Author's Note: Thanks and appreciation to my wonderful betas, Matt and Cathy, for theirfeedback, patience and the title. Additional feedback, comments and critiques are welcome and greatly appreciated.
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
Form and Substance
Alindra felt a thrill of excitement as she soared across the darkening sky. The warmth of this desert world, baking under the heat of dual suns, was lost to her as she glided toward the desert floor, then pulled up again, moving the delicate wings as though she had been born knowing how to use them. Up ahead, a flock of similarly shaped avians was diving toward the desert floor, burying their long snouts into the soft ground that indicated a hidden spring.
Alindra joined the flock on the desert floor, pushing her snout into the earth and sucking up the sweet green liquid that gave nourishment to this body. Satiated, she raced across the desert floor on her four spindly legs, until she reached takeoff speed and the delicate, curving wings carried her into the air.
The light gravity of this world allowed for daring aerial acrobatics and Alindra took full advantage, swooping in tighter and tighter loops toward the ground and then breaking off to head straight up into the sky again. She loved and reveled in the sense of freedom and wonder it gave her. The memory of a time not so long ago when she had known captivity slipped unbidden into her mind, and she forced it away, not wanting such unpleasantness to ruin the beauty of this moment.
A long, piercing screech from below sent her avian heart racing and she dipped and curved away from the sound. Batlans were huge but their size made them slow and cumbersome compared to the smaller and more graceful Ludiki. Even so, it did not pay to underestimate them. Alindra's heart settled into a more natural rhythm as she looked down at the all too common scene of a Batlan stuffing a Ludiki into the mouth that took up most of the center of its body. She felt sadness at the loss of the beautiful creature but forced herself to concentrate on the sky around her. Batlans always traveled in packs.
Once this place had teemed with life, but years ago a shift in the orbit of the second sun, bringing it slightly closer to the planet, had caused environmental changes that led to the extinction of most of the other species. The Batlans and the Ludiki had survived; but the Batlans, with the round mouth in the center of their stomach and awkward tendrils instead of claws, had found it harder to reach the sweet green liquid, suchara, that nourished both species. Unfortunately, they had adapted -- now they waited for the Ludiki to feed, then attacked and ingested the delicate creatures and, with them, the suchara.
Alindra watched the creature below finish its meal, then unfold its huge, dark wings as it reached for the sky. She boosted her speed and turned toward the Ludiki habitat in the far off mountains. A piercing screech from just below startled her, but she twisted her body just in time to miss the tentacle of the Batlan reaching out for her. She heard another screech from behind her and knew the creatures had teamed up for the hunt. Her heart raced as she forced more speed from her straining form. She felt the Batlans closing in as she concentrated on the sky in front of her and saw it begin to shimmer. She felt a tentacle touch her just as she streaked into the shimmer.
Elation and relief at escaping the beasts were tinged with disappointment as the delicate wings melted into her body, leaving only small fins, and the four spindly legs merged into a thick tail. She felt the heavy press of liquid against her now aquatic form, but felt no fear at the radical change as she had when she had first started her journeys so long ago. Now the changes were second nature and she concentrated on using the last of the gateway's energy to absorb information about this new world.
Alindra swam for some time, cruising effortlessly through the cool, thick liquid. This species, which called itself Krattak, had no optical nodes, so Alindra focused on interpreting the impressions sent back by its primitive sonar. Occasionally another Krattak would pass by, but they were creatures of limited intelligence with little need for interaction with others of their own kind and none of them approached her. She swam upward, searching for any changes in the environment – perhaps the liquid would end and another type of environment would be above it – but there was nothing but the sensation of the liquid around her and sonar echoes of other Krattak and the smaller creatures on which they fed.
Bored by the monotony of this strange world, Alindra concentrated on a point directly in front of her and swam into the gateway. Her fins elongated into two jointed arms each ending in five grasping appendages; the gills melted into a face that now contained two eyes, a small stub of a nose and a mouth, and the thick tail divided and morphed into two long jointed legs that each ended in five short stubby appendages similar to those on her arms, although not nearly as dextrous.
