Comets. For millennia, humans feared them. They heralded the death of kings, the fall of empires and brought plagues.
By the 20th century, people understood they were only dirty snowballs, shedding dust and gas as they approached the sun. The only fear was the slight chance of an impact. By the 24th century, all comets in the Sol System had been charted and were tracked by artificial intelligence. Any comet that threatened Earth, any planet or space station could easily be deflected.
But for the people of the planet Neavah, at the edge of explored space, comets were celebrated. It was believed they brought life. They didn't understand comets. Their technology was just bringing them out of what for Earth was the dark ages.
One comet in particular, Mushah, was central to Neavah's mythology. By an unlikely quirk of orbital mechanics, it passed very close to Neavah. Like Comet Haley of the Sol System, that pass came once a life time.
For five year old Mikah, tonight was that pass. He stood on the over look above the village square holding hands with his grandfather. His grandfather was fortunate, he was about to join a small group of people who had watched Mushah twice in their life time and if Mikah was just as lucky, he too, would witness Mushah twice.
The sun was setting in the west, the sky was still bright when Mushah came into sight. No one spoke, for hours everyone watched transfixed on the comet nucleus. Like a giant pin wheel, it slowly rotated across the sky. Jets of dust and gas erupted from the nucleus and arched across the sky, seemingly embracing the planet. Occasionally, bright meteors would streak across the sky. Bringing new life to Neavah.
The eastern sky was beginning to brighten. Mushah began to fade away. Though the comet would be visible for several more weeks, the show was over. It would be another life time before Mushah would return and be so close and bright.
The villagers, filled with a sense of enlightenment and love for one another over what they had just shared, began to disperse. Later that day Mikah would go with his grandfather and get a comet tattoo on his forehead. In another life time, he like his grandfather, would sport two on his forehead.
Twenty years later
Mikah, now a soldier, stumbled through the front doors of the great library. His arms full of books. He walked to the city square, and flung them into the fire. So far, the war to stop the spread of knowledge, had gone well. This was the third library to be sacked. Resistance had been light.
Mikah regretted what he did. But, he, like his friends from the village, were conscripts. Disobeying orders would bring pain and possibly death, even to the family.
Rumors where, that the Eastern province was organizing an army. Mikah hoped the army could rise up and put an end to this fools errand. Then, if he and his friends survived, he could go home.
He went back into the library and began to gather up more books. Then he saw it. Gold embossed, with the words, "Comet Mushah" on the front. No matter what it meant. He would protect this book with his life.
Hoping no one would notice, he quickly stuffed it in his small back pack. Then he dutifully delivered another arm load of books to the burn pile.
Mikah's hopes were answered in less than a week. The Eastern army overwhelmed and crushed the Northern army. Though ordered to fight to the death, Mikah and his friends surrendered.
"They'll kill you anyway." His commanders had told them. But Mikah would rather die at the hands of an Eastern savage, than die for something he didn't believe in.
They were taken to a prison camp where they were treated well and fed better food than the Northern army provided.
Then the day came. One by one guards led Mikah's friends away. Surely to be executed, Mikah thought.
Finally, they came for him. He was led to a tent and forced to sit across a table from an old man with the face of the devil himself. He opened a piece of paper and read Mikah's personal information.
Then he asked, "Why did you, a simple cobbler of shoes, come here?"
"I..." Mikah said meekly fearing any word could be his last, "didn't want to. But I...we had..."
"No choice." the old man finished for him. "We knew what your leaders were capable of. That's why we spared none of them. The damage your Northern army did, can be repaired. But to harm you and your kind would inflict a wound on Neavah that would never heal. Your friends are waiting outside the camp. Go in peace." He picked up Mikah's back pack and slid it across the table.
Mikah stood and reached for his pack.
"Wait." the old man said. He opened the backpack and took out the book. "You took this from one of our libraries. You were supposed to burn it. But you saved it. Why?"
"It's about Mushah the bringer of life. I couldn't allow it to be burned."
"You realize, if your superiors had found it, you'd have been killed on the spot."
"I didn't care. I was tired of destroying. I wanted to save something."
"I understand. You may go." Mikah picked up his backpack and turned to leave.
"Wait." The old man said. Mikah turned around, thinking he was being toyed with and this was the end.
The old man slid the book across the table. "Take it. The Northern province is going to need as many books as they can get." Now, the old man looked more kind, than devilish.
