Wes took a several tentative steps forward, running three scans at once through his tricorder just to make absolutely, unmistakably sure what he was seeing.
"You're from Starfleet." He began lamely--the uniform as unmistakable but different at the same time. The tricorder and communicator checked out as early 23 century but there were other discrepancies present as well.
In his hand, Wesley's tricorder blipped to indicate it was finished it's scan and the result made his knees weak.
"You...you're...James T. Kirk."
But a young James T. Kirk most likely from an alternate timeline.
'What. are. the. chances? Here? better than you'd think, cadet.'
"I'm fine, just surprised...sir." Was sir even proper yet?
'To hell with it being proper, it's James T. freaking Kirk!'
"I wasn't expecting to ever see someone from even near my era here, sir--that's all. How did you even get here?"
Great, so there was another timeline now where James. T. Kirk was lost to time and space, like the one in his timeline had ultimately been. He supopsed it shouldn't be too surprising, but at the same time....
He was standing face to face with one of the greatest space captains to ever live.
This would be the point where Wesley's brows furrowed a little. It was common knowledge that a young Kirk had been stupidly rash, brazen and sarcastic but he'd also reveled in people knowing who he was.
Apparently not so much with this Kirk...although it could be a result of whatever brought him there, as well.
"Of course I know who you are, well...a version of you anyway." Perhaps that would make this Kirk feel a little better? "In my time both you and your father were two of the greatest captains to command a bridge. But, where are my manners, um...I haven't even introduced myself." Wes held a hand out.
"Junior Lieutenant Wesley Crusher...last served aboard the USS Enterprise E. It's...an honor to meet you..." Wes scanned the uniform for any rank insigna but saw...none? "Mr. Kirk."
'Okay, no big deal, maybe he just wasn't...fully dressed when he got taken here...' Wes hopped that was the case. Cochrane did he hope.
Kirk snorted and shook his head at that, "Yes, my father, all 10 minutes of command before he bit it."
He groaned and took the Lieutenant's hand, might as well be somewhat polite. "Well, Lieutenant, they teach you to read rank insignia in the future?"
He held up one arm and pointed at the rank stripes.
The poor guy had what could only be called a conniption fit at being called out. "Ehh, don't worry about it, it's a shitty place for rank anyway. Not surprised it finally got phased out."
The conniption fit was half due to not recognizing the rank insignia and half due to Kirk's comment about his father--which all but settled that this had to be an alternate timeline James T. Kirk. The Tiberius Kirk Wes had studied lived to old age and retired happily.
"I...I'm sorry, I had no idea." 'Way to go idiot. What is it with you and knowing the exact wrong thing to say about parents? Like with Dairine and her mom...' "Er, yes, it was phased out quite some time ago, in er, my timeline."
Wes released Kirk's hand after gripping it a little bit longer than as obviously comfortable to the older man before all but jumping to answer.
"Well sir, that's actually a bit of a difficult question. It appears to be 21st Century North America...Canada, to be exact, not too far from Toronto. But in reality the whole...universe really is subject to a temporal-spacial anomaly that no one really understands. Yet. I've been here just about a year and barely managed to scratch the surface. The center of the anomaly is right over there, though." Wes pointed towards the ravine. "I wouldn't get too close. There's something there that reacts to human presences--causes earthquakes. I've managed to set up remote sensors but they can only warn me when something is about to happen." He explained, frowning a little.
"I'm afraid you're stuck here, just like everyone else who came here though...not the usual means."
21st century? Well, somewhat barbaric but at least they had antibiotics and automobiles.
Hmm, automobiles, and oh motorcycles.
Maybe this wouldn't be that bad.
"Hmm, to bad Spock's not here, this would be right up his ally." Kirk pulled out the tricorder, "CO2, more carcinogens than you can shake a stick at." he snorted, "Either someones made a really good fake or your right."
He turned toward the ravine and took readings. Spock would kill him if he somehow got back and didn't take decent stats for him and his science gurus to drool over.
"I...of course I'm right." Wesley puzzled at Kirk, frowning slightly. "I don't know how much you paid attention in Astrophysics but the energy required to 'fake' and entire universe would be completely beyond anything known to exist, even in my time. And trust me, there is a universe out there, I had a friend who'd seen it." Or at least, a good part of the right spiral arm of the galaxy.
