The Eyes of the Beholders - A. C. Crispin [41]
The Enterprise’s officers sat gazing at Geordi’s creation for several minutes in silence. Riker was the first to break the spell cast by the strangely compelling object. “What can it be?” he wondered aloud.
“A weapon of some kind,” Worf said immediately. “One designed to blast and warp minds instead of bodies. Truly a diabolical creation.”
“You mean some kind of ultimate weapon designed to kill in such a way that only the living beings aboard a vessel would be affected, thus leaving the ship unharmed?” Picard found the notion repugnant. “Hardly a pleasant idea.”
“But not a new one, Captain,” Data put in. “Back in Earth’s late twentieth century, there existed a weapon called the neutron bomb that was designed to destroy life, while leaving structures intact.”
Worf gave the humans a surprised glance. “I had no idea that humans were capable of coming up with something as hideous and efficient as that,” he rumbled.
“It is not something we’re proud of, Lieutenant,” Picard said sharply. “And that was hundreds of years ago.”
“Now that we’ve rescued the survivors from the Marco Polo, Captain,” Wesley Crusher said, “perhaps we ought to try and break free again.”
“I have been considering that,” Picard admitted. “It is only the proximity of the other ships that has me worried. Crashing against them as we fought the tractor field would eventually short out our shields.”
“We could disintegrate the ones closest to us,” Worf said. “I was going to suggest that for the warriors aboard the PaKathen, so they could receive, in death, an honorable end.”
“But if the artifact is a weapon,” Geordi said, “it’s possible that it has defense systems that would be triggered by firing on the ships, or firing on the artifact itself.”
“We don’t know yet that it is a weapon,” the captain reminded them.
“What else could it be?” Worf asked, but nobody had any suggestions to offer.
The captain sighed. “Our examination of the PaKathen’s last log entry and sensor analysis of its weapon banks indicate that the Klingons did fire at the artifact, remember … with no apparent effect.”
“The Enterprise is a far larger, more powerful ship,” Riker pointed out. “Perhaps our phasers could damage it, where the PaKathen’s weaponry could not.”
Picard thought for a moment. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Number One,” he said. “I believe an experiment is in order.” He addressed the tabletop. “Computer, restore normal viewing mode to the conference room viewscreens.”
The bridge crew turned their heads away as the darkened ports suddenly filled with the stomach-wrenching sight of the artifact. Only La Forge remained facing the alien structure. Picard then tapped his communicator. “Ensign Whitedeer, this is the captain.”
“Yes, sir?” came the voice of the young security officer who was on current duty at Worf’s station.
“Prepare to fire a five-second contained burst from the forward phaser banks directly at the artifact, on my order, Ensign.”
“Yes, sir.” There was a few seconds’ pause, then, “Ready on your signal, Captain.”
“Fire, Ensign.”
“Firing, sir!”
Quickly the bridge crew swung around, squinting, as the deadly beams shot out, filling the viewport with a wash of golden, coruscating light. Mentally, the captain counted the seconds off, then the five-second burst was over. The glow faded away.
Leaving the artifact completely unchanged. The captain glanced away from the unnerving sight. A murmur of wonder and distress filled the conference room as the bridge crew reacted. Whitedeer