Lower Decks

by Aesop

There's more to the Star Trek universe than just the people we see in the show. There are always people behind the scenes. I thought they deserved some stories of their own. The canon characters will make brief appearances, but will not be a primary focus of the stories.

21. Diverging Paths

See Ch. 1 for disclaimers.

CH. 21 Diverging Paths

The Missouri was not a grand ship, by any means. An old Nebula class vessel, one of the first of its class, it had been relegated to courier duty due to its age. Normally, the Missouri carried cargos that were time sensitive and required a degree of security above what a cargo ship could provide. The Ot'Hessan' plight certainly qualified as time sensitive. While the facilities for passengers were not elaborate or extensive, that didn't bother the delegation.

Their main interest was in reaching the planet the Federation colonists, organized by Keith Frasier, had named UdyAna in as little time as possible. The Missouri had Starfleet's permission to violate the warp speed limit and could reach the colony in just under 10 days. The delegates and their escorts settled in to their accommodations and made themselves comfortable before gathering to review the information they'd been provided.

"Not sure why they picked that name," Deborah said, setting aside the pad containing the planetary survey report and glancing at the delegates who were settled around a table in the ship's mess for a meal. "Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue." Out of curiosity, she picked up the pad and ran a search of the computer's linguistic database. "Let's see." It took a moment to pull up the most likely meaning. "Huh. That's appropriate. Says here that it means 'garden' in Sanskrit."

"Sanskrit?" Aela asked.

"It's a dead language from my home world. Hasn't been spoken in… I don't know how long, actually."

"Why use it then?"

Some of the delegation expressed interest as well, finding it odd that there would be more than one language for a given species. They also wanted to know how a language could be considered 'dead.'

Deborah hesitated over that. "I'm not sure why they used a Sanskrit word. As to why there is more than one language on a planet… That's a long explanation I'm in no way qualified to give." Even if she knew, how could she explain it to a people that didn't have a spoken language? Her confusion and hesitation must have come through loud and clear, as the members of the delegation dismissed the matter, assuring her it was unimportant.

"I'd be curious to hear what answer a linguist would give you." Deborah admitted, setting down the pad again. "As to 'dead language', that just means a language that no one uses anymore. Either because the culture that used it has vanished or the language has changed so dramatically over time that the original can be considered a separate language." She shrugged. "A linguist could probably explain that better, too.

"At any rate, we should be reaching udyAna in about nine days. That'll give any of you who haven't used the translators before a chance to practice. I know they're a bit awkward." Four members of the delegation carried the bulky devices. They weren't very efficient, in the opinion of the Ot'Hessan that used them. The synthesized voice did not convey emotion at all, and emotion was an important part of their language. Their written language had taken time to decipher primarily because it was full of what the linguists aboard the Enterprise referred to, for lack of a better term, as 'accent marks' that could not be effectively reproduced by the translator. Those marks tried and generally failed to communicate emotions and impressions.

There was a little grumbling over the need for them. "I know they're far from ideal, but they will get the bare bones of your message across."

"Bare bones?" Aela still wasn't really used to the way humans said things. "Ew."

Deborah smothered a laugh. It really was kind of gross when taken literally. "It means essentials. Bare minimum."

"Why not just say so, then?" a synthesized voice asked from across the table.

"It's just an expression, Vitex. I'm not sure how it got started. There are weirder ones you'll hear dealing with humans."

Hessa projected confirmation and Aela rolled her eyes. "Understatement."

Deborah chuckled and moved on to a new topic. "Keith Frasier doesn't have much use for modern technology. He tends to prefer living simply off the land when possible. The colonists he has gathered share his opinions. We'll be meeting at the site they've chosen to establish their town. Construction is already well under way. It's in a river valley a few degrees south of the planet's equator." She used the pad to pull up an image of the planet and of the valley where the initial colony site was being built. "There's plenty of land fit for farming, and the mountain range nearby is rich in various ores and minerals. There's a desert to the south of the valley, and the river leads to one of the planet's three oceans. Scans show the planet should have everything you need to build the crystal structures you're used to."

There was a general feeling of approval and relief from the Ot'Hessan.

