Gateways 07_ What Lay Beyond - Diane Carey [136]
“May I help you, Captain Picard?”
Startled, the captain looked at the interface and saw its expression had not changed. The words were in French, his native tongue.
“Yes, you may,” he said in the same language. “How do I disengage the gateways?”
“Our controls work both verbally and manually. If you wish to address the controls, give straightforward commands.”
Clearing his throat, Picard swallowed and then said, “Please shut down the gateway network.”
“Configuring the relays.”
There was a long pause but Picard could hear the mechanism at work and noticed he was holding his breath in anticipation.
“Networks closed down, relays disconnected. Do you require anything further?”
Could it be that simple? Picard stared at the system and saw that it seemed no different from before. “Computer, could the system have been deactivated by any of the fourteen stations?”
“No,” it replied. “The Master Resonator works off the biosignature of the one to make first contact. That would be you, Captain Picard.”
“Has no one else used these controls?” Wait, it knew his name. Again, the level of sophisticated technology gave him pause.
“The Master Resonator is our emergency shutdown system and has not been required before now.”
“Can the network be used anymore?”
“Yes. You would have to give me a restart instruction.” “How does the system shut down otherwise?”
“I cannot answer that.”
“Why not?”
“I do not have that information.”
Picard stared at the system with more than a little disbelief. He literally had the power over the gateways in his hands and no one else in the galaxy could take control. All it would take was for him to remove his unit and lock it away, and the gateways would no longer pose a threat. And only he knew this fact.
This was power he had promised to share, but he could not. He would be hunted for his DNA to restart the system, or be kidnapped in an attempt to gain control. Such information couldn’t even go into the restricted files of Starfleet for fear that the insidious Section 31 would gain the knowledge. No, he would have to keep this to himself and take it to his grave. And what then? Would his death prevent the gateways from ever being used again? The thought was staggering.
No, he could not believe that. Just as the computer did not know its full capabilities and the current Iconians knew little of their heritage, Picard had to believe that there was a way to properly use the system. He would hold on to that belief, since the alternative made him shiver.
Could he control one unit at a time, directing the device from a remote location? Picard queried the computer, which answered in the affirmative. He considered that for a moment and then a thought occurred to him. Quickly, he tapped his communicator and had Riker patch him through to the Nyrian ship.
“Sure thing,” Riker responded. “Did you succeed?”
“I believe so, Number One. Please have Data check all frequencies and see what he can learn.” He waited patiently as the link to the distant starship was made.
“What’s wrong, Captain?”
“Nothing, Taleen. However, I have gained control of the gateways and have shut them down. I can activate one, though, and send you close to home. We don’t have the coordinates and will have to guess, which means you may wind up as lost as poor Voyager. Or you may stay here and join us. You must make the choice; I cannot do it for you.”
“Captain Janeway has shown me great courage,” Taleen told him. “Send us home. But first, thank you for your help and kindness.”
Picard checked their best-guess coordinates, already researched by Ensign Paisner in stellar cartography thanks to Riker’s diligence. He gave the verbal directions to the computer and the interface acknowledged.
“Gateway activated.” And once more Picard waited for things to happen parsecs and parsecs away.
After some minutes, Riker contacted the captain and informed him that the long-range sensors at Starbase 134 showed the Nyrian ship had vanished. Mission accomplished.