CHAPTER SIX

 

 

                "Captain Picard on hailing frequencies."

                "Thank you, Commander. On screen." Kirk stood and glanced at his command crew: Spock, Scotty, Chekov and Uhura; his friends. He was about to rely on them to help save civilization once again. But not Sulu, he and the crew of the U.S.S. Excelsior were victims of the time distortion along with everyone else they knew, the other friends and family that filled his crews' lives. All wiped away, waiting in entropy for the Starships Enterprise to act -- if they can.

                The screen flickered and a now familiar face filled it. "Captain Picard. The Enterprise-A stands ready."

                "Captain Kirk, 1701-D standing by. The probes from DS9 reconfirm our findings that Cardassian forces are at least three days away. We have that long."

                Kirk nodded, "Captain Pike and Captain Garrett report their ships are fully prepared for battle."

                "Commander Sisko also confirms his station's battle readiness."

                "Then that leaves us with our job. You have the coordinates."

                "Indeed, Captain Kirk."

                "Then, follow our lead, Captain Picard. Kirk out." The screen flicked back to the space scape.

                "Voice only signals from Captains Pike and Garrett and the station," Uhura said. "They wish good luck."

                "Acknowledge them, please, Commander. Mr. McGarity, set course for Forever World. Mr. Chekov, ahead warp factor seven. Spock, keep those sensors peeled for any party crashers. As of now, the ship is on a standing yellow alert."

                A chorus of 'aye, sirs' met Kirk as he sat back in the chair, mentally wished good luck to all.

 

                "This is interesting," Q said as he paced the bridge of Enterprise-D.

                "Sit down," Riker intoned. "Stop marching like a toy soldier."

                Q shrugged and sat down Indian-style in the center of the bridge.

                Troi couldn't help but smirk.

                "I hesitate to ask this," Picard said, "but what is interesting, Q?"

                "Going to the doughnut. It is feasible it survived the alterations. It may even be useful. Q would be besides himself."

                "Q?," Data queried from his seat at comm.

                "Q, Mr. Data. An irascible student in his day, worse than me. I idolized him for a bit, until I got tired of his immature pranks. Anyway, Q would be besides himself to know that his little pet school project may actually help save the whole continuum ... the whole universe. Of course, if it does, I'm not going to tell him. He would be more impossible to be around."

                "The Q," Riker said, "sound as if they all come from the same spoiled crib."

                "Watch yourself, Riker. That crib is the essence of the universe, the previous universe ... before this one."

                "Q," Picard said. "If your friend built the Guardian, then perhaps your knowledge..."

                "Forget it, Jean-Luc," Q frowned, "My friend, as you call him, was very tight-lipped. You always had to ask him direct questions if you wanted answers. And after our falling out, I never wanted to get that personal. Nope, I'm afraid I'll have to figure it out with the rest of you people ... and Worf."

                Worf snarled from the above security station.

                Q laughed, "I love pissing him off."

 

                "Bajor."

                "What about it, Major?" Sisko and Kira were standing in Sisko's office overlooking Ops.

                "The planet is right where it was before this mess, Commander. We might find some of the answers we seek down there."

                Sisko nodded and pitched his baseball between his hands. "Perhaps. But that isn't the real reason for your request."

                Kira sat down on the couch. "I have to know how the planet's survived in this timeframe."

                "We sent probes..."

                "Which show the cities decimated, I know. But, they also indicated life around the sanctuary outside the capital."

                "Bajoran life forms."

                Kira leaped up again. "Yes! Maybe survivors of the Vedek Assembly or the Kai herself..."

                Sisko shrugged. "Or maybe not."

                "Commander..."

                "Major." Sisko put the baseball back in its holder on the desk and paused for a few moments. He then turned to his first officer. "I agree with your plan. There may be clues down there to Cardassian strength and I am curious also to what Bajor is like in this timeframe. If Picard and Kirk fail, we may be here for a long time. We will need allies and supplies. Let me discuss it with Pike and Garrett. Get their recommendations. In the meantime, have O'Brien prep the Rio Grande."

                Kira smiled, "Thank you, Sir."

 

                "All scanners show clear," Number One said.

                Pike squinted at the viewscreen, as if trying to increase the magnification mentally of his fully-magnified main viewer. Space. But, nothing like he had experienced. Perhaps, out there nothing was familiar. The Cardassians were powerful, they after all helped take out a ship two generations beyond his own. But, he was sure that between himself, Enterprise-C and the station they would put up a fight if necessary, enough to hold off these Cardassians until reinforcements arrived, if they ever did.

                "Report at the slightest peep, Number One."

                "Aye, Sir."

                "Incoming signal from the station, Captain," Spock exclaimed.

                "Okay, Mr. Spock. Let's have it."

                The screen wavered into the image of Commander Sisko. "Captain Pike."

                "Commander."

                "Sir, as you know, the Planet Bajor is in this sector. We have had extensive dealings with this planet in the real time line."

