The Phantom Nebula (Closed)

[Don Damien Addams]

[Mary Walker]

Don was listening to Lek asking questions to Ensign Sugiyama to see what the Scientist had to say. It had an elastic reaction to it which was not good, but possibly they can use that for their advantage. How could they do that?

"Adding what Lek got. We need an area where we can push it as much as we can. And hopefully it will snap and shoot us away," he added. That was what he had hoped to escape.

"œI am going to contact the ship," he told them.

Mary Walker to USS Discovery Addams here. We are confronted by an alien nebula that seems to be holding us. 

Then to a big disappointment Don had realized something. The new technology had allowed him to learn the bad news. "We are not able to contact the ship," he said. This was not going well. That was what was expected. A small percent of things never work your way. And this was one of them.

"œWe have a fluctuating power from power source pack four," he reported. He had tried to transfer the power at the console for engines.

[Kimiko Sugiyama]

"Okay, what do the probes show? Is there any data we can use from them to change our situation? I know this isn't an exact analogy, but, if this space is elastic, can we tap into that and slingshot ourselves out of here? Even the most complicated puzzle has a solution, it just takes time to find it."

Kimi opened her mouth and closed it again. Her face was hot and she felt flustered.

"I... don't know," she admitted. "I'm not sure that trying to ram our way out is wise. It's not like a physical barrier like the skin of a balloon... the probes just seem to have, well, different readings, like they are in different places to us, or where they were five minutes ago."

She looked at the Ferengi, almost pleadingly. "I need more time... I have to study this data... this is not my specialty, whatever this is... I think we're in trouble..."

"Adding what Lek got. We need an area where we can push it as much as we can. And hopefully it will snap and shoot us away," he added. That was what he had hoped to escape.

"œI am going to contact the ship," he told them.

Mary Walker to USS Discovery Addams here. We are confronted by an alien nebula that seems to be holding us. 

Then to a big disappointment Don had realized something. The new technology had allowed him to learn the bad news. "We are not able to contact the ship," he said. This was not going well. That was what was expected. A small percent of things never work your way. And this was one of them.

"œWe have a fluctuating power from power source pack four," he reported. He had tried to transfer the power at the console for engines.

Kimi's jaw fell open. They were out of communication with the Discovery, and Addams had discovered a power drain!

"We're in trouble!" she said. "I recommend all-stop until I can compare the data-sets from our sensors and those of the probes. Shut down unessential systems, conserve energy."

This last part would have been Lek's call as Engineer anyway, but she was just thinking out loud now.

"I'll go to the lab - try and figure this out..."

*    *    *

[Science lab - amidships - Mary Walker]

Kimi watched the simulations scrolling across three giant monitors. Her eyes itched from staring too long in the eerie darkness forced by the shut down.

But there was a pattern emerging. She was starting to sense it. It did seem spacial, rather than time-linked. Some kind of invisible anomalies; when the probes passed through these "bubbles" (she had coined Addam's word now) they jumped in location, or reset back where they entered. But it did affect the time stamps, too, so that it happened without registering on the constant streams of data flowing back and forth. She had mapped out a little maze of them around the Mary Walker so far. Maybe, just maybe... there might be a path out of this, if they kept on working the data flows, and if (a very big if) these bubbles did not move around too much, destroying the validity of the map.

She was starting to think of the bubbles as dimensional shifts - sucking anything that entered them out of realspace, then depositing them back in at a different spot. Like jumping into a flowing river alongside a static bank, then getting back out again at a different place.

She wondered again about the idea of trying to ram through. It might work, like skipping across the river to the other side, at high velocity before it dragged them out of realspace? Maybe worth a shot...

A tapping disturbed her concentration and she turned to the open doorway of the lab. She had fixed it open to help with ventilation in the shut down. Did something move out there in the even darker corridor?

"M'rrow? Is that you?" she called.

The Caitian could prowl around almost silently, and had caught her by surprise several times already. The darkness answered only with silence.

The hairs began to rise on the back of Kimi's neck. She had a feeling she was being watched.

"M'rrow! It's not funny! Come out."

Still the silence pressed back against her.

