by John S. Drew
“Wait a minute!” Milan cried out. He turned and ran toward a collection of crates in one corner of the bay. After a few moments of searching, he returned with what appeared to be a small projectile weapon. He stopped for a second and eyed the Gorn cautiously before handing it over to them.
“This is a flare gun,” he explained. “Signal the flyer with it. They’ll be able to see the open bay doors and can make their landing from there.”
The Gorn took the gun and for a moment Corsi tensed on the off chance that Kazar might try something devious. The Gorn examined the weapon a moment before cradling it in the sash that hung across his chest.
Gomez glanced up at the Nasat. “How’s it hanging, Pattie?”
“I’ve been in worse spots,” she replied. “But do you think we can speed it up a little?”
“You’re going to be all right when the foam is released, right?” Gomez asked.
Pattie made a tinkling noise of amusement. “I can survive in a vacuum, remember? I can handle a little oxygen deprivation.”
“Good—because you’re the only one who can retrieve the passengers, in case they aren’t in any shape to exit the craft themselves.”
“Will do, Commander.”
“All right, let’s get to cover.” Gomez looked at Kazar. “Good luck.”
The Gorn didn’t say a word as he and his comrade turned to the task before them.
Gomez entered the cramped control room last and closed the door behind her. She allowed the two Risan technicians to take their places at the control stations. She didn’t bother to point out that they couldn’t do anything while the systems were inoperative. Corsi and Soloman stood in the background, neither wanting to get in the way of the operation.
The Gorn took up positions on either side of the doors. They braced themselves, arching their backs for support. Large, clawed hands dug into the metallic surface, latching on and getting a strong grip.
Gomez glanced upward and saw Pattie hanging from the pipes, waiting for the cue to release the foam.
“Commander, if they are going to open the doors, they will need to do so now,” Soloman reported. Gomez looked toward the sky from one of the windows and saw the flyer making a sharp banking turn toward the landing bay.
“They know they can’t land anywhere else.” Shira’s voice trembled, ghostlike.
Below, the Gorn had managed to part the doors, but by less than a meter. They had stopped their work and appeared to be looking for a new way to attack the situation.
“We don’t have time for this!” Corsi snapped. “They need to pull open those doors now!”
“If they do not possess the strength,” Soloman said, “it is impossible.”
Gomez watched as the Gorn repositioned themselves and made another attempt. This time the doors opened a bit further. Gomez could make out the flyer as it neared the landing bay.
Kazar stepped into the opening and braced himself diagonally against both door surfaces, while his comrade reached out with both claws and gripped either side. Gomez could see Kazar’s body trembling with the struggle.
The doors began to give some more.
“They’re doing it!” Shira exclaimed. “We’re going to make it!”
“It’s not enough,” Corsi said.
“No, but there is a chance,” Gomez replied. “Let’s stay positive. Have we got an emergency medical kit here?”
“Yes,” Milan replied as he reached under the console and pulled out a small white box. “It doesn’t have much.”
Gomez opened the box and examined its contents. “As long as we can stabilize any shock conditions the passengers may have and prepare them to be moved to proper facilities, it’s perfect.”
“They’re doing it,” Soloman said, pointing downward.
Below, the Gorn were now in the opening doorway, pushing against the doors with their feet dug into the ground.
“Their backs are going to be a mess in the morning,” Milan said.
“Maybe you can offer them a free massage,” Corsi suggested with a smile.
“Estimating less than thirty meters to go,” Shira said. Gomez gave the thumbs-up signal to Pattie. The Nasat scurried along the network of piping, twisting open the valves and releasing the foam. The large landing bay quickly filled up with the white substance.
“Here we go,” Milan announced.
The flyer rumbled as it passed through the opening of the landing bay. The small control room shuddered as the craft struck the foam. Everyone grabbed hold of a piece of furniture or equipment to keep themselves steady. The flyer swerved and skidded toward a back wall.
“It’s going to crash!” Shira shouted.
“Get down!” Gomez ordered everyone.
They ducked under the console. Gomez closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable.
It never came.
She opened her eyes and slowly rose from her crouched position.
The flyer had managed to halt its skid. A thin stream of smoke wisped from the rear of the craft.
Gomez looked to see that Pattie was already scurrying across the wall toward the craft to provide assistance.
Pattie stepped out into the landing bay and threaded her way through the foam that covered the area. She could feel the heat coming from the flyer. While the foam had done the job of taking the brunt of the crash and making it difficult for a fire to erupt, the billowing smoke pouring from the front of the craft was a warning of a possible explosion.
The Nasat stepped up to the large dome-shaped transparent aluminum covering and ran a pincer along the surface. She snapped her pincer away at the very intense heat. Inside, she could make out the two passengers, a male and female, both human. They were both unconscious. The female, who was the pilot, sported a large gash on her forehead, a thin river of blood flowing freely from the wound.
Pattie positioned herself to remove the covering, but found it impossible to do because the couplings that held it in place were fused due to the heat. She looked up at Gomez and shook her head. Gomez, in turn, pointed to several metal poles that leaned against a nearby wall.
