Star Trek:
Lexus
by Julien Gregg
Copyright © 2025 by Julien Gregg
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact the author by email. The link is below.
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
Chapter Two
Stardate -106802.4 USS Lexus
"I don't think you're old enough to captain this vessel," Sparks told Jim a few minutes later.
"That's hardly your decision to make, Captain Sparks," he said. "I assure you, I am the Captain of this ship."
"Not anymore," she said. "I'm taking command."
"You will do no such thing," Jim said coldly. "My people will not follow your orders. You and your entire crew will be confined to quarters until we reach Earth. You can use your replicators to get food, your sonic showers to cleanse your bodies, and your computer access will be limited."
"You don't have the authority," she said.
"I think he does," said Alex. "I'm First Officer of this ship, and James Kirk is my Captain. Captain Sparks, security is on its way here to escort all of you to your quarters, where you will be locked in. It's that or the brig. Make your choice."
"See that they're confined to quarters," Jim said. "And Alex, place force fields in all of the Jeffries tubes that access any of their rooms. Make them hyperphasic, set it on constant modulation, and seal the access doors."
"Aye, Sir," he said. "Captain Sparks, and Commander Tucker, if you would follow me."
"Starfleet will hear of this, Kirk," she said.
"That's Captain Kirk to you, Captain Sparks," he said.
"Captain," she said. "You're not fit to be captain of a canoe."
"Insults won't help your situation, Captain Sparks," he said. "Show some decorum. You're a Starfleet Officer. You should act like one."
"I should slap that smug look off your face," she said, and stepped toward him just as Annika walked into the room.
"You would do better to leave him alone," Annika said. She had a phaser pointed right at Captain Sparks's chest. "I will fire, and it isn't on stun."
"You watch how you talk to a Starfleet Captain, Borg Drone," she said.
"And take their communicators," Jim said. "We don't need them plotting together. Make sure that Captain Sparks and Commander Tucker have quarters all their own. The crew will have to double up. I suppose that's safe enough without access to other members, their Captain, or Number One. This is going to be a long ride, Captain. I suggest you think long and hard about the way you conduct yourself with Starfleet Captains in the future while you wait."
"Oh, go to Hell, Kirk," she said as they were led out of the transporter room.
Twelve people, including Captain Sparks and Commander Tucker, were confined to quarters. That was the complete complement of the surviving crew from the Ranger. It was tense, but it was done. They had followed his orders to the letter. There was no way that any of them would get out of those quarters until the ship reached Earth, whenever that would be. Once he reached it, he couldn't figure out how to cross the galactic barrier. He'd need a Q. That made him feel sick.
"You did the right thing where the crew of the Ranger was involved," Alex said. "Captain Sparks cannot be allowed to disrespect a Starfleet Captain."
"I'm glad that you agree with me," Jim said. "But, Alex, it will take Q to get us back to the Milky Way. I don't see how we can cross the galactic border without him."
"That's a bad thing," he said. "How do we convince that being to do anything to help us?"
"I think it's a long shot," Jim said. "We've been in this galaxy for over five months and haven't seen him at all."
"Well, he's watching us, I'm sure," said Alex. "Maybe putting Sparks and what's left of her crew in quarters and locking them in will get him to come to us."
"I doubt it," Jim said. "He said we'd be alone. We are alone."
"Red alert!" cried the voice of Mary Ballanger. "Captain Kirk to the Bridge."
"We'd better go," Alex said.
"What in fresh Hell is this?" Jim asked as they made their way to the turbo lift.
"I don't begin to know," Alex said.
"Bridge," Jim said when the door slid shut.
Seconds later, they were on the Bridge, and he was faced with a Borg Cube on screen. Suddenly, the picture switched to a Borg Drone. He looked around the Bridge, but when Annika came off the turbo lift, he smiled—he actually smiled! Jim took his seat, and Alex sat beside him. Juliette was saying something, but she was interrupted by the drone. He looked at Annika and said, "Annika, I've found you."
"Axum," Annika breathed as she stood transfixed by the screen.
"I've been searching," he said. "It's strange that it took coming to Andromeda to find you."
"How did you get here?" she demanded.
"Through a break in the barrier," he said. "It's still there. Are you lost?"
"We're lost," Annika said. "We must return to the Milky Way and then home to Earth."
"I have a request, and then I will take you to the break in the barrier," he said.
"Name it," she said.
"Liberate me and my crew," he said. "We no longer want to be Borg. We want to be like you."
"Captain," she said, turning to Jim.
"Can it be done?" Jim asked.
"We can do it with The Doctor and Icheb," she said.
"Then make it so," he said, returning to the screen. "Prepare to beam over in groups of three."
"It will be as you say," said Axum. Three drones appeared on the Bridge. Several reacted by drawing phasers.
"That won't be necessary," Jim said. "Weapons down."
Annika escorted them off the Bridge to Sickbay, where she activated The Doctor's program. She tapped her com badge and asked Icheb to join her in Sickbay. He came and they got to work, liberating the three drones one at a time. Like Annika, the doctor had to leave certain Borg implants inside the bodies because they had fused with biological systems. They brought each drone as close to their former selves as they could. When they were finished, Annika asked Axum how many more.
"Ten, including myself," he said.
"Why don't you all just beam over?" Jim said. "You can wait in the cargo bay for your turn to be with The Doctor."
"Thank you, Captain," Axum said. Then ten Borg drones appeared on the Bridge. It made all of them uncomfortable, but these were the liberated drones of Unimatrix Zero. He'd read about them in school. Now he was helping to bring them as far back to themselves as possible.
It took the better part of three days, but The Doctor, Annika, and Icheb brought thirteen Borg Drones back to their former selves as far as possible. Each still had Borg implants in their bodies. They needed them to function normally. Thirteen more regeneration alcoves were added to Cargo Bay Three. The liberated drones had to regenerate for twenty-four hours before their systems would begin to right themselves. Jim was happy that it had happened. But he didn't like sitting in front of a Borg cube. Suddenly, weapons fire began, and someone was firing at the cube.
"We're being hailed," said Ronny Miller, the ensign on communications.
"On screen," he said.
