Web hosting Custom Email SiteBuilder

Chapter Seven:

Dr. Selar arrived a few minutes late to the meeting, having been in the middle of an emergency medical procedure when the captain called the meeting. She strolled with the ease that only a Vulcan could manage and took her place beside the counselor, who in contrast looked overly tired.

"My apologies for the delay, Captain," Selar said.

"Understood," Riker replied with a nod. He turned toward his first officer. "Mr. Data, what more can you tell us about this wormhole?"

"It is one-point-three times the size of the Zoranq wormhole, previously the largest wormhole discovered by Starfleet. This wormhole contains three thousand, two hundred and eighty-three pockets, each varying in size from eighty centimeters to nearly three meters in width. "

Geordi whistled sharply. "Boy, would I love to see that!"

Riker glanced at his chief engineer, but didn't reprimand his outburst. He shared Geordi's enthusiasm. "Data, could you tell what they were?"

" If I were to theorize," Data began, " I would make the assumption that each of these pockets are in fact smaller wormholes within the larger one, leading to different points throughout this galaxy. None were large enough for me to pas through. However, some of the larger ones would admit a probe."

"Captain, I think we should send Commander Data back inside the wormhole using shuttlecraft 8. It's half the size of number 5. Berlitz said. "He could pilot it through one of the larger pockets. It'd be a tight fit, but if anyone could do it, Commander Data could."

"Lieutenant, we have no way of knowing that one of these pockets won't collapse. After all, they are very much like the two collapsed ones we discovered. Data?"

"Correct, sir," Data confirmed. "I saw clear evidence that these wormholes share the same properties."

"But the crafts that attempted to pass through the wormholes were much larger," Geordi La Forge said, coming to Corrine's defense.

"What about the Marauder? Data, Geordi, would you conclude that it was also destroyed by a collapsing wormhole?"

"It is the most probable explanation," the android replied.

"Yeah," La Forge concurred. "The stress on the metal fragments were consistant with of an implosion.

"Then we probably have three imploding wormholes," Riker said thoughtfully, rubbing at his beard. "Data, your honest opinion, could you safely pilot a type VI shuttlecraft through one of the larger pockets?"

"I would not advise it, sir," the android replied.

Berlitz looked chagrin by this response, Riker noticed. He understood her waning enthusiasm. Having one's ideas proven wrong was never easy.

"If the pathway narrows even slightly," Data continued. "I cannot guarantee that even I could maneuver through it. Comparing our data here to that of the two collapsed wormholes, I would conclude that the possibility of another implosion does exist. Until we know more about them, I would not suggest attempting to send anyone through. I would recommend that we send in another probe and set its course for one of the pockets."

"I agree with Data," Geordi said. "The wormhole itself may be a loop, but there's a good chance that each of its pockets leads somewhere else, perhaps in another quadrant. . .or even another galaxy.."

"If we could actually get through them," Worf interjected. "Perhaps each of them look back."

"True; we haven't yet established that we can," La Forge conceded. "Think about this, though: If we can learn how to manipulate these pockets, They could be a phenomenal discovery, allowing us the whim to explore places thousands of light years away and to return to our own space at whim."

"I can understand your enthusiasm, Mr. La Forge," Riker said. "Just don't allow it to cloud your judgment."

"Yes, sir," Geordi replied, sounding embarrassed. It was difficult for him not to get excited whenever they encountered a potential technological breakthrough. It was that enthusiasm that made him one of the top engineers in Starfleet.

"Anyone else have any observations they'd like to add before I make my decision?" Riker said, addressing the group.

"There's something or someone inside that wormhole," Deanna said tensely. She hesitated, wishing she hadn't gotten the group's attention. Worf clutched her hand. He did not often display his affection in front of others, and knowing that made Deanna feel better. "I don't know what exactly, but it overwhelms me with feelings of being lost....and alone." She bowed her head. "Afraid even." Her husband removed his grip on her hand to place his arm around her shoulder. "The odd part is that I'm not really sensing any feeling from the wormhole itself. It's more of an emotion coming from within myself." She tapped her chest for emphasis.

"You don't think this could be dangerous to your unborn baby?" the captain asked with concern.

The expectant mother turned a bit pale. "It is upsetting for my baby as well, but I do not believe the baby is in any physical danger."

"Nonetheless, I'd feel better if you allowed Dr. Selar to thoroughly examine you."

"As would I," Worf agreed.

"Then Dr. Selar, Deanna, you are dismissed from this meeting."

Deanna slowly nodded and stood to follow the doctor out. The Klingon stared in the direction of the exit door for a long moment after his wife departed. Then collecting himself with a silent self-berating that he was a Starfleet officer, he turned back toward the group.

"Now may we get back to the idea of the probe, Mr. Worf?" Riker asked.

"Of course, sir," Worf responded, straightening his uniform.

"Good. I believe we should launch two probes this time, each directed at a random pocket. Let's test the theory that each pocket leads to a different point in the galaxy--and at the same time calculate the odds that these pockets are structurally sound."

