Future's Children

Star Date: 54355.6

The Enterprise has been given an most unusual task. At least it is unusual relative to what we have been asked to accomplish of late. We are to take aboard one passenger and protect her while she recovers from her injuries. She was apparently recovered by the U.S.S Nova, a science vessel assigned to study an area five light-years away from the Romulan Neutral Zone. Her identity has been kept secret from me and will not be revealed until she is safely aboard our vessel.

I must admit I and my crew have become insatiably curious and rumor has spread fast as to who this new guest will be. Some have even gone so far as to suggest that we are taking on a high ranking Romulan defector. I can only hope for the sake of this new guest that this mission is a peaceful one.

XXX

The infectious smile of the small blond haired woman in the captain's chair aboard the U.S.S. Nova, bled over to the bridge crew of the Enterprise. By far, the transfer had proceeded flawlessly and their guest was resting comfortably in Sick-Bay. She was being kept sedated to lessen her discomfort. Her entire person was wrapped in artificial skin while she healed from the severe burns she had some how suffered.

She had been set up under one of the medical apparatus in a separate room so as to limit the contact the crew had with her. She looked relatively young and human, which dashed the rumors about a Romulan defector. The chief medical officer from the Nova had accompanied the young woman during the point-to-point transport. Frankly Captain Picard was chewing at the bit to know why this young woman was so important.

As the door slid closed to the private room the young woman had been set up in the Nova medical officer pulled up a file on the PADD on the far wall. “I know you are quite curious to know who this young lady is,” he had stated, smiling as he pulled up the analysis of the girl's DNA. “The Nova had been tracking an odd energy signature on an uninhabited G-Class moon near the Romulan Neutral Zone.

“When we arrived on the moon, we found this poor young lady here, burnt nearly all over her body and no identification. We have done all we can for her but we do not have a full medical bay since the Nova is not built for heavy combat. But enough of that, I suppose I should introduce you to your new guest.” The medical officer pulled up the full medical file of the young woman. The picture was of the young woman smiling with her family. She had pale, auburn hair with bright blond highlights. Her face was round and cheerful and her smile was big enough that it nearly covered half her face.

“May I introduce Miss Bobbi Fiske.” He stepped aside as Dr. Crusher read over the file.

“Why does her name sound familiar? I know I have heard it before.” Dr. Crusher said, studying the picture. “She has beautiful eyes.”

Captain Picard tore his eyes away from the file and set them on the Nova medical officer. “Bobbi Fiske published the equations that Dr. Cochran used in his first warp flight. It is still required reading at the Academy. Is this date correct?” Picard asked as he pointed to the young woman's date of birth.

“That is the reason we were ordered to bring her aboard the Enterprise. If certain sects of the Romulan military or Dominion had gotten hold of her first there is no telling what they could have gotten out of her.” The medical officer let that last statement sink in. “Star fleet is hoping to heal her wounds and slowly integrate her into society. There is no telling how she would react if we just shoved her out into the 'world' with nothing but a good luck wish.”

Dr. Crusher shook her head, checking the readouts of the full medical bed, sighing. “Poor thing. She has no idea what she has gotten into. She's just a few months younger than Wesley. I hope her mind can cope with the change when she wakes up.” She said, gingerly touching Bobbi on the top of her head, which only held on to a few strands of pale colored hair.

XXX

Over the next few weeks the Enterprise's unlikely guest improved dramatically. Her skin slowly faded from an angry bloody black red, to pink and finely to a pale alabaster. The artificial skin had been removed and her hair allowed to grow back in making her seem less inhuman. She had a slight overbite that gave her a baby doll appearance with her small up turned nose and high arched eyebrows. She remained under sedation as she healed though Dr. Crusher waited until just before they reduced the sedatives to rebuild the nerve pathways that were destroyed.

Everything was completed in just over a month and it came time to reduce the sedatives and bring her back to the land of the living. All be it one that she would most likely not be able to accept readily. Captain Picard was present with several medical officers just in case she had to be sedated again if her reaction was not favorable. Dr. Crusher tapped a few keys on the medical bed and brought the sedative dose down slowly over a few minutes until it stopped entirely.

