The Murdered Sun - Christie Golden [17]
"Perhaps not on the sweeping scale that he boasts, but he certainly can do damage," Tuvok answered. "Viha Nata spoke of the Akerian ability to inflict damage that resembled earthquakes.
Given what we have seen of Akerian technology, that is entirely feasible. She also spoke of these earthquakes destroying `hatching pits." If the Verunans are, as I suspect, egg-laying creatures, targeting the hatching pits--the eggs--could indeed drastically reduce the population."
Thoughts raced through Janeway's mind. She could feel the eyes of her senior officers upon her, knew what they wanted her to do.
Neelix certainly wanted to retreat. Others wanted to defend the gentle-seeming Verunans against this violent enemy. Still others saw in the huge "Sun-Eater" a way home. In her mind's eye, she saw again the little scout ship being blown apart by the force of the Akerian's gravity-based weapon. She hadn't acted in time to save those six lives. Maybe she could act in time now to save the lives of those who remained.
"Restore audio," she said. She squared her shoulders and faced the Akerian. "Commander Linneas, I am Captain Kathryn Janeway, of the Federation Starship Voyager. You must understand that, though I do not wish to involve myself and my ship in your affairs, compassion forbids me standing by and being a silent partner to certain genocide. I offer myself as a mediator. I have no political ties with either you or the Verunans. Perhaps we can come to some sort of--" "Captain Janeway, you and your Voyager are in a war zone where the only victor can be the Akerian Empire." Linneas's voice was as cold and expressionless as the mask he wore. "I offered you the opportunity to retreat. You have refused it. You must now consider yourself an enemy of the empress Riva and the Akerian Empire. We declare war on you as well. Surrender at once."
Linneas's gall, especially in the face of the brutal action he'd just ordered against the planet, angered Janeway. She kept her voice calm, though, as she replied, "So you can take our ship? I don't think so."
"Then face the consequences." Abruptly, Linneas's masked visage disappeared.
Almost at once, the attacks came. Linneas's vessel, the Victory, launched a gravity wave on Voyager. Simultaneously, the second ship, which the computer had translated as the Conquest, fired on the planet.
"Brace for impact," commanded Janeway. She didn't know how badly the spatial distortion would damage Voyager. She gritted her teeth and dug her fingers into her chair, awaiting the blow.
The Voyager rocked slightly. That was all. Janeway closed her eyes in relief. "Lieutenant Paris, keep an eye on the planet.
Mr. Tuvok, analysis."
Tuvok told her what she wanted to hear. "The Akerian weapon is kinetic and gravimetric in nature. Our shields operate under the same gravimetric principles as the Akerian weapons system. Both utilize highly focused spatial distortions in combination with localized graviton energy. The kinetic energy produced by the directed wave was effectively dispersed. It simply washed over our shields--similar to the action of water over an eggshell."
"Who says you can't fight fire with fire, eh, Mr. Tuvok?" smiled Janeway. "Any chance that an increase in power could damage the shields?"
"Highly doubtful. The shields would continue to compensate. We are in no real danger from the Akerians--unless of course they have other weapons systems, such as directed energy." He addressed the statement to Neelix, lifting one slanted eyebrow.
"I've never heard of anything other than this," said Neelix.
"This `gravity wave,' as you call it, has always been enough for them."
"All right then," said Janeway, leaning forward in her chair.
Victory was no longer a threat, but Conquest was still firing on the planet. She could see the shuddering of space as the Conquest fired.
Her ship safe, she could now get on with the job of