Author's Note: Thank you all for your continued support on this journey. This chapter was inspired by Stargate SG1's Solitudes. While it is mainly focused on Geordi/Data friendship, this chapter is another piece in our growing Conspiracy/Romulan arc.
It's a two-parter!
Thank you for all your support, kudos, and kind words.
-X-
Sonya Gomez was humming to herself as she carefully took a sip of her hot chocolate. It was shortly after midnight, and it had been a slow shift.
She chuckled to herself and shook her head before flipping to the next page. The latest starship retrofit designs were getting wild.
As if! Sonya mused to herself. You can't just slap a third nacelle on a Souyez-class ship and expect a smooth ride.
She chuckled and put a bookmark on the page. She would have to show Geordi in the morning – he'd find the very idea a riot.
The Next Generation was a monthly publication run by a retired theoretical engineer. It featured articles and retrofit designs, interviews with various engineers, and specs for new ideas.
While there were occasionally some goldmine ideas to be found inside, Geordi often quipped that the whole magazine was run by a retiree with more time than brains.
Most of the ideas were fantasy at best or had real-world implications that made practical implementation unlikely.
Sonya was halfway through skimming a retrofit design on a Constitution-class warp coil when something caught her eye.
In the corner of her console, there was a small blinking light.
Sonya set the magazine aside and sat up straight.
She keyed in a targeted sensor sweep of the area.
There it was again! Sonya gasped softly.
For three hours, she sat fixated on watching the rare phenomenon blink on her console – taking additional sensor readings, running a diagnostic to ensure the equipment was functioning properly, and cross-checking any previous surveys of the area.
Shortly before her shift was due to end at 04:00, she decided the risk outweighed the reward.
"Engineering to Lieutenant La Forge," Sonya said, tapping her combadge.
-X-
Data was already up at his workstation. It had been an early night. The sparring tournament had only been a few days prior.
They were due to arrive at Starbase 173 in eighteen hours and Data was making final preparations for his proposal plan.
Tasha had spent the day readying the ship for final inspection before docking and had been exhausted. So, they had skipped Ten Forward in favour of a quiet evening at home.
They'd played a few rounds of a physical game that involved placing one's hands or feet on various colours across a playboard.
It had ended in a light-hearted argument with Tasha insisting that it was cheating for Data to simply detach his arm.
The argument had ended when Data had silenced her complaint with a kiss.
She is complaining no longer. Data thought.
No, now Tasha was sound asleep in Data's bed having dozed off mid-backrub.
But Data was in no mood to sleep.
He was far too excited about their arrival on Starbase 173. He had everything planned perfectly for the next three days.
So, there he sat at his workstation, reciting his prepared speech in hopes of giving it the proper emotional inflection.
"Data?" You up?" Geordi's voice rang out.
Data paused and sat back. He frowned and checked the time on his internal chronometer.
04:18.
"Data?" Geordi repeated in a whisper.
"Data here," he responded, tapping his combadge.
Data assumed it must be something important for Geordi to contact him at such an hour.
"Meet me in Main Engineering. You're gonna wanna see this," Geordi said gleefully.
-X-
"You are correct," Data said as he studied the sensor readings.
Ensign Gomez, Data, and Geordi were crowded around the centre console eyeing the report like giddy children.
"The last ship to conduct a detailed survey of the area was the USS Oaxaca in 2313," Sonya explained. "Most ships don't pass through this corridor. But at 23:38 last night the Enterprise diverted to this course to avoid a plasma storm in Juoronti Cluster."
Data nodded. Her analysis was correct. In fact, Data had been the one to advise this course after the Bridge had contacted him last night about reports on a plasma storm.
It was a safe, if rarely used, path that would take them to Starbase 173.
The local area was predominantely an asteroid field with a mix of rocky, mostly uninhabitable planetoids.
"I have read the report the crew of the Oaxaca submitted upon completion of their survey mission," Data advised. "What I fail to reconcile is that this has formed without change to the surrounding area."
"He's got a point," Geordi agreed.
There was no evidence to suggest that any of the large-mass objects in the vicinity had collapsed.
The available star charts provided from the survey mission corresponded to their sensor sweep.
"We should be getting information back from the probe shortly," Sonya said.
Before contacting Geordi, she had obtained permission from the Bridge to launch a class-one probe for further study.
"Coming online now," Geordi said as he tapped the screen to enhance the image.
"Readings indicate she's stable!" Sonya exclaimed.
"How long was the last interval?" Data inquired.
"Thirty-eight minutes," Sonya replied.
Data and Geordi exchanged a glance.
"It's going to be tight," Geordi warned.
"If we wait for the next window, we will have time to outfit the probe with a secondary sensor array," Data said.
Geordi's face lit up.
"Shepard's project?" Geordi asked.
"Or the meteorological array," Data suggested.
"I bet Khawaja's gonna want in on this too," Geordi said.
"Why not all of them?" Data asked.
Geordi grinned.
"I like the way you think," he said as he clasped Data's shoulder.
-X-
"This is a unique opportunity-" Data began to explain.
"Once in a lifetime," Geordi chimed in.
"We believe that the scientific advantages to studying such a phenomenon will be more than satisfactory," Data continued.
"And this could just be the beginning," Geordi said. "If this really is stable, it opens up the possibility of a whole new region of unexplored space."
Jean-Luc blinked slowly as he tried to follow the disjointed conversation. He surmised this is what his mother must have felt like whenever he and Robert rushed into the house after finding a toad or a fascinating rock.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen please," Picard said as he put his hand up.
Data and Geordi fell silent.
"What is it that you need from me?" Picard inquired.
He wasn't accustomed to being awoken before morning unless it was important. For the last fifteen minutes he had listened to Geordi and Data ramble on about the discovery.
Sure, it was intriguing.
But Jean-Luc had yet to understand what his role was in all of this.
"We are requesting authorisation to take a shuttle in for further study," Data said.
"Two hours, maybe three tops," Geordi assured him. "In, out, and back in time for brunch."
Jean-Luc scratched his chin as he considered their proposal.
"Captain, it's only going to delay our arrival at Starbase 173 by a few hours," Geordi said.
Data's head snapped to the left.
"Delay?" Data realised.
Geordi's brow furrowed.
"Data," he pleaded.
"Could we not return after our resupply? Study it then?" Data suggested. "Perhaps a longer survey mission?"
"I'm afraid we'll need to get underway to our next assignment and will not have time to divert back through this corridor," Jean-Luc advised.
