Dr Langah met the Captain and the USS Valley Forge’s Chief of Security outside of Sickbay, where two Security Department ratings stood watch at the gates to his kingdom.

Jahanshir greeted the pair with his habitual avuncular aplomb, but to the trained eye there was a noticeable strain of irritation that creased his smooth sub-continental features.

“Captain, Lieutenant Savak – a pleasure as always.” Langah greeted with a warm smile that seemed to flow from his intelligent deep – brown eyes. “You will forgive me for greeting you so, here in the corridor, but I wanted to establish a few ground rules in respect to interactions with my patient – if you please?”

Savak said nothing, a raise of her eyebrow being sufficient to register the Vulcan/Romulan Officers acquiescence.

Captain Hyland was more forthcoming and allowed a tolerant smile to the CMO.

“Of course, Doctor.” Sam nodded, deferring to the physician in this – the realm of his mandate. In matters medical – even the Chief Medical Officer held primacy over the CO (unless extraordinary circumstances intervened).

Jahanshir nodded to the two guards. “Firstly – are we really sure that all of this is…. necessary?”

“Starfleet protocol Zeta-Dash-Five-Seven-Eight of the Starfleet Security Code require that….” Savak began, before Samantha smiled and cut across her bow, diplomatically.

“I’m afraid so Doctor Langah.” Sam gave her Security Chief a pointed – look as she turned to the Ship’s Doctor and explained.

“Dr Makon is the sole survivor of the “USS Artemis” and as such our only witness to the unfortunate events that transpired aboard and by – extension – the only person who can confirm the fate of that test – flight that resulted in the deaths of eleven other people.” The Captain reasoned.

“Lieutenant Savak made the call to place a Security detail to watch over Gallian Makon until her investigations have been completed. For what it’s worth, I’m in full agreement with Savak on this one – the guards stay.” Sam nodded with finality.

Jahanshir sighed with resignation and held his hands up in mock – defeat.

“A rich house makes its foolish inhabitants wise”. He conceded with a favorite Urdu proverb and indicated once again to the Security Team.” But they stay outside the sickbay – I won’t have my patient unduly disturbed further than is necessary – is that understood?”

Savak nodded her head to her Security detail and Samantha smiled brightly, hoping that the negotiations were concluded, and she could finally meet the infamous Dr Gallian Makon at long last.

“Agreed.” Sam nodded once more, then added disarmingly. “So, your patient is awake then?”

Jahanshir smiled, as the conversation rounded to a wicket more of his liking.

“Yes Captain.” The Pakistani healer confirmed. “The patient was revived from the medical coma we placed her in and is conscious.”

“Well, that is good news, correct?” The Captain enquired. “Can we speak to her now, Doctor?”

Langah held up his hands, as if to ward the question away.

“Dr Makon is indeed conscious and somewhat lucid, Captain Hyland, but her body has been through an incredible trauma physiologically and to state that the psychological shock of adjusting to the fact that you have been entombed with your molecules in stasis within a transporter pattern – buffer for nearly a quarter of a century really is considerable & ultimately does understatement a grand injustice.”

Samantha nodded gravely, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what that experience must be like, to be trapped aboard a ship that was pulling itself apart, whilst all around you suffered and died in the most horrific fashion – then to find yourself suddenly somewhere else, with subjective decades passed in a seeming blink of an eye.

“Dr Makon is lucid, but extremely disorientated. I have administered a mild – sedative to lessen the impact on her adrenal system and cushion the transition mentally.” The Doctor cautioned.

“Is she able to answer questions?” Sam demanded gently.

Jahanshir sucked air between his perfect, white teeth and remonstrated. “She is capable, if a little confused. I’ll allow it, but no more than five minutes. Is this understood Captain?”

Samantha nodded her assent. “You’re the Doctor, Doctor.”

“Very well,” Jahanshir nodded his jet – black locks and smiled. “Nurse J’Tkhol will be present and if the patient shows any signs of distress, she will intervene – in the interests of the patient.”

“Then I am entirely in her hands.” Samantha agreed, “Now, may we?”” She indicated the threshold of her own Sickbay – which she had had to barter so hard to cross.

“By all means Captain.” Dr Langah smiled and bowed slightly from the waist, before turning to Savak.

“Lieutenant, I have almost completed the autopsies of the final remains from the “USS Artemis”, with the state of preservation from exposure to space – the gene – sequencing was ultimately successful – despite the extreme extent of the trauma the cadavers experienced”.

Although the bodies taken from the “Ghost Ship” were grotesquely bisected when the Stutter – Warp effect failed so spectacularly, as a doctor Jahanshir spoke with a commendable degree of professional objectivity.

“In particular – those unfortunates that were merged with at the molecular level with objects within the ship’s superstructure were very…challenging… to discern – but the computer should be finishing its correlations within the hour. We should be able to positively identify the victims and ensure the correct remains are returned to their loved ones.”

Lieutenant Savak responded with an equally dispassionate remove.