Beverly stepped back, holding her breath as Bobbi's eyes fluttered under their lids. She knew from past experience that it felt like trying to force one's head above thick water, coming out of the sedatives. It was hard work and it took nearly ten minutes for their guest to climb up out of the fog and finely open her eyes. They were the color of mossy granite, her eyelashes and eyebrows nearly invisible except for the shimmer against her pale skin.

Minutes passed by as Bobbi's mind struggled to find one familiar sight in the room. The walls were white and featureless, the ceiling brightly lit. On the far wall was what looked like a sheet of plastic with boxy symbols playing out in a meaningless pattern. To her left stood an older red headed woman with a kind face watching her with motherly eyes. She reached out to touch Bobbi on the forehead, trying to comfort her as much as she could.

A few feet in front of her stood an older man with a balding pate and confident eyes. He was wearing a curious suit of some black and red material. He was obviously someone of importance as the others treated him with extreme respect. Their eyes met for a moment each assessing the other, Bobbi trying to gauge if this man was friendly or not to be trusted.

Bobbi opened her mouth to speak but she felt as though she were chewing talcum powder, her voice coming out in a croak. The older woman responded by handing Bobbi a glass of water. It tasted incredible and she found it hard to stop drinking, even when she felt her stomach protest. She finely pulled away from the glass gasping for air. A few moments later she found her voice and asked the most pertinent thing on her mind. “Where am I?”

The older man at the far end of the room responded without missing a beat, coming forward from his station near the door. “You are aboard the USS Enterprise. In the Sick-Bay to be exact.” Picard was expecting her confusion, and he sat on the edge of the bed so that she would not have to strain to see him. “The USS Enterprise is part of a fleet of vessels the Federation uses for varied purposes. We serve as an exploratory and diplomatic vessel as well as a heavy gun ship should the occasion present itself.”

Dr. Crusher scowled as Picard proceeded to overload the mind of the young woman staring at him with a slack face. The Captain was being his usual self, figuring that his guest might as well know everything upfront. He was always like this. He figured that everyone deserved to know everything all at once rather than wait to tell them what they might not be able to to accept at that time.

“Oh, my god. They stuck me in the loony bin!” Dr. Crusher laughed despite herself, watching the smile fall off of the Captain's face the instant the statement left her mouth. His eyes seemed to linger on Dr. Crusher, giving her a dubious raise of one of his eyebrows in response to her laughter.

“No young lady. This is not the - 'Loony Bin'.” He assured though he himself was amused, though only half way. “I don't suppose the good doctor would release you so soon after you have recovered. Though when she does there are a great many people who would love to meet you.” He turned to Dr. Crusher, noting her some what dour expression. “Please inform me when she is released, Dr. Crusher.” He turned on his heel and left without waiting for a response. If it was one thing he found the most amusement in, it was ruffling Beverly's feathers.

Beverly sighed as she set about adjusting the bed Bobbi lay on so that she could sit up and eat. “Don't mind him. He may be slightly over-informative and under-mannered but he means well. She tried to ignore the fact that the young woman was staring at her as though she would sprout a second head at any time. She tried to make conversation but Bobbi continued to stare and blink, almost not daring to encourage what she perceived as delusions. Dr. Crusher finely stopped trying to speak, thinking that Bobbi was still processing all the information she had been handed so she just went about getting her guest her first solid meal.

“Don't try to eat too fast,” Beverly cautioned as she set the tray in front of her patient. “If you need anything, just call for the doctor. I have other patients waiting but I will be here if you need me.” And Beverly retreated out of the private room, letting the door slide closed behind her.

Bobbi was left staring at her tray. The food looked familiar; roasted chicken breast with boiled potatoes and steamed broccoli, no cheese. It was not quite as bland as the hospital food she remembered but it still wasn't like home. But she was hungry and she ate her dinner with little complaint.

By the time Dr. Crusher was able to check back in with Bobbi she was fast asleep. Beverly smiled, lowering the head of the bed so that her patient could sleep comfortably and covered her with the blanket. She sent the tray back to the replicator where it disappeared in a soft shimmer. “Good night,” Dr. Crusher whispered as she shut off the lights and closed the door to the private room, retiring for the night.