Chapter Thirteen

"Captain!" Riker shouted, raising his arm to shield his eyes from the coarse sand swirling all around him.

The wind had picked up with a vengeance, nearly blowing him off his feet as he left the sheltered area where the compound stood. His tricorder readings had indicated the approaching sandstorm was currently passing over the ruins of the ancient city some forty-five kilometers away – what was to have been the third and final stop of their little horseback riding adventure before returning to the current capital for beam-out. But, that storm was heading straight for them and, with an estimated wind speed between sixty and one hundred twenty kilometers per hour, Riker knew it was only a matter of minutes before it hit, and hit hard.

"Captain! If you can hear me, please respond!"

Wind and sand whipped at him, burning and stinging and scraping every speck of uncovered skin. Riker winced reflexively, but the sand got into his mouth, forcing him to spit and cough, the wind stealing his breath as he continued to shout: "Captain!"

He staggered forward, knowing he should turn back, that he should return to Deanna and Kurak before the storm hit. But, away from the ship, the captain's safety had to be his primary responsibility, and the way ahead was still relatively clear. He could risk going forward a few more meters—

"Whoa—whaaa—!"

The sandy ground gave way under Riker's feet and he felt himself fall, riding a cascade of sand into a loose, sandy hill that left him buried almost up to his neck. He struggled to kick his way out, but more sand poured over him from above. Riker coughed and spat and kicked and rolled and finally, finally tumbled into the cool dimness of what seemed to be a tunnel. A dank, musty, somewhat egg-shaped tunnel made of very ancient-looking, very faded pink concrete.

"Hello?" he called out hoarsely, still coughing as he climbed to his feet. "Captain? Is anyone down here?"

The sandy hill that had broken his fall was too loose to allow him to climb back out the opening without some kind of equipment. He'd had an opportunity to grab some climbing gear when he'd stopped at the archaeologists' stable, but he'd been too intent on locating the captain to think of rifling through their supplies.

At least, down here, he was out of that suffocating wind and, if the storm did hit, he'd be safe from the scouring sand. More than that: now that his eyes were adjusting to the dimness, Riker noticed footprints—at least three separate sets of recent boot prints—heading into the tunnel.

Could the captain have run into the missing archaeologists? Or might these prints belong to the gang that had abducted Data and Kurak's little girl?

There was only one way to find out.

The tunnel ahead was pitch dark and draped with what could easily have been centuries' worth of layered cobwebs. Riker suppressed a shiver and started walking, confident that Commander Troi could handle monitoring Kurak and dealing with the storm on her own.

He just hoped their bond would allow her to sense that he was still all right…

"Is this what I think it is?" Picard whispered, staring in awe at the huge, opalescent wall plating that dominated what was, otherwise, a small, empty room hewn out of the sandy rock. Raised glyph-symbols dotted the shimmering metal, organized around and over a stylized monolith design etched into the polished surface.

"Opinions, Captain?" Tu'Pari prompted, one slanted Vulcan eyebrow slightly raised.

Picard stepped closer, hardly daring to breathe as he reached out to brush his fingers over the textured glyphs.

"These symbols…that obelisk design… They would seem to be reminiscent of…of artifacts thought to have been left by the Preservers…"

Anders grinned.

"We think so too," she said, her enthusiasm causing her to bob on her heels. "Wouldn't it be amazing, Captain? If this ancient Stairway is actually a Preserver construct, that could mean Nineveh IV originated as one of their seeded colonies!"

Nat crossed his arms.

"If it's true, it's likely any planted human civilization died out centuries before the modern settlement was established," he said. "But this Preserver theory could certainly help explain the startling evolutionary parallels between the flora and fauna found here and in Earth's more expansive deserts."

"Unfortunately, despite a cursory resemblance to suspected examples of Preserver writing forms, these particular glyphs and symbols do not correspond with any known finds," Tu'Pari noted calmly. "And evidence supporting the theory that there once existed an ancient species of so-called 'Preservers' remains inconclusive at best. The true purpose of the Stairway remains unknown."

"Yes, but that's why this find is so exciting!" Anders exclaimed, stepping forward with her arms outstretched, as if to encompass the entire shimmering wall. "Can you imagine it, Captain? Our find may be the hard evidence that finally pulls the Preserver legends out of myth and into reality! If we can crack these symbols, find out what's causing the odd energy-dampening effect in these tunnels – who knows! We might just unlock a whole new chapter of our galaxy's history!"

