Chapter Fifteen
Data scanned the area about the ship with the sensors. "Sir, it appears that we have been transported into a cave of some sort. There is a metallic structure about forty meters from our present location but I cannot scan anything beyond that point. The cave has a stable atmosphere and is suitable enough for an away team to survive in. I am not detecting any form of life other than some plant life."
"Is the ship secure here? Will we experience any sort of gravimetric disturbances at all?" Picard said standing up from the center seat and moving toward Data's console. The ship was after all designed to be in space and the Enterprise unlike Voyager had not been designed to land on a planet, it wasn't even conceivable for a ship the size of the Enterprise- even if it was just the engineering section.
"The ship appears to be secure, Captain. We are not experiencing any sort of external forces on the hull, even though the cave has the same gravity as that on the surface of the planet. It is like someone has erected a shield around the ship that is protecting us."
"Very well, Mr. Data assemble an away team, we're going to find out exactly what has just happened." Picard said feeling very intrigued and cautious.
"Aye, sir." Data said moving away from the console and heading towards the turbolift.
Data stepped up to the transporter pad with Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge and Lieutenant Worf.
"Energize," he said to the ensign operating the transporter controls. They dematerialised in a shimmer of light and re-appeared underneath the engineering section, in the cave, a moment later.
From the cave floor the engineering section looked like a gigantic headless swan that seemed to be floating about a meter off the floor of the cave. Worf switched on his palm beacon and pulled out his phaser while Data scanned the surroundings with his tricorder and beacon, and La Forge scanned the area with his VISOR.
"I am picking up no imperfections at all in the cave walls." Geordi said looking around slowly. "It's like they've been molded around the ship."
"I am also detecting that as well, Geordi." Data said tapping a few buttons on his tricorder. "The metallic structure is in this direction," he said moving off at an angle. The others followed and they walked a short distance away from the ship until they came to what looked like a metal wall. Data scanned it again with a puzzled expression on his face. "It is made of deuterium and looks to be ancient. It should be possible to get by this obstacle with the use of a phaser."
"Stand back." Worf ordered as he took aim with his phaser. Geordi stepped close to the metal wall, seeing something before Worf had had a chance to fire.
"Worf, aim here, there's a sort of opening." Geordi pointed then moved back to stand next to Data. Worf fired and sparks left the surface of the wall as the orange beam sliced through, and a door sprang open. A cool rush of air escaped the interior that stank of dampness and rotting vegetation.
Data tapped his comm badge. "Data to Captain Picard."
"Picard here, go ahead, Commander."
"Sir, we have approached the metallic structure and have found a doorway. It will be necessary to continue on past this door in order to find what we are looking for."
"Proceed, Mr. Data but cautiously, and report if you find anything." Picard replied from the Battle Bridge.
"Aye, sir." Data answered and they stepped through the opening.
Bashir entered sickbay and headed straight for the CMO's office where Dr. Selar was located. "Doctor Selar, I'm Dr. Bashir from Deep Space Nine. Where's the patient please?" Selar rose and headed out of the office toward Crusher's biobed.
"Here she is Dr. Bashir. All of Dr. Crusher's files are available on the monitor behind you. We are hoping that you can help her with the research that you have been conducting recently, I've read your papers and have found them most intriguing."
"Well that's what I'm here for and I'll certainly do everything that I can to help. Have you any idea what may have caused this?" Bashir asked, getting right down to business.
"We are still in the dark on that at the moment Doctor but we have found that if we keep her reliving pleasant memories then she regains strength. Counselor Troi is working closely with her at this minute. We have been trying telepathy to bring her away from all of the bad memories that she has had; at one point all of her stats dropped so low that we nearly lost her. The counsellor has managed to keep her alive, and she is slowly regaining her strength." They moved round the biobed. "We had to give Counsellor Troi silosinen though just so she could get through to her."
Bashir nodded. "We're talking about endorphins here." He paused and opened the bag containing all of his research. "My theories are based around the use of endorphins to bring a coma patient out of the comatose state. Usually it only works if we are battling against some sort of microbial infection but since we don't know what we're up against here, we might as well give it a go."
Bashir set up some apparatus in the lab around the corner from Crusher's bio-bed and set to work on producing the right sort of endorphins. He took a sample of Crusher's DNA and spinal fluid, making sure that the endorphins produced would be tailored to her body, in case of rejection. Selar watched him as he worked.
A stir from the room where Crusher lay alerted the two doctors that something was happening, they rushed into the next room to find Troi standing, unsteadily. Selar quickly moved to catch her as she started to collapse from exhaustion, Bashir helped to get her onto another bio-bed.
"Dr. Bashir?" She whispered trying to keep her eyes open.
"Yes it is. It looks like you've over done things a little, Counsellor." He said.
"I told the counsellor that her body would tire quickly with the increased level of telepathy over the last few days." Selar informed him.
"Of course. The only thing you can do now Counsellor is to rest. I'll try and help Dr. Crusher as much as I can, and if we need you then we'll let you know." Bashir said smiling to her.
"Doctors, I left her with a pleasant memory but I don't know how long it will last. I don't think we have much time though." Troi said trying to give them as much information as she could.
"Understood, and thank you." Bashir said as he moved off back to the lab and to his research.
Selar administered Troi with a telepathic blocker so that she could get some sleep and went off to help Bashir.
A/N: Please leave a review. Thank you.
