Eternal Flame

There was of course her most obvious failure as the chief of security. She had allowed mercenaries to board Eagle and take over vital areas of the ship. And while the captain had not singled her out for the blame, it hadn’t stopped her from blaming herself. After all, internal security, including repelling hostile boarding parties was part of her job description.

The only silver lining here was the fact that the mercenaries had not been entirely successful. They had not found what they had been looking for as Owens and Deen had been able to remove the artifact in time.

Hopkins and Xylion had wrestled back control of the ship after a daring attempt involving a warp core emergency and in a surprising turn of events the boarding attempt had provided them with information that could prove pivotal to complete their mission successfully.

And if that had been the end of it, maybe Nora Laas would not have been as devastated and angry as she felt.

Even though it paled in comparison to the bigger picture, her failure of being bested by Barrington Spooner still lay heavy on her shoulders. She had since replayed the scenario a dozen times in her mind, trying to find a way in which she could have avoided both Spooner getting away and stopping the mercenaries from killing him. She hadn’t found one yet.

But by far the worst result of the raid was the one and only casualty. The news of the first officer being once again in critical condition was the foremost thing on her mind.

It surprised her.

She had always been a strong believer in putting duty before anything. A trait she had acquired while fighting for independence on her home world. The cause had always come first and now that she served in Starfleet, she had never let personal feelings come into the way of what had to be done.

These new feelings that were swirling around in her belly had been unsettling and they had only become stronger.

She had finally decided that she had to see him and she prayed that she would find him in sickbay laughing and joking and fixing her with one of his infectious smiles.

But when she walked into the room, she found that he wasn’t there. Most beds were empty again. When she had woken here a couple of hours earlier, sickbay had been filled with patients who had been injured during the attack.

She noticed Doctor Wenera standing over one of the few remaining patients, administering a hypospray.

“Doctor?”

“Laas, how do you feel?”

“Much better.”

She gave her a skeptical look and for a moment Nora Laas was afraid that the doctor could tell exactly what was on her mind.

“You might be the toughest person I’ve ever come across,” she said with a small smile. “But you can’t fool me.”

The Bajoran averted her glance.

Wenera picked up a hypospray. “Everyone who has been struck by the mercenaries’ phasers has been complaining about tension headaches.”

Laas aimed her a surprised look and before she could say anything the chief medical officer had already injected her with an analgesic.

She sighed with relief for more than one reason.

“How was that?”

“That did the trick,” she said honestly.

Wenera smiled. “Anything else I can do for you?”

Laas looked around sickbay once more even though she was sure the person she was looking for wasn’t there.

“He is in the intensive care section,” said the doctor.

“Any change?”

Wenera sadly shook her head. “No. He’s still on the fence and to be honest, right now, it could go either way. His body has absorbed a lot of punishment over the last few days and never had a chance to properly heal itself.”

Laas looked visibly distraught.

“He’s a tough guy, Laas. I’m optimistic he’ll come through.”

“There must be something else you can do for him.”

“I really wish there was,” she said. “His body must fight this battle on its own. I gave him all the medical help I could. Why don’t you go and talk to him?”

Laas gave her a confused look. “Me? What can I do if you can’t help him?”

“Just be there for him. Talk to him.”

“What would that accomplish?”

“It has been shown that talking to a patient in a coma can help the recovery process.”

“I wouldn’t know what to say.”

“It doesn’t matter what you say, what matters is that you’re talking to him,” she said. She smiled at her. “It can’t hurt, Laas.”

She nodded and slowly made her way toward the intensive care section. She almost dreaded the idea of seeing him this way. The last time she had seen him in such a condition she had hardly been able to bear it. But she knew that if there was anything she could do to help him she had to try.

She entered the room and found six beds but only one was occupied. She approached and found that the closer she got the harder it became to breathe. Gene Edison was calmly lying on the bed. His eyes were closed and his breathing seemed regular. It was as though he was simply sleeping. A glimpse at the overhead status display revealed that his brain activity was minimal and his body was barely working.

She looked down at his tranquil face and then took his hand. It felt warm.

“Please,” she said in an unsteady tone of voice. “Please, don’t do this to me again.” She squeezed his hand, somehow hoping that he would feel it and wake up.

“I don’t know if you can hear me,” she said. “Doctor Wenera seems to think that it might help if I talk to you.”

Laas looked around nervously. She felt embarrassed. Once she had made sure that nobody was near, she returned her glance to the unconscious first officer.

“I’m not sure what’s going on with me. I almost died when I found you on that ice planet. I was so scared you’d be dead and I didn’t know what I would do if you were. And now here we are again. I don’t know I just can’t bear the thought of losing you.”

She held onto his hand tightly. She looked up at the ceiling when her eyes became wet to keep the tears from streaming down her face.

“I cannot lose you,” she said, once more looking down at him. “I just can’t. Gene I –“, she interrupted herself, surprised by the sudden clarity of her feelings. She bent down and lowered her head until it was right next to his. “I love you,” she whispered and moved her head up a bit and to the side until their faces were just inches apart. Her lips made contact for just a few seconds and she liked the sensation.

She smiled at him. “I love you, Gene, and I have for some time. I want to be with you. You have to wake up because … because I love you.”

She stared at his unmoving face for a while, mentally cursing herself that it had taken her so long to realize what her friends had long suspected. She loved him and she wanted him.

“There is this place,” she said after a while. “I think Lou showed it to me once. It’s called Avalon Prime and it has the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen in my life. If you stand at the beach, at just the right spot and just the right moment, you can see all three suns reflecting in the ocean at the same time. It only lasts for a few heartbeats but it is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” she said and swallowed. “I want to see it again. I want to see it with you.”

The doors of the room opened and a nurse entered the intensive care section. As if she had been caught stealing Laas quickly let go of his hand and stepped away from the bed.

The nurse gave her a quick, innocent look, and then checked the read-outs of the status display before attending to other duties.

Laas simply stood next to the bed petrified. It took her a full minute until she managed to turn away and head for the exit. But before she reached the doors she stopped and turned around once more.

“Please,” she whispered under her breath.

Eugene Edison remained motionless.

She wiped away a single tear that had escaped her left eye and quickly exited the room.

* * *

At fourteen hundred hours sharp, Xylion, DeMara Deen, and Toby Armstrong entered the captain’s ready room to brief him on the progress they had made over the last few hours. Both Armstrong and Xylion had pushed their people hard to get answers. They were both aware that time was running out fast and that it ultimately might have been up to them to prevent a hostile force from gaining access to an artifact of immense power. If they failed, the entire Federation was potentially put at risk.

“The data we collected from the mercenary vessel was very useful,” said Armstrong who had begun the briefing. He sat next to his two colleagues on the other side of Michael’s desk. “Not only did it confirm several of our speculations we also managed to extrapolate new information by analyzing their data and comparing it to ours.”

“Such as?” said Michael.

“What we know with certainty at this point,” said Xylion, “is that the Hyterians were technologically extremely advanced. They possessed technologies supporting space travel and creating colonies located a significant distance from their home world. They had contact with other races and it is not unlikely that they created the foundations for several other civilizations that are much more familiar to us today.”

“We also confirmed what we already suspected,” said DeMara. “They were a very spiritual people.”

“Not just religious, Captain,” said Armstrong. “But deeply spiritual in every way. Their daily lives were guided by their belief and their worship of Fen’dera, God of light and righteousness.”

“Light,” said Michael, and his gaze wandered off as he was remembering a returning motif in his visions.

The three officers looked at him curiously.

“Light,” he said again. “That is a central theme in the Hyterian culture.”

The scientists nodded.

“Yes, absolutely,” said Armstrong surprised. It hadn’t been the first time that he had been startled by Owens’ surprising insights into the Hyterians.

“Light and darkness are a repeating pattern in their society. All the colonies we have visited were constructed with the idea of exposure to light sources in mind,” said the archeologist.

Xylion continued. “We haven’t been able to completely understand their technology but the Hyterians were able to create power sources that would function almost indefinitely as well as extremely durable building materials and computer systems that require little to no external maintenance.”

“That explains why their sites have been so well persevered,” said Michael.

“Exactly,” said Armstrong. “But we believe what we’ve been seeing isn’t merely a showcase of their technological prowess. Their technology and what it could achieve was extremely important to them.”

“I think I understand,” Michael said. “Is it possible that they were dependent on technology? On light?”

DeMara nodded. “We believe so. Consider their greatest deity, Fen’dera. The god of light. Pretty much the essence of light. It was essential to them. As essential as say air is to us.”

“We need air to survive. Did they need light?”

