Relics - Michael Jan Friedman [61]
Picard was still standing beside Data, watching the image of the captive star on the main viewscreen. He shook his head.
“Automatic piloting beams, eh?”
The android nodded. “Yes. I believe they were designed to guide ships inside the sphere.”
“And our communications attempt triggered them?”
“Precisely, sir. Then the resonant frequency of the beams interfered with the integrity of our main power system, temporarily taking the engines off-line.”
The captain took a deep breath, then let it out. “All right. That makes sense. Would you care to hazard a guess as to how we can use this information to get ourselves out again?”
Data didn’t look hopeful. “Unfortunately, that is a different matter en-“
Suddenly, Worf broke into their conversation. His voice carried a sense of terrible urgency-and Klingons didn’t show that kind of concern easily.
“Sir, sensors show a large magnetic disturbance on the star’s surface.”
“A magnetic disturbance?” Picard echoed.
Data worked the controls on his console at a speed only he could manage. “It is a solar flare, Captain. Magnitude twelve. Class B.”
Picard turned back to Worf. “Shields, Lieutenant?”
The Klingon scowled. “Shields up … but only at twenty-three percent.”
“Magnify,” the captain commanded. He wanted to see what they were up against.
Abruptly, the screen showed a huge solar flare reaching out from the star. It was heading directly toward the Enterprise.
Picard felt the muscles in his face drawing tight. At this range, twenty-three percent might not be equal to the task.
“The star has entered a period of increased activity.”
“Just like that?” asked the captain.
Data nodded. “Apparently, sir. And our sensor readings indicate that the solar flare trend will continue to grow. In three hours, our shields will not be sufficient to protect us.”
“Damn,” whispered someone at one of the aft stations.
My sentiments exactly, thought Picard.
They were deep into the shielded area now. And still nothing to write home about, Riker thought. The towers they’d investigated here were much like those they’d seen earlier. Hell, as far as he could tell, they were exactly like those they’d seen earlier.
He turned to Troi, who was still walking beside him. As before, she was focusing her empathic powers on their next destination. The first officer watched her face for some sign of discovery. There wasn’t any.
“We’re on a wild-goose chase,” he said softly. “Aren’t we?”
“It is a little too soon to say,” she replied.
“No, it’s not. Not for you,” he pressed. “If there were somebody here, you would have known it already. You would have sensed them.”
The counselor bit her lip. “There are minds to which I cannot gain access,” she reminded him. “The builders of this place may fall into that category. They may be so different from us-so emotionless, perhaps -that they simply do not register with me.”
“But more likely,” he suggested, “they’re just not around anymore.” He indicated the towers ahead of them with a sweep of his arm. “If you lived here and six strangers showed up, wouldn’t you react somehow? Come out to greet them? Shoot at them? Something?”
“Unless they’re hidden,” she said. “Unless they’re afraid of us. Don’t forget, they went to the trouble of shielding this place.”
“There’s always that,” he agreed. And it was a real possibility. “But you don’t believe that, do you? Not in your heart of hearts.”
Troi returned his gaze. “I hate to say it, but…” She shook her head. “No. I don’t. Whatever happened to the rest of the population must have happened here as well.”
Riker sighed. “That’s life, I guess. You win some, you lose some.”
But he didn’t stop walking. And neither did she.
“We’re still going on?” she asked, just to confirm the fact.
“Yup. We’ve still got to check it out top to bottom,” he said. “Those are our orders. Besides, we’ve come this far. It wouldn’t make sense to turn back now.”
Scott looked from one monitor to the other. The first one showed a graphic representation of the ion path they’d been following. The second displayed the section of the