Many years later
Mikah, now an old man, set the tripod to his small telescope, or bring near, as the villagers called it, up on the over look above the village square. Musha would be making it's once a life time pass in a few weeks and Mikah wanted to be the first from his village to see it.
He heard steps approaching. He looked up and smiled, it was the young woman he had met a few nights ago. She was what was called a "Traveling Student," A person who travels from town to town learning about the world.
When they they first met, he had correctly guessed, judging from her complexion and the unusually sharp points of her ears, she must come the high elevations of the far western province. She had spent the the two nights looking through his bring near and seemed interested in hearing his, brutally honest assessment of Neavah's history.
"Evening greetings." She said.
"Ah. The sun is still up." Mikah said. "Afternoon greetings, would be more appropriate, here in the North."
"That's right. I'll get used to your language eventually." She winced and touched her left ear.
"Are you alright?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Been spending to much time in the night air. We Westerners aren't used to the cold you know. Just a minor ear ache. I intend to stay all night if I have to. I too want to be one of the first to see Mushah."
Again, she winced in greater pain.
"Then again. Maybe not." She said.
"Perhaps you should return to the church dormitory, and stay warm." Mikah said.
"That, maybe a good idea. Sorry, I was looking forward to tonight. For tonight I bid thee farewell."
"Till tomorrow night?"
"Yes, I will be back tomorrow."
Mikah watched as she descended the stairs. He would miss her company. There was something mysterious about her. But he was confident he would figure it out. He returned to setting up his bring near.
When the young woman was out of sight of Mikah and certain no one was near. She ducked behind a small storage building, touched the locket that hung around her neck.
"Ahida to Excelsior, one to beam up."
Ahida materialized on the transporter pad. The transporter officer, Mr. Kyle, touched the com and said, "She's aboard, Captain."
"About time." She heard Captain Sulu almost shout. "Send her to my ready room."
The door to Sulu's ready room was barely open when Ahida exclaimed, "Captain why was I ordered to beam up?" She noticed the stars streaming passed the windows. "And why have we left Neavah?"
"Good to see you too." Sulu said. "We've been ordered to Star Base 189, to pick up Dr. Shotak and his Xenobiology team from the Vulcan Science Academy and bring them back to Neavah."
"Star Base 189? That's a twelve week round trip. I should have been allowed to stay and continue my research. These people are advancing so fast. Their physiology is so much like Vulcan's. Even their language. I believe they may be Vulcans, transferred here by the Preservers."
"You're research on these people has touched a nerve back on Vulcan and the Federation. The Federation has put Neavah as priority one for research and Dr. Shotak doesn't want to take a chance of any contamination, even by accident. He wanted all Excelsior crew off the planet until we return and his team can begin setting up cloaked blinds. That means you had to come up."
"That brings up another thing I need to discuss with you. I've been in contact with Professor Shotak about joining his team. He's agreed, as soon as we return to Neavah, I'll be resigning from Star Fleet. I intend to make Neavah my life's work."
Sulu looked stunned for a moment and then smiled.
"You'll be missed. But I understand. It's been clear ever since we came across this planet, you've developed quite an... emotional, attachment."
"Emotional? Captain, you know me better than that. I'm Vulcan. I don't allow my emotions to dictate my actions."
"I know you better than that. You've never been afraid to show emotion. But you have better control than most Vulcan's."
"Thank you, sir."
"And if you ever change your mind, there will always be a science station on the bridge for you."
Back on Neavah, Mikah jumped up from his telescope. He felt like dancing or singing. He bent back down and looked again. There it was in the middle of his eyepiece. Barely brighter than the background sky and right where his book said it would be. Comet Musha. For the first time since he was five years old. He was gazing on the most important celestial object to the Neavah.
For the next twelve weeks Mikah was out on the overlook if it was clear. He was amazed at how accurate the book was that he had saved all those years ago. Every night Comet Mushah was exactly where it was supposed to be. It brightened smoothly, just as the book said it would. Eventually, just a week before it's once in a life time close pass, it became bright enough to see with the unaided eye.
Then, the night before closest approach to Neavah, Mikah saw something he didn't understand. As the evening sky darkened and Mushah came into view, it was noticeably brighter than it should be.
Over the next two hours its magnitude faded back to its predicted brightness. But its position was off by more than a degree and continued to widen. Mikah watched until the sun came up and Mushah faded into the daylight sky.
Mikah went home and compared his notes and drawings of the comet's movements against the background stars. His book made no mention of any such behavior by the comet over the half dozen apparitions since the Neavah began record keeping.
