Star Trek: The Lost Generation
Chapter One: A Brush with the Past
by Todd Elsen & Andrew Johnson
(TsunamiKin@aol.com)

Cutting through the darkness of interstellar space, the U.S.S. Enterprise entered the orbit of the Danubus III. It was a backwater world by Federation standards, an out of the way planet. It had a starbase standard repair facilities and a variety of climates. Picard had chosen Danubus III for a reason, because it was a backwater world. He wanted his crew to get some time off, away from the main Federation shipping lanes. It had been a difficult last six months for the Enterprise, and they all need the break. Picard sat back in his captain's chair and saw the blue and green orb growing in the view screen.

"Hail Vega Base II," Picard said.

"Commander Kelley on screen, sir." A smiling rotund man appeared on the screen. "Captain Picard, welcome to Danubus III. We have made many preparations for your arrival. We are ready to make any necessary repairs to your ship, and we have places for your crew to rest up and relax on some of the most beautiful beaches in the quadrant." He gestured to a view screen behind him flashing pictures of sunsets, waves, and sandcastles.

Picard nodded and thanked Kelley. "We look forward to seeing your base and your planet, Commander. I'm sure my crew is more than ready to take some time and enjoy those beautiful scenes behind you." He had been on edge for some while now, and he could feel the tension in his shoulders slipping away at the thought of sitting back and letting someone else make decisions for a change. He began making a mental list of things he wanted to do, starting with spending some quality time with his classical music collection and a steaming cup of Earl Grey. Hot.

Kelley turned from the screen as Picard spoke. When he turned back, his face showed signs of concern. "Captain Picard, a spacial fissure has just been picked up by our station sensors. It is just 100,000 km from Danubus III, and we don't have any vessels to investigate it. It could pose a threat to us. Could you check it out?"

Picard nodded and forced a smile, "Of course. We will report back with our findings shortly." Picard pointed at Data, and as if on cue the Enterprise made its way to the fissure. "Data, will we ever be able to rest?" Data looked perplexed and Picard waved the question off before he could venture a response. He sat in his chair and rubbed his temples. The resting part would have to wait, but there was no reason he couldn't enjoy a cup of tea. He stood and made his way across the bridge. "I'm going to my ready room for a moment. Inform me when we are within range of the anomaly."

He walked across the ready room and looked longingly at his books. He paused and read over the titles, running his finger across the leather bindings. "Computer. A cup of Earl Grey..."

Beep.

Picard dropped his head and closed his eyes. "Go ahead."

"Captain, I am picking up the fissure. It appears to be in a state of temporal flux."

Of course, thought Picard, it couldn't just be a normal fissure. No, this has to be in flux. And temporal flux, at that. He looked at himself in the mirror and tugged at the hem of his uniform jacket. I'm sure that cup of Earl Grey would have helped sooth this rotten attitude, he thought as he sulked back on to the bridge.

"Temporal flux?" Riker looked into his monitor, "Captain, I am getting two quantum signatures beginning to form in the fissure." He poked at his screen to improve the resolution, but had no luck. "I can't tell what is making the quantum signatures, but whatever it is, it isn't small."

Picard looked at Riker, "This poses a danger to the planet and star base. Mr. Data, try and get us closer to the fissure. We need to investigate this. Full impulse power."

The Enterprise approached the fissure. The deep blackness of space was interrupted by a gash, as if two huge hands had ripped a hole in the darkness. The blackness was being drawn inside this tear by some unseen force. Inside the fissure, gas and spacedust swirled in a hurricane of colors brought on by the temporal imbalance, the likes of which no one on board had seen before. Tendrils of lightning struck out from this great disturbance as if they were arms reaching for the Enterprise to pull her deep inside the swirl of angry purples, reds, and whites.

They sat silently, watching this great display. "Prepare a Mark One probe," Picard suggested. "Do we have any new information on what this is, Mr. Data?"

Worf pushed on his panels, "The probe is ready, sir."