What he saw was what he thought was a female. She had tentacles coming out of the top of her head, and they reconnected with her at the jaw line on both sides. There were three on each side. Her skin was blue, but a light, almost white blue. Her eyes were all over blue. There were no whites to her eyes. They were all iris. She looked beautiful in a way. Jim noticed all of this in seconds as he looked at her. He wondered why she was firing on the Borg cube.
"Can we help you? This is Captain James Kirk of the Federation Starship Lexus," he said.
"Why are you allowing the cube to stay in space before you?" she demanded.
"It's just sitting there," Jim said.
"Destroy it, or help me destroy it," she said. "Have any of your crew been assimilated?"
"No," he said. "The cube was friendly. We just liberated thirteen drones."
"Is that so?" she asked. "Still, I'd rest easier, my people would rest easier if the cube were destroyed."
"Fire hyperphasic torpedoes," he told Annika. The cube was hit by three, and it was destroyed.
"That's some weapon," said the woman.
"With whom am I speaking?" Jim asked.
"My name is Andranna," she said. "I am captain of the Thorgan Ship Raker."
"I'm glad that we could assist you," Jim said.
"I don't recognize the ship," she said. "You said the Federation Starship? Have you humans changed the name of your space force?"
"We're not from the Earth in this galaxy," Jim said. "We come from another galaxy."
"I thought you were from Earth," she said. "I apologize for my earlier attitude. It's just that the humans of Earth think they're better than every species in the system. They're not hostile or anything like that. They're just a bit much."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Jim said. "We are not like them much besides being the same species. We were brought here by a being that likes to play tricks on humans."
"Q?" she asked. "We know of him. He's the one who first brought humans to this system."
"We thought we'd left that system behind," Jim said.
"The system is vast," she said. "It covers three stars that have planets around them. We're on the outer rim of the system. You'll be in Arminian Space if you keep going. That's the next system over. It's about twenty-five light-years from here."
"We've been here for five months," Jim said. "We've only encountered the humans of Earth, the Kzinti, and the Borg."
"I'm sorry for your losses," she said.
"We didn't lose any to the Kzinti or the Borg," Jim said. "With the Kzinti, three ships tried to surround us, but we destroyed them. That was the end of that encounter. You saw what we did to this cube. We did that to four cubes in the Borg system, and then they left us alone."
"Potent weapons to destroy the Borg and Kzinti," she said. "One usually falls to the Kzinti and becomes food. With the Borg, it's worse. They assimilate, or they try to. They don't come for my people. We don't make good drones."
"That's good," I said. "It means they usually leave you alone."
"No, they don't come to assimilate us," she said. "They come to kill us."
"I'm sorry for my confusion," he said.
"What can I trade for weapons like you possess?" she asked.
"You want hyperphasic torpedoes?" he asked. He had to think. Did he really want to give this species hyperphasic torpedoes?
"If they kill the Borg and Kzinti, then yes," she said.
He made his decision. He sent instructions on how to modulate her torpedoes to make them hyperphasic. She gave them dilithium. That was much needed for their ship. The accepted, and then they got on their way. She had told them that her species was the Darill. Icheb marked them on the star charts in Astrometrics. They got on their way and left their space. Now they were in Arminian Space. Andranna had told them that the Arminians were peaceful and loved technology. They were looking forward to meeting them. It didn't take long. They were in their space for a few moments before four ships approached.
"They're hailing us," said Ronny Miller.
"On screen," Jim said.
The screen came to life with a being with more hair than anyone Jim had ever seen. It was coming out of the jowls in tufts that hung down the front of the body. They had heads full of long, light brown hair and big brown eyes. Their faces were elongated at the nose, which made them resemble dog men. For all Jim knew, that's precisely what they were. He looked at them and waited for what they would say. Finally, he decided to start the dialogue.
"I'm Captain Jim Kirk of the Federation Starship Lexus," he said. "We ask permission to cross your space to reach the galactic barrier."
"You Earthlings are funny people," replied a gruff voice. "I am Chaim, though I think you know that already. What is this Federation? Has your Earth Force changed its name again?"
"We are not from the Earth here in this galaxy," Jim said. "We're from another galaxy. It's why we're trying to get to the barrier. We want to go home."
"You can't cross the barrier," he said gruffly. "Not from this Earth, you say? Where exactly are you from?"
"The Milky Way Galaxy," Jim said. "It's the closest galaxy to this one."
"You're not here to stop the formation of a new moon?" he asked.
"We weren't aware that a moon was forming in this system," Jim said, confused. "How could we even hope to stop such an event?"
"If you believe it is a spatial event, then you are not here to prevent it," he said. "The moon is our alpha. A new moon is forming his pack. That is what I am talking about."
Like dogs, Jim thought. "Well then, we know nothing about it and would not try to prevent it."
"I would like to invite you to the festivities," he said. "Do you have the time?"
"Sure," said Jim. "I'll gather a party of my people and we will fly to your planet by shuttle craft."
"You can beam to the surface," he said. "It's completely safe. We do it all of the time."
"Then we'll beam down in a little bit," Jim said with a smile.
"Captain," said Annika. "One of the liberated drones is this species."
"Are they ready to come out of regeneration?" he asked.
"Barely," she said. "I could wake him, and you could take him to the surface. Perhaps he will decide to stay here with his people."
"Make it so," he said. "Juliette, Chad, Austin, and Annika, please accompany me to the transporter room. Annika, come when you have the drone."
"Aye, Captain," she said and went to the turbo lift. They all went to the turbo lift. Jim, Chad, Juliette, and Austin went to the transporter room. Annika and the drone, whose name was Trask, joined them after a few moments. Then they beamed to the third planet in the system. Chaim was waiting for them. He looked startled when he saw Trask. Jim was confused at first. Then the two men embraced each other.
"Captain Kirk, you have rescued my brother from the Borg," Chaim said. "This is another reason to celebrate. Come, Trask. The new moon will choose his pack soon."
"Are you to be of his pack?" Trask asked in that gruff voice.
"No," Chaim said. "I was new moon last year. My pack is already formed. You may join it if you like."
"I'd like that," Trask said. "Captain, when you leave, I will stay here with my people."
"Very well," Jim said, smiling. "I'm glad I could get you back to your people."
"I'll need a regeneration alcove," Trask said, looking at Jim.
