by John S. Drew
Other eBooks in the Star Trek™:
Starfleet Corps of Engineers series from
Pocket Books:
#1: The Belly of the Beast by Dean Wesley Smith
#2: Fatal Error by Keith R.A. DeCandido
#3: Hard Crash by Christie Golden
#4: Interphase Book 1 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#5: Interphase Book 2 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#6: Cold Fusion by Keith R.A. DeCandido
#7: Invincible Book 1 by David Mack & Keith R.A. DeCandido
#8: Invincible Book 2 by David Mack & Keith R.A. DeCandido
#9: The Riddled Post by Aaron Rosenberg
#10: Gateways Epilogue: Here There Be Monsters by Keith R.A. DeCandido
#11: Ambush by Dave Galanter & Greg Brodeur
#12: Some Assembly Required by Scott Ciencin & Dan Jolley
#13: No Surrender by Jeff Mariotte
#14: Caveat Emptor by Ian Edginton & Mike Collins
#15: Past Life by Robert Greenberger
#16: Oaths by Glenn Hauman
#17: Foundations Book 1 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#18: Foundations Book 2 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#19: Foundations Book 3 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#20: Enigma Ship by J. Steven York & Christina F. York
#21: War Stories Book 1 by Keith R.A. DeCandido
#22: War Stories Book 2 by Keith R.A. DeCandido
#23: Wildfire Book 1 by David Mack
#24: Wildfire Book 2 by David Mack
#25: Home Fires by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#26: Age of Unreason by Scott Ciencin
#27: Balance of Nature by Heather Jarman
#28: Breakdowns by Keith R.A. DeCandido
#29: Aftermath by Christopher L. Bennett
#30: Ishtar Rising Book 1 by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels
#31: Ishtar Rising Book 2 by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels
#32: Buying Time by Robert Greenberger
#33: Collective Hindsight Book 1 by Aaron Rosenberg
#34: Collective Hindsight Book 2 by Aaron Rosenberg
#35: The Demon Book 1 by Loren L. Coleman & Randall N. Bills
#36: The Demon Book 2 by Loren L. Coleman & Randall N. Bills
#37: Ring Around the Sky by Allyn Gibson
#38: Orphans by Kevin Killiany
#39: Grand Designs by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#40: Failsafe by David Mack
#41: Bitter Medicine by Dave Galanter
#42: Sargasso Sector by Paul Kupperberg
#43: Paradise Interrupted by John S. Drew
COMING SOON:
#44: Where Time Stands Still by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#45: The Art of the Deal by Glenn Greenberg
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
An Original Publication of POCKET BOOKS
POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
Copyright © 2004 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
STAR TREK is a Registered Trademark of Paramount Pictures.
This book is published by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., under exclusive license from Paramount Pictures.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 0-7434-9366-4
First Pocket Books Ebooks Edition August 2004
POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Visit us on the World Wide Web:
http://www.SimonSays.com/st
http://www.startrek.com
For Raymond Hoblock Sr.
For a man who worried about everything,
you never once questioned my dreams
and schemes, no matter how crazy they
may have seemed. Thank you for being
my friend as well as my father-in-law. We
all miss you.
Acknowledgments
It’s short but sweet, folks:
First and foremost, to Keith R.A. DeCandido. We’ve been through a lot together, from being “loquacious” in English class in high school, to the Wednesday Night of Cheesy Movies, to The Chronic Rift, to this. Thanks for always thinking of me and for giving me this opportunity. It’s been fun.
Next comes Susan Drew, my better half and my editor. Like Jean-Luc Picard, I spell knife with an “n,” and this piece looks as good as it does thanks to this woman.
To my son, Edward Declan, I say thanks for letting Daddy use the computer for a while. You can get back to playing with Elmo and Clay.
To my family, Mom, Dad, Denis, Anna, and Bridget—I know you don’t always understand me, but I hope you enjoy reading this.
To my friends, the Geek Patrol, of which Keith (Edit Boy) is a founding member: Orenthal Vance Hawkins (Hawkman), Marina Frants (Tall Cool One) and Andrea Kristin Lipinski (Lipchick), thanks for being understanding when I missed out on Wednesday nights.
To those who inspired me: Gene Roddenberry, David Gerrold, Robert Heinlein, Kenneth Johnson, Ben Bova, and Alan Dean Foster. It’s your fault I enjoy writing as much as I do.
Chapter
1
“Please hang on, sir. We’ll have someone out there as soon as we’ve reestablished power in that region.” Shira, a senior technician for the Risan Operations Unit, pulled her earpiece away as the sharp squawk emanating from it became too much for her sensitive ears. She quickly lowered the volume and made another attempt. “I am sorry for the inconvenience, sir, but—”
She was cut off by an even louder tirade of expletives that would have made even a Nausicaan blush. “Please try to be patient, we—” The signal suddenly stopped. Shira wasn’t sure if it was the guest’s doing or another fault in the system. She hoped for the latter as the guest and two of his companions were hanging from the side of Catona Bluff, a popular rock-climbing formation on Risa. Their antigravity belts had been rendered useless as their power, along with all energy circulating in the region, had mysteriously vanished. The drain was so intense that Shira couldn’t even get one of Operations’ flyers in the air to rescue the three.
