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Rios sat with his feet up on the console, reclining in the pilot's chair. Tall with black hair, he had a neatly trimmed moustache and was dressed in a casual grey jacket over a white shirt and dark trousers.

'Alert. Spatial distortion detected...'

What...?'

Hearing the computer's warning, Rios swung his feet off the console, grabbing the controls.

'Computer, analysis...'

'Spatial distortion is interfering with sensor arrays. Recommend reducing speed...'

No shit, Rios thought, throttling back out of warp and activating the viewer in time to see a ripple ahead of him. What happened next caught him completely by surprise. One second, there was empty space ahead of him. The next, there was a ship with a prominent saucer section and round, swept back nacelles.

'Full reverse impulse!' Rios yelled, hands tightening on the controls as the engines kicking in, pushing him forward for a second before the inertial dampeners caught up. Once he was clear of the vessel, Rios eased the controls forward, coming to a stop. Letting out a slow breath, he released the controls and slumped back.

'Computer, identify vessel...'

'Vessel is Constitution-class USS Enterprise, registration NCC 1701. Overall length is...'

'Computer, confirm identification...'

'Vessel is Constitution-class USS Enterprise, registration NCC...Attention, we are being hailed...'

'...Onscreen,' Rios said, the viewscreen flickering on to show a sandy-haired man in a bright yellow tunic.

'This is Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Please identify yourself...'

'...Captain Rios of the independent vessel La Sirena. Did you say you were...Captain Kirk...?

'Yes...'

'...uh...Captain Kirk has been...dead for over 100 years...'

'...Excuse me...?

'According to Starfleet records, Captain Kirk died during the maiden voyage of the Enterprise-B over 100 years ago...'

#################

'Audio off,' Kirk said. 'Spock, can we confirm what he's saying...?'

'Initial analyses of cosmic background radiation would seem to support his assertion, although it will take time to confirm the results...'

'What are you saying, Spock?' McCoy demanded from where he had been pacing at the back of the bridge and Spock turned towards him.

'I am not saying anything, Doctor. I am merely presenting the facts...'

'Resume audio,' Kirk said, cutting them them off. 'Captain Rios, whether or not what you say is true, we need to contact Starfleet. Would you be able to assist us...?'

'...yes, but it will take some time. I'll contact you again as soon as possible. La Sirena out...'

#################

'Raffi...'

'...Rios...'

'I have...an unusual situation that I need some assistance with...'

'...Rios, I...'

'I'm sending you a data file. Please, just take a look...'

'...alright... ... is this for real...?'

'I don't know. But, either way, Starfleet needs to know about it...'

'...yeah. Yeah, okay. I've still got some contacts in Starfleet Security. I'll see what I can do...'

'Thanks, Raffi. I owe you one...'

'You owe me a lot more than that...'

'I know...'

#################

'...this is a joke, right...?'

'Do you think I'd make up something like this, Vorza...?'

'...okay, no. But, Raffi, this isn't possible...'

'No, but it seems to be...'

'...alright. I'll take it to my superiors...'

#################

'...are you serious about this, Lieutenant Marrax?'

'Yes, sir,' Vorza said and Commander Trai frowned.

'One of the most famous Federation starships has just appeared out of nowhere...?'

'I trust my source, sir...'

'...very well, Lieutenant. I'll assign a Starship to investigate...'

'...thank you, sir...'

#################

'We're being hailed, Captain...'

'Onscreen, Uhura...'

'Aye, Captain...

'Captain Rios...'

'I've relayed your message to Starfleet. They're sending a starship to rendezvous with you...'

'Thank you for your assistance, Captain...'

'Happy to help. La Sirena, out...'

'Are we just going to sit here and wait for Starfleet, Jim?'

'No, Bones. Uhura, start monitoring local communications. Spock, commence long-range scans of nearby star systems. I want as much intelligence as we can get. Sulu, Chekov, we need to fix our precise position. And Chekov, give me shipwide...'

'Aye, Keptin...'

'Attention, all hands. This is Captain Kirk. It's...possible that the distortion we encountered may have transported us to a... parallel reality. I know that it sounds crazy. We're still trying to pinpoint our location and assess the situation. Until further notice, we will remain at yellow alert. That is all...'

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.