I Naviganti 4: Mélangées
di Monica MicioGatta
with Seti's collaboration
Dedicated to my Mother
Summary: A strange being from another Continuum likes to make jokes to Enterprise... but this time, he takes the wrong Enterprise.
This story is set between "Terra Prime" and "These Are the Voyages", in particular in February 2155. Here my Personal Enterprise 5th Virtual Season starts.
Author's Notes: «Star Trek: Enterprise» and its characters are not mine. I used them only to enjoy myself and I'll bring them back at home before midnight. No payment was received for this work. T'Mir, Izar, Surek, Charline in my stories are my own creation.
I'm writing my stories in Italian because this is my native language and I enjoy doing it (and Seti - my best friend and my first betareader - doesn't want to read them in English). I'm trying to translate them into English, because my friend Mihaela told me there's a lot of people who would like to read it, and Asso and Seti agree. So if you like them, please, let me know. There's no reason to continue in translation if no one is interested in them.
Many thanks to my best friends and first betareaders (in Italian) Seti and Franz, to Asso, Opalsmith and all the «How cute is Connor Trinneer/Trip Tucker?» fans on TrekUnited whosupported me in this work, in particular to Tishkajaku, who patiently betaread my first work.
Jonathan Archer, captain of the starship Enterprise NX-01, sighed slightly as Hoshi Sato, the communications officer, shook her head again.
«No, sir.» said the young woman. «No signal, no subspace transmission.»
Archer, standing next to Sato's station, turned to the helmsman, Travis Mayweather: «Can you tell where we are?»
The young man shook his head. «No, sir. There are no recognizable stars.»
Or rather, there were no stars. And that was really weird.
«You have no idea what happened?» The captain asked to his science officer, T'Pol, a Vulcan.
She shook her head slightly.
All the officers present on the bridge turned around abruptly, when an unknown voice greeted the captain in French.
«Bonjour, mon capitaine!»
Archer stared at the man just appeared, who wore a red and black uniform and had on his chest what Archer had just time to recognize the symbol of curvature, since when he was about to say: "Who (the hell) are you?", the man, looking around briefly, said: «Pardonnez-moi, j'ai rate navire.» and vanished into thin air.
Jonathan brought his attention to Hoshi: «I must go and ask Phlox to visit me or have you seen him too?»
«He was someone speaking in French.» the linguist said. «He said "Good morning, my captain." And then he added: "I'm sorry, I'm on the wrong the ship."»
«Wrong ship? In what sense?»
Hoshi shrugged her shoulders slightly.
«From our data we are isolated...» Archer could not finish the sentence, because the scientific station rang a signal.
«Proximity alarm.» T'Pol announced.
The captain had barely time to turn to the screen and yell: «Travis, turn!»
The helmsman, who was already performing the operation, suddenly veered to the right, then pulled down the ship. Anyone who was not sitting or clinging firmly, fell to the ground, including Travis, as Enterprise glided gracefully under the ship that had just appeared, but the right nacelle touched the starboard hull and set off sparks in the empty space. (Can sparks form in the empty space?)
«Travis,» said Archer, reaching the helmsman.
«I'm fine.» the young man said, but he grimaced in pain.
«Call the sickbay.» the captain ordered to Hoshi.
«Tucker to the bridge!»
Archer reached an intercom. «Archer here.»
«We lost the right nacelle, what the hell happened?»
The captain sighed slightly. "Do not touch my engines Trip." «That's what I want to know.»
«Captain.» T'Pol called. «I think I've understood where we are.» She pointed to the main screen. A beautiful spiral galaxy was slowly appearing in front of them. «It's like we're coming out of a darkness bubble and now we are... between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy.»
Archer looked at her as if she was crazy. «It is not possible.»
T'Pol gave him a look that seemed to say: "I totally agree with you," but then she returned to fix the screen.
«Oh.» Hoshi said. «What a wonderful view.» The Milky Way, in all its grandeur and beauty, appeared on their screens. «Where is our sun?»
