Captain’s log, stardate 60481.7:

Having successfully completed our space-trials, the Dauntless is now back under full commission and we have resumed our normal duties.  Starfleet has chosen to give us a simple mission for our return to space, escorting several colonial transports establishing a new colony on a world less than a sector away from both the Klingon and Romulan borders.

Koester, commanding Dauntless, out.

 

 

            Captain Peter J. Koester, commanding officer of the Sovereign-class starship USS Dauntless NCC-75310, sat at the head of the conference lounge table, meeting with several of his senior staff.

 

            “What do we already know about Barolia III?” the captain asked.

 

            Commander T’Ashara of Vulcan, one of the recently assigned science officers, activated a viewscreen on the forward bulkhead next to the display of models representing all the Federation vessels named Dauntless.  On the screen a blue-green sphere appeared with notations pointing out various geographical features.

 

            “The Barolia system, which was first charted in 2157, is a star system orbiting a K-class star.  There are four planets in the system, of which one, the third planet, is class-M.  The system was explored in 2162, shortly after the Earth-Romulan war, and an attempt was made to establish a colony, one of the Federation’s first, on Barolia III the next year.”

 

            “An attempt?” Commander K’danz asked.

 

            “Yes, that’s the other part of our assignment,” Captain Koester added.  “Solve the mystery of the missing colony.”

 

 

Space, the Final Frontier…

These are the voyages of the starship Dauntless!

Her ongoing mission;

To seek, to chart, to explore…

Slipping the surly bonds of Earth,

Going where none have been before!

 

Star Trek: Dauntless

 

“Ghost World - Part 2” By PJK

 

 

            “How does an entire colony go missing?” Ensign Rinja Ka’Dan, the Klingon exchange officer and the tactical department’s representative for the briefing asked.

 

            “That’s what we’re being assigned to investigate,” the captain said.  “T’Ashara?”

 

            The Vulcan woman touched a control near the monitor, and the image zoomed in on the east coast of the planet’s largest continent.

 

            “The first settlement attempt was made in 2163 by six transport ships, led ironically by a predecessor of this very starship, the first USS Dauntless.  It took several weeks to set up the colony, but once everything was established, the Dauntless-01 set course back toward Earth.  Several hours later, the ship received a garbled distress call from the new colony.  Upon their return, less than a day after their departure, The Dauntless crew found the colony exactly as they had left it with the exception there was not a single colonist anywhere on the planet.”

 

            “They all died?” K’danz asked.

 

            “Unknown,” T’Ashara replied.  “No sign of any of the colonists were ever found, not even a single body.  And the whole incident was complicated by fact one of the Dauntless’ own crew went missing when a landing party was beamed down to the colony trying to locate the missing colonists.”

 

            “What did that Dauntless’ crew do after that?” K’danz asked.  Captain Koester answered her.

 

            “Apparently, after some time spent trying to find the colonists and their own missing security guard, they finally gave up and returned to Earth.  The Dauntless’ captain, a man named Samuel Fry, who was related to our former Chief Helmsman by the way, reported back to Starfleet Command and the colonial command organization about what had happened, expecting they would send another ship to conduct a more in-depth search.  But because Starfleet was still suffering from growing pains from the merger of the Earth, Vulcan, Andorian and Tellarite fleets, Starfleet Command chose instead to simply quarantine the planet and declare it off-limits.”

 

            Ka’Dan gave the captain a confused look as he asked, “If the planet is off-limits, then why are we escorting a new convoy of colonial transports there, sir?”

 

            Koester glanced at his exchange officer with a look that said he had asked Starfleet the same question before replying, “Apparently someone at the Commercial Development Agency of the Federation Council decided since it’s been more than two hundred years since the first attempt to colonize Barolia III, it should be safe to try again now.  It was purely by chance that another starship Dauntless was assigned to escort the transport ships and, if possible, investigate why the previous colony disappeared without a trace.”

 

            “Sounds like too many assumptions to me, Skipper,” K’danz commented.  “And you know what happens when you assume…?”

 

            “I agree, but it’s the assignment we drew, so let’s try our best.  Thank you everyone.  Dismissed.”

 

            As Koester and K’danz quickly returned to the bridge, Ka’Dan and T’Ashara remained behind in the observation lounge.  The young Klingon officer looked at the Vulcan woman and, with a look bordering on confusion, asked, “What does happen when you assume?”

 

            “I do not quite understand it myself, but it has something to do with everyone involved being turned into a muscular group known as the gluteus maximus or buttocks.”

 

            Ka’Dan looked back toward the door where the captain and first officer had entered the bridge and remarked, “I do not believe I will ever understand humans.”

 

*          *          *          *

 

            A day later, the Dauntless rendezvoused with the three large transport vessels, all three converted Nebula-class vessels, all of them former Starfleet starships, each now carrying 750 colonists, their supplies, livestock, modular housing, fusion reactors, replicators and everything else they needed to successfully colonize a wild, uncivilized world.

 

            “Captain, we’re being hailed by the captain of the Akagi,” Major Sean McIntyre reported from his post at tactical.

 

            Captain Koester looked up from the padd his yeoman had just presented him, reviewing duty assignments, as he said, “On screen, Major.”  Seconds later, the main viewscreen blinked to the image of the lead transport vessel’s bridge, where a human man wearing an antique merchant marine officer’s hat sat in the chair between the transport’s helm and operations officers.  It was obvious to the captain that the bridge module had been changed when Starfleet sold the decommissioned starship to the company that now owned it.  “This is Captain Peter J. Koester of the starship Dauntless.  We stand ready to escort you to your destination.”

 

            “I’m Captain Mark Oates, master of the SS Akagi and convoy commander.  I thank you for your escort, Captain, though I’m not sure why we need it?  The whole course from Earth to Barolia III is well within Federation space.  We shouldn’t encounter any trouble at all.”

 

            “Actually, Captain,” Koester responded, “our mission is more to investigate your destination then to escort you, really, but the Commercial Development Agency that oversees the establishment of new colonies requested Starfleet to escort the convoy all the same.  Shall the Dauntless take the lead?”

 

            “Show us the way, Captain.  Oates, out.”

 

            As the viewer changed back to a view of the three transports moving into a triangle formation, Koester looked toward his helmsman.  “Mister Peck, coordinate with the navigators aboard all three transports and lay in a course for the Barolia system.  Ahead warp factor 6.”

 

*          *          *          *

 

            Captain Koester was relaxing in his ready room, trying to read a novel on his computer screen but having trouble reading the text due to the reflection of the light from the fish tank next to the window.  His teenage daughter, Gem, had bugged the captain all through the time the Dauntless had been in drydock, wanting a new goldfish, so Koester had finally given in and had the shipyard install a large tank in his new ready room, and was now regretting it, especially since care of the new fish often fell on the captain himself.  Readjusting the monitor screen once again, he scanned the text to try and find his place again when the door chime sounded.  Rolling his eyes for a moment, he looked toward the door and said, “Come.”  A second later, the doors swished open and Commander K’danz walked in, a padd in her right hand.

 

            “Skipper, I’ve been reviewing the data we have on Barolia III, and there’s something I found that bothers me,” the First Officer said as she took one of the seats across from Koester and passed him the padd.  “Are you aware that the Barolia colony of 2163 wasn’t the first disappearance from that planet?”

 

            Koester glanced briefly at the information on the padd display as he said, “What do you mean?”

 

            “According to the logs of the Dauntless-01 I’ve been reviewing, they discovered ruins of a small city not far from the site where the colony was established.  Apparently the civilization that had evolved there mirrored Earth civilization in many ways until sometime in the mid-7th century, when the population of Barolia III seems to have simply disappeared!”

 

            “Like a certain Federation colony fifteen centuries later,” Koester added.

 

            “Exactly,” K’danz agreed.

