Preparations for Departure

((moving the story forward. This series of interactions occur after the scenes with the Draylaxian in sickbay are completed))

With all of the ship-wide business completed, Captain Syntron transported back down to the surface of the planetoid to conclude their last stages of preliminary investigations within the chambers. From what the Vulcan could ascertain from all of the reports and information submitted throughout this endeavor, he syllogized that it could literally take years to uncover all of the information concealed within this cryptic language of this unknown species. There was no justification that the Vulcan could conceive to devote an entire crew of this starship in this undertaking for such a period of time. His objective was to acquire sufficient edification of this planetoid to present to Starfleet upon their return back to the starbase. Collectively, they were now approaching this level of enlightenment.

The captain approached the Betazoid linguist working diligently in the main chamber. She was surrounded by astrophysicist Anita Muller, and the chief science officer Kalynda Hunter; with geologist ensign Ryan Phillips lurking curiously in the background observing all of them.

Engaging communications as he approached, Kalynda Hunter greeted the captain before inquiring "How are Friedman and Fallon?"

The Vulcan paused to address her concern in his usual matter-of-fact manner.

"They are currently recuperating in sickbay. No permanent physical damage has been noted by Doctor Nasaro-Myth."

Anita then cautiously asked "Will they be returning to assist us down here Captain?"

Stoically, he responded. "The plausibility of that occuring at the moment Lieutenant rests in the capable hands of our medical staff."

The captain then engaged his communication device in his helmet.

"Attention away team. Reconvene here in the main chamber in five minutes. Captain out." 

When the captain’s orders came through his commbadge, Sean was aimlessly wandering the chambers. Ostensibly, he was looking at everything trying to find out why he had needed to finagle his way to the planetoid. Also the multitude of glyph’s and alien symbols throughout the caverns fascinated him. His engineering eye could make out subtle patterns in the script, but nothing sprang forward to shout ‘Eureka’ at him. Yet he felt there was something eluding his senses, like a dust mote hovering in the sclera on the eye. You knew something was there but movement of the eye would reveal nothing where something had been. The fact of moving the eye also moved the mote away.

Turning away from the third chamber he started back toward the main one as ordered.

Sneezing, Kathleen entered the main chamber from the outside just in time to hear Captain Syntron, who was about to start his speech. 

As the remaining team arrived back into the main chamber of the caverns, the captain addressed them though their helmet communication system.

"From the moment of our launch on stardate 87696.4 we began a journey of exploration. Though there have been challenges that have arisen since that time, as a crew we persevered resolving these provocations exceedingly and managed beyond these necessities to pursue this new discovery."

The captain paused for a moment as he gazed briefly into the visage of each their faces respirating steadily behind the protection of their visors. The expression of crew members appeared calm and focused as he spoke. Collectively, they had readily adapted to the conditions within their environmental suits during their cycling shifts in this inhospitable world. Their focus set primarily on the duties that had befallen each one of them.   

The captain continued.

"Our expedition to this planetoid itself has been a rather fascinating undertaking. From what initially appeared to be a rogue asteroid in space, we instead discover a unique planet on the brink of a comprehensive transformation. Beneath the elaborate measures to conceal a complicated and dynamic morphology, we unearth a complex series of planetary systems harnessed as a proverbial life raft for an unknown civilization and its inhabitants."

The captain paused again for a moment before elaborating on his previous statement.

"On my return back to the Phoenix from these chambers, I searched our databanks and records extensively in an attempt to find something similar existing on previous missions throughout Starfleet's history of exploration. Nothing like this exists. Our initial assumption that the spires and other features discovered here were the remnants of a previous civilization were only partially accurate. What we did not realize until our crew working within these chambers were able to begin deciphering a series of the meanings behind these alien symbols and glyphs, was that this planetoid was not a spheroid tomb of a past civilization, but the complicated workings of an extensive nursery designed and constructed to resurrect the inhabitants of a world long past from an origin yet unknown. Estimates indicate that the resources of this planet have been working in a synchronous collaboration for more than a millennia to bring this planetoid into a condition to allow life to exist; specifically the forms of life currently in storage within theses chambers."

Syntron then cast his eyes for a moment to Riker as the leader of this expedition as he spoke.

"We also learned that there are safety features built-in to protect whatever is being kept in storage in these caverns. Fortunately, no lives were lost in this lesson. However, it was a signal that we are required by our directives not to interfere with any existing civilization; especially one in such a delicate pre-existing condition that we have discovered here.  Therefore, we will be concluding all research on this planetoid in seventy-two hours. Before departure, all conditions must be reset back into the exact settings they were upon our arrival; including the spires. Consequently, all personnel requiring transport must return to the ship prior to the disassembling of the pattern enhancers and the resetting of the spires."

