“Three worlds,” the Doctor said, “Aldebaran, Coridan, and Ardana; do they have anything in common apart from Federation membership and the devastation? Weren’t several other planets attacked? Have you found any cases of this disease on those worlds?”
“We’re in the process of checking, Doctor, but it is an arduous task, given the state of these worlds and our limited resources,” Everett replied. “For now, the infection seems isolated to these three worlds, but that could change. Ardana was the last to report cases, but the massive civil unrest that has troubled them since the invasion could account for the time delay in reporting the infection’s progress there.”
“Do you have evidence to confirm that catoms have been found in these victims?” the Doctor went on.
“Why do you think we were so eager to see your research, Doctor?” Frist asked bitterly. “You are the first to visualize a catom. Your work will make ours much easier. Now we know what we’re looking for.”
The Doctor shook his head. “I understand your alarm. Any infection that spreads this quickly is a dire threat. But your conclusion—that somehow these people were infected by catoms left on their world in the form of transformed Borg debris—just seems impossible.”
“Why?” Frist asked.
“The Caeliar were better than this,” the Doctor replied, frustrated that he could not immediately find a better way to phrase his incredulity. “They wanted us to know as little as possible about them after they left. As soon as this station was detected, Axum’s ship transmitted a virus here to erase all records from sensors. The catoms provided to Seven and Axum are extremely limited in their capabilities. They are the palest possible reflection of the wonder that is a Caeliar. The Caeliar’s intention, when they did what they did, was clearly to eliminate any threat posed by the Borg. Why would they replace it with one of their own?”
“They may have been, good Doctor,” Frist replied, “but they weren’t gods. Who is to say that their technology wasn’t somehow damaged or mutated in some way when it came into contact with these worlds, all of which were exposed to high energy and some exotic weaponry just prior to the transformation? They could not possibly have prepared these catoms for every conceivable interaction prior to their dispersal on these worlds.”
“They perfected catomic technology thousands of years ago,” the Doctor said. “They shouldn’t have had to.”
“The fact remains that thousands of people have already succumbed to this illness, Doctor. We can’t identify the infectious agent. If it continues to spread, within months, hundreds of thousands will die,” Everett reminded him.
“Over sixty-three billion died in the Borg Invasion. Adding a few million more is unacceptable, Doctor,” Frist said. “We must do all we can, as quickly as possible, to end this new threat. If, as you suggest, the catoms were not the cause, they may be the solution.”
The Doctor did not believe that the path they were following would yield the results they sought. His work with Seven and Axum’s catoms had shown him the elegant simplicity of the technology. Nothing he had seen suggested anything but the most benign of intents from the Caeliar. It was possible that this was an unforeseeable result of catomic interaction, but the Doctor could not accept this premise. If he was to add anything meaningful to the discussion, he would need to evaluate some of these patients for himself. Further, he was certain that the work of using catoms beyond the purposes coded into them by the Caeliar was going to take years if not decades to develop. None of the individuals currently suffering from this plague was going to survive that long. Other options must be found.
“I am happy to make myself available to assist you in any way going forward,” the Doctor said. “You have all of the information you requested regarding Seven and Doctor Frazier’s people. You also have access to everything relating to Axum. I understand your reluctance to release him, but I want to go on record, even in light of this development, and state that I believe that to allow him to reunite with Seven of Nine is in his best interest and will likely be the only thing that might ensure his recovery. I could continue to monitor him and provide you with all of my findings, even in the Delta Quadrant. As you know, the Full Circle fleet has the capability to interact directly with the Alpha Quadrant.”
Doctor Mai shook her head in disbelief. Doctor Frist was more diplomatic. “I will take your recommendation into account, Doctor. If the data you have provided yields substantial results in the short term, it is possible we will reevaluate the necessity of keeping patient C-1 closer for observation and further tests. Your participation in our work ends here. We thank you for your efforts, but your current assignment with the Full Circle fleet is too valuable for you to be spared to further assist in our efforts.”
“You can’t be serious,” the Doctor said, aghast. “You need the best minds in the Federation working on this right now.”
“I assure you, they are,” Doctor Frist said evenly.
Chapter Fifteen
DEMETER
Demeter’s briefing room could seat six comfortably. When Captain Chakotay had come aboard accompanied by Counselor Cambridge and Seven of Nine, Lieutenant Url had suggested moving the scheduled briefing to one of Demeter’s larger airponics bays. However, those were crowded with numerous life-forms from the Ark planet, all of them displaying varying degrees of distress. The briefing room was the only viable option.
Chakotay sat opposite Commander O’Donnell. Commanders Paris and Fife, along with Lieutenant Kim, who were all shaken, but physically unharmed, sat with them, and the remaining chair at the table was filled by Seven. Url stood near the table, ill at ease. Only Cambridge, who stood with his arms crossed leaning against a port, seemed truly comfortable with the arrangement.
“If there aren’t any objections,” Chakotay began, seizing control of the briefing, “I’d like to hear from Commander Paris’s team.” Turning to Paris he said bluntly, “What the hell happened down there?”
