Tani Isono was busy doing battle with the AI when she felt an unfamiliar presence behind her.

The shrewd Chief Engineer of the USS Valley Forge was intent on breaking the encryption of the Semi – sentient AI – algorithm that Dr Gallian Makon had put in place, 25 distant years ago, in an attempt to manage the nascent ‘Stutterwarp’ technology that Hull – 3185 was created to harness.

She had been intent on this thankless task for hours, with the computer steadfastly resisting all attempts to circumvent its password protocols and gain full control, when Tani felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end.

An eerie blue glow gently bathed the console in front of her and the Japanese Engineer felt her heart skip a beat – despite herself.

Tani was raised in the Shinto religion. In Shinto, it’s believed every person harbors a kami 神, a deity bound within the body. Upon death, this spirit regains its strength and emerges, requiring care and offerings like food, drink, and entertainment to “survive.”

As an Engineer, she considered herself a rational and empirical individual – but this unique cultural outlook also caused her not to dismiss the strange stories that her younger crewmembers had begun to report – of strange spectral apparitions being encountered aboard the ill – fated Starfleet test – vessel.

Death. That mystery yet to be solved. That unanswered phenomenon that all cultures try to understand. The path to the afterlife affects every single living being. The Undiscovered Country. Where do we go when we die? What do we become? Can the deceased observe us and help us from beyond?

To Tani’s mind – the distinction between science and spiritualism was a thin divide indeed. Why could the meniscus between what is established and understood and what has yet to be substantiated – not be both intangible and yet true?

With her heart hammering against her ribs and these thoughts foremost in her racing mind, Tani turned around with trepidation – ready as she would ever be to make First Contact with a traveler from the other side.

She frowned.

“Hancock. Get that goddamned light out of my face.”

“Yes Ma’am – sorry Ma’am!”

No visitor from the great beyond then, only the Engineering Department’s youngest member – Crewman Lane Hancock.

Covering her discomfort, Tani grumbled. “Don’t go just creeping round unannounced like that, Lane – I could have been operating a tool in here!”

“Yes Ma’am! Sorry Ma’am! “The young technical specialist stammered with embarrassment.

“~They just look younger and younger these days – what’s Technical School doing? Raiding the kindergartens now? ~” Lieutenant Isono wondered – regarding the fresh – faced rating.

Tani gathered her wits and was satisfied that her heart was beginning to achieve something more closely approaching a normal rhythm. She frowned again.

“Weren’t you assigned to run Level – 2 Diagnostics on the Navigational Deflector focusing arrays with Kinley?” The Chief Engineer enquired.

“Yes Ma’am.” Crewman Hancock blushed, her red hair and pale complexion only serving to enhance the tell of her discomfort. “We finished the main diagnostic series, but Petty Officer Kinley said he wanted to run some secondaries, just to make sure. He said I should go grab a coffee for him and …..”

“~And you didn’t want to be wandering around alone aboard this ship of the dead ~.” Tani thought to herself, not unkindly.

Lieutenant Commander Dai had been dispatched by the Captain, to investigate the reports of this spectral phenomena that had been reported by some of the junior crewmembers assigned to breathe life back into the derelict “USS Artemis”. The Chief Science Officer had been scouring the hull and interior spaces of the lost ship with characteristic ill – temper; a state of mind not much improved that, aside from some scientifically – abnormal Tricorder readings, this far any manifestation of these alleged – apparitions had steadfastly refused to appear.

Tani sighed in defeat. It was obvious that she was making no progress cracking the AI. She could only hope that, when Dr Makon was released from sickbay, then she could provide the necessary code – access to gain control of the ship’s computer and be able to bring all necessary systems back online.

All apart from the experimental ‘Stutterwarp’ drive.

The Chief shuddered at the memory of seeing the awful legacy of that ambitious technology – people neatly bisected where they stood or sat – killed instantly as one collapsing warp enclosure slammed into a new one being born. Others, obviously aware of the danger – seeking to flee, only to have their physical bodies merged with part of the superstructure – as the immutable Laws of Physics were cheated and tried to restore order by attempting to place two immovable objects in the same place at the same time.

