Chapter Thirteen
The Defiant came along side the saucer section of the Enterprise and slowed to a halt. Captain Sisko stood up from his seat on the bridge and moved closer to the view screen. "Any ideas as to why your ship has separated, Commander?" He asked turning to look at Riker.
"None at this time, sir. Maybe we should try hailing whoever is in charge of the saucer section." Riker said moving alongside Sisko until he was standing in the center of the bridge.
"Dr. Bashir, open hailing frequencies and put it on screen." Sisko ordered.
"Aye, sir," he tapped his console. "Hailing frequencies open, sir."
Within seconds Lieutenant Simmons stood in the center of the main bridge of the Enterprise, and began addressing Captain Sisko as best he could over the radiation affected comm signal. "Captain, Commander. Nice to see you both got here in one piece." Simmons greeted.
"What happened to the rest of the ship, Mr. Simmons?" Riker asked expectant.
"Captain Picard has taken the engineering section, and a skeleton crew down to the planet, so that clearer scans can be taken, in the hope that a higher form of life down there may be able to help us." Simmons reported as best he could since the view screen kept winking out.
"A higher form of life? There was no indication of that when I left." Riker said looking at Sisko in puzzlement.
"Commander Data has been running extensive scans of the planet, sir. He found evidence that the planet contained an energy source that has to be controlled by someone. Captain Picard ordered me to relinquish command to you when you returned and to make sure that Dr. Bashir goes straight to sickbay, sir." Simmons informed them over the crackily comm link.
"Very well. The Defiant should be able to fit into the main shuttle bay. Have it cleared and ready for docking immediately, Lieutenant." Riker ordered.
"Aye, sir. Enterprise out."
After a few minutes wait the Defiant was cleared for docking, and Chief O'Brien expertly steered the ship into the main shuttle bay.
Commander Riker led the way out of the shuttle bay and headed for sickbay to drop the doctor off, before he, Sisko and O'Brien headed for the main bridge.
Picard ordered Commander Data to sweep the engineering section of the Enterprise into the lower atmosphere of the planet below, and try to get clear readings of anything that might be there.
"Are you getting anything, Commander?" Picard said looking at the android.
"Nothing as yet, sir. I imagine that whatever is down there may be shielded somehow or else we would have seen it by now." Data suggested.
"Keep trying, Commander."
"Aye, sir." Data sat for a few minutes longer at his console. After a few more scans he noticed a blip of energy and a signature trail. "Captain, I believe I have something," he said turning to attract Picard's attention.
"What? Where?" Picard said getting out of his seat and moving to Data's console.
"It is at bearing zero-nine-five mark one-two, near the mountains we have just passed by." Data said.
"Ensign, take us to those co-ordinates and slow to one tenth impulse." Picard ordered immediately; it looked as though they may have found what they were looking for.
"Aye, sir." The ensign said as he carried out Captain Picard's orders.
The ship moved slowly to where the energy reading had been noticed and passed over the area once again.
"Captain, it would be advisable to move to a higher orbit and take readings from there. Now that we know where to look, it would not be advisable to keep the ship here. The gravity of the planet is affecting our systems and structural integrity of the hull." Worf intoned from his station.
"Very well, Lieutenant. Take us to an altitude of one thousand kilometers, Ensign." Picard ordered.
"Aye, sir. Engaging engines at one half impulse... Captain, we're not moving." Ensign Gates spoke up from the helm.
"What?"
"It seems that we're stuck here, sir." Gates replied.
"Increase speed to full impulse and engage."
Ensign Gates did as he was ordered. "It is not working, sir. We appear to be held here somehow."
"Captain I believe that we are being held by some sort of tractor beam being emitted from the co-ordinates where we detected the energy blip." Data informed them, studying his console intently.
"Try and break free of it, anyway you can." Picard instructed.
"Aye, sir. Emitting hydrogen ions to try and disrupt the beam." The ship shook as the grip around the ship was tightened. "Captain, it is not working. The strength of the beam is increasing by a factor of three."
"All stop. Commander, I wan..." The ship was surrounded by light so intense that everyone had to shield their eyes, including Data. "What's happening?" Picard asked.
"It appears to be some sort of matter transporter beam, we are being beamed somewhere, Captain." Commander Data replied.
The light intensified and the crew felt the sickening stomach wrenching feeling of being translocated. The light faded and the ship materialised in a dark enclosure.
Commander Riker entered on to the bridge followed by Sisko and O'Brien. "Report." Riker ordered as he moved down to the command area at haste.
Simmons stood up from the captain's chair relinquishing it to Riker. "Sir, we've just lost contact with the engineering section. We were keeping an open comm link as best we could and tracking it with our sensors. She disappeared when we detected a burst of energy from the mountains in the Northern Hemisphere, Commander."
"What sort of energy beam? Could it have been a weapon of some sort?" Riker asked turning to Lieutenant Simmons who had just taken over at tactical.
"It seemed to be some sort of tractor beam and then a second beam was emitted and the ship disappeared."
"Very well, I want options." Riker said sitting in the center seat. Sisko took the seat on Riker's right and O'Brien took Counsellor Troi's usual seat, ready and waiting for anything that they could do.
"Sir, Captain Picard's orders were explicit that if anything should happen we were to take the saucer section to Deep Space Nine." Simmons informed them.
"Yes, Lieutenant Simmons but we need to find the captain, and the rest of our ship before it's too late." Riker said, he knew that the lieutenant was only carrying out his orders. "Captain Sisko is here and we've got the Defiant as well if we need backup." Riker told him, not wanting to give up on his crew so soon.
"Aye, sir." Simmons said backing down immediately.
"Options?" Riker asked out loud again and looking to Captain Sisko for any ideas.
