Work Text:
“Isn’t it incredible,” Dr. Paula Fleischer gasped, resizing the holographic image that hovered above her workstation. The strange yellowish anomaly spun like a discus through space, appearing solid to the naked eye. A graviton ellipse.
The rest of her team scrambled about, tripping over one another in the tight confines of the main lab area. She heard a number of muttered apologies as her team worked to bring up data charts and false-colour images. Research Station G-12 had pioneered subspace imaging since Paula had joined the team, sending back as much data to Earth as a starship most days, but with the focus turning to starship manufacturing following the expansion of Starfleet, upgrades to the confined space station were quite a ways down the list of priorities.
“Any idea of its age?” her research assistant, David Fries said, bringing up a schematic projecting the anomaly’s path.
Paula’s eyes narrowed as she brought up the historical data, her attention dancing between what they were seeing and what was in the record. “It’s hard to say.” She raised her voice. “Computer, what is the life expectancy of a graviton ellipse?”
The computer spoke with an even tone, but Paula couldn’t help but imagining an extra level of excitement below the matter-of-fact cadence. “Graviton ellipses are unlikely to dissipate due to the self-perpetuating nature of the anomaly’s gravitational field.”
“And when was the last known encounter with a graviton ellipse?” Paula asked.
“In the 24th century, a Federation starship encountered a graviton ellipse in the Delta Quadrant.”
Paula’s fingers twitched, her mouth turning up in a smile. “24th century? Do we have access to the data recorded by that ship?”
“Affirmative.”
“What’s the probability of this ellipse being the same as the one encountered back then?”
“Ninety seven point oh six percent.”
Paula threw up her arms in triumph. “Yes!” She turned to her staff, shocked into momentary stillness by her outburst. She laughed and held up a hand as though she had just made a point. “We are the first people in eight hundred years to see this. This is a living piece of ancient history!”
“Surely there are other ships or planets closer to it that are seeing it now,” Fries said.
“Not the point I was making, Fries, but thank you for pointing that out. I’m still giving us credit for the discovery, though.” She fell back into team lead mode. “I need every scrap of data stored and backed up once it returns to subspace. I will be transmitting it to Earth in the morning. Good work everyone!”
A perfunctory round of applause followed before the team fell into their old routines, cataloging and organizing the data as it came in. Paula returned to the image, her thoughts pondering the many worlds and centuries this inert collection of materials and energy had passed by.
“Dr. Fleischer? You’re receiving a transmission. High priority.”
She looked up, met the eyes of her technician, and then pointed a thumb at her own office cubicle. She brushed the small holo projector to life, moving a cup of coffee and a half-eaten cereal bar aside as she dialled the sound controls to a narrow private channel. Her office didn’t have walls, but at least she could get some privacy.
A hologram of a feminine Trill, though one of the less common variants who sported elegant brow ridges in place of spots, appeared. She seemed totally at ease and utterly confident. “Dr. Fleischer?”
Paula nodded. “That’s me.”
“I’m captain Jirrok of the starship Voyager. I’d like to offer you a position on my ship.”
Paula gaped, and it took her a full ten seconds before she was able to talk. “On Voyager? I’m not Starfleet, and my team…”
“Your team will be free to join you, if they wish,” Jirrok said. Her voice had the hard edge of command, but tempered with a reasonableness that Paula liked instantly. “Voyager’s focus will be science and exploration, and you’re the best.”
“Will we get our own quarters?” Paula blurted out, cringing internally as she said it.
Captain Jirrok smiled. “Every one of you will have your own quarters, yes.”
“Then, I accept! Gladly!”
“I’ll arrange for transport.”
“Thank you, Captain!”
As the hologram disappeared, Paula squeezed her way back out into the main area.
“What did you accept?” Fries asked, trying to look only vaguely interested.
Paula took a few seconds to get her emotions under check, and then spread her hands and said, “Who wants to work on a starship?” At their stunned silence, she added, “And, who wants their own quarters?”
They all agreed with zero hesitation.