And then, abruptly, it was over. The intense effulgence blinked out. Shadows reclaimed the interior of the hold. Rorpot kept rotating slowly, but Snollicoob was able to fasten his boots to the floor in front of the door. In the absence of gravity, he felt as though he was standing still. He trembled uncontrollably, almost afraid to open his eyes. His rubbery legs felt about as steady as glop-on-a-stick.
“Snollicoob!” Geordi’s anxious voice hurt his ears. “Are you okay?”
He peeked at his surroundings. The torched vault did not look like Sto-Vo-Kor or Sha Ka Ree, so he guessed he was still alive. “I think so.”
Geordi laughed out loud. “You did it. Just like I said you could!”
“Yes,” Snollicoob realized. Relief mingled with pride as his racing heart began to settle down. He sagged against the vault door, every muscle aching. “You are smart!”
“We both are,” Geordi said. “Now you just need to hold on for a little while more. Help is on the way.”
Snollicoob hoped the Enterprise would get there soon.
“Estimated time to our destination?”
Picard sat on the bridge, resisting an urge to pace impatiently. Space travel had never felt so slow.
“Three-point-eight-seven-seven hours, Captain,” Data reported, “assuming we can maintain our present course of speed. Sensors confirm, however, a dense accumulation of quantum filaments directly ahead. We may be forced to further reduce our velocity before we reach Rorpot’s coordinates.”
Merde, Picard thought. This was taking too long. They were already far behind their original estimates. Geordi had bought Rorpot much-needed time by resolving their warp core crisis, but the Pakled freighter and its crew remained in jeopardy. Time was the enemy.
“Well, the presence of those filaments certainly adds credence to the Pakleds’ story,” Riker noted. “Maybe this isn’t a trap after all.”
Worf grunted behind them. “I still do not trust them.”
“Duly noted, Mister Worf,” Picard said. He mulled over their options. “How much farther to the filaments, Data?”
The android reviewed the sensor readings. “The filaments themselves remain difficult to detect by conventional means, but an excess of subspace distortions and high-energy particles suggests that we are nearing the perimeter of the phenomenon. Tau neutrino levels exceeding ordinary probability levels by twenty-three-point-five-nine-eight percent. Meson proliferation increasing as well.”
“Understood,” Picard said grimly. “Reduce speed to warp five. Increase power to the forward shields. Yellow Alert.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Ensign Wruum reported from the conn. Descended from seabirds, her people had a strong nautical tradition. “Warp factor five.”
Picard scowled. He had issued the command reluctantly, but saw no alternative. They could not rescue the Pakleds if the Enterprise itself ran afoul of an invisible filament. Like everyone else who had survived that day, he still recalled the last time they had flown head-on into disaster. He had found himself trapped in an unstable turbolift with three small children—and a broken ankle to boot. Only the valiant assistance of those youngsters had allowed him to live to see another day. As he recalled, Jay Gordon’s parents had since transferred off the Enterprise, but the other two children were still aboard the ship. He could not endanger them, and the other one-thousand-plus souls in his care, by recklessly charging into the hazardous filaments.
But could the Pakleds survive the delay?
“Hail Rorpot,” he instructed Worf. It was imperative that he stay informed of the imperiled freighter’s status.
“Yes, sir.”
Captain Aadnalurg appeared upon the viewer. “Where are you, Enterprise?” he wailed, visibly distraught. He wrung his hands, while a sluglike creature squirmed restlessly atop his shoulder. An ugly scab had formed over the captain’s head wound. “Our life support is breaking. We are running out of air!”
“We are proceeding as fast as we are able,” Picard assured him. “What is your status? How much longer can you hold out?”
Aadnalurg hastily consulted with a subordinate. His face went pale. “What? Do not say that!” He angrily dismissed the unfortunate crewman before turning back toward the screen. He appeared even more rattled than before. “It is bad. We cannot make any more air. We have only an hour left. Maybe not that much.”
“Oh, no,” Deanna gasped, feeling the Pakled’s fear. “Captain, we have to do something!”
“I know,” Picard said. He wished he could promise Aadnalurg that they would get there in time, but that was looking increasingly unlikely. “We appreciate the urgency of your situation, Captain. Rest assured, we are making every effort to reach your coordinates.”
His calm tone did little to reassure the other captain. “You must hurry, Enterprise!” Aadnalurg trembled noticeably. “Our heat is broken, too. It is very cold!”
Picard hoped that Geordi’s heroic efforts had not been in vain. “We are on our way. Enterprise out.” He signaled Worf to terminate the transmission. The captain looked to his crew for a solution to their current dilemma. “Data, is there any way we can increase our speed?”
“I would not advise it,” the android said. “The extent of the subspace disturbances indicate a sizable concentration of quantum filaments. Navigating them safely will be difficult, especially since the Enterprise is considerably larger than the Pakled vessel.”
“For once our size is working against us,” Riker observed. “Too bad we’re not smaller and more maneuverable.”
