[Kyuusaku]

The crew of the starship Bellerophon investigate a distress call from a secretive science outpost on the fringes of Federation territory. When they arrive, only bodies and the wrecked remains of the outpost are found, and they're ordered to performed a standard investigation of the accident... under certain information restrictions imposed by the ship's captain.

But when they discover the result of the outpost's experiment, they realize that a brand new threat has been introduced to the United Federation of Planets, with only Bellerophon and her crew standing in the way...

Doctor Who's Who

• Erisa Magambo was a UNIT (UNited Intelligence Taskforce [United Nations]) Captain, she appeared in Series 4 (or Season 30, depending) episode "Turn Left," and the 2009 special, "The Planet of the Dead."
• Martha Jones was the Doctor's companion during Series 3 (Season 29). She recurred in Series 4's "The Sontaran Strategem," "The Poison Sky," "The Doctor's Daughter," "The Stolen Earth," and "Journey's End," as a member of UNIT.
• Ursula Blake and Ethan Pope were both a part of LINDA (London Investigation 'N Detective Agency) from the Series 2 (Season 29) episode "Love & Monsters."
• Gwen Cooper first appeared as a Cardiff police constable in the series Torchwood (a Doctor Who spin-off), where she is one of the lead characters.
• Toshiko Sato first appeared in the Series 1/Season 28 episode, "Aliens in London." She went on to be a supporting character in the spin-off, Torchwood.

Historian's Note

• Star Trek: This takes place roughly eight years after Star Trek: Voyager's series finale, "Endgame."
• Doctor Who: This takes place sometime after the 2009 Special, "The Planet of the Dead," and immediately before "The Waters of Mars."

[Kyuusaku]

Chapter One

NCC-74705 (USS Bellerophon)
Cestus Sector, Warp 9.975
Main Bridge
Stardate 65539.4

Lieutenant Commander Martha Jones cast furtive glances at her commanding officer from her seated position on the bridge. The Intrepid-class starship Bellerophon hurtled toward the source of the distress call at maximum warp, and the already-tense atmosphere emanating from the captain's chair notched upward a tick once the distress call ceased.

"Let's hear it again, Mister Blake," ordered the captain.

Lieutenant Commander Ursula Blake, the ship's chief operations officer and third-in-command, replied with a quick affirmative before replaying the last distress call for the fifth time.

The overhead speakers crackled to life with the sound of communications interference. "This is... -nant Silok, acting commander of Outpost Zeta-Thirtee- ... -any Starfleet vessel within the sound of my voice: we have sustain- ... -vy casualties. We are attempting to evac- ... -able to engage escape pods or shuttle- ... -quire immediate assistance. I repeat- ..." The message dissolved into static once more, but for the final time.

On the heels of the final bit of static in the message, the captain rose from her seat and strode toward her ready room. "Number One," she said in the same accented English as Martha, "you have the bridge. I need to consult with Starfleet Command." Without waiting for a response, the captain disappeared behind the sliding doors.

Martha turned her attention back to the streaking stars of the viewscreen and announced, "I have the bridge, aye, sir."

Lieutenant (jg) Ethan Pope turned around from the helm console to face Martha. "Sir, forgive me for saying so, but it seems more than a little odd that Starfleet should be so secretive about the details of this outpost no one heard of before today."

Jones did not meet the helmsman's blue eyes. Instead, she chose to occupy herself with the center console she shared with the captain. "You're forgiven, but let's concentrate on our duty. What is our ETA to the outpost?"

Pope answered quickly, "Five minutes, sir."

"Right." Jones keyed open a commlink. "Bridge to Engineering."

A baritone voice replied, "Engineering. This is Taurik."

"Commander Taurik, we will be arriving at the outpost in under five minutes. Prepare your engineering teams for immediate boarding."

"Acknowledged, sir. Engineering, out."

"Mister Cooper," Jones called out.

The ship's chief tactical officer, Lieutenant Gwen Cooper, replied from her duty station. "Sir!"

"Security alert two, all teams," ordered Jones. "I don't know what the hell we're flying into, but I intend to be prepared."

Gwen grinned. "I couldn't agree more, sir. Security alert two." The console began to beep wildly. "Incoming transmission, Commander. Starfleet Security. Eyes only, commanding officer."

Martha did not reply, instead she opened a link to the captain. "Sir, you have a call holding from Starfleet Security."

The captain's contralto tone floated down from the bridge speakers. "Pipe it through."
She nodded to Gwen, who in turn routed the call as ordered. "Patching it through, now, Captain."

The communication was open for a mere fifteen minutes, and included a series of data packets on an encoded frequency. After the call was completed, the captain returned to the bridge.
"Number One, I want a meeting of the senior staff in ten minutes."

Martha shared a look with Gwen as she responded, "Aye, sir. Ten minutes."

-=-=-=-=-=-

"Outpost Zeta-Thirteen was one of twenty-five outposts littered across the Federation. The Zeta outposts are scientific in nature, each one dealing in theoretical experimentation," Magambo said to her senior staff within the bridge's conference lounge. She stood before the large screen as they listened. "Thirteen was charged with controlling recovered Borg technology to discover the feasibility of constructing a transwarp network.

"According to their last report, they had progressed to the third phase of research, which involved the activation of a repaired Borg conduit generator. This phase also included a series of experiments to determine how such a network is generated and sustained. The first experiment was completed three weeks ago. The eighth experiment was to have been completed today.

"Starfleet believes that this experimentation may have been the cause of this accident. At this time, Bellerophon is the only ship assigned to investigate. Two additional starships are being dispatched, however, Cestus' position prevents a speedy arrival. It will take one week for the closest ship to arrive.

"Our orders are to initiate a full investigation while also preventing any other starships from entering a buffer zone of one-quarter parsecs. Mister Cooper and Mister Pope, you will utilize the ship's shuttles to run a picket line to prevent any trespassing."

Lieutenants Cooper and Pope replied their understanding of the order.

The captain continued, "Number One, Commander Taurik, Doctor Thann. You will take a series of away teams to the outpost, catalogue the dead as well as all data retrievable from the outpost computer."

After all of the senior staff acknowledged their assignments, the captain dismissed them all. Commander Jones remained behind.

"Yes, Number One?" asked the captain.

Martha frowned. "Begging your pardon, sir, but was there something else that Starfleet mentioned? Something not quite right about their experimentation?"

The captain grinned inwardly. She turned away from Martha to face the viewport. "Four years we've served together. At times, I forget how perceptive you are."

Martha angled her view to the deck, repentant. "I meant no disrespect, sir."

"And none was perceived, Number One, I assure you." The captain folded her arms. "No, Starfleet held me enraptured by tails of dimensional transport they felt should be classified at the highest levels. What I withheld from the wardroom, I will share with you with the condition that you do not repeat it."

"Of course, sir. I give you my word."

The captain returned to hold her executive officer in warm regard. "Your word has always been without reproach."

-=-=-=-=-=-

Within the confines of main engineering, Commander Taurik and Lieutenant Cooper lifted each of the data nodes and settled them in a row. Every other one showed signed of damage to the exterior. "You think you can sort any of this out?" asked Gwen as she set one of the nodes into the data port cradle.

Taurik ran a series of commands from his station as he answered, "I shall endeavor to do so, Lieutenant." He peered at the results. "This node's data has degraded to seventy-three percent. It may be possible to recover the remainder." His eyes looked over the engineering personnel working in the compartment.

Gwen touched the console interface and tapped it to zoom to the degradation report.

"Mister Sato!" called Taurik. "A moment of your time, please."

Systems Specialist First Class Toshiko Sato handed off her current work to a fellow petty officer and approached the console in use by the chief engineering officer. "Yes, sir?" she replied.

Taurik turned to face the lieutenant. "Lieutenant Cooper, I'm not sure if you have met Specialist Sato?"

"Gwen Cooper," she nodded.

"A pleasure, sir," replied Toshiko with a small smile and a quick nod.