Nobody answered. The small yellow star Sol, as well as another small yellow star, Keid, the sun of Vulcan, were too small to be distinguished, even partially, in the Galaxy.
«But how we finished here?» Travis said, who, still sitting on the ground, he had a sore leg.
«Captain! An incoming communication. Audio and video.»
Archer nodded, «On the screen.» he said, a bit reluctantly, since he was reluctant in removing the sight of their galaxy.
The man on the screen had the same uniform of the "French" man that appeared and disappeared just before. «Captain... Archer?» But she said nothing else, so that was Archer to speak. «Here is Captain Jonathan Archer of the starship Enterprise. Can you explain why one of your men was beamed aboard my ship for a few seconds? And I would like to know why you came against us. We have lost a warp nacelle.»
«We...» The man smiled, appearing almost embarrassed. «I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard, of the starship Enterprise.» Then he added: «Enterprise NCC-1701-D.»
Archer looked at him seriously, and walked to the center of the bridge. «There is not an Enterprise with that designation. Who are you really?»
«Captain Archer,» replied the other man, his voice sounded excited. «Allow me to make you a question, first. The man you mentioned earlier is high, has dark curly hair, greeted her in French?»
«Yes,» Jonathan began to be tired about that situation.
Picard, on the screen, sighed and turned to the right. «It's Q again.»
«Would be so kind to explain?» Archer asked. «We are also beyond the last frontier and more without a nacelle.»
The other man nodded. «I'll be happy to provide you with all the informations we had, Captain Archer. I ask you to be teleported on board.»
Jonathan glanced at the empty helm, Travis had been taken to the sickbay and he thought that a dock would have been out of the question, given the damage that the other ship had done to them. So if this guy wanted to take chances with the transporter, well, he could have. The captain used the teleport, but only when there was absolutely no other ways.
«You have permission to come aboard.» Archer said. «But only you. Archer out.»
Picard's face on the screen was replaced by the sight of the ship. Now they could clearly see the words "Enterprise NCC-1701-D" on the hull. »Do you recognizes the configuration?» Archer asked, without turning, to T'Pol.
The Vulcan raised an eyebrow, but did not answer.
«Well?»
«It seems obvious.» T'Pol said. «It has a configuration almost identical to that of Enterprise NX-01. A saucer section and two warp nacelles on pylons. This ship has a cylindrical section too.»
He could not blame her, but he wanted to snap something back the same. He didn't have the time. The sizzle of the transporter and the light of energy on coming back in substance appeared to leave the place immediately to a tall, thin man who had introduced himself as the captain of the other ship.
«Captain Archer.» He said. «For me it's a great honour to meet you.»
«Can you follow me in my office?» Archer asked, and without waiting for an answer, he walked into the small room behind the bridge.
When Picard went in and the door closed behind him, Archer motioned him to sit.
«I have a feeling that someone is playing a funny little joke to my ship.»
«Not only you, Captain.» Picard said, quietly.
«And you're going to tell me that your "ship" is in trouble and you know nothing about it.» He lowered to dodge a pipe in the ceiling and sat down at his desk.
Picard thought that he had never had such problems. He had never realized how little was in fact the NX-01, he was accustomed to the open spaces of the Galaxy-class ships. «Not really. The being that you've seen on the bridge just before we appeared is not a member of my crew and he had already made several jokes to us.» Picard smiled slightly. «But I must tell you that it is an honour to meet you.»
Archer said nothing, but stared at him.
«You see... it will be hard to believe, but I and my crew come from the twenty-fourth century.»
Jonathan sighed. «There's still Daniels behind this, isn't he?»
«No, sir, since he has stopped the temporal war, a year ago, Daniels is no longer in contact with us in his past.»
He shook his head. «Then who?»
«It's Q.»
«Q...? Q what?»
«Q is all. He comes from a different space-time continuum and...»
«Stop.» Archer interrupted. «I've already had to deal with transdimensional beings and I know that is not pleasant. But other than that Q... who are you?»