Geordi sighed.
"Alright, then when we get to Starbase 173 why don't we come back with a shuttle?" Geordi proposed.
Data visibly cringed.
"I know, I don't want to wait either," Geordi said, assuming Data's grimace had been in reaction to having to delay their survey. "But what else are we gonna do when we reach Starbase 173?"
"Geordi, it will not be possible for me to accompany you once we reach Starbase," Data said with great difficulty.
It was evident that Data was struggling between his desire to accompany Geordi and the necessity of keeping his plans for Starbase 173 a secret.
"Let us go now," Data said.
With limited options available, Data reasoned that a minor delay was better than nothing at all.
"Then you have a go gentlemen," Picard nodded.
-X-
Tasha keened softly as she felt a hand on her back.
She rustled in her sleep and snuggled in close against Data who was sitting at the edge of the bed.
"Do not get up," Data whispered.
"Mmmm, come back to bed," Tasha urged.
"I am going on a brief survey mission with Geordi," Data informed her.
"Hmmm?" she asked in a hazy voice.
"I am going on a brief survey mission with Geordi," Data repeated. "It will not take long."
"Oh that's nice," Tasha replied in a faraway voice.
Data couldn't help but smile.
Tasha was a heavy sleeper, and it typically took more than a few tries to rouse her.
Data reached down and tucked an errant strand of hair back behind her ear.
Tasha registered that the weight of the bed shifted as Data made to get up.
"Mmmm, come to bed," Tasha mumbled.
Data paused and took hold of her hand.
"Please," Tasha asked with a yawn.
"I have to go now," Data said. "I will have breakfast waiting for you upon my return."
"Too sleepy for breakfast," Tasha protested as she nuzzled back into her pillow.
Data pulled the blanket up so that it covered her shoulders.
"I will be back before you wake up," Data promised.
He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.
Before departing, he took one last look at her curled up against his pillow, wrapped in his shirt, lying in his bed.
Data felt slightly uncomfortable that he was proud of that fact – but he didn't dwell on it.
She was his person.
She called him not just 'a' man but her man.
And there she was completely at home in his bed.
They still had yet to resolve the matter of who's quarters they would move into. But Data surprising Tasha with a proposal would light a metaphorical fire under them in terms of reaching a decision.
This was what he wanted – the quiet domesticity of togetherness.
His quarters.
Her quarters.
It mattered not.
They were both at home wherever they were together.
Soon. Data thought with a sense of satisfaction.
-X-
Down in the shuttle bay, Data ran through a mental checklist of the items necessary for their journey.
Portable remote power source.
Transmitter beacon.
Backup battery cell for the tricorder.
Everything seemed to be in order.
Data sealed his travel case and turned to head for the shuttle.
He froze.
Geordi was standing behind him looking quite cross.
"Geordi," Data said in surprise.
"Do you mind telling me what is so important on Starbase 173 that you'd rather be stuck there than out exploring what is possibly the first stable wormhole in this quadrant?" Geordi demanded.
Data was at a loss for words.
"I have something I must attend to," Data replied cryptically.
Geordi was unconvinced.
"It is a personal matter," Data said, hoping that would be enough to settle the issue.
"So personal you can't tell your best friend?" Geordi pressed.
Data felt terrible.
But he knew maintaining secrecy was essential.
"I am sorry, Geordi," Data apologised.
"Hey," Geordi said in a softer voice. "I'm not mad. I'm just worried about you."
Data made to step away, but Geordi's hand shot out to stop him.
"You've been locked away in your lab ever since we got back from Haven. You skipped poker night and our holodeck reservation," Geordi explained. "And I know you haven't been spending that time with Tasha."
Data had to admit that his behaviour did seem odd. He was a man of routine and straying from that had raised more than a few red flags.
"It's not just me," Geordi added. "Commander Riker, Miles, Keiko, we've all noticed, Data."
"It was never my intention to cause concern," Data said.
"But you're okay?" Geordi asked desperately.
Data nodded.
"Alright," Geordi sighed.
He bent down and gripped two of the containers by the handles.
"Then I hope this trip gives you a little break from whatever's been keeping you so occupied," Geordi said brightly as he turned to the shuttle.
"That is highly unlikely," Data responded as they began to load their equipment.
Data was far too excited to stop thinking about his forthcoming engagement.
-X-
Tasha stirred and woke up feeling cosy.
She stretched and curled up against Data's pillow as she tried to hang onto the pleasant feeling that always accompanied waking up the morning after in Data's bed.
Tasha sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She grinned as she realised she was wearing one of Data's undershirts.
Her grin turned into a smirk as she remembered the night before.
Plans to stay in had resulted in more than a few drinks. That had led to spontaneous fondue, twister, and subsequently sex.
They hadn't been planning at Data's that night – but after rolling around for a few hours Tasha had donned one of Data's shirts and declared she had no intention of leaving his bed until there was peanut butter and banana French toast.
"But it will not be time for breakfast for another eight hours," Data had said.
"I know," Tasha had replied playfully. "You're stuck with me until then."
While her declaration had been only in jest, Tasha was now starving. Her stomach was now noisy enough she wondered if that was what had finally roused her.
Tasha glanced over at the time piece on the nightstand.
She blanched.
No wonder I'm hungry. She thought.
It was nearly 11:00 hours. It wasn't like Tasha to sleep so late – but she had felt far too wonderful to leave bed.
Tasha kicked off the covers and stepped out into the main room of Data's quarters.
To her surprise, the room was empty.
She went back through the bedroom to check if he was in the lavvy only to discover that it was also empty.
"Computer, where is Lieutenant Commander Data?" Tasha asked.
"Lieutenant Commander Data is not aboard the Enterprise," the computer responded.
Tasha ran her hand back through her hair as she stepped back out into the main room of his quarters.
She remembered there was something about a short trip with Geordi, but she had been far too sleepy to recall the details.
Tasha punched in the replicator command for her peanut butter and banana French toast and sat down to breakfast alone.
I will be back before you wake up.
Tasha remembered that clearly.
Tasha dropped her fork and rushed to put on a uniform.
She threw on her boots and raced out the door – running straight into Ensign Sonya Gomez.
"I need your help," they said simultaneously.
-X-
Sonya and Tasha sat across Captain Picard in his personal quarters. It was the first time Sonya had ever been in the Captain's personal quarters.
"We were just about to send another communication," Picard advised.
