Star Trek: Nexus

Captain's Log, Stardate 88014.9

"Continuing our slow trek to Kobali Prime in the Delta Quadrant, we are taking the opportunity to scout and map out as much of this sector as we can along the way. Who knows what—or who—we might discover. Venturing into the unknown and encountering new life and civilizations is one of the things I love most about traveling the stars, and this journey has proven no different.

For now, our task is to divide up the spoils from our previous encounter with the massive diamond—five times the size of Earth. Who would have thought that having every cargo bay filled to the brim with raw, uncut diamonds would be such a logistical headache?

Man, I love this job."

—

"The diamonds are finally divided and sorted, sir," Neil stated, handing Captain Praxas a datapad as they exited the cargo bay. "Each member of the crew can claim their 100 kilos of diamonds. After that, well... they'll have to find space to store them."

Anzyl laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I never thought I'd hear anyone complain about having too many diamonds."

"Surprisingly, not everyone's excited about it," Neil added bluntly. "The Jem'Hadar, for example. They have no use for diamonds—they're too brittle to even serve as weapons, not that they're interested in wealth."

Anzyl chuckled heartily. "I didn't even consider that. Well, whoever wants the Jem'Hadar's share can have it. I'll let Heluna know."

Before they could continue, both their combadges chirped simultaneously. "Science station to Captain and First Officer," Nolan's voice came over the comm.

"Go ahead, Doctor," Neil replied, tapping his badge.

"You might want to come to the bridge, sirs... our scans picked up something... unusual."

—

With two flashes of white light, Anzyl and Neil materialized on the bridge.

"What've you found, Doctor?" Anzyl asked, striding to his chair, his curiosity piqued.

Nolan, sitting at his science console, glanced up with a mixture of excitement and confusion. "We've detected a Class P planet. Breathable atmosphere, dense jungle vegetation, and abundant animal life, but inhospitable to humanoids. However, we're picking up... human life signs. Thousands of them."

Anzyl and Neil exchanged incredulous looks. The planet, displayed on the main viewscreen, resembled a lush prehistoric Earth, like something out of the late Pangea era.

"Humanoid life signs? On a Class P planet?" Anzyl asked, incredulous.

"Not humanoids, Captain," Nolan clarified, leaning forward. "Humans. Homo sapiens—or, at least, an incredibly close genetic match. The readings are showing a 99.9992% similarity."

Neil frowned and shot a glance at Anzyl. "Permission to take an away team down, sir? That could be a human colony down there."

"Are there any cities, compounds, or structures? Anything we can beam to?" Anzyl asked, turning to Nolan.

Nolan shook his head. "No signs of civilization at all. No technology. Just raw, untouched nature, but the life signs are there. Thousands of them."

Anzyl considered the situation, his brows furrowing in thought. "Form an away team, Commander. Choose as many human or human-like crewmembers as possible. We don't want to scare them. The lack of any civilization suggests they may be primitive—if so, the Prime Directive applies. Observe only, and report back. No interference."

Neil nodded. "Understood, Captain. Veirik, Heluna, you're with me." As they moved toward the transporter pad, Neil tapped his combadge. "Ensigns Kuhn and Thomas, report to Transporter Room 1 for an away mission."

The selected team members acknowledged and headed out, making their way to the transporter room.

"Oh, one more thing," Nolan added, looking up from his console. "You may want to bring long rubber boots. The life signs are clustered in a swampy region."

—

The away team materialized with five flashes of light amidst the dark, mist-laden swamps of the jungle planet. The air was thick with the pungent stench of decay and bog, making each breath a challenge.

The instant the team hit the ground, they were coughing and gagging, covering their noses and mouths against the oppressive smell.

"Ugh!" Neil wheezed, tapping his combadge. "Neil to Nexus, the air is breathable... but barely. We need five oxygen mask sets, ASAP!"

"Understood, stand by," came the reply.

Moments later, small flashes of light heralded the arrival of the requested masks at their feet. The team members quickly donned them, the hiss of clean air filling their lungs, bringing instant relief.

"Ahh... much better," Heluna sighed, adjusting her mask.

Veirik took a deep breath, then muttered, "I've been in public restrooms on Orion that smelled better than this place."

Neil chuckled. "Alright, now that we can breathe, let's get to work." He pulled out his tricorder and activated his wrist flashlight, casting beams of light through the dense fog. "We've got a mission to complete. Stay close, keep your eyes open. I don't plan on losing anyone out here."

The team nodded in agreement, switching on their own tricorders and flashlights, scanning the swampy surroundings.

"Scans show we're surrounded by human life signs," Heluna reported, studying her tricorder. "But... I'm not seeing any actual people."

"Same here," Neil said, puzzled as he stared at his own tricorder. "They're all around us... but there's no one in sight."

Veirik's keen senses picked up a subtle sound and vibration beneath the swamp's surface. With a swift motion, he drew his phaser rifle, the hum of its power cell ready to fire.

"Put the weapon down, Lieutenant Commander," Neil chided. "There's no reason—"

His words were cut off by a massive splash. From the murky water, a gargantuan crocodilian creature erupted, its jaws snapping around Ensign Kuhn in one fluid motion.

Before the monstrous reptile could drag Kuhn beneath the surface, Veirik fired his phaser, the blast striking the creature at full power. The beast dematerialized in a flash of red-orange light, leaving Kuhn to collapse onto the swampy ground, alive but severely injured.

"No reason to have it, huh?" Veirik quipped, casting a pointed look at Neil. "I may not be able to smell anything here, but I sure heard that thing coming."

Neil gave a brief, grateful nod and tapped his combadge. "Neil to Nexus. Emergency transport. Beam Ensign Kuhn directly to sickbay."

With another flash of white light, Kuhn disappeared, whisked to safety.

Neil turned to the remaining members of the team. "Form a circle, back to back. I'll cover the rear. Veirik, use your senses and take point."

They complied, falling into a tight formation, with Veirik leading the way through the swampy terrain, Heluna and Lt. Thomas flanking, and Neil covering the rear.

As they cautiously moved through the bog, strange rustlings and splashes echoed around them, but there was still no sign of any human life.

"I don't understand, sir," Thomas reported, his tricorder still beeping steadily. "Scans indicate we're in the heart of the human encampment, but..."

Veirik raised a fist, signaling the team to halt. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the area. "That's because we're looking for the wrong thing," he said, his voice low. He pointed toward the ground.

The team's flashlights followed his gesture, illuminating a patch of the swamp floor... where something astonishing was beginning to emerge.