Too horrible to contemplate.

Tani forced herself to smile at the nervous crewman.

“You know what, Hancock? I could really use a coffee myself. Let’s head on down to the refectory and see if we can’t scare one up!

Typical of Engineers the Galaxy over since time immemorial, with the extensive task of restoring the damaged systems aboard Hull – 3185 to working order, right after securing the Life Support Systems – one of the first things that Tani’s Engineering detail did was ensure that a bridgehead was established in the test – articles cramped communal refectory and that someone ‘got – the – coffee – on.’

She had trained them that well, at least.

The Chief Engineer and her subordinate rode the newly restored turbolift down one level to Deck#2 and they followed the aroma for nearly – recently replicated coffee to its logical end.

At first Tani thought that a number of her Engineering team were goofing off, grabbing an unscheduled break, as she entered the refectory and saw the group gathered there.

That impression was quickly dismissed.

Silent as the grave and bathed in an unnatural bluish, gossamer glow sat a small group of people wearing the distinctive uniforms of 24th Century Starfleet personnel.

Whilst they made no sound and certainly gave no impression of registering the present of either Tani or Lane, the group appeared to be engaged in an enthusiastic discourse as they went about enjoying a meal that was not there. Like a group of mime – artists holding a dinner party.

As Crewman Hancock’s eyes widened to their limit, and she emitted a sort of tiny, strangled squeak – Tani realized that she could see right through the group to the bulkhead beyond.

““Gomeifuku o oinori moushiagemasu!” Tani breathed incredulously, as she keyed her Commbadge.

“Isono to Lieutenant Commander Dai.” she sent.

Presently the disgruntled tomes of the USS Valley Forge’s Chief Science Officer, came over the channel.

“Dai here, go ahead Lieutenant?” spoke Deassomi tersely.

The Engineer swallowed and then replied.

“Grab your Tricorder and meet me in the refectory, Commander, I think I’ve just found your first customers.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

Location: USS Valley Forge / Captain’s Personal Quarters / Deck# 4.
Date: 2401.12.25 / 20.29hrs

“Another Universe.” Daniel said flatly as he took a sip of his Glenlivet and rubbed his bald – head tiredly. “Is she serious?”

Sam sat back and nestled back into the familiar embrace of her couch, raising her own glass to her wry lips and nodded to her Executive Officer, as he sat adjacent to her in the small living room of her quarters.

She tipped her head in affirmation, brushing an errant lock of blonde hair from her eyes where it had been dislodged by the gesture.

“Have you ever known Savak to be anything but?”

Commander Talland pursed his lips. Partly to savor the sensation of real single – malt from an actual bottle, partly to wrestle with the implications of what the Captain had just imparted to him.

Presently he swallowed (ah! There’s the burn!) and shook his head decisively.

“I don’t buy it.” Daniel asserted with a dismissive wave of his free hand.

The CO and the XO had elected to meet socially (it wasn’t either of their duty shifts, after all) and discuss the developments of a decidedly unorthodox day. Both were garbed in civilian attire and Sam had once again been given pause to give thanks that, not only was her First Officer an intelligent and dependable man, but he was also an excellent cook.

“‘Don’t’ buy it of just ‘Won’t buy it’?” Samantha asked playfully, as she toyed with the rim of her glass. She put a lot of stock in Daniels opinion and right now – any opinion was welcome as they tried to unravel the mystery of “The Phantom.”

“Either, neither, both – it really doesn’t matter.”” Talland sat forward to gratefully accept a top – up, as Samantha poured her colleague another generous dram.

“So, you don’t hold with the theory of parallel universes then?” Sam prompted as she set the bottle back down (one that had belonged to her ‘late’ father – was he actually late?!) and looked out of her viewport – where Hull – 3185 could be seen off the port bow – securely tethered by the USS Valley Forge’s tractor – beam.

Daniel smiled wryly, refusing to rise to the bait.

“In theory, sure, why not?” he set his glass down on the small table between them and began to employ his hands to juxtapose his point – as he often did when the subject matter impassioned him.

