A Curious Relic

Sometime in the middle of Enterprise's dismal run (I don't remember exactly when) I wrote this piece. Basically, it's just the crew of the original Enterprise coming across the NX-01 and remarking on how there's no way this thing could have come from their past.

"It appears to be an Earth ship, Captain.” Spock announced as he peered into his hooded viewer. "Sensors indicate it has been adrift for a significant period of time, possibly a century or more."

Kirk peered at the odd little spaceship that was drifting across the main viewer. "It almost looks like a Starfleet vessel."

Spock stepped down from his station to stand next to the center seat. "I am inclined to agree, but we have no record of that configuration in our databanks."

The ship in question had a small saucer section very reminiscent of the Enterprise. The eerily familiar engine nacelles were mounted on a catamaran-like structure that attached to the primary saucer.

“Life signs?” Kirk asked.

“None, Captain.” Spock replied. “And no power readings of any kind. However,” he continued, anticipating Kirk’s next question, “the vessel is structurally sound, and other than the lack of atmosphere, there is nothing aboard that would prove inimical to humanoid life.”

Kirk rose from the center seat and headed for the turbolift. “In that case, you’re with me, Mr. Spock. Uhura, tell the transporter room to outfit the landing party with environmental suits, and have Dr. McCoy and Mr. Scott meet us there. Sulu, you have the conn.”

***

Ten minutes later, four spacesuited figures sparkled silently into existence on the bridge of the mysterious vessel.

Spock waved his searchlight around the spare, functional compartment. “This bridge appears to fit within the design lineage of Earth vessels of the last one hundred and fifteen years.”

“But no records of a configuration exactly like this.” Scott said as he clomped around the room in his magnetized boots. “Just like the rest of the bloody ship.”

Kirk laid his hand on what was obviously the Captain’s chair. Who had commanded this ship? What had happened to him?

His thoughts were interrupted by McCoy running his mediscanner over the chair. “There’s no cellular residue at all here, Jim, at least none my instruments can detect.”

“What does that mean?” Kirk asked.

“It means no one’s been here in a very long time. Decades.”

“Captain,” Spock said. “Recommend we make efforts to restore minimal power. Activating the lights and life support systems will make examination of the vessel easier, and should facilitate access to the main computer.”

“Can you do it, Scotty?” Kirk asked.

“Aye, sir; she’s perfectly intact. We’ll just need one of our emergency batteries from the Enterprise to jumpstart one of the fusion reactors.”

Kirk nodded. “Do it.”

***

A few hours later, Kirk , Spock, and McCoy were back on the Enterprise bridge.

“Captain, I have established a link to the vessel’s main computer.” Spock said. “If Mr. Scott is successful in restoring power, I should have access momentarily.”

“Sir, Mr. Scott is signaling,” Uhura reported.

Kirk punched the intercom button on his armrest. “Kirk here.”

"Captain, we're all ready to jumpstart this lass when you give the word."

"Proceed, Mr. Scott."

There was a pause, then the sound of congratulations. Scott’s voice came through the intercom again. "She's holdin' together just fine, sir. Fusion reaction is stable. We're activatin' life support support systems and startin' artificial gravity generation now. Mr. Spock, ye should have access to the main computer."

Spock worked his instruments. "Thank you, Mr. Scott. Captain, I have begun downloading the contents of their main computer."

Kirk happened to be looking at the main viewer when the mysterious vessel's exterior spotlights came on. He frowned at something he saw there and rose from his seat. "Mr. Sulu, go to full magnification on viewer."

The screen wavered, and the vessel on it seemed to jump forward. Everyone looking at the screen at that moment shared a collective gasp as they read the name emblazoned on the vessel's saucer: "NX-01 ENTERPRISE"

***

Several hours later, the senior officers were gathered in the briefing room.

"The only Earth space vehicles named Enterprise, other than our vessel, are the prototype Space Shuttle from the late 1970s, and the starliner from the mid 22nd century." Spock stated. "The ship we found today cannot be from our past."

"How's that possible?" McCoy asked. "You said yourself that it's been adrift for over a hundred years."

"Aye, it has. When the ship's chronometers came back on, they showed the date as September 26th, 2155." Scott said. "But that doesna tell us where it came from."

"Gentlemen, what does all this mean?" Kirk asked.

"There is technology aboard that ship that did not exist in the 22nd century" Spock said.

"They have a transporter." Scott revealed. "And it can complete a full cycle in 4 seconds. We also found these." He placed two pistol-like weapons on the table. "Phasers. As far as power output, they're roughly equivalent to the first phasers Starfleet issued 12 years ago. We found ship mounted-phaser cannons, too."

"The vessel is also equipped with subspace radio." Spock added. "It does not, however, have forcefield technology of any kind. For towing, is uses the same variety of grappling hook found on Earth vessels of our mid 22nd century, and the outer guard is limited to a system which polarizes the hull plating."

"Like the ships we had during the Romulan War," Sulu observed.

