Where No One Has Gone Before
Aesop


TITLE: WHERE NO ONE HAS GONE BEFORE
AUTHOR: Aesop
EMAIL: ENOWON@JUNO.COM
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters from Farscape or Star Trek the Next
Generation belong to me. I’m just borrowing them. I don’t gain anything
by writing this. 
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Feedback is welcome if you have any questions or
comments. This story is a cross over between Farscape and Star Trek,
sort of. For an explanation of the ‘sort of’ you’ll just have to read
the story. It’s set directly after Through the Looking Glass.
SPOILERS: Through the Looking Glass
CATEGORY: Crossover
RATING: PG



The party in the galley had broken up almost an arn ago and John was
exhausted. He and Zhaan had drawn clean-up detail. The crew was tired
after their ordeal but happy nonetheless, and John actually found
himself humming as he made his way back to his cell. He could
understand Pilot’s confusion over their good spirits, no one could
quite explain the reaction to him, but it didn’t dampen the mood any.
He fell into bed with a quiet chuckle and was almost instantly asleep.

The call woke him half an arn before his shift. He cleaned up and
grabbed a few food cubes in the galley on his way to command.

"Morning Pilot. What’s our status?"

"I am attempting to determine that commander." Crichton blinked in
surprise. It was not always clear why Pilot did what he did, but it was
rare for him to call Crichton by his rank unless something was
disturbing him.

"What’s wrong Pilot?"

"I’m not sure. Since we came out of starburst I have been attempting to
determine our whereabouts. It took the DRDs some time to recalibrate
the sensors. They were significantly impaired by our experience. I have
discovered though that not all of the confusion is attributable to the
sensors."

"Spit it out Pilot. You have no idea where we are?" Pilot was silent
for a moment as if reluctant to admit his ignorance. Finally he made a
sound that Crichton had come to realize was his equivalent of a sigh of
resignation.

"None. There is nothing familiar within range of Moya’s sensors."

"Do the others know about this?"

"I wanted to be sure of my findings before alarming the crew." John
sighed, looking down at the controls.

"Okay Pilot. We can’t put it off forever. Let’s get them up here."

***

"What do you mean we’re lost?" Chiana asked. "We were lost before. So
what are we now?"

"The difference is," Pilot explained patiently, "that before, we had
some idea of which direction we didn’t want to go. I have reviewed all
available map fibers and can find nothing familiar in the region we
currently travel through." Aeryn looked at John sharply.

"I thought you said that alien was going to return us to our own
place."

"He did," John sighed, "but being from another dimension, ‘our own
place’ probably meant the dimension we came from and nothing more. Who
knows where in our own dimension he put us down." D’Argo pounded his
fist on the console and made the frustrated noise he usually did when
things weren’t going his way. It was somewhere between a snarl and a
roar, John thought or sometimes a growl and a raspberry. Either way it
wasn’t helping. "I doubt it was intentional D’Argo, just clumsy." He
considered briefly.

"Pilot, you said nothing within sensor range was familiar, what about
distant stars? Any familiar constellations, nebulae etc.?"

"No commander," Pilot said with exaggerated patience.

"Sorry Pilot. I didn’t mean to imply-"

"It is all right Chrichton, I did not intend to be so short. I… blame
myself for this."

"There is no point to recriminations Pilot." Zhaan began to enter data
at one of the consoles. "We need to find out what happened, see if
there is a way to retrace our steps."

"Through the alien dimension? I doubt that will be allowed even if the
breach is still there." Zhaan glanced up at Aeryn and sighed.

"You’re probably right." Silence descended over the crew as each
considered the possibilities, desperately looking for a way out of
their current predicament.

"The Farscape!" John suddenly straightened from where he had been
leaning against the console.

"What about it?" Rygel huffed.

"It has charts, that Moya has never seen. I put most of what I had into
the data banks to run comparisons, but there is astronomical data in
the guidance system, part of a redundant navigation program. It’s used
for star fixes and such, kind of primitive, even by our standards, but
the data is accurate." He headed for the door. "It’s worth a try.
Aeryn, will you give me a hand?" He didn’t wait for an answer but
headed out the door. 

"Go on," Rygel said, "at least it’ll keep him out from under foot for a
while." Aeryn shot him a nasty look, but followed the erratic Human to
the launch bay. 

***

Almost an arn later, John and Aeryn were still working. Their progress
had been slowed by the difference between their respective
technologies, and Aeryn’s comments about flying junk piles hadn’t
helped. A potential argument was interrupted by a call from command.

"Crichton, Aeryn, a ship is approaching Moya. It is a design that none
of us have seen before. They seem intent on intercepting us."

"Great, maybe we can get directions," John said sarcastically. 

"I doubt we can evade them, but if they prove hostile, I need not
remind you that we are unarmed."

"You talk to ‘em D’Argo. You once stopped that Sheeyang attack just by
yelling at them. We have complete confidence in you."

"Speak for yourself," he heard Rygel mutter, followed by a startled
yelp. John grinned and Aeryn couldn’t completely suppress her
amusement.

"We’ll keep working down here," she put in. "I doubt you’ll learn
anything useful from them."

"Agreed." D’Argo closed the channel.

On the command deck, D’Argo, Zhaan, and Chiana watched as the strange
looking craft drew closer.

"Sensors indicate that that vessel is carrying a significant amount of
weaponry," Pilot informed them. The four crew members present traded
worried glances. "They are hailing us."

"On screen Pilot." D’Argo drew up to his full height and put on his
sternest expression; a look designed to discourage attackers while not
presenting himself as a threat. It was one he had practiced during his
military service and perfected in prison.

The screen cleared to reveal a dark-skinned, bipedal creature, with a
bony forehead. It nodded in greeting.

"I am lieutenant Rojenko of the Klingon bird of prey Kang.
Identify yourself and state your business in our space."

"I am Ka D’Argo, commanding the Leviathan Moya, and our business is
precisely that, ours. Our intrusion into your space however, is
accidental. We encountered a spatial anomaly of a sort that we have
never seen before. We were drawn in but managed to fight our way clear.
When we emerged though we were in a completely different part of
space." The alien frowned thoughtfully for a moment and gestured off
screen. The transmission cut off.

***

"Interesting. Science officer, do you detect any anomaly or trace
readings that substantiate his claim?"

"Checking now."

"It is more likely he is a spy of some sort, perhaps gathering
information for an invasion force. He is clearly a warrior."