Kirk seemed to, if not ignore Wes, than pass him over in favor of taking readings from the ravine. "And, um, I've been monitoring this place since the beginning of the year, so if you want good information, I could find a way to transfer it from my tricorder to yours. The Mark V models barely reach high frequency EM bands..." He wasn't trying to be rude but the fact of the matter was that Wesley's equipment was just better.
Kirk just turned to the little asshole kid. He's been willing to pass it off as young, but now this little fucker was just pissing him off.
"Is there something about being from the future that automatically makes you an asshole? I'm so fucking tired of the future fucking with my life, telling my where I need to go, and what I need to do. If you'll excuse me, I'll take my readings the way I want to, on my old fashioned equipment, that works just FINE for me."
Ok, maybe that was a bit much, but damn he was tired of the future fucking with his life.
"Hey, I was just trying to help! Do you honestly think I'm any happier than you are being stuck here? And you've barely been here an hour!" Okay, so...his childhood hero was a jerk. But Wes hadn't exactly been in the best mood either when he first arrived and somehow..well... he was reminded of when Ianto followed him down to the ravine that first time.
'Wow, was I just as annoying and arrogant sounding?'
Still. His childhood hero was jerk. Alright, he could deal with this.
"Besides, what else about the future has messed with your life recently?" Wes asked, doing his best to keep the edge out of his voice. All those classes in diplomacy and negotiation would be wasted if he didn't keep his cool now.
Wes shook his head, for a moment wondering what that question had to do with anything.
"The Kelvin? NCC-0514...it was decommissioned when I was little--I remember watching the ceremony at the Alexandria shipyard where it was built. Why?" Perhaps something happened with the Kelvin that proved a difference in timeline, just like what had happened with the one alternate timeline the Enterprise had been caught in some years ago.
"Um, last time I checked, yeah, it was. I've been...out of the loop for a while though, so to be honest there's a chance it might not be now. Did...something happen to it, in your timeline?" The thought alone was terrifying, and played to a very, very old fear of Wesley's--something so irrational and impossible it was practically stupid, but it was a fear nonetheless.
Kirk smirked, "Well, then you're either from the universe that spawned mine before Romulus blew or some other universe. Sit down, have a beer, I've got quite the story."
"Once upon a time, perhaps in your future, Romulus is about to be destroyed, the only way to save it? Red Matter and an old guy named Ambasador Spock heard of him?"
He paused, not really caring what the answer was but he'd at least be somewhat polite.
"Well, the attempt failed and instead Spock formed a portal to the past. A Romulan named Nero lands some 125 years back from where they started. Destroyed the Kelvin with my father at the helm and created my universe."
He laughs, it's not a pretty laugh, more a sarcastic laugh that is reminiscent of that time Pike pealed him off the floor of that dive bar.
"For a quarter of a century, Nero, armed with future technology wreaks havoc in the Alpha and Beta quadrants, destroys most of the Klingon fleet. Then finally 25 years later, Spock's ship shows up with the Red Matter. Wanna know what he did with it?"
Kirk sneered, "Nero used it to destroy Vulcan and half of the Federation's fleet with my entire graduating class aboard. Only the Enterprise survived the attack. All for revenge because of Spock Prime's inability to save Romulus in the future."
"Oh we got him, but only after he nearly did the same to Earth and more good people died. So, you'll excuse me if I have a bit of a problem with the future fucking with my life."
He shut his tricorder with a snap. Punctuating the end of the story.
For a long moment, Wesley just stared at the slightly older man, trying to make sure his jaw wasn't too unhinged. He'd read theories on Red Matter--it was cutting edge--but so far no attempt to stabilize or contain it had been devised.
"I..." Wes began, but words failed. Suddenly he was remembering what Dairine said about the Lone Power and how there were worlds and universes where He was more powerful than in others--universes plagued by war and constant pained and suffering. He'd never exactly known what to think about Dairine's interpretation of things, but somehow, hearing that...it made so much more sense than when she'd tried to explain it to him.
