From: 95lnm@williams.edu (Lisa Masterman)
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
Subject: "Aeia" epilogue and repost
Date: 6 Jan 1993 01:47:58 GMT
Organization: Williams College, Williamstown, MA
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: welsh.cs.williams.edu

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have actually found some time to edit "Aeia"
a little and FINALLY write the promised epilogue.

It's not a masterpiece, I know, but for all those who are interested, here (and
in the next few postings) is the whole thing from beginning to end - and
epilogue.  We haven't had too many creative postings of late, so I figured we
could use this.

My most sincere thanks to everyone who's encouraged me and praised me on this.
Maybe later this month I might get started on another Aeia story...  we'll
have to see.

--lisa
95lnm@cs.williams.edu
lmasterm@cs.ulowell.edu

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Aeia"

PART ONE

Captain's Log, Stardate 45824.4:  The Enterprise has been assigned to map a 
fairly remote region of space close to one extreme of the Romulan Neutral 
Zone.  My crew and I have been surprised to discover in this system a class 
'M' planet, something we did not expect to come across in this largely 
unexplored sector.  Counselor Troi has given me reason to believe that there 
may be some form of intelligent life waiting undiscovered on the surface.

"Explain, Counselor."

Troi shook her head, looking intensely at the floor as if an explanation lay 
hidden beneath the carpet.  "I think there is something down there.  
Something very-"  She broke off, looking up at the viewscreen for a moment.  
A blue-green planet filled the screen and pushed itself into her mind, along 
with...  something.  "Something very strong, yet - very elusive."  She turned 
to face the captain with a long sigh.  "I can't seem to grasp it; every time I 
think I can really sense it, it slips away."

Commander Riker, sitting attentively to the right of the captain, spoke up.  
"Sir, whether there is something down there or not, it warrants investigation.  
There is a class 'M' planet here that no one knows about."

"Agreed, Number One.  Assemble your away team and report to me if you 
find anything."

Riker nodded and stood up briskly, striding across the bridge towards the 
turbolift.  He turned to nod to Troi and Data, who rose to follow him.  
Entering the turbolift, he tapped his badge communicator.  "Riker to 
Engineering.  Geordi, report for away team duty," he said as the doors shut.

Troi let her breath out slowly as she felt a sensation like a weight lifting.  
We're headed in the right direction, she thought.

----------------------------------------------------

The team materialized moments later on the crest of a large hill.  To their 
right, another hill rose above them with an almost vertical slope.  In the 
other direction lay a vast scar on the earth strewn with rubble and large 
rocks towards the perimeter.  Before them, a breathtaking valley opened up, 
descending steeply to a large lake.  Beyond the lake rose a crescent-shaped 
ridge of spectacular mountain cliffs.

Home, thought Troi.  She shook her head again.  Where did THAT thought 
come from?

Data was busily scanning their surroundings with his tricorder.  "Sir, there 
are very strange readings coming from within the steep hill above us.  It is 
possible that a large network of caverns exists at this level that extend far 
below the surface.  There is a propensity of an element with which I am 
unfamiliar."

Geordi had walked off towards the rubble to their left.  "What happened 
here?"

Data followed him and bent over a cluster of jagged rocks.  After busying 
himself with his tricorder for several seconds, he reported, "It seems to be 
the ruins of a cluster of artificial structures.  Origin: unknown."

Commander Riker stepped carefully through the rubble.  "Homes?"

"Very possibly, sir," responded the android.  "Further analysis of the ruins 
might reveal that information."

"So someone was here," said the Commander quietly.  "Can you discern any 
technology?"  He frowned at the stones at his feet.  They looked like rocks to 
him.

"At first appraisal the technology of the structures appears to be 
rudimentary, but-"

"But?"

"There is insufficient data to say, sir.  I would need to collect more 
information to properly reconstruct the original design of the structures.  
Judging from the building materials and the layout of the ruins, however, 
one could pose a hypothesis that these structures were not as simple as they 
first appear."

"Do you think humanoids lived here?"

"I cannot say, sir."

Riker moved across the strewn rocks to a clearer space.  The valley spread 
itself out beneath him.  The area was green, lush, full of life. He turned back 
to the ruins, and mused on the irony of such devastation cohabiting with 
such beauty.  He rhetorically echoed Geordi's earlier question: "What 
happened here?"

"I don't know," answered Geordi from where he crouched beside a crumbled 
wall.  "Whatever it was, it didn't happen that long ago.  I'd guess three to 
five years.  I'll say one thing, though."  He gestured to the rock he was 
studying.  It was scarred with phaser marks.  "This settlement wasn't just 
abandoned and left to fall apart.  It was destroyed."

Data looked up from his tricorder.  "That correlates with my findings, sir."

"Thank you, Data."  Riker glanced over to Troi, who had been standing 
quietly on the edge of the ruins, looking over the edge of the knoll.  "Have 
you sensed anything, Deanna?"

