| The Next Generation | |
| 155 | |
| Interface | |
| 47215.5 | |
So why a probe? Doh! To rescue the Raman, trapped in the atmosphere of the turbulent gas giant. Obvious isn't it? I wonder what the DeadGuy™ on the floor, and the atmospheric gases in the corridor could mean? Could it be a hull breach? No way, otherwise Geordi wouldn't possibly phaser his way into the only sealed section on the ship. Zap! Anybody order a serve of Lots-O-Bods™?
Oh no, its one of those serious calls from Starfleet Command: "The Hera's been lost without a trace". So what? It was commanded by Captain LaForge. Geordi's mother was wearing the gold braid! What a blow - for seven years we assumed that he'd been raised by aliens, and now we discover that not only does he have a family, but some of it's dead! Geordi feels compelled to get back to his roots, and chats with his Dad. Family bonding - you just can't get away from it on StarTrek.
Ugh. Enough of that, lets get back to the probe. What's tall, black, wears a Starfleet uniform and should not be on the Raman? It's your Mom, dude! "We have to go down to the surface - we're dying!" What an odd conversation starter, "Hi son, I bet you didn't expect to see me here" would have been more likely. Doesn't matter, lets skip the idle banter and go straight for the hug... Zap! Did someone get the number of that truck?
Simply piloting the disabled ship out of the atmosphere would be too easy, so lets go for a degree of difficulty 3.0 manoeuvre using two shuttles as tractor beam lenses. But what about the Hera? Good question. How could it possibly have got there in the first place? Maybe it got dragged down a subspace funnel and dumped on the planet's surface. Maybe we're just looking for an excuse for another member of the bridge crew to disobey a direct order from the Bald Avenger...
Yep. Mr X-Ray Charles grabs the suit and goes for the long run down the outside. A touchdown is in sight when... he's intercepted by Data! Bummer. But wait, Data grabs the ball and runs with him. A court-marshall for two?
The Raman descends slowly into the atmosphere... and the probe connection drops out. Up the voltage - that's what ContractShields™ were invented for! All he has to do is locate the ship, and then start a warp cascade to reverse the funnel. Its got to be here somewhere... Everyone knows what its like when you put your keys down, and then can't find them - well Geordi's managed to do it with a whole ship. Unless...
Surprise! It wasn't his mother at all! She's really a strange subspace lifeform of a type never seen before, that can't live in the upper atmosphere. Her kind accidentally killed the crew in a failed attempt to communicate. Does the "seek out new lifeforms" clause act as a get out of jail free card? Nope. This one's going down on the permanent record...
