The Hansen Diaries

[Tiberius]

Glad you liked it. To thank you for your comments, here's the next chapter. Much more interesting! And there's some bonuses at the end!

Raven​

Magnus and Erin had returned to San Francisco the day after meeting with President Valenski, and over the next week they spoke to Admiral Jameson quite a few times, revising their proposal after each communication. Each time, however, Mister Sloan was nowhere to be seen. Jameson had explained his absence by saying that there was work he was doing in Spacedock. He would not elaborate further.

The Hansens had just come from a meeting with Admiral Jameson, as well as Valenski, who had spoken to them over a comline from Paris. While the Hansens had initially planned to perform the research themselves, they had put together a team after they realised that the scope of the investigation was too great for just the two of them. Still, they had kept the team small, the two of them as well as the team they had worked with at Starfleet Headquarters. They had developed a sound working relationship during their time together, and they anticipated that they would be able to work together better than they would if they had put together a new team from scratch.

The Hansens had explained that they felt that keeping their team together was the best way to reduce the risk to the team. Another advantage of the small team was that they would only need a type seven shuttle that could be refitted with the necessary equipment – computers, sensors and so on – and they could travel by booking passage on freighters or other ships. It was not the first time shuttles had been used in this way; Richard Galen, an eminent archaeologist, had taken ownership of an older shuttlepod from Starfleet, and he had used it on many occasions during his career. The only disadvantage was that the shuttles were slow and somewhat uncomfortable, but staying in quarters on freighters would minimize the time on the shuttle. It had been then that Jameson surprised the Hansens by telling them that a vessel had already been prepared for them. Erin and Magnus had shared a look. Neither of them had expected Starfleet to have a vessel ready for them so soon.

The rest of the meeting had gone quite smoothly. Admiral Jameson had suggested a few minor changes, and they had been incorporated into the proposal without much difficulty. At the end of the meeting, Valenski had given her approval, as had Jameson, although Jameson still didn’t look quite convinced. However, the Hansens’ proposal was sound, and there was nothing over which he could object.

From that meeting, Admiral Jameson had taken them up to Spacedock and they now sat in a travel pod, being ferried among the great berthed ships.

“There’s still a bit of work to be done on the vehicle we have prepared,” said Jameson as the travel pod ducked beneath the engineering hull of an Excelsior class ship, “but we expect to be finished by the end of next week. That should give you time to move your equipment onto the vessel. I apologize for not informing you, Doctors, but the retrofitting we have been doing has been classified top secret.”

“We appreciate your effort,” said Erin.

“Ah,” said Jameson, “there she is.”

Erin and Magnus looked out ahead. “Where?” Erin asked.

“Just out ahead,” he said. “The Armstrong class ship.”

Magnus stared for a moment, not comprehending. “That’s a starship,” he said. “Why have we got a starship?”

“We had expected you to have a team of at least a dozen,” said Jameson. “We felt that you would need at least Armstrong class ship.”

“Can it be run by a crew of five?” asked Erin.

Jameson thought for a moment. “There should be no problems,” he said. “It was designed to be run with a minimum crew, just a pilot, two engineers, an operations officer as well as eight mission specialists. Mister Sloan is on board now. He feels that you should be shown the modifications made to the ship.”

The travel pod circled around the Armstrong class ship, and Magnus looked at the registry on the side: USS Raven, NAR-32450. He admired the sleekness of her shape and the cleanness of her lines. The hull was a shape that had been passed down from the earliest Earth spacecraft; a rectangular main hull with a sleekly pointed nose and two nacelles mounted on pylons that came off the side. The shape wasn’t as streamlined as the disk-like primary hulls and cylindrical stardrive hulls found on larger starships, but the simple lines of the ship before him had a grace all their own. The pod turned its back on the Raven, and slowly began to move backwards towards the ship. There was a soft clunk as the docking port on the back of the pod mated with the airlock on the starship.

“How much has been modified?” asked Magnus. Admiral Jameson led them out into the starship’s corridors.

“Most of the major systems have been modified to varying degrees,” said Jameson. “The computer systems, sensors and propulsion systems have received the most attention. We’ll start on the bridge. Mister Sloan is waiting for us.”

“Then this is what he has been working on?” asked Erin.

Jameson turned to her. “Yes,” he said.

They walked along the corridor towards the bridge. The walls were painted in soft beige. It had been a recent trend in starship design, and it was more comfortable on the eyes than the stark aluminiums and steels of preceding classes of ships.

The door to the bridge hissed open. Sloan was standing in front of the helm console, looking at the viewscreen. He turned as they entered. “Hello, Admiral,” he said. “It’s good to see you, Doctors. I hope you like your new ship.”

“She’s beautiful, Mister Sloan,” said Magnus. “I look forward to seeing the rest of her.”

“I’m sure you do,” said Sloan, “but we’ll start on the bridge. It is very much a normal bridge module for this class of vessel, but the computer tie-ins have been upgraded and are capable of a data transmission rate of twenty three hundred kiloquads per second, and the bridge sub-processor banks have been expanded by nearly fifteen percent. The banks are located in two bays, one behind each pair of the aft stations.” Sloan indicated the screen at the front of the bridge. “Also, the main viewscreen has a holographic display, replacing the standard two dimensional screen for this bridge module.” He led them to the aft of the bridge. There were four stations, two on either side of the main entrance. Sloan indicated the two port stations. “The environmental and life sciences stations have been replaced with the engineering and tactical stations. The other two stations,” he said, indicating the consoles on the other side of the bridge, “are the two science stations, in their original configuration. In essence, the entire ship can be run from the bridge. Also, while we’re here, I should mention that the Armstrong class ship is capable of landing on a planetary surface, the only class of starship able to do so and return to orbit. The bridge is located on deck two. Deck one has very little, just the primary deuterium tanks, the matter injector of the warp core, and the aft sensor cluster. Now, if you’ll follow me to engineering.”

Sloan led them down the portside corridor that led back from the bridge. “There is a small briefing room behind the bridge,” he said. “Aft of that, there is an equipment room which contains the majority of the tools needed, such as tricorders and phasers.”

Magnus looked inside the room. Inside he could see the cabinets for storing tools, as well as racks on which hung field jackets and medkits.

“Beside the equipment room is the transporter room and the pattern buffer,” said Sloan. “The transporter can accommodate up to three people.”

The corridor turned to the right. To their left they could see the airlock they had entered through. “We’ve just left the forward hull and passed into the primary hull of the ship,” explained Sloan as they walked down the long straight hallway. “On the right, along the centerline of the ship, are the twin computer cores. They have been upgraded from the standard cores designed for this class of vessel, and they are now capable of storing eight hundred isoquads of data. There are one hundred and fifty isolinear banks and forty seven command pre-processors and data analysis units throughout the ship which function in concert with the twin cores. On the left are the crew quarters, not very spacious, but they have a living area and a bathroom. The quarters are along the outer edge of the primary hull on both sides. At the front of the primary hull are the mess hall and sickbay; the mess hall on port and sickbay on the starboard.”

Magnus nodded. “What’s next?” he asked.

“Deck three,” said Sloan, leading them towards the aft turbolift. “We’ll start at the aft of the ship and work our way forwards.”

They emerged from the lift near a set of heavy doors. “Is that a shuttlebay?” asked Magnus.

“Holodeck,” said Jameson.

“We have a holodeck on board?” said Erin. “On a ship this small?”

“We felt it would be needed,” said Jameson. “Not only to run simulations, but for recreation. You could be operating away from starbases for extended periods. You’ll need some recreational time.”

