Section 31_ Rogue - Andy Mangels [85]
“Good point,” said the engineer. “My guess is that the object’s gravitational influence is also largely confined to subspace. Along with most of its radiation output.”
“That still doesn’t explain why no Federation ship ever detected it earlier,” said Crusher. “Say, from its subspace radio noise.”
“The singularity’s subspace emissions occur at much higher frequencies than those most starfaring cultures use for communications,” Data explained. “Other normal-space phenomena, such as Chiaros IV’s atmosphere and magnetosphere, generate far more noticeable interference in the communications bands.”
“The Romulans obviously stumbled upon the phenomenon first,” Picard said. “We’ve just come in a distant second.”
“Or maybe third,” Zweller said quietly. “The Slayton got here before the Enterprise did.” To La Forge’s broad-band visual receptors, the man looked ashen, as though something had just gone radically awry with his cardiovascular system. But other than Counselor Troi-who was also gifted with unusual perceptions-no one else seemed to notice Zweller’s apparent change of mood. Nevertheless, all eyes were now on Zweller, who had lapsed into silence.
It was Commander Roget who finally spoke up. “A couple of months before the Slayton entered the Geminus Gulf, the Argus Array picked up some unusual subspace distortion waves centered on this system. They were far too infrequent and intermittent to pin down to an exact epicenter.”
“I am familiar with the Argus information,” Data said with enthusiasm. “It is possible that the Romulans must periodically release some of their excess subspace energy into normal space, energy that manifests itself as subspace distortions.”
“That might explain those subspace ‘hiccups’ we’ve been picking up over the past few hours,” Riker said.
“And why the Romulan ambassador seemed so anxious for us to leave the area,” Picard said. “Perhaps she knew that her countrymen were likely to spill some of their excess subspace energy today, and didn’t want us nearby asking questions about it.”
Roget shrugged. “It’s also possible that the Romulans simply can’t control the singularity as well as they think they can. There didn’t seem to be any regular pattern to the distortions, after all. And the Slayton couldn’t detect them at all-at least, not before she was destroyed.”
“You think that the Slayton encountered the phenomenon after your shuttlecraft left for Chiaros IV,” Troi said.
Roget nodded, his expression grim. “And I also think that those Romulan bastards destroyed her for getting too close to their secret energy project.”
La Forge glanced once more at Zweller, noting that he was growing steadily paler in the infrared frequency band.
“The Romulans would certainly be highly motivated to keep this phenomenon under wraps until they’ve formally taken control of the Geminus Gulf,” Picard said.
“And that motivation would seem to implicate them in the Slayton’s destruction,” Data said. “They have found what may be the most powerful object ever discovered; as long as they can keep the bulk of the phenomenon’s radiation and gravitational effects ‘bottled’ in subspace, so to speak, they will have access to virtually unlimited quantities of energy.”
“And to think that all these years Starfleet believed that the Geminus Gulf was nothing but an empty desert,” Batanides said, evidently to no one.
“Interestingly,” Data said, “one of twentieth-century Earth’s most desolate regions also held vast reserves of energy, in the form of petroleum. Wars over this substance were fought in the region known as the Middle East, where-“
“Thank you, Data,” Picard interrupted, his brow wrinkled with concern. “But our primary concern is how to deal with the subspace singularity. First, I need to know if it poses any immediate danger, either to the Enterprise or to Chiaros IV.”
Data nodded. “That is a distinct possibility, Captain, particularly if the inner containment