Intellivore - Diane Duane [49]
“Hail him!” Picard said to comms.
“We’ve been doing so, sir,” said the officer manning Worf’s post. “Nonstop. No response.”
“Did he just jump? Just like that?”
“No, Captain,” said Data. “Our arrangement has been that any ship in the task force may move around discretionarily in about a one-light-year radius, as long as we all remain in communication. Captain Clif had moved out to the border of that radius, had held there for a time, and then …”
“I’m going after him,” Maisel said.
“Captain,” Picard said, “I countermand you. You may not pursue. Hold your position!”
“Jean-Luc, it’s got him!”
“If it has,” Picard said, “you must not rush after it and give it a chance to get you, too.”
There was a silence punctuated only by the sound of beeping monitors on the captains’ respective bridges. “Mr. Data, what’s he doing?”
“Holding at nine-point-four, Captain. He will catch up with the planet in approximately twelve minutes, at this rate.”
Puzzlement compounded concern as Picard recalled running into Clif the evening before in Ten-Forward. Despite his earlier opposition, the Trill seemed to have accepted Picard’s decision to wait and watch. In fact, Picard had even gotten a definite invitation to try the Oraidhe’s holodeck.
The captain of the Enterprise clearly remembered the gleam in his new friend’s eyes as he asked Picard to join him for a mountain-climbing expedition he had just programmed. Picard never would have guessed that Clif was about to bolt.
“What’s the planet doing?”
“It is decelerating, Captain—rapidly. Shortly they will have matched velocities, in less than three and a half minutes, if Oraidhe does not change its course.”
Picard found himself keeping time by his pulse again, but he was having to divide by two. Clif!
But there was nothing to be done.
“Longrange scan indicates that Oraidhe will be within orbital range of the planet within one minute, Captain. Planet is matching.”
They waited. “Captain,” Riker said.
“No change of course,” said Picard, grim. “Maintain speed and heading. Mr. Data, you said that you were evaluating their last log entry. What does it show?”
“This, Captain.” Data touched the controls. The screen came alive and showed them Oraidhe’s bridge. Clif was there, looking over the shoulder of his own conn officer, saying, “They did what?”
“She’s moving out, Captain. Look! Warp eight—warp nine—”
“My gods,” Clif said, “they’ve got her. Go after them!”
“Captain!” said Clif’s exec.
“They need our help,” Clif said. “Go after them.”
“What were they seeing?” said Picard.
“This, Captain,” Data said. “The feed from their logs.” He touched another control.
An image of the Enterprise, fleeing into the night, faster and faster—
“Warp nine. Nine-point-one. Nine-point-two—” said Oraidhe’s exec.
“Match,” said Clif. “Catch them!”
Picard opened his mouth and closed it again, sat down in his command chair, and gripped the arms of it.
“Decelerating now, Captain. Longrange scan shows them matching course and speed with the planet.”
The bridge crew stared at one another with frozen and horrified looks. “Hold our present course,” said Picard softly. “No change.”
There was a long silence. Finally, Data said, “Oraidhe has dropped into normal space, Captain. On impulse, and decelerating. The planet is accelerating once more. Warp three—warp five—”
“Hold our course, Mr. Data,” said Picard. “Wait until the planet has reestablished its lead. Comms, continue hailing Oraidhe. We will catch up with her.” Picard looked around at the bridge crew. “As if nothing had happened. Marignano, do you copy?”
There was a sigh from the other end, angry and resigned. “I understand you, Enterprise,” Captain Maisel said, “and will comply.” And she broke off.
They knew what they would find when they caught up with Oraidhe. Finding it only made it worse. The away teams beamed aboard, and found Oraidhe’s crew sitting at their posts, lying near them, slumped against walls—breathing, warm, only a few injured, no one dead … except in the way that counted