"This could be a trick," Tyr warned, "Whatever wiped out those Magog is probably advanced enough to fool the sensors."
Andromeda reluctantly agreed with Tyr.
"They seem nice to me," Trance offered.
"I don't want to assume anything at this point," Dylan responded, "I'll invite a few of them aboard. If they agree, Rommie can run some scans to see if anything is out of the ordinary. Tyr, Harper I want you to watch them from the monitors to see if anything is out of the ordinary."
"Good," Tyr answered.
"Wait a minute," Harper broke in forcefully, "This is like a dream for me. I'm not going to be stuck watching from some screen."
"Harper, I know this is important. If they check out, I'll make sure you get a chance to meet them. For now, you're the only one who knows what to watch for. I need your help."
"What else is new?" He responded wryly.
"Harper," Rev added, "It is written that the Way is never as clear as it first seems at first."
"Since it means so much to you guys," Harper answered with a hint of sarcasm, "I'll watch from the bridge while you get to eat with a group of living legends."
"Thanks, I really owe you one this time," Beka said.
"Last count, that's fifteen you owe me, but who's counting?"
"Can we get on with this?" Tyr asked, "At this rate, I'll be too old to pass on my genes by the end of this mission."
"Hey, just make sure to let me in if Hercules drops by, ok?" Harper joked.
"Will do," Dylan smiled back, "All right, restablish communication."
***
"Captain Hunt, I hadn't expected to speak with you again so soon."
"Since you came through some uncharted phenomenon, I doubt we'll have a chance like this again. Would you and your crew be interested in dining aboard the Andromeda? We feel it would be a good opportunity to exchange some information, get to know each other, perhaps even start formal diplomatic relations."
"Thank you, Captain. I look forward to it."
"Should we begin docking procedures now?" Dylan asked.
"That won't be necessary. I will see that my officers are ready when you want us to arrive."
"Is an hour from now acceptable?"
"Fine, and thank you again for your hospitality."
"Don't mention it," Hunt responded before closing the com link.
"Docking?" Riker said, a bit surprised.
"Perhaps the Commonwealth isn't as advanced as we thought," Picard responded.
"Perhaps," Data suggested, "Though they may well be more advanced than they appear. I detect only six lifesigns aboard, and one android. The automation required to maintain a ship of that size with such a small compliment is beyond our current capabilities. In addition, the vessel is not equiped with warp drive, yet there are no inhabited planets in the sector. They either have some unknown mode of transportation, or a significantly larger mother ship to carry them."
"An unknown mode of transportation…" Riker echoed.
"…Like an energy vortex," Picard finished.
"I'm not sensing any deception from them," Troi said, "They seem to be honestly unfamiliar with the vortex. Still, they don't trust us, and they are hiding something."
The Enterprise continued to scan the vortex with passive sensors, comb its databanks, and examine the region for the time being. Precious little was uncovered, but the crew was relatively optimistic about the Andromeda's help. Having allies in the region could be vital. Captain Picard selected Lt. Cmdr. Worf and Counselor Troi to accompany him.
***
The three Starfleet officers arrived precisely on time. They were probably the first people encountered by the Andromeda that weren't the least bit alarmed by the presense of a Magog on the ship. The well-pressed military uniforms looked impressive next to the semi-casual atire of the Andromeda crew.
Although Harper had already told them that the Enterprise crewmen might beam over, the site was a bit surprising. Only Trance seemed totally unaffected by the sudden entrance.
"A pleasure to meet you, Captain," Picard greeted.
"Glad to you have you aboard," Dylan responded, extending his hand. As expected the visitors were familiar with earth culture, as Picard returned the handshake. However, the captain of the other vessel was slightly taken aback by the familiar gesture.
"This is the ships counselor, Deanna Troi," Picard introduced, "And this is my chief of security, Lieutenant Commander Worf."
"Good to meet you," Dylan responded, "This is my first officer, Beka Valentine."
Not one to remain silent, Beka stepped forward to shake hands with Captain Picard, "I hope we can help."
"You've already done more than we could expect," Picard responded graciously.
Dylan smiled in acknowledgement, then continued, "This is our science officer, Rev Bem, and this is our medical officer Trance Gemini."
"A pleasure," Troi smiled, shaking Rev's hand.
"And this," Dylan paused, "Is Andromeda."
"Welcome aboard," The avatar greeted, showing no emotion, "I am the humanoid extension of this vessel."
Picard was prepared for the presense of an android, though this was an interesting twist, "Impressive. So, the vessel is AI-based?"
"Yes," Andromeda answered, "I can operate and continue to carry out missions indefinately without a crew."
Beka quickly spoke up to prevent an uncomfortable pause, "Well, the meal is ready, if you'd like to follow us."
"Of course," Picard responded as the group headed for Andromeda's formal dining hall.
"I can't stand this," Harper said, exasperated.
"Neither can I," Tyr responded, giving Harper a disdainful look, "But for an entirely different reason."
"Hey, you're not exactly the type of person I want to be eating with, either."
Tyr gave Harper a look that told him to back off. Even though he wasn't a Neitzchian, Harper demonstrated a strong sense of self preservation, and turned back to the monitor.
"I wonder if they'll ever stop comparing the Commonwealth and the Federation," Tyr grumbled.
"At least Dylan isn't trying to talk Picard into joining the Commonwealth."
Tyr grunted; he almost found that humorous.
When the meal finally ended, Dylan led everyone back to the bridge, where Harper and Tyr were already waiting for them.
"Captain," Dylan introduced, "This is Tyr, our security officer, and Harper, our chief engineer."
Harper moved forward quickly to shake Picard's hand, then smiled amiably at the counselor. However, his face was solemn when he nodded to Worf.
"We can set up a data transfer whenever you're ready," He informed them.
Troi could sense the boy's enthusiasm, and she could tell that he wasn't acting exactly as he usually did. She knew he didn't have any ill intentions toward them, but at the same time he was definitely trying to hide something…
"I'm sure Data, our science officer, would love to receive the information in person," The betazed suggested.
"I think we can arrange that," Dylan answered.
"Mr. Data is an android," Picard added, "He would probably wish to interface directly with the ship's computer, if possible."
Andromeda was pleasently surprised to hear of an android aboard the other ship.
"I don't think Andromeda can interface with a positronic matrix directly," Harper observed, "But I'm sure I'll come up with something."
"How did you know that Data had positronic systems?" Worf asked suspiciously.
"Harper!" Beka hissed under her breath.
Harper froze. This time he really blew it.
Dylan took a step forward to regain control of the situation, "There's something we want to show you."
Captain Hunt led them over to a monitor and told Andromeda to call up Star Trek: First Contact from the databanks. The Enterprise crew watched in utter amazement.
"Where did you get this?" Picard asked.
"This was in our archives. Supposedly, it is ancient earth fiction. We don't know what to make of it ourselves."
"I see," Picard said, "I feel we should return to our ship to consider this."
"Of course," Dylan answered, "I hope we can sort all this out."
Picard nodded, then touched his com badge.
"Three to beam up…energize."
***
The crew of the Enterprise devoted considerable resources to solving the secondary mystery of the Andromeda and its footage of the Borg invasion. A few theories developed, none of them particularly promising, but primarily involving Q or alternate timelines. It was also noted that the entire situation could be a ruse, including Troi's impressions, but for something of that calibre to be ended by a slip from one of the crew seemed unbelievable.
Eventually, the bridge was turned over to the night watch, and Picard went to Ten Forward to consult with Guinan. Even the wise, centuries-old alien had little to offer for the situation. Before long, he was overcome with weariness, and retired to his quarters.
Captain Picard fell into a restless sleep, plagued by a tiny voice. No, many voices, that had tried in vain to overcome his waking thought. He remembered the voices well: It was the collective. Still, the Borg were not here. He would have sensed them long ago… Something though was out there. Every tissue of his body was filled with nanoprobes crying out to him; pleading with his unconscious mind to take action. A dream suddenly began to form.
