SECRET OF THE LOST ENTERPRISE by Dennis William Franczak, (c)1990 Prologue: Stardate 24769

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECRET OF THE LOST ENTERPRISE by Dennis William Franczak, (c)1990 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prologue: Stardate 24769.8 "What in the hell are they thinking of? Starfleet's taking a chance with this...You don't mess around with time warp. The Enterprise is a doomed vessel and it is going to doom us...The idiots!!!" "Now, now Admiral, you've had a long day. I think you should lie down and take a nap." "Nurse, get the hell away from me. Where's Captain Layton?" "Right here sir." Captain Layton replied. "YOU believe me don't you? I tell you, I saw the plans by accident. They're up to something terrible." "Who is sir?" "Starfleet, you idiot! Who the hell do you think? My mother? She's been dead a good 50 years God rest her soul." Nurse Bancroft turned and whispered to Captain Layton,"He's been talking nonsense like this for the last week...His mind is rapidly failing...I would ignore what he says..." "It's a doomed ship Layton! They probably created her for a suicide mission, just like they did 27 years ago with the USS Lexington. Remember her? The idiots at headquarters sent her to Damascus-One to head off a Romulan scout ship...That was one big `scout' ship...left Lexington in pieces...brother was on there...God I miss him...I'm tired now, going to sleep..." And with that Admiral Brady, last commander of USS Enterprise, NCC1701-A, dozed off to sleep. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1: Stardate 10927.8 "USS Saratoga preparing to leave orbit Emperor M'Klain." "Best wishes Saratoga. We are proud to belong to your Federation. The whole planet of Konefal is proud. Be fortunate in your travels." "Thank you Emperor. This is Captain Lila Treneli signing out." "Konefal out." The captain of the USS Saratoga sat down in her chair and looked to her helmsman. "Palentri, take us out of here, warp 2." Treneli ordered. "Yes, ma'am." The Saratoga, with a flash of light burst into warp speed. No sooner were they into warp speed when the science officer spoke up. "Captain, there is an unusual energy reading ahead. Suggest we proceed with caution." Treneli responded, "Please elaborate." The science officer continued. "I can't be exactly sure. It's like a hole in space. Possibly a time distortion. It is 1000 kilometers ahead." "Slow to impulse." Treneli quickly ordered. The Saratoga slowed up as the hole opened wider. The crew on the bridge looked on in amazement as a huge vessel came "crashing" through. It was going so fast, noone could get a good look. In a flash, the vessel came through and the hole closed. But then, another hole opened and the ship entered it and disappeared inside it. As quickly as it entered, the second hole closed. The Saratoga was left there, alone. "What was that?" Captain Treneli asked. "Ma'am, the readings recorded little information except that it is much larger than any Federation starship. It appears to be Federation build but nothing we have ever seen. We were unable to track her registry number or ship name." "I see. Helm, continue at warp 2, set course for Rigel colonies. Lt. Dekkron, file this incident as unexplained on a Priority One to Starfleet. Let them figure this out." End Chapter 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3 Stardate 25321.8 "Admiral Wilson, she's a wonderful ship. Absolutely wonderful! I can't believe I'm actually looking at her. My plan has worked to perfection. The many years of hard work finally paid off." "Not yet Mr. Alaskamar. We've yet to test her." "Tell me Admiral, how are you keeping this top secret? People are wondering what exactly what is inside the Starbase. Security is so tight, I can barely get in there. But there are risks of security leaks and you know how important it is that no security leaks occurr." "Not to worry Mr. Alaskamar. All they know is that we have build a brand new deep space exploration vessel. Nothing else." "I hope so Admiral Wilson. We don't need unecessary personnel finding out about this starship." "I understand. I don't want my career put in danger." "Good. Do you realize what we can do with this ship? We'll be able to explore new dimensions, galaxies, and time periods. Imagine the possiblities!" "Mr. Alaskamar, we don't want to use time travel too much. It is too risky." "Not as long as we're careful." "We'll have to be extremely careful. We must tell noone of this, at any cost." End Chapter 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4 Stardate 25500.9 Earth The delegates came from all over the Federation. They were on Earth celebrating the launching of the Alaska Class(named after Alaskamar) USS Enterprise NCC-1701-C. They were quite excited to see another Enterprise enter the fleet, especially after the legends of the previous vessels named Enterprise. Enterprise, like the others before it, represented the power and prestige that Starfleet had associated with the name. She was the pride of the fleet. Expectations for this vessel were no less. The delegates were curious though. This launching was different. Nothing was known about the build and design of the Enterprise except that it was created for deep space exploration. Very few people knew much about the vessel. Admiral Leonard McCoy, Starfleet Medical Corps(retired), saw his old friend Admiral Spock from across the conference room. He wanted to walk over to see him but being over 100 years old, walking was not as easy as it used to be. Fortunately, Spock saw him and came over to him. Spock spoke first. "Hello, Admiral McCoy. It is good to see you." "What's so damned good about it Spock? I'm 110. I feel like hell and I want to go home and go to sleep. How's about you? By the way, how's your wife? I haven't seen either of you since your wedding on Vulcan." "Doctor. How I feel is irrelevant. Vulcans age at a much slower..." McCoy interupted, "Never mind Spock. You never change." "Admiral, if I have offended you..." Spock added apologetically. "Spock, what do you think of this new Enterprise?" "Admiral...if I tell you, you must never repeat this. Do you swear?" McCoy raised his right hand and said, "I swear on Jim Kirk's memory." Spock raised his eyebrow and continued. "This ship has another purpose besides deep space exploration." "What is it?" McCoy asked, annoyed. "I am not quite sure. But logic tells me it has something to do with time warp using means of an interdimensional field. But whatever it is, noone who knows, is saying." "Well how in the hell did you find out?" McCoy asked. "I am a Vulcan. I have my ways." "God Spock, you're nuttier than me." "Doctor, I am serious. Tell noone of this." "Oh, I won't Spock." McCoy thought to himself. "They'd commit us both to an insane asylum." McCoy, after a brief pause, "I won't Spock. I promise." End Chapter 4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 5 Stardate 22396.0 Daystrom Institute of Technology "It is a shame what happened to her. She was a wonderful friend. I told her to stay out of the jeffries tube...I told her." "Mr. Dreyden, it was not your fault. Now, please, concentrate on your work. There is much we must finish before we begin putting this system into a starship. The formulas for time warp are almost finished. With these formulas it will be possible for a starship to travel through time without having to use a star. Going through time will become as easy as warp drive!" "That is great Mr. Alaskamar, but how exactly are you going to do this?" Dreyden asked. "Simple, my great assistant. Remember how the Excelsior class ships operate. They use transwarp which is a shortcut through warped space. Well, these formulas integrated into the accelerator matrices will allow ships to enter artificially created wormholes, allowing the ship to pass through it and emerge from it in a designated location. This is essentially a shortcut through the normal progression of time itself!" "Very interesting sir, please continue." Dreyden was mesmerized. Alaskamar began drawing equations and figures on an antique chalkboard. "Well, because the acceleration matrix alters the gravitaitonal constant, through