Inspiration struck like a photon torpedo. “Perhaps we can make it so,” Picard said. “Suppose we separate the saucer from the drive section?”
“That could work.” Riker instantly saw the advantages. “Without the saucer, the drive section might be able to weave through the filaments more easily.”
“And with less risk to the rest of the Enterprise, including the support staff and families aboard.” Picard thought again of the children who had survived the previous collision; he had no desire to subject them to the same ordeal again. A saucer separation was a drastic move, which he had resorted to only a handful of times over the course of his career, but it might be just what the circumstances called for in this instance. We have the capacity. We might as well use it.
He rose from his chair. “Number One, the saucer is yours.” He did not entrust this responsibility to Riker lightly; the enormous saucer contained the vast majority of the Enterprise’s crew and facilities. “Take care of our people.”
“You can count on me, sir.” Riker took the captain’s chair, while Data and the others prepared to turn over their stations to the relief crew. A dedicated turbolift connected the bridge with the battle bridge in the drive section. “I just wish I was going with you.”
“You’re needed here.” He clapped Riker on the shoulder. “Inform Captain Aadnalurg he can expect us shortly.”
Provided they got there at all . . .
The battle bridge was located on Deck 8, at the top of the stardrive section. Its basic configuration resembled that of the main bridge in the saucer, but it was smaller and more streamlined, stripped down for combat and other hazardous situations. There were fewer workstations and less elegant decor. The conn and ops stations were positioned closer together. The captain’s chair sat alone on an elevated platform at the center of the bridge. The tactical post was confined to a single compact console instead of the sweeping rail that graced the main bridge It was lean and mean, like the bridge of an old Constitution-class starship.
La Forge hurried onto the battle bridge and took his place at the aft engineering station. He noticed that Doctor Crusher had joined the rescue mission as well. Her usual post in sickbay was back on the saucer, but he recalled that there was an auxiliary medical facility elsewhere in the drive section. No doubt she and her staff would be busy once they reached Rorpot. According to Snollicoob, many of the Pakleds were in need of prompt medical treatment. Beverly nodded at Geordi as he arrived on
the bridge. Counselor Troi was seated nearby, behind a plain metal guardrail. Like the rail, the overall look of the battle bridge was stark and utilitarian. It had not been designed with aesthetics in mind.
“Slow to impulse,” the captain commanded Ensign Wruum. It was a shame that they had to reduce speed again, if only temporarily, but separating from the saucer at warp speed was against all the rules. They had done it before, in the most dire of emergencies, but they would be pushing their luck to try it again. “What is the progress of the evacuation?”
Even at full alert, it took time to transfer all nonessential personnel to the saucer. On his way to the battle bridge from engineering, Geordi had personally witnessed the orderly stampede going on in the corridors and turbolifts right now, as hundreds of crew members and their families rushed for safety aboard the saucer, leaving the drive section to the designated duty staff. Geordi had placed Miles O’Brien in charge of engineering in his absence. Keiko and little Molly had hurried past Geordi en route to the saucer. He hoped they were secure in their own quarters by now.
“Evacuation complete,” Data reported. “Linking turbolifts sealed and retracted.”
“Very good, Mister Data.” Picard supervised the operation from his chair. “Proceed with separation.”
Eighteen docking clamps, made of diffusion-bonded tritanium carbide, disengaged as the saucer lifted off from the top of the drive section. Onboard computers and inertial damping systems ensured a smooth transition, so that only a slight shudder was felt aboard the battle bridge. All eyes were fixed on the viewscreen as they watched the massive saucer sail away on impulse power; the saucer lacked warp capacity, but could rendezvous with another starship should anything happen to the drive section. La Forge felt a twinge of unease at the sight of the departing saucer. As chief engineer, he knew he would not entirely relax until the Enterprise was back in one piece again.
He had to imagine the captain felt the same—and then some.
They waited until the saucer was safely distant before engaging the warp drive once more. “Warp speed six,” Picard instructed. “Maintain Yellow Alert.”
The headless starship quickly left the saucer behind, accelerating into deep space. Geordi impatiently tracked their progress; even warp six seemed far too slow given Rorpot’s extreme jeopardy. Despite his past experience with the Pakleds, he no longer anticipated any treachery at the end of this voyage. There was no way they could have staged everything poor Snollicoob had gone through, nor would they have sacrificed their warp core just to lure the Enterprise into a trap. He had bonded with Snollicoob, engineer to engineer. All he was worried about now was making sure Snollicoob and the other Pakleds were okay. His skeptical attitude had done a complete turnaround.
Imagine that.
Long hours passed without incident until a sudden bump rocked the Enterprise. Geordi almost slipped from his seat. Deanna caught hold of the guardrail to keep from falling. The lights flickered briefly. Worf snarled at the disturbance. Ensign Wruum hooted shrilly.
Picard reacted promptly. “A filament?”
“Yes, Captain,” Data confirmed. “A glancing blow off our starboard nacelle.”
“Damage?”
“Shields holding, sir,” Worf stated. “Hull integrity intact.”