 

            Koester reached over and turned off his computer monitor before saying, “Carrie, I want you to work closely with Wallace and T’Ashara.  Dig up everything, and I mean everything, in the Federation databases about Barolia III.  Considering the system’s proximity to both the Romulan and Klingon borders, you might consider contacting their governments and seeing if they have any information pertaining to Barolia, especially in the years before that sector became part of Federation space.”

 

            K’danz’s expression changed to a look of frustration as she said, “The Klingons shouldn’t be too hard to deal with.  I can have Ka’Dan make the call if need be.  But what about the Romulans?  In spite of the reduced tensions between our governments, we’re still not exactly friends.”

 

            “Contact the Vedrex.  Maybe T’Lees can pull a few strings in our favor.”

 

            “Good idea, Skipper.  I had almost forgotten about Commander T’Lees.  I’ll get right on that,” K’danz said, grabbing back her padd and hurrying back out onto the bridge.

 

*          *          *          *

 

            Several hours later, Koester, K’danz, Wallace, T’Ashara and Ka’Dan were gathered once again around the conference lounge table, compiling and comparing all the information they had retrieved from the library computer and the records, what little existed, from the Klingons.  The discussion was interrupted by the intercom.

 

            “Captain, prrrivate message coming in forrr you on subspace,” announced Lieutenant M’nday.

 

            “Thank you, Lieutenant,” Koester said, exchanging a glance with K’danz.  “I’ll take it in the conference lounge.”  The captain then stepped over to the monitor next to the model display and activated it.  The Federation seal was quickly replaced by the image of a woman with shoulder-length black hair pulled back behind her pointed ears and wearing the uniform of the Romulan Imperial Navy.

 

            “T’Lees!  Good to see you again,” Koester said with a smile.

 

            “I’m happy to see you too, Peter, though a bit saddened too.  I understand congratulations are in order?” Commander T’Lees, commanding officer of the warbird Vedrex replied, causing a look of astonishment on Koester’s face.  “Yes, I heard about your recent wedding to Michele.  My best wishes to you both.”

 

            “But… How…?” the captain started to stutter.  Behind him, he could hear what sounded like K’danz trying to hold back a laugh.

 

            “Nevermind that,” the Romulan woman said with a smile.  “I understand you need my help?”

 

            Koester composed himself before finally saying, “Yes.  We’re trying to compile all the information we can about a planet designated Barolia III in the Acamar sector.  Particularly anything you might have prior to Earth year 2163.”

 

            On the monitor T’Lees could be seen looking over toward the side of her own bridge and nodding.  By the time she looked back at Koester and smiled again another voice just off screen said, “I have the file, Commander.”

 

            “Remember, Peter,” T’Lees continued.  “This is all officially off the record.”  When Koester nodded, she added, “I’m transmitting our data to you now.”

 

            “Thank you, T’Lees,” the captain said.

 

            “Anytime, Peter,” T’Lees said with another smile.  “And don’t be such a stranger.”  She blew a kiss across subspace before concluding with, “Vedrex, out.”

 

            As the monitor returned to the image of the Federation seal then quickly blinked off, the captain turned around to find K’danz trying to hold in a bout of the giggles while T’Ashara and Ka’Dan stared at him.

 

            “You knew that Romulan officer, Captain?” the young Klingon officer asked.

 

            “An old… acquaintance, Ensign,” Koester replied as he returned to his seat just as M’nday’s voice again sounded over the intercom.  The captain silently thanked his operations officer before any more questions about T’Lees were raised.

 

            “Captain, we’ve just rrreceived a file trrransmission frrrom the Vedrrrex,” the Caitian woman announced.  “I’m rrrouting it to you.”

 

            “Thank you, Lieutenant,” Koester replied just as the file appeared on the bulkhead monitor and downloaded into all the padds on the conference lounge table.

 

            “Alasdair, T’Ashara, add these new files to our compiled information and let me know if you come up with anything,” the captain ordered.

 

            “Aye, sir,” Commander Wallace replied.

 

*          *          *          *

 

            “I am ready to relieve you, Commander,” Captain Koester said as Commander T’Ashara, who commanded the Gamma or midnight shift on the bridge, informed him of the starship’s course, speed and condition and the status of the convoy that followed them.

 

            “I am ready to be relieved, Captain,” T’Ashara replied when assured Koester had understood her turnover.

 

            “I relieve you,” Koester finally said as he assumed his seat in the command chair just as Commander Alasdair Wallace, the starship’s Chief Science Officer, stepped down from the science console with a padd in his hand.

 

            “Cap’n, I’ve reviewed the files Commander T’Lees sent us, and I think I found something curious,” the Scotsman said.  “As I’m sure ye know, the Romulans had warp capability centuries b’fore many Federation species, with the exception of the Vulcans of course.”  He glanced at T’Ashara and smiled, prompting the Vulcan woman to nod placidly.  “Accordin’ t’ the records, the early Romulans passed through the Barolia system sometime during Earth’s 5th century and again in the 21st century, right around the time Vulcan made first contact with Earth.  Accordin’ t’ these records, they detected something I think you’ll find interestin’.”

 

            Wallace handed the captain a large padd.  Upon the screen was displayed two images of the planet Barolia III as seen from high orbit along with several technical readings, several written in Romulan script.  Koester studied the facts and figures on the display as Wallace continued his explanation.

 

            “Given the amount o’ time between the three known observations, includin’ the first Dauntless’ mission in 2163, I’ve been able to determine that Barolia experienced a major environmental catastrophe sometime in the past, probably durin’ the 7th century.”

 

            “What kind of catastrophe, Commander?” Koester asked, looking up at the science officer.

 

            “Based upon the gaseous makeup of the atmosphere and dust levels present in the latter two observations, I would surmise an asteroid struck the planet’s surface sometime in the mid to late 7th century,” Wallace replied.  “Before the event, the hemisphere where the Barolia colony was built was closer to an Earth Mediterranean climate than its present temperate climate.”

 

            “That could explain the extinction of the original Barolian civilization,” T’Ashara commented.  “An ELE.”  When the captain looked at the Vulcan woman with an expression of bewilderment, she added, “An extinction level event.”

 

            “But how would an asteroid striking the planet seventeen hundred years ago cause the Barolia Colony to disappear in 2163?” the captain asked.

 

            “Still trying to determine what, if any, connection the two may have,” Wallace said before returning to his science console.

 

*          *          *          *

 

Captain’s log, stardate 60500.9:

The Dauntless and our three transports have finally reached standard orbit around Barolia III.  While the colonists are understandably anxious to start their new lives and get down to the surface, I have asked the colonial governor to wait several more days while my crew and I investigate the abandoned first Barolia Colony and the remains of the native civilization.

Koester, commanding Dauntless, out.

 

            The hum of the transporter filled the air as six beams coalesced into the forms of Captain Koester, Major Sean McIntyre, Ensign Rinja Ka’Dan, Lieutenant T’Pan, Lt Commander Phillip Winters and Chief Pono Kyman.  The away team had materialized on the overgrown town square of the original Federation colony, the grass as high as the captain’s knees.  Kyman turned around looking at the colony buildings around them, which included several small residence buildings and what appeared to be a school, before stopping to face the largest of the buildings, the town hall and governor’s residence, which in the two hundred years since it had been built was now covered with vines, looking much like a pre-fabricated Ivy League college building.  The COB whistled a low whistle of amazement.

 

            “Readings?” Captain Koester asked as both T’Pan and Winters pulled out their tricorders, the latter from the ever-present tan satchel on his shoulder, and started scanning the surroundings.

 

            “Same readings as we obtained from orbit,” T’Pan reported after a quick scan.  “All the buildings match with the records we have on the original Barolia colony.  Many of them are in need of repair, though the Governor’s residence, med facility and school all seem in remarkably good condition.”

