Gateways 07_ What Lay Beyond - Diane Carey [126]
“I’m not sure, to be honest. I think the machine will do something to indicate it is ready for you to do your part.”
Chanik smiled and nodded a few times. “It will be safe, right? Then I will have helped a Young God!”
The captain broke into a happy grin. “Yes, it will be quite a story for your friends. But once this is done, I suspect the machine will go dark and you should keep its existence to yourself. It will be our secret.” Here turned to the console and studied it. His right hand began flipping switches, as he recalled doing on Doral’s battered ship. There was a subtle shift in power and then a gateway sprang to life near the far wall. Chanik began to walk toward it but Picard called him back.
“But what is it?”
“It’s called a gateway,” Picard said as he concentrated on trying to recall the coordinate controls. He tapped a few, corrected a mistake, and continued. As happened on the ship, the gateway began spinning, showing different locales.
Each adjustment refined at least one of the destinations. Quickly, Picard spied a familiar waterfall on Risa, then a sand-swept city that he suspected was Nimbus III. He continued to fiddle with the controls, hoping he could at least find a starship’s bridge. A part of his mind suspected that thoughts did have some influence over the location definition. What was it he was telling Riker the other day? About a book where the lost man only wanted to go home. Picard thought about the Enterprise -E bridge as he continued to work on the controls.
The next image was not one for young eyes and Picard was pleased to see it replaced by a huge vessel, the likes of which he had never imagined. It was gone in a flash, the gateway next showing a satellite hurtling through space, a message of welcome from one race to its galactic neighbors.
There! He spotted La Forge walking across the rear of the bridge. The next two images were of planets he vaguely recognized but he paid them scant attention as he adjusted the controls. The Enterprise finally remained constant and Picard counted off time between rotations so he could step through correctly.
It was time.
Turning, he saw Chanik watch the gateway intently, occasionally looking at the galactic image still floating quietly over the console. He liked the boy and appreciated his company and his savvy under less than ideal situations.
“They dress like you; is that where the Young Gods live?”
“They are my companions and we try and do the right thing, much like you,” Picard said. Then he crouched lower to bring his face close to the now-sad boy. “I have no doubt that you will grow into a fine young man,” the captain told him. “This world has much to offer someone like you. However, it is time I go home myself. I need to step through the gateway and leave you to wait for the right moment to act. I can’t tell you how long it will be. Definitely more than a day.”
“That’s okay, Picard. I’ll be fine. You’ve shown me so much and I can think about it. I’ll be ready. You can count on me.”
Picard reached out and gently stroked his cheek. “Thank you.”
With that, he straightened his uniform and strode toward the gateway, counting off as it rotated. As the time approached, he bent his knees slightly and at the right moment, leapt into the gateway.
Chapter 6
Geordi La Forge was crossing the bridge, a padd in his hand, and Riker knew it was coming time to make a decision. He didn’t want to make it, didn’t necessarily feel as if he was the right officer to decide the fate of the Iconian legacy. It was, after all, his captain’s fascination for all these years. No, it didn’t feel right at all to be the one to decide to destroy the gateways. The specter of guilt was already hanging over his head.
“We can do it, but we still don’t know where they all are,” La Forge said, handing the padd to the commander.
“Data, how is Captain Solok doing with the mapping mission?”
“Our latest information shows that a preliminary map is due to be delivered to