by John S. Drew
Wong wondered for some time after if he should have requested reassignment, the way the alpha-shift ops officer, Ina Mar, did. He still sometimes wrestled with the thought, especially after a reoccurring vivid nightmare in which he was the one trapped beneath the wreckage of the bridge as the crew lay dead around him. In the dream, the only sounds he heard were his own heavy breathing and the groaning of the hull as the badly damaged ship gave in to the pressures of Galvan VI’s turbulent atmosphere.
Wong repressed a shudder and turned his thoughts to more pleasant pursuits. Despite the fact that Gold warned everyone that the trip to Risa was purely business, Wong hoped to convince the captain to allow him some time to take his pleasure yacht out for a spin.
Wong recently obtained the craft after investing inherited strips of latinum in the Ferengi market. He was fairly successful and that gave Wong further reason to think about where his life was going. He could still see much of the universe as an investor. And he wouldn’t have to be placed in such hazardous situations.
The viewscreen showed the green-blue hue of Risa below them. Wong caught sight of his yacht in the lower corner of the screen.
“Permission to magnify the lower quadrant, Captain?” he asked.
Gold squinted at the viewer and smiled in recognition. “Granted.”
The young lieutenant tapped in the command and the screen adjusted to the required setting. A long, sleek, light gray pleasure yacht hung just over the Olobon continent. Mooring lights faded in and out.
Gold whistled appreciatively. “She’s a beauty.”
“You should see her when she’s all lit up and in flight,” Wong replied, suddenly imagining himself in the observation lounge of his ship, entertaining potential investors. It seemed a pleasant way to live.
Tev grunted as he leaned over the railing to get a better look. “It is a practical design. What have you named it?”
Wong’s face flushed slightly. “I haven’t been able to come up with one yet, sir.”
“You’ve taken her out and she doesn’t have a name?” Gold asked with a grin. “What kind of a ship-master are you?”
“I haven’t really thought about it, I guess,” Wong admitted.
“Well, we’re going to be in orbit for a while, Wong,” Gold said. “I suggest you use that time to think about it. Maybe we can take a moment to put the lettering on her. A fine craft like that needs to have an identity.”
“Yes, sir,” Wong replied, turning back toward his console. “Thank you, sir.”
The intercom beeped overhead.
“Bridge, this is Gomez. We’re assembled and ready to beam down.”
“Good luck, Gomez. Try to avoid the tourist traps,” Gold answered.
“Yes, sir.” She chuckled.
“Captain,” Shabalala called out. “I think you should take a look at this.”
Gold and Tev stepped up to the tactical station where Shabalala was staring intently at his monitor.
“What is it?” Tev asked.
“I’ve completed a thorough scan of the entire Risan system. Risa has a lot of traffic. Each vessel’s engine gives off a particular energy signature.”
“And your point is?” Tev asked with a tone of annoyance.
“I’m reading no recent energy signatures, sir,” Shabalala replied. “Take a look at this.” He tapped a command into his console and a small freighter came into view on the monitor. “That’s an Antedean freighter.”
“I’m familiar with the design,” Gold said.
“Yes, sir,” Shabalala continued. “It features a modified version of the millicochrane warp engines in our shuttlecraft. It gives off a distinct energy signature that remains for some seventy-two hours. But as you can see with this sensor overlay…”
Shabalala touched a corner of his console and a grid appeared on the screen. “This freighter arrived two days ago. We’re not getting anything from it. In fact, all recently arrived craft have no proper energy signature. It’s as though they were all cloaked.”
“Which is pretty unlikely,” Gold said.
“Exactly,” Shabalala said. “So what happened?”
Tev furrowed his thick eyebrows. “Whatever it is that is causing the power failures on Risa has extended its influence beyond the surface.”
Gold put a hand on the tactical officer’s shoulder. “Good work, Shabalala. Contact the away team with this information as soon as they arrive on planet.”
“Aye, sir.”
