The Engineer and the Time Lady - Beginning?

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.”

“Aye, Commander.”

“That anomaly is still there...”

Back on the planet, Hernandez scanned the forest again.”Maybe we're missing something.”

“Scanning the soil?” T'Sal asked.

“No, the bedrock,” Lawson said.

“Of course,” Hernandez said.

“That's why we had the ship scan the whole planet.”

Ten minutes later, 5% of the planet's surface had been scanned.

“Something...”

“What?” Emmerson asked.

“We have been scanning the underlying bedrock of the continent and the ocean. There are indications of divergent quantum signatures in broad geographic regions. Six have been discovered so far,” Lieutenant Kelly Lu answered.

“How large are they?” the Commander asked.

“An approximate average of 6000 square kilometers. Strange... the areas have irregular shapes,” Lu commented.

“You mean, you expected something different?”

“Yes, something natural would probably have been circular or elliptical,” Lu explained.

“So, something beyond our understanding. Terrific. Any signs of civilisation in those areas?”

“None, but there could be different species of wildlife. But those would have dispersed beyond the boundaries long ago.”

“And would be acting as invasive species, correct?” Emerson asked.

“Yes, like as occurred on Earth and many other planets during the relevant ages of exploration. I don't know why any advanced civilisation would do that.”

“It could have been Q?”

“Possibly,” Lu conceded. “But I don't think he would mess with a world that isn't inhabited in this way.”

“Noted.”

“The scans confirm it. This area is an original area of the planet. The bedrock has the non-divergent quantum signature,” Lawson said.

“Something else bothers me though,” Hernandez said.

“What?” Lawson asked.

“Why would someone do this sort of thing on an uninhabited planet?”

“No idea,” T'Sal answered.

“And also, there were previous surveys, why wasn't this picked up then?”

“Previous surveys of this system were done entirely aboard the ships in question. And the last was done just before the war with the Dominion. As you are aware, Starfleet's priorities were elsewhere.”

“Of course,” Hernandez said. She didn't really want to think about the War.

“There's another one,” Lu confirmed.

“That's seven, then,” Emmerson stated.

Then there was an alert.

“Report!” Emmerson reported.

“It's the anomaly! It's moving! Intercept with the away team's location in four minutes!” Lu reported.

“Prepare for emergency transport,” Emmerson ordered. He entered commands into the command console. “Baffin to away team!”

“Hernandez here. What's wrong?”

“The anomaly is moving to intercept your location in less than four minutes prepare for emergency transport.”

“Aye, Commander,” Hernandez said. He could tell that there was stress in her voice.

“I have a lock,” Lu said.

“Energize!”

However a failure tone emitted from Lu's console. “The anomaly is interfering with the transporter!”

“Prepare to take the ship into the atmosphere.”

“Aye, Commander,” Andersen said.

“Launch a shuttle,” Emmerson ordered.

In the shuttlebay, Leonard Albert rushed to one of the shuttles. Normally there were pre-flight checks he had to perform, but he had to forego those...

The Montreal launched less than a minute after the detection of the anomaly. Albert then turned the shuttle 180 degrees and then flew over the Baffin towards the beam down site...

“A shuttle is on it's way,” Emmerson said.

“Understood,” Hernandez responded.

“It should be in transporter range in just over a minute.”

“Good,” Hernandez said. Her tricorder was beginning to sense the anomaly approaching...

“The anomaly is still moving, and it's growing in the upper atmosphere,” Lu reported.

“The shuttle is approaching the beam down site,” Andersen said.

“As soon as the away team is aboard the shuttle, put a tractor beam on it,” Emmerson reported.

“Aye sir.”

“Less than 50 seconds until anomalous conditions...” Albert murmured as he battled strong winds as the Montreal approached the beam down site.

“This is concerning...” Lu said.

“What is?” Emmerson asked.

“The anomaly is growing, changing... We might not make it out...”

“What is it doing?”

“Expanding, we're under it now...”

Emmerson moved fast, standing up. “Prepare for emergency warp, as soon as we have the shuttle in the tractor beam!”

Andersen quickly input the commands to initiate emergency warp.

Albert saw that the away team were in range. “Computer, energize!”

“Affirmative.”

The away team materialised.

“Good!” Hernandez breathed soon as the transporter effect had faded. Almost immediately, the Baffin had the shuttle in a tractor beam.

“We have them,” Lu said, with stress showing in her voice. She wasn't sure they were going to make it. The anomaly was surrounding them, and she wasn't sure that warping from near sea level would be a good idea.

“Engage!” Emmerson ordered, nearly shouting.

Andersen hit the control, and the Baffin engaged it's warp engines. However, something else was happening at that exact moment...