Trip sees a familiar scenario, and ends up in a familiar-yet-not-familiar universe. Why is this phenomenon centered on Columbia? We get some important clues in this chapter.

OCs: Lt (j.g.) Birkenwald is from my stories "A Klingon and an Englishman Go into a Bar" and "Five Weddings (and a Funeral for my Sanity"). Ensign Neal Campbell is from "Voices of Treachery".

In "Trip and the Terrific TARDIS", Trip and Malcolm visit an alternate universe where A.G. Robinson is alive and Jon Archer is a famed diplomat and negotiator for the United Earth Coalition. (Trip met Captain Jack Harkness on Risa). Keep that in mind during this story.

Relative Time

September 4, 2156

Enterprise NX-01

Enterprise hurtled through space at warp 6, thanks to Trip's coaxing of the engines. He watched the warp matrix with the intensity of a hawk. Rostov and Hess appeared with constant cups of coffee, while Ensign McIntyre appointed himself as Mess Hall runner for the entire department. Trip was grateful for how his people took care of each other without being asked.

"I hope the Universe doesn't get mad at us for breaking the speed limit again," Hess quipped, but there was little humor in her tone.

Trip only nodded and replied, "Yeah, me too. The Vulcans hate it when you push their equipment past their standard limits, but...sometimes, it's necessary."

Hess rested her hip on the console next to him and lowered her tone. "You okay, Boss?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You just seem even edgier than usual. I mean, I know Columbia's in trouble, but there seems to be something else nagging at you. Is Commander T'Pol all right?"

His head jerked up at the question. "She's fine, Anna. It's just I got a bad feeling, like-"

"-like something big's about to happen? Or that it's already happened, but you just don't know it yet"

Trip chuckled and shook his head. Anna Hess had always been perceptive, whether it be with people or with technology. That was why he'd handpicked her to be his second-in-command. "You too, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm not the only one who's felt that way, too. Mike's Russian is getting more and more incomprehensible. Even Crewman Federovich has trouble understanding him." Hess shrugged. "Come to think of it, the guys in the Armory have been on edge too, since Lieutenant Commander Reed went back to Earth."

The uneasy feeling in Trip's stomach worsened. "I thought Johannes Birkenwald was doing a pretty good job covering for Malcolm while he's away."

"It's not about them, really. Ensign Welsh says it's just a...feeling. He can't explain it, either. Birkenwald ordered a whole battery of security drills since Reed left. Welsh complained that Johannes is becoming too much like his boss, but I don't blame him."

Trip nodded. Hess kept an ear on the ship's grapevine, since Hoshi no longer served on Enterprise and Liz Cutler was busy getting her doctorate, under Phlox's supervision. If Hess noticed strange things too, then it wasn't just his overactive imagination.

And after traveling with the Doctor, Trip knew anything was possible.

He glanced up at the status board; they were still pushing warp 6 and going steady. Trip thought, Too bad we can't install any Gallifreyan tech into the ship. We'd be where Columbia is in the blink of an eye. Then again, he'd seen the effects of introducing advanced technology in places where it shouldn't be. It was enough to give Time Agents like Daniels and Jack Harkness fits.

The lights dimmed once, twice, three times before brightening again. The status board rippled and went dark, then came up again with red numbers. Trip swore under his breath, but his engineering team had smoothly anticipated his orders. The comm beeped and he smacked the button with an open palm.

"Bridge to Engineering!"

"We got it, Cap'n. Easing back to Warp 4." The numbers on the board turned yellow, then green. Hess was already at a secondary board with Rostov and Kelby. Rostov let out a string of expletives in Russian, which Trip knew was a bad sign. Trip left his comm channel with the Bridge open; perhaps the Captain and the others might pick up a clue to their engine problems.

"Yellow alert, Mister Birkenwald."

"Aye, sir," replied the temporary Chief of Security. Trip missed hearing Malcolm's English accent.