"Romulus and Vulcan?" Wes asked, as thought he's misheard somewhere along the line. "I'm...I'm sorry." He'd seen potential futures where the Borg had taken over Earth, where Earth as a Dominion colony world, and part of the Klingon Empire...but it looked like not even The Traveler had wanted to show Wes the potential future the James T. Kirk standing before him had lived. "How is red matter supposed to save Romulus...if that is part of my timeline, maybe it can still be prevented yet." Time was a funny thing like that. If living in Aternaville had taught him nothing else, it was that.
Kirk ignored the questions and focused on the one part Wes had wrong.
He snorted, "See, that's the really sick part about all that, Romulus still exists in MY universe. Nero was wreaking havoc in revenge for a planet that still existed for us. He wanted to punish Old Spock for failing to save Romulus, so he made Spock watch as Nero destroyed Vulcan."
"Romulan's are all about and eye for an eye. Or at least Nero was.
"You're from Starfleet." He began lamely--the uniform as unmistakable but different at the same time. The tricorder and communicator checked out as early 23 century but there were other discrepancies present as well.
In his hand, Wesley's tricorder blipped to indicate it was finished it's scan and the result made his knees weak.
"You...you're...James T. Kirk."
But a young James T. Kirk most likely from an alternate timeline.
'What. are. the. chances? Here? better than you'd think, cadet.'
"I'm fine, just surprised...sir." Was sir even proper yet?
'To hell with it being proper, it's James T. freaking Kirk!'
"I wasn't expecting to ever see someone from even near my era here, sir--that's all. How did you even get here?"
Great, so there was another timeline now where James. T. Kirk was lost to time and space, like the one in his timeline had ultimately been. He supopsed it shouldn't be too surprising, but at the same time....
He was standing face to face with one of the greatest space captains to ever live.
No one back home would ever believe him.
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Somehow his fame includes time travel.
Joy.
"Does everyone know who I am? I fall in a portal, land here on my ass and someone still knows my name. Unbelievable."
Kirk, groaned and ran his hand though his hair.
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Apparently not so much with this Kirk...although it could be a result of whatever brought him there, as well.
"Of course I know who you are, well...a version of you anyway." Perhaps that would make this Kirk feel a little better? "In my time both you and your father were two of the greatest captains to command a bridge. But, where are my manners, um...I haven't even introduced myself." Wes held a hand out.
"Junior Lieutenant Wesley Crusher...last served aboard the USS Enterprise E. It's...an honor to meet you..." Wes scanned the uniform for any rank insigna but saw...none? "Mr. Kirk."
'Okay, no big deal, maybe he just wasn't...fully dressed when he got taken here...' Wes hopped that was the case. Cochrane did he hope.
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He groaned and took the Lieutenant's hand, might as well be somewhat polite. "Well, Lieutenant, they teach you to read rank insignia in the future?"
He held up one arm and pointed at the rank stripes.
The poor guy had what could only be called a conniption fit at being called out. "Ehh, don't worry about it, it's a shitty place for rank anyway. Not surprised it finally got phased out."
"So, Wesley, where are we?"
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"I...I'm sorry, I had no idea." 'Way to go idiot. What is it with you and knowing the exact wrong thing to say about parents? Like with Dairine and her mom...' "Er, yes, it was phased out quite some time ago, in er, my timeline."
Wes released Kirk's hand after gripping it a little bit longer than as obviously comfortable to the older man before all but jumping to answer.
"Well sir, that's actually a bit of a difficult question. It appears to be 21st Century North America...Canada, to be exact, not too far from Toronto. But in reality the whole...universe really is subject to a temporal-spacial anomaly that no one really understands. Yet. I've been here just about a year and barely managed to scratch the surface. The center of the anomaly is right over there, though." Wes pointed towards the ravine. "I wouldn't get too close. There's something there that reacts to human presences--causes earthquakes. I've managed to set up remote sensors but they can only warn me when something is about to happen." He explained, frowning a little.
"I'm afraid you're stuck here, just like everyone else who came here though...not the usual means."
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Hmm, automobiles, and oh motorcycles.
Maybe this wouldn't be that bad.
"Hmm, to bad Spock's not here, this would be right up his ally." Kirk pulled out the tricorder, "CO2, more carcinogens than you can shake a stick at." he snorted, "Either someones made a really good fake or your right."
He turned toward the ravine and took readings. Spock would kill him if he somehow got back and didn't take decent stats for him and his science gurus to drool over.
