First Contact
Chapter 3
Lt. Commander Franklin, who had the conn in the absence of the both the captain and first officer, walked towards one of the engineering stations on the Enterprise bridge. Engineer Lt. Chamberlin was at the station making adjustments.
"Any luck?" Franklin asked.
"Nothing yet, Commander, but I'm on top of it," Chamberlin replied.
"Good, keep at it," Franklin exhorted the young engineer.
When Captain Picard announced that the members of the away team were going on foot, Lt. Commander Franklin decided to adjust ship's sensors so they could penetrate the strange time-space rift. Franklin wanted a sensor and transporter lock on the away team. If they found themselves in immediate danger, he would be able to transport them out instantly. Franklin secretly wished that Captain Picard had not proceeded into the strange pocket universe. Captains were supposed to stay aboard ship and let their subordinates do all the dirty work. The days of Captain Kirk gallivanting across alien plants with Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy in tow were long gone. Or, at least they were supposed to be.
~O~
"This is fascinating," Dr. Crusher stated. She was studying a plant that bore fruit. "If I didn't know any better I would swear these were raspberries."
Picard nodded knowingly. "You've said that about every plant we've encountered, Doctor," he answered. Indeed, Dr. Crusher had stopped repeatedly to study and take tricorder readings from various flora. She had identified several species of Roses, and Lilies, and had encountered Periwinkle blooms, daisies, cat-o-nine tails, strawberry and blueberry plants, grapevines, palm trees, cherry trees and even several varieties of oak.
The doctor then spied a large bird in the sky. It was a hawk, taking after prey. The two proceeded further west when two squirrels ran by her feet and up a tree into a knothole. Along a trickling stream were several horseflies darting about. Here, Doctor Crusher found frogs, dragonflies and even some blinking fireflies.
Captain Picard was not in any mood for dawdling, but his scientific curiosity was as piqued as hers so he tolerated it. Doctor Crusher then found several types of herbs, which could be either used for medicinal purposes or cooking.
A butterfly floated passed. She was astonished. "This is impossible!"
"What is, Doctor?" Picard casually asked.
"This butterfly," she told him, pointing to the winged insect as it landed on a nearby branch. "It's called The Purple Emperor, species Apatura Iris."
"You must be mistaken, Doctor," he replied. "The Apatura Iris became extinct in the middle part of the twenty first century, just prior to the third world war."
"Exactly, but here it is."
Captain Picard had been trying to press forward and had little time for her games. He turned around and walked back to the good doctor, prepared to remind her of their purpose when Picard saw the insect on the branch. "My word, it can't be."
"Now why does that sound familiar?" she asked with her own knowing smile.
"Are you certain that this is a Purple Emperor, Doctor?" he asked her.
"Completely, tricorder readings are undeniable," she told him.
"Is this the only one you've seen, Beverly?"
"Yes," she answered him. "I wonder if there are others on this island."
"Another mystery for us to unravel," he told her. "Now, if you please, we must keep moving."
~O~
Starfleet Command contacted the Enterprise-E and demanded an update. Lt. Commander Franklin informed Admiral Armistead that the away team had landed on the island and were proceeding on foot. Captain Picard had checked in once since leaving the shuttlecraft. He said that the away team was attempting to triangulate the source of the strange energy readings on the island.
"Where are they now?" Armistead queried.
"We don't know exactly," Franklin replied. "Our sensors can't penetrate the rift. However, I have our engineering team working on that problem at this moment."
"Good work, inform me immediately once you've been able to locate Captain Picard and his party," Armistead said.
The view screen image of Admiral Armistead wiped away and was replaced with the image of the English Channel as seen from orbit.
"You didn't tell the admiral about the mouse pulling the cart?" the helm officer said.
"And get busted down to Ensign? Are you crazy?"
~O~
"Captain, we are in position," Commander Data's voice said through the communicator.
"So are we, begin triangulation sequence," Picard replied. The captain worked his tricorder and began to take readings on the energy signature. He relayed his information to Commander Data who determined that the source was on the North Central part of the island inside of a valley surrounded by hills and mountains on three sides, north, east and south.