Sloan indicated a pair of hatches that ran along the corridor. “These lead to the lifeboats,” he said. “They are mounted along the stern of the ship. They are capable of supporting the standard crew complement of a dozen.”

Sloan and Admiral Jameson continued towards the front of the ship, approaching a door in the corridor. “This is main engineering,” said Sloan as the group went through the doorway. Ahead of them was the Master Situation Monitor. Beyond was a ring of consoles displaying various aspects of the ship’s current status, and to their right was the warp core. The reaction chamber was mounted in the floor of a slightly raised platform, and a safety handrail ran around it. The power transfer conduits ran out to the sides of the room along the floor, and they glowed under removable protective grates. Above, they could see a balcony of metal grating that gave access to more consoles. A lift gave access, going up to the top level.

“The layout is standard for this size of starship, but the warp core has been upgraded,” said Sloan. “It is a miniaturized version of the new core being developed for the Galaxy class ships. It is more fuel efficient than the core it replaced, and should increase the range up to about a thousand light-years when fully fuelled.”

“What is the Raven’s maximum speed?” asked Erin, walking up to the warp core for a closer look.

“During preflight tests, she was taken to warp seven point nine,” said Jameson. “She handled very well. Design specifications call for a maximum speed of warp eight.”

“The impulse reactors were replaced with modules designed to be repaired more easily without starbase facilities,” said Sloan. “As a result, there is a slight drop in impulse performance, but we felt that it would be worth it.”

“Agreed,” said Erin thoughtfully, and she opened the dilithium crystal hatch. “The alignment’s been adjusted,” she said, looking at the crystal.

“Yes,” said Sloan. “That’s one of the ways we have increased the fuel efficiency.”

“The impulse engines and the warp nacelles are accessible through Jefferies tube in the corridor outside,” said Jameson.

“On the left,” said Sloan as they stepped back outside into the hallway, “are five of the ten labs, along the port edge of deck three. The other five are located on the starboard side.”

“What labs do we have?” asked Magnus. He looked into the nearest one. Inside he could see a bioscanner console and several computer terminals around the walls.

“That’s the medical lab,” said Jameson. “There are also exobiology, cybernetics, biophysics and subspace systems labs on this side, and on the starboard side are the defence strategies, technology assessment, planetary sciences, cultural anthropology and astrometrics labs.”

They continued down the hall and passed the lower section of the twin computer cores. As they entered the forward hull, Jameson pointed out a set of doors on the right. “The life support systems are located here, as well as other crew support systems,” he said. “Ahead of us are the torpedo systems, the magazine and the launcher. At the moment, the Raven is fully stocked with fifty torpedoes and fifteen probes of varying classes. All of them are standard, so you will be able to restock your supply at any Federation facility. Also at the bow of the ship are the twin deflector dishes, one on each side of the nose. Deflector control is located here, but it is also accessible from the bridge and main engineering.”

“That leaves just deck four,” said Sloan.

They emerged from the turbolift in front of another set of heavy doors. “Entry and egress from the ship while on a planetary surface can be made through here,” said Jameson. “It leads to the forward landing leg. When the landing leg is extended, there is a ladder that can be used to get to ground level. The main airlock is located in there as well.”

“Can we use the airlock if the leg is retracted?” asked Erin.

“Yes,” said Jameson. “The other two landing legs are located at the base of the warp nacelle pylons, and the mechanisms can be accessed for repairs from deck three. The majority of deck four is taken up with the cargo bays, and in the aft section are the antimatter storage pods and the tractor beam emitter.”

“The complete specifications for the Raven will be sent to you and your team,” said Sloan. “Do you have any questions?”

“All the information we have had access to during our research is in the computer core?” asked Magnus.

“Yes,” said Jameson. “The data your team got from the wreckage, as well as all the reports from the Kyushu are in the Raven’s computer core.”

“Admiral,” said Erin, “you mentioned that the Federation has found evidence that the Borg exist four times before. What can you tell us about that?”

Jameson sighed. “The first instance was in 2063,” he said.

“During first contact?” said Erin. “Dr Cochrane was telling the truth?”

Jameson nodded. “When he made his statements about cybernetic beings from the future, he was generally met with scepticism, and he retracted those statements some years later. However, in light of later evidence, his account of the actual events of first contact gained credibility.”

“Later evidence?” asked Magnus.

“The second instance,” said Sloan. “Almost a century later. A research team working above the Arctic Circle in Canada discovered the remains of a crashed vessel buried in a glacier. Their logs indicated that they found the bodies of two cybernetically enhanced humanoids. After this discovery, Starfleet re-examined Dr Cochrane’s original account of what happened in Montana. The wreckage found had been there for at least ninety years and we determined that his account may be accurate, that the wreckage may have been the vessel Dr Cochrane made reference to.”

“Has it already happened?” asked Erin. “Have the Borg already gone back to that time?”

“One of the reasons Starfleet created the Department of Temporal Investigations was to find out precisely that,” said Jameson. “Dr Cochrane indicated that a starship was sent back in time. From his description of it, we’ve been able to determine that it is no class of starship that has ever existed in Starfleet. We’ve kept a close watch on any Federation or allied ship that has experienced any temporal phenomena since the 2170s, but so far, there hasn’t been any indication that the events have occurred, except in our past.”

Magnus sighed. “And the third instance?” he asked.

“The third instance was in the year 2271,” Jameson said. “The Enterprise was responsible for defending the Earth from a space probe known as V’Ger.”

“I know about that,” said Erin. “The Enterprise was able to destroy the alien probe before it could remove the life from Earth’s biosphere.”

Admiral Jameson sighed. “That’s not quite true,” he said.

Erin gave him an irritated look. “Right,” she said angrily. “Once again, Starfleet has kept the truth from the general public.”

“V’Ger was from Earth, Doctor,” said Jameson.

Erin looked at him blankly. “What?” she said.

“Voyager Six,” Jameson said. “It was launched from Earth in the late 1990s, just after the end of the Eugenics Wars. It was lost soon after leaving Earth’s solar system. At the time, it was thought that the probe had fallen into a black hole. We now know that Voyager was caught in the gravity well of a wormhole, and was drawn to the Delta Quadrant. It was found by what the Enterprise science officer called a race of living machines. The Borg. They saw Voyager to be one of their own, and they gave the probe the ability to carry out what they believed to be its primary mission: to learn all that is learnable and return that information to its creator. It made its way across the galaxy, amassing tremendous amounts of data. Admiral Kirk’s logs indicate that when it arrived at Earth, it transmitted all of the data it had accumulated. Starfleet intercepted the transmission, and after the data had been reviewed, it was decided to keep the contents classified.”

“How do you know that the transmission wasn’t intercepted by anyone else?” asked Magnus.

“The data was transmitted on radio waves,” said Sloan. “At the time, the only active radio receiver was in Starfleet Command. The Enterprise communications officer took the wise precaution of alerting us, so we were ready for it. Afterwards, investigations by Internal Affairs revealed that no other radio receivers in reception range were active at the time. It is possible that the Borg had some way of intercepting the transmission as well, though we have no way of verifying this.”

Erin sighed and turned away.

“What was the other instance?” asked Magnus quietly.

“The last instance occurred during the launch of the Enterprise-B,” said Jameson. “It occurred in 2293, twenty two years after the V’Ger incident. After launch, the Enterprise picked up a distress call from two El Aurian transport vessels. Forty seven El-Aurians were rescued, and they reported to Starfleet personnel that their home world had been attacked by a cybernetic race they called the Borg.”

“Is this information in the computer?” asked Magnus, barely above a whisper.

“The full reports are in the computer, yes,” said Sloan.