"They've provided what data there is on the planet itself on the planetary survey. It's going to be a challenge starting over there, but I'm sure you'll rise to the challenge. And you won't be alone. The human colonists there will be working to tame that planet as well; find and develop local food crops, deal with local pests and diseases. That sort of thing."

"Then we should start reviewing the reports." Vitex suited actions to words as a pad floated toward him and propped itself up in front of him. The others did the same, pulling pads from the pile on the table. They didn't need one for each delegation member. The Ot'Hessan piled together, sharing their knowledge of what each could perceive, offering thoughts, feelings and opinions about what those actually reading the report could see.

Deborah moved through the report to find the section on identified pathogens. UdyAna needed to be examined for potential threats to all of its new inhabitants. There were, she noted, several strains of bacteria already identified, but they were nothing the standard antibiotics couldn't handle in humans. On another pad, she pulled up information on Ot'Hessan biology and began looking for potential problems.

OOOOOOOOOO

Lieutenant Evelyn Anders ducked to pass through the entrance to the office space she'd been assigned. SkyHome was many things, but it was not made for 5'4" bipedal individuals. They had carefully mapped the route from the shuttle craft that was serving as the diplomatic team's quarters, to the central area where the majority of her research was to be conducted. It was a bit round-about, as they had to use routes that were normally reserved for cargo and heavy equipment. The shuttle left for their use was both more comfortable and more convenient, but it was best to conduct the observations and interviews she needed aboard SkyHome in a place where the Ot'Hessan felt at home.

Evelyn found that she liked the Ot'Hessan; there was no denying that. There was much about them, however, that she did not understand. Hopefully, that would change over the next few weeks. Her thoughts of the day's schedule and her future course of study ground to a halt when she saw what was happening in the room.

"King's knight to queen's bishop three." Martin moved the chess piece as he spoke and settled back on the cushion he was sitting on to watch his opponents.

"You seem to be outnumbered Martin." Evelyn smiled faintly as she took in the odd sight. Scattered around the room were roughly 30 Ot'Hessan. It was impossible to tell exact numbers at a glance. They were clustered together in a semicircle around the chess set, some sprawling comfortably atop others in a manner that reminded her vaguely of a group of puppies piling together for warmth. Only a few of them were actually watching the board, but all seemed focused on the game based on what she could decipher of the images, emotions, and impressions she was picking up from the group.

"Yeah, but I'm still winning." He moved a black knight up one level and took a white bishop.

A white rook on the same level moved laterally and claimed a pawn. "Check." A synthesized voice announced.

Martin dropped his only remaining rook into a space to block. "Check and mate."

Surprise washed over the two Starfleet officers, and several more sets of eyes turned toward the board, examining it from different angles. "So it is," the synthesized voice allowed after a moment. "This is a fascinating game. I can see why it is so popular among your people."

"It's one of my favorites," Martin admitted. "Board games anyway."

"We aren't really designed for baseball," another synthesized voice pointed out. "Although I do find the statistics interesting. A simple game in some respects but mathematically complex."

"As cultural exchanges go," Anders commented mildly as she settled on a cushion next to Martin, "we seem to be coming up short. The histories I've read and the artworks I've seen are amazing, and we give you…games."

There was a wave of amusement from the Ot'Hessan. "Our histories are not nearly as colorful or exciting as yours," one of the translator equipped members of the group commented.

"That's a good thing," Anders pointed out ruefully. Repressing a sigh as she thought of some of Earth's more colorful periods, she continued. "So many parts of my home world's history are violent, showing us at our worst. Frankly, it's a bit embarrassing."

"That is true on every world, I imagine," the Ot'Hessan answered. "Strangely enough, some of the more unfortunate parts of our history involve people doing what they thought was best. Some things are obvious only in retrospect, such as when the Ot'Hessan of the southern coast needed resources and moved into the mountains. None of them realized that the region was inhabited at the time or that taking the resources the southerners needed would create such problems."

Anders nodded, allowing that that was true on many worlds. They spent the next hour talking about Ot'Hessan history and cultural development. This included forays into their art as well. The Ot'Hessan had painting, sculpture, and performance art, but literature, at least fiction, was thin on the ground. Poetry was also noticeably lacking. Music did exist, but it was considered an eccentricity, and it did not have the cultural presence or impact that it did on many worlds.