"Commander Addams? Chief Lek?" she said, her voice wavering. She peered out from the lab, looking both ways down the corridor. Something, half a sound, caught her attention from one direction. She bit her lip, not wanting to leave the lab - a childlike fear of the darkness suddenly seizing her limbs and clamping them in place.

Then she heard a sound. It was almost indescribable.

Once, as a child, she had been to the jungles of Madagascar for a field trip. The aye-aye's were the strangest thing she had ever seen - recently reintroduced through genetic revival. The odd, ghostly tapping they made when they knocked on the woods at night...

It sounded just like what she heard now.

Her heart leapt into her mouth. She held her breath, worked up the courage, then sprinted down the dark submarine-like passage as fast as she could, for the cockpit.

She burst in and finally let out her breath.

"I... think... we should get out of here," she gasped between breaths. "Can we... run an internal scan... make sure nothing... umm, got in?"

[Lek]

Kimi opened her mouth and closed it again. Her face was hot and she felt flustered.

"I... don't know," she admitted. "I'm not sure that trying to ram our way out is wise. It's not like a physical barrier like the skin of a balloon... the probes just seem to have, well, different readings, like they are in different places to us, or where they were five minutes ago."

She looked at the Ferengi, almost pleadingly. "I need more time... I have to study this data... this is not my specialty, whatever this is... I think we're in trouble..."

Kimi's jaw fell open. They were out of communication with the Discovery, and Addams had discovered a power drain!

"We're in trouble!" she said. "I recommend all-stop until I can compare the data-sets from our sensors and those of the probes. Shut down unessential systems, conserve energy."

This last part would have been Lek's call as Engineer anyway, but she was just thinking out loud now.

"I'll go to the lab - try and figure this out..."

*    *    *

[Shuttlecraft Mary Walker - Phantom Nebula]

Lek could tell the young feemale was having trouble with processing information while outside of the nice safe confines of the Academy. There, despite the realism, nothing could hurt you and if anything went wrong, the instructors would simply stop the simulation. Here, there were no safeties and a mistake could very well kill you. Like the old saying said, 'in space, doing anything can kill you, including doing nothing at all.'

"Ensign, this may not be your specialty, but you are our specialist today, so it is not time to worry about what you don't have and to concentrate on what you do have. As moving isn't working, coming to a stop makes a lot of sense to me. And while you are studying the data, I will take a look at that power drain."

[Science lab - amidships - Mary Walker]

Kimi watched the simulations scrolling across three giant monitors. Her eyes itched from staring too long in the eerie darkness forced by the shut down.

But there was a pattern emerging. She was starting to sense it. It did seem spacial, rather than time-linked. Some kind of invisible anomalies; when the probes passed through these "bubbles" (she had coined Addam's word now) they jumped in location, or reset back where they entered. But it did affect the time stamps, too, so that it happened without registering on the constant streams of data flowing back and forth. She had mapped out a little maze of them around the Mary Walker so far. Maybe, just maybe... there might be a path out of this, if they kept on working the data flows, and if (a very big if) these bubbles did not move around too much, destroying the validity of the map.

She was starting to think of the bubbles as dimensional shifts - sucking anything that entered them out of realspace, then depositing them back in at a different spot. Like jumping into a flowing river alongside a static bank, then getting back out again at a different place.

She wondered again about the idea of trying to ram through. It might work, like skipping across the river to the other side, at high velocity before it dragged them out of realspace? Maybe worth a shot...

A tapping disturbed her concentration and she turned to the open doorway of the lab. She had fixed it open to help with ventilation in the shut down. Did something move out there in the even darker corridor?

"M'rrow? Is that you?" she called.

The Caitian could prowl around almost silently, and had caught her by surprise several times already. The darkness answered only with silence.

The hairs began to rise on the back of Kimi's neck. She had a feeling she was being watched.

"M'rrow! It's not funny! Come out."

Still the silence pressed back against her.

"Commander Addams? Chief Lek?" she said, her voice wavering. She peered out from the lab, looking both ways down the corridor. Something, half a sound, caught her attention from one direction. She bit her lip, not wanting to leave the lab - a childlike fear of the darkness suddenly seizing her limbs and clamping them in place.

