by Dayton Ward
“Keep moving,” he said, taking off toward the shuttlecraft with a renewed energy. As he ran, he tapped his suit’s communicator. “La Forge to shuttlecraft Ballard. Initiate prelaunch sequence.”
“Acknowledged,” replied the feminine voice of the shuttle’s onboard computer.
The first shot came just as he reached for the panel set into the small vessel’s hull to open its rear hatch. Orange energy struck the ground near his feet and he turned to see three figures heading toward them, eighty meters away but closing the distance rapidly even while dressed in bulky environment suits similar to Faeyahr’s.
“Inside!” he yelled. “Taurik, get us ready for take off.”
As Taurik and Faeyahr scrambled aboard the shuttlecraft, La Forge sighted down the length of his phase pistol at one of their pursuers and fired. The beam lanced forward from the weapon and struck the figure in the chest but he continued forward, the weapon having had no noticeable effect.
Uh-oh.
Backing into the Ballard and slapping the door control, La Forge fired the weapon again and achieved the same result. The Dokaalan kept running as if hit by nothing at all.
“Hang on, Commander,” he heard Taurik say from the shuttle’s cockpit. “I am initiating liftoff.”
La Forge fell onto one of the passenger couches as the tiny vessel’s engines flared to life and he felt the shuttle move beneath his feet. He could tell by the craft’s movements that Taurik was wasting no time with niceties, pushing the Ballard to maximum thrust the moment they left the ground. The engineer was pushed into his chair as the ship banked sharply and accelerated, the view through the forward canopy that of clouds rushing past as the shuttle headed straight up and away from the planet’s surface.
“Go to full impulse power as soon as we’re clear of the atmosphere,” he said a moment later as the craft leveled off and he could rise from his chair. Removing his SEWG helmet, he made his way forward to the cockpit and dropped into the copilot’s seat. “Our friends down there are sure to have buddies of their own somewhere. Any signs of pursuit?”
“Affirmative,” Taurik replied immediately, pointing to the console set between the two pilot seats and indicating the series of displays there, which showed data generated by the shuttle’s array of external sensors. “Five small vessels are on separate intercept courses near the outer boundary of the asteroid field.”
“Skiffs, most likely,” Faeyahr said, rising from his own chair to lean over La Forge’s shoulder.
Taurik nodded. “You are correct. Sensor readings show that the vessels are similar to the craft you piloted to the Enterprise earlier today.”
“Any weapons?” La Forge asked. He knew that the Dokaalan ships were very similar to Starfleet workpods, but it did not mean that their mysterious pursuers had not modified the vessels in some way for their own needs.
“None that our sensors have detected,” Taurik replied. “They are equipped with the same array of maneuvering arms and laser drill emitters, but that is all.”
Frowning, La Forge shook his head. “Well, not really. Those things are fast, and their pilots are probably better at maneuvering through those asteroids than we are. We’re not home free just yet.”
“And they may have additional ships waiting for us within the asteroid field,” Taurik added. “Sensors are unable to penetrate the radiation to any significant degree.”
Wonderful, La Forge thought, remembering the care he and Taurik had been forced to exercise when traveling to Ijuuka from the Enterprise earlier in the day. They would have to slow their speed once they entered the field itself, nullifying their lone advantage against their pursuers. The Ballard possessed no weapons of its own, and they would be flying with compromised instrumentation as well.
“Somebody doesn’t want us to get back to the ship, all right,” he said. Things were unfolding much too rapidly for this to be the work of mere pirates or rogues, La Forge decided. Whoever they were, they were using technology more advanced than that available to the Dokaalan, and they were working very hard to capture the Starfleet engineers. Obviously, he and Taurik had uncovered something that someone wanted to keep quiet. Though it seemed that the majority of the Dokaalan were oblivious of the skullduggery taking place in their midst, La Forge wondered how many might actually be involved in this affair. Who could be trusted?
