Examination & Discovery (Part One of Two)

"Captain, we're receiving a message from Captain Evans."

"On screen." Devore said from the command chair. The viewscreen changed and the image of the Ronin Bridge, still showing signs of being repaired appeared in front of everyone.

"Captain, glad to hear from you again. I hope you've got good news for us."

[I have Captain, or at least I think I have. I'd prefer to talk face to face rather than over sub-space. However, we do seem to have made first contact with the Proletarians, although they seem to know a great deal about the Federation already.]

"How long until you reach our position Captain ?" Devore inquired.

[About another day. In the meantime, I'd like a second opinion on our sensor data. We're not really equipped to analysis Scientific data very efficiently.]

"Captain Evans, I've managed to establish an optronic data link, if you'd like to transfer the data along it, I'll take a look." Lieutenant Commander Barker said from the Science station.

[Transmitting now.]

"We've got a good link, data is being transferred now. That's everything, Captain Evans, I'll give you a report when you arrive." Chu said.

[We'll see you in about a day Leviathan. Ronin out.]

The subspace transmission ended and the view of Moira returned onto the viewscreen. Chu looked over the data that he had just received and thought for a moment.

*There's a lot of data here, I'll need some help. Wait, that's something we' ve seen before. Interesting.*

"Barker to Ensign Murphy. What's the status of the probe ?."

[We've finished the configuration of the probe and it's almost ready to be launched Commander.]

"Captain, with your permission." Chu said.

"Proceed Commander." Devore replied.

"You may launch the probe when ready Ensign Murphy. Report to Astrometrics when it's on it way, we've got another job to do."

[I'd like to get something to eat first Commander. Is it OK to meet you in an hour.] James requested.

"You deserve a break after the hard work you've put in and a meal does sounds like a good idea. I'll join you in the mess hall, we can take a preliminary look at the data while we eat." Chu said.

Tapping a couple of keys on the console in front of him, he transferred the Ronin's sensor data to a Padd.

"Computer, start a trans-spectural analysis of the Ronin sensor logs and route the results to Astrometics.

[Analysis in progress. Estimated time to completing fifty two minutes.]

Chu rose from the Science station and left the Bridge.

Mess Hall

James was already sat at a table with his meal in front of him, along with a glass of water. Chu walked over to the replicator, ordered a Raktajino, and took a seat opposite Ensign Murphy.

"What do you think that is ?" Chu asked.

Ensign Murphy took the Padd and looked at the data on the screen.

"It looks like a worm-hole or at least a micro-wormhole, it's only ten metres across. However, the readings are all wrong, there's no verteron particle emissions at all and far too much Tachyon radiation. At a guess I'd say it's a subspace anomaly of unknown origin, worth investigating further." James replied.

"I've seen this phenomenon before or at least something very similar. During our exploration of the Beta quadrant on the original Leviathan, we encountered a race called the Catatonians."

"I've heard some of the crew talking about them, weren't they the race who lived on a giant space-station hidden in a slipstream bubble." Murphy asked.

"That's right, when the Bariens destroyed their homeworld, the 'Heart of Catatonia' was their only way to survive. They had the ability to create openings in the bubble walls, so that they could enter and leave at will. Take another look at the data and pay attention to the quantum matrix readings." Chu said.

"You're right, the readings are off the scale. So you think this is an entrance into another slipstream bubble, one that's permanently open to normal space."

"That's what is would appear to be, but look at the data once that Ronin entered the vortex."

"There's a two hour gap in the readings they just 'freeze'. The Ronin appear to have entered the vortex, travelled through it for two hours and comes out the other side, into." James said, stopping suddenly.

"Into ?" Chu enquired, already knowing the answer the young Ensign was going to give him.

"Into what would appear to another star system sir. These readings show a type G sun and four planets, one of which is class M. The sensors came back on-line briefly once the Ronin entered the system, but they stop again as they approached the planet. They do not start again for over six hours, when the Ronin appears outside the anomaly again. It's as if all that data has been erased by someone."

"Take a good look at the system again, look at the whole picture not just the system itself."

James slowly looked over the readings again, trying to find the answer Chu was getting him to seek out.

"It's, it's not normal space. By the prophets, this whole system is inside an area of space we have never encountered before. We know about normal and subspace, plus Fluidic and chaotic space, but this is something different again. All we can tell from this data is that it's there. It appears to be very much like normal space, but the sensor readings are at best erratic. We have never encountered some of these particles before. What a discovery this is."

"And take a look at this." Chu said briefly taking the Padd and searching for an image. "I noticed it whilst the download from the Ronin was taking place. When the data stopped and then started again, I looked at the data again and found this, taken by the Ronin's rear sensor array when they came back online."

Chu handed the Padd back to Ensign Murphy. James looked at the image on the screen and started to speak, but could not find the words.

What he saw on the Padds screen was a large ring-like construction. Checking the image, he calculated that it was about four hundred metres in diameter, with the rim being about two hundred metres across. At the four 'compass' points, there were four bulky structures and the whole structure was slowly turning in a clockwise direct.

"It's some sort of gateway I think. I'd guess that the Proletarians open and close the anomaly with it." Chu said. "What a massive construction task it must have been."

"Or it may just be a device to keep the anomaly stable at this end. Would you let your only door out of this system to be closed right in front of you. I wonder how they power it ?" James said inquisitively.

"From these reading something really powerful, those four 'nodes' on the ring would appear to be the power-plants. The readings show that each of them is producing a massive amount of energy, but the readings are all scrambled up. We need to try and filter out the background readings. Finish your meal and we will see what the trans-spectural analysis has discovered in Astrometrics. It should be finished in about ten minutes. I'll meet there." Chu said finishing the last of his Klingon coffee.