“Why weren’t we told about this?” asked Erin.

“The first event hasn’t fully occurred yet,” said Jameson. “The Borg involved in the second event were destroyed. The third event occurred on the other side of the galaxy. The attack on the El Aurians happened over seven thousand light years away .”

Erin turned away and shook her head in disgust.

“When did you say the ship will be ready to leave?” asked Magnus, changing the subject before Erin could say anything.

“By the end of next week,” said Jameson. “We have you scheduled to leave on Monday June eighth at oh five hundred hours.”

“I’d like to spend that time preparing to leave,” said Erin. “There are a lot of items I’d like to have aboard the ship when we leave.”

“You’ll be granted access to the ship,” said Jameson. “The command codes you have now will work on the Raven as well.”

“Thank you,” said Erin. “We’ll be ready to go by Monday.”

 

[Tiberius]

Now, for your extra present...

Deck plans for the Raven. Made by a friend of mine, working with me. Took us about a month to do them, and he put in a heap of work on it. I can't thank him enough!

Deck 1
Deck 2
Deck 3
Deck 4

His Deviantart account is HERE. Go and give him some love, he's put in so much hard work!

 

[mirandafave]

S31 gave them the Raven - I suspose one shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth but that was a smart move by S31.

Good section that explains how the Hansens made it out into space with the Raven.

PS those plans look great. Well done to your mate.

 

[Tiberius]

You should have seen the crappy drawings I did that he had to work from! Did you follow the tour the Hansens had? Every description of them moving around the Raven is completely accurate to those deckplans.

BTW, did you notice that this isn't the first time we've seen the Raven in the story?

 

[Tiberius]

Spacedock​

It had been raining the last few days, and Annika had been stuck inside. After a childhood growing up on at least three different planets, she was an outdoors person, and the indoor life was making her miserable. She spent her time looking sadly out through the window. Irene had taken her to the nearby township of Leura a few days previously, despite the rain, just to get her out of the house. It had been a pleasant day; they had spent their time in malls out of the rain, and she had bought Annika a new dress; white, with a pattern of blue rectangles. Annika’s bad mood had been lifted, but after a few more days stuck inside, it had started to creep back.

One evening a few days after the Leura excursion, while sitting around the dinner table, there came from the study the soft beep of an incoming transmission. Annika looked up from her plate of vegetables (she had finished her slice of shepherd’s pie) as Irene rose and headed down the hallway. When Irene had disappeared, Annika leaned back in her chair, wondering if she could tip her vegetables into the potted plant beside her before her aunt came back. But all too soon, Irene returned. Annika quickly looked away from the plant and back down at her plate.

“Guess who that was,” Irene said, sitting back in her place at the dining table.

Annika was slowly pushing her carrots around the plate, wondering how she could get her vegies to the plant without Irene noticing. She looked up. “Who?”
Irene smiled. “Your mummy and daddy.”

Annika’s face lit up. “Really?”

“Yep,” said Irene. “They’re going to be picking you up tomorrow morning.”

“Yay!” said Annika, grinning widely.

“You sound like you’re happy to be leaving,” said Irene. “Aren’t you enjoying it here?”

Annika looked at Irene for a moment. “It’s nice here,” she said, “but I miss my mama and papa.”

Irene smiled. “Hurry up and finish your dinner, then you can have an early night.”

Annika gave her a disbelieving look. “Early night?”

“The sooner you get to sleep, the sooner it will be morning.”

Annika looked at Irene for a moment, then she scooped up a fork full of carrots. With a last despairing look at the plant, she popped the fork into her mouth.

*

Overnight, the rain was chased away by a breeze that came out of the east, and the day dawned bright and clear. The bush smelled of newly washed leaves. Steam rose from the forest in the sunlight, and the last remnants of the week’s showers dripped from the ends of eucalypt leaves.

Annika, thrilled to be going home, decided to dress in the dress and sandals that Irene had bought her at Leura.

From out in the yard came the shimmering song of a transporter cycle. Annika jumped up from the sofa, running out the door and over the lawn towards her parents. Irene stood and walked out after her.

“Papa!” cried Annika. She ran into his outstretched arms.

“Annika!” He lifted her up and spun her around in the air for a moment before putting her back down on the grass.

Annika turned to Erin and hugged her. “I love you, mama,” she said.

“It’s good to see you, Annika,” said Erin, holding her daughter tight and kissing her hair. “I love you too.”

Irene walked over the grass towards them. “Magnus, Erin, it’s wonderful to see you both again,” she said, hugging them. “How has your work been?”

Magnus sighed and turned to her. “Lately, not all that good,” he said. “We haven’t been able to do any work for the last two weeks.”

Irene looked confused. “Why not?” she asked.

“No source material,” said Erin.

“Then what’s been keeping you two so busy?”

“We’ve been trying to convince Starfleet to let us go out on an expedition,” said Erin.

Irene gave her a look of surprise. “An expedition? Where are you going? When are you leaving?”

Magnus sighed. “Sorry, sis,” he said. “That’s classified.”

Irene nodded. “Fair enough,” she said. “When do you leave?”

“Early Monday morning,” said Erin. “But we’ll try to keep in touch as much as possible.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“Not sure, to be honest,” said Magnus. “A few months, at least.”

“Well, you just make sure you come and visit me when you get back,” said Irene. “When you were on Vulcan, I didn’t see you for almost a year. Don’t leave it that long this time, alright?”

“I promise, we’ll be back for Christmas,” Magnus said.

“That’s good to hear,” said Irene. “Come inside for tea?”

*

After leaving Irene’s home, Magnus, Erin, and Annika beamed to San Francisco, and they caught the air tram back to their home in the Mission District. When they walked through the front door, Magnus headed to the end of the hall and picked up one of the duffel bags on the floor. He tossed it to Erin and picked up another one for himself. The third he gave to Annika.

“Where did everything go?” asked Annika quietly, taking the bag and looking around. Most of their belongings had been packed and transported to the Raven. Only a few items still remained in their home. Most of them were in packed storage containers that were ready to be taken to their ship.

“It’s all on our ship,” said Erin.

Annika looked up at her. “We’re going on a ship?”

“Yep,” smiled Magnus. “We’re going to be going on a long trip, and we might not see Earth for a long time.”

They picked the bags up, and Erin called for transport. They materialized in the Raven’s transporter room. Annika looked around in awe.

“Is this our ship?” she asked quietly. She stepped off the pad, but didn’t walk very far.

“Uh huh,” said Magnus. “Let’s get the bags to our quarters.” He hoisted his bag onto his shoulder, and they left the transporter room and walked down the corridor to the living quarters.

The door hissed open, and Magnus, Erin, and Annika entered their quarters. Annika sighed with something between frustration and disappointment, and then let the bag fall off her shoulder onto the floor. The room was only a few meters square and very spartan. On the wall opposite the door was a tiny bunk, on the left was a small computer terminal, and on the right was a replicator and the door to a very cramped bathroom. She crossed her arms grumpily. “It’s tiny,” she complained.

Magnus nodded his agreement. “It is going to be very cramped with the three of us in here.”

“But there’s only one bunk,” said Annika, stepping forward.

Erin looked at Magnus for a moment, then turned to her daughter. “You can live in the quarters next door if you want to, Annika,” she said.

Annika turned around, her eyes wide and a look of joy on her face. “Really?”

Magnus nodded. Annika ran off with a cheer, dragging her bag behind her.

Erin looked at Magnus, then shook her head. “That settles that,” she said. “And we should be able to bring in a bunk from one of the empty quarters.”

