The Guided Tour - Part II
Posted on Fri Dec 12, 2025 @ 2:04am by Lieutenant Commander Alanna Wells & Civilian Nyla Thane
1,439 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Time After Time
Location: Pangaea
Timeline: MD 19 - 1400 hours
[PREVIOUSLY]
Nyla took in everything Alanna said. The weight of the information settling over her as she listened. She gave a nod. "Understood. I'll treat what you've shared with the discretion it deserves."
[CONTINUED]
As they approached the portal complex, Alanna again turned to Nyla. "Do you want to have a look inside? There are Marines guarding the site, but we can look at the tunnels and caverns. There won't be much to see. Lights are run off power cells as we can't have any sort of cables or conduits. The caverns and tunnels change without notice. You can walk down a tunnel and find yourself in a different cavern, or some place you haven't seen before. Marines are exploring and mapping what they can, but we can't really trust that the maps will be any use. But you can see the main cavern if you wish."
"I'd like to see the main cavern." She said looking at Alanna. "But only if you have the time, of course. I don't want to disrupt your schedule."
"I have the time." She angled the shuttle toward the landing area near the portal complex and alerted the Marines she was coming in.
Two minutes later, they were on the ground. She led the way into the main cavern, nodding to the Marines on duty. There was a partial map on the wall of the caverns. "These are relatively stable. But, as I said, the tunnels and caverns change fairly often. Or the portals themselves go to different locations. That's why most of the map is blank." There were several computers and monitors showing some of the cavern areas. The computers and lights here ran off generators. Some of them showed the area outside the portal complex. Off the main cavern was a smaller one that looked like a dining area.
Nyla followed Alanna into the cavern. Her eyes adjusting to the dim, generator-powered light. The scale of the space caught her attention first. She moved closer to the computer screens studying the displays. "It's remarkable." She said. "A living structure, in a way. I can see why mapping would be....difficult. If not impossible." She looked at Alanna. "Has anyone noticed pattern in the changes? Something tied to planetary cycles or perhaps energy fluctuations from the portals themselves?
"No. But we're tracking temporal ripples. They're a byproduct of the planet being pulled into this space and time. They affect the portals directly. During the Battle for DS5, the temporal ripples stopped. The portals have been inactive ever since. We're hoping that will change, but for now, we continue to monitor both the sun and planet."
"That's fascinating." She said looking back to the monitors. “If the portals are linked to the planet’s temporal stability, then their inactivity might be a protective response rather than a failure.”
Alanna nodded. "I agree. I think the planet is...healing. Between the battle, the struggle to control the station, and Raddon Corporation's attempt to either duplicate or access the portal complex, Pangaea's been through a lot."
Nyla nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful.
When they were done with the portal complex, Alanna took Nyla to Bag End. "This started out as a science research station to excavate three ancient villages built on the same site. But then the Cardassians began to cause trouble and it was safer for me to stay here. Now, it's my home on Pangaea."
She parked her shuttle in the underground bay and led Nyla through the tunnel to Bag End proper. "I have a couple of storage areas underground. One has food, one is for my data backups, and one is currently empty."
As they entered, Alanna indicated four doors around what looked like a living room. "Those are bedrooms for guests. The third floor has the kitchen and dining rooms, plus a conference room. There's also a bedroom suite where Bri stays when she's here. The second floor is my living area, and the top floor is where I keep all my computer equipment to scan the planet and the sun." It was also where she ran her covert operations during Cardassian Occupation and the Battle of DS5.
Nyla followed Alanna through the tunnel. Her gaze moving over the structure with evident appreciation. “You’ve built something remarkable here.” She said. “It feels more like a sanctuary than a research outpost.”
"It is now, and has been since the Cardassian occupation. As one of only a handful of people who actually know how the portals work, I felt it prudent to hide here." Alanna smiled "And it allowed me to run covert operations and keep an eye on Cardassian activity on the planet at the same time. Now, it's become my home. I'm actually happy to not be working on the station."
They went up to the second floor where Alanna showed her the public areas. "You're always welcome to come here for a meeting, depending on what you choose for your own living quarters. And I'm always happy to show you the archaeological work being done in the forest."
Nyla nodded, clearly impressed. “Thank you. I appreciate the offer. I haven’t decided yet where I’ll settle, but I can see why you stayed.” Her gaze moved around the room once more before returning to Alanna. “And I’d very much like to see the forest site.”
Alanna nodded. "It's a short walk from here. Three separate settlements lived on the same site, giving us an excellent picture of how they developed. I'm taking it slowly right now, as there have been other concerns, but we've also benefitted from being far enough from the other settlements that we weren't affected by the war."
Alanna led Nyla out the back door and into the woods. She indicated a path to her right "Down there is where Brianthe has an experimental grove of trees and a large garden. It's mostly hidden through the woods, making it harder to pick up from space."
After about 1500 kilometers, they came to an older section of the forest near what had once been a river. In and around the trees were remnants of an ancient village.
Nyla slowed as they entered the clearing, taking in the quiet beauty around them. “It’s peaceful here.” She said. “The forest has done a remarkable job protecting what’s left.” She glanced toward Alanna. “I can see why you love it.”
"Yes. The main continent is beautiful, and peaceful. And mysterious." Alanna smiled. "It's also dangerous, if you're not careful. I'm hoping to work with Jason to identify some of them now that more people are living here."
Nyla glanced at Alanna. “Jason?” She asked. “I don’t think I’ve met him yet.”
"Lieutenant Commander Jason Haines. He's the head of the commodore's personal security. Basically, he's a guardian."
Nyla raised an eyebrow. “A guardian?” She repeated. “What exactly does that mean here?”
"He's part bodyguard and part protector. One of the fae tried to imprison Captain Soran, so there is a concern that one or more of them might try to capture the commodore as well. And Starfleet doesn't completely trust the Cardassians. Yet," Alyssa explained. "That will hopefully come with time."
Nyla absorbed that, her expression settling into something more serious. “I see,.” She said. “Given everything that’s happened here, that seems… prudent.” She glanced toward the trees, considering the layers of danger and mystery Alanna had described. “I imagine trust comes slowly on a world like this.”
Alanna couldn't help laughing. "On a world where ancient bone pits appear without warning, portals open and close at their own whim, time is relative, and some of the inhabitants want to kill you? Yes. Trust does come slowly. For some things--and some people."
But in spite of all that, Alanna loved the planet. "That's the tour. Where would you like me to drop you off?"
“I suppose that was an understatement.” Nyla laughed. She took one more look around the forest, then turned to Alanna. “Could you drop me at the research colony?”
"A definite understatement. But you'll never get bored," Alanna replied, grinning. "Okay. Last stop, the research colony. I'll drop you off and head back to Bag End. We can meet tomorrow to go over responsibilities and objectives. I'm still getting some things set up myself, so we can talk about that, too."
Nyla nodded. “That works for me."
A post by
Lieutenant Commander Alanna Wells
Director of Science, Exploration, and Archaeology - Pangaea
Archaeologist/Anthropologist - Deep Space 5
Nyla Thane
Assistant Director of Science, Exploration, and Archaeology
Pangaea
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