“I’m here, Will, I’m okay,” she answered. “How is Geordi?”
“He seems all right,” answered Riker, “and he has no idea why he lost consciousness. We thought his suit might have malfunctioned, but it seems okay, too. Are you ready to come back?”
“In a minute,” answered Deanna, gazing over her shoulder at the gaping maw behind her. It was oddly inviting, as well as repelling—and she wondered if the Brahms suit would survive a trip inside the crack.
“There was a dead animal clinging to his helmet,” said Riker with distaste. “At least it was dead after it got through the biofilter. Are these things dangerous?”
“Only that they’re afraid and dying,” answered the counselor with [235] realization. “And they have kind of a psychic death scream. If you have a large flock of them, it can be overwhelming. I think that’s what caused him to black out.”
“I’d like you to come back, Deanna,” insisted the first officer, sounding more like a significant other. “We finally have a biological specimen, which is what the captain has wanted.”
“All right,” agreed Troi, knowing she probably shouldn’t be out here—on the edge of the dimension—alone. “I’ll leave the sled here, for when I return. One to beam back.”
In the engineering section of the Sequoia, Teska walked past a bank of workstations all devoted to parsing Bajoran history, language, and mythology, trying to find the planet mentioned cryptically in Vedek Yorka’s announcement. It had to be a planet, in her opinion, because nothing else could provide a suitable showcase for the Orb of Life. Nothing else could justify the lofty claims and Yorka’s promotion.
A “graveyard” connoted a place that was dead, or devoted to death and corpses. That fit the needs of a Genesis experiment, thought the Vulcan, because it should be performed on a lifeless planet without a functional biosphere to supplant. To use Genesis indiscriminately on inhabited worlds—that had been the evil of the moss creatures. If only they had created one homeworld instead of trying to create thousands.
In Yorka’s announcement, the graveyard belonged to “our allies.” This clue seemed to go hand-in-hand with the idea of good versus evil, and the truest evil in the Bajoran experience was the Cardassian occupation. Who were the Bajorans’ allies in the struggle to win their freedom? There weren’t very many—a few weapons sellers, starship salvagers, and the mutual enemies of the Cardassians. Who were most prominent among them?
The Cardassians had many enemies, especially during the [236] Dominion War, when they had allied themselves with the invaders. But that war was not as personal to the Bajorans, and they would have been thinking of an earlier time—when friends had been scarce and even the Federation had been viewed with suspicion.
She strolled behind the backs of her researchers, who were lined up in the bowels of engineering on every available workstation, taxing the ship’s computer. She glanced over their shoulders and saw one word occurring with considerable frequency: Maquis.
Fading into the memory of younger Starfleet officers, the Maquis had been a rebellious group of Federation colonists who faced removal from their homes in the Demilitarized Zone—due to an ill-fated treaty with the Cardassians. Battling both the Cardassians and the Federation, they fit the definition of allies to the Bajorans. Besides, their homes and bases had been mostly in the Demilitarized Zone, and one would presume their graveyards were there, too.
The DMZ would be an ideal place for Yorka’s showcase, thought Teska, because the decimated Cardassians couldn’t monitor it very well, and Starfleet was supposed to stay out entirely. The DMZ was littered with sites of battles, massacres, and destruction, and she had her researchers correlating that data with significant events which included the Maquis—with a cross-check on dead planets. After that step, another name began to show up with some frequency on their screens: Solosos III.
The worker seated in front of Teska stiffened her back and glanced nervously at the entrance. The Vulcan could see the cause for her concern when Admiral Nechayev strode purposefully into engineering. The captain of the Sequoia made straight toward her mission specialist and asked, “What have you turned up?”
“Nothing definite,” answered the Vulcan, “but a few possibilities.”
“Is a planet called Solosos III one of them?”
“Yes.”
Nechayev nodded sagely. “Regimol just sent word that he’s [237] wracked his brain, and he thinks that could be it. As you must know, there was a Maquis colony there, led by a Starfleet officer named Michael Eddington. A Starfleet effort to capture him made the planet unlivable. It wasn’t perhaps the best way to handle the situation, but it worked.”