“It’s still going to be cramped in here for us though,” said Magnus. He looked at Erin, a mischievous gleam in his eye. “What if the mood strikes us?”

Erin laughed. “I guess we’ll just have to use the floor,” she said. “Perhaps, considering we don’t have a full crew, we might be able to join some of the rooms together, create some larger quarters.”

“That’s a good idea,” agreed Magnus. “We can do that on the way to Tentak.”

They left their bags in their quarters, then headed down the corridor to the airlock near the bridge.

“Erin! Magnus!”

They turned. Sue was coming up along the corridor behind them.

“You’ve checked out engineering?” asked Magnus.

Sue nodded. “Yes. Jason got here last night, he was having a bit of trouble running the level three diagnostics,” said Sue.

Magnus looked up at her. “What sort of trouble?”

Sue sighed. “The diagnostic subroutines crashed twice, and we had to reinitialise the diagnostic subprocessor.”

“Damn it,” muttered Erin.

“Can we repair it ourselves?” asked Magnus. “I’d hate to have to delay our departure because of this. The next available departure window won’t be for almost a week.”

Sue nodded. “Jason’s pretty sure it’s something we can fix ourselves. He said he’ll start going through the coding after we leave.”

Magnus nodded. “Okay. In the meantime, we’ll be on Spacedock.”

*

Magnus, Erin, and Annika went to a replimat on Spacedock, where they sat and watched workbees flocking around the starships in the dock.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us to the finals?” Magnus asked.

Erin looked at him. “Parrises Squares really isn’t my thing, Magnus,” she said. “But you and Annika have fun.”

“What are you going to be doing?”

“I’ll probably go and see a lecture,” Erin said, holding up a padd. “Doctor Foreman’s speaking today on time and relative dimension in space.”

Magnus looked up from his I’danian spice pudding. “Doctor who?”

“Doctor Foreman,” repeated Erin. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard of him. He’s the Federation’s leading authority on time phenomena, based at the Daystrom Institute’s temporal mechanics annex on Gallifrey.”

“So you’re going to go and listen to him speak?”

Erin was about to answer the affirmative when another name on the list caught her eye, just a little further down than Foreman’s. “Doctor Graves is here!” she exclaimed.

“You studied with him a few years back, didn’t you?” asked Magnus.

“More than a few years, Magnus,” she said. “Almost a decade ago, developing prosthetic implants.”

“Wow, that long?” asked Magnus.

“Yeah,” said Erin. “I was working with Ira when I met you. I’m definitely going to see his lecture.”

*

The doors to the auditorium opened to admit Erin, and she stepped through into the dim room. The doors closed behind her and she was plunged into darkness. Slowly her eyes began to adjust, and the room grew substance around her. On the stage below her, Ira Graves was little more than a small figure standing behind the podium. Behind him, the large screen on the wall displayed only the symbol for the Daystrom Institute of Technology.

Erin slowly made her way down the aisle, looking for a seat that she could get to easily. There was already a sizeable audience, and she didn’t want to have to sit in a seat that would require her to step over too many toes. She found one, about halfway down and only a few seats away from the aisle. With a few mumbled apologies, she slid across and sat down. Graves looked up as Erin took her seat and flashed her a smile that told her he had recognised her before continuing with his talk.

*

People began to file out of the auditorium as soon as the lights came back up. There was some chatter of people discussing Graves’ speech; he had trodden on quite a few toes with the ideas he had presented. However, Erin knew him better, and knew that he loved to cause a ruckus. The ideas, however he had presented them, were quite exciting. She edged past the people filing out and walked up to the podium.

“Ira?”

Graves looked up at her from the podium where he was stacking his padds into an orderly pile. “Erin!” he exclaimed happily in his gravelly voice. “How long has it been?”

“Oh, almost a decade,” Erin said.

“Do you have time to catch up?” said Graves.

“Yes, I do,” Erin said.

“Come, you must have lunch with me,” said Graves. “There’s a replimat on level 105 that makes a great fungilli.”

“That sounds wonderful,” said Erin.

Graves picked up the padds and they headed out into the corridor. “It will be a relief to spend some time with someone who isn’t as high and mighty as Bruce,” said Graves. “All the time, he’s acting as though he knows better than me about cybernetic systems, just because he’s been studying Soong’s work. And he even considers himself to be an expert on that android, Ensign Data. Dear God, he’s only met the thing once.”

“Has he?” asked Erin.

“And a right bugger he was about it, too,” said Graves as they stepped into a turbolift. Erin gave their destination and the lift started moving. “Rude as you like about the poor ensign,” continued Graves, “just because he’s mechanical. Gotta be a real person to please Bruce. So pity poor Pinocchio.”

“I heard about that,” said Erin. “Only member of the board who voted to refuse him admission to Starfleet.”

Graves leaned towards her and lowered his voice. “Oh, he was horrible when he heard Data was in the Academy. Bad mood for a month.” The turbolift opened and they stepped out near the replimat. “Just wanted to take the poor android apart, see what made him tick and make more androids. Last thing Noonien would have wanted. Good thing Bruce didn’t get his way, because that ensign has a promising career ahead of him. Just last year he saved his crew.”

“Really?” said Erin as she and Graves ordered from the bank of replicators along the wall. They took their food to a table that looked out into the docking bay.

“Yup,” said Graves. “His ship, the Trieste , it was pulled through a wormhole.” He led Erin to a table and they sat down.

“Oh my God,” said Erin. “What happened?”

“Entire crew except for him was knocked out by the wormhole, and when they emerge, they’re headed into asteroid field. Calm as you like, Data gets up from the ops station, sits at the helm, and gets them through. Then, when the crew wakes up, he’s gotta explain why the ship’s chronometer is out by three hours.”

Erin smiled. She was quiet for a moment, looking at Graves. “How are you, Ira?” she asked.

Graves looked at her, and then let his fork fall to the plate. “Oh, Erin, this isn’t about my health, is it?” He leaned back in his chair and gave her an irritated look.

“Just concerned, that’s all,” said Erin. “I’ve heard you’ve been seeing the doctors every two weeks now.”

“Well there’s no need to worry, my dear,” Graves said. “I’m as healthy as a Rigellian ox. The doctors are simply trying to find an excuse to spend time with a wonderfully intelligent person. Now, tell me what brings you here. What are you and Magnus doing these days?”

“Working for Starfleet,” Erin said.

“Oh?”

“I can’t tell you much, Ira,” said Erin. “It’s classified top secret.”

“Ah,” said Graves, nodding. “So you can tell me something then?” He had a mischievous smile, and Erin couldn’t help smiling as well. Being so gruff, his charm was quite disarming, and he usually got his way.

“Alright, Ira,” she said. “It has quite a bit to do with cybernetics. Computers functioning as brains and so on.”

Graves smiled. “When we’ve finished lunch,” he said, “I’ll take you to my quarters. I’ve got all that information about the isolinear networks I’m working on; I’ll transmit it to your home. Still in the Mission District?”

“Actually, Magnus and I have a ship here in dock,” said Erin.

“When did you get a ship?” asked Graves, looking at her with a surprised look on his face.

“Just a few days ago,” said Erin. “We’re leaving on Monday morning.”

“Really? Whereabouts are you headed?”

“Tentak first,” said Erin. “After that, no idea.”

“Tentak?” said Graves. “The mining base? Why are you going there if you’re studying cybernetic systems?”

“Sorry, Ira,” Erin said. “Top secret, can’t talk about it.”

“Ah well,” sighed Graves. “Just make sure you call me when you and Magnus get back, okay? It’s been too long since we’ve caught up. I hear you even have a child now.”