The three scientists exchanged looks. Xylion spoke. “It is a possibility. Many humanoid and animal races require light to allow their bodies to function, although most do not require direct exposure for short-term survival. We do not have enough biological and anatomical data to determine if light was a more immediate necessity for the Hyterians.”

“But it’s possible,” said Michael.

“What are you thinking?” said DeMara when he didn’t elaborate further.

“Let’s assume that they needed light to survive. By that logic, darkness harmed them. Right?”

“It’s feasible, sure,” she said. “There are many forms of life that require direct exposure to light to survive and would die without it. Most metaphytic life, plants for example, depend on photosynthesis.”

“Do you remember the entrance to the cave on Deleana IV? It was completely dark, light absorbent even. Maybe it was meant to keep others away. Hyterians themselves may not have been able to pass through it,” said Michael. He noticed that his unsubstantiated theories were beginning to worry his officers and he decided to switch gears. “How did you find out about the Heredes system?”

Armstrong reached for his desk computer. “May I?”

He nodded.

He turned the computer so that he could access it. He entered a few commands and then turned it back for Michael to look at. The screen showed a circular star map divided into four equal quadrants.

“The upper left one is the map we recovered from Dentura I. At the time we had already suspected that it was part of a larger chart. We confirmed that assumption when we found the lower left part in the asteroid base.”

“After reviewing the data Lieutenant Armstrong was able to record on Deleana IV we found the third part of the map,” said Xylion.

“And the last part we were able to get thanks to our invaders,” said DeMara with a smile. “When we put all the pieces together and compared the final product with current star charts it revealed the locations of all Hyterians colonies in this sector.”

Michael looked at the screen. The quadrants moved together and merged. The map shifted slightly to account for the many centuries that had passed since its creation. Then it rotated to show a three-dimensional representation of the map. When it stopped again, the most central part of the diagram was highlighted.

“If the Hyterians were hiding something important then that is where we’ll find it. It is the only point on the map that can only be calculated with all four parts in place,” said Armstrong.

Michael leaned back in his chair. “Very good. What about that stone relic the mercenaries were after? Have you been able to make any progress on that?”

“The artifact is still mostly a mystery to us,” said DeMara. “The inscriptions we found are incomplete and so far we haven’t come across any other references in our material that could hint to its purpose.”

“It is entirely possible that it does not have a specific function,” said Xylion.

Michael shook his head. “I don’t believe that.”

“All we can tell for sure is that it’s a fragment of a larger object,” said Armstrong. “It is very similar in size and design to the artifact we found on Deleana IV. It’s difficult to say with certainty what it was without being able to study the other parts but from what I’ve seen, my best guess would be that it was some sort of ring-shaped artifact.”

“The Circle of Commencement,” Michael said quietly to himself.

DeMara looked at him curiously. “You’ve said that before. What does it mean?”

He immediately noticed the concern on her face. “I don’t know,” he said and realized that neither of his officers appeared satisfied with his answer. He didn’t want them to mull over his words for too long and stood. “That’s all for now. You’ve done a good job here. Now you better get ready for another away mission. I’m certain that I’ll require all of your services again before this mission is over.”

The three officers left their seats.

Xylion and Armstrong nodded and proceeded to leave the ready room. DeMara remained.

She waited until the others had cleared the room before she spoke. “You know more than you’re letting on. It has to do with those visions of yours, doesn’t it?”

He didn’t answer. He sat in his chair again.

“What did you see?” she said when he refused to answer.

He looked up to meet her glance. He couldn’t quite tell what she was thinking. She seemed to be fascinated but at the same time greatly concerned. He could tell that she wasn’t entirely convinced that he hadn’t gone crazy. He wasn’t entirely convinced himself.

“In the beginning, it was just random images and voices. I couldn’t understand them and yet they sounded so familiar,” he said. He couldn’t manage to keep looking into her eyes and averted his glance. “When I touched the stone artifact on Deleana I felt a connection. A connection with a real flesh and blood person. As if she was right there with me,” he said and then looked at her to judge her reaction. “What do you think?”

She took her seat again. “You already know what I think.”

“I can’t afford to have myself checked out right now. If they find anything wrong with me, Doctor Wenera would have me locked up for days.”

She sighed when she realized that he made a halfway decent point. “Fine but let me ask you this. Are you planning on leading this next away team again?”

He leaned back in his chair. “It’s not as if I have a choice. Even if Gene were here, I don’t see how I could not go. Something is going on with me and it is related to the Hyterians. I must find out what it is. And we must find this weapon before anybody else does.”

“What scares me is that this has become personal.”

“It scares me, too,” said Michael and looked into her sparkling purple eyes. This time not even that gave him much comfort.

* * *

“Entering the Heredes system,” said Lif Culsten from the helm.

Most of the senior officers were present on the bridge, including Lieutenant Nora and Armstrong.

“Slow to impulse,” said Michael who, with Commander Edison still in a coma, was occupying the command area all by himself.

Culsten acknowledged and Eagle dropped out of warp.

Michael stood and turned to look at his chief science officer who was sitting at his usual post at Science I. “What do we have, Commander?”

“Our databanks contain only very limited information on this system. Sensors confirm one single planet orbiting an orange K-class star.”

“Then that’s where we need to go,” said Armstrong.

DeMara shook her head. “I don’t think so. It’s a gas giant.”

“On screen.”

A large crimson and amber planet appeared at the center of the main viewer. From a distance, it didn’t look much different to many other planets but Michael knew that this particular one had no stable surface. Similar to a star, this planet was composed of dense, super-heated gasses that made life all but impossible.

Armstrong took a step toward the screen. “I don’t understand. How could there be a Hyterian colony on a gas giant.”

“There is no reason to believe that the colony is on that planet,” said Xylion.

DeMara turned from her station. “He’s right. It could be anywhere in this system.”

“But if not on a planet, where could it be?” said Michael.

She turned back to her station to perform a more thorough scan of the star system.

“One of their outposts was inside an asteroid,” said Nora. “Maybe it’s the same here.”

“Negative,” said Xylion after he had checked the readouts of his station. “There are no asteroids of sufficient size or density in this system.”

“I can’t find anything, either,” said DeMara. Her voice was evidence of her frustration. “Unless they have some sort of cloaked facility we can’t detect, there’s nothing here.”

Michael was not willing to give up yet. Not after coming so close. “We’ve been here before, people,” he said. “There has to be something. Maybe it has changed over time. Mister Xylion, can you detect any significant astronomical shifts that occurred in this system over the last centuries?”

The Vulcan went to work straight away. It took only a few seconds for him to get the results. “I can find no evidence of any significant changes within this system.”

Michael sighed. “It must be something else then. Mister Culsten, get us deeper into the system.”

“Direction?”

“Head for the gas giant, half impulse.”

“Half impulse. Aye, sir,” said the helmsman and began piloting Eagle in the desired direction.

“Give me a schematic of the system,” said Michael.

DeMara went to work and a moment later a detailed diagram of the Heredes system was displayed on the main screen with a large star at its center and one single planet in orbit.

Nora walked closer to the screen to get a better look. “What’s that small speck next to the planet?” she said and pointed at the tiny dot on the screen.

“Magnify that section,” said Michael.

The image shifted until the gas giant filled the entire screen. And indeed, there appeared to be a very small dot right next to it. Even with the magnification, it was barely more visible, almost as if it wanted to stay hidden.

“It appears to be a sensor malfunction. I’m receiving no clear readings from that location,” said Xylion.

DeMara tended to her controls. “Running sensor diagnostic now,” she said and then shook her head. “There is nothing wrong with them. But there is a lot of gravimetrical interference caused by the gas giant. It appears to be prevalent throughout the system.”

“Could it be a moon?” said Michael.

The Vulcan offered a short nod. “It is not impossible but sensors are unable to confirm that there is any mass at that location at all.”

“Captain,” said Armstrong and walked down to the command area of the bridge. “What if this interference has been here all along? What if the Hyterians knew about the problems sensors would have when trying to scan this system? If they had something to hide that they didn’t want anyone else to find, then this is exactly the place where they would have put it.”

Before Michael could even consider the archeologist’s theory a shrill warning sound from the helm console caught his attention.

“I’m reading massive gravimetrical distortions ahead,” said Culsten.

“How close?”

Eagle shook so suddenly that it felt as if it had hit a wall in outer space. Armstrong lost his balance and fell. Nora managed to hang on to the back of DeMara’s chair to prevent the same happening to her.

“Dead ahead.”

“Full stop.”

Culsten reacted quickly and Eagle came to a halt. The bridge shook again with a few aftershock-like tremors but then settled down.

