Star Trek: The Next Generation - 119 - Armageddon's Arrow (5 page)

Šmrhová’s voice rose. “Weapons are coming online! They’re targeting us!”

“Lock phasers on those ports and stand by to fire,” Picard ordered.

From her science station, Elfiki said, “Captain, its defensive shield generators are powering up. If you’re going to fire, you’d better do it now.”

“Too late!” warned Šmrhová.

An instant later the first strike impacted against the
Enterprise
’s shields. With Ensign Scagliotti guiding the ship on an evasive course away from the larger vessel, the result was only a glancing blow, but still enough to make the deck quiver beneath Picard’s feet. As the surface of the derelict passed by on the viewscreen, Picard saw that lights along its hull were beginning to fade.

“What’s happening?” Worf asked.

“More power fluctuations, sir,” replied Šmrhová. “As fast as they came up, they’re dropping off. I can’t explain it.” Glancing at another readout, she added, “No damage reported from the attack, Captain.”

Picard turned from the viewscreen to regard the security chief. “Can you tell us why the attack stopped?” He saw her eyes narrow as she continued to study the incoming streams of sensor data.

“There seems to have been some kind of failure in their power distribution network, sir. I can’t pinpoint the source.”

“But you registered no life-form readings,” Picard said, “so either someone’s over there who doesn’t register on our sensors or this is some form of automation.”

Šmrhová asked, “And if this ship’s been drifting out here as long as we think it has, maybe some of its systems have fallen into disrepair?”

“Perhaps,” said the captain. On the viewscreen, the entire vessel was once again visible, and all of the lighting and other indications of life which it had displayed mere moments ago had disappeared. “What do your readings show now, Lieutenant?”

“Everything looks to be back to what it was when we first arrived, sir. At this point, all I can guess is that it has some kind of automated system designed to detect and react to approaching ships. Not a very friendly way to greet visitors.”

Worf countered, “Such a response would be consistent with a military vessel.”

“About that,” said La Forge from where he sat at the engineering station. “Captain, you should take a look at this.” Waiting until Picard and Worf joined him, the engineer began tapping a sequence of controls on the console’s illuminated surface. A rough schematic of the derelict craft appeared on one of the station’s display screens, and La Forge gestured to it, indicating a massive cylindrical construct running the length of the ship and ending at the bulbous projection that Picard recognized as the massive port at the craft’s bow.

“From what I can tell, the bulk of the energy produced by this power plant is for this,” La Forge said. “And it’s definitely not an engine.”

Worf grunted. “A weapon.”

“Looks that way,” the engineer replied. “A massive particle beam cannon. It’s heavily shielded, so we won’t know too much about its construction or what it actually fires unless or until we can get a closer look, but it’s pretty much the central component around which the rest of the ship was constructed. This is—or rather, was—a combat vessel of some kind, Captain.”

“A weapons platform, with elementary warp capability?” Picard asked.

“It may have been intended as a first-strike option against another planet in the same solar system,” Worf offered.

Considering that possibility, Picard said, “That would suggest an interplanetary conflict between two or more worlds. Nothing in the survey probes’ sensor data suggested anything of that nature.”

“How long’s it been since we sent anyone or anything out here?” La Forge asked. “A lot can happen.”

“Indeed,” Picard said. “The first attempts to explore the region were more than a century ago, but those were civilian colony ships, without Starfleet support, and none of them made it out this far. I remember reading about them back when I was on the
Stargazer
.” It was during his time as captain of that vessel that he had become acquainted with the first new information from surveys into the Odyssean Pass. The name had caught his attention as he sifted through the volumes of reports sent from Starfleet Command and with which he was expected to familiarize himself. Picard had begun reading the transcripts of data collected by the automated drones sent into the newly charted region, and he had been surprised to learn of the earlier exploration and colonization attempts. “All contact with those ships was lost, so no one knows what happened.” Over the ensuing decades, interstellar political shifts and other priorities eventually saw to it that exploring the area was relegated to a low priority, then eventually to no priority at all.

Until now
.

Picard’s diverse interests in everything from exploration and archeology to the simple allure of an unsolved mystery were but a few of the factors that had led to his fascination with the Pass. Those same curiosities had driven him to accept the
Enterprise
’s current assignment. If he had known it would take all these years after he first read those early reports for someone to be given the enviable task of exploring the region, and that he would be the one so nominated to lead such an expedition, he might have lobbied harder for the assignment.

“Is there any possibility that this vessel could have been constructed by those colonists, or their descendants?” Worf asked.

La Forge shook his head. “I doubt it.” He waved once more to the schematic on the display monitor. “There’s nothing in this thing that’s similar to any technology the crew of a civilian colony ship would have at their disposal.” Then, the engineer shrugged. “On the other hand, if they came across someone else’s technology, or came into contact with a more advanced civilization and collaborated with them? I suppose it’s possible.”

