String Theory_ Fusion (Book 2) - Kirsten Beyer [58]
The corridor they found themselves in was shrouded in darkness, though the end of the hallway was faintly lit by a slowly pulsing yellow light.
“Curious,” said Seven as they picked their way cautiously toward the light, “there are no obvious command consoles present in this area. There is a dense network of fibers beneath the hull plating, indicating the presence of partially organic relays, but there does not appear to be any obvious way to access them.”
“The members of the Fourteenth Tribe were telepaths,” B’Elanna said. “Their abilities were far beyond those of most Monorhans. Maybe their systems only respond to mental commands.”
“Or vocal ones,” Seven added.
B’Elanna shrugged, “Also worth a try.” As they turned the corner into a much wider corridor, and several open doorways came into view, she called, “Computer?”
There was no response, though to B’Elanna’s eye, the pulsing of the only ambient light seemed to quicken for a moment, as if a heart, suddenly startled, began to beat faster.
The first doorway they came to led to some sort of passenger cabin. There were eight bunks built into the walls, surrounding a small common area strewn with a few low cushions they both recognized as Monorhan chairs.
“This level is filled with similar cabins,” Seven announced, studying her tricorder. “There are two hubs that appear to be processing centers eight decks above us.”
“I don’t see any Jefferies tubes,” B’Elanna noted.
“I do not believe they utilized them,” Seven replied, pointing to the far end of the corridor where a circular staircase wound its way up.
They climbed the stairs in darkness, B’Elanna taking the lead. The stairs were not wide enough for two to walk abreast. When they reached the top, they found themselves in a large circular room. Four archways loomed before them, but it was easy enough to see that the second archway to their left led to some sort of command center. It was illuminated at standard working light settings, though the light still pulsed ever so faintly.
One large chair dominated the room. Many-hued lights blinked and flashed at several low display stations around the room, though it was clear that whoever might once have been responsible for monitoring those stations had done it from the Monorhan equivalent of a standing position. The absence of any other stools or chairs made it clear that only the captain of this vessel was ever seated while on duty.
B’Elanna bent to study the displays, gently tapping the consoles in hopes of eliciting some sort of response. A few frustrated minutes later she said, “The main computer core is locked down. I can’t access any primary or secondary systems.”
“Continue working,” Seven suggested. “There is another staircase in that corner. I will search the area.”
B’Elanna nodded, too engrossed in her task to worry much about what Seven might encounter there.
Leaving B’Elanna to her work, Seven cautiously followed the winding staircase down into dimness. The first sight her wrist beacon exposed were the fragmented skeletal remains of a Monorhan male lying prostrate over the entrance to another large room at the end of the corridor. Seven started toward him automatically, pausing only when her light caught the walls. Unlike the other corridors she had passed, the entire hallway was covered with an intricate design formed from small pieces of colored glass. She was able to make out small figures within the designs, also Monorhan. Playing her light slowly over the intricate piece of art, she discovered several scenes from what she could only assume were Monorhan history, or legend. Most striking was a vast field beneath a purple sky, covered with thousands of dead. On a rise above the field, a figure wearing robes of light was pointing to the heavens above.
She took a few moments to scan the images into her tricorder, then continued toward the doorway. Stepping gingerly around the bones, she entered the room. An entire wall was devoted to shelves that housed dozens of scrolls rolled into ornately woven cases. She