ONE SMALL STEP
Episode 128
Part A

 

On 19th October, 2032, the Ares IV command module is orbiting Mars.

Inside the command module Lieutenant John Mark Kelly contacts the ground team on the surface of Mars. They are Rose Kumagawa and Andrei Novakovich.

[Joe DiMaggio was a United States professional baseball player noted for his batting ability (1914-1999).]

Kelly, via comms: "Ares IV to Kumagawa. How was the sunrise from down there?" Kumagawa, via comms: "Beautiful. There was a little green mixed in today. It was really quite spectacular." Kelly, via comms: "Sorry I missed it." Kumagawa, via comms: "Next time, Lieutenant." Kelly, via comms: "Any luck drilling through that lava plain?" Kumagawa, via comms: "Roger that. We broke through the iron oxide barrier and we're down to eight metres." Novakovich, via comms: "We should have some samples by the end of the day if all goes well." Kelly, via comms: "Onto more important matters. Received an uplink from Houston. The Yankees won Game 5 of the World Series." He is referring to baseball. Kumagawa, via comms: "You owe me 20 bucks." Kelly, via comms: "It's not over yet. There's still Game 6. We won't be the only ones making history today. Bokai just broke DiMaggio's record." Novakovich, via comms: "I don't believe it." Kelly, via comms: "If you ask me, Houston's been manipulating the stats." Kumagawa, via comms: "They do have a few too many Kings fans at mission control." Kelly, via comms: "Well, how else do you explain Bokai beating out the Yankee Clipper?"

Mysteriously, the command module shakes and the communication is briefly interrupted. Kumagawa, via comms: "Commander? We lost you for a second there." Kelly, via comms: "Ride got a little bumpy. Stand by. Picking up some turbulence." Novakovich, via comms: "At your altitude?"

Kelly, via comms: "Checking LIDAR. What the hell?" Kumagawa, via comms: "John, what's going on?" Kelly, via comms: "There's an object closing on my position, azimuth 121 point 6. Whatever it is, it's huge. It's over a thousand metres across." Novakovich, via comms: "How could something that big appear out of nowhere?" Kelly, via comms: "I don't know, but I'm getting out of its way. Firing thrusters."

Kumagawa, via comms: "It's probably just a solar flare." Kelly, via comms: "Let's hope so." In a moment he sees the phenomenon approaching. Worried: "It's no solar flare."

the phenomenon is reflected in Kelly's eyes

Some 300 years later, on the other side of the galaxy, in the Delta Quadrant....

Aboard USS Voyager, Chakotay is in his private quarters in the early hours, reading. The door signal sounds. Chakotay: "Come in." The door signal sounds again. "Come in!" The door signal sounds again, and again.

He gets up and looks outside. There is no one there.

He re-enters his quarters. He taps his combadge. "Chakotay to the Bridge." Crewman, via comms: "This is Transporter Room 2." Chakotay, via comms: "I'm trying to reach the Bridge." Crewman, via comms: "Your comm. signal was routed here, sir." Chakotay, via comms: "Can you patch me through?" Neelix, via comms: "Pardon me. Patch you through where?"

At the same time several voices are heard using the comm. system.
Chakotay, via comms: "Neelix?"
Neelix, via comms: "Commander?"
Various parts of comms. conversations are heard overlapping:
Crewman: "Check on the field generators." Crewwoman: "-return to base at once." Janeway: "Computer, locate Neelix." Crewman: "I can't get through to-" Scores of voices are heard at the same time, producing an incoherent noise.

Chakotay turns and strides toward the door, but it does not open and he cannot leave! He turns and heads back into the room, but then the door opens! He tries to leave but it shuts in his face.

As the doors open he leaps through.

