His comm badge chirped suddenly: "Captain to engineering!"

"On my way. What is it?" the Captain asked as he hurried down to the closest turbolift.

"You’d better come here and look for yourself, Captain," the reply came. Usually, his chief engineer would provide him with more detailed information. Captain Mark Anthony didn’t have time to consider the unexpected response as the door of the cart opened to reveal a strange scene. In the center of a circular room there was a very confused young woman. He'd never seen her before. She was dressed in light blue blouse and very short skirt. Her skin was rather tanned, otherwise she looked perfectly human. She had wavy black hair and black eyes. Surrounded by almost all of the engineering staff and some security for good measure, she was looking around with apparent curiosity and some bemusement.

"All right," she spoke. "That’s weird. I never knew you were staging around here. Where is the director?’

Everyone turned to look at the captain. He replied: "I am Captain Mark Anthony from the Federation Starship USS Explorer. And with whom do I have the pleasure?’

The answer was not what he expected. The woman started to laugh nervously. She came closer and looked him in the eyes. Then she stopped laughing and said: "Very funny. You got me here. My name is Joanna Kruk. I’m really sorry to interrupt your work. Now, where is the exit?"

"Exit?” The captain asked. He looked around at his crew but they looked just as puzzled as he did.

"The stage door, cameramen, cables, you know?"

"No, Madam, I’m afraid I don’t understand you. How did you get aboard?"

"Umm… Captain?" Lieutenant Commander Timothy Rex, the young chief engineer of the Explorer interrupted.

"Yes, Commander?"

"We were running some diagnostics on the transwarp coils, as per your orders, Sir. There was an accident," he finished quietly.

"What kind of accident?" Anthony had a feeling that the explanation was not going to be an easy one. Nothing ever was easy with such new technology.

"Apparently Sir, there was a time loop of some kind. We have detected a tachyon leak from our left port nacelle. We didn’t manage to stop the drive immediately and…" He obviously was as reluctant to tell him, as he was to listen to it. Nevertheless it had to be said and better still, logged. The captain sighed and motioned for him to continue.

"And… the next thing we noticed was her, standing right here," he pointed to the woman.

"Have you got any idea where she came from? And, more importantly, can we send her back?"

"No, Sir, not yet, but we are working on it right now. However, there are no other starships and no planets within the long range sensor range. She just… suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

The captain took a deep breath. He definitely didn’t like it. He looked at the woman again. She was trying to talk to one of the engineers, but he was as confused as everyone else.

"Ensign, please escort our… guest to the quarters. Send counselor Aleyah to see to her immediate needs. We’ll talk about this in my ready room in half an hour. I expect some solutions," he added, turning to the staff.

"Hey, wait a second!" this came from the surprised woman. "How did I get here? I didn’t plan to interrupt your shooting. I’m sorry OK? But I have other things on my mind. I was on my way to work and…"

"I’m sorry, Madam." Anthony was calm but he didn’t want to discuss it right now. He needed to consult his people, find out more about the woman’s unexpected appearance before he was ready to deal with the problem. "There has been a misunderstanding. We have no intention of shooting anybody. We will talk about this in a few minutes. In the meantime, my counselor will show you to some refreshments.’

"Look, I don’t have time for this! You don’t know my boss. He’s going to fire me if I’m late again!"

The captain took a deep breath. He felt irritation building up inside of him, but made an effort to stifle it and stay polite. "Mrs.… Kruk. I really don’t know what you’re talking about. As I said nobody is going to fire at you until you are in my care."

"It’s Miss," the woman replied, getting rather anxious. "And I really should be going. That’s all very strange, but you’d better stop it right now. I don’t know how you did it, but it’s not funny anymore. What is this, anyway? Is it Candid Camera or something? I’m telling you, I’ve had enough. Now, will you let me go?" She looked expectantly at Anthony.

"Yes, Miss Kruk. We will. As soon as we figure out how. Now, will you please go with the ensign here? I promise it won’t take any longer than absolutely necessary." Anthony tried to make his smile look reassuring but he wasn’t certain about the effect. Apparently good enough, since the woman visibly deflated and looked with some resignation at the ensign, who was standing beside her, eager to carry out his orders.

