From: Fifty_Caliber@webtv.net (Nathan Yates) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.vs.starwars Subject: [FANFIC] In the Company of Strangers (Preveiw) Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2000 04:37:20 -0600 (CST) Starwars is the property of Lucasfilm, and Startrek is the property of Paramount. Really, it should be the property of Gene Roddenberry's family, but, alas. No money is being made for this. Note: The opening is borrowed from the 'Shadows of the Empire' Comic. I don't recall all of the details, but this involves the basic gist, and presents an alternate outcome from that story, and an alternate reality for the SW galaxy as well. In the original, a group of bounty hunters had stopped Boba Fett's ship in deep space, and boarded it. I recall something about someone having a Thermal detonator, and a standoff. Somone mentions that Solo, encased in carbonite, would likely be the only one to survive if it went off... ******************************************* Prologue (Revised) Boba Fett, for the hundredth time since he had left Bespin, had to wonder if capturing Solo had been worth it. For the past week, he had had nothing but trouble. In one instance the day before, he had gone into a cantina while his ship was getting refueled, and wound up getting into a shoot-out with rival bounty hunters. When he tried to take off, he was attacked. Half the spaceport was a blasted ruin now. But, he managed to make it to the Slave I, and take off. He hadn't even paid for the refeuling service. Now, in the middle of deep space, on the way to Tatooine, when he had to come out of hyperspace to make a course correction, he had been intercepted and boarded. The _Hound's Tooth_, Bossk's ship, had ambushed him, and then docked with the _Slave I_. Now, he was in the cargo hold, facing off with Bossk and another bounty hunter. Bossk was holding a thermal detonator in his hands... on a deadman's switch, meaning it would go off if it were let go of. "So, Bossk, you need help these days?" "60,000 credits goes a long way, Fett, even split three ways." *Ah, so he has someone else in the _Tooth_*, thought Fett. "Boss, you better be careful with that. If it goes off, Solo would probably be the only one who'd survive, and no one would get the money., said one of the other hunters. The carbonite slab containing Han Solo was well outside the blast radius of the detonator. The part of the ship Bossk and the others stood in was right next to the docking ring. "Relax. There's no way Fett would try anything, and there's no way I'd just let it go. So, Fett, do you want to stay here for eternity, or will you give up Solo so we can be on our way?" ********************************* On the bridge of the _Hound's Tooth_, a hunter who had gone by the name Sarhudukha was getting nervous. He knew of Bassk's crazy plan, and worried something might go wrong. Suddenly, the ship's sensors stated fluctuating wildly, and alarms went off. Sarhudukha sprang to his feet and tried to make sense of what the sensors were telling him. Then, there was a bright flash of light, right outside the veiwport. He wasn't sure what to do, but he knew it was something like a wormhole. He decided to tell the others, so he headed down to the entrance to the _Slave I_. ****************************** "OK, Fett, we don't have all day." Fett's mind was working in overtime trying to figure out a way to get out if this alive and with his bounty intact, but he knew Bossk might be crazy enough to just let go of the bomb...nah. No way. Suddenly there were loud footsteps as the other man that was helping Bossk came rushing in. "BOSS~! You'll never believe what--" He was cut off when he ran head-on into Bossk, and before anyone knew it-- KA--BOOM~! Bossk dropped the detonator, and all four of them were atomized, along with a sizable peice of the hull. Air began rushing out the rapidly expanding hull breach, and then the block of carbonite was pushed out into the vacuum. Interestingly, even exposed to vacuum, the carbonite tomb protected Han from the harshness of space. All of the indicators and guages still functioned optimally. Solo tumbled end over end through the void towards the wormhole. Then it entered the wormhole, and the wormhole simply dissapeared. ***************************************** (end prologue) ********************************************** In the Company of Strangers Part 1 Well, I stand up next to a mountain, Chop it down with the edge of my hand Well, I stand up next to a mountain, Chop it down with the edge of my hand I raise it up to make an island, Might even raise up a little sand That's 'cause I'm a voodoo child Lord knows I'm a voodoo child I didn't mean to take up all of your sweet time, baby, I'll give right back to you one of these days. I didn't mean to take up all of your sweet time, I'll give back to you, the rest of my days. If I don't see you again in this world, I'll see you again in the next world, And don't be late Don't be late. 