Data scanned the area about the ship with the sensors. "Sir, it appears that we have been transported into a cave of some sort. There is a metallic structure about forty meters from our present location but I cannot scan anything beyond that point. The cave has a stable atmosphere and is suitable enough for an away team to survive in. I am not detecting any form of life other than some plant life."
"Is the ship secure here? Will we experience any sort of gravimetric disturbances at all?" Picard said standing up from the center seat and moving toward Data's console. The ship was after all designed to be in space and the Enterprise unlike Voyager had not been designed to land on a planet, it wasn't even conceivable for a ship the size of the Enterprise- even if it was just the engineering section.
"The ship appears to be secure, Captain. We are not experiencing any sort of external forces on the hull, even though the cave has the same gravity as that on the surface of the planet. It is like someone has erected a shield around the ship that is protecting us."
"Very well, Mr. Data assemble an away team, we're going to find out exactly what has just happened." Picard said feeling very intrigued and cautious.
"Aye, sir." Data said moving away from the console and heading towards the turbolift.
Data stepped up to the transporter pad with Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge and Lieutenant Worf.
"Energize," he said to the ensign operating the transporter controls. They dematerialised in a shimmer of light and re-appeared underneath the engineering section, in the cave, a moment later.
From the cave floor the engineering section looked like a gigantic headless swan that seemed to be floating about a meter off the floor of the cave. Worf switched on his palm beacon and pulled out his phaser while Data scanned the surroundings with his tricorder and beacon, and La Forge scanned the area with his VISOR.
"I am picking up no imperfections at all in the cave walls." Geordi said looking around slowly. "It's like they've been molded around the ship."
"I am also detecting that as well, Geordi." Data said tapping a few buttons on his tricorder. "The metallic structure is in this direction," he said moving off at an angle. The others followed and they walked a short distance away from the ship until they came to what looked like a metal wall. Data scanned it again with a puzzled expression on his face. "It is made of deuterium and looks to be ancient. It should be possible to get by this obstacle with the use of a phaser."
"Stand back." Worf ordered as he took aim with his phaser. Geordi stepped close to the metal wall, seeing something before Worf had had a chance to fire.
"Worf, aim here, there's a sort of opening." Geordi pointed then moved back to stand next to Data. Worf fired and sparks left the surface of the wall as the orange beam sliced through, and a door sprang open. A cool rush of air escaped the interior that stank of dampness and rotting vegetation.
Data tapped his comm badge. "Data to Captain Picard."
"Picard here, go ahead, Commander."
"Sir, we have approached the metallic structure and have found a doorway. It will be necessary to continue on past this door in order to find what we are looking for."
"Proceed, Mr. Data but cautiously, and report if you find anything." Picard replied from the Battle Bridge.
"Aye, sir." Data answered and they stepped through the opening.
Bashir entered sickbay and headed straight for the CMO's office where Dr. Selar was located. "Doctor Selar, I'm Dr. Bashir from Deep Space Nine. Where's the patient please?" Selar rose and headed out of the office toward Crusher's biobed.
"Here she is Dr. Bashir. All of Dr. Crusher's files are available on the monitor behind you. We are hoping that you can help her with the research that you have been conducting recently, I've read your papers and have found them most intriguing."
"Well that's what I'm here for and I'll certainly do everything that I can to help. Have you any idea what may have caused this?" Bashir asked, getting right down to business.
"We are still in the dark on that at the moment Doctor but we have found that if we keep her reliving pleasant memories then she regains strength. Counselor Troi is working closely with her at this minute. We have been trying telepathy to bring her away from all of the bad memories that she has had; at one point all of her stats dropped so low that we nearly lost her. The counsellor has managed to keep her alive, and she is slowly regaining her strength." They moved round the biobed. "We had to give Counsellor Troi silosinen though just so she could get through to her."
Bashir nodded. "We're talking about endorphins here." He paused and opened the bag containing all of his research. "My theories are based around the use of endorphins to bring a coma patient out of the comatose state. Usually it only works if we are battling against some sort of microbial infection but since we don't know what we're up against here, we might as well give it a go."
Bashir set up some apparatus in the lab around the corner from Crusher's bio-bed and set to work on producing the right sort of endorphins. He took a sample of Crusher's DNA and spinal fluid, making sure that the endorphins produced would be tailored to her body, in case of rejection. Selar watched him as he worked.
A stir from the room where Crusher lay alerted the two doctors that something was happening, they rushed into the next room to find Troi standing, unsteadily. Selar quickly moved to catch her as she started to collapse from exhaustion, Bashir helped to get her onto another bio-bed.
"Dr. Bashir?" She whispered trying to keep her eyes open.
"Yes it is. It looks like you've over done things a little, Counsellor." He said.
"I told the counsellor that her body would tire quickly with the increased level of telepathy over the last few days." Selar informed him.
"Of course. The only thing you can do now Counsellor is to rest. I'll try and help Dr. Crusher as much as I can, and if we need you then we'll let you know." Bashir said smiling to her.
"Doctors, I left her with a pleasant memory but I don't know how long it will last. I don't think we have much time though." Troi said trying to give them as much information as she could.
"Understood, and thank you." Bashir said as he moved off back to the lab and to his research.
Selar administered Troi with a telepathic blocker so that she could get some sleep and went off to help Bashir.
A/N: Please leave a review. Thank you.