Hard Crash - Christie Golden [2]
Gold's sharp eyes scanned his crew. He nodded, as if satisfied.
"We got the notification from Scotty about fifteen minutes ago. We're going to have to move quickly, gentlemen, ladies and others. We've got a delicate situation on our hands. Commander, if you will?"
La Forge touched a button. Bart felt a sinking in the pit of his stomach as he stared at the image that appeared. A large ship lay like a beached whale in the center of tons of debris. The pile of rubble had once been, if the graceful curves and arcs of the surviving buildings were any indication, a highly civilized city. The vessel was oval in shape, with four peculiar extensions jutting out of its fore and aft sections that looked like spikes. It seemed as if the impact had severely damaged the vessel, but the unfortunate city had gotten the worst of the deal.
Faulwell's mind raced. High population area, doubtless.
"Casualties?" asked Gomez, alert and focused.
"None that we know of, fortunately," said Gold. "It's the capital city of Intar."
"Not Intar!" gasped Abramowitz, her eyes wide with shock. "The Intarians are famous for their friendliness. I can't imagine anyone attacking them."
"They also have an extremely advanced warning system," said Gold. "It was designed so that they could address approaching ships and send them a nice hello. The other, secondary, purpose was to identify drifting space debris that might d o some damage. They were able to evacuate the entire city before impact."
Bart felt the tension in his chest ease a little.
"However," Geordi continued, "according to reports on approach of the ship, everything points to the vessel deliberately crashing into the planet. The Intarians tried to contact it, and when contact failed, they open fire. Intar doesnt have much of a defense system and what little they did have seemed to have absolutely no impact on this thing. And while it's temporarily dormant, it's still emitting signals." He tapped the screen with his knuckle. "The beast is wounded all right, but it's still alive."
"Any vessel we're familiar with would have been broken to pieces on impact," said Pattie, blinking her multifaceted eyes solemnly. "This is damaged all right, but preliminary reports indicate it's made out of something we've never seen before. It's got a structure as impervious to damage as--"
"Yours," joked Duffy.
Pattie looked pleased. "That's not a bad comparison, actually. The difference in that ship's structure and a normal vessel is, indeed, roughly comparable to the difference between my chitin and your thin human skin." She extended a limb and delicately patted Duffy's hand.
"The first volley in a war?" theorized Lieutenant Commander Domenica Corsi. The Chief of Security was always looking for the martial explanation, and sadly, she was often right.
"As I said, I can't imagine a more unlikely target for such an attack than the Intarians," said Abramowitz, frowning a little. "They don't have a lot of resources other than a pleasant climate and a pleasant people. Nor do they have an extensive weapons array. On Intar, it's pretty much come when you like, stay as long as you like, and don't forget to write."
"Nonetheless, we ought to be prepared." Corsi stuck out her chin a little. "I recommend we proceed with Tactical Code Level--"
Gold held up a hand. "No life signs, Corsi. No one to fight. No one on the long range sensors hovering about watching like vultures, either."
"Captain, there's always the chance the ship was crewed by a kind of life form we haven't yet encountered. Our scans wouldn't necessarily detect them," Corsi pointed out. "Or, it could be a trap." She sat up a little straighter in her chair, utilizing her always intimidating height to its best advantage even