Erin smiled. “Yes, a daughter,” she said.

“Well, when you get back, I want to meet her. And don’t be gone for too long, God knows it’s been long enough as it is. And take care out there, okay?”

Erin laughed. “Ira,” she said, leaning forwards and putting her hand on his, “don’t you worry. It’s going to take more than a field trip to get rid of me.”

*

Magnus and Annika made their way down the steps of the seating levels surrounding the Parrises Squares arena. Most of the seats had been filled, but the players were yet to step onto the field.

“There’s some seats over there, papa,” said Annika, standing on her toes to see over the heads of the other spectators.

“I see it, Annika,” Magnus said. He shifted the tray of food in his arms and moved towards the row of seating. They both slid along and sat in the empty seats. Not as close to the field as he would have liked, but they were the only seats available.

“Can you see, Annika?” asked Magnus, handing her the cup of ginger beer from the tray.

“Yep,” said Annika, eagerly peering forward over the head of a Penzatti.

“Magnus?”

Magnus turned to the voice. It was Tahli. She waved her hand in the air above the people filing to their seats to get their attention. Magnus waved her over.

“I didn’t know you were a Parrises Squares follower,” said Magnus as the Lanan sat down beside them.

“Have been for the last eleven seasons,” said Tahli. “Ever since M’Kota R’Cho throttled the ref.”

“And you came today to see him play for yourself, huh?” asked Magnus. “Pretzel?” He held the paper bag out for her.

“Thanks,” said Tahli, taking one. “I’ve seen him play before, but this is the first time he’s played the Denobulans since the Klingon Crusher was almost banned.”

“Second time, actually,” said Magnus. “The Sherman’s Planet team played the Denobulans four years ago, but the Denobulans were eliminated before the quarter finals.”

Tahli looked at him. “Really?” she said. “I never knew that.”

“I know, it’s not widely known,” said Magnus. “They were hoping both team would make it to the semis, they were anticipating a media field day. But when Pelox was injured, the Denobulans didn’t stand a chance against the Tellerites, and they were beaten. R’Cho was furious, he’d wanted to play them in the finals and regain his honour, or so he said. Personally, I think he was just hoping to play them again because he was pissed off at losing.”

“Well, he’s got his chance today,” said Tahli. “You got anything riding on this game?”

Magnus shook his head.

“I do,” said Tahli. “A bottle of Klingon bloodwine.”

Magnus gave her a surprised look. “You drink bloodwine?”

Tahli laughed. “Good heavens no,” she said. “But I know a Klingon, a friend of a friend, and he’s convinced that Sherman’s Planet is going to walk away with the Cup this year.”

“And you bet against it?” asked Magnus. “Why? R’Cho has the motivation as well as the strength, and he’s been playing in the major league for twelve years. He’s an expert level player.”

“Yes, but he’s getting on in years,” said Tahli. “He’s in his forties, and that’s old in Parrises Squares.”

“But he is a Klingon,” said Magnus. He sipped his synthale.

“An old Klingon,” said Tahli. “Forty may be fine in the battle field, but on the playing field, it’s a disability. And the Denobulans have a young team, I saw them play in the elimination rounds against the Vulcans and they put on a very strong performance.”

Magnus sighed and shook his head. “Playing Vulcans is different to playing Klingons,” he said. “Klingons have the passion for victory. I don’t think the Vulcans care if they win or lose.”

“Maybe,” said Tahli. “And there’s R’Cho’s ankle as well.”

Magnus looked at her in surprise. “You can’t think that’s going to make a difference,” he said. “They replaced the bone with a duranium joint. It’s stronger than it was before, and with a Klingon, that’s saying something.”

“But have you noticed the way he favours his ankle though?” asked Tahli. “He tends to keep his weight off his right foot.”

Magnus shook his head and was about to say something when Annika cried out. “It’s starting!”

The game was played hard, and R’Cho was obviously out to win. At the end of the first quarter, Sherman’s Planet was up by three points, and the majority of the chatter that filled the arena was concentrated on whether the Denobulans would be able to catch up.

*

 

[Tiberius]

That evening, Magnus, Erin and Annika went back to their home in San Francisco. There were still a few last things from their house that they were going to take with them that needed to be packed into the cargo container that had been allowed for them. While Erin went to the bedroom to gather the last few items, Magnus took Annika into the living room and sat down on the sofa. He called her over to sit next to him. “Annika, I’ve got something to tell you,” he said.

She turned to him. “What is it, papa?” she asked.

“Well,” said Magnus, “you know that mummy and I were busy doing work for Starfleet.”

“Yeah…”

“We were learning about a new species called the Borg. And we’ll be going out on a long trip to learn about them.”

“Where are we going?” asked Annika, looking up at him.

Magnus shrugged. “We aren’t sure. We’ll be following them and going wherever they went. But we do know that it’s going to be a long trip.”

 

[Tiberius]

Dang double post....

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

"Doctor who?" And he's a specialist in time? AAAHAHAHA!

I noticed, also, that Ira Graves seems to be inconsistent in how much respect he actually shows Data. On one hand he defends him and then this statement slips out: "Dear God, he’s only met the thing once." Was that supposed to be there?

 

[Tiberius]

You got the joke! Did you notice he was based on Gallifrey? Or that his lecture - Time and Relative Dimension in Space - spells TARDIS? Incidently, he was actually called "Doctor Foreman" in the very first episode of Dr. Who. Keep your eyes open for lots more references like this! There's lots of them, some easier to spot than others.

Regarding the Ira Graves thing, remember, he doesn't think much of hijacking Data's body in "The Schizoid Man".

What did you think of the Magnus/Tahli chat about Parrises Squares?

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

It definitely reminded me of the sports discussions I've heard at work.

And about the Doctor Who jokes...I didn't notice ALL of it because I've never actually watched the show. I just have a very basic idea of what it's all about.

 

[mirandafave]

Neat segments. Kinda sad to hear them talk about being back for Christmas though. Like the touches linking to canon tidbits etc. Also liked the nod to Dr Who. Didn't know he was called Dr Foreman in the first episode - was that a ploy on his part or something?

Didn't catch where we sawthe Raven before!

Anyway continuing to enjoy.

 

[Tiberius]

He was called Doctor Foreman because the first two companions were teachers, and they were teaching his granddaughter, Susan Foreman. The male teacher (I forget his name) refers to him as "Doctor Foreman", to which he immediately responds, "Doctor who?"

The other time that we saw the Raven was when they were first arriving at Spacedock. Have another read of it.

Departure​

Field Notes, USS Raven, Stardate 30346.6. It’s about time. The Federation Council on Exobiology has given us final approval. Starfleet’s still concerned about security issues, but they’ve agreed not to stand in our way. We’ve said our goodbyes, and we’re ready to start chasing our theories about the Borg.

*

The next few days passed quickly, filled with the last minute preparations for the trip. Flight plans were still being finalised, with Erin planning a last minute course correction around a solar observatory that had begun studying a star that had begun its solar cycle three years early. Sue had noticed that there was a batch of faulty isolinear chips in the tactical subprocessor on the bridge, which were hastily replaced. Jason had spent the days buried in the computer cores, figuring out exactly what work needed to be done on the diagnostic subroutines, although with over half a million lines of code to check, it was easy to miss things. Still, he said that the more he could do before they left, the sooner they could get the problem fixed. And Annika had moved her belongings into the quarters next to her parents’, and had already made a mess of them. The research team had been living on the Raven full time now, as it had been the only way to finish the last minute preparations before they were scheduled to leave the next day.