"Incredible," Picard said, still unable to take his eyes from the graceful forms and shapes and etchings before him. "I am aware of the Preserver legends, of course. Of the asteroid-deflecting obelisk Captain Kirk's Enterprise discovered protecting a mixed tribe of transplanted Native American Indians… And, there's also my own experience following the work of my old academy mentor, Professor Galen…tracking down the pieces of an ancient message coded into the DNA of species from across the Alpha and Beta quadrants… But this…"

He took in a long, appreciative breath and turned his shining eyes to the scientists.

"The potential here is astonishing! If Data could see this, I'm sure he would—"

He broke off, his features clouding with concern – for his friend, and for the scientists – as the difficult reality of their situation displaced his excitement.

"Tell me – who else have you told of your discovery?"

Nat frowned a little.

"Are you thinking this could be the reason our compound was targeted for attack?" he asked.

"No," Anders said, shaking her head. "No, I can't believe that. What interest could this find possibly have for Nausicaan raiders? It's not like it's transportable. They certainly couldn't sell it. From what we can tell so far, this metal's some type of copper alloy – hardly very valuable. No, they had to be after something else."

"Like what, though?" Nat asked. "We don't have anything of value. We're a research outpost, for goodness sake!"

"There is the energy dampening field - a field produced by an as yet unknown power source," Picard pointed out, watching as the researchers' expressions shifted from confusion, to realization, to fear. "If this discovery does turn out to be as ancient as it appears, that would imply this power source has been continually generating and/or supplying power for millennia. The strategic value of possessing such technology would hold enormous appeal to any number of the Nausicaans' more unsavory customers, ranging from petty terrorists to the Cardassians. Even the Romulans might—"

"Captain! Captain, is that you?"

"Riker?" Picard said, and the group turned toward the voice echoing from the dark tunnel. "In here, Commander!" he called.

Riker stepped out of the tunnel, blinking in the artificial light of the group's glowing lanterns and hand-held spotlights.

"Drs. Tu'Pari, Anders, and Kapoor, this is my first officer, Commander William Riker," Picard introduced. "Will, we were just about to head back—"

"Actually, Captain, that wouldn't be a good idea just now," Riker told the group. "I heard the sandstorm hit while I was making my way through that tunnel. It would probably be best to wait it out down here."

"How is Kurak?" Anders asked anxiously. "Your captain told us she was injured in a Naussican attack?"

"That's what it looks like," Riker said. "She's all right for now, though. Deanna managed to stabilize her, and she's resting in your medical clinic."

The researchers exchanged worried glances, and Nat squeezed Freja Anders's hand.

"Will," Picard said, waving him closer to the massive metal mural. "What do you make of this? Does the look and style of these images and symbols seem in any way familiar to you?"

Riker frowned and stared at the raised glyphs, the etched obelisk, and gave a little shrug.

"That monolith design strikes a chord, but I can't quite put my finger on why," he said. "It could be similar to an image I saw in a museum once...some kind of ancient asteroid deflector? If Data were here, I'm sure he could tell you more."

"I'm sure he could, but Will," Picard said, rather conspiratorially, "what would you say if I told you this might be the work of...the Preservers?"

Riker raised his eyebrows.

"You're serious?"

"Very," Picard told him. "And more than that: according to the archaeologists, there is a dampening field in effect in this room - a field that extends throughout this entire network of underground tunnels and even to the great Stairway itself."

"Then, you think whatever's powering this field could be the reason behind the attack? And, possibly the abductions?"

"Nothing is certain," Picard said. "Not yet. But, I'd like to know more about this field."

He turned to the huddled researchers.

"Is there any way to know what is behind this wall?" he asked, gesturing to the huge, metal mural.

"Why?" Nat asked.

"Because I think this mysterious energy source could be the key to solving our seemingly unrelated mysteries," Picard told them. "And I would rather we were the ones to find it - preferably before the Nausicaans, or their friends, return."

To Be Continued...

References include TNG: The Chase; Thine Own Self; The Royale; TOS: The Paradise Syndrome; and the novel Star Trek: Federation.

Next Time: Back to Data! Stay Tuned, and thank you so very, very much for your fantastic reviews! :)