For their part, the Ot'Hessan found the odd patterns of sound, whether produced by voice or instrument, to be mostly noise. A mathematician in the group found the patterns of the more complex musical scores interesting, and had listened to Beethoven's symphonies repeatedly.

The lack of literature was less of a mystery after it was pointed out that most Ot'Hessan considered text to be a very limited form of communication. It was used for keeping records, preparing legal contracts, and creating accounts of historical events, but it was not used for telling each other stories. After a moment, Martin compared it to humans having a conversation via Morse code. It was functional, but it was also slow and clumsy and far from ideal for expressing ideas.

"Makes sense." Anders nodded. "Your method of communication is, to my knowledge, unique. When talking to you, we always get the impression that we're missing most of the meaning. I know Hessa tried hard to communicate with us, and it came easier to some than others. Usually, she seemed content if we got the general idea."

The conversation drifted to different forms of communication and then to cultural differences. Anders knew a few amusing stories about cultural misunderstandings. The Ot'Hessan didn't understand all of them, as the notion of spoken language was fairly new to them, but they knew enough to understand that mistakes could lead to awkward situations.

It was a good step, she later reflected, for establishing solid, lasting relations with the Ot'Hessan. She suspected that, one day, they would make fine additions to the Federation, being essentially in protectorate status already.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Whose idea was this again?" Davies asked as he wriggled across the courtyard, staying as low as possible to avoid the phaser fire.

"Yours." Yuki answered as she wriggled beside him, wincing as the red beams came entirely too close.

"Oh, right." He flattened as the wall they were using for cover suddenly became an inch shorter. "Why did you listen to me?"

"Temporary insanity?" She speculated as they picked up the pace. It wasn't quick or easy as they paused to return fire when the opportunity arose, but they reached the far side of the courtyard without being tagged. They hadn't hit either of their enemies either, but that wasn't really the point. "We're in position," Yuki said into her communicator.

"So are we." Travis called from inside the building, directly behind where Worf and Morris crouched, trying to get a bead on Davies and Yuki. The two targets of the training exercise whirled to find themselves being covered. "You two might want to give up."

"Please drop your weapons," Suvok instructed.

Worf and Morris put down their phasers. "How did you get back there?" Morris wanted to know. He'd secured the only other entrance to the building himself. They would have made a horrible racket if Travis and Suvok had come in that way.

"Save it for the review." Worf stood up. "Computer. End program. Good work. Debrief in conference room four in ten minutes."

"Yes, sir," the others responded as a group. They each went to clean up a bit before the meeting to review their performance. Davies changed out of his uniform. The dirt had vanished as soon as he'd left the holodeck, but the uniform was still mussed and sweat-soaked. The change only took a few moments and he headed for the conference room. He made it just under the wire.

"Well done, everyone." Worf said once they were seated. "The plan of attack was well orchestrated. Davies and Yuki serving as distractions while Travis and Suvok outflanked us. I believe I know how you got in. I want to hear it from you."

"You blocked the main entrance to the building with an elaborate trap." Suvok explained. "You were playing the parts of criminals, seeking to escape the consequences of your actions. It was logical that you would leave yourself a means of escape. We located that escape route and used it to gain entrance."

Worf nodded. "That was the appropriate answer. The profile you gave was of a desperate criminal, not unintelligent, and not the type to trap himself. Such operations rarely go as planned. Your ability to adapt in the heat of the moment can be crucial, as each of you know. I've prepared a series of holodeck training exercises. Each will test your ability to adapt. And after each, we will analyze your performance closely."

"Anything we could have done better today?" Davies asked.

"You tell me." Worf responded.

"Hmm." He thought a moment. "The diversion was a bit riskier than was strictly necessary, but all the more effective for it."

Worf nodded approvingly, and began to review each stage of the operation in detail. With a two week journey to the site of their next mission ahead of them, there would be ample time for such exercises. The Enterprise' chief of security had decided to take full advantage.

Heading into unknown space always brought the potential for new threats. They couldn't prepare for every eventuality, but they could have plans in place that would allow them to adapt quickly to new situations.

At the moment, the Enterprise was carrying a delegation to the Vatai home world in order to establish formal diplomatic relations. The Vatai ship that had rendezvoused with them and collected the colonists had left the Enterprise with protocols for communication with their government.

