Invincible, Book Two

by David Mack

  Other eBooks in the Star Trek®:

  Starfleet Corps of Engineers series from Pocket Books:

  #1: The Belly of the Beast by Dean Wesley Smith

  #2: Fatal Error by Keith R.A. DeCandido

  #3: Hard Crash by Christie Golden

  #4: Interphase Book 1 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

  #5: Interphase Book 2 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

  #6: Cold Fusion by Keith R.A. DeCandido

  #7: Invincible Book 1 by David Mack & Keith R.A. DeCandido

  #8: Invincible Book 2 by David Mack & Keith R.A. DeCandido

  COMING SOON:

  #9: The Riddled Post by Aaron Rosenberg

  #10: Gateways Epilogue: Here There Be Monsters by Keith R.A. DeCandido

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  An Original Publication of POCKET BOOKS

  POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  Copyright © 2001 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

  STAR TREK is a Registered Trademark of Paramount Pictures.

  This book is published by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., under exclusive license from Paramount Pictures.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  ISBN: 0-7434-2873-0

  eISBN: 978-0-7434-2873-6

  First Pocket Books E-Book edition September 2001

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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  http://www.SimonSays.com

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  About the Authors

  Second officer’s log, Lt. Commander Kieran Duffy, U.S.S. da Vinci, Stardate 53288.1

  I’m worried about Sonnie. And I’m worried about me, too.

  The da Vinci’s still at yellow alert while we wait to find out what’s happening at Deep Space 9. There’s every possibility that another war with the Dominion is in the offing. If that’s true, we’re all in for a galaxy of trouble, especially since our first officer’s so far away.

  Commander Sonya Gomez, first officer of the da Vinci, my immediate superior, and a woman I have grown very fond of over the years, is right now in the very distant Nalori Republic. That distance, combined with the Nalori’s lack of Federation relay stations, means that just a communication to her would take two days to arrive.

  I’ve already sent her two messages, but haven’t heard anything back. I hope she’s okay. The Nalori don’t like the Federation much, and only asked for her because they needed her expertise to help build a subspace accelerator, to help them get chimerium off the planet Sarindar.

  A planet full of that super-dense ore is a great find, and I’m glad that we’re getting to help mine it. I’m also glad that this will probably mean improved relations with the Nalori.

  But I’m not glad that we’re potentially on the brink of war, and Sonnie’s so far away.

  I miss her. And I’m worried about her.

  First officer’s log, Commander Sonya Gomez, planet Sarindar, Stardate 53283.1

  There is a second “monster shii” on Sarindar. At 2342 hours, it broke through the electrified fence that surrounds the work camp. Unlike the previous shii that I killed, and which murdered several workers, this one suffered no appreciable injury. It immediately ripped into the nearest tent, which belonged to Kejahna, the foreperson, and three other Nalori: Erobnos, Caargenne, and Houarner. The creature definitely killed Kejahna—who leapt in front of an attack that would have decapitated Caargenne, and was disemboweled—and gravely injured the other three.

  The shii then carried all four bodies out of the camp.

  I witnessed most of this, having come to investigate when I first heard the screams of the Nalori being attacked.

  While I record this log entry, my assistant Razka is organizing a second hunting party. I have composed a hasty condolence letter to be sent to Kejahna’s family. If Erobnos, Caargenne, and Houarner wind up killed, as I suspect will be the case, I will do the same for their families—assuming I survive. I fear that this creature will not be as easy to stop.

  Razka is calling me. The party is ready to go.

  Letter from Razka on Sarindar to Marig on Nalor, eleventh day of Sendrak, twenty-third year of Togh

  My wife:

  I write to you for the first time since arriving at this dreadful place. The reason is, I fear for my life. Since the cause of the fear still exists, I write. Before I go any further, however, I wish to make a request of you. Please kiss each of my children for me. When you do so, tell each of them that their father loves them. Even the ones who are too young to comprehend. You will understand why I ask this after you read this letter. But, please, do that first. Thank you.

  Of all my wives, you are the one I dislike the least. So I wish you to have this record of my life in this place. We are building a subspace accelerator here on Sarindar. It will allow our glorious government to harvest chimerium. That, I’m sure, means as much to you as it does to me. But they’re paying me, so I won’t complain.

  The first thing that happened when I got here will amuse you. The foreman issued me a weapon. Me. It took three days just to figure out which was the right end to point. But the foreman insisted. He was a big man named Kejahna. He assigned me to be the aide to the project leader. That used to be Nalag. You would have liked Nalag. He was pleasant. He was also driven insane by this place. Much the same way you drive me insane, to be truthful. After he went mad, the government did something odd. They requested help from the Federation. The Federation sent a woman from Starfleet. I thought that made them madder than Nalag, at first. But Commander Gomez has been magnificent. Several here started calling her “Sañuul” because of her work. She made the load-lifters work. She brought the project back on schedule. She fixed several errors in the subspace accelerator.

