“Right—that it runs everything. That includes transporters and ships, right?”
Nodding, Kieran said, “That’s it exactly. And also communications. The only reason we know there’s a problem at all is because Ganitriul itself contacted the Federation Council, asking for help. Eerlik is cut off from any useful communications, and from what Ganitriul said in its message, none of their modes of travel are functioning.”
“So it’s up to us,” Pattie said.
“Why should today be different from any other day?” Captain Gold said with a small smile. He looked at Sonya. “Commander?”
“I think we can keep this down to a two-person team, plus”—she added with a look at Domenica Corsi— “a security detail.” The security chief nodded her blond head.
Kieran fixed her with a look, but said nothing. Pattie and Carol were less reticent.
“Only two?” the Nasat asked, at the same time that Carol said, “We’re talking about the collapse of a culture here.”
Patiently, Sonya said, “The results of the problem are large, but the problem itself is pretty straightforward: fix the computer. If we send a big team down there to do, in essence, one thing, we’ll be stepping all over each other. Two of us should be able to handle it just fine—if we need more, we’ll call.”
“Who’ll be on the team?” the captain said before anyone else could say anything—and he spoke in a tone that implied that the discussion was at an end.
“I’ll lead it, and I’d like to take 110 with me.”
110 sat up straighter in his chair. “Me?”
“You’re still our computer expert.”
“111 and I were the S.C.E.’s computer experts. By myself—”
“By yourself,” Sonya interrupted, “you’ve still got a computer efficiency rating of ten. That’s your rating, not yours and 111’s. She also had a ten, but the point is, the best person in Starfleet has an eight.”
“I do not believe that—you will be satisfied with my—diminished performance. You should select someone else.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Sonya said. “You’re the right person for this job, 110. Unless you’re refusing a direct order, you’re on the team.”
Sonya’s strategy was risky. After all, 110 was a civilian. But he and 111 had agreed to be under Starfleet orders for the duration of their time on the da Vinci , and until they actually reported to Starbase 505, that agreement was still, technically, in place.
The Bynar took a look at Bart for some reason, then seemed to relax. “I would not presume to go against the commander’s judgment. I will accompany you on the mission.”
“Good,” the captain said. “Meantime, I want the rest of you to read up on the Eerlikka. It’s possible they’ll need more help from us beyond fixing Ganitriul, and I want us to be ready.”
Sonya looked at the security chief. “ Commander Corsi, I’ll leave the size and personnel of the security detail to your discretion.”
“Yes, sir,” Corsi said.
“Good,” the captain said again. “Oh, and I have one other bit of news.”
Sonya leaned forward.
“I’m gonna be a great-grandfather again!”
Several congratulatory noises went around the table. Shaking her head, Sonya got up, finished off her tea, and put the mug back in the replicator to be recycled. Some of the crew stuck around to hear the captain tell of his granddaughter’s pregnancy, but Sonya wanted to get started on the day’s work. She and Geordi walked out together.
“Nice job, “ Geordi said.
“I’m sorry that this’ll delay you getting back to the Enterprise ,” Gomez said.
Geordi shrugged. “I’ll live. Danilova should be able to muddle through without me a little while longer.”
“Danilova?” Sonya said, her eyes going wide. “You mean Raisa Danilova? She’s your assistant chief now?”
Laughing that staccato laugh of his, Geordi said, “She made lieutenant last year, and I made her assistant chief after the Dominion War ended.”
“But she was the slowest person in that whole engine room,” Sonya said, returning the laugh. “She’d spend all day on a sensor recalibration.”
“She picked up some speed after you left. Actually, what mostly got her going was the war. I always kept her out of emergency situations ’cause of her lack of speed, but I didn’t have that luxury when we were being pounded by the Jem’Hadar— and something about having engineering falling apart around her lit a fire under her or something. She blossomed into one of my best people.”
Sonya shook her head. “Pretty amazing.”
They arrived at Sonya’s quarters, where she was planning to set out a game plan for the mission. “In any case,” Geordi said, “I think the Enterprise is in safe hands. Besides, this mission sounds like it might be interesting.”
Sonya tensed. After relaxing around Geordi for the first time since they had picked him up at Blossom IV last week, Sonya found herself back on eggshells again. Geordi obviously noticed this—if nothing else, his ocular implants allowed him to notice biological shifts that normal vision couldn’t detect—and said quickly, “Hey, don’t worry, I’m not trying to horn in on you or anything.”
“I know, it’s just— This is my team, not yours.”
Nodding, Geordi said, “Don’t worry, Sonya, I know this is your show.” He added, with a smile, “And, for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a great job.”
Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, Sonya said, “Thanks. Coming from you, that means a lot.”
“I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
Sonya nodded in reply and entered her quarters.
CHAPTER
4
Five of the Speakers had managed to assemble in Valandriw Hall. Ansed was impressed with their fortitude. Three of them, including Ansed herself, lived in the capital city; the other two had happened to be in Valandriw Hall, working. Another Speaker lived in the capital city, but he was not present; he had sent his son with the message that he’d broken his leg tripping over his furniture when the lights went out. Rather than take their usual seats, which were spread around the large table intended to seat all thirty-one Speakers, the five of them bunched up at one end of the table, around the head, where Ansed traditionally sat.
