www.ditl.org

Agreed. I'm glad to see more of this, because your style is very engaging. Of course, the storyline must be good, too; but just a good storyline doesn't help if it's hard to read.

Thanks for the responses.

Here's the next chapter. And it includes the first of the flashbacks that we saw in Dark Frontier.

Departure

Field Notes, USS Raven, Stardate 30431.7. It's about time. The Federation Council on Exobiology has given us final approval. Starfleet's still concerned about security issues, but they've agreed not to stand in our way. We've said our goodbyes, and we're ready to start chasing our theories about the Borg.

The next few days passed quickly, filled with the last minute preparations for the trip. Flight plans were still being finalised, with Erin planning a last minute course correction around a solar observatory that had begun studying a star that had begun its solar cycle three years early. Sue had noticed that there was a batch of faulty isolinear chips in the tactical subprocessor on the bridge, which were hastily replaced. Jason had spent the days buried in the computer cores, figuring out exactly what work needed to be done on the diagnostic subroutines, although with over half a million lines of code to check, it was easy to miss things. Still, he said that the more he could do before they left, the sooner they could get the problem fixed. And Annika had moved her belongings into the quarters next to her parents', and had already made a mess of them. The research team had been living on the Raven full time now, as it had been the only way to finish the last minute preparations before they were scheduled to leave the next day.

Magnus walked down the corridor towards Annika's quarters. Annika had been eating dinner together with the team in the mess hall every day since they'd permanently moved onto the ship; it gave the team a chance to catch up and find out not only what last minute problems had been fixed, but also what new ones had arisen, and Annika enjoyed listening to them talk, even if she didn't understand most of what was being said. True, he could have called her over the comm, but there was another reason he had come to get Annika. It was time to break the news to her that they'd be leaving in the morning. He was sure that she wouldn't be upset by the news; Annika was used to moving around with them. Magnus and Erin had briefly considered leaving her in Irene's care, but they had both decided against it. Annika was quick to adapt to new situations, and they both felt confident that she would be fine as they investigated the Borg. She had even begun thinking of the whole idea as a great big adventure, and she was definitely looking forward to the trip.

As he turned the corner, he saw Erin coming out of the quarters they shared. She looked up at him. "Dinnertime?"

"Yep," said Magnus.

"I'll be along in a moment, just want to finish up something in Astrometrics. Annika's in our quarters. She finished the Flotter program."

"Already?"

"Of course, you know how many times she's played it now," said Erin. "Everyone else is in the mess hall, so don't wait for me. I'll only be a minute."

Magnus stopped outside his quarters. He could hear Annika playing with the model Borg ship that he had reconstructed from the sketchy information they had gathered. Her muffled voice carried through the door. "Zoom Zoom "

Magnus hurried through the door. He had spent hours on that model, and wasn't about to let his four year old daughter damage it, even if she was just playing with it.

"Put down the Cube, muffin," he said as he gently took it from her. "It's not a toy." He placed the model back on its stand.

"I won't crash it," Annika said. She sounded disappointed. Magnus hoped that Annika would be excited by the news he was about to tell her. He hated knowing that Annika was anything less than completely happy. He went and sat down on the sofa that looked out through the windows.

"Come here, daddy wants to talk to you." He held out his arms and Annika came over. He lifted her onto the sofa beside him. "Remember when I said that you, me and mummy were going on a very long voyage?"

Annika nodded. "Uh huh "

Magnus took a breath. "Well, we're leaving tomorrow, and we won't see Earth for quite a while." He waited to see how Annika would react.

"Are we gonna see the Borg?" asked Annika. Magnus was encouraged - she was taking the news pretty well so far, but then again, she didn't realise the full scope of the mission they were being sent on.

"If we're lucky," said Magnus simply. He tried not to let his relief show, because then Annika would realise that he had been worried about it. She was a very intelligent little girl.

"Do the Borg have kids too?"

Magnus thought for a moment about the best way to answer the question. The data gathered at Starfleet seemed to indicate that the Borg, being partially organic, would grow in a similar process as Humans, but if Annika found out about this, she would probably want to invite some Borg infants onto the Raven so they could play together. He decided to be vague about the topic.

"Nobody knows," he said. "We'll be the first Humans to study them up close."

