Available Light, page 11
“She didn’t care about you,” said Louvois, turning from the ghastly sight. “It’s like she knew she’d only have that split second of surprise and wanted to make it count.”
His face ashen as he no doubt struggled to process his partner’s actions, Voight said, “I don’t understand. Why would she do that?” He paused, and Louvois saw he was trying to make sense of it all. “Was she . . . one of them? Part of Section Thirty-One? Maybe she was trying to keep the admiral from saying too much?”
It was an interesting thought, but Louvois didn’t buy it and neither did she recall seeing Dempsey’s name among the list of Section 31 operatives among the information she had reviewed during the past weeks.
Wait . . .
Something, a teasing fragment of some half-recalled nugget of information, clicked, but Louvois was unable to make the connection. Retrieving her padd from where it had landed after she threw it at Dempsey, she activated the device and requested a quick scan of the Section 31 files she had brought with her for the interview. It took the padd only seconds to retrieve the result of her search.
“I’ll be damned,” she said, glancing first at the unconscious Dempsey before looking to Voight. “Margo Dempsey. Her husband is listed as having also been an FSA officer.”
Voight replied, “Yeah. He was killed last year while on an escort detail. The detail’s shuttlecraft crashed on its way to a conference on Bajor.” He frowned, as though trying to remember details. “Something to do with all the fallout following Ishan Anjar being exposed as an imposter and a Cardassian collaborator back during the Bajoran occupation.”
“That crash wasn’t an accident,” said Louvois, feeling her heart sink. “Thirty-One sabotaged it. The diplomat he was escorting was going to argue for Ishan’s extradition so he could be tried in a Federation court, but the Bajorans wanted him first.” According to the files she had reviewed, it seemed the Uraei program ordered the shuttle destroyed to make it appear the diplomat was the victim of a simple accident. The action required the deaths of everyone else aboard the transport, including Dempsey’s husband. What the artificial intelligence saw as the endgame from such a heinous choice would require even more digging into the voluminous catalog of Section 31’s sins.
Incredibly, Voight’s face seemed to have grown even paler. “Damn. How did she find out?”
“Thanks to Ozla Graniv, the files are available to anyone,” replied Louvois. “Anyone can read them. She probably did just that, and saw something about the shuttle accident.”
Dropping the padd onto the conference table, Louvois ignored the sound of running footsteps coming down the corridor and forced herself to look once more at the lifeless bodies of William Ross and Captain Rebecca Steeby. Whatever secrets Ross may still have carried—any information that may have provided context or nuance or even sense to so many of the crimes committed by Section 31—had died with him, taken in a split second by the actions of a tortured, grieving widow.
Hell hath no fury.
12
Picard entered the conference lounge to find Geordi La Forge along with Worf and the rest of the recently returned away team waiting for him. Worf was the first to rise in response to his arrival but the others mimicked his action and Picard held up a hand.
“Please, be seated.” As everyone resumed their places, Picard took his own seat at the head of the curved, polished black conference table, with Worf on his right and La Forge to his left. Under normal circumstances, Picard would have requested Lieutenant Aneta Šmrhová to join them, but his security chief was where he needed her: on the bridge monitoring the Zetoq and ready to act should the Torrekmat salvage vessel decide to renew their earlier skirmish. Likewise, Lieutenant Joanna Faur was continuing to act for Worf, temporarily in command of the bridge and monitoring the situation with the Zetoq and the derelict.
“Welcome back, Number One,” said Picard, pulling on the front of his uniform jacket as he settled into his chair before turning his gaze to Chen and Elfiki, who sat next to Worf and La Forge, respectively. “Good to see you two, as well. Lieutenant Chen, you seem none the worse for wear.” He was more than a little relieved when the away team returned from the alien derelict. The situation could have ended under far worse circumstances, and he was grateful to have all of his people safely back aboard.
“They build those suits pretty tough, sir,” she replied. “That, and Taurik was on the ball.” Turning in her seat to where the Vulcan sat to her right, she offered him an appreciative smile.
Resting his hands in his lap, Picard said, “Indeed. I’ve reviewed Commander Worf’s report, and he indicates you’re all quite eager to get back over there.”
Though Worf’s and Taurik’s expressions and body language betrayed nothing, there was no escaping the obvious enthusiasm both Chen and Elfiki were trying to contain.
“Absolutely, sir,” replied Elfiki. “We were only just starting to scratch the surface when . . . well, everything else happened.”
Chen said, “Every question we thought we had before beaming over just generates three or four more, sir. We could probably spend weeks over there.” With a sheepish expression, she added, “That is, if we can get other people to stop shooting at us.”
Nodding, Picard directed his gaze to La Forge. “Speaking of that, what’s the status of your repair efforts, Commander?”
The Enterprise’s chief engineer replied, “We’re still assessing the full extent of the damage, sir, but we’ve regained access to main engineering and I’ve already got a team giving the entire warp drive a complete inspection. Commander Payne is leading that effort, and so far she hasn’t found anything unexpected. I’m estimating we can have the warp core back online in about four hours.” He sighed. “I hated shutting it down in the first place, but once the coolant leak started, it was either that or eject it.”
