The Engineer and the Time Lady - Exploring v1.0

6. Exploring

Having listened to the logs relating to what happened at Tanarexa IV, Nina pondered what had happened there. Something, or someone, was responsible for that anomaly. It was no wonder that the holograms hadn't figured out how to return the Baffin to it's home reality. 'Of course, that was just the start of their journey,' she thought. After all, she wasn't sure herself, whether she could re-trace her steps back to Gallifrey, if she wanted to.

Of course, she also needed to look at the sensor data of the anomaly, and of that planet. That would tell her more than just the logs. She searched for the data, and the index of the data scanned on that date came up.

Tanarexa IV

Tamarexa Anomaly

'The planet first,' she thought. She selected that data.

There was no real pattern to the displaced regions on the planet. But then the ship had only scanned 7% of the surface, before they were interrupted. 'I'll look at the scan on the other side, if they did so.'

Her stomach rumbled, and she glanced at the time. She had been at it for nearly an hour, and she had forgotten breakfast. She decided she would get breakfast before researching further.

“I'm just getting breakfast,” she told Alpha, who seemed quite interested in whatever it was she was reading on one of those PADDs.

“Oh,” Alpha said, putting the PADD down. “You don't need to tell me. We can be an informal crew. There is only the two of us here.”

Nina nodded as she exited the Bridge.

Alpha watched as Nina left the Bridge. It was true that the situation was informal. She was primarily programmed to be an engineer after all, not a commander. She reflected on the time she had been active. It also seemed she was growing beyond her original programming. 'Much like the Doctor on Voyager,' she considered. She shrugged and turned her attention back to the file on Klingon history.

Of course, there was more to do than re-tracing the Baffin's journey from the first displacement to the crash, Nina considered as she entered the Mess Hall. She also wanted to explore the planet, and learn about the cultures thereupon. (Of course, she considered she could just take the TARDIS and do that and return to the ship, but she didn't want to do it by herself.) She decided to propose it to Alpha later in the day.

“No,” Alpha said.

“No?” Nina asked. “Why not?”

“The Prime Directive,” Alpha answered. “We can't make contact with pre-warp civilisations.”

“We can't?”

“No. You can look it up under General Order One.”

“So, we can't take the ship to explore the planet,” Nina clarified.

“No, we can't,” Alpha said. “But we can use it as a base.”

“Sure.”

,

Nina was disappointed. She then used her console to look up the Prime Directive.

Prime Directive

Starfleet General Order One

Starfleet Personnel shall not interfere with the natural development of any civilisation, culture or society.

It reminded her of the Time Lords' own policy of non-interference, as it existed prior to the Time War. She wasn't sure how showing the ship would violate that Order thought. Of course there would be interpretations and reinterpretations over time. However, there were other ways to explore the planet. She decided to wait before asking Alpha if they could take off and go into orbit. They would be able to look at the planet and it's civilisations quicker that way.

Alpha knew Nina was restless. It was obvious she wanted to do more than review the Baffin crew's logs and help her get back to the right universe. She sighed. Closing the file on Klingon history she accessed the probe inventory. She could launch some of them to have a clandestine look at the closest of the continents.

The probe launched from the Baffin. Unlike the holograms aboard the ship, its AI was relatively simple. It wouldn't get bored, for a start. It left the Baffin and headed northwards. Two minutes later, it had left the island the ship had crashed on behind.

It took five minutes for it to reach the shore of the closest continent, where it could detect a ship stuck on some rocks next to a mangrove swamp.

Alpha told the probe to scan that ship. Were there some survivors? Was it attempting some kind of mayday? She ran the scan images of the flags the ship was flying through the universal translator. There was no result. 'Great!' she thought. The Prime Directive was quite clear. No interference if there was no distress call. 'I could send Nina in her ship to investigate.'

“You sent a probe, and found a sailing ship that could be in trouble?” Nina asked.