He was aware that Data and Geordi were overdue for the return to the ship. However, like Sonya he hadn't put too much thought into it when they had failed to return after three hours.
The pair had departed in a shuttle shortly after 05:30 hours and were estimated to return before 09:00. Jean-Luc knew this discovery was important to both of them.
"And their mood was, well, giddy," Jean-Luc described. "Hence why I was not surprised when they failed to return right away."
He had presumed the two were merely caught up in the excitement.
But when another ninety minutes had gone by without any sign of the shuttle, Jean-Luc had ordered the Bridge to send a probe and make another communication attempt.
Sonya had thought the same thing.
She had been monitoring communications with Data and Geordi during their short shuttle journey to the location of the wormhole – only an hour at Warp 4.
But Geordi had privately communicated that he wanted to chat one-on-one with Data and had terminated her link about ten minutes out from arrival telling her that he would radio again once they had reached the other side.
"I was still monitoring the probe data," Sonya advised. "But the transmission has just stopped."
Sonya had made several attempts to reboot the sensor array on the probe with no luck. According to her readings, the wormhole remained both open and stable.
Her brain was threatening to spill over with theories as to why the sensors had gone offline.
It could have been a malfunction or mechanical failure. There could be a power drain caused by any number of nearby phenomena.
Most alarming of all was the possibility that it had been impacted by debris.
The wormhole was located in a pocket of asteroid debris – it was part of why Geordi and Data had gone by shuttle.
It wasn't safe for the Enterprise to enter the area. They risked causing serious damage to the deflector with the level of debris drifting around the wormhole.
But the fact that Geordi and Data had stopped communicating in addition to the probe going offline signalled there was likely something else going on.
Tasha opened her mouth to speak but Jean-Luc anticipated her request.
"If we are unable to make communication with the shuttle I will authorise a search party," Jean-Luc assured her.
Fifteen minutes later, Tasha and Sonya were standing on the Bridge with Captain Picard as they made another attempt to try and establish a comms link with the shuttle.
"It's possible there's interference caused by the amount of debris," Miles said, hoping to offer some sense of hope. "A lot of these asteroids appear to have dense, heavy-metal composite cores. It's like trying to shout through a solid wall."
Tasha glanced over at the Captain.
He nodded.
"Pick your team Lieutenant," Picard ordered.
"You'll probably want to take one of the small shuttles," Miles advised. "Easier to manoeuvre."
"Chief, Worf," Tasha said, nodding to the two.
"And me?" Sonya asked.
"We'll find them," Tasha assured her.
Sonya was concerned about Geordi and eager for the chance to help. But Tasha wasn't too keen to take along a greenhorn.
It was very possible that there was something dangerous and it would be tricky flying through the debris field. The last thing they needed was to be tending to a starsick person on a small shuttlepod.
In any case, the shuttlepod was really only designed to carry three persons.
"They're probably so caught up in their work they don't know what time it is," Miles grinned.
-X-
The first thing Geordi noticed was that he was cold.
He was also stiff.
He shivered and sat up. Geordi reached over to feel for his VISOR. Instead of finding his nightstand, he felt nothing but frozen, crunchy snow.
Don't panic. Geordi said to himself.
Geordi took a deep breath to steady his nerves.
He wasn't just cold – he was chilled down to the bone.
Geordi wrapped his arms around himself and rubbed his arms in hopes of generating some heat. With a furrowed brow, Geordi tried to remember where he was and what he was doing there.
He had been in a shuttle travelling toward a wormhole. The last thing Geordi could remember was Data advising navigation had gone offline.
Data! Geordi thought.
"Data? Data?" Geordi called out.
Panic began to set in when there was no response.
Geordi was hesitant to move around too much. He was sore and suspected their shuttlecraft must have crashed somewhere.
From the immediate area, Geordi could tell it was cold. He was hesitant to explore much without his VISOR given that Geordi knew his best chance for survival was to stay close to the wreckage.
"Data?" Geordi shouted again.
His voice echoed and faded but there was no response.
Reluctantly, Geordi began to feel around in hopes of locating his VISOR.
He hissed when he banged his knee against something heavy.
Something very heavy.
Not something.
Someone.
"Data!" Geordi gasped.
He clutched Data's shoulder but there was no response. Geordi carefully felt along Data's neckline and face. His cranial unit was intact and there appeared to be no damage to his torso or limbs.
With great effort, Geordi snaked his hand under Data to check the switch located in the small of his back.
It was in the 'on' position, but Data wasn't moving.
Figuring it couldn't hurt to try, Geordi flipped the switch and then pressed it again – essentially turning Data on and off.
Data sat bolt upright and looked around.
He opened his mouth to speak – but only a garbled transmission came out.
Data's head twitched a few times as he manually reset his audio communication programme.
"Geordi," he said a few seconds later.
"You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice," Geordi said, relieved.
"Geordi, where are we?" Data asked. "What happened?"
"I was hoping you could tell me," Geordi replied in a grim voice.
Data glanced around and surveyed the area. They were in a frozen, cavernous area. It was at least a thirty-metre climb to the top and there appeared to be no way out on the ground level.
It was somewhat dark but there was enough light to indicate sunlight from somewhere.
Though Data could fathom no explanation for their present surroundings.
At least, no explanation he was ready to accept.
Data frowned.
"Geordi, I am missing approximately thirty-eight minutes of time," Data said.
"Missing time?" Geordi asked.
"That is to say, there is a gap of thirty-seven minutes and forty-nine seconds from my last recorded memory engram and the moment you reactivated my system," Data explained.
"I was out too, Data," Geordi shared.
Data didn't like that notion one bit.
"Then it seems we find ourselves in a similar pickle," Data remarked, using one of the phrases he had picked up from Tasha.
"Do you think the shuttle is repairable?" Geordi asked.
Data hesitated to answer.
"Data?" Geordi pressed.
"Geordi, the shuttle is not here," Data said.
-X-
"Say again?" Sonya asked.
"The wormhole is not here," Worf reported.
There was a pause on the other end of the comms link.
"Uh, could you repeat that?" Sonya asked.
Worf rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath.
"The wormhole is not here," Miles responded before Worf could say something smart.
"I don't understand," Sonya confessed. "It should be there. According to our sensors, it's active now."
Under the console, Tasha clenched and unclenched her fists in an effort to relieve some tension. They had arrived at the designated coordinates of the wormhole and found nothing.
"There's a small asteroid," Tasha explained. "Must have drifted there between the last cycle."
