The Future Begins Read online

  Other eBooks in the Star Trek™:

  Starfleet Corps of Engineers series from

  Pocket Books:

  #1: The Belly of the Beast by Dean Wesley Smith

  #2: Fatal Error by Keith R.A. DeCandido

  #3: Hard Crash by Christie Golden

  #4: Interphase Book 1 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

  #5: Interphase Book 2 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

  #6: Cold Fusion by Keith R.A. DeCandido

  #7: Invincible Book 1 by David Mack & Keith R.A. DeCandido

  #8: Invincible Book 2 by David Mack & Keith R.A. DeCandido

  #9: The Riddled Post by Aaron Rosenberg

  #10: Gateways Epilogue: Here There Be Monsters by Keith R.A. DeCandido

  #11: Ambush by Dave Galanter & Greg Brodeur

  #12: Some Assembly Required by Scott Ciencin & Dan Jolley

  #13: No Surrender by Jeff Mariotte

  #14: Caveat Emptor by Ian Edginton & Mike Collins

  #15: Past Life by Robert Greenberger

  #16: Oaths by Glenn Hauman

  #17: Foundations Book 1 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

  #18: Foundations Book 2 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

  #19: Foundations Book 3 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

  #20: Enigma Ship by J. Steven York & Christina F. York

  #21: War Stories Book 1 by Keith R.A. DeCandido

  #22: War Stories Book 2 by Keith R.A. DeCandido

  #23: Wildfire Book 1 by David Mack

  #24: Wildfire Book 2 by David Mack

  #25: Home Fires by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

  #26: Age of Unreason by Scott Ciencin

  #27: Balance of Nature by Heather Jarman

  #28: Breakdowns by Keith R.A. DeCandido

  #29: Aftermath by Christopher L. Bennett

  #30: Ishtar Rising Book 1 by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels

  #31: Ishtar Rising Book 2 by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels

  #32: Buying Time by Robert Greenberger

  #33: Collective Hindsight Book 1 by Aaron Rosenberg

  #34: Collective Hindsight Book 2 by Aaron Rosenberg

  #35: The Demon Book 1 by Loren L. Coleman & Randall N. Bills

  #36: The Demon Book 2 by Loren L. Coleman & Randall N. Bills

  #37: Ring Around the Sky by Allyn Gibson

  #38: Orphans by Kevin Killiany

  #39: Grand Designs by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

  #40: Failsafe by David Mack

  #41: Bitter Medicine by Dave Galanter

  #42: Sargasso Sector by Paul Kupperberg

  #43: Paradise Interrupted by John S. Drew

  #44: Where Time Stands Still by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

  #45: The Art of the Deal by Glenn Greenberg

  #46: Spin by J. Steven York & Christina F. York

  #47: Creative Couplings Book 1 by Glenn Hauman & Aaron Rosenberg

  #48: Creative Couplings Book 2 by Glenn Hauman & Aaron Rosenberg

  #49: Small World by David Mack

  #50: Malefictorum by Terri Osborne

  #51: Lost Time by Ilsa J. Bick

  #52: Identity Crisis by John J. Ordover

  #53: Fables of the Prime Directive by Cory Rushton

  #54: Security by Keith R.A. DeCandido

  #55: Wounds Book 1 by Ilsa J. Bick

  #56: Wounds Book 2 by Ilsa J. Bick

  #57: Out of the Cocoon by William Leisner

  #58: Honor by Kevin Killiany

  #59: Blackout by Phaedra M. Weldon

  #60: The Cleanup by Robert T. Jeschonek

  #61: Progress by Terri Osborne (What’s Past Book 1)

  #62: The Future Begins by Steve Mollmann & Michael Schuster (What’s Past Book 2)

  COMING SOON:

  #63: Echoes of Coventry by Richard C. White (What’s Past Book 3)

  #64: Distant Early Warning by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore (What’s Past Book 4)

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  An Original Publication of POCKET BOOKS

  POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  Copyright © 2006 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

  STAR TREK is a Registered Trademark of Paramount Pictures.