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The Defiant came along side the saucer section of the Enterprise and slowed to a halt. Captain Sisko stood up from his seat on the bridge and moved closer to the view screen. "Any ideas as to why your ship has separated, Commander?" He asked turning to look at Riker.
"None at this time, sir. Maybe we should try hailing whoever is in charge of the saucer section." Riker said moving alongside Sisko until he was standing in the center of the bridge.
"Dr. Bashir, open hailing frequencies and put it on screen." Sisko ordered.
"Aye, sir," he tapped his console. "Hailing frequencies open, sir."
Within seconds Lieutenant Simmons stood in the center of the main bridge of the Enterprise, and began addressing Captain Sisko as best he could over the radiation affected comm signal. "Captain, Commander. Nice to see you both got here in one piece." Simmons greeted.
"What happened to the rest of the ship, Mr. Simmons?" Riker asked expectant.
"Captain Picard has taken the engineering section, and a skeleton crew down to the planet, so that clearer scans can be taken, in the hope that a higher form of life down there may be able to help us." Simmons reported as best he could since the view screen kept winking out.
"A higher form of life? There was no indication of that when I left." Riker said looking at Sisko in puzzlement.
"Commander Data has been running extensive scans of the planet, sir. He found evidence that the planet contained an energy source that has to be controlled by someone. Captain Picard ordered me to relinquish command to you when you returned and to make sure that Dr. Bashir goes straight to sickbay, sir." Simmons informed them over the crackily comm link.
"Very well. The Defiant should be able to fit into the main shuttle bay. Have it cleared and ready for docking immediately, Lieutenant." Riker ordered.
"Aye, sir. Enterprise out."
After a few minutes wait the Defiant was cleared for docking, and Chief O'Brien expertly steered the ship into the main shuttle bay.
Commander Riker led the way out of the shuttle bay and headed for sickbay to drop the doctor off, before he, Sisko and O'Brien headed for the main bridge.
Picard ordered Commander Data to sweep the engineering section of the Enterprise into the lower atmosphere of the planet below, and try to get clear readings of anything that might be there.
"Are you getting anything, Commander?" Picard said looking at the android.
"Nothing as yet, sir. I imagine that whatever is down there may be shielded somehow or else we would have seen it by now." Data suggested.
"Keep trying, Commander."
"Aye, sir." Data sat for a few minutes longer at his console. After a few more scans he noticed a blip of energy and a signature trail. "Captain, I believe I have something," he said turning to attract Picard's attention.
"What? Where?" Picard said getting out of his seat and moving to Data's console.
"It is at bearing zero-nine-five mark one-two, near the mountains we have just passed by." Data said.
"Ensign, take us to those co-ordinates and slow to one tenth impulse." Picard ordered immediately; it looked as though they may have found what they were looking for.
"Aye, sir." The ensign said as he carried out Captain Picard's orders.
The ship moved slowly to where the energy reading had been noticed and passed over the area once again.
"Captain, it would be advisable to move to a higher orbit and take readings from there. Now that we know where to look, it would not be advisable to keep the ship here. The gravity of the planet is affecting our systems and structural integrity of the hull." Worf intoned from his station.
"Very well, Lieutenant. Take us to an altitude of one thousand kilometers, Ensign." Picard ordered.
"Aye, sir. Engaging engines at one half impulse... Captain, we're not moving." Ensign Gates spoke up from the helm.
"What?"
"It seems that we're stuck here, sir." Gates replied.
"Increase speed to full impulse and engage."
Ensign Gates did as he was ordered. "It is not working, sir. We appear to be held here somehow."
"Captain I believe that we are being held by some sort of tractor beam being emitted from the co-ordinates where we detected the energy blip." Data informed them, studying his console intently.
"Try and break free of it, anyway you can." Picard instructed.
"Aye, sir. Emitting hydrogen ions to try and disrupt the beam." The ship shook as the grip around the ship was tightened. "Captain, it is not working. The strength of the beam is increasing by a factor of three."
"All stop. Commander, I wan..." The ship was surrounded by light so intense that everyone had to shield their eyes, including Data. "What's happening?" Picard asked.
"It appears to be some sort of matter transporter beam, we are being beamed somewhere, Captain." Commander Data replied.
The light intensified and the crew felt the sickening stomach wrenching feeling of being translocated. The light faded and the ship materialised in a dark enclosure.
Commander Riker entered on to the bridge followed by Sisko and O'Brien. "Report." Riker ordered as he moved down to the command area at haste.
Simmons stood up from the captain's chair relinquishing it to Riker. "Sir, we've just lost contact with the engineering section. We were keeping an open comm link as best we could and tracking it with our sensors. She disappeared when we detected a burst of energy from the mountains in the Northern Hemisphere, Commander."
"What sort of energy beam? Could it have been a weapon of some sort?" Riker asked turning to Lieutenant Simmons who had just taken over at tactical.
"It seemed to be some sort of tractor beam and then a second beam was emitted and the ship disappeared."
"Very well, I want options." Riker said sitting in the center seat. Sisko took the seat on Riker's right and O'Brien took Counsellor Troi's usual seat, ready and waiting for anything that they could do.
"Sir, Captain Picard's orders were explicit that if anything should happen we were to take the saucer section to Deep Space Nine." Simmons informed them.
"Yes, Lieutenant Simmons but we need to find the captain, and the rest of our ship before it's too late." Riker said, he knew that the lieutenant was only carrying out his orders. "Captain Sisko is here and we've got the Defiant as well if we need backup." Riker told him, not wanting to give up on his crew so soon.
"Aye, sir." Simmons said backing down immediately.
"Options?" Riker asked out loud again and looking to Captain Sisko for any ideas.
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