The shuttle's sensors had had difficulty recording any specific information about that region of the island. Very curious, he thought. Picard silently theorized that whatever the source of the energy readings, it interfered with the sensor's capability to record any useful or specific data. Picard and Dr. Crusher started back towards the shuttlecraft. While they walked, he worked out in his mind any possible reasons for this strange phenomenon. It could be a natural substance causing the interference. Perhaps there was an advance society using a technology that hid them from traditional Starfleet technology. If so, were they friendly or hostile? He vetted his theories with Dr. Crusher.
"Hostile?" she asked. "Wouldn't they have attacked us by now if they were hostile? They are hiding from us, how hostile could they be?"
"A matter of survival, Doctor," he answered. "Stealth may have been their first line of defense. Once being exposed they could attack us to protect their home."
"If that is the case shouldn't we leave immediately?"
"We don't know, Doctor, it is just a hypothesis," Picard replied.
"It's not a very pleasant one, Captain."
"You forget, Beverly, unpleasantness is part of our job," Jean-Luc answered.
"I haven't forgotten," she answered tersely. "I'm just more of an optimist than you are."
Picard's communicator chirped. "Data to Captain Picard."
He tapped the comm-badge on his chest and answered. "Picard here, Commander Data, what is it?"
"Sir, tricorder readings indicate a single human life sign approaching the shuttlecraft," the android reported.
Picard and Crusher looked at each other. They shared a worried look. "Return to the landing site, but do not approach or engage the natives. You are to remain hidden until we arrive, is that clear?"
"Yes, Captain," Data replied.
"Picard out." He tapped his badge closing the comm line.
"Looks like we're are going to test out your theory, Captain," Crusher said. "I hope it isn't going to be unpleasant."
"You are not alone, Doctor," Picard admitted.
~O~
"I wonder where it came from?" she asked. "I've never seen anything like it." The young woman walked around the odd-looking ship admiring its design aesthetics. She touched it gently, pulling away in an instant before putting her hand to it again. The woman then found what appeared to be a door.
"Hello in there," she yelled. "Hello!"
When no one answered, she knocked on the door and waited for a response.
"I wonder if the ship is abandoned?" she asked her companion who was also studying the vessel. "Look at this! The ship is named for Jonathan Griffiths. That's my great, great grand uncle. He was a scientist, too, you know, an entomologist. What? Oh, entomology is the study of insects. Yes, sort of like my father."
~O~
"Who is that woman?" Crusher asked.
"Is she human?" Captain Picard returned. The two were hiding in the shrubbery just beyond the clearing. Palm trees on either side framed the scene as though they were watching an old movie. They were too far away to understand clearly, what she was saying. It came across as distant chatter.
The doctor worked her medical tricorder and took what readings she could from this distance.
"According to this, she is just as much a human as you or I, but I'll need a closer inspection to be sure."
"It appears that she is conversing with someone, but I see only one person," Picard said.
"I'm detecting the one life sign, Captain," she answered him. "Try your tricorder."
Picard opened his scientific tricorder and began to survey the area with it. It chirped and tweeted, informing him that something in close proximity was giving off those same energy readings that they had triangulated earlier. It wasn't a very strong signal, but it was near the shuttlecraft and that woman.
This is very odd, Picard thought to himself.
The woman herself was an oddity. Appearing to be in her mid-thirties, she spoke with a Londoner's accent, but it was an old accent. One not heard in many centuries. Her attire was equally archaic. The woman dressed in what appeared to be clothing from the late Victorian or the Edwardian Era. Her hair was also fashioned from that period.
Dr. Crusher's tricorder suddenly chirped to life. It was recording a human and android nearing their position at a high rate of speed. Picard heard the footfalls as Commander's La Forge and Data approached at a full sprint.
"Data, report," Picard demanded.
"Captain, Geordi and I were being pursued by natives," Data answered.
"Data, I thought I told you not to engage the native population," Picard said.
"They engaged us," Data replied. "We were captured by cannibals."
"Cannibals?" Doctor Crusher replied, rather surprised. She was busy tending to Commander La Forge who was breathing heavily.
"I'm getting too old for this stuff," the engineer managed to say between gulps of air.
"Yes, Doctor, they announced their intentions to us directly," the android said. "When an opportunity for escape presented itself, we seized it and fled on foot."