Nora walked over to Armstrong and helped him back up. He was uninjured.

“Damage report?”

“Minor damage to the navigational deflector,” said Leva from tactical. “No reports of injuries as of yet.”

DeMara turned to face the captain. “I think there might be something to Toby’s theory. Consider a star system with naturally occurring, minefield-like spatial distortions that not only prevent easy access but also seem to function like some sort of sensor deflection shield, making it almost impossible for instruments to gather accurate data. There’s no better place to hide something valuable.”

Michael nodded and then looked at his helmsman. “Lieutenant, any way you could get Eaglethrough these spatial distortions in one piece?”

He shook his head. “I’m good but not that good. Sensors are unable to pick them up except at extremely close range and they appear so dense that Eagle would simply be too big to pass through them without taking damage.”

“Undoubtedly exactly what the Hyterians intended,” said Armstrong once he had recovered from his fall.

“And we are too far to use the transporter,” DeMara said and then turned back to her station to think of other options.

“Even if we could use the transporter, we wouldn’t know where to go,” said Michael. “That moon might not even be there.”

“It has to be,” said Armstrong and looked at the screen. “We need to find a way to get to it.”

“Well,” said Culsten with a playful smile. “Eagle is too big but I might be able to get us there in a shuttle. It’d be a bumpy ride but I’ll say the odds are that I can do it.”

Nora glared at the helmsman. “Oh yeah, and what are those odds exactly?”

Xylion turned from his science station. “Twenty-one point five six to one,” he said. “Plus/minus point zero two percent.”

Lif Culsten shrugged. “I guess. If you’d had to put a number to it.”

Nora turned to look at the captain. She didn’t have to say anything, it was clear what was on her mind.

“The bottom line is, we have to find this artifact and at the moment all signs point in one direction. And there seems to be only one way to get there,” said Michael and then glanced at his helmsman. “Prep a shuttle, Mister Culsten. We’re about to put your skills to a test and beat those odds.”

* * *

Minutes later the shuttle Agincourt, transporting Michael Owens and the away team, cleared Eagle’s shuttle bay. It didn’t take long for the effects of the distorted space to manifest. The small craft was heaving and shaking while slowly making its way toward the massive gas giant.

An especially strong eruption almost slung Nora to the floor. Xylion grabbed her just in time to avoid a painful encounter between her head and the bulkhead.

“Do you think it might be possible for you to not hit every single disruption?” she said with not-so-subtle annoyance in her tone.

“I told you it was going to be bumpy. The spatial distortions are extremely close. You should thank my piloting skills that—” he could not finish his sentence. Yet another powerful hit forced the shuttle to swerve sharply to the left and the pilot momentarily lost control of the spacecraft.

“So much for your piloting skills,” said Nora who had now decided it to be much safer to sit down.

“Stay focused, Lieutenant. Get us there in one piece, that’s all that matters,” said Michael who was sitting behind the Krellonian.

“Yes, sir.”

Michael turned to the Vulcan at the opposite side of the cabin. “Are we close enough to scan the moon?”

Xylion’s hands darted over the controls. A stream of data scrolled across his console. “Sensors are now confirming a mass approximately three-hundred fifty-six thousand meters from Heredes I but they are unable to scan the surface of the planetoid.”

“They shielded it to sensors,” said Armstrong. “We know that they had the capabilities to do that.”

“It is more probable that the natural composition of the satellite and the intensity of the gravimetrical field are the cause for our scanner’s inability to get an accurate read,” said Xylion.

Michael focused on the viewport at the front of the shuttle. Culsten had managed to get them expertly through the gravimetrical disruptions without any more incidents and the small ship was now approaching an increasingly growing planetoid. The moon was not much to look at. It was devoid of an atmosphere and the reddish surface was dotted with meteor craters of all sizes. And yet there was something about the red globe that made it different from any other moon he had ever laid eyes upon. He could not define what set this one apart; it was more of a gut feeling. Had the circumstances been different, he might have dismissed this sort of distraction outright but considering the events of the last few days, he knew there was something more to this place.

DeMara noticed his fixation with the empty rock. She got up from her chair and walked up next to him. “What is it?”

“We’re in the right place,” he said without ever taking his eyes off the viewport.

She followed his glance. “But where do we go?”

“I can see numerous deep craters on the surface,” said Culsten as he took the Agincourt into a tight orbit. “Some of them might lead deeper inside.”

“That would be consistent with what we have learned about the Hyterians,” said Xylion.

Culsten steered the shuttle along the moon’s surface.

“Commander, can you locate the largest crater?” said Michael. “It might be the entrance.”

He consulted his instruments. “Change your heading to one seven seven mark four eight.”

Culsten entered the new course and within a few seconds, the shuttle was approaching a massive crater, easily fifteen times the size of the shuttlecraft. The small ship passed the outer rim and came to a halt above the huge, dark opening.

“Sensor data is inconclusive. It is not clear if it is an entrance or a crater,” said Xylion.

“Feels like we’ve been here before,” said DeMara and moved closer to the viewport to get a better look.

Toby Armstrong joined her. “It’s possible that the Hyterians are applying the same clocking technology that they used on Deleana IV.”

“Yes,” said Nora, “or there truly is nothing there and we’ll crash right into the moon.”

“Only one way to find out,” said Michael. “Take us in, Mister Culsten.”

The young helmsman nodded and activated the shuttle’s engines once again. Slowly the ship began its descent toward the dead center of the crater.

Everyone held their breath as the shuttle approached the barrier of darkness. Not unlike the ocean world they had visited days before, the ship’s external lights were simply swallowed by the darkness. There was no disturbance and no sign of a physical barrier. The shuttle simply moved through the gloom undisturbed.

“Sensors are not registering anything,” said Xylion with little surprise.

Michael had trouble describing what he felt as the shuttle became engulfed by the darkness. His first emotion had been pain but there were so many others competing for his attention. There was an odd familiarity, almost like a feeling of déjà vu which, of course, made little sense. Not only had he never been here before, but he also hadn’t seen anything yet that could have triggered any kind of familiarity. But whatever it was that he felt, his curiosity was growing by the second.

Tensions were high amongst all the members of the away team but nobody dared speak while the ship was traveling through what felt like an endless void.

And then finally the darkness began to fade to reveal a massive underground structure that was without doubt artificial in nature. Well-illuminated from no place in particular, the entire facility looked like a tunnel leading deeper inside the moon. Huge support beams span across the structure, making it somewhat of a challenge to steer the shuttle safely around them.

“Amazing,” said Armstrong. His enthusiasm and sense of astonishment were not easily curbed by the fact that the Hyterians were becoming almost predictable in outdoing themselves.

Michael smiled. He couldn’t help but continue to admire his youthful spirit of discovery. He was impressed as well, as were the others, but somehow he hadn’t expected anything less.

“Sensors are now registering our surroundings. I cannot get a clear reading on what lies beyond this tunnel, however,” said Xylion.

“Over there,” said DeMare and pointed at a platform ahead. “We could set the shuttle down and try to proceed on foot.”

“Do it,” said Michael.

Culsten nodded and changed their heading. Within a few seconds, the shuttle hovered over the platform and began a slow descent. It touched down gently on the large surface.

A sudden noise reminiscent of a power surge startled the shuttle’s crew.

“What was that?” said Nora.

Armstrong got out of his chair to move closer to the window. Some sort of energy barrier had been erected around the platform, completely engulfing the shuttle. “We’re trapped.”

Xylion quickly accessed his console. “Sensors are registering an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere directly outside the ship.”

“This is no trap,” said Michael. “It’s a welcoming sign.”

Nora stood up as well. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“Come on, Laas, lighten up,” DeMara said with a smile. “You see an ominous threat around every corner.”

The Bajoran security chief retrieved a phaser from the equipment locker. “You would too if you had been on that Hyterian space station. Trust me, these people knew how to defend themselves against intruders,” she said and turned to the captain who was getting out of his chair as well. “I take it you’re planning on exiting the shuttle.”

He offered her a boyish smirk. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Of course,” she said with an ironic sigh.

Soon after the away team set foot on the platform. The shuttle occupied less than a sixth of the space available. It had been built to support much larger craft. The energy barrier pulsated with a blue and white light all around them. Beyond the barrier, he could see the massive conduit that seemed to lead further into the moon. The tunnel was impressive. With at least five hundred meters in diameter, it was a structure so large it could have accommodated Eagle.

Armstrong, who had strapped on a small black backpack before leaving the shuttle, had immediately activated his tricorder to begin gathering data. He was carefully approaching the only wall bordering the platform. At its very center, he discovered a large crease, running about eight meters high.