the resulting interia, the starship will be able to enter the artificially created wormhole. Because the acceleration changes, the hole will immediately close and the ship will be able to emerge wherever it chooses by realigning the deceleration matrix." "So the ship has to slow down for it to emerge?" Dreyden asked. "Only for an instant. Just to realign the matrix. Noone will even be able to tell the difference. If the ship were to stop at all though, inside that wormhole, it would be thrown out of it and would no longer be able to control where it emerges." "How will the ship know whether it it in time warp, dimension warp or trans-space(galaxy travelling) warp?" "To put it simply, the ship will alter its equation constants somewhat. If it wants to travel in time, a specific set of equations will be entered. The equation has a variable to determine where in time it wants to emerge. A dimensional cross will have a different set of equations as will a hop between galaxies. The equations will be entered in before wormhole entry and engaged once it is inside it." Dreyden was totally engrossed with what he was hearing. "Will the ship be able to get back, exactly where it left." "Yes, Mr. Dreyden. The computer will retain the previous coordinates and equations before wormhole entry and all that has to be done is enter that original information into a retroactive program to get them back." "But Mr. Alaskamar, will your ideas work in actual practice?" Dreyden queried. "Of course it will! How dare you ask such a thing. I've tested my theory many times here on the computer simulation. It will work. All I need now is a ship and Admiral Wilson is seeing to that for me." "What will you name the ship sir?" "I don't know, boy. I haven't thought about it much. What do you think?" Dreyden looked over at a model of a starship sitting on the counter. "Hmm, How about Enterprise?" End Chapter 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 6 Stardate 25100.8 Conference Room: USS Enterprise(NCC1701-C) "Tell me, Mr. Crusher, is it normal for a starship captain to be afraid?" "Of course it is Rach...er...Captain Garrett. But I know you and I am sure you'll do absolutely fine. You've got one the newest and finest ship in the fleet at your command." "I know Mr Crusher, but I am still worried. This mission that I've accepted is very risky. I'd tell you more, but I'm under oath and I can't tell you." "Did you request Enterprise?" Crusher asked. Garrett walked and looked out the window. "No, I wanted the USS Farragut. But they said I had too many good qualities to be stuck on a starship limited to border patrol. No, they wanted me to explore." "Well, I wish you the best, Captain." "Thank you Mr. Crusher." Jack Crusher shook the hand of Captain Rahael Garrett and he turned to walk out the door. As he left, he turned his head over his right shoulder, winked at her, and left. As he walked out of the door, Jack Crusher could only wonder if he would ever see her again. Somehow, he knew he wouldn't. End Chapter 6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 7 Stardate 25190.7 Briefing Room: USS Enterprise NCC1701-C Alaskamar walked to the front of the room. He seemed very excited due to the fact that today would be the day Enterprise would execute the tests on time warp, dimensional warp, and space warp. "Enterprise crew," Alaskamar began, "Today is very important. Today you will truly go where noone has gone before. What we do must not leave this starship. You have a unique mission, a mission that only your captain and staff know completely about. You have been briefed by your commanding officers about what to do during these tests. Do what you are told, do not ask questions. Once these tests are concluded, you will have 2 days shore leave and then you will embark on your routine deep space exploration missions. Any further orders will be given to you by Captain Garrett and Admiral Wilson. One final thing, never, ever, reveal the true mission. Always pretend that you do not know what is going on." Two hours later, the crew was ready to embark on the test. Bridge: USS Enterprise NCC1701-C "Helm ready?" "Helm ready Captain." "OK people," Captain Garrett began, "may the wind be at our backs, to quote an old friend. Helm, engage impulse speed." The brand new Enterprise slowly moved out of spacedock. Everyone in spacedock stopped what they were doing to watch a glorious launching of a starship named Enterprise. She glided past the much smaller(and older) USS Excelsior and USS Saratoga. In passing, Garrett looked out at the two vessels. Garrett's first assignment was on Saratoga and she felt remorse that the Avenger class(Reliant type) vessel was being decommissioned after 37 years of service. Garrett looked over at Excelsior, almost 35 years old. The Excelsior had pioneered transwarp drive and this new Enterprise was about to pioneer a brand new form of space travel. How ironic. Garrett hoped that this Enterprise could last as long as Excelsior had. As soon as the Enterprise cleared the doors of spacedock and turned around, she entered full impulse spped and soon, with a flash of light, entered warp speed. On the bridge, Captain Garrett began barking orders. "Helm, accelereate to transwarp entry speed. Engineering, enter the equations. Navigation, pick destination, time as Stardate 10927.8 Alpha-Rigel system. "Navigation reports time,destination entered." "Bridge. This is engineering, the equations are in." Garrett continued, "Ok, helm, engage transwarp and then engage the entry sequence. Brace yourselves people." The Enterprise in a flash of light burst into tranwarp and after the equations were entered, entered the wormhole and went into timewarp. jAs it went through, the Enterprise rocked backed and forth. The crew thought there was something wrong. After what seemed like an eternity, the Enterprise exited the wormhole, which immediately closed behind them. "Where are we?" Garrett asked, concerned. "According to our computers, we are in the Alpha-Rigel system stardate 10927.8." "Thank you Lt. Dawson." Suddenly, Dawson spoke up again in an urgent tone. "Ma'am. 1,0000 kilometers starboard is a Federation starship USS Saratoga. It's the exact same one that is being decommissioned in our time." Garrett's eyes opened wide. "Castille, get us the hell out of here. If we've been seen...." Before Garrett could finsish her statement, the USS Enterprise, entered transwarp, entered a wormhole, and disappearred. Eventually, the Enterprise emerged exactly from where it left. "Wow...The first test worked. But next time, we have to be careful. Damage report?" "None reported Captain." "Good. Communications, code a message to Mr. Alaskamar and Admiral Wilson and tell them we made it." End Chapter 7 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 8 Stardate 43619.2 Starfleet Academy "Holy shit, look what I found!" "What is it Dave?" "I accidentally tapped into the Starfleet Registry files." "Dave...uh..that's only accessible by faculty and administrators." "I know, Bob, but my cousin Wes, you know, on the Enterprise, he told me how I could do it when I talked to him last week. Look at this. It's a list of every starship Starfleet ever commissioned. Look, they've even got the newest ships on here, Enterprise, Yamato, and Alexa. They must have just updated it 'cause Alexa was launched only last month." "Yamato was destroyed. Does it say that?" "Yep, right there. Unknown cause. That's not what Wes told me." "What about those files with the 'x' in front of them?" "Well, Bobby boy, looks to me like they're closed. There's Enterprise, NCC1701-C." "Dave, wasn't she lost about 20 years ago?" "Yep. Let's see if I can get into it. Seems I've got to go in the back way. Hope Wes told me how to do this correctly, otherwise, we're screwed." When Dave Bradley tried to access the computer file, an alarm sounded warning they boys that they were doing something very wrong. "ACCESS DENIED, CLOSING SYSTEM, ACCESS DENIED" could be heard from the computer. The boys, alarmed and afraid, got up and ran towards the door. As they neared the door, and aging Vulcan stepped into the way. "Mr. Spock...we...we..." Dave Bradford stammmered. Spock