P R O B E    E X C E R P T

 

Janeway: "Captain's log, stardate 48579.4. The crew has been scanning constantly for anomalies that might help us shorten our journey home. Ensign Kim has reported an exciting new discovery: a subspace disturbance which may be a wormhole."

Monitor on the Ops forward console.

Janeway enters the Bridge and goes to the Ops station where Chakotay and Tuvok have gathered round Kim. Janeway: "Let's see what you have, Mr Kim." Kim: "There. It's registering only on subspace bands. We don't even have it on long-range sensors yet." Janeway: "Verteron emanations, tunnelling, secondary particles. It certainly looks like a wormhole." Chakotay: "But is it stable enough for us to enter? and if it is, where does it lead?"

Tuvok: "There is of course a 75 per cent chance that the wormhole will not lead to the Alpha Quadrant." Janeway: "Very true, but you could also say that there's a one in four chance it will. Those aren't bad odds. Any analysis yet, Ensign?" Kim: "It's too far away. We'd have to be within a thousand kilometres to get a detailed analysis. That would mean a significant course change."

Janeway: "Well, Mr Kim? If there's even a possibility of finding a wormhole I think we can afford a detour." She turns to Paris at the helm. "Lieutenant, input the co-ordinates and change course." Paris: "Aye, Captain. And may I suggest that if this works we petition the Federation Astronomical Committee to officially designate this the Harry Kim Wormhole."

Paris: "Captain, we're approaching the co-ordinates of the wormhole." Janeway: "On screen. Are we in visual range?" Kim: Affirmative, Captain, and the anomaly is still registering on subspace bands." Paris: "Sensors also indicate it's there." Janeway: "Magnify. Increase to highest magnification." Chakotay: "If that's a wormhole it must be the smallest one on record." Janeway: "Mr Kim, are you able to analyse it?" Kim: "Aye, Captain. It's virtually microscopic. The aperture's only about 30 centimetres in diameter." Paris: "I guess it's a little too small for us to fly through." Tuvok: "However, it might be large enough to act as a conduit for a message." Kim: "That's right. It could carry a compressed data transmission to Federation space in minutes." Janeway: "We still have to find out if it goes anywhere near the Alpha Quadrant. Can you trace its subspace bearing?" Kim: "I can't get any directional readings at all. The aperture is too small." Tuvok: "I recommend we launch a microprobe into the wormhole." Janeway: "Agreed. Do it, Lieutenant." Tuvok: "Aye, Captain." Kim: "We're receiving telemetry." Paris: "Doesn't look like any wormhole I've ever studied." Kim: "Microscopic gravitational eddies. Extremely constricted spatial dimensions. Pathway's barely wider than the probe itself." Janeway: "I think what we're seeing is a wormhole in an advanced state of decay. It must be ancient, probably been collapsing for centuries." Paris: "Does that mean we can't send a message through it?" Kim: "No, I can do it. Maybe it'll take longer to get through but the wormhole's still stable enough to carry a transmission." Chakotay: "Any idea yet where that message will end up, Ensign?" Kim: "I'll try extrapolating the verteron exit vector. No, I can't get it. There's a strange phase variance in the radiation stream. We'll have to wait until the probe exits." Janeway: "That shouldn't take long." Paris: "Captain, I'm getting a distorted energy reading." Tuvok: "The probe's telemetry has changed." Paris: "It's stuck." Janeway: "Stuck?" Kim: "It's mired in a gravitational eddy and because the wormhole's in a state of collapse those eddies are incredibly dense. That probe will never break free, Captain, and we'll have no way of knowing where the wormhole ends." Janeway: "Let's give it some time. Maybe it'll work itself loose." Kim: "Captain." Janeway: "What is it, Ensign?" Kim: "Our probe, it's just scanned - there's somebody on the other side of the wormhole."

	Briefing room. Kim: "We've analysed the data. So far our sensors have detected four separate scans of the microprobe, each one on a progressively narrower band. Someone on the other end of that wormhole is definitely interested in that probe."
	Tuvok: "We cannot preclude the possibility that there is a microscopic entity within the wormhole curious about an intruder." Kim: "That's possible but I think our probe would've detected something like that." Janeway: "What's the condition of the probe now?" Torres: "I've been monitoring it from engineering. It's still embedded in the gravitational eddy but within 72 hours it will be crushed." Kim: "But until then it will continue to transmit telemetry."
	Janeway: "If we're reading scans from the other side it's possible the probe is acting as a relay. If that's true we should be able to transmit a message to whoever is executing the scan." Kim: "Yes! We can modify our subspace communication band to accept the probe as a booster." Janeway: "Let's try it, Mr Kim." Kim gets up. Torres: "I'll give you a hand." Kim and Torres leave to start work on the modification to the subspace communication band.

Engineering. Kim: "Ok, I've boosted power to the communication bandwidth. Now all we have to is reconfigure the signal generator so it's compatible with the probe's long-range sensors." Torres: "I'm on it. Just a few minutes more." Kim: "This has to work. It'll mean so much to people back home to know we're alive and headed for Federation space." .... Torres: "Ok. The signal generator should be tuned to the probe's long-range sensors. ... ... We're ready to transmit."

Kim taps his combadge and speaks through comms.: "Engineering to bridge." Janeway: "Janeway here." Kim: "We have a communications link with the microprobe. We're going to try sending a preliminary test signal, a series of subharmonic pulses - they stand the best chance of transmission through the wormhole." Janeway: "Acknowledged. Proceed." Kim: "Aye, Captain."

Chakotay: "I'm reading transmission of the test signal. The probe has received it and relayed it." Paris: "How will we know if the signal reaches somebody?" Janeway: "The only way is if that somebody answers." Kim: "There's no response." Torres: "It's too soon. Remember, we have no idea how long it takes to reach the other side." Janeway: "Are you reading anything, Mr Tuvok?" Tuvok: "Negative, Captain. There's nothing that would suggest a response." Janeway: "Even if someone receives our signal it might take them sometime to figure out how to return it." Janeway: "You're right. Janeway to Kim. Continue transmitting." Kim: "Aye, Captain. How long shall we keep it up?" Janeway: "Until I tell you otherwise. You have the Bridge, Commander." She goes to leave the Bridge but stops when Tuvok says: "Captain." Janeway: "Mr Tuvok?" Tuvok: "I'm getting something, Captain." Paris: "I'm getting it too. A subspace signal relayed through the probe." Tuvok: "That signal is being transmitted at exactly the same frequency and amplitude as our signal. It's a response. Someone received our transmission and sent one back, and their signal originated in the Alpha Quadrant."