Paris still seemed disconcerted. His normally ruddy complexion was ashen, and he held his hands before him on the table, fingers firmly interlocked. “We were studying numerous distortions we discovered in the cavern. Lieutenant Kim and Commander Fife can speak their theories, but conditions were nominal until the tremors began.”
“What did you find there?” Chakotay asked.
Fife nodded to Kim. “You go ahead.”
“The cavern contained hundreds of subspace distortions; wave forms that were never able to completely emerge from subspace. We believe that many if not all of the wave forms that are now protecting this area of space were born there. The cavern is a perfect channel for the energy required. However, the technology used to fracture subspace and cause the wave forms to cohere was not found. We theorize it was destroyed before its creators left the planet,” Kim reported.
“What caused the tremors?” Chakotay asked.
“The emergence of three fully coherent wave forms, proctors I believe, who rescued us,” Kim replied.
“And did you do anything to precipitate their actions?”
“No, sir,” Kim said.
“When did the tremors begin?” Chakotay asked.
“Sixteen zero five hours,” Url replied. “We maintained transporter lock until the disruption began and the enhancers were lost.”
“According to my readings, the seismic disruption on the surface began within seconds of the emergence of the sentries who moved to intercept the Delta Flyer,” Seven noted.
“As did the change in behavior of all of the life-forms we were studying aboard Demeter,” O’Donnell added.
“That’s also when we began receiving reports that the other away teams were coming under attack,” Url said. “We recovered all of the away teams, apart from team six, in quick succession.”
“We’re all on the same page then?” O’Donnell asked.
“I’m just now opening my hymnal sir,” Cambridge replied. “Which page, exactly?”
O’Donnell favored the counselor
with a withering glance. “When the shuttle team tried to extract dilithium from the asteroids, the response was immediate: an attack from sentries, the removal of Paris’s team from their location by three proctors, and visible disruption to every living thing native to the planet.”
“So you have concluded that because these events occurred in such close proximity, they must be related,” Cambridge noted.
“Simplest explanation usually the right one and all that,” O’Donnell said.
“When it comes to the actions of the sentries and proctors, I see your point,” Cambridge allowed. “But when it comes to the life-forms, I’m afraid that’s a harder sell. You’re talking about hundreds of discreet organisms on the surface of the planet and on your ship. How did they receive the stimulus required to account for their behavior at the same time?”
“Have you ever sat outside at night, listening to the choruses of hundreds of life-forms going about their business, only to hear absolute silence suddenly descend just before a storm breaks?” O’Donnell asked.
“I’m not much of an outdoorsman,” Cambridge admitted.
“Counselor,” Chakotay cautioned him softly.
“All of the space that was once shrouded by the cloaking matrix is a vast interconnected system,” O’Donnell said simply.
“Many life-forms are sensitive to subtle shifts in magnetic energy, including those that herald the onset of a change in the weather. But that is determined by their proximity to that energy. You’re saying that an invisible connection binds all of them, regardless of their location?” Seven asked.
“Yes,” O’Donnell replied.
“Something that none of our sensors detected?” Chakotay asked.
“I believe our senses just did,” O’Donnell replied.
Kim jumped up from the table and grabbed his tricorder. “Stand up, Tom,” he requested.
Paris obliged him and Kim completed a quick scan. He then turned to Fife. “Commander?” he asked.
Fife rose and Kim repeated the scan. He turned the device on himself. While they resumed their seats, Kim studied the results. “It’s minimal, but it’s there.”
“What is?” Seven asked.
“Residual EM readings,” Kim replied.
“What?” Paris asked, clearly concerned.
“Don’t worry, Tom,” Kim said. “All of the wave forms operate in the same way. When they surround an object, they effectively pull it partially into subspace. They create small subspace bubbles around the effected area, thereby easing their progress as they move through solid matter but also protecting whatever they scan.”
“While in subspace, without shields, our ships would have been exposed to several forms of exotic ratiation,” Seven agreed. “The subspace bubbles shielded us from its effects.”
“Yes,” Kim agreed.
“But there no were no ‘bubbles’ around us when they took us,” Fife interjected. “They had their characteristic oval shape as they moved toward us, but that dissipated when we came in contact with them.”
“Your eyes were open?” Paris asked incredulously.
“You can’t do the same with a living organism,” Kim said. “The wave forms protected us, moved us safely through solid rock and then the planet’s atmosphere, but they did so by altering the subatomic essence of our environmental suits. They actually merged with the suits, bringing us briefly into subspace. Traces of the effect are still present in our skin, but not at dangerous levels.”
“Will it dissipate over time?” Paris asked.
“Yes. We were treated with hyronalin. All evidence of our exposure will be gone within the next few hours,” Kim replied.
“No wonder,” O’Donnell said softly.
“Commander?” Chakotay asked.
“One question unanswered thus far was: How did the people responsible for transporting the life-forms to the planet do it?” O’Donnell replied.