“Taurik,” he said as he studied the sensor images that showed the current position, course, and speed of their pursuers, “can you plot an evasive course?”
“The approach vectors of the pursuing ships are such that it is likely we will encounter at least one of the ships if we continue to travel in the general direction of the Enterprise,” the Vulcan replied. “I can plot a course that will take us away from the ship, but we would risk encountering other vessels that we have not yet detected.”
“In other words, better the devil you know.” Checking his own console, La Forge sighed in resignation. “I’d rather keep heading for the ship. If we can get close enough, their sensors might be able to detect us if we run into trouble.” Looking over his shoulder, he said to Faeyahr, “You need to get back in your seat. This is liable to get a bit bumpy before it’s over.”
At La Forge’s prompting, Taurik guided the Ballard into the asteroid field, retarding the shuttlecraft’s speed as the first of the enormous masses of rock slipped past the edges of the viewport. Given their proximity to some of the asteroids, La Forge could not even order the use of the ship’s deflector shields as a defense against collision, lest the shields interfere with the shuttle’s maneuvering ability.
He forced himself to relax his clenched jaw.
“Sensor effectiveness is down sixty-eight percent,” Taurik reported. “I have lost track of three vessels. One of the remaining two is maneuvering in behind us while the other is approaching from the port side forward. Both ships are closing.”
“Trying to pinch us,” La Forge said. He considered increasing their speed but almost as quickly dismissed the idea. They were already traveling as fast as he dared and while he considered himself a more than capable shuttlecraft pilot, he knew that neither he nor Taurik could navigate the asteroid field with the same audacity as their pursuers.
Movement in the corner of his eye made him turn to see a Dokaalan skiff coming around one of the larger asteroids, accelerating as it cleared the massive rock. Even from this distance the chief engineer could see through the two-person craft’s canopy and into its cockpit, where only one of its pilot seats appeared to be occupied.
Then he felt the shuttlecraft bank to starboard as Taurik attempted to evade the approaching vessel. Outside, the skiff flashed in the viewport, so close that La Forge could see the join lines between hull plates before it passed by, disappearing somewhere behind them.
An alarm suddenly blared in the shuttle’s small cabin, followed by the voice of the computer. “Warning. Incoming vessel on collision course. All hands brace for impact.”
“Behind us,” Taurik called out just before the entire shuttle shuddered around them. La Forge felt them shoved off course even as the Vulcan fought to retain control of the craft.
“Is he crazy?” La Forge asked, to no one in particular.
Next to him, Taurik nodded. “Such aggressive behavior would seem to indicate that they are willing to go to great lengths to secure our capture.”
“But ramming us?” Faeyahr said, the higher pitch in his voice a strong indicator of the Dokaalan’s anxiety. “What do they gain from that?”
“It keeps us from reporting what we’ve found,” La Forge replied. “That might be good enough for them if they can’t catch us.” He checked the damage-control monitor on the console near his left hand. “Minimal buckling to the aft hull. I don’t read any damage to the skiff, though.”
Maybe shields wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all, he mused. His hand moved toward the controls that would activate the Ballard’s deflector shields. The motion was stayed as Taurik guided the shuttlecraft close enough to an astero
id perhaps half the size of the Enterprise that the chief engineer thought he might actually be able to reach out and touch the rock’s craggy surface. It was a maneuver that would have been impossible had the shields been activated.
“Nice flying, Taurik,” he commented, though the Vulcan said nothing, his attention focused instead on his controls.
Faeyahr said, “The skiffs are heavily plated for protection in external mining sites. They can withstand serious collisions, even at these speeds.”
The shuttle trembled again, but the impact was not as severe this time. “Warning,” the computer said, “outer hull breach in aft section.”
“They are firing at us with their laser drill,” Taurik said. He tapped new commands to his console and the Ballard banked again, this time to port as the Vulcan guided the ship around a larger asteroid. “It was only a glancing blow, but a well-aimed shot might be able to penetrate the hull.”