"This better be quick," she muttered turning to the turbolift, "or Stanczyk is really going to find another teacher for his class.’

* * *

"Can you please explain to me in simple English, or whatever your first language is, what exactly happened? Who is this woman?"

Half an hour later Anthony was looking around at his senior staff gathered at the round table in the conference room aboard the USS Explorer. None of the faces looked very confident, though.

"Well, Captain," Commander Liana Rex started, a happy young wife of his chief engineer and the ship’s very competent science officer. At the moment, however, she looked rather embarrassed.

"As Tim was saying, there was an accident none of us had been able to predict. We believe the tachyon leak we had been trying to eliminate hit upon a microscopic wormhole. We hadn’t been able to detect that either since, as we found out, the moment the transwarp comes on line, the sensors are momentarily blinded. It takes only a fraction of millisecond, that’s why it hadn’t been discovered earlier. Apparently, this time it was sufficient to cause an accident. The wormhole interfered with the tachyon leak from our transwarp coils and it must have created some kind of time distortion around us."

"Can we recreate the circumstances and send this lady back where she came from?" This came from the Explorer first officer, Commander Jerry Kowalsky. He was relatively knew to the crew, since he joined them only just before their present mission. Even though its been almost six years, he still stayed a little outside of the team, not really getting along with anybody. Right now he looked as if he was trying to stay calm while obviously feeling rather nervous.

"I’m afraid not, Commander," sighed Liana. "There is something else."

"Give us all of it, Commander." Anthony sighed, reclining in his seat as if preparing to listen to a long story.

"Well, I think she does not only come from the past, Sir. She comes from another past. Apart from time distortion, we evidently experienced some sort of dimensional shift. The exact conditions of the accident are impossible to recreate, since the actual variance might be as insignificant as the absence of a single atom in space. The wormhole was destroyed in the process. We have no idea how to send her back. If we try, we may end up sending her to Earth inhabited by dinosaurs, or a planet in a different galaxy, or, worse still, to yet another dimension. With our present state of technology, we are absolutely unable to predict the exact result of our action if we take any."

Anthony took a deep breath. He knew precisely where this was going to. USS Explorer, while by no means a cutting edge of Starfleet technology in the 25 th century, was still an experimental ship. The transwarp engines had not yet been standard on Starfleet vessels. At the moment there were only a handful of scientific starships equipped with them for long range exploration missions. The USS Explorer was one of them. Their mission was to explore the closest galaxy and they were almost approaching their destination. The accident happened with the worst possible timing. But then again, has any accident ever occurred when convenient? They didn’t know where their guest came from and how she got there, so they couldn’t send her back. They could not contact the Federation for any guidance, since they were over two million light years away from home. Any answer would take months to come. The captain was truly on his own as far as decision making was concerned. On the other hand, he knew it would be like that when he accepted the assignment. At the time it hadn’t seemed such a bad idea. A truly deep space exploration. After all, that was why he had joined Starfleet in the first place.

"Very well, Commander. I expect your full report in three hours. In the meantime, let’s brainstorm. We need ideas, people, and we need them quickly."

"Captain!" The ship’s counselor, Aleyah Purr entered the room. Being a changeling, she could pose as any known race in the universe and some unknown as long as imagination served. Sometimes she liked to amuse the crew showing them a variety of body shapes from a Klingon to an earth fly. While on duty, however, she usually had an appearance of a human female. And a pretty one, Anthony had to admit, with her unkempt dark hair and slender but nicely curved figure..

"Yes, counselor?"

"I’ve been talking to this woman, sir. There’s something I’d like you to know."

As if matters couldn’t have been worse, Anthony mused.

"Yes, Aleyah, what is it?"

"Joanna knows our history quite well. Apparently, what has been a history to us, is material for some kind of holonovel in her world. She is quite familiar with the beginnings of the Federation, the Romulan and Dominion Wars and the Voyager's travel through the Delta Quadrant. However, she has no knowledge of any further events."

