Nightshade - Laurell K. Hamilton [33]
The closest thing to a solid object in the room was a curved mess of “metal.” It swirled in upon itself. Geordi stared at it, but couldn’t find a beginning or an end. It was like a Mobius strip, a snake eating its own tail.
Data leaned forward, running a pale hand down the structure. “What method of propulsion do you use?”
Veleck stared at them, blinking tiny eyes. “The ship wishes to move, and it moves.”
Geordi and Data exchanged glances. They waited for more explanation, but the alien engineer remained silent. He seemed to think that his explanation was complete.
‘Explain further please,” Data said.
‘I do not understand,” Veleck said.
‘You have not given us sufficient explanation of your propulsion systems.”
‘The ship wishes to move, and it does. There is no more explanation.”
‘Let me try, Data. Um, Veleck,” Geordi began. “What makes the ship want to move?”
‘We do.”
If Geordi could have, he would have rolled his eyes. “Okay, how do you make the ship want to move?”
Veleck glanced over their heads at his captain. “I do not believe I understand the question.”
‘Nor do I,” Captain Diric said.
‘Allow me, Geordi. Captain Diric, you say that your engines are in danger of imploding. Could you explain this damage to us?”
‘The center of our engines is not functioning properly.”
‘Could you be more specific?” Geordi asked.
Veleck seemed to think about that for a moment. “If I knew specifically what was wrong, I could fix it. But the damage is too extensive. It is irreversible.”
‘If you do not know specifically what is wrong, then how do you know it is a problem with the engine core?” Data asked.
‘We are not sure,” Veleck said, “but unless the damage can be repaired, the engine will consume itself in a matter of hours. The engines are the heart of the ship, and the ship will die.”
Geordi ran his hands over the cool metal. It had a texture almost like… skin. “Is your engine alive?”
‘Please to explain the question?”
‘Are their biological components to your engine?”
‘There is cell structure similar to living tissue in our engine, yes.”
The strange readings he’d been getting suddenly made sense. It was like looking at a giant puzzle and suddenly having all the pieces fall into place. “It isn’t a communications problem. Your engine really is eating itself alive.”
‘This is what we told you,” Veleck said.
Geordi stared up at the complex structure and asked the only question he could think of. “How does a living engine make a ship move?”
‘We have told you. It wishes to move, and it does.”
La Forge was beginning to feel like he was caught in a logic loop. “But…”
‘What Commander La Forge is asking is for a detailed explanation of how your engine functions. Alive or inanimate, the question remains the same.”
‘How are they to help us, Diric, if they do not even understand the simplest basics of our science?” Veleck asked.
For once, Geordi could only agree. The ship was in danger of imploding, and everyone on board would die. And he didn’t have the faintest idea what made the ship run, let alone what was wrong with it.
He took Data to one side, while the Milgians argued about the wisdom of having aliens in the ship’s engine room. “Data, how can we fix something when we don’t even understand how it works?”
‘That is a problem, but we must do all we can or lives will be lost.”
‘Do you understand how these engines work?”
‘No, but perhaps a doctor would be in order?”
‘What do you mean, Data?”
‘If the engines are indeed alive, then perhaps Dr. Crusher could heal them as she heals the Milgians.”
Geordi patted Data on the shoulder. “That is a brilliant idea.”
Data cocked his head to one side, “Really.” Geordi shook his head, and pressed his comm. “La Forge to Dr. Crusher. We may have another patient for you.”
Chapter Eight
Worf stood in front of the far wall of their sleeping quarters. His hands were clasped behind his back so tightly that the muscles in his arms quivered. Rage threatened to choke him. He was Klingon and his heritage threatened to eat through his brain and come