By: trekker
CHAPTER 4: ROUND TWO
1755 hours. . . Just before the Senior Staff Meeting, Observation Lounge (Deck 1)
Lieutenant Commander Marla Cooper was the first person to arrive in the lounge. Not that that was unusual. Marla was always the first person to arrive at the meetings. There was a joke going around before the Dominion War that she was so afraid of the warp core, despite being the ship's CEO (Chief Engineering Officer; not 'chief executive official') she'd do anything to get away from it. The joke had long since worn off after she lost her left arm during the war as the computer console next to her own exploded when the Jem'Hadar had boarded the Columbia in 2374. She was lucky she hadn't lost anything else. Half of the remaining engineers were either killed or very badly wounded, and the rest had withdrawn from the area altogether. In the end, she had found away to beam the Jem'Hadar off of the Columbia and into their own ship's shields, instantly dispersing them throughout the space between the two ship on the molecular level by tapping into the transporter room controls from her tricorder, thus destroying the intruders and saving the Columbia. The disruption in the enemy's shields from the Jem'Hadar being beamed into it had then allowed the USS Arcadia, the other ship escorting the convoy, to destroy the enemy attack ship. Her new left arm had been genetically replicated and installed by Doctor Gonzalez.
But despite having her arm back, she still maintained her reputation of being the first in attendance at senior staff meetings. Only now, there were sparks flying between her and Lieutenant Michael Stevens. Or at least half the time it was like that. To any other crew member who knew her as well as the engineering staff, it was easy enough to see that she was just stringing him along. Not breaking his heart, but not constructing any lasting relationship, either. But Stevens was taking the bait as if it was the only good thing in the world (kind of like when you go fishing and you keep losing your bait to the same fish… but you inevitably catch it and make one rather unhappy fish). The engineering staff knew this because until Stevens came along, she had never shown up early (or on time, for that matter) for her shift. She was always five or ten minutes late. Now she was doing a double shift and she still showed up early, as well as staying late. But that did not keep Stevens away from her. Now he was showing up in engineering. Stevens would walk in and go straight to her console as naturally as if it were his own. Marla would pretend to be preoccupied with something and used 'technical malfunctions' as excuses to leave her post when he was really getting to her. One time she jury-rigged her console to show a plasma leak in the starboard nacelle so Stevens wouldn't figure out what she really did. He had turned bright red when Marla had asked Ensign Phillip Gibbons to accompany her in the Jefferies tubes to fix the 'problem'. Everyone had laughed at that… and they laughed even harder when Stevens asked Lieutenant Dennis Reamer, an anti-matter specialist (which meant he wouldn't know anything about the plasma-powered impulse engines), for a crash course in fixing broken plasma flows from computer consoles. Stevens had walked straight out of the room, sick with embarrassment after that.
Marla had just finished her coffee when the rest of the staff started to arrive, starting with the captain and first officer Boslin. Then came Juan and Sark, followed by science officer Mack Kennelly with the two security lieutenants shortly thereafter. Then came Ensign O'Hearne. Ensign Pierce was the last person to arrive.
"All right, everyone, let's get down to business. Ensign Pierce detected some transporter activity on the planet. Lt. Sark abducted the person who used the transporter and Lieutenants Rommel and Damond observed some conversation between the person, who turned out to be a teenager, and two adults who they believe to be her parents," the captain began.
Juan was the first to speak. "The teenager has shown no signs of exposure to Federation technology."
"How would that show up on a medical scan?" Marla asked.
Juan was ready with his answer. "Because of our everyday computer use, our retinal decay rate is slightly higher than people who use it less often. In this case, the girl in question had an RDR that was by far much less than that of a Federation national.
"On the other hand," he continued, "she did have a layer of chronoton particles covering her from head to foot. The only way she could have that is if it was from the transporter device on the planet. And the only known culture that uses chronoton particles in their transporter systems is the Iconians."
"I can only think of two possible reasons that there would be a transporter like that on the planet. Number one: they are really more advanced than they seem to be, like the Organians. And number two: it was left there by a previous culture, like the Iconians," Boslin contributed.
"The Organian theory is not very likely," Pierce flatly stated, "I did not detect any other transporter activity at any of the other concentrations of the world's population. But, your second idea may hold some water. The only thing is that we don't know where it goes. If it is like the Iconian doorway, then it could go anywhere."
"I could discover the destination of the transporter if you allow me to take a set of pattern enhancers. I will imagine being on the bridge. If I appear on the bridge, then we will know it is an Iconian doorway. If otherwise is true, than you will detect the pattern enhancers if I am still within this solar system. If I am not detected within the solar system, then you should assume that I am a casualty of the mission," Sark stated.
"And why should I let you go and not anyone else?" Ramon inquired.
"I am the most mentally adept crew member. I have the best chance of reappearing on board the Columbia in the event that it is an Iconian doorway," Sark replied, "Also, as security chief, it is my responsibility to keep the rest of the crew alive in unfavorable circumstances."
"I can't argue with that. Alright, Sark, you got it. Our first guinea pig has been selected," Ramon concluded.
"I am not a––" Sark began.
"Never mind. Now, Lieutenants Damond and Rommel, do you have anything else to report?"
"The facility appeared to be a religious facility. At least, the size of the courtyard and the architecture suggested that it was," Rommel reported.
"Definitely a shrine. Perhaps they worship the transporter well thing," Damond finished.
" 'Well thing'?" Ramon asked.
"Well, that's what it looked like," Rommel answered.
"What kind of well? A wishing well? Water well?"
"Wishing well."
"Astrometrics to the captain! More transporter activity is detected on the planet! It's at the same coordinates, too!" Ensign Higgins, the gamma shift astrophysics officer announced from deck 12.
O'Hearne, Rommel and Damond were already on their feet before the captain had even begun to order them back to the transporter room. They stood up as if they had expected the order to come and were already out of the room before anyone else could said anything. They were in the transporter room within seconds and on the pad moments later. O'Hearne cleared them for transport and they were in the well room once again.
On the planet. . .
This time, the doors were wide open. "Let's move closer to the doors," Damond suggested.
"I'd rather not chance being seen," Rommel replied, "And watch out for the shiny thing!"
"What shiny–– ?!" Damond hadn't noticed until then that there was something going from the well to somewhere outside, but it was too thin for him to see where it went. "Thanks. I think I'll just look around out here," Damond ducked under the hair and walked out of the well. He hadn't gone far when he saw two people clad in unusually… old fashion (for lack of a better term) clothes coming out of another building. He ducked out of sight and watched them walking toward the well. "Damond to Rommel: two locals at 12 o'clock."
"Thanks..." Then Rommel paused… "I hear something's coming up the well. I'm looking in." Another pause… "Holy shit! It's big, looks like fish bait, and–– Holy sh––!" The link went dead.