Chapter Four

SHUTTLECRAFTJUSTMANDROPPED ELEGANTLYthrough the atmosphere of Nem Maak Bratuna, Worf taking care in his

piloting not to let the speed of their passage create a corona around the little ship. The Klingon

security chief wanted the shuttlecrafts sensors unobstructed by any interference, because the sky

around him was full of weapons.Justman had been granted clearance by Nem Maak Bratunan authorities, and

a safe approach path had been charted for the shuttle, but Worf was not one to take chances …

especially with his captain on board.

 

TheEnterprise, traveling far faster than the decelerating shuttlecraft, lay far ahead of and above them

at standard orbit altitude. It was no longer visible to even the sharpest warriors eye.

 

Its a beautiful world down there,

Deanna Troi said softly, looking at Nem Maak Bratuna on a small

viewscreen.

Much of it looks untouched, despite the pollution along the coasts.

 

There are large, arable areas that have apparently never been settled,

Picard said.

I must admit I

find that rather strange. The population here is over two billiona rather hefty numberand these people

certainly have the technological ability to go anywhere they wish on the planet.

 

Data spoke up.

The southern continents, in particular, are largely unoccupied by the natives. The

concentration of population in the northern hemisphereis highly unusual, sir. The Nem Maak Bratunans

have congregated in mineral-rich areas along the coastal mountain ranges of the three northern

continents.

 

But not in the south,

Troi said.

The population there is small and scattered. There are no big cities

and very few towns.

 

The south seems perfectly habitable,

Data pointed out.

Indeed, it may be more habitable than the

north. The industrial pollution index in the northern hemisphere is an average eight point one. They are

doing little to prevent or mitigate the poisoning of their environment.

 

Perhaps the problem is cultural,

Troi hazarded.

The Nem Maak Bratunans remain in the north because

they choose to.

 

That seems an unlikely matter of choice,

Picard said.

No, Counselor, there is something going on here

that I simply do not trust.

He smiled ruefully.

This is hardly a normal first-contact situation.

 

Data nodded in agreement.

 

Data

 

Yes, Captain?

 

Data, please dont take this the wrong way, but you have been nodding and shaking your head a great

deal of late. Is there something wrong?

 

Ah,

Data said, nodding.

No, sir, there is nothing wrong with me. I am practicing my incidental

capital motions. I have noted that humans tend to confirm whatever it is they are saying by nodding or

shaking their heads, as if they are agreeing with themselves. Since I always agree with myself, I feel I

must nod and shake my head more than, say, you or Counselor Troi might.

 

Picard nodded.

You nod and shake very well indeed, Mr. Data,

he said agreeably.

You may stop now.

 

The android blinked.

Yes, Captain. Thank you for your concern, sir.

 

Worf spoke up.

Captain, theEnterprise is relaying a digest of telemetry analyses during the last hour.

One moment, please.

The Klingon extracted an isolinear optical chip from a reader and handed it to

Troi, who was sitting just behind him.

 

Thank you both,

Picard said, taking the chip from Troi. Seating himself at the shuttlecrafts compact

science station, he inserted the chip into the reader there and watched silently as text and graphics

began to flow across the screen.

 

Now this is very interesting,

Picard said, almost to himself.

Come here and have a look.

The captain

returned the display to the beginning of the bioscan telemetry analysis as Troi and Data crouched behind

him, reading over his shoulders.

 

Data took in the contents of the display at once.

Remarkable, sir,

he said.

 

Wait a minute,

Troi complained.

Im still readingoh! I see now. Well, this may explain something,

but Im not sure what.

She sighed.

 

You know that every indigenous lifeform on a given planet can be shown to be related to every other on

that planet through analysis of its DNA. There are basic patterns that repeat from species to species

all the way up and down the evolutionary tree. The principle is well established. We have found that the

DNA of a Nem Maak Bratunan humanoid is not related to that of the majority of lifeforms here. In other

words, the people of Nem Maak Bratuna are not native to this planet. Their species could not have

evolved here.

 

It could also mean that most forms of life on this worldexcept for the humanoid population and its

related parasites and symbiotes did not evolve here,

Data added,

but that is not very likely.

