Synthesis - James Swallow [38]
“Then you understand that our desire to protect our ship is strong,” said Deanna.
“I do,” replied the AI. “That is why I believe you will come to understand that what I have done is in your interests as much as mine.”
Riker turned to Sethe. “Lieutenant, get down to main engineering, and tell Doctor Ra-Havreii to give you whatever you need.”
“For what, sir?” said the Cygnian.
“I want every line of code in this ship’s software checked and double-checked for any kind of corruption.”
“That… is a very big task,” Sethe replied, his tail drooping.
“It is,” agreed the captain. “So don’t waste time talking about it. Get to work.” He dismissed the officer with a nod and turned back to the AI. “What you have done, White-Blue, could be considered an act of war.”
“From your cultural standpoint, the same could be said of what your away team did with my core pod,” it replied. “Taking prisoners without due cause is unlawful under your Federation legal statutes.”
“You read the rule book, too, huh?” Keru muttered.
“We rescued you,” Dakal said, still breathing hard from his close encounter with the plasma-energy form.
“And now I have returned the favor.”
“Captain,” said Chaka from behind the console. “I have Commander Vale for you.”
“On speaker,” Riker ordered.
Vale’s voice issued out. “Captain? I don’t know what you did down there, but it stopped the enemy attack dead.”
“It seems someone intervened on our behalf,” Riker said warily. “What’s our status?”
“Poor,” Vale admitted. “Damage-control teams are on top of things, and we’re holding together, but we need to get some distance from this radiation zone and properly assess the situation.”
“The damage inflicted upon the Titan is our responsibility,” White-Blue broke in. “Therefore, it falls to the Sentries to repair it. This is only right.”
“We can look after ourselves,” Riker replied. “I think we’ve had enough involvement from you for the moment.”
“Again, there is a misunderstanding,” replied the AI. “Perhaps I am parsing your speech pattern/intonation/mannerisms incorrectly. This is not an offer; this is a statement.”
Over the open channel from the bridge, Riker heard someone call out in alarm, and then Vale, terse and angry. “Damn it, here we go again. Captain, the alien ship is on the move again. It’s coming right for us!”
“Do not fire upon the shipframe,” demanded White-Blue. “That would be an error. If you do so, I will not be able to prevent a full-scale retaliatory strike.”
“Bridge, weapons hold!” Riker bit out the words.
“We’re being hailed…”
Riker glanced at his wife and saw the concern etched across her face. He nodded to her. “Pipe it down here, Christine.”
A new voice filled the room; it shared the same artificial tonality that White-Blue expressed but with a timbre that veered closer to the feminine. “Unit identifier: I am SecondGen Cyan-Gray, iteration of the Sentry Coalition. Active mobile. Error condition has now been corrected. Aggression pattern disengaged.” There was a pause. “I regret my attack upon Titan. Reparations will be made for damages inflicted.”
“That’s not necessary,” Riker replied, but he was ignored.
“Secure your vessel for transit.”
“What?”
“Please stand by.” With a squeak of static, the transmission ended.
The deck rocked slightly, and Riker frowned.
Once again, Christine Vale’s terse voice returned. “Captain, the alien vessel has locked onto us with a tractor beam. We’re moving out of the debris zone at high speed.”
“Heading?”
“Our original course, sir. Toward the double-star system.”
Riker faced the alien device in the middle of the cargo bay, his jaw set in a scowl.
“Reparations will be made for damages inflicted,” repeated White-Blue.
Ranul Keru watched the captain walk along the curve of the Titan’s conference room, in front of the fan of windows that looked ahead down the bow of the starship’s saucer-shaped primary hull. Beyond, a strange field effect like rippling waves framed the view, all of it dominated by a haze of