"What do they look like?" asked Annika.

"We're not sure exactly," said Magnus, "but we think they might look a lot like us, but with technology inside their bodies."

Annika's face lit up when she heard that. "Cy-ber-netic?" She struggled over the word.

Magnus felt a surge of pride. "Uh huh," he smiled.

"Are they friendly?" Annika asked.

"Well, they're different," said Magnus. "They don't talk like us, or even think like us, but we're hoping to make friends one day."

Annika smiled. "I hope so too, daddy," she said.

Magnus felt a pang in his heart. Annika was such a friendly little girl, and it hurt him to know that she would be out in deep space with only her parents and the scientists for company. While they loved Annika, and she loved them, Magnus knew that Annika should have the opportunity to play with children her own age. He pulled her close and kissed her hair, hoping that she would still have the opportunity to play as children should when they got back. Deep space was not the best environment for raising children.

***

Magnus and Erin walked onto the bridge. Tahli was sitting at the tactical station and Jason was at the Engineering station. Erin sat down at the helm, Magnus sat at Science 2, and Sue sat next to him at Science 1.

They had left Annika in her quarters, where she was busy settling in. The computer terminal in her room had been set up as a classroom station, though for the moment, Annika was too excited to study.

Tahli looked up as they came in. "We're being hailed by Admiral Jameson," she said.

"Put him on," said Erin.

The screen flicked away from the interior of Spacedock, and Admiral Jameson's image appeared. "Ah, Doctors," he said. "Ready to leave?"

"Yes Admiral," said Erin. "Our departure window opens in three minutes."

Jameson nodded. "Very good," he said. "I'm sending you some final information." He tapped his console.

"We're getting it now," said Tahli.

"What is it, Admiral?" asked Sue.

"We established a base in orbit of Tentak IV after the incident," said the Admiral. "They've been there for almost five months now, and we're sending you their reports on the planet. Now, I'm sure I don't need to remind you that this is a high-risk mission. Don't send any transmissions without sending them through Starfleet, and above all, take no unnecessary risks."

"Acknowledged," Erin said dryly, trying to hide her irritation. The admiral had already gone over this with the team, several times.

"And one last thing "

"Yes Admiral?"

Jameson smiled. "Good luck," he said.

"Thank you, sir," said Magnus. "Raven out." The computer beeped as Tahli closed the channel.

"Tahli, hail the dockmaster, request permission to depart."

Tahli tapped her panel. "USS Raven to Spacedock Control. Request permission to depart."

"Raven, this is Control. Permission to depart granted. Enter taxiway 03 for port gates in twenty seconds."

"Affirmative," said Erin. "All moorings clear." The tractor beams holding the Raven in position in the berth disengaged, and Erin felt the Raven floating free in the dock. "Bring thrusters online, all ahead slow, fifty kph."

The Raven moved forward, clearing the dock, and then she turned to the left, entering the taxiway. Ahead of her, the massive spacedoors began to rumble open. On the bridge, they could see the stars beckoning from beyond the doors in the void.

"Fifteen seconds to spacedoors," said Erin. "Jason, prepare to bring impulse engines online."

"Impulse systems standing by," said Jason.

"Clearing spacedoors," said Erin. "Bring impulse engines online, reactors to twenty seven percent."

"Impulse engines online."

Erin tapped a control on the helm. "Going to one quarter impulse power," she said.

The Raven accelerated away from Spacedock, leaving it in the distance as she headed out into the solar system. She would never come to berth there again.

***

Erin was sitting in the booth in the observation lounge when Magnus found her. They had passed Mars six hours ago, and were now approaching Uranus. Through the windows that looked out from the back of the ship, Magnus could see the Sun, little more than a slightly brighter than average star this far out.

Erin was hunched over the circular table off to the side, ignoring the view. She had a single light shining down on the table, but the rest of the room was in darkness. Magnus could hear the sound of a microchisel as Erin worked on something. He couldn't see what it was, however.

"Erin?" he asked.

Erin started and turned around to him. "Oh," she said. "I didn't hear you come in. What's our status?"

"We're approaching Uranus," Magnus said. "What are you doing?"