"A warrior without weapons," Rojenko said mildly. "Check the scan. That
ship is unarmed. They seem to have a defensive screen, but it is barely
functional. This Ka D’Argo puts up a good front, but he is in no
position to challenge us."

"A spy would not challenge us," Gitai, his acting first officer,
returned, stepping closer to his comanding officer as he leaned over
the sensor console. "I say we take the ship and force answers from
these intruders." Rojenko ignored him. "The captain left you in command
because this was a routine patrol. Had he known we would encounter an
obstacle greater than an asteroid belt he would have left it to a more
experienced officer." Rojenko continued to ignore him as he puzzled
over the sensor readings and Gitai stepped forward to place a hand on
the younger man’s shoulder, leaning close to hiss his next insult
directly into his superior’s ear. Rojenko spoke first. 

"You may be right about that," he said mildly. Gitai blinked in
surprise. Would the fool actually simply step aside? Rojenko turned
abruptly and drove two fingers into Gitai’s throat.

"Glaack!!" Grabbing the back of Gitai’s head, he pulled forward and
drove a knee into his gut. Gitai hit the deck gagging and gasping. 

"However, the captain did leave me in command. Until he relieves me or
until someone with a brain challenges me, you will continue to follow
my orders." He glanced around. "Any questions?" There were none.

He stepped over Gitai and returned to his command chair. "Science
officer, report."

"I have found no trace of a wormhole or spatial rift, but our sensors
are limited. I do detect something unusual on their hull. The computer
identifies them as residual verteron particles."

"Verteron? I thought the only place those were found was inside the
Bajoran wormhole."

"Apparently not. They may have passed through a similar phenomenon. Our
sensors can determine nothing beyond this. This is not a science ship."
The disdain in his voice was evident and Rojenko repressed the desire
to sigh.

"There is a vessel not far from here," he reflected, "that might be
better equipped to analyze this ‘phenomenon’ and determine if they are
telling the truth."

"Sir?"

"I know a ship that seems to attract space/time anomalies like a
magnet. We might as well make use of them." He turned to look at his
second-in-command, who had managed to pick himself up off the deck.
"Gitai. Send a message to the U.S.S. Enterprise."

***

"Ka D’Argo. We have some information about the anomaly you
encountered."

"Indeed?"

"Yes, our sensors have detected a residual energy signature on your
hull that is familiar to us. We have summoned a ship on which serve
several experts on such phenomena. I believe they will be able to help
you."

"Thank you," D’Argo said sincerely. Rojenko nodded.

"Hold your current position until they arrive. Qapla." The screen went
dark.

On screen the alien ship turned and began to move away.

***

"Are we to just leave them unguarded until the Federation," the word
came out as a sneer, "arrives to solve our problems?"

"We will remain within sensor range until the Enterprise
arrives. I want to know if that ship does anything suspicious."

"It’s presence here is suspicious!"

"Shut up Gitai," Alexander Rojenko answered mildly. "I was not asking
your opinion. I was giving you an order." Gitai glared daggers and his
superior, but said nothing more.

***

"Kapla?" John and Aeryn entered Command even as the alien ship turned
and vanished from the screen. D’Argo turned to meet them and shrugged,
not knowing what it meant either. "Well they didn’t attack us so I
guess that’s progress. Learn anything useful?"

"They say there is a ship near here that may be able to help us. They
have sent a message and asked us to wait for them."

"It could be a trap," Aeryn pointed out. D’Argo shook his head.

"If they wanted to kill us they could have. If they’d wanted to capture
us they could have. Why bother with subterfuge?" There was no ready
answer to that. So she let it go. "I say we wait for this other ship.
It is our best option at the moment." The others agreed, Aeryn a bit
grudgingly. She never had liked having to depend on someone else.

A little over three arns passed before a ship appeared on long range
sensors. Another passed before it became visible. John was working on
the Farscape when D’Argo called him back to command. They watched
carefully as the image became clear. John leaned closer to the screen,
an unreadable expression on his face.

"Can’t be," he whispered.

"What is it John?" He glanced over at Zhaan.

"Probably nothing," he said without much conviction, still scrutinizing
the image on the screen.

"It does not sound like ‘nothing.’" D’Argo put a hand on his shoulder.

"I recognize that ship."

"What? From where?" D’Argo was suddenly very intent. John had
everyone’s full attention. 

"I’m not sure you’d believe me. Even with all of the weird stuff we’ve
seen. The most obvious explanation is that this is some sort of trick,
but who out here would know about that or go to the trouble?" Aeryn
sighed in exasperation.

"John, what are you talking about?" Pilot chose that moment to
interrupt them.

"We are being hailed."

"On screen Pilot." D’Argo turned to face the screen while the others
stepped back out of range of the screen. "Greetings. I am Ka D’Argo,
commanding the Leviathan Moya."

"Greetings," answered a distinguished looking Sebacian in a gray and
red uniform. D’Argo’s eyes narrowed as he took in his counterpart’s
appearance. The commander of the strange vessel was a lean, older man
who had lost most of his hair He had piercing eyes and the look of a
veteran about him, but while he looked to be Sebacian, he did not carry
himself like one. The uniform and technology were completely
unfamiliar.

"I am Captain Jean Luc Picard of the Federation star ship
Enterprise. I have been informed that you are in need of some
assistance. If it is within our power, we will aid you in returning
home."

"You are… most gracious captain." He glanced at Crichton. The
unreadable expression was back. "We are not sure how you can assist us,
it is a rather long and strange story, but we will appreciate any
assistance you can provide. I do wish to know more about you and your
Federation though, before we proceed any further."

"Of course. The Federation is a peaceful coalition of many worlds and
species, working together for mutual benefit and protection."

"Odd indeed, considering that you appear to be Sebacean." Picard
blinked in confusion.

"Sebacean? I’m unfamiliar with-"

"No, D’Argo," John interrupted in a resigned tone. "He’s not Sebacean."
He came forward into range of the view screen. "He’s Human." The others
looked at him, thunderstruck. A confused babble began, but Crichton cut
it off by addressing Picard.

"Perhaps you can be of assistance to us captain. We’ll contact you when
we’ve made preparations." He glanced up. "Pilot, close channel." The
screen went dark.

"Explain this Crichton. You told us you’re people had no interstellar
capability." D’Argo glared at John as if daring the Human to contradict
him.

"They don’t. These aren’t my people. I’m fairly sure they’re the bunch
we ran into on the fake Earth." D’Argo’s expression went from angry to
confused.

"I don’t understand."

"Nor do I," Aeryn spoke up. "If they are the Ancients why are they
here, masquerading as Humans in an advanced star ship like nothing even
the Peacekeepers could build?"

