Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Star trek is copyright to paramount, sonic the hedgehog is copyright to Sega, all other products that might be mentioned are copyright to their respective owners.
Star Trek: the Mobius affect. Chapter one: the Mobius affect.
Space the final frontier, these are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before….
That was the mission of the USS Enterprise 1701-E, and the life of captain Jean Luc Picard. Picard had seen many things in his lifetime, and sometimes those things were not pleasing to him. He had seen both heaven and hell, he had seen life and death on a day to day basis. This upcoming mission was a good one he hoped, a large unexplored region of space laid ahead of him. This region was deep into the Beta quadrant, far from the reach of the Romulan star empire and hopefully from the Borg collective.
This region was discovered by a federation research station, it had at least nine planets and one that was M class….. That meant that life might exist here. The Enterprise quickly made notes of the planets, two gas giants eclipsed most of the inner planets. Soon they reached their goal, a planet that mirrored Earth in almost every way. Its continents were parallel to Earths, several of them joined together. Its two moons stood out like sore thumbs, one of them was very able to hold life as well. But the Enterprise discovered more life forms on the huge planet, however things were severely out of place. The planet obviously had a industrial society, the Enterprise detected thousands of machines possibly robots of some kind. A huge city held the highest population of machines, but around the city stood a huge forest that seemed to have various forms of life. However severe pollution had covered the whole city area, and this made the Enterprises sensors go out of sync. The crew of the Enterprise debated rather if they should even make first contact with such a planet. It wasn't in the prime directive that's for sure, the rules did say that the race has to be on the brink of warp drive before they could make contact and no such technology had appeared. However the crew wanted to investigate the planet , hopefully to get better data and more information on the Earth like planet. Picard eventually allowed a expedition to the planet as long as no contact was made, there were humanoid life forms on the planet so even if they were caught they would be able to break some ground however only Tricorders were allowed and no Phasers were permitted. The crew prepared for the mission set in about a hour unaware of what lay below.
The planet the Enterprise had discovered was called Mobius, and for years it was center stage for a massive war that would hopefully bring freedom. It was a planet in peril, many have suffered at the hands of a tyrant that would make Mobians into machines. There was a lot of things the crew of the Enterprise didn't know, and soon discovery of its troubles would be known to them.
William T Riker, Geordie La Forge, Doctor Beverly Crusher and Worf stood on the transporter pad. Once again the Klingon found himself among his friends on the Enterprise, he had been posted at DS9 for a long time but requested a break from the station. He was so bored, nothing really happened at the tired old Cardassian station. He had requested the Enterprise and got it, he was happy that he was out and about in space although he never showed it. He wanted to fight and be with his comrades when they got into their final battle, he was the only member on the away team to be allowed a phaser. The transporter chief was ready to beam the team down to the planet, Riker gave him the go and the away team slowly disappeared off the transporter and onto the troubled planet below.
Four lights came out of nowhere, as usual the forms of four humanoid creatures slowly came upon a unknown land…. However something was happening to them. The transporter chief couldn't figure it out, they phased in and out and their signals seemed to be…. Well transforming for the lack of better words.
Something made the transporter go out of sync, it phased in and out and soon the forms on the planet were fine but something was out of place….
Riker looked around, the land around him seemed bare and desolate. He soon noticed a giant humanoid rabbit standing where Beverly Crusher was, and he saw what appeared to be a Klingon like Echidna nearby. Behind him in place of Geordie was a giant human like bear and he soon noticed himself….
He had orange fur all over his body, a huge fluffy tail stood out in back of him and he knew he had changed….
"What has happened to us!" yelled Worf, who apparently turned into a echidna.
"That's what I am trying to find out." said Beverly who had turned into a large rabbit.
There was only one thing Riker could compare his friends with, he knew of Earth history and remembered something called a cartoon character. The first two that came to his mind was Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny, two very popular fictional animated characters who both met their fate when TV became obsolete.
He couldn't believe it, he was now some kind of cartoon character. And boy wouldn't Deanna Troy like to laugh at him now. He had taken on the characteristics of a fox, his large bushy tail wagged back and fourth as Beverly made her scans. "well Doctor what do you have?"
