The bridge crew watched in awe as they drew closer to the remarkable planet. Reg could understand how an observer could claim that Gemworld was artificial, yet it was too beautiful and improbable to be artificial. n.o.body would have ever designed such a conglomeration; it had to evolve over time, as Troi had told them. To Reg's mind, it was more like a bionic planet. Too fragile to exist on its own, it had to be protected and supplemented with technology.

Data frowned slighly at his instruments. "Lieutenant Pazlar, you said that the sh.e.l.l collects dark matter."

"Yes," she answered, not looking up from her console. "Among other fuels."

Data continued, "I am picking up unusual gravitational readings that may indicate a higher-than-usual concentration of dark matter."

"Can you be more specific?" asked Picard.

The android shook his head. "No, sir. The Federation has never pursued dark matter as a viable energy source, and our understanding of that material is limited. Our sensors cannot even detect it, although they can detect the side effects of its presence."

Melora smiled. "We can't detect it either, but we know it's out there. We've collected dark matter for centuries, although always in small amounts and combined with other fuels. When you've run out of almost every natural resource on your planet, you become very creative."

"Then it isn't a concern?" asked Picard.

She shrugged. "To be truthful, I don't know what's a concern at the moment."

"Coming out of warp in one minute," said Data.

The captain glanced at Commander Riker, who instantly ordered, "Shields up. Bring us out of warp five thousand kilometers from the sh.e.l.l."

"Yes, sir," answered the Bolian on the conn.

Barclay tensed, and everyone looked up from their boards. Even at close range, Gemworld appeared unreal and inconsequential, despite its huge size. If it weren't inhabited, thought Reg, it could pa.s.s as the largest Christmas tree ornament in Federation s.p.a.ce.

"Mr. Yontel," said Riker, "this won't be a standard orbit."

"Adjustments are programmed in," answered the conn. "We're coming out of warp in ten seconds."

As soon as the Enterprise dropped out of warp, the ship was jolted by an invisible force. Like a paper plate caught in the wind, it flew backward toward a gaping rift in s.p.a.ce. The anomaly was black and opaque, outlined against the stars like a gash in the firmament.

On the bridge, the viewscreen went blank. A ma.s.sive electromagnetic pulse surged through the ship, and the conn and ops stations exploded in a hale of sparks. Everyone was thrown out of their seats as acrid smoke billowed through the bridge. Data, his uniform blackened and smoldering, stood calmly, looked around, and strode to an undamaged auxiliary console.

"Taking over conn," he reported, but no one responded. The command chair was empty, and Captain Picard lay sprawled on the deck. Riker was there, too, both of them unconscious. "I believe Ensign Yontel is dead," added Data.

Barclay blinked away the stinging blood in his eyes and struggled to sit up. He realized that everyone in the circle of stations around the command chair was either dead or unconscious. Those in the outer circle of auxiliary stations had fared better. In a panic, he crawled across the deck, under the smoke, looking for Melora.

"Data! What happened?" shouted Deanna Troi, staggering to her feet.

The android's fingers were a blur as he worked his console. "An unknown singularity has disrupted all of our systems and is pulling us into a rift. I am attempting to compensate. Would you mind taking command?"

"Computer, Troi a.s.suming command!" she announced.

They were jolted again, and Barclay was pitched forward onto his face. With relief, he found himself staring eye to eye with Melora. She appeared to be pinned to the deck. "I don't know what's happening!" she said with a groan. "My anti-grav suit isn't working."

"Not much else is working either," said Reg.

"You're bleeding," she said, reaching with difficulty for his face.

"Barclay, take a count of casualties and alert sickbay!" ordered Troi. She gave the fallen Riker, Picard, and Yontel a worried glance as she staggered to Data's side. "Can we get away from that thing?"

"We are at full impulse and unable to escape its pull."

Reg rolled onto his back, did a quick count, and tapped his combadge. "Bridge to sickbay! Medical emergency! Three crewmen unconscious ... others with minor wounds."

There was no response, and they were rocked again. The whole ship shuddered an instant before it was plunged into darkness, followed by emergency red lighting. As smoke and sparks billowed across the charred stations and fallen bodies, a Klaxon blared in alarm, and Reg held his mouth to keep from screaming.

Chapter Five.

"PUT A TRACTOR BEAM on the sh.e.l.l!" ordered Commander Troi as the Enterprise slid inexorably toward a monstrous rift in s.p.a.ce.

The android didn't hesitate to obey the order. A tractor beam shot from the bow of the crippled ship and stretched across several thousand kilometers of s.p.a.ce. It locked onto the delicate sh.e.l.l which surrounded Gemworld, and the fragile metal filigree held.