“But we’ve detected no traces of either colony ship,” Picard said. “Of course, we’ve no way of knowing if we’re even following their original course.” He stepped back from the station, drawing a deep breath. “It’s quite a mystery, isn’t it?”

“I’ll say,” replied La Forge. “Well, except for getting shot at, of course.”

“There may be other unknown dangers,” Worf said. “I would advise caution if we are to investigate further, Captain.”

The chief engineer grinned. “Party pooper.”

“Captain,” said Elfiki, turning from her station, “I’ve found something else you might want to see.”

“The mystery deepens,” Picard said, moving along with Worf to join the science officer. “What is it, Lieutenant?”

“I couldn’t believe it when I first saw the readings, sir,” Elfiki said, her fingers moving across her console. She finished entering commands and a new image appeared on one of her station’s monitors, and when Picard read the information scrolling on the screen, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Chronitons? Are you certain?”

Elfiki nodded. “I checked it three times to be sure, sir. They’re faint, but there.”

“Time travel,” Worf said.

“That, or it came into contact with some sort of temporal anomaly,” replied the Egyptian lieutenant. “From what I was able to determine, whatever encounter they had with any temporal displacement or other phenomenon happened around one hundred twenty years ago.” She paused, sighing. “For all we can tell right now, that ship could be carrying time travel technology.”

Picard said, “One hundred twenty years? That’s the same age as the battle damage Lieutenant Šmrhová detected.” He studied the readings displayed on the screen. “So, this ship either encountered a spatial anomaly that left behind residual chroniton particles, or else it traveled to a point over a century ago from an as yet unknown moment in time.”

La Forge smirked. “If you were looking for something interesting to alleviate the boredom, this should do it.”

“And then some,” Picard said. He turned from the station, his gaze returning to the image of the gigantic derelict centered on the main viewscreen. “If it did travel through time, did it come from the past or the future? Are we dealing with a potential disruption of our timeline?” It would not be the first time the
Enterprise
had faced such a possibility, and it was not something Picard was eager to do again. The risks inherent in such activities and the hazards they posed to the accidental or even purposeful altering of history—theirs or anyone else’s—were too grave to dismiss.

Of course, just the simple act of encountering the alien ship might well be sufficient to cause such damage. For all he knew, everything that was to occur from this point forward would only serve to worsen that divergence.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves
.

“Maintain yellow alert for the time being,” Picard said after a moment, “and hold our position at the limit of our weapons range.” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “Keep attempting to hail the ship until further notice.”

“So we’re going to take a closer look?” La Forge asked, and there was no mistaking the anticipation in the engineer’s voice.

Picard nodded. “It’s definitely an intriguing puzzle, and I’ll admit it’s gotten my attention. Mister Worf, you and the commander assemble an away team and make your preparations. If we get no further reaction from the ship, then we’ll take it from there.”

The mystery deepens
.

5

“Time travel? You’re sure?”

Inspecting the contents of the engineer’s tool kit he was packing to take with him, Geordi La Forge looked up from where he had placed the kit on the desk to see Doctor Tamala Harstad lounging on the bed they shared in what had become their joint quarters. She was smiling at him, watching as he completed his packing.

“That’s the current theory,” La Forge said, eyeing one of the hydrospanners he had brought with him from engineering and deciding he preferred the comparable tool from his personal kit. “The sensor readings are inconclusive, so the only way to be sure is to go over there and have a look around.”

“Even after the thing shot at us?” Harstad asked.

La Forge shrugged. “Only the one time, and now sensors say the thing’s gone back to sleep, or whatever it is that it’s doing. We’ll be careful.”

“You’re not worried that the transporters won’t work?” Harstad asked.

“It’s not the first time we’ve had to use a shuttle to get somewhere.” La Forge had just read the updated information from Lieutenant Elfiki, which indicated that the mammoth vessel’s heavy ablative hull plating was sufficient to block transporter beams. While the need to utilize shuttlecraft to make the transit from the
Enterprise
to the alien ship added a layer of complexity to the away team operation, La Forge was not concerned. Sensors had revealed the presence of a landing bay, and scans of the mechanisms controlling the access hatch were enough to tell him that gaining entry to the ship should not pose much difficulty. What did continue to trouble him was the possibility of the derelict awakening again from its slumber. Facing off against one of the vessel’s particle cannons with a shuttlecraft was not something he was eager to attempt.