Travis Mayweather's voice echoed in the chaos on the Bridge. "Entering the Soleja system."

Captain Archer's calm tone asked, "Any sign of Columbia?"

T'Pol replied, "Columbia is currently stationary around the third planet. Sensors are detecting faint energy traces from that vicinity. I am attempting to identify the source."

Her words pulled Trip out of the crisis in Engineering. "T'Pol, try scanning in the gamma frequencies. I'm getting some weird readings down here from the warp core. Whatever's affecting Columbia might be doing the same to Enterprise right now."

"Acknowledged, Commander."

Archer ordered, "All stop, Travis. Trip, what kind of readings?"

Trip glanced at his board, then to the trio of engineers at the secondary board. Kelby caught his gaze, and rolled his eyes. He turned back to the comm. "The matrix flow's pretty sluggish. It's as if the energy's suddenly thickened like molasses. I recommend going to impulse until we figure out what the hell's going on."

"Travis, you heard him. Half-impulse. Ensign Campbell, still no answer from Columbia or the Solejan Cabal?"

Ensign Neal Campbell answered, "No, sir. Both channels are clear. Either they can't respond, or they won't respond for some reason."

T'Pol interrupted, "Captain, I have pinpointed the source of the energy. Commander Tucker was correct in suggesting the scans in the gamma range. I've never seen anything quite like this before, but it's concentrated on the surface of the third planet, at a point directly below Columbia's position."

Trip's scowl deepened at her words and he said, "T'Pol, lemme see what the scans are showing you."

"Relaying the scans to you now, Commander."

His screen split into two, with the engine information on the left side and T'Pol's scans on the right. The strange energy spread from a single point on Soleja Three to encompass Columbia. It effectively tethered the starship to its position in space, like a towline attached to Jupiter Station. If Captain Hernandez had tried to break orbit, then the gravitational stresses would tear her ship apart.

It extended in all directions from Columbia in a jagged path that ran through the entire system. Several asteroids floated between Soleja Five and Six; the brightly colored ribbon surrounded a few of them, but left the others alone. Trip narrowed his eyes at the readings. Enterprise had stopped short of the ribbon, but he could see tendrils reaching out for the starboard nacelle. They stopped short of it, as if blocked by an unseen barrier.

What the hell? He understood T'Pol's confusion. It was as if this strange phenomena was alive in some way. The energy pulsed just like a rapid heartbeat, almost too fast for him to see. There was a pattern: one, two, three, four...one, two, three, four. Was this some sort of message? A distress call? A summons? It certainly didn't look like the standard SOS code.

"Commander, we've bypassed the blockage in the warp matrix!" Hess called from across the room. "You should see a rise in energy levels from the core!"

Trip's eyes snapped towards the left side of his screen. True to her words, the readings slowly climbed up to a more normal level and stayed there. He grinned widely and glanced over his shoulder, "Good work, Anna-"

"Sir?"

Her voice echoed as if from far away. Trip stood up from his seat as the entire engine room blurred and shimmered as if he was in a transporter beam. A wave of dizziness hit him so hard that he stumbled and nearly fell to his knees. Hands caught him, supported him, then guided him back to his chair.

Another voice echoed over him, but it was not Anna Hess. "Sir? Sir? Are you all right?"

Someone else reached over him to hit the comm button. "Cargo Bay Two to Sickbay. Commander Tucker's collapsed. We need medical attention."

"Acknowledged. I'm sending Liz down right away."

What? Cargo Bay Two? And isn't Liz out getting her doctorate?

Even as the thought crossed his mind, Trip knew what had happened. He remembered the Ninth Doctor's words in that twisted version of an evil universe: "When you cross universes, you absorb what is called artron energy. Any time traveler can recognize another one because of it."

Artron energy? The strange ribbon was made out of artron energy? If that was true, then...it wasn't a ribbon after all. It was some sort of rip, some sort of tear, in the universe, centered on Columbia and Enterprise, and it was spreading.