Erin held up a square of metal, a name plaque for the ship. "Like it?" she asked. Being a rushed construction, the Raven had not received a plaque, so Erin had taken it upon herself to create one. The plaque had the image of a Raven on it, wings outstretched in flight, with "The Raven" inscribed across the top. Underneath were the words "Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before "

"It's beautiful," said Magnus.

Erin smiled. "Thank you," she said.

"Although I am surprised you quoted Poe," said Magnus. "You never seemed to be one for his work."

Erin shrugged. "Considering our mission, it seemed an appropriate line, never mind the pessimistic source. Besides, she just didn't feel complete without a name plaque. She hasn't even been properly christened."

"Really?" said Magnus, surprised. "Shame we weren't able to christen her in Spacedock. Too late now, I guess."

Erin gave a dry laugh.

"What is it?" asked Magnus.

Erin looked up at him, then leaned back in her chair. "If I was the superstitious type," she said, "I might take it as a bad omen. After all, the Titanic was never christened either, and look what happened to her."

Magnus smiled. "But you're not the superstitious type," he said. "Besides, she'll fly just as well with or without a plaque. Come on, we'll put it up on the bridge."

***

With that, we're a third of the way through the book!

I gotta say, I'm impressed. The writing style is easily accessable and the story seems to fit very well with what has been established. It's doing it's job well.

Have there been any parts so far that you guys have really liked? The parts so far that I enjoyed (both writing and reading) are...

• The tension between the Hansens and Sloan/Jameson in the limo after they visit T'Laaren.
• I like the shameless Doctor Who joke just before the Parrises Squares match, and Magnus's discussion of Klingon athletes with Tahli. I love they bway they talk like it's all important, this analysis of M'Kota's abilities and history, when it's just a game.
• But so far, my absolute favorite part is the "Who'd make a spaceship shaped like a cube?" line. It even gets me if I've forgotten that it's coming (which is, sadly, a rare occurance...).

Tiberius wrote:Have there been any parts so far that you guys have really liked? The parts so far that I enjoyed (both writing and reading) are...

• The tension between the Hansens and Sloan/Jameson in the limo after they visit T'Laaren.
• I like the shameless Doctor Who joke just before the Parrises Squares match, and Magnus's discussion of Klingon athletes with Tahli. I love they bway they talk like it's all important, this analysis of M'Kota's abilities and history, when it's just a game.
• But so far, my absolute favorite part is the "Who'd make a spaceship shaped like a cube?" line. It even gets me if I've forgotten that it's coming (which is, sadly, a rare occurance...).

I enjoy the inclusion of Jameson and Sloan. It was a nice touch, and nice to show what Sloan was doing early on. You're tieing everything together very well. (IMHO)

Thanks. Anyone else?

I thought you integrated Sloan very well, when it coul've been very clumsy and awkward.

I also liked the very first part, the introduction of the Borg. Even though we all know who and what they are, it still engendered the creepy kind of feel that the Borg were always supposed to have.

Here's the next chapter. With this chapter, we're starting the second part of the book.

Part Two: Voyage

Tentak IV

"We're approaching the Tentak system," said Erin. "I'm taking us to impulse, and plotting a course to enter a standard orbit of Tentak IV."

They had been journeying for seven long weeks since leaving Spacedock, and the team was settling in well. They had decided to make some modifications to the Raven, and the first thing they had done was to enlarge their quarters to take advantage of the space available. The cabins, which had been little more than two tiny rooms with a tiny bunk in one and a waste collection unit in the other, were now made of two cabins joined together and were large enough for a full size bed as well as a bathroom, living area and computer terminal. Magnus and Erin, sharing their quarters, had joined three.

Another modification to the starship came about when Annika began staying in the briefing room while her parents worked. The team had not seen the point of using it - they could easily hold their meetings on the bridge - so Magnus and Erin had modified the computer terminal so that Annika could use the room as a classroom, and since they had installed a bed, Annika had taken to sleeping in there on occasion.

The modifications had taken less than three weeks, and since then, with nothing to occupy them, the team had begun to feel restless. They had done all the work they could with the data available to them at Starfleet, so faced with days with nothing to do, they had spent hours checking the ship. It was, after all, a brand new vessel, completed only six months previously the Kowal shipyards, and all new ships had their own little eccentricities. They had found numerous problems, and most of them had been fixed quite easily. However, a small number of the malfunctions (or gremlins, as Jason had called them) had refused to be repaired, no matter what the team did.