Gomez’s first sight as Risa materialized around her was of a large man, dressed in what looked like a toga, moving toward her. There may have been another individual behind him; it was hard to tell with the size of the man.
“Commander Gomez, is it?” The man offered a meaty hand to her. She took it cautiously, noting the moisture in his palm. She tried not to show her revulsion, but failed. He quickly pulled his hand away. “I’m sorry, Commander. With the weather system out of control, we’re being assaulted by a heat wave that doesn’t agree with a man of my stature. I’m Tonais, director of the Monagas resort.”
Gomez ran a finger through her collar, noting the heat was oppressive. “Quite all right, Director. That’s why we’re here.”
“And I’m glad you are,” Tonais said as he backed up into a much smaller man. He whirled on him in frustration. “Bander! Must you always be so close to me?”
The bald-headed man looked pained at the rebuke. “How else am I to serve you, Director?”
“I don’t know.” He turned to Gomez and smiled with a smarminess that made her flesh dimple. “He’s very good at what he does, but he can be a little troublesome sometimes.”
Gomez’s combadge chirped, saving her from having to reply. “Da Vinci to Gomez.”
“Excuse me a moment, Director,” Gomez nodded, turning slightly away. “Go ahead.”
As Shabalala relayed the information from his scans to her, Gomez took a moment to glance over her surroundings. The concourse they had materialized in featured a number of high supporting pillars similar to the architectural styles of ancient Rome on Earth. The white, marble columns supported a domed ceiling featuring a collage of tropical plants. Several small water fountains dotted the large area, not activated at the moment. She also noted the lack of tourists.
After acknowledging Shabalala’s report, she turned back to the director. “There aren’t many of your guests here.”
“No. With the weather control network not working properly, we’ve experienced high temperatures and wild rainstorms. It washed out our lagoon, one of the most popular attractions of this resort.”
“That’s terrible,” Pattie said.
“Director, this is P8 Blue, who will handle the structural analysis of your affected systems.” Gomez gestured to Pattie and then to the Bynar. “And this is Soloman, who will determine if it’s a programming fault.”
“That’s the problem, Commander Gomez. I think you will find that it is neither a structural nor a programming problem. The systems being affected are widespread and, for the most part, independent of each other.”
“I’d like to see a log of your most recent power failures and have my people look over the systems just to be sure.”
“Of course.” Tonais nodded quickly, gesturing toward the concourse entrance. “If you’ll come this way.” They proceeded toward the archway. “I’m afraid I cannot offer you any comfortable accommodations as none of the air coolers in any of the rooms work. But then, neither do the lights or the waste disposal systems or—”
Before the director could go on with his litany of problems, he was stopped short by a large, muscular figure.
“Excuse me, sir!” Tonais started, but his voice dipped into a squeak as he looked upward at the individual.
The seven-foot reptilian alien stood imposingly over the director. He was decked out in heavy leather that covered his entire body. An energy weapon hung from a holster to his side, while a jeweled blade featured prominently in a scabbard on his chest. His jewel green ey
es flashed angrily at the sight of the director.
“Out of the way!” the imposing Gorn hissed. The reptilian alien tilted his head and glanced at Gomez and her party. “Federation!” He gestured to the other two Gorn accompanying him and they circled around the group, keeping an eye on Gomez the entire time. She turned and watched them walk across and exit the concourse without ever looking back.
“Do you know them, Director?” she asked, turning to face Tonais.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Bander?”
Before Tonais could ask the question, the little man had the information on his data pad. “A Gorn ship entered orbit some thirty-three hours ago, sir. They have been beaming back and forth to their ship since then. They are not staying planetside, nor are they utilizing any of the facilities.” He paused and then lifted his head and wiped the sweat from his nose. “Not that they could anyway. Most of the facilities are nonfunctional at the moment.”
“Yes, thank you, Bander,” the director snapped.
“Beaming back and forth, eh?” Gomez tapped her combadge. “Gomez to da Vinci.”
