Chapter 19

The planet slowly rotated on the view screen. Saavik newly promoted to captain had acquired a starship of her own called the Krackatowa. She was seated in the command seat at the centre of the bridge.

In front at the right was the helm and navigator's station where Mr Lucas Tavell was sat. On the opposite side sat the operations manager station where Lieutenant Jean Luc Picard sat adjusting some minor alterations on his consul. At the rear of the command centre was the weapons consul. Each side of the bridge was the communications station on left with the science/library computer station on the right.

At this present time they were scanning the surface of the planet Droline V. It was an advanced and sophisticated society yet the people were considered to be a little eccentric. Strangely everyone had completely disappeared off the surface of the planet without any reasonable explanation what so ever.

"There is absolutely no humanoid life left," said the female first officer. She was also chief science officer. At this time she was standing to her captain's left hand side and she was frowning with puzzlement. "I simply can't believe that everyone has just disappeared."

Saavik swivelled in her chair to face Lieutenant Commander Brown. Brown was a robust woman. Not exactly fat but her frame was muscular due to years of weight training. She was a fairly attractive lady with short curly blond hair cut into the latest fashion. Brown was also very tall. She would tower over her captain by about thirteen centimetres.

"Perhaps they are now living below the surface of their world?" Said Saavik gazing across at the science officer.

"I've looked sir, but there isn't a culture living beneath the surface of this world." She waved her hands in the air in annoyance. "The planet has no humanoid life forms registering or anything actually." She shrugged her broad shoulders.

"Are you picking up any other kind of intelligent life?"

Brown shook her head. "None sir. Not that I'm registering. I am wondering though if the planet is actually interfering with our scanners." Brown got out of her seat and wondered over to the railing near to Saavik. "But it shouldn't do. We have visited here before and there was no problem."

"Your previous captain?" Brown nodded.

"Aye sir."

"Then I believe we should investigate all possibilities. What do have on records for this planet Commander?"

"Well, it's about the size of Saturn in the Sol system. M classification. Similar in appearance and temperature as the artificially created environment on the planet Risa. People are friendly enough." Saavik nodded.

"The entire population of a planet can't simply vanish out of thin air in three weeks." Brown hurried back to her station. She took one last desperate look down the neck of her scanner as if hoping she had been in error. The reading came up the same. "That is so weird," she said peering throughout the device.

Saavik got to her feet and straightened her new uniform. "Then I want to beam down to see what has happened." Someone gasped. Saavik turned and gazed at him icily. The young man managed a pitiful smile. The crew were obviously unsure of their new captain.

"Captain, may I make a suggestion," said the first officer.

"You may," said the Vulcan walking over to the science station.

"I do not mean to contradict you decision sir, but the Captain's place is on the bridge of her ship." Saavik raised a dark slanted brow.

It was almost unheard of for a captain beaming down with the landing party in a dangerous situation. In the late twenty three twenties it was considered that the captain's position was on the ship and it was the first officer's job to captain a landing party no matter what the situation was. The only time the captain was really sanctioned to come down was when the situation determined that all was completely safe and if emergencies came about. Saavik was all too used to joining landing parties and she felt it was necessary to join them now.

"That may have been the case for your previous captain, but not me." She paused. "We are beaming down." She leaned over to the arm and opened a communication link to the engineer. "Mr Singh we are preparing to beam down to the planet's surface in ten minutes."

"Standing by. I'll met you in the transporter room," said the Indian.

"Very good. Saavik out." She turned to the science station then addressed the rest of the crew. "I want my First Officer and Ensign Georga," she said looking at the young new crew woman standing quietly at her post next to Brown. Saavik clicked a button on the arm of the chair. "Dr McMeres if you will join me in the transporter room in five minutes."

"On me way," said the Irishman.

"Mr Picard you may take the Conn." The Frenchman got to his feet and positioned himself in the now vacant command chair.

This was also a new assignment for him. Maybe in a few years he too could achieve the rank of captain. Surely, but slowly he was climbing the long ladder to command as his captain had done before him.

Picard had never served under a Vulcan before and he wondered what it must have been like serving with the most famous Vulcan captain in the fleet, Captain Spock who was in his own right a living legend. Picard and Saavik had become friends too. He had been interested in her many accounts about the Enterprise and the Lincoln which she had served aboard.

Lieutenant Picard was twenty-two and fresh out of the academy. He even acquired the distinguishable rank of lieutenant even before setting foot outside the grounds of Starfleet Academy.

He had just recovered from an almost fatal heart operation. In fact he was stabbed by a Nausicaan only a few months ago. The injury had nearly cost him his life. The organ was so badly damaged that it could not be repaired. It was replaced with a mechanical heart. As of now the wound was completely healed. Picard new better of it to get entangled with such dangerous and violent people again.