“We live in an infinite universe, full of possibility. I’m not saying that there isn’t the potential for what is euphemistically called a ‘parallel’ universe, Sam. I’m just saying that – in subjective centuries of exploration, Starfleet hasn’t once, not once, come across any phenomenon that indicates that they exist!”

He sat back, satisfied that the main thrust of his argument had been made, as he reached for his scotch once more.

“Savak is clutching at straw’s, trying to infer lines of logic from the ravings of a traumatized woman under heavy sedation. I honestly don’t hold that an oblique reference to a 20th Century scholar can draw a definitive line to explain the fate of the “USS Artemis.” It’s just not credible!”

Sam considered this as she let the peaty aroma of the whiskey permeate her nose and palate.

“Okay.” She nodded towards the captive craft outside. “Say that Savak is wrong in her supposition and that you are right. Where do you think she has been all of these years and why has no one ever encountered her before us?” Sam folded her arms, intrigued to see how Talland would talk his way out of this one.

Daniel’s dark eyebrows ridged above his intelligent, brown eyes.

“There are a hundred more probable explanations. “He reasoned. “Space is big. It might simply be a case of probability.”

Sam gave her XO a flat look.

“’Space is Big.’” She teased. “Really? That’s your great, unifying theory?”

Talland laughed. A pleasant laugh that did much for his face. He countered.

“A subspace anomaly then, maybe the Artemis got sucked into a hyperspatial rift and spat back out onto our laps? We know THAT can happen?”

Sam was forced to concede that theory. When the Galaxy – spanning phenomena of The Labyrinth had randomly torn open holes in the fabric of the universe, her own ship – the USS Savannah – had been dragged into that space – between – spaces. It was only through tenacity and a hell of a lot of luck, that she and her crew had survived.

“Okay.” Samantha agreed, uncomfortable suddenly at the memory. “I’ll give you that one on points.”

Warming to his subject and warmed by the heady spirit, Daniel pressed further.

“Maybe they were caught in some localized temporal phenomena?”

Again, Sam thought of her previous Chief Engineer aboard the ‘Savannah, the youthful Carlito Herrera, trapped in a Tachyon – bubble, aging subjective years in mere seconds of real – time. She shuddered, suddenly wishing that this macabre turn of conversation would cease. But Talland was on a roll and wouldn’t be deterred.

“Or why not subject to the intervention of some sublimed – Elder race? Maybe whisked off to the “Q”- continuum by some cantankerous god in a pique of whimsey? I can accept all of those explanations – rather than there’s another Universe out there with another me doing exactly what I am doing right now. Sorry, but that’s just how I feel, Sam.”

Samantha was trying to dispel the memory of her own ride into space on the back of a member of a sublimed Elder – race (one that had taken the body and the mind of her father with it on its endless journey) and had tipped back the last of her Glenlivet, when they were mercifully interrupted by the chime of an incoming comm – transmission.

“Hyland here, go ahead.” Sam said a little huskily, as some of the whiskey still coated the back of her throat.

The voice of the Chief Medical Officer came over the channel, and at first Sam missed the tone of concern in his voice.

“Captain, I’m sorry to disturb you at this late hour.” Dr Langah said hurriedly. “But I have just discovered something greatly worrying that I must inform you of, with some urgency.”

Samantha Hyland frowned and sat forward on her could, her instinct sharpening – the whiskey forgotten.

“I’m here with Commander Talland, Doctor.” Sam confirmed “Please, proceed.”

“Well Captain, I have completed the autopsies on all of the crewmembers recovered from the “USS Artemis” and the computer has successfully matched the remains to the personnel records on file from Starfleet. We have 100% positive matches for all twelve diseased persons, Captain.”

Sam and Daniel looked nonplussed, and she prompted. “That’s good news, Doctor, but I fail to appreciate the urgency?”

There was a long pause. When Dr Langah finally spoke, it was with some evident discomfort.

“I’ve just finished identifying the last body, Captain.” Jahanshir spoke with a note of abject confusion.

“I can comprehensively confirm that that body belongs to Dr Gallian Makon.”