Brace yourself for the latest extra large Chapter of my Star Trek Fan Fiction tale! What do you think is going to happen next?

CHAPTER FOUR – ARRIVAL

EARTH, YEAR 2383, SECTOR 001

President Jane Scott looked out of her office into the Parisian cityscape. It was truly remarkable. Paris was called the city of light and it really was. As the base of Federation Government it was known for its beauty throughout two quadrants. The office itself was on the 80^th floor of a huge complex of interconnecting skyscrapers. The complex stood out in the picturesque city. It stood as a beacon of power.

She stared out, admiring the sight but never forgetting the danger it and the free people of the galaxy constantly faced.

The door chime sounded. She looked to the screen on her desk. It was Stanson, the General of her army. ‘Enter,’ she replied. The sliding doors opened and the medium-height man walked in. He wore military boots and trousers with a black jacket. Strapped to his leg was an old-fashioned gun holster holding a very deadly, very new side-arm. He had short black hair and was in his late 30s. His expression showed he rarely smiled. He didn’t look like a nice person.

He sat in front of her desk. The President remained standing. “I assume you’re here to report on our progress,” she demanded without turning.

“Yes, things are going well. The fleet has left. They should find Spock.”

She turned, “Do they know? Have the suspected?”

“We can assume they are displeased by the military presence. Do they have any idea what they’re a part of and the true extent of our plan? No. They don’t even know they‘re coming back according to our intel. Starfleet remains oblivious.”

Scott’s shoulders relaxed. She moved into her chair and sat down. She paused, “What if the plan fails?”

“Jane,” he said, “If it fails the United Federation of Planets falls.”

She nodded, “and us?”

He smiled, “Our ‘strategic retreat’ is ready.”

“Good”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, “Do you think history will ever forgive us?” The President asked

“They’ll never know.”

Earth – the beacon of light. It was hope incarnate. It was something worth dying for and even more worth living for. It was a home. A place built on many hard lessons. Still there comes a point where lessons from long ago are forgotten and mistakes are repeated.

USS VOYAGER, YEAR 2383, DELTA QUADRANT

Space opened into itself as a huge blue rift appeared. The fleet dropped out into normal space.

“Report,” ordered Janeway. She stood in the centre of the bridge with Sisko next to her.

Kym pressed a few buttons on his console. “It looks like… we’re right we’re supposed to be. We’re back,” he reported. Janeway paused a moment, looking out ahead. It bought back a lot of memories, good and bad. It felt somehow like home.

“Very good,” she replied, “What’s out there?”

“Nothing on short range. In fact nothing much at all… wait a second. I’ve got something on the edge of long range sensors… It could be a planet. I’m not sure.”

Janeway smiled. It was something. It could turn out to be nothing, but right now it was something. The adventure was beginning “Set a course. Warp 7.”

“Aye, Aye.” Voyager flew to warp speed followed by her fleet.

Two days later, the Federation Fleet reached the edge of the targeted Star System, “Report,” ordered The Admiral.

“It looks like a heavily populated warp-capable civilisation. In fact their space traffic is heavier than around Earth.”

Janeway was shocked. It was a civilization – a powerful one at that. Still, finding this planet as soon as they arrived. Things were seeming to easy. She didn’t trust easily.

Before she could reply, Kym called out, “We’re being hailed.”

“Put it on screen.”

A face popped onto the screen. The bridge crew gasped. They knew the person. They had all heard of his adventures and studied him at the Academy. It was … Spock, “Welcome to Utopia Admiral. We know who you are and where you are from. An escort is on its way to guide you to the homeworld. We’ve been waiting a long time. Still one of your number is yet to arrive.” The transmission ended abruptly.

Nobody quite knew what to say, except for Janeway. She’d learned to trust her gut. Her gut told her to be cautious but give it a go. Curiosity was tugging at her. “Follow his instructions,” she ordered.

The crew braced themselves for adventure. They were excited. The escort ships flew up around the fleet. They glowed like pure white orbs. Resonating power, they were truly beautiful. As they surrounded the ship, Kym noticed something odd on the sensors, “I’m detecting another ship approaching.”

“One of the escorts?” asked Sisko.

Kym checked over the screen again, “No Sir. It’s definitely Starfleet. But… its strange.”

Janeway was surprised, “What do you mean strange?”

“I don’t recognise the configuration.”

Starfleet had sent no other ships that Janeway knew of. “Hail Them,” she ordered.

ENTERPRISE NX-01, YEAR 2383, DELTA QUADRANT

I sat at the helm as Enterprise came into range of the star system. Finally. It had been hours and the ship could barely take it anymore. I had cleared the bodies and tried to do what I could to make repairs to the bridge. There was no point wasting power on returning life support to the other decks so I didn’t bother. The ship was in shreds. I didn’t even know how I made it to warp.

I dropped out of warp and continued at impulse towards the planet that had the most warp signatures. It was beautiful, even more so than Earth. Later I realised it was so beautiful that I didn’t even stop to think that for such an advanced civilization, why was there no security? Nonetheless on arrival I was overwhelmed. I felt something more than just looking at a beautiful sight. It was a stronger attraction. It felt familiar. It felt almost like… home. I knew I had to go there.

T’Pol’s console flashed. I activated autopilot and raced over to look at the screen. Starfleet warp signatures had been detected. It took me a moment to process the information. Starfleet! There were Starfleet ships. Still I remained cautious. It could be a trick. It turned out it wasn’t though. We were in visual range. There on the viewscreen was a fleet of ships. They were Starfleet, but something was different. They were huge and looked far more advanced than even the new Warp 7 ships. That’s when it hit me. I might not be in the 22^nd Century anymore. The thought scared me.

Surrounding them were four extraordinary ships. Four ships that glowed with sheer beauty. For some reason I felt no surprise. It was as if I had seen them before. I didn’t know why, but the feeling was so strong. It engulfed me like a huge wave.

Just as quickly the feeling went away and I received a hail. I put it on the view. I hadn’t done that in a long time. It felt good, “This is Captain Archer of the Earth Starship Enterprise.” When I said it, I felt the power flow through me. My doubts were gone. This place had done something to me. Or maybe it was being back it in space. It had been years since I had been on the bridge of a Starship as more than just an observer.

An older woman appeared on the screen, “I am Admiral Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager.” It was clearly a pre-rehearsed message because when she finished she gasped. She called to someone in the background, “Run Scans! Now! Is that Archer’s ship?” She looked back to me, “I’m sorry. You’re a long way from home Captain. We just have to confirm a few things.”

I was confused, “I’m from the future aren’t I?” I said

She hesitated and looked to the side. It looked like she got the signal she wanted. Janeway took a breath, “Yes. Yes you are. You’ve been missing for two hundred years Captain. They searched for your ship for a decade. It has been one of the biggest mysteries since the birth of Warp Flight.”