I have just graduated from the academy and received my first assignment on the USS Cerritos where I am on Gamma shift. My first task was to overhaul an ion assembly on deck 17. I talked technical details with Ensign Peterson after my shift ended, and a female human called Beckett had some holo programs. She suggested we participate in a Vulcan detective drama, Andorian soap opera, Betazoid sitcom or Klingon reality show. It was unclear to me what benefit that would provide.

The Cerritos was assigned to perform a long overdue maintainance overhall on subspace relay station 2103. The relay was an uncrewed beacon that was more than five years past its scheduled check up due to a bureaucratic mix up. Apparently a Zylubian records officer who counted in base 8 confused it with station 1091 and logged it as already maintained. The station has remained functional, but with a weakened signal and occasional dropouts. Repairs ahve been a low priority due to the stations remote location, but Admiral McCormick complained to starfleet when Starbase 245 missed the crucial final minute of the cross sector Parrises Squares finals.

I was assigned the task of performing the overhaul with others on my shift so I beamed aboard. Ch'chik was assigned to Get an expander and update the sub processor. Ardvun was tasked to use an ODN recoupler to unclog the battery casing outside then flush the terminal node in EJ7 interlock. Peterson worked on the replicator. Sarda had to use a duotronic probe to recondition the impulse manifold. Ch'chik had some problems and put the job behind schedule. Peterson had to take over.

I was assigned to untangle the internal dampening tap of the interphasic compensator. I found a sub junction to the main antenna was causing a signal loss and part of an unencrypted signal was being lost as normal electromatic frequencies. The signal included classified starfleet data and was directed at the Shawan system 3 light years away. The 2nd planet class F on the industrial scale, mid 20th century level. The fault had existed for 12 years at least. I started to repair it but Peterson said we were ordered to beam back to the Cerritos.

We were then asked to monitor the planet to see if the transmissions had affected them in any way, and compile a report for the chief science officer. The planets inhabitants had been picking up the transmissions and translated the signals. They followed the transmissions eagerly, and followed reports from different ships with active discussions. They had a centralised computer system which they called the library computer. Someone called Aljay Burmrod was in charge of entertainment on the planet, and had made movies based on the transmissions. The inhabitants also dressed and acted out according to the transmissions. Apparently the behaviour is called cosplay.

My team was asked to report to the conference lounge for a meeting with captain. The away team had beamed down to try to introduce a virus to erase all records of the transmissions, but they were recognised and mobbed. We were being asked to go on an away mission to fix things as we were not high profile and less likely to be recognised.

We dressed as though we were locals wearing cosplay federation costumes. Ch'chik was made to look like he was wearing a costume and I was made to look like a home made remote control robot. We beamed down to the planet near the library computer complex, outside a building which turned out to be holding a convention on the federation transmissions. Ardvun was carrying me in his backpack and I had to replicate some fake latinum strips to pay for everyone to get in.

Ardvun attended a presentation on the prime directive which just showed their complete lack of understanding. Ch'chik and Peterson went to find the central computer but ended up getting recruited to participate in a fictional show about Kirk and Khan, though Ch'chik got into an argument and got thrown out.

Everyone eventually met back up when we had identified where we could access the central computer. The elevator access to the central computer had two guards but Ardvun used telekinesis to distract them by making their weapons fly out of their holsters. While they were distracted Ardvun went into one elevator while Ch'chik and Peterson went in the other. The elevators descended rapidly before stopping abruptly. The doors opened onto a corridor where there was another two guards who drew weapons and said "what are you doing".

Ardvun used telekinisis again throwing their guns from their hands. One shouted "Intruders, raise the alarm" and the other started running. Peterson stunned one and Ardvun stunned the other. There was a security door at the end of the corridor but it was easy to open. Inside was a primitive computer room with a female operative. She seemed to know who we really were and said she had detected our ship in orbit. She said they had taken the knowledge from the transmissions of their own free will and it would now be against our prime directive to interfere and erase the information. She wanted to be beamed to the Cerritos and Ardvun unilaterally agreed and arranged for everyone to be beamed up.

The captain was not happy about her being beamed aboard and all the contraventions of the prime directive that resulted, and said she would have to contact the federation for further instructions. The female was suffering from culture shock and Ch'chik took her to sick bay. We were not told what the federations decision was.