"I'll have Annika dismantle one from Deck Thirteen and bring it down to you," Jim said. "She and Icheb can install it wherever you want as long as there is a dedicated power supply."
"It will be as you say," Chaim said. "They can install it in my house. I assumed that Trask's return would not be as smooth as returning him from the Borg."
Annika returned to the ship to start dismantling a regeneration alcove. She and Icheb returned in two hours with the necessary parts to install it in Chaim's house. He showed them to a dedicated power supply, and they got to work, with Austin helping. They had it put together again and functional in three more hours. Trask stepped into the alcove and began to regenerate. It worked, so they were happy with what they'd done.
The Arminians got ready for the New Moon celebration. Once the New Moon picked his pack, everyone would celebrate. In the meantime, Jim and Chad were given a tour of the warp center and a ship. Jim made a split-second decision and gave them the information on how to make their torpedoes hyperphasic. He also gave them pads detailing building an ablative armor generator and modulating their shields for hyperphasic shielding. They were very appreciative and tried to provide him with cloaking protocols, but he refused. Starfleet ships didn't cloak.
Later that evening, at the celebration, Jim was surprised to find they had cooked and eaten their food like humans. Chaim explained that their species had evolved from canines. They had sharp incisors, and their teeth were like a canine's. Yet they cooked their food, cut it, and ate it like humans. Jim was impressed with them. They were brilliant and really knew how to celebrate. There were dogs all over the place. He also learned that there were dogs on every ship in the fleet of ships that they had on the second moon. Jim was very impressed.
They celebrated into the night. Axum and the others were finished regenerating when Jim and the others returned to the ship. They were tired, but Axum was prepared to show them where the break in the barrier was. He gave them coordinates, and they went there at warp six. High ionized storms met them as they traveled closer to the barrier. They raised shields and deployed armor. Axum told them exactly where to go. They found the break and barely fit through it. There was a rough space between the two galaxies, and everyone braced themselves. Finally, they were through the break and actually in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Stardate 72335.3 Delta Quadrant, Milky Way Galaxy
Their first passage into the Milky Way Galaxy was met with excitement. Everyone was happy to be back in the Milky Way. It took a while, but Astrometrics discovered they were in the Delta Quadrant. It wasn't all the way home, but it was closer. They could use slipstream to get to the Alpha Quadrant safely away from planetary systems. They breathed a sigh of relief to be in the right galaxy at least. Of course, there were threats all over the Delta Quadrant. They knew that, yet they felt ready to face those threats now that they were in familiar space. Well, familiar to the crew. Jim and Chad had never been in the Delta Quadrant, so it was all new.
They traversed much space at warp nine. Finally, they slowed and took a break. Jim and Chad went to bed, happy to be back in the right galaxy. The next morning, they went a bit further. There were planetary systems, but they paid them no mind. They were headed to a place where they could use the slipstream drive to get them back to the Alpha Quadrant and finally home to Earth. They hadn't set foot on Earth in over a hundred years. Jim wondered how different it would be now that a hundred years had passed. When Icheb gave him the current stardate, he was even more shocked. It wasn't 2215 now. It was 2695! How had they been gone for so long? It didn't make sense.
"Do you think we're actually back to our Milky Way?" Chad asked later that evening at Murphy's.
"What do you mean?" Jim asked.
"What if we're in some alternate dimension or something?" Chad asked. "Q could have thrown us further from home than we ever realized."
"You may be right about that," Jim said. "Chad, if he threw us into an alternate reality, we'll never return to our Earth."
"It wasn't 'our Earth' anymore," Chad pointed out. "We were a hundred years away from our Earth, Jim. What if we get to Earth and they hold us for doing what we're doing? What if they arrest us?"
"I hadn't thought of that," Jim said. "Suddenly, I'm not excited about returning to Earth."
"I understand," Chad said. "It's just something to think about. Maybe they won't. I don't know what will happen."
Then, Jim saw someone who was not part of the crew. He only saw him for a moment. He was a teenager like them, but he was dressed in a red Starfleet uniform like Jim and Chad. He had curly light brown hair and piercing hazel eyes. Jim had noticed all of this because he'd been staring at the boy without even realizing he'd been doing it. When he suddenly wasn't there anymore, Jim thought he was losing his mind. He didn't say anything to Chad about the visitor. The computer didn't give an intruder warning, so he may have been a figment of Jim's imagination. God knew he was under a lot of stress. Maybe it was getting to him, finally.
They went to bed that night, and Jim dreamed of being arrested and then found to be insane. He dreamt that he was placed in a facility for the insane. He didn't even know if they had such places in this time, but that's what he dreamed about. When he woke the next morning, he wasn't well rested. He got up, took a sonic shower, dressed in his uniform, and replicated coffee. He didn't like the stuff, but he'd been drinking it since the ship had become real. He needed the jolt a cup of coffee gave him in the morning.
Then, he went to the Bridge and took his place as ship captain. Alex was beside him. Chad was at the conn. It was all as it should have been. Jim hadn't seen the teenage boy again. He was actually looking for him now. Of course, he also paid attention to what was happening around him. They were flying into what Alex called Kazon Space. They found them to be at war with an alien race. Alex didn't recognize the ships on the other side of the war.
"If it comes to it, Captain, we should support whoever is fighting the Kazon," Alex said. "The Kazon can't be allowed to take more of the Delta Quadrant."
"Understood," Jim said. "But we don't know who they're fighting."
"No," said Alex. "I don't recognize the ships. They're nothing that I've seen before."
They were flat saucer ships with energy weapons, much like the Kazon's own weapons. They posed very little threat to Lexus, but the fighting was where they needed to fly through to get to a part of space with very few planetary systems. Jim decided to find out who was fighting the Kazon. He told them to hail one of the saucers, and everyone was shocked when the hail was answered by an Ocompan.
"The Ocompans should be underground, Captain," Alex said. "They never had ships. They weren't a space-dwelling species in this section of the quadrant. Something has happened. I don't understand where they got the ships."
Then Jim saw the teenager again. He was standing beside Chad, looking at him hard. When he noticed Jim could see him, he quickly went to the turbo lift. When Jim got up to follow him, the teenager was gone. Jim really thought he was losing it. He talked with the Ocompan vessel and decided to help them. He was directed to a planet that was, according to Tom Paris, uninhabited. Now it wasn't. They took a shuttle to the planet and met with the Ocompan leaders. They were busy moving between buildings and ships. Bombs were going off here and there. It was a war zone.