Then she heard a sound. It was almost indescribable.

Once, as a child, she had been to the jungles of Madagascar for a field trip. The aye-aye's were the strangest thing she had ever seen - recently reintroduced through genetic revival. The odd, ghostly tapping they made when they knocked on the woods at night...

It sounded just like what she heard now.

Her heart leapt into her mouth. She held her breath, worked up the courage, then sprinted down the dark submarine-like passage as fast as she could, for the cockpit.

She burst in and finally let out her breath.

"I... think... we should get out of here," she gasped between breaths. "Can we... run an internal scan... make sure nothing... umm, got in?"

[Shuttlecraft Mary Walker - Phantom Nebula]

Adding to Kimi's distress as she recoiled from the unknown sounds, M'rrow spoke from behind Kimi in the opposite direction of the shadows.

"May I be of assistance Ensign? You seem to be in distress."

[Kimiko Sugiyama]

[Shuttlecraft Mary Walker - inside the Phantom Nebula]

Adding to Kimi's distress as she recoiled from the unknown sounds, M'rrow spoke from behind Kimi in the opposite direction of the shadows.

"May I be of assistance Ensign? You seem to be in distress."

Kimi whirled and yelped. When she saw it was M'rrow she groaned, half in relief, half in annoyance. She punched the Caitian on the shoulder.

"Stop doing that!"

She took several breaths to calm herself, keenly aware of the scrutiny of the others. Finally, she gathered her wits.

"I'm fine, thank you. I have made some progress in mapping the... dimensional paradoxes..." she decided bubbles was a bit unscientific. "We have a partial path to move along. I am afraid it does not move us directly toward the edge of the nebula from which we entered, but at least it is progress along a vector. In fact..."

She wondered about this revelation now it became clear in her mind.

"... it seems to point us toward this nearest darkstar system. I recommend we at least try to navigate the path as discovered so far, to see if the means by which I have hypothetically mapped is at least working. If we get nearer to the system, we know we can use the method to try and find other paths."

She offered her PADD. "The vectors are in here, for inputting into the navcom - or you should try it manually?"

The chance to talk and the close proximity of the others now banished her earlier feelings of terror. Stupid little girl, she scolded herself. No need to be afraid of the dark...

[Lek]

[Shuttlecraft Mary Walker - inside the Phantom Nebula]

Kimi whirled and yelped. When she saw it was M'rrow she groaned, half in relief, half in annoyance. She punched the Caitian on the shoulder.

"Stop doing that!"

She took several breaths to calm herself, keenly aware of the scrutiny of the others. Finally, she gathered her wits.

"I'm fine, thank you. I have made some progress in mapping the... dimensional paradoxes..." she decided bubbles was a bit unscientific. "We have a partial path to move along. I am afraid it does not move us directly toward the edge of the nebula from which we entered, but at least it is progress along a vector. In fact..."

She wondered about this revelation now it became clear in her mind.

"... it seems to point us toward this nearest darkstar system. I recommend we at least try to navigate the path as discovered so far, to see if the means by which I have hypothetically mapped is at least working. If we get nearer to the system, we know we can use the method to try and find other paths."

She offered her PADD. "The vectors are in here, for inputting into the navcom - or you should try it manually?"

The chance to talk and the close proximity of the others now banished her earlier feelings of terror. Stupid little girl, she scolded herself. No need to be afraid of the dark...

[Shuttlecraft Mary Walker - Phantom Nebula]

Lek gave Kimi a reassuring toothy smile and said.

"Having a plan, is better than not having a plan. I get on the surface, moving deeper into the nebula to exit is counterintuitive, but the only stupid plan is one that doesn't work. I'll keep monitoring that power drain and you keep at trying to get us out of here."

[Don Damien Addams]

[Mary Walker]

"œGood work, Ensign!" Don complimented her. "œI agree with Lek. The right plan is better than no other plan. So we have pockets open and close on us. Sounds like my days when I was space racing. Obstacle course throws things at you and forces you to dodge and roll," he shared. He now wondered if he had been doing the Tiger Holodeck program would have made him a much better pilot. Only he could go back in time for that with the P40 training in his hands.

