STAR TREK: Strange New Worlds I

by Dean Wesley Smith (Editor)

“There were very high winds, and a great deal of precipitation, but as the temperature was rather warm I do not believe that two hours and forty-two minutes would constitute a life-threatening situation for a Starfleet officer.” Tuvok’s words were clear and logical. No one but me could sense his worry and desire to do something. It was odd; his expressions and words were currently at odds with his inner thoughts.

  The stray thought of taking a shuttle down to the planet and getting the captain shot through Chakotay’s mind, but then it tottered in favor of another: accepting Tuvok’s suggestion, albeit reluctantly. I could not let that happen! Kathryn had fallen into the ravine; in forty of their minutes it would be flooded.

  I considered both Chakotay and Tuvok; my options were slim. My people were not allowed to reveal ourselves to outside beings—lower creatures, physical only. But the vision had not helped. I knew suddenly without a doubt that if anything happened to Kathryn that Chakotay or Tuvok could have prevented they might have difficulties in the aftermath. And it would be all my fault.

  [364] In determination I made True contact with Chakotay’s mind. I felt my processes sear across his consciousness even as he stumbled away from Tuvok. The melding of minds was ... uncomfortable. I simultaneously felt myself limited as human minds are, and Chakotay’s mind stretched to the edges of the infinite. The entire procedure was claustrophobic for me, overwhelming for him. I spoke quickly mind to mind: He must find Kathryn. She needs him.

  Moments later I could sense the bridge around me again. Tuvok was holding Chakotay’s arm, asking if he was okay. Chakotay was flat on his back before the command area. He opened his eyes in understanding.

  “Tuvok, you have the bridge. Kathryn is in danger; I’m going to take a shuttle to the planet to find her.”

  “Commander,” Tuvok spoke dryly. “You have just very nearly lost consciousness. I do not think it is a good idea for you to take a shuttlecraft to the planet.”

  “Someone ... something, is trying to communicate with me, Tuvok. It told me that Captain Janeway is in trouble. I have to go to help her.”

  I touched the memory record of Chakotay’s experience to Tuvok’s mind; there was no time for arguments. He latched immediately on to my mind for a second, then released.

  “Very well,” he said.

  “Are you there?” Chakotay spoke aloud when he reached the shuttle. “You knew about Kathryn. Can you tell me if she’s okay? Is she hurt?” His anguish was visible as his hands worked at the shuttle’s controls. He glanced around behind himself as if he might see me. I remained silent, unable to take on a physical form away from my planet and reluctant to further trespass the laws of my people.

  [365] After a minute he gave up and concentrated on flying the shuttle. It had penetrated the outer atmosphere and was headed directly for the storm. I could hear the protests, the angry accusations that were shot toward me. They buffeted the little craft, causing several systems to blink. Chakotay had his hands full just keeping the thing airborne until he could find the beam-out location; no easy trick that, without reliable instrumentation.

  I met with my family in the debate of the mind:

  *Let him pass unharmed. He has an important mission, and is worthy of the passing. He is *intelligent*, thoughtful. ...*

  **How can this be? All life-forms on this planet are Basics, aside from the Family. They live, but not Truly.**

  *They have a vessel outside this planet; they’ve visited other worlds, other people. If you only open your minds fully you will see. If only you don’t blind yourselves to them!*

  **They are of limited mind, limited accomplishment. They are limited and therefore unimportant. You will disentangle yourself from them at once!**

  *They are not so limited as us! As you! I will not let you harm him!*

  I expanded toward the console and showed Chakotay the way. My family moved away in shock, stunned that I’d chosen apart from them.

  The little shuttle still rocked until it exited the cloud mass—and entered a torrent. Rain poured from the sky in great giant sheets, obscuring the shuttle’s view. In close vicinity to the clouds, the sensors still did not come back online, but with the diagram I’d placed on the console [366] Chakotay was easily able to find the beam-out spot. With the shuttle pointing in the correct direction, the vessel’s forward motion aided in removing the rain from the viewscreen. Chakotay let out a breath.

