LOG 007 – THE FIRMAMENT

Captain's Log, Stardate 57637.9.

An old Starfleet long-range probe has started transmitting again after nearly a century. So far, the data only consists of basic telemetry, with little information on the probe's status beyond its electronic "heartbeat". The Melbourne is now enroute to the location of the signal, an apparently uninhabited red dwarf system 25 light years from our current position.

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three
• Memory Alpha - The Preservers
• Stellar Cartography - The Firmament

PART ONE

As the USS Melbourne approaches the target system, scans show that there are no planets, just a wide asteroid belt formed from the dim star's original protoplanetary disk, and the signal is coming from one of the larger asteroids in the belt. Once in the system proper and closing on the asteroid belt the scans indicate that there is insufficient mass to account for the entire probe. As the ship reaches visual range, the part of the asteroid's surface where the probe's signal is coming can be seen to have been altered, with concentric circles in a bullseye pattern visible from orbit. The circles are burned into the surface, apparently with a high-energy tool that has fused the material; additionally, the circles have been created with a mathematical precision and with radii representing the first 10 digits of the Fibonacci Sequence.

After consulting with the senior staff in the conference room, Capt. Mitchell agrees with Cmdr. Partav's proposal to take an away team down for a closer look. Partav, Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress, Lt. Cmdr. Tir, Lt. Stuart, and Lt. JG Reydon take the shuttlecraft Bolton down to the asteroid surface, with Reydon making a precision landing between one pair of the concentric rings. Donning environment suits, the team leaves the shuttle and examines the site. Sitting in the center of the bullseye formed by the rings is not the probe, but just its transponder and subspace transmitter, both carefully hooked up to a power source of unknown design. More notable than the probe components is what stands beside it; an obelisk-shaped object approximately 1.5 meters tall made up of a metallic alloy similar to duranium and covered in markings.

Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress examines the probe components and finds that the fusion power cell attached to it is of reasonably advanced design and is sufficient to power the transmitter for 10 to 12 months. Turning to the probe components, the transmitter and transponder show signs of having been partially dismantled and reassembled at least once. The fusion cell has been calibrated to match the power requirements of the Federation subspace transmitter. At the same time, Lt. Stuart studies the obelisk, noting immediately that all four sides are covered in precise carvings. The carvings include reproductions of Federation standard letters numbers, all of which would have been visible on signage on the original probe, as well as a reproduction of the Starfleet Arrowhead on one face; while on the opposite face seems to be the equivalent representation of an unknown language with a symbol consisting of a large star shape of four large cardinal points with four smaller points between each. Inside of this star shape are two concentric circles, while the star itself is surrounded by nine additional stars in an irregular pattern, perhaps representing a constellation or regional star map.

The other two faces present a more intriguing case. One of the remaining faces of the obelisk contains visual reproductions of quantifiable amounts representing key mathematical concepts along with what is likely their equivalent representation in the number system of whoever made the obelisk. The final face has visual representations of wave functions as well as a series of numbers written in this number system. Lt. Stuart's detailed scans are sent up to the Melbourne, where Science teams work to decipher them. Thanks to the mathematical concepts presented, they learn that the numbering system is base-60. With that information, they are able to translate the meaning of the numbers on the other face. One set of numbers matches the subspace frequency the probe broadcasts on, meaning that the other set is likely another subspace communications frequency.

Capt. Mitchell calls the away team back to the ship and orders a message containing the same segment of the Fibonacci Sequence represented by the rings on the asteroid to be sent on the indicated frequency. Twenty minutes later an incoming transmission is detected on the same frequency, the response being text only and saying, in Federation Standard, "Stand By". The message repeats, but long-range scans show that the source of the transmission is moving on a course towards the Red Dwarf system, its origin point being somewhere in interstellar space. Likely a starship had been waiting nearby, and is now coming to see who is calling. The transmission source resolves to a vessel moving at approximately Warp 6, reaching the system in short order before dropping out of Warp to approach at impulse speeds. Capt. Mitchell orders the Melbourne out of the asteroid fields to intercept the incoming ship.

Hailing frequencies are opened and the commander of the other vessel appears on screen. He appears human, with a prominent beard, broad facial features and a large nose, and introduces himself as Kibur dur Nakuda of the Firmament starship Ember Guardian and expresses his pleasure at meeting the Federation vessel. Capt. Mitchell and Lt. JG Reydon realize that the newcomers have empathic abilities, adding to the mystery. Mitchell introduces himself and Starfleet, while Capt. Kibur names his people as the Aduan, with the Firmament being the name of the interplanetary government they represent.