Everyone stared at the view screen. Even from thousands of miles above, it seemed different. The appearance was unlike anything expected. The records had stated it was an idyllic world much like the appearance of the Earth, with green fields and meadows, large oceans. Tall trees, even those that flowered, clear blue sky, and warm temperatures.

When Saavik had first visited Earth she thought that the planet was the most bizarre world she had ever seen. Of course comparing it to the world she grew up in, it was like a dream, or even a paradise.

The officers and security team comprised of Ensign Angelica Georga. Her speciality was alien botany, Commander Katherine Brown, Physician Dr Kieran McMeres, and Saavik with the two security guards, Lieutenants Josephs and Warren.

Saavik, Brown, and Georga stepped into the transporter room. At the control station stood a small man wearing a blue turban on his head. He was the captain of engineering. Commander Ranji Singh.

"Is everything ready?" Said Saavik to him. Singh nodded his head.

"It is Captain. Standing by."

"Good."

"Captain," said the chief medical officer who was standing behind her. Saavik turned and the doctor moved. "I've instructed Dr Berger to keep track of us when we've beamed down."

"Do you think we will find trouble Kieran?" Asked young Ensign Georgia. Just as they were speaking the other doctor who was quite a friend of a very famous doctor now retired from Starfleet entered the transporter room with his tracking equipment.

"It's just a precaution me dear," said McMeres smiling at the small black woman with closely cropped black hair and large bright eyes.

"Here," said Berger as the passed across the room towards the landing party. "I want everyone to wear one of these." Berger passed the small tiny electrodes around. "It's just so that I can keep tabs on you all from up here."

Everyone stepped onto the transporter platform and then stood on their individual pad.

"Take care down there folks," said Berger. "It doesn't look to friendly."

Berger took his place next to the engineer. Singh activated the controls and slid his podgy fingers up the dematerialisation board. A low hum could be heard. Slowly it grew louder and accelerated into a high pitch whine. The six people on the transporter melted into six pillars of glowing energy then they faded into nothing.

They materialised in a land that was far from idyllic. Green fields and meadows were replaced with sticky mud and slime banks. There was no greenery only sludge and decaying matter. What remained of the willowy spiralling trees were dead spindly twists of broken black branches.

The air was thick and sickly. Everywhere mire, slime, and mould grew. Very few living animals had survived the holocaust except for those who could resist the drastic change in temperature and environment.

The normally clear blue sky was now a grim grey colour and it was cold, damp, murky, and boggy. Not at all what it had been reported as being like. It was hard to imagine people from all over the galaxy had visited this world at one time in their lives. It was true what Commander Brown had said. In many ways it had been a naturally created version of the pleasure planet Risa.

The landing party huddled in a small group fighting the chill gnawing into their bones. The first officer was already scanning the environment with her tricorder. Ensign Georga frowned at hers as if puzzled.

"Captain this is strange." She gazed across at her commanding officer. Saavik took a step closer to where Georga was standing.

"All these plants, everything here..." She glanced down at the tricorder. "...They have been reformed some way. All that we see before us looks if it's either dead or dying, but it's changed. I don't know how this can be possible." She gazed up at Saavik frowning.

"You have no idea?" She said. Georga shook her head.

"No sir. All this is impossible in this short amount of time."

Saavik crouched down and eyed a damp slimy patch of green foul smelling sludge. She stood back up again and tightened the heavy-duty jacket she wore. She took out the communicator she carried in the pocket. Before she could open it Brown stepped to her side.

"Saavik, I suggest we transport some equipment down. That way we can see for ourselves what has happened to these plants in depth." Brown pointed to what once was a rare flowering bush.

"I have a theory," said Georga.

"Which is?" Saavik said in a quiet voice as if she was only half listening to what the young officer was saying.

"I wondered whether they have evolved." Saavik nodded in agreement.

"I was just thinking the same thing, but perhaps we should beam up some samples to the ship for analysis as well." Saavik flipped open her communicator.

"Krakatowa this is Saavik." For a moment there was nothing but silence so Saavik repeated. "This is Saavik please come in. Picard do you read?" Suddenly there was a discharge of static then Picard's voice came over the speaker.

"Picard here. We're not reading you very well."

"Same here. It appears that there is a disturbance. Can you compensate?" In the background she heard faint speech. Picard then spoke again.

"We are experiencing some difficulty. Communications are trying to adjust." Then there was hush except for a distinctive cracking noise.

"Picard..." Saavik flicked the communicator with her finger then tried to adjust the frequency. "Jean Luc please come in." Picard's faint voice was barely audible under the high pitch sound.

"Captain we are experiencing..." There was a jilted sound of speech. "...difficulties...communications..." Suddenly there was a shrill pitch and whine noise, which assaulted Saavik's ears. Then there was nothing. She had no idea whether her ship was in trouble or the landing party.

