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In Good Time-Pt. 3

Author - Aeryn A
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In Good Time

PART THREE: Chapters 10-14
(Disclaimers in Part One)

Chapter Ten:

Say Good-Night, Crazy

"This was a very interesting meal, Trip." the Vulcan told him as they left the mess hall. Trip smiled as she finally managed to use his nickname.
"Thank you, T’Pol. Maybe we should eat together again sometime. Just the two of us." he suggested.
"That would be quite acceptable."
They walked out of the mess hall together and walked in silence toward their quarters. When they reached the door to Trip’s quarters, they paused. Trip looked into her eyes for what seemed like hours. Then she looked away.
"Good-night, Trip." she said coolly, turning to walk down the corridor.
"You know, you could always stay and make sure that neither of us disappears during the night." said Commander Tucker, mustering all of his nerve. He knew it was a lousy excuse.
T’Pol raised an eyebrow and said, "I find it highly unlikely that either of us would disappear tonight. We are still a significant distance from the temporal disturbance."
"Just a thought." said Tucker with a soft smile. "Good-night, T’Pol."
She nodded her head slightly and continued down the corridor. Trip just leaned against the wall and shook his head.
"What was I thinking?" he muttered to the ceiling.

***********

Chapter Eleven:
We Have a Problem


“Phlox to Tucker and T’Pol. The long range scanners have picked up a vessel on an intercept course. Please report to the bridge.”
A vessel? Commander Tucker marveled at the very thought. Where or even when had it come from? His heart pounded as he threw on his uniform. If they were hostile, how could the Enterprise be defended by only three crewmen? Trip wasn’t sure that it could be done.
As Trip left his quarters at a jog, he heard the sound of soft, fast footfalls behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw a mildly disheveled T’Pol following him.
“Looks like we’ve got ourselves some trouble this morning.” he told her as they boarded the lift to the bridge.
“Yes, it does.” she said impassively.

Phlox looked up anxiously from the helm as they entered and slowly came to his feet, relinquishing the bridge to Sub-commander T’Pol.
“How far away are they, doc?” questioned Tucker as T’Pol immediately seated herself at the helm station and began to examine the sensor readings.
“Several light years, but they are moving at a high warp. If I read the instruments correctly, they are traveling at warp nine.” Phlox told him.
Tucker’s eyes widened in astonishment as he asked, “Warp nine?”
“He is correct, commander, and they are closing fast.”
“Well, it’s patently obvious that we can’t out run them.”
“I am dropping out of warp. Commander Tucker, man the tactical station.” T’Pol ordered.
“You don’t think we can shoot our way out of this, do you?” asked Trip as he took the station.
“No, but it may be our only recourse.”

*************

Chapter Twelve:
The Great Experimenters


When the Enterprise came to a halt, they found themselves face to face with a small vessel of an entirely unfamiliar design. It stopped a few thousand kilometers from the ship.
“T’Pol, it doesn’t seem to have any weapons.” said Tucker, both incredulous and relieved.
“Most fortunate.”
“I believe they may be hailing us.” said Phlox, pointing toward communications where a light was blinking. They both looked at him. “Just tell me what buttons to press, sub-commander.” sighed the Denobulan doctor.
In a few moments a pair of aliens appeared on screen. They sort of smiled when they looked at the three officers. One pressed a few buttons on a nearby terminal before the other began to speak.
“Greetings! We did not expect to encounter anyone here. It is most fortuitous that our paths have crossed.”
“Hello. If I am not mistaken, you have intercepted our ship.” said T’Pol, leaving the helm and standing in front of the captain’s chair.
“Our scanners detected your ship sometime ago. It was our privilege to investigate. Our ship is a craft of science and exploration.”
“As is ours. Do you come from a system near this sector?”
“Ah, no, our home is very far from this quadrant of space, many thousands of light years from here.”
“Thousands of light years?”
“Across the galaxy. Yes, it is very far indeed. Where are your homes?”
T’Pol looked at Trip and Phlox before replying, “They are in this quadrant, but we have inadvertently come here from the future.”
The alien smiled wider, indeed he looked extremely excited.
“Joy of joys! Then the great experiment worked!”
“Experiment?” asked Trip, his curiosity getting the better of him.
“Long ago when our people flourished, we sent out many ships to distant worlds that knew no life and planted, after a fashion, seeds that would in time become new life. Then, in more recent times, we set up temporal rifts, hoping that our progeny would find them and come to meet us. I never thought that it would work, but here you are!”
“You are saying that you interfered with evolutionary processes on many planets and that our coming here is the result thereof?” questioned T’Pol skeptically.
“How can one interfere with life where there was no life?” he questioned. Then he held up his hand, and said, “But we did not contact you to quarrel. We were merely curious.”
“Of course.” acknowledged T’Pol.
“I can see much of what my people were in their greater days in the three of you. It is a comfort to know that our great experiment was successful.”
“Why did you conduct this experiment, if I may ask?” questioned Phlox.
“Our sun has been dying for sometime. We have known this since the elder days of my race. We knew that we could not exist forever, and it pained us greatly to lose all that we have built and become. We wanted to be sure that the end of us would not be the end of all life.”
“Can you tell us how to return to our own time through this temporal rift?” asked T’Pol.
“Yeah, and we’re missing most of our crew. Can you tell us where we might find them?” asked Trip, putting his two cents in.
“Time travel is a tricky thing. It is dangerous to bring too many from one time to another. The rift uses a light-space hybrid field to make a mirror image of a mechanical body and using it as a conduit, it transfers biological lifeforms from one time to another.” explained he alien.
T’Pol raised an eyebrow and Trip stood there with his mouth open. Was the alien speaking Greek?
“Do you mean a warp field?” Tucker asked.
“Yes, a warp field.”
“So what do we do to get back?”
“You must simply re-establish your field and pass through the rift again. It is perfectly safe. You will be back where you should be in an instant, and then the rift will close behind you.”
“Thanks. That’s good to know.” said Trip, relaxing.
The alien smiled and said, “You speak almost as one of us. It is most touching.”
Commander Tucker grinned and said, “I can’t wait to tell the captain that one.”
“You do not understand. When you return to your own time, you will not remember any of this took place. It is an unfortunate cost of temporal rift travel. I am very sorry.”
Commander Tucker’s face fell as the alien spoke. It was almost too unfair to be true!
“Then I suppose we should take our leave of you. The sooner we return, the better.” said T’Pol, being rather diplomatic for a Vulcan.
“Yes, and do not worry. Someday, your people will know of their forefathers.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: I know this borrows heavily from the TNG episode "The Chase", but I like making connections between the series'.