Picard understood his engineer’s frustration, minor as though he might make it appear. “Given the circumstances, Geordi, it was the best possible outcome, not the least of which was preventing any loss of life.” He had been relieved to hear the official report from Doctor Crusher during the hasty meal they had shared with their son, René, an hour earlier: the Enterprise had suffered no fatalities during their skirmish with the Torrekmat ship. A handful of assorted injuries—none of them serious or life threatening—were already well in hand by the chief medical officer and her staff.
Small favors.
“The rest of the repairs are minor, but time-consuming,” La Forge continued. “We should have all of those done within the current duty shift, as well. I’ve got people from the other shifts pitching in. We’ll get it all done, sir.”
“Thank you, Geordi. Keep Lieutenant Faur informed as to your progress.” Leaning forward in his chair, Picard rested his forearms on the table. “Number One, I know you haven’t had much time to get updated on our situation, but what about the Zetoq?”
The first officer replied, “Lieutenant Faur briefed me, sir. According to her report, the ship has maneuvered to the far side of the derelict. Our sensors are unable to get a clear reading of its operational status, owing to the interference we have been experiencing since our arrival. However, scans made prior to its withdrawal indicate severe damage to their main engines.”
“They were even worse off than we were,” added La Forge. “Their systems work differently than ours, but I know a warp core flirting with overload when I see one. Chances are good they had to power down to make repairs, the same as we did.”
Picard asked, “And there’s been no response to our communication attempts?”
Shaking his head, Worf said, “No, sir, but we continue to hail them and offer assistance, and per your orders we have stood down our weapons. The ship remains on yellow alert.”
It was annoying that the Torrekmat vessel so steadfastly refused to communicate. Despite the posturing by its captain, Senthilmal, Picard found it hard to believe the crew of a salvage ship would so willingly engage in battle. There was the possibility the Zetoq was a simple pirate ship, preying upon weaker spacefaring craft before meeting its match with the Enterprise. Upon further review, Picard found the other ship’s attack strategy lacking, the product of someone with little or no training in the peculiar art of ship-to-ship combat. Were Senthilmal and his people in over their heads, and now struggling with how to extricate themselves from their current predicament without appearing weak?
“Have they made any attempt to transport anyone over to the derelict?”
Worf shook his head. “No, sir. Their ship does not appear to possess transporter technology, and other than the craft we found in the derelict’s landing bay, no smaller vessels have been detected. Their distance from the derelict is sufficient that extravehicular activity without a shuttlecraft or similar vehicle is unlikely.”
Based on the away team’s report of how they found the overridden landing bay hatch, Picard had ordered Lieutenant Faur to maneuver the Enterprise close enough to the derelict that the ship’s sensors could examine the other docking areas. No sign of similar tampering had been found, and scans showed no other access points along the massive vessel’s hull. Thanks to Lieutenant Šmrhová’s analysis of the situation, Picard remained confident about sending an away team back to the ship, and the risk posed by Senthilmal and his crew was negligible so long as they had their own repairs with which to contend.
“If they really are salvagers or pirates,” said Chen, “then they’re not about to give up something like that ship. Not without some kind of fight.”
“Agreed,” replied Worf. “We did detect a low-power communication signal transmitted from the Zetoq, aimed back along their original approach vector. According to the star charts, there is a solar system along that route, but even the Federation probes sent to survey this region collected no useful information.”
“That’s why they sent us, Number One.” Picard punctuated his comment with a small, wry grin. Automated survey craft sent to the Odyssean Pass had charted the area years earlier, in preparation for eventual exploration by Starfleet. The Enterprise, as the first ship to venture this far from Federation space, had the privilege of confirming or refuting the veracity of those probes’ initial efforts.
And isn’t that part of the fun?
Prior to undertaking their extended assignment to the Odyssean Pass, Picard and the Enterprise had been too long away from the starship’s primary mission of exploration. The past several months, spent as they were weeks away from Federation space and the officials who occupied offices and desks of which he wanted no part, Picard felt more alive than he had in years. Aside from his marriage to Beverly Crusher and the birth of their son, there had been precious few causes for satisfaction, let alone celebration. Five years after the Borg Invasion and with recovery efforts still under way on worlds across the Federation, and in the more immediate aftermath of President Nanietta Bacco’s assassination and consequences of that tragic event, Picard had given much thought to the next steps of his own life and career. The mission to investigate this largely unknown area of space was exactly what he had wanted—what he had needed—to remind him why he had joined Starfleet in the first place, and why he wanted nothing more than to command this ship with this crew, pushing back the veil of mystery that still shrouded much of the galaxy around him.
So, let’s get on with it, shall we?
“Lieutenant Šmrhová is monitoring the Zetoq and will keep us apprised of any changes in its status,” he said. “That leaves us a bit of leeway with respect to the derelict. Based on what you’ve been able to learn so far and considering the issues our sensors and tricorders have been experiencing due to the vessel’s hull and shielding, there still may well be a crew or passengers or someone else over there and we just can’t detect them. If that’s true, then they may need our help. For that reason alone, I feel it’s necessary to continue our investigation and be ready to defend the derelict should the Torrekmat decide to take further aggressive action.”