His words confirmed her suspicions that he wanted the team to pack-up and leave the site.

She tensed up. No, no, no, no! We can’t leave! There are still... she thought to herself as she clenched her teeth to stop the words erupting out of her mouth.

Rather than looking at the Captain, she bowed her head determined to listen to the end.

Then with an even more stern expression and tone in his voice, the captain clearly enuciated his next command.

"In addition, given the delicate nature of this situation, all information regarding this planetoid is hereby classified. You are not to speak to anyone on ship or elsewhere until we are debriefed upon our arrival back to the starbase. All reports are also classified and will be submitted directly to Commander Riker from this point forward."

The Vulcan captain then looked around at the away team members.

"Are there any questions?" 

Riker nodded to the Captain

"Seems we are as ready as we will ever be Captain."

Kathleen lifted her hand, and then decided against it. She still have time to do the tests she needed and if the results are what she hoped for, it will strengthen her case when she confronts the Captain.

She turned on her heel and scampered towards the chamber where she and Fallon recently nearly lost their lives. The PADD’s they used to input the data was nowhere to be seen. Quite likely it evaporated in the intense heat. Her data base, which was inside the forcefield with them, appeared to be undamaged. A few quick tests confirm that all the data was still present and in a healthy state.

She removed the scanner and PADD that the ever efficient Ensign Valerous included in her new suit and started scanning the chamber all over again.

Syntron then addressed his executive officer.

"Continue overseeing the away teams' progress here during the remaining time Commander Riker. Since we cannot have everyone currently present on the surface depart this planetoid in the shuttle, you will need to devise a schedule to allow rotating shifts to be beamed back to the ship and a cut-off point for any eligible crew member to return here to the surface. Once you reach the point where only the shuttle crew remains, you will need to disassemble and store the pattern enhancers back into the Wildfire shuttle prior to departure. Then all spires must be returned back to their previous specifications."

Understanding the great task before Riker nodded with confidence at the Captain's large request

"Understood Sir.  I will get it done."

Meanwhile in the Assembly chamber, Kathleen worked as fast and efficiently as she could. She missed the idle happy chatter of Fallon while assisting her but she felt better knowing that she will be safe just in case something unforeseen happens again.

Nearing the last sequence of images, she quickly scanned the now slightly altered glyphs. When she added the last of the scans into the data base, a cold shiver ran down her spine.

It was just as she feared...

Making a snap decision, she hastily packed up her gear, stowing it neatly and safely inside the custom backpack. She hurried outside searching for the Captain or Commander Riker. Either of them need to know what her analysis suggests.

*             *             *

Working from southeastern wall of the main chamber, linguist Alenis Leeta and CSO Kalynda each waved a glove signaling the captain to join them. As he arrived, he noted that they were standing by the panel assigned to the hanger door and starship control.

"Captain, we just finished decoding this section of the panel." Alenis noted with enthusiasm bounding from her voice. The Andorian then chimed in.

"Sir, we now have the sequence to unlock entrance to the starship in the other chamber. According to the readings on the display, it has been placed in a type of active standby mode... perhaps since its arrival to this surface. It has been fed energy directly from the interior of this planet."

Stoically, the captain reminded them of that which they were clearly already aware.

"We are departing this planetoid in seventy-one point three-four hours. Our intention is to bring closure to this expedition, not begin a new chapter just before we evacuate."

 With an almost pleading in her voice, Kalynda countered.

"Captain, the ship is its own microcosm of who or whatever came here and deposited what they brought and built here. We should at least investigate the interior of this vessel, Sir. We may learn more in the next seventy hours than we did during our whole time exploring this planetoid."

Just as the words were spoken, Commander Riker came walking up right along side of the captain.

The captain turned his helmet slightly to face his executive officer who was still technically in charge of this mission.

"Your thoughts on this request Commander?"

Riker paused for a moment and adjusted the phaser pistol holster that was tugging at his leg.  The sense of protection and fear for his crew was tearing at him, but he remembered the stories his father told him as a child living among the Maquis.  Despite what felt like his better judgement Riker responded

"Sir we are explorers.  If we can learn something here then by our nature we are destined to do it.  I mean look around sir.  This place is lifeless and was at one point a bastion of life.  If we can find out what happened here and use that knowledge to save even one life, then I say we learn everything we can."

Drawing his pistol and raising the stun setting Riker continued.

