Star Trek: Metamorphosis
Westfall/Star Trek TNG Crossover Fanfiction #2
Scene 1
In a brightly-lit lobby with high ceilings, long tapestries, and the occasional potted plant, a crowd had begun to pour from the oversized ballroom used as a lecture hall. Once outside, some hurried here and there to different rooms that branched off from different hallways, while others scooted to the edges to talk with one another. Overhead, banners stretched across the walls bearing the Startfleet insignia and bold, blue letters.
Starfleet Medical Conference 2368
Beneath one of the banners exclaiming “Welcome Scholars,” one woman’s blue eyes were scanning each face she could see. A thin hand brushed a curl of red hair behind her ear as she tried to balance on her toes. At last, her eyes locked onto someone across the room.
“Doctor Hayward,” she spouted as she immediately darted into three peoples’ paths, zigging and zagging as she continued to dodge other conference-goers spilling from the lecture hall doors. “Doctor Hayward!”
The doctor in question turned upon hearing his name, slowing his speedy pace to the windowed doors that bathed the peach-colored room with sunlight. His hands tightly clutched a bulky, silver attache case close to his side. His own gray eyes, behind thick-rimmed glasses, found the hurrying woman with a powder blue lab coat over her blue Starfleet uniform.
“Doctor Hayward,” the woman huffed to catch her breath. “I’m Doctor Beverly Crusher, and I just came from your lecture!”
“Ah, yes, my dear,” the tall, gray-haired doctor shifted the case into his left arm in order to accept and shake her hand. His eyes darted aside nervously for a moment before refocusing on her. “I saw you front and center during my discussion. I do hope you found something of use.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Beverly’s hands were raised with open palms. “That’s why I wanted to find you; I’m very interested in hearing more about your studies on–”
“Giorgio Hayward!” A tall Andorian appeared at their side and quickly inserted himself into the conversation with a shake of the doctor’s hand. His light blue skin was a stark contrast to the doctor’s pale complexion. “Athyrius Ch’vhirek of Andor. Do you remember me?”
The smile on Giorgio’s face soured. “Ah, well–”
“Oh, don’t worry, good sir; I was a very small part of your visit. It is an honor seeing you again! Your lecture was nothing less than impeccable!”
“W-why thank you–”
“You know, even since your studies brought you to Andor, we are still talking about you! You brought such revelation to our knowledge of health and wellness.”
“Oh, well, I–”
“When I heard you would be here, I knew I just had to sit in!” The Andorian continued blissfully. His short, white hair curled around the antennae on the sides of his head, and they bobbed as he rambled through tidbits of knowledge. “Therefore, I was hoping your studies would reveal more secrets, but all you seemed to discuss were the Romulans and the Roshak–”
“Yes, and the Roshak are why I wanted to talk to you,” Beverly returned by taking Giorgio by the shoulders. ”We recently had a Roshak on our ship and–”
“You had a Roshak on your ship?” Giorgio immediately perked up.
The Andorian scooted closer. “But, I wanted to speak to you about a strange phenomenon that occurred after you left–”
“What is your ship?” Giorgio leaned in to Beverly.
“The USS Enterprise,” Beverly said.
The doctor’s eyes widened. “The Enterprise?? Starfleet’s flagship??” He shook his head. “But whatever was a Roshak doing on the Enterprise? They are bounty-hunters, you know.”
Athyrius blinked, his attention derailed. “Bounty-hunters?”
“Oh, we know,” Beverly grew oddly serious.
Giorgio glanced around and tucked even closer to the Enterprise’s doctor. “Can we... take this outside?” He muttered under his breath.
“Please.” She answered similarly.
With that, the two turned and exited the room, disappearing through the doors and into the brilliant sunlight outside.
Athyrius blinked a few more times before shaking his head and walking away.
Once outside of the conference center, on wide stone paths cut between lush green grass, the two doctors escaped the crowds and found a quiet route.
“Tell me more about your experience with the Roshak, Doctor Crusher,” Giorgio asked curiously, again clutching his case in both hands. “What caused such a creature to search for bounty among your ranks?”
“To make a long story short, we have an Aravasti serving as an officer on our ship–”
“An Aravasti ??” The Doctor stopped short and nearly dropped his case. “But–but they are extinct!”
“All but one,” Beverly also stopped when it appeared Doctor Hayward was too shocked to move. “And the Roshak was sent to kill her.”
“Oh, my word,” Giorgio muttered, clapping hand on his forehead above bugging eyes. “She... she was not killed, was she?” He asked almost as a whisper as his eyes rose to meet Beverly.
“No, thank goodness,” she replied.
“Oh,” Giorgio released the word as a sigh. “But... but still; to have witnessed such power–and to have discovered the plot before your officer was killed... oh, how I have always wanted to study the Aravasti; what a powerful people they were...”
Beverly’s lips began to curve. “Well, after our brush with the Roshak, I have admittedly become intrigued. How do they shift their shape? How do their cells react when they do so? Do they become genetically identical to whomever they copied, or is the change simply outward?”
At once, Giorgio Hayward’s eyes glimmered with delight. “My dear, you are asking the most remarkable questions–the same ones I had, in fact. And, seeing as I’ve always been intrigued with the USS Enterprise...”
“Can I offer you a trip aboard in exchange for picking your brain?” The smile on her lips widened.
The doctor straightened up, returning his hand to his tweed collar. “Absolutely.”
Beverly gave her badge a tap. “Transporter Room 3, do you read me?”
“Aye, Doctor, I do,” Chief O’Brien’s voice returned to her.
“Chief! Are you already back from your leave?”
“Just got back not twenty minutes ago. It’ll be a pleasure bringing you back aboard.”
“Well, sir, make that two,” Beverly nodded, eyeing the wonder quickly spreading to Giorgio Hayward’s face. “I’ve got a visitor from the conference with me.”
“Two beaming up,” he said simply.
At once, Beverly and Giorgio’s forms glittered with light and disappeared.
Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before!
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Scene Notes
- And we're off! Dr. Giorgio Hayward and the Roshack are people I've created for my own story purposes.