by Various
This delighted the woman and confirmed for Picard that the Iconians had indeed used this world for a time before departing. Had they been hunted down from Iconia to here? More mysteries to ponder, and he was beginning to believe he'd never know the answers. Thankfully this was a fairly benign discovery, not one to totally alter the culture. After all, they seemed to lack the ability to manipulate metal ore.
"The Young God knows much," Hamish said in admiration.
His being a god to them, though, that could pose problems.
La Forge looked at the tricorder and showed it to Kliv, the engineer who appreciated the intricacies of the Petraw hodge-podge technology as much as he did. The Klingon nodded once and then stared deep into the open panel of the gateway device.
"There's nothing left to do," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"No doubt about it," La Forge agreed. He snapped the device closed and tapped his communicator. "La Forge to Riker. Sir, there's nothing left to do. We've rerouted everything possible, but there's no way to stop this ship from being destroyed."
Once the gateways throughout the galaxy were turned on, each used their sophisticated programming to stay powered up - even at the expense of all nearby sources of power. In this case, it meant the lead Petraw ship was a ticking time bomb and the best efforts of the two engineers could not defuse it.
"The Ambassador is about done with the evacuation onto the other Petraw ships," Riker reported. "You and the security team will be the final ones to come back."
Geordi was already moving, leaving the massive engineering deck, heading for the bridge in the ship's center. Kliv remained at his side, a tight bond having been quickly formed between the men. One would not leave without the other and neither would leave the ship until the remaining vessels were safe. Their fast walk became a trot until the two were racing from deck to deck, making sure there would be sufficient time remaining to do their duty.
Boots echoed on the metal deck plating as heavy feet moved with increasing speed. Neither said a word as they wended their way to the ship's nerve center. Once they entered the now-vacant space, each took one of the low-slung stations and began entering coordinates. They called forth details to each other in a rapid staccato, making sure all the redundancies were in synch. A star chart on Kliv's station showed the vessel moving away from the pack, heading away at an accelerating speed.
"We'll never make warp the way this thing is sucking the energy reserves," Geordi said.
"Then today might be a good day to die, after all," Kliv replied, stabbing blunt fingers at a side control panel.
"Not yet," his partner replied. "The engine integrity fields will collapse in about four minutes. Maybe we'll be far enough away."
Kliv shook his head.
Before he could say anything else, La Forge snapped his fingers and summoned his commander once more. "Beam us back, and at the same time, have Kerim push us farther away with concentrated tractor bursts. Every inch will be useful."
"Acknowledged. Stand by to beam up."
Once back aboard the Enterprise, the two once more raced for a bridge, this time to watch the fruits of their labors. Out of breath and perspiring, La Forge couldn't help but notice that his partner seemed utterly fit and not even breathing hard. He vowed to start Dr. Crusher's exercise regimen, ignored for two months now, tomorrow.
"Nice work, gentlemen," Riker said from the center seat. Data flashed them a thumbs-up gesture that made Kliv blink in confusion. Chuckling, La Forge showed his friend the engineering station and they monitored the death throes of the Petraw engine core.
Within seconds, the ship began to buckle then flare and a moment later, nothing remained on the view-screen.
"Shock waves in five... four... three... two... one," Data announced.
The mighty starship bucked once, then twice, then settled down without incident. La Forge rolled out the chair at the aft station and sat, letting out a breath he never knew he was holding. Kliv stood impassively by his side.
Kerim turned to Riker, who was still tightly gripping the arms of the command chair, and asked, "How will the captain return now?"
He had no answer for her, and it was a question he avoided asking himself. With the gateway destroyed he couldn't even send a search party after Picard, in direct defiance of his orders no less. Wherever his friend was, he hoped he was safe and would return soon.
It was considerably more comfortable when Picard woke the following morning. The sun was rising in the sky and he could tell the villagers had been moving about for a little while now. People were already eating, children were chasing a wooden hoop, and something that seemed more pet dog than wild beast was snuffling around the waste pit.
Hamish was tending the fire, which never seemed to die out, when Picard approached. He had already been offered some food and drink so felt refreshed. He liked these people and could only wish them well.
Still, he felt the press of time, and needed to be on his way.
"I need a direction so my journey can continue," Picard said.
"You really cannot linger any longer?"
"Would that time permitted me, but without this object, people will continue to die."
Hamish looked at him with a grave expression on his face. It seemed to just be dawning on him the importance of the task. "This item you seek - it has that much power?"
"It is a key to something that will give me the power to save lives."
"The remainder of this world is very different from our village, is it not?"
"I have not seen it all, but can tell you that it is very lively and I would like to keep it that way."
"You will make a great God," Hamish said with finality.