The port Bussard collector would not operate at greater than ninety five percent efficiency, and would fail without warning, coming back online only after it had been shut down and a level five diagnostic run on it. The diagnostic unerringly stated that the collector was functioning properly, even though all other diagnostic routines correctly identified the presence of a malfunction. Repeated inspections of the collector failed to reveal the source of the problem, though Tahli noted that the problem only manifested itself at warp speeds, when an inspection of the collector was impossible. It seemed that their problems with the diagnostic subroutines were not over, much to Jason's annoyance.

The replicators had lost a few files when Starfleet had upgraded the computer cores, and all of the patterns for coffee had been lost except for a type of Betazoid coffee that was little more than coloured water. Magnus, who had a great affinity for strong coffee (Erin had always claimed that it was an addiction to caffeine) had been forced to drink cup after cup of the weak Betazoid blend in order to feel satisfied, and every morning, he had to go to the toilet twice.

A portion of the deck plating in the starboard corridor that led off the bridge had not been properly secured, and every time the Raven exceeded warp four point five, it began vibrating. While the crew merely found it irritating, Annika absolutely hated it, and refused to walk that section of corridor if they were travelling at warp. Even when they were at impulse speeds, she would jump over that segment of plating. Magnus had pulled up the carpeting on three separate occasions to tighten the bolts that held the plating to the decking framework, and had even tried gamma welding the plate to the framework, but it continued to vibrate.

There were also various other problems. There was a fluctuation in the warp plasma manifold that made the ship feel a little sluggish at warp speeds, the matter injector would not open to more than eighty nine percent, and temperature controls for the fluid recycling system weren't working properly.

Thankfully, they were only minor problems. Once the team had completed all the repairs they were able to, they had taken to spending time on the holodeck. They had run many different programs, from swimming on Pacifica and parasailing on Earth to mountain climbing on Vulcan and a game involving racing shuttles in an obstacle course. Annika had been running Trevis and Flotter programs while the others had been having their lunch, though her parents had gone with her several times. For Annika's fifth birthday a month previously, they had spent the entire day on the holodeck, swimming in a recreation of the Great Barrier Reef off north-eastern Australia.

Starfleet had been able to establish a base in orbit of Tentak IV to provide protection for the dilithium deposits within a week of the attack. The space station had been shipped into the system in parts and assembled in orbit, thus reducing the time the planet was unprotected. The crew currently manning the station had been informed that the Raven would be approaching, although the research team would need their flight plan and clearance code verified before they were allowed to beam to the planet surface. They were under very specific instructions not to make reference to the Borg to anyone outside of their team.

The crew of the outpost had only been told by Starfleet that the research team would be studying what Jameson euphemistically referred to as the "event site". They had been told very little of what had happened; indeed, their briefing had strongly implied that the Orion Syndicate had attacked the planet. They had naturally asked questions when they saw the extent of the devastation, but they had not received any answers.

Tahli looked up from the tactical station. "We're being hailed," she said.

"Put them on," said Magnus.

"This is Lieutenant Beran of the Tentak IV outpost," said a curt male voice. "Identify yourself."

Magnus shared a surprised look with the others. He hated working with the no-nonsense, by-the-book kind of officer. He had several times before, and they had always been very inflexible. "Uh, this is the Federation Starship Raven," he said. "We're here conducting research for the Federation Council on Exobiology."

"Transmit your flight plan and clearance codes," said Beran.

"Tahli, please transmit our flight plan and clearance codes," said Magnus. He tapped a control on the helm, opening the comline to the station orbiting the planet. "Tentak IV, we are transmitting our flight plan and clearance codes now."

For a long moment, nothing happened. Magnus looked to the others. Jason shrugged.

"Tentak IV," said Magnus, "please confirm our clearance codes and flight plan have been received."

"Confirmed, Raven," said Beran. "Flight plan and clearance codes have been received. Flight plan verified. Clearance codes verified. Raven, clearance is granted to dock at airlock three. Welcome to Tentak IV." These last words were spoken out of duty, it seemed, not from any real desire to make the team feel at home.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Beran," said Magnus. "When will we be able to beam to the planet surface?"

