String Theory_ Cohesion (Book 1) - Jeffrey Lang [38]
Like Ziv and his associates, Kiiy’s clothes were utilitarian and without ornament, though the midsection was not so tightly fitted as the males’. Evidence of reproductive organs? It seemed likely, though Seven had not as yet accessed the medical scans. For all she knew, the Monorhans budded like potatoes to reproduce. A quick consultation of the Borg database she retained showed that fewer than one-tenth of one percent of the known sentient species reproduced in this manner.
“Captain Ziv,” Kiiy said with a peculiar buzz in the words. “Introduce me to your friends.” (Introduzzze me to your frienzzz.)
“Shalla Kiiy,” Ziv said, touching his knuckles to the ground and lowering his head formally. “This is Captain Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager. They name their ships, Councilwoman. The word means…”
“I hear the meaning of the word in my head, Captain,” Kiiy said, bowing in return. “Quite a remarkable devizzze. How long did it take for you to become comfortable wiz it?”
“Not long, Shalla. In a short time, you will not even notice the difference.”
“Azztonishing. And what is a Federation, Captain?”
Janeway assumed her most bright, diplomatic tone to answer. “The United Federation of Planets is an alliance of worlds in my region of the galaxy that works for the mutual protection and advancement of its members. Currently, the Federation includes approximately one hundred and fifty planetary civilizations and their colonies, all of them a considerable distance from Monorha.”
“Yes, you have been out of touch for some time, haven’t you? Ziv says your ship was thrown across almost the entire width of the galaxy.”
“That’s correct,” Janeway said. “Although the exact circumstances that brought us that great distance are beyond our ability to duplicate, our vessel is capable of limited transluminal velocity.”
“We understand that idea here on Monorha, Captain, but were given to understanding that light speed was an absolute, that nothing could travel faster.”
“In normal space, no,” Janeway explained. “But there are ways around these absolutes.”
“And is this something you could teach us, Captain?” Kiiy asked. “You know of our plight, do you not? Traveling to another world at faster-than-light speeds—we would be saved. Do you understand?”
Seven saw Janeway sag slightly, shoulders drooping forward. “I understand, Shalla. May I call you that? What does it mean?”
This was a clever ploy, interrupting the flow of the conversation. Kiiy was temporarily thrown off her stride for politeness’ sake and to respond to the captain’s question.
“ ‘Shalla’? It means…” She turned to Ziv. “Captain, help me. What is another word for shalla?”
Ziv mouthed a couple of words that the translator rebroadcast as “overseer” or “boss.”
“I understand,” Janeway said. “I can call you Shalla, then?”
“Of course. It is not a title many have, but I am far from the only one. Not so much an honor as a burden, eh?”
Janeway smiled. Seven could see that the captain was coming to like this Shalla Kiiy. Potentially a dangerous decision, the Borg decided. “But to get back to your question, yes, we could possibly teach you the theory behind faster-than-light travel, but there are laws concerning such exchanges in my culture.”
“Laws?” Kiiy asked, raising her arms. “Who cares for laws here? You are far from home. Who would know?”
“We would know, Shalla, and we police ourselves, but that’s beside the point. Even if we had time to teach you even the basics, they would do you no good. Building the drive would require years, special materials, and even more specialized tools. We don’t have them here with us on Voyager. The crystalline substance we use to control the extremely powerful energy generated by our engine core is very rare and we have no evidence that there is any on your world or those nearby. Worst of all, there is something about your system, about the dead star, that inhibits the formation of the field that allows us to