“Go ahead,” Captain Gold’s voice echoed in the chamber.
“Captain, please beam down a security detachment. We may have trouble with some Gorn who appear to not be here for a holiday.”
“We detected their ship a short while ago. I’ll have that detachment down shortly. Keep us apprised of your situation. Da Vinci out.”
“Is that necessary, Commander?” Tonais asked worriedly.
“I’m hoping not, Director,” she replied. “Just look at it as a precaution.”
“Well,” Tonais said, the worry in his voice apparent, “just make sure they don’t get in the way of the guests.”
Gomez smiled. “Don’t worry, Director. You won’t even know they’re here.”
Chapter
6
Eddie was aware of every single nerve point in his body. He felt a continuous buzz of electricity similar to a slight static shock coursing through him and found it to be invigorating. His senses, something he had taken for granted for so long, were intensified by the experience. He could smell the dampness of the cave, make out every rock and crag that jutted from the cave walls, and at the same time admired the congruity they projected where once it had seemed chaotic. He could hear the music created by the echoing condensation falling off the cave ceiling.
“Fantastic,” Eddie said, but he wasn’t sure if he was saying it or thinking it. His “voice” had an almost electronic edge to it.
He looked down at his arm and marveled at the way he could see the thin hairs on the back of his limb standing up, moving back and forth like a field of grain on a windy day. He lifted his hand and intensified his stare. He squawked in surprise as he was able to see beyond his skin to the blood pulsing through his veins beneath.
FANTASTIC.
Eddie looked around the cave nervously. He could make no one out. “Who said that?”
THAT.
Eddie could hear his heart pounding, could feel it beating against his chest.
“Who are you?”
Eddie felt a ripple of electricity course through him. His body stiffened slightly as electrical blue sparks arched across the top of his head.
“Stop!” Eddie said excitedly. “Please.”
PLEASE. STOP. WHO ARE YOU?
The surge diminished and Eddie felt his limbs under his control again. He took in a deep breath.
WHO ARE YOU?
“I’m not imagining it.” He looked at the glow surrounding him. “You’re alive. You exist.”
WHO????
“Take it easy,” Eddie said, feeling the voice in his head getting louder and more insistent. A mild headache began to form. “My name is Eddie Johnson. I’m from Earth.”
EARTH?
“Yeah, Earth. It’s a planet like this one.”
PLANET?
“Is this all you can do?” Eddie asked. “Are you just going to keep parroting me?” His only answer was silence. “All right, how about we try this. What’s your name?”
NO NAME. NO PLANET. NOBODY TO CARE.
“Care? Are you plucking words from my mind?”
MIND FULL OF IMAGES. FULL OF IDEAS. FULL OF THOUGHTS. LEARNING. BECOMING…
“Becoming? What are you talking about? Who are you? Where are you from?”
NEED TO EXAMINE DATA. ESSENTIAL. It paused for a moment. THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE.
Eddie felt a rumble in his stomach. He was getting hungry. He wasn’t sure how long he had been in the cave, but he knew he had to get something to eat.
HUNGER.
“You’re hungry too?” Eddie asked.
The being pulsed and Eddie felt his senses expand again. This time he was seeing beyond the walls of the cave. The skies were beginning to grow dark as evening was approaching.
“Uh-oh,” Eddie said. “My dad’s going to kill me.”
DAD? KILL?
“My father. He’s not really going to kill me. But he’s going to be upset that I’ve been away so long. But this wouldn’t have happened if he had come to the caves with me like he said he would.”
The being appeared to rumble as it pondered what Eddie was saying.
FATHER. MOTHER. PROGENITORS. It said each word slowly. UNDERSTAND. MOTHER ABANDONED. FATHER ABANDONED.
“Well, I wouldn’t say my mother abandoned me. She died a few years ago.”
MEMORY IS STRONG. THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE THERE. CANNOT UNDERSTAND IT.