  She also killed a monster shii.

  No, your fears have not been confirmed. I have not gone insane. I sometimes wish I had, but no. The monster shii is real. It is not just the stuff of legends. And Commander Gomez killed it after it attacked and killed several workers.

  The problem with legends isn’t when they turn out to be true. It’s when they turn out to be half-true. You see, in all the stories I’ve heard about the monster shii, I’ve never heard anyone mention two. But there were two here. The second one is much bigger than the first. It killed Kejahna and took three others. Commander Gomez told me to organize a search party. She and Kejahna did that the last time a monster shii attacked. I didn’t want to go with her, but she insisted. Especially with Kejahna dead. Do you know what she told me? That I was the only person she trusted no
w. Armed with my sonic rifle and this undeserved responsibility, I went out with her.

  Sarindar is a beautiful place in the daylight. At night, it is somewhat less so. When the sunlight glints off the flora, it’s like walking in a jewel. Without that light, it’s like walking in a tomb. Especially when we came across the dead bodies. Houarner, Erobnos, and Caargenne, the three who were taken. Also Kejahna’s body. We found their remains on the ground, ripped to pieces. Except, of course, for their heads. The monster shii presumably still had them. The one Commander Gomez had killed had taken poor Kelrek’s head.

  We continued to follow the trail. It led to a large cave. Commander Gomez told me that the last monster shii was in a cave. This cave was apparently much bigger. But it had the same thing in it. Skulls. Many many skulls from many many animals. Some of them looked quite old. The monster shii had obviously been killing for a long time.

  Commander Gomez, for some reason, kept saying that we had done something to provoke the monster. I explained that it didn’t need provocation. It simply collected heads. Then she said that if it collected heads, it might be rational. I suppose they teach that sort of silliness in Starfleet. Most of the party thought her to be mad. Zilder, the religious Bolian pilot, summed it up best. “This is not one of Ho’nig’s creatures.” Ho’nig is his god. From the moment we met, he tried to convert me to worshipping Ho’nig. Unfortunately, his missionary zeal was not very convincing, and was even less so when the monster shii cut his head off.

  I froze when that happened. I just stood there and watched as the monster shii leapt out of nowhere and ripped Zilder into pieces. Just two days ago, I was teasing Zilder about his conversion attempts. In fact, I joked that he should have tried to convert the monster shii. Then Commander Gomez would not have had to kill it. Instead, it killed him. Commander Gomez did not hesitate. She fired on the creature. Several others followed suit.

  I did not. I just stood there. My mouth was agape. I couldn’t even raise my weapon. My first thought was that I would never see my children again. That is why I asked you to kiss them earlier. I swore at that moment that the first thing I would do if I made it back alive was express my love for my children.

  Not that I expected to get back alive. Even as most everyone else fired on the creature, it continued its rampage. The sonic rifle fire didn’t even slow it down. This wasn’t a total surprise, as it is about twice as big as the first one to attack. That one is a corpse, presently sitting in the camp hospital. Its fellow started killing indiscriminately. After Zilder, it decapitated D’Ren and literally sliced Eridak in two. Entorr started to run away, and G’sob ran toward it.

  Still I did not move. I just stood in the cave. People were scattering around me. The shii was slicing at anything that came near it. And the only sound I heard was the whining of the rifles. Sonic rifles don’t give off any kind of emission, the way a laser would. They just make that whining sound. I heard no screams, though I saw mouths move. I did not hear the sounds of flesh being rendered, though I saw it being done. But all I could hear was the sound of every rifle firing. Every rifle, save my own.

  At least until Commander Gomez ordered a retreat. That I did hear. Somehow, then, I found the wherewithal to make my legs move. We ran back to the camp. I came straight to my tent and began writing this letter. I have now fulfilled my oath to myself. When the next window in the suns’ interference opens, we will send many messages. The primary one will be to request of the government that the project be terminated and we be allowed to leave. This letter, however, will go as well.

  If I die here, please let my children know who their father was. Tell them that I was a coward, or lie to them, it does not matter. Just tell them.

  Best regards,

  your husband,

  Razka

  First officer’s log, Commander Sonya Gomez, planet Sarindar, Stardate 53283.9

  I have returned with the search party. We were able to trace the “monster shii” to its lair—another cave system, about half a kilometer farther from the camp than the smaller cave where the previous shii had its lair. This cave was much larger, and contained a con-comitantly larger number of skulls. I was hoping to collect some skulls for samples, for Dr. Dolahn to examine, but the opportunity did not present itself, as the shii attacked. Zilder, D’Ren, and Eridak were all killed, and several others were injured. (Tricorder recording of attack appended.)