Alindra stretched her new limbs tentatively, marveling at the strangeness of this form, different than any other she had taken in her travels among the dimensions that formed the fabric of the universe. She flexed her -- the word "fingers" came unbidden to her mind -- and then looked down and did the same with the -- again a word came -- "toes." She touched the delicate skin on her arm and felt the tingle of the soft, light hair that coated it. Her mind reached out for the knowledge it needed to function in this strange new dimension and she stood quietly in the semi-darkness of the storage area allowing that knowledge to fill her before the energy of the gateway dissipated.
On the Bridge, an alarm bleeped momentarily, then went off. Chief of Security Worf frowned at his control panel as the Captain turned to him questioningly.
"Mr. Worf?"
"The sensors detected an anomaly in Storage Area 3, possibly an intruder, but it appears to be gone now. I'll send a security team to investigate immediately."
Captain Picard frowned slightly as he responded, "Very well."
Having absorbed the information she needed within seconds, Alindra looked around the small room, which was crowded with storage canisters and containers of varying sizes and shapes, and spotted a computer access terminal. Using the last of the gateway's matter-transforming power, she placed her hand on the surface of the instrument and interfaced with it. The hand disappeared momentarily as its core elements explored the computer. Knowledge of this particular environment -- a "starship" called Enterprise -- and its inhabitants filled her; and, before disengaging, she sent a command to the central processor which the computer immediately began to implement.
Now in possession of most of the information she would need to function in this dimension, Alindra looked down at her naked form and frowned. These beings required coverings, so she moved toward the replicator to produce some. The clothing -- called a uniform -- was uncomfortable after the freedom of her recent avian and aquatic existences, but already those memories were fading, and she let them go as she dressed quickly. Her brief interaction with the computer had told her that this ship's protectors – Security – were on the way. Smoothing the fabric of the uniform designating her a junior member of the sciences division, she quickly stepped through the doors of the cargo hold and out into the hallway beyond.
Approaching the corner, she heard footsteps pounding toward her. Her heart raced as it had when the Batlan were chasing her, but this time she did not summon the portal to the next dimension. The knowledge she had obtained from the computer suggested that these beings would not harm her unless she tried to harm them first; and, if the command she had given the computer had been effective, it would be some time before anyone realized she didn't belong here.
Jason Garvey rushed toward the corridor leading to the storage compartment, his heart racing. He didn't care what the sensors said now, he'd been looking right at his special scanner when the brief intruder alert had sounded. There had definitely been something there and he was determined to see it for himself.
As he rounded the last turn, hurrying to beat the security officers he knew were on the way, he almost knocked over a young ensign coming from the other direction. Registering quickly that he didn't know her, he muttered a quick apology and raced past.
"Explain yourself, mister!" Commander Riker demanded, angrily pacing back and forth in front of a nervous-looking Garvey. Captain Picard remained seated behind his desk, his unwavering gaze severe.
Already knowing it was a waste of time because his idea was so theoretical most of those in his own discipline didn't understand it, Garvey tried to explain, "I've been working on a theory about dimensional conduits – gateways between dimensions. I've had monitoring equipment going round the clock for the last month looking for signs to support my theory and, when that intruder alert sounded this afternoon, I also got a signal on my equipment indicating a dimensional conduit had opened.
"I thought I knew about every experiment being run by Sciences," Picard said quietly, "but I'd like to hear more about this. Who is your supervisor?"
"Well, ... um ...my supervisor isn't exactly aware of this experiment," Garvey stammered uncomfortably.
"Do you mean to tell me, Mr. Garvey, that you have been running unauthorized experiments on my ship," Picard asked, his eyes cold and his mouth drawn into a stern line.
Shifting uncomfortably, Garvey muttered, "It's nothing dangerous, sir. Nothing that would interfere with ship's systems."
"And you know that because you are intimately familiar with every system and every experiment currently running on this ship," Riker snapped angrily.
Garvey sighed heavily. This was going even worse than he had expected.
When Garvey didn't respond, Riker resumed pacing, "So when your monitoring equipment went off, indicating a . . ."
"Possible dimensional gateway."
". . . you decided to take matters into your own hands and investigate this anomaly without any backup from Security."