                "Your first officer is Bajoran."

                "Yes. Our probes indicate life on the planet near a major religious enclave. Major Kira believes that members of the religious community may be alive and in need of assistance. I suggest authorizing am away mission led by her to the planet's surface."

                "If the others don't succeed we will need more than we currently have to survive."

                "My thoughts exactly, Captain."

                Pike nodded and crossed his arms. "So, what do you need from me?"

                "It was my feeling that this should be a joint operation between staffs. I will provide the runabout and assign Major Kira and my science officer, Lieutenant Dax."

                Pike frowned. Bajor was on the fringes of Federation space in the 24th Century. During his time, it was years away from being even charted. Therefore, theoretically, his crew should have no contact at all with Bajor or this sector. But, they were here and they weren't going to get the Federation back by playing it safe. "Very well, Captain. Lieutenant Spock and my Number One will join your team. They will transport over to the station shortly."

                "We will be ready." The screen wavered back into an image of the final frontier.

 

                Garrett looked at Lieutenants Harcourt Long and Melanie Jacoby. They were two of her finest security personnel and they volunteered to join the officers on the away mission to Bajor. "I have the utmost confidence in you two," She said smiling. "And I want a complete report when you return."

                "Yes, Sir," Jacoby snapped. Garrett went to the academy with her father, Captain Jeremy Jacoby of the U.S.S. Republic. The Captain of the Enterprise-C marveled again at the strength of will of her new crew, knowing that parents and friends like Jacoby had ceased to exist. And yet, the crew of her ship stood tall and were ready to serve. A phrase ran through Garrett's head suddenly, 'This isn't a mission, it's personal.'

                Long nodded to his Captain, "You'll have it, Sir."

                "Very good." She turned to the ensign behind the console. "Energize."

 

                "ETA, Data."

                The android looked up at the main viewscreen and turned to Commander Riker. "18 hours, present speed."

                'IMZADI!'

                The force of the thought made Riker cringe. He turned to look at Deanna at the chair next to his. She was perfectly composed, looking straight ahead. Riker's brow creased in confusion "De..."

                'IMZADI, MY MOTHER. I CAN'T FEEL HER PRESENCE ANYMORE. I THOUGHT I DID BUT IT WAS JUST AN ECHO FROM THE PAST. SHE'S NOT THERE, WILL. NOT ON BETAZED, NOWHERE.'

                Riker thought back, 'I KNOW, IMZADI. NEITHER IS MY FATHER.'

                'OH, I'M BEING SELFISH. I'M SORRY.'

                'NOT AT ALL. IT'S CERTAINLY OVERWHELMING IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT. ESPECIALLY IF YOU THINK THAT WE'RE HERE BY Q'S GOOD GRACES ...OR SCREWUPS.'

                'WE HAVE TO SUCCEED, WILL. WE MUST SUCCEED.'

                'I KNOW.'

                "Kirk to Enterprise."

                "Enterprise, Picard here." Jean-Luc sat behind his ready room desk with Kirk's image on the screen. Q lounged on the couch across the room.

                "Your status, Captain?"

                "All is well, so far. Our sensors show clear."

                "As do ours. We should start making plans for the landing party. Obviously, myself and Captain Spock should beam down since we have experience with the Guardian."

                "Agreed. I will join you, as will my science officer, Commander Data and Worf, head of Security..."

                A loud sneeze came from the couch.

                Kirk started, "I'm sorry, Captain. I didn't get that."

                "He said 'And Q,' Captain Kirk," exclaimed Q who walked up to the desk and span the viewer to face him.

                "I most certainly did not," said Picard, spinning the viewer back.

                "Gentlemen, Gentlemen," Kirk cried out, "Please, I'm getting dizzy."

                "You have to admit, Jean-Luc," Q declared, "I am an essential on this away team. More so than you, in fact. I can't wait to see Riker's reaction when you announce you're beaming down."

                "Enough, Q. Captain Kirk, Q says a friend..."

                "...acquaintance..."

                "...of his constructed the Guardian. If this is so, then perhaps he may be of some use on the away team."

                Kirk nodded, "Very well. Your discretion, of course, Captain. Kirk out." The screen blinked off.

                "I was afraid he was going to say that." Jean-Luc looked up at Q's smiling face.

 

                "She's ready, Sir," O'Brien said from his station at Ops.

                "Sisko to Rio Grande."

                "Kira here. We're all checked in and eager to go, Commander."

                "Very well, Major. Good luck."

                "Thank you. Kira out."

 

                "Everyone strapped in?," Kira called back to her crew.

                Dax sat next to her at the Conn. Number One manned the science station, Spock manned the sensors. Lieutenants Jacoby and Long sat in the aft compartment going over the readiness of the 24th Century phasers.

                They all signaled they were ready.

                "Rio Grande to O'Brien. We're out of here."

                "Good luck, Major."

                A surge of power and Deep Space Nine fell out from under the Runabout.

                "Next stop," Dax announced. "Bajor."