Boogeymen - Mel Gilden [3]
“How long do you suggest we do nothing, Lieutenant Shubunkin?” Riker asked in a tone that was not quite sarcastic.
Before Shubunkin or anybody else had a chance to speak, a teeth-jarring whine began. It seemed to come from all around them. Like the others, Picard covered his ears, but the sound went right through his hands. Data and Worf checked readings on their boards.
Worf called out, “An energy beam has penetrated our navigational shields.”
“Analyze and identify,” Riker said.
A moment later Data said, “I believe we are being subjected to a very powerful but primitive sensor scan. As it passes through the walls of the ship, unfocused fringe energy stimulates their molecules to vibrate at a high frequency.”
“Shields, Mr. Worf,” Picard said.
The whine did not change.
“Ineffective, Captain,” Data said. “However, changing the frequency of our shield generators may …” His hands played across the ops board. The whine stopped as suddenly as it had begun.
“Thank you, Mr. Data,” Picard said.
“Thanks are inappropriate, sir. We are no longer being scanned.”
“Open hailing frequencies. Broadcast universal greetings and peace messages.”
“Aye, sir,” Worf said as he complied.
“Waiting—” Shubunkin began.
A little angrily, Picard said, “Perhaps they are waiting for us.”
A long moment later Worf said, “No response of any kind, sir.”
“Continue broadcasting peace messages. Number One, ready an away team.”
Commander Riker barely had time to acknowledge Picard’s order before the alien ship moved to the other edge of the viewscreen without passing through the space in between. It was just suddenly there.
“Belay that order, Number One.”
Shubunkin walked forward and stood at the end of the tactical rail.
“Incredible,” Wesley cried out.
Picard said, “Incredible indeed, Mr. Crusher. Would anyone care to comment further?”
Lieutenant Shubunkin said, “As I suspected, they’ve seen our peace messages as a hostile intrusion.”
The alien ship jumped again. It hopped toward the Enterprise and then away. “That is not the action of a being who is ready either to fight or to retreat,” Picard said. “It is acting more like a playful kitten.”
“The reason we cannot see them move,” Data said, “is that they are hopping from place to place at warp speed.”
Wesley said, “Using the warp drive to move such short distances is a tremendous waste of energy.”
“It would certainly be a tremendous waste of energy to use our warp engines that way,” Data said. “Moving with that precision would also require a control system many generations beyond the one aboard the Enterprise.”
“I believe the greetings and peace messages were understood to be an attempt at communication,” Troi said. “Captain Picard’s comparison of the ship’s movements to those of a kitten are quite apt.”
Picard said, “Then I suggest we dangle a bit of string in front of it. Lieutenant?” Picard glanced in Shubunkin’s direction.
“Perhaps,” Shubunkin said, and stroked his chin.
“Mr. Crusher, ahead dead slow.”
“Aye, sir.”
Picard watched the alien ship closely as it grew larger in the viewscreen. Somehow he had to prod the crew or the ship’s automatic systems to respond in some way to the presence of the Enterprise. He was certain that not even an expert like Shubunkin could communicate with a being who would not communicate back.
Eventually Picard would attempt to take the ship onto a shuttle deck and allow Lieutenant Shubunkin to study it at close range. But that would be a last resort. For now the ship had a right to act in a way that made no sense to him. It was the nature of aliens to act in an alien manner. To see such things was another reason Picard had gone into space.
The alien ship stopped hopping. Picard got the impression it was watching their approach, but that was only fancy. Even if those aboard really were watching the approach of the Enterprise, Picard had no way of knowing it. Then, so fast that it left a momentary smudge on the viewscreen,