"They would have run in with guns drawn and scared it," Garvey responded defensively.
"It? Exactly what 'it' is that, Mr. Garvey. Security found nothing in that compartment but you."
"I know, but my equipment clearly indicated a lifeform of some kind and then it disappeared. I had to check it out for myself!"
Picard's exterior remained severe, but he softened a bit inside at the passion in the young man's words. Picard was a military man, but he was also an explorer, and he respected the scientists among his crew. They were explorers too, but interested in different parts of the universe than he himself was. And Garvey, although fairly new to the ship, didn't have a record as a troublemaker. He was extremely bright, if not very ambitious, according to his supervisor in Sciences, and had not been a problem at all – until today. "You should go to the brig for what you've done . . ."
"Definitely," Riker interrupted.
". . .but since this is your first offense, I'm going to give you an opportunity to redeem yourself."
"Captain?!" the shock in Riker's voice was apparent.
"Mr. Data will be in to collect you shortly. You are to share all of your research with him. If he decides your experiment has merit and is not detrimental to the ship in any way, I may allow it to continue – under his direct supervision. But if there is one more incident like this, you are off my ship. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," Garvey muttered miserably.
Two hours later, a frustrated and abashed Jason Garvey headed toward Ten Forward, wishing he could get his hands on some real alcohol to wipe away the memory of this miserable day. Not finding an alien or any sign of a dimensional gateway and the humiliation of the subsequent dressing down by Picard and Riker and delegation to the oversight of the android Data had been bad enough, but having Data discover a problem with his equipment that might have affected ship's systems under battle conditions had been excruciating. Data had been able to suggest changes to the configuration of the equipment to eliminate the problem and had even complimented him on the experiment, but that was little comfort.
The truth was that Jason Garvey preferred to work alone. He was able to do, to the best of his ability and with a smile, whatever stupid, menial tasks were required by his supervisors while he was on duty, as long as he knew he had his own personal work to do out of sight of the rest of the crew.
Having been raised by a highly intellectual but extremely clannish alien race after the death of his scientist parents, Jason had grown up in an environment that cherished his intelligence but had crippled him socially. At that time, the Luton world had been on the farthest edges of explored space, in a solar system that was otherwise barren of life. After first contact was made with the planet's inhabitants, who were just beginning to use warp technology, Jason's sociologist parents had volunteered to assist Starfleet in learning more about the Luton culture and assessing their readiness for and possible interest in Starfleet membership.
The elder Garveys had found a civilization that revered knowledge and learning above all else, but was clan oriented to a fault. Each Luton knew his relationship to every other Luton in the community and an insult to one member of a clan could cause a blood feud that would last for generations. This had led to unnecessary wars and conflict over the centuries that had kept the Lutons from working together to reach their full potential. Only in the twenty years prior to the Garveys' visit had the Lutons been able to pull their disparate clans together to work toward the goal of exploring space. Having spent so many years fighting one another, they were understandably reluctant to trust strangers, especially those of a different species so Starfleet's offer of alliance was viewed with suspicion.
But Josiah and Geneva Garvey had won the respect of the Lutons, both with their keen intelligence, and more importantly with their dedication to their own small clan, which included Jason and his younger sister, Leana. Because of that respect, when his parents and sister were killed in an earthquake a year and a half into their fact-finding mission, the Lutons had taken in five-year-old Jason as a "ward" of the community until Starfleet could arrive to pick him up. At that time, Luton, being remote, of no military importance and hesitant to join the Federation, had been a low priority, so it had taken almost eight years for that to happen.
In the meantime, Jason had been shuttled from family to family among the Lutons, learning all they had to teach him, then passed along to the next family. During the triennial family festivals when the clans of related families gathered to celebrate their history, he was left alone at the home of his current patron to fend for himself. An orphan on a world that celebrated family connection, he had always felt like an outsider, waiting anxiously for the day when he could return home to his own extended family, and be among people with whom he truly 'belonged.'