  He set the shuttle down near the large rock where the beam-out had occurred. He was out the door almost immediately after, examining the soggy terrain. I flashed the vision again in his mind; he didn’t even close his eyes this time, but let it happen. When it was over, he ran toward the ravine calling her name.

  There was a soft sound from over the edge. I moved and found Kathryn; she hung, with flagging strength, on to a root that jutted out of the side of the ravine. Little pieces of organic debris clung to her face and upper body as the waters rushed beneath her, pulling her legs in their wake. I knew a broken leg when I saw one.

  “Kathryn!” Chakotay cried from above, leaning over the edge, the downpour having plastered his hair to his face.

  Chakotay reached an arm over the edge and was able to touch Kathryn’s arm where it was clinched to the root “I’ll be right back,” he said reassuringly. With that he was up and running toward a large tree. Quickly tying a rope around the tree, and then attaching it to his waist, he hurried back to the edge. He eased swiftly into the waters beside Kathryn, standing between her and the rushing waters. He then dropped beneath the waters and tied a safety line around her waist before resurfacing.

  Kathryn didn’t need to be told what to do next; she grabbed on to him and clung. It took several minutes, but Chakotay pulled them both slipping and sliding up the muddy wall.

  [367] “My leg is broken,” Kathryn murmured unsteadily when they’d reached the top. Her hair had completely washed out of the ponytail she’d worn it in; it now lay matted against her face and back.

  Chakotay nodded his understanding and leaned her against a near rock as he undid their ropes. The jagged scar along her leg was frightening now that he had a better look, and the dazed look in her eyes did little to reassure him. Throwing the coiled rope over a shoulder, he brushed the hair away from her face.

  “Kathryn,” he said, worry evident in his voice. “You’re going into shock. I’m going to pick you up and carry you to the shuttle. In just a few minutes we’re going to be back on Voyager.”

  Kathryn didn’t respond. I was worried, too. I’d never experienced this state before. Shock, Chakotay had called it. It was strange, distant, removed.

  When the shuttle took off this time, my people did not interfere. But they did not welcome me into the cloud either. I had made my choice, committed the unforgivable. I took some of the blue stones with me.

  I have come to learn the meaning of the name of their vessel, and of their coming to this place. They are brave and True. Proudly I would call them my people. And I, Voyager.

  Monthuglu

  Craig D. B. Patton

  Captain Janeway’s log—“Captain’s Log, Stardate 50714.2. We are navigating around a region of space which the Travellers have told us is occupied by the Tarkans. According to the Travellers, the Tarkans are an extremely hostile race. The detour will add a month to our journey, but I feel it is a worthwhile price to pay. Nevertheless, we are making every effort to take the shortest route possible around their territory.”

  Ensign Kim’s log—“Operations Officer’s Log, Stardate 50716.5. Voyager has picked up what appears to be a nebula on long-range scans. For some reason, I am unable to classify it at this time. Either the readings are distorted or this is a never-before-encountered phenomenon. Background radiation and other known forms of interference are at standard Delta Quadrant levels. We are proceeding toward it. I will try to resolve the data on route.”

  Commander Chakotay’s log—“First Officer’s Log, Stardate 50717.1. We have arrived at the edge of the huge gaseous anomaly. Mr. Kim orig
inally termed it a nebula but has since retracted his assessment since the computer cannot classify it. About the only thing we have determined with [369] any certainty is that it completely fills the region of space before us. With Tarkan space still blocking our direct progress toward Alpha Quadrant, we are now stuck in a corner. Another detour will cost us an unknown amount of time. The alternative is to pass through this anomaly. We are in the process of analyzing it further.”

  Ensign Kim’s log—“Operations Officer’s Log, Stardate 50717.2. I completed my analysis of the anomaly and have concluded that it is, in fact, a new type of nebula. I have therefore designated it a Class 12 nebula. In addition to being unusually large, it is far darker than any nebula previously recorded. As we are nowhere near any stars, I originally classified it as a standard dark nebula. I also explored the hypothesis that this was simply an ancient planetary nebula whose originating supernova had burned out long ago. However, this nebula did not ultimately correspond to the profile of either type. It appears to remain stable in size, rather than expanding as do planetary nebulae. It also contains stronger energy currents than any recorded nebulae of either type and is full of extremely dense dust nodules. We are unable to scan further than two light-years beyond its perimeter.”

