The alien ship remained strangely quiescent except for a rolling vibration that started up every few hours, continued for two or three minutes, then stopped all at once. No lights appeared anywhere on the hull, nothing emerged from the ship, nor were there any other signs of activity---no indications of a long dormant ship coming back to life. But we knew it was doing exactly that.
Jean-Luc, Hernandez and I watched the launch of the remotes from the command salon. Close-up tracking was displayed on the monitors, but we preferred the direct view through the duranium dome. Laden with explosives, two dozen remotes---looking very much like three-limbed, gleaming metal crustaceans---emerged behind us one at a time from the hull of the Enterprise, then flew over the command salon, their rockets firing sporadically as they changed course.
"We probably need to have three or four get through," Hernandez said.
The trajectories and speeds were randomized; with their erratic flight paths above and around us, they appeared out of control, like crazed animals scattering in fear from a fast and powerful beast, but they all had the same destination----the docking mechanism.
"Only three or four?" Jean-Luc asked, as if it would be too easy.
Hernandez just shook her head in response.
The remotes flew chaotically beyond us and indirectly toward the bow of the Enterprise. One plunged toward the ship, and I thought it would crash into the hull. Just before impact it veered away and shot forward, accelerating toward the bow only a few meters above the ship's surface.
Just then even the chaos fell apart, as if the remotes had abruptly gone insane. They started to quiver and wobble, spinning and arcing away from both the Enterprise and the alien ship.
Jean-Luck slapped the command channel open. "Gonchoff! What's going on?"
"I don't know, sir," a man's voice replied. "We've lost control of them. They're not responding to any commands."
The remotes continued to disperse, tumbling farther from the two ships, growing smaller and smaller. A mechanical diaspora.
"Are you still trying, Gonchoff?"
"I'm still trying. Still nothing, sir. We've lost them."
The remotes were gone from our view; tiny images still appeared on the monitors, but even those were shrinking rapidly.
"Gonchoff?"
"Nothing, sir."
A series of small, bright flashes sparked in the black sky above us.
"Explosives have detonated, sir," Gonchoff announced. "All of them. They're all gone."
Nothing left. Nothing. The monitors showed nothing except two untouched starships.
Hernandez shrugged. "Yes, Captain, three or four. Immanuel didn't quite get it done."
There was still no activity from the alien ship. Over the next several hours, preparations were made to launch guided missiles at the docking mechanism, which included evacuating the three most forward levels.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOaeqDAuIy
Again, we observed the attack from the command salon, although this time, since the missiles would be launched from the opposite side of the Enterprise, we watched on the monitors.
Jean-Luc gave the command. The missiles were launched, blasting out from cylinders in the stern and initially heading away from the ship. Then they altered course, sweeping around and heading straight for our bow and the docking mechanism.
As with the remotes, the guidance systems failed long before the missiles reached their target. Attitude jets fired randomly, sending the missiles weaving in all directions. Three missed the ships entirely, but several actually struck the Enterprise, although nowhere near the docking mechanism, and rebounded from the ship; fortunately for us none of the warheads detonated.
The last missile, purely by accident, I'm sure, actually continued directly toward the bow of the Enterprise, very near the docking mechanism.
"Detonate!" Jean-Luc shouted over the command channel. "Detonate that warhead!"
Five seconds....No response.
"Detonate!"
Ten seconds.
"Nothing, sir."
The missile struck the ship at a shallow angle, but without detonating; it caromed away and joined the others, tumbling into space where they all quickly vanished from sight and eventually could not be detonated at all.
Still, nothing from the alien ship. I thought about what Father O'Heron had suggested in the Wasteland, and I could understand how an argument could be made that the aliens (or, I suppose, the alien ship's systems, in an automated response mode), were taking only defensive actions, and that their lack of any other overt action was an indication that they meant us no harm.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhh5HfOERY
But I had seen all those bodies in their ship, the frozen and mutilated corpses, along with all those on Antioch, and I knew the aliens were responsible for them. I'd also seen that old woman who was clearly not an old woman, and I knew. I had made mistakes, and I had been wrong about any number of things, but I was not wrong about this. We might not understand what they were doing, or why they had not yet made an overt attack or attempt to board us, but I knew it was only a matter of time. They would come after us---in stealth or in a frontal attack, singly or in hordes. They would come.