Pattie retrieved one and proceeded to prop it against one of the couplings. She felt it give somewhat, but was startled by a loud moan from inside the flyer. The female began to convulse. Pattie dug the pole in deeper, frantically trying to pry it off.
She looked up at the sound of several more poles striking the couplings. The Gorn had returned and picked up the remaining poles. Pattie could hear the couplings begin to give. With a few more tugs, several ripped away, clattering on the floor behind her. She was still working on hers.
Kazar stepped up to her and shoved her aside without a word. He leaned over and gripped the edge of the covering and, with a low growl, tore it off. As soon as he did, the two inside began gasping for air. Kazar and his comrade grabbed the two, a little too roughly for Pattie’s taste, and carried them quickly across the landing bay.
Gomez waited just outside the lower level entrance with Corsi. The Gorn released the two, dropping them roughly. Gomez ran her hand under the female’s neck, while Corsi began to apply pressure to her head wound to stanch the bleeding.
Kazar stepped out into the corridor. “Commander, I have done what you have asked. The craft has landed safely and I have even aided in rescuing these two. You will now tell me what I want to know.”
Gomez waved the Gorn commander off. “In a moment, Kazar. I want to stabilize these two first.”
“Now, Commander. You made an agreement and my time is limited.”
“Now wait just a minute,” Corsi began to rise from her position, but stopped at the gentle restraining hand of Gomez.
“Kazar’s right,” Gomez said. “I want you and Pattie to finish up here. I’m no doctor, but I think they’re more in shock than anything else. Milan should be right back with the medical team.” She gave Kazar her best steely stare. “Commander, if you’ll walk with me.”
She turned and started off without waiting for an answe
r. Kazar and his comrade followed, having to take a few larger steps to catch up with the seething female.
Corsi stifled a laugh. “I think they may have been better off dealing with me.”
Pattie only nodded as she ran her mandible along the human male’s limbs. “This one has a fracture in his left leg. I don’t know if it was the crash or that Gorn’s rough handling that did it.”
“He’s lucky to be alive,” Corsi said as she pulled her blood-soaked cloth away from the female. “This one’s going to need some attention, though. Hopefully, the hospitals are functioning. It’s not like we can contact the ship and ask for help.”
“I know,” Pattie replied. “It’s very frustrating.”
Chapter
10
Surprisingly, Eddie’s own hunger pains seemed to disappear as he watched the glowing entity absorb the energy around it. The walls of the cave they occupied reflected the light emanating from the two, giving an eerie glow around the cavern.
The entity hadn’t spoken for some time, apparently preferring to concentrate on the task of taking in its sustenance. Eddie was starting to become antsy.
“So, what do you do for fun?” he asked aloud.
The entity shuddered slightly as contact with the energy feed was broken. It remained silent for a moment.
FUN? WHAT IS THAT?
“Fun. Fun is…” Eddie had to think about that one. “It’s something you do. It’s something you enjoy. It’s…fun.” Eddie shrugged.
Eddie felt a slight burning on his forehead. Suddenly, his mind’s eye was flooded with a whirl of memories, mostly of himself and his mother engaged in a number of happy activities: playing a game on a rainy afternoon, running through a field where the cornstalks were as tall as the boy, eating ice cream and trying to catch the runoff before it hit the ground.
Tears began to well up in his eyes.
THERE IS TROUBLE? THIS FUN DOES NOT SEEM PLEASURABLE.
Eddie ran his hand across his eyes, wiping away the tears. He shook his head. “It is fun,” he explained, “but they are what we call bittersweet memories.”
WHY?
“My mother died over a year ago. It hurts to think about her now.”
UNDERSTOOD. STUDIED YOUR MENTAL PROCESSES SUFFICIENTLY NOW. CONFIDENCE IN REMOVING THE OFFENDING MEMORIES.
“What?” Eddie asked, shocked. “No! No! That’s all right. I…” Eddie smirked, changing the subject. “You know, I don’t know what to call you. What’s your name?”
NAME?
“Yeah, name.” Eddie saw this meant nothing to his new friend. He searched his memory for something that might make more sense. “How about designation? What is your designation?”
NO DESIGNATION, EDDIE JOHNSON. IDENTIFIED BY RESONANCE.
“Well, I might not be able to recognize you in a crowd of your people. I gotta give you a name.”
ACCEPTABLE. IDENTIFIED AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
“It isn’t easy being you, right?” Eddie asked. “I know how you feel.” Eddie looked down at his hands and watched as the swirling energy that was the entity sparked and snapped with loud crackles.
“I know,” he said, looking up. “I’ll call you Sparky!”
Chapter
11
On board the da Vinci, Captain Gold paced the length of the rear of the bridge back and forth in such a way you would have thought he had worn a hole in the floor. There had been no word from the away team in some time.
“Sir, I think you should take a look at this.” Tev interrupted his routine in midstep.
Tev had been spending a great deal of time with Shabalala at tactical, poring over the various readouts from his scans.
“What do you have, Tev?” Stepping up to the station, Gold could see from the look on Shabalala’s face that the Tellarite officer had been putting the young lieutenant through the paces. He appeared grateful to see his captain approach.