  This book is published by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., under exclusive license from Paramount Pictures.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  Cover art by Mike Collins

  ISBN: 1-4165-2046-5

  POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Visit us on the World Wide Web:

  http://www.SimonSays.com/st

  http://www.startrek.com

  Dedicated to the memory of James

  Montgomery Doohan.

  Acknowledgments

  Michael wants to thank his parents for their continuing support, even though they have no great love for science fiction. He’d also like to thank every one of his English teachers—most of all, however, his two favorite teachers, Ray Flanagan and Martina Friedrich. Finally, he wants to thank his very good friend Angelika Heininger, who has been there for him ever since they stumbled across each other on the original Psi Phi Star Trek Books Board.

  Steve would like to thank his parents as well, without whom he would probably not exist. He would like to apologize to his mother, to whom this novel would have been dedicated if unfortunate circumstances had not intervened. He will make it up someday.

  As this story would never have been written if there had not been contradictory accounts of what Scotty was doing in 2375/76, which we tried to reconcile, it seems only fair to thank the people responsible for these stories. They are: Peter David, for the Star Trek: New Frontier novels Renaissance and Restoration, and John J. Ordover and Keith R.A. DeCandido, for the creation of the eBook series Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers and the inclusion of Scotty as a recurring character in said series.

  We would be remiss if we didn’t also thank the writers of other stories and reference works which were used in the writing of this eBook. They include Christopher L. Bennett, Diane Carey, Gene DeWeese, Kevin Dilmore, Diane Duane, Julia Ecklar, Michael Jan Friedman, Robert Greenberger, Vonda N. McIntyre, Robert J. Mendenhall, Michael Okuda, Scott Pearson, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, William Rotsler, Kevin Ryan, Rick Sternbach, Dayton Ward, Howard Weinstein, and whoever wrote “A Page from Scotty’s Diary” in the collections of the old Gold Key comics, as well as the aforementioned Mssrs. David, DeCandido, and Ordover.

  Aptly enough for a series about futuristic technology and engineers, we also owe thanks to the inventors and developers of the Arpanet, which evolved into the Internet that we know and love today. Without instant worldwide communication in the form of email, this story would not have been written.

  But most of all, we want to thank James Doohan for giving us such a memorable character in his portrayal of a Scottish engineer. He will not be forgotten.

  Prologue

  Stardate 53509.4

  May 2376, Old Earth Time

  Geordi La Forge materialized right in front of the Tucker Memorial Building, the beam having been ably targeted by Enterprise’s Vulcan transporter chief. The Tucker Building, adjacent to Starfleet Medical Headquarters, housed the Earth-based facilities of the Corps of Engineers. Those consisted of
several offices, of course, and numerous labs where Starfleet’s best engineers analyzed alien technologies, developed new ones of their own, and fixed anything that came their way.

  Basically, it was a building full of very skilled tinkerers.

  La Forge quickly stepped up the flight of stairs leading to the building’s front doors, which automatically swished open to admit him. The lobby of the building was dominated by a massive replica of Zefram Cochrane’s Phoenix, which La Forge had not only seen in real life, but actually sat in only a few years ago. Around the circumference of the room were holoframes depicting many other great engineers who had served in Starfleet over the centuries, from the one that gave the building its name to George William Jefferies to Mahmud al-Khaled.

  One of the holoframes was switched off, presumably out of a sense of modesty, as its subject was alive and well and presently berating another engineer by the lobby’s main desk. “What do you mean, you don’t have the report on the time corridor generator! You told me you would have it ready in a week!”

  The engineer, a Vissian woman by the look of it, attempted to mount a defense. “Sir, that generator was buried on Mars for over two centuries, and is in horrible shape. A week was our minimum estimate—”

  Captain Montgomery Scott, head of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, shook his head mournfully. “Lassie, do they not teach you anything? Always multiply your estimates—your maximum estimates—by a factor of four.”