Magnus walked down the corridor towards Annika’s quarters. Annika had been eating dinner together with the team in the mess hall every day since they’d permanently moved onto the ship; it gave the team a chance to catch up and find out not only what last minute problems had been fixed, but also what new ones had arisen, and Annika enjoyed listening to them talk, even if she didn’t understand most of what was being said. True, he could have called her over the comm, but there was another reason he had come to get Annika. It was time to break the news to her that they’d be leaving in the morning. He was sure that she wouldn’t be upset by the news; Annika was used to moving around with them. Magnus and Erin had briefly considered leaving her in Irene’s care, but they had both decided against it. Annika was quick to adapt to new situations, and they both felt confident that she would be fine as they investigated the Borg. She had even begun thinking of the whole idea as a great big adventure, and she was definitely looking forward to the trip.

As he turned the corner, he saw Erin coming out of the quarters they shared. She looked up at him. “Dinnertime?”

“Yep,” said Magnus.

“I’ll be along in a moment, just want to finish up something in Astrometrics. Annika’s in our quarters. She finished the Flotter program.”

“Already?”

“Of course, you know how many times she’s played it now,” said Erin. “Everyone else is in the mess hall, so don’t wait for me. I’ll only be a minute.”

Magnus stopped outside his quarters. He could hear Annika playing with the model Borg ship that he had reconstructed from the sketchy information they had gathered. Her muffled voice carried through the door. “Zoom… Zoom…”

Magnus hurried through the door. He had spent hours on that model, and wasn’t about to let his four year old daughter damage it, even if she was just playing with it.

“Put down the Cube, muffin,” he said as he gently took it from her. “It’s not a toy.” He placed the model back on its stand.

“I won’t crash it,” Annika said. She sounded disappointed. Magnus hoped that Annika would be excited by the news he was about to tell her. He hated knowing that Annika was anything less than completely happy. He went and sat down on the sofa that looked out through the windows.

“Come here, daddy wants to talk to you.” He held out his arms and Annika came over. He lifted her onto the sofa beside him. “Remember when I said that you, me and mummy were going on a very long voyage?”

Annika nodded. “Uh huh…”

Magnus took a breath. “Well, we’re leaving tomorrow, and we won’t see Earth for quite a while.” He waited to see how Annika would react.

“Are we gonna see the Borg?” asked Annika. Magnus was encouraged – she was taking the news pretty well so far, but then again, she didn’t realise the full scope of the mission they were being sent on.

“If we’re lucky,” said Magnus simply. He tried not to let his relief show, because then Annika would realise that he had been worried about it. She was a very intelligent little girl.

“Do the Borg have kids too?”

Magnus thought for a moment about the best way to answer the question. The data gathered at Starfleet seemed to indicate that the Borg, being partially organic, would grow in a similar process as Humans, but if Annika found out about this, she would probably want to invite some Borg infants onto the Raven so they could play together. He decided to be vague about the topic.

“Nobody knows,” he said. “We’ll be the first Humans to study them up close.”

“What do they look like?” asked Annika.

“We’re not sure exactly,” said Magnus, “but we think they might look a lot like us, but with technology inside their bodies.”

Annika’s face lit up when she heard that. “Cy-ber-netic?” She struggled over the word.

Magnus felt a surge of pride. “Uh huh,” he smiled.

“Are they friendly?” Annika asked.

“Well, they’re different,” said Magnus. “They don’t talk like us, or even think like us, but… we’re hoping to make friends one day.”

Annika smiled. “I hope so too, daddy,” she said.

Magnus felt a pang in his heart. Annika was such a friendly little girl, and it hurt him to know that she would be out in deep space with only her parents and the scientists for company. While they loved Annika, and she loved them, Magnus knew that Annika should have the opportunity to play with children her own age. He pulled her close and kissed her hair, hoping that she would still have the opportunity to play as children should when they got back. Deep space was not the best environment for raising children.

*

Magnus and Erin walked onto the bridge. Tahli was sitting at the tactical station and Jason was at the Engineering station. Erin sat down at the helm, Magnus sat at Science 2, and Sue sat next to him at Science 1.

They had left Annika in her quarters, where she was busy settling in. The computer terminal in her room had been set up as a classroom station, though for the moment, Annika was too excited to study.

Tahli looked up as they came in. “We’re being hailed by Admiral Jameson,” she said.

“Put him on,” said Erin.

The screen flicked away from the interior of Spacedock, and Admiral Jameson’s image appeared. “Ah, Doctors,” he said. “Ready to leave?”

“Yes Admiral,” said Erin. “Our departure window opens in three minutes.”

Jameson nodded. “Very good,” he said. “I’m sending you some final information.” He tapped his console.

“We’re getting it now,” said Tahli.

“What is it, Admiral?” asked Sue.

“We established a base in orbit of Tentak IV after the incident,” said the Admiral. “They’ve been there for almost five months now, and we’re sending you their reports on the planet. Now, I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that this is a high-risk mission. Don’t send any transmissions without sending them through Starfleet, and above all, take no unnecessary risks.”

“Acknowledged,” Erin said dryly, trying to hide her irritation. The admiral had already gone over this with the team, several times.

“And one last thing…”

“Yes Admiral?”

Jameson smiled. “Good luck,” he said.

“Thank you, sir,” said Magnus. “Raven out.” The computer beeped as Tahli closed the channel.

“Tahli, hail the dockmaster, request permission to depart.”

Tahli tapped her panel. “USS Raven to Spacedock Control. Request permission to depart.”

“Raven, this is Control. Permission to depart granted. Enter taxiway 03 for port gates in twenty seconds.”

“Affirmative,” said Erin. “All moorings clear.” The tractor beams holding the Raven in position in the berth disengaged, and Erin felt the Raven floating free in the dock. “Bring thrusters online, all ahead slow, fifty kph.”

The Raven moved forward, clearing the dock, and then she turned to the left, entering the taxiway. Ahead of her, the massive spacedoors began to rumble open. On the bridge, they could see the stars beckoning from beyond the doors in the void.

“Fifteen seconds to spacedoors,” said Erin. “Jason, prepare to bring impulse engines online.”

“Impulse systems standing by,” said Jason.

“Clearing spacedoors,” said Erin. “Bring impulse engines online, reactors to twenty seven percent.”

“Impulse engines online.”

Erin tapped a control on the helm. “Going to one quarter impulse power,” she said.

The Raven accelerated away from Spacedock, leaving it in the distance as she headed out into the solar system. She would never come to berth there again.

*

Erin was sitting in the booth in the observation lounge when Magnus found her. They had passed Mars six hours ago, and were now approaching Uranus. Through the windows that looked out from the back of the ship, Magnus could see the Sun, little more than a slightly brighter than average star this far out.

Erin was hunched over the circular table off to the side, ignoring the view. She had a single light shining down on the table, but the rest of the room was in darkness. Magnus could hear the sound of a microchisel as Erin worked on something. He couldn’t see what it was, however.

“Erin?” he asked.

Erin started and turned around to him. “Oh,” she said. “I didn’t hear you come in. What’s our status?”

“We’re approaching Uranus,” Magnus said. “What are you doing?”

Erin held up a square of metal, a name plaque for the ship. “Like it?” she asked. Being a rushed construction, the Raven had not received a plaque, so Erin had taken it upon herself to create one. The plaque had the image of a Raven on it, wings outstretched in flight, with “The Raven” inscribed across the top. Underneath were the words “Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before…”

“It’s beautiful,” said Magnus.

Erin smiled. “Thank you,” she said.

“Although I am surprised you quoted Poe,” said Magnus. “You never seemed to be one for his work.”

