Agents of Influence

by Dayton Ward

  Binnix held up a hand. “Hold on a minute.”

  “You know it’s the proper course,” Khatami said. “You and your information are the priorities, but this other thing is something we can’t overlook either. Somebody has to get all of this back to Starfleet.” She looked to Kirk. “My ship’s busted, so that leaves yours.”

  “After everything you went through to bring us in?” Horst asked. “Due respect, Captain, but there’s no way in hell I’m getting a ride home without you.”

  The idea of leaving Khatami and her crew at the potential mercy of the Klingons, the Orions, or whoever else might chance across the crippled Endeavour was anathema to Kirk. There was no chance of him choosing that course of action while even a hint of another option could be found.

  “The Klingons haven’t found us yet,” he said. “It’s still a big asteroid field, and they have no idea where to look. We’ve got time to figure this out, but one way or another, we’re all getting out of here.”

  Khatami eyed him. “Nogura’s going to have your ass.”

  The comment was enough to make Kirk offer a low, humorless chuckle.

  “Only if he comes and gets it.”

  Twenty

  The red alert klaxon sounded mere seconds before everything else on the Enterprise bridge seemed to go haywire.

  “Deflector shields are fluctuating,” reported Ensign Chekov from the science station. “It’s like a power drain.”

  Sitting in the captain’s chair, Spock noted how the rest of the bridge crew was already going through their assigned checklists in order to assess the impact of this apparent attack on the ship’s critical systems. After canceling the alarm, he asked, “Are the shields holding?”

  “For the moment, sir,” Chekov replied. “But the drain is consistent.”

  From where he stood behind Spock, Admiral Nogura said, “This can’t just be background radiation from the asteroid field. We’ve been here for hours.”

  “Agreed,” Spock replied. “Something has changed since our arrival in the area. Mister Chekov, the modifications Engineer Scott made to our sensor array should prove useful in this regard.”

  Turning from the science station, the ensign said, “Aye, sir. Scans are being disrupted along with the shields, but the new configuration seems to be helping mitigate that. I’ve requested additional power from engineering to the sensors.”

  “This is definitely a power drain, sir,” reported Lieutenant Ryan Leslie, the venerable Enterprise crew member who had taken over the navigator’s station while Chekov worked at the science console. “Shields are down to eighty-four percent and dropping. Navigational deflectors are being disrupted as well.”

  Nogura said, “Something definitely doesn’t like us being here.”

  An alert tone from the science station made Spock and the admiral turn to where Chekov was looking up from the console’s hooded viewer. “I think I’ve got something, Mister Spock. Sensors show an object of artificial construction positioned on one of the nearby asteroids. From what I can tell, it’s the source of the disruption, but its power signature is so small I almost missed it.”

  “I find it unlikely that is an accident.” Rising from the command chair, Spock positioned himself between Leslie and Lieutenant Rahda at the helm. “Mister Chekov, relay those coordinates to navigation. Mister Leslie, plot us a course to that asteroid that allows us to avoid any other nearby asteroids. Lieutenant Rahda, proceed on that heading at one-quarter impulse power.”

  The image on the bridge’s main viewscreen shifted as the Enterprise banked to port and a particularly large asteroid shifted past the screen’s right edge. It took only seconds before the ship’s course brought another, much smaller chunk of dull rock drifting into view. Centered on the screen, it quickly filled the image.

  “Asteroid’s diameter is just under five kilometers, sir,” reported Chekov. “Its mineral composition is consistent with those of the larger bodies we know are contributing to the field’s natural background disruption effects.” He paused, adjusting several controls on the science console while keeping his attention on the station’s sensor viewer. “I’ve pinpointed the source of the artificial readings, Mister Spock. Locking onto it with sensors.”

  When the alarm siren wailed this time, it came with a noticeable fluctuation in the overhead lighting as well as every screen and console on the bridge. Spock was certain he even felt a minor yet still distinct variation in the artificial gravity field. There was a momentary sensation in his stomach, gone almost as he became aware of it.