"Well, it seems she is not quite a novice. Since she is going to stay with us for a while, let’s think of some job for her to do." Anthony looked around his staff again, waiting for volunteers. He didn’t find any.

"Are you saying that she’s going with us, Sir?" Kowalsky asked incredulously.

"That’s exactly what I am saying, Jerry, I’m afraid. Unless of course you’d be willing to cancel our mission and return home with her."

"That at least is an option to consider, Sir," agreed Commander Rex. She was sitting next to Jerry and looking sternly at her captain. Her husband nodded silently from his place opposite the table. "We cannot just pick her up on our way and go along as if nothing happened."

"Liana," Anthony said softly but firmly. "You told us yourself, just a minute ago, that there is nothing we can do to return her home. Going back to Earth with her doesn’t change anything. It is our Earth, not hers. And I do not suppose that anybody can find a solution to her problem since we can’t. It is not that you don’t have a lab or a computer sophisticated enough, is it?"

"No Sir," she replied proudly, knowing very well that their ship’s data banks carried the whole human knowledge since the beginning of history. Then she exhaled hard as she realized the truth of Anthony’s words. There was nothing any scientist on Earth could do right now or even in a few years. Going back, abandoning the first mission to another galaxy, was not a solution. "You’re right, Sir." She admitted. He always seemed to think much quicker then herself, although she did not like to boast about it too much.

"We could put her in stasis," offered Lieutenant Tanaki, the ship’s tactical officer. "Then she could wait until one day we may develop technology to send her back.’

"True," the captain nodded. "But that would have to be her decision. After all, it’s her life we are tampering with. That’s settled then. Now, I need the usual reports…"

Joanna sat on the bed in her quarters. The room looked similar to those she remembered from her favorite TV show. Grey and beige paneling on the walls, light gray carpet on the floor. The only furniture in the room appeared to be a narrow bed, a small table with something that must have been a computer panel and a chair. In the wall opposite the bed there was a big window and… She took a deep breath. There were occasional streaking points of light all around. She suddenly felt dizzy.

So it is true. Unbelievable, but somehow I’m on the Enterprise… no, this guy, the captain, said the name was Explorer. USS Explorer. Sounds strange but it’s still Star Trek. They don’t know how to send me back.

After her brief conversation with the counselor, Joanna still found it hard to believe. One moment she was hurrying to her school as usual, and the next, she was on a starship from her favorite TV show. Suddenly the stars outside the window simply disappeared altogether. Wow! What is that? She quivered not realizing that the ship had just gone beyond warp velocity. All right. I’ll think about it later, she thought. Sooner or later I’m going to wake up or go crazy. Anyway, I could use a cup of coffee right now. She looked around the walls, but found nothing. "Hey, there should be this replicator thing somewhere! What did they use to say?"

"Computer?"

"Hello, Joanna. My name is Pierre. What can I do for you?"

The voice surprised her. It was male, soft, and, well… male. "Who am I speaking to?" she asked, puzzled.

"The ship’s computer, Pierre IV, at your service Madam. You asked for coffee. How do you take it?"

"Black with sugar, please… wait! How did you know about the coffee? I didn’t say that aloud!." She looked around her as if expecting to see someone playing yet another trick on her, but she was alone in her room.

"Of course you didn’t say it. That’s what I’m here for. At least the part of me dedicated to serve the crew on board. I apologize, but I do not yet know all of your habits. Next time you ask, I will know about the coffee."

He (or it – she couldn’t decide) was still speaking when a small bedside table appeared in front of her with a cup of steaming coffee on it. Appeared, she thought, was a good word. It did not 'materialize', as she remembered the thing from TV, but simply was there instantly, with no additional visual effects.

"Thank you." She said faintly.

"You’re welcome. Do you wish anything else?"

Joanna already felt a little better, smelling the coffee. After she swallowed some hot liquid, she decided to learn as much about her situation as possible.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I could use some information."

"Of course. That’s my primary function. I will answer all of your questions, provided the answers are not classified."