Erin shrugged. “Considering our mission, it seemed an appropriate line, never mind the pessimistic source. Besides, she just didn’t feel complete without a name plaque. She hasn’t even been properly christened.”

“Really?” said Magnus, surprised. “Shame we weren’t able to christen her in Spacedock. Too late now, I guess.”

Erin gave a dry laugh.

“What is it?” asked Magnus.

Erin looked up at him, then leaned back in her chair. “If I was the superstitious type,” she said, “I might take it as a bad omen. After all, the Titanic was never christened either, and look what happened to her.”

Magnus smiled. “But you’re not the superstitious type,” he said. “Besides, she’ll fly just as well with or without a plaque. Come on, we’ll put it up on the bridge.”

*

 

[Tiberius]

And with that, Part One: First Contact is finished!

The next chapter will be the beginning of Part Two: Voyage.

 

[Tiberius]

Here's another cool thing for you. The guy who did the deck plans for the Raven also made a dedication plaque for the Raven. Here it is...



Click for a better view.

In the mean time, keep the comments and reviews coming!

 

[mirandafave]

great segment - we're now finally off to see the Borg

 

[Tiberius]

lol, no for a while yet. What are your overall impressions of the first part?

 

[mirandafave]

Yeah I figured it would be a bit yet but now at least we are on the journey and the search. The first part has intrigued and kept the suspense up. I'm expecting the next part to be even more suspenseful - maybe even a little scary. Looking forward.

 

[Tiberius]

Part Two: Voyage

Tentak IV
​

“We’re approaching the Tentak system,” said Erin. “I’m taking us to impulse, and plotting a course to enter a standard orbit of Tentak IV.”

They had been journeying for seven long weeks since leaving Spacedock, and the team was settling in well. They had decided to make some modifications to the Raven, and the first thing they had done was to enlarge their quarters to take advantage of the space available. The cabins, which had been little more than two tiny rooms with a tiny bunk in one and a waste collection unit in the other, were now made of two cabins joined together and were large enough for a full size bed as well as a bathroom, living area and computer terminal. Magnus and Erin, sharing their quarters, had joined three.

Another modification to the starship came about when Annika began staying in the briefing room while her parents worked. The team had not seen the point of using it – they could easily hold their meetings on the bridge – so Magnus and Erin had modified the computer terminal so that Annika could use the room as a classroom, and since they had installed a bed, Annika had taken to sleeping in there on occasion.

The modifications had taken less than three weeks, and since then, with nothing to occupy them, the team had begun to feel restless. They had done all the work they could with the data available to them at Starfleet, so faced with days with nothing to do, they had spent hours checking the ship. It was, after all, a brand new vessel, completed only six months previously the Kowal shipyards, and all new ships had their own little eccentricities. They had found numerous problems, and most of them had been fixed quite easily. However, a small number of the malfunctions (or gremlins, as Jason had called them) had refused to be repaired, no matter what the team did.

The port Bussard collector would not operate at greater than ninety five percent efficiency, and would fail without warning, coming back online only after it had been shut down and a level five diagnostic run on it. The diagnostic unerringly stated that the collector was functioning properly, even though all other diagnostic routines correctly identified the presence of a malfunction. Repeated inspections of the collector failed to reveal the source of the problem, though Tahli noted that the problem only manifested itself at warp speeds, when an inspection of the collector was impossible. It seemed that their problems with the diagnostic subroutines were not over, much to Jason’s annoyance.

The replicators had lost a few files when Starfleet had upgraded the computer cores, and all of the patterns for coffee had been lost except for a type of Betazoid coffee that was little more than coloured water. Magnus, who had a great affinity for strong coffee (Erin had always claimed that it was an addiction to caffeine) had been forced to drink cup after cup of the weak Betazoid blend in order to feel satisfied, and every morning, he had to go to the toilet twice.

A portion of the deck plating in the starboard corridor that led off the bridge had not been properly secured, and every time the Raven exceeded warp four point five, it began vibrating. While the crew merely found it irritating, Annika absolutely hated it, and refused to walk that section of corridor if they were travelling at warp. Even when they were at impulse speeds, she would jump over that segment of plating. Magnus had pulled up the carpeting on three separate occasions to tighten the bolts that held the plating to the decking framework, and had even tried gamma welding the plate to the framework, but it continued to vibrate.

There were also various other problems. There was a fluctuation in the warp plasma manifold that made the ship feel a little sluggish at warp speeds, the matter injector would not open to more than eighty nine percent, and temperature controls for the fluid recycling system weren’t working properly.

Thankfully, they were only minor problems. Once the team had completed all the repairs they were able to, they had taken to spending time on the holodeck. They had run many different programs, from swimming on Pacifica and parasailing on Earth to mountain climbing on Vulcan and a game involving racing shuttles in an obstacle course. Annika had been running Trevis and Flotter programs while the others had been having their lunch, though her parents had gone with her several times. For Annika’s fifth birthday a month previously, they had spent the entire day on the holodeck, swimming in a recreation of the Great Barrier Reef off north-eastern Australia.

Starfleet had been able to establish a base in orbit of Tentak IV to provide protection for the dilithium deposits within a week of the attack. The space station had been shipped into the system in parts and assembled in orbit, thus reducing the time the planet was unprotected. The crew currently manning the station had been informed that the Raven would be approaching, although the research team would need their flight plan and clearance code verified before they were allowed to beam to the planet surface. They were under very specific instructions not to make reference to the Borg to anyone outside of their team.

The crew of the outpost had only been told by Starfleet that the research team would be studying what Jameson euphemistically referred to as the “event site”. They had been told very little of what had happened; indeed, their briefing had strongly implied that the Orion Syndicate had attacked the planet. They had naturally asked questions when they saw the extent of the devastation, but they had not received any answers.

Tahli looked up from the tactical station. “We’re being hailed,” she said.

“Put them on,” said Magnus.

“This is Lieutenant Beran of the Tentak IV outpost,” said a curt male voice. “Identify yourself.”

Magnus shared a surprised look with the others. He hated working with the no-nonsense, by-the-book kind of officer. He had several times before, and they had always been very inflexible. “Uh, this is the Federation Starship Raven,” he said. “We’re here conducting research for the Federation Council on Exobiology.”

“Transmit your flight plan and clearance codes,” said Beran.

“Tahli, please transmit our flight plan and clearance codes,” said Magnus. He tapped a control on the helm, opening the comline to the station orbiting the planet. “Tentak IV, we are transmitting our flight plan and clearance codes now.”

For a long moment, nothing happened. Magnus looked to the others. Jason shrugged.

“Tentak IV,” said Magnus, “please confirm our clearance codes and flight plan have been received.”

“Confirmed, Raven,” said Beran. “Flight plan and clearance codes have been received. Flight plan verified. Clearance codes verified. Raven, clearance is granted to dock at airlock three. Welcome to Tentak IV.” These last words were spoken out of duty, it seemed, not from any real desire to make the team feel at home.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Beran,” said Magnus. “When will we be able to beam to the planet surface?”

“It’s dark at the event site at the moment,” said Beran. “We’ve scheduled an away team for dawn, oh six hundred, local time. Due to the tactical sensitivity of the area, I’d want to minimize the size of any away team. Don’t beam anymore than three people to the planet.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant,’ said Magnus. “We’ll be ready to beam down at oh six hundred.”

*

That evening, the crew had a small party in the mess hall to celebrate their arrival at the planet. It had been a relief to be able to plan an away team, to finally be back at work. However, because of the early start the next morning, they had decided to retire to their quarters before the night grew old.

