That is the Question.

Beth N. Groth



375 YEARS AGO



Captain Danil Harton stands looking at his pilot and the object in front of 
him outside the cockpit window.  He places his hand on the shoulder of 
the other man.

 
The pilot speaks up," Captain, do you wanna start the waking process to 
the rest of the crew?"


Captain Harton is still staring at the beautiful sight before him.  The strange 
phenomenon suddenly appeared in front of the shuttle 5 minutes after they 
took it off autopilot.  He nods his head to the pilot to proceed with the 
waking up process.  Then he speaks up again, "It is a beautiful sight isn't 
it?"


Lt. Jon Potter does not see anything that would make his world stop. He 
sees a wormhole, big deal. He saw lots of beautiful things when he served 
aboard the submarine USS Voyager.  He was not about to be disrespectful 
to this Air Force Captain.  Because, of course, he was higher in rank and 
this was the captain's second voyage in space and has been an 
exceptional captain so far. "Yes sir it is beautiful"


"Begin dehibernation process on the others." the Captain orders.


Lt. Potter flips a switch. "Aye sir."


The wormhole outside the shuttle was flipping and spinning. Lt. Potter 
places the ship on autopilot so he can assist with the rest of the crew.  
There were only three others but there could be some complications with 
waking them up.


The first crew member this time around was Dr. Jaimal Noke.  He was a 
professor of Astronomy at a small community college in California.  He also 
studied many other areas of science in his country of South Africa.  He was 
selected out of 50 other experts in the science and medical community to 
be the first civilian on the first deep space mission outside the Milky Way. 
He now stands in his underwear trying to keep his balance.  His legs feel 
like lead.


"Doctor Noke," Lt. Potter states uninterested," we have something for you to see."

"Can I wake up first?" Dr. Noke ask in a low, horse voice.


"Aye sir." Lt. Potter went back to the other chamber as it opened.

A woman's head appears from the newly opened chamber.  She opens her 
arms and yawns.  She is the only member of the crew, according to Potter, 
that serves no propose whatsoever.  Yes! She is a weapons expert.  Yes! 
She is built better them some of the men he knew. She is also a 
communication expert and can operate the voice activated computer.  But, 
she is a woman.  Major Ellie Zimmer was in the United States Marine Corps 
and that was reason enough for Lt. Potter to find her unless.


She wakes up quicker then Dr. Noke.  She hops out of her chamber and 
gets on her feet.  Immediately after she does this, she falls to the ground.


Lt. Potter looks down at her, " I guess you did not read much of your 
manual and forgot some of your training Zimmer."  


Major Zimmer glares at Potter and she slowly gets on her feet, "I am going 
to the ring and stretch my legs.


Lt. Potter is already standing at the other chamber.

Dr. Noke starts putting on his pants, "What is it the Captain wants me to 
see?"


"A active wormhole." Lt. Potter informs him.

"What?" Dr. Noke voice was high," why didn't you tell me this before?"

Lt. Potter ignores the Doctor and goes back to the third chamber," I told 
you now."


Dr. Noke disappears. He finds his way to the bridge. When he looked out 
the cockpit, he sees the wormhole. It is a beautiful sight.  Dr. Noke stands 
speechless staring at it, with his mouth opened.


Captain Harton ask in a distance voice," So Doc, did you think it would be 
so beautiful?"


"No," Dr. Noke responds, "maybe we can fly in closer for a better look?"


Capt. Harton looks at Dr. Noke and bend over the console and pouched 
the pager," Potter, have you retrieved the Commander McVay."


"Aye sir! Commander McVay is in the ring now." Lt. Potter voice cracks 
over the pager.


"Report to the bridge. We are going to check out this wormhole a little 
closer."


"Aye sir."


Lt. Potter reports to the bridge immediately after he was paged.  Dr. Noke 
stands above him and Commander McVay.


Commander McVay is an experience Air Force Pilot and he is a navigator. 
He was also a veteran of Desert Storm and the Mexican Crisis.  He and 
Major Zimmer are the only crewmembers that experience any kind of war.


"I am approaching the wormhole at 105 degrees longitude," Commander 
McVay informed.


Lt. Potter feels some pressure at the controls like driving in a windstorm 
like the ship was pulling into the wormhole, "I am feeling some pull, 
Captain."


"Proceed." the Captain's voice was sharp.


"Aye sir."

The pull from the controls is becoming more difficult.  The wormhole is 
only 2 miles from the shuttle. The warning alarm begins to sound because, 
the hail of the shuttle is breaking up. The G-force pulling from the 
wormhole.


The USS SPARTIN disappeared into the wormhole.........