Chapter 1

In Ten Forward, Guinan brought a glass to Worf's table. "All right. Try this."

"What is it?" asked Leutennant-Commander Worf.

"Just try it," Guinan insisted.

He took a sip, and his face lit up.

"You see?" said Guinan. "It's an Earth drink. Prune juice."

"A warrior's drink," stated Worf.

"You know," said Guinan. "You're always drinking alone. It wouldn't hurt you to seek out a little companionship."

At that moment a fuzzy swirly thing appeared outside the ship.

"Lieutenant Worf, report to the Bridge," came Commander William Riker's voice.

"On my way," responded Worf, heading for the door.

Guinan looked out the window at the anomaly. "No!"

The Doctor, Ace and Nita were in the console room. They had just said goodbye to Nita's family and were deciding where to go next.

"Why don't I set the randomizer and see where we end up?" suggested the Doctor.

"Yeah!" both girls cried.

"I love a surprise!" said Ace.

The Doctor flipped the dematerialization switch and the TARDIS went into motion. The next moment, The Doctor, Ace and Nita are hanging on for dear life as the TARDIS pitches back and forth.

"What's going on, Doctor?" cried Nita.

"I don't know!" the Doctor shouted back. Suddenly everything stilled. The Doctor turned on the scanner. "I'm picking up a time rift."

"What's that when it's at home?" asked Ace.

"It's a weakness in space and time through which people or objects can pass from one location and time to another," he replied. "We seem to have materialized in space next to a space ship of some kind."

On the bridge of the Enterprise, Captain Jean-Luc Picard looked out the viewscreen at the anomaly.

"Analysis, Mister Data," requested Picard.

"Sensors are reading gravimetric fluctuations, Captain," replied Data. "Most unusual ones."

"Unusual in what way?" asked Riker. "Specify?"

"Nothing I have seen before," replied Data.

"Is it a wormhole?" asked Picard.

"Yes and no," replied Data. "Like a time displacement, but it does not have a discernible event horizon."

"Sir, navigational subsystems are unable to give coordinates on the object," said Ensign Wesley Crusher.

"Confirmed," said Data. "The phenomenon does not have a definable centre or outer edge."

"Are you saying it is and yet it isn't there?" asked Riker.

"I do not have sufficient information to make an analysis as yet, Commander," replied Data. "The dynamics of the radiation patterns…"

"Captain!" cried Worf. "Something's happening. A new change in sensor readings."

Picard turned to Data.

"Mister Data?"

"Scanning sensors."

The console beeps.

"Sir!" exclaimed Data. "Sensors are reading something else!"

"Something else?" asked Picard.

"Something appears to be fading in and out of existence," replied Data. "It appears to be a small ship of some kind."

As the bridge crew looked at the viewscreen, they observed a blue box-like object fading into view.

"What is a 'Police Box?'" asked Riker.

"Accessing," replied Data. "A means of communications between law-enforcement officers in 20th century Great Britain on Earth."

"What's it doing here?" asked Picard. "Hail them."

"Hailing," replied Worf.

In the TARDIS, the telephone in the door began ringing.

"That telephone actually works?" asked Nita.

The Doctor ran over to the door and picked up the handset.

"Err..hello, this is the Doctor."

"They are responding to our hail, audio only," said Worf.

"Put it through," said Picard.

"Err..hello, this is the Doctor."

"This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard, of the Federation Starship Enterprise. Please explain your presence here."

"Er, well, we're just passing through," replied The Doctor. "What do you make of the time rift?"

"Time rift?" asked Picard. "Is that what you think the phenomenon is?"

"Yes," replied The Doctor. "I've encountered them before."

"Perhaps we could investigate together," suggested Picard. "Would you like us to beam you over to our ship?"

"Beam?" asked the Doctor.

"Transporter technology," explained Picard.

"Oh, that won't be necessary," replied the Doctor. "My ship can materialize inside yours."

"No, I don't think that would be appropriate," said Picard. "That would be a security issue. I would prefer to transport you individually. It's perfectly safe, I assure you."

"Well, I don't know," replied the Doctor. "Will you guarantee the safety of myself and my two companions?"

"You have my word as a Starfleet Officer," Picard assured him.

"Starfleet? You're from Earth?" asked The Doctor.

Picard confirmed it.

"Well, all right then," agreed the Doctor.

"Commander Worf, please send a security officer to meet our guests in transporter room one and bring them to my Ready Room," said Picard. Worf does so.

A ship emerges from the phenomenon, and things change. Picard's uniform grows a higher collar and the Bridge becomes slightly darker. Worf disappears.

"Lieutenant, what are their sensor readings?" asked Picard. "Is that an enemy vessel?"

"I'm getting too much interference, Captain," replied Lieutenant Tasha Yar.