The others joined him.

“A door?” said Michael.

“I’m not sure,” said the young archeologist. “The readings are inconclusive.”

“How do we open it?” said Culsten who was approaching it carefully. Besides the crease, there was no sign of an entrance or any other mechanism for that matter.

“Maybe we should just knock,” said DeMara

Nora stepped up to it and touched the surface. She knocked against it, and the loud, hollow sound seemed to echo ominously throughout the entire tunnel. She turned to look at her.

“It was a long shot.”

Michael stepped next to the Bajoran and traced the crease with two fingers. The floor shook for a second, causing everybody to instinctively jump back. Then a bright light began emanating from the crease. Not a moment later the wall started to part and a light draft blew sand over the threshold. The wall opened almost to the entire width of the platform.

DeMara looked at Michael with amazement. “How did you do that?”

“I have no idea,” he said and walked into the opening. The others followed, suddenly finding themselves under a clear blue sky and a hot and bright sun. Behind them lay a large mountain range into which the door had been integrated, not unlike a holodeck portal.

They had stepped onto warm sand that seemed to stretch out in every other direction; there were dunes and small rocks and bits of vegetation that had survived under the extreme temperatures. Once again most of the officers were awestruck. They had stepped into a different world, separated only by a doorstep.

Michael turned to Xylion. “Could this be a holographic image?”

“Unlikely. I can detect no photons or other projection systems. The quantum signatures of the surrounding matter are consistent with those of standard matter.”

DeMara took a knee to pick up some of the loose sand at her feet and then let it drip through her fingers. “It feels real.”

“A self-sustaining biospheric environment within a planetary body. This is by far the most impressive Hyterian creation we’ve seen,” said Armstrong. He walked up one of the nearby dunes. Many kilometers away he could spot the horizon, unobstructed by any form of technology or structures. There wasn’t the slightest indication that they were in fact deep within a celestial body.

“It figures though,” said Nora.

DeMara gave her a quizzical look.

“We’ve been to a jungle, an ice world, and a planet covered by oceans. We didn’t have a desert yet,” she said and began removing her jacket. “I just wish I had packed some hot weather fatigues.”

“I do not believe this environment was constructed as an arid region,” Xylion said as he studied his tricorder. “According to my scans, this environment has gone through significant climatic shifts over the last centuries.”

Armstrong returned to join the others. “Technology is not flawless, not even the Hyterian’s. After thousands of years, it might have started to malfunction.”

“Lieutenant, I want you to stay here by the shuttle,” said Michael to Culsten.

The helmsman nodded. He managed to hide his disappointment, clearly understanding the necessity of leaving somebody with the ship.

Michael turned to the others. “Let’s go find the artifact.”

Nora had removed her jacket and shirt, attached the combadge to her gray tank top, and pushed the discarded clothes into Culsten’s hands. “I’ll take point,” she said and turned to lead the way.

* * *

Eugene Edison stepped out of the turbo lift and entered Eagle’s bridge. The first thing he noticed was the bright red moon on the screen. By its relative size, it was clear that the ship was keeping its distance.

He had been informed even before he had set out for the bridge that an away team had left Eagle in a shuttle to explore it. He had been advised by Wenera to stay in sickbay and rest after he had awoken; after all, he had just survived a risky and complicated operation. But once he had heard that the captain himself had been part of the away mission, he simply couldn’t stay put. Besides he had spent so much time there over the last few days that he desperately needed a change of scenery.

As he walked into the command area of the bridge, Leva who had been left in charge rose from the captain’s chair, a wide smile on his face. “Commander? You’re back on your feet.”

Eugene smirked. “You almost sound as if you expected any different.”

“Of course not. Nora will be glad to see you,” he said with a knowing smile. “It’s good to have you back.”

“Thanks, it’s good to be out of sickbay,” his smile faded as he looked at the viewscreen again. “Do we have any communications with the away team?”

Leva shook his head. “None. There is too much interference from the spatial distortions,” he said and headed back to his station.

Gene took his turn to sit in the command chair, very much relieved not having to stand any longer.

“Sir,” said Stanmore at operations, “I’m detecting a faint energy signature near the moon.”

“Can you identify?”

The relief ops officer entered several commands into his console. “Not with complete accuracy but it seems to be some sort of starship. Possibly Romulan or Klingon.”

Gene leaned back in his chair. “I guess our competition has arrived.”

* * *

The away team had been walking through the wasteland for over an hour with no indication of getting anywhere.

The technological skill and resources that had been necessary to create a world inside a celestial body remained impressive but the initial excitement was tainted by the fact that there was very little to look at within the biosphere.

Xylion had estimated that hundreds of years ago their surroundings had been filled with all kinds of life and lush green forests similar perhaps to those they had found on Dentura. But now very few signs remained to hint at what had once inhabited a space Xylion believed to be the size of the North American continent on Earth.

Life had become almost completely extinct as far as the away team could tell. The few animals they encountered were crawling insects that seemed to live underneath the dry and sandy soil. Only the most resilient form of plant life had been able to survive the extreme heat and lack of moisture.

Xylion also speculated that whatever had caused the artificial environment to malfunction also affected the away team’s scanning instruments. None of their tricorders seemed to function properly, rendering them virtually useless in their search for the Hyterian artifact.

The unrelenting heat coming from the artificial sun in the equally artificial blue sky and the lack of any designated trails added to the challenge of finding the powerful relic.

DeMara had followed Nora’s example and removed her jacket which she now wore strapped around her waist. “We need to get out of this heat,” she said as she opened the zipper of her mustard-colored shirt. “Most of us are not accustomed to these temperatures.” She looked around but found little support for her grievance. Nora was too far ahead to overhear her comment, Armstrong seemed to be so excited about the possibility of finally discovering the artifact that nothing else seemed to be able to dampen his spirits, and Xylion, as a Vulcan, was quite comfortable in this environment that was not too dissimilar to his home world.

Michael had hardly spoken a single word since they had set out on their trek through the desert. But now he stopped suddenly and turned to consider her, his face mirroring an expression of incomprehension. “What did you say?”

“It’s hot. It’s very hot,” she said slowly, surprised by his reaction.

But it hadn’t been her voice that had startled him. Somebody else had spoken to him and as he looked at the faces of his officers, he soon realized that he had been the only one who had perceived it.

“Something the matter, sir?” said Nora from up ahead when she noticed that he had stopped walking.

Michael turned to her but didn’t reply. It hadn’t been her voice either. But it had definitely sounded female. And he knew he had heard those lyrical tones before.

“Michael, are you–“

He gestured for DeMara to stop.

For a moment all he could hear was the almost non-existent breeze of hot air that brushed gently across the desert. All eyes rested on him.

And then he heard her song again. This time there was no denying it. He knew instantly who the voice belonged to. She had talked to him before; she had come to him in visions. He wasn’t sure what she was saying but he did not doubt that she was calling out for him now. Whoever she was, she wanted him to find her. He knew he had no choice but to do as she asked.

He abruptly changed direction. “This way,” he said and began walking at a more determined pace.

The others simply looked at each other with confusion. They did not speak. Each of them had by now realized that something strange was at work and for whatever reason; Captain Owens seemed to be the catalyst. Most of them had served under him for almost two years and even though he had never behaved similarly before, the trust and loyalty that had been formed during that time was not easily questioned.

They followed him with little further hesitation as he led them determinedly through the wasteland. After an utterly quiet twenty-minute power walk, their faith in their commanding officer paid off. Not unlike a desert mirage, a large white structure appeared out of seemingly thin air.

“It’s another Hyterian temple,” Armstrong said as he recognized it, being the first to break the long silence.

The five officers stood at the top of a small dune, looking down at the structure in the valley below. Its similarities with the previous Hyterian buildings they had encountered were undeniable. Albeit this temple was the largest single structure they had encountered so far. Easily twenty meters high, it stood like a castle of old with tall and solid walls and massive gates, adorned with statues of predatory animals.

Michael didn’t give his people much time to admire the building. After a short break from their exhausting march, he once again picked up his previous pace, this time heading straight for one of the gates leading into the structure.

Just before they entered Nora managed to slip past him and drew her weapon. She was not surprised to find herself in a brightly lit corridor.

“I am reading erratic signs of an unknown energy source,” said Xylion after checking his tricorder. “It seems immensely powerful.”

Armstrong quickly referred to his scanning device. “I’ve never seen this before. It must be created by the artifact.”

After a few minutes, they reached a fork in the road and Nora stopped. Michael didn’t. He turned left and kept walking.

