"Yeah, I wish." by Sarah MackowskiSummary: Personal fantasy. Voyager comes to Earth, 2007. I meet them (Yeah, I wish.), because I work on Star Trek (Yeah, I wish).Disclaimer: I donÕt own any of this. If I did, I would have better plots than stuff like ÒSeven Of Nine Has A Date.ÓOther shit: If you have any comments, call consumer (donÕt eat it!) info (me) at Mackowski@compuserve.com. Also, I ________________. And, _________________________________. So ___________________________. LetÕs get this over with.=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=ÒBye, Rick!ÓÒBye, Sarah! WeÕll finish those two big scenes Monday!ÓÒ ÔKay! See ya!ÓAfter getting my makeup off, (I play a Vulcan named TÕPira) I left the studio in my street clothes. I had just been walking for a couple of minutes when I saw Kate Mulgrew, Tim Russ, and Roxanne Dawson. I raised my hand in the Vulcan ÒLive long and prosperÓ salute (ItÕs used as a hail between actors.). Now , I knew Kate, so I expected her look to be one of recognition. But instead, it was of carefully masked utter shock. Then I noticed Tim Russ, who was wearing a hat, had rising eyebrows (kind of hard to hide with a hat). Now this was really weird, since he wasnÕt on any show as a Vulcan any more ( Voyager had been canceled five years ago). Roxanne was also wearing a hat, and looked really pissed. I decided to go over and talk to them. But they were already coming over to me. Before they could say anything, I motioned for them to follow me. I was I was glad when they actually did, and I took them to my trailer, which seemed relatively safe.The inside of my trailer surprised them a bit. I had up a lot of Star Trek stuff.ÒWho are you, and where did you get this?Ó Kate snapped ( at this point I didnÕt think it was Kate).ÒFirst,Ó I said, in my Vulcan-like tone, ÒI need to make sure I know who you are. Because if IÕm not sure who you are, I canÕt help you get back to when you should be.ÓThat got thei r attention. ÒYou can take off your hats.Ó BÕElanna (thatÕs who it had to be) looked relieved.ÒFascinating. How do you know of us?Ó asked Tuvok, taking off his hat.Using my Vulcan voice, I replied, ÒYour illogical reaction to a logical hail. Your counterparts in this century would not have acted in such a manner. Thus I came to the logical conclusion that you were not them, and therefore are yourselves. And who you are and what you represent should not be here yet.ÓTorres scowled. ÒHow do we know youÕre telling the truth? That youÕre not just some...Ó she searched for the right word. ÒFreakasaurus?Ó I supplied.ÒThatÕll work.Ó said Janeway, obviously taking over to keep BÕElanna from getting into any trouble. ÒI really would like to know how you know about us.ÓÒNeelix explained television to you, right?Ó They nodded, and I continued. ÒIn this century, youÕre a television show called Star Trek. The Voyager series was around for about eight years. It started with, of course, ÔThe Caretaker,Õ and ÿended with you getting back home after accidentally creating a wormhole with an experimental cloaking device.ÓTuvok and Janeway exchanged looks. ÒThat happened, except it was actually an illusion. The wormhole landed us right in the middle of an alien raceÕs space.Ó She grinned wryly. ÒOnce we got the cloak fixed, weÕve been using it practically nonstop.ÓÒHmm... Voyager stopped showing once the real Voyager went into cloak. I wonder if thereÕs something to that.ÓÒThat would be a fascinating thing, if true.ÓÒWe can discuss that later. First, I want to know how you got here.ÓÒWell, even though the wormhole dumped us in alien territory, we were only five years away from home at high warp. Just outside the Federation borders, we passed through a nebula. It took us back in time to right now. Then we finally got to Earth, and here we are.Ó Once Janeway was done, she looked around, and said, ÒDo you have any coffee?ÓI grinned. One minute she was talking about VoyagerÕs problems, the next she was as üking if I had any coffee. ÒNot here, but at my apartment. I think we should go there, because I already left here, and staying would look suspicious. My apartment is pretty safe.