When the away team beamed down the next morning, the sun was just beginning to peek above the horizon. The nights on Tentak IV were cold despite the hot days, and the last remnants of the nocturnal chill still hung in the air. Magnus, Erin, and Sue materialized near a group of tents that trembled gently in the morning breeze.

At the sound of the transporter, a male officer in a gold uniform came to the door flap.

“Lieutenant Beran?” asked Magnus, stepping forward.

“Yes,” he said.

“Good morning,” said Magnus holding out his hand. He shook hands with the lieutenant. “I’m Magnus Hansen, this is my wife Erin and colleague Susan Betcher.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Beran. “The event site is just this way.”

Beran led them between rock outcroppings. “I’m afraid you won’t get very much data on the event,” he said as they walked. “After five months, the residual energy readings from the attack reported by Captain Berkelly have completely dissipated.”

“We’ve already made a complete study of the data gathered by the Kyushu,” said Magnus.

“I’m not actually sure what you expect to find here,” said Beran. “The initial reports by the Kyushu crew should have been able to provide you with whatever information you require.”

“The Kyushu was only in orbit for three hours,” said Sue, “and they didn’t know what to look for.”

“Besides,” said Erin with a smile, “coming here seemed like the best place to start.”

“What are these markings on the ground?” asked Sue. Around them were dark marks, lines across the desert that looked like they had been scorched into the bedrock with a hand phaser. After months of neglect, the gravel and sand of the desert was starting to reclaim them, and already there were long stretches of the lines that were covered and invisible.

“They’re from the original landing pad from the base,” said Beran. “We’re approaching the event site now.”

They went around a final rocky outcrop. And then, before them was the attack site, a tear in the planet that seemed to vanish into the distance. The bottom of the cleft was lost in a layer of mist. Looking over the abyss, Magnus felt like he was falling forwards into the emptiness.

“My God!” Erin gasped. “How big is it?”

“It’s roughly circular,” said Beran. “Average of three kilometers in diameter, and two point three kilometers in depth. Over sixteen cubic kilometers of the planet was removed.”

Magnus stepped closer to the edge of the hole.

“Be careful, Magnus,” said Erin.

“Will it be possible to make an examination of the bottom of this… hole?” Magnus asked, leaning forward to peer down over the edge.

Erin stepped forward. “Magnus, don’t get too close,” she said quietly.

“Yes,” said Beran in response to Magnus’s question. “But you won’t find anything. The energy signatures have dissipated. We made our own scans of the site, but they were very basic and we found nothing unusual.”

Sue began walking along the edge of the chasm, away from them, her eyes scanning the ground.

“I was hoping to run some mechanical surveys on the rock, try to get some data on the tractor beam,” said Magnus.

“I’ll make our initial reports available to you,” said Beran. “However, the scans we performed were very basic. We’re here to protect the dilithium deposits, not investigate the event that occurred.”

“Anything you have can be of help,” said Magnus.

“Erin! Magnus!”

Magnus, Erin, and Beran quickly headed over to Sue, who was a few meters along the edge of the chasm. She was kneeling on the ground, using her hands to uncover something under the sand.

“What is it, Sue?” asked Erin, kneeling next to her.

“I saw this buried in the sand,” she said, pulling the object out. She held it up in the light. It was gleaming black metal, scratched and pitted.

A Borg implant.

“They beamed down?” said Erin, turning back to look up at Magnus.

“Apparently,” he said. “Lieutenant, why wasn’t this detected before?”

“Like I said, we aren’t here to investigate,” said Beran. “This whole area is under constant change, the sand is blown around, and the rock is being eroded.”

“I think it might be a good idea if we make a detailed scan of the perimeter of the site,” said Magnus. “There may be more implants, or other debris.”

“That will take a while, Magnus,” said Sue. “The perimeter measures almost ten kilometers.”

“I still think it could provide new information,” said Magnus. “In any case, it’s not an opportunity we should pass up.”

“The implant has deteriorated,” said Sue. “The exposure to the sand has caused a lot of damage. It’s going to be very difficult to get any useful data from it.”

“Still,” said Erin, “it does prove that they beamed down here to the planet surface.”

“The question remains, however,” said Sue. “Why? I think it’s very unlikely that they did it to gather information. When they removed the base, they would have had the opportunity to access the station’s computer cores.”

Erin looked at her. “Maybe they took prisoners?” she suggested, but she doubted it.

Magnus shook his head. “That doesn’t seem like it would be their style,” he said, “but it is, however, supported by the evidence we have here. Hopefully, we’ll be able to find something more conclusive.”

*

The away team spent three days on the planet, returning to the Raven only when the sun vanished below the horizon and it became too dark to work. Beran had offered some help from his own men, no doubt motivated by a desire to get the scientists off the planet as soon as possible, but the team had refused. The last thing they wanted was for Beran’s men to start asking questions they weren’t allowed to answer. It had been very hard work. Erin had gotten an extreme sunburn on her second day on Tentak IV, and had been forced to return to the Raven. She had been in such agony that she had stripped naked in the ship’s sickbay and covered herself in dermaline gel. Magnus had wanted to return with her, but she had insisted that he stay on the planet. Erin was extremely stubborn, pointing out that the two of them were the most familiar with the Borg technology, and he knew better than to argue with her once her mind was made up. Besides, he could see her point.

So he had remained planetside, with Jason beaming down to take Erin’s place. The work was not going well, however, and Magnus was beginning to think that he should have gone back to the Raven with Erin after all. They had been on the planet for three days, and found, for all intents and purposes, nothing. Just that single corroded implant they had found in the sand. They had searched almost a third of the perimeter of the chasm, and had not produced anything that could help them.

They were about to head back to the tents for their lunch on the third day when a skimmer came speeding up to them. It came to a stop a few meters away from them and Lieutenant Beran stepped out.

Magnus stood, wiping sweat away from his forehead before it had the opportunity to drip down behind the lenses of his sunglasses.

“Doctor Hansen,” said Beran. “We’ve received a message from Admiral Jameson, priority one.”

Magnus stepped forward. “What is it?” he asked.

Beran held out a padd. The screen displayed an encrypted data block and three words: “Thar she blows”.

Magnus looked at the padd’s screen for a moment, the message sinking in. Then, he looked up at Beran. “Thank you, Lieutenant,” he said. “My team and I will be leaving now. We appreciate your hospitality.” He tapped his combadge. “Magnus to Raven.”

“Go ahead, Doctor,” came Tahli’s voice.

“Prepare to beam us up,” said Magnus. He turned to Beran. “Will you please transfer the message to the Raven?”

“Aye,” said Beran.

“Tahli, you’ll be receiving an encrypted message,” said Magnus. “Please decrypt it and send the coordinates to the helm. Inform Erin we’ll be leaving orbit as soon as the away team is on board.”

*

The away team headed straight for the bridge when they were beamed aboard. Erin had recovered from her sunburn enough to take the helm once more, and she turned to them as they entered.

“The message has been decrypted Magnus,” she said. “It contained coordinates that center on a relay station in the Tenaj system. I’ve already plotted a course at maximum warp.”

“Engage,” said Magnus

The Raven spun and rushed forward into warp space.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Wow...that's very worrisome indeed!

And you know...the imagery you've come up with here really is very powerful. It even makes me think of the score to BoBW!

 

[mirandafave]

oh spooky ... Jameson must have had a contact or lead on the Borg so off the Raven goes. The question exactly is what is the nature of this contact and will the Hansens get there in time to follow the Borg.

It is also somewhat scary just how secretive and worried Starfleet are about the Borg. Almost to the detriment of finding out anything about the Borg. Alas it will bite them in the ass. Good segment again Tiberius.