He first saw a formation of eight sleek bioships flying through a great, liquid expanse. Then, four freightening aliens that his mind did not recognize. After this, a fleet of seven Cubes destroyed by the creatures. Then finally…
"Captain to the bridge!" A voice called out over the intercom.
"Computer, lights," Picard said, illuminating his room. He was exhausted, what could possibly have gone wrong now?
The Captain quickly arrived on the bridge amidst a red alert.
A ship just came in out of nowhere. They seem to be arming weapons," Ensign Johnson informed the captain.
"It's a little soon to be calling a red alert, ensign," Picard chided him.
Suddenly, the alien vessel loosed numerous missle weapons in the direction of the Enterprise.
"Evasive maneuvers!" Picard ordered, "Fire at will."
The Enterprise lurched to the left, but nevertheless was rocked by a few of the missles. The Federation vessel responded with a volley of torpedos and a flurry of phaser blasts. The primary weapons array of the enemy vessel was disabled. Still, it continued to fire from the reserve launchers.
Andromeda moved to intercept, but by the time she was within range, Enterprise clearly had the situation under control. The flagship began to reverse its direction, allowing its momentum to carry it partway through the turn, thus making a sharp direction change just as another group of missles approached. They fired another volley of Quantum Torpedos, this time aided by the Andromeda's own missles. The massive ship was blown to pieces by a series of powerful explosions.
"Sir," Lieutenant Bashal said, "The Andromeda is hailing us."
At Picard's order, Dylan Hunt's face appeared on the main viewer.
"I'm sorry for the attack. The Magog can be very territorial at times. I'm sure they won't be trying that again soon, though. That was very impressive."
"Your assistance was appreciated," Picard answered.
"We should be thanking you, this time," Dylan responded, "If that battlecruiser had found us here alone, the Andromeda would have required months of repair."
Picard noted that had the battle gone much longer, the shields would have gone down. In which case, the Enterprise would have been seriously damaged, though he didn't mention that at the moment.
***
"That's some ship," Andromeda observed, with a somewhat uncharacteristic informality.
"Very impressive," Dylan agreed, "Too bad they can't stay around here."
"Rommie, have you ever been connected to a positronic matrix before?" Harper asked, sitting next to a panel with some exposed circuitry.
Andromeda didn't notice.
"Andromeda!" Dylan called out.
"What?" The avatar said, suddenly aware of her location, "No, I've never interfaced with a positronic device. However, I am prepared for such a connection. We have a signal polarity resequencer in storage which should make the necessary conversion."
"Great," Harper said, already on his way to engineering.
Beka sidled up to Dylan, "What do you think has gotten into Rommie?"
"I'm not sure. I haven't seen her act like this before," Dylan answered.
A second group of Enterprise crewmen visited Andromeda the next morning. This time Data and Geordi prepared to patch the android into Andromeda's systems under Worf's watchful eye.
Geordi scanned the resequencer with his tricorder, "That should work."
"Of course it will," Harper said, "You're talking to the master."
"Right…" Geordi responded.
"There, whenever you're ready."
"I am prepared for the interface," Data informed them.
"Now, if there is any sign of trouble, I'll disconnect you," Geordi told him.
"Understood."
Data looked around the expanse. The room seemed empty, except for various conduits throughout the floor, ceiling, and walls. Soon, a humanoid form appeared in front of him.
"Hello Data, I am Andromeda."
"Greetings," Data responded, in awe of the technology around him.
"What would you like to know?" The ship asked.
Data's neural net requested any files reguarding worm holes, energy vortexes, and similar phenomenon. Additionally, Data collected as much non-classified information as possible reguarding Andromeda's unique technologies, and the ship's AI system in particular.
"You seem very interested in my programming," Andromeda observed.
"I have never before encountered a non-positronic sensient computer system."
"So… the Enterprise isn't sensient?" She asked, seeming a bit disappointed.
"No, the Federation does not have the necessary technology."
"You seemed pretty advanced to me."
"We appear to be significantly more advanced in terms of energy shielding, transporters, and sensors."
Andromeda took the opportunity to gain some information from Data. Most of the practical data, like technical skematics of the transporters, were unavailable. However, she did find some very interesting files. She knew Harper would be glad to see what she had downloaded.
"Come on, we aren't even in the same galaxy," Harper responded.
"I can't just give you Federation technology," Geordi said, somewhat amused by the boy's attitude.
"Listen, the Commonwealth is no slouch when it comes to technology either. We'll make it a fair trade. Just show me how to put shields on Andromeda, and I'll give you android building technology, slipstream, low density ablative armor, you name it."
"First of all, the Federation has armor technology…"
"Not like us. I've seen what the Defiant can do, and it isn't even close to Andromeda's armor."
"You've seen the Defiant? What else do you know about the Federation?"
"I've mostly just seen a few of the ships in action," Harper paused, "There was the Defiant, Defiant A, the Enterprise, Enterprise A, Enterprise D, Enterprise E, Enterprise G, Enterprise R, Voyager, Voyager A, Voyager B, the Britain…"
"I see," Geordi cut in, "Anything else?"
"There were a couple of space stations. There was also a series about Starfleet headquarters… and one about Section 31."
"Section 31?" Geordi asked.
"It's a top secret special ops team," Harper explained.
Great, the engineer from another time line knew more about Federation politics than he did.
"How long did it take to show all that?" Geordi asked.
"The shows were being produced from the 20th century up until we started exploring the galaxy with slipstream. I still haven't seen all the episodes."
Worf grunted. This enTyre situation was impossible to believe. He knew that Q would appear to explain everything soon enough, or the real Geordi would walk in and inform him that the holodeck was malfunctioning again. Still, he couldn't take the chance that this preposterous situation was real…
"Is he almost finished?" Tyr asked, walking over to Data.
"It probably won't take him long," Harper reasoned, "They are both machines. It should be fairly simple for them to learn to communicate efficiently."
"I don't like the idea of having unknown aliens connected to the ship I'm on."
"Relax," Harper told him, "These are the good guys."
"So they say," Tyr commented, looking at Worf suspiciously.
Worf stood to look Tyr in the eye, "Are you trying to accuse us of something?"
"Perhaps I am. It is very convenient that come from some fairy tale that happens to be in our ship's archives."
Worf growled from deep in his throat.
"Whoah, guys," Harper said, putting himself between the two imposing figures, "No need to get upset."
Suddenly, Harper felt as though he had made a terrible mistake. The Klingon warrior glared at the Neitzchian, and the Neitzchian glared back.
"Not yet, anyway," Tyr responded finally.
Worf grunted, then sat as Tyr walked back to his station. Harper sighed with relief. At that moment, Data's eyes opened again.
"Transfer complete," The android informed them.
Andromeda's holographic image appeared nearby.
"Thanks," Geordi addressed her.
"Thank you. I learned quite a bit."
"I hope that helps," Dylan added.
"I'm sure it will," Geordi turned to Worf and Data, "Ready?"
The Enterprise officers nodded and prepared for beam out. Trance Gemini entered the bridge at that moment.
"Worf to Enterprise, three to beam up."
Data touched his com badge, "Stand by, Enterprise."
"Is everything all right, Data?" Geordi asked.
"Yes, Geordi. However, I believe we should stay a moment longer. I believe I have discovered another commonality with the Andromeda."
"What is it?"
"I believe she," Data motioned in the direction of Trance, "Is an Esarian. In our timeline, the Esarians have a non-unified industrial society."
"Trance?" Dylan asked.
"Shouldn't we be investigating that planet near the radiation belt?" She asked, trying hopelessly to change the subject.
Data wished he had a medical tricorder available, "Her appearance matches our records of Esarian physiology exactly. If she were willing, I believe doctor Crusher would appreciate the opportunity to investigate further."
