...2369..

..14th chapter...Suluia

Captain Luke along with his two officers beamed down to the planet. McCreary and Lola; Lola was the first officer and McCreary is the second officer. They also had a security officer along who happens to be Romulan named Warf. Captain Luke is a Suluonian while Lola is a human and McCreary is a Android who looks too human. McCreary scanned the surroundings using his prosthetic eyes.

"It seems we are alone," McCreary said.

"Very along," Lola said.

Warf spoke in Romulan.

"Mr Warf," Luke said. "Not all of us understand Romulan. If you want to say something then do so in English."

"I was just saying there is no life signs," Warf said. "Apologies. I am still adjusting from shore leave."

"Captain, I detect a reading from the temple behind you," McCreary said.

Luke and Lola turned toward the direction of the gigantic temple that really resembled one in Egypt being the shape of a triangle. There is a hole leading into the building wide enough to be called the chamber entrance. McCreary looked down to his triocorder with it aimed toward the ground. McCreary seemed to be puzzled.

"This is very odd," McCreary said. "It seems life is coming out of it."

"Let's go, team," Luke said.

Warf, McCreary, and Lola followed their captain ever so bravely. Well, don't they always? Soon as they went in that's when things begin to act up. The doorway behind them comes to a sudden close leaving them in darkness.

"It is so dark in here," Lola said.

"I can fix that," McCreary said. "Light intensity being adjusted."

McCreary's body glowed.

"Mr McCreary, you can do that?" Luke asked.

"Why yes, Captain," McCreary said. "I can."

"How the hell is that possible?" Lola asked.

"My creator installed light sufficient inside my skin for in cases like these," McDreary said. "I can readjust it to my eyes if you like."

"No,no,no McDreary," Luke said, shaking his head. "Your glow is fine."

"When it gets lighter, would you prefer if the light emitting from me be switched off?" McCreary asked.

"Yes," Luke and Lola said at once.

The away team went down the path. Thanks to McCreary's glow they were able to see where in the temple they were going. Warf had a quick shot at a sculpture of a Romulan keeping the ceiling up and notably other statues of different races alongside trying to the same. The only thing that stood out was the Klingon who seemed to be having not a problem keeping the walls up and he showed not a sign of stress. The lazy one was the Ferengi being the shortest of them all but definitely a statue holding a deck of cards with a wide grin. There were spider webs seen connecting the shoulder to the faces. Beneath the statues were writings in their respective languages to the beings who stood there.

Warf displayed pride at his fellow combatant.

"Mr Warf," Luke called.

"Coming, sir," Warf said.

Warf followed the group. The light inside the temple being apparent so McCreary lowered his lights resuming his normal and ever so casual appearance of a typical African American human being. McCreary,unlike his source of inspiration, was given the skin color black because his creator wanted to make a statement. A statement that has been far forgotten but McCreary would say in his own words, "I am the living embodiment of the Federation and equality," to when he is asked about it. His creators were white.

"Captain," Lola said, coming to a stop. "Look at this."

Luke came over.

Luke saw a machine with the design of a serpent in the middle.

"Interesting," Luke said.

"It does not seem to be a door," McCreary said.

"Obviously," Lola said. "McDreary."

"I am not a Dreary android," McCreary said.

"You know, that is just a joke for fun," Lola reminded McCreary.

Luke felt along the serpent body.

"I have been subjected to cruel jokes and I do not see that at all funny," McCreary said.

Warf is scanning the room using his tricorder.

"But you have emotions," Lola said. "It is all part of adventure and exploring to have them."

"I have my emotions turned off," McCreary said.

Lola appeared to be alarmed at first.

"Why?" Lola asked, concerned.

"Because they are not required," McCreary said.

"Oh Dat--McCreary," Lola said, shaking his head.

Luke pressed forward into the serpent right in the center using his hand. The serpent machine pressed forward making a hissing sound as it uncurled making several numbers aligned to the curled metal body begin shifting. Luke backed up as did Warf, McCreary, and Lola. It suddenly turned and opened wide to reveal a doorway.

The inside glowed blue.

"Machines," McCreary said, walking in first. "Living machines."

Luke would later say that McCreary looked right at home inside the construction. Lola would agree too but Warf would insist McCreary belonged to humanity and not some 'super duper pretty utopia human beings with amphibian qualities' in a nutshell. He didn't actually say that but it was part of the rant he wrote in his log. A really long log,I'll say. McCreary's eyes grew wide seeing the sheer complexity.

McCreary and the away team stepped foot into the same room.

Across from Dat--McCreary was at a table with what remains of a Star Fleet uniform from way back when. It was a blue suit with black and designs. The boots were aimed upwards. There is a white shirt seen alongside the collar. There is dust in areas where there would normally be a head, hands, and neck. Warf went over then used the tricorder to scan the uniform including the strange dust.

Warf looked up toward Luke.

"It is human remains," Warf said. "We just found Captain Archer."

"Pity he had to end this way," Lola said. "The greatest question in star fleet history has been answered: What happened to Captain Archer?"

McCreary went over to a machine.