ÓThey agreed, so we walked out to my car, Tuvok and BÕElanna with hats firmly in place. =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=We got to my apartment fine. Tuvok, Janeway, and BÕElanna were asking a lot of questions. Some of them were hard to explain. But most were pretty easy. I gave them a tour of the place. ÒI have a couch that folds out into a bed, a guest room, my bedroom, and a study with an easy chair. IÕll take the study. I donÕt mind.ÓÒI will use the couch.Ó said Tuvok. ÒCaptain, the guest room is closer to the coffee machine. Why donÕt you take that room.Ó Janeway smiled when BÕElanna said that.I think Janeway was thinking what I was thinking around then. BÕElanna still didnÕt trust me. She wanted to try and find out more about me. I decide þd to talk to her. ÒBÕElanna, can I talk to you?ÓÒSure.ÓShe entered the study, and I started talking right away. ÒListen,BÕElanna, I know you donÕt trust me, but I canÕt prove to you that IÕm not lying. First contact with the Klingons is centuries away. ThereÕs no way anyone, according to you, could know about them. NOOK-dak yooch da-POL (where do you keep the chocolate) and boch GHICH-raj (your nose is shiny).ÓÒI almost believe you, but you could be from the future or something.ÓÒOK. When you were dying out in space with Tom, you said you loved him, and he said you picked a great time to tell him.ÓBÕElanna paled. ÒNobody knows about that.Ó she whispered. ÒJust me and Tom. And I know he wonÕt talk.Ó ÒWell, I know it. Anyone who watched ÔDay of HonorÕ knows it. Do you believe me?ÓÒYes.ÓÒGood. Now lets get back to Tuvok and Janeway so we can get you back when you belong.=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=ÒWhereÕs the other away team?ÓÒWhat?Ó Janeway seemed surprised.ÒThe other away team. You know, Tom, Harry, and Chakotay.ÓÒHowÕd you know they're the other away team? I know I shouldnÕt be surprised by now, but I am.ÓÒItÕs simple, really. YouÕre back in time, so you only send experienced officers. The Doctor might be needed on-board, Neelix and Seven are too alien to hide. Therefore, the other away team, because you always have two, must be comprised of Tom, Harry, and Chakotay.ÓÒFlawlessly logical.ÓÒThank you. So, whereÕs the away team?ÓÒSan Fransisco.ÓÒYou know you guys, thereÕs more to the world than California. But thatÕs OK. My sister lives out there. She can help us out.ÓI grabbed the phone and called Kate up. Fortunately, she was home.ÒHey, CapÕn Kate! JLT! HowÕs it going?ÓÒFine, TÕPira. WhatÕs up?ÓÒYou still got those half-dozen extra guest rooms, right?ÓÒYeah. Why?ÓÒThereÕs some people in the ÔFrisco area thatÕre coming over to your house.ÓÒWhy? IÕm not sure I like this...ÓÒWhat? Y ou donÕt want to meet Tom Paris, Harry Kim, and Chakotay?ÓÒYou mean Robert Duncan McNeill, Garret Wang, and Robert Beltran.ÓÒNo. Kate, this is the real McCoy. TheyÕre here from the future. No joke.ÓÒI donÕt know...ÓÒLook, IÕll call you back in half an hour to tell you when to expect them. See ya!Ó I hung up the phone before she could protest any further. I turned to the others.ÒContact the away team, and if they donÕt need any help or anything, send Ôem to Kate.Ó I gave them the location of KateÕs house. ÒWhy did you call her ÔCapÕn Kate?ÕÓÒWhen Voyager was still out, we had code names. Hers was CapÕn Kate. I changed mine once I was on the new Star Trek show. I play TÕPira, so thatÕs my name. KateÕs in the production group, and her name, inclu ding the ÔCaptainÕ part, is on the plaque on my ship.ÓÒInteresting.ÓÒOK. Do you guys want dinner?ÓÒSure.ÓÒIt may not be 24th century, but itÕs probably better than Neelix.ÓJaneway and BÕElanna laughed. I made a quick dinner,while they talked amongst themselves. Then we sat down to eat. ÒThis is good. What is it?ÓÒMacaroni and cheese, carrots, and tomato soup.ÓJust then, the phone rang.ÒThatÕs probably Kate. Someone contact the away team, and ask them When theyÕll get to her house. The other two can listen. IÕll put it on speaker phone.ÓBÕElanna called the away team, and Tuvok and Janeway listened to my conversation with Kate. ÒJLT, Kate. You ready to be the host for some 24th century time-travelers?ÓÒI guess. But are you sure theyÕre real?ÓÒKate, if it was the actors, and I know them well, they wouldÕve taken off their makeup. I personally can tell you that.ÓÒOK. When will they be here?ÓI looked at BÕElanna. ÒTen minutes,Ó she said, loudly enough for the phone to pick up.ÒOK. IÕll call you later.ÓÒBye.