"What would you do to investigate?" Beka asked.
"We would like to run scans to examine her internal physiology and her genetic makeup so that we can cross reference our information on the Esarians."
"Trance, is it ok with you?" Dylan asked.
"Sure," Trance replied, anxious to meet more of the Enterprise crew.
"You should send me along with her. She'll need someone familiar with the Federation when she's aboard," Harper offered.
Dylan smiled, "Fine, consider yourself the official Commonwealth liaison to the Federation."
Harper and Trance stood next to the Enterprise's away team as they prepared to leave.
"Data to Enterprise. Five to beam up… Energize."
***
"She certainly seems Esarian," Crusher observed.
"This would appear to support the theory that the Andromeda is simply from another timeline," Data responded.
"Why so vastly different, though?" Crusher asked.
"Although the technology and political situation of this timeline do appear markedly different, this galaxy seems to operate by the same physical laws as ours. The significant differences we have encountered could be intentional. The energy vortex did appear synthetic in origin."
"Wait a minute," Harper interjected, "Are you saying that some alien built this vortex specifically to get into our timeline?"
"The evidence seems to indicate so," Data answered.
"What do you think they want?" Trance asked, sitting up on the examination bed.
"I do not have sufficient data to form a hypothesis," He responded.
"We had better discuss this with the captain immediately," Crusher added, "He'll probably want to talk to you too."
"Agreed," Data nodded, then led Trance and Harper to the bridge.
***
"Trance was right," Beka said, "We should be trying to figure out what decimated that planet."
"I agree," Dylan responded, "But I think it is connected somehow to the Enterprise. I don't think they're responsible, but I doubt that they just happened to come out of the radiation belt moments after the population of the planet is destroyed."
"You're right," Beka answered, "But we could still send a couple of people down to the planet to investigate."
Dylan nodded, "I'd like to stay here with Andromeda. I should be available as long is the Enterprise is in the area."
"Fine," Beka told him, "I'm sure Rev will go with me. Tyr probably won't mind either."
The crew agreed to the plan, and the three crew members took a landing pod down to the planet to see if they could uncover anything. They immediately noticed the signs of a battle on the planet. Areas of rubble showed that explosives had been detonated in the area, while burns indicated energy weapons had also been fired at the surface.
"These weapon marks don't look like anything I've seen before," Tyr observed.
"They say that weapons are only as affective as those who use them," Rev stated.
"Well, whatever did this must have been pretty good," Beka responded, surveying the complete devastation, "The enTyre time we've been in the area, Andromeda didn't notice a single sign of life, and neither has the Enterprise."
"Andromeda mentioned that the Enterprise had very advanced sensors," Rev reminded them.
"Right," Beka answered, "With active sensors, they could have detected bacteria from orbit…"
"No conventional weapon could wipe out all life," Tyr responded, realising where Rev was going with this.
"Not even radiation or chemical weapons could do it," Beka added.
"It would seem that biological warfare must have been used as part of the attack."
"…Which means this planet is potentially still uninhabitable," Tyr finished.
The three of them immediately returned to the pod. They couldn't stay on the planet, but they also knew they wouldn't be able to return to Andromeda and risk contaminating the ship. Once safely beyond the atmosphere, they set up a com link with the ship to explain the situation.
***
"Captain Picard," A voice said from the computer on his desk, "The Andromeda is contacting us. Captain Hunt wishes to speak to you on a private channel."
Picard nodded to the image on the screen, "Mr. Data, please show our guests to the conference room. Call a senior staff meeting in ten minutes. I want to discuss this situation with everyone present."
"Aye sir," Data said, ushering Harper and Trance out of the room.
"Put the Andromeda through," Picard ordered as the doors to his ready room closed.
"Captain, three of my crewmen may have been exposed to an unidentified biological weapon on the planet. I would like you to keep Trance and Harper aboard the Enterprise if possible while Andromeda attempts to decontaminate them."
"We could set up a containment field aboard our ship and examine them here. That would allow our medical staff to assist you in attempting to find a cure."
"Are you sure you can contain the bio-active agents?" Dylan asked.
"Our life support systems are able to filter out sub-atomic particles," Picard explained.
"I would appreciate it," Dylan asked, "Would you allow Andromeda and Trance to assist you?"
"Yes, of course," Picard answered.
"Tyr's nanobots and engineered immune system should slow or stop the progress of the biocontaminate," Andromeda said.
"That's not what I'm seeing," Dr. Crusher answered, looking at one of the various scanners in sickbay, "This is the most advanced, adaptable biological agent I've ever seen. I doubt any of them will last long at this rate."
"What do you suggest?"
"I think we've collected all the data we need for now. We can put them in stasis for the time being. That should stop the progress of the contaminant."
"Agreed," Andromeda nodded.
Andromeda walked into the adjoing room to explain this to the others.
"I heard what you said," Tyr informed her as she entered, "I still don't trust them, but I doubt I have a choice now."
"What is it?" Beka asked.
"We think it would be best to put you in stasis until we can cure the disease," Andromeda explained.
"Don't worry," Trance piped up, "I'm sure Andromeda will make sure you're safe."
"Of course she will," Tyr said with his usual subtly-sarcastic tone.
"Don't let him bother you," Rev said to the Enterprise CMO, "He'll get over it when he realises that you saved his life."
"We'll see," Tyr scoffed.
"Obviously, there isn't anything else we can do," Beka observed, "Let's stop wasting time. I'm starting to get chest pains, and I think I have a fever."
Beverly looked at the computer monitor, "You are showing an elevated body temperature, and the cell degredation could become acute very soon."
Hearing this, Tyr agreed to be put into stasis. The stasis beds within the containment field were opened remotely, and the three were instructed to lay down. The stasis cycle was activated, and they instantly fell into unconsciousness.
***
Dylan re-read the report. He had never heard of this sort of total destruction before. The Magog might have been more cruel, but they weren't even capable of this, technologically. He hadn't heard of anything able to do something like this.
In fact, energy weapons were rare. At least, they were rare in his timeline. However, they are pretty common where the Enterprise comes from….
***
Picard tossed in bed. Few of his previous missions had deprived him of this much sleep. For some reason, nightmares had plagued him ever since he came to this timeline. He wanted to return to Federation territory, but the metaphasic shielding had to be repaired before they could attempt to enter the radiation band. Besides, the sleuth in him wouldn't allow him to leave until he had discovered the origin of the vortex.
"You still haven't figured it out, have you?" Q asked.
"Are you responsible for this?" Picard demanded.
"No, you're not responsible."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Do you even have any ideas? Any clues that could lead you to the people who built the vortex?" Q asked, ignoring the question.
"I don't suppose you would care to offer one," Picard replied.
"I can't tell you anything you don't already know," Q smirked.
Picard suddenly sat upright in bed. For a brief moment, he wasn't sure where he was. He half-expected Q to blink into existance next to him. Picard rolled over and attempted to go back to sleep. Although he hated to admit it, the dream did have a point. He was against a wall in this investigation. He had to come up with a new path of investigation.
"Mr. Data, what do you suppose triggered the expansion of the vortex?"
"It would seem that the presense of the probe was responsible for the change," Data answered.
"Yes," Picard paused, "But what specifically about the probe? The radiation field creates a relatively thick cloud of matter around the opening. Changes in local gravity would be an unreliable trigger for the gateway."
"Agreed. Perhaps the energy emissions from the probe, or the specific materials used to build the probe are responsible."
"Possibly," Picard answered, "I want you to prepare a full investigation."
"Aye sir. I believe the logical course of action is to send various energy beams and materials into the vortex in an attempt to stimulate another response."
"Make it so," Picard ordered.
Trance sat on the bench, perfectly content to simply watch as the leaves were rustled by the artificial breeze flowing through the room. The arboretum of the Enterprise wasn't quite as large as the one aboard the Andromeda, but most of the planets were new to her. She enjoyed exploring space, but this was much more interesting.