"Maybe the interference from all this heavy metal is causing a delay in the sensors," Miles advised. "We could be off on the timing."
Nonverbally, Tasha relayed that she didn't follow.
"We thought the wormhole was operating on a thirty-eight-minute interval," Miles explained. "Then there was a cooling off period of approximately an hour and it would open again for thirty-eight minutes."
He paused and glanced out of the viewscreen.
"Maybe we're wrong," he suggested.
"It's possible that the data we picked up from the initial probes was inaccurate," Sonya added.
Miles could see Tasha was struggling to understand.
"All this debris might have given us false readings," Miles said. "It could really be fifty minutes or ninety minutes."
"Please don't tell me the only way to get an accurate reading is to sit here?" Worf grumbled.
When Miles didn't answer Worf shook his head.
"I should have brought a book," Worf remarked.
"I could read to you," Sonya offered.
Worf was grateful that they were in separate locations lest she see his response.
-X-
"And my VISOR?" Geordi asked.
He was doing his best to keep his voice even – in spite of his rising panic.
"I do not see it," Data responded. "But I will continue looking. However, our first priority should be to secure a heat source."
Geordi knew Data was right. But it was unsettling for Geordi.
They were trapped somewhere without the shuttle in extreme weather conditions. They had no idea how they had arrived on this frozen wasteland, and it was very possible they had crashed somewhere on the other side of the wormhole.
If that were the case, there was no telling if the Enterprise would find them – let alone find them in time.
Geordi heard the sound of something ripping and cocked his head to the left to listen if he could identify it.
Data anticipated his question.
"Some of our gear seems to have fallen into this cavern," Data explained. "I am looking for anything that may be of use."
"You know if our gear is here too it's possible the shuttle impacted and we were thrown into this cavern," Geordi surmised.
If only he had his VISOR he would be able to identify the heat signature through the ice.
"I don't need to tell you that shuttle is our best hope of rescue," Geordi said.
Data ignored this comment.
He understood that the shuttle debris was likely the only chance they had of the Enterprise crew finding them. But Data had analysed the distance of the climb.
It was very likely that their fall into this cavern had been enough to force his system to shut down the first time in order to protect his neural net while it completed repairs.
Data was not confident he could survive another fall like that.
More than that, Data knew it was impossible for him to carry Geordi up that distance without the assistance of climbing gear.
And he was not prepared to abandon Geordi.
"Ah ha!" Data said triumphantly.
"What is it?" Geordi asked.
"I have found a spare uniform in here," Data answered.
It wasn't much, but it would provide a wee bit of additional protection against the elements. Data tossed it back to Geordi.
"Hey, now we're in business," Geordi said.
He was trying to keep the mood light.
"There are also some ration packs," Data announced.
"Let's hope we're not here long enough to need them," Geordi laughed as he pulled on the other uniform over his own.
As he dug through the remains of the gear that had been ejected from the shuttle, Data managed to find a pair of cold-weather gloves and thermal blanket in the medical kit.
As he took stock of their situation, they were in trouble.
Not immediate trouble – but certainly enough to be concerning.
They had a functioning level-one phaser, a medical tricorder and routine med kit, a limited fresh water supply, a few ration packs, and an assortment of equipment from the survey mission.
Unfortunately, none of this could be used to help them escape their current predicament or send a message to the Enterprise.
"Geordi, you should drink some of this water before it freezes," Data advised as he passed him the canteen.
They were surrounded by snow and ice. But before Data was ready to let Geordi eat any of it, he wanted to be sure to consume some himself to run a proper chemical analysis.
Unfortunately, Data's internal system was taking longer to repair than anticipated.
He had managed to repair his audio output programme with great difficulty and Data suspected this strain was from his system's attempt to maintain temperature regulation.
It was another reason that made him reluctant to make the climb to the top of the cavern.
But as he cast a glance over his shoulder at Geordi, Data couldn't help but feel that such a choice was selfish.
"Geordi, I believe that you have fractured your wrist," Data said. "We do not have an osteogenic stimulator. However, I will attempt a rudimentary splint in order to protect it."
Geordi hissed as Data tightened the wrap around his wrist. Data didn't mean to cause additional pain, but he wanted to ensure that he did it properly.
"I apologise, I must ensure it is secure," Data said.
"It's good Data!" Geordi yelped.
-X-
"Don't say it," Miles cautioned.
"Your arm is almost severed," Beverly said. "I need to know what caused it."
She frowned as she ran the tricorder over his arm.
Tasha opened her mouth to answer Beverly, but Miles shot her a warning look.
Beverly let out a small noise of frustration.
"There's anti-clotting residue in your bloodstream," Beverly advised. "It's going to make reattachment difficult."
"Don't say it," Miles repeated through gritted teeth. "I can't. I just I can't bear to even-"
"Scorpions," Worf announced.
Miles grimaced.
"Oh now you've gone and said it," Miles complained.
He shuddered.
"Now I've got the heebie jeebies," Miles said.
"You and me both," Beverly remarked.
She looked at Worf and blinked in disbelief.
"Big scorpions," Worf clarified.
"Stop talking about the bloody you-know-what!" Miles shouted from his cot.
He was terrified by anything creepy crawly – it was the one thing he hated about being an engineer.
Climbing through the bowels of the ship usually meant an encounter with something he'd rather avoid.
Miles couldn't even bring himself to speak the word aloud.
After checking in with Captain Picard on the radio, Tasha had suggested they check some of the nearby asteroids for evidence of a possible crash.
After conducting sensor sweeps and visual scans of the nearest asteroid, they had detected a possible life sign. There was a thermal signature. It was faint, but present.
After slapping on their EV suits, Miles, Worf, and Tasha had stepped off the shuttle only to promptly find themselves swarmed by giant scorpions. It was lucky they had been wearing the EV suits. According to Beverly, it was likely what had saved Miles's arm.
They had barely made it back to the shuttle – it was a miracle Miles's arm was still hanging on by a literal thread.
Well, technically a tendon.
-X-
"Dammit, Tasha! A man almost lost his arm!" Picard fumed.
"Which is why I'm asking to go back alone," Tasha said. "That way I won't put anyone else at risk."
There were times that Jean-Luc desperately wanted to shake some sense into his protégé – and this was certainly no exception.
"Sir, if they're down there on that asteroid it's only a matter of time before-" Tasha protested.
"If they're down there on that asteroid, I think the chances of their survival at this point are rather grim," Picard said.
He hated to be so blunt, but Jean-Luc knew it was necessary in this instance.