 

            “That’s to be expected, since they were considered the most important of the new colony’s structures,” Winters added.

 

            “The colony power station is in that direction,” T’Pan continued, pointing to the north where a dome-like structure could be seen over the roofs of several homes.  “And there are six inactive transports all parked on the plain to our west.  After more than two centuries of exposure to the elements, I’m sure they no longer function.”

 

            “Spread out in pairs,” the captain ordered.  “I want to see if we can find any clue as to what happened to the original colonists.”

 

            The away team split into three pairs, Captain Koester and Chief Kyman heading in the direction of the governor’s residence and Commander Winters and Major McIntyre toward the transport vessels, leaving Lieutenant T’Pan with the Klingon Ensign Ka’Dan to explore the colony’s power station.

 

            “What do you think, COB?  Should we knock?” Koester joked as the two men climbed the short steps up to the front door of the original governor’s residence.  The door fell off its hinges as Kyman pushed it open, landing with a clatter on the floor inside.  The captain looked back toward his four other away team members, who had turned to look at the sudden noise, and shrugged apologetically before he and Kyman stepped into the building.

 

            The main foyer of the building had been designed to also act as the meeting hall for the colony when it was built, with several rows of benches facing toward a raised platform where the governor and his selectmen would sit during town meetings, all now empty and dust-covered.  Koester turned on his palm beacon, shining the light around the room until he finally located the door into the governor’s office.

 

            “COB, we might find the information we’re looking for in here,” the captain said as he led the way into the office.

 

            The governor’s office looked just as dusty as the foyer had.  Several book shelves full of printed books, boxes containing computer storage media and knick-knacks lined the wall behind the elaborately carved large wooden desk.  Several pictures, all faded with age, hung on the walls and a large window, vine-covered but still intact, looked out on the town square where the away team had materialized.  As Koester started strolling around the room, looking at several of the items displayed on tables near the walls, Kyman walked over to the desk and started looking through the papers and notebooks piled there.

 

            “Skipper,” the COB said after a moment.  “I found what looks like the governor’s journal.  Maybe it’ll give us some of the information we’re looking for?”

 

            “Any computer files?” Koester asked.

 

            “No, the computer’s not working.  Probably wouldn’t even if we had power here.  But I found what look like they may be data storage discs.”  The El’Aurian man held up several small silver discs that refracted the light from the captain’s beacon when he shown it on them.

 

            “Take them with us.  Maybe we can access the data back aboard the Dauntless.”

 

            After looking around the office for several more minutes but not finding anything of interest, the two men started looking through the rest of the residence.  The kitchen was a shamble, evidence that animals had at some time in the past broken in and stolen whatever food was left out.  The remainder of the building, though old and dusty, looked as if the owner had simply left on vacation.  Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, most everything where it belonged, including clothes in the dressers and closets and long-since petrified personal items in the bathroom.

 

            “Nothing.  No indications where any of the original colonists went,” Koester sighed in frustration as he and Kyman returned outside.  “From the looks of things, they just disappeared.”  As the two returned to the square, the captain tapped his combadge.  “Koester to away team.  Report your locations.”

 

            “McIntyre to Koester,” replied the voice of the Marine Chief of Security a moment later.  “Commander Winters and I have been investigating the transports that brought the original Barolia colonists here.  It appears only half the supplies that were brought here were ever unloaded.  Lots of stuff piled up, ready to go out, but no indications why they stopped or where they might have gone, and all six transports are accounted for.  If they left the planet, they didn’t do it in their own ships.”

 

            “Understood, Major.  Meet us back at the square and we can start searching the residential units.  Koester to T’Pan.”  The captain and Kyman waited a moment for the science officer or the Klingon security officer to reply.  When nothing was heard for several more seconds, Koester tapped his combadge again and said, “Captain to Lieutenant T’Pan and Ensign Ka’Dan, please respond.”  He exchanged a concerned glance with Kyman.

 

            “Chief Kyman to Lieutenant T’Pan, do you hear me?” the chief tried himself, just in case there was a malfunction in the captain’s communicator, but still elicited no reply.  Now both men were getting worried.

 

            “Major, this is the Captain.  Meet us at the power station.  We’re not getting a response from either T’Pan nor Ka’Dan,” Koester ordered as he and Kyman started rushing toward the distant dome-shaped building.

 

            “We’re on our way,” McIntyre quickly replied.

 

*          *          *          *

 

            All four members of the away team arrived at the entrance to the power station at the same time, phasers drawn.  Koester half-expected to see bodies lying near the door or the sounds of some horrific creature from inside the reactor complex.  The silence that greeted them unnerved him even more.

 

            “I’m not reading any humanoid life signs,” Winters reported as he scanned the location with his tricorder.

 

            “Stick together.  There’s safety in numbers,” the captain commented as he pulled open the heavy steel door and walked inside, palm beacon lighting the way.  The four Dauntless crew members moved cautiously down the hallway, shining lights into every door they passed, which appeared to lead mainly into various offices and a cafeteria before finally reaching the main reactor control room.  The pergium reactor was still shut down and presented no hazard, but what Kyman noticed sitting on the control panel drew all their attention.

 

            “That’s one of our tricorders,” Winters said, scanning it with his own before picking it up and looking at the readout.  “They were definitely in here.  Last scan recordings indicate they determined the reactor was still in a safe condition, which it is, then a spike on the EM bandwidth, origin unknown.”

 

            “A spike in the EM scale?  Did you register anything like that, Phillip?” Koester asked his Chief of Operations.

 

            “Negative, but I was not scanning with my own tricorder when this spike apparently occurred.  The Major and I were investigating the cargo hold of one of the transports at the time,” Winters replied.

 

            “Well, T’Pan and Ka’Dan have to be around here somewhere,” Koester stated before starting to yell their names loudly, hoping for some response.

 

            “Do they?” Kyman asked, concern creasing his expression.

 

            “Bridge to Captain Koester,” beeped the captain’s combadge.  Koester stopped yelling for a moment and tapped his communicator.

 

            “Go ahead, Carrie.”

 

            “Skipper, sensors have located the remains of the asteroid that hit the planet’s surface about fifteen hundred years ago,” the starship’s first officer reported.  “We determined…”

 

            “Exec, narrow ship’s sensors to the area of the colony,” Koester ordered, cutting off K’danz’s report.  “We need to locate all humanoid life form readings.”

 

            K’danz sounded confused as she replied, “Aye, Skipper.  Scanning now.”  A moment later she returned, saying, “Ship’s sensors are detecting only four humanoid life form readings.  What’s happened, Peter?”

 

            “I’m not sure, Exec.  T’Pan and Ka’Dan are missing.  They were investigating the power station and now they’re gone.  Expand the range of sensors and see if you can locate them.”

 

            “Still nothing but the four of you within a fifty kilometer radius of the beam-down point,” K’danz reported a moment later.  “We’re bringing you all back up.”  It appeared Koester was about to protest the away team’s return to the Dauntless at first until McIntyre pointed out they could better search for their missing shipmates from orbit.

 

            “Very well.  Standing by to beam aboard,” the captain finally replied.  A minute later, all four men dematerialized in the hum of the transporter.

 

*          *          *          *

 

            Moments later Captain Koester, Major McIntyre and Chief Kyman emerged from the turbolift onto the bridge, each heading directly to their regular post.  Koester stood next to K’danz in the command chair as he issued an order to M’nday, the Caitian ops officer, “Lieutenant, continue scanning the planet’s surface for T’Pan and Ka’Dan.  Tell me if you have any unusual readings, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem.”

 

            As M’nday acknowledged the order, Koester then looked toward his first officer.

 

            “What do we have, Exec?”

