The wrong Enterprise (open)

[tript]

Anyone familiar with the history of Starfleet - at least when it came to uniforms - would recognise that the man who appeared in Ten Forward was from two hundred years ago. His uniform was a lot like a blue boiler suit, with red stripes, three pins denoting his rank of Commander, and a lot of pockets.

Commander Charles Tucker III was confused. A moment ago he'd been on Enterprise and now he was somewhere else. It looked like it could be a bar, but the stars outside and the feeling beneath his feet of a warp engine, told him it was a starship. So this was a mess hall, perhaps. He didn't feel like he'd been transported. And if something had wiped his memory his shoulder would have improved. He moved his left arm experimentally in its sling. No, definitely no memory wipe and he'd definitely just been on Enterprise.

Trip unzipped a pocket and came across a hyper spanner. "I wondered where that went," he muttered to himself. He put it back and pulled out his communicator. Flipping it open he said, "Tucker to Enterprise." There was nothing - not even static. It was as if Enterprise was not in range, but if that was the case how did he get here? If only he had two hands free and the right tools, he'd take the communicator apart to check it was working. He tried it again, not really expecting an answer this time. "Tucker to Enterprise."

Comments

[writes_with_digital_ink]

"Uh, probably the wrong Enterprise!"

The accent is American, voice feminine. The owner of said voice is, well. Green and red. Green, green skin and a mane of red curls that's only been loosely pulled back, and both colours are set off by the grey of her uniform. Orion, clear as day, despite the unusual colour of her hair.

Her smile is friendly, though. And her uniform fits well, but only because it's the right size - aside from her prettiness, and a kind of charisma, there's nothing of the seductress about her at all.

"I mean, it happens lots. I'm from the past, too. Not the Enterprise, though. And I think you're from further back from me anyway-"

Her eyes dart to the pins, and for a moment, her fast speech falters.

"Um. Sir," Gaila adds.

[tript]

Trip froze, communicator still up by his face, because she was an Orion woman. At least he was immune to her pheromones. Except T'Pol wasn't here - at least not in this room - and now he started to worry. He didn't find her any prettier than the other Orions, but he wasn't sure if that meant anything.

He shouldn't judge a whole species based just on a few, but he did anyway.

"What happens?" he asked, giving her a suspicious look, but he closed his communicator and dropped his arm.

[writes_with_digital_ink]

"You got zapped from your time and place in your particular universe and timeline and ended up in the future. Or, some people it's the past, and others it's a totally different universe to begin with, because that's how Q rolls. Oh, Q from the Q continuum, they're, hah, interesting."

She doesn't sound noticeably out of breath by the end, despite how fast she talks.

"So, now you're on the USS Enterprise- NCC-1701-D, which is captained by Jean-Luc Picard. I, uh, can't remember if you used stardates by when I think you're from, but it's the year 2336 as most of Earth uses that dating system."

She smiles. As if he isn't suspicious, as if she isn't wondering how much of it is because he's been zapped here and how much of it's because she's Orion.

"Welcome aboard, Commander, right? I'm Ensign Gaila betIlley."

[tript]

"Uh," is all he managed to all of that. It wouldn't be the first time he'd time travelled, but that sort of thing usually happened to the captain, not him. And 2336 was kinda close.

"You're in Starfleet?" He sounded as if that was the most unlikely part of what she'd said. But then he remembered his manners. "Commander Charles Tucker." He had to put his communicator back in his pocket, so he could hold out his hand to shake - although whether touching an Orion was a good idea was another thing altogether. "From 2155."

[writes_with_digital_ink]

The look she gives him over his questioning is...well, it's unimpressed. Her uniform is grey, the grey of an acting [insert rank here], but it's still a Starfleet uniform with a communicator.

The uniform, she suspects, isn't the problem at all.

Still, she pointedly puts the smile back on and shakes his hand.