"œThere is a path which it leads," he sounded concerned as he was not liking the bread crumbs in space leading to a place. "œYou think that is natural as a trail. Or can it possibly be someone in distress or someone baiting us in?"

He gave this a quick thought, being an anomaly he could attempt to dodge and roll out of these pockets or he could simply drain the engines from resources they need. He had two crew members to protect. If he was alone. He goes for it. He knew he had some chances but this was something he knew. Risk factors can cause more harm when you have people with you.

On the other hand if they take too long then Discovery will come and try to help them. Unless time here was different. Like slower than the space they come from. That would be a killer.

"œWell it seems we follow the crumbs," he said. "œUnless this was going to strain the engines. What do you think about Lek?"

[Kimiko Sugiyama]

[Bridge, the Mary Walker, Phantom Nebula]

"Having a plan, is better than having a plan. I get on the surface, moving deeper into the nebula to exit is counterintuitive, but the only stupid plan is one that doesn't work. I'll keep monitoring that power drain and keep at trying to get us out of here."

"œGood work, Ensign!" Don complimented her. "œI agree with Lek. The right plan is better than no other plan. So we have pockets open and close on us. Sounds like my days when I was space racing. Obstacle course throws things at you and forces you to dodge and roll," he shared. He now wondered if he had been doing the Tiger Holodeck program would have made him a much better pilot. Only he could go back in time for that with the P40 training in his hands.

"œThere is a path which it leads," he sounded concerned as he was not liking the bread crumbs in space leading to a place. "œYou think that is natural as a trail. Or can it possibly be someone in distress or someone baiting us in?"

Kimi had thought about this. Maybe it was just coincidence. The path might turn dramatically long before they reached the planet. It was just... each time she looked at the shadowy world, she thought she heard an echo of that eerie tapping sound from earlier.

"It is possible the pathway is created, guiding us to a place for unknown reasons, Sir. That would require a level of technology and understanding of sub-space profoundly in advance of our own. I feel that we have no choice but to follow it, for now."

"œWell it seems we follow the crumbs," he said. "œUnless this was going to strain the engines. What do you think about Lek?"

Kimi settled into the science station on the bridge again, directly behind the two senior officers. She threw open the sensors and established real-time links with the probes. She began programming them to follow the route. She felt reassured with Addams at the helm. With his piloting skills, he was possibly the best person in the Galaxy to get them out of this hole now. And with Lek watching over the engines and power, they stood the best chance possible.

She did have one more concern, and turned to M'rrow. "Doctor, could you stay here on bridge and monitor internal sensors and hull-shield integrity? I just... had a feeling before, that something might be here inside the ship with us. It may happen again if we pass through the paradoxes..."

[Lek]

[Bridge, the Mary Walker, Phantom Nebula]

Kimi had thought about this. Maybe it was just coincidence. The path might turn dramatically long before they reached the planet. It was just... each time she looked at the shadowy world, she thought she heard an echo of that eerie tapping sound from earlier.

"It is possible the pathway is created, guiding us to a place for unknown reasons, Sir. That would require a level of technology and understanding of sub-space profoundly in advance of our own. I feel that we have no choice but to follow it, for now."

Kimi settled into the science station on the bridge again, directly behind the two senior officers. She threw open the sensors and established real-time links with the probes. She began programming them to follow the route. She felt reassured with Addams at the helm. With his piloting skills, he was possibly the best person in the Galaxy to get them out of this hole now. And with Lek watching over the engines and power, they stood the best chance possible.

She did have one more concern, and turned to M'rrow. "Doctor, could you stay here on bridge and monitor internal sensors and hull-shield integrity? I just... had a feeling before, that something might be here inside the ship with us. It may happen again if we pass through the paradoxes..."

[Shuttlecraft Mary Walker - Phantom Nebula]

A Caitian's face was not as expressive as a humans, so they made up for it with a complex series of ear flicking movements, typically beyond the ability of non-Caitian's to understand. M'rrow's ears were flicking as Kimi spoke, especially when she mentioned they might not be alone. However, the Caitian was completely professional as he replied.