 

Thank you, Mr. Data,

the captain said distractedly as he read further into the summary. He was looking

for something, and he found it quickly.

Now here,

he said to the others, pointing at the display.

 

Thats what linguistics got from their local broadcasts.

 

Troi read aloud from the screen.

The star we are calling 30453 FAS is called Maak Indawe by the people

here. The name translates roughly as Stronghold.

 

Stronghold, Captain?

Worf added from his station.

They must expect a battle.

 

Picard nodded.

A culture at this apparent sociological level most commonly calls its star the Sun, if

it doesnt go and name it after a mythic figure of some sorta favorite god or goddess, perhaps.

Stronghold does not fit that pattern at all. And look here: The name of the planet, Nem Maak Bratuna,

is derived from the name of the star and carries a more refined meaningThe Last Stand.

 

The Last Stand?

Troi wondered.

What does that mean?

 

The name denotes a refuge of last resort,

Data said.

The name strongly suggests not only that the

people here are alien to this world but that they are fully aware of the fact. This also may be

significant: The name is of recent vintage.

 

Theyve recently renamed their planet?

Troi asked.

How strange. But if theyre not from here, then

whereare they from?

 

Ive been giving that some thought,

Picard told her.

Mr. Data, I want you to contact theEnterprise

and have LCARS send you the bioscan reports we collected from the third and fourth planets of 30452 FAS.

Compare the DNA profiles we found among the remaining species on those planets to the one we have found

in the humanoid population here. See if they correlate.

 

Yes, Captain. It will take me a moment to contact the ship and complete the download.

 

Picard nodded.

 

Captain,

Troi asked,

did you finish reading the linguistics summary?

 

Not quite, Counselor. What else did you find?

We dont need to call them the Nem Maak Bratunans any

longer, sir. Their name for themselves is the Lethanta.

 

Picard read the summary.

I wonder how they came by that,

he said.

It seems to be untranslatable.

 

Estimating landing at spaceport in ten minutes,

Worf reported. Suddenly, his tone changed.

Captain,

 

he said quickly,

three unidentified craft are approaching from the west.

 

Range and speed?

 

One hundred fifteen kilometers, sir. Speed eleven hundred seventy kilometers per hour.

 

Any sign of weapons activation?

 

I have scanned them already, sir. The craft are only lightly armed. I am reading air-to-air tactical

nuclear missiles, four to each craft, twelve in all. They have not been activated. No energy weapons of

any sort, sir.

 

They wont take us by surprise with ordnance such as that,

Picard said, frowning.

Can they follow us

into space, Mr. Worf?

 

No, sir. The craft are powered by turbines that burn a fuel-air mixture for thrust. These kinds of

systems can work only in atmosphere. The missiles contain their own fuel, but their range and speed are

not troublesome to us.

 

Picard nodded.

Understood. Mr. Worf, at the first sign of weapons activation or missile launch, get us

out of here and head us back toward theEnterprise . In the meantime, keep her steady as she goes.

 

Captain,

Worf said suddenly,

the flight leader is hailing us.

 

Very well. On audio.

 

ShuttlecraftJustman,this is Captain Fesnerkall of the Defense Forces Air Division. Welcome to Nem Maak

Bratuna, Captain Picard. I and the other members of my flight have been given the honor of escorting

your spacecraft to the spaceport at our capital city.

 

Open a channel, please, Mr. Worf,

Picard ordered.

Captain, this is Captain Picard aboardJustman .

Thank you. We appreciate the courtesy of your escort, and we will follow you all the way in.

 

Very good, Captain. I estimate rendezvous in ninety-three seconds. Eh, Captain, if you would have your

pilot slow up a bit after the rendezvous point, we wont have to go to afterburners to keep up with

you.

 

Will do, Captain Fesnerkall. Thank you again. Picard out.

To Worf, he said,

Cut our speed to match

theirs once we rendezvous, Lieutenantbut be ready to kick her in the tail if we need to get out of here

quickly.

 

Aye, sir.

 

Data rose from his seat at the science station.

Captain,

he said,

I have completed the new DNA

comparison, as ordered. The Lethanta definitely evolved on 30452 FAS Three. They are from there, sir.