Unfortunately, that dream had been shattered when he found himself returned to a world that didn't celebrate family connection the way the Luton had. All four of his grandparents were already dead and, with his father having been an only child, the remaining blood relative was his mother's sister, a dedicated scientist with no time to waste on a 13 year old boy. Her response to the problem of Jason had been to send him away to boarding school until he was old enough to join Starfleet and go out on his own.
At school, the knowledge and skills he had gained from the Luton had put him intellectually many years ahead of those his own age, resulting in his being placed in classes with students much older than himself and not much interested in a thirteen year old boy. There had been a few friends and mentors along the way, but Jason had learned early the difficult lesson that he had no one to depend on but himself.
The Luton had taught Jason that other dimensions existed and he had been excited as a child by stories of their beauty and variety. He had not known whether the stories were just Luton fairytales, but the dream of one day visiting those other worlds had been his lifeline through the years of loneliness. He had spent all his time studying mathematics, physics, astrophysics and any other subject he felt might help him find an answer, but it hadn't been until last year that the theory about the gateways had come to him one night in a flash of inspiration. Finding a gateway had become his obsession and he didn't want to share that work with anyone else. But now the most important project of his life had been taken out of his hands.
His thoughts were in turmoil as he rounded the final turn to Ten Forward so he didn't notice the young woman approaching from the other side. Barreling around the corner, he ran right into her. She cried out in surprise, and Garvey instinctively reached out to grab her before she could fall.
"I'm really sorry," he said contritely.
"Do you make a habit out of this or is it just me," she asked, her tone somewhat sharp but with a playful edge.
At his confused look, she added, "You ran into me earlier today, too."
Embarrassed, Garvey tried to remember when that had been and had a brief flash of a woman in the corridor leading to the storage area.
"No, I don't," he replied sheepishly, "but it's been that kind of day." Impulsively he added, "I'm headed to Ten Forward for a drink, would you like to join me?"
She gazed at him assessingly for a moment, then smiled and responded lightly, "My mother taught me never to accept invitations from strangers. . . ."
"Oh, . . sorry," Garvey stammered.
". . . but if you were to tell me your name, I suppose you wouldn't be a stranger anymore," she smiled.
"Oh, . ., sure. . .Jason Garvey, Astrometrics – at least for the moment," he added ruefully. "And you are . . .?"
"Alindra. Alindra Duvane. It's very nice to meet you, Jason Garvey, and that drink sounds like a wonderful idea."
When they were seated in Ten Forward with drinks in front of them, Alindra said, "Tell me more about yourself, Jason Garvey. Where are you from?"
"Jason is fine, and there's not much to tell. I'm a boring old Earther. What about you?"
"I was born on Earth, but my parents were scientists, so we moved around a lot because of their research."
"What kind of research?"
"Botanical. They were botanists. That's where I got the bug from."
"So, you're a botanist."
"Primarily, but I find all kinds of life forms interesting," she said, a soft smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "You said in the corridor that you're in Astrometrics 'for the time being'. Are you thinking of changing careers?"
Garvey winced at the memory of his encounter with the captain and first officer and responded glumly, "I may not have any choice."
He hadn't intended to tell her the story, but she was such a good listener that it spilled out of him. "So anyway, now my research is being babysat by our resident android and I'm this close to getting booted off the ship altogether. I don't expect it will look too good on my service record to have been kicked off the flagship of the Fleet after only two months."
"I haven't been here that long myself," she responded, "I can sympathize."
"When did you come on board?"
Hoping that the computer had completed its secret work and her new identity was fed completely into the system, Alindra responded, "During the last crew transfer at Alpha Ceti Prime. I came on with about 30 others."
He stared at her in surprise. "That's when I came on, too. Funny, I was so nervous, I thought I'd talked to everyone who was there that day but I don't remember you."
She gave a little pout and responded lightly, "I guess I'm not that memorable."
At his look of remorse, she smiled and said, "I was a little late arriving so I didn't get a chance to socialize much. I think I remember seeing you across the room though, but I'm not sure. So much has happened since then, it's hard to keep it all straight."
She shrugged her shoulders and continued, "Anyway, what is this research that's gotten you into so much trouble?"
"It's kind of technical. I wouldn't want to bore you."
"Why don't you give it a try and I'll let you know if I get bored."
