On the plus side, this time, we know where they are, and that the entire crew is safe.
Shortly after the Paladin disappeared in the atmosphere, we picked up a signal transmitted from the surface. Apparently, the runabout landed on the planet in the past – three years ago, and they programmed a short distress message, on a modified survival beacon, to activate in the present (on today’s date) and inform us of their safe landing. They placed the beacon inside ruins they found within the largest overgrown burial mound. Since it is unlikely that we will risk sending another vessel down to the planet, the crew are going to complete their intended science/exploratory mission (in the past), and then attempt to return to the present by launching up through the atmosphere (as our previous missing vessels did).
It is worth noting, too, that we did not anticipate the Paladin traveling into the past this time around. It was believed that the SDOD would allow a vessel to pass through the atmosphere, and land on the planet – without time travel. However, that did not happen. Clearly, the particles themselves are not controlling the time travel elements of this planet.
One new theory – based upon data collected from observing the Paladin enter the atmosphere, is that there may be so many radiation particles in the atmosphere, that many have been diluted within it over the years, and have altered the chemical composition in ways we cannot detect. It is equally theorized that the many particles we are able to detect, were among those not diluted into the atmosphere. In addition, if the unmanned probes could pass through the atmosphere without time travel, but every vessel we’ve sent down has disappeared into the random past or future, perhaps the vessel engines, or some other on board system, interacts with the properties of this atmosphere, and that is what serves as the catalyst for time travel.
This is, of course, only a theory, but it seems to be the most probable theory at this time. We will likely have a great deal more data to study once the Paladin completes its mission (in the past), and returns to the Enterprise, in the present.
Since the survival beacon has limited data storage capabilities, we were only informed of the Paladin crew’s landing status and calculated date. They were not able to provide us with any other mission insight. We will have to trust that all is, indeed, well down there, and that their mission will be completed as planned.
-Lieutenant Sam Archer
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March 16, 2365 -- (Original Devron Timeline)