The Last Stand - Brad Ferguson [97]
Picard paled. “And you’ve also discovered that activating a warp field within the Cochrane radius of a main-sequence star will explode that star into a nova.”
“Yes. Yes, we have. Three of our warp-field generators are orbiting the sun at a certain critical distance. I’ve activated one of those generators with this radio relay. The Krann will be gone—and so will we. You’d better leave now, Captain.”
Picard slapped his communicator. “Transporter Room Two, this is Picard. Put me on the bridge right now.”
As his friend disappeared into thin air, Kerajem felt no regret. He would have left just as quickly, given the chance.
Heads turned as Picard materialized on the bridge. “Mr. La Forge,” he called, “I want our best speed to the local star.”
“Aye, sir,” came Geordi’s somewhat puzzled voice. “You’ll get our best.”
“Ensign Ro, lay in a course. Lock it in. Maximum warp. Engage. Picard to Dr. Crusher.”
“Yes, Captain?”
“When can I have my first officer back?”
It was just then that the turbolift doors slid open and out walked Riker and Troi. “Reporting for duty, Captain,” Riker said as the counselor took her seat.
“Never mind, Doctor,” the captain said. “Thank you. Listen, all of you. I’ve just talked to the First Among Equals. Some forty seconds ago, he sent a radio signal to activate a warp-field generator that is orbiting the local star well within the Cochrane radius.”
“The Lethanta are blowing up their own sun?” Troi gasped. “Why?”
“To take the Krann with them,” Picard said. “No Krann ship could hope to outrace a nova wave front. Everyone in this star system would die—except for us. We could escape.”
“What would you like us to do, Captain?” Worf asked for them all.
“There is a light-speed radio wave heading for one of three primitive warp-field generators orbiting closely around the local star. We are presently outracing that radio wave. I intend to find the targeted generator and destroy it before it can be activated.” There was iron in his voice now. “I intend to prevent this nova from occurring.”
Data spoke up. “Of course, Captain, if we do not locate the correct generator in time, we will ourselves be caught in the formation of the nova.”
“Better find it quickly, then,” said Picard. The captain seated himself in his chair and, outwardly, appeared calm. Counselor Troi, sitting next to him, knew better. In the years she had known the captain, she had never detected such agitation within him.
Chapter Nineteen
THE RADIO WAVE would take just under eight minutes to reach the warp-field generator from Nem Ma’ak Bratuna. It had been sent six minutes ago. Every sensor aboard the Enterprise was strained to the limit and beyond in an attempt to find the generator before the radio wave could activate it.
It was worse than finding a needle in a haystack. They were trying to find the barest speck of matter against the biggest sea of electromagnetic radiation in that part of space.
Troi was beginning to read something new in Captain Picard, something she had never before felt from him.
Despair.
“Captain,” Data suddenly said, “I am picking up what I believe to be the radio wave sent by Kerajem to activate the generator.”
“Are you sure, Data?” Picard asked. Troi blinked with the suddenness of his change of mood.
“Reasonably so, sir. It has every indication of having been generated artificially, and it is heading in the proper general direction.” He paused. “I have extrapolated the path the wave will take to its target. May I suggest, sir, that we concentrate our efforts to locate the generator along that path?”
“Make it so. Mr. Worf, I want photon torpedoes ready to go on my order. We will not have much time.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Captain!” Harkey cried. “I have a blip at three twenty-two mark seventeen! Range forty-three thousand kilometers.”
“Let’s see it.” The image on the screen swam for a second. There was some interference in the image