"I will assist in whatever way I can Ensign."

M'rrow then took his place at one of the consoles to do as he was asked.

In the cockpit, Lek was also monitoring the shuttle and wasn't happy. The power drain was slow, but it was steady. Despite all power systems showing nominal, they were at 93% of rated power and dropping. The part Lek disliked the most was the fact that despite all his efforts to conserve and reroute power was having no effect in stopping the drain, it slowed it, but he could not stop it.

"Ensign, I'm fairly certain that this power drain is a byproduct of the odd nature of the nebula, but I don't like that we are losing power. I know you are working as fast as you can, but you need to know we are on the clock as well as trapped. Good times."

[Don Damien Addams]

[Mary Walker - Cockpit]

With the situation they had was not good. They were a missing shuttle that the Discovery was fully aware. The time of being to long was on their side. The Discovery surely come investigate cause they know the location they are. And knowing they are gone would raise high concerns with the Captain. Then he will use his science brain with others to crack the ice to save them and figure what's up with this nebula.

"I am going to slowly have us head to that dark spot planet," he told them. "No other option we have..." he paused. "However, can you calculate if we try out maneuver to get out. You think those patches of jump will drain us more?" He had not want just give up. He had figured they can attempt to escape and he wanted to see it was possible with engineering speculations.

He could guess longer they on this mission his wife will being nibbling on something, she be want to eat. He wished she had not worried to much about him. He missed her indeed. He try to send his love to her by imaging that he could. Like a prayer in a way.

[Kimiko Sugiyama]

[Kimi Sugiyama: Bridge - Shuttlecraft Mary Walker - Phantom Nebula]

Kimi settled into her task, encouraged that M'rrow was now also on the job. Another pair of keen feline eyes could only help. With the medical skills he would also be able to spot if anything... unhealthy... might be happening to their internal environment.

"Ensign, I'm fairly certain that this power drain is a byproduct of the odd nature of the nebula, but I don't like that we are losing power. I know you are working as fast as you can, but you need to know we are on the clock as well as trapped. Good times."

"Yes, Sir, I understand," Kimi gulped. It was important not only to figure this out, but fast.

She left it to Addams to pilot along the designated route. It was too much for her to watch him apply those deft little touches with the vectored impulse engines, like threading a needle with a starship-sized point. He was so good, he did it by instinct, and those small slides and shunts he made through space helped them turn bends even the computer could not compute.

So Kimi focused on the probes ranging ahead and close by - constantly monitoring the discrepancies in sensor readings and using the tried and tested method to now start navigating ahead.

Yes, it's working! Now she had figured out the start and first few turns of the tunnel, it was like shining a light ahead so they could see and illuminate the next bends and twists.

She fed the data to the nav-com so Addams could act on it - like the co-pilot of a rally driver calling the next turns on a race track. She did it verbally, too, for a short while; left, left, left, hard right in 0.3 etc. but soon dropped this when she saw he found it better to read the numbers and plot his own moves.

There was one concern. They seemed to be inexorably drawn to the shadow world she had noticed before.

"I am going to slowly have us head to that dark spot planet," he told them. "No other option we have..." he paused. "However, can you calculate if we try out maneuver to get out. You think those patches of jump will drain us more?"

He had noticed as well. Kimi thought about the question. If they tried to break out, would this vampiric effect the nebula seemed to be having on their power levels worsen? It was a hypothesis she did not really want to test out.

Kimi said, "We can attempt a force-out through one of these bubbles - at maximum impulse like you suggested before, Sir. This indeed might have increased drain effect, but it will also have unknown consequences for our time-space position. We are making progress now, and the probe-mapping seems to making us a safe path, albeit in the currently wrong direction."

She bit her lip with indecision. "I feel like we should keep going, wait a little longer and see if a branch in the path emerges, or a gap that might set us back toward the outside of the nebula. If our power drain rate increases or another event drives us to a critical point, we can reassess. Basically, Sir, we maybe try that if we become desperate."