  It is after midnight, so our next quasar/pulsar window won’t be until tomorrow afternoon. When that happens, I intend to send a message to the Nalori government, requesting that we receive permission to suspend the SA project until we can deal with this problem. I’m also preparing a distress signal to send to the da Vinci—based on Lt. Commander Duffy’s last communiqué, they may not be able to respond to it, but I’d rather play it safe.

  I’ve also instructed the remaining workers to construct a sonic barrier around the camp. The electric fence we put up didn’t even slow this creature down, and we need some kind of defense. True, the sonic weapons didn’t work, but that may have been because they’re not powerful enough. J’Roh—who is now the foreperson, following Kejahna’s death—pointed out that we’d have to cannibalize some of the sonic rifles to accomplish this, but, to my mind, it’s worth it.

  It’s not like the weapons were doing us any good….

  My next task is to find a way to conduct an active scan on this planet. I need to get proper sensor readings of this area, see what it is that’s attracting the shii here. I suspect that we’re doing something to provoke it. Animals generally don’t attack without a reason. Since it can’t digest carbon-based life, it obviously isn’t pursuing us for food. Besides, the specificity of the attacks indicates a possibility of intelligence. But this is all speculation until I can get this tricorder to do some actual scans.

  Personal log, Commander Sonya Gomez, planet Sarindar, Stardate 53284.1

  A miracle has happened. I was up all night working on it, but I finally figured out a way to adjust the tri-corder so I can get at least partial sensor readings of the chimerium-laced area. The resolution is awful and the readings are spotty, but it’s better than what we had before, which was nothing. I hope that I get to live long enough to share this breakthrough with Starfleet. Razka’s at my tent….

  Supplemental

  For the second time on this expedition, Razka has asked me to perform the funeral rites for the people who were killed by the monster shii, which reminded me that I hadn’t yet written condolence letters to the families of the ones who died. I already did one for Kejahna’s family. I have to admit—I hate to admit—that I forgot about both duties in the rush of getting the workers to build the barrier and adjusting the tri-corder.

  I just remembered that time on the Enterprise—our first encounter with the Borg. I was an ensign, fresh out of the Academy, working in engineering under Geordi La Forge. The Borg cut parts of three decks out of the saucer section—with eighteen people in them. They were missing and presumed assimilated. I kept trying to focus on getting the shields back up, but I couldn’t get those eighteen people out of my mind. Geordi said two things to me: “Just put it out of your head” and “We’ll have time to grieve later.”

  But the Nalori peoples have very particular funeral rites. And I’m a part of it now, whether I like it or not.

  Besides, there’s not a helluva lot I can do until noon, when we send the messages.

  Supplemental

  The funeral was subdued. The ceremony was for everyone who died except Zilder. I think I did a better job of commending the mazza of the dead to the Endless Wind this time. I wish that I didn’t have to keep practicing, though.

  Eridak, one of the Nalori who died, only had two scars—both on his face, none on his forearms. From what I’ve learned, those are the basic coming-of-age scars. Every Nalori here has them, but he was the only one I remember who had only those two. Which meant he was very young. Too young to die.

  Afterward, I checked the tent that Zilder had
shared with three other workers, and it turned out that he had made up a will since arriving on Sarindar. Rather than follow any Bolian traditions, his wishes related to the death rites of the Damiani. Zilder had worshipped the Damiani god Ho’nig, and according to the Se’rbeg—the holy book of Ho’nig-worshippers—he was required to be buried within three days of death.

  That, of course, isn’t going to happen. The crystalline nature of this world makes it impossible to bury anything.

  Zilder wrote his will on a piece of paper. He had made many corrections and addenda to it during his time here. He left the Culloden to the Nalori Republic, “as my thanks for hiring me to work for them.”

  He left his copy of the Se’rbeg to me. He had originally left it to Nalag, my predecessor, but that had been replaced with my name. The exact phrasing was, “To [Nalag, crossed out] Commander Sonya Gomez, I leave my most valued copy of the Se’rbeg, the holy words of Ho’nig, in the hopes that [he, crossed out] she will find the same enlightenment and glory through it that I found over the years. This is the book that changed my life for the better. I hope it can do the same for [him, crossed out] her.”

  I stared at the cracked leather binding of the book and shook my head. I had found Zilder’s constant religious harping to be irritating from the moment he picked me up in the Culloden at Starbase 96, several dozen eternities ago, but now, realizing that I would never hear him imploring me to take Ho’nig into my life again, I found I was going to miss it.

  I can’t even give him a proper burial.

  Dammit, this whole thing is falling apart. Yesterday, we were on schedule and the one danger to the project had been killed. Now, seven more people are dead, work has ground to a halt while we try to defend ourselves against a hostile alien—and try to find out why it’s attacking us. How the hell did this happen?

  I’m going to find out.

  Supplemental

  I just finished my first scan of the area. So far, nothing. Razka came up to me and asked me what I was doing, and I explained to him that I was trying to determine why the shii was attacking.