“Very good, Doctor.” The Security Chief inclined her head slightly in thanks, as she followed the CO into the Sickbay.

The first thing that struck Sam as they entered, was how dark it was.

The lighting state in the medical facility had been reduced to an extremely low level, leaving the Biobed and other paraphernalia within the space, hard to discern within the pervading gloom.

“The patient is highly – photosensitive.” Came the voice of J’Tkhol, as the Klingon Nurse approached the pair, her dreadlocked hair tied back in a neat bun. “We think that it might be a side effect of the patients long – exposure to de-molecularization effecting acuity in the Intermediate Lateral subnuclei of the optic nerve. It certainly isn’t a condition mentioned in Dr Makons’ medical records on file.”

” I see.” The Captain nodded at this reasonable hypothesis.

“She’ll probably need dark – glasses to counter the effect, once she’s up and about.” Nurse J’Tkhol reasoned, “But we find that this lighting – level causes the patient the least amount of distress, this way if you please?”

The Nurse let them to a Biobed, separated from the main ward, by a partition – affording its occupant some privacy.

On the Biobed, there reclined a Terran – woman, somewhere in her Mid – 50’s, with iron – grey hair tied loosely back off a face crenelated with careworn lines across the forehead, that suggested that she had spent a lot of her career frowning about one thing or the other.

She seemed to be asleep.

“Dr Makon?” Nurse J’Tkhol gently roused the recumbent Scientist with a gentle hand on her shoulder. This seemed to rouse the patient, who blearily opened her bloodshot eyes and peered round in some confusion. “Gallian? There’s someone here to see you?”

Dr Gallian Makon struggled to focus in the gloom and managed to mutter…” Water” as she sought to regain her bearings.

J’Tkhol raised the Biobed to a position that elevated Dr Makon to a comfortable repose and gave her water to drink.

“Dr Makon, may I present the Commanding Officer of the USS Valley Forge.” The Nurse gently prompted her patient, as she fussed with her blanket, “Captain Samantha Hyland.”

At the mention of Sam’s name, Dr Makon flinched involuntarily, and her grey eyes widened in suddenly distress (a movement made all the more striking, given that the Sclera of each eye was a deep crimson – red, where the capillaries had burst).

“Hyland….” Makon whispered in a broken tone. “But that can’t be!”

Sam was taken as taken aback, seemingly as the patient was and she took a step away from the patient.

“Is there a problem?” Samanthan demanded of the Nurse, shaken confused.

Nurse J’Tkhol made to comfort her patient with the kind of resolve that only a Klingon can broker and spoke over her shoulder to the CO.

“I’m sorry Ma’am, she can get easily confused. The sedatives don’t really help with that.” J’Tkhol frowned, obviously wishing the Captain and Lieutenant would just leave, but knowing that she lacked the authority to dismiss them summarily.

“I quite understand.” Sam frowned, recovering herself.

Dr Makon seemed to have calmed slightly, so Samantha pressed on.

“Dr Makon, I’m Captain Hyland, this is Lieutenant Savak – my head of security.” Sam spoke clearly, enunciating her words carefully – so that there could be no further misunderstanding.

“You are aboard the United Federation Starfleet vessel, USS Valley Forge. We encountered your vessel along the Former Demilitarized Zone and recovered you. You are safe. Do you understand?”

Dr Makon’s bloodshot gaze went from Sam, to take in Savak.

“A Vulcan?” The rescued scientist puzzled aloud – as if she had never seen a member of Savak’s species before.

Both Captain & Lieutenant shared questioning glances.

“You said I’m aboard a United….?” Makon frowned, as if confused by everything and anything.

“The United Federation of Planets.” Samantha confirmed, as if talking to a dazed octogenarian. “We are a Starfleet Vessel, assigned to patrol this sector of the Alpha Quadrant. We came upon your ship running on Autopilot and intercepted it.”

As gently as she could, Sam explained “Dr Makon – you were the only survivor aboard ‘Hull – 3185′. It’s important that you tell us anything that you can recollect about the test – flight that took place, before you were forced to take shelter in the ships Transporter system?”

Gallian Makon’s pale face looked ghostly in the dim light, as if she was struggling with a hydra of inner demons all at once. Tears began to stream from the corner of her eyes as she whispered.

“They all died……all gone. Every one of them. Gone” Her voice held the keys to horror unimaginable.

Samantha winced, the scientist was obviously both traumatized and distraught – but Sam was driven to double down on the truth about what had transpired during that final fatal flight.

“Dr Makon. Gallian.” The Captain pressed on as carefully as she dared. “I appreciate that you have been through a lot, and I know that you need rest – but it’s vital that we understand what led to the deaths of your crew? Was there some kind of malfunction with the experimental Stutter – Warp drive? Can you tell us what went wrong?”

Dr Makon seemed to look through Sam, as if she was not there.

“You’re here, but you’re there.” The scientists seemed to be trying puzzle something out but sounded disconnected from reality. “How can you be here and be there at the same time?”

