Chapter 1: The Landing Party
Scouting out foreign planets is always an adventure, and the planet SRT-701 was no different for the crew of the Enterprise. Along with Spock, some science researchers, a medical crewman, and some security ensigns, Jim beamed down onto the unexplored world. The only person conspicuously missing was Bones, who was still dealing with the aftermath of engineering pranks gone wrong. These pranks, beginning with a sandwich stuck in the ducts in order to make the whole G wing smell like ham, ended in an all-out prank war among the new ensigns of engineering. Under the oblivious hands-off supervision of Scotty, things escalated rather quickly. An unintentional explosion during the Alpha shift led to three critically injured and ten banged up ensigns sheepishly landing in the Med Bay, who wilted guiltily under the glower of Dr. McCoy.
Unfortunately or fortunately, this meant Bones was not present for the escapades of the landing party on SRT-701, instead left to complete burn grafts on the contrite engineers. Jim felt empathy for the poor ensigns. He had been on the receiving end of enough lectures from Bones to know how remorseful the doctor (and his stormy eyebrows) could make you feel.
Even as they landed without their Chief Medical Officer, Kirk didn't worry too much. The research party was only scheduled to stay planet side for a full SRT-701 day, or about fourteen hours.
It all started out pretty calm. SRT-701 was a desert planet with two large suns. A fleeting breeze gusted across the surface of the planet, sweeping green tumbleweed-like bushes across the purple-hued sand. SRT-701 seemed relatively harmless, but the landing party still wore filters and eye protection to ward off foreign substances. Jim was already not looking forward to the sanitation shower Medical would insist on once seeing the returned landing party. A sonic shower wouldn't come close to vanishing these gritty violet grains from Jim's skin, where they stayed trapped in the light blond of his hair.
SRT-701, against everything Spock had predicted, ended up being almost completely desolate, aside from some minor plant life. Spock stayed at their temporary base camp with researchers to puzzle over where his projections had gone awry. Spock did not like being incorrect.
Jim, however, was content with the change in plans. Now he would have time to investigate the mysterious fault line that was visible on Enterprise reports.
Spock, after studying the topographical anomaly, conceded the area was a fairly logical location to research. However, Spock also insisted Jim take a medical crewman in addition to the normal team, remarking, "Records have shown you have an unreasonably high statistical likelihood of getting yourself hurt, Captain."
With his usual light-hearted grumbling, Jim, the medical ensign, three researchers, and two security ensigns broke away from the group to travel to the fault line. Computer imagery had shown the rift was about two kilometers away from their base camp, so Jim prepared himself for the trek through the violet sand and its dunes.
As they trudged along, slipping and sliding over the swells of sand, Jim noticed the farther away they traveled from base camp, the more wind the investigative party encountered.
At first, this airflow seemed to be a blessing. The steady wind wicked the sweat from everyone's suits, generally improving the temperament of the crew. Even the security ensigns, who had previously been uptight and tense, relaxed under the breeze. They chatted happily about some huge intergalactic sports match that had taken place the week before, letting their phasers slide easily back into their sheaths.
Eventually, the group of seven arrived at their destination. While the science crewmen took samples of the dark purple dirt surrounding the crevice, Jim crouched down for a closer look.
Dark purple sludge was evident a few feet down in the crevice, oozing out of surrounding sand. The viscous substance appeared to have the consistency of molasses, dripping from its unknown source to disappear into the depths of the fault line. Intriguing, Jim imagined Spock remarking. With a sizable sample, the Enterprise could return an accurate ratio report of the material.
Easing closer on his stomach, Jim snaked a gloved hand around to remove a clear vial from his satchel. Carefully avoiding the path of dirt-occupied science crew, Jim scraped the sludge off a jutting rock, avoiding contact with his skin. That's just what Bones needs, Jim thought. A bacterial infection from some unknown purple goo. I wouldn't be let out on the preliminary landing parties for months.
Still dangling over the fracture, Jim coaxed the thick substance into the vial with a slow, careful, tilt. Easing backwards, Jim decided to engage the medical crewman who hovered nervously by his side throughout the acquisition effort.
"What's your name, ensign?" Jim asked, rising from his position next to the fissure.
"Nurse Lewandowski, Captain." The man was of a small stature, but straightened to attention instinctively at the address. His right hand made an aborted gesture towards his dark crew cut before clenching at his sides. He looked rather star struck as Jim graced him with one of his signature smiles, left hand tightening around the handle of his medkit.
"Nice to meet you, Nurse Lewandowski," Jim returned smoothly, shaking Lewandowski's gloved hand. Jim turned his back to the fissure, prepping the vial's vacuum seal. As he worked to contain the foreign substance, Jim made sure to joke around with the nurse, regaling him with increasingly outrageous stories.
" - and then the female Axanar, an old friend of Federation, gifted Scotty with this rare flask of imported turquoise spirits - that Scotty finished off quickly, after the outcome of that card game - and, ah, I'm sure Bones may have told you about the consequences?" Jim broke off, allowing Nurse Lewandowski to shake his head emphatically, wide-eyed at the progression of the tale so far.
"No, sir!"
"As you might have guessed, most of the crew had unusually severe hangovers the following morning, even accounting for the holiday. However, our friend Captain Scott - you should've seen his face, literally, it was covered with these boils, Bones described it like - " and so Jim rattled on, gloved hands working in tandem with his mouth, slowly causing the previously skittish nurse to grin as the unidentified material slid to the bottom of the vial.
Everything seemed to be going along swimmingly.
That was, until Jim stripped off his gloves to activate the vacuum on the vial. Precisely as Jim twisted to tuck the gloves into the front of his satchel, one of the security ensigns made a particularly wild gesture demonstrating a play-by-play of an intergalactic player's tackle. One of his broad arms flew in an uncontrolled arc towards the unsealed vial, knocking it out of Jim's hands and onto the ground. It bounced on the violet sand, rolling parallel next to the dark lip fissure before stopping against a pale lilac sand dune.
Everyone on the research party seemed to let out a simultaneous breath at the sight of the motionless, contained sludge.
However, as Jim watched, hairline cracks promptly spread across the vial in a spider web pattern.
Before the security ensign could complete his embarrassed apology of, "I'm sorry, Cap-", the fluid, which had previously never touched the topsoil of planet SRT-701, seeped out onto the light purple soil.
As the research party looked on in horror, the soil turned a sickly grey. The ring of blanched color immediately expanded at a rapid pace, leeching the color from the sand under Jim's, the researcher's, Nurse Lewandowski's, and the paralyzed security ensign's feet.
Jim's worried blue eyes met one of the researchers. Lips parting, they came to the same dismayed realization – "This is an unknown chemical reaction," Jim stated slowly, successfully maintaining his calm Captain voice. In the same concise manner, Jim gestured for the party to quickly move back from the ever-expanding ring of grey.
Before anyone could remove themselves from the unfurling reaction, the leeched color reached the crevice.
Deep within the confines of the fissure, a rumbling began.
Like a sentient earthquake, the grey sand awoke under the party's feet, shifting and rolling like an angry sea.
In that instant, Jim deduced there was no time for deliberation. "Back to base camp!" He shouted.
Six pairs of boots kicked up greying sand as they attempted to get away from the fault line, tottering over the lurching ground.
The party gained at least a hundred meters of distance from the lip of crevice before Jim realized someone was left behind. Nurse Lewandowski was so terrified that he had frozen to his spot - right next to the shuddering fault line.