“I’m more interested in what we’ll find once we’re inside,” he said, pushing aside the worrisome thoughts. Closing the tool kit, he placed it inside the satchel he planned to carry. “Even this close, that thing’s hull is still playing hell with our sensors.” From the
Enterprise
’s current distance, its sensors should be more than able to scan through the vessel’s heavy armor plating, but instead they continued to have only limited success. Despite this difficulty, the science officer had managed to provide at least one new revelation. “But now that we know there are people over there, this just got a whole lot more interesting.”

Elfiki had reported indistinct life signs emanating from within the vessel, and the science officer had only been able to do that after reconfiguring and tuning the sensors to such a degree that the scans now being conducted were limited, very focused attempts. As such, her work had become more time-consuming and even tedious, and new information would be coming at a far slower rate.

Shifting her position on the bed so that she now rested on her right hip as she continued to watch him pack, Harstad asked, “How many people?”

“The readings are too muddled to be sure,” La Forge replied. “A handful, at most.”

“That’s all? Seems like an awfully small crew for a ship that size.”

La Forge shrugged. “Assuming it’s even the crew. From what Elfiki’s been able to tell, most of the onboard systems are automated, overseen from several key points throughout the ship. If that’s true, and the computer’s sophisticated enough, you wouldn’t need a large crew.” He paused, frowning. “What’s weird is that Elfiki said she hadn’t been able to detect any sort of atmosphere or active environmental control systems.”

“Some kind of hibernation?” Harstad’s eyes widened. “Maybe it’s a sleeper ship?”

“With a giant cannon?” La Forge shook his head. “Makes you wonder about the priorities of whoever built the thing. Anyway, no atmosphere means we have to suit up.” He smiled. “Worf’s really not happy about that.”

“I thought you hated working in those EV suits, too?”

“Maybe hate’s too strong a word,” La Forge replied. “I just don’t like the constriction when you’re trying to work. Now, Worf?
He
hates them.”

Pushing herself to a sitting position, Harstad moved so that her legs now hung off the side of the bed. “But what about the people over there? Are you taking someone from the medical staff to check them out?”

“Are you volunteering?” Closing his satchel, La Forge laid it on its side and reached for the tricorder sitting near the computer terminal on his desk.

“Why not?” She reached for his free hand and pulled him closer to her. “I mean, hibernation itself is nothing new. We’ve been using it for one reason or another for over three hundred years, and we cover the technology and its effects on various species in medical school, but this is different. Sleeper ships are the kind of thing you read about in history classes at the Academy. I mean, the idea of sealing yourself in a coffin while your ship gets thrown into the void and hopefully finds its way to where it’s supposed to go, and waking up after however many years to see a new world you’ll call home? There’s just something amazing about that kind of adventure.”

“I’m okay with the way we get around now,” La Forge countered, though he did so with a small grin. “How many sleeper ships did Earth send out in the early days? How many were lost? How many
people
were lost? The odds really weren’t in their favor back then.”

Harstad reached up to poke him in the stomach. “And yet they went anyway.” She gestured around her. “Sure, the way we travel has improved by orders of magnitude, but there’s still risk involved, and yet here we are, coming all the way out here to see what we can find.”

For the first time, La Forge chuckled. “You’re really into this, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Only that this is a side of you I haven’t seen before. I like it.” Of course, learning about her various interests and passions was an ongoing process and had been so throughout their on-again, off-again relationship over the past three years, but things had sped up in the wake of their decision to share quarters. Living together had been her idea, put forth while they had enjoyed shore leave prior to the
Enterprise
’s departure for the Odyssean Pass. La Forge had been surprised at the suggestion but, much to his own relief, was comfortable with the idea. The choice of who was to move in with whom was an easy one, as, prior to the ship’s current assignment, Harstad had shared quarters with another lieutenant from the science division, while he lived alone in the larger accommodations befitting his rank and position. Though Starfleet regulations varied with respect to billeting aboard starships, commanders of vessels on long-term missions were allowed a wide degree of latitude when it came to overseeing such matters, and Captain Picard had raised no objections.

“Why are you smiling?” Harstad asked.

La Forge laughed. “I was just thinking of the captain’s face when I asked him about us moving in together. You’d think after serving with the man for more than twenty years that I’d be able to anticipate his response to any question, but there are times he still manages to surprise me.”

How far we’ve come
, La Forge thought, recalling a time when Jean-Luc Picard wanted little or nothing to do with children and considered romantic relationships something of an impediment to what he perceived as his true calling: commanding a starship. Marriage and fatherhood, it seemed, along with everything that had transpired across the Federation during the past several years, had done much to provide the captain with a vastly different perspective.