Ó I hung up, and turned to Janeway. ÒIÕm glad itÕs Friday. Tomorrow morning weÕll head to KateÕs, and have the weekend to sort this out.ÓJaneway smiled. ÒGood. LetÕs just hope itÕs enough time.ÓÒYeah. OK, everybody should go to bed now. I donÕt know what time it is on Voyager, but weÕre really going to need all our energy tomorrow.ÓA short time later, all were asleep. I wondered how much they really worked...=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=Next morning, I got up early. I started breakfast, then booted up my iMac2. I had every single possible scrap of information on Star Trek on it. I had just finished making breakfast when they came down together. Most likely they had been talking. ÒMorning, guys. IÕve got breakfast. Oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and sausage.ÓAs they began eating, I started to ask questions, typing them onto my computer.ÒExactly what kind of nebula was it you passed through?Ó ûÒFGC-1074-8FD.ÓÒOK... what about this nebula caused you to travel back in time?ÓÒAn uncommonly large amount of chroniton particles mixing with the cloaking device.ÓÒDo you have any idea how youÕre going to get home?ÓÒAll our attempts have failed.ÓÒOK. Um, IÕll ask you more questions if I think of them. Now, letÕs go to KateÕs. Do you want to go by car, or transporter?ÓThey exchanged worried looks.ÒDonÕt worry. I already know about your technology, and IÕd like to try it. Besides, itÕs quicker. Driving would take a couple hours.ÓTuvok raised an eyebrow. ÒShe has a point.ÓÒOK. WeÕll use the transporter.ÓÒYou can just have us beamed to where the away team is. But watch out for walls, OK?Ó=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=As I materialized in my sisterÕs house, I watched and felt everything that happened. I donÕt know how to explain beaming, really, but itÕs so cool!Captain Janeway stepped forward. ÒCommanders, Lieutenant, this is Sarah. She and her sister Kate are going to help us.ÓÒUm, Captain, with all due respect, how can two girls help us? Hell, weÕre from the 24th century, and we have no clue how to get home!ÓÒTom, remember Captain Proton?ÓÒYeah. Why?ÓÒWell, here, now, the adventures of Pike, Kirk, Sisko, you, and more are all here, already happened.ÓÒNo way. This is our past, not our future.ÓÒMaybe, but here, itÕs a TV show, like Captain Proton, except definite;y more real.ÓÒI donÕt believe you.ÓI turned toward the hall. ÒKate!Ó I yelled.ÒYeah?Ó She poked her head out of her room. ÒYou havenÕt explained yet, have you?ÓÒNo. I figured youÕd have lotsa fun doing it. You know where everything is, right?ÓÒYeah. But next time, itÕs your turn.Ó I turned to the others. ÒCome with me please.Ó As they followed, I noticed BÕElanna drop back to talk to Tom.Once we were in the room, I turned to face them. ÒYou say you have no way to travel back in time?ÓÒThat is correct.ÓI popped in a DVD showing all the time-travel clips from Star Trek. (Since theyÕre programmable, you can compile all sorts of stuff on them.) It had ST:TMP, Star Trek IV, plus episodes like ÔLittle Green Men,Õ and ÔThe Naked Time.Õ Finally, we were done. I turned to them. ÒWould any of these work?ÓThey all looked quite surprised at the amount of knowledge I had on this kind of thing. (Wait till I show them my blueprints and command codes!) BÕElanna looked slightly less amazed than the rest. She was the first to recover.ÒUm, yeah. I think we could use some of this stuff. IÕll try and download it into my tricorder, and take it to Voyager.ÓÒOK. I think I can give you all the info youÕll need. Of course,Ó I said, flashing my ÔParisÕ grin, ÒI should come up there. Some of this stuff is from your future, so only Kate and I know about it. WeÕll just have to come up there.Ó I grinned again.Janeway smiled too. ÒWhy not.Ó She tapped her commbadge. ÒJaneway to Voyager. Eight to beam up.Ó=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=When we materialized in the transporter room, I watched Kate carefully. She seemed to have recovered from the shock. Now she was having fun. We went up to the bridge. BÕElanna had gotten the info off KateÕs computer, and was giving it to theirs. I went up to one of my favorite panels. I wanted to check something. As soon as I was close enough to read the buttons, I knew I was right. The buttons on Voyager really did say stuff like ÔIce creamÕ and ÔBologna.