The Enterprise had already used them to gather information on the Skreelii and the Alasi'ar and share what they themselves knew. So far, things were going well. The captain and the diplomats the ship carried were to build on that foundation to establish a lasting friendship. Setting a border, establishing communication channels, exchanging cultural information that would serve as a basis for trade, and hopefully the first steps toward a mutual defense agreement were all on the agenda.

It was overly optimistic, Davies thought, but that was not his area, so he kept his opinions to himself. He had his hands full with the current training regimen. Rose was hopeful that, since they were in the general area, first contact with the Alasi'ar could be arranged.

"I'm sure the captain is aware and has considered it. No one has said anything to me, though. I'll bring it up with commander Riker, and see what he knows."

"Thanks, daddy. I know a starship has more important things to do, but I can't help but be curious about them."

"One of the Enterprise' primary missions is to make peaceful first contact with other star-faring species. This would seem a good opportunity, but it's not my decision."

"I understand."

OOOOOOOOOO

Davies arranged to meet with Riker the next day. He laid out Rose' concerns and asked his question as quickly and simply as he could. He was still a bit embarrassed over what had happened on the away mission during which he'd gotten a concussion.

"I can understand her curiosity." Riker had allowed, sounding sympathetic. "Right now, our mission is to formalize diplomatic relations with the Vatai. Depending on how that goes, we'll see. We are in the neighborhood after all."

"That's what I was thinking." Davies admitted, not sure what Riker was leading up to or if he simply didn't know.

"A visit to them wouldn't be out of order, but we'd have to pass through Vatai space. The outcome of our current mission will have a lot to do with whether we can make contact with the Alasi'ar. I'll bring it up with the captain and see what our orders and our schedule allows."

"I appreciate that, sir." Davies knew that that had been the best he could reasonably hope for. Meeting the Alasi'ar was important to Rose, but the ship had its own priorities. It wasn't too much to hope for, but he had to be realistic, and he had told Rose as much.

"I've been told Rose has been a big help." Riker changed the topic. "The programs she's designed for various departments have increased efficiency by as much as 30% in some areas. She's been a real asset."

"She's smart and loves that kind of work. Wish I could take credit for it, but it all comes natural to her."

"An odd thing to say about an AI," Riker mused. "But I think you've had more of an effect on her than you realize. You might not have anything to teach her about computers, but she's fitting in better, making friends. She's a genuinely nice person and she's learning more about being part of a community every day. Some of that, at least, is your influence."

"I suppose it is." Davies acknowledged the point. "She makes me proud." He smiled. "Even if I've no reason to be."

"I know we'll be trying to make contact with the Alasi'ar at some point." Riker assured him. "I think you and Rose will be a part of that mission."

"It's too bad the Vatai don't know more about them," Davies said. "First contact… well any mission really, always goes smoother with more information."

Riker shrugged. "We do what we can. The captain has lots of experience with first contact, though. And he's rarely had much information to work with, if any, during those missions. Nothing is ever certain, lieutenant. Not in our line of work at any rate."

"True, sir. But we do the best we can."

"That we do." The Enterprise' first officer agreed with a smile.

OOOOOOOOOO

"It's beautiful." The Missouri made orbit on schedule with no unforeseen problems. View ports in the ship's mess provided an excellent view. UdyAna was a colorful planet to be sure. There were varying shades of green, brown, red, and white visible on the land. The seas were a darker shade of blue than on Earth, but they seemed to offset the colorful land perfectly.

"Yes. It sure is." Deborah agreed, placing a hand on Aela's shoulder. "The colony should be…right about there." She pointed to a river valley that ran to an ocean slightly smaller than the Indian Ocean. It would have counted as an inland sea if not for the two hundred kilometer wide channel that connected it to a much larger body of water to the northwest.

"The colony has contacted us." Captain Gangadharan spoke from behind them without preamble. "We can transport you to the colony at any time. Frasier will meet you."

Deborah nodded. "I'll let the delegation know." The Missouri's captain, never one to waste words, nodded and withdrew. "Motor mouth."

Aela giggled. "I would think a starship captain would be more diplomatic."

"The Missouri spends most of its time inside the Federation borders running errands between bases, member worlds, and colonies. I'm sure he can be diplomatic when he needs to be. At any rate, we should get going."