Teska nodded. “Yes, firing quantum torpedoes with trilithium resin into the atmosphere was effective in making the planet unlivable.”
“I meant that Eddington surrendered,” said the admiral with a scowl. “Regimol says that both the Bajorans and the Maquis revere Solosos III as the site of the Maquis’s most noble defeat, because we had to destroy the planet to save it. When you root for the underdog, that’s the kind of battle you appreciate, I guess. I wasn’t involved, but it was a turning point. Eddington was a charismatic leader.”
“Logically, what can we do about an experiment on a dead planet in the Demilitarized Zone?” asked the Vulcan.
“Logically, not very much,” answered Nechayev. “Illogically and unofficially, we’ll do everything we can. Now I’m tempted to divert the runabout to Solosos III. On the other hand, they’ve got a prisoner, and perhaps he can verify our guess, or tell us where the detonation will really be.”
The admiral looked pointedly at the Vulcan. “With only a day and a half left, we can’t afford to be too subtle in our interrogation.”
“Understood,” said Teska, bowing her head. “In my opinion, we should keep Regimol on course to rendezvous with us. Confirmation is more efficient than rash action, and Solosos III is only an educated guess.”
“You’re right,” said the admiral with a decisive nod. “But I want to tell the Enterprise. Then I’ll get some sleep until we meet up with them.”
“In the meantime, we will keep searching,” promised Teska.
* * *
[238] “Captain,” said Commander Riker, trying to block Picard’s way in the corridor. “Can’t I talk to you for just a moment before you do this?”
“No,” answered Picard, slipping past the big man. “Out of my way, or I’ll have you thrown into the brig. You don’t need me—the situation is under control. I’m not going to sit here and play games when I know what she wants.” His eyes darted away from Riker’s, and he strode down the corridor to the hatchway of the yacht, which was stowed under the saucer section.
The fastest shuttlecraft in the fleet, they called it, and that’s exactly what he needed. He was taking three other crew members, a pilot and two veteran security officers. If Kaylena demanded a quest—some proof of his love—he could fulfill it. All he needed was a destination—Solosos III—and his passion for her would furnish the energy.
“Well, then, good luck, Captain,” said Riker unenthusiastically. “We expect to get a report soon on that biological specimen. Do you want us to keep in touch with you?”
Picard paused before entering the hatch, and his thoughtful expression made him appear almost like his old self. “Yes, keep sending me updates. But after I enter the DMZ, I won’t be able to respond.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Riker with a worried frown. “Should we tell her what you’re doing?”
“Tell her?” he asked suspiciously, dreading the idea of the handsome first officer contacting his Kaylena.
“Yes, tell Admiral Nechayev,” repeated Riker. “Should we let her know now, or wait until she gets here.”
“Wait until she gets here,” said Picard, entering the yacht.
A few moments later, a small, oblong craft took off from the underbelly of the saucer section, streaking away from the two gigantic starships and bursting into warp.
&n
bsp; * * *
[239] “What?” barked Nechayev. “Picard just took off?”
“That’s right,” answered Commander Riker, offering a hand to the admiral as she stepped off the transporter pad onto the deck of the Enterprise. “As soon as he got your message about Solosos III, Captain Picard boarded his yacht and was gone. But he had planned beforehand to go after the missing device—he had a crew waiting.”
“Hmmm,” replied Nechayev with annoyance. “I salute his initiative, but he’s not the one I would have risked on that mission.”
But Riker had already turned his attention to the stunning Vulcan who accompanied her. “Welcome to the Enterprise.”
“Mission Specialist Teska,” said the admiral. “She’s been invaluable so far. This is the first officer of the Enterprise, Commander Riker.”
“Commander,” said the Vulcan with a slight bow of her head.
“A pleasure,” answered Riker with a smile.
Nechayev inserted herself between them. “Commander, there’s a civilian runabout just a few hours behind us. When they get here, I want them to dock immediately in your shuttlebay—before the Romulans can get hold of them.”