Data reported to Troi, "Our descent has been halted. Routing all available power to emergency life-support and tractor beam."

The dreadful shaking stopped, although the smoke, emergency lighting, and blank viewscreen made it clear that they were in trouble. Troi whirled around, looking for Barclay, and she was relieved to see him hovering over Captain Picard with a first-aid kit and tricorder. Melora Pazlar came crawling on her stomach from behind a bulkhead, ripping off her anti-grav suit.

Troi couldn't worry about them when the whole ship depended on her and Data. She turned back to the android and asked, "If we got inside the planet's sh.e.l.l, would we be protected?"

"Possibly," conceded the android. "Gemworld appears to be stable, despite proximity to the rift. The problem is having enough propulsion to get away from it."

"Cut the ship's gravity!" shouted Pazlar from the deck. "That's what's attracting us to the rift, and why my anti-grav suit has gone crazy-it's our artificially high gravity. Cut it, and stop the attraction."

Deanna and Data looked at one another. "I could divert the extra power to the thrusters," said Data.

The Betazoid tapped the nearest comm panel, and her voice echoed throughout the ship. "All hands: Brace yourselves. We'll be losing gravity for a short time."

She nodded to Data, who executed several overrides in order to deprive the Enterprise of one of her most crucial systems.

Troi got a good grip on the back of Data's chair, but she was still caught off-guard when the gravity left the deck beneath her feet. She floated upward, her mind disoriented because her body was. The Betazoid almost let go of the chair in order to grab her legs, but she managed to calm herself and keep a grip on the chair.

She turned and saw Melora Pazlar, now stripped down to thin elastic and a few braces, go soaring through the cabin. She flew toward Barclay, who was clutching Riker and Picard and watching his medkit form a floating cloud of bandages, hyprosprays, and vials. The Elaysian caught all three humans and drew them together in a tight circle. When she needed to change position or get a boost, she used her long-toed feet to push off or grab the furniture, keeping her hands free to hold the humans. Palzar was so graceful and natural that Troi felt even more helpless and klunky.

Data stayed in his seat, calmly working the controls. "We are pulling away from the anomaly. Openings in the sh.e.l.l are large enough for us to pa.s.s through. With such low gravity, I can plot an orbit inside, or I can maintain our position."

"Can we get farther away?"

"Negative. Until we are safe, we must keep our tractor beam locked on the sh.e.l.l. Also we have no warp drive, and damage and casualties are reporting in from all decks. We need a safe port."

Troi gulped at the seriousness of their predicament. "Pazlar, is it safe to just fly through the forcefield?"

"The sh.e.l.l will recognize us as Starfleet and allow us to pa.s.s," answered the Elaysian. "Getting out is different."

"Okay, head for safety," she told Data.

While the android piloted the crippled starship, Troi turned her attention to the wounded. At least she hoped they were only wounded. It was too late for Ensign Yontel. He was covered in burns, and his wideopen eyes stared puzzledly at the blank viewscreen as he floated over his charred station. Barclay had recovered enough to use his tricorder, and he was checking Riker while Pazlar steadied the captain in midair.

In an effort to reach them, Deanna wheeled one hand helplessly, while she clutched the back of Data's chair with the other. "How are they?"

"They're alive," answered Barclay. "N-Not too badly off. I'd say it was concussion that knocked them out."

Troi finally let out the breath she had been holding, it seemed, since they came out of warp. "Keep them stable until the medteam arrives."

"I'm not sure I reached sickbay," admitted Barclay. "They never responded."

Deanna tapped her combadge. "Troi to Crasher. Is there a medteam headed to the bridge?"

"Yes," answered the weary doctor. "Although not quickly. The turbolifts and transporters aren't working. Since I'm talking to you, I have to a.s.sume the captain and first officer are casualties."

"They're alive, but unconscious. As far as we can tell, it's from concussion. We have one dead up here, too."

"More than that shipwide," muttered the doctor. "Before you put the gravity back on, give us all a chance to get back to the deck."

"Good idea. Troi out." She turned to Pazlar. "That was quick thinking about the artificial gravity."

The Elaysian smiled. "I'm always looking for good reasons to do without it. That's why I'm in Starfleet-to convince you rootfeet that you don't need gravity."

Data c.o.c.ked his head and scanned his instruments. "We have just entered the planet's atmosphere."

"Normally that means we're about to crash," remarked Troi.

"Not this time. We are no long being pulled into the rift. Its effect seems to end at the sh.e.l.l. We are in stationary orbit three kilometers beneath the sh.e.l.l."

"We're not in danger of hitting the crystal, are we?"

"No, sir. The crystal growth does not extend this far."