  Lieutenant Leslie called out, “Shields are down to sixty-two percent, and the rate of drop-off is accelerating, Mister Spock.”

  “Somebody definitely doesn’t like us snooping around,” said Nogura. From his expression, the admiral also had experienced the fleeting waver of gravity. Stepping down into the command well, he reached for the arm of the captain’s chair to steady himself.

  “Route emergency power to the deflectors,” Spock ordered. He knew if the Enterprise lost its defensive shields, whatever was attacking the ship would have free rein over the rest of the ship’s sensitive onboard systems, and there was no way to predict what that might mean. Communications, transporters, and tractor beams were obvious first casualties, but could it hamper computer access? What about life-support? Was it possible for it to interfere with the warp engine’s antimatter containment systems? None of these were desirable scenarios.

  “Mister Chekov,” he prompted, “have you pinpointed the source of the disruption?”

  Still hovering over the science station, the ensign gestured toward the viewscreen. “Aye, sir. It’s just under one thousand kilometers directly ahead of us, on the surface of that asteroid.”

  Nogura moved to stand next to Spock. “Let’s see it.”

  On the viewscreen, the image zoomed toward the asteroid until it focused on a small section of the rock’s surface. Now visible was an obviously metallic shape resembling an octagon with a cap generating a soft blue light from within.

  “It measures about three meters in diameter, sir,” said Chekov. “Scans show it’s embedded approximately two meters into the rock, and beneath that is a larger rectangular object that appears to be its primary power source. I’m also seeing indications of sensor and communications equipment.”

  Leslie said, “Mister Spock, routing emergency power to the shields is helping, but we’re still experiencing a drop-off. We’re at fifty-seven percent and falling.”

  Pointing toward the viewscreen, Spock said, “Mister Leslie, target phasers on that object. One-quarter strength. I would prefer it neutralized but not destroyed.”

  “Good thinking, Commander,” said Nogura.

  “Aye, sir.” The navigator made the necessary configurations via his console and seconds later a pair of blue-white energy beams streaked across the viewscreen, converging on the asteroid. They were gone almost as quickly as they had appeared, followed by a brief flash illuminating a small section of the asteroid’s surface.

  Chekov said, “No change in readings, Mister Spock.”

  At Spock’s prompting, Leslie fired a second time and the results were repeated on the viewscreen. Even as they were rewarded with another flash from the asteroid, lighting around the bridge returned to its normal levels and any static or other interference on various display screens disappeared.

  “We got it, sir,” Chekov reported. “Whatever it is, I’m detecting no power readings.”

  On the viewscreen, Spock saw that the image had returned to a close-up of the object. The cap sitting atop its octagonal surface was dark, offering no hints to the energy it had been generating minutes earlier.

  “Notify Mister Scott to transport that object to cargo bay one,” he said. “Perhaps more direct scrutiny will yield some answers.”

  “Someone put it there,” said Nogura. “The big questions are who and why.”

  “There is something else to consider,” Spock replied. “Just based on its location, thi
s object could not have disrupted the Endeavour or the Klingon warship. There must be more of them scattered throughout the asteroid field. As such, they pose a continued danger to the Enterprise, to say nothing of Captain Kirk and his team.”

  Not for the first time, he wondered how the captain, along with Uhura and Sulu, was faring. The mission parameters called for strict communications silence, so he had no way to know if they had been successful in locating the Endeavour or had perhaps fallen prey to a device like the one on the bridge viewscreen.

  Such thinking was inappropriate, Spock decided. Instead, a better use of his time awaited him in the ship’s cargo bay.

  * * *

  “This is a Klingon contraption.”

  Montgomery Scott stood next to the squat metallic device. It still bore traces of soil and rock fragments brought along with it after the engineer transported it from the asteroid it called home. After arriving in the cargo bay and upon getting his first look at the device, Spock observed the noticeable lack of identifying symbols. As Ensign Chekov had estimated, it stood just over two meters tall and was nearly three meters wide. Scott had gained access to the device’s innards through a panel in its side, behind which was a dense collection of relays, optical cabling, and a few things Spock could not identify. Pulling his arm from the opening, Scott held up a dark, featureless block.

