ACT ONE

FADE IN:

6. EXT. SPACE - U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR

U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR hangs in space, with most of her lights out or flickering.  The EPISODE TITLE APPEARS on the screen.

DISSOLVE TO:

7. INT. U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR - BRIDGE - DAY

The crew for the most part, lays unconscious.  As the CAMERA PANS AROUND, we realize that the bridge has looked better.  Lights flicker, the viewscreen is off, and a couple of panels short and spark, or are dark altogether.  Everyone seems uninjured, but slumped over at their stations.

Kara groans, then sits up.  She shakes Jaredan.

JAREDAN
You okay?

KARA
Yeah.  Where are we?

Jaredan activates his auxiliary control panel, and starts tapping away.

JAREDAN
We’ve been unconscious for almost fifteen minutes.
(beat)
Astrometrics coming on line.
(beat, unbelieving)
We're just where we started from– eight million kilometers past the edge of the solar system.

KARA
You mean we stumbled on the only wormhole that goes nowhere?

JAREDAN
Apparently.

The rest of the bridge crew is awake by now.  the lights and control panels stabilize, but the red alert lights remain on.  Kara shakes out the cobwebs.

KARA
Helm, confirm our position.

HIKARU
Confirmed, sir.  We're back to within a few hundred meters of our original position.

KARA
Any sign of the wormhole?

T’Ress checks her readings.

T’RESS
At its original position and original size, and it seems to have stabilized.

Jaredan rubs his eyes.

JAREDAN
Damage reports.

ELENA
All decks reporting in.  Minor damage to smaller EPS conduits.  Structural integrity sound.

JAREDAN
(into comm)
Bridge to Sickbay.

The call is answered by CADET LT. CDR. JENNIFER DECKER, Gamma Team’s CMO.  She’s heard in VO from Sickbay.

JENNIFER (VO)
Decker here.

JAREDAN
Any injuries to report?

JENNIFER (VO)
Only some minor bumps and bruises, thank goodness.

JAREDAN
Good.
(to Kara)
Open a channel to Starfleet…

T’Ress interrupts.

T’RESS
Captain– reading an excess of chroniton particles off to our starboard.  Some strange subspace variances, as well.

Kara looks puzzled a moment, then checks her panel.

KARA
Chroniton particles?  Checking against computer records… Ship de-cloaking to starboard!

JAREDAN
Raise shields!  Helm, put some distance between us!    Identify that ship!
(to Kara)
What the hell is a cloaked ship doing this close to Earth?

KARA
Could it be a Klingon envoy of some kind?

JAREDAN
Put that ship on screen.

INSERT: VIEWSCREEN

The VIEWSCREEN ACTIVATES as a STARSHIP comes screaming towards them, phasers blazing.  It's a Starfleet Independence-class ship, of the exact same class as the Endeavour, but in darker colors and showing a little more wear than her shiny almost-new sister.  The ship rocks under phaser fire.

8. EXT. SPACE - BOTH SHIPS

The new INDEPENDENCE-CLASS zooms past the ENDEAVOUR, then turns for another pass.

9. INT. U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR - BRIDGE - DAY

CADET LT. CDR. TOR PARAN mans the TACTICAL STATION (PORT AREA).

PARAN
Glancing hits– shields are holding.

JAREDAN
Evasive maneuvers!  Get me an I.D. on that ship!

KARA
It has a Federation style transponder code.  Oh, God…

JAREDAN
What?

Kara goes almost white.

KARA
It's the Endeavour.  The I.S.S. Endeavour.

JAREDAN
I.S.S. Endeavour?  Oh, no.  Open a hailing frequency!

PARAN
No response!
(beat)
Enemy is firing quantum torpedoes!

JAREDAN
(to Hikaru)
Helm, evasive pattern Gamma three.
(to Paran)
Target phasers and fire!

10. EXT. SPACE - U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR vs. I.S.S. ENDEAVOUR

The U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR just DODGES as the I.S.S. ENDEAVOUR sends a torpedo spread at it.

U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR executes an exceptionally sharp rolling bank, and blasts the I.S.S. ENDEAVOUR, shaking it visibly.

U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR and I.S.S. ENDEAVOUR circle like boxers.

11. INT. U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR - BRIDGE - DAY

The bridge crew, like the best Starfleet officers, are doing their damnedest to keep a steely air of professional determination on their faces.  There's varying results, but, as to be expected, the two line officers in command– Jaredan and Kara– are the most stone-faced.

Everyone lurches as the ship continues to jink and evade.  All the dialogue is naturally rushed and anxious.

KARA
Mr. Tor, what's the reading on that ship?  She looks a hell of a lot worse for wear than us.

PARAN
It's definitely battle damage.  That Endeavour has seen plenty of action, but it's got stronger shields and higher-power phasers than we do.
(beat)
She's rigged for combat.

JAREDAN
Then we'll have to out-run, then out-think whoever's in command.  You up for it, Kara?