"Yeah," Chiana spoke up. "What’s the point?" John took a deep breath
and started to tell them about Star Trek.

***

"Fiction?!" Rygel was incredulous. "That is absurd! What would be the
point?" John shrugged and spread his hands, silently admitting his
confusion.

"Perhaps," Zhaan pondered aloud, "they wish to see how we will react to
this scenario."

"They’ve got to know that I’m aware of the trick. What will they learn
from this?" Zhaan imitated John’s gesture. "Maybe we should find out."

They stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. Rygel was the first to
speak.

"Are you suggesting we walk straight into their trap?"

"We already have Rygel. We don’t have the slightest idea where we are.
It may be that seeing this through is the only way back to familiar
space. Best case scenario, this is some sort of simulation and we’re
all being fooled, including Moya. Maybe we can get through this and get
them to let us go, cause I have no idea how to force people who can do
what they can do." He sighed in frustration. "We can’t make them do
anything." They silently absorbed all of this. Finally Zhaan nodded.

"John is right. I don’t think we have any choice."

"If they bleed," D’Argo answered hotly, "we do have a choice." 

John grinned at him. "We’ll definitely keep that as an option, I’m
getting sick of this. But let’s see what we’re up against first."
D’Argo nodded, conceding the wisdom of the idea.

***

"We are being hailed sir." The tactical officer’s announcement
interrupted an animated debate over the nature of the ship and its
peculiar crew. Sensors had detected nothing that was recognizable as a
weapon, but life signs were difficult to distinguish, since the ship
itself seemed to be alive. The peculiar behavior of the crew was
another subject under discussion. The reaction to the news that Picard
was Human confused all of them.

"On screen." 

Ka D’Argo nodded in greeting. "We are prepared. I and three others will
come aboard your ship to discuss the situation. We have gathered map
fibers of our own territory and all the data we have related to the
phenomenon that brought us here."

"Excellent. We’ll begin the analysis as soon as we have the data. We
can beam you and your people on board at once if you wish."

"Beam?"

"We have a device called a transporter that is capable of converting
matter into energy transmitting it to a new location and restoring it.
It is a very safe and efficient means of travel." D’Argo stared at him,
not sure what to make of such a claim.

"Very well," he agreed uncertainly. "It sounds like a most interesting
device." He nodded to the others that had decided to accompany him.

***

Four forms materialized on the pad. Actually, one materialized three
feet above it. Picard blinked in surprise, but he quickly hid his
reaction. He’d never seen an alien quite like that before. "Welcome
aboard the Enterprise." 

D’Argo nodded his thanks. "Allow me to present my shipmates." He
gestured to each in turn. "John Crichton, Pa’u Zotoh Zhaan, and Rygel."

"A pleasure. Allow me to present my chief engineer, Geordi LaForge, and
my ship’s counselor Deana Troi. I will have to ask that you leave your
weapons here before we proceed. They will be returned when you leave."
Reluctantly, D’Argo handed over the sword he carried and Crichton gave
up his pulse pistol. "Excellent. If you will follow us please." They
moved through the sliding doors and down a corridor. Zhaan fell in
beside Geordi, watching him curiously.

"May I ask a question?"

"Sure."

"Your eyes. They are not natural." He smiled.

"Noticed that did you? I was born blind, but an experimental procedure
allowed me to see in a different way."

"Fascinating. There are many who would benefit from such a boon
surely."

"Not as much a boon as you might think. When I first got it done, I had
to wear a special visor in order to see. All the time I wore it I had a
constant headache. Some improvements in the last few years have taken
care of that though, well mostly anyway."

"There’s always a trade-off commander," John called back. "That’s the
way it always seems to work."

"Too true," Rygel lamented. "I’m still waiting for things to start
going my way." John laughed and Zhaan smiled.

"Buck up Sparky. Our luck has to change sooner or later." John watched
closely as they walked, looking for any incongruities. They kept up the
light banter and tourist type questions, to keep their hosts from
getting suspicious. John wasn’t sure he saw the point. Their ‘hosts’
had to know he was on to them, but he stuck with the plan they had
devised.

They proceeded to one of the science labs. John asked most of the
questions, testing them. When they reached the lab, they went to work
with Geordi. Picard and Troi retreated briefly.

"I may not be empathic, but these people are definitely hiding
something."

"I agree. They do not trust us."

"Yet they came aboard. Why?" Troi pursed her lips thoughtfully.
Finally, though, she shook her head.

"I don’t know sir. They felt… resigned. As if they were reluctant to be
here, but had no choice. I honestly don’t understand."

"They seemed to be looking for something, but what?" She nodded in
agreement.

"I got that too, but I’m not sure what they would be looking for.
Perhaps we should simply ask them." Picard considered that and nodded
agreement.

"Very well, but let’s wait and see what Geordi can come up with."

***

"It’s like nothing I’ve seen before captain. Whatever they passed
through is like nothing we’ve ever encountered. Their technology also,
is completely alien. Some of the principles involved are…" He shook his
head in confusion. "Their means of faster-than-light travel, the hetch
drive, is similar to our warp engines in principle, but what they call
starburst doesn’t conform to any physical laws we understand." Picard
nodded. He wasn’t sure what his chief engineer would find, but it was
clear now that his analysis would not aid them in determining the
origin or motives of these strangers. It was time to be direct.

"Perhaps it would help," Picard said as he looked around the conference
room at his officers and his four guests, "if you told us more about
where you came from and what you are really doing here."

Crichton and the others traded glances and seemed to come to a
decision. D’Argo indicated that Crichton should proceed.

"Okay, you want everything out in the open? Fine. Why don’t you start
by dropping the pretense?" His tone became accusatory; his gaze sharply
focused on Picard, watching for a reaction.

"What pretense?" the captain asked in honest confusion.

"Jean Luc Picard, born in Levarre France. One brother," his eyes
scanned the room, taking in their uniforms and the lack of a certain
Klingon, "deceased I believe. Before commanding the Enterprise,
you were captain of the Stargazer, which was destroyed during
the Federation’s first encounter with the Ferengi. You were brought up
on charges over that if I recall correctly. How’m I doing so far?"
Picard stared, taken aback by the man’s audacity. He quickly recovered
though.

"Your knowledge of me is quite impressive. How do you know so much?"
Crichton ignored him and glanced around the table. He focused on a
dark-haired woman sitting beside Picard.

