                "Sensors will be operational momentarily," Data said.

                The turbolift doors opened slowly behind the command center of the bridge. Troi and Worf emerged.

                "Mr. Worf," Picard said. "As soon as the internal sensors are on-line, I need a status report."

                "Yes, Sir."

                The viewscreen blinked again and a very blurry image materialized and slowly coalesced into a familiar image.

                "Deep Space Nine," Picard said.

                Sisko and his crew stared dumbfounded at the main Ops viewscreen.

                "I don't believe this," Sisko said.

                "It does seem impossible," Dax concurred from behind him.

                On the screen were five starships -- all named Enterprise. All from different time periods.

                "Commander," O'Brien called out. "We are getting a hail from the Enterprise, ah, 1701-D, Sir."

                "On the screen."

                The screen changed from the historic image to one of familiarity, a Galaxy-Class starship's main bridge. In the center was Jean-Luc Picard, a man Sisko once despised, for as Locutus of Borg, Picard destroyed the Starfleet at Wolf 359, in the process killing his wife Jennifer.

                Sisko's violent emotions had ebbed since he met Picard -- not Locutus -- when the Enterprise arrived to assist in the establishment of a Federation presence on DS9 earlier this year.

                But the viewer's image brought back strong emotions of Jennifer, nearly overwhelming Sisko for a moment.

                "Captain Picard," he said with too much emotion.

                "Commander Sisko," Picard said. "I am at a lack to understand how we got here, all of us. I was wondering if you could explain further."

                "I'm afraid we are as much in the dark as you." Sisko said. "However, it looks as if we are about to be a part of

history."