The interior of the building seemed to resemble a maze. Many intersections followed the first but every time Michael kept his pace as if he had been here before, as if he knew exactly where to go.

“Michael,” whispered DeMara, staying close behind him. “Where are we going?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” he said without slowing down. The voice in his head, however, was becoming clearer the closer he got.

“How do you know where to go?” she kept her voice low. She didn’t want the others to catch on to her concerns.

“I just know.”

“I was afraid you’d say that.”

Not soon after Michael stopped for the first time since they had entered the labyrinth. The corridor had very abruptly ended. In front of them was nothing but a solid wall. He had led them into a dead end.

Nora turned to the captain, “Sorry, sir.”

“We should turn back and find another way,” said Armstrong. This latest obstacle had clearly not diminished his enthusiasm.

“It will consume considerable time to explore all the routes in this structure,” said Xylion, as usual pointing out the more realistic aspects of the current situation.

One by one the away team members turned to begin backtracking their steps. All but one.

Michael remained. He slowly began to approach the bright white wall he was still facing.

DeMara noticed that he was not following and stopped.

He reached out for the wall and when his hand made contact with the stone it silently and obediently slid out of his way. So silently that the others did not even notice the miraculous opening.

“Hang on,” said DeMara to the others and then followed him, along with the rest of the surprised away team.

They found themselves in a large, oval-shaped room containing almost no features except for eight broad columns arranged in a circle near the center. The walls were covered with Hyterian inscriptions.

“Is this it?” said Nora. “Is this what we’re looking for?”

She did not get a reply.

Xylion and Armstrong immediately began inspecting the inscriptions while Michael walked up to the center of the room and then froze. DeMara joined him.

“What is it?”

He looked slowly around the room until his gaze came to a rest on her. “It’s gone.”

“What is?”

“The voice.”

Nora had discovered three other entrances to the room. After she had checked each one, she returned to the center to join Michael and DeMara. “I recommend we grab this artifact and return to Eagle as quickly as possible.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed,” said DeMara. “There’s nothing here.”

“No, it’s here,” he said.

“Where?” Nora looked around but discovered nothing noteworthy.

Armstrong turned away from the wall he had been studying. “There is a lot of information here. I think this is a detailed history of the Hyterian people, right here on the walls,” he said and gestured at the inscriptions.

“Anything concerning the artifact?” said DeMara.

Xylion answered. “Inconclusive. It will take time to translate a volume of this magnitude.”

“Time I’m sure we do not have,” said Nora.

Michael knelt and lowered his head to the floor, ignoring the puzzled looks of his officers. He blew across the stone floor. A layer of millennia-old dust dispersed to reveal an engraved circle. He traced his fingers slowly along the well-defined crease.

DeMara joined him and scanned the circle with her tricorder, frowning when the data did not yield any satisfying results. “Yet another mystery?”

* * *

Gene was not happy.

His first hour back on duty after days in sickbay and there was not much he could do. To make things worse, there was no way to contact the captain and the away team and the threat of an attack was increasing by the minute.

It was an altogether rather unfamiliar feeling. He was not used to sitting in the big chair while an away mission was in progress. Under normal circumstances, it would’ve been him in the thick of the action and he didn’t much care for the feeling of sitting on the sidelines. It did give him a new appreciation for how frustrating Owens’ job was at least half the time.

It did not, however, dull his ambitions to one day command a starship of his own. But he was in no rush. For now, much more important matters required his full attention.

“I’m reading a third ship, holding position just outside sensor range,” said the relief operations manager.

Within the last half hour, at least one more ship had appeared in the system. It wasn’t hard to guess who it could be. By now, the competition for this intergalactic treasure hunt had been well-established.

“More of our friends, no doubt,” he said. “We’ll hold our position. I’m sure they already know we’re here. Not much else we can do until they make a play or we hear back from the away team.”

* * *

“What do you think it is?” said DeMara while examining the circle on the floor.

“The on-switch,” he said, pressed his palm flat against the floor and pushed. It gave away easily, retracting deep into the floor below, leaving behind an empty hole about one foot in diameter.

“Once this is over you need to tell me how you know all this,” she said while inspecting the hole, unable to spot the bottom.

“I wish I could. Stand back.” Michael stood and took a step backward. She looked at him curiously but then quickly followed suit.

Xylion and Armstrong, both now intrigued by the discovery, joined them.

They all watched with fascination as a small column rose from the hole until it reached the height of Michael’s hips. The top of the column began to unfold like paper-thin fabric, creating a circular platform that proceeded to rise another few centimeters. This in turn formed a large, ring-shaped impression on the previously smooth surface.

“The Circle of Commencement,” said Michael.

Xylion raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.”

“What’s next?” said DeMara and looked at the captain.

Armstrong stepped closer. “The size of that shape. It looks to be just the right size.“ He removed the backpack he was wearing, placed it on the floor, and opened the lid. Inside was just one item. The stone artifact they had recovered from the Hyterian space station.

He picked it up and carefully walked it over to the platform.

The others watched with anticipation. Even Nora turned around to see what was happening.

Armstrong placed it into the circle. It fitted perfectly. But it did not fill the entire ring. Pieces were missing.

“I think we take it from here.”

Nora recognized the voice behind her immediately. She spun around to come face to face with Barrington Spooner. Her reaction was almost instantaneous. She had her phaser out in a flash, reached out for the man’s neck, and roughly pushed him into the closest wall with such force, that the air exploded out of his lungs. Her phaser was hovering by his neck as if it was a razor-sharp knife.

But Spooner hadn’t been alone.

Six mercenaries of various races including Jungo stepped into the chamber. They were well-armed and their weapons were quickly pointed at the Starfleet officers.

Michael, DeMara, Xylion, and Armstrong returned in kind by drawing their phasers but quickly realized that they were outgunned.

Nora had noticed it, too. “Drop your weapons or Mister Spooner here will find himself a head shorter.”

“Maybe we got off on the wrong foot here,” said Spooner and tried a little smile, very much aware that a phaser blast at that proximity would probably result in exactly what she had suggested.

“You need to learn to shut up,” said Nora and jabbed the phaser cone against his neck.

Jungo stepped forward. “Go ahead, kill him,” he said. “All it’d mean to me is that my share gets bigger.”

“Those guys are mercenaries, Laas,” said Spooner. “They’re not exactly in this for the most noble intentions. Their only loyalties are to the financial reward,” he said.

Nora moved closer until she could smell his breath. “Then I’ll do it purely for the fun of it,” she said with a vicious smile.

“You could,” said Jungo. “But that would mean that we’ll kill you and your people next. Seems kinda messy,” he said and then looked at Michael. “What will it be, Captain?”

He focused on Jungo and then lowered his weapon. “Stand down.”

“Sir?” Nora protested. “We can’t let them have the artifact.”

“It’s all right,” he said. “Trust me.”

Nora shot Spooner one last, icy glare and then, very reluctantly, stepped away from it.

“Smart move, Captain,” said Jungo as he watched his people collect all the weapons and equipment from Eagle’s away team.

Then the mercenary leader noticed DeMara and he gazed at her intently. “Perhaps there is more profit here than we thought,” he said. “A Tenarian female would be priceless on the Orion slave market.”

DeMara caught the man’s insidious look but kept her facial expressions so neutral it was impossible to tell if the comment angered or frightened her.

Nora, however, took a defiant step forward. “You lay one finger on her and I swear you’ll regret it for the rest of your miserable, short life.”

Jungo pointed his weapon at the Bajoran. She never even flinched. She had been threatened so many times, she had lost count.

“Oh, don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you. I’m quite sure you’d be quite profitable as well.”

She tensed up, ready for a fight.

Spooner stepped next to Jungo and lowered his accomplice’s weapon. “This is not why we’re here,” he said.

This caused Nora to direct her scorn back at Spooner. The last thing she wanted was for him to act as her protector.

Jungo relented. “Something tells me you’d be more trouble than you’re worth, anyway.”

“Stand down, Lieutenant,” said Michael.

Both Jungo and Nora reluctantly stepped away from each other.

“It doesn’t surprise me in the least that you would be involved with such scum,” said Nora as she rejoined the captain and the rest of the away team.

“It’s just business. A necessary partnership,” he said with an easy shrug. “Don’t think less of me because of the company I keep.”

Nora laughed. “At this point, it’d be pretty near impossible for me to think any less of you.”

“Enough of this,” Jungo said, impatiently. “Let’s get on with it.”

Spooner tended to the silver suitcase that he had brought with him. He opened it and then looked at the platform.

“I see you’ve already uncovered the means to activate the device,” he said and revealed two other stone artifacts. One of which Michael thought he recognized. He had held it in his hands just a day earlier.

