Chapter One: The Ghost Story

It was a dark day out.

Then again, what did you expect in space? It was dark, and full of stars, and deadly monsters, and Romulans, and-

"Jordon? Are you listening to me?" asked Ensign Jack Miller.

Ensign Jordon started, then remembered he was talking to Jack about the mission tomorrow. I'm getting spaced out in space. Hopefully, Dr. McCoy wouldn't find out and make him go through a physical. Those were real torture. The worst. Well, not as bad as knowing you were scheduled to beam down tomorrow on an unknown planet as part of Security on your first mission. That was the worst. He shuddered.

"Jordon!"

"Huh?" he blinked. "Sorry, what?"

"I said, what do you think about beaming down tomorrow?"

"Don't want to do it."

"Yeah, that's how I felt on my first away mission. You know what they say, about it getting easier?"

"Yeah. And it probably will."

"Wrong! Even after the first time, until you are part of the command crew, and even then, you live in constant fear. Innumerable times, many ensigns have died, and many painfully."

Jordon gulped nervously. "Several red shirted ensigns have died, even lieutenants, and so have red dressed yeomans, like the Yeoman Thompson. She didn't have a very important job."

Jordon stared in horror. Jack continued. "And then there was Ensign Wyatt, he died while manning the transporter."

Jordon was wide-eyed now, shivering despite of himself. "Oh, and that incident on Alfa 4? With the transporter malfunction? Well, red shirted people were badly wounded-"

"Hello, Ensign Miller, Ensign Jordon." Both jumped, turned, and stared into the face of Lieutenant Commander Scott. "Are ye scarin' the poor lad, Ensign?"

"Oh no sir! My ghost stories, true as they are, never scare people!"

"Tell that to Lieutenant Michaels in Biology."

Jack looked embarrassed. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to get on shift! Bye!" he said, and hurried away. Mr. Scott chuckled, and looked back down at Jordon, still scared at being faced by certain doom, and stuck in the presence of a commanding officer.

"Don't ye worry, laddie. Many people have survived from beaming down and transporters. And ignore Ensign Miller. He just likes to tell scary stories."

"I know, sir. The problem is he tells them so well."

"Aye." With that Mr. Scott clapped him on the back, then walked to the replicator. Jordon sighed. He was still nervous.

An hour later he walked into security, where Jack was waiting.

"Hello! You are..." he consulted her chronometer, "...five minutes late."

"I was talking to Lt. Commander Scott. I had a reason."

"Wellll...we'll over look this minor problem." said Ensign Kalinda Selis, as though she would really report it. "Join us in five hours of boredom during this rare, but deadly, shift."

Jordon pulled up a chair. "Okay. It's not like I have a choice. What are we doing now?"

"I have a story to tell!" Jack said.

"Uh-oh. Let me guess. A ghost story?"

"Yeah! This one is about a haunted planet. I can't remember the name of it, but it was a lonely planet in the middle of the alpha sector, where we are now."

"Conveniently."

"Kalinda, this is a true story! My friend said so, and he visited the planet. Now don't interrupt. Anyway, there were five in the away team. They were a general science officer, a biologist, a doctor, and two security ensigns, one of which was my friend.

"They were wandering around, taking readings, when there was a scream from the other ensign. He was holding a prickly plant, much like the thistle of Earth. He went pale, spun around, and fell to the ground, twitching. The doctor rushed over, but it was too late. He was dead." He paused there, for effect. "Then, there was this rushing sound, and there were several red humanoid glows coming toward the dead ensign. They covered the body, there was a flash of light, and the body, plus the lights, were gone.

"The captain ordered immediate beam-up, after this happened to the ensign biologist."

"Wow." Kalinda said. "Is that really a true story?"

"Yeah, is it." Jordon agreed nervously. That was a very scary story, but he wasn't about to tell Jack that. She might keep scaring him.

"So, now what?

"Well, I received a letter from my mom, and there was a box..." Kalinda began.

"You got a box? Cool! I always wanted one."

"I wasn't done yet! Anyway, in this box I received a..." Dramatic pause. "...mini pinball game!"

Jordon and Jack stared. "A what?"

"A pinball game. See these tiny metallic spheres?" They nodded. "Well, you move the game like so..." She moves the game around, "...and try to get the spheres into these shallow depressions. Then total the score!"

They stared at Kalinda. After a minute Jack said, "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of."

"Well,this was from the nineteenth century, so it is old. I bet if you were stuck in some cave with nothing to do for several hours you wouldn't say this was so boring!"

"Yeah, right. That'll never happen!"

Kalinda's reply was cut off by the speaker. "Red Alert! Red Alert! All hands to battlestations!"

"This might not be so boring. Guess we don't need the pinball game after all." Jack said gleefully.

"Just you wait."

At that time the Security Chief Giotto walked in, with several other lieutenants. He looked upset. The three helpless ensigns gulped and backed up. "Well, there is a problem on the planet Meridi X. You three newcomers are in the landing party. Don't disappoint me, or else. Now get moving!"

"Yessir!" They shouted, then dashed for the door, away from the impressive lieutenants, and the scowl of their commanding officer.

"I thought I heard laughter back there." Kalinda said, after they were in the relative safety of the corridor to the transporter room.

"I didn't hear anything." Jordon informed her. They waited for Jack to talk, but he didn't. They looked over at him. He was white as a sheet.

"Uh, Jack, what's the matter?" Kalinda grinned wickedly. "Did the nasty story ghosts come to life?"

"Maybe. Remember that story?" They nodded. "Well, I remembered the name of the planet. Meridi X."

Jordon stared, and felt himself go cold. Oh, no! he thought. Kalinda merely snorted.

"I bet you just made this up since Giotto mentioned the name."

"I swear I didn't!"

By this time they were at the transporter room, and the argument was stopped when Jordon froze at the entrance of the room, and felt them bang into him. Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock looked over at them, and Jordon gulped. Great. We're beaming down with the captain and Mr. Spock. Just who I wanted to make a fool of myself in front of. Jack poked him, and got onto the transporter pads, on the left, with Jack and Kalinda in the back, and Mr. Spock with the captain up front.

Captain Kirk started to speak. "Listen up. We have detected a massive energy surge here. Our job is to beam down, and discover the source of this energy. There was a team here before-" Jack elbowed Kalinda in the ribs, "- and they don't remember seeing a source. There was some energy down here, but that was from a Romulan ship in the area. The red beings are said to come from there." It was Kalinda's turn to elbow Jack.

Kirk looked to the last figure in the room. "Ready, Mr. Scott."

The usual transporter effect took place, and they found themselves on Meridi X, face to face with a red humanoid glow.