As punishment for Ardvun's actions we were assigned menial tasks. Ardvun had to sanitise antimatter injectors, Ch'chik had to reconstruct the terminal node on deck 10, Peterson had to patch the interface console on the auxiliary control, Sada had to unclog the baffle plating and I had to refurbish the power junction on deck 17.

We were called to a meeting with the captain. Starfleet had been contacted by a lifeform that spends their existence in a quantum singularity. We were told to take a shuttle to the black hole and beam the entities, known as Quantum Singularity Lifeforms (QSLs) into special robotic suits that would allow them to exist outside the singularity, thren bring them back to the Cerritos.

Peterson piloted the shuttlecraft to the singularity where we used the deflector dish to transmit a burst into the singularity. We received a response and triangulated their location, then started to beam them into the robotic suits. Suddenly an immense distortion wave from the singularity hit the shuttle causing it to lose power and veer towards the singularity. Sensors said all three ambassadors were transported but only two of the suits were occupied.

Everything turned white, then I experienced a feeling of weightlessness. The light faded and we were inside the shuttlecraft, with a foggy haze outside. The robotic bodies started powering up and we appeared to be hovering above our own bodies. I had no internal functions but seemed to exist, though I could not interact with anything. The QSL said we were in the singularity and outside space time, our neural energies had been pulled from our bodies and only one who lived at the centre of the singularity would know how to recombine us with our bodies. We should seek the convergence. I passed through the shuttlecraft and emerged from the mist to see a cloud of galaxies. I realised they all existed in different quantum realities. Everyone was with me though Ch'chik appeared to be talking to disembodied voices. He eventually came to his senses.

I suddenly found myself on a workbench with commander Quig working on me. He said I had to enter the plasma flow chamber to fix a fault. He then forced me into the plasma flow and laughed at my torment. Suddenly I saw Ch'chik's face saying take my arm. I took hold and found myself next to him looking at the galaxies. I then found myself on solid ground with ruins in the distance and planets colliding in the sky above. I then found myself passing through a narrow passage before being discharged in front of what looked like a huge human brain with a door. Everyone entered the door.

We found ourselves standing on the bridge of the Cerritos. A figure was seated in the captain's chair with their back to us. It was a young humanoid girl of indeterminate species. She said she was the elder and welcome to the convergence. She said the missing QSL had become one with the shuttlecraft and in a panic had returned to the singularity.

Ardvun offered to stay with her if she allowed everyone else to return to just before when we entered the singularity. Ch'chik also said he was willing to stay as his lifespan outside the singularity would be the shortest. The eldar now appeared as the captain and said the rest of us would be returned to normal space time. The eldar smiled as we faded away and everything went dark. We then found ourselves aboard the shuttlecraft outside the event horizon of the singularity. The robotic suits were all occupied by QSLs and the bodies of Ardvun and Ch'chik were also on board the shuttle.

We returned to the Cerritos where we were summoned to the captains conference room. She was upset at losing two crew though it had been their choice.

We were called up to the briefing room. Several of the senior staff were also there. We were docked at DS9 and were picking up some ambassadors from a species called the Wadi. They were the 1st species from the Gamma quadrant to make contact with the federation but it did not go well, and now wanted a second attempt. The species had an addiction to playing games and we were told to remove anything that would trigger their interest in games. We had to put anything that might be considered a game in cargo bay 6, and shut down the holodeck then make it look like storage.

I volunteered to work on the holodeck with Peterson. The holodeck software was to be put on a partitioned sector of the ships computer. During the shutdown procedure there was a spark and Gengis Khan appeared in the holodeck and attacked Peterson, but hit a power outlet and was stunned by the discharge. I finished disconnecting the power and turned the holodeck off, then helped the others collect all the games.

Later were told we would be part of the Wadi greeting party. We received reports that Ensign T'al was playing a Ktarian game. She said she got it from the archive. We were told to go there to catalogue the archive and remove all the games. We found several items from the 'dangerous Xeno logical items' section were missing. One was a candle stored inside a decorative lantern which was labelled 'Alien sex ghost candle'. It had been taken by Lt Tazra, a helm officer on gamma shift.

We went to his quarters. He did not answer and we had to get security to perform an emergency override. He was in his bedroom and the noises indicated he was engaged in biological reproduction activities. He wanted to keep the candle for half an hour and Metzger waited to take possession of it.