"Fire the probe, Mr. Worf." With a chirp of confirmation echoed by the gutteral sound of the probe launching, the bridge crew watched the probe make its way towards the anomaly. Picard watched as the probe traveled away from the Enterprise and become a tiny blue dot against the fissure's swirling colors. Suddenly, the probe veered upwards and began to cartwheel and spin out of control. The stress of flying off course ripped the probe apart and it exploded.

Riker spun around and faced Worf. "What happened?" Worf looked at his console. "It appears, according to the probe's reading before it was destroyed, it hit something out there."

"Something?" Riker questioned. "Do we know what this something is?"

"Let's see the probe's telemetry," ordered Picard. The screen changed to the probe's final readings during its trip to the fissure. Picard could see the fissure get larger and larger and the colors become more intense as the probe approached its destination. With no warning, as if it had materialized out of the fissure itself, an enormous curved mass filled the view screen. There was no avoiding the impact. It hit, and the probe recorded pieces of its own casing peeling off. The last image the crew saw from the relay was a bright flash of an enormous internal combustion. The probe had exploded. Picard flinched reflexively, and looked at Riker, puzzled. Riker returned the same bewildered expression.

"Sir, I am picking up a ship. Coming towards us. Its shields and weapons are armed!" interjected Worf.

"On screen," barked Picard. The screen blinked to the fissure and the obscured starfield. There was nothing there.

"Where is it, Worf?" asked Riker.

"Sir it is there. Sensors indicate that there is a ship bearing 005 coming towards us," said Worf in frustration. Picard looked closely at the screen. Something caught his eye, almost more in his captain's intuition rather than something that was actually visible.

He pointed, "There, Data, enhance grids 23 and 24." Data quickly enlarged the area.

"Do you see it?" asked Picard.

Riker strained his eyes, "Yes, barely, it's like a shadow. I can make out warp nacelles. Could it be a cloaked ship?"

"If it was cloaked we wouldn't know it was here," said Worf rather nastily.

"Then why can we scan it, but not see it?" asked Riker pointedly, glaring at Worf, who opened his mouth in response.

Data spoke, "Sir, something is happening."

Riker and Picard turned back around to the screen and watched as a ship appeared from the darkness of space. Faint blue lights illuminated the hull, and the warp engine emergency flush vents were painted red. The main deflector dish glowed a dark purple. As the new vessel revealed itself, Picard saw that this was an odd ship. It was obviously Federation -- he could pick out some of the particular touches that were unique to Federation ships -- but everything else was very different from even the latest designs of the Federation shipbuilding companies. The primary hull was in the shape of a half moon, very angular. From there the neck of the ship attached to the secondary hull. Four wing-like fixtures extended from the hull. On the ends of the wings were cylindrical attachments with two glowing red lights and an orange glow in the center. The warp nacelles were long and triangular. As the ship came into focus on the screen, Picard could see faint lettering that looked like the Roman alphabet. He looked closer to see if he could make out the name of the ship. "Open a hailing channel."

"This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise. Unknown vessel, identify yourself," he said as he looked at the ship on the screen.

"This is the USS Revolution, NCC-1066 A, under the command of Captain Hendryx Dunham of the United Federation of Planets. You are in violation of Federation territory. Stand down and prepare to be boarded," the voice responded.

"USS Revolution?" asked Riker and looked at Picard.

"Data, check all Star Fleet records for a starship named Revolution," said Picard, "Captain Dunham, we are also from the United Federation of Planets. We are in orbit of Danubus III for supplies and repairs. Can we establish visual contact?" asked Picard.

