Disclaimer: The show "Star Trek: The Next Generation", the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and the film "Blade Runner" are all property of their respective owners. Or something like that. I won't get any profit out of this story, for legal reasons and because it's really not worth anything.
Introduction: This story takes place within one of the last years of TNG, but with Pulaski as doctor (in my book, after Q transformed Crusher into a Golden Retriever dog, she stayed this way!).
This is my first story, I basically wrote it to improve my English skills. So it's not written perfectly, but I'm sure it's readable and on par with most of the other stories here. I hope you, the readers, enjoy it and do not get too offended by it's content... When you've finished it, please give me a feedback! Thanks a lot.
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Chapter One: Capt. Picard is Having a Bad Day
"Captain's log, stardate 45283.0. We're still in orbit of Nerewia II, as we were for the last five days. It is indeed a very boring mission as there is nothing much to study on the planet, the only interesting thing about this desert-like world being the undefinable radiaton it's emitting. Mr. Data and the science division are intensely scanning and trying to analyze it but until now, nothing has come from it. In fourthy-one hours, the U.S.S. Desperado is expected to arrive here and continue on searching the planet's strange readings, finally letting the Enterprise travel on to tasks more... appropriate for a ship of her importance. I doubt, though, that a ship as ill-equipped as the Desperado can find anything here when even the Enterprise with our sophisticated scanners is not able to. Anyway, I stopped trying to see a sense in Starfleet HQ's orders a long time ago."
Picard stood up from his chair, started walking towards the door, then stopped once again. "Computer, delete my last remarks from captain's log and put them into my person log instead, will you?" "Confirmed." The Captain was pretty much upset this day. Albeit being used to mundane missions, this one was the most boring assignment in the whole last year. He would rather have escorted some Klingon princess through the quadrant, while about as stupid as what he was doing here, there could at least grow some adventure out of that. Realizing that he'd already spent more than two hours in his ready room, Picard decided it was about time to return to the bridge, this being his shift after all.
"Status report."
"No extraordinary events, Captain. Scanners still working at optimum, all ships' systems ready." the nameless Lieutentant said as he moved away from the central chair, letting the boss take his place.
"Mr. Data, any news from the scanning front? Please tell me you found something interesting, I'm bored to death!"
The android replied in his usual annoying way: "If 'front' refers to our scanning efforts, the answer is negative, sir. We are still collecting data at maximum resolution and sensitivity but see ourselfes unable to find..."
"Great!" Picard interrupted his science officer mid-sentence. "I've heard enough. So there's no news, just as good."
Counselor Troi, looking concerned, started talking to the captain in a rather low voice, so that not everyone on the bridge had to hear her: "Captain Picard, you seem to be very unbalanced today. Is there anything worrying you? I feel you are..."
"Just shut the fuck up, damn it!", Picard broke in once again, very loud but in full control of his voice, "I'll tell you what's wrong with me. We have the strongest ship of whole Starfleet, and what are we doing with it? Scanning some mundane planet in the middle of nowhere, a planet that hardly supports life, without any natural resources to claim, in a position where it has less than zero strategical importance. In the meantime, the Romulans might as well cross the Neutral Zone and sneak into Earth's backyard and we wouldn't even be near enough to intercept in time!"
"Captain, as all command-level officers know, there has been a lot of Romulan activity in the sectors bordering Federation territory within the last three weeks, but it still is highly unlikely that the Star Empire starts a war against us. And we should not forget that the Enterprise's main mission is research, we are after all an exploration vessel and no heavy cruiser and that strange radiation on Nerewia II is an unique phenomenon never to be encountered before, well worth researching...", Data tried to appease, babbling on as Picard just shook his head and started walking back towards his room, his refuge from stupid people getting on his nerves.
He had almost reached the door, Data had already noticed the Captain's disinterest in his lecture and stopped talking, when the android spoke up again, this time trying to signal urgency and excitement by raising his voice.
"Captain! An object appeared on the surface of the planet, seemingly 'out of nowhere'. It is metallic, size about ten cubical metres. Obviously artificially manufactured, definitely no natural origins to it. Commencing further scans..."
Picard smiled briefly and returned to his chair. Finally a real mysterium worth putting some resources in finding out about it, he thought. Unknown radiation, pah, now he had a physical object, something real, maybe even a fascinating artefact on which he could use his well-respected knowledge about archeology, he speculated for the few seconds before science department came up with report about the scan.
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Rick Deckard woke up, very bright sunlight as he had never seen it in his entire life burning in his eyes. The last thing he remembered was parking his spinner in a backstreet, going through some of his files. He must have fallen asleep, he thought, but surely not for a long time, as he was still as tired as he had been before.
After about a minute, maybe less, his eyes had adjusted a little to the brightness and he could see where his car was standing: In the middle of a yellow-brownish desert, only very few vegetation around, mostly dry, brown bushes. Some midwestern state, he decided. But why were there no fallout clouds? And how did he get there?
Deckard opened the door and took a step out into the desert. Maybe this was some strange hallucination, a vision, and he might find a live animal here, what a delightful surprise that would be...
It took him only a few seconds until he started to feel the intoxication. He couldn't even manage to open the door to his spinners driver's seat again before he fell to the dusty ground, unconscious.
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"Sir, the object appears to be some kind of vehicle, type similiar to what was used on Earth some 300 years ago, and there is a life sign inside it. Readings indicate it to be that of a human male. I suggest we send a landing party to investigate the site, immediately."
Riker, who had just arrived on the bridge in time to hear Data's report, grunted: "Captain, may i handle this?" "Of course, proceed", Picard answered.
Touching his commbadge, the Commander ordered: "Mr. Worf, I need you and another security officer in transporter room one as soon as possible. Prepare tricorders, breathing masks and weapons for five persons. Riker, out. -Mr. Data, please come with me. And order one of the science officers at your disposal to join us, as well."
The away team lead by Commander Riker had quickly arrived and explored the site around the ancient vehicle. After beaming the man who was laying on the ground to the infirmary, they soon realised that there was nothing special about the vehicle or the surrounding area, so they decided to transfer the car to one of Enterprise's storage rooms for further studying and to end their brief mission on the ugly planet. "Good thing we're leaving this place already, it's much to bright here and it stinks", Worf remarked shortly before they beamed back up, all the others nodded, except for Data.