Death of a Neutron Star - Eric Kotani [35]
Seven did another adjustment to the display and again it shifted. Only this time there were no green-colored stars anywhere inside the zed-tinted cylinder of death.
"The final explosion must happen two point three nine milliseconds earlier than predicted," Seven said. "To do so, we must increase the mass loss from the secondary star at this exact time."
Janeway nodded. A huge amount of time considering the forces at -work. But just maybe it would be possible.
"Agreed," B'Elanna said.
Seven nodded at her.
Beside them Dr. Maalot was doing fast calculations. After a moment he looked up, beaming. "If the mass loss is increased by point zero one six percent, the explosion will come exactly three point one five milliseconds earlier.
"How much energy would be needed to do that?" Janeway asked.
Dr. Maalot, B'Elanna, and Seven all worked at the calculation. Janeway stared at the line moving safely past all the inhabited systems. If there was a chance of making this flight path for the neutron star happen, they would take it.
Dr. Maalot finally broke the silence. "The amount of energy I came up with is staggering."
"The exact same amount as a warp-core breach," Seven said. "Within acceptable and controllable parameters."
Janeway stared at Seven for a moment. She had been afraid that would be the answer. This wasn't a situation she wanted to be put in. But she knew math doesn't lie.
"So," B'Elanna said, "the energy would be almost the same to move the star at the Lekk system. Right"
"Yes," Seven said.
Dr. Maalot just nodded.
"So where do the Qavok think they are going to get a warp-core breach?"
Silence filled the room as all of them thought about B'Elanna's question. Janeway didn't much like what she was thinking. Because if Captain Qados was planning to dive his ship into that binary, she was going to have to destroy him first. And she didn't like that idea at all.
"I'm fairly certain that Qavok do not commit suicide," Dr. Maalot said. "Especially by the shipload."
"Yes, but would they die for their cause?" B'Elanna asked. "Like good soldiers?"
Janeway glanced up at the display. The path of the neutron star went harmlessly out of the galaxy. No inhabited systems were destroyed. It was the only option they had. They had to try for it, somehow, some way. Doing nothing cost too many lives.
"How long until we have to send a warp core into that star to get this scenario?"
Seven and B'Elanna both set quickly to work.
After less than ten seconds Seven looked up. "Five hours, twenty-three minutes, ten seconds, fifty-nine milliseconds."
Torres looked up and nodded.
"All right," Janeway said. "I want a countdown. Have the computer remind us every thirty minutes that we've got that long to find a way to send a warp-core-sized explosion down into that binary. And stop the Qavok from doing the same. Let's get to work."
Janeway spun and left the lab, headed for the bridge. If an answer could be found, the three of them would find it.
She would come back and keep them moving shortly. But right now there were two things she had to check on before she could make the next move. Something that Chakotay had said nagged at her.
And something that Tuvok had said.
"Five hours, twenty minutes remaining." The computer announced the time to the entire ship just as Janeway walked onto the bridge. The entire bridge crew looked puzzled. She imagined that most everyone on the ship did too. But they would soon be filled in on the details.
"Listen up, people," Janeway said as she stepped down and stood beside her command chair. "This is how long we have to find a way to send the big neutron star below us on a safe path out of this galaxy. One millisecond later and entire inhabited systems will die."
The silence on the bridge was heavy.
Chakotay simply stared at her.
Ensign Kim's mouth was slightly open.
Beside her Tom