"It's dark at the event site at the moment," said Beran. "We've scheduled an away team for dawn, oh six hundred, local time. Due to the tactical sensitivity of the area, I'd want to minimize the size of any away team. Don't beam anymore than three people to the planet."

"Thank you, Lieutenant,' said Magnus. "We'll be ready to beam down at oh six hundred."

*

That evening, the crew had a small party in the mess hall to celebrate their arrival at the planet. It had been a relief to be able to plan an away team, to finally be back at work. However, because of the early start the next morning, they had decided to retire to their quarters before the night grew old.

When the away team beamed down the next morning, the sun was just beginning to peek above the horizon. The nights on Tentak IV were cold despite the hot days, and the last remnants of the nocturnal chill still hung in the air. Magnus, Erin, and Sue materialized near a group of tents that trembled gently in the morning breeze.

At the sound of the transporter, a male officer in a gold uniform came to the door flap.

"Lieutenant Beran?" asked Magnus, stepping forward.

"Yes," he said.

"Good morning," said Magnus holding out his hand. He shook hands with the lieutenant. "I'm Magnus Hansen, this is my wife Erin and colleague Susan Betcher."

"Pleased to meet you," said Beran. "The event site is just this way."

Beran led them between rock outcroppings. "I'm afraid you won't get very much data on the event," he said as they walked. "After five months, the residual energy readings from the attack reported by Captain Berkelly have completely dissipated."

"We've already made a complete study of the data gathered by the Kyushu," said Magnus.

"I'm not actually sure what you expect to find here," said Beran. "The initial reports by the Kyushu crew should have been able to provide you with whatever information you require."

"The Kyushu was only in orbit for three hours," said Sue, "and they didn't know what to look for."

"Besides," said Erin with a smile, "coming here seemed like the best place to start."

"What are these markings on the ground?" asked Sue. Around them were dark marks, lines across the desert that looked like they had been scorched into the bedrock with a hand phaser. After months of neglect, the gravel and sand of the desert was starting to reclaim them, and already there were long stretches of the lines that were covered and invisible.

"They're from the original landing pad from the base," said Beran. "We're approaching the event site now."

They went around a final rocky outcrop. And then, before them was the attack site, a tear in the planet that seemed to vanish into the distance. The bottom of the cleft was lost in a layer of mist. Looking over the abyss, Magnus felt like he was falling forwards into the emptiness.

"My God!" Erin gasped. "How big is it?"

"It's roughly circular," said Beran. "Average of three kilometers in diameter, and two point three kilometers in depth. Over sixteen cubic kilometers of the planet was removed."

Magnus stepped closer to the edge of the hole.

"Be careful, Magnus," said Erin.

"Will it be possible to make an examination of the bottom of this hole?" Magnus asked, leaning forward to peer down over the edge.

Erin stepped forward. "Magnus, don't get too close," she said quietly.

"Yes," said Beran in response to Magnus's question. "But you won't find anything. The energy signatures have dissipated. We made our own scans of the site, but they were very basic and we found nothing unusual."

Sue began walking along the edge of the chasm, away from them, her eyes scanning the ground.

"I was hoping to run some mechanical surveys on the rock, try to get some data on the tractor beam," said Magnus.

"I'll make our initial reports available to you," said Beran. "However, the scans we performed were very basic. We're here to protect the dilithium deposits, not investigate the event that occurred."

"Anything you have can be of help," said Magnus.

"Erin! Magnus!"

Magnus, Erin, and Beran quickly headed over to Sue, who was a few meters along the edge of the chasm. She was kneeling on the ground, using her hands to uncover something under the sand.

"What is it, Sue?" asked Erin, kneeling next to her.

"I saw this buried in the sand," she said, pulling the object out. She held it up in the light. It was gleaming black metal, scratched and pitted.

A Borg implant.

"They beamed down?" said Erin, turning back to look up at Magnus.

"Apparently," he said. "Lieutenant, why wasn't this detected before?"

"Like I said, we aren't here to investigate," said Beran. "This whole area is under constant change, the sand is blown around, and the rock is being eroded."

"I think it might be a good idea if we make a detailed scan of the perimeter of the site," said Magnus. "There may be more implants, or other debris."

