Chapter Two

"Distress"

TWELVE WEEKS LATER

Federation Starship

NCC-1701-D

U.S.S. Enterprise

Galaxy Class

Damage report," Captain Picard groaned, slowly picking himself up off the floor of the bridge.

Data stretched out of his station to gently help Counselor Troi, who'd been walking down the ramp a second before and was then launched across the bridge when the Enterprise clashed with an unexpected energy field. "Unclear, Captain. My station seems to have been affected by the incident, but I have detected multiple explosions throughout the ship."

"Thank you, Data," Troi said once she'd gotten her footing. The tension on the ship had unexpectedly mounted, creating a tightness in her chest that made her shiver. That only worsened her dizziness and it took her a moment to get to her seat. Her chair panel, however, was not as cooperative as she'd prefer. "I can sense injuries, Captain, but there are no injury reports coming in."

On the upper tier, Worf growled and slammed his fist down on his panel. "Sensors are not responding. I cannot detect what exactly it was that we encountered, Captain."

"Communications are down," Riker announced, blinking to steady his vision. He'd been knocked forward pretty hard and, upon awakening, had immediately resumed his post, though perhaps a bit too quickly since the room was spinning. He felt something warm glide down his temple. "Hopefully we're not in such bad shape that we'll need to call for help."

Picard tapped his chair panel, a secondary communication system that was supposed to function between critical parts of the ship, and straightened his uniform. "Mr. La Forge, what's going on down there?"

"E-Engines are down, Cap-! Had to-to shut them- from exploding! Secondary computer installations- f-f-fried throughout- ship- the hell happened?"

"We're uncertain, but it seems to me that we might've run into some kind of energy field." Picard rubbed his head. "Is that it, Lieutenant?"

Worf was troubleshooting his panel, his growling growing deeper as his frustration mounted. "I detected no energy fields prior to the accident, Captain, but with the computer down, it is impossible to be certain."

The lights flickered overhead and Picard felt a stone drop in his belly. They'd gone from good to dangerous in just a matter of seconds, and all because of something they couldn't see. It was a bit annoying if the captain was being perfectly honest, but patience was, thankfully, one of the Frenchman's many virtues. He would allow his crew to regather themselves before they began the necessary repairs because while his virtue only extended so far, his expectations were great.

Personal Log

Geordi La Forge, Lieutenant Commander, Chief of Engineering, U.S.S. Enterprise

Stardate: Stardate 457...8...4577...1…point 2… That sounds about right.

Entry 1: C'mon. Work dammit!

Entry 2: Breathe, Geordi. Just breathe.

Entry 3: Everything's going to be okay.

Entry 4: Everything's going to be okay.

Entry 5: The efficiency of starships is dependent on their ability to swiftly and competently communicate with all sections of itself in nanoseconds. What we're trying to do is...rebuild a town after a natural disaster with only a limited amount of people qualified to work in urban infrastructure when every part of town is wired and piped differently one from another, yet still connected by a central command system. A certain amount of pressure in one section of pipes might be just right but cause another section of pipes to explode.

It's not like we have anywhere to be - but we're lost and that constitutes a certain amount of urgency, right? An urgency that I can't necessarily support at the moment, no matter how many double shifts I order.

Entry 6: I'm never going to sleep again and I'm going to die before we finish all repairs, but... God, I hope everything's going to be okay.

The captain's expectations, however, were rapidly lowering.

The greatest and most evident problem was that which the bridge crew had immediately faced - the computer was down. And it wasn't just that communications or sensors were temporarily disabled - the computer interface was down. While the system that allowed the ship to function overall was mostly undamaged due to its redundancies, the thousands of different systems which created the Enterprise weren't communicating with each other, making it impossible to operate any part of the ship that wasn't completely independent.

Moreover, whatever'd caused the interface to fail had also damaged secondary computer functions, killing redundancy programs as well as their backups and the backup of their backups. So even though it was relatively easy to restore the computer interface and get intraship communications reconnected - something Geordi and Data had done a million times before, and one of the first things that engineering cadets learned at Academy - it would initially do no good until repair to each individual system could be completed. Practically everything was nonoperational, or at least to the level of capability it should be, except the basic and necessary systems which have an unbelievable amount of redundancies (for this exact reason), like life support and the med deck.

Beyond that significant issue, whatever it was that that had ravaged the Enterprise had also damaged the portside hull, leaving those parts of the saucer section structurally unsound even if there had been no actual breach (La Forge suspected that the damage had affected the computer core and initiated the system damage that they were combating). This required the relocation of some section ops and crew to the other end of the saucer.