"This could open up communication throughout the entire galaxy," Geordi said excitedly.

"We must, however, be cautious about what we send across," Worf added. "We do not want to give any hostile aliens a tactical advantage."

Nodding, Riker concluded, "For now, we're only sending basic probes. We're not relinquishing much tactical advantage with them. Return to your stations and release the probes on my order."

"Aye sir," the group said, standing and filing out of the conference room.

On the bridge, all hands monitored their controls while intermittently making visual contact with the wormhole. Its magnificence filled the viewscreen, while its enigma was the source of many calculations being simultaneously run through ship's systems.

"Captain, I have selected two pockets for penetration," Data said from beside Riker. "They have considerably wider mouths than most of the other tunnels and appear stable on this end." Upon the captain's nod of approval, the android punched in the location of the two pockets so the others could view it from their consoles.

"Mr. Worf, lower our shields," Riker ordered.

"Aye sir." The Klingon lowered the shields and then punched in the calculations that sent instructions to the probes.

"Launch the first probe." Everyone watched silently as the probe glided across the viewscreen and

penetrated the wormhole. "Launch the second probe."

Now, they waited. Again.

******

Dr. Selar's medical scans of Deanna and her baby revealed that both were under a lot of stress, but neither were in any immediate danger. "Try to relax," the Vulcan doctor instructed.

"I'm trying," Deanna insisted despite her visible shaking. "It's just so difficult to shut out all my fears and all the negative emotions surrounding me." She rubbed at her belly and added, "us."

"You must seek out relaxation techniques that work for you. I know you enjoy chocolate. A mug of hot chocolate every evening before you retire would thus be therapeutic for you. Perhaps you might also consider some form of meditation. Whenever a Vulcan finds him or herself drawing near to an emotional imbalance, he or she uses meditation to retain complete equilibrium."

"Meditation." Deanna mused over the possibility for a moment. "I often recommend that to my own patients. On Betazed, we practice what we call 'plexing.' I will try."

"Good. You are free to go."

She met Worf for a brief lunch and he was relieved to hear that there was no reason to be alarmed for her or the baby. Before they had finished their meal, he was called to the bridge. Deanna cleaned off the table before laying down for a forty-five minute nap. Although she could not remember her dream upon waking, she felt unrested.

She had two counseling sessions for the afternoon, and she entertained thoughts of rescheduling them, but she'd already postponed one from this morning. She opted to keep them deciding that if she listened to the problems of others for a while, she could distance herself from her own. Besides, she was duty bound to ensure that the entire crew functioned well enough to perform their duties.

By the time she returned to her quarters three hours later, she was exhausted. She slipped into a nightgown and replicated a hot chocolate. Time to relax, she ordered herself. Staring out the viewwindow, she wondered whether the probes had return and longed to have her husband's arms wrapped around her. Calm down. Worf will come home shortly. After finishing her cocoa, she brought her index finger to her neck and began tapping against it. For a few minutes, the technique helped.

Then the first probe emerged from the wormhole.

She watched tensely through her viewwindow as a tractor beam pulled the probe back toward the Enterprise. What information had it brought back? If the pockets led thousands of light years away, then this discovery might save Starfleet decades of exploration and offer them a tactical advantage over any hostiles. Why did these thoughts not put her mind at ease?

Alexander returned from school and obviously noticing her need to be alone, he replicated a small snack and retreated to his room to work on homework.

She waited anxiously for Worf to come off duty. First, she paced, and then she sat on the sofa gripping a pillow, and then she paced again. Finally, Worf returned to their quarters shortly after 1800 hours. He appeared calm in contrast to her state of unrest, but immediately picked up on her need for comforting.

"How did your afternoon go?" she asked as they ate dinner. "Did the probe bring back any interesting information?"

"Deanna," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist, "there is nothing to be concerned about. Relax. Let me take you into our bedroom and give you a massage."

She smiled, attempting to shift her mood. They both knew that his massages generally led into lovemaking, and yet Deanna wondered if even Worf's touch could brighten her spirit. Why did she feel so glum? Yet, she agreed laying on their bed while her husband began massaging her all over, trying to drain the tension from her body. Even his loving kisses along her neck and shoulder did not arouse her sexual appetite.

"Deanna! I have never seen you this tense. You must try to relax."

For a long moment, she didn't reply, didn't even look at him. She felt him also growing tense against her. Although she could think of no rational explanation for her mood, she could only fathom an eerie sense that it had something to do with the wormhole. And she could not shake the uncontrollable urge to get as far away from it as possible!

"I know you're right," she said, finally turning toward him. "It's just I don't know what's happening to me." She fought against tears and lost the battle. "There's something or someone out there and I've never been as confused about an empathic reading before. I can't tell if their afraid, sad, or hostile. I just don't know."

"Perhaps you are picking up on the emotions of more than one entity," Worf suggested. "Isn't there some type of technique that your people use to help you filter out individual empathic signals?"