[Lek]

[Kimi Sugiyama: Bridge - Shuttlecraft Mary Walker - Phantom Nebula]

Kimi settled into her task, encouraged that M'rrow was now also on the job. Another pair of keen feline eyes could only help. With the medical skills he would also be able to spot if anything... unhealthy... might be happening to their internal environment.

"Yes, Sir, I understand," Kimi gulped. It was important not only to figure this out, but fast.

She left it to Addams to pilot along the designated route. It was too much for her to watch him apply those deft little touches with the vectored impulse engines, like threading a needle with a starship-sized point. He was so good, he did it by instinct, and those small slides and shunts he made through space helped them turn bends even the computer could not compute.

So Kimi focused on the probes ranging ahead and close by - constantly monitoring the discrepancies in sensor readings and using the tried and tested method to now start navigating ahead.

Yes, it's working! Now she had figured out the start and first few turns of the tunnel, it was like shining a light ahead so they could see and illuminate the next bends and twists.

She fed the data to the nav-com so Addams could act on it - like the co-pilot of a rally driver calling the next turns on a race track. She did it verbally, too, for a short while; left, left, left, hard right in 0.3 etc. but soon dropped this when she saw he found it better to read the numbers and plot his own moves.

There was one concern. They seemed to be inexorably drawn to the shadow world she had noticed before.

He had noticed as well. Kimi thought about the question. If they tried to break out, would this vampiric effect the nebula seemed to be having on their power levels worsen? It was a hypothesis she did not really want to test out.

Kimi said, "We can attempt a force-out through one of these bubbles - at maximum impulse like you suggested before, Sir. This indeed might have increased drain effect, but it will also have unknown consequences for our time-space position. We are making progress now, and the probe-mapping seems to making us a safe path, albeit in the currently wrong direction."

She bit her lip with indecision. "I feel like we should keep going, wait a little longer and see if a branch in the path emerges, or a gap that might set us back toward the outside of the nebula. If our power drain rate increases or another event drives us to a critical point, we can reassess. Basically, Sir, we maybe try that if we become desperate."

[Shuttle Mary Walker - Phantom Nebula]

Lek didn't like that there were so many unknowns in the young ensign's plan, but given this area of space was outside of the understanding of Federation science, unknowns were to be expected.

"Okay, I will re-route all power to impulse and shielding, even life support will go into those two systems. I figure if we don't make it to this shadow planet in the next two hours, we won't need the life support anyway. This configuration isn't a one way situation, but based on the steadiness of the power drain, if this planet of your doesn't work out, we will be very short on options for another plan. I need you to know that before we start."

[Don Damien Addams]

[Shuttle Mary Walker - Phantom Nebula]

Lek didn't like that there were so many unknowns in the young ensign's plan, but given this area of space was outside of the understanding of Federation science, unknowns were to be expected.

"Okay, I will re-route all power to impulse and shielding, even life support will go into those two systems. I figure if we don't make it to this shadow planet in the next two hours, we won't need the life support anyway. This configuration isn't a one way situation, but based on the steadiness of the power drain, if this planet of your doesn't work out, we will be very short on options for another plan. I need you to know that before we start."

[Mary Walker - Cockpit]

"As a scientist can you run some worst case scenario to get an idea. And that is where Lek can see to compare the results. Cause we can try to punch a way out if numbers are in our favor. If not. We continue heading to that planet," he said. He truly wanted the best for the crew. Anything to be the best was better than anything.

[Kimiko Sugiyama]

"Okay, I will re-route all power to impulse and shielding, even life support will go into those two systems. I figure if we don't make it to this shadow planet in the next two hours, we won't need the life support anyway. This configuration isn't a one way situation, but based on the steadiness of the power drain, if this planet of your doesn't work out, we will be very short on options for another plan. I need you to know that before we start."

Two hours? Kimi's brow furrowed. This was real pressure, almost impossible to bear. But she knew this is what it meant to be a Starfleet officer: They had to make tough decisions in tough situations.