Paneling had been ripped and any sort of anomalous activity could mean more or a breach, so even though the computer function was the greatest issue, the hull damage was the most hazardous, meaning that La Forge had to allot a greater portion of his engineers (and anyone with welding experience) to fixing that before he could completely focus on a full system's repair. It wasn't the division of labor that he would've preferred, but it was one that he understood given that life support wouldn't really work if the vacuum of space removed any trace of oxygen from the Enterprise.

Shields were inoperable, the warp core and thrusters had been manually disabled due to energy overload.

Whatever had happened (Picard's initial guess of an uncharted energy field stood as the running theory) had sent small explosions throughout the ship, leaving fire damage in everything from laboratories and Two Forward to Cargo Bay 30 and residential quarters.

The overall chaos had left a medley of other problems to plague the ship, just like any form of disaster, including the piece of ceiling that had fallen on the upper end of the conference table in the senior staff's observation lounge.

The kind of damage the Enterprise had undertaken was equivalent to a full-out battle, including in terms of wounded personnel. The ship had suffered many battle injuries before and thus knew well what needed to be done in the wake, but there were too many problems for one person to count, and their situation was made a bit more dire given the Enterprise wasn't quite sure where it was or how they would be able to contact Starfleet for help if (or when) they needed it. With secondary computer functions down, the Enterprise was no longer a ship of exploration, but rather an incubator for its thousand-plus souls.

"I have everyone with even a remote knowledge of mechanical engineering working double shifts, Captain, but whatever we ran into - and it sure as hell wasn't just an energy field - it's shortened out half the ship! The fact that we still have auxiliary power...it's a miracle." La Forge insisted, very obviously exhausted. He was slumped in his seat at the staff table, barely enough energy to hold his head up. "Repairs are taking twice as long because of the electrical damage done to the interface. Nothing can communicate with each other, including our com badges, so we're constantly having to regroup, reassess what we're doing and how it affects one section to another. I've rerouted what I can, but we're not going anywhere anytime soon."

"On a positive note, the medical deck is fully functioning, all injuries have been attended to, and the replicators are working, so we still have food." Dr. Crusher announced with a weak smile, trying to raise everyone's spirits just enough. Limited food selections were the caveat to that statement, but there was no use in pointing out that people weren't getting comfort food in the near future.

"We also have operational control of the ship," Riker added with similar motivations. He'd never been much of a cynic.

"Manual operations. And they don't matter much if you don't know where you are or where you're going." La Forge pointed out characteristically.

Picard took a deep breath, trying to absorb the information. "Data, you're certain we're not where we...were when we hit the energy field?"

Earlier that morning - as it had almost been almost two days since the accident - while Data had been contributing to the restoration of the portside hull, his casual observations had noticed a difference in the surrounding stars. After consulting with star charts and the onboard cartographers, the android was able to approach Picard with specific evidence about why he believed the Enterprise was no longer in a section of previously explored space.

"I am, Captain, but I no longer believe that what we encountered was just an energy field, as Geordi suggested. It is my suspicion that we went through a wormhole."

Riker leaned into the table to look over at Data. "Why didn't we pick it up on our scans?"

"While I cannot be certain without further tests and analysis, Commander, I would hypothesize that the wormhole opened just as we were passing. If that is the case, our scanners would not have had time to detect the wormhole before we went through it."

"If the hole was unstable, that might also explain some of the problems we've been having," La Forge agreed with exhausted approval.

The observation lounge fell quiet. The stars outside were just as beautiful as the millions of others they'd seen throughout their journey, but now they were hauntingly unfamiliar. A part of the Enterprise's mission was to explore the unknown and chart the far reaches of space, to expand their knowledge of the galaxy and universe. The fact that they had ended up floating aimlessly in the vacuum of space in an unknown place (as far as they knew) was sobering. It was one thing to go into the unknown fully equipped; quite another to be stranded.

And if Data was right (which he generally was), if the Enterprise had passed through a wormhole...they could be anywhere.

Below the stars laid a moon on the very edge of the observation lounge's sight. A larger planet could be seen by the welders, but the senior staff could just make out the brown and blue coloring of the orb below from where they sat. They were just that far above the moon to be free of its orbit, but within each of them was the astronautical urge to go down and explore this new piece of rock, even if there were dangers in doing so based on their situation. They were explorers - the best the Federation had to offer.

Yes, the idea of not knowing where they were or how to get home was sobering and, to some degree, quite terrifying, if only because it meant that they might never get to go back to what they once knew. But the reason they were the best of the best was that, despite such adversities, they put the mission above all else.

They could go down there, do a little charting, a little sample collecting for when their labs were back up and running…it wasn't that big of a deal, right?

Really, they had to. It was their duty to document any new place that they encountered.

There were only so many people who were qualified to assist La Forge and Data in ship repairs.

Moreover, even if everything got repaired, it would take time to figure out how to get to a starbase, so a little expedition couldn't hurt…

Troi gasped.

