The Last Stand - Brad Ferguson [41]
“Your conclusion?”
“I am not moved by seeing ships such as these, sir. The only impressive element to them is their number. I am merely vaguely alarmed by the Krann, Captain. I am not intimidated.”
“The flagship looks about as elegant as a bologna sandwich,” Troi observed.
“Eh?” Picard looked puzzled.
“Something my father used to say,” the counselor told him. “There are very few things that are less elegant than a bologna sandwich, but it gets the job done. It may be that the Krann have a culture that breeds no love for grace and beauty.”
“Or has no need for them,” Picard said. “A civilization that exists entirely on spaceships in transit may seem very strange to us in many ways, Counselor.” He looked out the window as they passed over a series of what appeared to be tightly arrayed sensory receptors mounted on the flagship’s battered hull. “Now look at those,” he said, pointing. “They seem rather slapdash to me, but I’ll bet you they ‘get the job done.’ Mr. Worf?”
Worf glanced briefly at the Tactical panel. “We are not detecting any scanning activity from those units, Captain,” the Klingon reported.
“Interesting,” Picard said thoughtfully. He watched as the receptors swung their pickups to follow the progress of the shuttlecraft as it neared a lighted area set into the hull farther on.
“Docking facility dead ahead, Captain,” Worf reported. “It is a landing bay open to space, sir.”
“Evacuated,” Picard said, nodding. “So. Well, that gives us more of an understanding about the level of technology possessed by the Krann. The condition of the hull and much of the equipment on it suggests that the Krann have no shielding technology at all. They fly their ships completely exposed to the hazards of space.”
“That’s why the hulls of the ships look so abused,” Troi realized. “I thought that perhaps they’d been in some sort of battle.”
“They well may have been,” Picard said, “but some of the damage I can see has clearly been caused by long-term travel erosion—micrometeoroid impacts, for example. If the Krann possessed shield technology, they’d no doubt use it to protect their ships from such.” He scratched his chin. “Nevertheless, let’s not underestimate these people,” he continued. “From all appearances, they have completed an incredibly difficult interstellar journey and have not only survived it but, given the great number of these ships, they appear to have prospered.”
Justman entered the Krann dock. A lighted red square was obviously their designated landing zone, and Worf set the shuttlecraft precisely in the center of it, killing the engines just as the shuttle touched the deck. Behind them, a heavy set of doors rumbled closed, and soon they heard a loud rush of air all around the shuttle as the landing bay was repressurized.
“Breathable atmosphere in the bay, Captain,” Worf reported. “Pressure nominal.”
“And here comes a greeting party,” Troi added, pointing out the window. A group of seven Krann, all dressed in the same kind of dark, unadorned clothing, had entered the bay and were approaching the shuttle. “The one in the middle of the group is the Presider.”
“Yes,” Picard said. “I recognize him well enough. By any chance, are you getting anything?”
Troi shook her head. “Only what I can see from body language. Curiosity, confidence. Several of them seem quite apprehensive.”
“One more thing,” Picard said. “How would you judge what you’re seeing against the impression you got from the Lethanta when we first met them?”
“Even though I can’t read them, I can tell it’s not at all the same,” Troi said firmly. “Not at all. These people here seem much more secure to me. Understandably, we’re a curiosity to them, and they want to learn what they can about us, but it’s not much more than that. The Lethanta met with us because they were without hope.”
“I see,” Picard said, rising. “Thank you, Counselor. Mr. Worf, they seem to be waiting for us. I think it’s time we cracked the hatch