"She is one of our most experienced computer specialists. I'm confident she will recover the data easily."

Gwen raised her eyebrows. "That's high praise, coming from him."

Toshiko grinned. "I believe that's the first time he's paid me a compliment."

If Taurik was discomfited, he hid it well. "The data in these nodes, Mister Sato, is of the upmost importance to the captain and apparently, Starfleet Command. Any information you should happen to be privy to in the course of your assignment, is of the highest classification. Obviously, I will be unable to provide you with any assistance from your peers."

"I've never really needed it, where this kind of work was concerned, Commander," Toshiko said with pride.

Taurik continued, "If you require any assistance, contact me directly. Do not accept any projects from any other officers, until further notice."

"Aye, sir."

"Lieutenant," said Taurik, before he turned away to approach ladder up to the second level.
Gwen followed the Vulcan and when they stood before his private station, she turned to peer down at Toshiko working on her new assignment. "She must be your best."

"She is of great usefulness to my department," Taurik admitted as he logged into the computer station and activated the primary display.

She changed the subject. "What do you think of the latest report to come from Doctor Thann?"

"I'm calling up the data, now."

Now, he had her attention. Gwen read the report as filed by the doctor only minutes prior.
"Fascinating."

"That's one word for it." She read out loud, "'Deceased showed signs of complete cellular disruption at the subatomic level.' What do you make of that?"

Taurik blitzed through the data as only a Vulcan could. "It could be a possible side effect of their experiment. The captain did say they were attempting to create a transwarp tunnel through space, using borrowed technology. If the event horizon was unable or perhaps too powerful, an uncontrolled burst of radiation from the tunnel could have this effect."

"I'm not quite certain of that, sir." Gwen extended her left index finger to trace around the lines of the scans. "I'm neither an engineer nor a doctor, but to me, this looks like the damage pattern of an energy weapon. Look at the rings."

"That is one way of interpreting the data," he said unconvinced. "I'm certain each one of us will have a unique perspective on the matter."

"Commander!" called Toshiko from below.

Both officers snapped their heads toward the voice. Taurik grabbed the rail with one hand and gestured with the other, beckoning her to approach his station.

Gwen stifled her amusement at seeing his brief irritation with the sudden interruption.

Toshiko climbed up, wearing a somber expression on her face. The data node in her hand was shaking. "I'm sorry for my outburst, sir, but I think if you will allow me...?"

Taurik inclined his head toward her, moving back to give her clearance to operate his station.

The display shifted to the output from the node. Toshiko explained, "I started with the standard algorithms, and moved through a custom series of data recovery protocols. I was able to recover some of the data on the first two nodes. They were logs and reports about something called 'Project Excelsior.' I got to the third node and started to go through some of the audio files to ensure the integrity when the file began to play." On the last words of her sentence, her voice trembled.

Gwen reached out instinctively to steady the non-commissioned officer. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be all right," promised Toshiko, her tone demonstrating her appreciation for the officer's concern. She shook it off and said, "I'm sorry, sir. Sirs. But you need to hear this." She touched the playback command. "The video was beyond recovery, but the audio was easier."

A male voice reported, "-'ve successfully opened the gateway to a new dimension of space. Project Excelsior is a success! We are keeping the event horizon stable to the minimum requirement under the project guidelines." There was a pause. "Lieutenant, increase the stability matrix to full and let's send the test article in sixty seconds."

Another voice, further away from the audio pickup replied, "Yes, Doctor."

The first voice returned, "The test article is a modified torpedo casing with the standard mark ten probe sensor package aboard. It is programmed to enter the bridge and return in five minutes."

A new voice, female, called out, "Doctor, the bridge is showing signs of instability. I think... I think there's something coming through!"

"Shut it down!" ordered the doctor's voice sternly. "Power down the matrices!"

"It's too late! I'm reading an object in the tunnel, approaching the bridge. It's coming through, now!"

"I-I'm Doctor Thomas Macready of the Federation Sci-"

A loud voice, shrill and distorted, screamed over the speakers, "ALERT! LIFEFORMS DETECTED! ADVANCE AND ATTACK! ADVANCE AND ATTACK! EX-TERM-I-NATE! EX-TERM-I-NATE! EX-TERM-I-NATE!" With each word, additional voices added to the cacophony.

The sounds of weapons fire never before heard filled the speakers, along with the cries of the voices that spoke earlier. Until nothing but silence remained. The audio file reached its end and the display returned to a stand-by mode.

No one said a word. Anywhere within the compartment.

Taurik noticed that all of his staff were now looking up at the second level in horror. "Return to your duty, at once!" he ordered in a raised tone. He pulled the node from the connection and held it. "Mister Sato, Lieutenant Cooper, with me. We're going to see the captain."

[END OF CHAPTER ONE]

[Kyuusaku]

CHAPTER TWO

NCC-74705 (USS Bellerophon)
Stationary position relative to the remains of Outpost Zeta-Thirteen
Cargo Bay Two
Stardate 65539.9

Ensign Coralie Picard hated her name. Not her first name nor her middle name, but her surname. All of the Picards serving in Starfleet often felt as though the most famous Picard in history ruined it for the rest of them. Throughout her childhood, she sought her inspiration for joining Starfleet from Jean-Luc Picard; a fellow countryman who not only held back the Borg with his guile and intellect, but managed to broker peace treaties with several races as a Federation Ambassador.

When Coralie obtained her appointment to Starfleet Academy, it seemed as though everyone assumed she was related to Jean-Luc Picard. It got to be something of a novelty at first. She even tried to find a relation through some obscure fifth cousin, thrice-removed, but it turned out to be a dead end. No, her family of Picards shared only the name, but no common ancestry. In fact, her family adopted the name to hide their true ethnicity in France during one of the world wars.

Every time she introduced herself, she saw that flash of recognition at the mention of her name. And every time, she would have to disappoint them. No, she was his daughter or niece or cousin or related by marriage. She was just Coralie Picard, a disappointment from the start. With every meeting, she felt the expectation of a storied and vaunted career slip further away from her, until she lost a majority of her drive and determination. She traded in the red uniform of command for a gold uniform of support services, and was reassigned from helm duty to cargo inspection.

On a ship in flight, her daily duties included the inventory of the cargo bays. They remained unchanged until consumption or transfer. Each day, she completed her inventory in boredom. She memorized every code and number of each container housed within that bay; in every bay aboard, actually.

She completed her inspection of the third row of containers, and moved to the fourth and final row. She heard a scraping noise behind her and a felt a breeze coming from the ship's environmental systems. Her light brown hair fluttered about her face, obscuring her vision as she closed her eyes to prevent damage from the whipping strands. When the breeze died down, she turned around. It was when she noticed a new container sitting in the corner of the cargo bay.

Coralie had passed that corner of the bay hundreds of times before since they departed from Starbase 36 months ago. It was always vacant. No one would store anything there without her notice. But now, standing before her plainly was a tall and narrow dark blue box with a small light on top.

The box appeared to be constructed of wood, and had lighted words at the top; "POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX." She put away her PADD and retrieved her tricorder. It scanned as it appeared to be: A wooden police call box, circa 1963 on the old Earth calendar.

"What the hell is it doing here?" she asked herself. Coralie reached for her commbadge to contact her superior officer, but one of the sides opened inward and a head popped out from within.

It was a man with spiky dark brown hair and an inviting smile. He wore an old-style business suit of brown with grey pinstripes with a long tie and a vest, all covered in a light brown trenchcoat. "Hello, there," he greeted, using an Estuary English accent. "I seem to have taken a wrong turn and I'm in need of some assistance. Can you tell me what year this is?"

Coralie stood, unblinking at the man. "W-What?" she sputtered incredulously.

He moved out of the box completely. The man was tall and thin, with his hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers. "Can you tell me what year this is?" he asked again.

"W-What?" she repeated, still not comprehending what was going on. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Hold on a tick," he said. His smile widened more, and he pointed at her. "Are you French?"