"Anything else we should be concerned about?"

Data surveyed screen after screen of readouts. "Thoron radiation remains higher than normal, although it's not at dangerous levels. That would account for the subs.p.a.ce interference. Oddly, the rift still does not appear on our sensors."

"How is that possible?"

The android swiveled his head to look at her. "This is conjecture, but it may be a dimensional rift. We also picked up unusual gravity readings, which may indicate unusual quant.i.ties of dark matter. The two are probably related."

Deanna ducked as a figure came swooping past. It was Melora, who somersaulted over a console and grabbed the back of a chair, coming to a graceful stop a few meters away from them. Somewhat defensively she said, "There's never been any problem with the dark matter before."

It was hard to argue with someone floating over her head, but Deanna tried. "Something has gone awry here, though. You've got a singularity out there that nearly destoyed the Enterprise, and Lipuls are sending out dream SOSs. And nothing shows up on our sensors. Dark matter, a dimensional rift-we need to find some answers."

When no one spoke for several seconds, Data interjected, "Shall I restore gravity?"

"Just a moment." Troi twisted around, trying to find the comm panel on the nearest station. When she couldn't reach it, she ordered, "Patch in my combadge to the whole ship."

"Yes, sir." Data worked his console. "Go ahead."

"This is Commander Troi," she said. "Captain Picard is fine, but he has been hurt, as have many of you. Please remain calm. We're inside the sh.e.l.l that surrounds Gemworld, and we're safe from the singularity that nearly destroyed us. We're about to restore gravity, so I urge everyone to work their way to the deck. Don't try to stand up, just get your whole body as close as you can to the deck ... or sit in a chair. Remember, when gravity comes back, you'll fall, and so will any objects that are floating near you. You have five minutes."

She nodded to Data, and he worked his board. He still looked calm and collected, seated at the auxiliary console as if nothing were wrong. "How come you're not floating?" she asked.

"I activated the magnetic implants in my posterior," he answered. "Everyone should have them."

"Excuse me, Commander," said Melora Pazlar. "Breathable air-my home-is just on the other side of that hull. If you could transport me out, I could fly out there, and I could try to contact my people. They must have seen us ... and they could be heading this way."

"Lifeforms are approaching," concurred Data.

"Please beam me out," begged Pazlar, "before you put the gravity back on."

Troi looked at Data, and the android said, "We have the capability to perform one short-range direct-transport from here."

"Please," asked the Elaysian, fixing Deanna with her intent blue eyes.

She sighed. "Grab the communicator off your anti-grav suit."

With a swift push off the ceiling and a short flight, Pazlar retrieved the combadge off her discarded anti-grav suit. Troi could see Reg Barclay watching the Elaysian with pride and affection, delighted to see her in her native element.

"Energize," ordered Troi. She had never seen anybody so pleased to be leaving the Enterprise as Melora Pazlar. The young Elaysian was beaming as her body dissolved in a swirling cloud of glimmering lights.

A shout distracted Troi, and she turned to see Will Riker tip upside down in the air. He had just returned to consciousness to find himself floating above a damaged bridge.

"Relax, Commander," said Reg Barclay, trying to calm him. "We're going to get gravity back in a minute."

Riker saw the unconscious captain and twisted unsuccessfully to look in his direction. "Is he all right?"

"He's all right, and the ship is safe," answered Deanna. "Right now we need to get everyone down to the deck before we restore gravity."

She explained briefly what had happened while they secured the captain and hovered close to the deck. Will took Deanna's hand and smiled. "Quick thinking, Commander."

"All in a day's work." She returned his smile and his grip.

"Five minutes have elapsed," reported Data.

"Restore gravity," ordered Riker.

All over the ship, thuds sounded as people and objects dropped to various decks. The bandages that had escaped from Reg's medkit fluttered down, littering the bridge. Will and Reg secured Ensign Yontel's body and covered it with a thin blanket from a survival kit.

The Jeffries tube at the rear of the bridge opened, and three medical workers crawled out, looking rather bedraggled after traversing the ship without the benefit of gravity or turbolifts. They immediately tended to the captain and brought him back to consciousness, then they patched up the cut on Reg's forehead.

The medteam cautioned Picard and Riker to go to sickbay, but of course both of them ignored the advice. Data explained matters to the captain, and there were damage reports, casualty reports, and system checks. The reports yielded little good news. Finally the turbolifts started working again, and medteams and repair teams were able to disperse quickly throughout the ship.

With the viewscreen out, Troi had almost forgotten where they were until a report came in from a repair crew.

"Captain!" said an amazed voice. "This is Lieutenant Oswell. You've got to come down to the forward observation lounge. You've got to see it!"