“I think we may have the source of the energy drain, sir,” Tev said matter-of-factly.
“You do? Where?”
“Well, based on how the surges took place and the concentration of—”
Gold held out a hand to halt the lecture. “Tev, I’m sure this is fascinating and I look forward to reading it in your report, but all I need to know right now is where.”
Tev appeared somewhat taken aback for just a brief second. He then turned and pointed at the monitor in front of him. “Based on our scans, we believe it is occurring here, in the lagoon area. We have not been able to pinpoint the exact location as of yet.”
“Very good. Nice work, the two of you. Any word yet from the away team?”
Shabalala shook his head. “No, sir. There was another surge just a short while ago and the region experienced a power loss.”
“Sir, there is something else,” Tev said. “The peninsula region cannot handle much more of this strain. Based on models I’ve been developing, I predict that another shutdown of the weather grid system in that area will be catastrophic.”
Steeling himself for one of Tev’s long-winded lectures, but suspecting that this time he’d need to hear the whole thing, Gold prompted, “How do you mean?”
“In order to maintain such consistent weather year-round, the control grid creates a constant low pressure system, thus essentially warding off any climactic disturbances. Now that the grid has been shut on and off, it’s been allowing those disturbances to build in intensity. The higher-pressure systems that cause these storms are becoming stronger than the grid can defend against. Eventually, the grid will become useless, especially in its weakened state.”
Gold let out a low whistle. “All right, Tev, I want you to take a couple of tricorders and combadges and beam down to the away team’s last known position. I would imagine their equipment has been rendered useless.”
Tev straightened himself. “Yes, sir.”
“Give Commander Gomez the information regarding the weather situation as well.”
“Aye, sir.”
Tev stood there for a moment, as if waiting for something else.
“Well, go, Tev. Timing is important here.” Gold made a little shooing motion with his hands.
Tev left the bridge quietly. Gold sighed and gave Shabalala a look as if to say, “No, you may not comment on Tev.” The tactical officer returned to his scans, hiding a smile.
The captain turned away and walked back to his chair. He settled and wondered how centuries ago, when humanity first set out to explore the stars, all they had was one another on board those cramped vessels.
In the present day, commanding officers were always playing a juggling act, between accepting the cold logic of a Vulcan to the warrior mentality of a Klingon to the in-your-face directness of a Tellarite.
“Captain.” Shabalala drew his attention to the matter at hand once again. “I’m picking up a large energy reading approaching Risa.”
“Large?” Gold repeated.
Shabalala nodded. “Yes, sir. And it appears to be similar to the energy readings I’m detecting from the lagoon below.”
Gold rubbed his temples and frowned. “Great, more feeders to join the party.”
“This won’t be a party, sir,” Shabalala said. “This reading measures forty AU’s in diameter, enough to envelop the entire planet and drain it completely.”
Gold closed his eyes. “It just keeps getting better and better.” He opened them again. “Shabalala, I want to alert Director Tonais of the situation, have him prepare for a possible evacuation. Then contact Starfleet Command and have them send us anything that can help.”
“Sir, the energy masses will be in the system in less than two hours. There aren’t any Starfleet ships in the area.”
“Well, there are a number of ships in orbit right now. They’ll just have to do their part. Tev should be planetside by now. Contact his away team and have them beamed directly to the lagoon.”
“Aye, sir.”
Gold rose from his seat and stepped up behind the conn officer. “Wo
ng, plot an intercept course with those energy masses. Prepare to break orbit and take her to warp five.”
“Aye, sir. Course plotted and laid in,” Wong said as he tapped the commands into his console.
Gold stepped back and settled into his chair. “I hope you have a name ready for your yacht, Wong. We’re going to need it to help in the rescue operations.”
Wong smiled. “Well, if they have to go, some of them will go in style.”
“The away team has been transported to the lagoon, Captain,” Shabalala called out. “Chief Hawkins has returned with a slight phaser wound.”
Won’t he ever learn to duck? Gold mused to himself. Aloud, he said, “Engage, Wong.”
Chapter
12
If one were to watch the da Vinci away team materialize on the beach of the Monagas Lagoon, they would observe an interesting case study of differential behaviors of a multitude of species.
Gomez and Tev both immediately reached for their tricorders and began scanning the area, each trying to discover their quarry first. Soloman’s face was a mix of wonder and fear. All his life he had been used to the sterile simplicity of his homeworld. Yet, even though he had been to many a planet, the look of raw nature always filled him with a mix of emotions. Pattie always gave a slight shudder whenever she first materialized on solid ground. Even though she didn’t visit her homeworld often, she still had her tree legs and was much more used to clambering about from limb to limb.
Corsi reached for her phaser and turned with a scowl to Angelopoulos who immediately drew both his phaser and tricorder. She didn’t say a word to him, waiting for him to complete his task.
“There’s nobody in the area for about one hundred meters. I’m picking up the unusual energy reading in that direction,” Angelopoulos said, pointing to the caves. “That’s where our Gorn friends were looking before.”