"Deanna Troi, ship’s counselor. Half Betazoid, empathic. You have a
passion for chocolate and a mother named Luaxana. She’s an ambassador
of some sort. She has a passion for your captain if I remember
correctly." He shifted to the man on Picard’s other side, ignoring the
confusion on the woman’s face. "William Thomas Riker. You’ve turned
down several commands of your own in order to stay on board the
Enterprise. You were born in Alaska and enjoy cooking and jazz. Still
on target?"

"What the hell is this?" Riker demanded. John’s shipmates were staring
at him with at least as much confusion.

"That’s what I’d like to know," John growled. "Why such an obvious lie?
You had to know I wouldn’t believe this was for real. Did you want to
see whether we’d play along? How far our patience would stretch?"

"I assure you," D’Argo said menacingly, "it is at the breaking point
now." He noticed Riker making a furtive move toward a control on the
table and leaned forward, and nearly growled, "oh, try it, by all
means."

"D’Argo, wait." Rygel surprised everyone by speaking up. He had said
very little up to that point, aside from the inane comments that had
led the Enterprise crew to all but ignore him. Now his tone had
an unaccustomed snap of command. The tone used by one used to being
obeyed. The Luxan, much to his own surprise, stopped, and looked over
at Rygel.

"It’s not always easy with alien faces, but I’ve watched Crichton
enough over the last cycle to know that these people don’t have the
vaguest idea what he’s talking about. They’re honestly confused, and
I’ve seen no signs of the deception we expected to find."

"Rygel is correct," Zhaan added. "I sense no deception in them, only
confusion and a growing suspicion of their own. This situation is not
what we first believed it to be."

"Then what is it?" John asked, trying not to sound as lost as he was
beginning to feel. He was not ready to dismiss his initial conclusion
just yet. After all, they didn’t know the limitations of the species,
and just because what they were doing didn’t make sense wasn’t enough
to convince him that ‘Picard’ wasn’t trying to con them.

"An excellent question," Picard responded. "Why don’t we cooperate to
find out?"

"You can begin by telling us how you know so much about us," Riker
added.

"I know more than that," John assured him. He gave them a sample by
recounting several personal details of their lives, some of which had
never been entered in any log. The Enterprise officers were
looking uncomfortable and beginning to get angry by the time he had
finished. No one contradicted his statements though.

"I’ll repeat the question," Riker said, his temper flaring.

"No need." John held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I just
wanted to provide a little extra proof. Even with some of the strange
things you’ve encountered this is going to sound bizarre." He took a
deep breath and told them about Star Trek. He might have been offended
by their reaction if not for all the months he had spent in the
uncharted territories. Thanks to his shipmates, he was used to people
staring at him as if he were crazy.

"Well," Picard said after a time. "You’re right. That is bizarre." He
glanced around at his officers. Troi, who had been staring at John
intently throughout his explanation now, wore a thoughtful look.

"He believes what he’s saying captain."

"Do you honestly think I could make up something like that?" he asked,
looking around at the Enterprise crew. 

"I can’t think of a single reason why you would," Riker admitted
grudgingly. "I suppose I can see why you thought this was some sort of
deception." Dr. Crusher spoke up for the first time.

"Who exactly did you think we were?"

"I thought, and I’m still not entirely convinced you’re not, the same
group of aliens that put me through an elaborate lab maze a while
back." He gave them an overview of his experiences on the false Earth.
Their reaction, he thought, was just what he would have expected from
this group.

"I can understand," Troi admitted, "why you would draw the conclusion
you did. It was a very trying experience. A certain degree of paranoia
is certainly understandable."

"Paranoia is unjustified suspicion. Can you prove this isn’t
justified?" She was stuck for an answer to that, but D’Argo wasn’t.

"Her scent."

"What?" John looked at him confused.

"Her scent is different than the others. You told us that the aliens
were unable to manufacture anything that was not part of our memories.
I have never encountered a scent like hers. Also, on the false Earth,
all of the ‘Humans’ I encountered smelled exactly like you. I have
never met a species without individual variations in that regard. Zhaan
doesn’t smell like other Delvians, nor Rygel like other Hynerians."
Crichton considered this, obviously still unsure. He tried to remember
if his companions had been out of his sight for any length of time. He
realized the thought was completely, over-the-top paranoid, but under
the circumstances he felt entirely justified in the reaction. Rygel
evidently guessed what he was thinking.

"You know Crichton, you can’t live your entire life expecting traps and
deceptions from everyone around you. Not even a Hynerian Dominar can
live like that. Even I have to trust someone."

"Yeah Rygel," John’s tension filled voice was edging toward sarcasm.
"Who do you trust?" Rygel blinked and looked at John as if the question
honestly surprised him.

"Why, I trust you John." For a long moment John didn’t respond, he just
stared at Rygel, apparently shocked. Finally he gathered himself, and
his voice, when he spoke had regained his usual strength and
confidence.

"Thanks Rygel." The Hynerian made a dismissive gesture and harrumphed,
happy to have the awkward moment behind them. John took a few seconds
to gather his wits and turned to Picard. "So, the question becomes, how
did we get here and how do we get back?"

The abruptness of the change surprised the Enterprise officers
for a moment, but they quickly recovered. Geordi spoke up first. "Well,
I think the first step is for me to examine your engines, find out
exactly how your ship does what it does. That should give me a handle
on exactly what happened. Until I have a better idea of what happens
during this starburst thing, the data your sensors collected is just so
much gibberish to me."

"Well then," Crichton said, "lets get to work."

***

The next few arns were spent aboard Moya, where Geordi, Data, and the
engineers they brought along, got a crash course in Leviathan
technology. During their lessons, Crichton made reference to some of
the other space/time anomalies that the starfleet officers had
encountered. He was sometimes lacking in details and didn’t really
understand the nature of some of the phenomena he mentioned, but the
details of the events themselves were there. This always left Geordi
feeling rather exposed, but he tried to answer questions as best he
could, explaining why certain suggestions wouldn’t work, or how this
situation was different from the one Crichton brought up. Data was most
useful during these instances, since he didn’t become rattled as his
Human friend did. In fact, Data found the whole concept fascinating. 

The attention of the Moya crew made Geordi and the other engineers
uncomfortable. Finally, when they had decided to take a break, and John
had taken some of the engineers to the galley, he asked Zhaan about it.

"We’re curious," she said simply. "John is the only Human we have ever
encountered before now. In so many ways he is a puzzle to us. The
chance to meet others of his race, to compare, it is an irresistible
opportunity."

"A puzzle in what way?" Data asked, coming over to join them.