  La Forge cut in as he drew closer to the arguing pair. “He’s right, Ensign. That way you look like a miracle worker.”

  Abruptly, Scotty turned to see the new arrival. “Geordi lad! ’Tis good to see you.” He grabbed La Forge’s hand and shook it most vigorously, then turned back to face the Vissian. “When I first met this lad, he was as bad as you. But I taught him how a real engineer works, so there’s hope for you, too.”

  La Forge managed a weak smile at the Vissian. He admired and respected Scotty, and considered him a good friend, but the man’s philosophy on reporting to one’s superiors left something to be desired, in his mind.

  “Now go on, and get back to work.” The Vissian ran off for parts unknown.

  Scotty turned to face La Forge once more. “What are you doin’ here, lad? Not that I’m unhappy to see you.”

  “It’s good to see you too, Scotty.” It had been a few years since they had last encountered one another, aside from the occasional subspace communication. “The Enterprise is here for some repairs after that whole gateways mess, but I decided I needed some time off.”

  Scotty sighed. “I wish I could get some time off.” He set off for one of the lifts at the far end of the lobby, indicating La Forge should follow him. “I thought the reconstruction work had us spread thin enough, but the gateways crisis has made everythin’ twice as bad. Every one of my teams is tied up somewhere, and I’ve got a dozen admirals askin’ me to move each of them to two other places, at the very least.”

  They entered the lift, which Scotty ordered to the appropriate destination. “How are things with you, lad?”

  “Not much better,” said La Forge. “It’s been one crisis after another ever since the war ended, from Gemworld on.”

  “Captain Gold said you spent some time on the da Vinci.”

  La Forge nodded. “I joined them for a few missions. It was certainly different from what I usually do, and I enjoyed it, but I was happy to return to the Enterprise. Sure, both ships were just as hectic, but at least on the Enterprise I’m not horning in on someone else’s turf.”

  “Gold and Gomez both said you were a wonderful addition to the team,” said Scotty as the lift doors opened, depositing them in a nondescript corridor. Scotty led the way down it.

  “I suppose so,” said La Forge. “But anyway, working with an S.C.E. team made me think of you, so I decided to drop in next time I was in the area.”

  “It’s good that you did, lad,” said Scotty. “I could use a break.”

  The two reached a door marked COMMAND LIAISON which opened as they approached to reveal a small office. “Good mornin’, Deg,” Scotty said to the Blood Many male sitting at the desk.

  “Good morning, Captain Scott,” replied the aide. “Good to see you in the office today.”

  “Ah, be quiet, lad, I have a guest.” Scotty gestured unnecessarily at La Forge. “Do I have any appointments today?”

  “Only your interview with Dr. Ven this afternoon,” Deg replied immediately.

  Scotty frowned. “What’s that about, again?”

  “He’s looking for a medical position on an—”

  Scotty waved off the rest of the sentence. “Tell him I’m sorry, but I’m out for the day, and I’ll have to reschedule.” Deg nodded, and began typing into his computer console. “Oh, and hold all my calls.” Deg nodded again, and Scotty gestured at the bright red door at the back of the room. “After you, laddie,” he said to La Forge.

  La Forge stepped up to the door, somewhat out of place with its drab surroundings, and it slid open automatically. What it revealed was no ordinary office.

  Scotty’s office had been thoroughly redecorated in the style of a twenty-third-century Constitution-class vessel. There were bright primary colors everywhere, including the red grate dividing the portion of the room with the desk from that with some antique chairs. The desk itself was topped with a period-authentic three-sided computer monitor, and next to it sat a pile of old-fashioned duotronic computer cartridges.

  “Scotty…this is amazing,” La Forge said, finally stepping out of the doorway. As Scotty crossed into the office as well, and the doors closed behind him, La Forge noticed they had done so with the pneumatic swish characteristic, once again, of the time period.