“May I inquire as to your plans regarding the Hyterian artifact,” said Xylion.

“We’ll donate it to the Daystrom Institute for the advancement of scientific study,” Jungo said and laughed out loud as if he had made a terrific joke. “What do you think?”

Armstrong slipped closer to the captain. “Sir, we cannot allow them to get the artifact,” he said in a tone no louder than a whisper. “They’ll sell it to the highest bidder.”

But Michael did not reply. Instead, he continued to observe Spooner as he inserted the two pieces into the platform. The circle was still not complete.

Spooner turned to Jungo. “We might have a problem here.”

* * *

“The mercenary ship and the Cardassian Galor are coming right for us.” Stanmore’s agitated voice had betrayed his relative inexperience. He had managed to identify the two vessels only a few minutes earlier but at that time they had been happy to engage each other at a safe distance from Eagle. Now they were bringing the battle their way.

“Red alert,” said Gene and promptly stood. A little bit too promptly he soon realized. He became dizzy for a moment but regained his focus quickly enough.

Eagle instantly went into full combat mode. The flashing crimson lights and the alarm klaxons an obvious reminder.

The small mercenary ship raced passed Eagle without slowing down and the Cardassians in hot pursuit didn’t seem to care much about the presence of the Federation ship, either. With guns blasting, Eagle could not move fast enough to evade all the energy bursts being slung into their general direction.

Eagle’s bridge trembled under the incoming fire.

“We’re getting caught in the crossfire,” said Leva. “Shields are holding.”

Gene turned to the helm. “Ensign, new course, two four one mark one two, full impulse. Get us out of here.”

“Full impulse, aye sir.”

Eagle turned, trying to put some distance between them and the two battling starships. They didn’t get far.

“New contact, decloaking dead ahead,” said Leva.

On the main screen, the silhouette of a Klingon Bird-Of-Prey attack ship came into view. Within seconds it was fully revealed. Its disruptor cannons blasting away instantly.

Gene wished he hadn’t left sickbay in such a hurry.

* * *

Not unlike a startled dog, Xylion turned his head toward one of the exits. “Somebody is approaching,” he said.

Nora shot him an icy stare. “Now you tell us.”

The mercenaries overheard the Vulcan. One of them made it over to the entrance Xylion was looking at. The man quickly regretted his careless approach when he suddenly found himself face-to-face with a seven-foot Klingon warrior. The Klingon struck out and the mercenary was thrown across the room and impacted painfully against the far wall. His body slumped to the floor.

Three more Klingons stepped into the Hyterian chamber; all of them dressed in heavy body armor and wielding razor-sharp bat’leth swords.

The other mercenaries reached for their weapons but failed to notice the Cardassians who had entered from the other entrance behind them. Only when they heard their weapons powering up did they realize they had been surrounded. Seeing no other choice, they dropped their weapons and raised their hands.

One of the Klingons and one of the Cardassians removed all the weapons from the mercenaries, including the Starfleet equipment.

The Cardassian commander stepped forward. “Looks as if we came just in time,” said Gul Renek.

“Now that is an unlikely alliance,” said DeMara once she had observed the Cardassians and Klingons working together. The two powers had always been immensely distrustful of each other. In fact, not too long ago they had been engaged in all-out warfare with each other.

“On the contrary,” said the Cardassian Gul. “It has been extremely productive.”

“What shall we do with the prisoners?” said the strongest-looking Klingon.

Nora stepped forward. “Here is an idea,” she said, quickly approached Barrington Spooner, and flattened the unsuspecting rogue with one powerful punch to his lower jar.

Renek couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“I guess I had that coming,” said Spooner, rubbing his bruised chin.

“That and more.”

A Klingon grabbed the much smaller Nora Laas from behind and lifted her clean off the floor. The giant, muscle-covered man held her tightly and Nora didn’t even attempt to fight him. She knew she was in no position to do any damage and for now, she relished the sight of Spooner before her feet.

“I don’t think there is any need to harm them. At least not yet,” said Renek.

The Klingon looked surprised but proceeded to put Nora back down.

“Return their equipment.”

“That would be a mistake,” growled the Klingon.

Renek picked up one of the Starfleet weapons and removed the power cell, effectively neutralizing the weapon. He then tossed it over to Michael who caught it easily. “I’m no monster, Captain. We have fought side by side against the Borg. If it hadn’t been for you, we’d all be drones by now. Consider us even.”

Michael simply nodded.

The other Cardassians returned the rest of the equipment to the Starfleet officers but only after each of their weapons had been rendered useless.

Nora harshly ripped her disabled phaser from a Cardassian’s hand and tucked it away. “Great, now we’ve come to trusting Cardassians.”

“Better than fighting them,” said DeMara.

“Speak for yourself.”

But it wasn’t the Cardassians DeMara was worried about. Instead, she focused on the captain who had remained uncharacteristically quiet and detached in response to the rapidly changing situation. That wasn’t like him at all.

Michael continued to watch passively as the Cardassians and Klingons were taking over, almost as though he was nothing more than a distant and uninvolved spectator.

Renek stepped up to the platform and inspected the circle with the artifacts. He waved over one of his men who quickly produced another relic. Like the others, this one too was a perfect fit.

“Only one missing,” said the Cardassian commander.

“Who has it?” shouted the Klingon and stepped into the room. He brought up his bat’lethsword and carefully regarded each and everyone present. The glare in his eyes left no doubt that he burned with the desire to rip out somebody’s heart and it mattered little which one.

The question, however, was not answered by anyone presently in the room. A faint yet familiar humming sound filled the chamber. Everybody turned to spot the six columns of green light appearing out of thin air out of which half a dozen figures materialized, each clad in broad-shouldered, gray uniforms.

The Klingons raised their swords. “Romulans,” the leader spat. “I should have known.”

“Keep your vile blood hounds at bay,” said the Romulan woman with noticeable smugness lining her voice. She was carrying the remaining stone piece and slowly proceeded to the platform.

“This could get real ugly,” said DeMara quietly, “real fast.”

But Michael didn’t even appear as if he had heard her speak at all.

Sub-commander Sentar carefully put the stone piece into the platform, finally completing the circle. She then took a step back.

All eyes in the room were now glued to the platform with great anticipation.

With a sudden hum, it began to spin. Some form of brilliantly white energy leaked onto the platform like liquid, filling out the creases between the individual pieces. Within seconds they melted together to form one solid ring. This in turn activated a mechanism that retracted the column along with the platform.

The soft hum gradually increased until it was a droning screech so loud and insistent that everybody in the room was forced to cover their ears.

Everybody but Michael Owens.

Both column and platform disappeared as they were swallowed up by the floor once more. A bright white light shot out from the remaining hole. The concentrated energy created a perfectly round pillar of light that reached to the high ceiling above.

As if in a trance, Michael stepped toward it. The others were still too distracted by the noise and the light and hardly perceived his movements at all.

He closed his eyes and to the astonishment of everyone around him, he was lifted off the ground until his body was perfectly positioned between the floor and the ceiling at the dead center of the chamber.

Michael took a deep breath and opened his eyes. His surroundings had changed. He was standing in the Hyterian capital on their home world a thousand years in the past. Right in front of him stood the now majestic-looking temple he had visited before. Yet the experience remained surreal, everything around him shimmered in a white, unnatural bloom.

There were no people except for one. The Hyterian he had met before. She was standing in her simple gown on the steps leading up to the temple. He took a few awkward steps toward the elegant figure.

“You have come,” she said in her song-like voice.

Michael approached slowly, surprised that for the first time, he could understand her clearly. “You have brought me here. Why?”

The Hyterian body remained still and her mouth did not move when she continued to speak. “You know why.”

His eyes were transfixed, he could not look away. “The artifact, it’s not a weapon, is it?”

She moved her head so slightly that he almost missed it. He took the gesture as a nod. The apparition then turned on the spot, her long golden hair flowing freely over her shoulders.

He followed her inside the temple.

“You are the reason for the visions I’ve had; you somehow connected with me when I first came to Hyteria.”

“You were not—“ she hesitated for a second, looking for the right words, “compatible,” she said while gliding down the hallway. “Your body. Fought me.”

“It’s a form of telepathy,” said Michael intrigued.

“Yes. But so much more.”

They entered the main chamber, similar to the one inside the moon. It was dark inside and the moment the creature entered, she uttered a short shriek of pain.

“The darkness hurts you.”

“That is why we created it. Why we created Eternal Flame.”

A pillar of light appeared at the center of the chamber, strong enough to illuminate the night sky. And yet it didn’t blind him. It was pleasant to look at, almost calming.