Õ (When I asked BÕElanna later, she said it was code. Yeah, right. Why can all the aliens who take over fly the ship?)Once all the info was in the computer, Captain Janeway called a meeting in the ready room.ÒFirst of all, would the ti me travel thing from Star Trek IV really work for you? That was a Klingon ship.Ó Kate seemed determined to point that out. ÒYouÕre right Kate, but the Enterprise did it too.ÓÒAnd the thing from ST:TMP was fixed; they mentioned that in ÔRelics.ÕÓÒToo bad we donÕt have the Orb of Time. Or a prophet.ÓÒProphets! ThatÕs it! If the Bajoran Wormhole is up right now, then we can go in, and ask the prophets to bring us forward in time!Ó ÒIt could work... Captain, how many Bajoran crewmembers are there?ÓÒ20 or so. Why?ÓÒAsk them if they know anything about the wormhole. Has it always been there? How do you contact the prophets?ÓÒWill do. Anything else?ÓÒNo. ThatÕs it.ÓÒDismissed.ÓWe headed down to the mess hall. Tom, BÕElanna, and Harry caught up with Kate and i, and we started talking. Of course, with Tom and Harry, and the current situation, IÕm not surprised that we talked about the 20th century.ÒSo youÕre saying this guy Gene...ÓÒRoddenberry.ÓÒGene Roddenberry invented this show Star Trek, and itÕs actually our reality?Ó Tom said incredulously.ÒYeah. Pretty cool, huh?ÓÒYeah. Maybe itÕs some paradox or something.ÕÒMaybe... So, Tom, what exactly do you think the past thought of the future?ÓÒWell, I figured that theyÕd be way-out and never close to reality. But I guess IÕm wrong.ÓÒDo you think you can get us back to the pres- I mean, future?Ó asked Harry.ÒI think so. You know what would be really great? If Kate and I could stay on Voyager. That would be so cool. I mean, what with all our knowledge of the future, it wouldnÕt be that hard. IÕd love to meet some more of my heroes.ÓÒWouldnÕt that affect the timeline?ÓÒMaybe.ÓAfter that, we got into a discussion about NeelixÕs food, and I decided to give him a copy of The Star Trek Cookbook, with strict orders not to substitute alien ingredients. Soon after, Tom, BÕElanna and Harry had to go back on duty. Kate and I went to the Captain to see if we could stay on board Ôtil we figured out what to do.=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=After Kate and I found temp quarters, we headed down to Sickbay. I had a hunch that I wanted to check out. When we got to Sickbay, the Doc was, unsurprisingly, already online.ÒHey, Doc. Do you mind if Kate and I check something in the Medical Files?ÓÒGo right ahead,Ó he said, and turned back to his work.I set up the computer to go through all Starfleet Medical Records and check for genetic anomalies, and to alert me when it was done. We sat down to wait.About ten minutes later it was done. And I was right. We showed it to the Doctor right away. ÒHey, Doc! Come here! YouÕve gotta see this!Ó I called, hurrying towards him.We explained what we had set the computer u þp to do. Next came the real shocker.ÒWhen the computer was done with the search, it had come up with two matches.Ó I showed the Doc the matches, and he was amazed.ÒThatÕs... ThatÕs...ÓÒThatÕs right. DonÕt tell anyone yet. WeÕll tell them later.Ó Kate and I left Sickbay satisfied. We would be staying. =/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=ÒJaneway to Sarah and Kate.ÓÒSarah here. KateÕs with me.ÓÒBriefing in five minutes. WeÕve got the information on the Bajoran wormhole.ÓÒWeÕll be there. Sarah out.Ó I tapped my commbadge and turned to Kate. ÒCÕmon, letÕs go.Ó We rushed off to the nearest turbolift. When we got to the briefing room, we knew right away that the wormhole idea wasnÕt going to work. Janeway explained why it wouldnÕt work (something to do with Sisko and the Cardassians), then sighed, and said, ÒThat was our last idea. WeÕve looked through the entire database, wracked our brains, but we canÕt think of anything el se.ÓThere was a gloomy silence for a few minutes, then I spoke up. ÒSo, youÕve thought about going backwards through the nebula?ÓAll heads turned toward me. ÒActually, no.Ó Janeway said, a little sheepishly.ÒIt might work.Ó said Harry. ÒIÕm sure it would work,Ó supported BÕElanna.ÒStart testing this theory. I want to see if itÕll really work.Ó Janeway ordered. ÒDismissed.ÓKate and I wanted to go to Engineering, but we figured BÕElanna would be too busy. So instead we went to the holodecks. ÒYou sure itÕs OK to do this, ÔPir?