'If only Harper were here,' She thought, 'But he's too busy with his machines.'
A moment later, a voice came over the intercom, "Trance Gemini to the bridge."
"I'll be right there," She answered, forgetting to use the wall panel that would allow the people in sickbay to actually hear her response.
"Captain, the vortex is starting to emit mesons," Worf said.
"On screen," Picard responded, "Shields to maximum."
"I can feel something coming out of the rift," Deanna informed them.
"What is it?" Picard asked.
"I've never felt it before, but it seems to be at least partially telepathic. I'm getting a clearer impression as it exits the vortex."
"How long until we can get a sensor reading on whatever is coming in, Mr. Worf?"
"I am not certain."
"Its hostile, furious. I can sense extreme hatred towards us. It…wants to…" Counselor Troi seemed to be in pain, "They don't…"
She shook her head, trying to clear it. Then, she grimaced from the stress it was creating in her mind.
"Deanna stop," Riker said, taking her by the shoulder, "Don't let them in."
"I…I" She collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
"Medical team to the bridge!" Riker said, quickly moving to check on her.
Before long, they all began to feel it.
"Get us out of here!" Picard ordered.
…But it was too late. The helmsman had already fallen. Soon, no one was left conscious on the bridge.
Trance could hear it too, 'They don't seem very friendly…'
She thought to herself seconds before the turbolift doors opened to the bridge, 'How could they have done this!?'
***
"Dylan, wake up!" Andromeda said, starting to panic, 'What could have happened?'
It was so sudden. One moment, he was sitting in the slip stream chair, the next, he was lying on the floor. He didn't even have a chance to speak, except for a few words of surprise.
'Avatar to central processing,' Her own voice came in from the Enterprise, 'Situation critical. The Enterprise crew appears to be incapacitated.'
'Captain Hunt has also been rendered unconscious,' She informed her humanoid extension, 'Commence investigation.'
***
"Data to sickbay," The android said urgently.
"I'm here," Andromeda answered, "But everyone else has been rendered unconscious."
"We have experienced something similar in Engineering. I suggest we convene on the bridge."
"Understood," Andromeda replied, heading for the door.
"I suggest we vacate the area for the time being," Data offered.
"I agree," Andromeda answered, "We can return when we find a way to revive the crews or once we have determined the cause of their unconconsciousness."
"I know what caused it," Trance interjected.
"What was it?" Andromeda asked.
"The alien from the energy…thing."
"The vortex?" Andromeda asked, as Data moved to his usual station.
"Right," Trance replied.
"Sensors did not detect anything except for a meson burst from the vortex."
"I don't know why not." Trance answered.
"How did you know about the alien?" Andromeda asked.
"I felt it. It was talking to me mentally. It said that it wanted to destroy everything."
"Essarians are telepathic," Data noted.
"Telepathic?" Andromeda said, "Why didn't you mention this before?"
"Well…" Trance tried to stall, "I just thought that it was private."
Andromeda shook her head, "Do you know how to help them?" She motioned to the fallen crew.
"Sorry, I'm not sure."
"In any event, we should get underway immediately."
"Right. Trance, you'll have to go back to Andromeda to pilot me through the slip stream."
"Me? Run slip stream?" She was surprised.
"You are the only conscious person able to do so," Andromeda answered.
"If you're sure about this…"
"I will transfer all control to the bridge," Data said as he moved to one of the science stations, "Trance, I will transport you back to the Andromeda momentarily."
The Enterprise reached the arranged meeting point in a matter of minutes. The Andromeda was already there waiting. Trance was a bit shaken up, but had managed to take the ship through the slipstream without incident. She was beamed back to the Enterprise so that they could all work together more efficiently.
"What was it?" Andromeda asked.
"I've never felt his species before," Trance explained.
"Were they communicating from the other side of the vortex?" Data asked.
"No, it was on the way through when it started communicating," She answered.
"Do you know anything about the vessel being used to traverse the vortex?"
"Yes, I could feel the ship too," Trance answered, "It was alive."
"A sensient AI program?" Andromeda wondered.
"No, more like a plant," She explained.
"A cloaked bioship," Data concluded, examing the logs.
"A living ship?" Andromeda was amazed.
"They are rare," Data responded, "However, I might be able to prove the hypothesis using a scanning tachyon beam."
"How would that help?" Andromeda asked.
"If their cloaking technology is similar to that of species in our timeline, a tachyon beam may be able to detect them. Additionally, we found that tachyons do have an effect on the vortex. I believe that the beam triggered the initial attack."
"Wouldn't we be risking a direct confrontation if we made another attempt?"
Data considered the threat posed by the unknown species, and agreed, "We may be better off keeping the ships at a safe distance. Probes would be able to make the necessary scans."
"How are you going to get the probes over there?" Trance asked, "He's not going to let us set them up."
"A shuttle could travel to the area at warp speed," Data suggested, "The probes could deploy automatically upon reaching the sector. Hopefully, they could collect sufficient data before being destroyed."
Trance and Andromeda agreed that this plan was the best option at the moment. They didn't have many alternatives anyway. In fact, they had none. Data went to work on the probes while Trance and Andromeda went to sickbay to look for ways to revive the crew.
Trance looked through the computer archives for anything that had a strong enough effect on the mind to overcome the creature's attack, 'Hmm…those are the Borg that Harper was telling me about… They have mind control technology. I wonder…'
"Computer, do we have any Borg technology?" She asked.
"No Borg technology has been reverse-engineered at this time."
"Are there any Borg devices on board?"
"Captain Picard carries Borg nanoprobes in his system," The machine responded.
Trance immediately got up from her chair and returned to the bridge. They had no way of moving all of the crew to better positions, so like everyone else, he still lay just as he had fallen during the initial attack.
Trance placed the hypospray against his neck and took a blood sample, then returned to sickbay to examine it.
'These nanobots look very similar to the ones in the biological weapon on the planet,' She thought, 'I wonder if they could interact with the weapon.'
"Rommie?" Trance called, "I have an idea."
Data watched as the probes deployed. They formed a large square on the edge of the radiation belt. Simultaneously, they all began to emit a tachyon field. As expected, they were almost instantly vaporized by flashes of energy.
Quickly, Data examined the data. A ghost in the tachyon field was plainly visible. The shape of the vessel was also coherent with what little data the Federation had collected about bioships.
"I hear the great Enterprise needs some help," Beka said as she entered the bridge.
Data turned in his seat, "How is this possible?"
"We have Trance to thank for this," Rev answered.
"Well, I just noticed that the bioweapon was similar to the Borg nanoprobes from Captain Picard, so I just had Andromeda to modify them to stop the weapon."
"Appearantly, the alien mental attack doesn't affect people in stasis," Andromeda added.
"Could stasis be revive already affected crewmen?" Data asked.
Beka shook her head, "We already tried that. It didn't have any effect."
"We also tried injecting the modified nanoprobes, and we still didn't see any change," Rev explained.
"What caused this?" Tyr asked.
Data explained the situation to the three revived crew.
"So, any ideas on what to do next?" Beka asked.
"Not at the moment. We cannot attempt to engage the enemy bioship, as it possesses technology far more advanced than our own. Further, we have tested every theory…" Data trailed off, "Except one."
"What is it?" Andromeda asked.
"A few years ago, the Enterprise encountered a psionic resonator, which we may be able to modify to counteract the effects of the telepathic attack."
"Do you still have it on board?" Andromeda asked.
"No, the original resonator was destroyed. However, I believe we have sufficient knowledge of the device to construct something similar."
"I don't think we have any better ideas," Beka responded.
"Indeed, and time is of the essense. I will begin work immediately," Data said, already heading for the turbolift.