“Eternal Flame,” he said.

“We sought to banish the demons in the dark. Forever. We created a source of unlimited light, unlimited hope.”

“But something went wrong,” he said recalling his previous visions.

Another nod.

The pillar of light began to pulsate. It was losing its harmonic qualities and became chaotic and disturbing. Michael began to feel sick just looking at it. He wanted to turn away.

“We were foolish. It contains the gift of gods. It had the power to bring light to entire worlds. To forever cast out the shadows. Too late we understood. Without darkness, there can be no light.”

Michael had to shield his eyes; it was beginning to blind him. “It’s unstable.”

Then a shockwave gripped his body. It was so strong that it should have crushed him like an insect. It didn’t. Something protected him from it. When he opened his eyes again the light was gone and so was the city around him. He was still standing in the same spot as before but there was nothing left but ruins. The Hyterian moved silently to the center of the chamber, fading away slowly.

“Wait, I still have questions.”

But it was too late. She was gone. Michael walked over to where the Hyterian had stood only moments before. But as soon as he had reached the center of the room, he found himself once more engulfed by the light. He was back in the chamber inside the moon, his body descending slowly until his feet touched the ground once more.

As he stepped out of the center, he realized that the humming was gone. Everyone was now staring at him as if he would provide all the answers they had been seeking.

When he turned back, he found the pillar of light an exact duplicate of the one he had seen in his vision only moments before, glowing in almost hypnotic harmony.

DeMara took a careful step towards him. “What happened?”

“I’ll tell you later,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”

“What?” Armstrong looked at the captain with confusion. “We can’t just leave the artifact to them.”

One of the Klingons discarded his sword in favor of a menacing disruptor pistol. “Nobody is going anywhere. Where is the artifact?”

“You’re looking at it,” said Michael. “But it isn’t a weapon. It’s a failed experiment. A device the Hyterians created to attempt to illuminate entire worlds, to create an unlimited source of light. For them, light was the ultimate source of life and happiness. But it didn’t work.”

DeMara nodded along slowly when she finally thought she understood. “They wanted too much, too quickly.”

“Yes,” said Michael. “It turned out to be unstable and uncontrollable. They tried to warn me about their mistakes but I didn’t understand. Until now. We have to get out of here before it rips this entire place apart.”

“You expect us to believe these creatures created nothing more than an overpowered light bulb?” said Jungo with apparent skepticism. “How stupid do you think we are?”

“It’s a trick,” said the lead Klingon, pointing his disruptor at Michael.

“No, I believe him,” said Sentar and then reached for her weapon. “But a source of unlimited light is a source of unlimited energy. Energy we can harness. We will lay claim to it.”

Michael shook his head. “Think about this. The Hyterians with all their advanced technology were not able to control Eternal Flame and it destroyed their civilization. If you try to harness its power you’re dooming yourself to the same fate.”

Gul Renek did not care for that answer. “The Cardassian Science Ministry will find a way to make it work,” he said and raised his weapon.

The lead Klingon shot Renek a glare. “Cardassian Science Ministry? That was not part of our agreement.”

“I’m changing the agreement,” said Renek and pointed his weapon at the Klingon.

“You honorless petaQ!”

That’s when Jungo saw his opportunity. As both the Klingons and Cardassians were distracted, he jumped to his feet, attacked one of the Klingons who was supposed to watch him and managed to relieve him of his weapon.

What he didn’t realize was that Nora Laas had been watching him like a hawk this entire time and just as Jungo was about to turn and find the nearest target of opportunity, he was stopped dead in his tracks by a vicious roundhouse kick to his stomach. He instantly doubled over in pain.

Another mercenary, inspired by Jungo’s initiative, sprang to his feet. This caused the Klingons to open fire at the mercenaries. In turn, the Cardassians opened fire at the Klingons and the Romulans started shooting at everything and everyone that moved.

Everybody scrambled for cover.

“We’ve got to get out here, now,” said Michael. Not only were they defenseless without working phasers but he knew that even if they survived the firefight, they were not going to survive what came next.

Nora was still preoccupied with Jungo who she had efficiently disarmed and who was now staring down the barrel of the disruptor rifle he had wielded moments before.

DeMara grabbed her by the arm. “Laas, let’s go.”

Nora raised the rifle closer to his face and watched him squirm with delight as he anticipated being shot at point-blank range.

She used the butt of the rifle to strike him against the side of his head with such force he went down immediately. “That’s for considering selling us into slavery. Consider this your lucky day.”

The chamber was quickly beginning to fill with smoke from the relentless weapons fire. So much so that it was difficult to make out any targets. Everyone with a working weapon was now shooting more or less blindly. The only thing that remained unmistakably clear was the bright pillar of light at the center of the room. But that too was slowly beginning to change.

As Nora followed DeMara toward the exit, she spotted a Romulan taking aim at an unarmed Barrington Spooner. He had him dead to rights and Nora knew that Spooner wouldn’t survive the blast.

For about half a second, she considered doing nothing at all and leaving Spooner to his fate. Until she convinced herself of a very practical reason why she wanted him alive. She cut down the Romulan with the rifle she had swiped earlier and quickly approached the rogue.

When he realized who his savior had been, he gave her a wide smile. “I always knew you felt something, too. We share a connection and it’s–“

“Shut the hell up and follow me,” she said. “We’re getting out of here, now.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said and did as he was told.

In the meantime, Michael had escaped an energy blast by mere centimeters. He quickly looked around to make sure his away team had reassembled around him before he pointed to the entrance they had come from.

“Sir, are you absolutely sure about this?” said Armstrong. “You really want to leave this behind?”

“There is nothing here for anyone to claim,” said Michael and pushed him toward the exit. He took one last look back at Eternal Flame. Just like the one he had seen in his vision, this one too was beginning to break up. What had appeared tranquil and comforting moments ago was quickly beginning to pulsate with anger and raw, uncontainable energy.

Without another thought, he turned and followed the others.

* * *

“Shields are down to twenty-three percent. The warbird has changed its attack vector. It is now approaching port side,” said Leva while Eagle was taking a beating.

Three ships had now opened fire on the Starfleet vessel. Fortunately, none of them seemed to concentrate their fire solely on Eagle. Gene had tried his best to keep the ship out of harm’s way but the other vessels did not seem to take a liking to Eagle’s presence in the system.

“Continue random evasive patterns,” he said after having taken a seat in the command chair again. “Keep firing phasers.”

“Commander,” said Stanmore. “I’m reading a massive energy surge originating from the moon.”

“On screen.”

The viewscreen shifted to show the small satellite again. It now seemed to be glowing. A sight Gene had never seen before. It was eerily beautiful but very disturbing at the same time.

“There is another vessel approaching,” said Leva from tactical.

“That’s just what we need.”

Leva smiled. “It’s our shuttle. They’re hailing us, audio only.”

“Put it on.”

A familiar voice echoed across the bridge. “This is Owens. Prepare to bring us in and then jump out of the system immediately after.”

“Excellent suggestion, sir,” he said and turned to the helm station. “You heard the captain.”

* * *

The Agincourt banked sharply to the side to avoid a Cardassian phaser blast that had been meant for the Romulan warbird.

Inside the shuttle, the occupants had to hold on tight to stay in their seats.

The trip back to the Eagle had turned out to be a great deal more perilous than the journey to the moon hours earlier. Not only did they have to contend with the spatial distortions but also with three powerful starships that had engaged in full-out combat with each other.

They were too busy to focus on the shuttle but that didn’t mean they were out of danger. On the contrary.

Culsten had his hands full, throwing the small ship into another sharp turn that had the unintended side-effect of moving them away from their mothership instead of toward it.

“Maybe you could use a hand at the controls,” said Spooner who had been brought on board by Nora and who hadn’t taken her eyes off of him since they had left the hollow moon. “I know a little bit about piloting myself.”

The Bajoran leveled her rifle at him. “Fat chance.”

“Hey,” he said with a shrug. “You save my life, I save yours. That’s the game, remember?”

“I brought you along so that you can answer for your crimes,” she said. “Not to give you another chance to escape.”

But Michael noticed the sweat pearls on the young Krellonian’s focused face. He was having trouble keeping up. “Lieutenant, can you get us back to Eagle?”

He responded without ever taking his eyes off his instruments. “I can do it but to be honest, I wouldn’t mind an additional pair of hands.”

Michael glanced at Spooner and nodded.

Nora sighed but said nothing when the rogue merchant shot her a beaming smile and then swiftly took the co-pilot’s chair.