"Many times it’s just the way he speaks. He litters his conversation
with cultural references and what he calls ‘Southern metaphors’
occasionally he is quite incomprehensible."

"It becomes dangerous on occasion," Aeryn added irritably. "A quarter
cycle or so ago he spotted a Peacekeeper patrol in a market place and
told us over the com that it was time to ‘get the hell out of Dodge’
whatever that refers to, and I don’t even want to know what ‘slicker
than snot’ means." Geordi laughed at her exasperated tone but nodded,
seeing her point.

"I see what you mean."

"Some of his peculiarities do come in handy though," Aeryn admitted.
"No matter how different the aliens we encounter are, he seems to be
have some measure of understanding of them, despite his claims that he
will never understand aliens."

"Intriguing," Data commented. "Can you provide an example." 

Aeryn thought a moment and then told them about the bounty hunters they
had encountered on the desert world. His almost instinctive reaction to
their pack-hunter-like behavior. 

"For a time, he actually had them taking orders from him." She shook
her head. "He’s sneaky, violent, selfish, and treacherous. He’s also
loyal, brave, trustworthy, and generous." She shook her head. "I don’t
understand him, or his species. You," she focused on Geordi, "are the
lucky one who gets to explain it to us."

Geordi groped for words, clearly daunted by the challenge. Data spoke
up trying to give his friend time to organize his thoughts. "I have
found Human nature to be full of inherent contradictions."

"This we know," Aeryn answered testily. "What I don’t understand is how
they make it work for them rather than against them." Geordi smiled.

"That’s the first contradiction." Aeryn and Zhaan stared at him for a
second before Aeryn turned away, making a rude, dismissive noise. 

"You are useless to me." She walked back toward the galley and the
other members of the engineering team. Zhaan smiled ruefully at her
shipmate’s annoyance.

"Aeryn is a soldier," she said, by way of explanation. "Soldiers tend
to like simple, direct answers."

"In this case there are no simple answers. However, I believe I can
help you with some of your questions. The Enterprise’ computers
hold a vast amount of data on Human culture and history. You may well
find the source of many of his references. " Zhaan nodded, but Data
wasn’t finished. "As to your other question, Human culture is by the
standards of most races, incredibly rich and varied. It is one of the
reasons that their history is so violent. Diametrically opposed
political, cultural, and religious beliefs have often caused
unnecessary conflict. It took them centuries learn to appreciate their
differences and the advantages that diversity gave them and grow into
what they are today."

"Such diversity would give a species tremendous advantages," Zhaan
reflected. "So no matter how alien a culture may be, some aspect of
their culture is familiar to him. That makes a certain amount of
sense."

They returned to work, but a few arns later they were again ready for a
break. Geordi thought they were making progress though. This time they
retired to the Enterprise for a tour of the ship. The entire
crew went.

Riker and Troi were showing Crichton some of the crew decks when
Riker’s curiosity got the better of him. "You said that the initial
series was canceled after only three years and a new show, the one…
with us, didn’t start for almost twenty years. How did it, er… keep
going?"

"Syndication. They kept showing reruns. Also, there were novels,
movies, and of course comic books." The two officers stopped and looked
at each other, confused.

"Comic books?" Riker mouthed. Neither understood the reference, and
weren’t sure they wanted an explanation. John noticed their reaction
and turned back. "Excuse us," Riker said, "This is all a bit…" He
trailed off, searching for a word.

"Strange? Weird? Bizarre?" John suggested. He spread his arms wide and
grinned broadly at them. "Well kids, welcome to my world." He then
turned on his heel and headed down a side corridor, making unerringly
for Ten Forward. Riker and Troi stared after him, not sure what to make
of that. They heard a sound behind them and turned to find an
unfamiliar alien there. The gray skinned female with the mop of white
hair regarded them with laughing eyes and lips pressed tightly
together. She gave up the effort and laughed when they looked at her.
She clearly found their matching expressions of confusion funny.

"That’s our Crichton," she said, grinning. "Living proof that you don’t
have to be crazy to live the way we do, but it helps." She put an arm
around each and got them moving. "Come on. John’s probably headed for
that Ten For place. We should get there before he drinks it dry." 

***

Gradually, the entire Moya crew made it’s way to the small shipboard
bar. Rygel was telling a rather embarrassing story about John’s module
and his first attempts to upgrade it. He had gathered an appreciative
audience who laughed and nodded at the appropriate points.

"-but when he connected the Hetch drive he’d forgotten to account for
the power differential and nearly shot himself through the bay wall. Ha
ha ha!" Even John grinned ruefully at that memory. 

"My first attempts weren’t all that successful. I had to discard some
of the basic engineering principles I’d learned in college."

"A lot’s changed since the twentieth century," an ensign assigned to
engineering agreed. "We understand a lot more now."

Zhaan found herself curiously drawn to the quiet bartender, Guinan. She
smiled at the Pa’u and offered her some fruit juice. 

"I generally like to offer my guests a taste of home," she explained
apologetically, "sadly that’s not possible in this instance."

"The sentiment is appreciated nonetheless," Zhaan assured her sipping
the juice. "This is remarkably good. What is it?"

"Apple juice. It comes from Earth. I was a bit surprised to see you
partaking of the salad though. You are a plant yourself after all."

"You eat meat, do you not?" Guinan smiled, acknowledging the point. "I
am surprised you noticed." Zhaan was genuinely surprised. Crichton
seemed unaware of it and he had known her for nearly a cycle. Guinan
nodded.

"When you’ve lived as long and traveled as far as I have, you learn to
appreciate the details," she said demurely. Zhaan nodded.

"After 800 cycles of life, I can understand that as well. Still so much
is missed. Even the longest lived creatures can come to regret lost
time." Guinan nodded.

"Regrets?"

"Always. The Delvian Seek gave me clarity though, and an understanding,
of a vague sort, of the order of things."

"Do you miss it?" Again the bartender caught her by surprise. She
concentrated and found that the alien before her possessed an awareness
of a sort not unlike the higher level Pa’us.

"Curious." She focused her awareness on the woman and found her probe
met by a gentle resistance. There was mild reproof in Guinan’s smile,
but no real offense. Their conversation moved beyond words.

Gradually the crew drifted apart, each to his own interests. Zhaan
asked to look over sick bay, and Doctor Crusher was happy to oblige.
Rygel stayed in the bar sampling various items from the replicator.
D’Argo and Aeryn wandered off as well. Crichton found himself talking
to Troi over in a quiet corner. If he realized she was plying her trade
with him, he didn’t seem to mind, at least not after his third beer.

