Part 6 (1/2)
”I'd like to see that,” said Barclay. What he really wanted to see most was firm ground to walk on, but there didn't seem to be any of that. Even if there were, walking was impossible on Gemworld. If they had no gravity on the s.h.i.+p, they could at least use magnetized boots, but those were no good here.
After a while, it felt as if they were entering the heart of a planet. Sun continued to filter down, dancing with the prisms in subdued rainbows instead of brilliant ones; but the weathered, pastel crystals attested to eons and eons of wear. Reg had no problem imagining thick seas was.h.i.+ng over these monuments when they were new, a billion years ago. Among them, he felt no bigger than an amoeba.
Watching Melora zig and zag through the forest of monstrous prisms was also a surreal sight. Reg was reminded of romantic paintings of mermaids frolicking in the ruins of Atlantis. The deeper they went, the more the light took on an unreal quiver from all the refractions, like a mirage. Everyone in the shuttlecraft was perfectly silent, as if they had just entered a cathedral.
The chirp of the captain's combadge came like a shout intruding in a dream. ”Pazlar to Captain Picard.”
”Yes, Lieutenant.”
”We're almost there, sir. The attendants will secure the shuttlecraft. Since you'll be weightless, may I suggest you just hold hands when you step out.”
”Understood,” answered Picard.
They glided slowly toward an encampment of Elaysians which looked little different from the dozens they had pa.s.sed enroute, except that the nets covered a slit in the immense crystal. Reg was reminded of the mighty redwoods he had seen in California. This great monolith might once have been red, too. Now it was a pale pink color, like rose quartz.
As they slowed to a stop, Elaysians surrounded them, roping the shuttlecraft so tightly that it couldn't drift a centimeter in any direction. Data popped the hatch, and there was a mild rush of air as the pressure equalized. There was also a dry, chalky scent in the air which reminded Barclay of talc.u.m powder and childhood. It was very disconcerting to peer out and see nothing below the open hatch but air.
Melora stuck her head in and smiled as she floated in the doorway. ”The Exalted Ones are waiting. Normally there are a great many protocols we would observe, but these aren't normal times. If you'd care to exit, Captain.” She backed away and held out her hand.
Picard stood and moved toward the open hatch, looking more confident than Reg hoped to look. He took Melora's hand and stepped through the hatch into nothingness. Other Elaysians hovered nearby in case he needed help, but the captain looked graceful as he floated in midair, holding his hand out to Troi.
The Betazoid bravely stepped out, giving a little gasp as her feet left the security of gravity. The captain steadied her, and she turned to Reg, held out her hand, and waved expectantly.
Involuntarily, he shrunk back in his seat, folding his arms tightly against his chest. Data noticed his reaction. ”You cannot possibly fall.”
”I know ... I know.” Barclay gave an anxious sigh, then he finally stood up and moved toward the open hatch. Just as he started to step out, he hesitated, and his toe caught on the lip of the hatch. His forward momentum propelled him out the door headfirst, his feet following, and Reg whooped in alarm as he somersaulted into the air.
Elaysians rushed to his aid, their hands grabbing his arms and legs, scaring him even more. Reg tried to relax and let the experts set him right side up, but he didn't relax until he felt Troi take his hand.
”That was quite an entrance,” said Melora with amus.e.m.e.nt. ”You'll get used to the low gravity.”
”I don't think so,” answered Reg, his voice trembling and his limbs as stiff as the prisms towering around them. ”Just drag me along-I'll be fine.”
Data joined him, and it felt oddly rea.s.suring to grip the android's cool, smooth hand.
”Ready,” said Pazlar. She used the hoverplatform to drag the linked visitors through the slit in the crystal into an immense rose-colored hall. To Reg, all of it appeared to have been hollowed out by natural forces.
When his eyes got used to the dim, rose-hued light inside the crystal, Reg gaped in amazement. All around the rough-hewn walls were jellyfish-like beings floating up and down in streams of bubbles. A contingent of Elaysians floated in a corner, looking like a heavenly choir, while spiny, long-legged Alpusta bobbed nervously on their webs in another part of the hall. In the center of the cavern was a dense cl.u.s.ter of spindly crystals, which blinked with a startling array of colors as if they were being illuminated from within.
Despite all the other wonders, Barclay had a hard time taking his eyes off the Lipuls. They seemed to be studying the visitors, although they had no eyes that he could determine. Was he imagining it, or did the Lipuls' rhythmic movments seem to correspond with the blinking crystals in the center?
Pazlar dipped into to a respectful bow and loudly addressed the a.s.semblage. ”Exalted Ones, this is Captain Picard, Commander Troi, Commander Data, and Lieutenant Barclay from the Enterprise. They are my s.h.i.+pmates, and they've come a long way through great danger to help us. Even now, their s.h.i.+p lies badly damaged inside the protection of the sh.e.l.l. In this time of crisis, we will have to work together to help each other.”
Suddenly Reg realized that the crystals in the center were pulsing in unison with Melora's voice, as if they were translating. Pazlar turned to the Lipuls floating in the solitude of the crystal. ”If not for the dreams.h.i.+ps, we would never have known about this grave threat. Now you must tell us everything you know-about the rift, the dark crystals which break for no reason, and the lack of contact with the Federation.”
