Intellivore - Diane Duane [12]
“It was not a long engagement, Captain,” Data said, with Worf looking over his shoulder at his readings. “But a large number of vessels were indeed involved—and it is difficult to say exactly how many without knowing their sizes, and the residues do not allow such close analysis.”
“And you have a clear trail from here?”
“One trail is very strong, compared to what we were following when we began. The other is tenuous, while indicating low warp capacity.”
Worf eyed the heads-up display on the main viewscreen. “The first trail will bring us to the victors.”
“So it will,” Picard said. “Yellow alert, then, while we pursue.”
And the pursuit went on, for hours, and hours more. Picard finally went to his quarters. It was during one of the dog watches, when Picard was still too tense to read and too tense to sleep that his commbadge went off.
“Picard!” he barked, rather more loudly than he had intended to.
“Captain,” Data’s voice said, “we have instrument readings on our quarry. Thirty-five light-years out.”
“What is it?”
“ID is uncertain as yet. Six ships, traveling together: three large, three small. That is all we can tell just now.”
“Very well,” Picard said. “I’m on my way.”
When he got there, Picard looked around the bridge, thoughtful. It was only mildly unusual that Riker was there. Will had changed his active shift to pick up where Picard’s had left off for the duration of the chase. Finding Worf there as well was equally unusual, but then again, it was all too like him anyway to volunteer for extra duty; many Klingons got as much energy from extra work as humans got from resting. Troi was there as well, though looking a little hollow-eyed. She just barely kept from stifling a yawn as Picard came in.
“Counselor?” he said, sitting down beside her.
“Excitement,” she said, glancing around her at the others, “can be difficult to shut out sometimes. I gave up trying.”
The screen ahead showed the several tiny sparks of light that Enterprise and her sisters had been chasing all this while. “Warp signatures coming up now, Captain,” Data said. “Federation technology.” The android turned toward Picard. “These would appear to be Lalairu ships.”
Picard nodded, sitting back in his chair with a slight sigh. That took a load off his mind. The Lalairu traded wherever they went … and they went everywhere. Finding them here was less of a surprise than finding anyone else, though even for them, in these debatable spaces, the trading opportunities might seem to be somewhat limited. No matter—if there were any opportunities, the Lalairu would find them.
“The commander of the lead vessel is asking to speak to you privately, Captain,” said Mr Worf.
“Very well,” Picard said. “I’ll take it in my ready room.”
He sat down behind his desk and touched his screen. It came alive to show a bridge so dimly lit it was almost impossible to see. A shape moved out of the shadows, forward to the screen. It was very tall, slender, and pale, and had a humanoid form. Picard peered at it, and then realized he was seeing what few people had, a Lalairu without the protective, self-grown “cloak” it wore outside its own ship and shed again when it came home.
“Captain Picard,” said the Lalairu, “I greet you. I am called Elekk.”
“I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Elekk.”
Elekk bowed at the courtesy. “You are very welcome to these spaces, Captain. The leader of our leaders of families has mentioned that she heard you were coming this way, and she instructed us to help you in whatever way we can. Not that we would not have done so in any case. What brings you to this part of the worlds?”
Once again it became plain to Picard that the only thing to travel faster than starships was news, and he wondered who at Starfleet had decided to help him out by putting a word in a trustworthy ear. “We were following the traces of a battle which seems to have taken place some thirty or more light-years from here,” Picard said, “and in which you seem to have been involved.”
Elekk laughed, a soft hissing sound.