Garvey shrugged and responded, "Okay, you asked for it."
He told her his theory about the existence of fixed gateways between dimensions and his attempts to detect them. She listened attentively and, to his surprise, asked several intelligent questions. Several hours passed in comfortable conversation before Alindra excused herself, claiming the need to get some sleep before her next duty shift.
A much happier Jason Garvey left Ten Forward whistling. He had not had much luck with girls in the past, but something inside told him this one was different somehow -- special -- and he hoped to have an opportunity to see her again soon.
Alindra moved through the halls purposefully, with no intention of wasting her valuable time sleeping. It was extremely bad luck that Jason had been part of the crew transfer at Alpha Ceti Prime that was part of her cover story, but she thought she had been convincing enough to divert him from wondering about it. His research was a bigger problem. If he began to suspect that an 'alien' had indeed come through the gateway he had detected, it wouldn't take him long to figure out who that alien was. This was a fascinating dimension and Alindra was determined to continue exploring it for as long as she safely could.
Jason Garvey awoke from the dream, trembling. In it, he had walked down a corridor, turned the corner and was facing a door, nothing but blank walls on either side of him. Quickly pulling on his uniform, he raced down the hallways, took a quick ride on the turbolift and ran down the final corridor to the corner he had seen in his dream – the one where he had collided with Alindra the first time. Slowly he turned the corner. Straight ahead was the door to the cargo hold. On either side were – blank walls. The only place she could have come from was that cargo hold – the one the strange readings had come from.
As he slowly retraced his steps to his cabin, Garvey thought about the inconsistencies – not seeing her at Alpha Ceti Prime, her knowledge of technical issues way outside her field – but he kept coming back to the incontrovertible fact of her being in that particular corridor at that particular time. He thought briefly about taking his suspicions to Commander Data, but knew he'd either be found wrong and look like a fool again or be taken seriously and have the entire matter turned over to the Captain or, worse yet, Security. No, if Alindra really was an alien and really had come through a dimensional gateway, Jason Garvey wanted to know why, how and, most importantly, what was on the other side. Stopping at a computer access terminal, he snapped, "Computer, locate Alindra Duvane."
It took a second or two longer than usual for the computer to respond, "Alindra Duvane is in the Hydroponics Bay."
Determined to find out the truth, Jason Garvey strode purposefully toward the turbolift.
"Captain?"
"Yes, Mr. Data."
"I have been investigating a problem with the computer and have found something disturbing."
"Disturbing, Mr. Data?"
"Yes, sir. This afternoon I noticed a delay in the computer's response time of almost half a second. . ."
"Half a second. . . and you noticed," Commander Riker broke in disbelievingly.
"Yes, sir," Data responded evenly, "and I have been attempting to track down the problem since then. My investigation indicates that the problem first appeared around the same time as the unexplained intruder alert."
Picard straightened up in his command chair at the unexpected news. "What else have you found?"
The computer appears to be altering some data, specifically in the crew data files, but I have not been able to trace the exact files yet. The computer seems to be deliberately feeding me false information."
Clearly concerned, the captain asked, "Do you have any theories, Mr. Data."
"Adding this information to what I learned from Mr. Garvey's experiment earlier today, I would have to suggest that Mr. Garvey was right and we really do have a visitor from another dimension. Where that entity is now and what form it has taken though, I cannot tell you."
Picard slammed his hand angrily on the arm of the command console. "I want to see Mr. Garvey immediately."
Garvey approached Alindra cautiously, his steps slowing the closer he came to her. She seemed so normal, so human, that he could almost bring himself to believe that he had been wrong about her.
She was examining a plant and he didn't think she'd heard his approach until she suddenly said very softly, "So, you've figured it all out, have you?"
His heart sank as he responded, "Not all of it, but enough. Where do you really come from?"
It was a good question and she gave him the honest answer, "I don't really remember, to tell you the truth. I've been traveling for so long and visited so many different worlds and dimensions that I can't really remember where I started out. This one is particularly fascinating. I wish I could have stayed here longer."
"You're not going to leave, are you?" he asked with genuine alarm.
