Three
*Riker*
First Officer's Log, Stardate 46435.2
Captain Picard decided a few days ago that most of us senior officers needed a break and had us beamed down to Tarov IV to spend our week off. But of course, trouble is our friend and we were contacted by a group of scientists in the capital city who were concerned for our safety; they recently discovered this planet was in fact inhabited and they're still to figure out if the natives species is peaceful. We are currently staying in assigned dwellings in the downtown part of the city, where we'll remain until our 'vacation' is concluded. Mr Crusher has also been staying with us on his break from the Academy. He's been far quieter than usual, but I assume it's because he's finally grown up.
"Will!"
Normally I'm a pretty heavy sleeper, but not even Beverly's scream could keep me unconscious. I almost fell out of bed as she hurried in, hair in a fuzz, fluffy slippers sliding on the wooden floor and hysterical. "He's gone!"
"Wesley? Gone?" My voice was still hoarse from sleep. I rubbed my eyes, squinting at the light and walked past the doctor into Wesley's room. The bed was messy, which was typical of a boy his age, but his uniform was nowhere to be seen. With everything being either grey or white we would've seen blood if there was a struggle, but I couldn't find any.
Beverly was almost in tears. "The door wasn't broken in, t-the window is intact-"
"It's okay. He's probably gone out early," I sighed, "and forgotten to leave a note."
"But that's not like him. He would never do that unless he was ordered to."
"Good morning Commander," Data emerged from his room, naturally dressed in his uniform. His yellow top and eyes stood out against the dull surroundings. "What is wrong, Doctor?"
"Wesley's missing," I explained.
Data examined the room and poked his head out the window. "Did he leave something to indicate where he went?"
"No. And it's likely he didn't just go for a morning run."
Beverly was biting her nails nervously. "..You don't think?"
"It is possible that he has been abducted," Data stated. "If so, I recommend we contact the Enterprise and ask if they can track Wesley's communicator."
"Agreed. Well, you can take care of that; I'll go with Doctor Crusher back to the ship and send an away team down. See if they can find any clues."
"Yes sir." Data exited almost as swiftly as he entered.
I turned to Beverly and gave her a hug. "You're allowed to cry if you need to; I won't tell anyone."
She sniggered and buried her face in my shoulder. "I'm so worried for him, Will. This isn't like him - he'd never just get up and leave."
"We'll find him, okay?" I patted her on the back and let go. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "We're gonna find him."
I tapped the badge on my chest. "Riker to Enterprise."
"Go ahead, Number One." The Captain's voice floated through the communicator.
"Permission to beam aboard, sir? I'm sure Data has informed you of the situation."
"Yes he did. Permission granted."
"Thank you sir. Riker out." I retreated to my room, replacing my blue pyjamas with a neat Starfleet uniform. I admit since they changed the tops it's been a lot more comfortable, but I got sick of pulling it down every three seconds.
Beverly was leaning on the kitchen bench, her favourite blue cardigan wrapped over her shoulders. She smiled weakly. "Ready, Commander."
I tapped my communicator again. "Riker to transporter room three. Two to beam up."
Transporting was always a curious sensation. Being dissolved into billions of molecules and yet still be conscious the entire time; it always blew my mind, even though I'd used them hundreds of times before.
The Enterprise felt slightly warmer than Taros IV, but that was expected. The environmental controls must've been adjusted. Beverly and I stepped off the transporter pad and nodded our thanks to Chief O'Brien.
The bridge was mostly empty, with Ensign Ro, Worf, Deanna and a few other ensigns on duty. With over a thousand people onboard, I could never learn everyone's name. Jean-Luc was sitting in his chair, the light from the ceiling shining off of his head. He gazed at us and stood up, his expression slightly lifting. "Good to see you Number One, Doctor."
"..Jean-Luc..I'm just.." Beverly threw her arms around the captain, mumbling an apology for the unusual behaviour. He returned the gesture, muttering comforting words to her while staring blankly at us. We never usually saw those two that close, but it was nice. Showed Picard was human.
I walked to the front of the bridge, fixing my shirt for the tenth time. "Report, Ensign."
"We've managed to get a signal from Mr Crusher's communicator, sir, but not a transport lock," Ro's voice floated through the air. "There is too much interference on the planet."
"What sort of interference?" I asked. "Surely there can't be any on a planet this primitive."
"It's not electrical inference, sir, rather interference from the rock. The signal appears to be coming from underneath rocks that contain abnormally high levels of fieldium and thomsonian. Our sensors are having trouble penetrating it."
"Can you find a way to bypass it?"
"Yes, but it'll take time."
"Time that Wesley might not have." The captain had let go of Beverly and returned to his seat, pulling his shirt down. "How long do you need, Ensign?"
Ro span her chair around to face the captain. "A couple of hours at the most. But the signal will be very erratic; transport won't be possible."
"Great," Picard muttered. "Alright. Make it so. Number One, meet me in my ready room."
"Yes sir," I followed the captain off of the bridge. "You have the bridge, mister Worf."
A baritone "Aye" reached my ears before the doors of the ready room closed, with only the faint humming of of the engines remaining. It was always scarily tidy in there; the fish tank always spotless, the temperature always comfortable and the desk always organised.
It seemed every room on the Enterprise was always tidy.
"Number One, what do you know about Tarov IV?" Picard lowered himself into his seat, leaning back slightly. He folded his hands together. "Its customs? Its people?"
"Not much, but Data was informing me everything he knows," I groaned. "The planet was believed to be uninhabited when colonisation began two hundred years back. The entire capital is a giant market; pretty much everyone trades there at some point. One of their scientists was telling us that they discovered the native species Tarovians a few weeks ago. They didn't seem too welcoming; starved as well. It's possible Wesley was taken by them."
The captain frowned. "What I don't understand is why Wesley? He's still a child. If you were a kidnapper, who would you pick; the first officer of a ship or a teenage cadet?"
I was about to answer when Data's voice rang through my communicator. "Data to Commander Riker."
"Go ahead."
"We have found signs of a scuffle not far from our dwelling, sir," Data reported. "There were a few dried blood patches that we have identified as Wesley's."
"Any idea of his captors are?" I asked.
"None so far, sir. But we will keep investigating."
"Understood. Riker out," I shifted in my seat. "So it seems we were correct."
Picard nodded slowly. He had that expression when you could tell his soul was weary. "Let us hope we can locate Mr Crusher in time. I don't want to be the bearer of two deaths for Beverly."