Shira tapped in a request from her keypad for a ground team to make their way on foot to the bluff. Unfortunately, it would take at least an hour to get there. She sighed and looked around the circular control room at her fellow technicians, their faces looking as tired and frustrated as her own. Their consoles were all lit up a bright red, indicating technical problems throughout the Monagas Peninsula, one of the most popular regions on the planet.
“I realize it’s not supposed to rain, ma’am, but I’m afraid it’s out of our control at the moment,” she heard Milan, who was sitting next to her, say a little too wearily for her liking. Despite the troubles they were facing, it was important they maintain a positive attitude. Risa was the number-one destination resort planet in the Alpha Quadrant. It got that reputation because of its constant, stable climate, its attractive landscapes, and most of all, its very friendly staff.
But at the moment, the first two attributes were being threatened. The weather control system appeared to be breaking down. As a result, several popular areas in the region were literally being washed away by developing, heavy storms.
Shira turned back to her own console and groaned as she watched another five complaint calls line up in the queue of already forty on her viewsc
reen. She closed her eyes and thought about how nice it would be to sit out on the white sands of Monagas Lagoon. The only problem was that most of the beach had been wrecked by a freak rainsquall that ripped through the area earlier that day. This had been the third power loss in as many days.
The swishing of the doors to the control area and the shrill voice of Tonais, director of the Monagas Lagoon resort, drew her from her thoughts. Shira said a quiet prayer, asking for strength to get through the moments to come.
“And I’m still waiting for an explanation for all this.” Tonais was speaking to his assistant, a mousy little individual with his nose buried in a large data pad. He stopped short, his assistant nearly colliding with him. “Technician Shira, correct?”
Shira turned around in her seat to face the two, not attempting to rise. “Senior Technician, yes,” she responded, making every effort to keep her tone even. The director had been a general pain in the neck since the crisis had begun. Granted, a great many of the complaints from the guests had fallen on his plate, but his hourly visits to the Operations Unit just seemed to add to their problems.
“Have you come to any conclusions, Senior Technician?” His tone dripped with sarcasm as he uttered Shira’s title. He was decked out in a long flowing robe that didn’t cover enough of his girth for Shira’s satisfaction. He wore no shoes, and he tracked sand into the room. It was clear that the director had no respect or concern for anyone but himself.
“None, sir.” Shira hated admitting it. She rose from her chair and gestured toward a map of the southern hemisphere projected on a large viewscreen overhead. Pulsing maroon indicators winked on and off in one particular area. “All we have so far is that this wave of freak—” She held up a hand to halt the oncoming protest she saw brewing in the director’s eyes. “I’m categorizing them as ‘freak,’ since I can offer no cause for these problems—freak power outages that began in the Monagas Peninsula and are now spreading to other resorts in the region.”
“There is no such thing as a freak occurrence, Senior Technician,” Tonais responded. “At least, not when it comes to a magnificent system such as ours. There are fail-safes, backup systems. Why are they not engaged?”
“They have been, Director, and in some cases they are working normally.”
“In some cases?” he repeated slowly.
“Whatever is affecting our systems is affecting them too.”
“But those are independent arrangements, Senior Technician. You cannot tell me this is a freak occurrence too?”
“I really don’t know what to tell you, sir,” Shira replied, wincing as she brought her shoulders up in a shrug. She didn’t like appearing so incompetent, especially in front of someone like Tonais, but the answers were eluding her.
“Excuse me, Director,” the assistant squeaked, not looking up from his notepad. He had a deep nasal tonality to his voice. “But we’re getting a report from the resort. There are three rock climbers trapped on the side of the bluff.”
Shira winced again. She was hoping to deal with this situation on her own.
“Well,” Tonais snapped, “take care of it.”
“I’m afraid it’s not that simple, sir.” The assistant looked up for a brief moment. Although his head was completely bald, he sported a thick mustache that curled on the ends. Shira thought the two were an odd pair. If the situation wasn’t so desperate at the moment, she might have almost allowed herself to laugh aloud.
“You see, the transporters have no power to their systems and we can’t seem to get our flyers off the ground. The climbers were equipped with antigravity belts, but they won’t function.”
Tonais’s eyes flashed with anger. “You call this a freak occurrence too? I want more than a pat answer to all this!” He tapped his assistant on the shoulder. “Have a rescue team organized to ascend the bluff and get those people down!”
“I already—” Shira started to explain, but was cut off.
Tonais whirled toward Milan. “You! Contact Starfleet Command!”
Shira followed the director. “Starfleet Command? Don’t you mean the nearest Federation representative, sir? Ambassador Li—”
“No, I want Starfleet Command. They’re the only ones who can handle this situation now.”