Thus the Andromeda crew, without a captain or engineer, found itself in command of the USS Enterprise.
Andromeda reluctantly agreed with Tyr.
"They seem nice to me," Trance offered.
"I don't want to assume anything at this point," Dylan responded, "I'll invite a few of them aboard. If they agree, Rommie can run some scans to see if anything is out of the ordinary. Tyr, Harper I want you to watch them from the monitors to see if anything is out of the ordinary."
"Good," Tyr answered.
"Wait a minute," Harper broke in forcefully, "This is like a dream for me. I'm not going to be stuck watching from some screen."
"Harper, I know this is important. If they check out, I'll make sure you get a chance to meet them. For now, you're the only one who knows what to watch for. I need your help."
"What else is new?" He responded wryly.
"Harper," Rev added, "It is written that the Way is never as clear as it first seems at first."
"Since it means so much to you guys," Harper answered with a hint of sarcasm, "I'll watch from the bridge while you get to eat with a group of living legends."
"Thanks, I really owe you one this time," Beka said.
"Last count, that's fifteen you owe me, but who's counting?"
"Can we get on with this?" Tyr asked, "At this rate, I'll be too old to pass on my genes by the end of this mission."
"Hey, just make sure to let me in if Hercules drops by, ok?" Harper joked.
"Will do," Dylan smiled back, "All right, restablish communication."
***
"Captain Hunt, I hadn't expected to speak with you again so soon."
"Since you came through some uncharted phenomenon, I doubt we'll have a chance like this again. Would you and your crew be interested in dining aboard the Andromeda? We feel it would be a good opportunity to exchange some information, get to know each other, perhaps even start formal diplomatic relations."
"Thank you, Captain. I look forward to it."
"Should we begin docking procedures now?" Dylan asked.
"That won't be necessary. I will see that my officers are ready when you want us to arrive."
"Is an hour from now acceptable?"
"Fine, and thank you again for your hospitality."
"Don't mention it," Hunt responded before closing the com link.
"Docking?" Riker said, a bit surprised.
"Perhaps the Commonwealth isn't as advanced as we thought," Picard responded.
"Perhaps," Data suggested, "Though they may well be more advanced than they appear. I detect only six lifesigns aboard, and one android. The automation required to maintain a ship of that size with such a small compliment is beyond our current capabilities. In addition, the vessel is not equiped with warp drive, yet there are no inhabited planets in the sector. They either have some unknown mode of transportation, or a significantly larger mother ship to carry them."
"An unknown mode of transportation…" Riker echoed.
"…Like an energy vortex," Picard finished.
"I'm not sensing any deception from them," Troi said, "They seem to be honestly unfamiliar with the vortex. Still, they don't trust us, and they are hiding something."
The Enterprise continued to scan the vortex with passive sensors, comb its databanks, and examine the region for the time being. Precious little was uncovered, but the crew was relatively optimistic about the Andromeda's help. Having allies in the region could be vital. Captain Picard selected Lt. Cmdr. Worf and Counselor Troi to accompany him.
***
The three Starfleet officers arrived precisely on time. They were probably the first people encountered by the Andromeda that weren't the least bit alarmed by the presense of a Magog on the ship. The well-pressed military uniforms looked impressive next to the semi-casual atire of the Andromeda crew.
Although Harper had already told them that the Enterprise crewmen might beam over, the site was a bit surprising. Only Trance seemed totally unaffected by the sudden entrance.
"A pleasure to meet you, Captain," Picard greeted.
"Glad to you have you aboard," Dylan responded, extending his hand. As expected the visitors were familiar with earth culture, as Picard returned the handshake. However, the captain of the other vessel was slightly taken aback by the familiar gesture.
"This is the ships counselor, Deanna Troi," Picard introduced, "And this is my chief of security, Lieutenant Commander Worf."
"Good to meet you," Dylan responded, "This is my first officer, Beka Valentine."
Not one to remain silent, Beka stepped forward to shake hands with Captain Picard, "I hope we can help."
"You've already done more than we could expect," Picard responded graciously.
Dylan smiled in acknowledgement, then continued, "This is our science officer, Rev Bem, and this is our medical officer Trance Gemini."
"A pleasure," Troi smiled, shaking Rev's hand.
"And this," Dylan paused, "Is Andromeda."
"Welcome aboard," The avatar greeted, showing no emotion, "I am the humanoid extension of this vessel."
Picard was prepared for the presense of an android, though this was an interesting twist, "Impressive. So, the vessel is AI-based?"
"Yes," Andromeda answered, "I can operate and continue to carry out missions indefinately without a crew."
Beka quickly spoke up to prevent an uncomfortable pause, "Well, the meal is ready, if you'd like to follow us."
"Of course," Picard responded as the group headed for Andromeda's formal dining hall.
"I can't stand this," Harper said, exasperated.
"Neither can I," Tyr responded, giving Harper a disdainful look, "But for an entirely different reason."
"Hey, you're not exactly the type of person I want to be eating with, either."
Tyr gave Harper a look that told him to back off. Even though he wasn't a Neitzchian, Harper demonstrated a strong sense of self preservation, and turned back to the monitor.
"I wonder if they'll ever stop comparing the Commonwealth and the Federation," Tyr grumbled.
"At least Dylan isn't trying to talk Picard into joining the Commonwealth."
Tyr grunted; he almost found that humorous.
When the meal finally ended, Dylan led everyone back to the bridge, where Harper and Tyr were already waiting for them.
"Captain," Dylan introduced, "This is Tyr, our security officer, and Harper, our chief engineer."
Harper moved forward quickly to shake Picard's hand, then smiled amiably at the counselor. However, his face was solemn when he nodded to Worf.
"We can set up a data transfer whenever you're ready," He informed them.
Troi could sense the boy's enthusiasm, and she could tell that he wasn't acting exactly as he usually did. She knew he didn't have any ill intentions toward them, but at the same time he was definitely trying to hide something…
"I'm sure Data, our science officer, would love to receive the information in person," The betazed suggested.
"I think we can arrange that," Dylan answered.
"Mr. Data is an android," Picard added, "He would probably wish to interface directly with the ship's computer, if possible."
Andromeda was pleasently surprised to hear of an android aboard the other ship.
"I don't think Andromeda can interface with a positronic matrix directly," Harper observed, "But I'm sure I'll come up with something."
"How did you know that Data had positronic systems?" Worf asked suspiciously.
"Harper!" Beka hissed under her breath.
Harper froze. This time he really blew it.
Dylan took a step forward to regain control of the situation, "There's something we want to show you."
Captain Hunt led them over to a monitor and told Andromeda to call up Star Trek: First Contact from the databanks. The Enterprise crew watched in utter amazement.
"Where did you get this?" Picard asked.
"This was in our archives. Supposedly, it is ancient earth fiction. We don't know what to make of it ourselves."
"I see," Picard said, "I feel we should return to our ship to consider this."
"Of course," Dylan answered, "I hope we can sort all this out."
Picard nodded, then touched his com badge.
"Three to beam up…energize."
***
The crew of the Enterprise devoted considerable resources to solving the secondary mystery of the Andromeda and its footage of the Borg invasion. A few theories developed, none of them particularly promising, but primarily involving Q or alternate timelines. It was also noted that the entire situation could be a ruse, including Troi's impressions, but for something of that calibre to be ended by a slip from one of the crew seemed unbelievable.
Eventually, the bridge was turned over to the night watch, and Picard went to Ten Forward to consult with Guinan. Even the wise, centuries-old alien had little to offer for the situation. Before long, he was overcome with weariness, and retired to his quarters.
Captain Picard fell into a restless sleep, plagued by a tiny voice. No, many voices, that had tried in vain to overcome his waking thought. He remembered the voices well: It was the collective. Still, the Borg were not here. He would have sensed them long ago… Something though was out there. Every tissue of his body was filled with nanoprobes crying out to him; pleading with his unconscious mind to take action. A dream suddenly began to form.
