The Sky's the Limit - Marco Palmieri [31]
The question seemed to fluster Worf. “I…cannot rate our opponent, sir. When it failed to respond to our hails, I attempted to achieve weapons lock on the ship…. Our weapon systems do not register the vessel.”
“A weapons lock? Do you believe that was the wisest course of action, Mister Worf?”
“Sir, it was strictly a precautionary measure. It may not have been the most diplomatic way to get their attention, but the safety of the ship is utmost in my mind.”
“Very well, Mister Worf. But you say the ship’s weapons do not see the other ship?”
“No, sir, they do not. I have run several diagnostics to verify the readings. Our systems are functional; they simply tell me there is nothing out there.”
Pulaski turned to face the large Klingon. “Don’t be overreliant on your sensors, Mister Worf.” She snuck a glance at Data. “No matter how smart they are, they’re still just machines. I don’t believe the ship out there is a ghost any more than I believe I can walk through this railing. It’s more likely they’ve discovered a cloaking method without the huge power drain that the Romulans suffer. We’ll just have to trust our own senses instead of letting machines think for us.”
“I believe we should take the doctor up on her suggestion,” Picard said as he rose from his chair. “I want all staff personnel to report to the observation lounge in fifteen minutes with whatever data we can discover about our uninvited guest. I’ll be in my ready room until then. You have the bridge, Number One.”
Pulaski waited on Deck 12 for the turbolift to arrive. She didn’t know any more about the situation than when she’d left the bridge. Without any knowledge of the inhabitants of the strange ship, there was little the medical staff could do. At least it had given her time to check in with Doctor Selar and reassure herself the EMR team was all right. In fact, she’d overheard Technicians Johannson and Tarses discussing ways to pre-position their equipment for the next exercise.
Returning to the observation lounge, she took her usual seat. I hope the captain’s not counting on me to pull a rabbit out of my hat. Maybe one of the others found something to give me a clue where to start researching.
As usual, the first to report was Data. “With the sensors still off-line, we have been forced to rely on visual observation. The ship appears to be a semispheroid shape, approximately three hundred meters in diameter. The lower quarter tapers down to a flat bottom, which suggests it is able to land, although whether or not it is capable of surviving entering an atmosphere is unknown. Given its size and shape, we estimate there are probably no more than one hundred crew members, assuming they are humanoid-sized.”
Lieutenant La Forge stepped in seamlessly, as if Data and he had practiced before the meeting. “There is no apparent means of propulsion and nothing to indicate where its engineering section might be. I’ve checked with Chief O’Brien, and he’s unable to get a transporter lock on the other ship, either. We have no idea how it flies or what it uses for fuel. Based on the external makeup of the ship, though, it appears to be several generations behind current Federation technology.”
“Very good, Mister Data, Mister La Forge. Counselor, do you have anything for us?”
Deanna Troi turned to face the captain before she spoke in a clear, measured voice. “I have been unable to sense much from the other ship. The distance could be too great, or perhaps their minds are too different from ours. I do sense feelings of curiosity and envy from time to time, but I can’t be sure.”
A smile spread across Riker’s face at the idea of meeting new alien life. “Curiosity is a good thing. We’re certainly curious about them.”
“Indeed, Number One.”
“Perhaps we could take one of the shuttles and attempt to reach them, since our sensors and communications seem ineffective. Their technology can mask them from our sensors, but they don’t seem to be able to fool our eyes.”
The large Klingon squirmed in his seat. Pulaski could tell he wasn’t happy with