 

Ah. Thank you, Mr. Data,

Picard said.

So that world was perhaps a last stand as well.

 

And someone blasted the Lethanta off it a very long time ago,

Troi added.

Six thousand years.

 

The captain nodded.

We had better find out exactly what occurred,

he said.

Fantastic as it seems,

whoever did it to them may be around still.

 

Nemtar Ship Commander, the disgraced captain of the equally disgraced Krann scanner shipJTO-52D, was

standing in the prisoner dock located in a small chamber that was the traditional venue of Fleet courts-martial. Nemtar was brightly lighted by a spot beam set into the ceiling directly above his head. The

rest of the room was in darkness. He could hear but not see his accusers. Once in a while, Nemtar could

hear one of his otherwise silent judges cough or stir. That provided him data. It amused Nemtar in what

were probably the last moments of his life to analyze what he was perceiving, the way he had been

trained to do nearly since birth. From the small aural cues he was getting, Nemtar decided that there

were five people sitting about three meters in front of him in a shallow semicircle. As it happened, he

was exactly right.

 

There was a handrail there in front of him, designed to be gripped by the nervous and the afraid. The

metal of the rail was polished at those two points where ones hands were most likely to be placed.

Nemtar ignored it. He stood easily, outwardly relaxed, his hands clasped behind him as if this

proceeding were nothing more significant than a standard lecture on air purification.

 

Nemtar would probably meet his death today. There was nothing to be done about that, and he accepted the

fact.

 

But he could still try to save his ship.

 

Presider Hek himself was chairing this board. That was a sure measure of how angry he was.

It was not

hard to extrapolate the incoming course of the alien ship, once it was finally spotted by units

stationed near the orbit of Maak Unselbe,

he said, continuing his interrogation of Nemtar.

That ship

traveled right through your watch area undetected. All six hundred uncloaked meters of it just slipped

by you within seventy-two thousand kilometers of your position. Now just how did you and your people

manage to miss a thing like that?

 

There was no indication of the presence of the alien ship in our watch sector, Presider,

Nemtar Ship

Commander replied calmly.

The sudden appearance of the ship near Maak Unselbe registered on our long-range detectors, as my report indicates. The instant it appeared on our sensor boards, I immediately

issued a level-one advisory to the flagship

 

Hek interrupted him.

But by then, Nemtar, the alien ship was one hundred million kilometers sunward of

the Fleet and heading straight for Nem Maak Bratuna. Your alert was useless.

 

You have the full transcript of what occurred during that watch, Presider,

Nemtar responded.

Our

equipment was operating flawlessly. My people were performing at optimum. As you will see from the

transcript, the presence and condition of every single one of ourown ships then operating in our watch

sector was properly logged and updated throughout the watch.

 

The Presider was growing impatient.

The question begs, Nemtar: Why did you and your fellow wizards of

detection fail to detect the presence of the alien ship until it was too late?

 

I have no facts to offer, Presider.

 

I see,

Hek said from the darkness. There was silence for a long moment, and then he spoke again.

 

Return Nemtar Ship Commander to the … holding area.

 

Three guards suddenly appeared out of the darkness, their hand weapons at the ready. Nemtar nodded to

them almost pleasantly and followed them out of the light and into the surrounding darkness.

 

The others in the star chamber heard, briefly, the echo of several sets of footsteps in the dark. Then

they listened as Nemtar walked on ahead of his guards with a sure and certain stride. They heard him

stop and, a moment later, there came the heavy sound of a pressure-tight doorshuff ing itself closed.

Those in the star chamber did not hear anything as the small room behind the door was opened to the hard

vacuum of space.

 

He was a brave man,

came a new voice.

A pity he had to be remaindered.

 

What do we do about his ship?

someone asked.

A Fleet enforcement scout is standing by.

 

We have found no evidence of procedural errors or system failures in the transcript,

a third voice

observed.

Perhaps we need not go the full route this time.

 

I still think these spacings are wasteful,

one of them complained.

We lose nearly four cubic meters

of air every time we remainder someone, not to mention the biological material and so forth.

 

Discipline must be maintained,

another said sternly.