KARA
You bet.  You still owe me a drink.

JAREDAN
(a little more confident now)
Helm, full impulse into the system– heading 118 mark 38.  I want to lose them in the inner asteroid belt.

HIKARU
Aye, sir.

12. EXT. SPACE

U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR escapes, peeling out, heading towards the inner planets.

The I.S.S. ENDEAVOUR turns in hot pursuit, still firing, but it's clear that it's just a few hairs slower than the good one.

CLOSE - ON I.S.S. ENDEAVOUR as it begins to shimmer and fade from sight.

13. INT. U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR - BRIDGE - DAY

Kara curses under her breath.

KARA
Damn!  They've cloaked again!

Jaredan seems to have had a flash of inspiration.

JAREDAN
Scan for those subspace variances we detected earlier.  Match them to readings of Romulan-type cloaking devices from the computer.

T’RESS
Romulan?

JAREDAN
I'm playing a hunch.

Hikaru turns towards Jaredan.

HIKARU
Approaching asteroid belt.

JAREDAN
Switch to forward view.

INSERT: VIEWSCREEN

Suddenly, the viewscreen is filled with millions of asteroids, all moving at a deceptively easy pace.  There's a complete range of sizes, but there's far too many of the big ones for comfort.

Elena taps at her panel.

ELENA
Setting main deflector output to maximum.

JAREDAN
Belay that.  Bring us up against one of the larger asteroids at one-quarter impulse.
(turns to Kara)
Start reducing power usage, all decks.

ELENA
Sir?

JAREDAN
Maxing out the deflector will be like turning on a beacon for them.

HIKARU
Sir?  Close-quarter drills were a couple of months ago.  I could use an extra set of eyes.

Jaredan nods.

JAREDAN
Understood.
(turns to Kara)
How about it, Kara?

Nodding, Kara taps at her panel, reconfiguring it for Conn assist.

Kara who nods toward Hikaru.

KARA
You're on, Lieutenant.

Hikaru looks down at his panels, concentrating hard.

HIKARU
Okay, here we go.

14. EXT. SPACE - ASTEROID FIELD

U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR heads slowly into the field as its lights begin to dim (many eventually go out).

U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR sidles up beside a large, tumbling asteroid.

15. INT. U.S.S. ENDEAVOUR - BRIDGE - DAY

Kara taps away at the controls, then looks up.

KARA
We're within one hundred meters of the surface.

JAREDAN
Good work.  Thrusters only– station keeping, Mister Takani.

HIKARU
Station keeping, aye.

That finished, he turns briefly to nod at Kara in thanks, who returns it in appreciation.

T’Ress looks up and turns to Jaredan.

T’RESS
Captain– detecting those variances again.
(raises an eyebrow)
Sensors confirm that they're consistent with a Romulan-style cloaking device.

JAREDAN
Bearing?

T’RESS
Locus is at bearing 240 mark 35, distance three million kilometers and opening slowly.

Jaredan relaxes a little, then starts tapping at his control panel.

ELENA
Captain– should I try to contact Starfleet Command?

JAREDAN
Negative.
(beat)
We're not going to be getting any help.
(beat)
Our only hope is to make our way back to that wormhole and go back through.

HIKARU
Sir, you seem to know a lot about what's going on.  How about sharing the knowledge?

JAREDAN
Fair enough.
(beat, gathering himself)
I assume everyone's studied the history of the original Starship Enterprise.  One of their more interesting adventures was their discovery of a parallel universe to ours, one where the I.S.S. Enterprise was under the command of the Terran Empire.  The Empire was ruthless and vicious and so was its Starfleet.
(beat)
Unfortunately for the Empire, contact with our universe led to their embracing a more peaceful philosophy.

ELENA
Why “unfortunately”?

KARA
Unfortunate because when the Empire began to weaken, the Cardassian-Klingon Alliance stepped in, and enslaved the human race.  There have been more crossovers in the last few years, sparking a new Terran Resistance.

HIKARU
That doesn’t explain that duplicate Endeavour out there, or why it’s got a cloaking device.

PARAN
With the Klingons and Cardassians on one side, maybe the Terran Resistance has been able to at least make a deal with the Romulans.

JAREDAN
That’s the most likely explanation.
(beat)
T’Ress– look for anything in the computers that would let us detect that ship.  The chroniton surge doesn’t show up on scanners until it’s almost too late.

Elena looks up from her beeping console.

ELENA
Captain, we’re being hailed.

JAREDAN
(worried)
Have they detected us?

ELENA
Negative, sir.  They’re broadcasting on all normal subspace frequencies.

JAREDAN
On screen.  Reception only.

The SCREEN ACTIVATES.  Everyone freezes.

Standing on the darker, more militaristic bridge of the I.S.S. Endeavour, in a Terran Empire version of the latest Starfleet uniform, complete with long sideburns and red sash, is the enemy ship’s captain.

JAREDAN.

FADE OUT.

END ACT ONE