"What I feel hasn't changed," she responded quietly.  "Something's here, I 
just don't know where..."  Her voice trailed off as she looked around her, 
trying to get a fix on what she sensed.  Her brow furrowed in frustration.

"If I may, sir?"

Riker returned to the others.  "Go ahead, Data."

"It would appear to be somewhat odd that we have found no other artifacts."

"Explain."

"Archaeological ruins are usually accompanied by the many elements of 
daily life: cooking implements, discarded trash, personal belongings...  We 
have found no such objects in these ruins."

"Maybe they took everything with them," suggested Geordi.

"That is a possibility," admitted Data, "but it is unlikely, since these ruins 
suffered some form of attack."

"What if they knew the attack was coming?" Riker asked.

"But why take every single thing?" said Troi from the edge of the ruins.  
"And if there was no one and nothing here, then why attack the settlement?"

"Maybe there WASN'T anyone here," said Geordi.  "I mean, we haven't found 
any bones or remains of any kind."

"It is possible that the enemy or predatory animals removed the bodies of 
the slain," said Data.

"And it is possible that the enemy could have taken everything from their 
homes," said Troi.  She frowned, thinking that their line of reasoning wasn't 
getting them any further.

Geordi voiced her thoughts as he sat down upon one of the larger rocks.  
"Doesn't look like we're finding any answers.  Only more questions."

Data walked over to the far edge of the ruins and busied himself with his 
tricorder.  "Commander," he said, "I am still detecting unusual readings from 
this hill.  There is definitely an unfamiliar element here, buried beneath the 
surface."

Riker surveyed the steep hillside that rose from the edge of the ruins.  "You 
say there are caves in there?"

Data paused for a moment as he examined the readings on his tricorder.  
"Affirmative, sir."

"Is there any way of accessing the caves?"

"Yes, sir," said the android as he strode away from the ruins.  The rest of the 
away team followed him.

Moments later, they were walking along the sandy and rock-strewn floor of 
a dark passageway beneath the surface of the hill.  The only light was that 
emitted from their hand-held lamps, but the beams were reflected off of the 
surfaces of the rock around them and more than amply illuminated their 
way.  The walls were uneven, with large pieces of crystal jutting from the 
rock and jagged, angular surfaces reflecting and bouncing their lights with 
prismatic effects.  The ceiling arced two to three feet above their heads, 
echoing the sounds of their movements.

Riker's communicator chirped.  "Report, Number One," spoke Captain Picard's 
voice.

The Commander tapped his badge in a brisk motion.  "We've just entered a 
series of caves, Captain.  We found some old ruins outside, but were unable 
to gather much information from them.  We're hoping that the caves will 
provide us with some answers."

"Captain," spoke Data from where he stood next to one wall, "the passageway 
seems to be carved through a crystalline substance unfamiliar to me.  The 
molecular structure is very dense."

"The Enterprise's scanners have detected this substance," said the Captain's 
voice.  "What can you tell me about it?"

"I've never seen anything like it," said Geordi.  "It has a very complex cell 
structure, very rigid.  The crystal in the walls is almost flawless...  This stuff 
must be harder by a factor of ten than the hardest substance known to 
Federation science!"

"Actually," corrected Data, "my initial findings would indicate that it is 
harder by a factor of-"

"Save it, Data," interrupted the Commander.

"Very well," spoke the Captain's voice.  "Keep me apprised."

"Understood, sir; Riker out."  Riker turned to Data.  "You said that this 
passageway was carved?"

"It is highly improbable that it was formed by chance, sir.  I see no evidence 
of the crystal being cut, however.  The surfaces are very smooth, and no 
rudimentary tools have been used to alter them."

"It also seems highly improbable," mused Geordi, "that the same people who 
built those structures out there are responsible for what's in here.  Whoever 
carved their way through this stuff has to be in possession of considerable 
technology.  They wouldn't be living in rocks."

"Let's continue," spoke up Troi.  Her companions agreed and they proceeded 
along the corridor.

Their progress was abruptly halted a moment later when the passageway 
was terminated unexpectedly by a pile of boulders and rock fragments that 
reached the ceiling of the tunnel.  Troi's face betrayed her disappointment.  
She genuinely believed that they had been approaching something - the 
same something that she had sensed before.

Riker climbed onto one of the rocks for a better vantage point to where the 
pile met the ceiling.  "Data, is there anything beyond this?"

"Unknown, Commander.  The properties of the rock seem to be interfering 
with the tricorder's sensors.  The problem has been slowly growing worse as 
we go further beneath the surface."

"I think I may have found a way through," called Geordi.  He had climbed up 
the pile, and was working his way towards the left wall.  "It will be a tight 
squeeze," he warned.

"What's beyond the barrier?" asked the Commander.