“Yes, Sir,” answered Riker, leading them out of the transporter room into the corridor. “I’ve arranged to have a briefing with our senior staff in the Observation Lounge—to bring you up to date. Using the Brahms radiation suits, we’ve done a spacewalk near the rift and have gotten a biological sample. We think we’re ready to go even deeper into the rift.”
“That sounds very dangerous,” said Teska, lifting an eyebrow.
Nechayev scowled as they neared the turbolift. “Really, all I want to know is how are we going to get that Genesis box off the Javlek.”
The turbolift door opened, and the trio entered. “Observation Lounge,” said Riker. “You know, Admiral, the captain had two lengthy visits to the Javlek, and some personal dealings with [240] Commander Kaylena, and he was convinced that they didn’t have a Genesis emitter. And they were convinced that we have one.”
“Teska, you were inside our prisoner’s mind. Did the Javlek have a Genesis box?”
“They had one when they left Lomar to intercept the Enterprise,” answered the Vulcan.
The turbolift door opened, and Riker led the way into the Observation Lounge, which now offered a partial view of the Sequoia as well as the Javlek. Seated at the table among several empty chairs were Commander La Forge, Dr. Crusher, and Counselor Troi.
After a few curt greetings and introductions, the admiral sat at the head of the table and folded her hands. “I’m sure you have many interesting findings to report to me,” she began, “but I’ve seen all the radiation readings and chemical analyses I need to see, I know that any creature from that rift is unlike anything in we’ve seen in this quadrant, except maybe on Gemworld. I’m inclined to agree with Counselor Troi that this rift is related to the Gemworld rift. I wish that knowledge helped us more.”
Nechayev took a breath and went on, “Of greater concern is the possibility that these expanding rifts, deadly radiation, and the development of these weird creatures have been exacerbated by the Genesis Wave. They’ve gotten worse with every demonstration of the so-called Orb of Life, so we’re assuming that Vedek Yorka’s newest stunt will cause massive problems. But the relationship between Genesis, the Orb of Life, and these rifts must be proven one way or another before we risk everything to stop Yorka in the Demilitarized Zone.”
Nechayev scowled as she gazed at the senior officers of the Enterprise, “Of course, your captain has taken matters into his own hands and has flown off to Solosos III,” she grumbled. “So he isn’t here to help us get the Genesis emitter away from the Romulans, one way or another. If we had it, we could test it, and we could verify with our witnesses that the Orb of Life really is a Genesis Device.
[241] “Fortunately, I’ve also had some dealings with Commander Kaylena,” said Nechayev. “How is her health?”
“Her health?” asked Riker puzzledly. He glanced at his fellow officers, and all of them seemed a bit confused.
“Yes,” answered Nechayev. “Kaylena is older than me, somewhat frail, overweight, walks with a limp from an old war wound she refuses to get fixed.”
Now the senior staff really looked confused. “That’s not the Commander Kaylena we’ve seen,” said Riker, “or the one the captain has visited. She’s young, statuesque, beautiful.” Deanna shot him a fishy look at his description, and Will sunk deeper into his chair.
“Well, that’s interesting,” said Nechayev, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “That explains why she didn’t answer my hail. But I’d like to see her.”
“They haven’t answered our hails lately either,” answered Riker, “but I can show you a video log of an earlier conversation the captain had with her.”
Nechayev crossed her arms, swiveled in her chair, and looked at the overhead viewscreen. “Proceed.”
After a quick call to Data on the bridge, they all watched Commander Kaylena’s first conversation with Captain Picard, where she demanded the return of the Brahms suits and he demanded the Genesis technology. Admiral Nechayev had a big grin on her face as she watched the exchange of almost a week ago.
“Picard made an excellent guess about the Genesis Device, and it must have spooked them,” said the admiral, “because that is not Commander Kaylena of the Javlek. It’s someone impersonating her. Those Romulans—they never cease to amaze me.”
Now the Enterprise officers looked at one another with true consternation. “Why would they do that?” asked La Forge.
The women seemed to figure it out, and both Crusher and Troi gazed knowingly at the admiral. “The captain was over there for six hours on one visit,” said Beverly.