"There is no evidence to indicate the shuttle crashed," Jean-Luc said in a much softer tone.
Tasha's façade of confidence fell.
"Sir," she said in a voice so quiet it seemed foreign to the steely Security Chief.
"Ensign Gomez is monitoring the wormhole," Picard assured her. "Now, I'm prepared to authorise another team to go back and continue scanning the area. But I will not permit you to return to that asteroid unless you can prove to me it's not a suicide mission."
Tasha nodded in understanding.
She was disappointed, but she reminded herself that Data would be none to happy with her going alone.
"And to ensure that there are no spontaneous detours, I'm assigning Commander Riker to accompany you and Mr Worf," Riker advised.
-X-
"Give me the bad news first," Geordi teased as he heard the crunch of snow underfoot from Data returning.
Data had gone to explore the cavern in hopes of finding a way out, additional supplies, or anything that may be of use.
Data had found a number of significant discoveries – though none of them were going to be particularly helpful in the long-run.
Not that 'long-run' meant much in their present situation. Data and Geordi both knew they had seventy-two hours before Captain Picard would be forced to declare them missing.
The Enterprise would have to suspend her search and it would fall to the hands of Starfleet Command to evaluate whether a recovery operation would be warranted.
Sixty-three hours now. Data thought.
His internal chronometer was a bitter reminder that the clock was ticking on their rescue.
"Data?" Geordi prompted.
He could practically hear the wheels in his mind spinning. Geordi knew Data was calculating the odds, theorising, analysing every possible scenario. Geordi also understood that Data would run himself mentally ragged if he didn't intervene.
"I have located your VISOR," Data said as he passed the device back to Geordi.
"Oh man," Geordi said. "Now we're cooking with gas."
Geordi was doing his best to stay upbeat. During Data's search of the area, Geordi had spent his time running through the equipment list and trying to devise a way – any way – they could use it to signal their location.
The last thing they both remembered was travelling into the wormhole.
That meant they were very likely on the other side of the wormhole. According to the first probe they had sent in, the wormhole had deposited them in the Actium cluster.
Geordi reattached his VISOR. He immediately looked up to scan for the remnants of the shuttle.
He got up and walked around the distance of the cavern as he tried to get a read on the area above.
"It's solid rock. Impenetrable," Geordi said in dismay.
"Yes," Data replied simply.
During his exploration of the immediate area, he had dug into the snow to find that this cavern was surrounded by solid rock.
"It is likely this cavern formed naturally well before this asteroid or planet became a frozen wasteland," Data said.
He had used the tricorder to date some of the sedimentary deposits and determined the relative age of the cavern was from the late Xoran period. It was roughly two-hundred million years old.
"Geordi, I have built up a small enclosure using the snow and some of our crates. It is near an area with heavy rock and is less exposed," Data explained. "We can use the phasers on a low energy setting to heat the rock. The rudimentary structure will help retain some heat."
He paused.
"It is not cooking with gas," Data clarified.
Geordi chuckled.
"It's just an expression," Geordi grinned.
Working in tandem, the two of them hauled their supplies down deeper into the cavern.
"Hey this is pretty cosy," Geordi said as he eyed the space. "I call the top bunk."
Data cocked his head to the side in confusion.
"Geordi, there are no-" Data began to say.
"I know, Data. I'm just trying to make you laugh," Geordi replied with a wry smile.
"Oh, I see," Data realised aloud.
He let out a short burst of forced laughter.
They both knew it was forced. It was part of a programme Data had designed to fit in, But Geordi appreciated that Data wanted to laugh at his joke – even if he needed a programme to do so.
"Whoa! Holy frozen bad guy," Geordi said, stumbling backwards.
He clutched his chest and took a few short breaths as he tried to come to terms with the eerie sight of the lifeless eyes that were staring back at him from beneath the ice.
He half expected them to blink.
Geordi got up and studied the figure closely.
"Looks like a-" Geordi began to say.
"Romulan," Data finished for him.
Geordi turned and looked at Data for an explanation.
"The tricorder scan would indicate a Romulan male," Data advised. "I have named him Eirwin."
Geordi blinked and shook his head.
"Eirwin?" Geordi inquired.
"It is a Romulan name meaning 'from the snow land'," Data advised. "I believe it is a reference to the Dal Riada islands in the far north of Romulus."
"I mean, you uh....you named him?" Geordi asked.
"Is it not a human trait to pack-bond with, well, anything?" Data asked without looking up from his work.
He was reattuning the phaser output to heat, but not destroy, the rocks.
"Never change, Data. Never, ever change," Geordi replied.
Geordi turned and grabbed his sonic driver. At least that had survived the crash. It was an invaluable tool and Geordi had an idea that might help them escape.
"Any idea how long Eirwin's been down here? Or how he got here? He's quite a long way from home," Geordi commented.
"The design of his uniform is unfamiliar," Data advised. "Indicating it is from a time before Terran interaction with the Romulan Star Empire."
They knew so little about the Romulans.
"But I do have a theory on what he was doing here," Data said.
Data set down the phaser and pulled Geordi down deeper into the cavern.
-X-
"Whoa," Geordi said in awe.
He surveyed the area around them. It was half-frozen and much of it was covered in ice. But what was visible was astounding.
There was a massive pillar carved from the rock. There was also a series of symbols. It was in a language that Geordi did not recognise. Regardless, the engravings were beautiful.
"Ancient Vulcan star charts indicate that the asteroid field present on the other side of the wormhole was created when the Tkon Empire destroyed the planet of a rival power," Data said. "It is theorised this rival was the ancient Iconians and that the planet had been an outpost."
Geordi traced his fingers over a portion of the exposed pillar.
"There has never been any archaeological evidence to support such a theory," Data continued.
"I'd say it looks a lot less like fiction now," Geordi remarked.
Geordi stopped and turned to face Data.
"Data, do you think it's possible the wormhole is how the Iconians travelled here?" Geordi pondered aloud.
"Unknown," Data replied honestly.
He didn't have enough information to formulate a hypothesis. According to legend, the Iconian doorways allowed them to explore the galaxy eons before most peoples.
Wormholes was certainly one conceivable explanation.
"But how does that explain the Romulan?" Geordi asked.
Data hesitated to answer.
"Data?" Geordi prompted.
Data made a face that communicated would not be pleased with the answer. Truth be told, Data was none too happy about it either.