"That will take a while, Magnus," said Sue. "The perimeter measures almost ten kilometers."

"I still think it could provide new information," said Magnus. "In any case, it's not an opportunity we should pass up."

"The implant has deteriorated," said Sue. "The exposure to the sand has caused a lot of damage. It's going to be very difficult to get any useful data from it."

"Still," said Erin, "it does prove that they beamed down here to the planet surface."

"The question remains, however," said Sue. "Why? I think it's very unlikely that they did it to gather information. When they removed the base, they would have had the opportunity to access the station's computer cores."

Erin looked at her. "Maybe they took prisoners?" she suggested, but she doubted it.

Magnus shook his head. "That doesn't seem like it would be their style," he said, "but it is, however, supported by the evidence we have here. Hopefully, we'll be able to find something more conclusive."

*

The away team spent three days on the planet, returning to the Raven only when the sun vanished below the horizon and it became too dark to work. Beran had offered some help from his own men, no doubt motivated by a desire to get the scientists off the planet as soon as possible, but the team had refused. The last thing they wanted was for Beran's men to start asking questions they weren't allowed to answer. It had been very hard work. Erin had gotten an extreme sunburn on her second day on Tentak IV, and had been forced to return to the Raven. She had been in such agony that she had stripped naked in the ship's sickbay and covered herself in dermaline gel. Magnus had wanted to return with her, but she had insisted that he stay on the planet. Erin was extremely stubborn, pointing out that the two of them were the most familiar with the Borg technology, and he knew better than to argue with her once her mind was made up. Besides, he could see her point.

So he had remained planetside, with Jason beaming down to take Erin's place. The work was not going well, however, and Magnus was beginning to think that he should have gone back to the Raven with Erin after all. They had been on the planet for three days, and found, for all intents and purposes, nothing. Just that single corroded implant they had found in the sand. They had searched almost a third of the perimeter of the chasm, and had not produced anything that could help them.

They were about to head back to the tents for their lunch on the third day when a skimmer came speeding up to them. It came to a stop a few meters away from them and Lieutenant Beran stepped out.

Magnus stood, wiping sweat away from his forehead before it had the opportunity to drip down behind the lenses of his sunglasses.

"Doctor Hansen," said Beran. "We've received a message from Admiral Jameson, priority one."

Magnus stepped forward. "What is it?" he asked.

Beran held out a padd. The screen displayed an encrypted data block and three words: "Thar she blows".

Magnus looked at the padd's screen for a moment, the message sinking in. Then, he looked up at Beran. "Thank you, Lieutenant," he said. "My team and I will be leaving now. We appreciate your hospitality." He tapped his combadge. "Magnus to Raven."

"Go ahead, Doctor," came Tahli's voice.

"Prepare to beam us up," said Magnus. He turned to Beran. "Will you please transfer the message to the Raven?"

"Aye," said Beran.

"Tahli, you'll be receiving an encrypted message," said Magnus. "Please decrypt it and send the coordinates to the helm. Inform Erin we'll be leaving orbit as soon as the away team is on board."

*

The away team headed straight for the bridge when they were beamed aboard. Erin had recovered from her sunburn enough to take the helm once more, and she turned to them as they entered.

"The message has been decrypted Magnus," she said. "It contained coordinates that center on a relay station in the Tenaj system. I've already plotted a course at maximum warp."

"Engage," said Magnus

The Raven spun and rushed forward into warp space.

*Cough* Comments, people...

Tiberius wrote:*Cough* Comments, people...

Coughdrop?

Smart alec. I want comments on this.

Just read through the full thing. I think it's great, and I'll be looking forward for the next installment.

The whole thing? How long did it take you? And what were your favorite parts so far?

Why does no one comment? Is it that bad?

Oh for gods sake. Look, for a really, really amazing book you might get 1 out of every few thousand people reading it. Thats a good book.

Now this site has about 15-18 active members. You do the math. Getting even 2 responces per chapter would be a good return.

Then there is also the fact that people cant be bothered. Or they just didnt read it.

I only read the last installment cause you kept on asking. It may be well written but I really have no desire to read it, If I read every book that was well written I wouldnt be doing anything else.

Stop taking it personally.

You should be writting this for yourself, not for us or anyone else.