'Cause I'm a voodoo child, Lord knows, I'm a voodoo child ----lyrics to Voodoo Child (Slight Return) by Jimi Hendrix (Alpha Quadrant, near the border between Federation and Dominion territory) The Klingon Bird of Prey _Bloodblade_ was outnumbered badly. Three Dominion fighters were making several passes on her. Captain Pahk'ron's mind raced with a way out of the situation. She looked at the position of the fighters and she got an idea. "Helm, bring us about at 28 mark 4 by 32. Engage." The BoP swung about in a split-S manuever, then was turned around so that a fighter was in her gunsights. "Fire all weapons!" The _Blade_ opened up with disruptors and torpedos, overloading the sheilds of the fighter and destroying it. Suddenly, the _Blade_ lurched under the fire of one of the other ships, then the other hit it. "Captain! Sheilds at 78%!" cried out Second officer Krohn'er. "These dogs like to hit us from behind. Let us show them how it's done! Helm, perform what the humans call an 'Immelman'!" The helmsman, First officer Drang, simply said, 'Aye' and sped the ship up to full sublight, and performed a half loop so that they were turned around, then flipped over. The Dominion fighters did not have time to respond to this manuever, which was named for a German WWI flying ace who had first perfomed it in a biplane. The BoP met them head on, and destroyed one in that pass. The other had turned out of the way, trying to get into a firing position, but before it could, the Klingon ship had manuevered into a position so that it could nail the fighter. And then it was over. On board the _Bloodblade_ there were grins on the faces of the bridge crew. "Damage report?" "No damage. Sheilds recharging. Up to 80% now. No casualties" "Any sign of other enemy ships?" "Scanning sir. Uh, negative." Just the debris of the ships they had just wiped out. The science officer continued to scan. He did notice something strange out there, though. A small object, floating away from any of the debris fields, man-sized. He decided to take a look. It could be something useful, perhaps an escape pod, or a danger, such as a bomb. He looked at with his visual scaners, and magnified it. And he was taken aback by what it looked like. He then scanned it with everything else. He softly swore when he read the results. "What is it, Chrug?" The captain asked. "Captain, my scanning has detected a most unusual object. I can't be sure if this is real, or a joke being played by Dahk'mar!" Dahkmar was the other officer that manned the sensors during Chrug's off hours. Dahkmar was one rank under him, but they were friends. They often played practical jokes on one another. Right now he manned a station in engineering. "This is hardly time for a joke! What is it?" "How about I show you?" "Very well. On screen" Chrug keyed in the commands. "Here it is, maximum magnification." They saw a slab of silvery metal tumbling through space. And when it was turned the right way, they could see...a face and two hands protruding out from the slab, like an unfinished statue. On the sides it looked like lights of different colors were flashing. "Sensors say the object is made of an unknown, carbon-based substance, there is a small power source attached to it,....and...." "What? Tell me!" "And that there is a very faint life sign...a human life sign" The Captain's jaw dropped at that. "What?! Who would do such a thing to somebody?!" Killing an enemy is one thing. To put him in a helpless state, perhaps forever, is another thing entirely. And is a dishonorable way to treat a foe. Could this be a Dominion ruse? Still, she would be shamed if she just abondoned someone in that kind of situation. "Any sign of explosives or other traps?" "No sir" The captain made a decision. "Beam it to sickbay. I will be down there shortly. Chrug, come with me. Drang, you have the bridge" *************************************** In the sickbay Medical Officer Bri' ran had already been prepared to deal with casualties, and didn't really bother to stand down. These Jem' hadar were tricky bastards, and one never knew when they might attack. So, when she got a call that they were transporting onboard an unusual object, she stood ready. "Energize" The room was filled with a shimmering glow, which quickly formed an object bigger than herself. It was transported so it would stand straight up, against one wall. Bri'ran was a bit shocked. Could this actually contain~? Captain Pahk'ron and Chrug walked in. "Ah, Captain. This is strange, isn't it?" "Indeed. Chrug here found it. I thought he would want to know what secrets it holds, as well. Run a scan" Bri'ran took out her medical tricorder, and checked it over. Chrug took a closer look. On the side he found what appeared to be controls and a readout of some kind. "It looks like this may be a life monitor, and there may be a way to release the man trapped in here. There appears to be some strange alien writing. It doesn't look Cardassian, Dominion, or belonging to any other known race". "From these scans, this person is human. I don't detect any