"Okay. The delegates are waiting."

Deborah cocked her head to one side, realizing that she was getting that impression, too. They were eager to see the colony and meet the people they hoped would be their new neighbors. "I think the entire ship know that."

"Most of them aren't too used to being around aliens," Aela said. "I wonder if that's why the captain was that way."

"Maybe," Deborah allowed, "but his first officer mentioned that he's normally pretty reserved. So, who knows." She checked the time. "Let's get going." They walked out of the mess and headed for the quarters where the delegation was organizing. Aela wasn't sure what they were organizing. They hadn't brought much with them. It wasn't like the Ot'Hessan wore clothes or carried much in the way of equipment.

That started an odd series of images in her head that made her giggle quietly and earned her a few curious looks from the Ot'Hessan when they entered the quarters. Deborah noted the exchange, but she decided not to ask.

"Time to head down. Frasier has been contacted and he's waiting for us." The delegates projected their eagerness, and she glanced about the room to see if she was forgetting anything, and then grabbed the case she'd prepared earlier and led the way to the transporter room. The transporter chief, a Vulcan ensign, nodded politely as they entered and waited for the entire group to take its place on the pad.

"Tranporter room one to bridge. The delegation is ready to beam down."

"Send them on their way," the captain responded over the comm. "Frasier is ready for them."

The familiar sensation of the transporter washed over Deborah and the room faded out, only to be replaced by a field of bluish-green grass. The sky was the same shade of blue as on Earth, but the air felt different in a way she couldn't immediately define. The sky was cloudless at the moment, and a cool breeze blew across the field.

To the east, or what Deborah judged to be east, was a long low prefab building. To the west was an open field that had been recently plowed. People were moving down the rows, planting seeds by hand. There was no sign of modern farm equipment.

"Welcome to UdYana."

Deborah turned from the field to find a man walking toward them. He was a thin man, rather short, with close-cropped blonde hair and a welcoming smile. "Keith Frasier?"

"Yes. You must be Dr. Chambers." He turned his attention to the delegation. "And this, I take it, is the Ot'Hessan delegation. Welcome. It is a pleasure to have you here."

Vitex moved forward, shifting his translator into position. "I am Vitex. On behalf of the Ot'Hessan, thank you for this opportunity. The People are grateful."

Frasier nodded, acknowledging the short speech, grateful that the communications would not be as awkward as he had feared. "When I was told of your plight, I could hardly do otherwise. UdYana is a big world." A note of some emotion Deborah couldn't identify crept into his voice. "Plenty of room for your people and mine, and I feel certain we can find common ground."

There was a brief pause before Vitex responded, and Deborah felt a flash of surprise and then curiosity from the designated ambassador. "Your statement about the room available on UdYana feels rueful." Vitex noted rather bluntly, Deborah thought. "Are things not as you expected here?"

If Frasier was surprised or angry over Vitex reading his emotions, he did not show it and evidently didn't feel it either. He chuckled. "Honest and direct as most telepathic species are. I appreciate those qualities. So I'll get straight to it. The number of people in the Federation willing to live as we do is surprisingly small." He admitted. "Embarrassingly small, actually. My species do like their creature comforts. There are enough of us for a sustainable colony, but this world will need a larger population to tame it. This is a simple statement of fact. We need you as much as you need a new world to live on. What remains to be seen is if our peoples can coexist."

Vitex considered this for a moment. "The information provided on this world does indicate that cooperation would yield the best results for both populations," Vitex concurred. "We reviewed the planetary survey and the initial reports that were included in the information we received. It is always preferable to communicate directly, though. Can you show us your colony and tell us about the challenges you've faced here?"

"Of course. Follow me. It will be a month before the Missouri returns. That should be plenty of time to learn and address any concerns both groups have."

Frasier led the group along the edge of the field where a high yield grain was being planted. In a field to the south, root vegetables were already beginning to sprout. He told them that there were other fields farther out that they could visit, if they wished, later. There were only four main buildings at the moment and individual family homes were being constructed further north.

The building they'd first seen on arriving was a storehouse where much of their food store was kept, as well as tools, building materials and various household items that were being stored till the individual homes were ready. When the crops were harvested, much of it would be stored there, but a grain silo was being planned, as were additional storage facilities specifically for food, better sealed against environmental changes and native vermin. They had already determined that the planet had its own version of mice.