"You are Federation," said a male Ocompan with dark hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a white uniform with a star on his breast. Tom shook his head at this.
"Yes, I'm Captain James Kirk of the Federation Starship Lexus," Jim said. "We've come to help you in this war."
"Help us?" the man asked. "Are you going to use your warship to help us fight?"
"We will fire on the Kazon if and when they fire on us," Jim said. "What we're going to help you with is to show you how to equip your ships with ablative hull armor, modulate your shields to make them more effective, and give you weapons to help you fight the Kazon. Make no mistake, Lexus has chosen your side in this conflict."
"We're fighting them for control of this planet," the man said. "I am Jull, the leader of the Ocompans."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Jull," Jim said.
"I do not know you," Jull said. "I knew a Captain Janeway."
"She is in the Alpha Quadrant and an admiral in Starfleet now," Jim said.
"So, she got her ship home then?" Jull asked.
"Yes," Jim said. "That was a while ago, actually."
"We will work with you," he said. "We will not accept treachery as Janeway committed by destroying our caretaker's array."
"We will not do anything like that while we're here," Jim said. "We simply want to help you. Then we'd like to get to a section of space without planets to utilize a drive that will take us back to the Alpha Quadrant."
"I have no objection to that," said Jull. "We'll take your help, Captain. We'll thank you for it gladly. Any help to defeat the Kazon will be welcome."
Jim wasn't sure he wanted them to defeat the Kazon. He hoped he could sit down with the Kazon and the Ocompans and come to an agreement that would give them the planet. He gave them information on how to make their shields hyperphagic. He gave them one torpedo and showed them how to make it hyperphagic. They could build more of them. Austin and Annika showed them the schematics for making an ablative hull armor generator.
It took a lot more time than Jim was comfortable, but they got their ships outfitted with armor and hyperphasic shields. They'd even constructed several torpedoes and programmed them to become hyperphasic. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel, but Jim felt he had to help the Ocompans. He wanted to sit them down with the Kazon and make a deal. Negotiation might prove impossible, though. He had no idea how the Kazon would react. All he heard about them told him they weren't big on negotiating. They were more suited for battle than anything else. Jim may have his work cut out for him.
Then Jim saw the teenager on the Ocompan planet, as he was now calling it. He was watching Jim closely. It took a bit for him to notice that Jim had seen him. Then he took off. Jim didn't bother to follow him. He was sure he was in his mind now. He just didn't understand what was happening to his mind to make him see this teenager whom he did not know. He'd never seen the boy before seeing on him the ship. He was ready to at least tell Chad about it, though.
"I thought I was going crazy, but if you've seen him, too," Chad sighed. "Who is this person?"
"I don't know," Jim said. "Until I talked to you and found out that you've been seeing him too, I thought my mind had fractured and conjured this person to torment me."
"Well, that's not what's happening," Chad assured him. "What if he's Q?"
"That doesn't look like Q," Jim said.
"No, but if he could do what he did to us, how hard would it be for him to change his appearance and spy on us?"
"I guess you're right," Jim said. "But I think this is someone else. I don't think Q would show himself to us even if he is watching what we do."
The fighting began to change once the Ocompa had the technology down. The Kazon now wanted to talk. That seemed to shock Tom Paris, but Jim met with the leader of the Kazon and Jull on one of the Ocompan ships. The Kazon leader brought three with him. Jull had four men with him. Jim, Chad, Tom Paris, and Alex were slightly nervous about this. Yet when they sat down, they mapped out a peaceful outcome for the fighting. The fighting would stop. The Kazon were losing the conflict now that Jim had helped the Ocompans. The Kazon didn't know that Jim had helped anyone. They just wanted the killing to stop. They gave the Ocompans the planet and promised to leave them alone. Jim was shocked at how easy it was.
Then they were back on the ship, though they didn't use transporters. The teenager was standing in the center of the Bridge. Everyone saw him now. Then Q was standing beside him. Jim and Chad grew still as they waited for what Q would do to them. They'd gotten to the Milky Way Galaxy on their own. They hadn't needed Q for that. Surely that counted for something. Jim was worried that he'd toss them back into Andromeda.
"Junior, I know you meddled with the Kazon," Q told the teenager. This was his son?
"You set them an impossible task," said Junior. "I had to step in."
"Jim Kirk had changed the outcome of the fighting," Q said. "The Ocompans would have won the conflict."
"Not before they wiped the Kazon out completely," said Junior. "You know that we can't help one species eradicate another."
"Rules," Q said in a sigh. "Well, I've decided to make you human for what you've done."
"You can't do that," snapped Junior.
"Oh, but I have," Q said. "Since you wanted to help them so much, you can be one of them." He turned to Jim. "And as for you, I have decided to end this little experiment. You've proven that you can captain a vessel. You even bested Captain Sparks after I made her reject you as a captain in Starfleet. I'm sending you to Earth, but it won't be the Earth you lived on in 2107. No, you have traveled further from that Earth than you thought."
He snapped his fingers, and the Lexus was in orbit around Earth. Jim looked at the teenager for a long moment before Tom told him a ship was approaching. It was hailing them. He told them to open a channel and put them on screen. He saw Kathryn Janeway and another person. This was Jean-Luc Picard. He grew very still as he looked at them. Would he be in trouble? Would they arrest him? He had no idea what they were going to do with them. What about when they talked to Captain Sparks, who was still confined to her quarters like the surviving members of her crew? He was worried.
Kirk's Personal Log Stardate 57282.4
The reality of our situation is finally setting in for me. We've been detained by Starfleet Command for just over a week for serious debriefing. I don't know how many times I can tell them the same things before they'll understand that there's nothing more. They seem very interested in our trip through Andromeda. I continually remind them that it isn't clear to me if that took place in that other time and space or not but they don't seem to care. They talk about the Arminians and ask the same questions over and over again. I think they suspect that the Arminians are some kind of Borg rejects or something. I'm sure the Arminians would take offense, but we may never know now.
