Chapter One
Captains log, stardate 45523.6. Our survey of this previously unexplored sector is now well into its
second week. We have departed the star system we have temporarily designated 30452 Federation
Astrophysical Survey and are on course for the next system on our list.
I am about to begin going over the various summaries of preliminary findings that have been filed by our
department heads concerning 30452 FAS. Given the results of this survey so far, we are certain to make a
rather hefty deposit in the bank of cosmological knowledge.
The work of our Science Division people is providing not only revelation, but respite. Many of those
aboard who are not directly involved in survey work are taking advantage of this admittedly welcome lull
in our usually hectic routine to relax a bitoh.
THE DOOR SIGNALSQUEEP LED, and Jean-Luc Picard put his log entry on hold.
Come,
he called, and the
door to the ready room slid aside.
Ah, Number One. What brings you here?
Picard greeted him.
Isnt
this your off time?
Ive been keeping busy, Captain,
Will Riker said, handing Picard a padd.
Heres the correlated
environmental data on the third and fourth planets of 452. Thought you might want to see this sooner
rather than later.
Picard smiled, took the padd, and leaned back in his chair.
Thank you, Will,
the captain said as he
began to scan the display.
With the ton of work weve yet to get through, I didnt feel right in making
this a priority item. It was thoughtful of you to run this on your own.
He tapped the padd with a
finger.
Ah,heres what I was hoping to see.
Let me guess. The ambient radiation spike on Planet Three?
Picard nodded slowly.
Precisely. As we thought, its coincident with the date of the formation of the
ruins, within the margin of errorthat is, the spike agrees closely with the date weve established
through other evidence. Whoever wiped out this civilization came quickly, struck hard, and didnt leave
much behind.
Everything suggests that Planet Three suffered a massive thermonuclear bombardment from space,
Riker
agreed.
Whoever it was used weapons designed to scatter as much killing radiation as possible.
Everything on Planet Three was intended to die, and the planetis dead for all practical purposes. All
thats left are bacteria and insects, a few hardy plants, and not much else.
Picard read further.
We estimate that it has been six thousand years since the bombardment,
he said,
yet the planet is still badly contaminated. What remains of the ecosphere is extremely fragile.
The
captain picked up one of the padds on his desk and handed it to Riker.
The geological survey has
identified several areas that could have been the sites of ground-based launching facilities on Planet
Three,
the captain told him.
Spaceports, more or less. Large ones.
Riker read the display.
I agree,
he said.
They had to have been launching facilities, given their
size and proximity to the sites weve established for Planet Threes major cities. Think the natives
could have escaped?
Picard shook his head.
The ruins suggest a native population of more than two billion humanoids at the
time of the bombardment. The launching facilitiesif thats what they arewould be inadequate to handle
that number in anything like a reasonable time, and I doubt the natives had time. What do we have on
Planet Four, Will?
Our analysis of the ruins there confirms that Planet Four was not as technically advanced as Planet
Three,
Riker said.
However, the natives of Planet Four seem to have had space travel of some sort. As
for the plague virus we found during our orbital bioscans, Dr. Crushers still working up the
schematics,
Riker replied.
To quote the doctor, Ill have it soon. Its complicated. Please go
away.
He grinned and then grew serious.
Beverlys theory is that the virus might have been tailored
to kill off all higher animal forms on Planet Four.
Tailored, you say? It was purposefully designed?
She says it might have been, sir,
the first officer said.
The virus is still present in Planet Fours
ecosystem, and its effects remain potentially devastating. Beverly says, from what shes already seen,
that the odds against a virus like this one evolving naturally and then remaining relatively stable for
six millennia are prohibitively high. Viri just dont work like that.
But Planet Four is ecologically stable at present,
Picard pointed out.
It actually seemed quite
lovely.
Yes, sir. Higher forms of animal life are not present on land, but lower forms are prospering, and
plant and marine life seem to have been completely unaffected.
Picard read quickly through the report from the exobiology section.
What about that lifeform Bergeron
located just before we left?
the captain asked.
That brightly colored slithering thing that looked a
bit like a Centaurianbhobb? It seemed to be the most highly evolved land-based lifeform left on the
planet. Any worthwhile findings?
Nothing much, Captain,
Riker replied.
Hibberd replicated the thing before we left, returned the
original to its habitat, and dissected the duplicate. There was some initial hope that the creature
might be sentient, but Bergeron says, quote, If you give it ten million years, it might amount to
something, emphasis onmight . Unquote.
Picard nodded.
I see. Too bad.
Riker continued.
All in all, Planet Four seems the next best thing to a paradise, in some waysexcept,
of course, that the natives are all gone, their cities and other artifacts have been crumbling into dust
for six millennia, and we would die within fifteen minutes if we beamed down to the surface
unprotected.
Picard shook his head.
I wonder who came through here and did all this, Will. Two planets devastated,
one apparently irredeemably. It seems incredible
Worf to Captain,
came a distinctively deep voice.
What is it, Lieutenant?
Sir, sensors have detected a warp-field generation pulse, eighty-seven point three light-years off,
bearingfour hundred ninety-five mark twenty-three. Duration was zero point one seven seconds.
Any sign of a ship in that area?
No, sir. Waitthere it is again. Same range and bearing. The duration was zero point five eight
seconds.
Commander Riker and I will be right there,
the captain said.
Picard out.
Nowthats odd,
Riker said, climbing out of his chair.
Indeed.
The captain rose and, adjusting his jacket for the umpteenth time that day, glanced at the
survey summaries that still lay, unread, on his desk.They say there is no such thing as a useless fact ,
Picard thought,but sometimes I wonder .
The captain and first officer left the ready room and stepped directly onto the bridge. Ensign Ro Laren
was in the captains chair.
Captain, Commander,
she greeted them as she rose. Her tone was as formal
and correct as ever. Without another word, Ro moved away from the conn and relieved her replacement at
the flight control console.
Any indication of warp-field strength, Mr. Worf?
Picard asked as he took his seat. Riker plopped down
to his right.
Worf shook his head and frowned at his Tactical panel.
Neither pulse lasted long enough to be able to
tell, Captain.
Riker spoke up.
A bit over eighty-seven light-years from here at that bearingisnt there a system near
those coordinates, Mr. Data?
Yes, Commander,
Data replied, nodding.
There is a system with a G0-type star at that location.
The
android paused for a moment, awaiting the results of a long-range sensor scan.
Sensor readings coming
in now. The system in question has eleven planets. The third and fourth may be class-M. The system lies
well off our course through this sector, and so it was not included on our survey list.
That may change,
Picard said dryly.
Anything else, Mr. Data?
I am not sure, sir. The star seems to be generating more interference in midrange space-normal EM
frequencies than might be expected.
Oh?
Picard thought about that for a moment.
Is there anything about the nature of the interference
that might be considered unusual?
No, sir,
replied Data, shaking his head.
There is simply more of it than I would expect to see from
this type of star.
Captain,
Worf called.
There has been a third pulse. Same bearing, same range, duration zero point
eight three seconds. This pulse lasted long enough for us to derive a reading of field strength, sir. It
was sufficient for warp factor one.
That was more than enough for Picard.
Ensign, set course for that system, warp factor three.
Laid in, sir.
Engage.