Also present in the Hall was a heavily bandaged Undlar, who sat to Ansed’s right. He was no longer shaking, but Ansed thought the young man still seemed a bit out of it.
The first order of business was to discuss how Enforcement was dealing with the crisis—and, also, the investigation into the murder of the priests. Both were proceeding as well as could be expected. A clever Enforcement officer had found some old radios and they’d been issued, allowing communication; a top investigator had been assigned to the slaughter.
After that, they turned to the issue of Ganitriul.
“I’ve just come from the transportation center,” said Speaker Biral. “They’ve been doing tests with inanimate objects. Every attempt has failed—and it’s a different failure every time, too. Sometimes the object goes to the wrong place, sometimes it’s inside out, sometimes it never rematerializes, sometimes the console goes down, someti—”
“The point is,” Ansed put in—Biral had a tendency to babble—“that transporting to the moon is not an option.”
Speaker Miko said, “We can’t risk taking a ship, either. Even if some of them do work now, what if they fail en route?”
“And who do we send?” asked Speaker Torin. “Reger Undlar here is in no shape to travel.”
“I can make the journey,” Undlar said quietly. “And I believe there is also a way to get me there.”
Ansed whirled in surprise. “There is?”
“I believe so.”
Miko said angrily, “Why didn’t you mention this before?”
“I’m sorry,” Undlar said, and the sardonic tone Ansed had noticed earlier returned. “But I’ve been a bit preoccupied with the brutal murder
of my brothers.”
Softening, Miko said, “Of course, I’m sorry, Reger. These are troubling times, and I forgot myself.”
“That is all right, Speaker,” Undlar said, his voice getting more subdued again. “It’s just that—there is a Pevvni trading ship in Brioni Port that might be able to make the journey. It is an experimental ship that has circuitry independent of the Great One.”
Ansed’s already-wide eyes went wider. “What?”
Shock spread around the table as the other four Speakers expressed similar outrage. “Who approved this?” Biral asked.
Undlar straightened. “We did. The Pevvni came to the clergy with a special request to construct this prototype. They built it as an experiment, in case further dealings with the Federation led to more out-of-system travel beyond the Great One’s ability to control.”
Angry once again, Miko said, “That should never have been approved without consulting the Speakers!”
“I don’t see how that matters,” Undlar said indignantly. “ We are the Caretakers of the Great One, and so the Pevvni wisely came to us to gain approval for this prototype. We thought it was a worthwhile experiment, for precisely the reasons they gave.”
“And you didn’t think to consult us?” Biral asked, his face turning indigo with outrage.
“Reger,” Ansed said calmly, trying to keep this from turning into a shouting match, “perhaps you didn’t realize the political implications of what you were doing.”
“What political implications?” Undlar asked, now looking confused.
Ansed sighed. Priests are wonderful for spiritual matters, but they can be shockingly naïve. “One of the reasons why we have remained so stable over the millennia is because we are united under Ganitriul. We have had no war, no upheavals, and no strife for three thousand years.”
“The Pevvni colonization could safely be called an upheaval.”
Save me from youth , Ansed thought, trying not to groan. Undlar hadn’t been born when the ninth planet had been colonized by the Pevvni. “Not at all. It was an orderly process that was debated around this very table, and voted on by the people. Eventually, the Pevvni were granted permission, but the process by which they got there was orderly. To secretly grant the Pevvni the right to construct vessels independent of the system is not orderly.”
“It was never meant to be secret,” Undlar said defensively. “We simply did not see it as a concern.”
“Well, you should have,” Ansed said, trying— and failing—not to sound condescending. “There are those among the Pevvni who have expressed an interest in breaking off from Eerlik—and from Ganitriul. This is exactly the kind of thing they might use as a weapon against us.”
Before Undlar could respond to that, Speaker Talu said, “Ah, First Speaker, with all due respect, is this really the time to reprimand Reger Undlar for information that may well save us?”
Ansed was brought up short by Talu’s statement, which was delivered in the older woman’s usual measured tones. But then , she thought, Talu has always been the voice of reason among the Speakers. “You’re right, of course, Talu. If this ship does have circuitry that is independent of Ganitriul, then we must see if we can use it to fly to the moon immediately. If no one objects, we should adjourn to Brioni and see if this ship—”
“The Senbolma ,” Undlar said.
Ansed nodded. “If the Senbolma is truly space-worthy.”
“I’m not going out there,” Biral said. “It’s insane. And just walking from my home left me dehydrated. You’re not getting me to Brioni— that’s at least a couple hours’ walk.”
Every other Speaker chimed in with similar responses—even Talu, from whom Ansed had expected more (though she was quite elderly). Truth be told, Ansed felt the same way in her heart, but she had a duty to perform, and she would not shirk it, even if the others would.
“Then I will go myself,” she said, getting to her feet.
“As will I,” said Undlar, doing the same, albeit somewhat less steadily.