In Main Engineering, Seven is working at a computer console when Chakotay enters. Chakotay: "I see you're making some changes to the computer core." Seven: "I've enhanced the command sequencers with Borg algorithms." Chakotay: "Well, your enhancements are wreaking havoc with our secondary systems." Seven: "Insignificant malfunctions. I will correct them." Chakotay: "I don't recall authorising any modifications." Seven: "The computer core is inefficient. It needed to be improved." Chakotay: "I appreciate your initiative, but that's not up to you." Seven: "I've explained the value of these enhancements on several occasions, but Lieutenant Torres chose to ignore me. I thought a demonstration would be more persuasive." Chakotay: "Well, I doubt this one's going to change her mind." Seven: "Clearly Voyager is not yet ready for assimilation. A joke. The Doctor suggested that I defuse tense situations with humour." Chakotay: "Good idea. Now how about getting these systems back up again so I can get back to my book?" Seven: "Experiencing a ship-wide power drain. This is unrelated to my modifications." Red alert klaxons sound. The com. signal sounds. Kim announces shipwide via comms: "Senior officers to the Bridge." Chakotay and Seven head for the exit.

Janeway and Tuvok enter Voyager's Bridge from the turbolift. Kim gets up from the captain's chair. Janeway: "It's two in the morning, Ensign. This better be more than a little turbulence."

Kim: "You won't be disappointed. We've got level 9 gravimetric distortions closing on our position." Tuvok: "They're emanating from subspace."

Janeway: "On screen." She sees the distortion. "Shields." A spatial phenomenon bursts out from subspace. It is the same one that engulfed Kelly in 2032!

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Paris: "It's heading right toward us." Chakotay enters. He heads towards his seat. Janeway to Paris: "Evasive maneuvers." Chakotay: "Captain?" Janeway: "Say good morning to 30 million terajoules of subspace energy."

Paris: "This thing is following us. I can't outrun it at impulse." Janeway: "Go to warp." Paris: "It's disrupting our warp field." Kim: "If it gets any closer the gravimetric stresses are going to rip the plating off our hull."

Seven: "Captain, I recognise this phenomenon. It's Borg designation is spatial anomaly 521. It's attracted to objects that emit electromagnetic energy. We have to cut power and reverse our shield polarity." Janeway: "Do it."

Her order is carried out.

Voyager manages to escape the phenomenon, and it no longer appears on the screen as following them. Paris: "That was close."

Janeway: "I recognise this anomaly too. It's called a graviton ellipse. According to the Federation database it travels through subspace, emerging occasionally without warning. Ellipses have only been observed a handful of times." Chakotay: "Ares IV." Tuvok: "Commander?" Chakotay: "One of the early Mars missions. The command module and its pilot were engulfed by a similar phenomenon back in 2032." Paris: "I remember reading about that. Two astronauts were stranded on the surface for weeks before a rescue ship arrived."

Chakotay: "No one's gotten this close to a graviton ellipse and lived to tell about it. This could be a remarkable opportunity." Janeway: "Go to yellow alert. Keep our power output at minimum levels. Match its course and speed but maintain a safe distance." Paris: "Aye, Captain." Chakotay: "I suggest we launch a probe, see if we can find out what makes this thing tick." Janeway: "Make it fast. There's no telling when our visitor's going to burrow back into subspace."

The graviton ellipse, which Voyager is now following.

Astrometrics Lab. Seven: "I'm receiving telemetry from the probe. It appears to have entered a stable core within the anomaly. The gravimetric forces are negligible."

Tuvok: "The eye of the storm." Seven: "An apt metaphor." Tuvok: "Computer, run a multispectral analysis of the anomaly's core." Computer: "Analysis in progress."

Seven: "The Borg developed shields to get through the gravimetric currents. They intended to dissipate the anomaly from within. Perhaps we should continue their efforts." Tuvok: "It would be short-sighted to destroy it. We should study the phenomenon." Seven: "I didn't realise you shared this crew's penchant for exploration." Tuvok: "I am a Starfleet officer." Seven: "When the risks outweigh the potential gain, exploration is illogical." Tuvok: "We can't predict what we might find here, Seven. One must allow for the unexpected discovery."

Computer: "Core analysis complete." Seven: "There are more than 2.8 billion compounds in the core." Tuvok: "Fascinating."

Seven: "The computer has isolated several synthetic compounds native to Sector 001." Tuvok: "Titanium and polymer composites. These materials date back to the 21st century. They were used in the construction of Earth's early spacecraft." Seven: "Commander Chakotay mentioned a space capsule that was consumed by a graviton ellipse." Tuvok: "These alloys are consistent with the hull of that capsule. An unexpected discovery indeed."

With heightened interest they look back at the main screen and the telemetry displayed there.