"Captain," said her first officer flicking open her communicator, as did the rest of the team. "The communicators, all of them are non functional. There's not even static."

"Then we're stuck here." The doctor sighed rubbing his greying hair.

"We are. I suggest we spend our time seeking out what or whatever has caused this. I believe this is not a natural phenomenon," said the Vulcan.

"You can say that again." The doctor commented. "What if it's radiation? Because if it is we need to get out of here fast." Saavik shook her head.

"Negative my tricoder does not register anything above the normal specifications. There is something else." Saavik paused and listened. "I can sense it." She turned to Brown. "What about your tricorder?" Brown shook her head.

"Non sir. Not that I can pick up. That's if our devises are functioning properly."

"Then you think something alien has caused all this?" Said the doctor exasperated.

"It is possible judging by the extensive reshaping of this planet. It is highly unlikely that a natural accurance would have recreated all of this," she said indicating with her hand. The doctor appeared amuse with the reason she gave him and he backed away.

"This air won't be doin' much for our lungs."

"Yes. Oxygen levels are changing fast," said Brown looking once more down at her tricorder. "These plants are thriving on higher levels of carbon dioxide. Look how this alga is growing. Back on Earth such a specimen wouldn't have the chance to develop like this."

"Plant?" Said McMeres. "They look dead."

"On my second scan of the flora a lot of the plants are dead, but a lot is alive and thriving."

McMeres spoke. "If it doesn't getting hotter I'd say the planet is changing similarly like the Earth did in the twentieth and twenty first century. Something they called the green house effect?"

That is exactly what it is like," said Georga. She shook her head and gazed down at her tricoder. "Sir my tricorder is actually registering extreme heat and it's getting hotter. It doesn't make any sense."

"Yes," replied the Vulcan.

"But I don't understand how the vegetation can survive in such cool then boiling hot temperatures."

"That is what we must find out," said Saavik.

"I think survival is our first problem sir," said McMeres. "The air will get harder to breath. I can prescribe a compensator, but it'll wear off after a few hours at the most."

"Administer it doctor." Brown said. He took out his miracle medical kit and choose a rather vile looking bright yellow tube and attached it to his hypo spray.

"Two ccs of Kydrolothinal coming up." He administered the dosage one by one then gave himself a shot last.

"Security, circle around," said Brown. She drew her phaser and set it on stun just as a precaution. "We don't know what we are dealing with."

"I am well aware of the procedures regarding away teams, Commander," said Saavik a little annoyed.

Carefully and slowly they made their way through the slimy wilderness. After a while Saavik's tricoder began to fluctuate in and out of function status. She applied a different modulator, but nothing worked. It was nothing to do with the power relays as well. Saavik had checked the battery power before they had left.

"Is everyone's tricorder functioning adequately?" She asked.

"Mine's completely drained I even tried the back up supply. That doesn't work either," said Georga. Saavik armed and fired her phaser at a black lifeless tree. There was nothing. Not even a little whimper of exhausted energy.

"The phasers are drained. All tricorders, which still function, turn off. We may need them later."

Above the planet, Krackatowa was still orbiting and her crew were trying desperately to re-establish a communications link with the landing party who had beamed down over two hours ago. Picard still seated in the chair drummed his fingers on the arm.

There was nothing to do but sit tight and wait until the communications officer could get communications back on line. The weapons and the transporter were also non functional which was rather strange. The engineer was desperately trying to correct the problem, but it would possibly take many hours.

Picard thumbed his brow and leaned forward.

"Any response?"

Tralii Antraia the Betazoid communications officer shook his head. "Non sir. I've done the best I can." He shrugged. "It's interference from the planet."

"Take us up into a higher orbit," said Picard thinking that might correct some of their problems. Minor problems were now growing into serious ones. The main computer was the big worry. It controlled all vital functions aboard the ship. If anything happened to the life support systems they would be in deep trouble. Trouble that might be impossible to correct.

"Aye sir," said Tavell from his station. His slim fingers danced across the keyboard. The ship slowly glided higher up out of the planets atmosphere.

"Establish a comm link now," said Picard.

The communications offer shook his head. "Unable to. Interference."

"Try the nearest base. Tell them of our currant position."

"Aye."

Unfortunately Antraia failed to establish a link to the nearest Starbase. "Sir unable to make contact." Picard sighed.

"Try Starfleet Command," he said. "Send a message at top priority confirming our problem." He looked forward at the view screen. The planet was changing before his eyes.

"Aye sir," Said the empathic Betazoid. He struggled to access a frequency. "Sir the message will take days to get there."

"Is that the best?" Said Lieutenant Picard.

"Yes," replied the communication's officer in a dreary timid low voice.

"Than that will have to do. Keep trying to hail the landing party."