To: , ,
        , ,
        , "JustKenning"
        
From: "Jay  P Hailey" 
Reply-To: trekcreative{at}yahoogroups.com


Title: Star Trek: Outwardly Mobile
Author: Jay P Hailey (JayPHailey{at}yahoo.com) Series: MISC - TNG OCs
COdes: None
Part: 124/335(?)
Rating:[PG]
Archive: Fine with me, just tell me where. Disclaimer: Paramount owns all
things Star Trek.  I claim Original Characters and Situations for me.
Webpage HTTP://www.phoenixinn.iwarp.com/jayphailey

    Through the Looking Glass
    by
    Jay P. Hailey
    And
    Dennnis Washburn

    "Go ahead. Examine her. Just don't touch anything." Aaron said.

    I was annoyed. Was I some wet behind the ears punk who needed... Then I
took a better look. The center of the equipment in the panel was an
anti-matter integrator no bigger than a meter long and about a quarter that
wide.

    "Ah, ah." I said. The equivalent machinery on the Discovery took up
whole rooms and several tons. "My Ghod." The shuttlecraft I was
in was several years ahead of the Discovery in technology. Decades.

    "Who in the hell are you?" I hissed. "What is this?"

    "Relax, Captain. I knew that the Rosinante would sell you. Now I'll
explain." He sat in one of the Rosinate's seats.

    "Please. Sit down and make yourself comfortable."

    I clambered out of the Engineering panel for the Rosinanate and into a
seat next to Aaron.

    "I am not, as you assume, a human." Aaron said. "I am an
El-Alurian."

    "Okay." I said. "What's an El-Alurian?"

    "We're a race of humanoids from the Beta Quadrant." We arrived as
refugees in your Federation about ninety years ago-"

    "The Enterprise-B!" I said "The Ribbon. I knew I'd heard the name
somewhere."

    "Yes. That was it. Some of us drifted in later. Some of us are still
drifting." He said. "You know that our Homeworld was destroyed by
the Borg, right?"

    "No, I didn't know that. If your world was destroyed by the Borg ninety
years ago, then why weren't we warned of the Borg before the Enterprise-D
met them?" I asked.

    "We had a long and fairly rough debate about that." Aaron
said "The
debate centered around concerns similar to your own Prime Directive."

    "You mean-"

    "Yes. You in the Federation would consider us an advanced race." Aaron
said.

    "How, how advanced?" I looked back at the shuttle's Engineering Panel.
"A pretty fair amount, I'd guess."

    "Actually, the technology is nothing special. You could eventually
figure out and replicate Rosy." Aaron said. "That's part of
what's so complicated to explain."

    "Try me." I said.

    "Okay." Aaron reached around my seat and drew out a wire mesh
object. It
was curved. "This is a neural input device." Aaron explained.
"Think of it as an advanced holodeck system." He set the wire
mesh on my head.

    "Are you sure that thing will work with my neurons?" I asked nervously.

    "Yes. It has been proven safe for Earth humans." Aaron said. He slipped
a similar rig on his own head. "Rosy, roll the history presentation."

    Things changed.

    -*-

    We were standing in a field. I could smell vegetation. A fresh breeze
swept across me. Almost without will I said "Ah..." Then I gained
a little control. "Where are we?"

    Aaron took a deep breath of his own. "This is the home world. We're on
El-Au."

    On the far side of the field there was a clean looking group of
buildings. They looked like any lab complex on Earth. The buildings were
carefully designed not to conflict too badly with the surrounding
environment.

    "Come on." Aaron said. We began walking. As we walked I could see that
there were administration buildings scattered in and among the trees. We
continued around the lab buildings. They were bigger than I thought. I was
breaking a sweat in the warm afternoon sun.

    "Aaron. You said that this is a neural induction rig, right?" I said a
little heavily.

    "That's right." He said.

    "So why am I sweating and out of breath?" I asked.

    "The aim was an extremely realistic simulation." Aaron said.

    "Is this a recording or a simulation?" I asked.

    "It's a simulation based on surviving recordings." He said.

    "Thank you for clearing that up."

    -*-

    Around the buildings we could see a primitive landing field. Flat grassy
swatches spread out before us. In the middle of the field were a gantry and
a slim silver rocket shape.

    "What that?" I asked Aaron.

    "That is our first warp drive prototype." Aaron said proudly.

    "Cool." I said. It looked like a sweet set up. There was a hangar and a
pretty large staff. It looked like a small university's research project.
Deep inside I felt a little superior. Zephram Cochrane had to scrape and
struggle heroically to get his prototype off the ground. The ship itself
didn't look nearly as primitive as Earth's first warp drive prototype.

    We watched the crew working on it, and then they all pulled back. Aaron
said "Come along." He began to walk towards the hangar with everyone else.

    "It's just a simulation, isn't it?" I asked.

    "Well, the fidelity of the experience means that we can't put in any
safeties like you use on your holodecks."

    "Oh."

    We stopped just outside the hangar. There was a crowd. I said to a happy
young man nearby. "Today's the day, Huh?"

    He was dressed in a set of light gray cover-alls with big pockets. Tools
were stuffed willy nilly into the pockets. His hair was semi-long and stuck
out like a frizzy halo. "Yep! Finally! Isn't it great!"

    "Wonderful." I said. Despite my short dalliance with bias, I was really
happy for them. It was a great moment every time someone joined the club of
star faring races. Sort of like watching a friend graduate, but more
momentous, and usually without the long speeches.

    An amplified voice counted down. "Eight...Seven...Six..."

    I turned to Aaron and asked "When was this?"

    "Four...Three...Two...One..."

    The silvery rocket leapt off the pad like it had business somewhere. In
a few moments it was gone from sight. We all watched the line along its path.

    "Telemetry's good!" One of the technicians shouted. Everyone was
generally happy about that.

    "Test in Five...Four...Three..." Despite the fact that it was a
historical simulation, I held my breath along with the rest of them.

    "Go for test!" A voice yelled. Then there was a rainbow streak in the
sky as the rocket broke the speed of light.

    We all cheered and jumped up and down. It was that kind of moment.

    The Aaron grabbed me and we walked away from the celebration.

    "That was wonderful!" I said "Thank you! I feel like I was really
there."

    "You asked when this all happened." Aaron asked.

    "Uh-huh."

    "On Earth, right now, Egypt is just swinging into its fifth dynasty. In
a couple of thousand years, someone there will get the bright idea of a
Pyramid."

    My jaw dropped "That was five thousand years ago!"

    Aaron said "Uh huh."

    Things changed.


------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Inkjet cartridges up to 80% off. HP, Epson, Lexmark--we have your brand.
Free shipping on every order to the U.S. and Canada! Excellent service.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5510
http://us.click.yahoo.com/QWB0QC/.eUGAA/ySSFAA/TpIolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Star Trek; The E-mail Commands

Post message: trekcreative{at}yahoogroups.com Subscribe:
trekcreative-subscribe{at}yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe:
trekcreative-unsubscribe{at}yahoogroups.com List owner:
trekcreative-owner{at}yahoogroups.com Get Digest:
trekcreative-digest{at}yahoogroups.com Web only: 
trekcreative-nomail{at}yahoogroups.com Normal: trekcreative-normal{at}egroups.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-4