“Signal strength has remained constant.”  The report had come from Lieutenant Hazel Wallaker at the science station.

Captain Wren Walton sat in the center chair on the bridge of the USS Perseverance, her eyes half on the screen and half on the PADD in her hands.  Her interest had been piqued when a signal had been pulled out of the routine scans in their search of the rimward.  Wallaker had been given free rein to investigate while the Perseverance and Nova continued the general search for friendly planets to add to the list for possible colonies.  “Drop us at the edge of the system.”  Wren turned her chair toward Wallaker, “Do we know what kind of signal this is?”

The CO watched as Hazel worked her console.  Wallaker had proven herself repeatedly.  She turned to face Walton, “It’s…a Tholian message.  I’m going to need some time to translate it.  Its location is on the major land mass of the planet in a low valley.”

“Put your team to work, Lieutenant Wallaker.”  She tapped at the console on the arm of her chair, “Walton to Park – what do you see?”

On the bridge of the Nova, Commander Park stood behind her new science chief, Lieutenant Eseri. The Andorian’s hands worked the console as the sensors worked the scanning subroutines she set.  She ran down what she had. “We’ve got a three-planet system with a central sun.  Two planets are desolate, and the third is a Class M planet with a 4,253 kilometer equatorial diameter.”  Her antennae circled, signaling her nervous curiosity.  “The most recent scans in this area date to four years ago.”  Park slid into the seat next to Eseri, her hands opening the data stream while the science officer continued her report.  “The scans mostly match up…”

Park frowned as she put the two data sets up against each other, “But they also don’t.”  She shifted the data points around, “Lieutenant, see this…and that.”  

Eseri’s eyes found what she was looking at and gasped, “The sun’s changed. Showing an accelerated decline in the spectrometer readings.”  She retasked the sensors.  “In four years, the sun’s had a 30% decline.  That’s…unusual.”

Park spoke into the channel, “Wren, I don’t think this is the normal operations for this star.”

“We’re looking at the data as well.  There’s something else.  We’ve been sifting through the various layers of readings between the sun and the planet.  See data point Beta Two Three Point Six.”

Eseri asked, “What is that?”  She magnified the reading. “That looks…like a connection of some kind?”  Another round of calibrated scans revealed more, and the Andorian gasped, “Commander…something on the planet is drawing energy from the sun.  I’ll need time to focus the sensors to get a more exact set of coordinates.”  She turned to Park, who could see the concern in her eyes.  “We’re not detecting buildings or ruins on the planet.  What is pulling that kind of power?  And why?”

Park replied with a terse smile as she answered, “Welcome to Starfleet in the rimward, Lieutenant Eseri.  Lots of questions…and not enough answers at first glance.”  She stood and returned to the center chair. “Wren, we need to get into orbit and get some probes.  I’d like to recommend an away team when it’s clear.”

Walton replied, “I suppose you’d like to lead the team, Commander Park?”

Park felt her smile return as she said, “I would, yes.”

“I’ll take it under advisement.  Let’s get into orbit and run our tests.”