"I have no desire to be your next experiment," she said, looking him steadily in the eyes. "I am a scientist in my own way. I want to continue exploring – to see all that is out there, not remain a prisoner being poked and prodded to find out what I am and how I do it."
"You don't have to go," Garvey said earnestly, "I won't tell anyone. I do want to know how you do it, but I promise not to tell anyone else and I certainly wouldn't poke and prod you. Although you do look incredibly human to be an alien."
She smiled sadly, "Right now I am human. When I cross the gateway into a new dimension, my body is changed to fit in with the environment of that particular dimension. I have certain 'abilities' right after the crossing that allow me to learn about and adapt to the environment, but after the gateway disappears fully, I am locked into the shape I took when I entered the dimension and am as vulnerable as any other creature in that dimension. Your sensors and other equipment will read me as human, because I am human for as long as I remain here."
"How do you find the gateways?"
She smiled again, "Your mistake is in thinking that they are localized phenomena. The gateway is a living thing. It is everywhere. All I have to do is wish for it to open and it will."
"You mean you could open one right here, right now?"
"If I choose."
Garvey's amazed silence was interrupted by the bleep of his commbadge. The tense voice of Commander Riker came through the device, "Mr. Garvey, you are needed on the Bridge immediately."
Garvey didn't even think about why the first officer would be ordering him to the Bridge, as he responded distractedly, "I'll be there shortly, sir. I'm in the middle of something," and closed the connection.
Alindra looked at him in amazement.
"What," he asked defensively.
"You just told the first officer you're too busy to be bothered with him."
"So."
"Don't you think he'll find that a tad suspicious."
"I suppose."
"You'd better go."
"Not until you answer some more of my questions."
Will Riker looked at his captain in amazement.
"Computer, locate Jason Garvey," Picard stated curtly.
"Jason Garvey is in the Hydroponics bay."
"Is anyone with him."
There was a noticeable pause and Picard, Riker and Data exchanged concerned glances as the computer finally responded, "Yes."
Attempting to rein in his temper at the recalcitrant machine, Riker snapped, "Computer, who else is in the Hydroponics bay with Mr. Garvey."
There was another noticeable pause before the computer responded, "Ensign Alindra Duvane is also in the Hydroponics bay."
"Alindra Duvane," Riker said thoughtfully, "I don't recognize that name."
"Computer, pull up the service record for Alindra Duvane," Picard ordered.
Another noticeable lag preceded the appearance of the requested information on the Captain's screen. As Picard and Riker studied the information provided by the computer, Commander Data's hands moved at a blinding speed across his keypad, attempting to track down the gremlin in the computer system. Frowning, his fingers finally stopped moving and he said, "Captain, I believe I've found the problem with the computer. All records for Alindra Duvane were created today. In fact, the computer has been working all day to incorporate the appropriate references to her existence in every relevant database -- work schedules, duty logs, service records -- that is what has been causing the slowdowns on other requests. Alindra Duvane does not exist."
"Then it's time to find out who she really is and what she's doing on my ship," Picard responded firmly as he rose from his chair. "Red Alert."
Alindra's commbadge chirped as she walked with Garvey toward the hydroponics bay door. "The Captain has requested the service record for Alindra Duvane," came the computer's tinny voice.
"Damn," Alindra snapped as she stopped. "I'm going to have to go."
"No," Garvey said with alarm. "Wait and talk to them. Captain Picard isn't a 'shoot first, ask questions later' kind of guy. He's an explorer, too. He'll want to learn about you and your people. You know, 'first contact' and all that crap."
Alindra couldn't help laughing, "I'm glad to see you take your mission so seriously," she snickered as he blushed with embarrassment.
Suddenly red alert klaxons began sounding all around them. The doors to the hydroponics bay opened and Captain Jean Luc Picard stood there with Commander Riker, Lieutenant Worf and four security guards.
Not wasting any time, Picard demanded, "Who are you and what do you want with this ship."
"She's not an enemy, Captain. She's an explorer just like us," Garvey broke in, "and she's just trying to learn about our dimension."
"Friends do not generally break into my computer and try to reprogram it," Picard responded coldly.