He first saw a formation of eight sleek bioships flying through a great, liquid expanse. Then, four freightening aliens that his mind did not recognize. After this, a fleet of seven Cubes destroyed by the creatures. Then finally…
"Captain to the bridge!" A voice called out over the intercom.
"Computer, lights," Picard said, illuminating his room. He was exhausted, what could possibly have gone wrong now?
The Captain quickly arrived on the bridge amidst a red alert.
A ship just came in out of nowhere. They seem to be arming weapons," Ensign Johnson informed the captain.
"It's a little soon to be calling a red alert, ensign," Picard chided him.
Suddenly, the alien vessel loosed numerous missle weapons in the direction of the Enterprise.
"Evasive maneuvers!" Picard ordered, "Fire at will."
The Enterprise lurched to the left, but nevertheless was rocked by a few of the missles. The Federation vessel responded with a volley of torpedos and a flurry of phaser blasts. The primary weapons array of the enemy vessel was disabled. Still, it continued to fire from the reserve launchers.
Andromeda moved to intercept, but by the time she was within range, Enterprise clearly had the situation under control. The flagship began to reverse its direction, allowing its momentum to carry it partway through the turn, thus making a sharp direction change just as another group of missles approached. They fired another volley of Quantum Torpedos, this time aided by the Andromeda's own missles. The massive ship was blown to pieces by a series of powerful explosions.
"Sir," Lieutenant Bashal said, "The Andromeda is hailing us."
At Picard's order, Dylan Hunt's face appeared on the main viewer.
"I'm sorry for the attack. The Magog can be very territorial at times. I'm sure they won't be trying that again soon, though. That was very impressive."
"Your assistance was appreciated," Picard answered.
"We should be thanking you, this time," Dylan responded, "If that battlecruiser had found us here alone, the Andromeda would have required months of repair."
Picard noted that had the battle gone much longer, the shields would have gone down. In which case, the Enterprise would have been seriously damaged, though he didn't mention that at the moment.
***
"That's some ship," Andromeda observed, with a somewhat uncharacteristic informality.
"Very impressive," Dylan agreed, "Too bad they can't stay around here."
"Rommie, have you ever been connected to a positronic matrix before?" Harper asked, sitting next to a panel with some exposed circuitry.
Andromeda didn't notice.
"Andromeda!" Dylan called out.
"What?" The avatar said, suddenly aware of her location, "No, I've never interfaced with a positronic device. However, I am prepared for such a connection. We have a signal polarity resequencer in storage which should make the necessary conversion."
"Great," Harper said, already on his way to engineering.
Beka sidled up to Dylan, "What do you think has gotten into Rommie?"
"I'm not sure. I haven't seen her act like this before," Dylan answered.
A second group of Enterprise crewmen visited Andromeda the next morning. This time Data and Geordi prepared to patch the android into Andromeda's systems under Worf's watchful eye.
Geordi scanned the resequencer with his tricorder, "That should work."
"Of course it will," Harper said, "You're talking to the master."
"Right…" Geordi responded.
"There, whenever you're ready."
"I am prepared for the interface," Data informed them.
"Now, if there is any sign of trouble, I'll disconnect you," Geordi told him.
"Understood."
Data looked around the expanse. The room seemed empty, except for various conduits throughout the floor, ceiling, and walls. Soon, a humanoid form appeared in front of him.
"Hello Data, I am Andromeda."
"Greetings," Data responded, in awe of the technology around him.
"What would you like to know?" The ship asked.
Data's neural net requested any files reguarding worm holes, energy vortexes, and similar phenomenon. Additionally, Data collected as much non-classified information as possible reguarding Andromeda's unique technologies, and the ship's AI system in particular.
"You seem very interested in my programming," Andromeda observed.
"I have never before encountered a non-positronic sensient computer system."
"So… the Enterprise isn't sensient?" She asked, seeming a bit disappointed.
"No, the Federation does not have the necessary technology."
"You seemed pretty advanced to me."
"We appear to be significantly more advanced in terms of energy shielding, transporters, and sensors."
Andromeda took the opportunity to gain some information from Data. Most of the practical data, like technical skematics of the transporters, were unavailable. However, she did find some very interesting files. She knew Harper would be glad to see what she had downloaded.
"Come on, we aren't even in the same galaxy," Harper responded.
"I can't just give you Federation technology," Geordi said, somewhat amused by the boy's attitude.
"Listen, the Commonwealth is no slouch when it comes to technology either. We'll make it a fair trade. Just show me how to put shields on Andromeda, and I'll give you android building technology, slipstream, low density ablative armor, you name it."
"First of all, the Federation has armor technology…"
"Not like us. I've seen what the Defiant can do, and it isn't even close to Andromeda's armor."
"You've seen the Defiant? What else do you know about the Federation?"
"I've mostly just seen a few of the ships in action," Harper paused, "There was the Defiant, Defiant A, the Enterprise, Enterprise A, Enterprise D, Enterprise E, Enterprise G, Enterprise R, Voyager, Voyager A, Voyager B, the Britain…"
"I see," Geordi cut in, "Anything else?"
"There were a couple of space stations. There was also a series about Starfleet headquarters… and one about Section 31."
"Section 31?" Geordi asked.
"It's a top secret special ops team," Harper explained.
Great, the engineer from another time line knew more about Federation politics than he did.
"How long did it take to show all that?" Geordi asked.
"The shows were being produced from the 20th century up until we started exploring the galaxy with slipstream. I still haven't seen all the episodes."
Worf grunted. This enTyre situation was impossible to believe. He knew that Q would appear to explain everything soon enough, or the real Geordi would walk in and inform him that the holodeck was malfunctioning again. Still, he couldn't take the chance that this preposterous situation was real…
"Is he almost finished?" Tyr asked, walking over to Data.
"It probably won't take him long," Harper reasoned, "They are both machines. It should be fairly simple for them to learn to communicate efficiently."
"I don't like the idea of having unknown aliens connected to the ship I'm on."
"Relax," Harper told him, "These are the good guys."
"So they say," Tyr commented, looking at Worf suspiciously.
Worf stood to look Tyr in the eye, "Are you trying to accuse us of something?"
"Perhaps I am. It is very convenient that come from some fairy tale that happens to be in our ship's archives."
Worf growled from deep in his throat.
"Whoah, guys," Harper said, putting himself between the two imposing figures, "No need to get upset."
Suddenly, Harper felt as though he had made a terrible mistake. The Klingon warrior glared at the Neitzchian, and the Neitzchian glared back.
"Not yet, anyway," Tyr responded finally.
Worf grunted, then sat as Tyr walked back to his station. Harper sighed with relief. At that moment, Data's eyes opened again.
"Transfer complete," The android informed them.
Andromeda's holographic image appeared nearby.
"Thanks," Geordi addressed her.
"Thank you. I learned quite a bit."
"I hope that helps," Dylan added.
"I'm sure it will," Geordi turned to Worf and Data, "Ready?"
The Enterprise officers nodded and prepared for beam out. Trance Gemini entered the bridge at that moment.
"Worf to Enterprise, three to beam up."
Data touched his com badge, "Stand by, Enterprise."
"Is everything all right, Data?" Geordi asked.
"Yes, Geordi. However, I believe we should stay a moment longer. I believe I have discovered another commonality with the Andromeda."
"What is it?"
"I believe she," Data motioned in the direction of Trance, "Is an Esarian. In our timeline, the Esarians have a non-unified industrial society."
"Trance?" Dylan asked.
"Shouldn't we be investigating that planet near the radiation belt?" She asked, trying hopelessly to change the subject.
Data wished he had a medical tricorder available, "Her appearance matches our records of Esarian physiology exactly. If she were willing, I believe doctor Crusher would appreciate the opportunity to investigate further."