I met with Hernandez and Jean-Luc after the failure of the missiles. We went to a viewing room much like the command salon where we could sit and look out over the alien ship. Hernandez looked haggard---her face was drawn, the skin beneath her eyes puffy and dark. Jean-Luc didn't look much better. I wondered how I looked.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJz6sOTChH
"When was the last time you slept, Macha?" Jean-Luc asked.
She shrugged. "I don't know, and it doesn't matter."
"It does matter! We need to remain alert. Take a one- or two-hour sleep tab whenever there's a lull. That's what I've been doing. You, too, Pavel. Anything will help."
"Sure thing, Captain," Hernandez said. "Now let's talk about something important---what we do next."
Jean-Luc sighed in resignation. "Fine, Macha. What do we do next? Blow off the forward decks of the Enterprise, if I remember right."
"That's the plan." She gave a tired laugh. "Hopefully we won't be blowing off too much of the ship. I'm not surprised nothing's worked so far. They were able to detect explosives directed at them, and their technology to deal with them is obviously better than ours. But I don't see how they'll be able to stop this, because this time we'll set off explosives in our ship."
Jean-Luc gestured for her to continue. "Just tell us what needs to be done."
"As a precaution, we evacuate three more of the forward decks."
"That'll mean personal cabins. They won't like that."
"Too damn bad. And we can't give them time to take anything with them. Tell them it's just a precaution, and that their cabins will be intact afterward. It's probably true. Just get them out. Hell, if they don't want to get out, screw 'em, let them die."
"Then what?"
"While that's happening, we placed shaped charges on the interior walls of the hull, in a ring around the area of the docking mechanism. Two rings, actually. And we go an extra level deep. Make sure every hatch in the top few levels is sealed. We're going to rupture the hull, we're going to blow a big hole in it. If the docking mechanism remains intact, it won't matter, because we'll have blown off that section of the ship." She cocked her head at Jean-Luc. "The drives and engines are still ready, yes?"
"Yes."
"Good. As soon as we break loose, we'll want to get out of here faster than hell. The crew and security soldiers will be at battle stations."
"Battle stations," Jean-Luc repeated with a shake of his head. "I didn't believe we'd ever resort to that on this ship. Drills, theory, irregular practice runs on weapons---I wonder what the real thing will be alike. I wonder how people will perform."
"We're going to find out soon enough, Captain.
Seven hours later, everything was ready. I joined Jean-Luc, Hernandez, and a small operations team in the emergency bridge. The bridge was small and dark, the only lights coming from instrument panels and tiny, focused hazard lights. Gonchoff manned the main controls. Small monitors displayed images of the area around the docking mechanism.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18SwBTPTPe
Jean-Luc nodded, and Gonchoff keyed in the codes to arm the charges. Red lights flashed in front of him, indicating they were armed. Jean-Luc looked around the dark room once more. He turned back to Gonchoff and nodded again.
Gonchoff pressed the detonation switches and we all tensed, waiting for the shock to hit us. Seconds passed. Too many seconds. We felt nothing, not even the slightest jolt.
The red lights continued to flash. Gonchoff pressed the switches again. Ten more seconds. Still nothing.
"Son of a bitch!" Jean-Luc said. "What happened?"
"Nothing, sir. Nothing at all."
"Again, damn it!"
Gonchoff punched the switches. Nothing. Jean-Luc looked at Hernandez.
"I can't believe it," she whispered. "They can't have known. They can't have deactivated those charges inside their own ship. They can't...." Her voice trailed off. Her expression was blank, her gaze unfocused. Then she turned and stared at the still flashing red lights.
"Sir?" Gonchoff asked, waiting for orders.
Nobody answered him.
"Macha?" Jean-Luc said.
She blinked once, then finally looked up. She stared over to him, her expression still unchanged. "I don't know, Captain."
She straightened, the sounds of her back cracking loud in the small room, then walked to the door and opened it, letting in a wide beam of dim corridor light. As she went through the door she stopped and turned back. "I'm going to take your earlier advice and get some sleep. If I come up with any other ideas, I'll let you know." She paused. "But I wouldn't count on it." Then she turned and walked out.
Jean-Luc turned to me. "Pavel?:"
"Think the bishop still wants to be captain?" It was the only thing I could think of to say.
It did get a smile from him. "Go get some sleep, Pavel."
"And you?"
"I will, too. I doubt anything will happen soon---they don't seem to be in any hurry---but I've got to set the watch." He looked at the flashing red arming lights. "In twelve hours, Executive Council session. Assuming nothing's come up before then."
"I'll be there."
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