You are startled as the USS Enterprise D blinks into existence from the darkness. The immediate arrival of this Galaxy class starship, bristling with blinking lights and defined by a leading saucer section, is an awe inspiring marvel; the pinnacle of human ingenuity. If it had breached Earth's atmosphere from warp, the concussive force would have obliterated several city blocks. Here there is no disturbance. It is here. It was not, but now it is.

Now you meet the captain of Starfleet's flagship discovery vessel. His name is Captain Jean-Luc Picard. He sits posture-perfect, but relaxed behind an expansive desk that is pristine and cool to the touch. He is about to begin his day. It dawns on Captain Picard that he is settled prior to an important ritual. He rises from his desk walks over to the food replicator and says, with the authority of rear admiral ordering a missile strike, "Tea, earl grey, hot." Like magic, electrons swirl in a sophisticated dance, silently forming a mug of black tea in the seat of the replicator.

Satisfied, Picard returns to his desk. The tea is certainly hot. He can feel the tingle of water vapor travel across his immaculately shaved head. He blows on the tea to cool down the first sip. Clearing his throat, Picard spins a desk-mounted screen in place and begins his daily captain's log in his crisp British accent.

"Captain's log, stardate 2370.55. The Enterprise is on its way to the Neutral Zone to investigate a rare twin nebula that was discovered by a Vulcan survey team from an Earth outpost in sector Z-6. Measurements from the Vulcans indicate unusual fluctuations in particulate mass distribution. Starfleet has negotiated safe passage with the Romulan Empire in exchange for a mission report. We welcome aboard a scion from mission's past. Mr. Wesley Crusher joins us from Starfleet Academy. He will be assisting Ms. Leanna Smith on a data mining project."

Pleased with the record, Captain Picard taps on the screen to close the log. There is still time for peace and quiet. Picard sips at his tea. He smiles, "Computer: Beethoven Symphony number seven in A Major." The music starts soft. Its crescendo fills the room, and Jean-Luc Picard closes his eyes. You hear the bows moving dramatically over the strings as the ensemble sways into motion.

"Riker to Captain Picard." The communication chirps, pausing Beethoven. Commander Riker's tone, as always, is short and professional. Over the years Picard has worked hard to discern the seriousness or lack of based on his tone. Despite thousands of messages and hails, Picard's guess was just that: it could be a Romulan attack or scheduling a reminder.

Picard taps the gold communicator pinned to his left breast, "Go ahead, Number One." His gaze floats to the middle distance as he awaits the response.

Riker responds in his typical staccato tone, "We've rendezvoused with the Vulcan research team at outpost six. Permission to beam the team lead aboard?"

Picard stands and says, "Permission granted."

You are in a two-tiered oval shaped room on the Enterprise. A large viewing screen is the focal point. Opposite the screen, on the second level, is a bank of computer stations. The captain's seat is the center of the room flanked by his first officer and a senior staff member. Directly in front of the viewing screen sit helm and navigation. Lieutenant Commander Worf, an imposing Klingon, stands ramrod straight at tactical, just behind the captain's seat at the crest of the second tier. You are on the bridge.

Tevic, the Vulcan team leader, strides from the turbo lift to greet Captain Picard and First Officer William Riker, a tall Alaskan native, at a computer bank on the second tier. Worf tips the powerful crest on his forehead at the thin Vulcan as a curt acknowledgment. Tevic returns with an emotionless nod. You notice Tevic's pointed ears. While his face lacks emotion, Tevic's raised eyebrows give him a permanent air of skepticism. Tevic is very tall, even for a Vulcan. Worf notes he is clearly a head taller than he and Riker, the two largest bipeds aboard. He had heard of the Vulcan's ferocity in battle. They are formidable opponents indeed; however, as Tevic crosses his path, he can see that the Vulcan is no warrior. Worf imagines at least four ways to neutralize him. He is unimpressed.

Picard turns away from the monitor. "Welcome aboard. I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard."

Tevic dips a shallow bow, "Thank you for having me, Captain Picard. I am Tevic Siennet, team leader of the research team. And certainly, I am most indebted to the Federation for sending the Enterprise for assistance."

"The pleasure is ours. We've been examining your team's data. This anomaly is fascinating. I'm curious to understand how you even detected it given the circumstances." He shoots a quick glance at Riker. "This is William Riker, my first officer."

Riker, in his close cropped beard, smiles wide and observes, "If you don't mind me asking: you're Tevic Siennet. Are you any relation to Pirus Siennet, the great Vulcan explorer?"

"Commander Riker, I see you have read up on Vulcan history. Indeed, Pirus was my great grandfather. He has the distinction of holding the record for most first contacts." Tevic folds his hands over his stomach, tucking them into the sleeves of his flowing robe.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tevic. As the Captain has said, we are captivated by the data stream. How did your team detect such a subtle spatial anomaly? I can't even grasp the process for discovering the twin nebula." Riker turns to the monitor. You see a distribution of dots in two clouds. They swirl around each other in an ancient dance. A label indicates: timelapse sequence +1,000 years.

Tevic responds, "It was not easy. These rare binary nebulas are exceedingly difficult to discover. They require precise detection. In this particular case, the nebula's complete a full rotation every millenia."

The Chief of Engineering, Geordi La Forge, is diligently typing at an adjoining station. "There it goes." He turns to face the big viewing screen. You notice Geordi wears a gold visor. It is a neural interface for his central cortex to allow Lieutenant Commander La Forge to see despite being blind. All eyes shift to the screen with two gaseous nebulae displayed. A flash of light appears between the two clouds. The clouds pulse with veins of lightning for a brief moment. In a single breath, the experience is over. "Data, did you catch that?"

At left helm, Data, an android, acknowledges, "Sensors indicate high levels of tachyon particles and an extreme spike in ultraviolet radiation."

Geordi frowns, "Any idea what caused it?"

Data turns in his chair, fixes his yellow eyes on Geordi, and says, "The origin of the disturbance is unknown."

Tevic interjects, "That is precisely the phenomenon we are here to investigate. Adjust your sensors to the perimeters given by my field team. Run the data again and concentrate on mass variance." Tevic looks from the android to Geordi.

Geordi taps out a sequence on the terminal. His eyebrows knit in confusion. "That's… strange. The nebulas lost mass during the storm. It's just… gone." He turns to address the crew.

Captain Picard says to Tevic, "Do you have any working theories?"

"We believe there's a wormhole nestled between the two systems that is siphoning off matter."

Data cocks his head ever-so slightly, "Fascinating. That is a possible explanation. The disturbance could have been a by product of an electrostatic discharge generated when the flow of hydrogen particles accelerated through to the other side."

Tevic nearly smiles. "That is correct, android. And how would you recommend we proceed?"

"Captain," his yellow eyes shift without blinking from Tevic to Picard. "I believe a class four probe with a modified sensor array should have the capability and durability to observe this theoretical phenomenon."

Picard nods, "Make it so."