"You'll have a bit of a time-culture shock, I'm afraid. Starfleet's part of the United Federation of Planets now, not just Earth. And there's lots of different cultures and species involved in that. And that's not even counting everyone else who Q's winked here. But we're trying to get people back to where they originally from, if that's feasible. In the meantime, typical Starfleet hospitality, you'll be assigned a room after a medical check, and you're free to pitch in where you can if you wanted some duties, as long as the captain signs off on it."

There's a pause.

"You might need to study to catch up, though. But classes are starting soon to help with that."

[tript]

The uniform was unfamiliar, but it was her species that he was finding the bigger problem. And Starfleet let Orions in! They must know what they were like, from Archer's report, if nothing else. But he'd be better off pretending he didn't know, but keeping an eye on her.

"I've heard of the Federation." From Captain Archer, who'd heard about it from Daniels. "We've just been at a conference to set up the Coalition of Planets." Which helped him believe that Daniels was right and the Federation of Planets was in their future.

"Catching up," he said thoughtfully, running a hand across his face. "Warp engines must have changed quite a bit. What's the top speed these days?"

[writes_with_digital_ink]

One day (or rather, about five minutes after this conversation ends), Gaila is going to put Commander Tucker's name together with his ship of origin, and the start of that infuriating rumour that there are no female Orion slaves. It will not improve her initial impression of the man at all.

Ordinarily, she'd say something to his comment about where he's been. Something cheerful, intrigued, a little laughter as she warns him to be careful of people who might drag him over to a corner and pick his brains about historic occasions. She's a nice girl, most of the time.

Most of the time.

But there's a streak of petty in her that being a slave had only fostered, and while he hasn't done much to really provoke the true depths of that, she's not going to be as helpful or welcoming as she could be. She'll say the facts, because no one will ever be able to accuse her of not doing her duty.

"It's complicated," is what she says, but for a moment, her expression was thoughtful rather than bland. "The speed designations got overhauled, so now warp ten is considered infinite velocity, but back in my day, warp ten was doable, but not safely. It depends on the ship and how you're converting the designations."

[dresdensluck]

Harry came to a halt as he spotted the man in the not-quite-right uniform, and he nodded. Must be that time of the month again. Then he winced internally. He really needed to never think that again. Ow.

He made himself smile and wave, carefully, at the man, making no sudden movements. He could probably take him, but really, who had time for that?

"Hi. Let me guess, you were somewhere else, doing something else, and then there was a big flashy light, and you were here." A deep breath.

[tript]

"Something like that." Trip wasn't sure if he should admit to that, but he didn't feel like he was in any danger, wherever this place was.

He smiled back, but cautiously. For all he knew this man had brought him here. "How do you know?" His tone had a hint of suspicion in it.

[dresdensluck]

"You're not alone. I, and about a hundred others, I think, have been brought here similarly. You're on the U.S.S. Enterprise, circa the 24th Century, and an entity that doesn't show his face named Q has been beaming people in here for over a year." Harry rubbed his face.

"Care for a drink, and a run down?" he waved toward a table, thinking maybe this was something that needed more of a tale.

[tript]

Well. He almost didn't know where to start with that. "I think I need a drink," he said slowly. Maybe this would make more sense with some alcohol in him. It could hardly make less sense.

He put his communicator away as he headed towards the table. "Is this Q a temporal agent?" he asked, picking what seemed like the most important question.

[dresdensluck]

Harry walked with him as he waved toward the waiter who was on duty. "No. Not that I know of. He's a crazy, petty, and childish being, with the powers of a god. People who've dealt with him before seem to think he is part of a group of such beings, one called the Q Continuum." Harry didn't know what to think about the lack of imagination there, especially not after seeing all the episodes he had, but he shook that thought away.

"As far as we can tell, he likes to make life interesting for this ship, and for people, in general. And by interesting, I mean chaotic. So, he brings people here from across all space and time, from multiple universes, even."