«I told you. I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the spaceship Enterprise NCC-1701-D of the United Federation of Planets.»
«Federation.» Archer stood up and walked slowly up and down the few steps that the room gave him without having to stoop. «I've heard of this thing... it's particular.»
«I know that Daniels told you that you will be one of the founders.»
Archer stopped and leaned forward, resting his palms on the desk. «Mr. Picard, so far I have seen time travels can move men and women with their clothes and phaser guns, but not whole ships.» Archer's eyes closed for a while. To tell the truth he had seen coming out of the curvature the Verne, who not only came from the future, but that of another universe. «At least ship not as big as yours.»
«"But you can travel back in time with Galaxy-class ships, such as the Enterprise 1701-D. A predecessor of mine travelled back and forth with a Klingon ship.»
Archer nodded slowly and he was tempted to ask if he played very often in football without a helmet.
«Mes capitaines!» The voice came from next to Jonathan and he was tempted to remove the phaser gun from behind his chair and shoot. «In this case, the plural is due.»
«It's his fault.» Picard said to Archer, then turned to the new comer. «What do you want from me this time, Q?»
«I did a little confusing, you call all your ships Enterprise...» He pointed to Archer. "It is called Enterprise Kirk's ship too, and all the others, such as Harriman's and Garrett's ships... Well, just my friend Janeway had the courage to take a Voyager. It's good that I've not put here a boat,»
«WHAT'S THE POINT!» The two captains shouted together. They exchanged a fleeting glance and immediately brought attention back to Q.
«I didn't mean to bring him here.» she gestured towards Archer. «It was a mistake.» He smiled mockingly to Picard. «But now I want to see how well you do.»
«Here where? And especially when.» asked Picard.
Q smiled and vanished into thin air.
«When? In that sense *when*?» Archer asked.
«We live two hundred years apart, Captain Archer.» He said. «I don't know in which time Q has sent us. If mine, yours...»
«Or in the middle.» Archer concluded. «Since we are half way between two galaxies...»
A slight buzz came from Picard's uniform.
«Riker to Picard.»
Archer looked at him strangely.
The captain touched his communicator. «Yes, number one?»
«Transmission incoming, Captain.»
Picard turned to Archer. «Can I get the call here?»
Jonathan shrugged. So now, worse than that.
The other man stood up and walked to the bridge. He approached and Hoshi and, almost whispering, said: «Ensign Sato, could accept the broadcast comes from Enterprise D?»
She glanced at Archer, who nodded. Then she ran her hands quickly on the console, and then said: «On the screen.»
The face of a young girl with pointy ears replaced the vision of the great ship. «Captain Picard.» she said in greeting.
«Captain T'Pol.» He said. «Where are you?»
Archer's eyes widened and glanced at his science officer, who, as a good Vulcan, struggling to suppress astonishment.
«Indeed, you should be the one who tell me where you are. I followed the track of the Continuum, but I struggle to set the fifth dimension. Give me a hand, or my mission will go down the drain.»
«Halfway between the Milky Way and Andromeda.»
The girl raised an eyebrow on the screen. «Where no man has gone before.»
«Yeah.» Picard let out a bitter laugh. «We both know how we got here.»
«But Captain, you... that... that's Enterprise...»
Archer walked up to appear in her view field and could hear distinctly the Vulcan suck a breath of surprise. «Sunovabitch, Admiral Jonathan Archer!» she said.
«Captain Archer.» He corrected. «And this fact that everyone seems to know me, but I do not have a clue of who you all are is starting to tiring me.»
«But then that's the Enterprise NX-01! Can I dock? Can I get on board? Can I greet you? Can I meet you?»
Picard gave a dirty look at the young woman, knowing that he could do little more: "Captain T'Pol" did not depend from him. «T'Pol, I think it's best that docks to my ship.»
«Yes, but I ...»
«T'Pol.» Picard said in a tone that brooked no reply.
«Okay.» She touched the communicator on her chest. «Kirk to Enterprise.» He turned to Picard and gave him a huge smile. «How many people can tell to have say such a thing?»