“I remember the first time I came aboard the
Enterprise
,” La Forge said after a moment. “The old
Enterprise
, I mean. I was a junior-grade lieutenant, and Admiral Riker—he was a commander then—and I were transferring from the
Hood
, and I had my first meeting with Captain Picard in his ready room.” He smiled at the memory of his younger self, nervous and trying not to fidget as he stood before Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the newly commissioned
Galaxy
-class
U.S.S. Enterprise
. Already a Starfleet legend, Picard was an imposing man who seemed to tower over him despite his modest height. “It wasn’t the first time we’d met, but this was different. Now I’d be serving under him.” Picard’s reputation as a stickler for efficiency and for rules and regulations no matter how minor or seemingly insignificant preceded him. It also was well known that the seasoned starship commander set a high bar for excellence, particularly for his junior officers. “Still, I knew from that first moment that my tour on the
Enterprise
was going to be something special.” He shrugged. “The name carries that level of expectation, you know.”

“Why do you think every cadet at the Academy still lists the
Enterprise
as their preferred first posting after they graduate?” Harstad asked. “And you’ve been a big part of that for a long time.” She paused, her eyes narrowing as she studied him. “You don’t have any regrets, do you?”

La Forge frowned. “Me? Regrets?” It was not the first time he had pondered such a question. “There was a while where I wondered if I’d made a career mistake, staying on the
Enterprise
as long as I have, but the truth is that I’m happy here, doing what I love to do, and working with people I consider family.” He squeezed her hand. “And I certainly don’t regret the time we’ve spent together.” Leaning forward, he kissed her, their lips pressing as she arched her back to meet him. Her other hand found his arm and he felt her pulling him toward her, and for a moment he forgot everything but the two of them, here and now.

Their moment was brief, however, and interrupted by the sound of the ship’s intercom.

“Worf to Commander La Forge,”
said the voice of the
Enterprise
’s first officer.
“Report to the main shuttlebay.”

Pulling her mouth from his, Harstad eyed him with no small hint of mischief. “His timing is horrible.”

“I’ll be sure to tell him you said that.”

“Before or after you ask about someone from the medical staff going on the away team?”

Right
, La Forge reminded himself as he tapped his combadge. “La Forge here. I’m on my way, Worf.”

“Acknowledged.”

Once the communication link was severed, La Forge returned his attention to Harstad. “Let Worf and the security team have a look around over there first, okay? Just to make sure it’s safe for the rest of us? Besides, I’d like to see about making sure the ship doesn’t wake up and start shooting again.”

She maintained a grip on both of his hands. “Fair enough, but you be careful over there, all right?”

“I’m always careful.”

Offering a mock snort, Harstad pushed herself back on the bed. “I’ve read your record, Commander. Trouble has a knack for finding you.”

“It’s the
Enterprise
, remember?” La Forge said, moving to retrieve his satchel and tricorder. “Like I said, the name carries that extra level of expectation.” Smiling at her one last time, he headed for the door. “See you in a little while.”

“Hey, La Forge.”

“Yeah?” Pausing at the now open door, he turned to see her eyeing him with an expression that seemed to convey love, concern, and so much more.

“I mean it. Be careful. I don’t want to have to find another roommate.”

“Me neither.”

*   *   *

It had been at least a few years since T’Ryssa Chen was required to wear an environment suit, and her feeling about such exercises remained unchanged: she hated it, particularly now that her helmet was sealed and she had no way to scratch her nose.

“Are you okay?” asked Lieutenant Dina Elfiki, her voice muffled and filtered through her helmet’s communications receiver. Like Chen and everyone else aboard the
Jefferies
, the science officer was wearing an EV suit, or “standard extravehicular work garment,” as it was known in Starfleet nomenclature. Elfiki sat across from her in the shuttlecraft’s passenger area, studying her through their helmets’ faceplates.

“I’m fine, thanks,” Chen replied. “It’s just the usual aversion to being hermetically sealed inside one of these things. I’ll be okay once we start moving around.”

Elfiki nodded. “Same here. I never like wearing these suits either, but it’s this or we hold our breath the whole time.”

“I always feel like a fish in a bowl,” said Lieutenant Rennan Konya from where he sat next to Chen. The deputy chief of security, along with Lieutenant Kirsten Cruzen, had been selected to accompany the away team as its security detail.

Sitting next to Elfiki, Cruzen added, “I always feel like a vacuum-packed field ration.”

“Spend enough time in one of these,” Konya said, smiling through his faceplate, “and you’ll start to smell like one, too.”

Without missing a beat, Cruzen replied, “You manage that even without the suit.” Her remark elicited good-natured chuckles from Konya as well as Chen and Elfiki. For the first time since the team had boarded the shuttlecraft, Chen turned to Konya.

“I’m glad you’re coming with us.”

“Your first real first-contact mission in forever?” The Betazoid smiled, though Chen thought he might be forcing it, if only a bit. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”