After introductions, Capt. Kibur invites Capt. Mitchell and the senior officers to come over to their vessel. Mitchell accepts the offer and orders the senior staff into dress uniforms for the occasion. Cmdr. Partav wants to stay behind, indicating that at least one senior officer should remain aboard, but Capt. Mitchell indicates they should have faith in the rest of the Melbourne crew to be able to handle things in their absence and that Partav will accompany them.

The Melbourne's senior officers beam over to the Ember Guardian, materializing in the vessel's large shuttlebay as the Firmament do not possess transporter technology. Meeting the Aduan face-to-face, it is clear they have a general human appearance, though are shorter and stockier than humans with large, wide noses and a more prominent sloped brow. The males present also all appear to sport a beard, which many have chosen to style or decorate. For their part, the Aduan are surprised by the diversity of the Melbourne's crew, having never encountered another alien species before, and are equally puzzled by the apparent lack of empathic ability among the senior officers, aside from Capt. Mitchell himself.

Capt. Kibur and his own senior officers escort the visitors from the Melbourne to a meeting room that has been set up for a formal dinner. On the way, LT. Cmdr. Tir strikes up a conversation with Kibur's second, Navigator Tavara syr Moha, who is curious about Mera's symbiont, which Tavara's empathic senses have detected. Mera also takes the opportunity to note the internal security features of the Aduan vessel. When they reach the dining hall, a large meal has been set out. The food is a mix of meat, vegetables and breads, along with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Capt. Mitchell uses the opportunity to probe into the Aduan culture, while Partav takes the food as an excuse to have Lt. Cmdr. Tir to scan with her tricorder, ostensibly to verify that the food is safe for the crew but also giving a chance to get a scan of the Aduan themselves.

Over the course of the dinner, the crew learn more about the Aduan and their government. The Firmament encompasses several colony worlds of the Aduan, but they have not encountered any other alien species. Their awareness of other life comes from discoveries like having found the old Federation probe, as well as ruins of ancient civilizations on other worlds. Capt. Mitchell notes that this seems to be a common aspect of this region of space, that while there are a variety of intelligent spacefaring species, they seem to be spread out and separated from each other, not in close proximity like the worlds of the Federation and their neighbors were. Capt. Kibur changes the subject at one point to bring up a matter of some importance, that their homeworld is facing a threat that they hope the Starfleet vessel can help with. According to Kibur, the moon of their homeworld has begun drifting dangerously close to the planet, causing major disruptions and threatening to break up and rain down destruction across the surface. Capt. Mitchell tells Kibur that they are in luck, as Parliament-class ships like the USS Melbourne are designed for major engineering challenges and they are happy to offer assistance.

The dinner winds down and the Starfleet officers are ready to depart, with Capt. Kibur stating that he will escort the Melbourne to their homeworld, where his government will be happy to meet them and accept any assistance they can offer. Capt. Mitchell and crew beam back to their ship, where Lt. Cmdr Tir downloads the data from her tricorder. The officers are shocked when the computer comes back with a match from the scans of the Aduan almost immediately. According to records the DNA of the Aduan is an almost perfect match for Homo neanderthalensis, the Aduan appear to be descended from the extinct Neanderthals of prehistoric Earth.

PART TWO

As the USS Melbourne enters the star system Capt. Mitchell orders basic scans to try and assess more about how the Aduan use the different planets in the system, including any potential signs of mismanagement or other indications their new friends are not as peaceful as they have presented themselves. Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress's analysis of the scans does not turn up anything beyond indications of civilian space traffic and the presence of both mining and scientific operations on a variety of the gas giant moons and asteroids around the star system.

The Ember Guardian brings the USS Melbourne into orbit around Atrathis, the Aduan homeworld. Lt. Stuart is able to get a good scan of the planet's large moon, confirming that it's orbit is decaying and it is weeks or months from crossing the Roche Limit, where it would start to be torn apart by tidal forces. There is evidence of decades of mining on the moon, but not anywhere near the level that would have changed the satellite's mass enough to affect its orbit. Capt. Kibur of the Ember Guardian hails the Melbourne, telling Capt. Mitchell that the government leaders are waiting to meet them and offers to fly them down in his shuttle. Capt. Mitchell agrees, and assembles a diplomatic team consisting of himself, Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress, Lt. Cmdr. Tir, Lt. Stuart, and Ship's Counselor Jin Zhou; leaving Cmdr. Partav in command of the ship during his absence. Capt. Kibur's shuttle lands in the Melbourne's shuttle bay where the diplomatic team joins Kibur and his co-pilot Kina syr Evet aboard and they depart for the planet's surface.