[242] “Are you saying that Captain Picard was infatuated with this impostor?” asked the admiral bluntly. “I know he’s not here to defend himself, but this is a serious matter. Give me your honest answer, and it won’t go any farther than this room. Was he involved with this woman you knew as Commander Kaylena?”
Riker nodded slowly, followed by Crusher and Troi.
“Now it’s beginning to make sense,” said the admiral, putting her fingertips together and making a steeple of her hands. “The Romulans have several means to accomplish what they did—they’ve even been know to use an Elasian’s tears, which would be my guess here. In any case, we can assume that Captain Picard told them everything he knows. Did he contact her after he found out about Solosos III?”
“No,” answered Riker, “they weren’t answering our hails.”
The admiral nodded. “And it appears that they believed some misinformation I fed them. What we don’t know is if Picard is being heroic or is still under her control.”
Nechayev rose slowly to her feet and began to pace, thinking out loud as she did. “Since we’ve figured this out—and they don’t know we have—we could turn it to our advantage. Maybe we could even work a con to get Genesis from them. But to do this right, we would need someone to impersonate Picard—someone who wasn’t infatuated with our beautiful commander.”
Riker rapped his knuckles on the table. “We don’t have anyone on board with that much skill at disguise.”
“Uh ... hmmm,” said Crusher, frowning indecisively. After a moment, she seemed to overcome whatever doubts she had, and she sat up in her chair to say, “I know someone on board who could impersonate Captain Picard so well that we wouldn’t know the difference.
Now the doctor had everyone’s attention. “He’s a patient,” she said. “Raynr Sleven, the only survivor of the Barcelona.”
“We’ll see him in a moment,” answered Nechayev. Crusher [243] nodded, and the energetic admiral went on, “We’re going to get that box from them—by hook or by crook. Do you hear me, people?”
“Yes, Sir!” came a chorus.
“Commander Riker, you are acting captain,” said Nechayev. “Even after Picard gets back, until he sees me, you are acting captain. When the runabou
t gets here, I want you to hustle them into the shuttlebay as quickly as you can; after you do, let it slip on an open channel that Regimol is with them.”
“All right,” answered Riker, not questioning why.
“Come on, Doctor,” said Nechayev, headed for the door.
“Admiral,” called Teska. “May I go back to the Sequoia?”
The admiral stopped for a moment and looked at the regal Vulcan. “Yes, but there’s a good chance that we’ll have to keep our shields up, so we can’t transport. So, pack a bag and be prepared to stay on the Enterprise.” With that, Nechayev led Dr. Crusher out the door.
Alyssa Ogawa looked up from filing her reports to see a large figure come striding into sickbay. From his distinctive hair style, she knew exactly who it was—the Antosian—and she wanted to escape from sickbay before she confronted him. But Raynr Sleven was headed straight toward her.
“Is Dr. Crusher here?” he asked softly.
“No.” She glared at him but lowered her voice to add, “And don’t you know you’re not supposed to come here when I’m here? It’s for your own protection, believe me. Now go away.”
Raynr turned toward the door but stopped. “I can’t. Dr. Crusher just contacted me and told me to meet her here. I was nearby ... I’ll wait outside.”
“No, no,” said Ogawa, reaching out a hand to stop him but quickly withdrawing it. “I’ve never kicked anybody out of sickbay before—I’m sorry.”
“Understandable,” he said apologetically. “I just wanted so badly [244] for Suzi’s father ... your Andrew ... to come home. When I was saved miraculously, it made me an optimist. Maybe too much. I keep thinking that Beverly will fall in love with me ... that I can entertain Suzi for a few days until her real dad gets back. I always think everything will work out.”
Ogawa lowered her head and tried to get back to work, but she realized that she had been punishing a patient who was still going through trauma ... all because of her loss.
She looked up, tears streaking her face. “Okay,” she said, “you and I have got to tell Suzi. You can even do your little parlor trick for her—”
STAR TREK: TNG - The Genesis Wave, Book Three Page 24