Oh, hell. Not again! He tried to hold onto consciousness, but it twisted, faded, and went out.

Relative Time

September 4, 2156

UEC-1701 Enterprise

"I think he's coming around, Captain. Be gentle with him; he hit his head pretty hard."

Trip opened his eyes to find himself staring at a dull gray ceiling. He heard an unfamiliar hum, but it was oddly soothing. Somehow, he managed to turn his head at the voice, and blinked at the woman next to his bed.

"You still with us Commander? I wish you didn't end up in here so often; I'm starting to run out of anelgesics." Liz Cutler chuckled as she placed a gentle hand on his forehead. Her long blonde hair was piled up in some high bun at the top of her head. The blue uniform placed still placed her in Sciences, but there was a snake-and-rod pin on her collar that identified her as a medic.

He blinked and muttered, "You finally got your doctorate."

She laughed and shrugged in good-natured depreciation. "Got that years ago, Commander. That crate gave you one hell of a concussion, if you're thinking you're back in the past."

"Crate? I got clobbered by a crate?"

Liz glanced over her shoulder. "Accident prone as usual. I swear, I should engrave his name on this biobed. No, don't get up-" she gently pushed Trip back onto the pillow, "-I want to make sure there isn't any lasting damage. Head injuries aren't something to joke about, especially where you're concerned."

"Stubborn as hell," agreed another voice. Trip's heart skipped a beat as he recognized it. A tall man with thinning blond hair stood directly behind Liz. He wore command yellow and black pants, with four pins on his collar. He shook his head and put a restraining hand on Trip's shoulder. "Dammit, Trip, stay still and let Doc Cutler look you over."

Trip tried to hide his shock, but failed miserably. "Captain Robinson...A.G.?"

A.G. Robinson gave Liz a humorous look. "Well, he remembers me. That's a good sign, isn't it?"

She clucked her tongue as she ran a sensor over Trip. It was about the size and shape of a salt shaker, with a whirring blue light. He knew he'd never seen this device among Phlox's meant he was hopping through universes.

Again.

Which meant the universe was in trouble.

Again.

Which meant the Doctor needed his help.

Again.

At least Trip was now a veteran in adapting quickly to slightly-different-yet-familiar environments. First, he had to figure out exactly when he was, where he was, and what he needed to do.

He chuckled and half-joked, "A.G., you aren't exactly hard to forget."

A.G gave him his trademark grin. "Good to know I've got that effect on people." The grin vanished as quickly as it appeared. "I need my engineer back as soon as possible. Jon's with Captain Mayweather on the Columbia. We're meeting them in two days. They want us to tag along on Jon's great meeting on Soleja Three. Everyone from the Cardassians to the Vulcans will be there."

Trip nodded as if he knew what A.G was talking about. Jon Archer at an important interspecies meeting. He had his suspicions about where he'd ended up this time, but he wanted to make damn sure before he did anything. He flinched as Liz shone a penlight into his eyes.

"I want to keep him under observation, at least for the meantime. If there aren't any ill effects from his little escapade in the Cargo Bay, I'll release him to quarters." Liz gave him the fisheye. "You're lucky a Vulcan's head is harder than yours, otherwise I'd be dealing with a cranky concussed T'Pol too. Don't worry...she's fine and on the Bridge, but she knew exactly what happened and when."

A.G rolled his eyes and said, "I've learned to look to her whenever you get yourself into trouble. She seems to know."

Trip only tapped his forehead with his index finger, which made Liz nod and chuckle. She sobered as she addressed A.G as a chief medical officer to her captain. "I'll let you know about his progress."

"Good. Stay put this time, Trip. I mean it, or I'll tell Chef to toss your pecan pie out the airlock." A.G winked, turned and went out the Sickbay door. Door, singular, and Trip noticed a rectangular light installed directly above it.

Liz misinterpreted his concern. "Yeah, I hope that red alert klaxon doesn't go off anytime soon too."