Chapter Thirteen:

Riker hated everything about this mission. Distance prevented him from talking with Bryson Porter, the captain of the Lexington, before each of them sent a member of their crew into an unknown destiny. Despite Admiral Wilson's confidence that this mission assignment was safe, Riker felt uneasy. He hated having to choose which crew member's life to risk! Why did he have to contemplate who was most dispensable? Everyone aboard his ship had family and friends somewhere who cared for them. There was no such thing as a dispensable person! He would handle this situation in the most humane way he could think of, he decided; he would ask for volunteers and then weigh each volunteer's credentials.

At nine-hundred hours the morning after receiving Wilson's orders, the captain of the Enterprise called a meeting in the observation lounge. Present were: Data, Barclay, Worf, Dr. Selar, and the ops officer, Lieutenant Corinne Berlitz. First, he directed his words at Data, asking his android officer's opinion about the possibility of the pockets having a magnetic effect.

The android furrowed his brow. "I suppose it is possible, since the pocket possesses physical properties we have not encountered before. However, I have not seen any evidence that it holds the standard laws for magnetism. It consists of completely neutrino particles. In essence, it has no positive nor negative atoms."

"Are there any tests, any research that you could be overlooking?"

"None that I know of, sir."

"Very well. Then we'll simply label whatever has drawn us to these pockets as an unknown factor." After fully briefing them on his conversation with Admiral Wilson, Riker asked the group for their input.

"Although sensors seem to indicate that the wormhole is stable," the first officer began, "whoever undertakes this mission will have to have the ability to detect and circumvent any problems." Data paused for a beat. "I volunteer for this mission."

"You're ability to react to any circumstance in a nanosecond is a definite plus," Riker admitted. He didn't want to show a reluctance to send one of his oldest friends. "If anyone can escape a collapsing wormhole, it would be you."

"But," Barclay interjected, pausing long enough for everyone to turn in his direction. "If the aliens who took Commander La Forge are monitoring the--the wormhole, they might see Commander Data's arrival as an opportunity. If they were to get their hands on an android. . .they will have access to technology they may not already possess."

"That is true," said the Klingon. "Giving them an android to study could be as dangerous as handing over the schematics to our phaser and shield technologies."

"Yes!" Barclay said. "That is why I am volunteering my--myself as an alternate candidate. As chief engineer, I am quite capable of scientific observation and analysis. And, although I hate to admit it, I would be far less of an acquisition to the aliens than Commander Data."

"Quite logical," Dr. Selar commented. "I would have to agree with Commander Barclay. There is none more suitable among our crew than him."

For a second, Barclay had a smug look on his face, but he quickly regained his composure. "Captain, the decision, of course, is yours."

"But we've already lost one chief engineer to this phenomenon," Berlitz pointed out. She glanced apologetically at Barclay, and Riker noticed that his engineer seemed more than offended; he looked disappointed. Was something going on between his officers? "If Commander LaForge was kidnapped, he may have been tortured to gain technological knowledge."

"Or tactical advantage," Worf added.

"Exactly. I suggest we send one of the cadets on board. While they've had pilot training, they are not as well versed in Starfleet advancements."

Riker shook his head. "No. We can't send an inexperienced cadet. We need someone who can handle evasive maneuvers if necessary. "Mr. Barclay, I'm granting your request."

"Sir, might I make an additional request?" Worf asked. "Order Deanna to report to sickbay. Have Dr. Selar place her under sedatives while we are so close to the wormhole."

"Dr. Selar, consider that an official order."

"Understood," the Vulcan replied.

"We are forty-five minutes away from the scheduled dual launch of the escape pods," the captain reminded the group. "Barclay make sure the pod you're using is up to specifications and any jitters you have, work through them before you enter the pocket."

"I'm not nervous," the engineer responded, words which sounded strange coming from a man who once suffered from multiple phobias. Berlitz seemed nervous enough for him. "I'll be ready for launch in plenty of time."

"Make it so," Riker said and the words hung in the air, serving as a reminder to everything they had already lost. He paused for too long, he realized. "You're dismissed.

"Why did you try to stop me from taking this assignment?" Barclay ask Berlitz just outside the ready room door.

