Hyperspace.

Finale.

Jonathan Archer stood on top of a hill overlooking the landing site of the Enterprise, but also giving a fantastic view of the surrounding landscape of the planet.

It had been an amazing three days since the discovery and later revival of Amelia Earhart, and the other people in those stasis chambers. Understandably disoriented, and still believing they were on Earth, the Starfleet officers - Archer, Trip, Travis, T'Pol, though technically she wasn't in Starfleet, and Elizabeth Cutler - had quickly had the problem with telling the stunned humans of where they were and what was happening. None of them had believed them, naturally, even with the proof in front of them. Earhart's navigator had lost his patience and pulled a gun on them, making them wish they'd bothered to search all the humans apart from the Japanese soldier who'd had a weapon visibly placed on his person. For an hour the Starfleet officers had been held prisoner, and even revealing T'Pol's Vulcan ears had been taken as a human experiment gone wrong.

Archer had only just managed to persuade Earhart to listen to them, and the famous pilot had begun to believe them after she'd examined some of their technology, much to her navigator's consternation. Luckily he hadn't been speaking for everyone, quite a few of the other human captives had wanted to leave and get some fresh air and sunlight.

It was when they'd left the cave they'd been locked in for centuries did their troubles really begin. They were attacked, but the Starfleet officers had managed to hold them off as Archer and T'Pol had sneaked up behind the attackers. After stunning one, the others were outgunned by the superior weapons.

The attackers had been dressed in grey militaristic uniforms, carrying simple projectile weapons. After a few moments the attackers had asked them if they were an alien race called the Briori, and Archer had said they were humans. Shocked, the attackers removed their masks/helmets, and showed they were humans themselves.

Slaves.

Archer's brow furrowed as the humans on this planet had told them, once onboard Enterprise so their mutual wounded - one of the attackers and Earhart's navigator had been injured, but Phlox had managed to heal them - could be taken care of in a safe environment. Once on the ship and in his comfort zone, Archer had managed to get some straight answers, though he'd had to explain to the angry leader of the attackers the human group Earhart was apart of were in fact in suspended animation. The leader had been surprised. It had clearly never occurred to them, even with the advanced technology they'd stolen from the Briori if they'd simply revived the ' 37s' as they called the group then they wouldn't have been left there for so long.

The Briori had brought the humans from Earth after travelling the galaxy looking for suitable slaves, discounting the Vulcans and Klingons, who were already fundamentally advanced and powerful enough to retaliate, and hundreds of humans had been brought here. Forced to labour for them, the humans yearned for a chance to become free. A few years later they'd gotten their wish.

After the last group of humans - the 37s, indicating the year of capture, had been brought to the planet, that was when the oppressed were given their chance, and they shook off the bonds of slavery. The Briori were wiped out, much of their technology was captured, and the humans survived. They lived in constant fear of being reconquered by the Briori because they had no way of telling if they'd survived.

In an act of stupidity the rebels in their enthusiasm had destroyed the ships the Briori had used to bring them to the planet, so they were stranded. They'd been living here for years, living in beautiful cities.

" Captain," a slightly breathless voice announced the presence of Amelia Earhart.

Archer turned, smiling at her warmly. " How's it going?"

Earhart smiled back at him. Although she hadn't been sure of him at first, Earhart could see the future of exploration was alive and kicking in the latest generation. It was the thrill of seeing what was on the other side of the sun which was what she wanted to talk to him about.

" The rest of us, the 37s," she said the term uneasily since she didn't like the sound of her and her party being regressed to a mere number, " have decided to stay on the planet."

Archer's smile became one of understanding. Since their revival, the humans in the stasis chambers had been exposed to technology on the planet and on Enterprise beyond their understanding. There was also the matter of how the crew on the ship interracted without the petty grievances and prejudices associated with the 20th century. It was one thing to be at war, or in a political argument one day, and then go to sleep before waking up and then sleeping for centuries unaware of the changes going on back home.

The 37s and the humans on this planet had their eyes opened with Enterprise's arrival. For too long none of the humans on this planet had dreamt of venturing above the clouds of this planet simply because they couldn't, but also because of their fear of being enslaved again by the Briori. Archer had already hinted to the leaders of the human community here now Earth was aware of their existence, there was a possibility of more travellers from Earth coming through hyperspace to land and settle on the planet.

Archer had sweetened it with the promise Earth was now advanced and powerful enough to protect their people from being conquered again. He'd also said they could travel home to Earth if they wished. The reaction to that promise had been particularly interesting to watch; these people had heard stories of Earth all their lives, but they'd long since lost any hope of actually seeing it.

Enterprise had changed that.

Archer's report on the whole incident here only needed one or two amendments, especially Amelia Earharts decision. The Captain had a good idea why Earhart wanted to stay.

This was a whole planet, a new world. The people who lived here had virtually no knowledge of the rest of the planet, but this amazing woman in front of him could change all that.

" I understand," Archer replied.

Earhart carried on. " Its what's not knowing what is around you that I live for. I wanted to see Earth, and I did. Now I doubt I'd recognise it, but here..." A look appeared in her eyes, a look Archer associated with himself.

Desire for adventure.

" When we travelled to those cities Captain, I asked around about the planet. But no one really knows what's out there. There are probably whole new continents, islands, seas the people here don't even know about."

Realistically Archer knew when Starfleet finally got to send teams of surveyers to this planet, a proper team consisting on naturalists, geologists, and mineralogists, Earhart would be the sole explorer on this world.

" It'll take time for Earth and Starfleet to send teams to this planet to do a proper survey here, but it will be done. But if there was already an explorer on this planet, it will help the teams when they arrive..." Archer said, voicing his thoughts, and trailing off when Earhart gave him a massive smile.

" It'll be a pleasure." Amelia Earhart and Captain Archer, two explorers from two totally different backgrounds and histories, but both explorers with the same passion, shook hands.

There ends the story. I'm sorry its taken so long, but I've done it.