“That is unnecessary,” Ansed said, not relishing the idea of supporting the wounded priest throughout the walk. “It would be a waste, Reger, especially if it turns out that the Senbolma is not spaceworthy.” She put an encouraging hand on his shoulder, hoping he would forgive her earlier, patronizing tone. “I will send for you if and when it proves to be the case. We will, after all, need your guidance to fix Ganitriul.”
Undlar looked like he was about to argue, but then he cut himself off. “Of course, First Speaker. I will await word from you.”
“Excellent. You should hear from me soon.”
And if—no, when this is all over, Reger Undlar, we will have a long talk on the subject of appropriate behavior for the clergy. Undlar was the last of the priests left, and whatever new ones were ordained after this would look up to him as their leader, for better or for worse. Which meant that his naïveté would have to be dealt with, and quickly.
But first things first , Ansed thought, steeling herself against the ordeal of another endless hike and heading once more into the cold.
Sonya Gomez took one last look over the schematics that presently occupied the display on her tricorder. Thankfully, the Eerlikka had, several years back, allowed a team of Federation computer experts (including a group of eight Bynars) to inspect Ganitriul, so Starfleet had detailed specs on the installation.
Which was, in a word, huge . Fully twenty-five percent of Eerlik’s moon had been excavated in order to house the computer. In fact, most of that equipment had fallen into disuse as—typically, with advancing technology—the Eerlikka were able to miniaturize over time. Only about ten percent of the original installation was still active, though the autorepair components included small robots that could cannibalize the older equipment as need be.
All in all, a very efficient system.
She looked up to see that 110 still hadn’t arrived yet. She stood in the transporter room with Corsi and two other security people, Drew and Hawkins. Sonya had thought that three security people was a bit excessive to guard a two-person team, but she trusted Corsi’s judgment.
“Where the hell is he?” Corsi said, after inspecting her phaser rifle for the fortieth time.
“He’ll be here. Cut him a little slack, Commander. He’s been through a lot.”
“With respect, sir, if he’s too wrecked to even show up for a mission on time, then I have to question whether or not he can perform the mission.”
“And it’s a valid question, but I’d like to give him at least a chance to answer it.”
Corsi let out a breath. “Yes, sir.”
Just then, the doors parted and 110 entered, walking even faster than normal. “My apologies, Commander Gomez. I—I can offer no excuse.”
“I don’t expect you to,” Sonya said gently. “Let’s go.”
As she moved to step onto the platform, the doors opened again, and Carol Abramowitz entered. “Yes?” Sonya asked.
“Commander, I just wanted to let you know that speed is of the essence here. I’ve been reading up on the Eerlikka, and they have two major facets as a culture: they are fanatical about maintaining order, and they pride themselves on being well-informed. Both of these stem from Ganitriul. So it’s likely that conditions on Eerlik are deteriorating and going to get worse the more time passes. Don’t dawdle down there.”
Sonya smiled. “Wasn’t planning on it anyhow, but I appreciate the report. Thanks, Carol.”
“No problem.”
The five of them arranged themselves on the transporter pad. To the transporter chief, Sonya said, “Energize.”
They materialized into pitch-darkness. Oh, great , Sonya thought. She switched on her wristlamp, and the others did the same. Now the space they were in—which felt cold and stuffy—was illuminated by five light sources that cast odd shadows. Unfortunately, this did nothing but make it bright , cold, and stuffy. . . .
Drew played his light over one of the walls. “Rocks,” he deadpanned.
“Hello,” said a voice that seemed to come from everywhere. “Are you from Starfleet?” The voice was very pleasant—Sonya couldn’t place it, genderwise, but it set her at ease immediately.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m Commander Sonya Gomez of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers.”
“Excellent. I am glad you replied to my call. I am Ganitriul. Welcome.”
“Thank you.”
“And who are the others? I am registering five life-forms.”
Indicating the Bynar—though having no idea if Ganitriul could see the gesture—Sonya said, “This is 110, who is part of my engineering team. The others are Lieutenant Commander Domenica Corsi and two of her security team, Stephen Drew and Vance Hawkins.”
“I welcome all of you. I apologize for the darkness, but I cannot seem to get the lights working.”
“That’s all right.” She consulted her tricorder, which glowed quite brightly in the near-darkness. It showed that the main terminal was only a few meters away. “If you don’t mind, we’ll go to your main terminal and try to determine what’s wrong.” She started walking in the right direction, 110 on her heels, the security detail behind them.
“I hope you can, Commander Gomez. I am afraid that my own attempts to diagnose the problem have failed. I do not understand why I have been unable to function properly. I should also warn you that there are several security devices that are meant to prevent anyone from tampering with the system. My control over them is sporadic. Please be careful.”
The voice was almost pleading. Or maybe Sonya was projecting. Either way, she resolved to watch her step, and was suddenly grateful that Corsi had taken a team of three.
Corsi said, “Ganitriul, which security protocols don’t you have control over right now?”
“I am afraid it varies. Are you familiar with my security specifications?”
“Yes.”
“At the moment, I have complete control over everything in the immediate vicinity. If that changes—or if you move into an area that I do not have control over—I will inform you.”
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