He paused as the waiter came by and ordered a real beer, then paused so Trip could order. "I know this is a lot to take in. It always is. I remember when i first got here, back in February."

[tript]

"Huh." He was still trying to process that when the waiter arrived. Without really thinking about it, Trip ordered the same thing.

It was probably just as well he'd had some experience of similar happenings. Admittedly, none of them had involved any Qs, and none of it had been done by someone just for the fun of it. "It would have been nice to have had some warning. What if I don't want to be here?"

[orions_shadow]

Is everyone going to be asking the same stupid questions in this stupid ass space bar? Suddenly Trip has a young black lion looking at him from the opposite side of a couch, peering at him like he just said something offensive.

More annoying than anything, but he can't sit here for ten minutes without some other person poofing in out of nowhere asking about where they are. At least this one was on the dot.

"Yes. This is the Enterprise. Don't panic."

[tript]

He wasn't panicking, just concerned. But he was distracted from it by the alien who looked like a black lion. He'd never seen a species look so much like an animal before.

"The Enterprise?" he asked, coming closer.

[orions_shadow]

Briefly, Trip might notice that he flinches slightly when the older man nears. Not terribly comfortable with strangers. A low rumble is heard, and he might even notice that physically he is like a half way point between human and lion. Hardly a diversion of cosmic evolution, but if someone spliced the two species together instead.

"This is. Yeah. Or so they told me."

[tript]

"Okay." It's the rumble that brings him up short, wondering if getting close is really a good idea.

"Are you half human, half alien?" One day he'd learn not to just blurt out what was on his mind. That was not this day.

[orions_shadow]

"No, I'm human fused with lion. Magicly. Don't ask how." No way is he going to explain it to a stranger. At least he wasn't being rude about it though.

[tript]

"Right." He didn't believe a word of it, so there wasn't a great deal of point in asking.

He smiled and introduced himself. "I'm Trip Tucker." Offering his hand to shake didn't seem like a terribly good idea. "This isn't my Enterprise, unless something very strange is going on."

[original_fine]

It was the first time, thus far, that Jim had felt compelled to treat anyone the way he'd been treated by some when he'd first arrived.

Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker III, before his very eyes.

Jim had been relatively good at 'fleet history, at the Academy.

He choked slightly on his drink, trying to cover by wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"You all right, Commander?" he asked after he recovered.

[tript]

"Uh, yeah." Confused, but physically he was fine. "You okay?" The other man had just been practically choking, and Trip looked a little worried.

[original_fine]

"Fine, fine," Jim said, waving it away. He gestured to the Commander's communicator. "I know you have no reason to believe me, and if I were you'd I'd keep trying. But I very much doubt anyone's going to answer you. And if you're looking for the Enterprise, well... we're on the same boat."

So to speak. Unfortunately, Jim was the only one who was going to appreciate that little pun, and that, only with some bitterness.

"Jim Kirk," he said, holding out his hand. "USS Enterprise."

[tript]

"Trip Tucker. USS Enterprise" He shook Jim's hand. "Not the same Enterprise, I'd have remembered you." He knew there wasn't another USS Enterprise - it wouldn't make sense for Starfleet the same name to two ships - but it was the only explanation that made sense.

"Do you mind if I join you?" If he could put his communicator down on the table it would be easier to fiddle with it and perhaps get it to work again.

[original_fine]

"Please do," Jim said, gesturing to a chair. He wondered if this was anything like how people from this time felt, meeting someone like him. It felt a little like comeuppance.

"Not the same Enterprise," he confirmed. "I have something to tell you, Commander Tucker. You, and I for that matter, have been brought forward in time and to yet another Enterprise. It's 2366, and as yet, no one's figure out a way to get us home." Jim's frustration was banked, but palpable.

[tript]

If that was true his communicator definitely wasn't going to work. But he sat and fiddled with some of the settings anyway.

"Daniels," he guessed, at the news. "Or some other temporal agent. I thought the Temporal Cold War was over."