Damage reports started coming in from all over the ship. “Minor fires and ruptures in engineering and elsewhere,” Geordi informed the captain. “Nothing too serious . . . yet.”
“No major injuries,” Doctor Crusher added. She scanned her display panel for casualty reports. “Although sickbay is standing by.”
Deanna stared at the viewer. “But I don’t see anything.”
“You would not, Counselor,” Data said, “but it is clear that we have entered the midst of the filaments.”
Worf glared at the deceptive emptiness. His fingers were poised over the weapons controls. “Can’t we just blast our way through?” He made a slashing gesture, as though blazing a trail with a machete or bat’leth.
“That would be inadvisable,” Data stated. “The resulting quantum energy discharges could be formidable. It is uncertain if our shields could withstand them for long.”
Picard’s face grew even grimmer. “Reduce speed to warp four.”
Damn, Geordi thought. We just can’t get a break!
“The Pakleds are hailing us again,” Worf announced with more than an touch of irritation. “They are being most insistent.”
“If only we had better news to tell them,” Picard said. “Put them through.”
Aadnalurg was in bad shape. His lips were blue and his teeth chattered. A heavy blanket was draped over his stocky torso in a desperate attempt to preserve his body heat. Snollicoob could be glimpsed behind him, still wearing his insulated spacesuit, minus the helmet. The engineer hugged himself to keep warm.
“You are too slow!” Aadnalurg accused them. He gasped for breath. “Our air is thin. We are freezing!” He reached beneath his blanket and pulled out what looked like a lifeless lump of slug. “Look! See how cold it is! Snirgli has gone to sleep! It thinks it is winter!”
Geordi gathered that the oversized mollusk was hibernating, not dead.
Too bad the Pakleds couldn’t do the same. . . .
“Wait!” he blurted. “That’s it.”
Picard turned around. Worf muted the transmission. “What is it, Mister La Forge?”
“Let them freeze,” Geordi suggested. “Shut down all the heating on Rorpot and turn the entire ship into one big cryosatellite—like that sleeper ship we ran into way back when.” Six years ago, during one of the Enterprise’s earliest missions, they had stumbled onto an ancient Earth vessel holding three cryogenically frozen human beings from the late twentieth century. Much to La Forge’s astonishment, the specimens had been revived by Doctor Crusher after three hundred years of suspended animation, despite an almost total lack of life support. “If we lower the Pakleds’ metabolisms enough, there might be enough oxygen left aboard Rorpot to keep them alive until we can get there to revive them.”
In other words, the Pakleds could save themselves by taking a long nap!
“A bold idea.” Picard looked at Beverly. “Doctor, your thoughts?”
She thought it over. “It’s risky, but doable, I suppose.” Her tone was none too enthusiastic. “They’ll need to be thawed out carefully, under controlled conditions.”
“It may be their only chance, Captain,” Geordi entreated.
Picard made his decision. “Very well.” He returned his attention to the screen, where Aadnalurg and Snollicoob anxiously awaited any sort of hopeful tidings from the tardy starship. “Mister La Forge, I believe you have already established a good working relationship with the Pakleds. Would you care to explain your plan to them?”
“I can try, Captain.” LaForge left his post at the rear of the bridge and approached the screen. He signaled Worf to restore the audio. “Snollicoob. It’s me, Geordi. We have an idea that might buy us some more time. You just have to trust us.”
“Uh-huh,” Aadnalurg wheezed. Both Pakleds nodded eagerly. “You are smart. Tell us what to do.”
“It’s easy,” Geordi said. “You just have to go to sleep for a while. That’s all.”
The Pakleds grinned.
“We can do that.”
Warp four felt like a crawl.
At this rate, we’ll never get there, Geordi thought. Data had warned, however, that the subspace distortions around them were only increasing. The seemingly empty space was aswarm with invisible currents and subatomic particles.
A second jolt eliminated any possibility that the first collision had been a freak event. The Enterprise jerked to one side, as though the port nacelle had caught on something. Straining shields crackled and hissed. Sparks arced across Crusher’s control panel, forcing her to jump backward to avoid being shocked. Thrown to one side, La Forge whacked his elbow against the edge of his workstation. It stung like disruptor fire.
“Full reverse!” Picar
d ordered “One-third speed!”
“Aye, aye!” Wruum chirped.
The bridge stabilized as the ship backed away from the filament that had snagged them. Automated fire-suppression measures kicked in; a force field generator mounted on the ceiling projected an airtight containment field around Crusher’s burning console, cutting off its supply of oxygen. Thick white smoke swirled inside the field, defining its borders, until the trapped carbon dioxide suffocated the blaze. The field remained in place for several minutes, to ensure the fire was fully extinguished.
“Full stop,” Picard commanded. The Enterprise came to rest, still nowhere near Rorpot. The captain’s frustration could no longer be contained. “This is intolerable. Even without the saucer, it’s like trying to weave through a Tholian web blindfolded!”
Star Trek: Seven Deadly Sins Page 50
