Death of a Neutron Star - Eric Kotani [34]
"It is not possible to predict the exact moment of the secondary's explosion," Seven said.
"Who says?" Janeway asked.
Seven looked at Janeway with surprise etched on her determined face. "I have assimilated hundreds of different races. They all believe it would not be possible."
"I don't care," Janeway said. "I want you to run computer models on that binary. We've assumed up until now we couldn't predict it. Well, I'd like to try."
"I will try," Seven said, nodding.
"Good," Janeway said. She knew without a doubt that Seven's try would be the best any of them could do, and then some.
"SIX HOURS, THIRTY-SEVEN MINUTES, EIGHTEEN Seconds, twenty-one milliseconds, two hundred nine microseconds," B'Elanna said. "I agree with Seven."
B'Elanna, Seven, and Dr. Maalot were standing with Janeway in the astrometrics lab. On the display was a section of space near their present location. Hundreds of stars seemed to float in the air in front of them, like fireflies. Seven had marked the inhabited systems in a green tint. It gave the display an almost festive feel, if not for the line cutting through the entire area.
A death line as far as Janeway was concerned. Seven had put a red-tinted cylinder around the line showing the deadly area of a one-thousand-astronomical-unit radius. Janeway had no doubt the radius was bigger than that, but for now that line and red-tinted cylinder were enough.
And it would all start in six hours and thirty-seven minutes.
If Seven's calculations were correct, the larger neutron star would destroy three inhabited systems on that path, and who knew how many more beyond this area of space. Three green lights were inside that red-tinted area.
And once the neutron star started on that path, there would be nothing anyone could do to stop it.
"If my calculations are short by one millisecond," Seven said, "this would be the path." Seven keyed in a number and the line and red cylinder shifted slightly to Janeway's right.
Janeway studied it for a moment. On this line only two inhabited systems would be destroyed. One millisecond to save millions of lives. It seemed so harsh.
"If my calculations have allowed one millisecond too many, this would be the path." The line shifted quickly back to the left. Again three inhabited systems would be destroyed.
Three different systems.
"I've checked your computer model," B'Elanna said. "I'd bet on your hitting the time right on the money, within a fraction of a millisecond at most."
Seven nodded and said nothing.
"So how much of a shift are the Qavok trying for," Janeway asked, "if they plan to send the star at the Lekk system?"
Dr. Maalot started and Janeway touched his arm as a way of apology. She knew he must have family, friends there. If the Qavok succeeded, there would be time to evacuate the entire system, but it would still mean the loss of his homeworld.
Seven did a few quick calculations, then keyed in her findings on the astronomical display floating in front of them. The stars shifted and the line snapped to the left, cutting through the center of the Lekk system. "The explosion of the secondary neutron star must be sped up by two point four one milliseconds to get this path."
"I agree," B'Elanna said after a moment. "I figured the same result."
Janeway nodded. She didn't want to leave anything to chance; that was why she had both Seven and B'Elanna doing calculations. A very tiny mistake now would mean disaster to millions later.
"We can't let them do that," Dr. Maalot said.
"Don't worry," Janeway said assuringly. "Well stop them."
Maalot nodded and took a deep breath. Clearly seeing the line run through his home system had shaken him. It would have shaken her if that line had gone through Earth. But Janeway was even more afraid of the next question, afraid to ask it, to find out that what she asked was impossible.
She glanced at the display, then turned to face Seven. "How