 

            K’danz lead the captain over to the science console, where the Chief Science Officer, Alasdair Wallace, stood over a red circle of light sitting atop the console, the starship’s Daminian crew member Lieutenant Spot.

 

            “We’ve located what we believe are the remains of the asteroid the Romulan records indicate struck the planet about fifteen-hundred years ago,” reported the British-accented, slightly mechanical sounding voice of the non-corporeal science officer.  “It is comprised of nickel-iron and almost eighty-seven cubic kilometers in volume, about the size of Manhattan Island on Earth.  And it seems to have some unusual properties.”

 

            “What kind of… ‘unusual properties’?” the captain asked with a confused look toward Wallace.

 

            “The asteroid struck the planet directly atop what, at the time, was the planet’s magnetic north pole,” the Chief Science Officer answered.  “The impact resulted in a severe deformation of the planet’s magnetic field.  This deformation still exists, and has in fact grown worse over the centuries.”

 

            “Could such an anomaly be responsible for the disappearances?” Koester asked.

 

            “There might be some connection, Captain,” Spot replied.  “I will have to investigate further to be certain.  Another factor that may have contributed in some way to the disappearances is an unusual amount of sun spot activity from the Barolian star.”

 

            “Relatives of yours, Lieutenant?” K’danz joked.

 

            “Hardly, Commander,” Spot replied with an annoyed tone.  “There were two distinct plasma surges that hit the planet’s magnetosphere during the time the away team was on the surface.  These magnetic anomalies somehow tied into the deformed magnetic field of the planet.”

 

            “I didn’t detect any kind of magnetic pulse while I was down there,” Koester said, looking across the bridge toward where Chief Kyman sat at the mission ops station.  “Did you, COB?”

 

            “It’s not something you would have detected unless you happened to be scanning for it with your tricorder at the time,” Wallace said in reply.

 

            “The tricorder we found in the power station had indicated some sort of magnetic pulse.  Maybe that reading can help you determine what happened to T’Pan and Ka’Dan?  Find the connection,” Koester ordered.

 

*          *          *          *

 

            Several hours later, four new away teams, each with at least two of McIntyre’s Marines as a part of it, beamed down to the surface of Barolia III to continue the search for the two missing crewmen while studying the effect of the distorted magnetic field on the planet.  The team under the command of Commander K’danz continued to search through the 22nd century colony while McIntyre’s team, with Chief Engineer Dar a part of it, returned to the power station to see both whether the reactor could be brought back on-line and to sweep the area where T’Pan and Ka’Dan had both disappeared in greater detail.  The third team, under 1st Lieutenant Michael Drake explored and inventoried the six original colonial transport vessels parked on the vast plain to the west of the old colony, hoping perhaps some clue to the original colonists whereabouts might yet be found.  The fourth and last away team, under the command of Lt Commander Phillip Winters, was assigned to explore the ruins that the crew of the Dauntless-01 had discovered over two centuries earlier.

 

            “Didn’t the Captain and Chief Kyman already search this building, Commander?” Gunnery Sergeant Christopher O’Laughlin, his compression phaser rifle poised and ready, asked as he and K’danz searched through the governor’s residence once again.

 

            K’danz looked at O’Laughlin, whose black battle dress uniform contrasted starkly with the dust-covered walls of the governor’s office in the bright light of the work lamp the away team had brought down to the surface with them and said, “The journal the Skipper brought back with him earlier indicated there was a list of the original disappearances of some sort here in the office.  I’m trying to locate it, so maybe it will give us some kind of timeline of where and when the original colonists were reported missing and give us a starting point on where to look.”

 

            O’Laughlin nodded as he moved the unlit, well-chewed four hundred year old cigar from one side of his mouth to the other and started looking around the room.  A notice board hanging on the wall next to the large book case caught his attention.  As he stepped closer to it, brushing cobwebs down out of the way, he could see what looked like an unfinished compilation of the residents of the colony with notations of which housing unit they were assigned to with a second location and time.  All the times fell within a twenty six hour period.

 

            “Commander, is this what you’re looking for?” the former 20th century Marine asked.  K’danz stepped over and glanced at the list.

 

            “Exactly what I was…”

 

            K’danz suddenly looked toward the open door of the office.  Her reaction caused O’Laughlin to quickly aim his phaser rifle at the opening and slowly approach it.

 

            “What did you see, Commander?” Olly whispered.

 

            “I’m not sure,” K’danz replied, her own phaser drawn as they both crept toward the door.  “Maybe it was just another member of the away team.”

 

            When the pair reached the door looking out on the foyer meeting area, O’Laughlin slowly stepped through first, aiming his weapon all around the room, the sight on the rifle illuminating the dark corners, but there was no one there.  K’danz stepped out behind him, relief showing on her face as she started to say, “I could have sworn I saw someone walk by, but I must have imagined…”

 

            That was when they both noticed him.  Slowly moving up the stairs toward the governor’s living area was a man wearing civilian clothing, a neat white suit.  He seemed not to have noticed either K’danz or O’Laughlin as he continued up to the top.  O’Laughlin started to aim his rifle at the stranger when the man passed in front of a dirt-encrusted window on the second floor balcony through which sunlight could barely pass, but it was enough.  To both the Dauntless crew member’s amazement, the man appeared to be translucent, the window plainly visible through him as he passed.

 

            “He’s a ghost!” O’Laughlin exclaimed, which to K’danz’s surprise seemed to elicit the entity’s attention.  The man stopped walking and looked down on the foyer toward the two Starfleet personnel.  He squinted as if having trouble seeing them, then appeared to be shouting at them, though the only sound was that of the breeze coming from outside.

 

            K’danz quickly pulled out her tricorder and started scanning as O’Laughlin hit his combadge and ordered the rest of his away team to where he and the first officer stood.  As K’danz continued her scans, she looked up at the man.  He appeared to be a middle aged human, except that she could see through him, with graying hair and a trim beard.  His dress reminded her of stories she had heard about typical ‘Southern Colonels.’  As she watched him, he started gesturing wildly, almost as if he was trying to drive them out of the building.

 

            Seconds later the other four members of K’danz’s away team ran into the building.  Before any of them could be told why they had been called, the silent apparition rippled like the surface of a pond when disturbed by a rock and disappeared.

 

            “What happened, Gunny?” the Marine corporal who was the first into the foyer asked as the away team all looked around the empty room.

 

            “I coulda sworn I saw a ghost,” Olly replied with a tone of disbelief in his own voice.

 

*          *          *          *

 

            The away team lead by 1st Lieutenant Drake had finished searching several of the residences, none providing any clue as to where or how either the original colonists or the two missing Dauntless crew members had disappeared and had finally decided to search what would have been the colony’s school.  Though each of the classrooms had been set up, with desks all facing the front of the room, all of them with what Drake considered to be a primitive computer monitor on top, it was obvious the building had never been used.  Books were stacked neatly on shelves.  A computer stylus sat on each desktop next to the monitor.  No artwork or essays hung from the bulletin boards.  The Marine officer felt some sadness at the waste of it all.

 

            He and his team, which included two science officers from Commander Wallace’s staff, stepped back out into the main hall of the school when out of shock, all six suddenly leaned back against the wall as a classroom’s worth of children came bounding by, running past the away team without a single sidelong glance and as silent as the grave.  There appeared to be about twenty of them, all turning into the doorway of the very next classroom.  Drake exchanged a glance with the Marine private who had almost pointed his compression rifle at the group until realizing they were merely children before all six rushed into the room where the children had entered.  As they stepped in, they were again shocked that the room was empty, just like all the others they had searched.  There was no evidence anyone, no less an entire class full of children, had ever stepped inside the room.

 

            “What’s going on here, Lieutenant?” the private asked.