"What would you do to investigate?" Beka asked.
"We would like to run scans to examine her internal physiology and her genetic makeup so that we can cross reference our information on the Esarians."
"Trance, is it ok with you?" Dylan asked.
"Sure," Trance replied, anxious to meet more of the Enterprise crew.
"You should send me along with her. She'll need someone familiar with the Federation when she's aboard," Harper offered.
Dylan smiled, "Fine, consider yourself the official Commonwealth liaison to the Federation."
Harper and Trance stood next to the Enterprise's away team as they prepared to leave.
"Data to Enterprise. Five to beam up… Energize."
***
"She certainly seems Esarian," Crusher observed.
"This would appear to support the theory that the Andromeda is simply from another timeline," Data responded.
"Why so vastly different, though?" Crusher asked.
"Although the technology and political situation of this timeline do appear markedly different, this galaxy seems to operate by the same physical laws as ours. The significant differences we have encountered could be intentional. The energy vortex did appear synthetic in origin."
"Wait a minute," Harper interjected, "Are you saying that some alien built this vortex specifically to get into our timeline?"
"The evidence seems to indicate so," Data answered.
"What do you think they want?" Trance asked, sitting up on the examination bed.
"I do not have sufficient data to form a hypothesis," He responded.
"We had better discuss this with the captain immediately," Crusher added, "He'll probably want to talk to you too."
"Agreed," Data nodded, then led Trance and Harper to the bridge.
***
"Trance was right," Beka said, "We should be trying to figure out what decimated that planet."
"I agree," Dylan responded, "But I think it is connected somehow to the Enterprise. I don't think they're responsible, but I doubt that they just happened to come out of the radiation belt moments after the population of the planet is destroyed."
"You're right," Beka answered, "But we could still send a couple of people down to the planet to investigate."
Dylan nodded, "I'd like to stay here with Andromeda. I should be available as long is the Enterprise is in the area."
"Fine," Beka told him, "I'm sure Rev will go with me. Tyr probably won't mind either."
The crew agreed to the plan, and the three crew members took a landing pod down to the planet to see if they could uncover anything. They immediately noticed the signs of a battle on the planet. Areas of rubble showed that explosives had been detonated in the area, while burns indicated energy weapons had also been fired at the surface.
"These weapon marks don't look like anything I've seen before," Tyr observed.
"They say that weapons are only as affective as those who use them," Rev stated.
"Well, whatever did this must have been pretty good," Beka responded, surveying the complete devastation, "The enTyre time we've been in the area, Andromeda didn't notice a single sign of life, and neither has the Enterprise."
"Andromeda mentioned that the Enterprise had very advanced sensors," Rev reminded them.
"Right," Beka answered, "With active sensors, they could have detected bacteria from orbit…"
"No conventional weapon could wipe out all life," Tyr responded, realising where Rev was going with this.
"Not even radiation or chemical weapons could do it," Beka added.
"It would seem that biological warfare must have been used as part of the attack."
"…Which means this planet is potentially still uninhabitable," Tyr finished.
The three of them immediately returned to the pod. They couldn't stay on the planet, but they also knew they wouldn't be able to return to Andromeda and risk contaminating the ship. Once safely beyond the atmosphere, they set up a com link with the ship to explain the situation.
***
"Captain Picard," A voice said from the computer on his desk, "The Andromeda is contacting us. Captain Hunt wishes to speak to you on a private channel."
Picard nodded to the image on the screen, "Mr. Data, please show our guests to the conference room. Call a senior staff meeting in ten minutes. I want to discuss this situation with everyone present."
"Aye sir," Data said, ushering Harper and Trance out of the room.
"Put the Andromeda through," Picard ordered as the doors to his ready room closed.
"Captain, three of my crewmen may have been exposed to an unidentified biological weapon on the planet. I would like you to keep Trance and Harper aboard the Enterprise if possible while Andromeda attempts to decontaminate them."
"We could set up a containment field aboard our ship and examine them here. That would allow our medical staff to assist you in attempting to find a cure."
"Are you sure you can contain the bio-active agents?" Dylan asked.
"Our life support systems are able to filter out sub-atomic particles," Picard explained.
"I would appreciate it," Dylan asked, "Would you allow Andromeda and Trance to assist you?"
"Yes, of course," Picard answered.
"Tyr's nanobots and engineered immune system should slow or stop the progress of the biocontaminate," Andromeda said.
"That's not what I'm seeing," Dr. Crusher answered, looking at one of the various scanners in sickbay, "This is the most advanced, adaptable biological agent I've ever seen. I doubt any of them will last long at this rate."
"What do you suggest?"
"I think we've collected all the data we need for now. We can put them in stasis for the time being. That should stop the progress of the contaminant."
"Agreed," Andromeda nodded.
Andromeda walked into the adjoing room to explain this to the others.
"I heard what you said," Tyr informed her as she entered, "I still don't trust them, but I doubt I have a choice now."
"What is it?" Beka asked.
"We think it would be best to put you in stasis until we can cure the disease," Andromeda explained.
"Don't worry," Trance piped up, "I'm sure Andromeda will make sure you're safe."
"Of course she will," Tyr said with his usual subtly-sarcastic tone.
"Don't let him bother you," Rev said to the Enterprise CMO, "He'll get over it when he realises that you saved his life."
"We'll see," Tyr scoffed.
"Obviously, there isn't anything else we can do," Beka observed, "Let's stop wasting time. I'm starting to get chest pains, and I think I have a fever."
Beverly looked at the computer monitor, "You are showing an elevated body temperature, and the cell degredation could become acute very soon."
Hearing this, Tyr agreed to be put into stasis. The stasis beds within the containment field were opened remotely, and the three were instructed to lay down. The stasis cycle was activated, and they instantly fell into unconsciousness.
***
Dylan re-read the report. He had never heard of this sort of total destruction before. The Magog might have been more cruel, but they weren't even capable of this, technologically. He hadn't heard of anything able to do something like this.
In fact, energy weapons were rare. At least, they were rare in his timeline. However, they are pretty common where the Enterprise comes from….
***
Picard tossed in bed. Few of his previous missions had deprived him of this much sleep. For some reason, nightmares had plagued him ever since he came to this timeline. He wanted to return to Federation territory, but the metaphasic shielding had to be repaired before they could attempt to enter the radiation band. Besides, the sleuth in him wouldn't allow him to leave until he had discovered the origin of the vortex.
"You still haven't figured it out, have you?" Q asked.
"Are you responsible for this?" Picard demanded.
"No, you're not responsible."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Do you even have any ideas? Any clues that could lead you to the people who built the vortex?" Q asked, ignoring the question.
"I don't suppose you would care to offer one," Picard replied.
"I can't tell you anything you don't already know," Q smirked.
Picard suddenly sat upright in bed. For a brief moment, he wasn't sure where he was. He half-expected Q to blink into existance next to him. Picard rolled over and attempted to go back to sleep. Although he hated to admit it, the dream did have a point. He was against a wall in this investigation. He had to come up with a new path of investigation.
"Mr. Data, what do you suppose triggered the expansion of the vortex?"
"It would seem that the presense of the probe was responsible for the change," Data answered.
"Yes," Picard paused, "But what specifically about the probe? The radiation field creates a relatively thick cloud of matter around the opening. Changes in local gravity would be an unreliable trigger for the gateway."
"Agreed. Perhaps the energy emissions from the probe, or the specific materials used to build the probe are responsible."
"Possibly," Picard answered, "I want you to prepare a full investigation."
"Aye sir. I believe the logical course of action is to send various energy beams and materials into the vortex in an attempt to stimulate another response."
"Make it so," Picard ordered.
Trance sat on the bench, perfectly content to simply watch as the leaves were rustled by the artificial breeze flowing through the room. The arboretum of the Enterprise wasn't quite as large as the one aboard the Andromeda, but most of the planets were new to her. She enjoyed exploring space, but this was much more interesting.