"I'm Parisian," she said with pride. "And who are you?"

"Oh, this is brilliant. I love the French." He stepped forward and introduced himself, "I'm the Doctor. And you are...?"

She took a step back, unsure of his intent. There was something about his smile, though, that set her at ease. "Ensign Coralie Picard, of the Federation starship Bellerophon."

"'Federation?' Never heard of it. At least, not one with humans in it. What is it?" he asked, scratching at his left ear.

Coralie was taken aback by his ignorance. "You've never heard of the United Federation of Planets?"

"Afraid not. What year is it?"

"It's twenty-three eighty-seven. And you said you're a doctor? Doctor who?"

"Just 'The Doctor.'" He paused at the new information. "And it's twenty-three eighty-seven? Are you sure about that?"

She nodded. "Positive. I'm in the middle of the cargo inventory right now, and my list is stamped with the present time. It's Stardate 65540, which is the last month on the old Earth calendar of twenty-three eighty-seven."

"'Stardate?' Now you're not making any sense," the Doctor told her with a soured expression. "Humans shouldn't be this far outside their solar system, yet, let alone traveling at this many times the speed of light."

Coralie replied, deadpan, "Should we apologize?"

The Doctor sighed as his eyes scanned the interior of the cargo bay. "I always seem to end up in closets and storage areas." He returned his gaze to Coralie. "I wager we're aboard a ship of some kind and you might tag me as an intruder."

An intruder! Coralie inwardly groaned. In the course of conversing with the strange man, she forgot that she had a duty to perform. "I apologize, but you will need to come with me, sir."

"That's fine. I'm not going anywhere for at least twenty-four hours," replied the Doctor. "I'm curious about why you're out here and what all this is about, anyway."

Coralie slapped her commbadge. "Picard to security. Intruder alert, Cargo Bay Two. The intruder doesn't appear to be armed, and has submitted to my authority. Please send a team to my location."

A feminine voice with a Welsh accent replied, "Understood, Ensign. A team will arrive presently."

"Thank you, sir."

"'Sir?'" said the Doctor in surprise. "But that was a woman's voice, yeah?"

"Starfleet protocol requires us to respond to all superiors as 'sir.'"

The Doctor's nose wrinkled. "'Starfleet?' Is that like UNIT?"

"To what unit are you referring to, sir?"

"UNIT, you know? The Unified Intelligence Taskforce in the twenty-first century?"

Coralie shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't."

The Doctor muttered to himself, "I must be in a completely different timestream, then. Nothing seems right, here."

Before she could respond to him, a security team consisting of a small, but stocky man and a tall and muscular woman entered with their type-two phasers drawn. "Sir, if you could come with us, please?" the woman said.

"I'm unarmed, gentleman and lady. Please put your weapons away," the Doctor replied, raising both arms up in surrender. "And don't call me 'sir.'"

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Within the ship's medical bay, Commander Jones held the Doctor's sonic screwdriver in her hands, eyeing it carefully. It had a blue light at one end and a black tip at the other. "And this was all he had on his person?"

The ship's chief tactical officer, Lieutenant Gwen Cooper, shook her head. "No, sir. He had a small piece of paper in a folded case," she said, handing it to the executive officer. "The strange thing is, when my man over there handed it to me, it held his vital statistics upon it until I touched it. I'd like for Commander Taurik to analyze it."

"Agreed," Jones said, now looking over the blank paper. "And this other device, too. Make sure it isn't a weapon."

The Doctor replied before Gwen could. "It's not. It's my sonic screwdriver. It's a tool, not a weapon."

Martha turned around and cast a stern glare at the Doctor. "Every tool is a weapon, if you hold it right." She stepped forward to introduce herself, "I'm Lieutenant Commander-

"Martha Jones!" said the Doctor at the same moment. "As I live and breathe!"

Confused, Jones continued, "I'm the ship's executive officer."

As soon as she came into view, the Doctor's eyebrows rose and a wide smile appeared upon his face. "And Gwen Cooper! But, this is fantastic!"

Jones' expression changed to one of completely confusion. "Have we met before?"

His grin widened perceptibly. "In another time, another parallel universe. Though, I find it odd that you would appear further down the timestream than in my universe. Very strange," the Doctor began talking to himself. "I wonder who else is here instead of back in the twenty-first century?"

Gwen looked at Martha. "What the hell is going on about, now, sir?"

"I haven't the faintest idea," admitted Jones, perplexed. She raised her voice to address the Doctor, once more, "Sir, I'm afraid that I'll need to hold you here in sickbay until the captain has had a chance to go over our report."

The Doctor grinned uncontrollably, "And who's your captain? No, wait, let me guess. Is it Donna Noble?" He turned his head and muttered again, "No, military service isn't really her style." He snapped his fingers, "Ah! I'll bet it's Captain Jack Harkness!"

"Actually," said a new voice from the entrance into sickbay. "My name is Erisa Magambo. I'm the commanding officer of Bellerophon."

His eyebrows flew up again. "Yes, of course. Captain Magambo. Well, I'm in good hands, then."

Martha turned to face her captain. "Obviously, he seems to know us fairly well, sir. He knew me, as well. And Lieutenant Cooper. Just said our names like he'd known us all our lives."

"And apparently, me," replied Magambo with her arms folded. "I'm told you refer to yourself as 'The Doctor.' Well, listen up, Doctor. I don't take kindly to people suddenly appearing aboard my ship while we're dealing with a crisis situation."

The Doctor tilted his head. "What crisis, specifically?"

Martha answered, "We're responding to a distress call from one of our outposts on the edge of Federation territory. An experiment gone wrong, and may have released a new threat from an unknown part of the galaxy."

Magambo shot an angry glance toward Jones. "Thank you, Number One."

"Apologies, sir," mumbled Martha.

"Doctor Thann?" asked Magambo. "Have you made a full evaluation of our... guest?"

Thann, a tall and thin Andorian male wearing the rank insignia of a full lieutenant, activated a viewscreen to demonstrate his findings. "Interesting physiology, sir. I could publish several papers on the findings and have an outside shot at this year's Carrington."

Captain Magambo rolled her eyes. "Delusions of avarice aside, Doctor, is he human?"

"No, Captain," said the ship's chief medical officer. "Dual myogenic muscular organs, he also appears to have conscious manipulation at the cellular level, and his central nervous system is reinforced by a-"

Magambo raised her hand as Thann continued. "Thank you. 'No' was sufficient." She turned her attention to the Doctor. "To echo a question posed by Ensign Picard, who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"Who I am has already been answered, Captain. What I'm doing here remains to be seen, however," replied the Doctor. "But I give you my word. I'm here to help." His eyes wandered between all three of the officers standing before him. "If you'll allow me to."

The captain frowned and considered his words carefully. After a long pause, she admitted, "I'm not certain if it is part of your racial characteristics or not, Doctor, but I find myself believing what you're saying."

The Doctor rose from his seated position on the biobed and tucked his hands in his trousers. "All I can say with absolute certainty, ladies, is that with the three of you standing here before me... I've never been more confident in my life that I'm in the best care possible."

Magambo sputtered, "How could you possibly be so confident? You don't even know us!"

"I don't know you here and now, Captain Erisa Magambo, but in my timestream, you are a UNIT commander. One of the finest. You and a brilliant young scientist named Malcolm Taylor managed to save my life and the lives of several civilians, whilst also preventing an invasion that would have surely-"

"Doctor!" shouted Magambo. "I'm clearly not certain how you do things, but in Starfleet, we obey the Temporal Prime Directive. That means that we do not divulge any information that might affect the future!"

The Doctor was taken aback. "I... don't know what to say."

Magambo allowed herself a small smile in triumph. "It's quite all right, Doctor. I apologize for shouting."

The Doctor, on the other hand, was not listening to her. "That a human organization is fully cognizant of the ramifications of subverting their own timestream is... most refreshing. Usually, you jump at the opportunity to learn all you can. This level of restraint is surprising and dare I say... insightful?"

