"Crystal Judgment" by Michael Sweeney : Voyager in warp Captains Log some Star date: Voyager has just left an area of space that was mostly empty and unpopulated. We are heading toward a system with a possible M class planet in hopes of getting fresh soil for the on board gardens. Hopefully there will be other raw material that we can use. Perhaps even a little shore leave for a cabin ridden crew. : regular crew rotation except for Paris, some other guy is at helm. Helm guy: Captain, we're entering the J125 system. Janeway: Go to impulse and move us into standard orbit around the M class planet. Kim: Captain, sensors show the atmosphere to be M class, however, about half the planet appears to to be at a much lower level of flora and fauna development. Janeway: What do you mean? Kim: -furrows brow- Its like half the planet was sterilized at some time and then let to grow back. Chakotay: Sterilized? Could it be the Borg? Kim: I'm not reading any of the usual Borg footprints. Tuvok: Captain, the pattern of this sterilization is not consistent with Borg methods. It appears that the planet has been harvested in some way. One half sterilized while the other half continues to grow. Chakotay: -to Janeway- Have we come across somebodies garden? Janeway: Indeed. Mr. Tuvok, scan the entire system for signs of space faring culture. Monitoring outposts, marker buoys. I don't want to be taking liberties that someone might take offense to. Tuvok: General subspace scans and passive scans show no sign of space craft or other constructed objects. I'm not picking up any signals of unnatural origins. The system appears deserted. Janeway: Well, I'm sure it can't hurt to investigate. Mr. Chakotay, prepare an away team. Chakotay: standing It'd probably be best to beam down to an area near the line of harvesting, to get a good reading on both sides of the fence. Janeway: Agreed. scene change- planet side- away team Kim, Chakotay, Kess and Neelix. Kim: -has tricorder out and is taking readings- The line of harvesting is one hundred meters north. We're in an area that was more recently sterilized. Chakotay: Neelix, you and Kes head north and get samples and readings. Be very careful, the fauna development over there is much greater. Neelix: Donít worry, I know how to handle any beasties, and Kes is always good with plants. -Kes and Neelix head off. Chakotay: -kneeling and picking up a handful of the sandy soil- Well, Mr. Kim it appears we've found a planet where the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. Kim: -smiles- I guess so. -studies tricorder- Sir, this is odd. I've sent these reading up to Voyager and tried to run them through our database for a match, but all I've been getting is scrambled. Chakotay: -taps commbadge- Chakotay to Voyager. Are the computer systems functioning properly? Tuvok: filtered I am not aware of any problems, but I will inform engineering to run diagnostics. Chakotay: Tell Be'lanna to make sure the core wasn't damaged from the recent spatial interphase. We can't afford to have lost any data, even the boring stuff. Tuvok: I will make sure she is aware of your concern. Chakotay: -nods and smiles- Kim: -staring at tricorder- Damn! Chakotay: -turns to Kim in surprise- Ensign? (admonishing tone) Kim: -a little flushed- I'm sorry sir, this is frustrating. I've managed to cross reference with Voyagers database, but I can't get it to give me a complete entry. It knows that there is a match, it knows its from a Federation starship, but it can't seem to find the exact file. Chakotay: -serious- A Federation starship has encountered this phenomenon before? Kim: That's what I've managed to weed out. But as I said, (fiddles with tricorder) I can't manage to get a complete entry. There's more, its just lost for some reason. Chakotay: Damn. -Kim and Chakotay look at each other and laugh- -Chakotay's commbadge beeps Janeway: Commander prepare for emergency beam out. We have company. bridge: Chakotay and Kim come onto bridge. Kim replaces some guy at ops. Janeway sitting. Yellow alert light are flashing Chakotay: What is it? Tuvok: Long range sensors have picked up an object moving at high warp speed. Its heading will bring to to this planet. Kim: The object is coming into visual range. Janeway: -standing- On screen. View screen- shows white blur moving towards Voyager. Blur gets bigger and start to take on a tree shape. Chakotay: Mr. Kim, sensors? Kim: Sensors are picking up kinds of em frequencies around the object. I can't get a reading of its structure. view screen: object is clearly visible now and... Kim: Captain, its a