Capt. Kibur takes the opportunity to give the visitors a good view of the planet as he comes down through Atrathis' atmosphere. He first passes over a large ocean dotted with many island chains, flying low enough for the passengers to catch sight of large transport or passenger boats that use massive sails to assist with propulsion. Continuing the flight over land, the Starfleet officers look down over large fields where they recognize some animals that are clearly extinct Pleistocene megafauna from Earth, not necessarily surprising given the apparent origin of the Aduan themselves. The animals exist alongside other creatures that are very much not of Terran origin, lending credence to initial assumptions that the Aduan had somehow been transplanted to this world.

The shuttle finally reaches a city, the layout of which reminds Capt. Mitchell of the ancient Mayan cities on Earth. Large open spaces and wide boulevards separate low, flat buildings, some rectangular but many in the form of step pyramids. Buildings are often covered in ornate carvings and decoration, and statues and monuments line the boulevards. The shuttle lands in the courtyard before a large step pyramid decorated with many colorful banners, the most notable one containing the same symbol the Starfleet officers had seen on the obelisk they had discovered. Waiting at the entrance to the pyramid is a welcoming committee of officials.

Capt. Kibur makes the initial introductions, presenting his superior officer and commander of the Aduan space fleet Admiral Randar dur Elian Far Traveler, and the leader of the governing body of The Firmament, Prime Minister Vadran dur Orzur. After formal introductions the envoys are taken inside the pyramid, which consists of wide open rooms and tall corridors. More is learned about the history of the Aduan and their world, Atrathis, including the awareness that they are not native to this planet. The Starfleet officers are curious, and they are taken to a large audience hall where they meet Doctor Vathera syr Caetyo, one of the lead Aduan scientists. Using holographic projection equipment built into what otherwise looks like an archaic stone-carved table, Dr. Vathera goes into more details.

Buried deep in their history, the Aduan always had legends that hinted at an origin off-world, but it was evidence found in the archaeological record, and later confirmed through genetic analysis, that confirmed these myths. As their knowledge increased, it had become apparent to the Aduan archaeologists that their existence on this planet only went back about 100,000 years. Evolutionary scientists were puzzled at an inability to find any ancestor species for themselves and several other animals, while others had viable ancient lineages. Discovery of DNA and the development of genetic science confirmed that while the Aduan had genetic markers in common with several of the fauna of their world, these markers were not native to Atrathis.

Earlier, Cmdr. Partav had postulated the possibility of the Preservers, ancient aliens known to have transplanted endangered species to other worlds and who had been active around the time of the Neanderthals on Earth, as an explanation. Know that the Preservers typically left some form of physical evidence in the form of obelisk-like structures, Capt. Mitchell has the Melbourne scan the islands in the Great Ocean of Atrathis, thinking those a likely location. When the scans reveal nothing, he still opts to describe what they are looking for to the Aduan. Dr. Caetyo nods and brings up a new holographic projection, one clearly showing a Preserver Obelisk, and tells the Away Team that they are quite familiar with the object, but they did not find it on Atrathis but on its Moon.

PART THREE

Prime Minister Vadran and Admiral Randar are called away due to an emergency, leaving Capt. Mitchell and the Away Team with Dr. Vathera and her assistants. Capt. Mitchell tells Dr. Vathera about the Federation's encounters with Preserver technology and then contacts the Melbourne to fill in Cmdr. Partav about the revelation. From the original USS Enterprise encounter with a Preserver Obelisk, Partav notes that a musical cypher was the key to gaining entrance to the interior, triggered accidentally by Capt. James T. Kirk when he used his communicator to contact his ship. Capt. Mitchell concurs and requests that the black case from his quarters be retrieved and a 23rd Century Starfleet communicator replicated. Cmdr. Partav notes that the sounds of the old communicator can easily be simulated but Mitchell responds that he wants "the flippy thing".