The building beyond the storehouse was basically a barracks. Living space was limited as yet, so many of the colonists currently on planet slept in the barracks. The close quarters, Frasier chuckled, gave them motivation to put up the prefab homes faster.

Frasier paused when he felt the reaction to the statement he'd made half in jest. He turned to glance curiously at the delegation. They felt surprised and confused at his statement. Despite his study, feeling someone else's emotions was not something he was really prepared for. That, he realized, is going to take a little getting used to.

"The Ot'Hessan are a very…social people." Deborah explained. "The idea of wanting to be alone with your own thoughts is strange to them. Even to those who've gotten used to being around aliens. It's normal for large numbers of them to live in close quarters." She glanced at Vitex. "It probably seems strange that we would work hard to put space between ourselves."

"Indeed," Vitex answered, fumbling a bit with his translator. "Such desires among my own people are considered a sign of mental aberration. It is one that has proven useful, ironically enough."

"I read the information provided about your people." Frasier nodded, thinking back. "They indicated as much. It must have been difficult for the pilots selected for the scouting mission, regardless of their…dispositions."

"It was." Vitex acknowledged. "Both Hessa and Sakura," an image of the two appeared in Aela, Deborah, and Frasier's minds, "were scout pilots. I can't imagine doing what they did." He paused as they approached another building, this one serving as a workshop/garage. "It must be hard for humans to understand our point of view. No one in your community would find it odd if you wanted to spend time alone or accepted a task that isolated you from others of your kind. For us, it is different."

"Perhaps it's just a matter of degree." Frasier suggested, having considered the issue. "We consider ourselves a very social people. While spending some time alone is not considered unusual, those who take it to an extreme can be a source of concern. It usually takes someone deliberately choosing to cut off contact for extended periods, months or even years, to provoke any worry, though."

"Perhaps," Vitex agreed as Frasier opened the door. "Hessa did seek out connections with others as soon as she was able." Images of Deborah and Aela flashed in their minds.

"Perfectly understandable," Frasier answered as Deborah and Aela traded looks. They'd gotten used to being completely honest with each other, thanks to Hessa. Telepathy, especially the form of communication the Ot'Hessan used, did not lend itself to casual deception of others or of one's self. Like many telepathic species, the Ot'Hessan could be unthinkingly honest. The polite lies humans and many other species indulged in were simply not understood. It led to awkward moments, occasionally, but all in all, Deborah believed she and Aela were better off for it.

"All three of us needed that connection." Deborah offered. "We needed each other."

Frasier nodded with a slight smile and led the way inside. They found themselves in a long corridor with a number of doors leading off it. "This is our workshop. Most of the machines that we can't get along without are stored here." He pointed to several doors in turn. "There are workshops for repairing electronic and mechanical devices, and spare parts are stored in there. We have an industrial replicator as well, but it doesn't get much use. We do most of our work by hand." He pointed to a door at the end of the building. "Over there is our vehicle bay. There are three cargo haulers for moving supplies, as well as three small scout vehicles for exploring as it becomes necessary."

He pointed to the door at the other end of the corridor. "That is our communications center and general admin area. What computers we have to use are there. The colony's records are stored there as well." He led the way to a cross corridor and through the building to a door leading out the other side. "The last building we have finished construction on is our hospital."

He pointed to another long low building. "We have two doctors with us and several people with medical training that serve as nurses when the need arises. At the moment, everyone wears several hats."

"How many people do you have here?" Aela asked.

"At the moment? Only about two hundred. We're expecting roughly four thousand by the time we're fully up and running."

"That is a small number for starting a colony," Deborah admitted. "I'm surprised the Federation agreed to it."

"We have tentative agreements from others, but I'm not counting on them. Some have families whose members don't relish the idea of moving away from the comforts of the settled Federation worlds." He shook his head resignedly. "We do like our creature comforts. Life in the modern Federation is far too convenient. We rely on technology for everything and have forgotten how to do even the simplest things without a computer. Frankly, I find it worrying. That's why I founded this colony. We aren't going entirely 'back to nature' despite what some of our detractors have indicated. The medical facilities are fully modern." He glanced at Deborah. "Not a leech to be found."