explosives or any other sign that this is a Dominion ruse. The substance is an unknown metal, but appears to be carbon-based. The technology behind this appears to be pretty advanced. This man is in perfect hibernation". "Curious. It's like this doesn't belong here." Prohk'ran pondered for a few moments, and made her decision. "Do you think you can release him?" "Yes, my Captain. One of these switches should do it." "Then release him." Chrug worked the switches on the side, hoping he didn't screw up and kill the unfortunate soul inside this...thing he had discovered. Finally, a soft hum filled the air as the carbonite around Han's frozen visage started glowing. It soon melted away, and Han's stiff form was free. Bri'ran and Chrug caught him, and placed him on a bunk. The three Klingons gathered around, and heard him breathing. They also noted he had the chills, and one of them placed a blanket over him. Then he spoke, for the first time in six months. "UUUuugghhh....Where am I?" The Klingons were a bit releived that the universal translator had no problem with this man's language. "You are in the sickbay of the ImperialKlingon Bird of Prey _Bloodblade_. I am Captain Pahk'ran, house of Drehkya." A female voice. *Well*, Han thought, *at least I'm not on board an Imperial ship. Or in Jabba's palace*. Wait a minute. Something wasn't right. Imperial KLINGON~? Slowly, he opened his eyes, and realized, a lot of things weren't right. "I can't see. Everything's a dark blur". Bri'ran scanned him with her tricorder. "Appearently your hibernation has left you in a bad physical state, but it looks like it will be temporary. You can't see because the muscles in the eyes that allow you to focus are tensed up, and will need some time to relax. I can give you a drug which should help that. I can also give you something for the rest of your symptoms". "N-no. I-it's not that bad. I'll handle it." "A stoic human is rare nowadays. Let me treat you", Br'ran said. She took a closer look at his face and noticed the scar on his chin. A human without a scar was uncommon now as well, thanks to devices like dermal regenerators. Most humans the Klingons had met were somewhat vain (as far as the way the face looks), always worried about looking good, and usually made an effort to cover up any imperfections. But this one...they noticed the strange style of clothes, which looked much more practical than the clothes they'd seen most humans wear. It seemed like he came from another society. It also occurreed to the captain this man might be a criminal from where came from, considering that his being frozen may have been a form of incarceration. But, she wasn't too worried about that. In his state, he wasn't much of a threat to anybody. He was more of a curiosity. Bri'ran said, "Are you sure you don't want to see? I promise it won't have any bad effects on you. I have the injection prepared. It will also reduce your fever and the muscle cramps" Han thought for a moment. Could he trust these people? Where in the galaxy was he? He'd never heard of a Klingon Empire...then another thought popped into his mind as he started remembering. What about Leia? And Chewie, and Luke, and-- Lando. That traitorous bastard. 'He's probably licking Vader's boots right now', he thought. And what about Leia? Did she and the rest manage to escape? Or is she in some prison waiting for execution? Or is she already-? No. He wouldn't think about that. He refused to think she was dead. Chewie would protect her. And probably escape. They'd gotten good at getting out of sticky situations like that, by the skin of their teeth. Hopefully, one of them blasted Lando as well. Maybe Luke was able to rescue them. Nah. This was Luke he was thinking about here. 'Chances are'. Han thought, 'Leia and Chewbacca probably rescued _him_'. Han or somebady else usually had to pull Luke's butt out of trouble. But Han decided to put those thoughts aside for now, and deal with the situation he was in. He was blind, had a fever, chills, and muscle cramps, and thirsty. He also remembered what it was like to be trapped in carbonite for what seemed like an eternity:Being in what can be described as a semi-consious state, neither alive nor truely dead; tortured lungs screaming for air that never came; Crushing pressure that made him felt like he was buried alive; intense, painful cold that was colder than a night on Hoth; And the darkness. The darkness was the worst of it. If there was a Hell, he could not imagine anything much worse than that. Until now, he had taken _breathing_ for granted. Now it just felt so good to breathe. But, he also wanted to see, and get on his feet as soon as possible. He decided that an injection might not be too bad an idea. He had to get to the bottom of things. "Hey, human! Are you listening!" "Wha? Yeah, yeah, just thinking. You know, I think I'll take that injection, after all." Bri'ran injected Han with the hypospray, and he could feel himself slowly getting better. "Not bad." Pahk'ran spoke. "You haven't told