 

*          *          *          *

 

            At the power station, McIntyre and another Marine stood guard as Dar set up some equipment in the reactor control room.  Pergium reactors were considered very safe, and had been used since before the Federation was chartered.  Even in the 24th century, pergium was still used in starship environmental control system filters.  Dar felt the reactor, even after two centuries, would be safe to start, and with power in the colony, it might be easier to search for T’Pan and Ka’Dan.

 

            “Is there anything we can do to help you, Dar?” McIntyre asked the half-Klingon Chief Engineer.

 

            “Yeah,” Dar replied.  “There’s a back-up shutdown switch in the equipment room across the hall that needs to be re-set before I can bring the reactor on-line.  It looks like a red manual switch with two positions, shut down and automatic.  I need one of you to switch it to automatic.”

 

            McIntyre nodded at the private standing near the door.  The young Marine quickly left the room to throw the switch.

 

            “What now?” McIntyre asked.

 

            “We just wait for the switch and I can start up the reactor.  We should be up to full power in less than ten minutes.  Then…”

 

            McIntyre looked confused at Dar’s sudden silence, until he turned around to see what it was Dar was seeing.  The Marine Major’s mouth dropped open as an entity, partly transparent but obviously the Dauntless’ Klingon exchange officer Ka’Dan, stood before them.  The Ensign seemed to be trying to say something to McIntyre and Dar, but no sound could be heard.  Dar reached out to tough the entity, but his hand passed right through him.

 

            “Am I really seeing this?” McIntyre asked.

 

            “I’m seeing it too,” Dar confirmed as he tapped his combadge.  “Dar to Dauntless!  We’re seeing Ensign Ka’Dan here in the power station!”

 

            The excited voice of Captain Koester quickly replied, “Have you found him?  How is he?”

 

            “It’s hard to tell, Captain.  He looks like…  Well, for lack of a better term, he looks like a ghost!”

 

            “A ghost?”

 

            On the bridge, Chief Kyman looked over from his post at mission ops.

 

            “We’ve been getting similar reports from other away teams, Skipper.  Both Commander K’danz, Lieutenant Drake and Commander Winters have all reported similar sightings.”

 

            “Are all of them seeing Ka’Dan?” Koester asked, standing up and walking over to Kyman’s station.

 

            “Negative, sir.  Commander K’danz reported seeing what looked like a middle-aged human man with a beard in the governor’s residence.  Mister Drake reported a classroom full of what appeared to be children.”

 

            “Children?!?” Koester said with shock.  “Have any of the new colonists tried landing on the planet when we told them to wait?”

 

            “No, Skipper, though Governor White has been pushing for more information estimating when his colonists can start heading down.”

 

            “Then where did those kids come from?” Koester asked.

 

            “Unknown, Skipper.  But Mister Winters claims to have seen a group of humanoid beings, not humans, who were wearing what appeared to be togas in the vicinity of the old native ruins.”

 

            “Togas??  What’s going on down there??”

 

            “Captain, short range sensors are detecting another surge in the planet’s magnetic field,” reported Lieutenant Robert Lockley from ops.  “We’ve had at least three pulses already.”

 

            “O’Laughlin to Dauntless!”

 

            Koester exchanged a concerned look with Kyman before he replied, “Go ahead, Gunny.”

 

            “Captain, sir, I’ve lost Commander K’danz!”

 

            “You what?” the captain asked in shock.  “What do you mean you lost her?”

 

            The Gunnery Sergeant sounded apologetic as he said, “She went chasing after that ghost we saw.  Corporal Ryan and I fell behind.  By the time we caught up to where we thought she was, she was gone.  And she’s not showing up on any tricorder scans.”

 

            “Private Giovanni to Dauntless!  We cannot locate Lieutenant Drake!”

 

            “This is getting ridiculous,” Koester growled in frustration.  “Bridge to transporter room.  Lock onto all the away teams.  Beam them up immediately!”

 

            “Aye, sir,” responded Chief Blackman from the transporter room.  Moments later, the chief’s voice reported, “Captain, this is transporter room one.  We have nineteen of the twenty four away team members back aboard.”

 

            “Nineteen?  Where are the other five?” Koester demanded to know.

 

            “Unknown, sir.  We have no lock on them and are unable to detect their communicator signals.  We’re missing Commander K’danz, Lieutenant Commander Windsor, 1st Lieutenant Drake, Lieutenant Kafcos and Private Fox.”

 

            Koester looked furious as he exchanged another glance with Kyman before saying, “Keep trying, Chief.  Bridge, out.”

 

            Several minutes later, Koester was in the observation lounge with McIntyre, Winters, Dar and Kyman.  He paced frantically while he debriefed the away team members.

 

            “K’danz, gone!  Windsor, gone!  Your new Marine officer, Drake, gone!  Four others missing!  And everyone reporting ghosts all over the place.  You all saw these… apparitions?” the captain asked.

 

            “Yes, sir,” McIntyre replied.  “It was definitely Ka’Dan, but I could see right through him and though it looked like he was trying to say something, neither Dar nor I could hear anything.  Then just after Ka’Dan faded from view, we noticed Private Fox was missing too.”

 

            “Sounds exactly like what I saw,” Winters added.  “Except I saw a group of humanoid beings with dark skin, a little shorter than a meter and a half tall and mostly transparent.  At first it seemed like they couldn’t see me or my away team members, even when I tried to touch one of them and my hand passed right through him.  Once they did notice us, they appeared shocked.  Looked like they were trying to communicate, including some kind of sign language, but we couldn’t interpret them before you had us beamed back up.”

 

            “Ghosts?” Koester said, sounding skeptical and frustrated.

 

            “Bridge to Captain Koester,” called the voice of Lieutenant Spot through the captain’s combadge.  “We’re getting some very strange readings from the planet, sir.”

 

            Koester exchanged a look with Winters before turning to enter the bridge, immediately walking over to the science console, where Wallace was still hunched over Spot.

 

            “What kind of readings are you getting, Lieutenant?” Koester asked as he stood in front of the console.

 

            “Numerous EM pulses, sir,” Spot replied.  “The sunspot and solar flare activity is increasing.  The star is going through a period of severe turbulence in the photosphere.  And based on the data the away teams brought back, these so-called ghost sightings and our own crew’s disappearances all coincide with these EM pulses.”

 

            “So there’s a connection?  Then why are only some of our crew missing?  Two hundred years ago an entire colony of several hundred people disappeared.  We had almost thirty people down on the surface and only seven of them are gone.  How does this… phenomenon… choose its victims?”

 

            “As soon as I know the answer to that question, you will be the first to know, Captain,” Spot replied.

 

*          *          *          *

 

Captain’s log, stardate 60504.2:

Commander Wallace and Lieutenant Spot have determined, based on the debriefing reports of each of the away team members, that all our missing crew members disappeared while alone when they went missing.  Some were only one room away from the other members of their teams, but were still alone.  As a result of this information, I have ordered that anyone heading to the surface must remain in pairs at all times while we try and figure out what sort of connection the sunspots and the planet’s magnetic field might have with our missing crew.

Koester, commanding Dauntless, out.

 

 

            Captain Koester sat behind his desk in the ready room.  Across from him sat Commander Wallace, Commander T’Ashara and Ensign Aroe Euwess, the starship’s newest science officer.  Atop the desk was the bright circle of red light that was Lieutenant Spot.

 

            “What have you determined,” the captain asked.

 

            Wallace passed a padd with facts and calculations displayed on it to the captain as he explained, “As I’m sure you’re aware, sunspots can cause magnetic interference.  The solar flares create energized particles, solar wind, that hits the planet’s atmosphere, similar to the borealis effect on Earth.  These effects are combining with the planet’s deformed magnetic field to create what appear to be brief openings into another dimension on the planet’s surface.”

 

            “Another dimension?” Koester asked, sounding skeptical.

 

            “Yes, similar to a previously encountered phenomenon called interphase,” Spot added.