Picard winced but shook his head slightly. "I am trying to be a good man, first."
An hour later, he was on a worn path leading away from the village, heading in a southeastern direction. Hamish had insisted on giving him two skins of water and some dried meats tied in a large leaf for safekeeping. He tried to extract a promise of a return visit from Picard, but the captain dodged it while trying to remain respectful.
He truly enjoyed their company and had wanted to spend more time, but like the Petraw, he was forced to keep moving. Now, he was walking in and out of shade, as he skirted the edge of a forest. The trees grew quite tall, with thin but sturdy sand-colored trunks. As the village was near water, Picard could hear a stream or river to his right, assuming most of the people lived near whatever natural sources they could find. The smaller trees that seemed to be closer to the water were short and more like overeager bushes, but they burst with orange and beige fruits.
It was quiet and Picard was alone with his thoughts. How different this world was from the harsh remains of Iconia, he considered. Knowing they spent time here would force him to reconsider their path across the galaxy, and he was mentally ordering information for the eventual paper that he would write. This pleasant world was well on its way to full recovery from whatever the Iconians had left behind, and he would have to stop and take some tricorder readings to help determine the age of these artifacts. If the City was what he imagined to be their largest remains, he would have plenty of samples to work from.
He was also pleased to note that the lighter gravity gave an extra bounce to his step and he was making rather good time. The sun was not too hot compared with yesterday, and Picard hoped he would see the City before nightfall and reach it by sundown tomorrow. Hamish and the villagers didn't measure distance in miles or kilometers. They apparently had little dealing with those beyond the village so they never quite developed a precise measurement for such distances.
Within time, Picard noticed tracks in the path, parallel rats that indicated some form of wheeled vehicle had been by, recently enough for the tracks not to have been washed away by the previous day's rain. He saw no such thing at the village so presumed it to be from a neighboring enclave. This led him to conjecture about differing developmental paths for humanoids in the same general vicinity. It was certa
inly true for tribes found in Africa or the South American rain forest, the captain knew. As a result, he felt a need to stay more alert... just in case.
Sure enough, after less than an hour, he heard sounds. The noise was not that of wheels in mud, but of concerned voices. There was definitely a problem, so he quickened his pace and hurried forward. Within a few minutes, the road rounded a bend and he saw the lains of a wagon teetering over a huge rock and pinning a man underneath. The wide, low platform, filled with bales of something akin to hay, seemed stable, but the axle for the rear wheels had splintered over the rocky path. The man was conscious and moaning, clearly in pain. Watching in fear were women and children, dressed differently from people in the village Picard had visited. These had on lighter-colored clothing that seemed actually spun from natural materials as opposed to the skins the villagers wore. Physically they were the same, even down to the long hair.
Picard saw they were paralyzed to the point of inaction, so he stepped forward and approached the wagon. "Don't be scared, help has arrived," he said.
The woman behind him had stopped wailing and stared at him. He heard a whisper or two but it had grown fairly silent except for the trapped man's moans.
It was clear that the lighter gravity would allow Picard a physical advantage, so all he needed to do was lift up an edge of the wagon so the man could be freed. He took several deep breaths, focusing his energies. Then, placing his back to the wagon, he firmly gripped the corner, planted his feet far apart, and began exerting his strength.
As expected, the wagon full of hay made the effort tough, but his muscles responded and he strained. Not a young man anymore, Picard prided himself in staying physically fit and knew he was up to the challenge. He gritted his teeth and continued to apply pressure, finally feeling the wagon rise.
"Quickly, come clear him away!" Picard ordered, not wanting to shift his focus.
The women hesitated, but three of the children, most seeming around ten years old, rushed forward and tugged at the man's exposed leg. He grunted louder than Picard, making for an odd duet. Finally, Picard could tell he'd have to let go in a matter of moments, as the children continued to slowly drag the man away.
Finally, the man was clear and Picard let the heavy wood slip from his fingers. It shattered some more as it resettled itself against the rocks but he doubted anyone would care. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Picard saw that the man was having his leg tended to by one woman while another was giving him water.
He took a drink himself and then slowly walked over to check on the injured person.
"You saved him, thank you, Young God!"
"Yes, thank you, Young God."
Picard was feeling particularly uncomfortable for being repeatedly singled out and called a god. It made sense that there would be mores and beliefs carried from village to village but he was nothing like a god.
"Will he be all right?"
"I think so," the woman responded.
"Good, then I will be on my way." Picard turned toward the path, hoping to make a fast escape from these emotionally distraught people.
"Why leave us so quickly, Young God?" The speaker was a young girl, one of the children who helped him.
"I must go to the City," he replied.
"Stay so we can thank you properly," she said.