"I was trying to remain anonymous, Captain, until I was sure your people wouldn't attempt to harm me," Alindra responded coolly. "I have had bad experiences during my travels and have learned to be cautious."
"Then you will understand my desire for caution and agree to go into quarantine in sickbay until we can be sure you are not a threat to this ship or its crew. Then I will be happy to talk to you more about our respective worlds."
"I don't think so," Alindra responded. "I will be happy to talk to you if you wish but I'll skip the quarantine." Memories of another species with different weapons, in a dimension far different from this one, who had discovered what she was and had imprisoned and punished her for being different before she finally managed to escaped, flickered through her mind. "I don't like confinement of any kind."
One of the security men sighted his phaser rifle on her at the response and she immediately turned her head away and stared into the space directly in front of her.
Garvey vaguely heard Picard shout, "Lower that weapon," as he watched Alindra, and, from his vantage point beside her, saw the air in front of her begin to shimmer. Realizing what she was about to do, Garvey cried out, "Wait! Take me with you."
Alindra looked at him in surprise, and, seeing the determination in his eyes, grabbed his hand and quickly pulled him through the now brightly shimmering gateway.
There was a strange sensation as he passed through the gateway and Alindra's hand slipped out of his. All went dark for a moment as if a camera shutter had closed and then reopened to an entirely different scene. Although the land around him was also amazing, Jason Garvey could only stare in wonder at the creature before him. It resembled nothing more than a dark sack with thick, leathery skin and no sign of limbs other than a thinning in the membranes around its sides. His eyes began to burn and he blinked to clear them, but the pain returned. His breath became raspy as his nasal passages and throat began to burn and he lifted his hands to cover them. Blinking his eyes open and closed quickly, he realized with growing horror what the problem was.
Alindra looked out over the vast purple field, struggling to adapt to the new type of vision provided by the single eye in the middle of her new form and the gelatinous membrane that soothed and protected it from the acidic environment. She spun her awkward form around to see how Jason was reacting to this new dimension and his new form, but froze in shock at what she saw – a very human Jason Garvey doubled over, gasping for breath, the skin on his face darkening as he crumpled toward the ground. The fading outline of the gateway shimmered behind him and she realized there was only one thing she could do.
As she tried to walk toward him, the word 'bounce' entered her mind and she instinctively crouched this new legless form and sprang forward, knocking Jason back through the gateway. The shimmer brightened momentarily as he passed through it, then began to fade again, and she stared at it, contemplating. The time she had spent with Jason had been enjoyable and the thought of having a companion in her travels had been unexpectedly pleasing. She was confused by the fact that he had not changed as she had, and the thought that he might have been injured because she had brought him here troubled her.
Alindra had started the crouch into a bounce toward the gateway, when the sounds reached her -- beautiful and ethereal, they came from above, and she turned her single eye to the sky and gasped with delight. Above her were thousands of creatures just like her, swooping effortlessly through the air, using the thin membranes at the sides of the otherwise thick bodies to steer themselves.
The gateway momentarily forgotten, she bounced tentatively away from it, realizing for the first time that gravity on this world was practically non-existent, which was why the otherwise heavy, cumbersome bodies of the Didkana, as these creatures were called, were able to leave the ground. Delighted by the thought of flying again, Alindra bounced off the ground and joined the creatures in the sky above.
"How is he," Counselor Deanna Troi asked Dr. Beverly Crusher quietly as she looked through the observation port.
Beverly shrugged noncommitally and replied, "As well as can be expected. The environment he was exposed to was extremely acidic. Luckily the acid didn't remain in his skin when he came back through the gateway. His eyes were badly damaged, but I was able to save part of his sight. He'll need to be sent back to Earth to see if the specialists can do anything else, but I doubt it. The burns on his body are healing, but it'll take time. Dermal regeneration on wounds this extensive can't be done overnight."
Troi entered the room and went to Jason Garvey's bedside. The lighting was low and he was wearing dark glasses to protect his injured eyes. He had lost most of his hair and dermal patches covered most of his face to protect the healing skin.
"Jason, it's Counselor Troi. May I sit with you for awhile?"
