startrek76

In a protected alcove room off of Galactica's Axial Core, a three meter wide by two-and-a-half meter tall crystal and metal frame now stood in the center of the 40 square meters of floor space. The work had drawn quite a bit of attention from Galactica's engineering department, it seemed that mot of the off-duty engineering crew were crowded into the work space [the lucky ones] and backed up outside the narrow hatchway into the Axial Core itself. The colonial engineers jostled and pushed against each other like unruly children as the waited to observe the technological miricle of a doorway in space.

The transmat archway was surrounded by engineering hyperpower converters, thick electrical conduits and ODN cables. Lt. Yar, Athena, and the security detachment stood around talking quietly as the engineering crew completed its tasks. The last of the connections to the transmat from Galactica's main power grid were complete and tested under maximum load conditions, and now LaForge and Chief O'Brian, the Enterprise's transport chief, were conducting the last of the temporal synchronizing routines which guaranteed that both ends of the mini-wormhole that the transmat generated would be in the same temporal reference frame. In the early days of transmat design, it was not uncommon for the two ends of the wormhole to connect totally different temporal reference frames, sometimes only seconds shifted from each other, but on other occasions the shift had been years, even centuries.

Finally LaForge looked up from his engineering tricorder and the other bits of test equipment spread around the portable transmat. He nodded at O'Brian who flipped a circuit breaker which fed raw electrical power from Galactica's power grid into the transmat emitters. There was a loud metallic KAH-CHUNGG! from the meter square power relays as a oversized internal metal-to-metal multiple knife switches engaged. A soft almost subliminal hum filled the room and the transmat frame's pilot lamps illuminated, indicating the transmat frame was now powered by Galactica's power grid and ready to establish a bi-stable wormhole between the Galactica and Enterprise's main transmat system.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the Kobalites in the alcove which rippled outward through the gathered engineers like a wave, and then a sigh as nothing more startling happened.

"Okay, we're ready to go," O'Brian pronounced.

Geordi turned to Athena and Lt. Yar, "Ladies, we are ready to create the bridge."

Lt. Yar looked at Athen questioningly.

Athena took a pocket-com and pressed the transmit switch. "Core Control, this is Athena. The aliens are ready to attempt a test of the transmat device."

Adama's voice crackled out of the small comm unit's speaker. "Very well. Proceed with test."

Athena turned to LaForge, "All right, Commander, let's see this doorway in action."

"Okay Chief, let's get this link established," LaForge grinned.

O'Brian touched his communicator. "O'Brian to Enterprise, ready to initiate wormhole."

"Enterprise standing by," the Chief's senior assistant on Enterprise acknowledged. O'Brian made a few adjustments on the transmat's control console and activated the three slidebar levers that initiated the space-time continuum twisting transmat's engine. There was a slight whiff of ozone, and a soft tinkling buzz as the first pathfinder vertaron particles were
exchanged between the field transmat and the Enterprise's master unit. In the center of the transmat frame, a small galaxy of laser-pure colored sparks of light appeared, and quickly spread out to fill the entire area enclosed by the transmat frame. The individual sparks of color coalesced into a pearly white glow and the tinkling sound swiftly rose in frequency into the ultrasonic. There was a bright flash and the opaque glow of the wormhole vanished.

Two points in space-time, one in he biosphere of the Colonial Battlestar Galactica and the other onboard the Federation Starship Enterprise were now tied together by the transmat's wormhole. Baryonic matter could now instantly transverse the over 30,000 kilometers separating the two starships.

"Absolutely incredible," Athena marveled as she advanced to the very edge of the wormhole and peered into the Enterprise. She was closely followed by the Colonial Marines, who had unslug their pulse rifles and were looking through the gateway at a detachment of Star Fleet marines, also conspicuously armed with phaser rifles. The two military detachments eyed each other with
mutual caution.

"Stand down, marines." Athena and Tasha give the order simultaneously. The two officers looked at each other, and the tension was broken by their laughter.

"Great minds think alike," Tasha giggled. Athena could only nod, smiling, valiently tryiung to stiffle her own laughter.





It had been almost eight hours since the Galactica and Enterprise had been connected by the wormhole corridor. The initial suspicion and caution had almost completely evaporated as both Colonial and Federation/Klingon personnel realized that they had much more in common than differences. Within an hour the Star Fleet Marines had been withdrawn, and shortly after the Colonial Marines had also pulled back. Now the transmat gateway was very busy with people coming and going both ways. There were currently two active portals in the Transmat Control Room. One led to the Klingon Flagship and the other to the Galactica. A large formal diplomatic reception was scheduled for that evening -- Colonial, Federation, and Klingon food services personnel were shuttling back and forth.

The Enterprise TCR was very, very busy ... too busy for anyone to notice two Enterprise children slip in and quickly slip behind the clutter and out of sight.

"I dare you, Wesley. You can't do it -- no one could," Starnat Xangarian whispered as the two crouched in the Number Three Transmat Portal's away mission alcove which was crowded with stacks of shipping crates destined for one of the other vessels. Starnat and Wesley had spent ten minutes crouched down, hiding in among the clutter to make absolutely certian they knew which portal led to the Galactica. It would be very embarrassing to pick the wrong one and materialize in among a group of Klingon Warriors.

"Sure I can," the twelve-year-old boy said confidently. "All I need is for you to distract Mr. O'Brian so I can dart through."

"I can do that," the young Andorian girl said slowly, "but you know your mom will felgercarb a brick when she finds out!"

"And yours will wash your mouth out with soap if she hears you talking like that," Wesley teased the younger girl.

"But how will you get back?" the ten-year-old asked concerned. Starnat had a big crush on Wesley -- she considered him to be her boyfriend, and she did not want him getting into trouble.

"I'll solve that problem when I get to it!" Wesley said.

Wesley playfully tugged on Starnat's long brown hair and waved as he swept his quick gaze over the TCR. All clear, no one watching, Chief O'Brian was busy giving instructions to the relief transmat specialist before leaving to prepare for the diplomatic function later that evening.

"See ya later!" he whispered and made his move, stepping through the portal in the same movement that brought him out of their hiding place.

Starnat almost missed the whole thing because she'd turned her attention to a recently arrived tray of stink from the Klingon ship. She wrinkled her nose. HOW could Klingons actually EAT such? The covered tray was making small sounds ... Like it was still alive? Her antennae twitched as the humanly imperceptible energy field around the transmat platform flickered momentarily with Wesley's transit.

The lid covering one of the larger dishes was actually moving? Her stomach performed its own acrobatics while Starnat considered what to do while she waited for Wesley to return. She decided the best course of action was to evacuate the area, lest she be discovered and questioned. Likewise, something in that dish seemed to be interested in also leaving the area, and Starnat, despite her excitement at hearing Wesley recount his adventure, now had enough encouragement to go almost anywhere ... away from whatever was now waiving a not-so-tentative tentacle into the open air of the transmat room.