Note: I don't own any characters or ideas other than the ones I made up.
Chapter 1
Commander Will Riker stared at the blank view screen, his thoughts wandering, for lack of anything better to do. He noticed that nearly everyone on the bridge, with the exception of the few science officers, looked equally as bored as he felt. Mapping missions were simply not exciting, especially when very few of the planets could support life in the first place, the sun having exploded years before. He envied the Captain who was probably in the holodeck, horseback riding in the France country side. Will had given up on actually receiving any interesting news on the solar system long ago.
"Commander," Data said from his station at con," sensors are picking up a crash site on the third M class planet." That caught Will's attention.
"Can you identify it?" he asked.
"It seems to be a Federation ship… Galaxy class," Data responded as the information appeared on his console.
"What the hell is it doing out here?" he whispered and then as a sort of after thought," Are there any survivors?"
"Unknown sir," Data said simply," the atmosphere is interfering with our sensors." Will tapped his combadge.
"Bridge to Captain Picard," he said.
"Picard here," he heard his Captain sigh. Will had a moments feeling of guilt, he knew this was the first break the Captain had had in a long time, but there could be people still alive down there and they needed to get to them.
"We've discovered a Federation ship wreckage on one of the planets. Permission to send an away team down…"
"Granted," Picard responded immediately, no longer sounding disappointed," But arm yourselves and keep the number of people beaming down to a minimal. We don't know what could be down there." Will nodded to Data and Deanna Troy after telling Doctor Beverly Crusher to prepare for possible casualties. His eyes lingered on the back of a newly transferred ensign. This could be a chance to see what she's made of he thought hesitantly God, she looks like some one could snap her in half.
"Ensign..." he trailed off realizing he didn't know her name.
"Tia Malone sir," she said quickly looking up from her controls.
"Ensign Malone you're on the team," he said shortly desperately aware, like nearly ever unmarried male on the ship, of her beauty. Her hair was blonde and was so long that, even when in a tight French-braid, nearly touched the ground. Her eyes were clear blue, she had tanned skin… As close as you could get to perfection. Some people even insisted that she couldn't be human…