The Light (6 page)

“S
age!”

Sonya Gomez started as the guide's voice rang out in the hall like a banshee's call. In response, the conduits entwining the old woman brightened as though the power coursing through them was illuminated with the same light that was so prevalent in this underground world. And her blue eyes, still before now, turned to regard the group of people before her.

“Why do you come?” Sage asked in a strong commanding voice that belied her physical appearance. She directed her question at Gomez, as though sensing somehow that she was the leader, and Gomez felt somewhat unnerved by the old woman's piercing gaze.

“We are from a Federation starship,” Gomez said, uncertain if “Sage” was the woman's name or some sort of title. “We are explorers and came to this world to investigate the power that was draining from the ship above. We were not aware your society even existed. It was our belief that this planet was uninhabited.”

“This perception is in error,” Sage said, her diction more developed than that of their guide. Gomez wondered if this was a result of her union with the machine.

“Yes, we see that now,” Gomez said. “What you have accomplished here is very—”

“You cannot take away our power,” Sage said. “It allows for the growing of crops for food and gives us light where there is none. My people depend on it for their very survival. I will not allow you to take our power!”

Gomez was glad they'd already decided not to cut the power outright, because it was an argument she wouldn't want to engage in with this woman. “There's no need to worry. We have no intention of shutting down your power. But there are other issues we must address. Above, within the vessel, there are power readings that may still be strong enough to attract evil entities that could consume your society.” Theoretically it was true, though she doubted the Borg would bother with these people if they came, because the only technology they had was the Borg's own.

“It matters not,” Sage said. “Power is life. The Light is all.”

“Yes, I'm sure it is,” said Gomez. “But as I said, it is not our intention to—”

“Power is life. The Light is all,” Sage said again, a little more forcefully this time. Clearly she had no interest in furthering the conversation.

Gomez nodded respectfully at Sage, then drew her team together to confer. “What do you think?”

“I think we're at an impasse here,” Corsi said. “We've already decided not to shut them down, but she has no interest in listening to anything else we have to say, even the possibility of danger to her people. I don't think there's anything else we can do here.”

Looking at P8 Blue, Gomez asked, “Pattie?”

“I believe we should take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about these people. Perhaps we could ask our guide to give us a tour of the society they've built here. This Sage mentioned food crops; where are they, and how big are they? What kind of food is grown, and how is it grown? I'd be interested in seeing how extensive this underground world is.”

“It's a shame Carol isn't here,” Hawkins said. “I'm sure she'd love to explore this place.”

Sonya didn't doubt that, and she knew Hawkins hadn't made the comment just because he and Abramowitz were romantically involved. This was exactly the sort of situation that the cultural specialist would jump at the chance to participate in. She loved finding out what made different cultures tick, and Gomez hoped that before they left this world, she'd be able to come down and do just that.

“What about you, Fabian?” she asked. “Any thoughts?”

Stevens glanced between Corsi and Hawkins to regard the old woman in the alcove. “I think she's off her rocker.”

Again with the jokes.
Sonya's mouth twitched at that, but she held back the smile. “M-hm, thank you for that insightful observation.”

“No, I'm serious,” Stevens said. “Hasn't anyone noticed that thing she's plugged into looks a lot like a Borg alcove? And look at her skin—she's practically assimilated. Who knows how much her mind has been affected by being in there for so long. It could be
controlling
her for all we know.”

“So you think we should just ignore her and do whatever we want?” Corsi asked.

“No, of course not,” Stevens said. “But there has to be more to her than being the leader of these people. I mean, she's gotta be hooked into that thing for a reason. Is she psychic? Is she tuned into the entire population, or, dare I say, her ‘collective'?”

Gomez gave Stevens a wry look, then glanced at Corsi's number two. “Hawkins?”

The deputy chief shrugged. “I don't think we're in any danger here, Commander. The people seem to be docile and haven't shown any indication that they mean us any harm. In fact, they seem to be going out of their way to make us feel welcome. The old woman is a little cranky, but I would be too in her place.”

Gomez nodded. That was more or less her assessment as well. Turning to the last member of the away team, she asked, “Kim?”

The young security guard simply stood at attention. “Awaiting your orders, Commander.”

Spoken like a true soldier,
Gomez thought wryly. Kim had joined the
da Vinci
six months ago, and had proven to be an able security guard. He obviously had less interest in making decisions than in following the orders of those who did. Gomez wondered if he was truly intrigued and hiding it behind duty or if he really was just doing his job.

That's a question for later. And so is this society, if it comes to that.
They really needed to get back to their mission.

“All right, we'll head back,” she said, then moved to stand before Sage again. “Your wisdom humbles us.” She bowed respectfully, then rejoined her friends. “Let's go.”

“Hold!” Sage's order stopped Gomez before she could take another step. The old woman was looking intently at the native guide, who had a distant look on her face that made it seem as though she was receiving orders that Gomez couldn't hear.

I guess that answers Fabian's psychic question.

Once Sage turned away and resumed her blank open-eyed “offline” position in the alcove, the native guide smiled at Gomez and gestured to herself by tapping her chest and pointing toward the entrance. “I show you home.” She nodded, her smile intensifying. “I show you city.”

“I do believe she wants to take us on a tour,” Stevens said.