  “See this?” He offered the object to Spock, who took it and began turning it over in his hands. “A Klingon power-flow regulator. Pretty generic design. It’s mostly for military equipment not intended for use aboard ship. Force field generators, mobile weapons platforms, that sort of thing. Like any good bit of Klingon technology, it’s built to last under less than optimal conditions.”

  Standing next to Spock, Nogura said, “He’s right. I’ve seen them before.”

  Spock turned the object over in his hands. Its surface was smooth but it had heft, suggesting a component tightly packed with internal mechanisms of the sort needed to carry out the task for which it was designed. There also could be no mistaking familiar Klingon text engraved into the module’s outer covering.

  “Would regulators of this type be available to other parties? Perhaps via a black market or other unauthorized means?” he asked.

  “It’s not just the regulators, sir,” Scott replied. “Other parts as well as the internal configuration are all consistent with Klingon design. The power cell? It’s the same kind used in all sorts of portable equipment along with signal buoys, torpedoes, and other automated devices intended to be launched from a Klingon ship. Everything is marked in their language too.”

  Nogura said, “So, it’s either the Klingons, or someone using their apparently experimental technology?”

  “It looks that way, Admiral,” Scott replied. “I wasn’t able to retrieve the primary power cell from where it’s still jammed into that asteroid, but Mister Chekov was able to get a better look at it with sensors. It’s a compact fusion reactor, the sort you’d find in small shuttles or other limited-range transports. Very reliable, and they can operate for months without maintenance or replacement. It also puts out some major power, Mister Spock. It’d have to in order to do what it did to us.”

  “How did it manage to hide from our sensors?” Nogura asked. “I know the asteroid field’s background radiation provides some cover, but I’d think with the modifications you made to the Enterprise sensors, you would have detected it earlier than we did.”

  By way of reply, Scott reached back into the object’s access panel and withdrew another, much larger component. It was a long cylinder, heavy enough the engineer needed both hands to get it through the opening before holding it out for Nogura and Spock to examine.

  “I found this installed among the relays routing power from the energy cell to what I think has to be the disruption-field generator itself as well as its onboard sensor array. I ran a tricorder scan on it and it’s a form of power-management circuit. It controls how much energy the entire thing needs to operate, including forcing it into a sort of ‘stealth mode’ where it reduces power usage to the bare minimum. Combined with the fits the asteroid field is already giving us, that makes this beastie all but undetectable.”

  Having retrieved the engineer’s tricorder from a nearby worktable, Spock aimed it at the device and studied its scan readings. A thought had begun forming as he listened to Scott’s report, and the tricorder was now confirming his hypothesis.

  “Mister Scott, do you recall our encounter with Captain Koloth and his ship, the Devisor?”

  Scott smiled. “Indeed I do, sir, and I was wondering if you might make the same connection.” For Nogura’s benefit, he gestured to the device. “The Klingons used something very similar to this little devil about a year ago, Admiral. It was installed aboard Koloth’s ship and did a nasty number when he used it on us. Pushed right through our deflector shields and knocked out our warp engines with its first shot.”

  “The power drain on the Devisor was significant,” Spock added, recalling details of the encounter. “This ended up being Koloth’s undoing.”

  Scott said, “From the looks of things, this is very similar to that weapon, but it trades its overall impact on a targeted ship in favor of more efficient and sustained energy usage. The ultimate effect is the same, with the target being disabled and vulnerable to attack or boarding.”

  “Stationing these on asteroids or any other relatively static position seems shortsighted,” Nogura replied. “Maybe this is just a test-bed location while they refine the technology.”

  Nodding, Spock said, “A logical conclusion. The device in its present form is small enough to be installed aboard a vessel. As effective as it is with its comparatively limited power supply, solving the power utilization issues while tying into a ship’s warp engines would greatly extend its capabilities.”