We went to the reception of the Wadi. They asked what games we had. The captain said we did not have games on board and the Wadi said they had bought one. The captain said we might join in with them, then the senior crew sidled out. I suspect we were only invited to the reception so the senior staff could avoid taking part. The ambassador pulled out a small box and opened it. There was a bright light, and when it faded we were in a marble hallway. Mali, a hologram in the form of a Wadi said welcome to the game. We were lead to a room with a hopscotch pattern on the floor. A female Wadi was dancing on the squares and singing. Metzger started following her and repeating her rhyme. Everyone followed and the floor transformed into floating floor tiles and hexagons. The aim was to jump to the top. Metzger jumped up easily. The tiles then started moving but Peterson also managed to get to the top. We were then told we had finished the first game and asked if we wanted to proceed to the next.

The next game was similar to the Earth basketball game. We won after four rounds. Then there was a card game which Peterson won. Then in a flash we were back on the cargo deck and the Wadi were clapping. The Wadi were pleased we had completed their games.

We were in orbit around Chereth VI. Subspace comms had been inoperable since a fireball hit the planet several months ago due to a subspace distortion bubble covering the planet. The distortion was making transport and comms intermittent. The planet had a cold climate and the Cherethians were a bipedal bear like people with a matriarchal society. Their leader was called the all mother. They discovered warp technology about 20 years ago. We were tasked to help determine the source of the distortion and took a shuttle so the surface. We landed by a building on the shore of an ice lake where we were greeted by a female and taken to their leader. Contact had been lost with all expeditions sent to the site of the impact, which was north of capital city in a glacial canyon. We were asked to investigate the site and find any survivors. We were told the most dangerous creature in the area was a woolly worm which could grow up to 15 feet in length. Scans showed 12 faint Chereth lifeforms near the site.

We flew to the site with a Chereth hunter called Ririth. It was a bumpy ride. As we approached we could see something embedded in the ice, a large chunk of metal, probably a ship. I thought it appeared to be a Cravic's ship. The all died in a war with the Pralor's when their automated units rebelled, but possibly one of the automated ships had found its way here. There were life signs from the ice covering the ship and an object moving in the ship. Seven other similar objects were in the ship but not moving. A power source on the ship defence mechanism was causing the subspace distortion.

We landed and approached the ship on foot. As we approached we saw striations in the snow that Ririth said were signs of a woolly worm nest. While attempting to cross the area the ice gave way under Peterson. I flew to his assistance but got knocked by a worm and S'zazal leapt to stop me falling into the hole. Metzger tried to cross and also fell through the ice. Peterson shot at a worm but the shot rebounded and hit Metzger's mobile emitter, damaging it. Sarda finally used his tricorder to emit an ultrasonic noise which drove the worm off.

We finally made our way to the ship. It was damaged and we entered through a hole. Much of the inside was frozen. The Chereth life forms were in an iced cavern in the ship, in individual areas cut into the ice. Their life signs were stable and they were in a form of cryo sleep, though some parts of their biological bodies had been replaced by crude inorganic alternatives. Peterson was able to use some of the parts to perform a temporary repair to Metzger's mobile emitter with my assistance. Ririth got very angry at the state of the other Chereth and headed further into the ship. S'zazal followed to try to calm her, but got hit by Ririth who appeared to have lost all control.

We followed and found Ririth charging at a robot. Peterson was able to calm her down. The robot (automated unit 6547) said it was in need of more subjects and thanked us for volunteering. I scanned and determined a console in the room was controlling the Subspace distortion bubble. The robot was convinced we could help repair the other damaged automated units and it turned off the distortion field. It also warned another ship would be entering the system in two hours. We then beamed back to the Cerritos with the missing Chereth so they could be repaired. The captain talked with automated unit 6547 who said they would lead the Pralor ship away if we could help repair its ship.

We were then ordered to beam back down to help repair the Cravic ship. We got it into some semblance of operation as the Pralor ship entered orbit. The captain then ordered us to break free from the ice and lead the Pralor ship away. Peterson took conn but struggled with the alien systems. The ships used quantum resonance beam weapons and I deduced I could use a resonance pulse to disrupt their weapons. Peterson moved our ship close but they fired, almost draining our shields before I was able to emit the pulse, disabling their weapons. We then beamed back aboard the Cerritos while Peterson stayed aboard and went to warp to lead the Pralor away.