Martha smirked. "He's beside himself with admiration."

Magambo interrupted the conversation, "The Temporal Prime Directive is one of our general orders, Doctor. I do not take kindly to it being broken in my presence."

"That's fine by me, Captain. However, since this is a completely different timestream, and the events I'm describing took place over four hundred years ago, technically it's the past," the Doctor replied with a cheerful smile and rocked back and forth on his feet. "Isn't it?"

Magambo's response was laced with her obvious displeasure at being contradicted. "I see your point."

"Good. Now, the TARDIS wouldn't just drop me into a different timestream without some kind of reason," the Doctor noted as he paced around the trio of officers. "Given recent events, I gave up on believing in coincidences. What's the trouble, and how can I help?"

Magambo pressed her lips together tight enough to turn them white. She regarded the Doctor with a measured gaze before turning to Jones. "Number One, secure this man in a holding cell until further notice. I shall consult with Starfleet Command."

Martha did not hesitate. "Aye, sir. Mister Cooper."

Gwen's phaser was in her hand. "Sir, if you will accompany me...?"

The Doctor's hands came out of his pockets and extended up with his palms outward. He sighed, "Blimey! Not this again."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"What's a 'TARDIS?'" wondered Martha, after she followed Captain Magambo into the corridor outside sickbay.

"I presume the blue box sitting in my cargo bay. Have it secured," ordered the captain. "No one goes near it. Especially not our guest."

"Aye, sir," said Martha. She quickly issued the orders to the security officer on the bridge. "What if he's telling the truth, sir?"

"And what if he's aligned with these... creatures?" snapped Magambo, as soon as they entered the confines of the turbolift. "No, I won't take that risk until I know more. Much more." She looked up and said, "Bridge."

The lift traveled the five decks up to the command center within moments. Captain and executive officer passed through the bridge and into the ready room. "Captain to Mister Blake. I want to talk to Starfleet Command, code forty-seven."

Ursula's voice replied over the speakers. "Aye, sir. One moment, please." It took ten. "Piping it through, now, sir."

The small screen upon Magambo's desk blinked to show the insignia of Starfleet Command, and then the words, "AUDIO ONLY." A woman's voice asked, "Yes, Captain?"

"Sir, we have taken into custody a man who calls himself 'The Doctor,'" informed Magambo, without preamble. "He claims to be here to help."

"Understood. You will release the Doctor, immediately."

The captain could not help her confusion. "Admiral, I-"

"That was not a suggestion, Captain Magambo!" the woman's voice hardened. "Release the Doctor. He carries X-Ray clearance within Starfleet, on my authority. Is that clear?"

Martha's jaw fell at the news. X-Ray was above Alpha on the Starfleet Security food chain. She nearly said something, but Magambo raised her hand to stop her.

"I understand, sir," the captain said evenly. "If I may be permitted to ask a question, Admiral?"

"One question, Captain."

Magambo paused to consider her words. "If the Doctor holds such a high clearance, am I to presume then, that he carries a rank within Starfleet?"

The woman's voice softened noticeably. "He carries no rank, Captain. Do not even address him as 'sir.' He dislikes that a great deal. But you will treat him with the same level of respect as you would me."

Both Martha's and Magambo's eyes widened. The captain nodded to the voice that could not see her. "Aye, sir. Thank you for indulging me."

"You will keep me apprised of your progress as frequently as possible. Starfleet, out." The screen blinked again, and the insignia returned before it cleared and powered down.

"That raised more questions than it answered," Martha said with a sigh. "Shall I-?"

"You shall," Magambo pointed to the exit. "Quickly, please. And brief him on what we know so far. Take him to Commander Taurik, immediately."

[END OF CHAPTER TWO]

[deuZige]

i knew i shouldn't have read this! Now i can't wait for the next chapter to come out.... grrr....
Very well writen. Impressive work!

[Kyuusaku]

Hah, you're the only one who's even given feedback on it in the forums. I'll try to post some more later.

Kyuu

[Kyuusaku]

[CHAPTER THREE]

NCC-74705 (USS Bellerophon)
Stationary position relative to the remains of Outpost Zeta-Thirteen.
Main Engineering
Stardate 65540.5


"I apologize, but I've never heard of that species before." Lieutenant Commander Taurik eyed the thin man standing before him.

The Doctor grinned. "Time Lord? Not surprising. I doubt any exist in this timestream."

"Forgive me for saying, but you share a striking resemblance to that of a Terran."

"A Terran?"

"They call themselves 'human.'"

"Ah. Well, a freak coincidence of aesthetics, I suppose. I can assure you, the two are very different." He had just been released from the holding cell where he enjoyed the company of Gwen Cooper for all of five minutes before the captain issued orders to release him. The Doctor eyed a console directly behind Taurik and pointed, "Is that your primary method of propulsion I see back there?"

Taurik did not turn. He merely nodded. "That is correct."

"Mind if I have a look?"

"The captain informs me that you hold a security clearance above mine, Doctor. Therefore, I see no reason to hide anything from you." He stepped aside and gestured with his right hand toward it. "Please proceed."

The Doctor pulled out a pair of eyeglasses and peered at it. "Forgive me for sounding a bit dense, but is this a matter-energy conversion-based power system?"

"It is, Doctor."

"You take the energy from matter and anti-matter, channel the explosion through a..." He read aloud, "'di-lithium crystal housing,' and then modulate the plasma flow to a series of subspace coils housed in the nacelles to generate a field that allows for smooth transition to faster-than-light speeds?"

"That is correct," repeated Taurik.

"Well! Not exactly smooth. I was being kind. You're literally running over the fabric of space and time with cleated boots. I'm surprised the whole of space hasn't fallen out from under you lot."

Taurik altered the display. "Perhaps this would be of interest to you, Doctor."

The Doctor read the screen aloud again. "'Variable geometric pylons?" He snapped his fingers and pointed. "Brilliant! You alter the geometric structure of the FTL field with each generation to reduce the impact of the transfer to FTL speeds!" He sighed happily. "May I just say you people are just about the most conscientious beings I've met in a very long time."

"We're here to serve, Doctor."

"And modest, too. Very modest." He peered at the first display again. "You don't run into the problem with time dilation as you approach the constant?"

A hypothetical entry to warp speed was now animating on the display, under Taurik's manipulation. "We do not approach cee beyond point-two-five times cee," he explained. "A subspace field, once generated at the lowest power, is equal to one-cee. We generate more power in the reaction chamber by keeping a one-to-one ratio at higher volume-"

"Thus you move beyond one-cee," the Doctor finished the thought. "Then, I'm assuming that the subspace field also shields you from time dilation altogether. Inside the field, time moves at the same rate as outside the field."

"That is correct, Doctor. Subspace is considered to be an integral part of the space-time continuum that coexists with normal space in a confluence. It acts as an interfold layer," Taurik once again altered the screen to illustrate his narrative. "We also use this layer to maintain communications between ships, bases, and planets."

The Doctor could not contain his enthusiasm. "That's just brilliant. This Starfleet of yours is most impressive, Commander."

"Thank you, Doctor." Taurik sensed the conversation was drawing to a close, and pointed to another console. "Shall we review the outpost data we've accumulated so far?"

"We shall," the Doctor told him. "Lead on, my pointy-eared engineer."

"For the record, I'm a Vulcan. It is also the name of our homeworld."

The Doctor removed his glasses, then tilted his head. "You named yourselves and your planet after a Roman god from Earth?"

"It is pure coincidence that both words exist in our languages. Obviously, they hold different meanings," explained Taurik as they approached another station. "I'm told that every race has various linguistic similarities."

"You know, that's actually quite astute. Earth has several hundred languages and at least one word from each has a meaning to another species' language or dialect. Take the word 'dårlig' for example."

Taurik listened, but began the playback of the alien message shortly before the scientists' and engineers were killed. The dissonant tones played at a lower volume, but they still carried the same chill as before to those within earshot.

The Doctor froze. "From the beginning, please."