"I cant make it out, all our DNA scans are perfectly normal. Its like we all have morphed into this state."
"is this going to be like the thing that Barclay had a while ago?" the thing he referred to was Barclays protomorphisis syndrome, something that altered him and the rest of the crew into something not quite human. He barely remembered the details, but he knew he turned into a caveman of sorts and Barclay turned into a spider.
"No it isn't like that, this has something to do with the environment here."
"Is it contagious?"
"No, I don't think so. I think it might be a side affect of some kind of radiation in the atmosphere."
"She's right commander, I am detecting all sorts of radiation here. Even some that haven't been discovered yet." said Geordie who had turned into a bear. He still had those bionic implants that let him see, they looked like cold blue eyes when looking at them.
"Is it dangerous?"
"No I don't think so, but I would recommend that one of us goes back to the Enterprise just in case."
"Is that safe Doctor?"
"I believe so, I don't believe that this mutation is dangerous. I think it is similar to what happened to the Captain, Ensign Ro, Guinan and Keiko a few years ago."
Riker knew what that was about, several years back a odd radiation wave turned four of his comrades into children including the captain.
"Alright I will allow one of us to go up, Geordie you will return to the Enterprise the rest of us will stay here." he tapped his communicator badge "Riker to enterprise do you have any ideas on what happened?"
Data came on and said "No commander, I cant explain your state. Your bodies have been altered in a most unusual manner however I detect no change in your physiologies."
"Well prepare to beam up Geordie on my command."
The rest of the group understood why he chose Geordie, he needed Worf here for security and the Doctor just in case something happened. He didn't want to risk sending anyone else up or down, besides Doctor Ogawa was just as good as Beverly was and he knew that Geordie would team up with Data and help them get out of this. However before Riker could do anything else a bright light came before them, then something appeared. It was a female echidna, she looked like some sort of Aztec and she said "You are travelers from far away are you not?"
Riker looked at her and said "Yes, and may I have your name?"
"I am Tikall, one of the guardians of Mobius."
"Is that what you call this planet?" asked Beverly
"Yes, I know you have many questions but I am afraid that I cant answer them all."
"Can you tell us what has happened to our bodies?" asked Riker
"No I cannot, I am sorry that you feel out of place here."
"Can you tell us if its safe to return to our ship?"
"Yes, don't worry I do know that whatever happened to you isn't dangerous. However I don't know if it is reversible." Tikall paused "I sense someone else on your ship who has telepathic powers, may I talk to her?"
Riker was surprised but he said "Yes, we have someone on our ship who has telepathic powers. I can contact my ship if you want to so you can talk to her."
"Please, if you can." she said in a sorrowful tone
"Riker to consoler Troi." he said as he tapped his communicator badge
"Yes." said Deanna
"Someone likes to talk to you."
"Go ahead."
"My name is Tikall, I know that you have psychic powers and I know I can trust you."
"What do you need miss Tikall?" asked Deanna
Tikall sent her telepathic message into space, Deanna received it and soon she saw what Tikall knew….
Horrid visions of a large cylindrical machine turning people into mindless robots, a face of a tyrant with a large moustache and a huge belly. But also visions of vast forests and trees and a blue heroic hedgehog that ran at incredible speeds. Tikall and Deanna became as one, their minds linked by a chain unseen in the real world. Deanna understood her, Tikall needed a body to be in and she decided to let the echidnas spirit become one with her. Outside Deanna's body glowed with a energy, looks of concern came from all around but Deanna said "Don't worry this is a friendly energy, I am becoming one with the one called Tikall." and soon the aura was gone, when it ceased the body of Tikall stood in the place of the betazoid who was friend to them all. Phasers pointed from all around her but she said "No need for those, I mean you no harm. I need this body only for a short time, please hear me out."
Picard stood there and said "I am captain Jean Luc Picard of the starship Enterprise, what you have done could be considered a act of hostility. Please leave the body of that woman."
"Greetings Jean Luc, I know all about you and your crew. You have been though a lot and I see your reasoning of your position. I can assure you I don't possess Deanna Troi, I am one of the guardians of Mobius. I only do this because we are in desperate times and we need your help."
