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Gomez replied, “So the Defiant crew found the colony, took the web generator for study, and then fell into the rift while evading Tholian vessels and trying to get the evidence back to Starfleet Command.”

At the science station, Soloman said, “There is no evidence to . . . suggest that the Tholians had knowledge of the Defiant’s actions before it became . . . trapped in the rift.”

Gold shrugged but nodded in agreement. “Perhaps. It’s never been discussed in an open forum, that’s for sure.”

“It would not be a . . . wise course of action,” the Bynar replied. “According to sensor data I have examined . . . along with reports filed by the . . . landing party, the colony was defenseless, particularly by . . . Klingon standards. The Tholians attacked a . . . group of unarmed civilians.”

From where she knelt next to a seated and now conscious P8 Blue, Dr. Lense looked up from tending the Nasat’s head injury. “Why would they do that? I mean, the Tholians are aggressive, but isn’t that a bit extreme?”

Gold shook his head. “We know that the Tholians have always been fiercely protective of their space. I guess we just didn’t realize at the time to what lengths they would go in the interests of that protection.”

“All this time,” Gomez said, “the Defiant held the key to a terrible secret.”

“It still does,” Gold replied. “The Klingons never found out what happened at Traelus II, and by all reports they were more than a bit upset over the incident. If word of the Tholians’ involvement reaches the Klingons now, some in the Empire may well want vengeance.”

“So the Tholians try to destroy us, only we get pulled back into the rift,” Lense said. “Lucky us.”

“What about the da Vinci?” Pattie asked, her voice weak and tired.

Gold strolled around the bridge’s upper deck in the Nasat’s direction, talking as he went. “Well, either Mr. Duffy followed orders and evacuated the area, or he was forced to fight. In that case, the da Vinci disabled the Tholian vessel . . . or she didn’t.”

The statement hung in the air for several seconds, with no one on the bridge wanting to respond. Realizing the somber mood he had inflicted on his people, Gold rallied quickly.

“At any rate, I’m afraid we have more pressing concerns.” Turning his attention to P8 Blue, he asked, “Pattie? How are you feeling?”

Pattie nodded slowly. “I will recover, Captain.” Turning to Lense, she added, “Many pardons for the trouble I caused you, Doctor.”

Lense patted the Nasat on the nearest of her eight limbs, then rose to her feet to face Gold. She ran a hand through her matted hair, thankful for finally being able to remove her environment suit’s helmet.

“I’ve treated her concussion, Captain. She’ll have a headache for a bit, but it’s the best I can do until we get her back to the da Vinci.”

Gold nodded. “We’ll see to that as best we can, Doctor.”

The attention of everyone on the bridge was caught as the overhead lighting dimmed and the displays on the various consoles flickered. Gold could even hear the mild hiss of the air-circulation system fade momentarily.

“What’s that about?” he asked.

Soloman was already examining the sensor data being relayed to the science station. “We are experiencing . . . a power fall-off. It is affecting all . . . of the generators we brought with us from the da Vinci.”

“How bad is it?” Gomez asked as she moved to the bridge’s engineering station.

“At the current rate of drop-off,” the Bynar replied, “the generators will be completely drained . . . of power in less than two hours.”

“Damn,” Gomez spat, drawing a questioning look from Gold and the others. With an embarrassed expression on her face, she said, “Kieran suggested that we bring along backup power supplies for the generators, but I decided against that.” She shook her head in disgust. “The generators can normally operate for days without interruption, and I figured we’d be here for eight to ten hours at most. By then, the da Vinci would have pulled us out of the rift.”

“Something tells me that Mr. Duffy will have plenty of colorful observations about all of this