Death of a Neutron Star - Eric Kotani [8]
"In the meantime," Janeway said, "I'd appreciate any suggestions about dealing with the Qavok if we run into them along the way."
Tyla nodded. "Understood, Captain. I will do what I can to help your cause."
"And I yours," Janeway said.
Tyla only nodded.
Janeway knew that Tyla didn't like her decision. She frowned as she imagined the hot headed young woman stealing one of Voyager's shuttlecraft, just as she had stolen the yacht.
"Come with me," Janeway said, standing and heading toward the bridge. As she entered, Tom said, "Course laid in, Captain."
"Let's go," she said. "Warp seven." Then she turned to Dr. Maalot. "Would you be willing to provide my people with information about this star while we are in transit?"
Maalot's face beamed with excitement. "With great pleasure, Captain. I would not have it any other way."
She nodded to Seven and B'Elanna. "Get to it."
Then she turned to Tuvok. "Please escort Tyla to guest quarters."
"Captain, I-"
Janeway held up her hand and stopped the Lekk from speaking. "We have time. Now you need some rest."
Tyla's face again turned a faint shade of red; then she nodded and followed Tuvok off the bridge.
"I don't think she's too happy with that order, Captain," Chakotay said, smiling, as Janeway slumped down into her command chair and stared wistfully at the empty coffee cup.
"Put a security detail near her quarters, but not close enough to be obvious."
Chakotay turned to follow her order.
"And one more thing," she said, staring at the warp images flashing past on the front screen.
"Yes, Captain," Chakotay said.
"I think we both need a cup of coffee." She smiled.
Chakotay laughed softly. "I'll see what Neelix has left."
"Thanks," Janeway said. She sighed, rested her chin on her hand, and looked out at the starscape that lay ahead.
SINCE THERE WAS OVER A DAY UNTIL THEIR ARRIVAL AT the binary star system, Neelix suggested he serve a late lunch first for the officers and the ship's guests. Janeway had figured it wouldn't hurt, and would even give her a little time to get a better sense of the truth of their story. And maybe find out that last detail Dr. Maalot seemed to be hiding.
Now Neelix buzzed around the two Lekks like a mother hen over her chicks. "Don't be shy, friends," Neelix said, putting more food on Dr. Maalot's plate. "There's more, a lot more, where this comes from."
Neelix had seated them all at the same table, with Tyla and Maalot to Janeway's right, Chakotay, Tuvok, B'Elanna, and Paris around the rest of the table. They were the only ones in the mess hall and the meal seemed to go well, as far as Janeway was concerned. But the conversation was purely social. It was time to get down to business.
"Doctor Maalot," she said, "would you mind fielding a few more questions from my officers about the neutron stars?"
Maalot, who had been fiddling around with the last of his pastry with a fork, smiled, then glanced around at the others. "Most assuredly, Captain."
The Lekk astrophysicist seemed almost beside himself to have the opportunity to elucidate on his favourite subject. "Let me begin with the construction of the star."
"The nuclear degenerate matter in a typical neutron star is so densely packed," he said, holding his palms together to illustrate, "that electrons are pushed into protons, turning them into neutrons. Since the star is basically made up of neutrons, instead of all sorts of atoms, as is the case with normal stars, it is called a neutron star. Under these conditions, the density of the matter is a few billion tons per cubic centimetre, which is about the size of a sugar cube. This may sound counterintuitive, but a neutron star with smaller mass is in fact larger in size than a more massive one."
Janeway was surprised the doctor had said all that without even taking a breath. She glanced at Tom. Clearly, the good doctor had almost lost him in the first sentence. Starfleet had required all its officers to take basic astrophysics