"Right," sighed Joanna, trying to figure out what to begin with.

"You’re not a standard computer, are you?" she began, sitting comfortably on her bed with the cup in her hand.

"Why yes, Madam. I am a standard TCS for Starfleet scientific and patrolling vessels," came the prompt if somewhat disgruntled answer. No, I am imagining things, she thought. How a computer can feel offended?

"What does this TCS stand for?"

It’s Telepathic Computing System. The newest upgrade, I might add…

"Wait! Did you just say TELEPATHIC?!"

That’s right. That way I can better serve the needs of the crew and the vessel.

Joanna suddenly realized, that she’s not hearing the pleasant voice anymore. His last sentences were somehow in her own thoughts. It wasn’t a totally unpleasant sensation, it felt a bit like talking to herself, but she decided she would very much prefer there was no one in her thoughts.

"As you wish." This time she heard it all right.

"However I am not overusing my abilities to read your private thoughts. They are of no interest to me, besides there are certain regulations as to what and when I can read from the minds of the crew."

"I am not a member of your crew…"

"We do not carry passengers, Joanna. If you’re here it means you’re going to be one of the team, at least for some time. I do not know yet what duties will be assigned to you, but I’ll let you know as soon as it is decided."

Great! Joanna thought against herself. I’m gonna be a Starfleet Officer!

"Not Starfleet, I’m afraid. As far as I know you haven’t attended the Academy. But you will have some duties."

"Hey! You weren’t supposed to read my private thoughts!"

"I am sorry, but you were thinking very loudly, I couldn’t help overhearing. However if you wish me to stop reacting to your thoughts altogether, I will comply."

"Please do!"

"As you wish."

Again she thought she heard some trace of slight offence in the voice, but decided to ignore it for now. She had some more important things on her mind. "So what happened to the good old LCARS system?"

"It's still in use but only marginally. There were a lot of upgrades, though, between the LCARS and me."

"I imagine that," smiled Joanna. "Back at home I had to install the fifth or so version of Windows on my computer in the last few years. Remember it from your history?"

"Searching historical data base… No, I have no knowledge of any Windows back in our 21 st century."

"Try 20th then. And… search for Microsoft as well."

"No," came the unexpected answer. "There is no mention of any of the names in the data banks."

"You never had Microsoft? Lucky you!"

"No, it appears that your dimension has a slightly different history. In short, we used to have personal computers produced by different companies. Then they built the world wide net and finally a first artificial intelligence was born. I am a descendant in a long line of telepathy capable computers produced later on."

"I thought that after the AI wars all this stuff was forbidden?"

"I see that you are confusing certain things. What in fact was forbidden, for way too long, was the development of all sentient artificial life forms, not just the telepathic ones. It was changed about fifty years ago. And yes, I am both telepathic and sentient."

"Are you telling me that you… you are a person?"

"As good as you are, Joanna. In certain aspects very much different, but yes, I also do have feelings."

* * *

A few hours later Joanna was still conversing with the ship’s computer and loving every minute of it.

"And how have you defeated Borg?"

"Well, do you know anything about the Scythiaans? Species 8472?"

"Yeah, I’ve heard of them. Voyager discovered them in the Delta Quadrant. More dangerous then the Borg."

"The same. The Federation signed a peace treaty with them thirty years ago."

"You’re kidding me! They were supposed to be even worse then the Borg! They once threatened to purge our Galaxy and now you’re telling me they are the members of the Federation?!"

"Well, not yet members. More like allies. But some of them do serve in Starfleet. In fact we have one Scythiaan aboard. She is a nurse, Lieutenant JG Vort More. Anyway, they destroyed the Borg and only in doing so did they realized weren't one of them. Not voluntarily, at least."

"So, what kind of people are they?" I hope never to meet this… Vort, she couldn’t help thinking. Pierre, however, if he heard it, was polite enough not to show it this time. He’s learning quickly, she smiled inwardly. At least for a computer. Pierre ignored this one as well and proceeded to answer her verbalized question.