Chad didn't take the news well that there isn't a Dodds family in this time and space. I don't think I've ever seen him so upset before. They took him to a different room after that so I have no idea what he's feeling or thinking now. I don't know what any of the crew is thinking. The only thing I know is that being alone in this room makes me feel like a trapped animal.
JR sighed as he looked around the large room. His mind refused to let go of the truth. This wasn't his Earth. This wasn't his time. He'd been so determined to get home that he hadn't even thought about the possibility that Q had sent them further from home than just another galaxy. Now he was living that possibility as a reality he couldn't escape. His family had lived in this time line. Admiral Paris had given him data pads filled with information about his family. The most shocking piece of information was that James R. Kirk from this timeline had died at the age of eleven after an accident on a space station on Neptune.
How was he supposed to deal with that information? He was alive but he wasn't in his own world. This was Earth and it felt like home, but it wasn't home. There was no one on the planet that shared his genetics. There had been no one on his own Earth after he'd been found in the cryo ship, but then there was at least the possibility that there was a family somewhere in the galaxy that he belonged to. Now that was gone. He was alone now for real and there was nothing he could do about it.
Then there was Chad to think about. At least JR had some kind of family roots in this world. Chad had learned that there had never been a family by the name of Dodds in this time line. He had no cousin on board Voyager. He was now as alone as JR had always been. They were all they had now. They were brothers in their orphaned reality. The only family they had was the crew of clones from Lexus.
"You look like your head hurts," said Quinn, he'd chosen that name because in the other time line Admiral Janeway had given it to him when he'd lived on Voyager. Being Q's son had it's down sides it seemed. "What are you thinking about?"
"Chad," sighed JR. Then he mentally kicked himself. He was supposed to think of himself as Jim now. He'd decided that when he learned that they weren't really home after all. Jim Kirk was what he'd told Admiral Paris to call him.
"Yeah," said Quinn, with a sigh of his own. "He must be hurting right now."
"I wish that they'd at least let him contact me," said Jim. "Why is it that we're allowed to be together, but I can't have contact with anyone from the ship?"
"Aunt Kathy said that we'd all be together again after everyone is briefed," informed Quinn.
"That means they're all about to learn the truth about their existence," replied Jim as he thought about what each of them would think of him and Chad once they learned that they were clones.
"They know about being clones already," said Quinn. "They were told that while we were all in custody."
"But are they all still in custody?" Jim asked. They'd been held in a brig-like building at Starfleet Command for nearly a week after Lexus had landed. They were escorted by Captain Picard and his crew. Jim was happy that the crew of the Enterprise had been cordial and nice to them but he was still being kept in the dark. Were they planning to punish him and Chad for what they'd done?
"I think they're all trying to figure out how to best integrate them into Starfleet," said Quinn. "Aunt Kathy will be here soon to get us. I'm sure she'll tell you all about it."
"To get us?" Jim asked. "Where are we going now?"
"Home of course," said Quinn with his famous crooked grin. "Didn't I tell you? Aunt Kathy has been given custody of us."
"What about Chad?" asked Jim. He was happy about being with Admiral Janeway even though she wasn't the same woman he knew.
"Chad, too," he said, handing him a data pad.
That made him relax a bit. At least he and Chad would still be together. They didn't really know Quinn that well. Getting to know him wasn't proving to be easy so far. Security Officers from Starfleet Command kept them busy most of the time. Jim was surprised they'd been allowed to talk this long. He'd been expecting one of them to come get him since Quinn had come into the room. He thought that was what was about to happen when the door opened again. This time it was Chad that walked through the door and Jim was on his feet and across the room in a flash to take his friend into his arms.
"I was worried," he said as he held him tight.
"We're going to be all right," said Chad, hugging back. "We have to go into the Academy, but I guess it could have been worse."
"What do you mean?" Jim asked, letting go of Chad as the door opened again and Admiral Janeway came into the room.
"Yeah," said Chad. "They decided that we had to be trained properly."
"You'll enter the Academy as cadets," said Janeway as she came into the room. "Of course they'll have to take into consideration that you've had a lot of experience that the other cadets have only dreamed of. That's quite a ship, boys."
"Thank you," said Chad. "It was Lieutenant Kendrick that did most of the work though."
"Another from the alternate time line?" she asked, smiling at them.
"Right," said Jim. "We'll have to get used to the fact that not all of the people we knew exist in this time line."
"That's harder for some of us," Chad said quietly. "I lost an entire family."
"And gained another," said Jim, looking at him evenly. "Chad, you're my family now. All of the crew is family to me now."
"And they'll be wanting to see the two of you very soon," said Janeway. "Your Seven of Nine has been asking for you all day long."
"What about Icheb?" Jim asked. He'd been very close with Icheb before they'd come back to Earth.
"Icheb is visiting with our Icheb," said Janeway. "It's quite a unique experience for both of them."
"I can imagine," said Chad as he thought about the fact that the Icheb from this time line was a teenager.
"I assume that Quinn has told you that Starfleet has placed you in my custody," said Janeway.
"He has," said Jim, smiling. "Don't take this the wrong way, but if you have even a fraction of the personality of the Admiral Janeway that I know we're going to get along fine."
"I think I'll take that as a compliment, Mr. Kirk," she said with a smile.
"Please," he said, smiling back. "It's Jim."
"As you wish, Jim," she said with a bigger smile.
* * *
"And this is the room that the three of you will be staying in," said Janeway as she opened the door to the second bedroom in her cozy apartment in the Phoenix Tower just blocks from the main campus of Starfleet Academy. The apartment wasn't really large enough for the four of them and her dog, the Golden Retriever named Tuvok, but they would have to make due. "I'm sorry that there isn't more room. I know that you're all used to spacious quarters on Lexus."
The room was really only meant for one person, but a set of Starfleet issued bunk beds stood along the opposite wall from the door. A night stand separated them from the twin bed that was meant for the third occupant. There was a large chest of drawers standing against the adjacent wall. That was really all there was to it. A door beside the chest of drawers had to be the closet. The bathroom was just across the hall from them and Janeway's room was at the end of the hall.
"It'll be fine," said Jim as he looked around.
"I'm going to have to take you shopping for some clothes soon," she said. "I'm sure you're all very eager to get out of the jumpers that you're wearing."