Taurik complied and set the playback point from the start of the recovered record.

When it was finished, the Doctor's joviality vanished. In its place, a stony look at the waveform audio display resided. "As I was saying, Commander, take the word dårlig for example. In Norwegian, it means 'bad,' and I can't think of a better word to describe this scenario."

"Other than the obvious circumstances, Doctor, is there another reason why you would choose that word?"

"The pronunciation of that word is a homonym for the name of that species, Commander." He pushed past the Vulcan and began walking quickly for the exit. "Let's go see Captain Magambo. Once again, I have to be the bearer of bad news."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The Doctor stood before the entire senior staff in the bridge conference lounge. "They're called Daleks. They're from my timestream, which suggests that you people found a way to punch through the fabric of the space-time continuum and gained pan-dimensional access. Congratulations, you just made contact with the most xenophobic homicidal species you'll ever meet."

Martha snorted, "We should introduce you to the Borg."

"I'm deadly serious, Martha."

Magambo interjected, "Doctor, no one at this table is not taking your information seriously." She leveled her gaze at Martha and repeated, "No one." She rose from the table and continued, "However, we've certain protocols we must observe when determining a threat to the Federation. That includes providing Starfleet Command with as complete a threat analysis as we can."

The Doctor folded his arms and leaned against the bulkhead. "Sounds like military procedure, but a practical one. What do you need to know?"

An audio alert interrupted the conversation. "Bridge to captain. We're receiving a distress call from a civilian freighter outside the designated zone. She's under attack by an unknown vessel."

Magambo tapped the commpanel. "Recall all shuttles and make your course for the source of that call. Engage at flank speed." Once the channel cleared, she answered the Doctor, "Everything, please. As quickly as you can."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Captain's Log
Supplemental
Recorded under security lockout X-Ray-One-One-Zero

The Doctor has provided us with a complete technological profile of the Dalek technology. We are on fast approach to the distress call of the freighter Queen Elizabeth X, which has provided a sensor profile of the attacking party. The profile data was confirmed by the Doctor and as ordered, I have transmitted the data directly to Starfleet Security.

"This is absolutely remarkable," said the Doctor, as he stared at the face of Lieutenant Commander Ursula Blake. His cheeks were resting upon his palm, and his elbows supported them against the top of the operations console. "Absolutely remarkable," he repeated, showing off his teeth in an abashed smile.

Ursula, for her part, could not help but blush under the Doctor's scrutiny. "May I help you, sir?"

"Oh, nothing. Just admiring the handiwork of space and time." He straightened up, then leaned against the console with his right elbow. "How close are you with Leftenant Pope over there?"

"I beg your pardon, sir."

"Don't call me 'sir,' please."

"I'm sorry, su- Doctor." Ursula knew that. She had listened to the briefing from the captain. "To answer your question, the leftenant and I are not that close. We take meals together in the mess, sometimes."

The Doctor grinned. "Far be it for me to make any kind of a suggestion, but I think you make a lovely couple."

Ursula moved her head to eye the back of Pope's as he worked at the helm. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah," the Doctor replied with a quick nod. "There might be something there worth exploring."

Ursula opened her mouth, but the captain called out, "Doctor."

The Doctor turned away and joined the captain in the center of the bridge. "Yes, Captain?"

"We're approaching the freighter. I thought perhaps you would like to take a look?" Without waiting for his response, she ordered that the sensor data be placed on the main viewscreen.

Ursula reported, "No lifesigns aboard, sir. Reading multiple hull breaches along the command section and the cargo holds are exposed to space."

The Doctor put on his spectacles and eyed the sensor information. "Can your sensors give me a proper metallurgical analysis of the hull?"

"Mister Blake?" asked the captain.

Ursula replied, "We're a bit too far away from the freighter for a complete scan, but I have some preliminary data coming through right now. I'm putting in on the main screen."

"Indeed. Very efficient, thank you, Commander," the Doctor said, distractedly. His eyes scanned the information. "High-level disruption at the molecular level." He twisted around to face the captain. "Quick! What weapons from this timestream could disrupt the molecules of a freighter like that?"

Martha answered first, "The Breen, the Ferengi, the Gorn..."

Ursula continued, "The Lysians, the Klingons..."

Magambo finished, "Rigelians, Romulans, the Borg, the Cardassians, the Dominion..." She sighed. "So we can't narrow it down?"

"The Daleks do employ disruptors that could do this kind of damage. It's possible this is them, but I'd need to take a closer look at the damaged section of the hull." The Doctor added, "With Commander Taurik's help, of course. He's a good, smart-looking fellow."

Martha beamed. "One of the best in Starfleet."

"No doubt."

Magambo ordered, "As the Doctor wishes. Number One, Mister Blake. I want a sample beamed to main engineering, immediately. Mister Cooper, talk to Doctor Thann and coordinate transport of the fallen to the morgue."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The Doctor found himself back in the engineering compartment, working alongside Lieutenant Commander Taurik. "You know, I really like you. You're swift and efficient, intelligent and thoughtful. Your staff follows your outstanding example. I may never leave this place."

Taurik did not turn his head. His hands continued to fly over the console's input pad. "I am honored by your assessment of my performance, Doctor. As is my staff."

"Just stating the obvious."

"Is it your wish to join Starfleet?"

"I might."

"Then might I say that if you wished to join, I'm certain Starfleet would greatly benefit from your knowledge and experience," Taurik informed him candidly.

"I'm sure they might. I'll look into it." The Doctor hopped from one foot to the other. "Have they, uh... 'beamed' the sample over, yet?"

The chief engineering officer checked the console display. "The transport is commencing, now, Doctor."

A shimmering blue light appeared and a jagged section of the freighter's hull materialized upon the sensor panel.

On it in an instant, the Doctor reached into his inside suit pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, then from the side pocket, he pulled out a set of white spectacles. One lens was red, and the other blue. He peered at the twisted metal and grinned uncontrollably. "Oh, yes! This has a pan-dimensional signature!"

His screwdriver was lifted over the hull; it's bright blue light and high-pitched trill sounding off quickly. "Dalek. And either they've upgraded their gunsticks... I mean, based on the level of damage, these Daleks are from before the Time War."

"Time War?"

The Doctor straightened his posture. "Long story. Suffice to say, this is enough to convince me you've got a bigger problem on your hands."

Taurik tilted his head. "What do you mean, Doctor?"

After turning to face Taurik, the Doctor sighed. "Well, a group of Daleks tend to pepper their target with multiple strikes. And their armor is suited for spaceflight at sublight speeds. The attack damage that your Commander Blake provided with her analysis is spot on with a typical attack pattern. However..."

When the Doctor went silent in thought, Taurik prompted him, "However...?"

"I'm sorry," said the Doctor as he removed his red and blue specs. "I'm so sorry. No single, or even a large group of Dalek armor could do this kind of damage." He shook his head as he spoke the last words of his sentence. He folded his arms over his chest, with his sonic screwdriver in one hand and the specs in the other.

He continued, "I'm afraid they've brought a ship through that rift. The damage suggests it might be a heavy cruiser-class ship, which carries ship-mounted disruptors and ship-to-ship missiles."

Taurik narrowed his eyes at the new information. "How many Daleks man a heavy cruiser-class ship?"

The Doctor rubbed his forehead. "Over twenty-five hundred Daleks in full battle armor."

[END OF CHAPTER THREE]

[Hermanator]

Very good, this actually made me intrested in Doctor Who. I always have felt that Doctor Who was for small children, I guess I was Wrong

[Kyuusaku]

I'm glad you're enjoying the story, Hermanator. I've been watching Doctor Who since Tom Baker showed his face on American TV in the 80s. Even though I was a kid then, I've found the new series appealing as an adult. I think it's brilliant.

Kyuu

[Sharpkiller]

Well done! A brilliant read for Doctor Who and Star Trek fans.

