String Theory_ Cohesion (Book 1) - Jeffrey Lang [14]
“At their current speed,” Ensign Kim calculated, “it would take them more than three years to get there. Is there any chance they would all make it?”
“Some,” Tuvok judged. “Their resources would have to be carefully managed. But not all.”
“How many are there in the containers, Tuvok?” the captain asked.
“With the level of background radiation from their engines, it is difficult to be precise. Some of the signals we’re reading may be livestock.”
“How many, Tuvok?”
“Seventeen thousand, five hundred and sixty-three life signs. These are mostly adults, though some signals are smaller. I estimate approximately one-fifth of the passengers are children.”
“But no elderly?” the captain asked.
“I cannot say for certain, but, no, I think not.”
“They would all stay behind,” Chakotay said. “Let the children go and their parents to care for them.”
“Not passengers,” Neelix said in muted tones. “Refugees.”
His recitation completed, Tuvok returned to his seat. Janeway turned to Seven of Nine, who had been uncharacteristically silent throughout the meeting. Normally by this point, Seven would have interrupted and, drawing on the huge database of information about alien species at her disposal, explained everything there was to know about the situation. “So,” Janeway said. “Your assessment.”
Seven shook her head once. “I believe everything that can be said about the Monorhans to this point has been said, Captain.”
Everyone at the table—even Tuvok—turned to stare at Seven, which, apparently, did not bother her a bit. “Really?” Janeway asked. “No additional information about Species…whatever they are.”
“The Monorhans are not in the Borg catalogue, Captain, and thus have not been assigned a species number. Would you like me to create one?”
Janeway remained silent while waiting for more information, but when she sensed there was no more to come, she said, “No, Seven, that’s all right. I know we left the densest part of Borg space behind us, but I thought they had mapped this area in some detail. The Monorhans must be from nearby, from this system, in all likelihood.”
“Your suppositions are logical, Captain, and your assessment correct. Borg probes have been through this sector within the past decade, but they did not detect this species.”
“Because they only recently became space travelers?” Harry Kim asked uncertainly.
“Unlikely. A probe would have detected any form of electromagnetic activity.”
“What about if the white dwarf was putting out a lot of radiation at the time a probe came through?” Kim asked. “Would that have masked the planet’s electromagnetics?”
Seven considered the idea, then concluded, “It is possible, but there is no way to know for certain.”
A new thought struck Janeway. “The trace radiation you detected, Seven. You said it was similar to the Borg transwarp conduits. Maybe the Monorhans used an ancient jumpgate and are only passing through this area.”
Seven shook her head. “A transwarp conduit is detectable across vast distances. Even the radiation from the white dwarf would not mask it. If such technology existed here, the Borg would have invaded this system immediately.”
Janeway’s combadge chirped, interrupting the conversation. “Janeway here.”
“Captain, this is Knowles. The Monorhans just launched a shuttle. At their current rate, they’ll be here in fifteen minutes.”
“Acknowledged,” Janeway said, and signed off. “All right, people. We have five more minutes and then we have to go down to the shuttlebay. Let’s set aside this issue for now. Captain Ziv will probably be able to fill in all the holes for us anyway. Now, what about the warp engines? B’Elanna, can you tell me what’s happening?”
“Not yet, Captain. Diagnostics say the engines are functioning properly, but we can’t form a stable subspace bubble. Every time we try, the field collapses. Your mentioning the Hekaras Corridor got me to thinking there might be damage to local subspace.”
“The white dwarf,” Kim said.
“There are lots of white dwarves