"You might think that it’s the physical differences that make it hard,
but its not. Me being from 20th century Earth and all. The
blue skin, the tentacles, or what have you. It’s not. It’s the way they
think that makes someone truly alien. I don’t understand why they do
some of the things they do, and I don’t think I ever will. Take the
Peacekeepers for instance. There like, the Nazi’s of the galaxy,
utterly convinced of their own superiority. I didn’t understand that
attitude among Humans, how’m I supposed to get it out here?" He brooded
into his mug for a moment. "They’re good people. All of them. D’Argo,
Zhaan, Aeryn, Pip, er Chiana, Pilot, even Rygel has his moments. We’ve
bailed each other out of countless messes. Real bitch of it is though;
that I think each of them feels the same way. They’ve all had issues
with understanding the motivations of the others, of me." He broke off
and took another gulp.

"You have had a very hard time over the last year, but you’ve adapted
better than many would have. You may find it hard to believe, but I’ve
been to your time."

"Twenty-first century actually… I think." He shrugged, dismissing it as
unimportant. "I saw that, met Zepharm Cochrane. You’re a funny drunk."
Deanna turned beet red. "Sorry. Don’t know why I said that."

"It’s all right. The point is that many of the people I met there
didn’t cope very well with first contact. They didn’t handle it well.
You were immersed in alien culture and had to adapt quickly."

"I had a lot of motivation. Survival."

Deanna nodded. "And you’ve not only survived, you’ve thrived. You all
have."

"Huh?"

"You said it yourself. They are each the only member of their
respective races on board. They’re just as alone as you are. They’re
just as far from home as you are. Yet you have all pulled together to
overcome common obstacles. None of them share the same background, the
same cultural edicts. They have had to adapt, just as you have."

"Yeah, they’ve had to adapt. I know it’s been hard on all of them." He
finished his beer. "I’m just venting Counselor. We’ve been through a
lot recently. One crisis after another, with barely time to catch our
breath between. We get on each other’s nerves and start snapping." He
shook his head regretfully, remembering some of the arguments. "It’s
not pretty. We take relief from that pressure where and when we can get
it. This is close to a vacation for us. Bet that sounds pretty sad."

"Something in particular is disturbing you though isn’t it?" John was
quiet for a moment, considering. Then...

"Aeryn. She cornered me earlier and… she asked me if I was staying."

"Staying?"

"So I could go back to Earth… Back home." Deanna sat back and waited.
There were too many conflicting emotions running through him for her to
guess at an appropriate response. Finally, his emotions settled and she
made a tentative foray.

"Do you want to go to Earth?"

"Yours? No." The answer was decisive, and surprising. "Aeryn didn’t
understand either," he said when he saw her reaction. "I’ve seen your
Earth. Paradise huh? Peaceful, no conflict, no goal but to better
yourself and life for people in general?"

"I know it sounds like an idealistic dream, but Humans live in an ideal
society."

"That’s the problem," he interrupted. "Maybe you didn’t really take it
in when you were there, but Earth during the 20th century
was not a nice place." He raised his hand to order another beer, but
thought better of it. "It’s only attraction for me is that my family is
there, my father, sisters, and a man as close to me as a brother. Your
Earth doesn’t have that. I would find it more alien than anything I’ve
found out here."

"I suppose I can see that. It was a very different world."

"Aeryn doesn’t understand that. She could fit into any Peacekeeper
regiment, no problem. Doesn’t matter where it is or which one. Why
should the fact that it’s a different Earth matter? It’s still Earth,
and I’d still be back among other Humans. Thing is, she can’t go home,
‘irreversibly contaminated’, by her contact with aliens." Deanna tried
to hide her distaste at that notion, but didn’t have much luck. John
nodded. "I don’t like the idea either. They’re, like I said, the Nazis
of the galaxy. Thing is, I’ve been thinking that I’ve got the same
problem."

"What do you mean?"

"I told you a little about those aliens that made a fake Earth. Well,
it was crafted from my memories. Every detail was drawn from my
personal experience. The aliens may have slanted it toward a worst case
scenario, but I realized something." He stopped to eye his empty mug
thoughtfully for a moment, debating. "The worst case scenario, wasn’t
that far off."

"Surely-"

"That kind of paranoid response would be justified to a primitive, by
your standards, planet-bound people who were worried about hostile
aliens. ‘Expect the worst’ was the order of the day. ‘Hope for the
best’ wasn’t even a consideration. If I returned now, the only really
good chance I’d have at a normal life would be if no one knew I was
there." He came to a decision and raised his hand to attract a waiter.
When another beer was set in front of him, he took a sip.

"I’m… resigned isn’t the right word. It’s not an easy life, but it’s a
good life. Aeryn is the best part of it, when I can actually
communicate with her that is." He took a swallow of beer and came to a
decision. "Anything else counselor? If not I’m going to be at the bar,"
he gestured toward a group of Human crew members who were laughing
about something, "getting drunk with the rest of the aliens." He had
remembered that line from another favorite science fiction show.
Somehow it had seemed appropriate, and the expression on Troi’s face
had been priceless. In a perverse way, it cheered him up.

***

D’Argo ducked under his enemy’s swing and stabbed upwards. The thing
screamed and blurred out of existence. He didn’t wait to see it.
Already, he was turning to meet the next attack. He found the program
too easy and called out just as the ensign had shown him.

"Computer, level 4." The attacks renewed with increased ferocity. He
spun and slashed and parried. The female ensign dressed in security
yellow, watched from the sidelines. She had been assigned to watch the
visitors and see that they had what they needed to be comfortable while
they were on board and of courses, to keep them out of trouble.

She remembered Worf using this same program, although he had never
allowed anyone to watch him exercise. D’Argo didn’t seem to mind
though. That seemed to be one of the few differences between the two
males. Luxans, she reflected, had a lot in common with Klingons. She
wondered if there were Klingons in that universe.

Margaret Finley shook off that thought. The idea of parallel universes
made her uncomfortable, and there was something about these visitors,
the Human in particular, that made the senior staff, very
uncomfortable. She had kept her ears open, but hadn’t learned anything
beyond the fact that they were from another universe. When she heard
that, she stopped prying.

The Luxan grew tired after an arn of the calisthenics program and
decided to find his shipmates.

***

"I want to thank you for allowing this Zhaan. I’ve never encountered a
species like yours before."

"You have never encountered sentient plant life Doctor?" Zhaan watched
curiously as Beverly Crusher ran her small device up and down the
length of the Delvian’s body.