calmly asked, "What are you boys doing?" Bob panicked and started babbling, "Dave...he accidentally gained access to the... Starfleet registry and he looked up the C-Enterprise and the computer shut us out...." "I see." Spock nodded. "You will report to my office after your next class. Do you understand?" Spock continued. "Yes sir." Dave replied sadly. "Now go to class." The boys immediately left and went to class. On the way, Dave looked at Bob and said, "I want to find out what happened to her. I'll get in touch with my cousin Wes and maybe he'll figure it out. Wes tells me they have some super android on board." Bob smiled and replied, "Boy, you never know when to quit do you?" Dave smiled back, "Nope, that's why I'm gonna be a starship captain someday." End Chapter 8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 9 Stardate 43619.9 Scene: USS Enterprise NCC1701-D "Wes, I don't have time to discuss it." "But Mom, I need to ask you some questions." "Wes, PLEASE, you're whining." "I'm sorry mom, but I'm working on this project with cousin Dave. I'm trying to find out what happened to the old USS Enterprise-C. Dad knew the captain of that ship, Rachel Garrett. I thought he might have told you something." "Wes, Captain Garrett died before your father and I met, but I know he did have a romance with her. She was quite older than him too. You see, she knew something was going to happen to that ship but she never told anyone, including your father. She died before the ship disappeared." Suddenly Guinan walked into sickbay. "What's up Bev? Wes?" Guinan asked. "Not much Guinan," Wes responded, "I'm just asking mom about the old Enterprise-C." A look of surprise came over Guinan's face. "Let's go to Ten Forward, Wes. I may be able to help." Wes smiled. "Ok. Bye mom." "Bye Wes." Beverly Crusher responded, getting back to her work. Scene: Ten Forward "Wes, You have to promise to be very careful about the information that I am about to tell you." "Ok. You can trust me." "I'm serious. This is a delicate matter which we must be careful about. This knowledge is VERY delicate." "Guinan, I understand, you know I do." "I know Wes. Anyway, the USS Enterprise NCC1701-C was a ship that very few people know about. It had a secret that noone was supposed to know about." "What was it?" Wes asked. "The USS Enterprise(NCC1701-C) was built as a time machine." "WHAT?" "It had the ability to traverse time, galaxies, and dimensions." "Are you serious? But why all the secrets?" "Don't you understand Wes? If the Romulans or the Klingons had gotten ahold of that ship, they could change history. It was too risky for people to know about." "Did Starfleet want to change history?" Wes asked. "No, they just wanted to observe it." "Well, what happened to her." "I don't know." "Well, how do you know all this?" "Remember two days ago when we encountered that energy-hole/rift?" Wes responded, "Yes, but what does that have to do with it?" Guinan leaned closer to Wes across the table and lowered her voice. "Well, that energy hole was a rift in time. Enterprise-C came through and changed our history. I know this because my race's awareness goes beyond linear time." Wes was alarmed. "Changed our HISTORY?" Guinan continued, "I'm not done yet. Well, 20 years ago Enterprise-C was about to save the Klingon outpost Norendra III from Romulan attack. During the encounter with the Romulans, the Enterprise came through a time rift to our time period. As a result, the Enterprise failed in it's mission and the Klingons shortly declared war on the `cowardly' Federation. This Enterprise became a warship. In fact, Tasha Yar never died in this war timeline. To make a long story short, I was able to convince Captain Picard to send the other Enterprise back in time to correct the matter. The engineers on Enterprise-C repaired their timewarp drive, without us knowing and went back through. When they went back through, everything returned to normal. Captain Garrett died from a Klingon ship firing on Enterprise-C. As a result, Tasha went back with them. As you know, history tells us that the Enterprise-C disappearred for an instant in that battle at Norendra III. That instant, was their escape through time. Fortunately, when the Enterprise-C returned, she prevented the outpost from being destroyed, and as a result, the Klingons made peace with us." "Well, what happened to Tasha." Wes asked. "I don't know and I hope noone ever finds out." "I remember reading in my history text that the Enterprise disappeared two years later in deep unexplored space. They had just left starbase 67 after the two years of repairs. They sent out 1 distress signal and that was the last anyone ever heard from them. Last reported location was the Omega-Ceti-System. The USS Horatio, when she arrived there, found nothing." "You're knowledge of history is quite impressive, Wes." Guinan replied. "Guinan, I am going to find out what happened to it. I swear." Guinan smiled, "Good luck Wes. You're going to need it." End Chapter 9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 10 Stardate 25190.7 Scene: Captain's quarters USS Enterprise NCC-1701-C Racheal Garrett was lying down on her bed. It had been an exhasuting day. Briefings up to her head, technicalities, complaints.. How she wished she could get away from it all, just for awhile. But, she knew she couldn't. She had worked long and hard to get the assignment on the Enterprise. She was very young when she first heard the stories of the legendary starship Enterprise. She always liked to hear about the legendary Jim Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy. She had met all three and even had Mr. Spock as a teacher when she was at the academy. She remembered the story of how Jim Kirk met his death and how it moved Mr. Spock when he told the story. Garrett's mind wandered to the time when she met young Jack Crusher, who served with her aboard the Saratoga. She was fascinated with him and he with her and they fell in love. Eventually Jack left for earth duty and she moved on as First Officer of the USS Alexa. As she began to doze off, she was awakened by her door buzzer. "Enter." Garrett said, obviously sleepy. It was the helmsman, Lt. Richard Castille. Castille was a handsome young man, 26 years old, brown hair, and blue eyes. Garrett noticed the resemblance to the great Captain Kirk of 50 years ago. "Yes Lieutenant, what can I do for you?" Garrett asked. "Ma'am, the systems are completely on line." Castille reported. "Thank you, but why did you come all the way down here to tell me that?" Garrett wondered. "I am quite concerned ma'am. Suppose we go somewhere in time and accidentally encounter someone. How do we act?" "You pretend you don't know what the hell is going on. You will act as if you don't know where we are or why we are there. We will then immediately go back." "What if, for some reason, we can't get back?" "Mr. Castille, let's cross that bridge when we get to it." "Yes, ma'am. I understand." Castille added. Lt. Castille, smiled, turned and walked out of Garrett's quarters. Racheal Garrett lay there, pondering his questions. A good question indeed. One she hoped she would never have to answer. End Chapter 10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 11 Stardate 28672.4 Scene: USS Enterprise NCC1701-C "Captain, we are receiving a distress signal from the Klingon outpost at Norendra III." "Miss Hawthorne, put on main viewer." Garrett ordered. The viewer came on and a Klingon officer appeared. "Help! The is Klingon outpost Norendra III! We have detected two Romulan warbirds heading this way! We have already lost our two Klingon Birds of Prey which defend us! Please help, anyone!" Garrett immmediately began barking orders. "Miss Hawethorne, alert Starfleet, priority coded channel. Mr. Castille, engage transwarp, and head towards Norendra III. Go to red alert." No sooner had Garrett finished those orders when the Enterprise sped into transwarp drive and headed towards Norendra III. Soon, the two Romulan warbirds were in sight. "Slow to impulse, shields up." Garrett ordered. The Enterprise was about two thousand kilometers away from the warbirds. Off her starboard bow lay the wreckage of the