They were each dressed in identical red and black jumpers that had been issued by Starfleet Command when their uniforms were confiscated. They were starchy and slightly uncomfortable so Jim was happy to know that they would soon be getting more comfortable clothing to wear. He wondered what it would be like.
They settled in the kitchen and Jim nearly laughed when he saw the replicator. He'd thought that on Earth there would be real cooked food. When Janeway replicated something for each of them to eat he noticed that where a stove would have been there was some kind of contraption that he couldn't identify. He saw the "GE" logo on it so he assumed it was an appliance.
"I know it's going to be hard for each of you to adapt to life on Earth," she said. "Jim and Chad, this isn't your Earth and I know that has to be troubling you both. I can't begin to understand how you're both feeling. Quinn, I know that this was never what you wanted. I promise that I will do everything within my power to make it easier on you every chance I get."
"Thank you," said Jim, staring into his plate.
"Kathryn, thank you," said Chad with a smile. "Believe me it wasn't easy for me or Jim to get used to life on Lexus. We were both in over our heads more times than not. We got through it though. I know we'll get through this too."
"You will," she said, nodding her head as she looked back at him seriously. "You will because you're both strong young men. I can see it in your eyes. Those are the eyes of young men that have seen their share of danger and faced it. Because of that I know that you'll get through this. I also know that Starfleet Academy is going to have two outstanding cadets on their hands very soon."
"About that," said Jim, looking up from his plate. "Why was it decided that we'd go to the Academy? I mean we broke a lot of rules on the Lexus. Surely we should be punished."
"They discussed punishing you," she revealed. "Especially after talking to Captain Sparks. Then they talked about how remarkable it was that you two traversed the Andromeda Galaxy in that ship. They talked about the fact that you two designed that ship." She held up her hand when Chad started to protest. "Sure you had the help of an engineer and it was only a holodeck, but you designed the ship almost completely. This Lieutenant Kendrick you talk about only helped with the engineering side. The actual design of the ship was all yours. They were impressed. I'm impressed. That's why they want you in the Academy instead of a prison colony. They know that with you two they have the making of great officers in a few years' time."
As soon as they were finished eating they headed out to look for clothes for the three young men. Jim and Chad marveled at the shops and stalls they went to while Quinn only looked vaguely interested. He was used to having whatever he wanted by snapping his fingers. All of that was over now. He was sure that his father wouldn't be coming back for him. He wouldn't be surprised if he never saw his father again after what he'd done. He didn't feel any less right about what he'd done, but the knowledge that he would never again be a Q was still a little upsetting for him.
After getting bags upon bags of clothes for the boys, Kathryn took them to the Academy so that they could have a look around what would soon become their campus. The large campus was home to many young men and women who were studying hard to be enlisted in Starfleet. She hadn't told them about their elevated status yet, but she thought that was best left to Admiral Paris to discuss with them when they were enrolled.
Jim was amazed by the architecture of the campus buildings. They looked like any other buildings in the city but inside they were constructed of the same materials as a starship. He suddenly felt right at home when they entered the Academy Cadet Center. There were many cadets walking around the building and Jim wondered if he would fit in once he was enrolled. They were all wearing different uniforms and he quickly figured out that the different colors represented the year of their class. The Freshmen were dressed in gold uniforms that weren't that much different than the uniforms that they'd worn on the ship. They looked a little different and no one had pips on their collars. The Sophomores wore brown uniforms while the Juniors and Seniors wore red uniforms. The difference between the Juniors and Seniors was that the uniform of a Senior looked exactly like the uniforms worn by officers in Starfleet.
They stopped at Admiral Paris's office and the boys were introduced to Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres, Admiral Paris's son and daughter in law. Both of the young officers seemed genuinely excited to meet Jim and Chad. They asked many questions about Lexus and Jim began to feel a bit more comfortable as he answered them.
"So how does it feel to have been the youngest Starfleet Captain of all time?" asked B'Elanna with a smile.
"Like a distant memory, to be honest," he replied. "I know it will be a long time before I'm sitting in the Captain's chair again."
"Don't sell yourself short, Mr. Kirk," said Admiral Paris with a knowing look on his face. "I've studied the data from your ship and spoken to every member of the crew. You were a fine Captain. I'm sure that with the proper grooming and studying you'll be back on the bridge of a starship in no time."
"I'm not so sure," admitted Jim. "I have a lot to learn."
"Well that's why we're here today," said Janeway. "You three have to be enrolled."
"Don't we have to take some sort of test?" Jim asked, looking from Janeway to Admiral Paris and back.
"It was decided by Starfleet Command that your time on Lexus was the ultimate test," explained Admiral Paris. "You and Mr. Dodds will be given extra help with some classes, but we'll be entering you both into the Academy at the Junior Cadet level."
"But that's skipping the first two years," said Jim in bewilderment.
"That's why you'll be given some extra help with certain classes," laughed Janeway.
"Understand that this elevated status will not make it easy to befriend some of your classmates," warned Admiral Paris.
"Oh don't worry, Dad," said Tom with a grin. "If they talk to their fellow cadets the way they've been talking with me and B'Elanna they'll be just fine."
"Well I think you'd better get over to Mr. Barclay's office to get the forms filled out," said Admiral Paris. "Kathryn, you'll be getting their computers and books today?"
"Of course," she replied. "They'll have much studying to do before the end of the month."
"The end of the month?" Jim asked, turning to look at her.
"The next session at the Academy begins May first," she explained.
"Oh, that reminds me," said Admiral Paris. "There's to be a banquet the night before. The entire crew of the Lexus will be there. We'll be honoring your service."
"I'll have them there," said Janeway with a big smile. "They've been eager to be reunited with their friends."
"Well then they'll both be happy to know that three of their friends will be teaching here at the Academy next session," said Tom. "We've just had the pleasure of meeting your Seven of Nine and Axum."
"They'll be teaching?" Chad asked.
"They certainly will be," said Admiral Paris. "The elder Icheb will also be teaching next session. They'll be contacting you soon, I'm sure. They'll need to let you three know what materials will be required for their classes."
"We should be going," said Janeway. "I'm sure that Reg is eager to get them all set."
"We'll talk again soon, boys," said Admiral Paris. "It was a pleasure to see you all again."