The screen blinked to the bridge of the Revolution. It was very cramped, compared to the size of the Enterprise's bridge. The helmsmen and navigator sat in chairs that looked like they were built into the controls, and above the captain's chair was a large column of equipment. It reminded Picard of the battle bridge aboard his ship. All of the Revolution's bridge crew wore the uniform of the late 23rd century, around the time of the first Khitomer conference, but these uniforms were dark green and not the Federation standard maroon. Instead of the arrowhead emblem that he wore, on their chests were teardrop-shaped badges bearing the seal of the Federation emblazoned with swords crossed underneath. Dunham had a crescent tattoo around his right eye: a pattern of dots and lines curving over his eyebrow from the top of his nose to the center of his cheekbone, just below the eye. He had short cropped black hair and a trimmed goatee. His skin was tan. He looked no older than a lieutenant from the Academy, Picard thought. Where had he seen a tattoo like that before, New Zealand?

"Now, Captain Picard, you have my request. Surrender your ship. I promise you that you will be well treated," Dunham stated.

"Captain, a moment," Data asked.

Picard motioned to Worf. "Hailing channel closed sir." The screen returned to a exterior view of the Revolution.

"As you and Captain Dunham were talking, I was able to scan the Revolution. Its quantum signature is quite different from our own. I believe that the fissure just might be a gateway from another universe."

"Where could this quantum fissure have come from? How could it have been formed?" asked Picard as Deanna Troi stepped onto the bridge.

"There are many theories on the creation of a quantum fissure. A large discharge of firepower could open up a quantum fissure of this size."

"What's going on?" asked Troi, as she assumed her seat on the bridge.

"We have encountered a ship. According to sensors, it came through a quantum fissure outside of the Danubus system. Counselor, are you reading anything from the crew?" Picard asked.

Troi nodded, "Anger. And a lot of it."

The screen blinked to Dunham's face. "Captain Dunham..." started Picard.

"Who the hell do you think you are, switching me off like a television set? Do you have any idea of where you are? What you have done? Captain, I thought we might have some common respect for each other. Warrior to warrior," Dunham growled. "I do have another ship in the area," he added menacingly.

Picard looked as another ship appeared beside the Revolution. It had a roll bar photon torpedo array over the dish of the ship, which was enclosed by armor plating that protected the back of the dish. The armor extended down to cover the warp nacelles that hung underneath. A new face appeared on the screen. "This is Captain David Pierpoint of the U.S.S. Poppleton, NCC-1375, and President of the United Federation of Planets. I demand to know what you are doing here." Pierpoint looked quite different from Dunham. He had his red-brown hair in a short military cut and a full red beard.

"President Pierpoint, my name is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise. I wish to speak to both of you about this situation."

"I am fully aware of the situation, Captain Picard. You are an unknown vessel with unknown intentions in Federation territory. Federation policies clearly state that unknown and uncooperative vessels in this territory must be surrendered. Captain Dunham has already requested this of you. Please understand that our next recourse will be to fire on your vessel." Picard could sense that Pierpoint was a bit more diplomatic than Dunham, but was still a serious threat to the safety of the Enterprise.

"I will do no such thing, Captain..."

Data interrupted quietly, "Sir, according to what I have been able to learn about their ships, their weapons systems seem to be based differently than our own. Receiving weapons fire, sir, I cannot tell you if the ship could handle an attack...it could lead to the destruction of the Enterprise."

"Thank you, Data. President Pierpoint, Captain Dunham. You can see that we haven't raised our shields or armed our weapons systems. There is no need for this to escalate to the point of combat. I suggest that we begin a dialogue to discuss our situation peacefully. I assure you that we are here for repairs and shore leave. We are no threat to you or your ships, Mr. President, what is your answer?"

The screen blinked off to show the two ships sitting in front of the Enterprise.

Pierpoint looked at Dunham on the ship-to-ship channel. "What is that ship? I know that isn't the Enterprise. It looks nothing like Captain Mitchell's ship," Dunham said, puzzled and wary.

"I'm not sure. I've never seen that design before. I don't know how your systems are, but on board here, the Federation central computer link is down. We can't get any information on anything to find out exactly who these people are, or if they are Federation at all."