“Well, let’s make sure we don’t give them that shot,” La Forge replied. He looked over his shoulder to Faeyahr. “Anything else about those ships you can tell us?”
The Dokaalan nodded. “They are fast and maneuverable, but their engines are not that powerful. We tend to avoid approaching the larger asteroids at faster speeds because their gravitational pull can be dangerous at close range. Your ship’s engines are stronger, so you may not have to worry about such things.”
“It’s not like we can ignore it, but it might be something we can use if things get tight.” Returning his attention to his console, he checked the sensor display, shifting the information being transmitted by the ship’s scanners until he found what he was looking for. “Taurik, maneuver us in close to that big asteroid at bearing ninety-seven mark four.”
“Aye, sir,” the Vulcan replied, his fingers entering the necessary commands. Outside the shuttle’s viewport, La Forge saw the asteroid he had selected, an immense hunk of rock perhaps half the size of a small moon.
The computer’s proximity alert sounded once more just before another bump rattled the inside of the shuttlecraft. La Forge was nearly thrown from his seat as Taurik struggled to keep the vessel on course. Another alarm blared in the cabin and a status indicator on the damage control monitor flared crimson.
“I’m getting tired of being a punching bag,” the chief engineer muttered.
“We are venting drive plasma from the starboard nacelle,” Taurik said. “I have to shut it down.”
La Forge nodded. Leaving the drive plasma to vent uncontrolled risked its ignition by the shuttle’s engine, which would almost certainly result in an explosion large enough to destroy the ship altogether.
He shook his head in frustration. “A single phaser bank would be more than enough to keep them off our back.”
“Perhaps it is an enhancement we can investigate upon our return to the Enterprise,” Taurik offered. Were it not for their present circumstances, La Forge might have laughed at the Vulcan’s deadpan reply.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
“Ease our speed back,” he said. “Let them catch up.” Though he did not look up from his station, he could feel stares from both Taurik and Faeyahr.
“Closer?” Faeyahr repeated. “Commander La Forge, what are you doing?”
“I’ve got an idea,” La Forge said, his fingers moving over his console.
The results of his actions were immediately noticeable to Taurik. “Commander, you have instructed the computer to open our port engine coolant interlock. I submit that this is not the best time to purge our plasma exhaust.”
“Let them get closer,” La Forge said, his attention focused on his console’s status readings. “This is going to get a little dicey.” Looking to Taurik, he asked, “You ever hear of the Kolvoord Starburst maneuver?”
“I have,” Taurik replied. “It is an intricate aerobatic maneuver involving five ships traveling in tight formation, then crisscrossing each other’s path at close range and igniting their drive plasma. The resulting visual effect is said to be quite stimulating. Is it your intention to vent and ignite our drive plasma in a similar manner?”
La Forge nodded. “Thank our friends for shooting up the starboard engine and giving me the idea.” Of course, he did not need to say that it was a dangerous maneuver, almost as likely to flash back and destroy the shuttle itself as it was to ignite the plasma trail he was about to create.
Of course, Taurik held no such misgivings.
“Commander,” Taurik said, “Starfleet Academy banned cadets from attempting the maneuver more than a century ago due to the extreme risks involved.”
“I know all about the risks,” La Forge replied. The maneuver had been attempted illegally by five Academy cadets a decade ago, one of them Wesley Crusher, and had resulted in the death of one of the participants.
So let’s hope I have better luck, he thought grimly.
Taurik pointed to the sensor display. “Ship approaching aft, range two kilometers and closing.”
“Hang on,” La Forge said, watching the monitor and waiting until the gap separating the Ballard from the incoming skiff was less than a kilometer before his finger stabbed a control on his console.
The interior bulkheads vibrated as the drive plasma vented and made contact with the superhot engine exhaust. In his mind’s eye he saw the ignited plasma trail flared out behind the shuttlecraft, likely washing over the forward surface of their pursuer’s ship.