Crystalline Entity. End teaser Begin act one Bridge: Chakotay and Janeway are standing. Paris has come onto the bridge and taken helm. Janeway: Go to Red Alert and move us out of its path. Paris: Aye, Captain. on the screen the CE appears to change course Paris: Captain, the Crystal thing has changed course and is heading straight for us. Chakotay: I guess we seem pretty interesting. Janeway: Raise shields. Take us farther away from the system at full impulse. Kim: The entity has slowed down but is still coming at us. It appears to be matching our speed and staying about one kilometer distance. Janeway: Mr. Kim what can you tell us about this Crystalline Entity. Kim: -frustrated- Not much, the computer database has been scrambled in some regions, possibly due to the recent spatial interphase. This reference is one of the areas that has been effected. What I have managed to put together by cross referencing is that the original Crystalline Entity was encountered by the Enterprise-D under Captain Picard. It feeds off the life essence of living organic matter. The android Lore communicated with the Entity and tried to have it destroy the Enterprise. -Kim looks up and smiles a little- He was unsuccessful. Chakotay: Is there anything else? Kim: Yes, actually there is a lot more. But it has been scrambled. I've set the computer on reconstructing those areas of the core, but it will take some time. Tuvok: Captain, the Crystal Entity is moving in closer. I suggest we set our phasers to 1/8th power. If memory serves, this entity was rather aggressive and may be waiting to attack. Janeway: We don't want to damage it, so be careful. Tuvok: The Entity is at 200 meters and closing. It will soon come into contact with our shields. ship rocks slightly outside shot. CE rubs up against Voyagers shields Janeway: Mr. Tuvok, give this being a light stun so it knows we mean business. view screen, Voyager fires phaser at CE. CE get a light hit and backs off. then moves away. Paris: Captain the entity has resumed course to the planet and entered orbit. Its emitting some type or particle beam. Chakotay: I guess we're not on the menu anymore. Tuvok: The Crystalline Entity is harvesting the better half of the planet. My analysis indicates that the other half was harvested some one hundred years ago. Captain, this suggests that the Entity might have a feeding pattern. By correlating its path backwards we can estimate its path forwards and get an idea of possible systems with M class worlds. Janeway: Yes. In the meantime see about beaming up those soil samples. I don't think this owner is going to mind us borrowing some sugar. End act one Begin act two Voyager in warp Captain's Log Supplemental: We have continued on course, leaving behind the strange and beautiful Crystalline Entity. Using Mr. Tuvok's best estimates we have found two other systems that show similar "harvesting". These systems have extremely fertile soil and very resilient flora and fauna. Mr. Kim is continuing the attempt to reconstruct the damage computer files, however we fear that some may be permanently lost. Lieutenant Torres if trying to devise a system that will better protect the memory core. Bridge: Paris: We are now entering system KLI-122, the third system, a binary yellow with white dwarf companion, on Mr. Tuvok's estimated trajectory. Janeway: Slow to impulse. Mr. Kim? Kim: Sensor show ten J class worlds, four moons of I-5 character and one O class planet. Chakotay: -arriving on bridge- O class? That's very rare. -moves next to Kim- Janeway: Life readings? Kim: There are life readings, however sensors are being disrupted by solar flaring from the systems main star. We appear to be on the other side of the companion's foci. Chakotay: The companions what? Janeway: -smiling- The foci. The white dwarfs gravitational field acts as a lens focusing the yellows outward radiation into a coherent stream. Mr. Tuvok, raise shields. Mr. Paris take us through the streamer. Outward shot of Voyager passing through streamer. Bridge Janeway: Now, Mr. Kim? Kim: Sensors are clearing up dramatically. I'm reading an M class world with high amounts of unnatural radiation particles in the atmosphere. Janeway: -taken aback- Unnatural? As in nuclear explosives? Tuvok: It appears that this world has recently suffered from an atomic holocaust. Readings confirm a level two devastation pattern. Chakotay: A civilization that self destructed, not new, but always sad. Janeway: Mr. Kim, you did mention life signs. Survivors? Kim: I'm picking up about three million life patterns consistent with sentient forms. Along