Because if Data was right, it meant they weren't in the Actium cluster like the probe had predicted. If Starfleet were to radio any vessels in the Actium cluster to search for them, they would be looking in the wrong area.
And that meant Data and Geordi's chances of rescue took a serious nosedive.
The Romulans had always had a keen interest in the legend of Iconia – and it wasn't just their military prowess. The Romulans were eager to prove any link between themselves and the Iconians.
It was common knowledge that Romulans and Vulcans shared a common ancestor. Vulcan history recorded this split as a group of dissidents who were said to 'march beneath the raptor's wings.'
Romulans claimed the Vulcans were insurgents that had abandoned their homeworld in order to follow the radical teachings of Surak.
Despite this, the Romulans were eager to tie their lineage to the Iconians. Their modern Eagle standard was not dissimilar to Iconian symbolism.
One of the things the Federation did know about the Romulan Star Empire was that it had devoted significant resources to searching for archaeological evidence of the Iconians.
"Data, why are you reluctant to discuss why a Romulan is all the way out here?" Geordi questioned, pressing Data for an answer.
"Because Iconia is rumoured to be somewhere in Romulan space," Data said.
-X-
"Did you skip ankle day?" Riker quipped.
Worf stopped and glared at the First Officer.
"Sickbay," Tasha sighed, urging the two men to keep moving.
Riker and Tasha were helping Worf limp along the corridor from the shuttlebay. They had just arrived back aboard the Enterprise – their latest search effort being cut short by an injury.
They had been exploring the remains of a crashed vessel when Worf had twisted his ankle. The crash itself had proved a bust – it was a Twenty-Second Century Tarellian freighter that had likely been a victim of the asteroid field.
Data and Geordi were now eight hours overdue, and they were no closer to finding them.
To Tasha's annoyance, Captain Picard had called a meeting with the senior officers. In her opinion, their time was better spent out searching.
As they assembled in the Observation Lounge, Deanna could sense just how on edge Tasha was feeling.
It was difficult to ignore the absence of their fellow crew members as the team took their seats. Worf was still in Sickbay being treated for his broken ankle. Miles was still recovering from surgery.
And Data and Geordi were still missing.
Captain Picard swept into the room accompanied by Ensign Gomez.
"Sir, every minute that we spend sitting here is another minute that Data and Geordi are out there, possibly injured, and-" Tasha stopped as Captain Picard put his hand up to silence her.
"I'm aware of the stakes," Picard assured her. "That's why I've asked Ensign Gomez to help."
He turned to Sonya and nodded for her to start the presentation.
The viewscreen flipped on to reveal a star chart of the immediate area.
"This is a map of the asteroid belt," Sonya explained. "And these are all of the possible locations that the shuttle could have travelled to or crash on between the time of its final transmission and our next scan after we noticed their failure to return."
Using her tablet, Sonya drew a circle around a portion of the asteroids and planets located in that region.
"So that's our search area," Riker said with a hint of disappointment.
It was a massive area filled with hundreds of possible locations.
"Not exactly," Sonya said quickly.
She tapped the screen and suddenly some of the planets were highlighted in green.
"These are planets or asteroids where initial scans indicate atmospheric conditions that aren't immediately fatal," Sonya advised.
"M-class?" Deanna inquired.
"Barely," Sonya said. "There's no way life could survive long-term on any of these locations. However, the conditions would not be immediately fatal."
Tasha leaned forward in her seat.
"What are you saying, Ensign?" Tasha asked.
"I'm saying that if there is any chance that Lieutenant La Forge and Lieutenant Commander Data survived a crash, it's going to be on one of these plants," Sonya said.
She clicked her tablet and removed all the other destinations from the star chart.
"We can eliminate all of the other destinations," Sonya continued. "Because if they landed there, the shuttle could not have survived entry into the atmosphere or the conditions on the planet would not be survivable."
Tasha's face soured.
"I don't understand. Data's capable of-" Tasha began to argue.
"Gruston II," Sonya said, highlighting one of the planets she had eliminated. "Its molten core means the planet has a surface temperature of over three thousand degrees."
She clicked the screen again to go to another planetoid.
"Istriad Nova's gravity is so dense that it would crush this ship," Sonya went on. "Even Commander Data isn't capable of withstanding that kind of force."
Sonya started to demonstrate the conditions of a third planet when Tasha cut her off.
"I get the idea," she said, her shoulders slumping.
Sonya's plan was brilliant.
It was also terrifying.
"We have a total of four of the small shuttlepods," Picard said. "I'm ordering four teams out tonight to continue the search at these locations."
"Sir, request permission to-" Tasha began to say.
"You need to rest, Lieutenant," Picard said. "That's an order."
-X-
Back at their frozen hovel, Data and Geordi were stripping away parts from the stellar cartography array they had brought along.
"I'm thinking we might be able to create a particle beam of high-energy ion particles by inverting the array," Geordi explained. "It should be visible from space. So if there's anyone out there searching this side of the wormhole, we stand a chance of being seen."
"An SOS," Data said.
Geordi nodded.
All of sudden, he sat back and sighed.
"You know if this doesn't work, we're going to burn up the last of the phaser energy reserves," Geordi said.
"As you have said, this is our best bet for survival," Data reminded him.
My survival anyways. Geordi thought grimly.
He didn't want to think about what would happen to Data if their plan wasn't successful. He couldn't bear the thought that if rescue didn't come, Geordi would join the likes of their frozen Romulan friend and Data would be left all alone with nothing but a couple of popsicles to keep him company.
Data made quick work of removing the external casing that surrounded the array's circuitry. While he was busy stripping down the array for parts, Geordi was occupied with a delicate task.
He needed to extract two delicate concave lenses from the array's mapping feature. The lenses were fragile and made from specialised refined dilithium. Too much pressure or an accidental slip of the hand and Geordi risked breaking them.
It was delicate work.
Geordi's hands were so frozen that his fingers were struggling. Between the shaking and the loss of mobility, Geordi was exerting a tremendous effort to not break the lenses.
And there was another problem that exasperated the situation – a problem that both Data and Geordi were reluctant to confront.
Geordi reached up and pulled his VISOR off. He sat back and rubbed his temples. Data recognised the signs of exhaustion from straining to see.
"The illumination has decreased at a rate of two standard candles every eighteen minutes for the last hour," Data remarked.
"Yeah, it's getting dark," Geordi sighed.
The sunlight was beginning to fade. Even though they were deep in a cavern of ice, they could both sense the decreased illumination coming in from above.
