Star Trek The Next Generation The Gift: A Star Trek SI

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Author's Note: This was the chapter that took me the longest to write when I first did this story. It literally took me MONTHS (4 to be exact) to write this arc. I had to break up the episode and write it literally as if I had lost my memory. That was the intent behind it. I hope it translates! Enjoy!

I don't know who I am...nor do any of these other people I'm on this...ship with? We all look at one another with wariness, and suspicion. I immediately notice that I'm not wearing the same clothing as they are. They're all in uniforms. I'm not. A great panic threatens to take me over. Calm. Calm. We're on a starship, that much is obvious. A big one. I look at the main viewer and see empty space, the twinkling of nearby stars. Why am I on the bridge? There's discussion amongst the others. The big burly man with the silver metallic sash across his chest claims command. No one dares to oppose him. I am dismissed from the bridge as they note what I did, I'm not in uniform, thus I have no business being there. I have no where to go, I don't know WHERE to go so they grant me permission to be used as a runner.

The crew then breaks up to continue to find more information about what is going on, why we can't remember who we are. I start to wonder the ship. On a whim I decide to head to the school deck. Someone should see about the children. When I enter one of the class rooms...it is an older kids one, they must be high school students. They all rush to me with questions. I try my best to calm them down.

"I don't know what is going on any more than you do. As far as we can tell, every person on the ship has been affected by what is going on. None of us know who we are or what we're supposed to be doing. All of you remain here for now...I will remain here for as long as I can until we get more information."

I turn to the adult officer there. He's wearing a blue colored uniform and has a full silver pip with another pip empty. I have no idea what that means.

"I'm going to go check on the younger classes, see how everyone is, I'm guessing that you were a teacher, since you're the only adult here. I'll be back shortly." he nods in agreement

It takes me a little while, about a half a hour I'd guess, but I go door to door, classroom to classroom and try to assure everyone that everything will be okay and to stay put. When I return to the high school classroom, I tell the blue uniform to stay put as I report this to the bridge.

I return to the bridge and report that all the students are accounted for and are naturally scared. Someone explains to me that they have the computer up and running again and are going to conduct a biographical read out of the senior staff.

"Computer, give me a biographical read out of all ship's personnel responsible for the primary operations of this vessel." the big burly man booms

"A full biographical listing is not currently available."

That seems odd, even for our situation.

"Is there a list of the ship's senior officers?"

"The ship's manifest is available." the computer begins to read it out

"Commanding officer USS Enterprise NCC 1701-Delta, Captain Jean-Luc Picard." a picture is shown of the bald man in the red uniform with four pips on his collar.

The large man and bald man exchange glances with each other. They had an argument about who should be in command, the burly nods in deference to Picard...

"Executive Officer, Commander Kieran MacDuff." a man with a full set of brown hair and brown eyes who has been standing beside me this entire time exchanges glances with me.

"Second Officer, Commander William T. Riker." The Bearded Man

"Operations Manager Lt. Commander Data." Who is an android apparently

"Chief Medical Officer Doctor Beverly Crusher." the woman with red hair

"Ship's Counsellor, Lt-Commander Deanna Troi." The pretty woman with the long bouncy hair

"Chief Engineer Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge." The man with the weird metallic glasses

"Security Chief, Lt Worf." The burly man with the sash....bristles when he hears this and bows his head in what appears to be...shame?

"Helm Officer, Ensign Ro Laren." The pretty stern woman with the nose ridges who told me to get off the bridge

"Starfleet Special Advisor, Adam Christopher Young." A picture of me is shown....and everyone looks at me with an apologetic look.

The monitor goes blank as we all digest what we've just seen and heard. Picard turns to MacDuff.

"Commander, please see to it that all the bridge officers who were listed report to the bridge." Picard orders

"Aye sir." he heads off

Picard then turns to LaForge.

"Your top priority is to retrieve any information regarding the ship's systems. Contact the operations manager to assist you."


"You'll find him in Ten Forward...waiting tables." Ro snickers

Worf walks up to the Captain and apologies but Picard says it's water under the bridge, and he'd have assumed that Worf was the Captain too under the circumstances.

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All of us are called to the Conference Lounge, still with our memories affected. LaForge reports that they haven't been able to gather a full search of the computer records yet, but what they do have, is significant. The Android, Data, continues.

"This vessel is named the Enterprise. We are part of an organization called the United Federation of Planets. The Federation is currently at war."

Everyone, including myself visibly bristles. That doesn't sound right. I don't know why, but that creates a huge pit in my stomach.

"With whom?" Counsellor Troi asks

"The Lysian Alliance." Data replies

Who? I frown.

"They are a genocidal race determined to destroy us. The war has gone on for years." LaForge continues

"Starfleet Command believes the Lysians have built a new weapon that has shifted the balance of power in their favor."