"Well, they have very different physiology than humanoid races. They are unbelievably fast, that is by human standards, of course, and highly unpredictable. And they seem to be even more unapproachable than the Vulcans…"

"I must interrupt you here," an unfamiliar voice from the doorstep startled Joanna. "That Vulcans give impression of distance, if any, it is only because most humanoids assume we have the same emotions as other peoples. You, Pierre, shouldn’t demonstrate such bias."

At least one thing seems to be the same here, Joanna thought. The Vulcans haven’t changed a bit. She was pretty sure she heard a mental chuckle coming from Pierre, but she didn’t say anything. Instead she turned to her unexpected guest and asked.

"And who are you, if I may?"

"Of course, Madam," replied the tall Vulcan, entering the room.

"My name is Darek. I am supposed to supervise your education on board the Explorer until you are confident enough to assume a post as my assistant."

"And what is it you do?"

"I am the chief medical officer, Madam."

Joanna stared at him, surprised. He was wearing a black uniform with blue trimmings and dark gray garment. It didn’t tell her much, though, as she was unfamiliar with the uniform styles. The colors haven’t changed, and they certainly looked Starfleet somehow, but not enough for her to recognize the division immediately.

"I have no idea about medicine of my own 21 st century, not to mention your tricorders, bio beds and all that stuff! I am a teacher, not a doctor!" She tried to protest.

"I am well aware of that, Madam," the Vulcan replied calmly. "However, that’s captain’s orders. Nobody asked for my opinion, unfortunately. Therefore you will perform as best you can. I will endeavor to prevent you from hurting anyone. For the time being your duties will be simple enough, we don’t plan to go into battle so we’re not expecting any emergency. Once we have one, however, I will use anybody’s help. Even if the only thing you will be able to do is to hold the patient’s hand. I have noticed that it has a soothing effect on certain people. Anyway, here’s you duty roster for the next week." He added, handing her a small padd. "The captain assumed you would like some time to get used to your new situation, hence the delay. Enjoy your holiday, Private. Goodbye." With that he turned around and left.

"Wow, that was polite!" said Joanna partly to herself, and partly to Pierre.

"That was Vulcan," he replied. This time it was obvious to her that Pierre was amused.

"You should not judge him so quickly, though. He is a good man and definitely a very good doctor. He is respected in Starfleet. One of the best skilled professionals."

"Yeah, but why sickbay? I really don’t know anything about medicine. And what is this 'Private'?"

"Well, since you’re not Starfleet, you have no rank. However, as a part of the team, you have to be called something. Probably Doctor Darek assumed Private would be appropriate. As to your first question, you do have some experience in nursing people, don’t you?"

"Not exactly, Pierre. I taught literature at the secondary school. Adolescents do not really require a lot of nursing."

"Still, you have some basic knowledge of human psychology, do you not?" Pierre insisted.

"Well, I’ll have to think about it…"

* * *

The USS Explorer was quietly cruising through space. They were approaching Andromeda, therefore the space around them was pretty empty. Only occasional bursts of starlight were streaking around them.

Anthony was sitting in his ready room behind the desk full of recent status reports. Long ago he decided to place it so that it faced the large window. He liked watching space. It usually gave him some peace of mind. However now was not one of such times. He sat with his head propped on both hands. He was still thinking about the new member of his crew. It didn’t feel right to kidnap a person, rob them off of their family, their whole environment, and not even be able to explain why. It was two days ago and he still couldn’t force himself to talk to the lady.

Mark Anthony was a tough man. At least that’s how he thought of himself. He was born on Volcania, a late 24th century human colony, modeled after the Vulcan society. He was used to mental techniques suppressing emotions, but right now he was beginning to think it wasn’t such a good idea for a human. So far, throughout his Starfleet career, it was advantageous enough to earn him the post of one of the youngest Captains at the age of 27. He was now over 60 years old, but for somebody like Joanna, he looked no more than 35. She probably was unaware of the advancements of contemporary medicine, he mused. She must be about thirty, I am not sure if she can be treated to age more slowly. Well, yet another challenge for our good doctor…

Pierre, he thought to his computer.