"I don't know.  Looks like it opens up into a chamber of some sort.  Hold on, 
let me get through..."  For a few seconds, the Chief Engineer scrambled across 
sliding rocks, working his way through
the hole.  He disappeared from sight.  "It is a chamber," he shouted from the 
other side.  There was a moment of silence, and then he added, "Commander, 
I think you should see this."

Riker worked his way over to where Geordi had been, and began to clamber 
through the hole.  Troi followed, and Data came through last.

The chamber beyond was not very large.  The ceiling and walls only 
expanded slightly from the dimensions they had held along the corridor.  
Another passageway led off from the chamber, banking out of sight.  What 
had caught the Chief Engineer's attention, however, was located right in the 
center of the chamber: a giant crystal was laid lengthwise into a stone 
mount.  There was someone inside.

"She was young," commented Geordi as he shone his light into the crystal.

"Do you think that they - whoever they are - built these passageways just to 
bury her?" Riker asked.

Data cocked his head to the left.  "I assume, Commander, that you are 
thinking of a parallel to the ancient stone pyramids of Earth's historic 
Egyptians?  If I may, sir, I would like to hazard a conjecture that would 
negate your statement.  Tricorder readings indicate some energy emissions 
which do not match the pattern of the other foreign substances in the cave.  
They could be indications that this girl is not dead."

"You're right, Data," said Troi.  "I think she is what I sensed.  She was calling 
to me..."

Geordi leaned down to examine the rock.  "If she's not dead, then what is 
she?  She's encased in solid crystal."

"Some form of suspended animation?" suggested Riker.

"That is possible," responded Data.  "However, sir, it would not explain why 
the tricorder can detect the living tissue inside the crystal, even with its 
sensor abilities hampered.  It would also not explain why she was 
'summoning' Counselor Troi."

"I think I may have your answer," interrupted Geordi.  He was standing 
down by where the feet of the encased woman were; his light shone upon a 
rock that had landed upon the crystal.  "This stuff is hard, but not as hard as 
the substance in the walls here.  There's a minute crack in the crystal down 
along her right leg."

"If the integrity of the crystal has been damaged, then the state of 
suspension could have been broken," suggested Data.

Geordi frowned.  "But she's still encased in crystal.  If she came back like 
this, she couldn't possibly survive."

Troi's hand wasn't fast enough in covering her mouth to conceal her gasp.  
She both recognized the logic in Geordi's words and sensed their truth.  
"She's dying!"

Riker briskly tapped his badge.  "Riker to Enterprise."  There was silence.

"The foreign substance must be interfering with communication, 
Commander," said Data.

"Go back towards the entrance and see if you can reach the Enterprise, 
Geordi.  Tell Dr. Crusher we have a possible medical emergency.  Data, see if 
you can widen the opening a little so the medical team can get through."  He 
regarded the cold crystal in front of him for a while.  Barely visible in the 
darkness, a pale face could be seen within.  "We may have to carry her out."

As Geordi and Data left the chamber, Troi circled around the crystal form.  
Her hand reached out cautiously to touch the smooth surface.  It was cold to 
her fingertips.

Riker regarded her silently for a moment.  "Is she in pain?" he asked gently.

Troi's dark eyes, shadowed by the poor light in the cavern, grew darker still.  
She shook her head, letting her midnight black curls fall in front of her 
shoulders.  "I don't know," she said in a voice that was more breath than 
sound.

Just then the quiet was disturbed by the loud clamor of Data's efforts on the 
rockpile.  He returned shortly, followed by Lieutenant LaForge.  "The opening 
is now sufficiently larger," reported the android.

"Dr. Crusher will be here soon," added Geordi.  He looked across at the 
crystal.  It was drawing their regards, absorbing them in its dark depths.  "I 
told her to bring some anti-grav units, in case we have to move this out by 
hand."

Riker nodded in response.  The team regarded the crystal in silence for a few 
moments.

The falling of loose rock announced the arrival of the medical team.  While 
two junior medical officers stood by, Dr. Crusher ran her instruments over 
the crystal to no avail.  "I can read something, life signs perhaps, but nothing 
I can make sense of," she stated in frustration.

"The substance this cave is made of is interfering with a lot of our 
equipment," explained Riker.  "Can you get her out?"

The CMO shoved her useless instrument into her pocket and frowned at the 
Commander.  She shook her head.  "I don't even know how she got in there, 
or what's keeping her alive, if she is indeed still alive."

"She is," Troi said quietly.

"Could we cut her out, and bring the crystal back for examination on board 
the Enterprise?" asked Riker.

Dr. Crusher signaled 'no' with her head.  "There's no way of telling how 
interfering with the crystal structure will affect her stasis.  Our best bet is to 
try and remove her here, carry her body out to the entrance, and then 
transport her to sick bay.  But if she is still alive, I'm not sure she'd survive 
any one of those steps."

"We have to try," said Troi.

Dr. Crusher regarded the Counselor for a moment, and then signaled her 
medical team to approach the crystal.  "I'll do my best," she said.

"That's the most she could ask for," observed Geordi.