Deborah rolled her eyes at the variation on what was an old joke in the medical field. She glanced at the delegation when she felt their curiosity. "Really, folks. You'll be happier not knowing."

Frasier laughed softly as he led them toward the hospital to continue the tour. This, he decided, was going to be interesting.

OOOOOOOOOO

Martin brought the shuttle out of warp and made adjustments necessary to smoothly enter orbit 10,000 kilometers from the Ot'Hessan explorer ship. "Hailing the ship," he said, responding to the images projected by the council members aboard. Text that he still couldn't quite read appeared on one of the screens. "Colony is off to a good start, it seems." He got the gist of the message.

"Good to hear." Evelyn Anders moved up from the back of the shuttle and took the copilot seat. "I'm eager to see how they go about setting up a colony." She checked the scans. "I only see one ship. I thought two were sent here."

One of the council overheard the question and projected an image of an explorer ship in flight, followed by an image of the home world and an impression of busy industry.

"Already heading back for another load of colonists?" Anders glanced toward the council where they were gathered at the back of the shuttle. She received a projection of affirmation. "Nice to know things are going so well."

"They planned things out pretty well," Martin said, making some minor adjustments to their course and heading. To get the council members in range of 'normal' communication, he'd have to nearly land on the explorer ship's hull.

The tidally locked world, simply designated 'colony 1,' boasted a breathable atmosphere and compatible life forms for food, and no overly dangerous predators. That made it one of the best they'd found so far. No one knew quite what to expect of the weather, as there were virtually no M-class tidally locked worlds. The conditions on the few that existed tended to vary widely. The Ot'Hessan had made the decision to build their structures to withstand virtually anything. That, of course, was easier said than done.

Martin detected shuttles moving between the explorer ship and the colony, ferrying people, supplies, and equipment. The shuttle came to within 10 meters of the explorer ship and settled in to fly in close formation, as the Federation shuttle could not dock directly with the ship; incompatible equipment. He could feel the communication flowing between the council members and the crew of the ship, exchanging information, but he didn't pay too much attention as it wasn't directed at him, and the information wasn't immediately relevant. They'd let him know if he was needed for something specific.

Anders, he noted, was paying rapt attention, but it was probably moving too fast for her to understand more than about 40%. She had taken to their method of communication fairly easily, which was one of the reasons why she'd been chosen for the mission. He couldn't tell how much she was getting, but she seemed satisfied to listen.

One of the council members projected an image of the shuttle landing at the colony.

"Right. ETA, 20 minutes." He gently guided the shuttle away from the explorer ship and headed for the planet's surface. The small ship moved smoothly down from orbit and into the atmosphere. As the explorer ship was in geostationary orbit over the colony, it wouldn't be a long trip. He locked onto the navigational beacon set up at Colony 1 and started down, running routine scans as he did.

The scans revealed that construction had already begun at the chosen site, a wide river valley a few degrees north of the equator. It wasn't long before the buildings themselves became visible. They weren't elaborate or colorful, but they did look fairly solid. Two large structures were at the center of the effort, and three smaller ones were spaced evenly around the larger structures at 12:00, 4:00, and 8:00. They were the whole of it at the moment.

There were several ships moving about in the lower atmosphere, and track mounted vehicles moving across the ground. As they drew closer, Martin was able to make out land cleared for new construction and plowed fields outside the circle. The navigational beacon directed him to an area at the southern edge of the colony, just inside the perimeter established by the three towers. He could see now that that was what they were, and he wondered at their function. There was nothing on the planet to guard against, at least as far as he knew.

Bringing the shuttle down smoothly, he shut down the engines and opened the hatch for the delegates. The dozen Ot'Hessan spilled out and began making their way toward the central buildings. A small crowd came out to meet them, and they were soon an undifferentiated mass of feathery bodies.

Martin and lt. Anders skirted the group and headed for the colony's center. Martin looked about as they walked, noting the low bush equivalents. They had the general appearance and texture of certain desert plants on Earth. The succulents were tough, but lacked thorns. Each formed a bowl ideal for catching water. The ground cover was mostly slender grass like plants with narrow stalks that flared out at the top, turning a rather pretty shade of blue.