"I'm afraid for you, Reg," she replied. "I don't want to lose you just as I'm getting to know you. I lost my husband to a stupid accident during an away mission. Maybe I'm out of line, but I don't believe we're doing the right thing here. Whatever happened to the adage: 'never enter anything blindly'?" Her lip began quivering. "Be careful, Reg."

Barclay wanted to wrap his arms around Corinne, to reassure her that he would return. It was not appropriate behavior on the bridge, though, so he hoped his words would suffice. "I will return to you Corinne. I expect a second date."

Though it was not necessary, Riker felt the need to stand beside Barclay's evacuation pod as he prepared for launch.

"I ran a level-one diagnostics," Barclay said as he opened the pod's hatch door. "The unit contains adequate life-support for several days in space. All of its systems are functioning with maximum efficiency." He sighed heavily. "I--I wish I could say the same for myself, sir."

Riker placed a hand on his chief engineer's shoulder. "Reg, you're smarter than you let yourself believe. Just keep a level head, and you'll do fine."

"Thank you, sir." The chief engineer stepped inside the pod. "I guess this is goodbye, sir."

"No. Not goodbye. I hate goodbyes." Riker grabbed onto the hatch. "I rather prefer it the way the German's put it: Aufwiedersehen: until I see you again." He closed the hatch door securely.

Riker nodded at Ensign Kramer to release the locking clamps and open the shuttlebay doors. He remained to watch as the evacuation pod took flight, gliding out into space toward the pocket wormhole. The pod grew smaller and smaller until it was barely more than a dot in the captain's vision. Suddenly, the wormhole opened and glowed across a small portion of space. Its brilliance lasted no more than a few seconds before it closed back up, snatching the evacuation pod.

"Until I see you again," Riker mumbled. He turned toward the ensign. "Mr. Kramer, conduct a continual scan of the wormhole. Let me know if and when you detect any life signs."

"Aye sir."

Riker waited out the seconds staring at the open shuttlebay doors. A minute always seemed longer when expectation was strong.

"Sir, another pod has just entered the wormhole, one life sign on board."

Silently, Riker counted to eight before the Lexington escape pod emerged directly in front of them. At impulse speed, it approached the open doors and landed inside the shuttlebay.

A Human woman in her early twenties with short ash-brown hair stepped out. "Captain Riker," she said, saluting him, "it is good to finally meet you."

"Oh?" Riker said with a big grin as he returned the salute. "I hope any rumors you've been hearing about me are good ones."

The young woman returned the grin. "Of course. The captain of theEnterprise needs no introduction. But alas, I do. I'm Ensign Autumn Raines, and a fresh graduate from the academy. Before you question Captain Porter's decision to send someone so young and inexperienced on this mission, let me inform you that I specialized in the study of wormholes while at the Academy. I assure you that I know everything there is to know about every wormhole discovered by the Federation both forwards and backwards."

"Well," Riker said, rubbing his beard, "welcome aboard, Mr. Raines." He found her self-confidence appealing, if not a little amusing. "I'm glad you've arrived on this side in one piece."

"As am I, sir. May I accompany you to your conference lounge room, so we can discuss my insights into this wormhole?"

"I'd be delighted."

They entered a turbolift and the captain instructed it to take them to the bridge. As they crossed the bridge, the captain also asked Commander Data to join them. Perhaps between his first officer and Ensign Raines, a purported wormhole expert, they would finally begin to solve this nagging mystery.

After they were seated, Riker asked his first officer, "Did you pick up any further information about the creators from this wormhole, Data?"

"Negative, Captain. I can find no evidence that they or any other life forms reside inside the wormhole. It is completely inorganic in nature."

"Interesting," Raines responded. "You were testing the hypothesis that its creators were housed inside the wormhole, just as in the Bajoran wormhole, correct?"

"That is correct," Data replied. "Though the evidence clearly disproves it now. The wormhole is made up of linked neutrino particles, possessing no magnetic qualities. Thus there is no way to explain why both the Lexington and the Enterprise continue to encounter the same type of anomaly as though we are somehow being drawn by them."

"But for what purpose?" the captain asked, and for a long moment, the question lingered between them.

"I can immediately think of three possibilities," the android said. "They could simply be studying us. They could be attempting to steal our technology, or they could be planning their best attack strategy."

