Here is chapter 3
I plan to update this story every Friday, providing that I can stay with my schedule on completing this story.
Once again, I would like some reviews, in order so I can better my story to make it a more interesting read.
And, sorry to say, since I am behind schedule, due to a vacation I just came back from, this story will be on Hiatus for next week.
Chapter 3
"Captain," yelled an urgent voice.
Picard's eyes shot wide open. He had that peculiar dream again, the one with the kids. Picard became uneasy, recurring dreams often had an underlying meaning to them.
His thoughts were interrupted by another "Captain." Picard shot out of his trance like any human would, with a shocked shake of the head. "Come," the captain swiftly articulated.
Geordi La Forge entered through the automatic slide door. Even though his visor covered his eyes, Picard could still tell from his expression that his chief engineer was dissappointed.
"I've managed to get everything working, except for the engines and the transporters," he fumed. "This means that while we can survive, eat, see what's around us and send out distress signals, we are completely immobile."
"What's preventing you from restoring transporter and engine power?" Picard inquired.
"Those are the two things the anomaly completely took out. Captain, I have zilch, nothing from them."
Geordi bowed his head in utmost disgust. The object of his disgust, however, was himself. Of all the times he could work miracles like the great Scotty of the old Enterprise, the magic had disappeared.
"You have done all you could Geordi," Picard responded. It was a generic response, and to the Captain himself, it sounded mechanical and forced. However, the captain was at loss for words, the Enterprise was stuck.
Despite this, Picard managed to summon a few more words to say, "I will be on the bridge if you need to meet me again. This isn't your fault Geordi, and it isn't only your responsibility, it will take the entire crew to solve this crisis."
Geordi's mood lightened a little. He exited with an emphatic, "Yes sir."
The journey back to the bridge was brief, at least in Picard's mind. Once he was sighted, Commander Data, rushed as an android would to his captain.
"Captain," Data began, "While our warp core is completely burned out, we have a chance at restoring it, as well as our transporters."
"I'm listening," Picard responded, always interested in what input Data would have for him.
"As you know, our warp core and our transporters run on dilithium. The anomaly has completely wrecked havoc with these power supplies, they are practically, as you humans call it, a piece of shi-"
"Profanity is not required," Picard interrupted. "Go on," urged the captain after noticing Data's puzzled expression.
"Back on subject," the android continued, "Our long range sensor scans have picked up raw dilithium crystals on the surface of the planet we are now near. While our transporters are inoperative, it will be possible to take a shuttle down to the surface and retrieve these crystals."
"Do you think we can convert these crystals for good use, if we manage to retrieve them?" asked Picard. A complex process was needed to purify the dillithium in order for it to be useful.
"I have every confidence that our engineers can improvise a process" answered Data.
Picard nodded, converting dilithium would be a nasty process aboard the ship. However, in order to be able to experiment with raw dilithium crystals on the Enterprise, Picard was going to have to acquire some.
"Where are these crystals located?" asked Picard. He was beginning to get a funny feeling that he knew the answer.
"They are located underground," Data began, "I would say-"
"In a chasm," interrupted Picard, eyes wide, as if something was revealed to him.
Data checked the computer readings, then concluded, "Your right, the crystals are held in an underground diode approximately 1 mile below the surface." The android then paused and looked up, a quizzical look on his face.
"Captain, I am curious, how did you conclude the crystals were located in a chasm, and not just simply buried underneath the surface?" Data questioned, "The speed to reach that conclusion with the computer, to make the necessary calculations at that speed is, no offense, inhuman."
"No," Picard said with sudden authority, "I have seen that underground chasm before, I've seen the crystals!"
"Captain," the android inquired, "I would like to see the images that you have brought about of this underground chasm."
"No Data," Picard explained "I saw it in a dream, I'm sure of it."
The android gave a confused look, and then asked, "Captain, how is it that random images generated by the human brain could foresee this place?"
"Well, Data" Picard elaborated, "it is a human belief, even today, that some of these visions are not completely random, that they send messages that will hold some significance in the future."
Data still looked confused, "I am sorry, but I do not understand, that is ... illogical."
A bearded head popped over Picard's shoulder, and interrupted, "If you psychiatrists are done discussing the meaning of dreams, I would like to hear this plan about you recharging our warp drive."
"Right number one!" responded Picard with sudden enthusiasm, he then looked to Data to confirm, "Data, any obstacles in the way of us obtaining these crystals?"
"Oh yes," answered Data, "this planet appears to be inhabited by a pre-industrial civilization. In fact, the crystals we are looking for are located right underneath a city."
Picard's face fell once more. "Damn," he sighed, "and since transporters are down, we are unable to beam ourselves to the source."
"There is still a chance," a young voice sounded as the turbolift doors opened once more. Weasly Crusher entered in, flustered from the recent activity in the engine room. He was, by far, the youngest member in engineering, and if it weren't for the civilian population on the Enterprise, he would be the youngest crew member on the entire ship.
"I volunteer to operate the shuttle, I can fly it stealthily enough so that the natives can dismiss it as a hallucination," the young engineer finished.
Everyone in the room fell silent, only the beeping of on-board computers could be heard. Much more complex processing took place in Picard's brain as he weighed the risks of sending a 24th century shuttle in a pre-industrial land.
"We would be breaking many rules of the Prime Directive," Picard began.
"We have no other options if we want our warp engines operative again," responded a grim Worf, looking up from his computer screen.
"Captain," Worf continued, "We would have to, as Crusher mentioned, perform this operation stealthily. I will note that I have detected a passage to this underground chasm from the surface. While we are unable to use transporters to beam through all the earth covering it, we could use that passage, it will save a lot of time trying to drill through the surface."
"Problem," Riker interrupted, emphasizing important points, "we still have to do all this stuff in the middle of a city. This is a pre-industrial civilization, and I don't know about you, but I don't think we all look like pre-industrial people. Heck, even if we do blend in somehow we'll give ourselves away since we don't even know their language."
"Then we'll just avoid talking to anyone," Picard quipped.
"Data, Troi, Worf, Riker, Weasly, meet me in shuttlebay 5," Picard finished. The captain then disappeared into the turbolift doors.