While the Captain is contacting the ship, Lt. Stuart reviews all of the data that Dr. Vathera has provided on the Atrathis Moon. The first thing that becomes apparent is that despite the size difference between Atrathis and Earth, Atrathis' Moon behaves identically to Luna, always presenting the same face towards the planet and being the perfect size to cause periodic total solar eclipses. The odds of this being a coincidence are extremely low, so Loto runs some quick simulations and is able to all but confirm that based on the natural properties of the Moon it should not have been stable in the orbit it had occupied before that started to decay. The likely explanation is that the Preservers moved the Moon to its orbit, either changing the orbit of an already present satellite or relocating a suitable candidate from one of the system's gas giants or asteroid belts. In all likelihood the Obelisk contains machinery intended to keep it in the preferred orbit, machinery that now appears to be failing.

Capt. Mitchell speaks with Dr. Vathera, noting that the Melbourne is well equipped to help unlock the mysteries of the Obelisk and hopefully fix the problem, as well as offering to help with the natural disasters plaguing Atrathis due to the Moon's decaying orbit. She cannot grant permissions herself, so takes the Captain and Ship's Counselor Zhou to go meet with the Prime Minister and Admiral, leaving her two assistants, Merana syr Bholi and Vargil dur Zoze to continue working with Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress and Lt. Stuart on the Moon and the Preserver Obelisk situation. Dr. Vathera escorts the Captain and Counselor through some security checkpoints deeper within the government facility, bringing them to a large situation room that is abuzz with activity. The walls of the situation room are covered in large displays showing a variety of ongoing situations across Atrathis, while the center of the room is dominated by a large holographic projection of the globe, with one region marked by a blinking red spot. Prime Minister Vadran notes the new arrivals but apologizes that they do not have time to talk. A protective dam has failed and a tidal bore is flooding a major inland city. Capt. Mitchell offers the Melbourne's help in the emergency, and his empathic abilities are able to clearly show his sincerity, convincing the Admiral Randar and the Prime Minister.

With permission granted to render assistance, Capt. Mitchell immediately contacts Partav on the Melbourne informing him of the situation. Lt. Cmdr. Tir beams back to the ship to assist and Partav orders Lt. JG Reydon to bring the Melbourne down into the planet's atmosphere while directing all transporters to be brought online to evacuate the civilians caught in the flood. With the Melbourne carefully positioned ahead of the wave, Lt. Cmdr. Tir uses the ship's tractor beams to hold back the flood while the transporter operators beam anyone caught in the path to a designated evacuation site on higher ground. With the evacuation in process, Partav proceeds to direct the engineering teams to build an emergency replacement for the dam, since they can't use the tractor beams indefinitely.

The crisis now in hand, Capt. Mitchell and Dr. Vathera fill in the Prime Minister and Admiral about the Preserver Obelisk, getting authorization to investigate the Obelisk. Mitchell. Ahn'Kress and Stuart beam back to the Melbourne, along with Dr. Vathera and her two assistants. Once aboard Capt. Mitchell collects his case and the replicated communicator before assembling the team to work on the Obelisk. Partav protests the Captain taking the lead on the mission, but Mitchell points out that his background in Xenohistory, and in music, makes him the more qualified person. Partav relents and stays on the Melbourne to continue supporting the evacuation and rebuilding the dam.

The Preserver Obelisk sits in a lunar crater on the Moon's dark side, with the Aduan having erected a protective dome over the crater, though it is not fully sealed so the interior is still in vacuum. Scans show that the Obelisk is merely the top of a larger structure that extends below the surface. The scans are not able to penetrate the interior, an issue the Aduan have also encountered. The walls have also proven impervious to cutting, to a degree that anything powerful enough to break through (like antimatter) would also destroy it. Engineers from the Melbourne are able to create an atmosphere around the Obelisk itself, and Capt. Mitchell takes down a team consisting of himself, Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress, Lt. Stuart, and Ens. Shryra. Lt. Cmdr. Tir also joins the Away Team, sent by Cmdr. Partav to try and keep the Captain from getting himself killed. The Aduan are represented by Dr. Vathera, her two assistants, and Jarvan dur Virac, the scientist in charge of the Obelisk site.

At the Obelisk, it is apparent that this one is not entirely identical to the one the USS Enterprise had encountered. The Aduan Obelisk is slightly larger, and the glyphs decorating the exterior are different. An attempt to gain access using the same sonic prompt discovered by Capt. Kirk using his communicator fails, so Capt. Mitchell opens his case and takes out his guitar. With Ens. Shryra assisting, Capt. Mitchell works to decipher the correct musical code represented by the glyphs on the Obelisk, using the logs of Spock's work on the glyphs a century earlier. They are able to find the key, with Capt. Mitchell realizing that this Obelisk was keyed for the Aduan to possibly access it, meaning that there was an empathic component in addition to the musical code. With the solution in hand, Capt. Mitchell uses his guitar to play the music while also broadcasting the empathic cue, causing a panel to slide open revealing a stairway down into the Obelisk's interior.