[Kyuusaku]

[CHAPTER FOUR]

NCC-74705 (USS Bellerophon)
Stationary near NGP-113424 (SS Queen Victoria)
Captain’s Ready Room
Stardate 65540.1

Captain Erisa Magambo read the recent report from Starfleet Command. The Federation starship Eagle was making good time and should arrive ahead of the other starships inbound. They managed to find themselves in a better starting point than the others. Having the added support from the other ship gave her hope that they might resolve the situation with slightly less difficulty.

The Doctor's presence also seemed to help ship's morale under the circumstances. He spent some time in the mess hall and managed to bring with him some cheer. All reports from the officers below indicated that he was very charismatic and well-liked by the crew. Unfortunately for Magambo, the unknown quantity of this Doctor was too much for her to overcome and simply accept that he suddenly appeared and provided assistance. In her experiences in Starfleet, too good to be true often was.

She studied the screen atop her desk intently. All of her attempts to find out more information about the Doctor failed. The Starfleet Security database held some records of the Doctor's previous appearances. All mentions were redacted from the official logs at the time. Redacted by the very admiral she took her orders from.

"Computer," she inquired, her voice resonating off of the bulkheads of her ready room. "I would like a database of all records of any mention of a person known as 'The Doctor.'"

"Working," replied the computer. Whatever it did, it took a long while for the computer to finally respond. "Records search completed. Database contains over six hundred trillion records."

Magambo's eyebrows rose. "Display first ten rows of records on this station, please."

The display listed the entries as commanded. Each one referred to an oral record using the words "the doctor."

Magambo sighed. "Computer, reset the database. New parameters: locate any entries that refer to a person named 'The Doctor,' and also mentions a circa 1960s police box from Great Britain."

"Working."

The captain moved toward the replicator and retrieved a mug of coffee while the computer made its audio sounds as it scanned the records again. When the compute reported it had completed the search, this time the list was far less in total.

"Three results?" she said to herself. "On this screen, please."

The first result was a heavily redacted report by the USS Potemkin over thirty years prior. The report was written by the admiral once again, this time as a full lieutenant. Her report was signed off by the ship's commanding officer and the then-Chief of Starfleet Security. The report centered around a rift in the space-time continuum and the appearance of a blue box in the ship's shuttlebay.

No images of the Doctor existed within the records for her to compare to, but it was clear from his involvement that they were able to close the rift before it posed a threat to everyone living in this continuum. No more information was provided, and it took all of Magambo's considerable clearance to even read it.

The other two listings held the same heavily-redacted information. Vague mentions of another rift in space and time, the appearance of the Doctor, and a successful closure. Nothing about any threats to Federation space by any of the reports, though that information could also be hidden by the redacted portions of the files.

"Computer, save this database and let's start fresh. This time, please scan for any references to a 'Dalek.'" She spelled the term for the computer, "Delta-Alpha-Lima-Echo-Kilo."

"Working. No records found."

The speed of the computer's response startled her. "Pardon?"

"No records found," it repeated, in the same quick tone as before.

The captain rubbed her forehead. She allowed her frustration to creep into her tone, "Computer, reset database. Perform a thorough scan of Starfleet records for previous search term."

"Working. No records found."

"Computer, delete new database. Let's go with a simple inquiry. Do any records exist with the term 'Dalek'?"

"Affirmative."

"And may I see those records?"

"Negative. Access restricted to X-Ray-One or higher."

"I possess X-Ray clearance for the duration of this mission."

The computer's assessment disagreed, "Magambo X-Ray clearance provisional at present. Clearance does not provide access to records requested."

She muttered, "Of course not." In a louder tone, she said, "Computer, cancel request and present inquiry."

"Acknowledged."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Within the ship's mess hall, Ensign Coralie Picard took in the smell of her usual breakfast. A mug of coffee, some fresh fruit, and a recently-baked croissant sat before her upon the tray. She flavored the coffee with milk and sweetener as she always did.

"What's all this, then?" asked a new voice.

Coralie glanced upward into the smiling face of the Doctor. "Oh, it's you."

The Doctor spun a seat around so he could rest his arms across the back as he straddled it. "Yes, it's me. I'm just going to sit here and watch you eat your breakfast."

"Suit yourself," she said with a shrug.

"Did I do something to upset you?"

She shook her head. "No, it was nothing you did." Coralie stalled by drinking her coffee and biting into a slice of cantaloupe.

"It was something someone did."

She played with the swirl in her coffee with a stirrer as she considered what she wanted to tell this odd man. "This is kind of difficult to admit."

He waited patiently and simply stared at her with nothing more than a held smile upon his lips .

Coralie dropped the stirrer and let it rest against the side of the mug. With a glance toward the bulkhead to avoid eye contact with him, she sighed and said, "I guess I just thought maybe my career would be more than simply cataloging cargo bays and inventorying closets day-in and day-out. I expected it to be more."

The Doctor listened to her speak and then gave her a nod. "Well, I suppose you can't say that everyone doesn't need updated catalogs and inventories. But it's a lot less glamorous, I'll agree."

"When I applied to the Academy, I was told about all the wonders of the galaxy and being part of something bigger than myself."

"It sounds noble. But look at where you are right now," said the Doctor, pointing toward the viewports. "You're out among the stars. I'd imagine that a majority of your Federation live on planets, doing their own thing and living their own lives?"

Coralie nodded succinctly. "Sure."

"Well, then. Perhaps you've gained more than you realize."

She allowed herself a smile. "Perhaps."

He smiled in return. "So, tell me more about this Starfleet."

She bit into her croissant and chased it with a sip of coffee. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, like how long it's been around and all that."

"Starfleet was founded in 2161, as part of the Federation charter. Though, the original exploration group was known as the United Earth Space Probe Agency, or UESPA," Coralie began. "Eventually, UESPA and Starfleet began to overlap with their programs and so one group was merged into the other after almost 100 years."

"And I'm sure you've faced down a number of antagonists since then?"

Coralie nodded. "Quite a few, actually. The Klingons, the Romulans, the Cardassians..."

The Doctor wagged his finger at her. "And all this is the culmination of those wars. The new technologies developed because of it."

She looked very uncomfortable in admitting that to be true, but with a slow nod, she told him, "That's one way of putting it, I suppose, yes. But, I prefer to view the periods of peace as the force for good."

"Even in that sentence, you still have to use the word 'force' in the context of that good. I think it's better to not use force to get the peace."

She frowned. "I agree, but if only all the other factions in the galaxy felt the same way. I think it would be best for all." She offered her fruit to him.

He accepted the fruit and picked up a grape. "That's what I like about humans. Even though you lot seem to like your weapons and your wars, at the very core of you all, you understand the need for peace. You're the reason why I travel through Earth's timeline.

"Well! At least, my Earth's timeline."

Coralie asked, "Only Earth's?"

The Doctor scratched at the back of his head. "For the most part, yeah. Don't often find myself on other worlds, because the history's kind of boring..."

"And you travel alone?"

"Not all the time. I'm alone right now because Donna had-" The Doctor stopped to consider his words. "Let's just say that sometimes I have a companion and sometimes I go it alone."

Coralie finished her coffee and set the empty mug back on the tray. "How many companions have you had?"

The Doctor glanced away, toward the ceiling. "Oh, well, quite a few."

"Anyone recent?"

He fixed a stare at her. "I just recently said goodbye to a woman named Donna Noble. She had to return home with her family."

"Sounds like you didn't want to say goodbye."

"I didn't."

She lowered her tone to a conspiratorial level. "Did you and her...?"

"Oh, no! Not in the slightest!" he protested automatically. Then, he smiled and shook his head. "Funny, that sounds odd coming from just me. Usually we'd both say that at the same time. I'd gotten used to that."

Coralie gave him an understanding smile. "But it's a good thing she went back home, right? To be with her family and friends?"

The Doctor nodded slowly, his eyes cast in the middle distance. "Of course. She needed to be with them."

"We all do, from time to time." She ran her finger around the rim of her mug and watched as the vibration played with the surface tension of the coffee inside. "Do any of your companions ever come back to travel with you?"

