The Dauntless moved slowly through space, six other vessels, each as large as the starship itself, in formation close behind.  All seven spaceships had dropped out of warp just outside the star system they were now entering, their courses set toward the third planet of the system.

 

            One the bridge of the starship, the captain stepped out of the turbolift and over to the center seat, where his First Officer stood.

 

            “Helm, ETA to orbit?”

 

            The helmsman looked over his shoulder at where the captain assumed his place in the command chair.

 

            “Estimate seven hours to orbit, Captain.”

 

            “The transports aren’t quite as nimble as the Dauntless at impulse speeds,” Lt Commander Jim Casey, the starship’s First Officer, commented.  “This mission is still going to take a while.”

 

            “I hate escort duty,” Captain Samuel Fry sighed.

 

 

Space, the Final Frontier…

These are the voyages of the starship Dauntless!

 

Star Trek: Dauntless

 

“Ghost World” By PJK

 

 

Captain’s Star Log, June 16th, 2163:

Federation starship USS Dauntless NCC-01

My ship has been assigned escort duty, leading six Conestoga-class colonial transports to the class-M planet Barolia III.  It is the first new Federation colony to be established in this sector since the end of the Earth-Romulan war almost three years ago.

Captain Fry, out.

 

 

            “Entering standard orbit,” Lieutenant Tierney, the Dauntless’ helmsman reported.

 

            “Mister Delaney, what do we know about this planet?” Fry asked his science officer.  The young woman at the science console on the port side of the bridge consulted her readouts.

 

            “The star system was first charted in 2357, not long before the start of the war, by the Earth ship Challenger NX-03.  Actual exploration of the system didn’t occur until last year, and that was by the independent survey vessel Nix.  The Nix crew reported planet III was class-M, temperate climate.  The largest continent is almost completely covered by forests except for a sizeable mountain chain along the western coast.  There is one unusual notation in the report.”

 

            Fry looked over at his science officer inquisitively as she finished.

 

            “They reported what could be described as ruins not far from where the new colony is to be established along the major continent’s east coast.”

 

            “Signs of civilization?” Fry asked.

 

            “Unknown,” Delaney replied.  “The Nix crew performed a very basic survey from orbit, and what they found could be explained away as natural formations.  Aside from an unusual magnetic field around the planet’s poles, there is nothing out of the ordinary about this world, and no indications that any intelligent life ever existed on this planet.”

 

            “Captain,” interrupted Lieutenant Fuller, the communications officer.  “We’re being hailed by the Colonial Governor.”

 

            “On screen.”

 

            A moment later, the main viewer blinked from an image of the blue-green planet slowly rotating below to that of a middle-aged man with graying hair and a trim beard.

 

            “Captain Fry, on behalf of the Barolia III colonists, thank you for your aid in arriving safely at our destination,” Governor Harold Sanders greeted.

 

            “Our job is almost over, Governor,” Fry replied.  “Yours is just beginning.  Are your colonists ready for planetfall?”

 

            “We’re making preparations now.  Our transport crews have informed me we should be ready to land within two hours.  I’ll contact you again before we commence planetfall.  And again, to you and your crew, Captain, thank you.”

 

            “You’re very welcome, Governor,” Fry responded.  “The Dauntless will of course stick around until everything is settled in the new colony.  If you need anything, just give us a hail.  Dauntless, out.”

 

            “Thank you, Captain.  Governor Sanders, out.”

 

*          *          *          *

 

Captain’s Star Log, July 20th, 2163:

After more than a month of hard work, the Barolia colony has been established, including homes, a school, medical facility, power station and Colonial Governor’s residence which is also the so-called town hall.  A small farm has been established on the outskirts of the colony where the livestock is housed and where they expect to be able to harvest fresh food within a few seasons.

Meanwhile, I have spent some time on the planet’s surface with my Chief Science Officer, studying what we now believe are actually the remains of a past civilization that once existed on Barolia III only a few kilometers from the Federation colony.

Captain Fry, out.

 

 

            Samuel Fry sat in the briefing room with his Chief Science Officer, Lieutenant Delaney, Chief Engineer Lt Commander Dixon and his First Officer, Jim Casey.  The four officers were studying images of what looked like building foundations on the screen on the center of the table.

 

            “There’s no doubt about it, Captain,” Delaney stated.  “These ruins were man-made…  Well, made my intelligent beings.”

 

            “How old are they?” Fry asked, changing the image to a computer rendition of what the buildings that once stood atop the foundations may have looked like.

 

            “Near as we can determine, in the range of 1500 Earth years old,” Dixon replied.  “Carbon dating of what few remaining wood structures are left indicates the newest of the structures, if you can use that word, was built around Earth year 660 AD, and seem comparable to Earth structures of that time period.

 

            “What happened to the population that was here?” the captain asked.

 

            “Unknown.  It appears they all simply disappeared at that time,” Delaney answered.  “This is purely speculation, but perhaps some plague like Earth’s black death wiped them out?”

 

            “An interesting mystery,” Fry concluded.  “Mister Delaney, make copies of all our files pertaining to the ruins and transmit them to Governor Sanders.  Perhaps once the colony is fully established, they can perform further research and figure out what killed off the native Barolians?”

 

            “Aye, sir.  I’ll get right on it,” Delaney responded, gathering her collection of data cards and heading out of the briefing room.  As the doors swished shut behind her, Fry turned to his First Officer.

 

            “Status of getting under way, Jim?”

 

            “We’re ready to depart the system and return to Earth on your orders, sir,” Casey replied.