"Were you followed?" Picard asked Data.
"I believe they gave up pursuit some time ago," Data replied. "However, Commander La Forge was not entirely convinced and continued to run."
"Better safe than sorry," La Forge added, his heavy breathing starting to wane.
"Hello? Is someone there?" the woman called out.
Picard turned and saw the archaically dressed woman approaching their position. "Hello?" she called again.
"Now what do we do?" Beverly asked.
Picard gave the matter some thought. Every strange thing he had seen today piqued his curiosity to no end. This island inside a pocket universe, a mouse as a draught animal, a tiny cart, a butterfly long extinct, fauna and flora normally found on earth, this woman dressed in five hundred year old clothing and now cannibals. He demanded answers. He chose to get them.
"We present ourselves to her," he said. "Doctor, you are with me. Data, you and Commander La Forge remain here."
Picard reasoned that an android and a human with ocular implants might confuse or even frighten the woman.
"A wise precaution," Data replied. The android took up helping the engineer while Doctor Crusher joined the captain as they exited the safety of their cover.
The woman stopped in her tracks when the two walked out from the trees. "Who are you?" she asked them cautiously. The woman briefly turned her head to glimpse backward; however, Picard noticed that she did not look towards the shuttlecraft, but beyond it. He surmised that the woman was checking on someone who was hiding in close proximity.
"We mean you no harm," Picard said. "My name is Captain Jean-Luc Picard. This is Doctor Beverly Crusher."
"A doctor of what discipline?" she asked.
"A medical doctor," Beverly answered.
The woman turned her eyes back to Picard and asked, "What is your ship, captain?"
"The USS Enterprise."
"You don't sound American," she stated. "Are you from the mainland?"
Captain Picard didn't know exactly how to answer. His facial express, nonetheless, did not betray his confusion.
"Yes, we are," he answered with a pleasant smile.
Picard was uncertain if he was lying, but he could always admit to not understanding her point of reference. "The mainland" was very ambiguous.
"What is your name?" he asked her.
"I am Doctor Elizabeth Griffiths," she answered.
Captain Picard's eyes darted to the shuttlecraft and then back to the woman.
"I am doctor of Botony and Zoology," she proceeded, anticipating the next question. The woman approached them further. She opened her mouth to ask another question when two men ran from the trees behind Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher.
"They're here," one of them yelled. Several humanoids came charging out of the trees carrying spears in hand. They were dressed in minimal clothing and with some kind of white paint smeared all over their bodies. Each of them wore human bones woven into jewelry and body armor. One, the leader, covered his face with a large, ornately painted mask.
"Run!" Picard ordered those around him. Crusher followed orders, but Doctor Griffiths did not. Instead, she calmly walked towards the oncoming horde. She stopped and began to speak to them in a loud voice with a harsh tone. Nothing she said made any sense to Picard because the universal translators built into the comm badges could not understand the language. He and the others had stopped running and watched as the strange scene unfolded before them. She put her hand up, ordering them to stop. Then she spoke to the leader who appeared to listen intently. Dr. Griffiths pointed to the shuttlecraft as she talked to the masked man.
"Are these your cannibals, Mr. Data?" Picard asked.
"Yes, Captain," he answered. "The apparently located us."
"It would seem so," Picard replied.
"Does she know them?" Beverly asked. "How could anyone be friendly with cannibals?"
The cannibal leader said something before turning around to take the others back into the trees. Dr. Griffiths returned to Picard and Crusher.
"How did you do that?" Captain Picard asked, very curious. "They should have killed you."
"They are harmless, Captain," she answered. "It was only a game they play. I'm sorry that they upset you."
"A game?" Picard was becoming quite frustrated. Nothing made any sense to him. "Dr. Griffiths, where are we?"
"You don't know?"
Picard shook his head. "We do not."
"Oh, my apologies for my poor manners, Captain," Dr. Griffiths answered him; her express was one of embarrassment. "Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the island of Never Land."
Will Captain Picard and the others believe her? What about the person Dr. Griffiths was speaking with? And what is the source of the strange energy readings? Find out in the upcoming chapters.
Thank you for reading.