Yes, Mark?

What do you think?

About your age, or Joanna’s possible treatment?

You know very well. I’m not in a good mood for jokes right now, Pierre.

I am sorry. You definitely could use some rest, Mark. I would suggest a few hours on holodeck. As to your question, the doctor is ahead of you. He has already scanned her and right now is working on the appropriate treatment.

Thanks, Pierre. Technology advances, but the captain’s work is as tedious as ever. Sometimes I wonder how the captains in the past managed all this without someone like you. He could feel Pierre smiling in his mind.

Yet somehow they did, Mark. You only have a few menial tasks less, but the responsibility is there, as it has always been.

True enough. It still troubles me very much. We hurt the woman and we can do nothing to help it. How come that we don’t even know what happened?

We do, Mark. However, explaining it with mathematical equations is not going to change the fact that it happened and cannot be reversed. This was a very unique coincidence. Probability of such occurrence…

I know, Pierre. I read all the reports. Twice. It’s just that it is so… so irreversible. We have simply… torn this woman out of her world, forced to leave all she knew behind and we put her somewhere she doesn’t belong.

That’s not entirely true, Mark, Pierre replied softly, still in his mind. Somehow Anthony preferred that kind of conversations with his ship's computer. Especially private conversations.

You know I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I felt her feelings as we talked. At first she was surprised, even shocked, but she wasn’t totally unhappy about it. Even after a while, when she realized this was not a dream and began to realize her situation, she didn’t seem to miss anyone in particular. I think it’s more of an adventure for her than a crime. Remember this 'Star Trek' she was talking about? Apparently it had been her dream to take part in it, albeit unrealistic and illogical. And it suddenly came true.

Are you sure about that? Anthony found it strange enough to ask.

Are you the captain of this ship? Of course I am sure.

Well, thank you Pierre. You know, with you on board I sometimes wonder what do we need a counselor for. And how does she feel about it now? Pierre knew Anthony’s thoughts so he didn’t have any doubts that the captain was again referring to the newcomer and not the counselor.

She doesn’t know anybody here, except me, of course and Aleyah. Your counselor is doing a great job, Mark, you shouldn’t underestimate her. And yes, I also think it’s high time you spoke to Joanna. Encourage her to get out and start meeting people. Everyone is curious but they don’t want to intrude. You should make the first step and set an example. Besides, you are also her captain now. You need to know your people.

Yes, I know, I’ll do that. Eventually…

* * *

It wasn’t as if he was afraid to face her. For all he knew, no one was really responsible for the accident. There was nobody to blame, and yet somehow he felt guilty about the whole situation. As a starship captain with quite a long experience he was not used to being helpless in any situation. He was still thinking what to say when he found himself in front of Joanna’s quarters.

"Excuse me," he said and immediately heard the invitation. The door snapped open and he entered the room. Joanna was sitting in an ancient armchair near the window. That, as he noticed, was the only change in the standard furniture of the room. She stood up to greet him.

"Welcome, Captain. It's nice to meet you." She said with a smile, extending her hand. He took it and bent slightly as if to place a kiss.

"I am sorry it took me so long, Miss Joanna. I was doing my best, along with the whole crew to find out a way to send you back home."

"I know and I appreciate it Captain. I know there’s nothing you can do. I’ll have to learn to live with you."

Pierre, she thought, and suddenly another chair appeared next to her armchair. She motioned for the captain to take a seat. Anthony noticed that she waited for him to sit down, before lowering herself into the armchair again. It was something he was used to from his crew, but didn’t expect it from a civilian. Perhaps she was fitting in, after all, he thought.

"And how do you feel now? It’s been two days. Enough to deal with the initial shock and fully realize all the consequences of what happened."

"Well, I am still thrilled, sir. Aleyah has probably told you all about Star Trek in my world?"

