by Lee Correy
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Table of 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
Look for STAR TREK fiction from Pocket Books
TO
CAROLYN AND LEW
Chapter One
"May I call to your attention, Captain, that our present course takes us disturbingly near the reported gravitational turbulence reported by Federation ships in this sector of the Orion Arm?" As usual, Spock was both punctilious and logically correct in his assessment of the situation.
Captain James T. Kirk turned in his command seat and glanced at where his Vulcan First Officer was looking at him from the navigation station of the Bridge of the USS Enterprise. Kirk smiled. "I am, Mister Spock. May I call to your attention the fact that Star Fleet Command sent the Enterprise out here to investigate that reported gravitational turbulence?" He looked thoughtful for a moment, then added, "I was told it would be an easy, straightforward scientific exploration mission to make up for the fact that we've seen more than our share of Klingons lately. . . ."
"I was present at the mission briefing, Captain," Spock reminded him.
"Then why the note of caution?" Kirk wanted to know.
"Probably," said Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy as he stepped onto the Bridge from the turbolift, "because our Science Officer needs to inject a bit of speculative hazard into a mission that's turned out to be nothing but a boring tour of largely uncharted space. As a respite from continual action, this R&R scientific exploration mission's driving your crew batty, Jim."
"I'll second that," Sulu remarked from the helm. "We've held the same heading now for seven watches. . . ."
Kirk smiled. His people needed the rest and relaxation they termed "boredom." It had been a rough tour out on the edge of the Organian Treaty Zone. Not even a month of shore leave on Starbase 4 had eliminated his own fatigue. And he was certain the rest of the crew was no better off than he.
Kirk had actually looked forward to their current mission: cruising along the inner edge of the Orion Arm, taking data. They were far from Klingons and Romulans. His crew needed the break that a purely scientific measurement and charting mission would involve.
"Be that as it may, steady as she goes, Mister Sulu," Kirk gently told his helmsman. "And don't get too lax. I might become difficult and pull an emergency phaser drill to keep you on your toes."
"The crew would welcome it," McCoy said. "Jim, I know we've had some difficult missions recently, but this crew thrives on such things. Give them a long and uneventful assignment such as this, and they'll go soft on you."
"That I doubt," the Captain of the Enterprise said. "Lieutenant Uhura, you don't seem to be bored."
Uhura removed the receiver unit from her ear and smiled at her commanding officer, a definite breach of her usual efficient Bridge behavior. "Actually, Captain, handling routine communications has been a welcome change. My division needs to regain its proficiency in handling standard, normal procedures again. And do you realize I haven't had to open a hailing frequency even once since we left Starbase Four?"
Kirk chuckled at that, remembering the one time his comm officer almost broke under stress and complained about incessant and repeated opening of hailing frequencies.
"Quite seriously, Captain," Spock persisted, "we are penetrating totally unexplored space where we are not precisely certain of the shape of space caused by gravitational anomalies. The data returned by the Scout Ship Phoenix were quite incomplete because they did not penetrate as closely to the edge of the arm as our course has already taken us."
Kirk sensed that something was bothering Spock. "What seems to be the basis for your concern, Spock? You didn't appear to be disturbed during the mission briefing at Starbase Four. Explain."
"I had insufficient time to thoroughly study the data during that briefing, which was exactly as its name implied: brief. In fact, too brief in relationship to the possible hazards we might face," Spock explained. He turned to the library computer console and called up an image of the galactic sector in which the Enterprise was currently operating. Kirk rose from his seat and came over to Spock's side to get a better view of what his Science Officer was trying to explain. He found that McCoy was at his side as well.
Projected on the screen was the known galactic region from Mark 10D to Mark 25D. The computer image of the Enterprise was shown skirting the inner edge of the Orion Arm about 10 kiloparsecs from Starbase 4. Spock didn't bother to use the electronic cursor to point to what he was talking about; he merely used one of his long Vulcan fingers. "As we already know from our extensive experience in crossing the void between the Orion Arm and the outer Perseus Arm of the Galaxy, there's usually considerable gravitational turbulence at the edges of galactic spiral arms. This turbulence is analogous to that which one would see when mixing a granular material with a liquid using a circular motion."
"Analogous, but not the same, because analogies never bear a one-to-one relationship with the real universe," Kirk pointed out.
