It had been three hours since the surveys had begun. With the Tempest having launched several shuttles, the Aquarius module, and the ship itself. Coming around the fifth planet, was a Delta Flyer class shuttle crewed by Nyusari, Lieutenant Dirin Kessa a Bajoran Engineer from the Bajoran Militia whom joined the Tempest's crew as a provisionary officer, Lieutenant Delta an experimental android of similar designs to Captain Data, and Ensign Aaron Stone whom was manning the helm of the shuttle known as Specter. "This is almost a waste of time." Kessa complained as she leaned back in her chair, with Delta turning to the frustrated Bajoran confused. "In what way would you determine this survey mission a waste of time Lieutenant?" "Starfleet wants us within a quarter of the time it takes to survey a system, and we haven't even taken any samples of anything but atmospheric samples and very few rocks from the asteroid belt, and the one moon at Mei'Kolar VI. One small area we landed on the moon, and Mei'Kolar VI all we could get was an atmospheric sample. I mean the planet was just like Sol's Mars and we could have taken a lot more samples, I'm surprised you're not complaining about it Sari." Sari couldn't help but chuckle a little as she turned her head to Kessa. "Believe me, Rick's heard my complaints and Vin's after the meeting. " Aaron turned his head for a moment as he looked at Nyusari. "You've known the Captain for a long time, I hear Commander. Does he usually drop survey missions on a drop of the hat when Starfleet says so?" "Now that Ensign, is a fair question and the answer may surprise you." Aaron waited for what Sari would say, but all he got was silence as he turned back to the helm console. "Commander… You did not answer Ensign Stone's question." "No Delta I didn't. Because to be honest he does… He didn't used to when we did… Other sorts of missions, but he knows that we can always come back for more detailed scans and such." Sari smiled over to their android comrade as she turned towards him in her seat. "We can only do what we can in light of orders." "I see… So in essence he feels the same emotions as you do since this is the first chance after weeks of supply missions that we are able to-" " Yes Delta… Yes he does." Sari smiled after she realized she had rudely interrupted Delta, "Sorry but yes, since we've actually had the chance to do something that isn't resupply, combat, or anything that has nothing to do with exploration… It's a nice change of pace from it all, time travel included." She said as she slowly turned to her console, with Delta giving a nod as they began to approach Mei'Kolar V as their helm officer announced and allowed the computer to input it into the flight record. "Sensors indicate that Mei'Kolar V is a class Y planet, toxic atmosphere, possible deuterium deposits… No signs of life on the surface." Delta said as he read out the readings on the console. "Can confirm signs of deuterium, but their small deposits… Detecting possible other elements but the atmosphere is making it impossible to get clear readings." Kessa said as she was reading off the engineering console screen at the back of the cockpit. Stone looked up from his console out the window as he looked confused, and turned to Delta in the ops console, "Did you say the planet was class Y?" "Yes ensign, that is correct." Nyusari looked between the two, then out the window as she now gave a look of confusion. "Then why does that look like class M..?" She asked as she stepped out of her chair, and walked down the small ramp to the helm as Kessa also turned to look. In Front of the shuttle was indeed a class M planet, it looked bright and vibrant with life, the continents looked similar to that of Bajor's main continent and more. "Is it a glitch?" Sari asked as she looked to Delta who shook his head, "Negative. Computer shows that the sensors are working at peak efficiency. It's registering Mei'Kolar V as class Y." "Visual sensors are saying the same thing." Aaron said as he did his own diagnostics. "Then why are we seeing something different out the window?" Kessa asked as she leaned over the ops console looking at the planet. "Unknown… I must admit that I am quite perplexed at these events myself." Delta replied as Sari placed her hand on Aarons shoulder, she would lean over him to look at the sensors. "Well with sensors acting as they are we can't find a good landing site with sensors… Aaron take us in, find a landing site with your own eyes if you have to, I'm sorry but we're not letting this get away." "Lieutenant, what about the captain?" Delta asked, as Sari let out a sigh. "Right… Send a hail to the Tempest, guess we'll have to get permission." Sari said as Delta began to activate the comm systems.