Then the ship rocked violently to starboard and alarms blared inside the cabin as consoles throughout the shuttle’s interior blinked crazily or went dark altogether. Taurik was thrown to the deck but La Forge managed to stay in his chair, and found himself scrambling to keep the ship from careening out of control.
“What’s happening?” Faeyahr cried out.
“We’ve lost the port engine,” the chief engineer replied, pinned into his chair as he fought to reach his console. “Inertial dampeners are out.”
Regaining his seat, Taurik reported, “Attitude control is offline, Commander. I am having difficulty maintaining our course.”
“Restart the starboard engine,” La Forge ordered. “It’s all we’ve got left.” Glancing briefly at the sensor display, he added, “That blast must have damaged the other ship, too. It looks like they’re drifting.”
“They may be the more fortunate,” Taurik said. “Helm control is becoming more difficult, and the starboard engine has lost too much plasma. It will not restart.”
This is definitely not good, La Forge thought as he studied the status monitors. Systems all over the ship had been affected by the plasma explosion, and the trouble was mounting with each passing second.
“Commander!” he heard Faeyahr yell out from behind him and the chief engineer looked up to see the immense asteroid looming in the viewport.
“Taurik!” he shouted. “We need thruster control now!”
“I am trying, sir,” the Vulcan replied. “The controls are sluggish.”
Even from this distance, La Forge he could make out the rock’s craggy features, towering peaks contrasting sharply with deep canyons cloaked in shadow. A ship the size of their shuttlecraft could fall into one of the asteroid’s numerous chasms and never be found.
And they were heading straight for it.
Chapter Thirty-one
“HE’S STILL RUNNING his own internal diagnostics, sir,” Commander Riker’s voice said through Picard’s combadge. “So far, he hasn’t said anything else since it happened.”
Standing in the Zahanzei Council’s meeting chambers on the Dokaalan central habitat, Picard frowned as he listened to his first officer’s report. “And a cause still hasn’t been found?”
“No, sir. The engineering staff is working on it, but they don’t know if the problem is with Data himself or if it’s the result of an external source. They’ll know more when Data’s diagnostics are complete.”
In the years since Picard had known him, Data had proven to be a startlingly robust individual, a pinnacle of cybernetic
engineering as envisioned by his creator, Dr. Noonien Soong. Though he had suffered injury on several occasions, those instances were almost always caused by the influence of an outside element working against him.
Therefore, to hear about his sudden incapacitation was troubling to say the least.
“While I have full confidence in the engineering staff,” Picard said, “no one knows Data’s systems like Geordi. Has there been any word from him?”
“Not yet, sir,” Riker replied, “but communication between here and Ijuuka is compromised due to the radiation field, and he’s not supposed to be back for a few hours.”
The captain sighed in resignation. “Keep me informed, Number One. Picard out.” With the connection severed, he was once again reminded that there were occasions where he could only stand by and wait for others to do their jobs, and that this was one of them.
Such is the double-edged sword of command.
For a brief moment Picard felt a twinge of apprehension. He considered himself a self-reliant individual unafraid to make even the most difficult decisions required of his position, but as a leader he had long ago learned the virtue of accepting and acting on the counsel of the officers under his command. It was therefore disconcerting when one or more of his most trusted advisors was unavailable to him, an admission he had not made even to Deanna Troi during their private conversations.
Logic quickly reasserted itself, however. La Forge was off the ship carrying out Picard’s orders and would be back in short order. Once apprised about Data, the chief engineer would expend all energy and resources to determine a cause and a solution for his friend’s condition.
So, why did Picard still feel uneasy?
“Captain?” Troi prompted as she stepped closer, having stood to the side as Picard received Riker’s report.
Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t like the timing of this, Counselor. It’s decidedly convenient given the circumstances.” He glanced over his shoulder to where Hjatyn and other members of the council stood in a circle talking amongst themselves. “For the sake of appearances, however, I think it best that we not discuss this in front of the others.” If something odd was going on, he did not want to alert anyone to the idea that he might be suspicious.