  Captain Janeway’s log—“Captain’s Log, Stardate 50717.4. I have met with the senior officers and decided to take Voyager through the nebula rather than add even more time to our journey. In addition to keeping us on our revised schedule, it will allow us a unique opportunity to more closely study this new class of nebula. We are making preparations for the traverse and will begin at 0800 tomorrow morning.”

  Lieutenant Commander Tuvok’s log—“Tactical Officer’s [370] Log, Stardate 50717.4. I am making an official entry in this log to note that Captain Janeway has chosen to enter this nebula against my advice. Our discussions with the Travellers included no mention of this anomaly, and we are unable to scan the path ahead effectively. We do know that we are in close proximity to a hostile race. I believe it unwise to enter a never-before-encountered phenomenon under these conditions. However, mine was the only dissenting voice on this subject. The captain has made her decision, and I am now taking every precaution to make ready for the traverse.”

  Ensign Kim’s personal log—“Stardate 50718.1. I can’t sleep, so I thought I would make a log entry. I’m pretty wound up right now. I guess I’m still amazed that we’ve discovered a new class of nebula. It’s been over two hundred years since that last happened. This is the most exceptional part of our journey: the chance to discover people and things that have never been seen before. Even the Federation’s deep-space probes haven’t located anything like this nebula. It’s only because Voyager passed this way that we know about it now. When we get back, it will take years for Federation scientists to catch up to what this crew will have learned. Maybe we can all just retire and become professors.”

  Neelix’s “Good Morning, Voyager” show—“Hello again, shipmates. Today, as you know, is a historic day for us all as we begin our journey through the Harry Kim Nebula. I’ve received special permission from Captain Janeway to carry the show live as we enter the nebula, so that those of you who are off duty can see and hear what is happening. I’m here in the Mess Hall with several dozen of your [371] crewmates, watching out the window as we begin to enter this dark, almost midnight blue cloud of gas and dust. Let’s see what’s on people’s minds, shall we? Ah, Ensign Oliver of biosciences, what do you think of getting the chance to travel through this nebula?”

  “I think it’s great, Neelix. It’s a rare opportunity to get to explore a completely new space phenomenon. I joined Starfleet so I could have experiences like this one.”

  “That’s wonderful, Ensign, thanks. Now I hate to interrupt, but the big moment is here. As you can see, Voyager has reached the perimeter of the cloud. The nebula fills the view above and below us now; we can’t see any stars at all. Looking forward, we can see the edge of the nebula, like a huge curtain that the ship is cutting through. I must say, it’s a very strange feeling. Almost like we’re being swallowed by the dust and gas. Oh, now that’s interesting, we can see the edge of the cloud actually moving across the windows here in the Mess Hall now. All the swirling dust and gas make it look just like a puffy cloud. Of course, those are usually white—but other than that, the effect is the same. And now the edge of the cloud has passed us by here in the Mess Hall. In only a few more moments, the nebula will engulf the entire ship. Everyone here is chattering away excitedly about the view. We can’t see much outside anymore. It’s just one sea of ... What’s this? The lights are flickering a bit now. We seem to be having some sort of ...”

  Commander Chakotay’s log—“First Officer’s Log, Stardate 50718.4. As soon as Voyager entered the nebula, we lost main power and had to switch to the auxiliary. Lieutenant Torres reports there is no damage to the warp drive but is at a loss to explain the outage. Since we would [372] not go to warp inside a nebula anyway, the captain and I feel we should proceed while we get the mains back on line.”

  Lieutenant Torres’s log—“Chief Engineer’s Log, Stardate 50718.4. I have traced the problem with main power to an irregular flow in the plasma conduits on Deck 10 and have assigned Ensign Bolya to perform the repairs. I expect to have main power restored in less than an hour.”

  Emergency Medical Holographic Program’s log—“Chief Medical Officer’s Log, Stardate 50718.5. I have just completed treatment on Ensign Bolya for a mild case of frostbite to his extremities. Apparently, the life support system in one of the Jefferies tubes failed while he was performing repairs on a plasma conduit. There appeared to be no lasting effects, so I have released the patient.”