Warf reached out to the uniform only to be stricken by some bolt of power from a rounded circular gem concealed inside the table behind where a head would have rested. Warf grunted covering his burning wound. Luke and Lola stared at the table so confused what in the universe is going on.

"Sir," Warf said. "There is a gem preventing me from touching this uniform."

"What kind of gem is this?" Luke wondered out loud, staring at the blue gem.

"It is a life gem," McCreary said.

"Why that is dreary," Lola said.

"That is a proper joke," McCreary said, approvingly.

"I wasn't joking," Lola said. "Okay, that is it!" He threw his hands in the air. "I won't be making puns out of your name!"

"Thank you," McCreary said, being polite.

"What is a life gem?" Luke asked.

"It is the fundamental core to a machine that keeps a organism living," McCreary explained. "I have records on it taking life out of people and transferring it to machines. There were 38 such cases on the planet Vulcan until a entity calling itself the greatest philosopher of all time took it away and claimed it would never harm a single Vulcan again."

"No wonder there wasn't any Vulcan's in the hall," Warf said.

"The hall?" Luke repeated.

"There were statues, sir," Warf said. "All keeping the ceiling up."

"It seems not everyone was spared," McCreary said. "And as history goes; the life gem was lost in the 2100's and never was heard of again." His fingers started typing on the square letters on the keyboard. "Captain, I can stop this."

Luke turned away from the body.

"Stop what?" Luke asked.

"It seems in exactly one hour this life source will stop," McCreary said. "I am sending the computers a message to send exactly one year ago in the past to the residents. It also explains why we were the only beings on this planet shortly after we scanned there being millions of lifeforms. We've already made history."

"McCreary, you haven't told me what you are trying to stop!" Luke acknowledged.

"In order to live this machine needs a host and it will send its minions to find one close by," McCreary said. "In order to be successful we need to destroy this gem once and for all. Then this planet will die."

"The prime directive states that we cannot interfere," Lola said.

"This planet is not full of life,Commander," McCreary said. "We have our lives to save now, respectfully."

McCreary pressed a button.

The gem lodged out of the table.

"...How do we destroy a powerful machine?" Luke asked.

"That is a good question, sir," Warf agreed.

"I agree," Lola added.

McCreary picked up the gem.

"Captain," McCreary said. "I know how to destroy this device."

"Then we'll do it on the Enterprise," Luke said.

"No," McCreary said. "It can't be done on the Enterprise. I can do this safely on Suluia."

"Safely," Luke said, raising a brow just to be sure.

"Yes,safely," McCreary said, with a nod.

Even though Luke's homeplanet is this planet they are on; the feeling of seeing it die is perhaps a record breaking. It wrenched his heart, god did it hurt, but he had the satisfaction of knowing everyone had fled during the count down. There are some differences between the Scottyonian's and Suluonian's. Suluonian's are strongly similar to Human's except they have gills, folded ears, and dear lord they can withstand waves of water washing over them as they stick to the surface they are on. It makes them so durable when searching for them at a water fall like location, a destination where waves crash over rocks, and anywhere for that matter featuring water. Sand is not their best strong suits. They have the intelligence of human beings.

But not many care about the random temples that spring out of the blue.

They care about history.

Just like Picard in his various timelines.

"Luke to transport," Luke said, after tapping his combadge. "Three to beam up."

Warf, Lola, and Luke are surrounded by circular yellow disk then they vanish before McCreary's eyes. McCreary put the device into the machine then turned it toward the left into a complete circle. Hell had he lied to his captain. McCreary felt guilt. That he did feel for lying. McCreary put in new orders.

Now in this case the actual machine to the actual temple is hidden among the walls and it takes three knocks to find it.

McCreary took out the life gem with hope burning in his processor. McCreary sounds like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz because of his desire to be more human when he is more human than any entity I have ever come acrossed. Of course this is an actual story as I have come across these people and seen it for myself. I once considered it just a 'interesting adventure that ended terribly' but now I realize it is the same scene that will occur on a planet I am writing this on.

Just without the three officers.

McCreary put the gem into the circle then he puts his combadge on the old uniform. The uniform vanished before McCreary's eyes. It was the most logical choice because the only one capable of sending a command while being drained of their life is a robot with a soul, quite frankly. McCreary had played it out in his processor while discussing with Luke about the gem and came to the conclusion within seconds.

McCreary got onto the table after the uniform vanished.

From above within the Star Ship Enterprise, Luke stood at the bridge glaring at the screen in concern. Something did not sit well. The Android was supposed to be beaming back any second now. The planet turned a shade of black then it began shrinking in size until a red hole appeared in the center burning. Warf and Lola stare at the screen in horror. Everyone did for that fact.

Then it turned into a wormhole and began degrading.

"McCreary," Luke said.

But there is a new Suluonian planet established last year and everything is going according to plan. Everyone was at a loss for words. Warf lowered his head closing his eyes. Lola lowered his head toward the floor feeling a loss. A great loss. The loss of a loyal friend. Luke is trembling.

"Set course for Suluonian II," Luke ordered.