"True. However, the Federation has charted the zones of maximum gravitational turbulence in the rift void between Starbases One, Ten, and Eleven and the Outpost Colonies at the edge of the Romulan Treaty Zone … and traffic consisting of both Star Fleet and commercial vessels carefully avoids these zones. There's no acceptable theory concerning the gravitational turbulence on the edges of galactic arms at this time. However, I suspect that such turbulence is caused by the fact that, unlike stellar motions in the galactic arms themselves, stellar motions at the edge of the galactic arms are almost random in nature. In turn, this would produce interacting gravitational fields which, essentially, distort the fabric of space itself." Spock turned to his Captain and added, "Of course, this verbal description is extremely imprecise because of the semantic illogic of our language. I've not yet been able to formulate a logical mathematical model of this hypothesis, but I'd be happy to show you the mathematical model that I've managed to derive thus far, imprecise as it may be at this time. . . ."
Kirk held up his hand. "Spare me, Spock. When it comes to field tensors and translational dynamic matrices, I struggled through them at the Academy and understand them. But when you can get your hypothesis into such a shape that you can explain it in the imprecise words of language, it means you've got your hooks into it."
"I beg
your pardon?" Spock put in, raising one eyebrow.
"I think what the Captain's trying to tell you, Spock, is that words sometimes convey a more meaningful explanation of the real world than mathematics," McCoy said with the usual cynical tone in his voice that arose when he confronted the logical Vulcan on such matters. "A long time ago, I learned that mathematics will tell you only the logical consequences of your initial assumptions … and since assumptions are rarely logical, the mathematical results that come from illogical assumptions are garbage."
Spock's other eyebrow went up. "Doctor, I see no reason for you to insult me. I fully realize that you prefer to protect the image of your medical art as an arcane activity not subject to the logic of science, but there are some aspects of the universe quite logically predictable by means of mathematics. . . . Otherwise, we'd be unable to navigate anywhere in space."
"Gentlemen," Kirk broke into what was obviously growing into another basic philosophical confrontation between his Science Officer and his Medical Officer, "shall we confine such discussions to the ward room, please? Spock, what are you really trying to tell me? Speculate if you have to. But specify." It came out as an order.
Spock reacted suitably. "If we continue on our present heading, we have once chance in three hundred sixty-four-point-six-seven of entering a sector of highly warped space caused by this gravitational turbulence. I cannot predict the consequences."
"As I told you, speculate," Kirk snapped.
"Space may be warped or even folded by gravitational turbulence. We probably wouldn't be able to detect such a folding until we'd crossed it, because our sensors aren't optimized for such work. It would've been more logical for Star Fleet Command to send a properly equipped exploration ship out here instead of a heavy cruiser such as the Enterprise. However, I realize that one does not argue with Star Fleet Command. Because we couldn't detect such a fold in space, we could end up crossing a 'discontinuity' that might transport this ship over very large distances in unknown directions. And it might be very uncomfortable. I'd venture to predict that it might overstress the structure of the ship. . . ."
"And with no advance warning?" Kirk wanted to know.
"Perhaps some indications. As we grow nearer to the zone of greatest turbulence, we could expect to experience some effects."
"Such as?"
The whole structure of the Enterprise suddenly bucked, shuddered, then steadied again. It was enough to throw McCoy to the deck, but both Spock and Kirk managed to grab the console and the bridge rail respectively.
"Such as that, Captain. Only much worse."
Kirk was back at his command seat immediately. "Sections report. Damage?"
Uhura's calm and professional reply came at once over the chatter of intership communications from all departments. "Negative damage, Captain. A few people shaken up."
"Helm and navigation, negative damage," Sulu reported. "Holding course."
McCoy was on his way to the turbolift. "They'll need me in Sick Bay," he muttered, and was gone.
Scotty's voice chimed in over the intercom, "Negative damage in Engineering, Captain. But that was a horrendous jolt! Did we ram something? Or was it a pothole in the road to the stars?"
"I don't know, Scotty!" Kirk shot back. "Stand by. Steady as she goes, everyone." He turned to Spock. "Well, Mister Spock?"
Spock was busy at his library computer console, peering into the hooded viewer. "As I suspected, Captain. A gravitational anomaly due to interstellar turbulence."
"An anomaly strong enough to affect a ship of the size of the Enterprise cruising at Warp Factor Four?"
"Affirmative, Captain. And more to come if we follow this course," Spock warned him. "The Phoenix data are somewhat out-of-date since the stars and the turbulence vortex centers seem to have shifted since they probed this area several years ago. I'd suggest extreme prudence in proceeding further, Captain. I can't predict what we'll encounter in the way of space strains."
When Kirk had to make a decision, he could make one fast. "Sulu, reduce speed to Warp Factor Two, same course. Mister Spock, sensors at maximum sensitivity and range. We'll continue, since it's our mission to explore these gravitational anomalies and chart them if possible. Other ships will follow in our track because this sector of the Federation's territory has yet to be explored and opened to colonization. Lieutenant Uhura, Yellow Alert, please. And have Mister Spock prepare a data dump for transmission to Starbase Four." What Kirk did not add to this was that the data transmission to Starbase 4 was a hedge against the Enterprise running into trouble further along. Under such conditions, the data would at least get back to Star Fleet Command, where it would be available to others.