 

            “Interphase.  I remember reading a report about the phenomenon when I first attended Starfleet Academy in the 23rd century,” commented T’Ashara.  “Essentially a ‘tear in time’ created in a location of space where its very fabric has weakened, and an overlap in numerous universes occurs.  However, these openings generally only last a short period of time.  If an interphasic rift is the cause of these disappearances, then these opening have been occurring for almost fifteen-hundred years.”

 

            “Brrrridge to Commanderrrr Wallace,” said the voice of Lieutenant M’nday.  “The starrrr is beginning anotherrrr active phase.  Estimate seven point five minutes until the charrrrged parrrrticles rrrreach the atmospherrrre.”

 

            “We’ll be right out, Leftenant,” Wallace replied as all three science officers stood up, Ensign Euwess’ furry head just barely visible above the level of the desk, and headed out the door onto the bridge.  Captain Koester glanced at the information on the padd before standing up and joining his crew on the bridge.

 

            On the bridge, Wallace and Spot took over the science console and Euwess climbed up into the chair at the science user console directly behind them while T’Ashara crossed the bridge and sat at the science station next to Chief Kyman.  Captain Koester assumed the center seat and waited as his science staff prepared for the arrival of the Barolia star’s charged particles.  Several minutes later, the captain could tell the atmosphere was being bombarded by these particles when he could see the borealis glow around the north and south pole regions.  And even from orbit, he could see the distortion in the northern lights caused by the asteroid that had struck the planet centuries ago.

 

            “We’re getting’ electromagnetic pulses again,” Wallace confirmed.  “The doors are openin’.”

 

            “Scanning the surface,” T’ashara reported.

 

            “Dear Litter Mother!” Aroe Euwess squeaked.  “I’m detecting thousands of life form readings on the planet’s surface.”

 

            “Confirmed,” added Spot.

 

            “Almost five hundred of them are human, one Klingon,” Wallace added.  “Our missing crew are definitely among them.”

 

            “Can we lock onto our crew and beam them aboard?” the captain asked, excitedly sitting on the edge of his command chair.

 

            “Not registering a transporter lock,” Kyman informed.  “Probable interference from the interphasic rift.”

 

            “EM pulses are subsiding,” Wallace soon reported.

 

            “No longer reading any humanoid life forms on the surface,” Spot added.

 

            Captain Koester looked over toward his Chief Science Officer and grimly said, “At least we know our crew’s still alive.”

 

            “Apparently, Captain, they’re all still alive,” the rat-like Ensign Euwess said as she climbed down from the chair and walked around the tactical console to stand in front of Koester, looking up at him through her small glasses with large, black eyes.  “According to records, the original Federation Barolia colony consisted of four hundred and seventy five people.  Our sensors registered almost five thousand life form readings, the majority of them non-human.  I believe we have found the lost Barolian civilization.”

 

            “Captain,” interrupted Spot’s mechanical-sounding voice.  “Based on these latest readings, I believe I know why only those of our crew who were alone disappeared into the interphase.  I theorize that the interaction between the natural electric field generated by two life forms in close proximity disrupts the magnetic pulse enough to prevent the interphasic opening in the immediate vicinity.”

 

            “How close a proximity, Mister Spot?” Koester asked.

 

            “Based on these readings, approximately two to three meters,” Spot replied.

 

            “Mister Wallace commented the interphase is like opening a door.  Is there a way to keep that door shut so no one else will be lost?”

 

            “The key is that asteroid, Cap’n,” Wallace replied.  “If we destroy that asteroid, or at least spread it over a larger area with smaller concentration, the planet’s magnetic field should return to what we would consider normal, sealin’ the rift.”

 

            “What are the chances of getting our missing crew back if we destroy that asteroid?” the captain asked.

 

            “None at all,” Wallace replied with a frown, causing his walrus-like mustache to cover his mouth.  “If we seal the rift, we’ll never get Commander K’danz, Leftenant Commander Windsor, Ensign Ka’Dan, Leftenant Drake or any of the others back…  Ever!”

 

*          *          *          *

 

Captain’s personal log, supplemental;

I’ve assigned Mister Wallace and his staff to devise a way to artificially create the EM pulse that has been opening the interphasic rift so that we can control it and hopefully keep it open long enough for us to rescue our crew, and perhaps many others.

 

 

            “You know I have a ship full of some very cranky colonists, Captain,” Mark Oates, commander of the Akagi said over the main viewscreen.  “And now you call, not to say I can finally drop all these people off on their new planet, but that you need a favor?”

 

            “If what I need to ask you works, you’ll be able to drop off your passengers all the sooner, Captain.  I need you to contact the other transport commanders, have them ready all their transporter systems.  Everything you have, right down to any shuttlecraft you may have aboard.”

 

            “You expecting a need to beam up a lot of people?” Oates asked, his expression suddenly one of concern.

 

            “Let’s just say, if everything goes right, we may have some quick guests passing through very soon.  We’ll contact you with the details very soon.  Please stand by for our signal,” Koester requested.

 

            “Akagi stands by.  I’ll contact the Manchester and Hiyo and make sure they’ll be ready as well.  Oates, out.”

 

            Koester nodded to himself, then pressed the intercom button on the arm of his chair.

 

            “Bridge to transporter room one.”

 

            “Blackman here, sir.”

 

            “Chief, I need every transporter aboard the ship manned and ready for emergency beam-up at a moment’s notice.  The shuttles, Merrimack and Jutland too.”

 

            “Aye, sir.  Consider them manned and ready the moment you need them.”

 

            “You really think we can beam all those missing people aboard, Skipper?” Chief Kyman asked as he stepped over to where Koester sat.

 

            “I don’t intend to beam all five thousand aboard,” the captain replied.  “Just our missing crew, who we should be able to determine by their combadge signal if Mister Wallace’s project goes as hoped.  Everyone else is going to be beamed right back to the planet’s surface.”

 

            Several hours later, Captain Koester was laying down on the day bed in his ready room, dozing, when the door chime woke him from his light sleep.

 

            “Come,” he said as he sat up and straightened his uniform.  The doors swished open and both Wallace and T’Ashara stepped in.

 

            “We’ve determined its possible t’ modify the main deflector to create the kind of electromagnetic pulse we need to open th’ interphasic rift,” Wallace announced.  “From orbit we can only generate a pulse big enough to cover an area ten kilometers in diameter, but if we center it over the old colony, it should be more than enough for our purposes.  We can also vary the frequency of the pulse so we can actually obtain a transporter lock on the missing people, in effect clean up the doorway.”

 

            “How long will the modifications take?” Koester asked.

 

            “With Mister Dar’s help, probably no more’n two hours.”

 

            “Get on it.”

 

            “Aye, Cap’n,” Wallace replied, quickly turning back to the bridge.  T’Ashara continued to stand at the door.

 

            “Something more, Commander?” the captain asked.

 

            “I have been working with Major McIntyre and have determined we have the capability to destroy the asteroid that has been the center of this whole conundrum.  Two full spreads of quantum torpedoes will shatter the asteroid and vaporize much of it.  What is left should be spread out enough as to not present any further interference with the planet’s natural magnetic field,” the Vulcan woman said.

 

            “Very well.  As soon as Mister Wallace and Dar are finished, we’ll take the ship to red alert,” the captain said with some satisfaction.

 

*          *          *          *

 

            Just over ninety minutes later, Dar and Wallace returned to the bridge.

 

            “We’re all ready, Skipper,” Dar announced as he assumed the seat at the engineering console.

 

            “Very good.  Bridge to Chief Blackman, man the transporters,” Koester ordered over the intercom.  He then looked over his shoulder toward the tactical console.  “Mack, hail the transport vessels.”

 

            “Hailing frequencies open, Skipper.”