  “Thank you, lad,” said Scotty. He stepped past La Forge to the “lounge” half of the room, where he sat himself down. The other engineer picked a seat across from him. “When I finally decided to take the job as head of the S.C.E. back in March, I determined the first thing I would do is make myself an office I would be comfortable in.”

  Scotty reached for a squat table next to him, grabbing a bottle and a couple of glasses. As he poured the drink—Scotch, La Forge presumed—into the glasses, Scotty continued. “Everythin’s fully functional, even the computer disks. They’re really isolinear chips with a casing around them so they work in my ‘antique’ adapted reader.” He shook his head. “You don’t know how many antique dealers tried to peddle off bad merchandise. One tried to tell me his twenty-second-century desktop monitor was from my time. Sure, it was three-sided, but that doesn’t mean it was what I wanted.”

  La Forge grimaced as Scotty handed him the drink; it was Scotch, all right, and despite the other engineer’s repeated efforts, he had yet to develop a taste for it. “You seem to be enjoying yourself, Scotty.”

  “Oh, that I am, lad, that I am,” said Scotty, quickly downing his own cup of the drink. “I definitely made the right move when I accepted Ross’s offer.”

  La Forge took a tentative sip of his cup. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. Since the last time I saw you, you’ve left the Sovereign, become head of the S.C.E., quit the job and Starfleet from what I hear, and returned in the same capacity. What is up with that?”

  Scotty chuckled. “It’s quite a tale, Geordi.” He drank some more Scotch. “I’d like to tell it to you, but it’s a wee bit classified in parts.” Scotty paused for a moment. “Ah, hell, what’s that between friends?”

  La Forge shrugged. “Your secrets will be safe with me.”

  “Of that, I have no doubt, lad.” Scotty finished off his glass, and began pouring another. “In the final months of the Dominion War, I was tapped by Admiral Ross to take over the Corps of Engineers from John. A couple months after takin’ my new position, I found myself called away from Earth by a very young laddie and his shuttlecraft, to be taken to the U.S.S. Gorkon. Her commandin’ officer required me to help her humor some new alien friends…”

  Situational Engin
eering

  Stardate 52612.6

  August 2375, Old Earth Time

  Once the delegation materialized on the surface of Kropasar, inside a very nice-looking gathering hall, Scotty immediately lost sight of the others who’d transported down with him—except for Admiral Nechayev. Before he had quite acquired his bearings in the massive room, she was pulling him face-to-face with his first Kropaslin.

  The Kropaslin were not normal humanoids by any stretch of the imagination. To Scotty’s eyes, they resembled tall, bipedal lizards with feathers and a high forehead. They had four short arms which they usually kept close by their bodies, almost as if to protect themselves. Their most peculiar attribute was the complete lack of any visual organs. In any case, Scotty didn’t spot any, even though he did look hard. In fact, the only sensory organ he could make out was their nose, which sported huge nostrils where other beings had their eyes, and they opened and closed in quick intervals.

  They possessed feathers, or at least something that looked like feathers. Most of them grew on their head, around the nostrils, although the Kropaslin’s arms also sported a few. This particular one did not even come up to Scotty’s shoulders, though looking around he noticed there were several taller ones about. All of them were clothed, which was a blessing.

  “Captain Scott, this is Bendalion Iamor, a thane in the Kropaslin Witenagemot,” said Nechayev. “Thane Iamor, this is Captain Montgomery Scott, head of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers.” She looked around the room and, noticing a Kropaslin trying to catch her attention, set off. “If you’ll excuse me, I see High Cyning Forecic over there.”

  Scotty reached out and shook one of Iamor’s four hands. “Good to meet you, Thane.”

  “Likewise, Captain Scott,” Iamor replied. The Kropaslin’s speech was heavily accented and very screechy; apparently he was speaking Standard directly, without the benefit of a universal translator. His voice box seemed to be unsuited for it.

  “Thane, eh? Do you all think you’re Ancient Scots or somethin’?” asked Scotty amusedly.