"Sometimes they do. For a short while. But I think after they leave and return to their lives, they remember all the things that they forgot to miss while they were out traveling with me among the stars," he said slowly. "And there's always the off-chance that they might travel with me so long that they let their lives slip away."

"And what of your life, Doctor?" asked Coralie, trying to change the subject. "Your life slips away in your ship, too. Surely your family misses you. Do you get to pop back home and say hello from time to time?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I haven't got any family, anymore. I used to. I had a daughter and a granddaughter."

"You live in an empty house on your home world?"

"No, I live in the blue box sitting in your cupboard."

"And what planet is home?"

"That gets a little more complicated than it needs to be, but suffice to say that my home world doesn't exist anymore."

She frowned. "What do you mean? Why not?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes toward the ceiling as though he's explained this more than enough for his liking. "My people fought a war, a time war. In the end, their victory was a costly one, and it resulted in the destruction of both sides."

"I'm sorry," Coralie said in a small voice. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

He waved her off and folded his arms while leaning back in his chair. "You didn't know. Think nothing of it."

They sat in silence for a moment, while Coralie's hands found themselves in her lap with her shoulders lifted nervously around her neck. She finally gathered enough confidence to ask, "Who were they fighting?"

The Doctor leaned forward and his eyebrows lifted high. "Hmm?"

"Your people. Who were they fighting?"

"Oh!" He grinned. "The Daleks."

"The Daleks?! The ones who came through the rift?"

"Oh, yes. And to underline the seriousness of the threat they pose to your timeline, it took the entire resources of the Time Lords to keep them in check and even then... it wasn't quite enough."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "I mean that even though they should be completely gone from the universe, they always seem to find a way around that. Chance and circumstances seem to always favor their ability to subvert all the work we've done."

"I don't understand."

"Are you sure you want to?"

Coralie considered that, given the tone the Doctor used when asking that. Almost like a dare. "Yes, I do. Tell me."

The Doctor leaned forward now, his hands forming a steeple upon the mess hall table. "After the Time War, there was a cult of four Daleks that managed to traverse the void into my timestream and attempt to release the prisoners from that war. I had to stop them with my companion, Rose Tyler."

Again, she gave the Doctor a sidelong glance and made a subtle implication. "Rose Tyler, eh? You said her name a little differently then you had with Donna Noble."

For the first time since she had met him, he actually stammered, losing that usual air of self-confidence he exuded with every step he took. "Y-Yes, well... she was very special."

"Did you... love her?"

The Doctor said nothing. He cast his eyes down toward his hands and sighed.

She sensed it was more than just a sore subject. "Anyway, you stopped them. What happened?"

"When we sent them back to the Void, Rose nearly got sent there herself. But her dad stepped in at the last second and whisked her away to a parallel universe," he explained. "There was no way to return her, but she was lucky to have her mother and father there waiting for her. She's not alone."

Coralie furrowed her brow. "Sorry, wait a minute."

"Yes?"

"So, she got sucked into a parallel universe, but it was okay because her family was already there waiting for her? How did that happen?"

"Well, see, her father was originally from another timestream," he started and then stopped. "Kind of like this, actually. Except this was more in the past than it was in the future. See, we originally ended up in the other timestream, first. And we had to combat another kind of enemy, the Cybermen."

"The Cybermen?"

"Yeah, I know, but stay with me on this."

"The Cybermen."

"Yes."

"Okay, sorry. Just trying to figure that one out. I presume they're men who're... cyber-like?"

"Actually, they were former humans who were sort of cannibalized into a metal armor frame."

"Sounds wonderful," she said while rolling her eyes. "The Cybermen were causing trouble, then?"

"They were. They managed to utilize the communications network as a means toward controlling the population of the entire planet. We had to remind them of who they were and what they were doing and it finally returned to normal," he told her. "Well, after a fashion, I suppose."

"The way you explain things, I feel as if I'm missing the real truth about what happened. It's like you're explaining it to me as though I were there."

He grinned toothily. "Yes, well, if I had the time to tell you every little adventure I've been on in my existence, then I would need about thirty years or so to do it."

His joviality was infectious. She chuckled. "Fair enough, I guess. But I have a hard time believing that a man of your relative youth would have over thirty years of adventures already. Unless you got an early start or something."

The Doctor chuckled. "Looks can be deceiving. I'm well over nine hundred years old."

"Are you related to the El-Aurians?"

"Who are they?"

"Long-lived species. They're called Listeners."

"Why's that?"

"They have sort of an ability that kind of makes you want to tell them everything about you. They have a way of making you feel at ease."

The Doctor shrugged. "I'm not really an El-Aurian. I'm a Time Lord. But we kind of change ourselves a bit from one life to another."

"Like a Trill?"

"What's a Trill?"

"Symbiotic species," she explained. "They share their lives with a long-lived symbiont that resembles an Earth slug. As each host dies, the symbiont is passed to a new host. Technically, they could live for hundreds of years and I believe some are older than you."

The Doctor considered that. "I suppose it's the same, except I don't have a slug inside me. Whenever this body's cells are at the end of their life cycle, or damaged to the point of death, I can regenerate myself."

"So you'll always be reborn?"

"In a manner of speaking, yeah. My body undergoes a complete metamorphosis, and my personality does as well. So, when this body undergoes regeneration, it is a real death. All my memories and knowledge are passed to the new body's mind. But the person I am right now will cease to exist."

Coralie's expression turned to one of sadness. "That sounds a bit morbid. Doesn't it?"

He reached over for another grape and popped it into his mouth. "It's part of my physiology."

"So, there's a whole race of you in your continuum?"

"There were. I'm the last, now."

"Right, I'm sorry. The Time War..." Coralie tilted her head. "But if the Daleks were destroyed, then how can they be here now?"

"The Daleks have temporal abilities like I do. So, these Daleks may not be the same Daleks from that war. They could also be Daleks from an alternate continuum or timeline." He shakes his head. "But it seems like no matter how many times I deal with them, or how many times I think I have them beat, they always seems to pop up when I least expect them."

She reached over and touched his hand. "We feel that way about the Borg."

The Doctor looked down at her hand for a moment before wrinkling his nose and asking, "The Borg? Who're they? Swedes with a bad attitude?"

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Lieutenant Commander Taurik completed another set of simulations using Bellerophon's weapons against the specifications provided by the Doctor. Again, the ship would be overwhelmed by a direct attack from the Daleks. The battlecruiser alone would be a challenge, but should they launch their entire compliment of Dalek armor, their shields would fall within thirty minutes and the hull shortly after.

Toshiko watched the last five simulations and sighed. "I can see why you might be a tad frustrated."

"Vulcans do not feel frustration," assured Taurik. "I must admit, however, to experiencing a bit of futility in continuing along these lines. Without additional fire support, this ship will not stand for long in a direct confrontation, based on the available data."

She proposed, "Perhaps the data is faulty?"

"The data provided by the Doctor is anecdotal; however, I have factored in the information gathered by the attack on the outpost and the freighter." Taurik moved his fingers over the master systems display and focused on the shield generators. "In every simulation run, the shield generators eventually fail and the hull is quickly compromised."

Toshiko ran a hand through her hair as she spoke, "Even if we provided the generators with additional power, all we would be doing is delaying the inevitable. What we need is to either bolster the defenses by altering the shields, or increase firepower to destroy them before they do too much damage."

Taurik merely inclined his head slightly at Toshiko's analysis. "I have been analyzing the firing patterns, and it would seem that the Daleks like to envelop their target and overwhelm them with a massive opposing force."

"Wait a minute, sir. What about..." Her fingers flew over her PADD in a near-blur as she called up data and scanned through various documents. "I recall reading a paper on a new armor system that Voyager brought back with them from the future."

With his eyes narrowing, Taurik replied, "That information is classified, Specialist."

"Classified protocols are nothing more than a series of obstacles to overcome, sir."