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Kirk seemed to, if not ignore Wes, than pass him over in favor of taking readings from the ravine. "And, um, I've been monitoring this place since the beginning of the year, so if you want good information, I could find a way to transfer it from my tricorder to yours. The Mark V models barely reach high frequency EM bands..." He wasn't trying to be rude but the fact of the matter was that Wesley's equipment was just better.
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"Is there something about being from the future that automatically makes you an asshole? I'm so fucking tired of the future fucking with my life, telling my where I need to go, and what I need to do. If you'll excuse me, I'll take my readings the way I want to, on my old fashioned equipment, that works just FINE for me."
Ok, maybe that was a bit much, but damn he was tired of the future fucking with his life.
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'Wow, was I just as annoying and arrogant sounding?'
Still. His childhood hero was jerk. Alright, he could deal with this.
"Besides, what else about the future has messed with your life recently?" Wes asked, doing his best to keep the edge out of his voice. All those classes in diplomacy and negotiation would be wasted if he didn't keep his cool now.
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Yeah, this would answer everything really, destroyed, his, not destroyed, someone elses, pretty simple really.
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"The Kelvin? NCC-0514...it was decommissioned when I was little--I remember watching the ceremony at the Alexandria shipyard where it was built. Why?" Perhaps something happened with the Kelvin that proved a difference in timeline, just like what had happened with the one alternate timeline the Enterprise had been caught in some years ago.
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"One more question, is Romulus in one peace in your future?"
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"Um, last time I checked, yeah, it was. I've been...out of the loop for a while though, so to be honest there's a chance it might not be now. Did...something happen to it, in your timeline?" The thought alone was terrifying, and played to a very, very old fear of Wesley's--something so irrational and impossible it was practically stupid, but it was a fear nonetheless.
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"Once upon a time, perhaps in your future, Romulus is about to be destroyed, the only way to save it? Red Matter and an old guy named Ambasador Spock heard of him?"
He paused, not really caring what the answer was but he'd at least be somewhat polite.
"Well, the attempt failed and instead Spock formed a portal to the past. A Romulan named Nero lands some 125 years back from where they started. Destroyed the Kelvin with my father at the helm and created my universe."
He laughs, it's not a pretty laugh, more a sarcastic laugh that is reminiscent of that time Pike pealed him off the floor of that dive bar.
"For a quarter of a century, Nero, armed with future technology wreaks havoc in the Alpha and Beta quadrants, destroys most of the Klingon fleet. Then finally 25 years later, Spock's ship shows up with the Red Matter. Wanna know what he did with it?"
Kirk sneered, "Nero used it to destroy Vulcan and half of the Federation's fleet with my entire graduating class aboard. Only the Enterprise survived the attack. All for revenge because of Spock Prime's inability to save Romulus in the future."
"Oh we got him, but only after he nearly did the same to Earth and more good people died. So, you'll excuse me if I have a bit of a problem with the future fucking with my life."
He shut his tricorder with a snap. Punctuating the end of the story.
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"I..." Wes began, but words failed. Suddenly he was remembering what Dairine said about the Lone Power and how there were worlds and universes where He was more powerful than in others--universes plagued by war and constant pained and suffering. He'd never exactly known what to think about Dairine's interpretation of things, but somehow, hearing that...it made so much more sense than when she'd tried to explain it to him.
"Romulus and Vulcan?" Wes asked, as thought he's misheard somewhere along the line. "I'm...I'm sorry." He'd seen potential futures where the Borg had taken over Earth, where Earth as a Dominion colony world, and part of the Klingon Empire...but it looked like not even The Traveler had wanted to show Wes the potential future the James T. Kirk standing before him had lived. "How is red matter supposed to save Romulus...if that is part of my timeline, maybe it can still be prevented yet." Time was a funny thing like that. If living in Aternaville had taught him nothing else, it was that.
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He snorted, "See, that's the really sick part about all that, Romulus still exists in MY universe. Nero was wreaking havoc in revenge for a planet that still existed for us. He wanted to punish Old Spock for failing to save Romulus, so he made Spock watch as Nero destroyed Vulcan."
"Romulan's are all about and eye for an eye. Or at least Nero was.
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