Synthesis - James Swallow [53]
“The captain made his choice,” Keru said, clearly sharing the commander’s concerns. “For better or worse.”
“Indeed he did,” added Tuvok. “With that in mind, I feel compelled to ask, is Captain Riker aware of the conversation we are having?”
“He will be,” said Vale. “I’m the executive officer, Tuvok. I watch the captain’s back; that’s what the job description asks for. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s thinking the same thing I am. I’ll make sure he has the option he needs when he needs it.”
“Well.” Keru sucked in a slow breath. “It won’t be easy. Conventional phasers and beam weapons might not be enough. Melora’s scans of the remote drones showed that most of them have what appear to be rudimentary force-shield emitters built right into the frames of their remote units. There’s no telling what offensive systems they might have as well.”
“The reaction speed of the machines is also a concern,” said Tuvok. “They are likely to be able to exceed organic neural response times in combat situations. Therefore, any agent deployed to neutralize a Sentry mechanism would need to be virtually instantaneous in order to be effective.”
“An interference field, maybe?” asked Vale.
“Possible,” Tuvok allowed. “However, the Sentry AIs operate openly in a region rife with heavy frequencies of exotic radiation. It may be difficult to isolate a specific waveband.”
“There’s also the question of degree,” said Keru. “Do we want to knock them off-line, or are we aiming for a more lethal endpoint?”
“Both,” she told them. “I want these options, just in case. Unlike the captain and the counselor, I’m not convinced our new friends have our best interests at heart, logical or not.” Vale threw the last comment toward the tactical officer.
“For the record,” said Tuvok, “I must state that if the Sentries become aware that we are attempting to devise a method of attack tailored to them, their reaction will not be favorable. Tactically speaking, at this time we are at a considerable disadvantage.”
“All the more reason to keep this compartmentalized. Make sure any work you do on this is isolated from the mainframe,” said Vale. “The diplomatic approach should work, but…” She trailed off. “My gut tells me it won’t.”
Keru’s frown deepened. “It’s strange. If they were organic beings like us, would it make it easier to trust them?”
“What they are isn’t the issue, Keru,” the commander replied. “The potential threat they represent—that is.”
Tuvok cocked his head. “With respect, Commander Vale, I am not certain I agree.”
“Go on.”
“None of us may be comfortable with the admission, but the reality is that the Borg Invasion of the Federation cast a very long shadow, one that still affects us.” He hesitated. “All of us.”
“These things aren’t the Borg,” said Vale.
“Quite so, just as Vulcans are not Romulans, and yet members of my species have often experienced prejudice by similarity. We cannot allow our past experiences with other machine life-forms to color our interaction with these AIs.”
“Are you sure?” said Keru. “Perhaps if Starfleet hadn’t met so many new species with an open hand, if the Federation had taken a strong posture from the start, things like the Invasion might not have happened.”
Vale shook her head. “I told you before, we’re not here to debate. And I will not do anything to undermine the ideals I took an oath to serve.” She looked at Tuvok and Keru in turn. “But I’m not going to let us go into this from a position of weakness. If there’s any lesson we learned from the Borg, it’s that one.”
Holodeck 1 was an arena made of light. The metallic walls with their grids of photonic emitters and collimated force-projection systems were hidden behind a featureless white infinity that gave the impression of an unknowable distance.