He stretched his fingers theatrically. “Okay, I’m going to boost power to your ventral thrusters that should give us more maneuverability for some tighter turns.”

Culsten nodded. “Good idea.”

For the next two minutes, the pilots took the Agincourt to the very limits of her capabilities by performing one breakneck maneuver after the next.

The ship and the occupants survived the hellish trip and soon found themselves with the much-welcomed view of Eagle’s open and waiting shuttle bay.

“Home sweet home,” said DeMara.

Spooner glanced at the pilot “Manual landing?”

Culsten nodded. “Agincourt to Eagle, we’re coming in hot. Stand ready for emergency landing.”

“Copy that, Agincourt.”

Armstrong leaned forward, his entire body tense. “You’ve done this before, right?”

The Krellonian flashed the archeologist a toothy smile. “Hundreds of times.”

That seemed to relax the young man somewhat.

“On the holodeck,” added Lif Culsten under his breath.

Nora could tell something was wrong just by looking out the forward viewport. “Aren’t we coming in a bit fast?”

Spooner rolled his eyes. “You find a backseat driver anywhere,” he said. “I suggest everybody find something to hang on to. This might not be pretty.”

“What did you just call me?” Nora said, ready to get out of her chair and beat some sense into the man.

“Brace for impact.”

She quickly changed her mind when she caught another glimpse of the viewport. She had been absolutely correct. The shuttle bay was approaching way too fast, almost as if they were sitting in a missile designed to rip into the ship instead of landing in it.

In the end, she did the only thing she could. She followed the other’s example and held on tight.

The shuttle hit the landing deck and bounced off it like a rubber ball.

Emergency force fields shot up to catch the shuttle and slow it down.

They did their job.

The second time the shuttle hit the deck it stayed there but it spun around on its axis and slid along the floor causing an awful shriek of rending metal.

It finally came to a standstill when it bumped into another force field designed to arrest its momentum.

When Michael looked up, he noticed that the shuttle had made a one-hundred-eighty-degree turn and the forward viewport was now facing the open shuttle bay doors again.

In the far distance, he spotted the glowing moon.

A bright white flash of light reached out for him.

He was hardly surprised to find himself transported to a different place.

He was back on Hyteria Prime but this time the city was bustling with activity. It was no longer a ghost town.

All around him, Hyterians were going about their business in peace and harmony. He caught glimpses of children playing in lush green fields. And it was just the right day for it. A pleasantly warm and sunny afternoon with a subtle breeze of refreshing wind blowing gently through his hair. He was standing on a grassy hill near the center of the city.

The female Hyterian that had spoken to him before was slowly approaching him.

“What happened?” he said.

“Eternal Flame is no more,” she said. “Your destiny. Fulfilled.”

“You wanted me to destroy it all along?”

She nodded ever so slightly. “It was necessary. We could not allow others to repeat our mistakes.” She reached out her hand.

Michael hesitated for a moment but then reached out as well and touched the alien being. A powerful shockwave shot through his body as he made contact. Images began flooding his mind. Images of the Hyterians, the way they had lived, how they had worked, how they played, and how they had died. Hundreds and hundreds of memories were becoming one with his. The sensation was almost overwhelming. But once he understood what she intended, he gave up all resistance, and the images and memories began flowing through his mind like a pleasant river.

She smiled at him. “Don’t forget.”

And then the creature and everything else faded away and he was back in the shuttle as suddenly as he had left. Just in time to see the moon break up into large fragments. Not a second later Eagle jumped to warp and just like that, it was all gone.

“I won’t.”

DeMara turned to him and saw him smile.

Barrington Spooner stood from his seat. “Well, I guess congratulations are in order,” he said and looked at Culsten. “To the both of us.”

He nodded. “Those were some neat tricks. This would have been a lot tougher without your help.”

Spooner found Nora. “Please tell me you heard that?”

“Yeah, impressive,” she said and tapped her combadge. “Security to the main shuttle bay on the double.”

He frowned. “I save the day and that’s the thanks I get?”

“I’m placing you under arrest for assaulting a Starfleet officer, theft of Starfleet property, kidnapping, and conspiring with pirates,” she said as she brought her rifle up once again. “And I’m sure I can come up with half a dozen more charges.”

Spooner looked at Michael. “Captain, surely there are some mitigating circumstances here that could be considered.”

“Maybe,” he said, “but to be honest, I’m far too tired to think of them at the moment. For now, I’m afraid you’ll be enjoying our hospitality for a while longer.”

“Sir?” said Nora.

“In the brig,” Michael added.

That put a smile on her face and she gestured for Spooner to disembark the shuttle. “Let’s go.”

“All right, I’ll cooperate,” he said as she pushed him along. “But you have to promise that you’ll be the one to interrogate me.”

“Give me a break,” she said.

DeMara smiled as she watched them leave the shuttle. “I think Laas might have finally met her match,” she said and then turned to Michael. “Are you okay?”

He nodded. “Yes, I think I’m fine.”

But Toby Armstrong still seemed confused about recent events. “Sir, was it true what you said? Was it really nothing more than a source of illumination? An overpowered light bulb?”

“Yes and no,” he said. “But for the Hyterians light meant life. They were an incredibly advanced race but they made one fatal mistake. All their wisdom and technology couldn’t prevent it. They tried to play God and it led to their doom. I think there is a powerful lesson there for all of us.”

Xylion looked at Michael. “I still fail to fully understand how you have arrived at your conclusions, sir.”

He smirked. “A friend of mine told me,” he said and noticed the asking expressions. “Let’s just say I’ve been privileged to some pretty solid insider information from the very beginning. It took me a while to understand it. Much of it still eludes me even now.” Michael glanced at the confused Armstrong. “Don’t worry, I’ll share everything I’ve learned. And I’m sure the wealth of knowledge left behind by the Hyterians together with my experiences will give you and the entire scientific community a lot of fascinating opportunities to learn much more about them. Cheer up, Lieutenant, you’re about to become a very busy and sought-after man.”

“Sir?”

“You along with Commander Xylion are now the foremost experts on the Hyterians. Don’t be surprised when you hear the Federation Science Council come knocking at your door,” he said as he exited the shuttle.

Outside he found Nora Laas handing Spooner over to two security guards. But the lieutenant looked anything but pleased when she noticed that he had already struck up a conversation with the female specialist escorting him out of the shuttle bay.

Nora Laas’ disposition changed instantly when she saw Eugene Edison enter.

“Sir, it’s good to have you back.”

“Good to have you back, Commander,” said Michael.

“Gene!”

Nora rushed toward him and without another thought immediately proceeded to hug him tightly “I’m so glad to see you,” she said, seemingly oblivious to her audience.

“I’m glad to see you, too, Laas.”

And then it suddenly hit her. Her captain was standing only a few meters away, silently watching the unusual display with great interest and curiosity. She quickly ended the embrace. Her face bright red from embarrassment.

Michael looked at both of them for a few seconds as they stood at attention like two cadets on the parade grounds. Edison was fighting off a smirk.

“You two are—“Michael tried to think of his next words. Then he looked at DeMara who had stepped up next to him. But she had no comments to offer except for a large, knowing smile on her lips. He glanced back at his first officer and security chief. “Dismissed,” he finally said once no other words would come to mind.

Edison and Nora nodded duly and then proceeded straight for the exit.

“Somebody needs to fill me in on what’s going on around here,” said Michael as he watched them depart.

“You really weren’t paying much attention over the last few days, were you?”

“I’ve been having the strangest thoughts lately,” said Gene as he and Nora Laas stepped into the corridor outside the shuttle bay.

“Oh really?”

“Yes. For some odd reason I have this very strong compulsion to go and see a sunset,” he said.

She gave him a wide smile. “A sunset?”

“On a planet called Avalon Prime. The strange thing is, I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of that place.”

“Don’t worry Commander, I know exactly where to find it.”

Back in the shuttle bay, Michael began to head for the exit as well.

“You know, you have a lot of explaining to do,” said DeMara, following him. “How about you tell me about it over a cup of tea?”

“To be honest Dee, I feel exhausted, like I haven’t slept in a month. Rain check?”

She nodded. “Sure. After all this, you deserve a good night’s rest. I’ll make sure you’re not going to be disturbed for the next twenty-four hours.”

They both stepped into the corridor.

“Make that forty-eight,” he said and began walking down the corridor and toward his quarters with nothing left on his mind but catching up on a whole lot of missed sleep.

DeMra remained by the open shuttle bay doors. “Oh, and Captain.”

He stopped to look back at her.

“Sweet dreams.”

Michael Owens returned her smile. “Tonight, I’m counting on it.”

the adventures will continue …

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