two Klingon birds of prey. Suddenly, the Romulan warbirds turned to face the Enterprise. "Alert Klingon outpost we have arrived to help them...Mr. Jarvis..How many warbirds are there?" "Two at present, ma'am, but there may be cloaked vessels elsewhere." "Ok, let's give the other Klingon ships time to get here." "Captain, a Romulan warbird is powering up it's photon torpedoes." "Shields at maximum, return fire, immediately!" Garrett ordered. As soon as Garrett issued the order, the Enterprise was hit by the torpedoes, with minimal damage. The Romulan warbird was unaffected by Enterprise's return fire. Suddenly, a volley of fire erupted between the three ships. "Captain Garrett, shield are breaking down to 20%, we've got a fire on decks 20 and 21. We've also lost communications." "Get damage control onto the decks to control those fires. Castille, bring us around to 12 o'clock directly over the warbirds." As soon as the Enterprise turned to move, two more Romulan vessels decloaked. They immediately opened fire on the Enterprise. "Captain, we've lost control of the shields. The matrix is breaking down. One more hit and we'll lose them completely. We're up against four warbirds." Castille shouted, as his panel erupted in flame. "Alert Starfleet, if we can. Mr. Castille, begin transwarp calculations. Enter us an escape route without going through time. Go to spacewarp only! I want to end up 3 billion kilometers from here, but in this time period." "Yes ma'am!" Castille responded, moving over to the alternate console to enter the equations, since his was on fire. As Castille entered the equations, the Enterprise was rocked with more fire. "Ma'am, shields are out!" a crewmember shouted. "Captain, we're losing life support! Damage Control reports fires on 10 decks! We still have our drive system intact!" "Mr. Castille, get us out of here NOW!" Garrett ordered. With that order, the Enterprise was hit again, and as she passed out, the last thing Racheal Garrett remmbered was the Enterprise entering the wormhole it created. The hole immediately closed before the Romulans knew what happened. It seemed like an ordinary wormhole entry. But it wasn't. This time the Enterprise was out of control and was being sent 22 years into the future. End Chapter 11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 12 Stardate 42362.4 USS Enterprise NCC1701-C Captains Log, Lt. Castille reporting, acting Captain. Stardate 42362.4: The Enterprise-C has encountered the Enterprise-D from our future. Because we escaped from our time period, accidentally, we caused history to be changed. Our entire crew has kept the secret that the Enterprise-C is somewhat of a time machine from the crew of Enterprise-D. When Captain Picard of the Enterprise-D told Captain Garrett that our ship had been found by them, she pretended to be surprised that we did come forward in time. Coming forward in time was a terrible thing. Our mistake has meant many years of war for the Federation, all because we did not save the outpost at Norendra III 22 years ago. We did not deliberately come here. Apparently, our navigation was thrown off and it put us here. It also did not close the wormhole as expected. As a result, we are going to renter the time rift. Hours ago, Captain Garrett was killed. Fortunately, Tasha Yar is returning with us. We are going back with our secret intact, thank God, to correct our mistake. Our chances for survival are greater with Tasha at the helm. She has a lot of experience and she says she knows a manuever, that will help us, even though in our time, it has not even been invented yet, but it will soon be by Captain Picard. Even as I speak now, our Enterprise is entering the wormhole. I look now on the main viewer and see the Enterprise-D biding us time to get through. I also see that she does not have much time left. She's being ripped to shreds. I only hope that we can make it back successfully. We are greatly undermanned and we don't even have a 100% chance of making it. Tasha has secretly upgraded our systems. She took a risk because Captain Picard explicitly told her not to give us technology from the future. Her help may save us all though. The tension on the bridge is mounting, as we are in the hole now and the hole is beginning to close. Enterprise-D is virtually destroyed...I swear, if we survive, the Enterprise will never, ever enter time warp again because I have seen the devestating effects of such an action. We are completely in the hole now. Let's hope we conquer what's on the other side. Castille out.... End Chapter 12 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 13 Stardate 28673.4 "Mr. Castille, I need complete control of helm and navigation." "Tasha, control is yours." Castille quickly responded. Sweat began to appear on his forhead and it was apparent that he was nervous. Tasha Yar's hands moved at an alarming rate. She armed the photon torpedoes, raised the shields and energize the paser banks in a few swift movements. She knew exactly what she was doing. In front of the Enterprise sat two warbirds, equidistant apart. Tasha knew that a Picard manuever would work here. It hadn't been invented yet so the Romulans would be caught completely off guard. Tasha smiled as she pressed a button to engage the warp engines. Without warning and before the warbirds could react, the Enterprise entered warp speed and a split second later dropped out of warp speed and fired at each of the warbirds similtaneously. Thanks to Tasha and her efforts at upgrading the armament of the Enterprise, she was able to destroy the two warbirds, whose shields were not equipped to handle firepower from the future. Castille sat in absolute total surprise. He had not barked one order to anyone. Before he could speak, Tasha had turned the Enterprise around to face what appeared to be only 1 warbird. The fourth one immediately de-cloaked around the back side of the Enterprise. The warbird fired a shot that ripped right through the shuttlebay doors, resulting in fire and destruction of the shuttlebay. "Mr. Castille, my sensors pick up 5 Klingon birds of prey coming. They are not cloaked." "Thank you Mr. Jones, keep me updated." Castille responded frantically. Castille looked at Tasha and continued, "Do what you must to get that third warbird." Tasha smiled and responded, "Yes, sir." Yar had been trained to be a warrior. She was in her element and Castille knew it. With a gleam in her eye, Tasha moved the Enterprise into warp speed and sped past the third warbird that had been facing them. Catille wondered what she was doing but did not question her. He knew she knew what to do. In what seemed like a millisecond, Tasha turned the Enterprise around so that it was behind the warbird it had just passed. Tasha then launched a series of photon torpedoes which disabled the Romulan vessel, rendering it useless, or so she thought. As Tasha moved the Enterprise into position to face the last warbird, the disabled one fired a series of phasers shots and photon torpedoes which all but destroyed the shields of the Enterprise. "Mr. Castille, shield power at minimum. What do we do?" Castille smiled. "Let's just beat the hell out of them with what we have. We've made it this far." Castille pushed a button and continued, "Engineering, reserve power to the shield immediately. Tasha, destroy the third warbird once and for all!" Tasha fired the aft torpedoes. As soon as contact was made, the warbird exploded in a fiery ball of light. Shrapnel flew everywhere, some of which hit the already damaged Enterprise. By now, the Klingon ships arrived. Three went to defend the actual outpost while the other two moved in beside the Enterprise. The four vessels stood off. The Enterprise, flanked by the two Klingon vessels were directly in front of the fourth and final Romulan warbird. Suddenly, the warbird, sensing Enterprise's vulnerability, quickly fired at the Enterprise. The result expected. The shot engulfed the lower hull in flames. Somehow, everyone sitting at a console received a shock or was electrocuted by feedback. The bridge crew was thrown out of their chairs as fire and smoke made it impossible to see on the bridge. Castille, momentarily stunned, moved over to where Tasha lay. The bridge was in terrible condition. Every console had been burned and were virtually useless. While this was going on, the Klingon bird of preys destroyed the final warbird. Tasha lay face down in the rubble. Castille rolled her over and he saw her bleeding from the stomach. Her face was covered with blood. Castille began to cry as he nestled her head in his arms. "Tasha, don't die. I need you. You can't die. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Catille was hysterical. "Rich......I'm...not...supposed...to be here...any...way. I am not from this...this......timeline." Yar began to doze off, but continued, "You...must never...ever...mention my nam...name, or else it could...could...alter history...My younger...self......must never know about me...Give...mmmmeee...your...phaser...." Castille was unaware of her intentions as he asked, "Why? Why do you need a phaser?" Then he realized...."NO! I won't let you..." "Richard..."Tasha looked up at him. She placed her hand on his. He clutched it as if it were the last thing he'd ever do. She then let go and reached for his phaser. Castille began to resist, but then through his teary eyes looked at her. Her look said it all. The tears continued to roll down his cheeks. "Richard, step...back...Remember...me...I...love...you..." Castille, slowly crawled away and turned back to look as Tasha Yar turned the phaser on herself and fired. In a flash, she was gone. Gone forever. Castille began to cry harder as he realized she had almost singlehandedly defeated the Romulans and that she sacrificed her life so that others might live. She had corrected the horrible mistake that resulted from the timewarp, with her life. He realized that she had to destroy herself for the old timeline to continue properly. The young Tasha was now free to grow without her future self in cocurrent existence. The bridge was in chaos. Castille began to get up, but the smoke had already taken its effect on him. As Castille passed out, the only thing on his mind was Tasha Yar. End Chapter 13 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 14 Stardate 28697.3 Starbase Tokyo(43) "God damn it. I hoped nothing like this would ever happen. Where are they taking her?" "They are taking her to Starbase 67, Mr. Alaskamar. The USS Intrepid has her in tow." "I want a transport to Starbase 67 as soon as possible. I will oversee the repairs myself. Noone is to touch that starship until I get there. Remember, Mr. Dryden, we have a secret to protect." "Yes sir. The USS Kittyhawk will transfer you to the USS Fearless, which will take you to Starbase 67. You will arrive in 72 hours." Alaskamar frowned then asked, "When do we leave?" "Kittyhawk is ready for you now sir." "Ok Mr. Dreyden, let's get the hell out of here and see the Enterprise." End Chapter 14 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 15 Stardate 28700.1 Starfleet Headquarters, San Francisco, Earth-date 2342 "Ambassdor K'largh has arrived Mr. President." "Thank you. Please show him in." the President responded. "Yes sir." the servant said as he turned to leave. The Klingon ambassador K'largh stepped in. He was huge for a Klingon, about six foot ten inches tall. A bit fat, but his presence was nonetheless intimidating to the President of the United Federation of Planets. The President initiated the conversation. "It is good to see you Ambassador. We have a lot to talk about." "We do." K'largh responded. "I am here because the Klingon empire wants to put aside our differences. We are facing a common enemy that we can no longer ignore. The Romulans are giving us more trouble and we need your help. I also believe, that you need our help. I am also here because we would like to commend the starship Enterprise for their help in defending the outpost at Norendra III." "Yes, the Federation is quite proud of the Enterprise. She is the glory of our entire fleet and has been for decades." responded the President. "I agree Mr. President. The Enterprise has been talked about much in our Empire. Let's hope that from this day forward, the Klingon empire will work with her instead of against her." "Ambassador, I concur entirely. We've been negotiating a treaty with you for almost a year. Let's sign it today and hope this day brings renewed hope for both our peoples. This is the first day of peace." The President reached out his hand and the Klingon ambassador reached out his and shook the President's hand. It was the first of many peaceful gestures that that day would bring. Two weeks later, the treaty was officially completed. The news spread like wildfire throughout the galaxy. There were collaborations and meetings everywhere. The people of the Federation and Klingon empire realized that the face of the galaxy had suddenly changed. Instead of two combatants, two allies existed. Celebrations lasted days, even weeks. The Romulans were justifiablly worried. The Romulan High Council was busy developing new strategy as soon as they found out. "High Centrurion Sakra, the attack on Norendra III has caused the Klingons and Federation to ally themselves. Now, whenever we attack the Klingons, the Federation will no doubt aid them. Are we ready to handle continued assaults on the Klingon outposts if the Federation is aiding them?" Centurion Bekra asked. Sakra frowned, leaned forward in his chair, and softly replied, "Bekra, Recall our fleet from the Klingon frontier. We will leave them alone...for awhile." End Chapter 15 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 16 Stardate 29537.2 Starbase Tokyo(43) "Well, Admiral, what do you think of her?" "Absolutely glorious Captain. This starship is magnificent. Although, I am curious as to why she is not identical to Enterprise. After all, they are sister ships. She looks the same, but I am told that this new vessel is lacking in some special drive unit." "That's top secret sir. I am told the Enterprise had some experimental equipment but no longer. This ship will do just a good a job as Enterprise." "I am pleased." the Admiral replied. "You will also be pleased to know that the Horatio will be launched right on schedule." "Excellent. I am anxious for her to join the fleet as soon as possible. Captain Decker is quite anxious to begin his mission." "Captain Decker? Is he related to Matt Decker and Will Decker?" Captain Grissom asked. "Yes. He is Will Decker's son. He's part Deltan you know." "I do sir. But I thought Will Decker was MIA over 40 years ago." "He was, Captain. He had conceived a son with a Deltan a few years earlier. Noone ever knew until after he and his lover Lt. Ilia were declared missing in action." "I see." Grissom replied. After a short pause, the Admiral continued, "Well, I must get going. I have to catch the Constellation on her way to earth so I can file my report." "Well, sir, the Excelsior is ready for you. She will take you to the USS Constellation." "Thank you Captain." The Admiral reached out his hand and shook Captain Grissom's. As Grissom shook the Admiral's hand, he noticed the faraway look in the Admiral's eye. Perhaps it was the conversation about Decker that started it. Grissom was correct in his assumption. Admiral Sulu released Grissom's hand as his mind began to wander, back, back to a time when his life centered on the glorious starship Enterprise! The legend of Starfleet. Images of his friends, Chekov, Scotty, Uhura, Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Saavik. He remembered each and every one of them. He felt remorse for the ones that were not alive, but he knew they died as legends and would not be forgotten. As Admiral Sulu walked out of the docking bay where the Horatio was, a tear slowly rolled down his withered cheek. End Chapter 16 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 17 Stardate 29540.2 Starbase 67 Scene: Conference room, closed session, TOP SECRET "USS Enterprise repair status report is here sir." "Thank you." Alaskamar took the report and looked at it. He nodded and set it down. He then looked at the personell sitting around the conference table. "Well" Alaskamar began, "I must commend you all for keeping your crews ahead of schedule. At this rate, we will be