That sounds a little convenient. None of this is sounding right to me at all. I look at the others to see their reactions, they're all uncomfortable, especially MacDuff who I have noticed has been even more visibly disturbed than we are. I am a people watcher by nature...or at least that sounds like something I would do. Something is wrong here, but I have no idea what.

"What do we know about this weapon?" Picard asks

"Our scientists theorize that the Lysians are using an energy wave, either plasma based, or a subspace interference pattern. The weapon seemingly disrupts a starship's computer systems, along with the mental capabilities of their crew."

"Exactly what has happened to us...anyone else find that HIGHLY suspicious?" I point out

"How so Mr. Young?" MacDuff asks

"We all wake up without having any memory of who we are, our computer systems are compromised, and we have information about a supposed war we're involved, and an enemy who possesses a weapon that does exactly what we are going through?" I reply

"Perhaps we were the first target of this new weapon?" MacDuff challenges

"It still seems too convenient to me, something about all this seems...wrong to me, Captain."

"I note your concern, Mr. Young. What exactly is the nature of our mission Mr. LaForge?"

"Yes sir."

He moves to the screen and enhances a grid on a star chart.

"We are approximately here. We've been ordered to cruise into Lysian territory and destroy their central command."

He points at a small dot a few parsecs away.

"This is it here. The nerve centre of their entire military operation."

Again this is convenient. Too convenient for me.

"Captain, there's been a great deal of damage done to our computer systems. I find myself agreeing with Mr. Young, maybe we're not getting the correct information." Troi says, I like this woman

"What are you saying?" Picard asks

"I think we should get confirmation of our orders from our headquarters." Troi finishes

"If we use subspace, we will be detected." Worf growls

"What if that's the enemy trying to make us think that?" I offer

"Our orders are to maintain radio silence." Again very convenient. Everything about this...feels wrong to me.

I lean back in my chair starting to get exasperated. I don't know why

"How does none of this strike any of you with how damned convenient any of this is? Their weapon. Their central command. The fact that we can't communicate, nor access our own computer files, all of this sounds damned wrong to me." I ask

Data interjects before MacDuff reprimands me.

"Our mission is part of a highly coordinated effort to put an end to the war. There are other vessels on the front lines, all working according to an intricate plan."

LaForge continues

"We're the linchpin to everything. If we don't destroy the central command, the entire effort will fail."

"He's right Captain, our choice is clear." Worf booms

Picard looks at Troi and I before making a decision and turns to MacDuff.

"Commander MacDuff, set a course for the Lysian High Command."

We're all dismissed.

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After we're dismissed, I head back to the class rooms to see how things are progressing. The teachers who now have their names back, if not their memories, have managed to maintain order and gotten them sorted out as parents are being contacted. I head into the high schoolers room, I think it was Grade 12, and am introduced to the person I had contact with either.

"Lieutenant Junior Grade John Smith."

"It's a pleasure to meet you John. You can call me Adam. Everything seems orderly here."

"It's getting there. All the teachers are coordinating efforts into getting kids reunited with their parents, but it's taking a long time, so some of us have resorted to lesson planning...which of course has irked some of the students. Others though have welcomed the distraction."

"Drinks when this is over, and we get our memories back...hopefully?"

"I'd like that." I nod and satisfied that things are taken care of here leave

I step into what I have been told are my quarters, and don't recognize anything. There are PADD's scattered on the coffee table, and a couple are the floor. I see a sword mounted on one of the bulkheads. A picture of a blonde wearing a bikini on my desk, I don't recognize as I sit down on my chair and look at stuff. Another picture of a brunette in a civilian dress laughing on a planetary terrain I don't recognize at all.

"Computer, are you able to read out the service file on Adam Christopher Young yet?"

"Negative. Computer memory files have been restored to 30 percent."

Damn. The door chimes unexpectedly.

"Come in." I say

Ensign Ro enters. She's got a pair of boxing gloves slung over her shoulders she's holding with her fingers.

"Ensign Ro...what can I do for you?"

"Any luck on remembering anything?" she asks

"Unfortunately, no. You?"

"No, but I was curious that I found these in my quarters." she tosses me the pair of gloves and I catch them

"Boxing gloves?" I ask

"Look at the inside of the glove, both of them." she intones

I pull back the tag and see the letters ACY written in ink on them.

"My initials?"

"I assume so. I found them on my couch. What do you suppose that means?"

"I uh...I don't know. I guess I left them there?"

She wonders over and sits on the desk

"I got to thinking, if we box together...what other things might we have done together?" she's playful now. I'm uncomfortable

"I uh---I don't know if this is appropriate given the circumstances."

"Oh I disagree...I think this is the perfect opportunity for something like this to happen." she kisses me...I fight it at first, then relent.

We then start kissing heavily and begin to pull off each other's clothes before we make love on the carpet of my living room.