"First sign of trouble however and we are gone regardless of what we are learning.  Learning about death feels self defeating if we lose life in the process"

Kathleen left the genetics chamber just to see the retreating backs of the Captain and Commander Riker.

“Captain! Commander Riker! Wait up!”

When neither of the two turned around, she hurried towards the girls they spoke to just seconds before.

“Alenis! Kalynda! Where are the Captain and Commander off to?”

When they looked at her uncomprehendingly, she repeated her question with more force. “I need to speak to them immediately!”

Kalynda stepped up and pressed her visor against Kathleen’s.

“It seems you are having problems with your intercom, Lieutenant!”  Kathleen heard her voice faintly through the headpiece.

Kathleen looked at her screen display. Piggledy Pigs! She forgot she turned it off when she entered the chamber. She laughed at the two women and repeated her question again.

With that information, she returned to the transporter point but before she requested to be returned to the ship, she paused.Maybe…yeah, that will work!

This time she made doubly sure her intercom are switched on.

“Lieutenant Muller, Ensign Philips, I need your input on some aspects of my research. Will it be possible for us to join up as soon as possible?”

“Sure Doctor Friedman. I am with Philips at the moment just on the other side of the ridge towards the nearest spire. Philips and I are just finishing up returning the rock and soil samples.” Anita Muller responded.

“Please, join us, Lieutenant Cat,” the impish voice of Philips added.

“That’s quite enough of that, Ensign Philips! That is no way to address a superior officer!” Muller chided.

Kathleen suppressed a laugh. To be that young again, she thought to herself.

When she reached the apex of the ridge, the other two ascended the last few feet to join her. Kathleen wasted little time in setting up her equipment. She pushed a few buttons and a screen with the latest chart of the system they are currently in, jumped to life over the console.

“Wow! Nifty!” Philips exclaimed, stretching out his hand to test the screen.

Kathleen slapped his hand away. “Hands off! From what century are you from, Philips? Nifty, indeed!”

Anita laughed. “I have to agree with him Lieutenant! This is very impressive. It looks like you carry your lab with you wherever you go.”

“Quite correct, Anita. Let’s do without the ranks. This is an informal meeting. I just need your input about certain factors.” The other two turned serious faces towards her. “This is a star chart of this sector we are currently in. Now, if you two can assist me in pinpointing the approximate place where the ship was in the Nebula and where we were caught up in that space anomaly, I would be very grateful.”

“Well,” Anita studied the chart, “I wasn’t directly involved with the nanites or the rescue, but I did follow it. Let me see…” Her hand hovered between two points. “What do you think, Philips?” She pointed to a densely star packed space on the left hand side of the screen. “It was about here when the ships started overheating and all sorts of problems started. We drifted an hour or so, not sure exactly how long, even the chromos where affected, before the Captain called an alert and the ship was opened to space to cool it down.”

“That’s correct. All that happened right where you are pointing.” Philips gave an exaggerated shiver. “I don’t want to go through that again!” He walked around Kathleen to the other side of the screen. “I listened and watched the rescue mission for Sagan. It was very exciting and I wasn’t alone in that we all needed something to occupy ourselves after that near disaster.”

He drummed his fingers against his chest. “You all were right here,” he decided a few seconds later and pointed out a region directly opposite on the right hand side of the screen from where their position in the Nebula was.

“Thank you! This confirms the data I have. I wanted to go back to the ship to retrieve this information from the main computer, but you all were a much faster solution!” She pointed to a red dot roughly in the middle of the screen. “This is where the planetoid is. If we connect the dots…” She pushed a few buttons. “See? This green line represents the three positions. A perfect tri-angle. And this…” She pushed another button, “is the position of the Spires amplified. This red line indicates the reach of the frequencies emitted by these three Spires.”

Anita and Ryan stared uncomprehendingly at where Kathleen pointed. Not getting the reaction she wanted, she pushed another button.

“Watch. I’ve changed it to real time and recording. You can clearly see where the Spires are that were turned off by the clear path through the red haze.” All three stared at the display.

Anita gasped suddenly.

“This is happening right here, right now?” She exclaimed, a little bit of fear tingeing her tone.

“I don’t get it.” Waffled Ryan.

“What you see, Ryan,” She pointed at the screen again, where the red lines and the haze between that pulsed, throwing its reach further and further into space by small increments, “what you see, is the Spires collecting elements from space to do their job here. And it’s folding space to do it.”

Anita leaned back in astonishment.

"But where are these materials coming from in this void space?" she inquired to the Draylaxian.