"So," asked Dunham, "what now? They're waiting for us to say something. I don't like this at all. They are dressed as we are and the follow Federation protocol. Looks to me like someone has done a great deal of homework about the Federation, but they've made some mistakes. Their uniforms are dark red and their uniform emblems are off slightly. There's no way they can be Federation. Plus, they have not complied with any of our requests. You know as well as I do, if this was a Klingon vessel we'd have blown it the hell out of the sky fifteen minutes ago."

Pierpoint considered this and responded with a sigh. "Hendryx, I will beam over to the Revolution. Prepare a security detail to beam with me over to the Enterprise. I want standard combat rigging. You're right; we have no idea who these people are. They look human, but could be Klingons or another hostile race trying to take advantage of our weakened defenses. We need to be careful, but the Enterprise hasn't made any overtures of aggression like arming weapons or even raising shields. Let's try to take the easy way out this time, okay? I will see you shortly. Pierpoint out."

"I guess we wait," Riker said.

"It appears so, Number One." answered Picard.

"Sir, might I suggest defense screens?" questioned Worf.

"No, I want them to know we are not a threat. With our shields down, and weapons systems off line, I believe we're making the first step to prove that we trust them and that they can trust us." After years of encountering various new races, some hostile, some not, Picard had honed his captain's intuition about engagements such as this one. He felt sure that this particular situation would not end in violence and intended to do everything in his power to make sure of it. But it would mean winning over his crew to the idea that these new people did not mean them harm, despite what they had all just heard over the ship-to-ship channels.

"Sir, the Revolution is requesting to transport over four people," Worf said, "Allow me to send a security team to meet them."

"No, Mr. Worf, they could see that as a threat as well. I suggest that you come with us as security. You may have a team standing by," Picard said. "Data, Counselor, Number One, let's go meet our guests."

They walked from their position to the turbolift. With a whir the lift began to move. Picard leaned in and caught Troi's arm. He pulled her close to him and spoke quietly in her ear, "Counselor, I want you to watch them very closely. I need to know exactly what they are feeling to make sure we can keep our dealings with them peaceful. From all appearances, they are human, but I want to be sure..if you sense anything we can do or should be doing to calm them, let me know immediately," Picard whispered as the turbolift carried them to the transporter room. Troi nodded.

A minute later Picard, Riker, Data, Worf and Troi all awaited the visitors from the Revolution. Picard nodded to the transporter officer, "Energize."

Four columns of light shone brightly as the transporter brought their visitors to the Enterprise. Picard watched as the light turned into matter and the four materialized. He smiled and moved to greet them.

The reaction Picard was hoping for didn't come. Three of the men moved themselves in front of the other one. In a flash, they pulled out their weapons and pointed them at Worf and the other officers. "Klingon! Cover the President!" shouted Dunham.

"No!" shouted Picard as his security team burst through the doors, phasers drawn. Two of the men turned to the opening door and fired their weapons. The first security officer was hit hard. An orange fire from the beam began to burn in his chest. He looked to Picard, screaming in pain, as the orange fire consumed his body. Riker tackled the other security guard as another beam sizzled by him. He grabbed the phaser out of the holster, "Stop! Stop this! Put your weapons down, now!" yelled Riker, pointing his hand phaser at Dunham.

Dunham pulled out his communicator. "Revolution, get us out of here!"

"Wait, please," pleaded Picard, but his words fell on deaf ears. The group from the Revolution was already beaming out. Picard looked to Riker as he lowered his phaser. The smell of burnt flesh filled the room. Troi covered her mouth and tears formed in her eyes. Picard pounded his hand on the transporter controls, composed himself, pulled down on his uniform and turned to Troi. "Counselor? What happened? What did we do wrong?"

"Sir, they were caught off guard when they saw Worf. Their emotions changed from apprehension and confusion to pure hatred. The Klingons of their universe must have been a threat to them."