"Temps are gonna dip," Geordi lamented.
"Geordi, as we do not know where we are or the specifics of this solar system, I have no way to predict how low the temperature will go, how quickly it will fall, nor how long the night on this planet will last," Data warned.
Ever since he first noticed a decrease in the natural light, Data had attempted to calculate just how quickly the temperature was dropping.
Unfortunately, the darker it grew, the faster it fell.
Reminding himself that it was only going to get worse, Geordi reattached his VISOR and resumed trying to extract the lenses.
Things were bleak, but spirits remained high.
Geordi was grateful that he was with Data. If there were anyone to be stranded with – Data was the top of Geordi's list.
He was reliable, inventive, and had an unmatched personal quality that made him good company.
"You know the first thing I'm going to do when I get back is take a nice hot shower," Geordi said. "Followed by a bowl of chili and a big, fat cinnamon roll. What about you, Data?"
Data sat back and considered Geordi's proposal.
"I am uncertain," Data replied honestly.
Geordi looked up and smirked.
"Really?" he asked sarcastically.
"If we are rescued-" Data began to say.
"When," Geordi insisted.
Data's instinct was to counter that assumption. After all, a frank assessment of their situation was necessary in order to keep their expectations in line.
However, he recalled his survival training course at Starfleet Academy and thought better of it.
"When we are rescued," Data said. "I will be most curious to know all there is about our present location. I will also be curious to see the flight recorder data from the shuttlecraft to investigate the cause of our crash."
"And?" Geordi pressed.
"And I promised Lieutenant Yar that I would be back before she woke up," Data shared. "And that I would have breakfast waiting for her."
Data's heart sank.
As the minutes ticked on, Data understood they were growing closer to the dreaded seventy-two-hour mark.
And the closer they got to that deadline, the further Data got from ever seeing Tasha again.
There would be no breakfast.
No stolen glances across the Bridge or soft words whispered amongst a tangle of bedsheets after a long day.
No trip to Starbase 173 and no engagement.
Data wouldn't get to see her face light up with excitement and he wouldn't get to hear her say 'yes.'
He would never see Tasha flash him one of those signature million-watt smiles again.
"Data?" Geordi asked, sensing there was something bothering him.
"I must apologise," Data said.
He quickly resumed his work on the array.
"Data, what's wrong?" Geordi asked.
Data did not look up, but his posture shifted. He looked as if he were mourning.
Tasha had pleaded with him to come back to bed.
Data had been so excited about the prospect of a stable wormhole, he had completely ignored the risks of such a journey.
He felt foolish for undertaking such a mission on the cusp of finally giving Tasha the ring.
"When we left, our departure was rather abrupt," Data recalled. "Had I known that we would crash, I would have ensured my farewell was more significant."
"Data, had I known we were gonna crash, I never would have come," Geordi replied.
-X-
Tasha was wandering aimlessly around the ship. In spite of Captain Picard's orders that she rest – Tasha couldn't bring herself to sleep knowing that Data and Geordi were out there.
Eventually, her feet carried her to Main Engineering where Sonya Gomez had taken up a lonely watch, monitoring the frequencies of the search teams.
"Hey," Tasha said as she approached the young Ensign.
"Lieutenant," Sonya said quickly.
She straightened her posture and made to get up.
"No, no, I didn't mean to disturb you," Tasha assured her.
Sonya stood with her back ramrod straight as she waited for Tasha to speak.
"I'm sorry if my comments during the briefing made it seem as if I was questioning your judgement. You're a brilliant engineer," Tasha said.
"No! Not at all," Sonya replied. "I know you're worried about them."
Tasha nodded.
Silence fell on the pair.
Sonya glanced back at the computer console.
"I'm following along with the search," Sonya explained. "Keeping tabs on how its going."
"And?" Tasha asked.
"Four planets have been searched so far," Sonya reported. "Nothing yet. But they've still got fourteen more to go."
Tasha studied the screen. Lieutenant Lawson's shuttle was heading for a large asteroid near where the wormhole was supposed to be.
"You're welcome to join me, if you'd like," Sonya offered.
Tasha snagged a collapsible chair from the storage closet in the corridor. When she returned Sonya was at the replicator.
"Hot chocolate?" she asked.
"What?" Tasha inquired.
"Hot chocolate," Sonya repeated. "It helps."
"Oh, uh, no thanks," Tasha replied.
She pulled her chair up to the console and then stepped over to the replicator and ordered a jar of her own vice.
"Pickled Bajoran Pincha Peppers," Sonya said as she read the side of the glass jar.
"They help," Tasha replied.
She held out the jar and offered it to Sonya.
"Thanks," Sonya said as she took one.
She popped it in her mouth and coughed, holding back tears as her eyes began to water from the spicy flavour.
Pickled Pincha Peppers were a key ingredient in hasperat. Sonya's first roommate at the Academy had been Bajoran and had introduced her to the national dish. Sonya was no stranger to seasoned food, but spicy dishes weren't necessarily a favourite.
There was a reason they called them 'pincha' peppers.
The spicy, sour flavour overwhelmed the senses and made one 'pinch' their face.
The two women chuckled as they both partook in another pepper.
"Any theories yet on this mystery wormhole that seems to be invisible?" Tasha inquired.
Sonya shook her head.
"Sorry, Lieutenant Videk has a team working on that," Sonya advised.
Tasha's disappointment did not go unnoticed.
"I'm sorry," Sonya said.
"Stop apologising," Tasha replied.
"I just feel bad that I can't do more. I'm an antimatter expert. Wormholes really aren't my thing," Sonya explained.
"Aren't wormholes just a big glob of antimatter?" Tasha asked.
Sonya shook her head as she took another sip of hot chocolate.
"Antimatter isn't an absence of mass, it has opposite charges," Sonya shared. "It still has the same gravitational properties as ordinary matter."
Tasha was completely befuddled.
"At the simplest, instead of protons and electrons, you have antiprotons and positrons," Sonya explained. "Think of it almost like a mirror. While electrons have a lepton number of +1, positrons are -1."
"So antimatter and wormholes are like apples and oranges," Tasha said.
"More like apples and olives," Sonya smiled, trying to highlight the difference between the two fields.
"Gotcha," Tasha said as she turned her attention back to the console.
All of sudden, there was a bright flash.
"Whoa," Sonya said.
She tried to enhance the probe sensor readings in the area around the wormhole.
"What is it?" Tasha asked.
"I don't know," Sonya said.