“Maybe Dr Makon is referring to the effect of the gravtic – shear, caused by the collapse and collision with the intersecting Warp – enclosures during the accident?” Savak mused logically, “The injuries Dr Langah has catalogued could be said to be contiguous with being in ‘two places at once’?”

Whatever the rationale, Dr Makon seemed oblivious in her disconnect and Sam was growing even more frustrated with the lack of progress to her investigation.

“Dr Makon? There was evidence that some of the ships systems were cannibalized, sometime after the incident – we presume that this was on your behalf when you attempted to rig the Transporter Buffer to act as a make-shift lifeboat? Dr Makon, can you tell us how you were able to survive the incident and how long you were alone before you went into stasis?” Sam persisted.

Gallian Makon was holding up one finger to the other, frowning in a distracted manner as she tried to bring each fingertip together, with slightly crossed eyes.

“One bubble intersecting….” Makon spoke to herself quizzically.” One boundary intersecting the other…. Eternal Inflation…… Vilenkin……” her voice trailing away – lost in herself, leaving her fingertips missing each other and passing each other by.

“I’m sorry Captain, I’m really going to have to ask you both to leave.” Nurse J’Tkhol asserted more forcefully. “All of this excitement is clearly detrimental to her.”

Samantha sighed and conceded retreat.

“You’re quite right Nurse. My apologies for disturbing you, Dr Makon.” She turned to Savak.“Lieutenant, we can resume this at another time.”

Savak nodded her agreement and together they retreated diplomatically, to leave Dr Gallian Makon to her ravings in the dark.

Outside in the corridor, Samantha blew out her cheeks in consternation and put her hands on her hips.

“Well, that taught us exactly nothing.” The CO shook her head in abject frustration.

The taciturn Savak shook her own head slowly, her face thoughtful.

“Of that, I am not so sure Captain?” Savak intoned with deep reflection.

Now it was Sam’s turn to look perplexed.

“What do you mean, Lieutenant? She was obviously raving?”

“Just so Captain.” The Security Chief agreed, “Just as Dr Langah intimated, Dr Makon is indeed experiencing a state close to euphoria as a result of her ordeal, but I believe that there was very much a pattern of logic, however fragmented, within her exhortations – that could still garner some useful information.”

Samantha Hyland looks quizzically at Savak “You’re going to have to help me pull on that thread, Lieutenant?”

Savak pursed her lips and gave a slight shrug.

“At first, I thought that the content of Dr Makon’s euphoric ravings directly correlated to her work on the ‘Stutterwarp’ effect and its failure to create a stable warp – enclosure, which we posit led to the loss of her ship.”

“It’s a longshot to posit any logic out of that tirade, but continue?” Sam crossed her arms, unconvinced but intrigued.

“Dr Makon mentioned the word “Vilenkin”.” Savak explained, as if this explained anything at all.

Sam couldn’t see the significance.

Savak sighed, surely this was the kind of thing that they taught at Starfleet Academy?

“Alexander Vilenkin was a Professor of Evolutionary Science and Director of the Institute of Cosmology on Earth in the 20th century. ”Savak went on to explain to her addled CO. “Vilenkin showed that ‘Eternal Inflation’ is generic.”

“Dr Makon mentioned ‘eternal inflation’! “Sam realized aloud with sudden recollection.

“Eternal inflation is a hypothetical inflationary universe model, which is itself an outgrowth or extension of the Big Bang theory.”

Savak expounded, “According to eternal inflation, the inflationary phase of the universe’s expansion lasts forever throughout most of the universe. Because the regions expand exponentially rapidly, most of the volume of the universe at any given time is inflating. Eternal inflation, therefore, produces a hypothetically infinite multiverse, in which only an insignificant fractal volume ends inflation.”

The light of realization died in Samantha’s eyes as Savak’s thread of logic fell from her hands.

Seeing that further explanation was warranted, Savak sighed and spelled it out for her CO.

“Vilenkin went on to further develop the idea of quantum creation of the universe from a quantum vacuum. Simply put, Captain, Vilenkin was saying the universe is governed by Mathematical constraints and that Cosmic Inflation infers that, if our universe grew exponentially in the first moments of its existence, was this expansion uniform? If not, it suggests different regions of space grew at different rates — and may be isolated from one another.”

Samantha’s face was a mask of confusion.

Savak tried a different tack, but was beginning to despair of how to frame this subject any more crudely?

“What is beyond the edge of the observable space around us? No one knows for sure, and until we do (which could be never), the thought that our universe, our ‘Bubble’ if you will, extends indefinitely is an interesting one…. certainly, where Dr Makon is concerned.”

Sam thought back to Dr Gallian Makon trying to make her fingertips meet.

“She was talking about joining Bubbles…” Sam said thoughtfully.

Savak nodded meaningfully, one perfect eyebrow arched in question.

“You did say that you wanted to find out where the “USS Artemis” had been all of these years….”