ÓÒYeah. The only thing you canÕt have a hologram of is a specific person without their authorization, or theyÕre dead.Ó I set up the parameters, and we stepped onto Voyager Õs bridge. We worked for a couple hours on the nebula simulation, and every time, it worked!After that, we decided to work on making our case stronger.ÒComputer, compiling all the historical events in the database, what would history be like if the Hansens and the Paris families never existed, s ÿtarting in the early 21st century.Ó The computer immediately showed a devastatingly changed timeline. We were safe.=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=ÒThank you so much for helping us out. IÕm sorry you canÕt come with us.ÓÒActually, Captain,Ó I said, flashing my ÔParisÕ grin, Òwe have to.Ó I tapped my commbadge. ÒDoc. Patch the info Kate and I showed you into my console.Ó As the information appeared, Kate and I watched their eyes widen in amazement. ÒAs you can see, Kate and I are the root of the Hansen and Paris families.ÓÒBut doesnÕt that mean you have to stay behind?Ó asked a confused Neelix.ÒNo. See these genetic anomalies? This means, somewhere in the past, one of TomÕs ancestors was a clone. And itÕs on the genetic markers he has in common with me. Same with Kate and Seven. We checked everything. DNA, RNA, you name it. This means we have to go to the future with you and leave clones of ourselves behind. If we donÕt, none o f you, or anything you know, will ever come to be. I mean, even out here, think how many times Tom or Seven has saved the ship. (And the first few major times, Tom didnÕt even get promoted. It took a whopper to get him where he was now.)Everyone here would be dead. We have to come.ÓThey took a few minutes to soak in all this information, then concurred. We left the ready room triumphant.=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=ÒJaneway to Sarah and Kate. WeÕre approaching the nebula. Please come to the bridge.ÓKate and I were excited as we reached the bridge. It was OK that our clones were now in our spot; being on Star Trek was great, being in Star Trek was better. The turbolift doors opened and we stepped onto the bridge. I sighed with relief.ÒGood. ItÕs not one of those nebulas. I hate those.ÓJaneway was confused. ÒWhat is one of those nebulas? I donÕt understand.ÓI laughed. ÒMutara-class nebula. Same backdrop, used ove ÿr and over. Gets annoying.ÓThe Captain smiled. Turning to face the front, she ordered, ÒTake us in, Mr. Paris.ÓThe nebula was beautiful. As we passed through it, I could almost feel the years passing. Then we were through. ÒCaptain,Ó called Harry. ÒIt worked! WeÕre back! The Federation border, our time! ItÕs as if we passed through the nebula and didnÕt go back in time!ÓCaptain Janeway smiled. ÒMr. Kim, find the closest Federation ship and hail it.Ó Then she turned to Kate and I. ÒThank you so much for your help.ÓI nodded. ÒYouÕre welcome. But some of that information is from your future. We have to delete it.ÓÒAll right.Ó She showed us a terminal where we could work.=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=/\=Three days later, we arrived at Deep Space Nine. The Federation had been relieved to finally have Voyager back. They had even let the Maquis crewmembers officially become Starfleet. Seven of Nine had regained much of her hum þanity, so she too, was accepted with a limited amount of objections. Tom told me he was going to write to the Federation Defense Department and show them his Òwinning battle plan.Ó (Sabotage the enemyÕs replicators so they only produce leola root and other Delta Quadrant specialties) Kate and I knew so much about Starfleet that we were able to enter the Academy right away, and were interning on Voyager Õs next mission. The Doctor was going to be shut off, but after some deliberation, was instead declared 5 sentient.It all just seemed a little too perfect. That night, when I got to my quarters, I locked the door and called, ÒOK, now whoÕs responsible for all this?Ó To my (semi) surprise, a Q appeared.It was Amanda Rogers. She smiled at me. ÒI just had to help. You would have gotten home anyway, I just made it happen faster.ÓI grinned. ÒThank you so much.Ó She disappeared, and I went back to my work. Our next mission started soon, and I wanted to be ready.