************

Chapter Thirteen:
Left Behind III - Faith to Believe


“Why can’t I see the disturbance on the view screen, lieutenant?” asked Archer as Reed attempted to show him the anomaly. It was several thousands of kilometers away at a safe distance from the ship.
“Unknown, sir, but the sensors verify that is there.” answered Malcolm.
“Is it naturally occurring or is it some kind of Suliban technology, a trap perhaps?” questioned the captain.
“It may or may not be a natural phenomenon, sir, but according to the instruments it seems to have been here for at least one billion years, although it’s difficult to say exactly. I recommend launching a probe to gather more data.”
“Do it, lieutenant.”
“We should have a better understanding of this thing within the hour, sir.” said Malcolm confidently.

“Malcolm! You look terrible!” Hoshi exclaimed as he walked into the mess hall. It was almost midnight, long after any regular meal time.
“Thanks.” he said, biting back a yawn.
“What are you doing here so late?”
“The captain ordered me to get some chow while the science department prepares a probe. I wasn’t planning to get anything until ...” he told Hoshi, trailing off and shaking his head.
“Until you found the missing officers?”
“Yes.”
“You shouldn’t torture yourself like that, Malcolm.”
“It’s just motivation. A hungry man finds ways and means that aren’t readily apparent to a satisfied one.”
“Nonsense!” scoffed Hoshi.
“Nevertheless.” he shrugged, walking to one of the glass cases and picking out a salad. “What are you doing here so late?” he questioned.
“I couldn’t sleep. I thought I would have some tea, and maybe see if any desserts were left from dinner.”
“Sugar and caffeine before bed?” teased Malcolm.
“Chamomile tea. Would you care to join me?” asked Hoshi, retrieving her beverage from the machine.
“Why not?” he shrugged, managing an ever-so-slightly uncertain smile.

“Try to get some sleep, Hoshi.” he told her half an hour later as they stood outside her quarters.
“I could tell you the same thing.” she said.
His eyes twinkled a little as he smiled and looked away.
“I promise I will do just that, when I’ve finished my job and found those officers. Don’t worry.”
“I know you’ll unravel this mystery, Malcolm. I believe in you.”
Despite the long hours of frustrating work and incredible uncertainty, Lieutenant felt his chest swell with pride and confidence. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.
“Thank you, Hoshi.”
“Um, good-night, Malcolm.” she said, smiling and giggling softly as he walked hurriedly away, more determined and motivated than ever.
“If Hoshi has faith in me, then I can do anything.” he thought to himself.

*************

Chapter Fourteen:
Are We There Yet?


“How much longer?” asked Trip, who had left tactical for a more comfortable position at the engineering station. The engine was carrying them quietly forward at warp two. Phlox had left the bridge, after pulling quite a lengthy shift, and gone to the mess hall to have a quiet meal.
“If the rift is a stationary phenomenon, then we should reach it in twenty hours. Our encounter this morning has caused some delay.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
“It was an interesting encounter; however, I am uncertain whether or not to believe what was said therein.”
“You think the aliens were lying?”
“Perhaps.”
“What would they have gained?”
“Perhaps they were scanning the ship during the conversation to see if we had useful cargo and new technology.”
“Cynical! You’re unbelievably cynical, T’Pol!”
“They did admit to creating a temporal rift, perhaps to lure unsuspecting ships into this time in order to rob them if they carry anything of value. They may not even be from this time themselves. Perhaps the rift leads to this time so that they can have plenty of time to observe their prey.”
“But they didn’t do anything to us!”
“Perhaps we had nothing they wanted.”
“Then why the weird story?” asked Trip, feeling just a tiny bit insulted.
“It was in their best interest to tell us something.”
“They could have just left us here, you know.”
“Point taken, commander.”
“How much longer?”



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