ready for a launch in 6 months." "We hope so Mr. Alaskamar. But we must discuss something with you." "And what is THAT Admiral Riley?" Alaskamar asked, as if he knew what it was. "We think we should take the dimensional/time warp off line." Alaskamar jumped up and slammed his fist on the conference table. "What?" he asked. Riley calmly continued, "To put it simply Mr. Alaskamar, Starfleet feels the risk for dimensional/time warp is too risky. The incident at Norendra III is proof of that. If it were not for Lt. Castille, the Enterprise would never had made it back and that would have damned us and our future." Alaskamar began to plead, "But sir, the benefits of exploration and what we can learn are numerous. We can find out things noone ever could." "I am sorry Mr. Alaskamar, but the decision has already been made. You must take the dimensional/time warp off line in two weeks. I am truly sorry." "I'm sure you are Admiral Riley. I'm sure you are." Alaskamar's sarcasm was quite evident. He turned and stormed out of the conference room. As he left, his mind began to brainstorm. If he couldn't have Enterprise his way, Starfleet couldn't have the Enterprise either. It was as simple as that. End Chapter 17 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 18 Stardate 29638.2 Starbase 67, reception room There were officers from all parts of Starfleet. There were admirals, commadores and captains from every possible location. For the first time in Starfleet history, a commander was being promoted to Captain while only being a Lieutenant two years earlier. Richard Castille was a very nervous man. He could not believe the events that had occurred over the past two years. Following his hospitalization, Castille went to Starfleet Command School. This school is a pre-requisite to becoming a captain. The strange thing was that only commanders go to this school but Castille went as a Lt. Commander. Following graduation six months later, where he finished with honors, Castille served a six month tour of duty with the USS Intrepid and shortly after that he was promoted to Commander and served aboard the USS Drake as First Officer. He was not quite sure why he was being promoted and reassigned so quickly. Two weeks ago, following his assignment aboard the Drake, he was ordered to Starbase 67 to await further instructions. He spent a week in Pacifica vacationing and then went to Starbase 67. When he arrived, he was told, to his amazement, that due to his outstanding and exemplary record, he was being promoted to Captain. They did not tell him that he would get a command though. He thought he'd be pushing a pen, or commanding some type of frigate or freighter. When all the officers and delegates, he wondered what the occation was. He thought it was because the Enterprise was being re-launched. He was only half-right. After what seemed an eternity, the noise level dropped to whispering. Admiral Riley stepped to the podium. "Mr. Castille, please approach the platform." As Admiral Riley said this, Castille put down his drink and walked down the aisle to the platform. As he walked, he was patted on the back numerous times. He knees almost buckled as he walked up the stairs to where Admiral Riley, Admiral McCoy, and Admiral Spock were standing. He was astounded and perplexed. He knew the Enterprise was being relaunched and these three men were there was because they all served aboard starships named Enterprise. He was honored, because before him stood men whose names were synonomous with bravery and honor. Admiral Riley stepped forward. "Commander Castille, in honor of your outstanding performance at Norendra III and your continuing excellent performance as a Starfleet officer, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Captain. Do you accept the promotion?" "I do sir." Castille responded nervously. "Excellent. Along with the rank of captain comes the duties of one. Let the record show that Captain Richard Castille has been given command of the USS Enterprise, registry NCC1701-C." Following Riley's statement, murmurs and whispers broke out everywhere. Castille stood on the podium stunned. McCoy, concerned leaned forward and whispered, "Hey boy, you allright?" Castille shook his head, as if to shake out whatever confusion had infested his brain and replied, "Yes sir, just surprised." Castille finally realized why they had brought him to Starbase 67. He felt like an idiot for not figuring it out sooner. They wanted him to assume command of the Enterprise and launch as soon as possible. He also realized why the ex-Enterprise officers were in front of him. McCoy leaned over and whispered to Spock, "He reminds me of Jim. Too much like him. Probably get killed first time out. Jim liked to take chances...I always warned him, but he never listened." Spock raised his eyebrow and replied, "Doctor, you are babbling again. Please cease your unneccessary comments." McCoy grew annoyed, "Why you green blooded..." Castille quieted them both by turning to the crowd and waving. "I hope I can live up to the standards that these fine officers here have set. I intend to see to it that the name Enterprise continues to live on, as these men before me have done." In the back of the reception room, in a corner, Alaskamar heard the words and mumbled, "Indeed Castille. Indeed." Alaskamar then walked out the door with an evil grin on his face. "I'm really sorry Castille, I liked you. I am truly going to miss you." Alaskar mumbled to himself as he left. End Chapter 18 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 19 Stardate 29931.2 Starbase 67 USS Enterprise(bridge) Alaskamar and his assistant Dreyden were alone on the bridge. They had waited all day for the work crews to finish so they could come aboard and take out the dimensional/timewarp. The Admirals at Starfleet who knew about Enterprise's secret capabilities ordered him to take the system off-line in secret, after everyone else had left the ship. So now, they were quite alone. Alaskamar was quite cheerful. He had waited for this moment. Revenge would be his. After all his time and effort, Starfleet had ultimately shunned him. They would not allow the Enterprise's sister ship, the USS Horatio to get fitted with the dimensional/time warp drive. Alaskamar, when he heard this, was outraged. They promised him a whole fleet of ships with Enterprise's capabilities. He was even more angry when they ordered him to remove it from the Enterprise. Alaskamar felt a part of his life go when they took Enterprise awary from him. The Enterprise was his ship, or so he thought. If he couldn't have Enterprise, then neither could Starfleet. He would see to that. "Mr. Dreyden, how are we coming?" Alaskamar asked. "Good sir. I've made it look like the transwarp has been completely removed. Even the best engineers won't figure this out. As soon as they engage the transwarp drive, the hidden virus program will engage and it will activate the dimensional/timewarp subprogram. The virus will destroy the retroactive course program so there's no way in hell they'll get back. No way at all." "Good Mr. Dreyden. Put the finishing touches on it and let's get off the ship...By the way, where are you sending them." Alaskamar asked, smiling. "To another galaxy." Dreyden replied, totally unmoved by what he had said. Alaskamar laughed, "Good." Dreyden worked a few more minutes and then crawled out from underneath the helm control panel. "All done sir." Dreyden stated. "Great. Let's go." As they were walking off the bridge into the turbo-lift, Alaskamar turned and said, "Good-bye, Enterprise. It's been fun." End Chapter 19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 20 Stardate 30000.7 Starbase 67 USS Enterprise "We're ready to go sir." "Thank you Mr. Brendan. Communications, status report." "All systems on line Captain." Richard Castille was nervous. The Enterprise was finally ready. It had been two long years since he had last sat in the Captain's chair. As he looked around, he noticed, that the bridge was entirely re-done. It was barely recognizable to him. They had delayed launching of the Enterprise one week so that the fleets newest starship, the USS Horatio could get a big send off. The