“Yes. I can send you, in your ship, because it can disguise itself. That way the Prime Directive won't be violated.”

“Couldn't you have used your transporter to send me there.”

“There is always a chance one of the crew would see you materialise. Can your ship materialise on the water surface?”

“It can.”

“Then, you can go and investigate, while I watch via the probe.”

The TARDIS materialised close to the ship, disguised as a smaller ship. Nina emerged from the console room onto the deck, carrying a rope and paddles. The ship was very close by, she threw the rope and managed to lasso one of the ballista emplacements. She then paddled the TARDIS over, and climbed aboard the ship.

Alpha saw Nina board the ship. She established a transporter lock, just in case. She moved the probe so that it could get a closer look.

Immediately, Nina was surrounded, with crewmembers holding crossbows. “Hello,” she said.

“Where did you come from?” one of them asked.

“I saw this ship on some rocks, and figured that you would need some help.”

“Well, we don't.”

“Your ship looks rather stuck,” Nina pointed out.

“We are in trouble,” another crewmember admitted.

“Danoal!” the first crewmember chastised.

“If she wants to help...”

“No we can repair and relaunch the ship ourselves.”

“It is proving more difficult than first thought.”

“No!” the crewmember then gave a signal and most of those pointing the crossbows cocked them.

“Yikes!” Nina said, her hearts beating fast. She then jumped overboard and swam back to the TARDIS.

Alpha saw Nina jump overboard. “What just happened? They weren't firing.” She saw her swim back to the TARDIS, which soon dematerialised.

“That was close!” Nina said as she set the course back to the Baffin. She was still breathing heavily. She set the ship in motion and ran from the console room, heading to the Zero Room.

Alpha waited in the Shuttle Bay. It had been four hours since Nina had left the marooned ship. She wondered why she was taking so long. She had gone over the Starfleet records on the encounters with the Doctor. Those hadn't really been illuminating, hardly applicable to the situation she found herself in, despite there being Voyager logs in the mix. She had re-read Captain Janeway's report on her third encounter with the Doctor when she heard the sound of the TARDIS beginning to arrive. “Finally.”

The TARDIS landed. Alpha could see that it was once again disguised as a shuttle, and was adorned with the Baffin's registry number on it's sides. Nina emerged. She still looked a little wet from her dip in the ocean, although she was no longer soaked. “Why do you look worried?” she asked.

“It's over four hours since you left that ship,” Alpha replied. “What happened out there?”

“It's nothing,” Nina said with a shake of her head.

It was clearly not nothing, but Alpha decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. “So, the crew of that ship didn't want help?” she asked.

“No,” Nina answered.

“Anything else?”

“No.”

The monosyllabic answers weren't exactly satisfying, but Alpha didn't want to push. “No doubt you're exhausted.”

“I'm not exhausted,” Nina objected.

“Exhausted or not, you're off duty until tomorrow,” Alpha said.

“Understood,” Nina said.

Alpha returned to the bridge. She still wasn't sure what to make of what had happened with Nina. “Computer, resume Klingon opera playlist.”

“Affirmative.”

Hours later, Nina slipped into Sickbay from the side corridor (rather than the main corridor). “Computer, active Emergency Medical Hologram.”

“Please State the Nature of the Medical Emergency.” The EMH paused. “You must be crewman Nina.”

“Yes. And it's not an emergency, per se.”

“But still a medical issue?” The EMH asked warmly, but otherwise without emotion.

“Yes. Something, to do with the mind.”

“I am programmed to deal with Psychological issues.”

“Are you also programmed with Doctor-patient confidentiality?” Nina asked as she sat on one of the biobeds. She lowered her voice. “I don't want Alpha to know.”

“Yes. Whatever you don't want Alpha to know, she won't know. It will remain between us.”

Nina breathed a sigh of relief. “Then we can begin?”

“Something happened?”

“I was on my first Away Mission....”