Part 4 (2/2)

”What is it, Data?” asked Picard.

”A subs.p.a.ce radio wave,” came the reply. As the captain and his first officer bent over the station's monitor array, Data expanded on the statement. ”I have identified the signal. The transmission appears to be a Starfleet code used between fifty and eighty years ago.” Working at the console a moment longer, he paused. ”Code one alpha zero. s.h.i.+p in distress.”

From force of habit, Riker looked up at the intercom grid. Not that it was at all necessary; the computer would have picked up his voice just as clearly if he'd faced the deck instead-or for that matter, spoken in a whisper. ”Computer, are there any Starfleet vessels reported missing in this sector?”

The computer's response was prompt and succinct. ”Negative.”

Picard cleared his throat before he amended the computer's directive. ”Expand parameters to include adjacent sectors.”

A list of s.h.i.+ps came up on one of the monitors. Again, the audible response was almost instantaneous. ”Transport s.h.i.+p SS Jenolen, NC five-six-seven, was reported missing on stardate seven-eight-nine-three-point-one while en route to Norpin Five.”

Riker frowned. ”Seventy-five years ago. I'd say we've found the Jenolen-but we're a long way from Norpin Five. They must've gone pretty far off course.”

Picard nodded. ”Indeed.”

He turned to Sousa, who was sitting at the conn station. Sousa peered out at him from under his shock of dark, unruly hair.

”Ensign, establish coordinates for the source of the signal and plot a course for them. Warp factor eight.”

”Aye, sir,” answered Sousa, getting to work.

Riker looked at the captain. ”Warp factor eight?” he repeated in a low voice, so that only he, Data and Picard could hear it. ”Why the hurry?”

The captain frowned. His first officer had a point. If the Jenolen had been waiting for seventy-five years, it could wait a little longer. It wasn't as if there were going to be any survivors at this late juncture.

And yet...

Picard shrugged. ”Call it intuition,” he said, and left it at that.

Chapter Two.

WILL RIKER drummed his fingers on the armrest of his seat in the command center. Stealing a glance at the stony visage of Captain Picard, who was again standing beside Data at the aft science station, he tried for the umpteenth time to decide if it was his imagination ... or if the captain was, for some reason, avoiding him.

For four days, they'd been riding the currents of that bizarre reality known as subs.p.a.ce, heading for a rendezvous with what was left of the Jenolen. And in all that time, Picard hadn't met his first officer's gaze.

For a long time, it had been just a nagging suspicion. Now, Riker was almost certain of it... even tempted to confront the captain with his observations.

No. He reigned himself in. If Picard wanted to discuss the matter-whatever it was-he would do so in his own good time. And that was his right. He would do as he thought best.

Maybe after the Jenolen had been discovered and explored, Picard would put his cards on the table. Yes... that's it, Riker decided. He wants to devote all his attention to the Jenolen. And when that's over, he'll take me aside and tell me what's on his mind.

”Captain?” It was Worf.

Turning away from the science console, Picard answered him. ”Yes, Lieutenant?”

”We are approaching the coordinates of the distress signal,” the Klingon reported.

No surprise there. All it meant was that they were right on schedule.

Nonetheless, Picard nodded his acknowledgment of the fact. Turning to Rager, he said ”Bring us out of warp, Ensign Rager. All stop.”

Rager, a spritelike black woman, complied. ”Aye, sir. All stop.”

Riker stood, tired of keeping his seat. He got antsy whenever the s.h.i.+p was about to close in on its objective-particularly one it had been pursuing as long as this one.

Though the main viewscreen showed nothing except an unfamiliar starfield, he found himself straining to see anything that vaguely resembled a transport vessel. Needless to say, he had no success. They were still millions of kilometers short of the signal's source, which they would now a pproach on impulse power.

He'd barely finished his thought when the Enterprise was rocked-as if a giant hand had grasped it and was shaking it like a tambourine. Riker grasped at the back of Rager's chair to keep from being catapulted across the deck.

Then, as suddenly as it had started, the shaking stopped. But that was no guarantee that they wouldn't be treated to a repeat performance.

”Yellow alert,” cried Riker, his voice reverberating throughout the enclosed s.p.a.ce and spreading to the rest of the s.h.i.+p via the intercom system.

At the same time, he headed back to his place in the command center. Picard and Data were less than a step behind him, moving toward their own customary positions on the bridge.

”Report,” intoned Picard, as he took his seat a little uncertainly.

”We have entered a ma.s.sive gravitational field,” replied Worf.

Picard turned to look at him. He wasn't alone. After all, there was nothing on the screen close enough to possess a gravitational field-much less one as powerful as the one they'd run into.

”Mr. Data?” the captain said, hoping for more information.

The android was bent over the Ops station, where he'd replaced the crewman who had been sitting there before. ”There are no stars or other stellar bodies listed at these coordinates on our navigational charts.” He paused. ”However, sensor readings indicate the presence of an extremely strong gravitational source in this vicinity.” Another pause. ”Directly ahead.”

It didn't make sense, Riker told himself. Unless ... the object creating the field was cloaked somehow.

Picard must have had the same idea. ”Mr. Worf,” he said, ”can you localize the source of the gravity field?”

For a moment, the Klingon worked at his console. Then he looked up. ”Yes, sir.”

Good, thought the first officer. Now we're getting somewhere.

”On screen,” said the captain.

The starfield on the viewscreen changed, reflecting another view. And if one looked closely, there was a small, dark ball at its center.

”Magnify,” commanded Picard.

The image jumped up several orders of magnitude, until the dark ball could be seen more easily. After the final jump, it appeared as round and smooth as a billiard ball-but because it was so dark, it was hard to discern anything else about it.

It mystified Riker. He'd never seen anything like it.

”Sensors?” he said, finally breaking the spell. They needed information-and they needed it as quickly as possible. Who knew what other surprises awaited them in this gravitational field?

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