"Thank you, Admiral," they said almost in unison.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Tom and B'Elanna," said Jim, shaking their hands.
They headed for the other side of the building while Chad and Jim talked excitedly about the classes they thought they'd have. Kathryn smiled to herself as she listened. She noticed that Quinn had been rather quiet and withdrawn. She hoped that he would adapt to life on Earth some how. She knew it would be hard for him. Just thinking about how hard it was going to be made her want to choke the life out of Q. This entire situation made her furious. He'd thrown Jim and Chad into the most dangerous situation of all with no experience and no safety net. Sure they'd come out of the situation on top but what if things had been different?
Then there was his own son to think about. He'd done it again. He'd forced Quinn to live on Voyager as a mortal without powers. Quinn had found a balance at the time but that was a short period of time and a limited number of people to interact with. This situation was far more complicated and Quinn would have even more trouble adapting to it than he'd had on Voyager. This time he'd be with people mostly his own age. She almost laughed when she thought of that. He wasn't really their age when she added up the chronological years of his life. He looked their age though and for all practical intents he was their age. That still didn't mean that he was as resilient as the others his age. He was used to a life of ultimate privilege. How was he going to adapt to life as a mere mortal human?
Reginald Barclay seemed even more excited to see the boys than Admiral Paris had been. He quickly fluttered around his office, gathering the forms and data pads he needed to get them enrolled. He had course schedules and dorm assignments for them as well. He was so excited he was nearly stuttering again. Kathryn smiled as she watched him.
"You'll . . . uh . . . need to get over to medical for your physicals," he said, darting his eyes from boy to boy. "Then there's . . . uh . . . uniforms. Say, I'm so happy to meet you guys."
"Thank you," replied Jim, and Kathryn paid close attention to the way he handled Reg. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well. We've heard so much about the work you've been doing on holo technology. Maybe some time you could sit with me and Chad to talk about that work. We, as you may know, have had a lot of experience with holo technology over the last year."
"That would be great," replied Reg with a huge smile. "You'll be very busy with your course work though."
"I'm sure we'll have breaks," replied Jim with a smile of his own. "I tell you what, we'll come see you when we have time to chat. How's that?"
"That's wonderful," Reg beamed. "Welcome to Starfleet Academy."
"Thank you," replied Jim. "We'd better get going. It was a pleasure."
"The pleasure was mine," Reg said, smiling again.
"We'll talk soon, Reg," said Kathryn. "You'll be at the banquet?"
"Of course," he said excitedly.
They made their way to the medical building after that. Jim wondered how many physicals they'd have to endure before they were left alone. He'd been examined four times since the ship landed and he'd thought they knew his biology by heart already. He didn't say anything though. The last thing he wanted to do was upset anyone or seem combative. This may not have been his Earth but he was happy to be with people again. His feet were on the ground now and that alone was reason to do whatever they wanted him to do.
The physical was not what they were expecting. It was done completely by the Academy's EMH, and both Chad and Jim had to remind themselves that this EMH was not the same Doctor they were used to on Lexus. His bedside manor had serious room for improvement. He didn't do a "hands on" examination though. Everything was done by tricorder. It was over before they knew it.
"You'll be happy to know that each of you are in perfect health," he said in a crisp tone.
"Thank you," the boys replied almost in unison.
Next they were fitted for their uniforms. Each boy was given five uniforms to take with them when it was over. They took them back to Kathryn's transport vehicle and decided to get something to eat. By the time they got to the mess hall for an early dinner they were exhausted. Jim was already used to doing next to nothing since he'd stepped off Lexus. All of this moving around and talking to everyone was even more than what he'd had to do on the ship.
"So now you're all enrolled," said Kathryn as they sat down with their trays. "How does it feel?"
"Strange," said Quinn. "I guess a part of me always wanted to go to the Academy, to be a Starfleet Officer. I just never thought it would actually happen. I mean, why would Starfleet want anything to do with a Q? That's not a problem for me now though. Not anymore."
"Quinn, I assure you that any time you need to talk I'll be there for you," said Kathryn, touching his hand. "I know that this has got to be the biggest shock of your life, and I know that you probably have a lot more on your mind than just being admitted to the academy. Just know that I'm here for you any time you need me."
"Thank you, Aunt Kathy," he said, smiling sadly.
They ate in silence for a few moments after that. Jim couldn't even begin to think of his own problems with the thought of what Quinn had to be going through. They didn't know each other that well, and from what he'd seen it was clear that Quinn was better suited to be Chad's friend than his, but he felt for him. He just wished there was something he could do for Quinn. After all it was helping them that caused his father to do what he'd done.
After they'd eaten Kathryn took them to see their dorm rooms. That was when Chad and Jim learned that they would not be room mates. All three of the boys had room mates, but the three of them were going to be rooming with strangers. Jim and Chad both wanted to protest but in the end it was Quinn's quick acceptance that changed their minds.
The rooms weren't all that much larger than the room the three of them were sharing at Kathryn's. There were two Starfleet issued single beds, one on either side of the room, two desks and two closets. No chests of drawers or anything like that. There were side tables beside both beds with lamps and that was it. Jim noticed that the room he was to be sharing was already occupied by his room mate. He gasped when the young man turned from what he was doing on his computer console and faced him. It was the teenaged Icheb that he was looking at.
"You must be Jim Kirk," said Icheb, standing and crossing the room to shake Jim's hand. "I have been looking forward to meeting you."
"It seems that we'll be room mates next month," Jim said. "Why are you here early?"
"I live at the academy," replied Icheb. "I didn't want to bother Seven and Chakotay. They'd only been married for a short time when I was accepted to the academy so I just decided to live on campus."
"Have you met the other Seven?" Jim asked before he thought about it.
"Actually I have," said Icheb. "She and Axum came to see me along with the clone."
Jim wondered exactly what Icheb thought about the fact that they'd chosen the computer's version of the adult Icheb instead of the actual teenager that he was. He also wondered what meeting his older self was like for Icheb. He didn't want to ask because he thought it would be rude for one thing.
"The three of them are kind of like family to me," he said slowly. "I miss them very much."
"Well they'll each be teaching a course here," replied Icheb. "I don't know if you'll have a chance to take the courses for the first two years you'll be here though. Seven will be teaching a course on the Borg, but it's only offered to Junior and Senior Grade cadets."