"I must warn you-"

"I found it." Toshiko flipped her PADD toward Taurik and smiled. "Ablative generators. It stood up to the Borg pretty nicely until they adapted. And something tells me that the Daleks are not quite as adept as the Borg. Could we implement something like this?"

Taurik's attention distracted for the moment, he accepted the proffered PADD and read through it. "This... may be possible. We would first need to take the shield generators offline and route the power grid to feed into the armor generators. However, given our current circumstances, I doubt the captain will allow us to go without defensive systems long enough to install them."

"I'm not the right person to talk to," Toshiko admitted. Her specialty was computer systems, not shields and armor. "I defer to your expertise, sir."

"On the contrary, Specialist," Taurik said as he kept his eyes on the PADD's display, "I believe you to have intelligence beyond your area of expertise. I would hardly be surprised if you applied for a commission as an officer in Starfleet. You would do well."

Toshiko blushed. "Thank you, sir. That's... a high compliment."

"We must speak to the captain on this."

Her eyes widened. "On my application to become an officer?"

"My apologies for not including context. We must speak to the captain on implementing this armor generator." Taurik moved for the exit and called to her, "Please join me, Specialist."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Captain Magambo and the Doctor listened to Taurik and Toshiko's plan intently. Once completed, the captain asked her first question:

"How long?"

Taurik's features did not change as he spelled out the work involved. "I believe that the total estimate of time needed to complete the new systems would be at least three days."

"And in that time, you would require the shield generators offline?" asked the Doctor. He looked between Taurik and Toshiko.

Toshiko said nothing, instead allowing her superior officer to speak.

"It may not be necessary for the shield to be offline for the whole of the three days, but as we bring the armor generators online, it's possible that we may require some time for them to be tested as we adapt them to the power grid," answered Taurik. His eyes moved from the Doctor to the captain as he finished his last sentence. "Sir, I realize we would be taking a tremendous risk, but given the current data gathered from our simulations, I don't see how we can do otherwise."

Magambo considered this proposal and stared at the desktop display. "Work out a timetable for the next three days, with minimal impact to the defensive systems. And I would like to employ a hard cutover between the new system and the conventional one, should the need arise."

"Aye, sir. I will keep you informed of our progress."

"Very good." Magambo turned her attention to Toshiko. "Please remain behind, Specialist. You're dismissed, Commander."

Taurik opened his mouth to reply, but thought better of it and withdrew as the captain requested. The non-commissioned officer stood alone with the Doctor and the captain; she wore a chagrined expression upon her face.

"I realize that Commander Taurik finds your assistance most valuable, Specialist Sato," began the captain sternly. "It is for that reason that I will not place you in the detention center until we reach starbase. I am very well aware that Taurik would never abrogate Starfleet regulations surrounding classified data in such a fashion. But you and I, we've been down this road before, haven't we?"

Toshiko's voice was barely above a whisper. "Yes, sir."

The Doctor placed his hands in his trousers. "Under the circumstances, Captain, I'm sure we can appreciate the specialist's ingenuity."

"Doctor, I'll thank you to let me conduct this conversation," Magambo smoldered in her seat at the unwelcome interruption.

"Funny thing about that," said the Doctor with a smile. "According to your own Starfleet people, I'm to be treated like an admiral, yeah? I know this isn't my timestream, but I'm fairly sure an admiral has more rank than a captain."

Magambo grinded her teeth. "Oh, now you want rank?"

"Well, you know... when it suits me, sure. It suits me right now, Captain."

"Very well, Doctor. I will respect the authority given you by the admiral," Magambo said with a heavy sigh. "But, even an admiral would give me latitude to deal with such an egregious breach of security."

"May I remind you, Captain, that this particular breach should prove useful?"

"If it works."

Toshiko asked, "Sir, should I go?"

The captain pressed her lips together and nodded. "Return to your duty, Specialist. I will allow the ends to justify the means, in this instance."

"Sir?"

"She means that if this doesn't work, then don't be surprised if you are court-martialed for your misconduct," the Doctor supplied. "Incentive to really make this work, yeah?"

Toshiko nodded several times in quick fashion.

"That will be all, Specialist. You're dismissed," said Magambo. Following Toshiko's departure, she turned her attention toward the desktop terminal and began using it. "If you don't mind, I need to finish reading reports."

The Doctor studied the artwork upon the bulkhead as the captain worked quietly at her desk. His eyes wandered over the oil and canvas, noting the lines and admiring the raw passion of it. The artist had something to say and the Doctor listened. Without waiting for the captain to say something, he pointed at the painting and asked, "Might I ask who the artist is?"

Captain Magambo turned her head to glance at the subject of the Doctor's question and then returned to her work. "My niece, Emily. She is studying at the San Francisco School of the Arts."

"She's quite talented," the Doctor said matter-of-factly. He turned back to back Magambo and took a seat in one of the chairs facing the desk.

Magambo eyed the Doctor as his feet propped atop the edge of her desk and his hands laced together behind his head. "Thank you. I agree. And now if you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't use my desk as an Ottoman."

The Doctor ignored her remark. "I presume you've spoken to your supreme military minds regarding the Daleks?"

"Starfleet is not a military organization, Doctor," Magambo replied evenly. "We are primarily an exploratory body."

"And if we were to go back in time and ask Cortes and Pizarro, they might say the same thing." The Doctor reconsidered his words, "And in fact, they have."

"Regardless," she bit off her reply, "I can assure you that we do not impose our way of life on others." Magambo rose from her seat and turned the desktop terminal around to face the Doctor. "Five additional starships have been dispatched. However, at maximum speed they will not arrive for at least three days."

The Doctor frowned. "Your ships are impressive, but the mean distance is still a problem for your method of propulsion. Five ships may not be enough, if the Daleks have determined a way to take this universe for themselves."

"I believe that six Starfleet vessels will be more than a match for a single Dalek battlecruiser." She did not bother to keep her confidence from her tone.

"I sincerely hope you're right, Captain."

The droning tone of a red alert began to sound, and the crimson lights appeared in the corners of the ready room. "Red alert," said the voice of Martha Jones over the address system. "All hands to battlestations."

Without hesitation, the two of them arrived on the bridge. Martha, Gwen, Ursula, and Ethan resided at their duty stations. "Captain, the Daleks have attacked a colony less than five light-years away."

"Number One, recall the away teams. Mister Pope, as soon as they're aboard, divert to the colony at maximum speed." Magambo turned to the operations station and said, "Mister Blake, contact Starfleet Command and apprise them of the new development."

Ursula nodded. "Transmitting now, sir."

Martha informed the bridge, "All away teams returned."

"Execute course, Mister Pope."

The stars moved across the main viewscreen as Bellerophon turned toward its new destination and entered subspace. Pope answered, "Now entering the star system, sir. Estimated time of arrival in less than forty seconds."

The Doctor breathed, "My word."

"Starfleet Command is transmitting, Captain," reported Ursula. "Starship Eagle is arriving ahead of schedule. ETA to our position is five minutes."

Pope announced on the heels of Ursula's words, "Now entering the solar system, sir."

Gwen called out, "I have the enemy vessel in orbit of the colony, Captain! They're sending down... a large number of... I'm not sure."

The Doctor moved quickly, using the part of the bridge superstructure to wind his way around to see the information on Gwen's display. "Those are Dalek armored units. The same ones that came through the rift at your outpost."

Magambo nodded, but did not turn to look at the Doctor. "Maintain present course, Mister Pope. Mister Cooper?"

Gwen replied simply, "Sir?"

"Lock weapons on that ship and prepare to engage."

"Aye, sir."

Magambo rose from her seat and approached the viewscreen until she stood behind Pope. With her arms folded across her chest, she said, "Mister Blake, inform Eagle that they will be late to the party."

[END OF CHAPTER FOUR]

[Kyuusaku]

I've posted Chapters Five through Ten over at Ad Astra's Fanfic archive, should anyone wish to read it. I would greatly appreciate reviews and such!

http://www.adastrafanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=864

Thanks!

Kyuu