All day, Mikah went over and double checked his notes and figures. Compared them to his book. He didn't sleep. Finally, he was convinced. It was unlikely he had made a mistake. But the facts and figures on his desk were undeniable. He glance up at the pendulum clock on the wall.
In less than an hour, Comet Mushah, the bringer of life, would plunge into the Northern Ocean at seventy kilometers per second. It would unleash unimaginable forces and terrible destruction. He doubted anything would survive.
He wondered what was happening in the great cities in the Eastern province. There were more learned men with access to larger telescopes and more sophisticated instruments than he had. Was there panic in the streets? Maybe he was wrong, and people were gathering for that once a lifetime pass.
There was nothing Mikah could do but hope he was wrong. He gathered up his notes and his book. He went to his bedroom opened the case to his telescope, put everything in, closed it and placed it back under his bed.
There was a knock at his door. Oh, no. He thought, he should have met his family at the overlook by now. But he had been to preoccupied with his unfortunate discovery. He opened the door, it was his granddaughter.
"Grandfather," she asked, "did you forget what night this is?"
"Of course not." He replied. "I've just been a little preoccupied."
Together, they departed for the overlook.
"You're not bringing your bring near?" His granddaughter asked.
"Maybe later. I want to see Mushah the way I remember it when I was small."
Mikah's family and a large number of villagers had already gathered.
The sun had not set, but the sky was dark enough that Mushah came into view. It was obvious to Mikah and several of the villagers, that something was wrong. Mushah was low on the northern horizon. It should have been much higher. It wasn't the bright white everyone was expecting. It was a bright orange.
"Grandfather? What is wrong?" His granddaughter asked. "Why is Mushah angry? Why are sparks flying off?"
"Everything will be alright." He pulled her close, put her head against his chest and began to hum her favorite lullaby.
Excelsior 0100 hours
Ahida couldn't sleep. She dressed and left her quarters. If Captain Sulu was true his word he had increased speed and Excelsior would be in visible range in a few minutes. At least she would be able to see Mushah's close approach from the bridge. Besides, her resignation would be official in a few hours and then she would have a life time to study the people she had grown so fond of.
As she stepped onto the bridge she noticed that Captain Sulu was in his seat. He turned and smiled.
"Here to see the comet?"
"Of course." She said. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm surprised your up. After all, you seem to think it a bit odd to want to see a comet."
"Yes, but I know what it means to you, and its importance to Neavah. I thought it important to be on the bridge."
"Captain," the Navigator said, "we are in visual range of Neavah."
"On screen, maximum magnification."
On the forward screen, the blue and white world of Neavah appeared. Comet Mushah's tail could be seen sweeping away to one side. Then there was a blinding light that overwhelmed the screen.
"What the..." Sulu exclaimed as he rose from the command chair.
Ahida immediately knew what was happening. She closed her eyes. This was no time for emotions. She could sense millions of minds crying out in terror. She pushed them and all her emotions away. So far away that she barely felt anything.
The bright light began to fade, the blue and white world was still there, but a mushroom cloud could be seen rising above the north pole. But worst of all, a shock wave could be seen radiating away, engulfing the planet. The bridge crew sat in stunned silence.
"What the hell just happened?" Sulu turned to Ahida. As if delivering a routine weather report Ahida responded.
"Obviously, we have miscalculated Comet Mushah's orbit. It has just impacted the planet."
"Obviously!" Sulu exclaimed. "We should have known the orbit of that comet to the meter. We could have deflected it."
He sat down and punched the comm on his command chair.
"Transporter room, are you monitoring?"
"Aye sir, I'm aware of the situation."
"As soon as we are in range, begin beaming as many people as possi..."
"Belay that order." Ahida shouted as she reached down and shut off the comm.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sulu shouted as he jumped up and came face to face with his Chief Science Officer.
"Sir, the Prime Directive, Section two, Para..."
"Don't you dare quote the Prime Directive to me." He thrust a finger at the forward view screen. "We are watching a billion people die. The people you were willing to resign for and make your life's work. And your'e quoting the Prime Directive."
He leaned over the navigator's shoulder. It was too late. They were too far away. He watched in silence as the shock wave swept over the planet's only continent. He turned and glared at Ahida, who stood calmly as if nothing of great significance had happened.
"Shouldn't you be at your post, Commander?" Sulu snapped.
"Aye, Sir." Ahida relieved the night shift science officer and took her post.
"I want a preliminary report by 0700. I want to know if there was anything we could have done to prevent this."