 

            “Dauntless to transport vessels.  We’re ready to attempt our rescue operation.  Please stand by on your transporter systems as previously discussed and monitor this frequency.  Dauntless, out.”

 

            “Akagi, Hiyo and Manchester acknowledge, Skipper,” McIntyre replied.

 

            “Very well.”  The captain then touched the intercom control on his chair arm again and announced, “All hands, this is the Captain.  Man battlestations!”

 

            The red alert klaxon sounded throughout the starship, crew members running to man their emergency stations.  On the bridge, the Bolian Lieutenant Peck replaced the regular helmsman on the conn position while Lt Commander Winters slipped into the seat at ops and Ship’s Counselor Tanzia Gera sat in her normal seat to the captain’s left.  With Wallace, McIntyre, Dar and Kyman all already manning their alert positions, the only person missing from the bridge, which bothered the captain no small amount, was K’danz.

 

            “Battlestations manned and ready,” Winters announced.

 

            “Mister Peck, take us into geostationary orbit above the old Barolia colony,” Koester ordered.

 

            Swiftly, the Dauntless maneuvered in orbit, positioning herself directly over the old 22nd century colony.  Major McIntyre superimposed a circle representing the deflector’s field onto the main viewer.  As planned, the ten kilometer circle covered not only the colony, but the landing field and native ruins as well.

 

            “Power up the deflector modification,” the captain ordered.

 

            “Deflector is powering up,” Dar replied.

 

            “How long can we keep the rift open with this modification,” Koester asked.

 

            “As long as I don’t lose the warp core, we can open the rift for about five minutes,” Dar reported.

 

            “Deflector is charged and ready,” Wallace, announced.

 

            Captain Koester shared a brief look with Dar before turning to face Wallace at the science console.

 

            “Proceed, Mister Wallace.  All transporters, stand by.”

 

            Wallace activated the modified main deflector.  The circular device, normally yellow in color, darkened to a deep blood-red.  On the planet’s surface, the edges of the colony structures crackled like Saint Elmo’s Fire.

 

            “Scanning the surface,” Wallace announced.  Quickly, a smile spread on his face, almost unseen behind the Scotsman’s burley mustache.  “I’m reading multiple life-form readings.”

 

            “Bridge to all transporters, lock on to all humanoid life-form readings and energize!” the captain almost shouted into the open frequency between the Dauntless and the three transport vessels.

 

            Down in transporter room one, Chief Gregory Blackman slid his fingers up the controls of the transporter console.  Immediately the room darkened as the power consumption of four regular transporter units, four cargo transporters, twelve modified emergency transporters which were normally only used to beam off the starship and the Marine Barracks twenty two man troop transporter all drained the ship’s circuits.

 

            “Captain, I’ve got a severe power drain!” Dar exclaimed.  “Bridge to engineering, we need auxiliary power!”

 

            “Deflector is still generating the EM pulse,” Wallace assured.

 

            “Bridge, transporter room,” said the voice of Chief Blackman over the intercom.  “I’ve got transporter lock on six communicator signals, but I need more power.”

 

            Koester looked back over toward Dar, who was already talking to his staff in main engineering.

 

            “Mister Smith, bring the core up to 110% of rated power, now!”

 

            “Aye, Commander,” Ensign John Smith replied.  “Increasing power to 110%.”

 

            In the transporter room, the lights brightened slightly as the materialization process kicked in.  The entire room hummed with power as a glitter appeared above the platform, slowly spreading to form the shapes of humanoid beings.  The process took more than twice as long as normal, but eventually, all six forms materialized on the transporter platform, resolving into K’danz, Windsor, T’Pan, Drake, Kafcos and Ka’Dan.  K’danz appeared shocked as she looked around the transporter room before a look of recognition appeared and she leaned over to give a quick hug of relief to Amanda Windsor.

 

            On the planet’s surface, the town square of the colony was filled with the hum of hundreds of transporter beams as slowly dozens upon dozens of people materialized all throughout the colony.  Some wore civilian clothes fashionable during the late 22nd century.  Others were shorter, darker skinned beings with sheet-like clothing covering their torsos.  In other areas around the colony, including the field where the Conestoga-class transports had sat for two hundred years and the ruins of the native village not far from the colony center, more and more people materialized.  Almost all were disoriented.  Some, especially the children, cried.  One or two looked relieved.

 

            “Captain, the Akagi reports they have completed transport,” reported Major McIntyre.  “Manchester and Hiyo are just finishing up now.”

 

            “Transport cycle aboard the Dauntless is complete,” Winters reported from ops.  “Chief Blackman recommends the transport systems go through a complete overhaul within the next week or they might fail in the near future.”

 

            “Understood, Phillip.  What is the status of the rift?” the captain asked.

 

            “All four ships t’gether have transported a total of 4873 humanoid life-forms.  It appears we’ve gotten everyone we’re gonna get,” Wallace said.  “Recommend shutting down the deflector before we completely burn out the circuits.”

 

            “Shut it down, Commander.”

 

            “Peter!  The Barolia star just emitted another solar flare.  It’ll hit the atmosphere in seven minutes forty two seconds.  The pulse will open the rift again and who knows how many of the people we just beamed out of the interphase will be pulled right back in!” Winters exclaimed.

 

            Koester reacted immediately.  “Mister Peck, how long will it take to maneuver into firing position to launch torpedoes at these coordinates?”  He quickly typed a series of coordinates into the control on the arm of his chair, sending them directly to the conn.  The Bolian officer quickly made the calculations.

 

            “Five minutes thirty seconds to adjust orbital position, sir.”

 

            “Engage,” Koester ordered, then turned to McIntyre at tactical.  “Mack, prepare two full spreads of quantum torpedoes.  We need to destroy that asteroid!”

 

            “Captain, with the power drain we just experienced from the transporters, I don’t know if I can lock and load enough torpedoes in the time we have left,” McIntyre reported.

 

            As the Marine Major spoke, the turbolift door just beside him opened and K’danz and Amanda Windsor stepped out, just hearing what McIntyre had said.

 

            “Do your best, Major,” Koester ordered, prompting Windsor to speak up.

 

            “You need power, Captain?  I’ll get you the power!”

 

            Windsor quickly darted back into the turbolift and moments later emerged in main engineering.

 

            “Smith, Faggio, I need your help!” she called out to two of the other engineers as she almost literally slid down under the master systems display console, pulling an access panel off the side.  “Smith, re-route primary EPS taps to backup circuits.”  She then started pulling out isolinear chips, replacing some of them into new slots in other areas of the open panel as she added, “Faggio, I need you to drop the output of the warp core to 75% or we’re going blow the whole ship apart!”

 

            “But, Commander, the bridge said they need all the power we can give them!  If we power down to 75%...,” Ensign Joella Faggio started to say.

 

            “Ensign!” Windsor interrupted.  “If this works, the bridge will have more power than they know what to do with.  But if we don’t do it right, we’ll have a warp core breech before we even know it.  Now work with me!  Drop the core output down to 75%!”

 

            Faggio hesitated for a second, then stepped over to the control panel at the side of the engine room and started lowering the power output of the warp core.  The thrum of the engine slowed perceptibly as the Betazoid ensign looked back over at Windsor, still crouched under the master display console and nodded.

 

            “EPS taps re-routed,” Smith confirmed.

 

            “Everyone cross your fingers!” Windsor said as she switched one last chip.

 

*          *          *          *

 

            On the bridge, Lieutenant Peck turned his ridged blue head to look back at the captain as he reported, “In firing position, sir.”

 

            “One minute forty two seconds until the EM pulse arrives,” Winters added.

 

            “I can give you one full spread of quantum torpedoes,” McIntyre reported.  Koester looked over at Wallace, who was quickly entering calculations into his console, looked up at the captain and shook his head.