"Captain - there's people down there. On the moon."

Picard straightened, happily reminded of the extent of his counselor's abilities. She would (hopefully) be able to sense anyone who might find them in their stranded condition, allowing the ship adequate time to prepare for visitors. "Are you sure? How many?"

She pressed a hand to her head, suddenly cringing. Crusher gently touched her friend's arm, concerned. "Two…maybe three. Some-Something's wrong. I think they're hurt."

Inadvertently, Riker piqued with excitement. Going on a rescue mission was the perfect excuse to go exploring the moon. While embarrassed by his instinct to be excited about a new planet, he was comforted by the knowledge that only Troi would know. That being said, how he felt was not at all portrayed by how suavely he turned back towards his captain, leaning on the table. "What do you want to do?"

Picard considered. "We're in no position to undergo a rescue mission." He looked to Riker. "But that doesn't mean we're not capable of providing help. Assemble an away team, Number One. Dismissed."

"Aye, Captain. Beverley, Worf - can you be spared?"

"As long as you're okay," Crusher turned to Troi.

The counselor nodded. "I'll be fine."

Data raised his hand. "May I come as well, Commander? Analysis of the moon might help me identify where we are."

Riker internally pumped his arm as his excuse to see the moon gained an even stronger foundation. Plus, adding Data to anything seemed to legitimize it. "Of course, Data. You're always welcome."

"You're gonna have to take a shuttle pod!" La Forge called after them as they left, having not yet moved from his own seat. "Let's hope whoever's out there has some spare parts," He added beneath his breath.

The short flight down to the light brown moon (nameless, Data informed them, as far as the Federation was concerned) was, thankfully, uneventful. Together, Riker and Data were able to pilot the shuttle towards the land, dropping out of the atmosphere and gliding over the land below without issue. Everyone looked out the front window, absorbing what there was of this new place.

"It that...grass?" Crusher asked, trying to pinpoint topographic details of the moon though without much success, given the shuttle's speed.

"Correct, Doctor. It appears to be a steppe."

Worf raised an eyebrow, glancing at Data out of the corner of his eye. "Steppe, Commander?"

"An ecoregion characterized by grasslands."

Crusher scowled, raising an eyebrow. "I thought that was a savanna?"

"A savanna is a temperate steppe. This is more like the steppes of North America."

"You mean the prairie, Data?" Riker teased.

"Yes, Commander. A grassland." Data pointed through the window. "One that seems to support life."

Below, a pack of animals dashed across the mostly flat landscape. The small crew noticed a range of mountains several kilometers beyond, but they were parallel to the shuttle's course. Riker made a mental note to speak with the captain about a scientific expedition if they could spare the resources.

"Where we heading, Doctor?" Riker asked over his shoulder. Without Troi (who he'd purposefully left behind for the captain and crew's benefit), Crusher's medical tricorder was the only way they were going to track the life forms the counselor had originally sensed.

That was, however, based on the assumption that the tricorder would be able to identify whatever types of life forms these were.

Crusher tapped instructions into the device. "We'll have to drop further down for a scan. Why can't the shuttle do its own scan, again?"

"Because the shuttle's operational systems are directly connected to the Enterprise's. We are without the benefit of sensors or autopilot, which is why Commander Riker and I are piloting manually." Data explained, doing as the doctor instructed.

"The med-deck's independent operating system's spoiled you, Beverley," Riker laughed. "You haven't had to grunge it like the rest of us."

"Hardly,"

Worf rolled his eyes out of the doctor's view, in agreement with Riker but unable to say so to a superior officer.

"There does not appear to be any signs of civilization." Data noted.

"So far. We won't have the luxury of exploring the entire place until the Enterprise is better off, but just because there isn't any here doesn't mean there won't be on the other side."

After a tedious amount of time, Worf shifted. "Did the captain specify how long we could be gone?"

"No, but we're not leaving until we find whoever it was that Deanna sensed," Crusher stated without looking up from her tricorder, leaving no room for argument.

"Well, how do we know they're not on the other side of the moon? Without sensors, we could spend days down here."

"So be it,"

Riker checked his own control panel. "Troi wouldn't have sensed them if they were on the other side, Lieutenant. As far away as the Enterprise is, with a small group like she said, Troi has to be in more or less a direct path with the people she's sensing, unlike with a populated planet which she can sense from thousands of kilometers out sometimes. We dropped directly down, so, instead of days, it'll probably just be hours."

Worf groaned. He was more than willing to help with a rescue mission of course, but he hadn't anticipated it taking so long - much longer than usual. He had duties to do attend to on the Enterprise, and he didn't like the idea of not being one of the many who were helping reassemble their ship.

"Wait. I'm getting something. About three hundred kilometers out. Adjust northwest."

"Copy," Data dialed in the orientation.

"Humanoid?"