"We're Junior Grade," Jim said. "They told us that with all of our experience on Lexus it would be bad for us to start from the beginning. We'll have tutors for some of the classes we'll have to take though."
"I'll help you as much as I can with anything you need," said Icheb.
It was strange for Jim to be talking with Icheb. The adult clone was so different from the actual teenager. For one thing there was very little emotion displayed by the teenager while the adult was almost completely normal in that regard. Hearing the slightly monotone speech of the teenager would take some time to get used to.
"Thank you," he replied. "That means a lot."
They met Chad and Quinn's room mates in Chad's assigned dorm room. Jonathan and Anthony Barclay were fraternal twins and Jim could tell by their first meeting that the two boys didn't exactly get along. They were sitting on Jonathan's bed and looked up at them when they came in.
"Which one of you is my room mate?" the darker haired twin asked, smiling at them. Jim noticed that the sandy haired twin looked at them without showing any kind of emotion. He wondered if he'd been studying on Vulcan.
"I am," replied Chad. "Chad Dodds."
"Jonathan Barclay," replied the dark haired twin, shaking Chad's hand. "Welcome to the academy."
"Thanks," replied Chad with a smile.
"They don't usually bunk freshmen with juniors," said the sandy haired twin, eyeing Chad hard.
"We're not Freshmen," Chad said quickly. "We're entering the academy as Juniors because of our time on Lexus."
"That makes sense," said Jonathan Then he looked at Quinn. "That makes you Tony's room mate."
"You're a Q?" Tony, the sandy haired twin asked with contempt in his voice.
"I was," replied Quinn, reaching out his hand to shake Tony's. Tony didn't shake his hand though.
"So you have no powers?" Tony asked instead of shaking Quinn's hand.
"None," replied Quinn, pulling his hand back. "I'm just plain old Quinn Janeway now."
"Janeway?" Tony asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah," said Quinn. "My aunt Kathy gave me her last name when Starfleet Command put me in her custody."
"Your aunt?" Tony asked.
"It's a long story," replied Quinn just as Kathryn came to get them.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said, smiling at them. "We need to get your computers and books and get back to the apartment."
"Later," said Jonathan with a smile. Tony just looked at them.
The tutoring began the next afternoon. They'd just had lunch when Tom Paris and the teenaged Icheb arrived to help Jim and Chad with their pre session assignments. Quinn had already dove into his assignments and seemed to be having no trouble. Kathryn had been sure that he would excel in the academy without much help if any at all. It was Jim and Chad that she thought would need the help. She was right about that.
Jim sat with Icheb at the dining table as the pair went over the Quantum Chemistry assignments. Kathryn listened as Icheb explained the assignments in exquisite detail. She smiled when Jim quickly caught on to what Icheb was trying to teach him. It was then that she knew for sure that having Jim assigned to Icheb's dorm room had been the right decision. She didn't know the Barclay twins at all so she didn't know what was in store for Chad and Quinn where their room mates were concerned.
Tom sat with Chad in the boys' bedroom and helped Chad with his Temporal Mechanics assignments. Tom was pleased when Chad started to ask provocative questions and even knew some of the answers before Tom actually gave them to him. It was clear that whatever instruction Chad had received before being found in that cryo ship in the alternate time line had prepared him for his present situation. Tom wondered about the alternate timeline. Chad had told him that Starfleet had existed in the twenty-first century in that time line. He found that remarkable and wondered what life would be like if First Contact with the Vulcans had been achieved in the early nineteen sixties.
The tutors met with their charges every day for two hours. The rest of their time was spent getting to know their surroundings. Both Jim and Chad had lived in San Francisco before they were cryogenically frozen and they were amazed at the difference between the city they remembered and the city they were currently living in. She took them museums and explained various items on exhibit to them. She loved seeing things through their eyes and wondered how the short time they'd spent on the alternate Voyager and the year they were on Lexus had prepared them so well for the world they were now inhabiting.
One thing she'd had to explain to the boys early on was how Starfleet could even know of their existence before they appeared in Earth's orbit. The answer was Q. What Starfleet Command had at first taken for a cryptic message from Q about an advanced starship and its crew of clones commanded by teenagers turned out to be reality. It was Reg that found them in the Delta Quadrant and Starfleet had tracked them all the way to the point where their slipstream had been terminated. It had been feared that their ship was destroyed some how but then they appeared in orbit right in front of the Enterprise and gave Jean-Luc Picard quite a shock.
Jim and Chad were both excited and nervous when the cloned Seven of Nine and Axum came to visit them two weeks before the banquet. Kathryn took Quinn to see a play while they visited and Jim was both thankful for their absence and more nervous because of it. He wasn't sure how Seven would feel about him and Chad now that she knew that she was a clone created by them.
"Captain, you have to stop worrying about what we think," Seven told him when they'd been alone for nearly an hour and he was still nervous. "We all understand that you were merely running a simulation on a holodeck when Q did what he did. You are not responsible for what we became. I am very happy to be alive."
"I'm glad you feel that way, Seven," he said, finally relaxing.
"My designation . . . my name is Annika now," she said. Jim repressed a smile as she stumbled over her words. "It was decided by the Seven of Nine of this time that I should relinquish the designation."
"And I like the name," said Axum, smiling softly as he looked at her.
"Yes," she said as just a touch of color appeared on her face. "Axum is quite happy that now everyone calls me Annika as he does."
It seemed like that visit sparked a lot of communication between they boys and the former crew of Lexus. Alex Munro contacted them from his new post on the Egan Station to tell them that he was looking forward to returning to Earth and seeing them again. He was scheduled to arrive the morning of the banquet and return to Egan Station the following morning.
Juliet would be leaving for Vulcan the day after the banquet and Telsia Murphy would be joining Alex and Austin Chang on the Egan Station just days after the banquet. The entire crew would be there for the banquet, and Jim was relieved when Austin told him that everyone agreed that it was Q that was responsible for what had happened to all of them. They were also in agreement with Annika that they were happy to be alive.
As the day of the banquet dawned they were both eager to see their friends again. Jim just hoped that his first day at the academy would be as easy as repairing his relationship with his friends had turned out to be.
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