 

            Suddenly, the entire starship shuddered.  Before the captain could ask what had happened, Winters exclaimed, “Power output readings just jumped.  I’m registering 150% above normal power output.”

 

            “How is that possible?” Chief Kyman asked.

 

            “Captain!  I now have enough power for two full spreads!” McIntyre said excitedly.

 

            Koester looked back at the main viewer, where the scar left by the impact of the asteroid was still visible on the surface of the planet fifteen centuries later, and ordered, “Fire!”

 

            Almost immediately, five bright white torpedoes shot out of the tube located just above the nose of the captain’s yacht under the center of the saucer hull.  Less than ten seconds later another five quickly followed the first group down toward the planet’s surface.

 

            “Torpedoes away,” McIntyre reported.

 

            “EM pulse arrives in sixty seconds,” Winters added.

 

            As the quantum torpedoes entered the planet’s atmosphere, they spread apart by several degrees.  Several seconds later, they struck the mass of iron and nickel shallowly buried in the surface of Barolia III, instantly vaporizing more than half of what remained of the asteroid, spreading the rest out over hundreds of kilometers of landscape.

 

            “Did it work?” Koester asked his Chief Science Officer with concern.

 

            “It’s going t’ take about a minute before we know for sure,” Wallace replied, scanning the planet with every sensor available.

 

            “Thirty seconds to EM pulse,” Winters reported.

 

            “If it didn’t work, everything we’ve done for those people down there will have been for nothing,” Counselor Gera commented.

 

            “Think good thoughts, Counselor,” Koester assured, “and pray that no one wandered off on their own.  As long as they all stay in close proximity to each other, they’re safe.”

 

            Winters continued to count down the time until the ionized particles from the star reached the planet, during which the captain found himself holding his breath.  As the seconds ticked down to zero, he started to see the borealis effect form in the atmosphere below them.  The glow was almost a perfect circle around the planet’s ice cap, which Koester took as a good sign.

 

            “Alasdair?” he asked.  “Give me some good news!”

 

            Wallace was once again bent over his console, scanning the planet in the vicinity of the Barolia colony.

 

            “Planet’s magnetic fields are revertin’ to normal.  Currently reading 4867 humanoid life forms on the planet’s surface,” the science officer confirmed moments later with a smile.  “Everyone is accounted for.”  And with that declaration, a cheer arose on the bridge.

 

*          *          *          *

 

Captain’s log, stardate 60511.9:

As soon as we were sure it was safe, a team from the Dauntless and representatives of the new Barolia colony beamed down to the surface, where we found lots of confused individuals demanding to know what had happened to them.

We quickly managed to locate Governor Harold Sanders, leader of the original Barolia colony.  Through him we learned the colonists, as we had suspected, had disappeared one by one very quickly until they were all gone before the Dauntless-01 could return.  Apparently the Barolia star was undergoing a period of severe solar activity, similar to what we observed since our arrival, which garbled the 22nd century subspace radio signals, so Captain Fry had no idea what went on.

A quick census has determined that about a dozen of the original colonists were not recovered by the emergency transport.  Our own Private Peter Fox is among the missing as well.  There is no way to know how many of the natives were not recovered, but we can only assume those still missing somehow wandered beyond the range of our artificial doorway and are still locked in interphase.  We can only hope they don’t suffer.

We have learned that, while in interphase, none of the victims aged at all.  And while stuck in the rift, each was aware they were trapped in some sort of alternate dimension, at most times utterly alone.  At other times, during the periods of solar activity, they found they could interact amongst each other and, like ghosts, with the physical world they left behind.  It was during these periods that many of the native Barolians learned the Federation standard language and taught the colonists their own.  These periods of solar activity lasted anywhere from days to months.

Now we need to figure out what to do with the original colonists and over four thousand native Barolians.

Koester, commanding Dauntless, out.

 

 

            Captain Koester, Commander K’danz, Lt Commander Dar and Lt Commander Winters stood on the newly mowed lawn of the town square in front of the Governor’s residence, talking with Governor Patrick Deval and his advisors, leaders of the new Barolia colony, Governor Sanders and several of his Selectmen, the three commanders of the Nebula-class transports and the leaders of the Barolian natives, who call themselves the We’Inds.

 

            “Originally we were planning to build our colony on the west coast of this continent,” Governor Deval told Koester and his crew.  “But I have discussed it with Governor Sanders, and we agree it would make more sense to combine our two colonies together, so we’ll be transporting our supplies down here and start building on the outskirts of the original colony.  We can help the original colonists and our We’Ind hosts learn about the 24th century, and they can help us establish our new colony.”

 

            “It sounds like a good plan, Governor.  We’ll stick around and help out as long as you need us,” Koester said.  “Captain Oates, can your crew start sending down all the supplies and building materials as soon as you’re ready?”

 

            “I’ll have my crew get right on it, Captain,” Oates replied, quickly pulling out a handheld communicator and contacting the transport vessels.

 

            As Koester and his crew offered their goodbyes, needing to return to the Dauntless to oversee the minor repairs to the starship, a man wearing a jumpsuit that the captain recognized as the first Federation Starfleet uniform, a variation of the United Earth uniform in use before the Federation was chartered, approached the group.

 

            “Excuse me, Captain.  I’m Ensign Norman Eckert,” the man said.  “I was a security officer aboard the starship Dauntless before I was pulled into that…  What was it called?”

 

            “Interphase, Ensign.  Welcome back,” Koester replied, offering the time-displaced officer a handshake.

 

            “Thank you.  May I have a word with you for a moment?”  When Koester nodded, the ensign started to say, “I’m no colonist, Captain.  I joined Starfleet to get off Earth, to see the stars.  I don’t want to be planetbound for the rest of my life, especially after quite literally haunting this planet for two hundred years.”

 

            “You want to come back with us?” Koester asked with a nod.

 

            “Yes, sir.”

 

            Koester thought for a moment, sharing a look with his first officer before finally turning to Phillip Winters.

 

            “Phillip, will you see to it that Mister Eckert is assigned quarters aboard the Dauntless until we can return him to Earth?”

 

            As Winters acknowledged and proceeded to contact the ship, a look of disappointment crossed Eckert’s face.

 

            “I was hoping perhaps I could become a member of your crew.  Serve aboard the Dauntless once again,” he said with a tone of disappointment.

 

            “I didn’t say that was impossible, but you’ll find my ship is not the Dauntless you remember.  But we’ve had several crew members who have been displaced in time serving with us.”

 

            “You can say that again,” K’danz whispered under her breath.  Koester gave her an annoyed glance before speaking to Eckert again.

 

            “You’re just going to have to spend some more time back at the Academy.  I’m sure you want to learn more about the universe you now suddenly find yourself in?”

 

            Eckerd sighed as he said, “It seems like I just left the Academy before joining the crew of the Dauntless.  Now I have to go back again?”

 

            “It’s a whole new world out there, Ensign.  I’m sure you’ll do well.”

 

            Koester told Winters to take the ensign up to the starship in one of the shuttlecraft they had used to reach the surface, since Chief Blackman had already started overhauling the system.  As he watched the two walk away, the captain asked his first officer a question.

 

            “What was it like, Exec?  Being stuck in interphase?”

 

            “It was pretty strange, Peter,” K’danz replied as she put an arm around her husband Dar’s waist and hugged him for the first time since being rescued.  “I could see everything around me, though it was like being in a thick fog.  I could hear all the people stuck in the rift with me, but it sounded like we were all trapped in a huge, deep cave, but I couldn’t hear anything in the real world unless it was very, very loud.  And I couldn’t touch anything.  It was maddening.  I really know what it feels like to be a ghost now.”

 

            “Well, if I didn’t say it before, welcome back to the world of the living, Exec.  It would be hard to imagine life without you.”

 

The End

 

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