Enterprise was to rendez-vous with her in a week. "Are we ready, Mr. Alaskamar?" "Yes Captain. Everything is taken care of." "Thanks." Castille replied. Alaskamar leaned over to Castille, "You do know that we've...removed...that special...feature." "I do and I must say that I am relieved." "Yes, of course." Alaskamar replied in a sad tone. "I know you don't agree, but we'll have to discuss this some other time when I return from a mission. Goodbye Mr. Alaskamar, and good luck." "Security, escort..." Castille began. "Not necessary, Captain. I know my way to the transporter." Alaskamar shook Castille's hand and walked into the turbo-lift. Once inside, he began to laugh. "Helm, bring us around 90 degrees." "Yes, Captain." "Set course for the Delta-Antares system. Warp 5." "Course plotted and laid in sir." "Ok, let's see what she's got. ENGAGE!" As Castille barked the order, the Enterprise sped into warp drive in a blinding flash of light. The helmsman turned and looked at Captain Castille and asked, "Sir, when do we engage transwarp?" "Engineering is running a final systems check." "I see." replied the helmsman. The Enterprise continued to run comfortably at warp five for a few more hours. Finally, Engineering was ready to try the transwarp drive. Castille was ready. "Ok. Navigation, what's our current position?" "Omega-Ceti system, sir." "I see. Well, I guess we should try it huh? Engineering has given us the green light people. Let's do it. Helm, be ready to engage at my command." "Aye sir!" The bridge was quiet, waiting for Captain Castille's order. "Engage transwarp, NOW!" With that order, the Enterprise entered transwarp drive. Everything seemed fine for a few seconds. Then it happened. Alaskamar's virus program began to take effect. The program began scrambling the system. A wormhole opened and the Enterprise was forced into it. "Sir, we've got a major problem here. Apparently the Enterprise, upon entering transwarp drive has entered an artificially created wormhole. Sir, I've never seen anything like it!" The helmsman was panic stricken. Castille's mind began to brainstorm. "Communications, send out a distress call to Starbase 67. We're in big trouble." Castille got up and moved the helmsman aside. By now the wormhole had closed. He began pressing buttons to stop the ship but to no avail. Catille muttered, "We're out of control and blind as a bat, I can't stop it...God damn it!" After what seemed an eternity, the Enterprise exited the wormhole, which immediately closed. Castille looked at the timer. She was in a wormhole for two hours. Castille managed to slow the Enterprise to a halt. He noticed that transwarp was entirely destroyed. Fortunately, they still had warp drive, but it was minimal at best. Once the Enterprise had stopped, the bridge was silent. Castille sat in his chair, dumfounded. He had no clue as to what happened. "Navigation, where are..." Castille was interupted by the chief engineer, "Sir, I found out what happened." Castille turned his chair around to face the engineer who just entered the bridge. "Yes?" he asked. "Captain, it would appear as if we have been sabatoged." End Chapter 20 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 21 Stardate 30000.7 Starbase 67 "Admiral Wilson, we've got a distress call from the USS Enterprise. Top priority. They're in the Omega-Ceti system. The message was cut short sir." "Keep trying to hail them. We need a starship to meet them." "Impossible sir. The Horatio is a day away. They're the closest. They'd never make it in time." "I don't care. Send the Horatio. Alert Starfleet Headquaters that the Enterprise is in trouble." End Chapter 21 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 22 Stardate ??????? Location: ?????? "We've been sabatoged?" Castille asked. "So it would seem sir. The transwarp drive somehow put us into time warp. But it was not accidental. It was programmed in a virus program and was engaged when the transwarp kicked in." "Why didn't we pick this up sooner?" Castille asked. "It was a masked program sir. But I noticed something else too. The Enterprise seems built for this type of travel sir. I noticed things on this ship I've never worked with before. It would seem this ship used to be a...a..time machine of some kind." Engineer Bradley said. "Well, commander, you're right! It was, once! But Alaskamar was supposed to have removed this system before we launched. But apparently, he didn't. It seems he caused this to happen." Castille shouted angrily. "I see," the engineer replied. "Captain, he also destroyed the retroactive program to get us back." "Oh my God." Castille slammed his fist on his chair. Castille's mind was reeling. I'll bet since he couldn't have Enterprise his way, he decided to sabatoge it so that Starfleet would lose the Enterprise forever. Castille finally calmed down. "Navigation, where are we?" Ensign Jackson turned and responded, "Sir...uh...according to my...readings...we're in galaxy M-5. The time sir...I don't know...With full warp sir, it would take us over 2,000 years to get back...I...believe...that we're stuck here." End Chapter 23 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 24 Stardate 30001.9 USS Horatio Omega-Ceti System "Bring us in at warp 2." "Yes, Captain." The Horatio slowed to warp two as she scanned the Omega-Ceti System for signs of the Enterrpise. "Captain Decker, it seems the USS Enterprise has completely vanished. There are no signs of wreckage or anything. There was after all, only 1 distress signal. That alone seems very odd." "Thanks Ms. Jones, but I am well aware of that." Decker replied. "Commander Kiel, take us to the surrounding star cluster and we'll run a long range scan from there." "Yes Captain." Walker Kiel replied. And with that, the USS Horatio left the Omega-Ceti System and continued her scan, unsuccessfully. Two hours later, the Horatio was recalled by Admiral Wilson. The Enterprise, according to the report, was officially declared as missing in action. End Chapter 24 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 25 Stardate ?????? M-5 galaxy Captains log, stardate unknown. We have been travelling through the M-5 galaxy for about a month now and surprisingly, have not encountered any alien races. We, as a crew, have decided to remain in galaxy M-5 rather than attempt to get back to our galaxy. We are currently orbitting a class M planet twice the size of earth but just as habitable. The landing parties that we have sent have encountered life-forms similar to those on earth. There are no humanoids though. This planet is very much like earth. It has varying climate, plenty of water, trees, grasslands, and even deserts. After much discussion with the crew, we have decided to settle on the planet we have named Eden. We have already sent 3/4 of our crew to Eden and set up the framework for what will be our village. The ship, which will remain in orbit, will be supplying much of our food for the first year. We will have some technology to build our homes. It will be hard at first, but what choice do we have? Some of our engineers will remain on the ship trying to upgrade our warp drive capabilities so that someday, our children may return to our home galaxy someday. Transportation to the ship will be achieved by shuttlecraft. Eventually, we do hope to put a transporter platform down here though. Another thing we have found on this planet is raw dilithium. If we can build a finery, we will be able to process them into crystals to put into the Enterprise. Yes, it will be rough. It will be like the early earthmen in their struggle for survival. In time, our people will grow, nations will form. We will become a race all our own. Yes, it will be difficult, but we will prevail. Our Starfleet training assures us of that. It will be a hard life, but it will be a good one. Captain's log ending. End Chapter 25 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 26 Stardate 32634.9 Starbase 67,sickbay The disease had taken its toll on Alaskamar. He was dying and the end was near. "Well Mr. Alaskamar, how do you feel?" Dreyden asked. "Not good my old friend. I'm dying. But I'm dying a sad man. They took everything from me...my life's