Garvey simply shrugged and she felt the flash of pain even that simple movement caused him.
"Doctor Crusher says you're improving steadily. We'll be able to return you to Earth for further treatment very soon."
"Great."
Even through the hoarse croak of his injured throat, the word was limp and lifeless. Troi felt his grief and despair as if they were her own and wished she had a medical miracle that could cure his injured soul as easily as his physical injuries.
"Would you like to talk about what happened?"
She felt sadness and a sense of deep loss emanate from him as he replied, "There's not much to tell. She was wrong. She thought it was the gateway that changed her form, so we thought it would change mine, too. But it didn't." He was silent for a long moment, before continuing, "It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. The land was purple . . . and Alindra, she had changed into this thing that looked like a big, leathery sack. I was so excited to be there, to be part of such an incredible experience. Then my eyes and my throat started to burn and I looked down and saw my hands, my arms, and I knew . . . I knew it was . . . over . . . that I was going to die."
"But you're not dead."
"No," he responded flatly and she sensed immense despair behind that single word.
"There are plenty of strange new worlds in this dimension to explore," Deanna said comfortingly. "Your life isn't over because you couldn't go with Alindra."
"I know, it's just that . . ."
"Yes?"
"For a minute, when she pushed me back through, I thought she was going to come back with me. There's so much we could have learned from her. She's one of the few people I've ever been able to talk who understood . . ." The word 'me' froze on his lips and, suddenly self-conscious, he finished, ". . .the work that I do."
"Maybe she will come back some day."
"Maybe," he responded noncommitally.
Sensing the depth of his loneliness, she continued gently, "I noticed in your service record that you don't have much family. We've notified your aunt about your injuries and your expected arrival date back on Earth, but we haven't received a reply yet. Is there anyone else you'd like me to notify."
A lone tear slipped out from beneath the dark glasses. "No, there's no one else," he responded flatly.
"I understand your parents and sister died on Luton and you spent several years there before returning home. I've never had an opportunity to visit that particular world. What was it like growing up there."
She felt another stab of loneliness and sadness emanate from him. " They are a very intelligent but extremely clannish people. Everything revolves around family. They did the best they could for me, but after my parents died, I never really felt like I belonged. I did learn a lot from them, though."
"About things like dimensional gateways?"
He smiled thinly, "No. They told me stories about other dimensions, but the only way they knew to reach another dimension was to die. One of their most cherished legends told how the spirits of the dead passed on to another plane of existence where they waited for their loved ones to join them."
She nodded, "A similar belief is held by many races. And since dying is a rather extreme way to test the theory, you decided to find another way."
He nodded.
"Why."
She saw his brow furrow over the bandages. "Why? Why not?! Anything would be better than the life I have here. No family except an aunt who doesn't want to be bothered with me, no friends, a dead-end career. . ."
"Not so dead-end anymore. Alindra's appearance has made your area of research very hot. I'm sure Data's anxious to hear what you've learned and I expect you're going to be very popular in the scientific community."
"Great," he responded with much less enthusiasm than she had expected. "If you don't mind I'd like to try and get some rest now."
Sensing she was pushing him too hard on this first visit, Deanna responded, "Certainly. Call me anytime if you need to talk."
He nodded distractedly and looked out the window, watching the stars streak by, his mind turned back to a bright purple world and an amazing creature that looked like a big, leathery sack. And he couldn't help but wonder if the being called Alindra had ever found the dimension where the Luton dead existed and, if so, whether there had been three humans among them. He wished with all his heart that he would have the chance to find out.
Alindra floated happily among her fellow Didkana, adding her voice to their joyous chorus. A sudden explosion in the distance disrupted the song, and the Didkana dispersed quickly, searching for a haven from the coming storm.
Knowing that many Didkana did not survive these storms, Alindra concentrated on the air in front of her and, as the shimmer appeared, she thought momentarily of returning to the being called Jason. Then she remembered the men with the guns who wanted to confine her. One day she would return to Jason's world she decided, but not today. She entered the gateway and felt her body change, the matter dissipating into a gaseous form that drifted along, searching for others of its kind in a dimension where solids such as Jason Garvey did not exist.
THE END