It sounded like a question, so he murmured some agreement, waiting for the worst to come. He didn’t really expect this woman to come to terms with her situation. Despite his conferences with Aleyah and Pierre, he still half expected her to accuse him of capturing and enslaving her for the lifetime. And he felt she would be absolutely right to do so. However, she did no such thing. Instead, she looked at him with excitement.

"Anyway", she continued. "I have sometimes dreamt about becoming a Starfleet officer and, you know, 'to seek out new life forms and new civilizations', she quoted. Anthony smiled back at her.

"Yes, that’s also what I joined Starfleet for. However, I - unlike you - had a choice. I could have stayed home and become whoever I wanted. Nobody forced me out."

Joanna eyed him for a while. He was beginning to feel a nervous tingle at the back of his head, but stayed calm. Finally, she spoke: "You’re right. Had I been given a choice I’m not sure what I would have done. After all, it was only a wild, childish dream. But it happened. I am probably going to miss my world and everything I have left behind, but right now I am just all excited to be here. If destiny decided to offer me such a gift, I want to live it to the full. All the adventure I know of and all the day-to-day life I only imagined. Aleyah mentioned to me that there is some other option you were considering?"

"Yes," Anthony didn’t particularly like the idea when his officer mentioned it to him during the staff meeting, but he had to be honest with this woman. He felt he owed her that much. "We could put you in stasis," he explained. "Nowadays we do not possess technology that would enable us to send you back but it will change one day. I don’t know when, it may be a very long time and none of us will probably be living that long, but you can survive. I promise to take you safely to Earth and hand you over to our scientists. You won’t know a thing since any life form can exist in stasis for millennia with practically no side effects. We will wake you up when there is a solution. Since probably time travel is also involved, the time span will not matter. We will be able to send you back to the exact place and time, perhaps a second after you disappeared."

Joanna sat silently, just looking at him. Her deep black eyes didn’t even flicker throughout his whole lecture. He began to feel uncomfortable again, but then she spoke.

"I don’t think so, Captain. It’s not that I don’t trust your technology. But that would mean the end of adventure. As I said, given a chance, I want to live it. Perhaps, when you’ve finished your mission and then I decide I want to go back… It will still be possible, right?"

Anthony hesitated. What was obvious for him, wasn’t evidently so for this woman. "No, Joanna. You have to decide now. You still haven’t seen much and given your knowledge of this Star- whatever, you’re not going to say too much to your people about us. At best, you might start writing scenarios for this show. However, I cannot guarantee what happens after the mission. We will be out here for almost ten years. Our mission is to explore Andromeda."

"What? So how fast are we going? I thought that getting there from the Federation space would take something close to two hundred years!" Joanna almost jumped out of her chair with excitement. For a moment she looked scared, too. Anthony explained softly.

"We are traveling at what by earlier standards might be described as warp factor 19. We call it simply transwarp 9."

"But I thought nobody could go faster than warp ten!"

"This theory, as many others in the past, has been reconsidered. It is difficult to explain now, as it involves more than the basic knowledge of physics. In short, warp ten, as warp twenty and thirty and so on, are the peaks of indefinite speed. Beyond these thresholds, though, there exist definite speeds again. You have to take my word for it, but we are traveling at warp 19. Still, it’s going to be a very long mission. In fact one of the longest Starfleet has ever undertaken. We will possibly be making first contact with many new species. You have a very good chance to see many new civilizations and new technologies. Have you ever heard of the Prime Directive?"

"Yes, but I thought it didn’t apply to single persons. After all, I ended up here. It would have been different if you had landed on my Earth…"

"It’s not exactly so, I’m afraid. When you go back with all the knowledge from here, you might become dangerous to your people. Obviously, there is always a chance they wouldn’t believe you, but we can’t risk contaminating your culture. The choice is to be made rather quickly. I suggest you sleep with it," he added, standing up. She also stood.

"You need some time to think about it, though. We will go back to this conversation in a few days. In the meantime, you are not confined to your quarters, Joanna. Feel free to go out and meet some people. This may help you decide."

"I will, thank you, Captain."

When he left, she sank back into her armchair. It was the exact replica of her favorite one back at home. A long way away home, she thought for the first time.