“The only ones?” Shira’s voice began to rise in anger. “With all due respect, Director—”
“No,” he cut her off, “don’t say another word.” He leaned over to Milan. “When you have Starfleet, get me Captain Montgomery Scott of the S.C.E. division.”
“S.C.E.?” Shira was confused.
“Starfleet Corps of Engineers,” Tonais explained, nodding his head and adding with a note of hopeful confidence. “They’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“But sir—” Shira tried desperately to regain control of the situation.
Tonais turned to face her. His facial expression had changed, softened somewhat. “Please understand. We cannot afford to have this kind of interruption in services for any lengthy period of time. At the moment, we are preparing to receive a group of scientists from throughout the Federation for a symposium. Some of the guests are already here. If word gets out that we are not capable of accommodating their desires…”
He didn’t need to finish the sentence. Every person in the room, indeed, every Risan knew of the importance of total guest satisfaction.
“I have Starfleet, Director,” Milan called out. “Captain Scott is waiting for you.”
Suddenly, the lights in the room dimmed. Monitors began to wink out one by one around them. The large overhead viewscreen faded to black.
“This is intolerable,” Tonais muttered. Aloud, he said, “Captain Scott, this is Director Tonais of the Monagas Peninsula on Risa.”
The only response was static that faded away as the lights in the room continued to ebb.
“Get them back!” Tonais barked.
“I can’t, sir.” Milan moaned as he tried to comply with the order. “We’re losing power to our systems.”
Tonais turned his questioning gaze to Shira, who could only answer him with a confused stare.
“Now what are we going to do?” the assistant blurted out as the darkness engulfed them.
Chapter
2
“We’ll take the north and you take the south end,” Commander Eddie Johnson gestured toward the map that lay in front of him. “Any questions?”
Silence was the only reply. He couldn’t help but smile. This was good. His people knew their jobs.
“All right, then,” he said, giving his traditional thumbs-up. “Let’s move out.”
Eddie crouched into a squat position and moved with precision toward his goal. With each step he glanced around and brandished his phaser rifle. He was pretty sure they weren’t prepared to deal with any heavy resistance and hoped that they would make it to their target without being seen.
As they neared their goal, Eddie felt both excited and nervous. He could make out the imposing target. The large monolith hung over the entrance to the temple. It seemed to look down on Johnson’s team with a mixture of amusement and boredom. The team slowed their pace and waited as Eddie looked over their objective with a careful eye.
They say it’s an exact representation of their god, Eddie thought, giving the one-eyed statue a defiant glare. He’s about to meet his match in Commander Eddie Johnson of Starfleet Command.
Eddie gestured to the others to prepare to move out. With silent precision, Eddie and his team advanced on the temple, rotating the point as they moved forward. It didn’t take long before they reached the entrance. Eddie stepped up to the dull gray metallic door and examined the keypad on its left-hand side. It seemed a simple enough device—almost too simple—which was why Eddie was going to handle cracking its code rather than having his science officer attempt it. Commander Eddie Johnson was not about to risk any of his crew on such a dangerous task.
Eddie noted the ten-digit entry system and closed his eyes as he tried to figure out the exac
t sequence to open the door. His team waited in silence; an air of tenseness around them caused Eddie to break into a sweat. If he failed to open the door on the first try, heaven only knew what fate would befall them.
He reached out with a shaky finger and began to tap in the code. The keypad buttons lit a bright green with each successful entry. Eddie worked his way through the first three numbers of the code without any interruption. He stopped for a moment and exhaled nervously.
The final number.
It had long eluded a number of people who had made the attempt to break into the temple. There were tales of the consequences of failure, but Eddie refused to be swayed by such rhetoric.
He could make out the reflection of his crew behind him in the door. They had seen him through a number of tough situations and he in turn had not failed them yet. He hoped he wouldn’t now. Saying a silent prayer, Eddie ran his hand through his strawberry blond hair as he tapped the final number in the sequence.
The lights on the keypad blinked out.
A low whine filled the area.
“Get out!” Eddie barked to his crew as he started to back away from the door.
“Eddie!” an angry voice stopped him dead in his tracks. He turned around slowly to see his father standing in the doorway opposite him. With his hands folded across his chest, his father had a look in his eyes that Eddie was all too familiar with—exasperation.
“What do you think you’re doing?” His father said each word slowly and with great effort as if to keep from shouting.
Eddie looked futilely around the room, hoping that a member of his crew would appear to help bail him out. He wasn’t getting such aid now.
“Well, it’s like this, Dad. Starfleet contacted me and—”
“Stop right there, young man,” his father, Ray Johnson, cut him off in midfantasy. “I’ve told you to stay away from that room, haven’t I?”
“Yes, sir.” Eddie looked down at his feet. “It’s just that—”
“You’re bored. I know. But I don’t understand it, Eddie.” The senior Johnson gestured out a window at the tropical paradise before them. “This is one of the most popular planets in the entire galaxy. You have access to almost any area to enjoy yourself, within reason of course, yet you choose to waste your time playing Starfleet Command and trying to break into my study.”