“The last survey was completed five years ago.”  Lieutenant Hazel Wallaker sat at the science station on the bridge of the USS Perseverance, reviewing the system’s history.  

Captain Wren Walton brooded in the command chair, watching the planet grow closer on the screen.  “Guessing the survey wasn’t very detailed.”  Park had sent over the briefing from yesterday, and Wren had moved them towards the curiosity.  She had her suspicions about what had caused the odd reading.

Wallaker scrolled through the limited report, her voice annoyed.  “It’s the same team that’s been the cause of other limited surveys in the rimward.”  She confirmed they and the Nova had entered orbit.  “I recommend the full battery of probes – orbital and planetary.”

Wren turned in her chair, curious.  “Away teams?”  She watched as Wallaker tabbed between the reports she and her team had continually compiled as they’d moved closer to the planet.  Wallaker had been learning that caution and patience served you best on a science vessel, even if that science vessel had teeth.

Hazel shook her head as she reworked the data sets with each updated sensor sweep. “We don’t know what is causing the irregularity in the climate readings.  It could extend into the biomes and the measurable environment.”  She turned to face Walton, her eyes guarded.  “The unknown factors and variables are just too much.”

Wren chuckled, “I’d rather be safe than sorry.  Proceed with the probes and sensor plan – work with Nova.”  She returned her staring contest with the planet.  What had caused the blip?  Was it just a mistake?  Or was there something else to blame?

“It’s not just the climate.”  Lieutenant Eseri spoke as she stood in the Nova’s science office, manipulating the map of the planet. Five planet-side probes and five orbital probes were transmitting a girth of data.  Her team and the Perseverance team were sorting and sifting the data.  Hazel Wallaker was on the main office screen.  Eseri continued with, “The sampling on the flora is…weird.”  She had been curious at first as to how the climate details had been skewed.  Those feelings were rapidly shifting to concern.

Wallaker replied, “We see it.  The spectrum analyzer shows multiple errors – like…there’s something wrong in the plant’s structure – and not just one or two.”  They’d sent an additional three roaming probes to sample on the move.  “Every sample signature has a similar break, like something broke in the growth process.”  Another minute passed, and her eyes widened.  “Samples from the trees are coming through – it’s worse there.  The computer diagnoses them with a disease, but it can’t land on just one – it’s delineating upwards of a hundred.”

Eseri bookmarked the relevant data points by adding, “Soil samples are coming up next.”  She gasped as the screen data updated, “That’s absurd.  The soil is…high in poisonous content.  How is that possible?”  Her concern was giving way to outright worry, or even fear.  She wasn’t sure what to feel.  The Andorian tasked the probes to dig at varying depths.  “I’m wondering if this is a recent development.”

On the screen, Wallaker frowned.  “Five years ago, one soil sample was pulled.  It came back normal, well within acceptable limits and norms.  Something must have happened in the last five years.”

The screens around Eseri refreshed as the probes dug deeper into the soil, and each report raised her eyebrows with each increment.  The data chirped and then alarmed in quick succession, leaving her speechless.  “Lieutenant…this doesn’t look right.”  She glanced at Wallaker on the screen.  “This can’t be right…can it?”

Eseri was struck with a cold dread by the silence from her fellow chief science officer.  She watched Wallaker’s eyes search the data, glancing from screen to screen and back again.  A full two minutes passed before Hazel replied, “It’s right.  I don’t know how, but it is.  Alert Commander Park, and I’ll get Captain Walton.  Whatever this ends up being…whatever it is…it’s above our ranks.”