“They obviously had ships,” Chakotay suggested.
“Yes, but we’re talking about millions of species. Those ships had to be busy destroying planets and harvesting their resources.”
“They used the wave forms,” Kim realized.
“They used the wave forms,” O’Donnell echoed in agreement.
“Even if that was the case, and the act of transporting them left some residual electro-magnetic energy within the life-forms initially brought to the planet, that was several generations ago,” Seven countered. “The creatures we are studying are not the same ones brought here, except perhaps in the case of a few extremely long-lived species.”
“What if the wave forms’ work didn’t end with the initial transports?” O’Donnell asked.
“They’ve watched the progress of the planet, witnessed the significant decline in species, and are still trying to save them,” Chakotay said.
O’Donnell said, “When their efforts did not succeed, they went looking for help.”
Silence descended briefly on the room as everyone considered the implications.
“Why didn’t they go to their creators?” Cambridge asked.
“Maybe they did but didn’t get the response they wanted,” Kim replied.
“You would think that anyone who went to the trouble to create these wave forms and use them to save these species would have cared when they learned of the planet’s status,” Paris insisted.
“You would, wouldn’t you?” O’Donnell agreed. “But the evidence now before us suggests they didn’t or couldn’t do anything to change the planet’s current circumstances.”
“But we can,” Fife said softly.
“Absolutely.” O’Donnell shrugged.
“You’re talking about a complete reorganization of an incredibly complicated group of ecosystems,” Cambridge pointed out. “We’d have to relocate hundreds of populations, create thousands of bacterial life-forms and several new botanical ones from scratch, and do a fair amount of terraforming.”
“And on the seventh day, we’ll rest,” O’Donnell said cheerfully.
“We can’t do that,” Kim said simply.
“We’re not allowed to do that,” Paris corrected him gently.
“The Prime Directive prohibits us from interfering in the natural development of any pre-warp civilizations,” Chakotay said evenly.
“When a sentient, warp-capable species makes contact with us and asks for our help, we are free to consider their request and proceed as we see fit,” O’Donnell said. “Many such species have made similar requests of the Federation, and we’ve assisted them, even when they faced ecological disasters of their own making.”
“The wave forms aren’t life-forms, and their sentience remains an open question,” Seven countered.
“Maybe,” Chakotay said.
“Captain?” Paris turned on him, surprised.
“After we attempted to extract the dilithium and the sentries emerged, we immediately ceased operations and transported the shuttle crew to safety. We also neutralized those sentries. Shortly, another emerged, on course to destroy the Delta Flyer. Before it came within range of the shuttle, a proctor emerged and stopped it. The proctor placed itself between the sentry and the shuttle, and after a few moments, the sentry dispersed and the shuttle was left intact,” Chakotay said.
“The proctors saved us, too,” Kim added.
“Do you believe the proctors and sentries can read our minds?” Cambridge asked. “Why would they protect us? We haven’t taken any action suggesting we are going to help them.”
“Some of us might have,” Fife observed, glancing toward O’Donnell.
“The proctor wave form Voyager contacted did make some sort of telepathic connection with Admiral Janeway. It disabled her, but when she awoke, she was certain that its intentions were benign. It communicated something to her, even though she couldn’t quite understand it,” Chakotay said.
“And it dumped more data than we could understand into our computers,” Kim added. “It’s possible that the wave forms are capable of interpr
eting our neurological patterns in some fashion.”
“I agree,” Chakotay said.
“Have you made a decision?” Paris asked.
“I’d like to speak with Commander O’Donnell alone,” Chakotay replied. “Can we have the room?”
Commander O’Donnell stood and crossed to the briefing room’s single window that afforded him a view of the Ark planet. It should have been a lovely blue orb, not unlike Earth. Water was plentiful, though the landmasses were larger than his homeworld’s. The haphazard arrangement of its life-forms, however, left much of it shrouded in sickly wisps of yellowish haze. O’Donnell wished nothing more than to take a deep breath and blow them from the atmosphere, revealing the jewel beneath in all of its glory.
The commander believed Captain Chakotay shared this wish, but something prevented him from acting on it. As always, Alana sensed his turmoil and sought to ease it.
He wants to agree with you, darling, Alana advised.
Then why hasn’t he?
He’s afraid.
Of what?
“Commander?” Chakotay asked, ending the conversation.
Chakotay remained seated at the table’s head. O’Donnell moved to the seat at his right hand.
“You know we can do this,” O’Donnell began.
“Yes,” Chakotay agreed.
“And you know we should.”
“Then what?” Chakotay asked.
O’Donnell paused, wondering if he understood the question. “And then we take our lashes like good little Starfleet officers and move on.”
“If we do this,” Chakotay said, “we could be breaking the Prime Directive.”
“There’s a case to be made that the actions of the wave forms, including their original distress call, make the Prime Directive irrelevant,” O’Donnell replied.
Star Trek: Voyager - 042 - Protectors Page 21