  The whistle of the ship’s intercom echoed through the expansive cargo bay. It was followed by the voice of Lieutenant Leslie, whom Spock had left in command of the bridge in his absence.

  “Bridge to Mister Spock. Sir, Ensign Chekov reports our sensors have detected another of the disruption-field generators, located on an asteroid not too far from our present position.”

  Crossing to a comm panel set into the wall behind the Klingon device, Spock pressed its activation control. “Mister Chekov, I take it from the lack of alarms the generator has not activated?”

  “That’s correct, sir,” replied the ensign. “So far as I can tell from this distance, it’s in some sort of standby mode. It may be waiting for a ship to close to a predetermined range before powering up and activating its disruption beam… or whatever it activates.”

  Scott said, “With the onboard communications package, these things could talk to each other, Mister Spock. Maybe they coordinate their efforts depending on how a targeted ship tries to escape?”

  “Quite possible,” Spock replied. “Mister Chekov, continue your scans, and see if there are any more of the devices within the immediate vicinity. Mister Leslie, maintain our present position until further notice.” After receiving acknowledgment from both officers, Spock severed the connection before returning his attention to Nogura and Scott. “It would seem our ‘simple’ search-and-rescue operation has taken a most unexpected turn.”

  Nogura replied, “If the Klingons are operating out here in nonaligned space, we need to find out a lot more than we know right now. If the Orions are involved, then you can be sure they’re profiting off whatever ships this energy field or whatever you want to call it has caught. Right now, it’s a threat to civilian and Starfleet traffic, but there’s no way the Klingons are going to all this trouble to hijack a few civilian transports or freighters.” He pointed to the disruption-field generator. “That’s a new weapon for use against the Empire’s enemies. Namely, us.”

  “Based on the available evidence and information,” Spock said, “I agree with your assessment, Admiral. Further, I submit the danger to Captain Kirk and his party is more severe than it is to us. I
t would be advisable to ascertain their current status.”

  His gaze still fixed on the Klingon device, Nogura shook his head. “At the moment, we don’t even know where they are or if they’ve found the Endeavour. Attempting to contact them here in the field would likely endanger them if the Klingons, Orions, or someone else is out there listening. If they’ve found the Endeavour and its crew and the agents are still alive, then we risk them being captured before we can get to them. Meanwhile, finding out the truth behind this new weapon just became a mission priority.”

  “But what about the agents and their information?” Scott asked. “Isn’t that the whole reason we’re here in the first place, sir?”

  “This obviously isn’t as critical as securing the agents and their information, at least not as things currently stand, but we can’t just let it go. We have no idea how big this threat is, or when it might be ready for deployment against us.” Nogura paused, releasing a long, slow breath. “Kirk and his team can handle themselves at least long enough for us to investigate this a bit further. If they can’t, they’ll contact us in accordance with their mission protocol. For now, I choose to believe our not hearing from them means they’re okay.”

  Spock replied, “Or, they are unable to request our assistance for any of several reasons.”

  “I know, Commander. Believe me.” Closing his eyes, Nogura pinched the bridge of his nose as though attempting to ward off a sudden headache. “But your captain has a reputation for being pretty resourceful. Hopefully he’s living up to it right about now.”

  Twenty-one

  Despite the research outpost’s remote location in one of the Ivratis asteroid field’s densest areas, Le’tal insisted that all reasonable precautions be taken to avoid announcing its presence. This included masking its power output and restricting outbound communications. Even inbound transmissions were received or even acknowledged only if they conformed to the tightly controlled schedule. The outpost’s garrison commander, Karamaq, also ensured the patrols he sent into the field at irregular intervals came and went using randomly selected circuitous routes designed to reveal whether the ships were being followed. As for other vessels that might call on them, such occurrences were only supposed to happen as a result of specific circumstances falling under the category of “emergency.” All of these protocols and so many others were designed to protect not only the outpost and its occupants but also the secret and important nature of the work taking place here.