The Continuing Story of Deep Space 2: Page 125
The runabout landed on DSA-2. First Droid 401 got out, followed by Droid 420, while Droid 480 helped Ensign Thomas get into the environmental suit. The freezing cold of minus 165 degrees Celsius would kill the young Ensign instantly. Once all four of them outside, Droid 401 had already found the source of the planet quakes. There was a metal structure beneath the surface, but some serious digging had to be done to reach it. Ensign Thomas made a full report of the situation to Deep Space 2.
"DS2, this is Thomas. We have found a metal structure benath the surface. It is an unknown metal. It has the size of a circle. and there are some other elements close to this structure. It is not yet clear whther this is a building or just a bug artifact. We have to dig it out to make a better determination."
"Understood Ensign. We will send you some help."
Before Ensign Thomas could go back to the runabout at least two thousand engineering droids were transported to the surface, with heavy drilling an other equipment. As soon as they arrived they started to melt the ice and clear the site from any rocks or other hard materials. By the time Ensign Thomas was back in the runabout out of his environmental suit, most of the digging already had been done. The top of the circle shaped artifact could be seen. Again Ensign Thomas put on his environmental suit and got out to have a closer look. While the digging continued it was clear now that the artifact was some kind of ring, with the same kind of inscriptions as on the console found on the moon of DSA-2. That was clearly the connection as Thomas reported to Deep Space 2.
"This is Thomas. Can you see this? It is some kind of ring. We also found a device that is connected to this ring. The engineering droids have build at amazing speeds. They have build a complete building around the ring. I don't know why they are doing that. When I asked the answer was that they just had to do it. At this moment they are also building a complete control room and living quarters. It is incredible to see them in action. I cannot even see their movements. They are so fast. I estimate the building will be ready within a day at most. I will report every hour, or when something new comes up."
"Acknowledged Ensign."
Aboard Deep space 2 officers were already guessing what this ring device could be. A ring for a giant, a monument for any higher being, a large viewscreen for entertainment. Fact was that nobody really knew what it was. Until suddenly without any warning at all, Droid 1 entered the operations center. He looked at the main viewer and nodded.
"Very well," he said. "This could come in handy." his mechanical voice made a strange echo in operations. There was not one of the officers who was not looking at the droid at the door. It was the droid with the number one painted on his chest. Many of the Starfleet officers had never seen One as he was called by the other droids. But as they stared at him, Ensign Thomas had a new report.
"I am in the building now. We have full scale life support. I am sitting in the controlroom. The droids have put that console I found here on one of the free tables. Wait a minute. Hey you, don't touch that. Don't touch that I said."
"Ensign Thomas what is happening? Report."
"You will not believe this. On the device connected to this ring are the same symbols as on the console that we found. One of the droids has been pushing on those symbols. The inner ring started turning around until that particular symbol was on top. That symbol was locked. And another symbol and another. Eight symbols in total were locked. Apparently only eight could be locked as the ninth was not accepted...