As quickly as it come, it had gone.
There had been a brief flash of light and the seismic sensors on the probe had registered movement – enough to shake the probe.
"Enterprise to Lieutenant Lawson, did you see that?" Sonya inquired.
"See what?" Lawson responded.
"There was some kind of flash of light from the wormhole," Sonya said.
"We didn't pick up anything visually. Do you want us to move in closer for another inspection?" Lawson inquired. "All we can see is that same asteroid."
Sonya looked to Tasha for guidance.
"If they move in too close and the wormhole opens, they risk being destroyed," Sonya advised.
"Negative," Tasha answered Lawson. "Hold your position. Continue with your standing orders."
Tasha turned and looked to Sonya for information.
"What was that flash and why did it stop?" Tasha asked.
"I don't know," Sonya replied as she tapped the console. "I'll need to review these readings. It could be a natural phenomenon in the area or some kind of particle that came through the wormhole."
Tasha didn't want to ask the question, but she recognised it was necessary.
"Why would it stop?" Tasha inquired.
Sonya grew quiet as she continued to input the data into a series of simulations.
"Sonya?" Tasha pressed.
"The most likely explanation would be that the wormhole has collapsed due to something on the other side," Sonya said.
"Do I want to know why a wormhole would suddenly destabilise?" Tasha pondered aloud.
"A supermassive object moving in close proximity could disrupt it, the impact of two or more objects with significant mass," Sonya began to theorise.
"A black hole?" Tasha inquired.
"That's one theory," Sonya replied.
She cocked her head to the side and then frowned.
"But if it encountered a black hole and was open – stable enough for that particle beam to register – I don't understand why it would then suddenly be disrupted," Sonya shared.
She got up from her seat and glanced around Engineering with a blank look on her face.
"I need to speak with Lieutenant Videk," she announced before racing off to the lab to join the team that was working on the wormhole problem.
-X-
"Well, the beam is out there," Geordi said as he returned to their hovel.
He sat down on a makeshift bed made from one of the tarps they had salvaged and warmed his hands on the heated rock in front of him.
Data handed him one of the ration packs.
"You know this strawberry yoghurt isn't too bad when it's near frozen," Geordi said as he took a bite. "Almost like eating fro yo."
All of a sudden, Geordi stopped and put his spoon down.
"You're not eating," he observed.
"I do not require nutritional consumption in order to function," Data reminded him.
It was partially true. Data could go for long periods of time without consuming any nutrients. But he did require the consumption of proteins, sugars, and nutrients to lubricate his biofunctions. He typically consumed a nutrient supplement to help with this though his body could break down regular food into the needed components as well.
They didn't have Data's nutrient supplement and Geordi knew Data was expending extra resources to function in the cold.
"Geordi, please. I am fine," Data said.
"If you're not eating, I'm not either," Geordi said as he pushed away his ration pack.
Data's brow furrowed.
"Please, eat," Data said as he pushed it back toward Geordi.
Geordi crossed his arms and remained silent.
"I do not require the same-" Data began to protest.
"Stop," Geordi said. "Just because you don't have the same needs doesn't mean you don't have needs."
Geordi was right.
Data was already beginning to feel sluggish as his body worked to maintain essential functions like temperature regulation, audio output, and visual perception.
His body had begun to shut down extraneous processes. It was bittersweet for Data as he had been clinging to thoughts of Tasha. He had been forced to temporarily disable that memory replay in hopes that shutting it off would mean getting to see her again.
"Why don't we share it?" Geordi offered.
But to Geordi's surprise, Data seemed to grow angry.
"No," Data said sharply.
He immediately tensed, his eyes going wide in shock at the tone of his own voice. It sounded so unlike the ever-composed Second Officer.
"We have very limited supplies," Data pleaded. "Geordi, you need this."
He paused and took a shaky, artificial breath.
"And I need you to stay alive," Data confessed.
"Data-" Geordi protested.
"You are my best friend," Data said, cutting him off. "And if I were to lose you, I would never find another one like you."
Geordi could see this was not an argument he was going to win.
Data could be unbelievably stubborn at times. It was a trait he had developed out of necessity in order to assert himself.
What Data hadn't counted on was Geordi could be just as firm in his own opinions – especially when it came to sticking up for his friends.
"You're my best friend too," Geordi asserted as he handed Data half the sandwich from his ration box. "And the feeling is mutual."
-X-
"It defies the laws of physics," Lieutenant Phillips shrugged.
"We have two of our own out there, I want theories," Lieutenant Videk told the team.
Videk was a skilled Engineer and oversaw the Gamma shift. He reported directly to Geordi and was a comparable assistant in managing the Engineering team.
"Our initial probe readings indicated that the wormhole Actium cluster," Ensign Tanaka said. "The Andorian Science Consortium has a vessel in the nearby Mendrica system. They can have a ship in range to search the area in four days."
It was no use.
By the time the Andorians would arrive, the Enterprise would have been forced to move on.
"I'm sorry, but none of this makes any sense," Lieutenant Kellerman said as he threw his hands up. "The asteroid. The sensors. Now this particle beam!"
The team nodded in agreement.
"I mean a wormhole isn't supposed to do these," Kellerman went on. "Hell, these gravitational readings are enough to give me nightmares!"
Sonya sat at the end of the table and stared at the smooth surface in front of her.
"That's it," she said quietly.
"Hmm?" Lieutenant Videk prompted.
"That's it," Sonya repeated without breaking her gaze.
"Ensign?" Videk asked.
"The gravitational readings," Sonya replied in a faraway voice. "That's it."
Kellerman and Tanaka exchanged a confused glance.
"What's it?" Tanaka inquired.
"I don't know," Sonya said.
To everyone's surprise, she was grinning. There was a pregnant pause before the team turned back to Lieutenant Videk.
"Moving on, let's run a-" Videk began to say.
"No," Sonya interrupted.
Even though Videk was a Vulcan, it was difficult to hide his exasperation.
"We should be seeing gravitational readings leak through the wormhole," Sonya explained. "But we haven't. They've been constant since we first began observing it."
Sonya scanned the eyes of her companions. Her point didn't seem to resonate.
"And?" Kellerman asked as he gestured for her to continue.
"And the readings are all wrong for a wormhole that is supposedly fluctuating," Sonya said.
Videk was about to jump in and ask Sonya to get to her point when Sonya finally found the words to express her thoughts.
"I don't know what this is, but I think we need to start working from the assumption that it's not a wormhole," Sonya announced.