work." "You did great things sir. Great things! Even though Starfleet robbed you of your greatest achievement, you were still a great man and will not be forgotten." "I...have...tried...Always, remember, the secret of...of...the Enterprise...must never, ever...be...told." As Alaskamar uttered those last words, he died in Dreyden's arms. Dreyden muttered angrily, "You deserved better sir!" As he got up, he looked sadly at the nurse who just walked in. When Dreyden got to his quarters later that evening, he went to his desk and turned his computer on. He began to record his journal. "Assistants log, Stardate 32634.9. Mr. Alaskamar had died today. He died a bitter man. Starfleet robbed him of his greatest feat...the Enterprise, the first ship capable of timewarp. I promised always to keep his secret and I will. Starfleet deserved to have the Enterprise sabatoged by us after what they did. They took her away from us. The loss of Enterprise's crew was unfortunate but at least they are alive somewhere. We could have just as easily destroyed the ship, killing everyone, but we showed mercy, unlike Starfleet." The buzzer at Dreyden's door sounded. Dreyden yelled, "Come in!" It was Admiral Wilson. He looked upset as he walked over to Dreyden. Admiral Wilson spoke first, "I heard he's dead. I'm sorry." "He was a good man sir. Starfleet never gave him much of a chance." Dreyden responded cynically. "I agree, Dreyden. My cousin really died the day they told him to take the timewarp drive out of the Enterprise." Dreyden's eyes widened, "Alaskamar was your cousin?" "Yes. I helped him get the initial approval for him. I approved the naming of Enterprise and the class of ship. Why do you think it is an Alaska class vessel?" "I see." Dreyden was amazed. "I also know what he did to the Enterprise." "You do?" Dreyden's eyes widened even more. "Yes. I came by to tell you that your secret is safe with me. But you must never reveal this to anybody. My career would be...in...danger to say the least. That is why I have closed all files on Enterprise and made them inaccessbile to everone except myself. If you ever need to get information though, the password is Omega-Ceti. You are the only one besides me that knows this. "I won't Admiral." "Good...Well, I must be going." Wilson turned and walked out of the room. Dreyden then continued with his log, "Admiral Wilson, Alaskamar's cousin knows all. He has made all Enterprise files inaccessible. I can get in by using the passowrd Omega-Ceti." End Chapter 26 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 27 Stardate 4236.9 Starbase 22 "Well Mr. Crusher, you seem very determined to find out what happened to the old Enterprise." "I am Admiral Wilson. I'm sure glad that the Enteprise happened to be stopping here. I wanted to ask you some questions. You were the head of Starbase 67 when she disappeared. I was just wondering if you knew anything that could help me. This project is very important to me." "I'm sorry, Wes. I can give you no information that you don't already know. But if you want, you can use our computers to help you out." "Thank you sir, but I don't think it will help." Wes replied. "I don't think so either but you sure can try." Admiral Wilson smiled. "I will, Admiral, thank you." It was a fatal mistake for Wilson to encourage Wesley. For in a matter of hours, the secret of the USS Enterprise NCC1701-C would be solved. End Chapter 27 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 28 Stardate 42368.2 Starbase 22 "Data, look at this! Most of these files are closed except this directory here." Wes stated excitedly. "You are correct Wesley. The files inside this directory are the logs of a Mr. Dreyden. My data banks indicate that he was an assistant to a Mr. Roland Alaskamar, original designer for the Enterprise-C. He died twenty years ago at starbase 67. Dreyden died two years ago on the planet Altair VI during the Nasgul raids. It seems his notes here were recorded after the Enterprise-C was lost." "Let's try and read the logs, Data." Data and Wes began pouring over the logs. They were quite vague but did make references to Alaskamar's work. They also hinted at a deep dark secret that Alaskamar had. They were both perplexed until they came upon the log that would tell them everything. "Data, look! This log was taken on 32634.9, 20 years ago. It states that Alaskamar died, which is correct. Oh, my God. Admiral Wilson is Alaskamar's cousin and that he knew much more than he told me. Something's wrong here." "You are correct again Wesley. It seems he even told Dreyden the password to access all these closed files. It is Omega-Ceti, which is the star system that the Enterprise-C disappearred into." "Well, let's use it and get into these files." Wes exclaimed. "Amazing. We have accessed all the files on the Enterprise-C." Data continued. "Look, Wes, these are the plans to the vessel. And look here. There is the deep secret they were all hiding. Alaskamar's invention was time travel using a time warp system. He made the Enterprise into a time machine. Admiral Wilson approved all of this. But look here, his boss, Admiral Riley told Wilson, after the Norendra III incident, that the time warp was to be removed. Wilson then had to order Alaskamar to take it out. It says that...no..it couldn't be." "Data?" Wes asked, anxious. "It says that Alaskamar sabatoged the Enterprise. He built in a masked program which made it appear that he removed it. Once transwarp was engaged, the Enterprise was sent hurling out of control somewhere with no way to get back." Wes replied, "It seems we've found out the secret to the lost Enterprise. Who knows where or when it is though. What do we do now Data?" "We notify the proper authorities. Admrial Wilson is in trouble." End Chapter 28 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 29 Stardate 42368.3 Starbase 22 Admiral Wilson was alone in his office. The pill, the note and the water were all on his desk. He reached down, picked up the water and the pill. He put the pill in his mouth and drank the water. He then spoke his last words. "I've kept this a secret too long. Far too long. Too much of a guilty burden to live with...they know now...too...much....guilt." With those words, Admiral Wilson, collapsed, and died. End Chapter 29 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 30 Stardate ????? M-5 Galaxy Eden Captains Log: This is our twelfth year on Eden and as I stated many years earlier, it is hard but we are doing fine. Our children are adapting and we hope they grow up into fine men and women. Our engineers have given up hope of us ever returning to our own galaxy but for some reason we don't really care. Eden is our home now. Our lives are good. Noone is upset at our situation anymore. It would seem we have all accepted our fate. "Daddy, how are you doing?" Castille looked down at his six year old daughter. He stroked her long blond hair and smiled. "I'm doing fine Tasha, just fine. I couldn't be better." Little Tasha looked up at her father. "Daddy, you said you came from a far away place. But why are we here?" "Well Tasha, I told you my job was to explore new worlds, seek out new life, new civilizations and boldly go where no one has gone before." "Where no one has gone before, Daddy? What does that mean?" "Exactly what it says Tasha. To go where no one else has." "Is that why we're here Daddy?" Castille smiled and answered, "Yes Tasha, it is." "Daddy, will I ever go...boldly...where no one else has?" Castille took little Tasha's hand and looked up at the sky where the Enterprise rested peacefully in orbit. "Yes Tasha, you will. Of that I have no doubt ...No doubt at all." And with that, Castille got up, picked up his daughter and walked down the path to his house with the sun at his back and a smile on his face. THE END ***************************************************************************** This story is dedicated to those people in the past, present, and future who will have the courage to boldy go where NO ONE (man or woman) has gone before. -Dennis Franczak Box 223 St. John Fisher College Rochester, NY 14618 May 14, 1988 *****************************************************************************