us your name." "Han Solo", said Han as his eyes began to focus. That was quick! He could see clearly now. He looked at the Klingons. Humanoid. With dark skin, and ridges on their foreheads. Physically well-built. Looked like they could give a wookie a decent struggle before they got their arms ripped off. Han wanted to ask a million questions. He decided to start with one. "Where am I, exactly, and who are you, now?" Pak'rahn answered, "Like I said, you are on board the Imperial Klingon Starship _Bloodblade_, and I am Captain Pak'rahn. This is my science officer Chrug, and this is my medical officer, Bri'ran", gesturing to the other two Klingons. "Can you understand us?" she asked. " Yeah, yeah, in perfect Basic. Klingons? I've never heard of you. What part of space am I in? And what kind of ship am I in? You said something about a Bird of Prey?" Was it possible he was in the unknown regions? "Just how did you get me on board this ship? What happened to Boba Fett?" The three Klingons didn't know what to make of this. He didn't know who Klingons were? He MUST be from another part of space. "This ship is in the area along the Cardassian-Federation border, about 40 light-years away from the Bajor system and the space station Deep Space 9. A Bird of Prey is a light warship. We have a crew of 20. It is very manueverable and is even capable of taking on larger ships and winning. As to your other questions, well, we found you floating in space and beamed you aboard." Han interrupted her for a second."Beamed? Floating in space? What the kriff..." "Yes. We use a matter transporter for teleporting objects from one spot to another, within a certain range and up to a certain size object. We don't know where you came from. If not for Chrug here scanning for the enemy's presence, we wouldn't have spotted you at all. Who is Boba Fett?" "A..bounty hunter. As far as I know, I was in his custody. If I had survived being frozen I was expecting to have to face Jabba." Han then decided to explain everything. About the Empire, his debt to Jabba the Hutt, the Rebellion, why he was a smuggler (and the Klingons understood this and felt respect for him) and about his galaxy. This put the Klingons into shock. "I have to tell you something, Solo. The way you describe your galaxy - we know of no large human-dominated Empire like the one you described." Han was starting to have a bad feeling about this. "You mentioned something about a Federation and the Cardassians? And an enemy?" Pak'rahn told him about the history of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants and the Dominion, and the Borg. 'I don't beleive it', Han thought. He figured it out, and he couldn't believe it. "I'm in another galaxy, or another time, or both. Oh, Kreth." "Yes, human, it would appear so." "And your technology-warp drive, you say? Warp hasn't been used in eons. We use hyperdrive. Using the right route, you can cross my galaxy in days." Chrug said, "Days?! For us it would take over a century!" Pak'rahn glared at him. "QUIET! That is the last thing our guest would want to--" Han interrupted her. "No, that's OK. I might as well find out now. I need to figure out what my situation is anyway. Do you think you could leave me alone for a while? I need to do some thniking. And I could use a meal." "My patient is right.", Bri'ran said. "He needs to rest and eat. I'll replicate something palatable for humans." Pahk'rahn and Chrug left, and Bri'ran went over to the replicator. Han took the peace to ponder his situation. Okay, he was in the middle of an unknown galaxy, on board a ship which is part of an alliance fighting a war against another alliance. He was alone. No friends, now. Just him. He truely was his name. Solo. He thought about Leia and Chewie, and Luke, and silently prayed to whatever gods were listening that they would be alright, and silently said goodbye to them, knowing he may never see them again. He would have to make a new life here, one way or another. He owed no debts to anyone, and he wasn't on any wanted poster. This part of space was at war, but maybe he could use that to his advantage. The challenge ahead of him was like a mountain, like so many other challenges ahead of him. So he would deal with it the way he normally would any challenge. By chopping it down with the edge of his hand. The first thing he needed to do was to find out as much as he could about his new home. He asked the doctor if there was a library on this ship, and a program for learning how to speak, read, and write languages. Sure, the universal translator would be useful, but it wouldn't let you read an alien language. Bri'ran gave an affirmative, and showed him how to set it up after giving him a bowl of something called checken soup and water. Han decided he liked it. He asked for a system that would show the word on a readout, and the computer would sound it out. The first order of business was to learn Klingon...then English, Romulan, and then Cardassian... ************************************* End Chapter 1