"Nothing as complex as you. Your brain, for instance, is much more
highly developed than any I’ve seen in a plant species. Are you
telepathic?"

"To a limited degree, yes. We can create a bond of Unity with another
that can allow the sharing of thoughts, ideas, and sensations in a way
that would otherwise be impossible. I shared such a bond with John not
too long ago." She shook her head. "I am still baffled by much of what
I found there." Not the least of which had been the way he saw her.
Kind, patient, and gentle. Before she had she had found the Seek these
were words that never could have been applied to her. The shock of
seeing herself that way through another person’s eyes had brought her
back to reality. It still amazed her, and at times, made her feel
unworthy, as if she’d been shown an ideal that she had to live up to.
She shoved the thoughts aside.

"He thought of the experience as a ‘mind meld’. I’ve only learned since
meeting your crew what that refers to." Beverly nodded, but she didn’t
say anything.

"It makes you uncomfortable, I should have realized. I am sorry dear."

"It’s all right," the doctor hastily assured her. "I admit, it’s the
strangest thing I’ve yet seen, and that is saying something, but… its
an intriguing notion." Zhaan considered this briefly, and then decided
to share something John had told her.

"John told me that the show provided a hopeful vision of the future. A
bright example at a time when many of his people were doubting their
race would survive another ten years, let alone another hundred."

"The 1960s," Beverly mused. "It was a turbulent time for us as well.
The threat of nuclear war, and annihilation was very real, but I find
it difficult to believe an entertainment made that big a difference. It
is a nice thought though." The two women smiled and Beverly returned to
running her tests. They didn’t speak of or allude to the TV show again,
but Zhaan noticed that the Human woman had relaxed a little.

***

"I think I know what happened." The crew of Moya and the
Enterprise senior staff sat around the conference table looking
at Geordi expectantly. Even Pilot was there, watching from one of the
screens. "From what I can gather, starburst doesn’t carry the ship
through space, so much as around it, riding along the interface between
dimensions, where concepts such as distance and velocity simply don’t
apply. The only time the ship’s conventional engines come into play is
when they accelerate to what might be termed ‘escape velocity’. When
they reach a certain speed starburst occurs and their initial thrust
carries them along the interface until they’re pushed out at random."

"Random?" Riker asked, not sure he had heard correctly.

"That’s what I said," Chiana muttered beside him. She had taken to
flirting with the Human first officer, much to Riker’s discomfort.

"It’s sort of complicated commander. There are a complex set of
equations that guide a leviathan when entering starburst that allow it
to choose its destination, but they depend on a variety of factors some
of which are almost impossible to quantify. Any way you look at it,
navigation is not an exact science for them."

"Very true commander," Pilot put in. "I tend to view it more as an
art." John muttered something about Picasso which everyone, even the
other Humans, ignored.

"Yes, well, this time it didn’t work right. The insertion vector was
wrong, and the thrust was insufficient. Moya, for lack of a better
analogy, overshot the interface, and got stuck in another dimension.
The inhabitants of that dimension, decided to help them get home, but
apparently either didn’t know or didn’t care which one they came from."

"So they shoved us through the wrong door?"

Geordi shrugged.  "Basically. At any rate, the one who sent you here is
the only one who could get you home. We’ll have to contact them first
though. I think I may have an idea about that, but there are risks."

"What sort of risks?"

"We only have indirect evidence from Moya’s sensors and from what
little we know ourselves about this part of subspace. A breach into
another dimension, especially one so alien, is very dangerous. If it’s
not done right, the breach could tear open, endangering both
dimensions. I think its possible to create a safe passage though."

"Will the inhabitants cooperate?" Dr. Crusher asked.

"That’s the question. It’ll take a while to set up the equipment we
need for the attempt."

"What’s involved?" John asked.

"Well, we basically need to create a safe, stable conduit for
communication. I think we can modify our subspace communication array
to make it possible, but it’s going to be tricky getting exactly the
right subspace frequency. We simply don’t know much about that region
of subspace."

"Are you saying that this alien dimension, is a…" John raised his
hands, backing off. "Never mind. I know when I’m in over my head."

"I know the feeling," Geordi smiled sympathetically. "I can make an
educated guess, up to a point, but that’s all. That business when your
ship split off into four different sections?" He shook his head. "I
don’t know how to begin to explain that."

"Well, let’s get started then," John said decisively. "What can we do?"
Geordi and Data looked at each other hesitantly.

"Frankly commander, not much. We’re working on the razor edge of theory
ourselves here. I don’t think there’s much you can contribute beyond
Moya’s sensor data."

"Perhaps," Data allowed, "a better understanding of what happened
during the phenomenon would be useful. If they could recreate what
happened it might provide a better understanding of events."

"Good idea Data," Geordi looked relieved. "There may be some holes in
the data that their personal recollections can fill in."

***

Picard assigned a crewman from engineering to assist them with the
recreation. They incorporated the sensor data, scans of Moya and
recollections from each of the crew concerning what was said and done.
Chrichton realized that it was busy work for the most part, but he and
the others threw themselves into it, needing to do something to help
themselves. Finally it was ready, after some contention over who said
what and when and the order in which things happened.

The Enterprise officers gathered with Moya’s crew to watch the
recreation.

"-trade Moya in on a faster ship?"

"Moya is not your possession your lowness." The crew watched the scene
play out until the point at which the ship went into starburst. 

"Freeze program." Data stepped forward and called for a terminal. The
holodeck obligingly provided one. "At this point, Moya entered
starburst without adequate preparation." The crew watched a simulation
on the screen of what had happened next. They understood the
implications by now, but the simulation gave them a new perspective on
it. "The ship essentially became stuck."

"Stuck at warp?" Riker asked.

"Not warp commander. Starburst is more of a place than a condition."
The program resumed. They saw the point at which Rygel, D’Argo and
Aeryn disappeared, and they saw the crew’s frightened reactions.
Theories were spun about the nature of the schism, but there was no new
evidence about it at that point.

The program progressed, showing John’s exploration, Pilot’s frantic
search for answers and Chiana and Zhaan’s search for their missing
friends.

***

"The light was different," D’Argo commented.

"I thought we could do without the nausea it caused," John answered as
they watched the holographic John lose his lunch. 

The points at which the crew was able to access the other Moyas were
noted with some interest, but no one could offer an explanation as to
why the openings appeared where they did or why they were one way.

***

"Computer stop that buzzing noise," Picard ordered irritably. 

