Miasma
(Star Trek: The Original Series)
by Greg Cox (2016)

The Enterprise is transporting a party of diplomats when it picks up a mysterious alien signal emanating from a nearby world. The planet’s dense, impenetrable atmosphere makes it unclear if the beacon is a distress signal, an invitation—or a warning to stay away.

The first Star Trek story from Greg Cox is a novella length story that could have been an episode in the TV series.

It’s a basic monster of the week story as Spock, McCoy, Chekox  and some redshirts (hint, hint) go down to an unknown planet to investigate an unknown signal.

It does illustrate that old adage; send a probe before you descent.

More in the horror genre, but with a bit of science thrown in and very strange use of the metric system.