He punched a control on the arm of his seat. "All hands, this is the Captain," he announced, his voice ringing through the passageways and compartments of the ship. "As you're all aware, we're on a scientific exploration mission that has a good chance of holding surprises such as the one we just encountered. That was only a mild gravitational anomaly, something we were sent out here to chart. There will be others to come. And it's likely to be a bit bouncy. Please secure all frangible materials and fixtures. And be prepared for sudden jolts. We're proceeding at reduced Warp Factor to minimize any future shocks. Carry on."
He punched off the circuit and looked around the Bridge. They were a good crew. Each of them was busy at his post, doing what was required with a cool and professional efficiency. "Mister Spock, will you put on the main screen the computer analysis of space strains ahead based on gravitational sensor findings, please? And steady as she goes, Mister Sulu. . . ."
Captain's Log: Stardate 5064.4
What started out as a restful scientific mission has turned into one with some danger associated with it—as I should have suspected. Any time we venture into uncharted sectors of the Galaxy, we must anticipate and be prepared for the unexpected. In this case, we knew the gravitational anomalies were here, and they've been one of the basic reasons why the Federation hasn't established outposts, colonies, or Starbases across the interarm void in the Sagittarius Arm. We haven't encountered any further gravitational anomalies, but we'll proceed with care, approaching the inner edge of the Orion Arm gradually, taking data as we go. In a way, this possible hazard benefits my crew because they were beginning to become bored and restless with routine. Because this new hazard involves the Enterprise against the universe rather than against hostile life forms such as Klingons, Romulans, and others that we've encountered in the past, it's indeed a form of "relaxation" for us because it's different and allows us to pit our minds against the forces of nature rather than against the forces of alien life forms. Naturally, this is probably most exciting to Mister Spock, who's been engaged in an almost compulsive display of continuing work with the sensors and the ship's computer, taking and evaluating data with what is for Spock an almost feverish intensity of effort. It's been more than ten watches since he's left his post on the Bridge. Doctor McCoy seems unworried about this continued activity on Spock's part, advising me that Vulcans often show the capability to work for long periods of time without what we would consider to be "rest," especially when the activity involves such logical and cerebral work as Spock is now engrossed in.
There were a few more jolts, none greater than the first that had shaken the Enterprise. The crew was almost beginning to get used to them. The first jolt had sent seven crew members to Sick Bay with bruises, cuts, and contusions. The second one caught only two people unprepared. After that, the shocks seemed to become part of the ship's routine, a sudden and unexpected happening that served to keep people on their toes and alert.
Spock was recording and analyzing copious amounts of data. A continuous series of data-dump messages went out over subspace radio to Starbase 4, an activity that kept Uhura busy.
Things had almost settled down to routine again as the Enterprise cruised along the inner edge of the Orion Arm. On one side of her, toward the Orion Arm, the sky was full of stars, while on the other there was b
ut a band of wan light from the millions of stars of the Sagittarius Arm across the 800 parsecs of the interarm void.
Then it happened.
Kirk was resting in his quarters when the wall opposite his bunk appeared to shimmer and wave as if it had been made from gelatin. He felt a burst of nausea pass through his body such as he'd once experienced when he'd been through a transporter that was badly out of phase. The next thing he knew, he was flattened to the overhead, then dropped roughly back into his bed with a thump that caused the bunk supports to complain with a groan of stressed material. There were other noises that accompanied this severe overload of the ship's gravitational-field generators, noises from both the ship and the crew that penetrated the bulkheads of his cabin. Groggily, sick to his stomach, and very much shaken, he rolled to the floor and managed to stand up. He slammed his palm down on the wall intercom switch.
"Bridge, this is the Captain. Report!"
The intercom was dead.
Only then did Kirk realize that the emergency lighting was now on. He staggered as the ship's internal field struggled to reestablish itself again. When he got to the door to his cabin, it wouldn't open; he smashed the emergency latch cover and opened it manually.
The ship's corridors were full of moans, cries of pain, and screams of anguish. Kirk shut them out of his mind; he couldn't stop to help any of his crew right then; he had to get to the Bridge. The paramedic crews from McCoy's department would be along soon to take care of the injured. Kirk had the entire ship to worry about.
The turbolifts were not operating, so Kirk resorted to the companionways and gangways. It had been a long time since he'd entered the Bridge through the emergency doors, which he had to operate manually. What he found when he stepped onto the Bridge was disarray.