"Believe me," Crichton said, "that’s not nearly as bad as the real
thing." Chiana rolled on the deck screaming and covering her ears
without apparent cause. When she was safe, John found Aeryn, and Data
watched with interest as the creature showed itself to them.

"Fascinating. The scratches it left on the hull-"

"I know," Crichton interrupted, "but I didn’t make the connection until
later." The headset Aeryn had modified had been examined, but nothing
of particular interest had been learned accept that they did not want
to add the noise to the program.

***

"That light must effect people the same way laughing gas, nitrous
oxide" she clarified at their blank looks, "affects Humans. It may
effect the brain in similar ways."

"I gotta get out of here," the holographic John said, grabbing his
head, "before I wind up like you."

"What? Handsome with a great sexual prowess?" Both cracked up and the
real Rygel covered his face in embarrassment. 

"I actually said these things?" the Hynerian’s dignity was seriously
threatened by these proceedings, and he knew worse was coming.

***

"Get some weapons, in case the creature is the ‘eat us’ kind."

***

"Do you know any good jokes?"

"None but the one I’m livin’." Geordi froze the program while he
examined the settings. They were precise. The power levels and the
position of the ship were completely accurate, just as the sensor data
had indicated. He nodded and the program resumed.

      "Oh there is no expanse of the
mind the will cannot traverse,
      Or physically the distance laid
across the universe,
      Blessings many in the stars save
one lamented curse,
      That sixteenth Rygel, glory me,
must travel in reverse!"

Rygel made an effort to shrink even smaller, while a holographic John
staggered off laughing hysterically. 

The part in which John spoke to the alien from the other dimension was
carefully scrutinized, but nothing new was learned. There was no actual
new data to be had. It went quickly after that as John ran from one
environment to the next.

***

"One mippippippi one, one mippippippi two…"

***

"I’d never leave you."

***

"There you are! The other runners came through here arns ago!" Rygel
reeled on his throne laughing at his own jest. The real one looked
miserable by now, especially when someone laughed at the programmed
antics of his double.

John glanced up from the controls to see Chiana smiling seductively at
him. "Give me seven seconds baby, then we’ll come and go together." The
Rygel simulation tucked himself under John’s arm.

"Should I disrobe so it’s memorable?"

"Of what scientific value was that?" Rygel asked John petulantly as
D’Argo guffawed and Zhaan actually giggled. Chiana gave him her best
innocent look. 

"Just trying to be accurate your Eminence." The ex-Dominar glared at
her.

"Well, this has been a waste of time," John groused.

"At least it was entertaining," Chiana piped up, winning another sour
look from Rygel.

"Unfortunately," Data admitted, "you are correct. There is no new
information here, but your recollection of events does reinforce the
sensor data and the order of events. Confirmation is never entirely
useless." Moya’s crew grumbled, refusing to be reassured. Geordi and
Data returned to their work on the necessary modifications to the
communications array.

***

"Okay, let’s fire it up." Geordi nodded and activated the array. All of
the readings indicated that it was working perfectly. The signal was
penetrating the barrier, but no response was forthcoming. They waited
several microts, and then tried increasing the power of the signal.
Sparks flew from the console and a voice John recognized come through.

"Why do you breach our reality? Why do you endanger us in this manner?"
Picard responded, unconsciously tugging on his uniform as he stepped
forward.

"I am Captain Jean Luc Picard of the Federation star ship
Enterprise. It is not our intention to endanger you. We have
taken precautions to ensure that the conduit is stable."

"There can be no overlap. This is not permitted."

"There was an overlap recently though. A ship, a living ship breached
your reality. You tried to help them get home."

"Yes. I remember. I conducted them back to their home place."

"That is the problem actually. You didn’t. You sent them into our
reality. They cannot reach their homes from here." There was silence
for a time as the creature considered this. Finally, a reluctant
response came through.

"You are correct. An error was made."

"Is it possible to permit them passage home?"

"Dangerous. Each accidental breach weakens the barrier between our
realities. An intentional breach is unthinkable."

"We believe we have found a way to accomplish it without damaging the
barrier. The technology which allows this communication may be able to
create a stable conduit that could be sealed after it is used. Will you
consider our proposal if we can prove this to you?" Again there was a
lengthy pause.

"Possible. If the journey can be made without further damage; I will
aid you." The crew of Moya let out their collective breath. If the
alien had refused, they would have been stuck. Geordi began
transmitting the technical specifics of their plan, working out the
details.

It took time, the alien had to correct some of their erroneous
assumptions, and much to everyone’s surprise, those corrections
actually made the task easier. Between them they discovered that the
passage could be made without risk to barrier or ship, and that the
technique used to seal the conduit afterwards could be used by the
alien to ensure that future breaches could be repaired completely,
without causing any further weakening of the inter-dimensional barrier.
Finally, they were ready.

"Remember," Geordi said from the Enterprise, "thrust must be maintained
constantly at this level. Too little and you’ll get stuck again. Too
much and you risk creating another breach like the one that started all
of this."

"Understood commander LaForge," Pilot responded, entering the
parameters for the starburst. "We are ready. Insertion vector has been
plotted and checked. All systems are at optimal. Moya is nervous, but
ready."

"Good. The last system checks here are almost done. We’ll begin the
verteron bombardment in about fifteen microns."

"Very good commander. Signal us when you are ready. Moya, out." 

One of the refinements the alien had provided was a method of creating
the verteron particles that had so long baffled Federation scientists.
Geordi believed that with time and study, it might be possible to
create stable wormholes of their own. The device constructed aboard the
Enterprise was makeshift and finicky, but it worked. When all
the checks were completed, they signaled Moya to begin.

"Standby for starburst people," Pilot called as he made the final
system checks necessary.

On the bridge of the Enterprise, the crew was treated to an
incredible sight. A flare at Moya’s tail moved up the body until the
entire ship glowed. With a burst of acceleration the living ship leaped
forward and vanished.

"Bon voyage," Picard said to the departing ship.

***

Moya trembled violently and everyone’s vision seemed to blur. The world
around them changed quickly from red to blue to yellow and then
repeated the cycle. The rush of sensations left them all giddy and sick
for the few moments the journey lasted. Then it was over.

"Pilot you okay?"

"Fine John. Are the rest of you well?" Aside from Rygel complaining
that his stomach was still vibrating everyone indicated that they were
well. Zhaan asked the next question.

"Pilot? Where are we?" The response was slow in coming as Pilot checked
his readings.

"We are," he finally answered. "Exactly where we were before this
began." His voice took on an awed tone, as if he hardly dared believe
it. "We are home."
THE END