"I wish I could, but I must hurry."
"The sun is going down, you won't make it there today," she argued. "At least let us feed you supper."
Picard glanced at the sky and noticed it growing deeper in color, and that it was beginning to cool. He had hoped to glimpse the City today but it seemed not to be. There was safety in numbers, he knew, and the man might need attention.
It seemed decided for him so he smiled at her and accepted the invitation.
Within an hour, the area was transformed into a small campsite with vegetables being grilled on a small fire. Lean-tos were established by the forest's edge, and the boy had brought back water from the nearby stream. The man, who was named Yanooth, had slept on and off as he recovered from the shock. The leg was badly broken and the women successfully placed it in a neatly made splint.
Picard's offers of help were refused, so he sat back and spoke quietly with the children. They told him of their village, which was beyond the City, and how they loved traveling. Then" innocence and resourcefulness charmed him.
One young boy seemed quite taken with Picard's actions but didn't act like he was a god, which he found refreshing. Instead, the boy asked questions about lifting the wagon, how his muscles felt, how he could manage to do such feats for himself. His named was Chanik, and he wedged himself between one of the women and Picard when they sat to eat the vegetable stew.
"I've been to the City once," he proudly announced.
"Really?" asked Picard. 'Tell me about it."
"Well, it's like no place you've ever seen," he said between mouthfuls of food. "Tall huts, mostly broken, with weird-looking vines connecting some of them together. It's as big as this forest, maybe bigger, and the animals all avoid it so it's a good place to hide."
Picard processed the information, trying to imagine the place, and wondered how much of it still functioned given how long-lived the Iconian technology was. "I'll find out for myself soon, won't I?"
"And I'm going to show you!"
Picard was alarmed by the pronouncement. He had already learned that Chanik had attached himself to this traveling party, and was from one of the villages nearby. The last thing he needed was to be responsible for someone's life while he was rushing to save countless others.
"I can't do that," he declared. "I must move quickly and I won't be able to properly look after you."
Chanik put down his wooden bowl, wiped his mouth with the back of his left hand, and grinned. "I'll be looking after you, Young God Picard. After all, I know how to get in there and you don't."
The captain, recognizing a universal tone in his young voice, sat quietly, suspecting he was going to have company, like it or not. He resolved to make the best of the situation, since the youth's experience just might allow him to move through the City quicker. The notion though, kept him awake as he lay on a bed of fern leaves, trying to sleep.
Chapter 3
The morning sun had Picard awake before the others. He could feel the excitement building in his chest as he checked to make sure his equipment was still where he had secured it the night before. The captain had decided to use the phaser and tricorder as little as possible, refusing to raise the notion that a god, young or otherwise, might need such devices.
He checked the campfire and saw there were still embers he could coax back to cooking heat and proceeded to busy himself with preparing the breakfast. It was the least he could do, he decided, since the others had been good enough to feed him the previous night. With a glance, he saw Chanik rolling over, still asleep. The youth was full of possibilities, the captain recognized, but also full of risk, and he still disliked the notion that he would be joining him. The captain shoved the thought from his mind and continued to build the fire and then find the remains of dinner to reheat into breakfast. There were some fruit trees nearby, so he went over and carefully judged which were the ripest. The branches grew tall, the fruit yellow and fat, and the captain had to reach quite a bit to snag the ones ready to eat. He grabbed enough, hoping to have extra to bring along with him since he doubted here'd be much in the way of food once they entered the city.
He heard the stirrings of his companions and was pleased since it meant they could eat and he could be on his way that much sooner. His goal was to reach the City quickly and then use the tricorder to track the Master Resonator. With it, he hoped to return to the portal he had emerged from - or find another functioning gateway in the city. Geordi La Forge had shown him how they focused the portal's reach, so he had high hopes of finding his way directly back to the Enterprise.
"Young God Picard, today's our day for adventure!"
Chanik ran across the encampmen
t and held out his hands to help hold the fruit. He must have just woken up but was already at full speed. Picard smiled at this, and appreciated having the extra arms to hold the fruit, which had a fuzzy outer skin, but felt firm and ripe in his hands.
"We'll eat some and travel with the rest," Picard said by way of explanation.
Chanik nodded eagerly, impressed with the bounty. The breakfast went by without incident, and within the hour Picard and Chanik were ready to depart.
Yanooth was in good spirits, despite his leg injury, which pleased the captain. He figured the traveling party would be in good shape for the remainder of their journey back to their home village. The grateful man insisted Picard take a leather satchel, and needing something with which to carry supplies, the captain graciously accepted. Limiting his contact with all, after this, was his best course of action, although he suspected shaking Chanik loose would be a problem later on.