The Away Team and their Aduan comrades descend into the Obelisk, with the stairs taking them into a control room similar in layout to the one seen by the USS Enterprise. Ahn'Kress's feline hearing picks up a subsonic thrumming, which seems to originate deeper in the complex, while Lt. Stuart and Ens. Shryra work to decipher the console with Capt. Mitchell's assistance as the Aduan scientists watch on. Meanwhile, Lt. Cmdr. Tir leverages the memories of her previous host, who had been an archaeologist, to survey the area. Stuart and Shryra learn from the console that the Obelisk complex contains a massive electromagnetic manipulator, which uses the magnetic field of the planet itself to keep the Moon, with its iron core in the desired orbit. According to the console, the manipulator is malfunctioning, though it gives no details on what the problem might be. The Away Team will need to progress deeper into the complex to find out.

Based on her examination of the room, Lt. Cmdr. Tir discovers a hidden doorway that opens up to a magnetic lift platform. The platform is still functional, so the group is able to use it to descend to the level below. This level contains additional complex machinery, which Ahn'Kress recognizes as a power relay system. This machinery appears to still be operational, so is not the source of the malfunction and the team must continue on deeper into the complex. A stairway leads down to the next level, which contains several crystalline matrices of unknown function. Tir is able to realize that they are in fact a trap, and is able to get the team to turn off their tricorders before their scans cause a resonance in the crystals, which would have triggered a defensive system. Passing through this area the group descends to the next level where they discover a room showing signs of damage, something that should not be possible given the strength of the complex's exterior shell.

When Ahn'Kress takes a closer look at the nature of the damage, she deduces that it could have been caused by a large moonquake or similar disturbance. Lt. Stuart wonders if a meteor impact could have caused it, and Dr. Vathera confirms that the Moon had been struck by a large meteor over a century earlier, years before the Aduan space program had taken them off the surface of Atrathis. In fact, the meteor became the primary source of dilithium for the early Aduan efforts at warp travel, before they discovered that the asteroid belts in the system, the source of the meteor, were an even greater supply. Ahn'Kress and Stuart surmise that this impact may have been what damaged the machinery, leading to the Obelisk no longer being able to keep the Moon in its desired orbit.

From this part of the complex the team descends a large sloping corridor, with the thrumming now loud enough for everyone to hear. Capt. Mitchell also picks up on a disruption in the harmonics of the thrumming, perhaps a clue to the nature of the malfunction. The corridor opens up to a massive underground chamber nearly half a kilometer long and half as much wide filled with rows of arches, each a dozen meters across, embedded in the surface. The arches are the source of the thrumming, and flash in sequence with a purple-blue aura. This is clearly the electromagnetic manipulator, and the damage is clear as several of the arches have been knocked out of alignment, throwing off bolts of electricity as their place in the sequence is reached.

Ahn'Kress, Stuart and Shryra get to work examining the damage. Shryra notes that it will take a repulsor beam or similar equipment to properly realign the damaged arches, but the electric bolts would be lethal to people and equipment trying to do so. Remembering the power relay room, Ahn'Kress believes she can reduce the power level to the machine long enough for an engineering team from the Melbourne to repair the damage. Stuart indicates that if they can realign the arches, he can use the controls to move the Moon back to its intended position after which the machine can be left on automatic to keep the orbit stable. Capt. Mitchell orders them to proceed, and with Dr. Vathera and her Aduan scientists and engineers assisting the repairs are completed. Lt. Stuart and Dr. Vathera then use the machine's controls to move the Moon back into position, the increased manipulation of the planet's magnetic fields generating spectacular auroras visible from across the surface and from orbit.

Prime Minister Vadran and Admiral Randar offer the thanks of the Aduan people to the crew of the USS Melbourne for helping to save the planet. A planetary holiday is declared with a massive celebration honoring the Starfleet officers. Capt. Mitchell makes sure that the senior officers and those who worked hard on both the efforts with the Obelisk and the evacuations take the time to appreciate what they have accomplished, awarding commendations to the entire crew. As the USS Melbourne prepares to depart, the Prime Minister gladly establishes formal diplomatic relations with the Federation, looking forward to future contacts.