Stardate 52037.5

     "Drop out of warp."
     Commander Ming gave the order as the ship approached the Talic system.  It
was a fairly dispersed system with a very average G-type star and six planets 
with a little over a dozen moons altogether.  Only one of the planets was M 
Class, "Establish an orbit around Talic 2."
     Lieutenant Elea responded to the order, quickly calculating the optimal 
altitude and speed above the planet for the most efficient orbit and entering 
the numbers into the navigational computer.  Commander Ming reached up to tap 
her communicator so that she could inform the Captain that they had arrived.  
She stopped herself just before she tapped it when she saw the ready room 
doors slide open and the Captain walk out onto the bridge.
     Before Captain Mason was even out of the door he said, "Report."
     Commander Ming frowned a little, but answered quickly, "We've arrived at 
Talic 2 and laid in a standard orbit."
     The Captain, who had made his way to the command chair, looked at the 
Operations officer, "Mr. Mull, are we getting the same readings we were 
before?"
     Without looking up the Bajoran answered, "Yes sir, the warp signature is 
fainter but it's still there.  According to everything we know about the 
inhabitants of this planet they shouldn't have that kind of technology, not 
even anything close."
     Mason watched the image of the grayish-blue planet on the viewscreen, not
reacting very visibly to what Mull was saying.  He said, "Can you pinpoint the
source, Commander?"
     Mull was working away at his console the whole time, "Just about have it, 
sir."  The console beeped three times, "Got it.  Sir, it's a Federation 
shuttlecraft, the Pascal, our missing shuttle."
     Enoz had been running a life form scan, as is usual for the science 
officer to do when approaching a planet.  She had finished the life form 
identification process and looked at the results.  All of the humanoid 
population was made up of natives to this planet, except one.
     "Captain, I'm reading a Ferengi life sign on the planet, about 18 
kilometers from the shuttlecraft."
     The Captain nodded, calmly taking in the information, "Lieutenant Elea, 
how many Ferengi were on board the ship before that shuttlecraft was reported 
missing?"
     Elea answered, "One, sir.  Reman, Ferengi civilian serving as the ship's 
barber.  He was reported missing after our encounter with the Cardassian ship."
     The Captain looked over at Commander Ming.  Ming said, "Mr. Reman must've 
decided to get off the ship when we were being attacked by the Cardassians.  I 
can't say I blame him, it was touch and go there for a while."
     Mason answered sharply, "It's still theft of Federation property,
Commander.  We'll have to arrest.."
     The Captain was interrupted my Mull, "Captain, somebody's accessing the 
transporter in Cargo Bay 3.  No transports have been authorized.  The computer
has identified the transport subject as Chaz Mason."
     The Captain sat up quickly, "Beam him back up to the ship."
     Mull shook his head, "I can't sir.  He's configured the system not to 
leave a transporter log."
     Mason turned toward the science officer, "Commander Enoz, can you locate 
him on the surface?"
     Enoz looked puzzled, "No, I've just detected a series of nanites in the 
sensor array, they're specifically impeding our ability to perform life form 
identification.  We can beam people up, but without a comm signal we won't 
know who we're beaming up.  It'll take some time to purge the nanites from the
sensor array."
     Mason looked a little frustrated.  Why would his son beam down to the 
planet and seemingly take measures to keep from being beamed back up, and for 
that matter where did he get the knowledge of Federation technology to take 
those measures?  He wanted the security chief to begin an investigation, he 
tapped his comm badge, "Mason to Lopez."
     No response.
     "Mason to Ensign Lopez."
     Commander Ming tapped her comm badge, "Ming to Lopez, respond."
     Still no answer.
     Mason said, "Computer, locate Ensign Lopez."
     The computer responded, "Ensign Lopez is in Cargo Bay 3."
     Mason suddenly felt the problem might be worse than he thought, "Security
to Cargo Bay 3.  Commander Ming, Commander Enoz, you're with me.  Mr. Mull, you
have the bridge."