Gomez thought this was pretty plain herself, but they didn't really have the time. They had a mission to complete here, and they couldn't afford to delay it by touring an underground city. Well, not all of them anyway.

“Unfortunately, I can't spare everyone to indulge,” she said. “Fabian, I want you and Pattie to return to the cube and get working on a way to eliminate our problem without creating another one down here.” She noticed P8 Blue's antennae lower a bit at the news that she wouldn't be on the tour, but hopefully once their mission was over they would all be able to set aside some time to explore. “Also please advise the captain on our status. I'm sure he's itching for an update by now.”

“You got it,” Stevens said with a nod.

Gomez glanced at Corsi's deputy and Kim. “Since it probably isn't necessary for two members of security to guard little ol' me, why don't you both head up with the others?”

“Understood, Commander,” Hawkins said. “We'll probably need to keep them out of trouble anyway.”

“No doubt,” Gomez said with a smile. “Which leaves Domenica and me to accompany our guide on the tour. We'll join the rest of you afterward and hopefully by then we'll have something useful to tell the captain. So, if there's nothing else, let's get started.”

As Stevens, Pattie, Kim, and Hawkins started to moved toward the exit, the native guide frowned as though she were disappointed they wouldn't be coming on the tour as well. “Leaving?” she asked.

“Yes, they have important work to do.” Gomez nodded, smiled, and gave the general impression that this was a good thing. “But we will come.” She included Corsi in a gesture, and the guide brightened.

They left the chamber and followed the guide to the right, down the main corridor and deeper into the underground city. They passed more of the natives along the way, who stopped to gape at the humans with polite awe. These people had some of the most adorable children Gomez had ever seen, with large inquisitive eyes and pudgy cheeks that met wide, open smiles. She wondered what these people called themselves—if they called themselves anything at all. She decided it was time to get to know their guide on a more personal level. The woman was taking the time to give them a tour of her home, and Sonya felt she at least deserved to be addressed by name, assuming she had one.

“Sonya,” she said and gestured to herself. “My name is Sonya.”

“Sahn'ya,” the guide said.

Gomez pointed to Corsi next. “Domenica.”

“Do'meenik'a.”

“Maybe she'd be able to handle ‘Corsi' better,” the security chief muttered.

“Close enough,” Gomez said, then pointed at the guide. “What's your name?”

For a moment it looked as though the guide wasn't sure what Gomez was getting at, so Gomez had to refresh her memory by pointing out who was who, then trailed off as she pointed at the native. It finally clicked, and the woman smiled. “Tey'sa,” she said and tapped her chest.

“Tey'sa,” Gomez repeated, then grinned at Corsi. “How about that?”

“Fascinating,” Corsi said with a roll of her eyes.

“Sahn'ya, Do'meenik'a,
Tey'sa,
” the guide said.

Gomez grinned as a sudden thrill swept through her. This was by no means the first time she'd been in a first-contact situation, but it was always exciting to break down barriers when communicating with a new species.

As they continued on their tour, Tey'sa showed them a series of open rooms that were devoted to an assortment of activities that Sonya never would have expected to find here. Groups of children were assembled in a few of the rooms they passed, with adults leading discussions that must have been predominantly telepathic due to the lack of oral speech. Tey'sa assured Gomez that there were many other classrooms along a branching corridor, where history, numbers, life skills, and the story of the Light were imparted among the city's hundreds of children.

The story of the Light,
Gomez mused. It was a story she wouldn't mind hearing herself.

One large room they visited was devoted to wood-working, where support braces and furniture were made by skilled artisans, young and old, using hand tools that were every bit as effective as any laser-lathe Sonya had ever seen in action. As Tey'sa explained it, the elders of these multi-generational teams passed their knowledge down to their progeny so the skills would never be forgotten. The artistry in some of the works were stunning, and Sonya saw evidence of it in the fitted archways and sculpted pillars that greeted them as they entered each new section of the subtropolis.

All of the rooms they came to were not of uniform size. Obviously they had been carved out of the solid rock long ago and seemed catered to whatever went on within them. In another of the rooms they found three male youths indulging in a fast game or training session that involved short vocal bursts as they attempted to strike each other with wooden staffs about a meter long. The blows they received appeared painful enough to make Gomez cringe each time, but the combatants didn't appear to be aware of any pain.

“They train for games,” Tey'sa said.

“You have organizational sports?” Gomez asked.

The guide smiled and nodded. “Games.”

As they continued the tour, Gomez couldn't help but notice that the people here regarded light with a near-reverence, as though it meant far more to them than 76 simply a means that allowed them to see. She observed that pedestrians in the tunnels glanced up at each overhead light fixture they passed, as though giving quick silent prayers of thanks. And in every room they visited, there was at least one spherical lighted globe located in a position of optimum visibility—almost like an all-seeing eye watching over its flock.

Clearly light was an important part of these people's lives, beyond the obvious reasons, and Gomez was curious as to its origins. How had it first occurred to them to utilize the power from the cube for their own purposes? Had they been sightless dark-dwellers before the light, or had they possessed some level of vision? Was Sage somehow connected directly to the light, and did she use that connection to maintain a constant awareness of her people?

Gomez suppressed a shudder, all too aware of the unpleasant parallel to the Borg Queen's relationship with her drones. It didn't appear that sort of relationship was present here, but the idea was still somewhat disturbing.
That's the last thing we want to have to deal with.