with greater amounts of smaller and less advanced flora and fauna. Janeway: -Standing- Mr. Tuvok, is there anyway of deducing how the planet looked before this tragedy? Tuvok: There are precedents for such a reconstruction. I'll set up a database to parse the appropriate information. Torres: -filtered over intercom- Torres to Bridge. Janeway: Go ahead. Torres: Captain, I notice this system has a plasma streamer. Our warp plasma supply could use some shoring up. This would be an excellent opportunity. Janeway: -smile- Agreed. Officer thinking, Lieutenant. Begin your operation. change in time- Captions Ready Room Captain Log: We've been in this system for nearly a week. Lieutenant Torres has used the local plasma streamer to add to our dwindling warp plasma supply. I'm very pleased with her creativity. The Bussard ram scoops have been modified to allow the charged gas into our containment bays. Meanwhile, Mr. Tuvok has been studying the systems only inhabited planet, recovering from an atomic war. door chime- Janeway: -looking up- Come. Tuvok: -walking in- Captain. I have the report you requested. I have identified this civilization as KLI-122-IO. -hands Janeway a PADD- Janeway: Is there a nickname? Tuvok: I believe Ioan will suffice. Janeway: -Takes PADD and looks it over- As explorers we hate to see such self destruction, but we always learn from it. -looks over PADD, then up at Tuvok- A population of a billion? Lord. Tuvok: I was only able to reconstruct 60% of the Ioan population capability. That is a conservative estimate. The current level of technology is post industrial with small pockets of post atomic and space capability. My findings suggest that at least one governing body had space flight and possibly interplanetary. Several impact craters show more than simple nuclear blast, but also land fall, perhaps orbital stations that were taken down by ground based weapons. Janeway: -wincing- Every culture comes to this point, but some don't pull back. -looks up- thinking- Interplanetary? Did you check the other worlds for life? Tuvok: There was a settlement on the primary moon, destroyed, and some development on the third moon. There is the possibility of some surviving under ground on the third moon, but sensors are unable to penetrate the upper crust. Janeway: -thinking- The Prime Directive would definitely be against contact with anyone on that moon. Tuvok: Captain there is one more thing. This planet does show signs of the Crystalline Entities "harvesting patterns". However, in the past I'm sure this planet was robust enough to recover. Considering how long it took Earths population to recover I do not think this civilization will get that chance. Janeway: -looks at PADD- Then they really did destroy themselves. Tuvok: -arching an eyebrow- I believe the Ebrini humor system would classify this as Euthanasia. Janeway: -give Tuvok a startled look- Yes, I guess. -furrows brow- thinking out loud- Is there anyway we could help, some way to deflect the Crystalline Entity, give these people some breathing room? Tuvok: Not without breaking the Prime Directive. This is the natural order of this systems existence. Kim: -filtered by intercom- Bridge to Captain. Janeway: -looking up- Janeway, go ahead. Kim: Captain, sensors indicate that a vessel has been launched from the planets surface. Janeway: -moving out and onto bridge- On screen. -show view screen with planet and rising Apollo type space craft.- Helm, take us behind the planets moon, out of visual range. Mr. Tuvok launch a sensor buoy so we can see what's going on while in sensor shadow. Tuvok: -at Tactical Station- The craft has left the planet atmosphere. Buoy launched. Paris: We are now behind the planets primary moon. Tuvok: Curious. Janeway: -turning to Tuvok- What is it, Mr. Tuvok? Chakotay: -just coming on the bridge- Have I missed anything? Janeway: You always seem to show up at the exciting parts. Tuvok: Captain, the spacecraft is manned with three life forms, however, the craft has left orbit. But not on a trajectory that will take it to any of its moons. Chakotay: Interplanetary? Tuvok: The craft is not equipped for such a voyage, but even so it is not lined up for any planetary rendezvous. Kim: Captain, Iím picking up a radio distress signal, broad band. The capsule is reporting systems failure. Janeway: -looks down- Chakotay: They knew the risks. Kim: -ops board lights up and beeps- Captain, I got a bogey coming in on a five oíclock tangent. Janeway: -looks up- -change to viewer- Tuvok: It is the Crystalline Entity. End act two [ Go to Acts III through VI ]