It didn't take long for them to contact the Tempest and inform them of the situation, with Rick looking at Sari confused from the report. "M class, but why are the sensors showing something different?" "It is still unknown at this time Captain, but diagnostics show no error in the sensors." "Kessa?" Rick looked from Delta to Kessa on the view screen, "It's just as Delta says, and nothing I can see shows errors on our end." Rick turned to Roku, an Orion science officer whom joined the ship after the end of the Federation Klingon war as an exchange officer. "Strange… Sensors from our end are showing Mei'Kolar V as class Y as well, even at this range." Rick narrowed his eyes for a moment as Sari spoke up, "Captain, I know Starfleet wants us back with very little time to survey, but something about this seems odd. I want to solve this little mystery, but we can only do that if we land." Rick took a moment to consider this action, it seemed too odd that both sensors from the shuttle and the ship would show class Y when they could see it differently. "Are you sure that there isn't anything making you see differently? Or something jamming your visual cortex Delta?" "Captain it is highly unlikely, I have done my own diagnostics and I find no evidence that there is any technology being used to show otherwise of what we are seeing or of our ship readings." "Very well… Commander Zutil you have permission. We'll rendezvous with your shuttle within the hour. And Commander, be careful. We only have one Delta Flyer class shuttle and one of each of you." Sari smiled as she gave a nod, "Of course, Specter out." The view screen reverted back to the forward view of the ship where Tempest orbited Mei'Kolar III. "Helm set a course to Mei'Kolar V half impulse. Ensign Nemitz, Inform the other survey shuttles and the Aquarius Module to rendezvous at the planet once their quick surveys are completed." Rick ordered as he sat back down at the center chair, leaning back as Roku walked over to him. "Captain, you know Starfleet's going to wonder what is keeping us, if we delay." "If they ask, we'll come up with something… Tell Vin to run a diagnostic on the ships sensors, all of them… They said Visual sensors showed class Y as well, but looking out a window you saw the real thing… Something doesn't add up." "Of course… And you know SHE will want to know as well." "Lieutenant Commander Hunt… She's always welcome to join the meetings Roku, but given her training, expertise and social status as an Intel officer." Roku shook her head as she sighed and sat down next to Rick in the first officers chair, "Remind me why you allowed Intel officers to join? I know the reason for me, Kessa and Zhenek… But Hunt? Nidara, and Serat? Three Intel officers Venier." Rick smiled as he leaned back and turned his head to the young Orion woman, "Let's just call it… A negotiation package between me and Starfleet." Roku looked at Rick confused as she stood up, "Alright then, I'll have to live with that then."
Back at Mei'Kolar V, the shuttle was making it's through the atmosphere as Aaron was having little trouble entering the atmosphere, with the exception of the computer giving off false readings. Sari was trying to conduct scans as well as Delta and Kessa, but with how uncooperative the computer was being, it made it nearly impossible to get accurate readings. "For a Class Y planet, it's not that bad flying into atmosphere." Aaron said as the shuttle was passing through a few clouds, moving towards the continent ahead of them. "Quite the sight. If I didn't know better, I would say that this was an actual M class planet despite sensors…" Sari said as she tried to run some more scans, but it was obvious they were not going to get any answers from the sensors. Aaron looked up as he was trying to find a landing site, noticing something as he turned his head for a moment, "Commander, take a look." Sari looked up, and stepped down towards the helm as she looked to a building covered in fauna and grass, yet it also looked like it was shot at, as there were quite a few breaches in the compound. "Well that's definitely unnatural… Looks like it's been here for a long time." Sari looked at the compound as they made a pass around the building, it was quite large in mass as Sari pointed out to a clearing, "Right there, think you can land us there." She asked as the clearing was in front of the building, and a large door that looked almost like a hanger. Aaron gave a nod as the shuttle came around to the clearing. Slowly the shuttle made its way to the clearing, landing just in front of the building as the shuttle began to power down as Kessa made another scan but couldn't get anything concrete of evidence of what the building was made of, or anything about it. "Let's hope the tricorders are going to be cooperative." She said as Kessa stood up from her station, "Shall we go?" "Should we not wait for the Tempest?" Delta asked as he turned towards Kessa and then looked to Sari as the Trill Lieutenant patted Aaron's shoulder. "No we should not, too many questions. Aaron you come along too." The young ensign gave a nod as he stood up, following his fellow officers out of the cockpit and into the aft compartment. Once properly geared, the four made their way out the rear hatch, as they came around the shuttle looking over the forest around them, and the building. Delta and Sari started to run some scans, Kessa also started to run a scan while Aaron held up a phaser rifle in case of hostiles. "Well tricorders seem to be cooperating somewhat… I can't detect much through the door, but the alloy is showing as steel and iron, and some kind of element we've never seen before." Kessa said as they walked towards the large door. "I'm also detecting some small conduits through some parts of the wall, looks like electrical currents made of copper, and other different elements." "Commander." Aaron pointed out a small keypad next to the door as they walked towards it, the keypad looked old and a simple push button keypad with simple numbers. Sari began to scan it as she looked at it oddly. "That's odd… Tricorder isn't getting anything off the keypad." "My tricorder is not picking up anything as well. However my optical sensors are fully working…. Strange, Commander, my internal database indicates that the keypad in front of us is similar to keypads used back on Earth during the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. " Delta spoke as he walked towards the keypads, attempting to push on a few buttons but noticing nothing happening. "Curious… It appears that the keypad has no power, and that it may also require a second form of access. Take a look here, this shows that an access card is also required, which suggest-" "Thank you Delta." Sari interrupted as Delta almost went on a speech. He gave a nod and stepped back as Sari put her tricorder away. "So then this raises quite a few questions." "Such as Commander?" Delta asked as he turned to Sari. "First, who built this compound… Second, what's behind this door, and thirdly… Where is everyone?" "And why are our sensors and tricorders picking up false readings?" Kessa interjected as she put her tricorder away. "Delta… Does the structure in itself appear anything different or similar to the keypad?" Delta took a moment to look around, shaking his head as he turned to Kessa, "I can not tell, not with the fauna that is covering the structure, or from simply being here… If we were to get inside, then perhaps we would be able to find more answers." "If we can get inside." Sari said as she sighed, "Aaron, head back to the Specter and contact the Tempest… Tell the Captain, we've found something…"