"As a scientist can you run some worst case scenario to get an idea. And that is where Lek can see to compare the results. Cause we can try to punch a way out if numbers are in our favor. If not. We continue heading to that planet," he said. He truly wanted the best for the crew. Anything to be the best was better than anything.

Worst case would be... complete erasure from the time-space continuum, Kimi thought grimly. This was not really preferable to slow death by suffocation or freezing once the life-support ran out.

However, Addams and Lek together had given her an idea.

"Let's try a break-out with a probe. Bring one back on board, reconfigure with similar thrust capacity as the Mary Walker - I would need you to help with that, Chief Lek - then shoot it through one of the paradoxes. If we can get a reading from it the other side, we might be able to attempt the same thing ourselves."

She tapped her forefinger on her chin. "In fact, I'll place a little enclosed environment capsule inside the probe with an independent timer, make sure it is all still there and check for dilation on the other side, too."

She checked the ship's clock. Ten minutes to bring it in, twenty perhaps to swap out the parts on the ops deck, then launch again in five?

"Sir," she addressed Addams. "You will need to continue following the course as plotted by the mapping tool while we are busy on this. We don't want to lose any time getting to the planet in case it does not go well..."

[Lek]

Two hours? Kimi's brow furrowed. This was real pressure, almost impossible to bear. But she knew this is what it meant to be a Starfleet officer: They had to make tough decisions in tough situations.

Worst case would be... complete erasure from the time-space continuum, Kimi thought grimly. This was not really preferable to slow death by suffocation or freezing once the life-support ran out.

However, Addams and Lek together had given her an idea.

"Let's try a break-out with a probe. Bring one back on board, reconfigure with similar thrust capacity as the Mary Walker - I would need you to help with that, Chief Lek - then shoot it through one of the paradoxes. If we can get a reading from it the other side, we might be able to attempt the same thing ourselves."

She tapped her forefinger on her chin. "In fact, I'll place a little enclosed environment capsule inside the probe with an independent timer, make sure it is all still there and check for dilation on the other side, too."

She checked the ship's clock. Ten minutes to bring it in, twenty perhaps to swap out the parts on the ops deck, then launch again in five?

"Sir," she addressed Addams. "You will need to continue following the course as plotted by the mapping tool while we are busy on this. We don't want to lose any time getting to the planet in case it does not go well..."

[Shuttlecraft Mary Walker - Phantom Nebula]

Although Lek had done well in astrophysics at the Academy, what was happening here was way beyond his skill level. He was glad the young feemale understood what was going on because he knew he didn't, but a technical problem was something he could wrap his head around.

"Sure, modifying a probe will be simple."

Lek moved to the tractor controls and pulled the nearest probe back into the shuttle. He worked quickly and had moved back to the cockpit in less than a half an hour from snagging the probe.

"We are ready to launch. Do you have a specific... um paradox you want to poke?"

[Kimiko Sugiyama]

[Shuttlecraft Mary Walker - Inside the Nebula]

Kimi watched, impressed, as the Ferengi engineer worked on the ops deck. With furtive movements he quickly dismantled and rebuilt the probe's internal structure. There was a hurried but assured confidence in the work, and he had it done even more quickly than she had estimated.

She lifted in the environmental and timer units and they fitted snugly in, before Lek sealed it again and prepared for launch.

They raced back up to the bridge. As she scampered down the dark corridor with the Chief, she swore she heard an echo of the ghostly tapping again, but shut it from her mind.

They joined Addams and M'rraw and Kimi slid back into her seat.

"We are ready to launch. Do you have a specific... um paradox you want to poke?"

Kimi checked their position and the dimensional anomalies around them.

"We're on a time limit, Sir, so I suggest we take the very next opportunity. There's a horseshoe-shaped one coming up at thirty-five degrees starboard, elevation nine-point-four."

She looked up from her screen. "Horseshoes are supposed to be lucky on my planet. Let's try it. Launch in forty seconds, setting countdown now."

The comment about luck perhaps was a little unscientific and may have sounded desperate. But this was where they were. If this did not work, they were landing on that planet no matter what.

As the seconds counted down she glanced across to the Caitian. "Did anything weird come up on the internal sensors, M'rraw?"