     Mason, Enoz, and Ming entered the cargo bay, security officer Beeg was 
already there.  He greeted the Captain, "Captain, good to meet you.  I just 
arrived last night.  I'm Chief Beeg."
     The Captain nodded, "I've read your record, you got a very good 
recommendation from your last commander," he turned his attention back to the
problem at hand, "What have you found out here so far?"
     Beeg led them to one side of the cargo bay, near the transporter, "I found
Ensign Lopez, he's dead."
     Lopez was lying on the ground, his body torn open in the middle, small 
robotic implants were placed sporadically over it.
     Enoz leaned down over the body, "These look Borg, Captain."
     This puzzle was getting stranger by the minute, "Borg?  Chief, have 
security initiate a search for any Borg activity on the ship.  Let's make sure
we don't have any stowaways."
     While they were talking, Commander Ming had ventured toward one of the 
cargo containers, where she thought she heard some breathing, behind it she 
found Ensign Bruder lying unconscious, with a strange marking on her forehead,
"Captain!  There's someone else here, Ensign Bruder."
     Mason, Beeg, and Enoz all turned their attention toward her.  Enoz said, 
"Is she alive?"
     Ming nodded, "Yes, but it looks like she's hurt."
     Mason called for the transporter room to beam Etely directly to sickbay.
There was no telling how long she'd by lying back there.  He was still baffled
by the whole thing.  This was at least conceivably possible for a half Vulcan 
to do, but not something he'd have ever expected from his son.  In any case, 
Chaz was most certainly dangerous and had to be dealt with.
     "Commander Ming, take an away team to the surface.  Chief Beeg will be the
acting chief of security, so I want you to take him with you.  Find Chaz and 
bring him back to the ship."
     Ming shook her head, "Understood.  Should we look for Mr. Reman as well?"
     The Captain thought for a moment, "Yes, but Chaz is your priority.  I'll 
stay on board just in case there are any signs of Borg activity found."


     The shuttlecraft Pascal lay on the surface of Talic 2.  It was irreparably
damaged, a trail visible behind it where it had skidded during the crash.  
Several feet away, six figures materialized in a blue shimmer of light.  
Commander Ming had brought Enoz and Syxx with her on the away mission.  She had
been on several away missions with both of them before, and knew she could 
trust them.  Syxx had his usual objections, but as usual she was able to charm
him into agreeing.  She had also brought Chief Beeg as ordered, and two other 
security officers, Lieutenant Calea and Ensign White.
     Enoz and Syxx immediately opened their tricorders and began scanning the 
area.  The rest of them looked around.  Enoz turned and pointed toward the 
East, "I'm detecting a heavy concentration of humanoids this direction."
     Ming turned and looked, at least the terrain here wasn't that rough, "Then
that's where we'll start looking."
     They started walking through the grassy field.  Syxx picked up something 
on his tricorder, and almost laughed, "I'm picking up heavy concentrations of 
latinum, that would explain why Reman's here."
     Lieutenant Calea said, "But Chaz Mason's a Federation citizen, he wouldn't
be interested in latinum."
     Chief Beeg said, "What are we going to do when we find Mason or Reman, so 
that the ship can lock onto them."
     Enoz answered, "We have two comm badges set with specific signatures for 
each of them.  We just have to tag them with it and notify the ship to beam 
them up."
     Ming continued, "That is if we can find them.  I'm hoping there's a town 
ahead where we can get some clues."


     On the Equinox, the scan for Borg life forms had come up negative.  
Captain Mason was on the bridge.  He was used to this part of it, when you've 
sent an away team down and can do nothing but wait for them to complete their 
mission.  He got a communication, at first thinking it might be them.  It was 
one of the nurses in sickbay, "Sir, Ensign Bruder has regained consciousness, 
but I think you should come down here."
     Mason said, "Why?  What's the problem."
     The nurse hesitated, "Well, she's acting, um, strangely."