Riker nodded in agreement. "We could have another group like the Founders on our hands. Let's just hope they can't disguise themselves as one of us as easily as any Changeling." "Sir, you will undoubtedly be interested to know that the tests I ran on this pocket wormhole indicate that it is no more than a few weeks old. In each of the wormholes we have discovered, sensors have detected ionization signatures in varying degrees. This particular wormhole has very little ionization."

"So whoever these people are," Raines began, "they are not only traveling through these wormholes but still creating more of them. Amazing!"

"Judging by the time frame in which we first discovered a pocket wormhole, we might also conclude that it is quite probable none of them are more than a few years old."

"Good work, Data."

"Thank you, sir."

The captain turned toward the ensign. "Tell us about your brief experience inside the wormhole," he instructed her.

"As I entered the wormhole," she began, "I sensed that it was somehow different from the others I've studied. I may seem a bit naive to you, since I haven't actually been inside that many wormholes, but I know the feeling was real."

"Are you saying that you have empathic abilities?" the captain asked.

"None that I'm aware of. And yet. . ." She paused to muse over her recent experience. "Somehow I knew that this wormhole was different from any others known to the Federation, simply because of how it made me feel. I know you want me to explain, but I'm not sure I can. It probably wasn't anything that could be physically documented. Nonetheless, I simply can't shake the feeling that it was different."

"Is it possible that you had this odd feeling because this wormhole was artificially made, while all the others, with the exception of the Bajoran wormhole, were most likely of natural origins?"

"I don't think we could rule out that possibility."

"Our counselor, Deanna Troi, is half Betazed," Data informed the ensign. "Since we entered this sector, she has been experiencing an emotional conflict. We believe it is due to the wormhole's influence." He said the latter, tapping his fingers forcefully on the tabletop.

"That's why we've been scanning for lifeforms," the captain said. "Ensign Raines, you might also be interested in knowing that Troi is pregnant. We don't know whether her emotional condition is being caused by hormones or somehow by the wormhole ."

"I'm afraid I hold no expertise in such a matter."

The captain's commbadge chirped and a second later, Lieutenant Berlitz came over it saying, "Sir, you have an incoming message from Admiral Wilson."

Riker instructed the computer to route the message to the small viewscreen in the conference room.

"Autumn, my dear," the elderly admiral beamed, "so glad to see you made it in one piece."

The ensign playfully examined her fingers followed by touching her uniform as if removing lint. "I believe so, sir," she finally acknowledged. Riker was a bit taken aback by her casual attitude toward their superior, especially since she had not demonstrated the same bravado toward him or Commander Data. "Ready to continue with the next phase of this mission on your command."

Wilson chuckled. "Captain, I'm sure Autumn has neglected to tell you that she's my granddaughter. She tends to leave that detail out while introducing herself. Afraid my accomplishments will overshadow her's, I suppose. But at the risk of sounding biased, I think she's quite a remarkable young woman."

"Grandpa, please, let's not make a scene, shall we?" she looked down at the tabletop, obviously embarrassed.

Riker felt a bit sorry for her, but yet at the same time, he was glad to finally learn that the gruff Admiral Wilson actually had a soft spot.

"You will be happy to know, Captain," Wilson said, "that Commander Barclay arrived safely and is now aboard the Lexington. Will, if there are other similar pockets throughout the galaxy, we may have discovered the most efficient means of collecting data on all four quadrants."

"We may have established a quick and safe passageway between the two points. But, sir, what makes you believe the creators will allow us to use them? What if they see this violation as an act of war?"

"Until we know who we are dealing with, we cannot rule out the possibility that we can barter for access. You should be more optimistic, son."

Hesitating for a beat, Riker said, "Understood."

"I believe Captain Riker and I have finished our exchange," Raines said. "I recommend that Commander Barclay and I again switch places."

"Agreed," Wilson replied. "Autumn, when you have completed this mission, we should have lunch together. It has been too long since I've enjoyed your company." He shifted his gaze to Riker. "And Captain, I would like for you to send several more probes back and forth between the two pockets. Let's test the stability between the wormhole and its pockets."

"Aye sir," Riker replied.