Chapter 2

Colonel Caldwell, commander of the Daedalus, was waiting for SG-1 to arrive, in order to find out why they were being diverted to a different planet. After a three-week journey from the Pegasus galaxy, the crew was anxious for shore leave, which was now scrubbed due to the new mission. As he pondered his sparse orders from the SGC, the four members that comprised SG-1 materialized on the bridge.

"SG-1, welcome aboard the Daedalus," Caldwell welcomed them.

"Thank you, Colonel," O'Neill responded. He handed a memory stick to Caldwell. "Here are your orders, from General Hammond."

Caldwell looked at the stick momentarily, before fixing his gaze back upon O'Neill. "Care to tell me what this is all about, Colonel? I have men aboard that have been looking forward to a little R+R, until it was scrubbed this morning for this mission."

"We got a team on a planet which we can't dial into anymore," O'Neill responded. "It was a trade mission, and they never made their midday check-in. Since we can't dial in, they presumably cannot dial out, so that's why we're diverting you to P7X-559. They may be experiencing some sort of catastrophe and may require assistance."

Jackson spoke up at this point. "The inhabitants of P7X-559 have been using the gate system for a very long time. They're known as a very hospitable culture, embracing travelers and traders alike. It is very unlikely that they would bury their own gate, so something or someone happened to them."

"Alright, good enough for me. Helm, plot a course to P7X-559, best possible speed, please," Colonel Caldwell ordered. "We should be there in about 6 hours. Go to the mess and relax for a bit. I'll join you shortly."

After the blinding light dimmed, Jean-Luc Picard picked himself off the floor, and looked around, surveying the bridge. Of all the crewmen, only Data was still at his post, the indents on the sides of the console testimony of how he remained in his seat. "Helm, report!" he barked.

"Sir, sensors are offline, warp engines offline, impulse and reaction thrusters offline, life support at minimum sustainable levels, main computer core is offline, and structural integrity is at minimal levels," Data reported, as his fingers flew over the keyboard. "Casualty reports coming in now, Captain. No fatalities, but sickbay is reporting numerous types of injuries resulting from the event that caused the instability of the ship, sir."

"La Forge to the bridge," announced the intercom.

Captain Picard tapped a button on the console attached to the arm of his chair. "Go ahead, Commander."

"Captain, I have a situation here. The problems we're experiencing have to do with the new bio-neural gel packs that were installed at the last retrofit. It looks like about half of them are offline." La Forge reported. "All primary systems are tied into the gel packs, with the exception of life control."

"Can we replace them?" Riker asked.

"I don't know, sir. We only carry enough spares onboard to replace about 15% of what we have installed. Replicators cannot reproduce living tissue, but I know Dr. Crusher was working on experiments with bio-neural gel packs in her spare time. Perhaps she could lend us a hand? These are as much biological as technological."

"Dr. Crusher is treating injuries from the tossing about the ship received, but I will see to it she comes to you at her earliest convenience." Picard replied. "In the mean time, can you get shields and engines up again? Moving the ship is not a necessity at the moment, so inertial dampeners are not a priority. I want shields in case they can somehow reduce the effects of whatever we just went through, if it happens again."

"Understood, sir. La Forge out."