" A c Q i s a t i o n s "

prologue

William Riker wasn’t prepared for the weather at Hakora peak, its jagged rocks coated with ice made it especially hard to climb, especially at this time at night. The cool blue glow of the planets rings were the only thing illuminating the mountain’s intimidating but beautiful surface. Feeling stuck, he looked up at the brilliant arches above. Although explained by science, he still found the regenerative properties of the rings magical in a way. Thinking about how the radiation was giving life to every cell in his body, how he was actually growing younger when he was here, and with that thought, he blindly reached upward and clasped another rock. This rock was different from the others his numb hands had felt in his past six hours of climbing. It was dry, warm, and air was coming out from beneath it. Attempting to investigate this oddity, he pulled himself up onto the ledge surrounding this rock, and looked downward into the area surrounding the rock. A reddish glow gleamed off his face (which regardless of the numbingly cold temperature, was beading with sweat). This wasn’t a mountain, it was… the red-orange viscous liquid rushed upward, but before he could see it any more the steam seared his face. Almost simultaneously, his left arm swung up to his chest, tapped the commbadge underneath his climb gear and yelled.
“Riker to Enterprise, get me outta here!!!”
Not even a second later Riker was surrounded by the familiar blue-white glow accompanied by a tingling sensation. Just as the transport completed, the white-hot liquid rock death burst open, the entire face of the mountain, luckily there were no colonies near.