“Expecting capsule arrival in 5…4…3…2….1.”  Lieutenant Hazel Wallaker called out the countdown from her science station.  The Perseverance had shifted away from the planet and was observing from a distance.  The bridge crew watched as the small capsule flitted across the screen, moving quickly towards the two nebulas colliding in the space between the planet and the sun.

Walton sat forward in her chair as the Dragonfly dropped from warp shortly after and slid beside the Constitution III class starship.  Wren tapped the channel on the chair arm, “Captain Pantuso – we’re connecting and sharing our sensors.”

The craggy voice of Alexandra Pantuso replied, “Understood.  You still think we’re going to witness the power of creation?”

“That or we’re going to see the shortest war between the Tholians and the Shepherds.”  She watched the screen.  “Let’s see which version we get.”

The capsule approached, and the two nebulas began to collide.  Hazel watched the screens in front of her as the readings spiked and several soft alarms beeped on her station.  The capsule slowed until it was just outside the collision.  It waited silently as the two nebulas coalesced into a new formation.  Within seconds of stabilizing, the capsule shot forward and vanished inside the storming clouds of gas and matter.  Hazel checked her readings.  Nothing.  She turned in her chair to watch the new nebula shift in the stars, spinning towards the planet as if dancing a delicate ballet.  Suddenly, an explosion rocked the sensors, the soft beeps becoming klaxons on her console, “We’ve got a massive energy surge from within the nebula…there’s an energy wave coming from within – I recommend shields and distance, captain!”

Walton didn’t hesitate, “Red Alert – Lieutenant Maddy, give us some distance. Inform the Dragonfly.”  The lights went from pale yellow to dulled ruby as the klaxons rang, alerting all hands of the status change. At the helm, Griffin Maddy kicked the impulse engines into action and turned the ship around, moving away from whatever was within.  Officers stepped off and onto the bridge as the alert status demanded.

Hazel reported, “Energy wave is unlike anything I’ve ever seen…the makeup is…the computer can’t make sense of it.”  She stabbed at her console, annoyed at the result.

Wren gritted her teeth as the bridge began to shudder, “Can you?”

“It’s almost…biological, captain.”  She activated her seat restraints out of caution: “I’m detecting DNA, genetics, traces of flora seeds, mammal byproduct – whatever is in there wasn’t there until that capsule showed up.”  The bridge shook under the impact of the energy wave for a few minutes until the wave dissipated.

Wren called out, “Damage report?”

At operations, Lieutenant Phillips replied, “All decks report minimal shaking and no damage. Shields are at 90%, and damage control teams are responding.”

She turned to Wallaker, “Status?”  Her eyes turned to the screen as the planet came back into focus.  It was as they had left it, barren and wasted.

Despite this, Hazel was smiling.  Wren gave her a curious look, and she explained, “Whoever put this together…is a genius.  I’m detecting microbial changes across the planet – small incremental shifts on the scale of change.  I’d estimate we’ll see visible evidence in the next year and a half to two years.”

Wren stared at the screen. “I was expecting more…I don’t know… excitement, like Genesis.”

The science chief resisted the urge to poke fun at her new captain.  Wren Walton was many things, but jokes at her expense by senior staff members weren’t on the list.  “The Shepards are in it for the long game, captain.  Whatever place this planet has in the scheme of one of the Arbiters of Life…it might not be a matter of years…but decades before its purpose is clear.”

The CO sat back in her chair. “And if we try to pry or investigate the planet—there’s a good chance the Shepards will come calling.”  She stared at the screen for several minutes. “They can’t fault us if we leave a long-term probe to keep an eye on things. Lieutenant Wallaker, calibrate one to launch just outside the orbit and influence of the planet.”

She moved to stand, but Lieutenant Phillips’s voice interrupted her. “Captain, I have an incoming hail from Montana Station—Fleet Captain Geronimo Fontana for you and Captain Pantuso.”  She sat back in her chair and waved the channel open.  The Squadron CO flickered onto the screen.

Fontana’s concerned face unsettled Wren. “Captain, we’ve had another development. The body that was pulled from the capsule?  It’s… reanimated.  And wishes to speak to the one who discovered him…and no one else.” She watched his eyes find Wallaker.  “That means you, Lieutenant Wallaker.  I’m ordering you and the Dragonfly back to Montana Station.  I expect a full debrief on what’s occurred there.  Fontana out.”

Wren turned in her chair to Wallaker, “We’re two days out. He’s expecting you to debrief. You’d best get ready, Lieutenant Wallaker.  Helm – engage a course back to Montana Station.  Mr. Phillips, you have the CONN.”  She stood, waiting for another boot to drop.  When it didn’t, she headed to her ready room.  Wallaker had a report to draft, and so did she.