Death of a Neutron Star - Eric Kotani [17]
"We're there," Paris finally said, after what seemed to be one of the longest silences Janeway could remember on the bridge.
Tom let out a deep breath and smiled at Janeway. Little beads of sweat covered his forehead and neck.
"Nice job, Tom," Janeway said. "Stand ready in case we have to make a quick escape. I want to be able to warp out of here almost instantly."
Paris nodded. "Will do."
Janeway stared at the incredible sight. In all her years, she'd never seen anything like it. At this new distance, the ship traveled around the neutron star pair at a breathtaking rate of seventeen minutes per revolution, or at a velocity of almost a thousand kilometers a second. It was the only way the ship could hold against the incredible gravitational forces of the two neutron stars. They had to be traveling at a speed that would throw them away from any normal planet or sun, yet here they were held in orbit over the two neutron stars by the incredible gravitational forces at work.
The two other ships seemingly held positions stationary beside Voyager on the screen, even though they were moving as fast. The relative positions of the three ships remained virtually constant by their choice of similar orbital elements, a distance far enough to avoid most of the deadly tidal forces of the two neutron stars, but sufficiently close to enable the precise observations necessary for determining exactly when the moment of truth would arrive: the moment when the lesser of the two stars would explode and fling the primary away.
When that happened, Janeway wanted everything to be ready, and for Voyager to be a distance away. A long distance away.
"Any identity on the other two ships?" she asked, forcing herself to sit back in her chair and take a deep breath. "Any response?"
"No, Captain," Ensign Kim said. "One appears to be Qavok, but I'm not sure. The other, I have nothing to match it."
"Agreed, Captain," Tuvok said. "Second ship is of unknown configuration and armaments. I recommend caution."
"Screens are up, Mr. Tuvok," Janeway said. "But recommendation noted."
"Enlarge on screen," Chakotay said.
The images of the two ships filled the main screen, for the moment replacing the image of the binary. Janeway studied them. She had to admit that one of the alien ships had the primitive ruggedness of the Qavok frigate that they had rescued Tyla and Dr. Maalot from, except this one was substantially larger. Like the frigate, the ship had the outline of a misshapen ovoid with all sorts of protrusions. It reminded Janeway of pictures of a rhinoceros ready to charge. Ugly ship. Just plain ugly.
"Tuvok," Janeway said, "can you get a reading on strength of armaments and screens on that large ship?"
"It is the same as the other Qavok ship," Tuvok said after a moment. "It does not appear to present a real threat."
"Good," she said. "What about the other one?"
The second vessel looked eerie and almost ephemerally elegant beside the first. The exterior might have been conceived by a Rousseau or a Chagall. Although its shape did not really resemble it, the ship somehow evoked in Janeway's mind the image of Taj Mahal under a moonlit sky. The designer had a very strange vision as far as Janeway was concerned. Where she expected to see sharp, denned edges, she found only gentle curves. There were lines where no lines needed to be, portals where none seemed likely. Very strange, yet surrealistically appealing.
Both ships were similar in size, about on par with Voyager. And considering their location so close to the binary neutron stars, they were clearly shielded and powerful enough.
"Both ships are now hailing us, Captain," Kim said.
Janeway glanced around her bridge. It seemed that everything, at least for the moment, was on track.
"Set up a three-way conference, Mr. Kim. Make sure the other parties can see each other."
"Aye, Captain."
Janeway was not surprised to find a Qavok captain staring at her from the first screen, his reptilian teeth showing