 

            “Very well.  We’ll depart within the hour, as soon as…”

 

            Before Captain Fry could finish his sentence, the intercom whistle sounded and the voice of the Dauntless’ communications officer said, “Captain, Governor Sanders is on subspace.”

 

            “Patch him through, Lieutenant,” Fry responded.  A moment later he said, “This is Captain Fry.  What can I do for you, Governor?”

 

            Governor Sander’s voice had a tone of concern as he said, “I understand you’ll be breaking orbit very soon?”

 

            “That’s correct, Governor.  Is there something we can do for you before we leave?”

 

            “No, we’re all set down here.  In fact, the school is opening for its first class later today.  I was just wondering, are any of my colonists aboard your starship?”

 

            Fry looked inquisitively at his First Officer, who consulted a padd he was carrying.

 

            “We haven’t had any visitors from the colony in over five days, Captain,” Casey stated.

 

            “There are no colonists aboard the Dauntless as far as we are aware, Governor,” Fry answered to Sanders.  “Why?  Is there something wrong?”

 

            “Wrong?  No, Captain.  It’s just that I’ve been unable to locate my executive assistant and no one down here has seen him or his family for the last day or so.  I know he said he wanted to take his family camping once things quieted down from the initial settlement, but it’s unlike William to just disappear without telling me.  I was just making sure they weren’t aboard your ship and you might accidentally leave orbit with them.  I can’t seem to function without William at my side.”

 

            Fry exchanged a look of concern with Casey before saying, “We’ll double check up here just in case.  Then Dauntless is scheduled to depart in about 2 hours.  I wish you and your colonists the best of luck, Governor.”

 

            “Thank you, Captain Fry.  Barolia colony, out.”

 

*          *          *          *

 

            “Bridge to Captain Fry!”

 

            Fry suddenly sat up in his bed, quickly reaching over to press the button on the night stand that turned on his cabins lights before activating the intercom.

 

            “Go ahead, bridge.”

 

            “Captain,” said the voice of Chief Engineer Dixon.  “We just received a distress call from the Barolia colony on subspace.”

 

            “A distress call?  But we just departed Barolia III not twelve hours ago!  Did they say what is wrong?”

 

            “The message was garbled, lots of magnetic interference.  It sounded like Governor Sanders, but we were unable to understand what he was saying.”

 

            Fry sighed a deep breath, then started pulling his uniform on as he ordered, “Turn the ship around, Commander.  Take us back to Barolia III.  Maximum warp.”

 

            “Aye, aye, Captain.”

 

            Seven hours later, the Dauntless NCC-01 entered standard orbit high over the Barolia Colony.

 

            “Sensors?” Fry asked.

 

            “Scanning the planet’s surface now, Captain,” Lieutenant Delaney responded.  “I’m reading the colony.  No signs of any natural disaster.  The colonial power station appears to be operating normally.  But…”  Delaney looked up, a shocked expression on her face.

 

            “What is it, Lieutenant?”

 

            “Captain, I can’t explain how, but there are no human life signs on the planet.”

 

            Fry, a look of disbelief on his face, stood up from his command chair and stepped toward the science console.

 

            “How can that be?  There were over 500 colonists on that planet not 24 hours ago!”

 

            “As I said, Captain, I can’t explain it.”

 

            Fry looked at his First Officer, who shared his look of concern.

 

            “Jim, I’m taking a landing party down there.  You have the ship until I return.”

 

            “Aye, Captain.”

 

*          *          *          *

 

Captain’s Star Log, July 22st, 2163:

Gone!  All gone!

The landing party and I beamed down into the center of the colony.  Everything was as we would expect it to be, except the people.  All the people have vanished.  I sent the landing party members out in various directions to search throughout the colony, and no matter where they looked, we were unable to find a single person, living or dead.  Not even bodies remain.  They simply disappeared from the surface of the planet, along with a member of my own crew, a security officer, who failed to return from the search.

After several days of fruitless searching, we have been ordered back to Earth by Starfleet Command.  In spite of my instincts, we’re obeying the order.  I have ordered Lieutenant Commander Dixon to shut down the colony’s pergium reactor to prevent an accidental overload and all landing parties have returned to the Dauntless.  Maybe we can use sensors to pinpoint where everyone has gone before we leave orbit?

Captain Fry, out.

 

 

            “Are there any caves or underground openings the colonists might have retreated to if they thought some disaster was about to befall them?” the captain asked as he looked at the blue-green orb on the main viewer.

 

            “Negative,” replied Delaney.  “The deepest fissure sensors can detect is only a few meters deep and well within our ability to scan.  And I’ve extended the scan to all areas around the planet in spite of the fact they had no vehicles capable of traveling more then a few hundred kilometers in the time since we first left orbit, aside from the six transport vessels, and they are all accounted for in the initial landing zone to the west of the colony.  There is no one on that planet, sir.”

 

            “What do we do?” Casey asked.

 

            “We can’t spend the next year sitting here looking for people who vanished.  We have our orders to return home.  As much as I want answers, we have other assignments to fill.  Starfleet has promised to send another ship out here and try to determine what happened to the colony?”

 

            Fry looked grimly at Casey for a moment before returning to his command chair and saying, “Helm, break orbit.  Set course back to Earth.  Full impulse while we’re still within the Barolia system, Warp 4 once we’re outside the system itself.”

 

            “Course plotted and laid in, Captain,” Tierney responded as the Dauntless moved out of orbit and back toward home.

 

To Be Continued…

 

Continue to “Ghost World – Part 2” (Earth Year 2383)

 

Return to 2163.

 

Return to Stories Archive.