Kathleen pointed again at the screen where the red haze are now nearly halfway through the  Nebula.

"There. I am sure that some of the nanites were expelled into space when the Captain voided the ship, which will also explain some other irregualrities in my data. And look there," she pointed at the place where the anomaly were situated. "Would you say that looks like something is changing, when just a view hours earlier, that part of space were empty?"

*             *             *

Thirty minutes later standing outside of the immense and impressive alien starship, Syntron was once again stuck by the overall elegance of its design. It was artistic yet seemingly economic in its fluidity. Despite careful inspection throughout the entire exterior of the ship, the Vulcan had not spotted even once miniscule seam anywhere. Contemplation regarding the creators of this starship once again taunted the Vulcan's thoughts. Throughout their investigations they had not uncovered a single image hinting to appearance of any of these life forms.

The captain contacted the two officers manning the post at the hanger panel in the main chamber.

"Are all personnel cleared out of the genetics facility?"

"Yes Sir," replied the Andorian CSO. "You, Commander Riker, and security chief Vincent are the only personnel present in the hanger bay as requested."

Syntron nevertheless conducted a quick visual scan to confirm the statement. The room was indeed empty.

"If we are successful in entering this vessel without incident, contact Commander Rogers on the Phoenix. I want our chief engineer with us as we explore this vessel. His knowledge and insight could be invaluable."

"Understood Captain. I will contact him as soon as you give the word." Kalynda Hunter replied.

Looking briefly at his two senior officers, Syntron had them both step back away from the ship as he proceeded with his next order.

"Proceed with the ship entry sequence Lieutenant" the captain commanded as he too stepped back among his two officers.

Within a matter of seconds, an apparent entryway just melted open on the upper side of the ship and formed a series of smooth yet narrow steps down to the ground in an very systematic and symmetrical manner. It provided their first glimpse into the intriguing alien vessel.

Syntron engaged his communication trigger.

"Any changes occurring anywhere in these chambers or on the surface?"

After a moment, a reply was returned.

"Just confirming our scans here and verifying with the ship" the Andorian responded.

Three minutes later a signal came to the captain.

"All readings, including those around the ship have remained steady and unchanged Captain."

"Acknowledged Lieutenant. Send the message to Commander Rogers. Have him beamed down immediately."

"Understood Sir. Hunter out."

The order to beam to the ship on the planetoid had been relayed to Rogers by chief science officer Hunter, and David had wasted no time at all in getting his kit together and down to the transporter room. Because Lieutenant Andrews was relieved of duty and confined to his room because of his jaunt on the security team landing party, Rogers had placed Lieutenant9j.g.) Jennifer Brady in command of engineering on the Phoenix. Of course, before he could step one boot on the transporter pad, the duty officer there had adamantly insisted in double checking his environmental suit. While protesting that he had already triple checked his own suit, Rogers’ objections had been perfunctorily brushed aside with a standing medical order. Something about health and security and such. David paid it no mind while submitting to the check over. It would be quicker than trying to brush around the Phoenix’s chief medical officers orders. Once cleared by the two technicians, David took position on the center pad and was transported down to the surface.

Syntron looked nonchalantly at Josh Vincent.

"As security chief, I know that you will insist on being the first one to enter this vessel... as a matter of protocol. Proceed" he stated, with a hand gesturing toward the newly formed steps.

David tried to hurry along the twisted labyrinth leading to the second chamber, but his curiosity kept stopping him as a new series of the strange glyphs distracted him, or a design change in the hexagonal architecture sidetracked his engineering mind. Never the less, after a convoluted traverse of the pathways and backtracking on one false trail, Rogers finally emerged into the immense chamber where the alien ship was. David stopped at first sight of it; the fluidic design astounded him.  In his youth, David had been all over three quadrants with his Ferengi stepfather, and not even in the gamma quadrant had Rogers seen any ship even remotely resembling this mystery.

Just as his gaze swept up and along the mirror like symmetry of the perfectly smooth outlines of the craft, David’s sight was caught by the break in the hull and the three officers at the foot of a symmetrical flight of steps leading up to the opening. Walking forward, Rogers finally remembered he had a suit radio. Trying to keep the awe out of his voice, David contacted Syntron.

“Captain. Uhm, reporting as ordered sir.”

The captain espied the ChEng scurrying up to their position just as Vincent was placing his foot upon the first step.

"Welcome Commander Rogers. We need to allow our security chief to complete his required inspection before we can enter this vessel."

Syntron then noted "It will be beneficial to have an engineer's eyes surveying the interior of this vessel."

((scene leading to just before entering the alien ship))