"I'm not sure yet, but the life signs read differently than the other animals."

"Commander," Worf stood after a moment and gestured to a thin plume of smoke rising through the sky and what looked to be a long black gouge scaring the earth. "There,"

"Got it,"

Riker dropped down even further once they approached the gouge (over twenty kilometers long) and followed it all the way to the smoke. Eventually, they found a smoldering pod, a small fire lapping at a patch of steppe, and nothing else. They landed a safe distance away from the crash site, but Crusher barely waited for that.

As soon as she felt them make contact with earth, she opened the side door. "They're in there!"

"Beverley, wait!" Riker ordered in vain, scrambling to be unbuckled. When there was enough room to jump out, Crusher did so and began running towards the crash. "Data, follow her!"

The android did, followed a moment later by Worf, and then Riker.

They were immediately met with the roar of flames and a fury of urgent barking. Crusher had to squint against the smoke that blackened the scene, but she could see a dirty, black-haired dog charging towards her. It spun around her legs and then bolted back towards the pod just as a small explosion erupted on the starboard side, replacing smoke with tongues of fire that stretched into the air.

Data beat both the doctor and the dog to the pod and Worf was not far behind. The doors were slightly parted, but only enough that the dog could squeeze in and hound the people inside, nudging and pawing, gently grabbing them with its teeth. The android tried to push in after it; when he couldn't, he instead looked in, assessing the situation as best as he could: broken wiring and paneling hanging from the ceiling, a ravaging fire filling the small pod with smoke and heat; one person sitting in the pilot's chair, two laid out across the floor, and one strapped into the passenger seat, all unconscious.

"I count four people!" He shouted.

"Can you tell if they're injured, Data?" Crusher asked.

"Not from here,"

"It looks like the engine blew! We need to do this quick before anything else goes with it!" Riker appeared behind his officers, holding his arm against his face to block out the smoke. "Can you open the doors?"

"Lieutenant," Data nodded to Worf and they each stationed their hands around the edges of the doors and pulled the two pieces into their respective slots as best they could. Worf growled through the effort, breaking a sweat thanks to the heat, but Data showed no sign of difficulty. He worked as effortlessly as if he were feeding his cat, only changing color due to the smoke. But even together, they only managed to move the doors a few centimeters.

"The sill is bent, sir!" Data explained, kicking harshly at the crooked metal protruding from the soft earth. "The doors will not open any more than this!"

"That's enough." Not waiting for an order, Bevelery pushed herself through the men and then through the doors, those extra centimeters working in her favor.

Inside, she made sure to step carefully where she could see and ducked when something sparked overhead. She took note of some of the problems plaguing her four new patients as she waved her tricorder over them: smoke inhalation, a broken ankle, six broken ribs between them, several fractures, two broken fingers, and burns.

"Are they alive?" Riker called.

"Yes! Barely!" She stuffed her tricorder away. "I need one of you in here! I can't move them all myself!"

Data barreled in, denting the metal doors where they did not initially allow him leeway.

"All right, Data! These two here on the floor first! Hand them off to Will and Worf!"

While Beverley examined the pilot and their canine friend gnawed at the safety straps of the other passenger, the lieutenant commander picked the first boy and girl up effortlessly. He passed them through the door on their sides by cradling their necks and lifting them by their pants. Either Riker or Worf had to take equal care of their necks, to prevent spinal injury, while the other took their legs, and together moved them away from the fiery disaster one at a time.

When Data took the second girl, whose restraints the dog had been gnawing at, it followed her out and licked at her face once Worf and Riker set her down beside the other two. Finally, the second boy, from the pilot seat, was handed out. As soon as that was done, Beverley quickly gathered the bags she could find sprawled across the floor.

"Doctor!" Data shouted, moving to protect her from the rapidly deteriorating ceiling. He could hear the rest of the pod beginning to give out. "We must go!"

Crusher pointed a satchel by the pilot seat, about to be consumed by flames. "Get that bag, Data!"

Before she could lunge for it herself, Data lifted Crusher off her feet and moved her outside. The last thing he did before leaving the burning pod himself was retrieve the bag as Crusher had ordered him to do.

With the pod's passengers clear from the fire, Worf went back to their shuttle for fire extinguishers. While Crusher tended to her patients (which included the dog that carefully watched Crusher, in case she did anything nefarious), the others put out what flames they could, but the damage was done. The outside of the pod was mostly fire-resistant, but the explosion had been because of internal combustion and the fire consumed the inside of the pod before they could kill it.

Later, Data would question Dr. Crusher's need to save the bags she'd found and why she'd asked him to do the same.

Her response was simple - she thought she had the time to do it and what was in there had to be worth something to the passengers, didn't it? If she had time to save both, why not?

Well, if she hadn't, things might've gone very differently.