First Contact Ch. 2
The shuttle held its position just inside the invisible rift in the earth's atmosphere. Captain Picard ordered a second deep sensor scan now that they were within the anomaly. After a few minutes a hail came through the communications system.
"Shuttle Jonathan Griffiths, this the Enterprise, respond please. Captain Picard, are you..."
"This is Captain Picard," he said answering the hail.
"Captain, we lost visual and sensor contact with your shuttlecraft," Lt. Commander Franklin said. "Are you alright?"
"We're fine. Commander, you said you have lost sensor contact."
"Yes, sir, just as you entered that rift in the atmosphere," Franklin answered.
"That's strange, our shuttle is maintaining sensor contact with the Enterprise," Picard said. "In fact, our readings show everything as normal."
"We don't see you at all, Captain."
"Rest assured we are well, Commander," Picard informed his bridge officer. "Prepare to receive our sensor data. We will be transmitting it to you as it is collected. Please analyze it and report back when you have found anything out of the ordinary. Shuttlecraft Griffiths out."
For more than an hour the shuttle remained above the waters. Birds and insects flew past. A curious ladybug alighted on the hull, crawling around until satisfied with its inspection and lifted off. Sensors indicated it was an ordinary earth insect. Nothing about it at all was unusual in any possible way.
"Captain, sensors readings from within the anomaly are no different than those taken outside," Data said.
"What about the stability of the rift, Mr. Data?"
"It appears to be stable," the android replied. Data further explained that the sheer lack of information regarding the phenomena made it impossible to offer a definitive answer.
"Understood Mr. Data, thank you." Captain Picard decided to continue further into the pocket universe and explore the islands that were detected earlier.
The Enterprise shuttlecraft USS Jonathan Griffiths approached the closest and largest land mass. It was a sizable island which was distinguished by it's rather unusual mixture of geography and flora. The shuttle circled the island, starting from its western side and glided south in a counterclockwise path around the land mass. It passed over a headland on the western side, near which was a forest of pine trees. Along its southern coast was a sizable cove followed by a point. Moving north, a bluff could be seen adjacent to a bight. Further up the eastern coast was a lagoon.
Most of the land near the coastline and moving inward was covered with thick tropical jungles and towering palm trees. Inland the terrain changed to a variety of hard scrabble ground, grassy fields and natural gardens of flowering plants. At the island's center were several hills, mountains and one peak which was high enough to collect snow and alter the atmosphere sufficiently to create its own cloud ring. Rivers ran through several of the valleys bringing water from the melted snow down to the cove on the southern shore.
A sensor sweep also detected something else that was very peculiar, numerous humanoid life signs.
"Are you certain, Dr. Crusher?" Picard asked his Chief Medical Officer.
"Yes, Captain, humanoid life signs in the lagoon," she replied.
"In the lagoon?"
"Wait," she said, readjusting the sensors for a more accurate reading. "I'm also picking up human life signs," she corrected.
"Human? Are you certain, Doctor?" Picard questioned.
"Very," she answered him. "There is a group on the headland, another near the cove and a third that seems to be..., well now this is strange."
"What is it doctor?"
"The third grouping seems to be under the ground," she answered.
"Underground?" Mr. La Forge asked, disbelieving the report.
"Geordi, we have encountered subterranean civilizations in the past," Data reminded him.
"Yes, Data, but those were usually advanced societies," Geordi said. "I'm not seeing any indications of industrialization or modern technology down there."
"They could be cave dwellers, Geordi," Data said, correcting the engineer.
"We have finished our survey of the island, Captain," Commander Data told Picard. He reported that the island itself seemed to be the source of the unusual energy signature that revealed the time-space rift. However, the sensors could not pinpoint the exact location. Picard located a favorable clearing near the beach and ordered the shuttle to land.
"Enterprise, this is Shuttlecraft Griffiths, we are going to set down and investigate further on foot. We will keep you updated on our progress, Picard out."
Once the shuttle had landed the foursome equipped themselves properly, taking phasers and tricorders each while Dr. Crusher also brought her medical kit. "Set your phasers to the lowest stun setting," Picard said. "Use force only when absolutely necessary. We don't know who or what we are dealing with here." Picard and his officers disembarked the shuttlecraft and walked towards the shoreline and flora near the water's edge.
"It looks like your run of the mill tropical island," Geordi commented. Data opened his scientific tricorder and analyzed the plants. His readouts seemed to confirm Geordi's assessment. The plants were identical to those found elsewhere on the Earth.
"Data, look at this," Geordi said, calling his friend. The android found La Forge picking something out of the sand. It was an isolinear chip used in Federation technology. "It looks like its about three generations out of date for Starfleet use."
Picard, who accompanied Data looked at the chip and said that some civilian vessels made use of older, outdated technology. It may have washed ashore from a sailing vessel or a crashed personal shuttle.
"Captain," Dr. Crusher called. "I'm reading a small animal life form. A mouse."
"What's so unusual about that, Doctor?" Picard said as he strolled over to the Medical Officer.
"Take a look for yourself," she answered.
"Data, if you would?" he asked his first officer. Data complied and reached down, picking up the small furry creature. The mouse, a common field mouse, was hitched to something.
"Doctor, is that what I think it is?" Picard asked.
"Yes, it's a wagon. A tiny wagon."
"To be more specific, Doctor, it is a cart," Data said pointing out that a cart possessed a single axle and two wheels, whereas a wagon was defined by four wheels and a larger and heavier construction. He noted that the planks used in its construction were cut or carved and held together with tiny dowels and twine made from plant fibers.
"Impossible," Picard said. "This island appears as normal as any on Earth, then we find this mouse employed as a draught animal hitched to a cart constructed as if by tiny people."
"Why would anyone build such a thing?" Dr. Crusher asked. "What purpose would it serve?"
"That's what I intend to find out," Picard answered. "First, I want to locate the source of those strange energy readings. Mr. Data, Mr. La Forge, you will head east, Doctor Crusher and I will go west and between us we should be able to triangulate its exact position."
The four split into their two respective groups. Data released the hitched mouse and joined Commander La Forge heading to the east. Unbeknownst to any of the four, a small figure approached and guided the little mouse and his cart away from the shore.
Thank you for reading.