'If only Harper were here,' She thought, 'But he's too busy with his machines.'
A moment later, a voice came over the intercom, "Trance Gemini to the bridge."
"I'll be right there," She answered, forgetting to use the wall panel that would allow the people in sickbay to actually hear her response.
"Captain, the vortex is starting to emit mesons," Worf said.
"On screen," Picard responded, "Shields to maximum."
"I can feel something coming out of the rift," Deanna informed them.
"What is it?" Picard asked.
"I've never felt it before, but it seems to be at least partially telepathic. I'm getting a clearer impression as it exits the vortex."
"How long until we can get a sensor reading on whatever is coming in, Mr. Worf?"
"I am not certain."
"Its hostile, furious. I can sense extreme hatred towards us. It…wants to…" Counselor Troi seemed to be in pain, "They don't…"
She shook her head, trying to clear it. Then, she grimaced from the stress it was creating in her mind.
"Deanna stop," Riker said, taking her by the shoulder, "Don't let them in."
"I…I" She collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
"Medical team to the bridge!" Riker said, quickly moving to check on her.
Before long, they all began to feel it.
"Get us out of here!" Picard ordered.
…But it was too late. The helmsman had already fallen. Soon, no one was left conscious on the bridge.
Trance could hear it too, 'They don't seem very friendly…'
She thought to herself seconds before the turbolift doors opened to the bridge, 'How could they have done this!?'
***
"Dylan, wake up!" Andromeda said, starting to panic, 'What could have happened?'
It was so sudden. One moment, he was sitting in the slip stream chair, the next, he was lying on the floor. He didn't even have a chance to speak, except for a few words of surprise.
'Avatar to central processing,' Her own voice came in from the Enterprise, 'Situation critical. The Enterprise crew appears to be incapacitated.'
'Captain Hunt has also been rendered unconscious,' She informed her humanoid extension, 'Commence investigation.'
***
"Data to sickbay," The android said urgently.
"I'm here," Andromeda answered, "But everyone else has been rendered unconscious."
"We have experienced something similar in Engineering. I suggest we convene on the bridge."
"Understood," Andromeda replied, heading for the door.
"I suggest we vacate the area for the time being," Data offered.
"I agree," Andromeda answered, "We can return when we find a way to revive the crews or once we have determined the cause of their unconconsciousness."
"I know what caused it," Trance interjected.
"What was it?" Andromeda asked.
"The alien from the energy…thing."
"The vortex?" Andromeda asked, as Data moved to his usual station.
"Right," Trance replied.
"Sensors did not detect anything except for a meson burst from the vortex."
"I don't know why not." Trance answered.
"How did you know about the alien?" Andromeda asked.
"I felt it. It was talking to me mentally. It said that it wanted to destroy everything."
"Essarians are telepathic," Data noted.
"Telepathic?" Andromeda said, "Why didn't you mention this before?"
"Well…" Trance tried to stall, "I just thought that it was private."
Andromeda shook her head, "Do you know how to help them?" She motioned to the fallen crew.
"Sorry, I'm not sure."
"In any event, we should get underway immediately."
"Right. Trance, you'll have to go back to Andromeda to pilot me through the slip stream."
"Me? Run slip stream?" She was surprised.
"You are the only conscious person able to do so," Andromeda answered.
"If you're sure about this…"
"I will transfer all control to the bridge," Data said as he moved to one of the science stations, "Trance, I will transport you back to the Andromeda momentarily."
The Enterprise reached the arranged meeting point in a matter of minutes. The Andromeda was already there waiting. Trance was a bit shaken up, but had managed to take the ship through the slipstream without incident. She was beamed back to the Enterprise so that they could all work together more efficiently.
"What was it?" Andromeda asked.
"I've never felt his species before," Trance explained.
"Were they communicating from the other side of the vortex?" Data asked.
"No, it was on the way through when it started communicating," She answered.
"Do you know anything about the vessel being used to traverse the vortex?"
"Yes, I could feel the ship too," Trance answered, "It was alive."
"A sensient AI program?" Andromeda wondered.
"No, more like a plant," She explained.
"A cloaked bioship," Data concluded, examing the logs.
"A living ship?" Andromeda was amazed.
"They are rare," Data responded, "However, I might be able to prove the hypothesis using a scanning tachyon beam."
"How would that help?" Andromeda asked.
"If their cloaking technology is similar to that of species in our timeline, a tachyon beam may be able to detect them. Additionally, we found that tachyons do have an effect on the vortex. I believe that the beam triggered the initial attack."
"Wouldn't we be risking a direct confrontation if we made another attempt?"
Data considered the threat posed by the unknown species, and agreed, "We may be better off keeping the ships at a safe distance. Probes would be able to make the necessary scans."
"How are you going to get the probes over there?" Trance asked, "He's not going to let us set them up."
"A shuttle could travel to the area at warp speed," Data suggested, "The probes could deploy automatically upon reaching the sector. Hopefully, they could collect sufficient data before being destroyed."
Trance and Andromeda agreed that this plan was the best option at the moment. They didn't have many alternatives anyway. In fact, they had none. Data went to work on the probes while Trance and Andromeda went to sickbay to look for ways to revive the crew.
Trance looked through the computer archives for anything that had a strong enough effect on the mind to overcome the creature's attack, 'Hmm…those are the Borg that Harper was telling me about… They have mind control technology. I wonder…'
"Computer, do we have any Borg technology?" She asked.
"No Borg technology has been reverse-engineered at this time."
"Are there any Borg devices on board?"
"Captain Picard carries Borg nanoprobes in his system," The machine responded.
Trance immediately got up from her chair and returned to the bridge. They had no way of moving all of the crew to better positions, so like everyone else, he still lay just as he had fallen during the initial attack.
Trance placed the hypospray against his neck and took a blood sample, then returned to sickbay to examine it.
'These nanobots look very similar to the ones in the biological weapon on the planet,' She thought, 'I wonder if they could interact with the weapon.'
"Rommie?" Trance called, "I have an idea."
Data watched as the probes deployed. They formed a large square on the edge of the radiation belt. Simultaneously, they all began to emit a tachyon field. As expected, they were almost instantly vaporized by flashes of energy.
Quickly, Data examined the data. A ghost in the tachyon field was plainly visible. The shape of the vessel was also coherent with what little data the Federation had collected about bioships.
"I hear the great Enterprise needs some help," Beka said as she entered the bridge.
Data turned in his seat, "How is this possible?"
"We have Trance to thank for this," Rev answered.
"Well, I just noticed that the bioweapon was similar to the Borg nanoprobes from Captain Picard, so I just had Andromeda to modify them to stop the weapon."
"Appearantly, the alien mental attack doesn't affect people in stasis," Andromeda added.
"Could stasis be revive already affected crewmen?" Data asked.
Beka shook her head, "We already tried that. It didn't have any effect."
"We also tried injecting the modified nanoprobes, and we still didn't see any change," Rev explained.
"What caused this?" Tyr asked.
Data explained the situation to the three revived crew.
"So, any ideas on what to do next?" Beka asked.
"Not at the moment. We cannot attempt to engage the enemy bioship, as it possesses technology far more advanced than our own. Further, we have tested every theory…" Data trailed off, "Except one."
"What is it?" Andromeda asked.
"A few years ago, the Enterprise encountered a psionic resonator, which we may be able to modify to counteract the effects of the telepathic attack."
"Do you still have it on board?" Andromeda asked.
"No, the original resonator was destroyed. However, I believe we have sufficient knowledge of the device to construct something similar."
"I don't think we have any better ideas," Beka responded.
"Indeed, and time is of the essense. I will begin work immediately," Data said, already heading for the turbolift.
Thus the Andromeda crew, without a captain or engineer, found itself in command of the USS Enterprise.