Have Tech, Will Travel (SCE Books 1-4) - Keith R. A. DeCandido_. [et al.] [93]
“Holding at light speed minus three,” reported the subordinate manning the helm with no attempt to hide the excitement in his voice. Nostrene could not blame the younger officer, who was serving aboard ship on his first assignment and was displaying much of the same excitability and enthusiasm he himself had at that age.
“Report current status, Dlyax.” In response, one of the scientists stationed near the front of the command deck turned to face Nostrene, the deep red hue of his crystalline body reflecting the harsh illumination emitted from the deck plating.
“Commander, the drive system appears to be functioning normally. Our diagnostic scans show no anomalies or irregularities. It is our consensus that the test can proceed without further delay.”
Of course they would think that , Nostrene mused. Their reputations are being tested here today as much as any new propulsion system .
Tholian ships had enjoyed success with their ability to attack from positions of stealth and to utilize their much feared energy web generators, draining the power and crushing the hull of even the sturdiest enemy vessel. But it had been Nostrene’s experience that ships controlled by enemies he’d faced in past battles had possessed definite advantages in speed. While Tholian vessels had been able to travel faster than light for generations, they never had been able to achieve speeds comparable to those recorded by ships of other races. The vessels most frequently underscoring this shortcoming, to Nostrene’s chagrin, belonged to the United Federation of Planets.
This concern had been brought to the forefront during the recent war between the Federation and the Dominion. Alpha Quadrant forces had nearly succumbed to the might of the so-called “ Founders” and their legions of genetically engineered soldiers, the Jem’Hadar. The Assembly’s tenuous state of peace with the Federation had strengthened during the conflict, allowing the Tholian people to largely observe the war. That position fit securely with the nonaggression pact they had established with the Dominion. Though it had not been popular opinion to state publicly at the time, Nostrene was certain that Tholian forces would have fallen quickly to the vastly superior strength exhibited by the Dominion. Fortunately the war had ended, with the Founders and the Jem’Hadar being forced back into Gamma Quadrant space before his suspicions could be tested.
Such concerns could soon be put to rest, however, should the experiment they were conducting here today prove successful. Tholian vessels would be regarded as among the fastest in the Quadrant. Additionally, the ability to channel newly harnessed stores of power would lend additional strength to the defenses and armament of their ships.
Satisfied with Dlyax’s report, Nostrene said, “Very well, resume acceleration.”
As he gave the order, his eyes shifted from screens displaying information transmitted by the ship’s network of sensors to the command deck’s main viewscreen. The stars as rendered by the computer remained still, but he knew that in a few moments they would twist and distort as their ship crossed the threshold into subspace.
“Light speed minus one,” his helmsman called out, and Nostrene braced himself for the impending quantum shift. He knew it was an absurd notion, as the ship’s inertial dampening systems prevented him or anyone else on the ship from feeling the effects of acceleration. But it was something he had always done, almost instinctively, since childhood. It added to the thrill, he thought. In his mind’s eye, he saw the subspace field erupting into reality as the ship stretched, extended and distended into infinity.
“Plus one,” the helmsman said. “Continuing to accelerate.” Except for the subordinate’s reports of the ship’s progress, all else was silent on the command deck as engineers and scientists continued checking the telemetry fed to them by the ship’s sensors. This was the easy part,