 

The losses dont matter anymore, not when were so close to our goal,

yet another observed.

Well

restock.

 

What will we do about Nemtars ship?

the first one asked again.

 

Have a dispatch team from the scout go aboardJTO-52D and remainder the top officers,

Hek said almost

absently.

No need to remainder the ship as well, given these circumstances. ReassignJTO-52D to ferry

and light cargo work in the rear until we can restaff its officer complement and return the ship to

normal duty. That will allow us to put one of the veteran cargo runners on the front line.

 

The light level in the room was brought up, and the members of the court-martial panel were able to see

each other again. The five panelists were sitting behind a trial bench that curved around the prisoner

dock in a gentle arc. Hek Portside Hull Patcher, currently the Presider of the Fleet Congress, was in

the middle chair. Hek was a burly, middle-aged man, one who looked as if hed spent most of his life

wearing a pressure suit and working outside, which hed done day in and day out until he entered Fleet

politics. Now he was the youngest Presider in six generations.

 

I wish that Nemtar had had an answer for us,

Hek told his colleagues.

We need to know how that alien

ship slipped by our security watch.

 

The high-velocity probes will arrive at Nem Maak Bratuna in a matter of hours,

someone pointed out.

 

They have been ordered to examine the alien ship as part of their surveillance routine. We will know

more about it then.

 

Pelaka Theoretician sighed.

We already know enough about it,

the old man said.

I almost wish Nemtar

Ship Commander and his peoplehad made an error. That would have explained everything rather neatly.

 

Your considered opinion of what occurred, then, Pelaka,

the Presider said.

I think weve all been

waiting to hear it.

 

Pelaka cleared his throat.

As the late ship commander just told us, Presider, I have no facts to offer

you.

 

The tone of your voice suggests you have more to say, though.

 

Pelaka nodded.

I do, Hek. I believe I could make a good guess.

 

Give it to us, then.

 

Very well,

Pelaka said.

Our JTO-series scanner ships are equipped and personnel trained to detect

everything there is to detect, see everything there is to see, and make note of it all. I believe the

alien ship evaded detection because it was never really there to be detected.

 

Pardon me?

The Presider rarely needed to fumble for something to say, but this was one of those times.

 

Of course it was there, Pelaka. Ithad to be.

 

No, Hek, it need not have been there at all. The alien ship did notseem to appear suddenly near the

orbit of Maak Unselbe. It actuallydid do so.

 

The Presider laughed gently. It was a dangerous sound, and the others stirred.

How do you figure that?

 

he asked.

 

The old theoretician would not be intimidated.

We know a great deal now about this ship from our long-range observations of it,

Pelaka explained.

This is a spacecraft, a starship, from an obviously

technologically advanced organization called the United Federation of Planets. It is a ship of

impressive size, but it isnot large enough for interstellar travelthat is, interstellar travel as we

know it. Not even one generation of travelers aboard it could survive a star trip.

 

How do you know?

Hek asked.

 

Simple, Presider. We have detected the presence of more than a thousand beings aboard the ship, yet

they have with them enough consumables to last for only a few months, at best. Further, while the

engines of the alien ship are of a type unknown to us, we can easily detect the extent of the ships

energy reserves. They are enormous, capable of generating almost unimaginable motive power.

 

Your conclusion, then?

 

There can be only one, Presider,

Pelaka said.

The alien ship is able to travel at speeds faster than

light.

 

The others around the bench, including Hek, gasped.

 

Since we know translight travel to be impossible in normal space,

Pelaka continued,

the aliens must

travel in anotherkind of space. Perhaps it is one that is coexistent with ours. If this is true, then

the alien ship did not pass through the sector under watch by scanner shipJTO-52D at all. Instead, it

decelerated and dropped back into space, normal space, near Maak Unselbe. It then proceeded on course

for Maak Indawe at a quarter of the speed of light.

 

A faster-than-light vessel,

Hek breathed. He clenched a fist. Instinctively, he knew the old man was

right.

At last.

 

A wonderful thing, Presider,

Pelaka said, his own eyes shining.

A miracle, to find such a ship at

this historic time.

 

I want that ship,

said the Presider.

Iwant it.