Director Kal'trax aboard the Kallindor I had decided to accompany the Tycho as it kept pace with the Styx on its uncontrolled flight toward the outer edge of the system. Kal'trax, being totally suspicious of Colonel Snavely, had also ordered one of the Andorian cruisers to accompany them. He had instructed the other cruiser and the Kallindor II to retreat to a high orbit for safety from the crumbling Pandoria, but to closely monitor this unprecedented planetary destruction. He had also ordered them to stay thousands of kilometers away from the graviton beam. Andoria was sending more science vessels to record and analyze the calamitous event.
Captain Klosowski was maintaining open communications with both the Kallindor I and the Styx. As all three ships neared the orbit of Andoria, they were at approximately one half warp speed. The Styx was still flying backwards with silent engines.
"Captain Klosowski, I would like to have you beam Kallindra back over to the Kallindor I as soon as possible." Kal'trax paused. "I'm sure you can understand why I don't want her aboard the Tycho before you attempt any transports from inside the graviton beam!"
Ted gave a faint smile. "Well, yes, Director, I guess I can..."
He was interrupted by Kallindra, who was still on the bridge as a fascinated observer. "Excuse me, Captain, but as Andorian Ambassador to the Federation, I think my proper place is right here during this unique and critical situation!" Though she was talking to Ted, her gaze was fixed on Kal'trax on the viewscreen.
Kal'trax stared silently at his wife for a few seconds before replying. "Kallindra, we are dealing with unknown forces here. You are on a Federation ship trying to get its people off another Federation ship. That is mainly a Federation matter and doesn't require the presence of an Andorian ambassador!"
Kallindra softened her tone, but with an underlying firmness. "Kal'trax, Dear... as you well know, I have been intimately connected with this 'matter' from the very start. I believe my first-hand accounting of all important details will be vital to the future relations of Andoria and the Federation."
Kal'trax knew he was arguing in vain. He emitted a very UN-Andorian sigh. "Very well!"
Down in engineering, Chief Kirby was conferring with his transporter chief, Lt. Brian Byczynski. They were intently studying sensor readings of the Styx through the graviton beam.
"Both Snavely and Snodgrass are wearing commbadges, which would normally be sufficient for easy transporting." Brian wrinkled his brow. "But this graviton beam is steadily increasing in strength. I wish they had your beefed-up badges to secure a close proximity transfer!"
"We got Ensign Napieralla through the edge of the beam and back with three others down on SPROC." Kirby straightened up. "Perhaps we could do it again."
Byczynski shook his head. "The beam here is narrower and stronger. And we're already moving at half warp! I'd hate to ask him to risk it again."
"Then let's just send the beefed-up badges. If they make it through okay, we can beam them both back without risking anyone from the Tycho."
Brian smiled. "Sounds like a plan! You notify the captain and I'll put two of your beefy badges on the dais."
The Kallindor II and the second Andorian cruiser had backed away from the bifurcated Pandoria to a distance of about fifty thousand kilometers. Captain Slee'tog watched his monitor screen in amazement as the glowing crystal disc gradually emerged from the equater. The two hemispheres continued in their orbit, slowly sliding away from the disc which began assuming a pronounced convexity to its shape. The quadrillions of tons of molten mass absorbed from Pandoria's core was having a hollowing effect on each hemisphere, causing the outer edges to crumble off in mountain-sized chunks. The displacement of a centralized gravity would eventually cause each hemisphere to crack into continental moons, all with swarms of rough asteroids. But this was a planetary dissolution which would be thousands or millions of years in the making.
For the moment, Captain Slee'tog was fascinated by the fact that the crystal entity seemed fixed in its position. Despite having absorbed enough mass from Pandoria to constitute a fair sized moon itself, the entity ceased its orbital movement while the two halves of Pandoria continued on in what was now destined to become a destabilized orbit due to loss of mass and gravity.
Slee'tog wondered: "What kind of power can stop a planetoid mass in orbit!"
A check of his radiation sensors confirmed that the graviton beam at the edge of the entity still projected outward in the same direction.
His communications officer broke the silence. "Sir; incoming hail from General Kal'sunu at Andorian Security Center."
"Onscreen, Lieutenant."
Kal'sunu's visage glowered from the screen. "Captain Slee'tog, we have been following your monitor results of Pandoria with the utmost concern. The breakup of this planet is nothing less than catastrophic! Andoria will have to deal with asteroid fallout for centuries to come! Indeed; our own orbit around Andor could be unduly affected by the loss of our nearest neighbor!" Kal'sunu paused and relaxed slightly. "The only favorable thing I can see about this event is that Pandoria currently preceeds Andoria in our respective orbits. Therefore, I don't think we'll have to deal with fallout for a few cycles yet."
The general leaned forward. "I think our most immediate problem is this crystalline 'hatchling' that the Tycho crew predicted. Am I correct in perceiving that this entity is now standing still in orbit?!"
"That seems to be the case, Sir."
Kal'sunu sat back and pondered a moment. "I've already sent several science vessels your way to study what's left of Pandoria and calculate... the paths of the pieces!" He stiffened. "I'm now ordering three of our heavy battle cruisers to rendezvous with you. I want you to stay with the entity. Focus all your sensors on it and keep up with it if it starts to move!"
"Yes Sir."
"Oh, and, Captain... try to maintain a safe distance!"