“There’s more to it than that, sir,” said Chen. “The way that intruder protocol acted just makes no sense if we’re assuming something that’s purely automated. It had every chance to take us out from the minute we beamed over, and it never so much as hinted at being a danger. Only after the fight in the landing bay did it activate.”
Elfiki said, “Or, it was active all along and we simply couldn’t detect it.”
“Regardless,” added Taurik, “that it singled out the Torrekmat and not our away team is hard to ignore.”
Worf said, “Regardless of the reasons, it seems likely Captain Senthilmal blames us for the loss of his people.”
“We’ll deal with that at a more appropriate time,” replied Picard. “I’d rather postpone such a discussion until we have more information about what really happened, and why. In the meantime, dispatch a message to the Zetoq, letting them know we believe their people aren’t dead, but simply missing somewhere on the ship. Perhaps we can convince Senthilmal to work together to find them.” It was a long shot, he knew, but still one worth taking.
Looking to the captain, Taurik said, “The defensive actions definitely suggest an intelligence at work, sir; artificial, or otherwise.”
Picard replied, “Which begs the question: Where did everyone go?”
“We still have no idea,” said Elfiki. “Based on our initial sensor readings and what we saw during our first visit, this ship should be occupied. It’s obvious it was designed for habitation, for a lot of people.”
She nodded to Chen, who rose from her seat and proceeded to the viewscreen set into the wall at the table’s far end. The contact specialist tapped a command sequence into the keypad situated next to the screen, using her other hand to brush aside a lock of dark hair that had fallen across her forehead. In response to her keypad instructions, the screen flared to life, and a set of technical diagrams illustrating the alien ship coalesced into existence.
“Scans show what look to be environmental and food processing systems, and berthing areas,” said Chen. “Somebody built this thing to take a lot of people somewhere. We’re talking thousands of passengers, but if the sensors are correct, then there hasn’t been anyone aboard that ship in a long, long time.”
She tapped the keypad again. The action triggered a zooming effect as one of the diagrams enlarged, and kept growing larger until Picard saw what could only be compartments linked by passageways, conduits, and what might be ventilation ducts. While the layout was not comparable to most starships and other space-faring vessels with which Picard was familiar, there was still a consistency of design indicating an aesthetic and sensibility desired by someone planning to spend considerable time traversing the stars.
“It’s worth noting that there’s presently no power being directed to any of those areas,” she said, “or what we think are the berthing sections or any other place aboard that ship that might serve as part of the support system for a crew. If someone was on that vessel and decided to leave, they didn’t do it in a hurry. Everything we’ve found indicates it was programmed for automation and activities requiring absolutely minimal power expenditures.”
La Forge, who like everyone else was studying the diagrams with rapt fascination, said, “Maybe they were forced to evacuate for some reason.”
“We did consider that possibility during our survey, Commander,” replied Taurik. “We found no evidence of a catastrophic event that might have precipitated a large-scale evacuation, such as hull breaches or other debilitating damage.”
Chen added, “And then there are those fleets of smaller transport craft taking up space in the landing bays.” She stepped away from the viewscreen, but did not return to her seat. “Speaking of power expenditures, this thing is definitely running on minimum. So far as we can tell, the network of solar collectors has been deployed for years, pulling in whatever feeble energy it can acquire as it drifts in interstellar space.”
“Right now,” said Elfiki, “the ship’s collectors are just scraping by with whatever’s available through simple chance. If our readings are accurate, the ship can proceed like this for another two to three years before its reserves are exhausted and it can no longer take in enough energy to function. The skirmish with the Zetoq didn’t help them, in that regard. In addition to losing a few of the collectors, whatever power reserves the ship is relying on have to be at critical levels. Our sensor logs show that when the derelict deployed weapons against the Torrekmat, it did so to the absolute minimum extent possible. They’ve got to be pretty close to running on empty over there, sir.”
Picard, his attention still on the viewscreen, realized he was tapping his fingers in absentminded fashion on the conference table. Halting the involuntary movement, he straightened in his chair and cleared his throat.
“One presumes the ship had an intended destination before encountering whatever fate befell it. I know you’ve already attempted to access its computer. If we continue that effort, we may be able to extrapolate its previous course, or even its point of origin.”
Nodding, Elfiki said, “That was our thinking too, sir, at least before everything went sideways over there. Without gaining access to the computer, we have nothing. The ship’s simply been drifting too long.”
Taurik added, “The vessel’s computer system is heavily encrypted and shielded, making remote access difficult at best, sir, but with time I believe we will be successful.”
“A direct interface is probably the better option,” said Chen. “We were already taking the first steps for that before we were interrupted. With the situation relatively secure, we should probably try again.” When Picard cocked an eyebrow in her direction in response to her failing attempt to hide her renewed enthusiasm, she cleared her throat. “Just a suggestion, sir.”
