Excelsior Enterprise

Author's Note:

I've decided to clear out my works in progress files, starting with this one last worked on in October of 1999. This eight chapter work may never be complete, but I hope you find what there is of it interesting.

Prologue

"Stargazer," Jean-Luc Picard drew out the name. It still amazed him. The ship had been his for a little more than a two years, he still wondered at that fact. It wasn't a big command, just over 200 people. It wasn't very fast, or well armed, but it was his.

The Stargazer was on an patrol. This space wasn't safe, even in 2335. Two Starships had been lost in the area, not recently, but it was something to remember. The Stargazer was proceeding along at a nice pace of warp 7, when suddenly it shuttered and stopped.

"Status!" Picard called out.

"Warp Power off-line," his Engineer called out. "Anti-matter supply has disappeared."

"Captain, we have a white hole type anomaly," his science officer announced. "At one eighty mark zero."

"On screen," Picard ordered. "I don't recall a white hole on our coarse."

What appeared to be a white star appeared on screen. A stream of particles was following toward the Stargazer. "It's not supposed to be," the science officer informed. "I don't understand it."

"We'll study it why we wait," Picard announced. "Contact Star Fleet. Request a tow and more anti-matter. Include a copy of our readings on the white hole."

Chapter One

"Thirty-Seven years ago, the Stargazer encountered what is now known as the Stargazer White Hole," Picard began before the gathered crew in the Enterprise-D observation lounge. "We didn't detect it before we went though it."

"Captain," Commander Riker interrupted, "Did you say though it?"

"Yes, Commander," Picard said. "When we emerged on the side, it was a white hole. We had been gone for a week, but according to the Stargazer's chronometers, no time had past. Star Fleet has been studying it since then. Mr. Data, would you update us on the recent studies of the white hole."

"Strictly speaking,"Data began, "The Stargazer is not a true white hole. It is a osculating single entry temporal anomaly with an anti-matter discontinuity. The critical mass appears to be at least 100 solar masses. It is currently in an expulsion phase."

"What does all that mean?" Troi asked.

Commander La Forge spoke up, gesturing as he spoke. "The anomaly is like a big balloon. It's been packed with air, or other matter, and has so much in it now that it's expelling it all out in the reverse order of when it came in."

"Why is Star Fleet assigning the Enterprise to look into it now?" Riker asked. "It sounds like a job for a dedicated science vessel."

"Star Fleet, based on analysts of both the Stargazer's time in the anomaly and of the path of the anomaly, believes that there are several starships inside the anomaly," Picard explained. "The Enterprise-B should be appearing soon. Our job is to make sure that the Enterprise-B and her crew are safe. To that end, we will be joined by an anti-matter carrier and her escort, the Constellation and the Wellington."

"Bridge to Captain Picard," a young voice interrupted.

"Picard here," Captain Picard responded.

"You asked me to inform you when we got near the white hole." Marrissa said over the intercom. "We will be dropping out of warp in two minutes.

"Acknowledge, Picard out. Well ladies and gentlemen, another Enterprise awaits." Everyone exited the observation lounge for the Bridge.

Captain Demora Sulu surveyed the bridge of the Enterprise-B. It had been her first assignment of the Academy. For the past two years, it had been her first command. She remembered Chekov's words when he yielded command to her. "Take good care of the Enterprise, Demora, Star Fleet prefers not to have to replace her often." Well so far, she'd managed to keep the ship in one piece. Sometimes it was a close thing though.

She looked over at her First Officer, Maggie Thompson. Maggie had been a science officer since the Enterprise's commissioning. When Demora had taken command, Maggie had reluctantly accepted an acting position as First Officer. No one was more surprised than Commander Thompson when Star Fleet made it permanent. No one was more surprised than Captain Demora Sulu when Maggie didn't refuse or log an objection. Demora and Maggie were the only two officers on the ship from the three years that Harriman commanded the Enterprise-B. Demora sighed as that fact presented itself to her.

"Something the matter Captain?" Commander Thompson asked.

"Just thinking about Harriman," Demora said.

"Its not your fault that he died," Thompson said. "We did warn him about it."

"I wasn't thinking about that," Demora said. "Do you realize that we are the only two officers still on the Enterprise that were here when he left?"

"So its been almost than a decade, people get promoted and transferred," Thompson said.

"Not like this," Demora insisted. "Look at the first Enterprise, Kirk's command crew were with him for over twenty years and two starships."

"That was James T. Kirk," Thompson said. "There aren't many like him."

Suddenly the Enterprise-B shook and careened to a stop. The sudden stop threw Captain Sulu and Commander Thompson from their seats, but most of the crew managed to stay seated. As Demora Sulu crawled back to her chair, she ordered, "Status report."

"We've dropped out of warp," the helmsman said.

"Warp Engines are off line," the engineer on duty announced. "Anti-matter supply reads empty."

"We've got company!" Thompson said from her station.

"On screen," Demora ordered. The view changed to four starships, along the port side of the Enterprise-B. Two of them were Constellation class vessels, the new frigate design of the turn of the twenty-fourth century. Another was an anti-matter carrier, a design going back to the turn of the twenty-second century with little change. But the fourth ship, the fourth ship was different. It had Star Fleet lines but they were almost organic in appearance and is was bigger than any Star Fleet vessel Demora had ever seen.

"We are being hailed," the communications officer said, as everyone stared at the new ship.

"Put them on, Lieutenant," Demora ordered. The screen changed to a view of the bridge of the organic ship. It looked like the bridge of a luxury star-liner. It was carpeted in salom pink and slate with manila colored leather seats and smooth black control panels. Seated in the center was a bald man. He was flanked by a man with a beard and a woman in what couldn't be a uniform, although none of them were wearing a Star Fleet Uniform Demora recognized. Standing above them at a station sent in the oak horseshoe railing, was a Klingon. The rest of the bridge appeared to be crewed normally. A pale faced alien was at one forward station, and blond haired girl was at the other. On second though, maybe the rest of the bridge wasn't crewed normally. That girl wasn't old enough to be a Star Fleet Officer. "This is Captain Demora Sulu commanding the Starship Enterprise. Who do I have the honor of speaking to?"

"I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise, NCC-1701-D," the bald man said.

"Captain, what year is it?" Demora said, realizing that some one wasn't it the right time, and it probably was her.

"2370," Picard said.

"Sixty-five years," Demora breathed.

"Captain, perhaps it would be a good idea if you and your staff beamed aboard," Picard said. "We have quite a bit to talk about."