A strange, synthesized voice issued from the sparkling cl.u.s.ter in the center. ”You have done well, Daughter. We had no idea the rift was such a danger to the stars.h.i.+p, or we would not have summoned you. Although our contact is infrequent, we have long valued our members.h.i.+p in the Federation. Like you, we have managed to create a peaceful union of many very different species. Our differences bring us strength and vitality.”
Barclay glanced at the captain and saw him smiling in agreement at that statement.
The lights in the crystals grew still for a moment, then s.h.i.+mmered in unison. The voice went on, ”Will the one named Data come forward and touch us, for we do not recognize his species.”
Data swiveled his head away from the clump of crystals and exhaled loudly. The gust of air moved him just enough to hover over the sparkling translator. He bent down and touched a thin shard, which turned vibrant blue at his touch.
”I am an artificial being,” explained the android.
”Nonsense,” replied the strange voice. ”You are made of elements and natural materials which we know. You are a natural being, not artificial.”
”Thank you.” Data smiled at what he obviously considered a compliment. ”I have a theory that the singularity which threatens your world is a dimensional rift.”
”That is correct,” said a normal voice from the rear. The away team turned to see a male Elaysian wearing yellow robes instead of the more common white ones. He pushed off from the cave wall and soared over the visitors' heads. Showoff, Reg thought.
”Captain Picard, I am Tangre Bertoran, Peer of the Jeptah.” The white-haired Elaysian said his t.i.tle as if they should all be impressed, thought Reg. He kicked his bare feet in the air as he talked. ”The dimensional rift is causing serious problems for Gemworld. It is directing a stream of dark matter at the planet, and this has accelerated the growth of the crystals severalfold. Gravity has doubled, and we fear it may quadruple. The new growth is not stable-it breaks off, as you have seen.
”Most of this dangerous, new growth is concentrated in the core of the planet, but all over Gemworld crystals are breaking. This has cut off travel routes and arteries, trapping and killing our people. Our communication system, which depends upon the crystal for transmission, has broken down. To relate it to your world, it's like a major earthquake in every city at once.”
Bertoran folded his arms, as if expecting the visitors to do something immediately to rectify the situation. ”And I needn't mention the danger to the entire sector if a dimensional rift stays open.”
The captain nodded gravely. ”We know the danget-it nearly destroyed our s.h.i.+p. But we're going to need a lot more information about this rift. What caused it?”
”How would we know?” snapped Tangre Bertoran. ”One day, it just appeared.”
”But you have been collecting dark matter,” interjected Data. ”Perhaps that is related.”
Bertoran gave the android a condescending smile. ”Very few scientists in the Federation know anything about dark matter, although some believe it const.i.tutes seventy percent of the universe. The sh.e.l.l has collected dark matter in small amounts for thousands of years, converting it to a phosphor-rich fertilizer. We never know how much we'll get, but we're grateful for all the energy sources we have. Although you can't see dark matter with even your best sensors, it's all around you. It was never dangerous before the rift appeared.”
”Perhaps there is a malfunction in the sh.e.l.l,” suggested Data.
There were audible gasps in the rose-hued cavern, and the Lipuls and Alpusta became more agitated, moving with rapid jerks. Bertoran recoiled in horror, then he spun around, pushed off, and flew away from them. Accusatory glares came from most of the Elaysians, and Pazlar rushed to the captain's side.
Troi and Barclay leaned in to listen.
”Captain,” said Pazlar with a pained expression, ”the sh.e.l.l isn't just a machine, especially to the Jeptah. It's a holy relic from the days of the Ancients. It's the Sacred Protector.” She glanced at Data and lowered her voice. ”Sometimes you can't call a machine a machine, even when it is.”
”I apologize,” said Picard. ”We'll all use more tact.” He loudened his voice to address the chamber. ”We ask for your pardon. Commander Data meant no disrespect to the Sacred Protector. But certainly any investigation of dark matter must include your darkmatter collectors.”
”It's the rift you have to worry about!” shouted Tangre Bertoran. ”We Jeptah will attend to the sh.e.l.l as we always have.”
Barclay could see the captain's resolve harden even as his expression softened to its most diplomatic. ”Our fates are linked together. The Enterprise can't leave Gemworld, and no other s.h.i.+ps can come here as long as that rift is open. If you're destroyed, we're destroyed. To fight this thing, we have to be open and honest with each other. If we require access to the Sacred Protector, you will have to give it to us.”
Bertoran raised a finger with a triumphant smile.”And if we require your s.h.i.+p, you will give us access, right? Perhaps the best way to dispense with the rift is the most direct. Why don't you apply some firepower, and decimate it with quantum torpedoes? Our scientists feel that might work.”
”That might work,” agreed Picard, ”but without a doubt it would be a suicide mission.”
”We lose one s.h.i.+p and a volunteer skeleton crew,” said the white-haired Elaysian with a shrug. ”That's better than losing a planet of billions of souls.”
Suddenly one of the Alpusta sprang forward on a rapidly elongating web. The remarkable creature stopped directly in front of Bertoran and bobbed up and down, blocking his view and clearly interrupting him. The Alpusta extended another web into the cl.u.s.ter of crystals in the center, and the shards pulsed with earthier, duller colors for a moment.