"Precisely." Spock said. "Along with its phaser weapons, the vessel is also mounted with the kind of pulse lasers and fusion-powered torpedoes that were in use during your Romulan War."

"So we've got a UESPA-constructed ship that no one's touched for a hundred years," Kirk said, "yet it's a curious amalgam of past and present technology."

"There is still more." Spock continued. "I found several items of interest in the computer records. There is no mention of the United Earth Space Probe Agency at all. According to its memory banks, the ship was constructed by Starfleet."

"But Starfleet didn’t exist in 2153," Scott protested.

"Nevertheless, the ship's memory banks clearly refer to Starfleet as its authority" Spock said. "Additionally, there are indications that the ship once made a trip from Earth to the Klingon homeworld in less than one week, yet they traveled no faster than Warp 5. There are also database entries for an alien race known as the Suliban, with whom the crew of that Enterprise appears to have had extensive contact."

"I've never heard of the Suliban." McCoy said.

"You are not alone, Doctor," Spock said. "The Suliban do not appear in any Federation database."

"What about the crew?" Kirk asked. "Were you able to find some kind of a crew manifest?"

"Yes, Captain. The crew roster lists such luminaries as Captain Jonathan Archer, Commander Charles Tucker, and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, to name a few. However, there is an anomaly in the roster as well." He pressed a switch on his computer console, and a picture of a Vulcan woman appeared on the three-sided viewer in the middle of the table. "Subcommander T'Pol, a noted member of the Vulcan Star Service. She is listed as First Officer."

"Spock, aren't you the first Vulcan to serve aboard an Earth ship?" Kirk asked.

"Indeed I am.The T'Pol with whom I am familiar never served with humans," Spock said.

A smile crept over McCoy's face. "Mr. Spock, I can't help but notice the very illogical uniform that this Subcommander of yours is wearing in that picture. Looks like very tight long johns."

 "No doubt she was the unfortunate victim of a human quartermaster," Spock replied. "Gentlemen, I submit that the Enterprise we discovered did not originate in our universe. We have, after all, had personal experience with parallel universes and timelines."

Kirk was skeptical. “An alternate universe? Why not some kind of elaborate fraud, like the Cardiff Giant?”

“Too much detail,” Spock answered. “Also, if someone were to go to the effort of perpetrating such an elaborate hoax, why leave the vessel drifting in open space where it might never be found?”

“Then if you’re convinced that ship came from an alternate universe, do we know how it got here?” Kirk asked.

"Negative, Captain." Spock replied. "It has been adrift here for over one hundred years. Any evidence of the event which brought the vessel here has long since faded."

 "Thank you, Mr. Spock. Scotty, throw a tractor beam on that ship, we're taking it to Starbase 6 for analysis," Kirk said. "Mr. Sulu, plot a course. Dismissed."

***

Captain's Log, Supplemental: We are fourteen hours away from Starbase 6, towing a mysterious derelict vessel. Science and Engineering teams continue to examine it, hoping to find some clue as to how it got here.

Kirk punched the STOP button on his recording computer and leaned back in his chair. Suddenly, the ship lurched violently, and Red Alert sirens went off.

Kirk slammed his fist down on the intercom panel. "Bridge! What's happening up there?"

"Spock here, sir. The other Enterprise has disappeared."

"Disappeared? How?"

"Unknown. I have ordered full stop while we conduct a scan of the area."

Kirk nodded. "I'll be right up."

By the time Kirk reached the bridge, the alarms had stopped.

"We've scanned the entire area, Captain." Spock reported. "No sign of the vessel."

"Were any of our people over there?" Kirk asked.

"Affirmative. Crewman Daniels was aboard at the time."

The frustration of losing a man stung the Captain. "And there's no way to tell where that ship went?"

"Not as yet." Spock said. "The vessel simply disappeared. There were no abnormal readings before or after, no evidence of spatial or temporal distortion."

"We'll stay in the area until we're certain there's nothing more we can do." Kirk decided.

***

Captain's Log, additional entry: We have resumed course for Starbase 6. Despite our best efforts, we were not able to ascertain the cause of the derelict vessel's disappearance.

Kirk switched off his recording computer and stared blankly at the wall, mentally preparing his message to the family of Crewman Daniels.

"Captain Kirk?"

Kirk whirled around, startled. A young man in a red Engineering jumpsuit stood just inside the door to his quarters. "Crewman . . . Daniels? How did you get in here? What happened to that ship?"

"I-I'm sorry, sir, but I can't tell you that." Daniels said nervously. "I never meant for anyone to find the ship; it was all a mistake. Just a relic from an unstable timeline. It doesn't really matter one way or the other, nothing should be changed. In your timeline, I mean."

"What do you know about the timeline?"

"I'm sorry sir, I can't tell you any more than that. Oh, Mr. Spock will be calling you any minute now, to tell you that all the information you collected on the other Enterprise has been wiped from your memory banks. Believe me, it's better this way." And then he was simply gone.

Kirk stared for a moment at the empty space where Daniels had been. Then he rose from his chair, and headed for the Bridge.