Dark Matters_ Ghost Dance (Book 2) - Christie Golden [7]
Seven watched Telek, studying him. She had learned much from the Romulan about his way of thinking, of approaching problems. Cognitive analytical reasoning seemed to be a strength of his, and Seven, though not directly of the Borg Collective any longer, still had a deep instinct to take what she could from others and make herself the better for it.
Finally Telek stopped. "We've been going about this all wrong," he said.
"Oh, great," said Torres. "What do you mean?"
"We have been thinking that Tialin gave us the orb to contain the dark matter once we were able to extract it."
"Well, she put the dark matter in it," Torres replied.
"Yes, but perhaps only to show us something." Telek stepped forward and plucked the orb out of the air. It lay quietly in his palm. "I think she meant this as an example. What was it she said... I can't remember exactly."
"Your tricorder," said Seven suddenly. "If it was functioning properly, it should have recorded your entire encounter with Tialin."
"If the dark matter hasn't gotten to it first," muttered Torres, but she too looked more hopeful. She went to a console and called up the records. "It seems to be intact. Let's see what we've got."
They stepped back and watched the encounter with the Shepherd unfold.
"Only a few yards now," said the videorecorded voice of Telek. "/ don't understand why they're so still-they must be waiting to greet us formally."
Telek scowled at the naifvet6 his recorded self displayed. "Or kill us," said Janeway. "We've got to be ready for that possibility "
"The area opens up into a cavern," said Telek on the recording. "Right around the corner."
"Phasers at the ready," ordered the captain.
The three assembled in engineering watched the
soft, purple illumination flooding the cavern. Floating in the clearing, as its smaller cousin was doing right now in engineering, was the large sphere that was creating the light.
"It's humming," said Torres sharply. "This one isn't humming."
"Noted," said Seven, her eyes on the screen. She was pleased. Already, they had learned something. "Perhaps the sound indicates a level of activity."
"The apparatus Lhiau gave us also hummed when it was activated," said Telek.
The videorecording of Chakotay was speaking now. Seven felt a slight pain inside as she saw both Paris and Chakotay, who were missing now, alive and well on the recording.
"It's like no technology I've ever seen," Chakotay said. "There's some kind of energy animating the sphere, coming from inside, but I don't know how to explain it. I can't even estimate its function."
"Telek? Any thoughts?"
"This appears to be similar to the apparatus they gave us to manipulate dark matter. My method of tracking down the Shepherds was never exact, Captain. I knew how to look for signs of their activity. I incorrectly assumed that this signified their presence, not simply a piece of their technology. I apologize for our failure."
"It's ancient, that's for sure," said Chakotay. "This sphere has been here for hundreds of thousands of years. Its energy is only detectable on the
very narrow, precise band that Telek gave us. I'd say it's unlikely that the inhabitants of this planet were even aware it was here."
"The narrow band," said Seven. "The orb has been impervious to all attempts to scan it. Perhaps we should reconfigure the tricorders to this precise frequency."
Torres nodded, her excitement growing. "When we're done with this, we'll get on that right away."
Janeway stepped up to the orb in the cavern and placed her hand on it. The light increased. A shape appeared inside the orb. It curled and twined, but began to take on a definable form. The orb shattered.
A blond woman stepped out
"Mother?" breathed Seven, her chest contracting. How could it be?
"B'Kor?"