  Ensign Bolya’s personal log—“Personal log, Stardate 50718.6. I wound up in Sickbay today after a bizarre experience. Lieutenant Torres assigned me to repair the plasma flow regulator on Deck 10. I was working on the unit when I noticed that I had started shivering. I assumed it was because I was lying on the metal floor of the Jefferies tube and I tend to get cold so easily. The air was fine. I worked a little bit more. But then I felt the hairs on my back start to stand on end, like they do back on Ilyara in winter when I’m outside too long. I started to shake uncontrollably and dropped the tool I was holding. The climate control in the tube must have malfunctioned. Anyway, I called for an immediate beam-out to Engineering. Lieutenant Torres took one look at me and sent me to Sickbay. Turns out I had frostbitten my hands and part of my face just in that short period. Guess I’m glad I decided to leave when I did.”

  Lieutenant Torres’s log—“Chief Engineer’s Log, [373] Stardate 50718.6. We have completed repairs and restored main power. However, we now have a new mystery to solve. Ensign Bolya suffered frostbite while attempting to make the repairs. He reported that the environmental controls failed. However, I can find no evidence in the ship’s logs or the Jefferies tube itself to support his statement.”

  Captain Janeway’s log—“Captain’s Log, Stardate 50718.7. We’ve experienced a twenty percent increase in the velocity of the nebula’s natural energy currents. I expected this kind of turbulence to be part of the traverse and have recalled Lieutenant Paris to the bridge to take the helm until we reach a calmer section. The ship is in no serious danger.”

  Ensign Harry Kim’s personal log—“Personal log, Stardate 50718.8. Something strange just happened. I was practicing oboe. About fifteen minutes ago, I noticed a background noise as I played. I thought it was just the ship’s engines until I realized it actually followed along, accompanying me. So I stopped playing. But when I listened, I couldn’t hear it anymore. I started playing and it started right up again. I stopped again and so did it. So then I assumed something was wrong with the oboe and cleaned it. It seemed fine, but when I started playing, the sound resumed. Kind of a really low, faint humming. So then I figured it must be Tom Paris playing some prank, and I called his name. No answer. It turns out he’s on the bridge and has been for the last three hours. I j
ust played a little bit more. The sound is gone now.”

  Ship’s log—“Ship’s Log, Stardate 50719.2, Lieutenant Commander Tuvok in command of Gamma shift. Energy currents remain steady; however, ambient density has increased by thirty percent. Lieutenant Paris has been relieved at helm as it appears we are holding steady on our [374] course. Sickbay reports that Transporter Chief Xiu has been admitted with a broken nose resulting from a fall while sleepwalking. Nothing else worthy of note at this time.”

  Lieutenant Commander Tuvok’s personal log—“Personal log, Stardate 50719.4. I have just completed meditation in an attempt to refocus my senses. While on duty last night with Gamma watch, I experienced a mild hallucination on two separate occasions. Each time, I perceived motion at the extreme left of my visual field. However, when I turned to look, I saw nothing. I have no rational explanation for this, but it is not interfering with my duties enough to warrant significant concern. I will, of course, bring it to the captain’s attention if it begins to do so.”

  Captain Janeway’s log—“Captain’s Log, supplemental. In all my years of space travel I have never seen a nebula quite like this one. We have had to compensate for dramatic fluctuations in both the density of the cloud and the velocity of its currents. At times, turbulence actually buffets the ship. Lieutenant Torres and Ensign Kim have both been collecting as much data as possible but have little to offer in the way of explanation concerning the nature of this unusual nebula. Despite the somewhat bumpy road, the crew still seems to be enjoying the adventure of discovery.”

  Ensign Kim’s log—“Operations Officer’s Log, Stardate 50719.7. Energy currents have dramatically increased again. We are at full power just to keep the ship going in a straight line. Cloud density is up by forty-seven percent since the last reading I took just twenty minutes ago. At times the sensors show the cloud to be practically a solid mass of ... something is ahead ...”