"Yes. When I was in high school, I remember sitting in a circle with my classmates, trying to learn how to properly channel one-on-one in a room full of telepaths. We were just beginning to develop our mental abilities then, but I felt inadequate around them. Since I'm half-human, I couldn't understand their thoughts very well. A short while later, however, my empathic abilities came to the surface and the classmates who had ridiculed me before were the most envious of me."

"Such behavior always leads to dishonor."

Deanna buried her face in Worf's chest. "I wish I could channel out whatever this is. I don't know how much longer I can tolerate it. If this is what Guinan meant when she said this would be a time of awakening for me and the baby, I'd rather stay asleep."

Rubbing at her back, Worf said, "Let me help you. Concentrate on reading my thoughts if it will help you rid yourself of this pain."

Silently, she did that, sensing his love and devotion for her. Rarely could she pick up on the thoughts of a non-Betazed, and Worf was no exception. Yet, the attempt alone seemed to help divert her mind from the wormhole and she began to relax. They did not make love that night, but their time together was nonetheless tender and sweet. Shortly, she fell asleep. Worf stayed awake for a long while after that, just watching her and gently brushing her hair with his long fingers.

*****

Riker stepped back onto the bridge at 2300 hours and approached Data and Geordi, who were sitting at the science station analyzing the data from the two probes. He had intended to be in bed by this hour, but curiosity had brought him back to the bridge.

"Sir," the android said, turning to greet his captain.

Riker nodded. "What have you found?"

Data turned back toward the console. "The first probe exited the wormhole in the Delta Quadrant about fifty-seven thousand light years from our present location. It encountered a planetary system with four planets, none class-m, but one class-k planet has non-sentient lifeforms." The android registered surprise and turned to look at Riker. "The probe also encountered a large alien starship possibly of the same make as the one found destroyed."

Though they were both tired, their actual shifts having ended several hours ago, Captain Riker and Geordi La Forge continued to listen raptly to Data's report.

"From the probe's scan, I can extrapolate that in most ways, this ship's technology is our equal." The android first officer paused. "I cannot go any further with my report without permission to disclose our earlier discussion with Geordi."

Riker sighed heavily. "It may be my neck with Admiral Wilson, but I don't see how we can get around telling Geordi and still accomplish our mission. Go ahead."

"Very well, Sir." Data turned toward La Forge and said, "This ship contains a temporal shifting device of some type, as did the other, a device that appears capable of altering moments in time."

"That's the secret Admiral Wilson wanted you to keep!" Geordi looked and sounded quite perturbed. "How does he expect the chief engineer to do his job if he's ignorant of the facts?"

"You have to look at it from Starfleet's point of view, Geordi," Riker answered. "If this information were to get into the wrong hands. If someone were to use this technology for the wrong reasons--"

"Say no more, sir. I understand," La Forge said, sounding resigned.

"We should consider ourselves lucky that these aliens didn't discover our probe and destroy it."

"Wait a minute!" Geordi exclaimed. "If they're capable of altering events, why didn't they save` their destroyed ship? They could go back to the time just before the accident occurred and prevent it from ever happening."

"That is a question that we may never know the answer to," the captain said.

"Perhaps, they have not gotten around to it yet," his first officer suggested. "They simply have not found the time to save the ship and its crew."

"Time to go back through time," Riker mused.

"If they do, then the Lexington would never have discovered the debris, and we would not now be having this conversation."

"That's an eerie thought," Geordi commented. "It's almost like contemplating not ever having been born."

"Or there is another possibility," Data mused. "They could have laws that govern precisely how their time technology is used. Perhaps resurrecting their people is forbidden."

"What would be the point in having the technology then?" Geordi asked rhetorically.

They sent a thorough report via subspace message to Starfleet Headquarters. An hour later, Admiral Wilson contacted Riker personally. Riker answered in his ready room.

"Captain," he said, "I understand that you told Commander La Forge about the alien time-splitting technology."

"Yes, sir. I felt I had no choice."

The elderly man nodded. "Agreed. Commander La Forge's reputation proceeds him. I know we can trust him to keep this information from leaking into the wrong hands."

Riker couldn't help but picture a group of Ferengi traders with this technology. They were known for having bargained for advance technology, such as warp capability, and then using the technology to exploit others.

" I want you to remain in the area until further notice," Wilson ordered. "Continue monitoring the wormhole."

"Aye, sir."

"Keep me abreast of any significant discoveries. Starfleet out."

The captain switched off his monitor and, leaning back in his chair mused over the situation. Even though the wormhole appeared to be a loop, there was still the physical evidence that the alien starship had exited through it, because the debris was found on this side of the galaxy. But how was that possible? None of the pockets were large enough to allow even a shuttlecraft through. So how did these aliens travel to the Alpha Quadrant from fifty-seven thousand light years away? Such a journey by a normal mode of travel would have taken a few decades. Yet the structural tests conducted on the ship debris indicated that it was most likely less than ten years old.

Riker enjoyed mysteries. He just hated when he couldn't solve one!