"But no matter your desperation you must not possess a member of my crew. If you needed our help you should of asked."
"I apologize for this, I hope that you will forgive me."
"We are open to forgiveness, but pleas release Deanna first."
"That cannot be done right now, you see I am out of energy. I must regain my strength in order to unmerge safely."
"You mean you are unable to release her?"
"Yes I am sorry, however our minds are as one. Her thoughts have become my thoughts, I am both Deanna Troi and Tikall."
"Are you a member of a race called the Q?"
"No, I know of them, I have vast knowledge and I know the inner workings of the universe."
"You mean that you are a being beyond physical form?"
"Yes, however right now I am out of energy and my life force is dieing."
"Is Deanna in danger?"
"Yes, I am sorry to say. That is why you must help me and my planet from doomsday, if I die a part of the planet dies and I am a important part of the cycle."
"But why Deanna? couldn't you make yourself visible by any other fashion?"
"No, my spirit energy was fading. The form I had had little energy left, I was fading away. I needed a body, more or less one with telepathic abilities."
"Is that why you merged with her?"
"indeed, I am sorry that I made this move but it was necessary to keep the planet alive."
"then what you are saying is that you had no bad intentions."
"yes, I had no malice in my merger."
"Still you should of asked."
"Yes, again I am sorry."
Picard felt a sense of kindness from her, he didn't have ESP but somehow deep down he felt that she was sincere and he knew that he might just take advantage of this, it was his job to seek out new life no matter how strange it was. Picard finally said "what is the reason you come for?"
"I have come to tell you that your ship is in danger, and I see dark things that cannot be seen as of yet but I know that you wont like what is going to happen."
Data scanned her with his tricorders, he did that for the last couple of minutes trying to figure out what happened. He just finished his scan and said "Captain, her DNA matches that of councilor Troi precisely. Her brainwaves also mach hers, I don't get what is going on here."
"I am beyond your technology I'm afraid, I wont appear on any type of scanner however I do exist."
"Captain I believe she is telling the truth, I don't think we can detect her energy." the android looked puzzled but Tikall said "Don't worry, you are doing your best."
"Picard had to pop the big question now "So why all this? What do you want?"
Tikall looked at him and said "Salvation, we need salvation."
"Salvation from what?"
"My world is in crisis, a terrible person named doctor Robotnik has spent the last fifteen years enslaving my people and so far very little resistance has come."
"How is he doing this?"
"He uses a machine called a roboticizer, it turns flesh and blood into metal and steel. He has turned thirty percent of the population into his robotic slaves and now he is close to world conquest."
"Data is that possible?"
The android thought that over and said "I believe so, I think I can simulate a hypothesis."
"Can you give us the details of this roboticizer Tikall?" asked Picard
"Yes I can." she walked over to the computer console and pressed its buttons at incredible speed.
Data came up on the computer quickly and soon a large cylindrical object appeared on the screen, all sorts of data came up and soon the android came to his station. Data read Tikall's information and said "Fascinating, a device that can do the opposite of what I hope one day I will accomplish. This machine can transform organic tissue and turn it synthetic similar to our replicater and transporters but its uses can have very bad results."
"So you say this machine can turn people into robots?"
"Yes sir, it is a amazing device that could benefit mankind, however its use can be perverted into a weapon that could enslave it."
"That is a frightening thought, for years I had thought that the Borg were bad but this can make them look like tribbles in comparison." said Picard
"Yes, I know about the Borg and if this technology would get off my planet…."
"Then humanity might face its end." said Riker, the away team was able to hear what was going on above them. Terrible visions filled his head and he could see the reasoning of the echidna girl.
"That is right, not just us but the whole galaxy is at stake here. My power keeps the planet stable and safe, but now that my planet has been discovered by outsiders I fear the worst." Tikall looked extremely upset and she looked like she was in a trance.
"But Tikall, it is against a rule we call the prime directive to help your race out. We are not allowed to interfere with the development of other cultures."
"but you see, one of you already has."
"What do you mean Tikall?"
"You see Doctor Robotnik is one of you."
To be continued….