If Picard did not have his mind encumbered by thoughts on Q, it would certainly responded something sharp.
«Here Riker.» was the reply.
«Ah.» She said. «Right, because Picard is on the other Enterprise.»
Picard gave her a smile. «Captain T'Pol, it's a good idea if you shut down the communication with the NX-01.» All they needed now was the woman to argue directly with William Riker.
«You do have very small communicators...» Hoshi said, definitely interested.
«Yes,» Picard nodded. «Those are the new generation. They are also universal translator, thanks to you.»
Hoshi blushed slightly and smiled.
«The...» Archer cleared his throat. «The arrow...»
«The symbol of the warp your mother drew watching the patterns of your father's engines projects.» Picard concluded. «Yes, that is.»
Archer smiled. «I must say that this meeting is a little disorienting... but knowing that the warp engines have a future, as space exploration and the Enterprise ships... is... great.»
The turbolift opened and Trip Tucker, chief engineer, went out. «So the rumours are true.» he said, motioning to the ship on the screen. «Two hundred years from the future ...»
«Trip.» Archer said. «This is Captain Picard. He is...»
«Captain Tucker.» Picard concluded. «It's a pleasure.»
Trip smiled and shook his hand. «What warp she reaches?»
Archer was certain of one thing: if there was an engine, Trip had no trouble making friends and conversation.
Picard hesitated to speak. «Warp 6 as cruising speed, we can go for a few hours to 9.8 without damaging the engine.»
Tucker walked across the bridge, staring at the ship. «Can I take a look to the engines?»
Hoshi smiled. She had waited for that sentence.
Picard chose to remain vague. «I'll see what I can do.»
«But that one...» Trip whispered then. «There is a shuttle... there, straight on. It looks like...» He turned to T'Pol. «It's the Verne! It's T'Mir's shuttle!»
«No, sir.» Picard interrupted him, almost regretted having to cut down his enthusiasm. «It's the shuttle Kirk, is not the Verne.»
Trip leaned against T'Pol's station with one arm and stared at the shuttle docked off the port of the 1701-D. «They're similar, though.»
«Like the Verne, she's an interuniversal ship. Her captain is here to study the Qs.» Picard said.
«We're called again, Captain.» Hoshi said.
«On screen.»
«Kirk to Enterprise,» the Vulcan girl said.
Picard sighed. «Yes, Captain T'Pol, tell me.»
«The landing was perfect, did you see it?»
He closed his eyes. «What have you to tell me?»
«Kirk to Enterprise!» She smiled from ear to ear. «It's a beautiful phrase? I think everyone should be given at least once in their lifetime, the opportunity to say it, do not you think?»
«She smiles a bit too much to be a Vulcan, doesn't she?» Archer said, in the background.
«She's only half Vulcan.» Picard said.
«A quarter Vulcan,» she corrected. «Kirk to Enterprise. Can I get transported on NX-01 now?»
«We have to talk, first.»
The girl glanced at him disappointed. «There's someone named Scott on NX-01?»
Picard looked up to heaven.
«Come on, only to use the transporter!»
«Can we talk about it later?»
«Okay.» She said. «Kirk to Enterprise. Out.»
At that moment, Picard thought that if she said it another time, he would have shoot her.
«We have a completely destroyed nacelle.» Trip said. «And maybe if...»
«We will give all possible assistance.» Picard said. «But now it is better that I go back on my ship. At least I'll try to figure out how to get out of this situation and bring us back to our correct times and spaces.» He touched the communicator. «Picard to Enterprise. One to beam up.»
When he vanished in a flash of light, Hoshi turned to his captain. «He uses the teleportation as we use turbolift...»
«What we do in the meantime?» Trip asked.
Archer sighed. «A whole diagnostic of the ship. So we will repair everything as soon as possible. Call Malcolm and tell him to help you.»
(To be continued...)
I'm looking for betareaders to take care only of the language and grammar, not of the plots. :)