Botany was not his subject, but he wondered at the structure of the plants he saw. The ones he could see seemed designed to extract and hold moisture. The fan-like leaves were creased slightly, providing water a channel to run down. That might say some interesting things about the weather on the planet, and he decided he should ask about the colony's water situation. He tabled the thoughts for later, though, as they approached the buildings.

The two buildings were, respectively, living space for the entire current population, and a combination storehouse and command center for colony operations. They looked about as they moved toward the command center. Construction was proceeding rapidly. A lot more had been done in the previous six weeks than they had thought possible.

"Well," Martin allowed. "They are much better at communicating and coordinating their efforts than most races."

Anders nodded. "Still very impressive." She looked about and considered carefully as they walked. "You've got their machines to study and see if you can improve, I've got the colony's newly evolving social structure to learn about. I think we'll have our hands full."

"I like a challenge." Martin smiled. Then he glanced about at the rushing Ot'Hessan he could see in the distance. "Things are going to change for 'em," Martin noted. "The 'warmth of the whole' is going to be seriously diminished here."

"We don't know if there's a threshold of some sort." Anders said thoughtfully. "It might take several thousand or a million to achieve a similar effect for them."

"We do know they don't like bein' without it."

"The larger the community, the happier and healthier they are as a society. That's what their history and all of their studies in psychology indicate."

Martin frowned. "I don't see that there's much we can to do for them about that."

"Right now, the point is to learn," Anders explained. "Societal problems aren't solved overnight, and we don't even fully understand the nature of this problem." She gestured for him to follow her to the south, around the control center to the vehicle bay entrance. Accommodations for their human friends had not been part of the design for the colony structures.

Several Ot'Hessan came out to meet them. A large blue female emerged slightly ahead of the group and addressed them, using a translator. "Welcome to colony 1. We have been told you wish to study our methods."

"That's right." Martin nodded. "I've gotten a pretty good feel for your technology while I was on SkyHome, but the terraforming methods are hard to examine on a space station."

Anders addressed the group. "I'm here to study how your people react to this new situation. While isolation has been studied in your people, in ships that could return home at any time, this situation is new."

"Yes," the spokesman with the translator agreed after a moment. "The warmth of the whole is greatly diminished here, and it could be years before we are reunited with the whole."

"There are more colonists coming," Martin pointed out. "Thousands."

"That will be welcome," the spokesman agreed, and both humans could feel the agreement and eagerness of the others. Anders nodded. She had expected that reaction. This is going to be interesting.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Approaching the Alasi'ar system." The ensign at the helm reported as he made preparations to drop out of warp.

"Drop out of warp," Picard ordered, as predicted. "We know nothing about these people and don't wish to cause any alarm."

"Dropping out of warp, aye."

"Scan the system." All they had to go on was the long range scan provided by the Vatai. Picard wanted a better idea of what they were walking into.

"The system has 13 planets," Data reported. "The five outer planets are gas giants. Number seven is class Y. The only habitable planet in the system is the fourth planet. It reads as L-class. The rest are uninhabitable barren rocks. There are a total of 103 moons in the system. Sensors indicate none are M-class."

"Any sign of the Alasi'ar?" Riker asked.

"The L-class planet has a network or artificial satellites. I am reading signal traffic between them and the surface." His console beeped as the Enterprise passed the 10th planet. "We are being scanned. Sensors now indicate concealed satellites in the rings of the closest gas giant. I would hypothesize that there are similar satellites throughout the system."

"Makes sense." Riker glanced at his captain. "With neighbors like the Skreelii, I'd want plenty of warning about unexpected guests, too."

Picard nodded absently. "Let them have a good look. We've nothing to hide."

The Enterprise sailed on unchallenged until it approached the fourth planet. There was a ship waiting for them in orbit. It was larger and better armed than the Alasi'ar vessel they'd discovered months ago.

"Impressive design," Riker murmured as the ship became clearly visible on screen.

"They are hailing us." Worf reported.

Picard stood; his expression carefully neutral. There was no telling what might offend an alien race during first contact. It was always a careful balance, projecting the right image while trying to read an alien race he'd never met for signs of their feelings and potential reactions. It was a complex, occasionally nerve-wracking process. He loved this part of the job.