Miracle Workers (SCE Books 5-8) - Keith R. A. DeCandido_. [et al.] [69]
First officer’s log, Commander Sonya Gomez, planet Sarindar, Stardate 53276.9
The test of the antimatter reactor was a qualified success. (Results appended.) The injectors are not at one hundred percent, and they need to be. If there’s even the slightest imbalance, the warp pulse will be uneven and the chimerium will get shot sideways or back down into the planet’s surface, which could cause incalculable damage.
I was hoping to do a test of the SA within the next two days, but until the reactor is at peak, we can’t risk it.
The good news is that the dish should be completed within those two days, even if we aren’t ready for the first test yet. Morale has been steadily improving—the fact that the antigravs function is the primary reason, I would say—although the crew that has been transferred to digging details has been slow and malingering. Despite these problems, I believe we can complete our mission in a timely fashion.
Personal log, Commander Sonya Gomez, planet Sarindar, Stardate 53276.9
Zilder came to me first thing this morning and didn’t have a word to say about Ho’nig. He did, however, have a lot to say on the subject of the ability of the antigravs to move the materials for the reactor.
“They can’t do it?” I asked, incredulous.
“They can’t do it on time,” he said. “At least not just two of them. There’s no way we’ll be able to have the thing completely assembled in time for the window.”
All the testing is being done during the window when the suns calm down enough to allow outside contact. Sarindar has a twenty-eight-hour day—the windows are at high noon and midnight, and they only last from thirteen to twenty-two minutes.
I took out a padd and tried to see if there was some way to juggle the antigravs so that I could reassign one of them to Zilder, but they were all needed for other tasks—now that they were all actually working, every subsection had great use for them, and I didn’t want anyone to lose their sudden enthusiasm for working. It was the only way to get anything significant accomplished.
Kejahna walked over then. “Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Zilder seems to think that you can’t get the antimatter reactor on-line in time for the window to open at noon.”
Kejahna looked down at Zilder. “Really?”
Zilder swallowed. “Not with only the two antigravs. See, we—”
“It’ll get done,” Kejahna interrupted. “If the load-lifters can’t handle it, we’ll use our hands. Don’t worry, Commander.” And, for the first time since I landed, Kejahna smiled.
I smiled back. “What, me worry?”
Zilder looked at both of us like we were crazy, and then said, “Ho’nig help us all.”
Still smiling at me, Kejahna said, “Ho’nig helps those who help themselves.”
I got distracted by other things until 1355 hours—five minutes to noon, local time, meaning it was almost time for the test—and then I went to the reactor. Zilder informed me that it was ready. With the suns at their apogee causing a cascade of colors in the trees, I ordered the test begun. The full results are attached to my officer’s log.
I looked over at Kejahna, who just gave me a knowing smile that seemed to say, We used our hands.
Some work needs to be done on the reactor, but at least I’m making progress—both with the accelerator and with the workers. I’ll whip these guys into shape yet.
Transcript of tricorder recording by Commander Sonya Gomez, camp hospital, planet Sarindar, Stardate 53277.5
GOMEZ: Okay, Rimlek, tell me exactly what happened.
RIMLEK: We were just—just sleeping. It—it all happened so—so fast. One minute, we’re sleeping, the next, this—this—this thing is tearing us to shreds! We were—we were just lying there—sleeping, you know. Suddenly, I hear this noise, like something’s tearing. Doesn’t sound like anything you usually hear, so I wake up—and just then, this big, I don’t know, claw thing was ripping through the tent. It was terrible, it—
GOMEZ: What did it look like?
RIMLEK: It was—it was—it was like a whole bunch of crystal triangles. The head, all