Star Trek_ A Choice of Catastrophes - Michael Schuster [41]
“Correct,” Sulu said gravely. “Depending on the power of the force, Enterprise’s destruction could be the first in a series of disasters.”
Great. “I knew I shouldn’t have asked. The more you tell me, the more I think I should’ve stood in bed.”
Sulu put on a smile that was doubtless intended to be encouraging, but it failed to have that effect on the doctor. “Of course, that’s only a worst-case scenario. They might stop growing once we’re destroyed. Then Starfleet would only have to quarantine this sector.”
“Thanks, Sulu.” McCoy’s sarcasm was only thinly veiled. “I’m feeling much more confident now.”
“We’ll be careful, Doctor, I promise.” Sulu had grown more serious the further this talk progressed, the very image of a man born to be in charge. “We’ll probably be about four days late, but at least we’ll still be whole.”
McCoy thought about Kirk, Spock, M’Benga, Scotty, and the others in the landing parties, stepping onto that new world, no doubt fascinated by an unending stream of new discoveries. “Well,” he said, “I’m sure they’ll relish the extra time.” He envied them, as a matter of fact. Unaware as they were of the Enterprise’s troubles, they were no doubt having the time of their lives.
“Weather report, Mister Jaeger.”
Upon returning to the Hofstadter, they had found that conditions had lessened to a mild drizzle, and Spock had taken off immediately. Wind continued to blow, but even with the weakened shields, continued flight should be safe in the current conditions.
“The winds are increasing. The level of rainfall has to be abnormal,” Jaeger insisted. “I’ve been looking at visual data from the orbital survey, and there’s a large number of dried-out lake beds, especially next to metropolises. And I can’t figure out why—many are fed by active rivers.”
“Is the upper atmosphere safer?” asked Spock. Given that the shuttle was a spacecraft, entering orbit to avoid the storms might prove the safest option.
“If anything, it’s worse. Close to the ground seems to have lower-force winds.” He flipped back and forth between reports on his slate. “I just don’t get it.”
“Interesting,” said Spock. “Continue your investigations.” He would continue to apply part of his mind to the task of solving the problem. In the meantime, he was still pondering what had happened to the inhabitants of Mu Arigulon, and what the warp reactors were sending their power to, which was the Hofstadter’s current destination.
Perhaps useful information could be found in the data Saloniemi had uncovered. He pulled up the A&A officer’s report on the central console and began reading. “I see that the Orion databases confirmed that the doll the captain found represents an inhabitant of Mu Arigulon V.”
“A ‘Farrezzi,’ sir,” interjected Saloniemi.
Spock nodded. “Have you discovered any other information of value?”
“The Farrezzi were definitely involved in interstellar markets around two centuries ago, but abruptly withdrew.” He shrugged. “The Orions seemed disappointed, but unconcerned. Is it possible they just left the planet?”
“Perhaps,” replied Spock, “but there is still no evidence of the large-scale space industry such an exodus would require.” He turned to face the rest of the shuttle crew. “I wish to journey to whatever ‘projector’ is at the hub of the reactor network. I will contact the captain momentarily, but I expect he will approve my decision.”
“Sir,” interrupted Jaeger. “My projections show higher wind intensity ahead.”
“Is that safe?” asked Scott.
“I estimate only a six percent chance that the Hofstadter will suffer damage, Mister Scott, and any damage will be within your abilities to repair.”
Scott smiled slightly. “Thank you, Mister Spock. I’ll do my best.”
Why an emotional species always felt the need to say this was a mystery Spock had long given up attempting to solve—or even commenting on. He set the Hofstadter to accelerate, plunging into the windy depths of the storm ahead.