Picard's communicator chirped. "Sir, both ships are powering up their weapons. From our initial scans, their phasers use a rotating wave length. If they fire on us, our shields will not be able to absorb the energy. They could destroy us within minutes."

"We are on our way." Picard looked at Riker and Troi as they quickly made their way to the bridge. "We need to defuse the situation."

When they arrived on the bridge, they were met by the view of the two ships bearing down on them. "Status, Mr. Worf?"

"We are surrounded. According to our scans, all weapons are brought to bear on the Enterprise. Our shields are up and weapons are ready."

Riker turned to Picard. "What do you think, Captain?"

"Worf, drop our shields, power down the weapons," Picard barked, "Now."

"Sir, they will destroy us. There is no honor in dying without a fight."

"Mr. Worf, that is what I am counting on. Open hailing frequencies."

Dunham and Pierpoint's faces came up on the screen, "So that was your idea of a peaceful meeting, Captain? Having your Klingon overlord lure us over to your ship to kill us?"

Picard looked at the two captains attempting to reason with them, "One of my crew is dead, and I do not wish to see any more blood shed. Captain, Mr. President, please, why are you pursuing this course of action?"

A very angry Pierpoint answered, "As I said earlier, Captain, we are defending ourselves and the Federation. We have given you every opportunity to surrender your ship and walk away from this alive. You chose to ambush us instead. I have no idea who you are and why you are here, but mark my words, you will not be leaving this system." Turning away, he looked at his tactical officer, "Target their main bridge. On my command, fire."

"President Pierpoint, you are a man of honor and character, I can see that. You must believe that we mean you no harm. This Klingon, Worf is a member of my crew," Picard urged, raising his hands in a gesture of submission.

"A Klingon on a Star Fleet vessel?" cried Dunham, "That is all the more reason to destroy your ship." Pierpoint nodded in agreement, "Captain, you and your ship have only proven that you are a threat to us and must be destroyed. If I must die to protect the Federation, so be it. I have made my peace with God." He raised his hand and pointed at the screen. "If I had my way, Captain, "he growled in a low voice, "I'd beam over to your bridge and kill you myself."

Picard lowered his gaze before speaking again, "President Pierpoint, I can only give you my word as a Star Fleet officer that we are no threat to you. We only want to talk. But if you are set on your course of action, the Enterprise's shields are down, and our weapons systems are off line. Take your shot, but realize that you are not only killing a Klingon, but 1400 others that do not understand. Know that you will be killing them, and they have done nothing to provoke such action."

Pierpoint paused, looking as if he was mulling the thought in his mind. He shook his head, "Captain Picard, your actions are those of a man who wants peace. I also want a peaceful conclusion to this. But we have to give something to each other, a reason to continue talking instead of shooting. A compromise."

"Mr. President, let an away team beam with me over to your ship to begin a discussion on where we can go from here."

"No, Captain. I don't want you on my ship. If you want to talk, this is where it is going to happen." Pierpoint gestered, pointing at the Enterprise.

"Second," said Dunham, "if you want to talk, get that Klingon pa-taak off your bridge."

Riker stepped up and pointed at Dunham. "Who are you to insult a Star Fleet officer?"

"I am a Star Fleet captain, commander, and you will address me as such." Dunham jerked his chin in Worf's direction and added, "how in the name of God can you let a creature like that even live among you?"

Picard could see that this argument was going to escalate and quickly jumped in. He motioned to the turbolift, "Worf, please." Picard met Worf's angry glare with a gentle nod.

Worf grudgingly turned and walked to the turbolift door. He hesistated, turned, and looked directly into Dunham's eyes on the view screen. "We will meet again, " he growled through clenched teeth. Dunham narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "I look forward to it, Klingon." Worf grumbled a Klingon expletive and stalked off the bridge.

"Gentlemen, please, let us see if we can continue on a peaceful route," Picard urged.

"You keep talking about a peaceful dialogue," sighed Dunham. Troi looked at the screen, trying to read him. She could feel the contempt he had for the captain. Dunham was seeing him as inferior, not as an equal.

