CHAPTER THREE
“We need options, people, or we’re all dead.” Gold lowered himself into the observation lounge seat at the head of the table, right next to Gomez.
“We’ve come up with some ideas, sir,” she said, and motioned to her Bynar team member. “Soloman?”
The delicate alien bowed his large head respectfully and spoke quickly if softly. “The Bynars once investigated a Munqu computer installation and I have the information gathered from that. Theta radiation might disrupt their computer core, forcing them to work on manual overrides.”
Nodding his agreement from across the table, Fabian Stevens added, “We don’t have a way just yet to deliver a massive theta wave pulse, though-besides which, there’s all kinds of other dangers with that. So Soloman and I are working on a way to infiltrate their computers via subspace carrier wave.”
P8 Blue, the pillbug-looking insectoid Nasat team member, hissed and clicked. “Interesting. How so?”
“They didn’t dis able their identification beacons,” Soloman said. “The data in them is meaningless to us, but the carrier, if its frequency can be decrypted … “
Stevens pursed his lips into a thin line. “I’m no Bart Faulwell, but I’ll do my best.” Faulwell, the team’s linguist and cryptographer, was presently on the planet Maeglin, helping a small group of other-dimensional aliens assimilate to their new home.
Nodding once, a clipped gesture, Soloman added, “And I will be able to help with the Munqu computer algorithms.”
“Once that’s done, we may be able to reverse the beacon and use it to get into their computers,” Stevens said.
Gold nodded. Smart people, he thought, but all this was maybes and ifs. It was less comforting than it might be.
“Lt. Commander Duffy and I also have some work.” Gomez tapped a command into the computer before her and a cargo manifest appeared on the screen beyond the table. “Ship’s phasers are diminished from battle damage, and one bank has had an unrepairable overload. But we’re transporting several of these A9667L-lithium phaser drills.” The entry of the drill on the manifest began to blink.
“Aren’t they too narrow against a starship?” Pattie asked.
“We’re hoping to modify the mount muzzle to enlarge the beam. We’ll work on it.” Gomez handed her captain a data padd.
Gold glanced over it. “Very good.”
“I have an idea as well.” Pattie said. She seemed to lean forward from her specially designed seat, though with her insectoid form and dark exoskeleton her body posture look different than it actually was. “But I will need to read schematics on the lithium phaser drills.”
“They’re in the computer.” Gomez smiled and then turned back toward the captain.
“Let’s check the rest of the cargo again, too,” Gold said. “There may be other items of use that on their own don’t seem it. If you can build an item into something useful, even if it wouldn’t ordinarily be in this situation … well, that would be just what the doctor ordered.” He rose, trying to end the meeting on a positive if serious note. “We don’t have much time before the Munqu are back at us. Let’s get to it, people.”
The engineers, each with their own specialties, nodded and there was a chorus of “Aye, sir.”
As Gold stepped toward the door, the voice of Ina Mar sounded from his combadge. “Captain?”
“Gold here.”
“I have a message coming in from Beta Argola, sir. It’s very weak.”
“Patch it through.” The captain twisted back toward the table and pulled Gomez with him before she left the briefing room. He swiveled the computer toward them both and a United Federation of Planets logo appeared on the monitor.
“Audio only, sir. Here it is.”
“-is Christian Basile of the Beta Argola mining colony, do you read?”
“This is da Vinci. We read you Basile. Go ahead.”
“Oh, thank God! We’ve got them! Maria! They’re answering!”
Gold shook his head and strained to hear through the static and an interference that warped the transmission. “You’re breaking up, Basile. Are you in danger?”
And if he wasn’t in danger, would this message put him in danger, Gold wondered. The Munqu could be listening. A private mining colony wasn’t privy to Starfleet codes and so there was no way to safely encrypt the communication.
“You bet your arse we’re in danger! In a few hours-blown to kingd-come!”
“Repeat that, Basile.” Gold tapped his combadge. “Ina, boost the gain.”
“Trying, sir.”
“Basile, repeat. Blown to kingdom come how?”
“Anti-matter blasting caps. Twenty gross of them. Usually containment-” The message broke up, but regained itself just as Gold was ready to call Ina again. “-but we can’t do anything. No power for transporters, and we cannibalized our one shuttle to boost reactor life.”
“How long do you estimate before they become unstable?” Gomez asked.
“Repeat that, da Vinci. We lost that.”
“How long before they blow?” Gold asked the shorter, more to the point question. Sometimes engineers talked too much.
“We est-two hours, max.” There was chatter in the background of the transmission, and Gold leaned closer to the speaker. “Hold on, da Vinci. What? That depends on our power usage. We’re shutting down life support and breaking out the EVA suits.”
“We have some replacements suits we’re transporting to them,” Gold asked Gomez. “Do they have enough?”
“Copy that, da Vinci we have enough. We replace every third cargo trip, S.O.P.”
“We’ll be there as soon as we can, Basile. Keep your people safe.”
Static spat back.
“Basile?” The captain punched the intraship comm again. “Ina, what happened?”
“Jammed, sir.”
Gold sighed and shared a glance with his first officer. “Welcome back, Munqu.”
She started for the door, and Gold followed.
“Duffy and I will get to work on those phaser drills.”
“I’ll be on the bridge. Keep me informed of your progress.” The captain was already rushing for the door, barking orders into his combadge. “McAllan, I want full power to the shields. We need to get rid of these Munqu chias in less than two hours.” And if they couldn’t … it would mean more than just the lives of the da Vinci crew, Gold thought. And more than the lives of the colonists as well. No one could forget … if they failed now, it would be the Horta who would suffer as well.