Eddie felt a tear falling from his cheek. “You’re reading me wrong! I’m not mad at my mother!” Eddie tried to change the subject. “Look, you said you were hungry. How about getting something to eat?”
Eddie’s vision spotted several flyers flitting about in the skies above. With his enhanced senses, he could make out the energy that surged through the crafts.
YES. HUNGER.
“Uh-oh,” Eddie said as the realization of what the creature was about to do dawned on him.
Chapter
7
Sonya ran a hand along the surface of the sky flyer sitting in the landing bay of the Monagas Peninsula. She smiled at the thought of taking it out and guiding it through the deep blue skies above. But her smile faded as she glanced out a nearby window and watched the clouds outside quickly darken as a late afternoon thunderstorm was developing.
Normally, the weather control system would be able to deter the storm, allowing visitors to the peninsula to enjoy their evening. But after a sweltering hot day trapped inside, the tourists would find themselves remaining indoors to avoid getting soaked.
Soloman poked his head out of the top of the flyer. “This is definitely not a systems problem. In fact, this flyer is ready to take off.” And so saying, he activated the flyer, bringing a low hum to the surrounding area.
Pattie stepped out from behind the craft. “Structurally, it’s a sound vessel. In fact, all the flyers in this bay are fine.”
“Then why couldn’t they launch them when they needed to rescue those climbers the other day?” Gomez asked.
Soloman shook his head. “This is clearly an external influence, Commander. While I would like to take a look at the launch bay control room to see if I can determine anything else, I feel we need to shift the focus of our investigation.”
“I agree,” Gomez nodded.
The doors to the launch bay entrance parted and a couple of Risans entered the area. The female of the duo approached Gomez, her gaze less than friendly.
“Commander Gomez, I’m Shira from Risa Operations. How are your investigations proceeding?” Her tone was not the usual congenial, friendliness that Gomez was used to from a Risan. In fact, it seemed downright hostile.
“I don’t think there is anything wrong with any of your systems, Shira.” Gomez tried to keep a smile on her face, hoping that the Risan would pick up on it. “We have been through your communications systems, aircraft, and the weather control station. We can find no systemic reason for this power l
oss. Our current hypothesis is that an outside force is responsible.”
“Outside force?” Shira repeated. “You mean alien?”
“Possibly,” Gomez admitted a little reluctantly. “We don’t want to rule anything out. It could be some natural phenomenon we haven’t accounted for yet.”
A chime from a communicator interrupted them. The Risan male stepped forward. “Shira, it’s the weather control station.”
“Thank you, Milan,” she replied, taking the small device from him. She looked at Gomez. “Will you excuse me?” She turned away without waiting for a reply.
Pattie stepped up behind Gomez and leaned into her ear. “What happened to the famous Risan warmth? You could take the chill from that woman alone and reduce the temperature of the entire peninsula.”
“She’s got her feelings hurt by our involvement in this,” Gomez said simply. “How would you feel if we couldn’t handle a certain engineering situation and they brought in another S.C.E. team to assist?”
“Something I’ll never have to worry about,” Pattie replied, clicking one of her mandibles with a flourish, the equivalent of a human wink. “We never need anyone’s help.”
I only hope that’s always the case, Gomez thought.
The approach of the da Vinci’s security chief changed the commander’s mood. A smile broke out on her lips. She always got a kick out of watching Corsi in “full security mode,” as Gomez liked to think of it. She was like a cat, tensed, ready to spring into action on a nanosecond’s notice.
Corsi stopped just short of Gomez. “We found our Gorn friends. They appear to be searching the beach areas around the lagoon. I’ve got Hawkins and Angelopoulos following them.”
“We don’t want to draw attention, Domenica.”
“They’re dressed as tourists. I also issued them Ferengi disruptors, which won’t connect them with Starfleet. I did a check with Risan orbital control. The Gorn never stated a reason for coming to Risa. They don’t have to, when contacted by the Risans, but most vessels do answer the question.”