"Please just listen to me for a moment. We, too, are members of Star Fleet and of the United Federation of Planets. Our scientists believe they have the answer to why we look different to you They are prepared to explain this to you, if you would only listen," Picard said gently. He could feel the confidence of his crew shrinking, but his intuition held strong. He only hoped they would feel the same way soon.

Dunham's screen blinked off briefly, and Picard's face was replaced by Pierpoint's. "Maybe we should listen to them. After all, there is no sign they are trying to power up their weapons, and that Klingon left the bridge when Picard asked him to. I really don't think they are a threat to us, Hendryx. Besides, if we keep our ships on ready, we can always be the first to fire, if we decide it is ultimately necessary. Let's hear them out," Pierpoint said quietly, rubbing his temples. He looked tired.

"I don't know. I just don't know. Is it worth both of our crews and our ships to OEhear them out?' Did you not see the Klingon on board? Did you not see his look when he left the bridge?" Dunham tensed, furious that his friend would entertain the idea of collaborating with a Klingon. "Aren't we at war with them? Don't we need to get back to that war? This could simply be a delaying tactic. I will follow your lead, but if they so much as blink an eye wrong, I'm giving the order to blast the ship to pieces."

Pierpoint nodded. This wasn't the diplomatic way to handle things, he was sure, but if this was the only way his warrior friend could calm himself down, it was a worthy game to play. The ship-to-ship channel closed and Picard's face filled both screens again. "Please excuse us, Captain, as we discussed the situation privately for a moment. We are willing to hear you out, but understand we are still cautious."

Picard smiled, "Thank you for your consideration. I can assure you we are not a threat and have no intentions of harming you or your crew." He took a deep breath and started again. "According to our scans, the quantum signatures of your ships and crew are different from this universe."

"Quantum signatures? Different universe? I think you may need to go into greater detail for us to understand this," Pierpoint looked puzzled and very skeptical. Dunham snorted in disgust and muttered, "As I said, David..."

"Do your scans show a rip in the space-time continuum? Approximately fifty AUs behind you?" Picard asked.

The bridges of both ships chirped in response. Both captains turned to their crews, who were busy searching for answers. An officer motioned for Pierpoint who moved quickly behind him and watched over his shoulder. A moment later, Pierpoint responded, "Confirmed, yes, Captain, our scans show a rip." Similar reports from the Revolution proved Picard's point.

Picard acknowledged their responses. "You came out of that tear into this universe from your own." He paused, waiting for their questions. He knew his science officers were ready with charts, graphs, and illustrations to help them understand this odd situation, and he himself was prepared for any basic questions they might have at first. Troi had even given him a briefing on the various emotional responses they could have, ranging from disbelief to outright anger. He sat down in his chair, crisply adjusted the front of his uniform, leaned on the arm, and confidently waited for the questioning to start.

Before Pierpoint could speak, his tactical officer said, "Sir, I am picking up four unidentified vessels coming out of the fissure. They are on an intercept course." Picard could see one of Dunham's men point out figures on his view screen to the first officer. Pierpoint gave his tactical officer a confused glance, then that gave way to steely determination as the realization set in. He turned away from Picard to speak to the tactical officer privately.

"More of your ships, Mr. President?" Picard asked casually. He could hear the new ships announced by a chirping on his own bridge, but was not concerned.

Red lights flashed on both bridges on Picard's view screen. Voices barked out orders and commotion drowned out any response he could have been given. Pierpoint and Dunham whirled away to their battle stations, shouting to their crews, and the screen blinked off.

"Sir?" Data interrupted, "The vessels are Klingon." Picard looked bewildered at the blank screen, then turned to Data.

"Are you sure, Mr. Data?" Picard stood quickly and rushed to the conn position to see Data's sensor readings for himself.

Data pointed out the four new shapes on the screen. "Quite sure, Sir."