The detached airlock chamber from SPROC slowly pinwheeled away from both the northern half of Pandoria and the expanding crystalline mass crumbling its edges. It floated many kilometers 'above' both surfaces and the twelve human occupants were now experiencing zero gravity. Commander Stinnik gripped the frame of the airlock door and stared morosely through its plasteen window. As the chamber spun slowly the interior would brighten when the window turned toward the glowing crystal entity and then fade to utter darkness as it turned away. Stinnik could see many other metallic pieces of the former Starfleet outpost spiralling outward along with the chamber. It made for a coldly fascinating kaleidoscope of slowly swirling destruction.
The Commcenter staff had settled down after undergoing a period of mad, screaming panic where everyone in the chamber expected an immediate violent death. When that didn't happen and quietude and weightlessness took over, one religious staffer became convinced that they were already dead and were just in some kind of purgatory awaiting afterlife disposition. This person was widely disregarded as the air grew colder. An overall mood of oppressive dejection prevailed. Four of the staffers clung together in a floating cluster with two of them quietly crying.
A young lieutenent drifted over to the airlock door and took a handhold beside Stinnik, staring out the window with him. The lieutenant spoke very quietly, almost in a whisper. "We're basically screwed... aren't we, Commander?"
Stinnik took a moment to muster up some hope. "Oh, I don't know about that, Son. There were ships in orbit just before... THIS happened." Stinnik nodded at the scene outside the window. "I'm sure Andoria has sent more... just to study the phenomenon if nothing else! It's not very often you see a planet split open!" He gave a grim chuckle. "And you and I have ringside seats!"
Neither spoke again for several minutes as the glowing entity came back into view. Pandoria's halves had nearly cleared the convex disc and its scintillating brilliance flooded the chamber. Even though the airlock window was small, the intensity of the brightness caused everyone to cover their eyes.
The religious staffer shrieked. "Here comes HEAVEN!!"
As the chamber slowly turned away and dimness once again settled in, the staffer whimpered, "Maybe next time."
The young lieutenant muttered, "This seems more like hell to me!"
Stinnik put his hand on the lieutenant's shoulder. "Look, Son, you and I have commbadges." Stinnik tapped his. "I do this every so often just in case a vessel comes in range... and I want you to do the same with yours. Now I realize the effective range of our badges is only fifteen to twenty thousand kilometers. But you never know..."
The young man looked glumly at Stinnik for several seconds then nonchalantly tapped his own badge. He didn't try to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
"Yeah, sure! You never know who might stumble across our needle in this cosmic haystack!"
On the deck of the Styx bridge the two objects seemed to sputter and crackle a bit as their coalescing atoms rematerialized and formed a pair of Chief Engineer Kirby's "beefy" commbadges. Colonel Snavely and Major Snodgrass stared at them with different expressions. A smile started appearing on Snodgrass' face as he gazed with wide-eyed hope. Snavely's eyes narrowed with distinct distaste.
Captain Klosowski inquired from the viewscreen, "Did they make it through okay?"
"It sure looks like they did!" Snodgrass bent down and picked up one of the badges.
From the Tycho transporter room Lt. Byczynski advised: "Have him press the communicator button in the center. I want to make sure I've got a good fix on my console before attempting a transport."
Chief Kirby was monitoring the readings from his own master console in engineering. "Be quick about it. It's tricky matching their speed while adjusting for fluctuations in the graviton beam!"
With intense concentration, Brian made a few hurried and delicate adjustments. "Okay! I've got a solid fix on the badge signal. If both men will hold their badges and stand together I should be able to get them both in one transport."
Snavely had not moved from the pilot's chair on the Styx. Ted stared at him from the viewscreen. "You heard the man, Colonel. Go pick up the badge!"
Snavely stayed seated. Looking calmly back at Ted, he replied with quiet conviction. "I don't think so!"
"What do you mean?! You want to live, don't you?!"
"Live for WHAT?! A court martial, disgrace and probable life imprisonment?!" Snavely turned to glance at Snodgrass. "Just take Leon back. He's a good man and a good officer. He was just following my orders."
"Listen, Colonel, you can't know what the outcome of any court martial might be. But if you stay on the Styx you're headed for almost certain death!"
"Oh! And do you know that for a FACT, Captain?" Snavely's lips curled in a sneer. "Anomaly! Wormhole!! You don't really know just WHAT's out there, do you?!"
Ted was taken a little aback. "We haven't had a chance to study it yet."
Snavely's agitation increased. "Well, that's what I'M gonna do, Captain! I'm gonna take my dilithium and STUDY IT!!" Suddenly, he spun his chair around, whithdrew a hand phaser from inside his tunic and blasted the second commbadge lying on the deck. "You got the message now, Captain?! I'm NOT GOING BACK!!"
Ted sat in shocked silence as a defiant Snavely glared at him from the viewscreen. Then Chief Kirby reported from engineering.
"WHOA! Hold on! Their speed is fluctuating!"
Almost simultaneously Brian chimed in. "Waitaminute! Something's happening with the beam! I've got to renew my settings!"
On the bridge Dianne piped up. "Captain, we're being hailed."
Flustered, Ted asked with irritation, "Who is it NOW, Commander?"
"It's the Kallindor II, Sir."
Ted shook himself and took a deep breath. "Put him on screen, Dianne."
The view of the Styx bridge was replaced by that of the Kallindor II and Captain Slee'tog.
"Captain Klosowski, I have to advise you that the crystalline entity is on the move! It's speed is rapidly accelerating and it seems to be following its own graviton beam in your direction!"