Sulu sat back down in his command chair. For several minutes he stared at the now ugly brown planet.
"Captain," Ahida turned from her station, "request permission to take Chief of Security Albright and conduct an away mission. The village I was researching twelve weeks ago may contain information I need for my investigation. If I'm correct, there is a possibility such data may have survived."
"Go." Sulu snapped.
Thirty minutes later, wearing EV suits, Ahida and Albright materialized on what had once been the village square. The village had been leveled. Anything flammable had been incinerated. Hot winds and debris were still swirling. Visibility was low, so she took a reading with her tricorder.
"This way." She led the way down what had been a street. They had to maneuver around piles of burning debris. A few minutes later they arrived at the flattened remains of Mikah's house.
She couldn't believe this was the same house, where a few weeks earlier, she had spent a pleasant, cloudy evening listening to Mikah and his version of Neavah's history. She climbed over the debris constantly scanning with her tricorder.
"Here, a meter and a half down. Maybe what I'm looking for."
Together they dug through the debris. She paid no heed to the embers and flames stirred up as they dug. Protected by the EV suits as they were.
After shoving aside a smoldering mattress, she found Mikah's telescope case. It was singed, but other wise intact. She pried open the case. Mikah's bring near, had survived but more importantly, the book and his notes.
She cradled the case, stood up and nodded at Albright.
"Albright to Excelsior, two to beam up."
Main conference room, 0700
Ahida stood at the head of the large conference table. It was circled by Captain Sulu, the ships department heads and Dr. Shotak and key members of his xenobiology team.
Once again, speaking as if delivering a routine report, she spoke.
"A man I met during my research was named Mikah. Though not a professional scientist, he was a keen observer. Possessed a deep interest in the natural world, particularly astronomy. It was fortunate that his notes survived the devastation. From those notes, I have developed a hypothesis that may explain the disaster and our failure to mitigate it.
Approximately thirty six hours before impact, Mikah detected an outburst on the comet's surface. The gases and debris that erupted from the surface, acted as a jet or as a thruster rocket. The rocket like action pushed the nucleus of the comet into a collision course with Neavah.
Comets, as you are all aware, are unpredictable by their very nature. Mushah's nucleus was believed to be stable, as it had been observed for centuries and had exhibited no such behavior. Excelsior, being far out of sensor range at the time, was unable to detect the change.
However, there are still several days of sensor readings recorded during our stay in the Neavah system. My science team and I will continue to review those logs to determine if there were any anomalies we did not detect. This concludes my preliminary report."
Ahida worked all day and into the night, examining frame by frame every sensor reading Excelsior had made during their initial three weeks in the Neavah system.
That night, she was visited by Captain Sulu. When she realized the Captain was there she came to attention.
"Captain, we have so far reviewed twenty seven point two percent of the sensor logs. There is no new data to report."
"That's not why I'm here." Sulu stopped. Ahida had set Mikah's telescope up in the middle of the main lab. "Ornamental, but appears quite functional."
"His design is quite logical."
"Yes. I want to apologize. I was rather harsh with you earlier. I was out of line."
"It was understandable. A highly emotional incident and you are, after all, only human."
"And you were right to countermand my order to transport people aboard."
"Understandable, your were being governed by your emotions. I merely corrected the situation."
"Of course. But I'm worried about you. As cold and unemotional as Spock could be at times. He could still convey a world of emotion with a single inflection or twitch of his eyebrow. But you, since this morning, almost nothing. I've known you all your life, I've never seen you this cold, this isn't you. I know your are holding down a storm of emotion. Let some of it out. While you can still have some control."
"Your concern is noted, Captain. When I am ready, I will, let it out, as you say. However, an emotional out burst will not bring back Neavah."
"Something for you to think about, before that outburst." Sulu said as he walked back towards the labs door, "Star Fleet has discovered dozens, if not hundreds of dead civilizations. Some we know almost nothing about. Celebrate, celebrate the fact that through your research, Neavah will be known." He left the lab.
Ahida sat in silence for awhile. Celebrate the death of a culture. Can't be logical.
"You know he's right." She looked up. Mikah stood by his telescope. "Don't morn us. I had a feeling there was something special about you. If only I'd known. Celebrate the fact that we live on through you. Don't let us be forgotten."
She blinked and he was gone. She wondered was what she had just experienced an illusion a mental after image? For the moment she didn't care. She went and touched the telescope.
"I will not forget you, my friend. No one will."