The Engineer and the Time Lady - Beginning? v0.2

5. Beginning?

“Commander's log. Stardate 67835.3. The Baffin is approaching the Tanarexa system, where we shall follow up on earlier surveys.”

The Commander looked from the viewscreen and turned the chair so he could see one of the science stations. “Full scan of the planet as we approach,” he ordered.

“Aye, Commander.”

Ten minutes later, the Baffin dropped out of warp, and entered a standard orbit around an M-Class planet.

Almost immediately, an alarm sounded.

“Some kind of subspace anomaly forming in our orbital path,” the Science Officer, Daniela Hernandez reported. “Impact in 45 seconds!”

Emerson turned to the Conn, “Evasive manoeuvres!”

“Aye, Commander. Shifting orbital path,” Lieutenant Olivia Andersen reported.

There were a few long seconds as the ship changed the path. “We'll avoid it now, sir,” Andersen reported.

“Acknowledged. Keep an eye on it.”

Tanerexa IV

Having beamed down to Tanerexa IV with an Away Team, Hernandez reflected on the situation . How didn't they detected the anomaly until the Baffin was in orbit? Was it something that was triggered by the starship's presence? She didn't like that conclusion. Then there was something on her tricorder. “That's strange,” she said.

“What's wrong?”Lieutenant Daniel Lawson asked.

“Picking up divergent quantum signatures. But...”

“What?”

“It's not any one object. It's molecules in the air and water, that have the differing quantum signatures. It seems like 5% of the matter in this area of the planet comes from other universes.”

“That doesn't sound right,” Ensign T'Sal stated.

“No it doesn't,” Hernandez said as she scanned a tree. It was the same result, 5% of atoms from universes other than theirs.

“We need to get the ship to scan the whole planet,” Lawson said.

“You think the anomaly has appeared before?” Hernandez asked. “Some weakness in the fabric of space-time?”

“Yes.”

Emmerson listened to Hernandez and Lawson explain what they discovered. “We'll scan the planet. There may be some explanation.”

“Acknowledged, Hernandez out.”

“Solario, begin the planetary scan.”