Foreign Foes Part 13

Barbara opened her mouth to speak.

Picard waved her off.

Instinctively she took a step back. His gesture wasnt threatening, but was certainly a warning.

Will Riker was a kind, delightful good time. How did he get along with this captain? They werent just day and nightthey were separate seasons.

Evidence is inconclusive at this time, sir.

She frowned. d.a.m.n. No news was ... well, no news.

Then carry out my orders, Picard said.

Aye, sir.

How soon can I expect Dr. Crusher?

She is on her way to the transporter room now and will brief you on Commander La Forges condition upon arrival.

Very well. Alert me as soon as you know something about Riker and Troi. Picard out.

The spoon clanged against the communicator, signaling it off.

Picard glanced back toward the middle of the hall and Barbaras gaze followed.

From here, Zhads body was nothing more than a long gray blob, his tall form covered with a tablecloth.

A few feet away lay a similar blob, the amba.s.sadors Klingon victim.

None of this is going away, she said.

No.

The captain shook his head.

Its not.

He pivoted toward her.

Whats the maximum range of one of those flitters of yours?

She shrugged.

Under five thousand kilometers without refueling Id guess.

s.p.a.ceworthy?

No. Strictly low atmosphere. Captain ...

Barbara hesitated, unsure she wanted to ask her question.

She might get an answer.

What do you think has happened to them?

Picard began thwacking the spoon against his leg. Was he finally nervous? If he was that may be worse than when he wasnt. Why was he concerned all of a sudden?

Somethings happened, he murmured.

Maybe they found something.

Disengage white-noise transmission, Mr. De Potter.

The young ensign looked up at the android and nodded.

Aye, sir.

Hed been all worked up for first shift duty, which meant posting with the captain on the bridge, and hadnt expected to be under command of the second officer. Not that it was a problemjust that Commander Data wasnt who hed been ready for. And with a starship under his fingertips he wanted to be more than ready.

He ran his hands along the console. Nonstandard transmissions were always a problem. If he even missedone key sequence ...

Disengaged, sir.

DePotter looked down at his board to confirm the disburs.e.m.e.nt of the frequency field. Stay on top of things, antic.i.p.ate questions, and you look good.

Sir!

DePotter poked at the board again to make double sure.

Data rose from the command chair.

Report.

Seismic activityplanet wide! It was there... .

DePotter looked up, expecting to see incredulity reflected back at him. All he saw was Datas expressionless face and it startled him. He stumbled.

Then it ... it was gone a second later.

The android leaned down over the ensigns shoulder and scanned the readouts.

You are correct. Three-point-three-two magnitude for point-seven seconds.

I know, DePotter said, then quickly added, sir.

Mistake number fifty-two since he had been transferred to his first bridge rotation a day ago ... and he knew he wasnt the only one counting.

Unique, Mr. DePotter.

Yes, sir.

Shut up. Do your job. Say aye, sir a lot.

Data tapped a finger at one of DePotters console readouts.

A fleeting earthquake of significant magnitude, less that a second in length, with no after shocks.

Aye, sir.

The last aye shoulda been a yes and the yes shoulda been an aye.

He was overa.n.a.lyzing, and knew that introspectiveness only led to ... perspiration.

Data stood up straight.

Ensign?

This was itsomehow hed caused the quake and now thereal boom would be lowered.

Sir?

Was not your previous a.s.signment Geological Sciences?

DePotter fought to keep himself from cringing.

Uh, yes, sir.

Back to the gravel pit he went. Shortest bridge rotation in Starfleet history.

Commander Data looked down at DePotter with a serious expression.

What do you make of the situation then?

The quake, sir?

What a dunsel question! Of course the quake.

The android simply nodded.

Well, DePotter began slowly, trying to draw out his first moment of real comfort on the bridgeat least this he could answer.

Theres no overt volcanic activity of any kind, but sensors have been unable to penetrate the crust. We are a.s.suming a solid core considering the age of the other planets in this system ...

He looked from Data to the planets image on the main viewer and back, a.n.a.lyzing what he knew out loud.

I dont think theres ever been an instance of seismic activity occurring simultaneously over an entire planet. Especially one that has no tectonic activity. At least theres no recorded record of one.

Recorded record? What was that? Is that like a yelling scream?

Data nodded.

I concur.

He turned toward the science station.

Scan for the away team and the Velexian shuttle, and download all sensor data on the tremor to the science station. Then reestablish the white-noise broadcast.

DePotter poked at his console, and tried to salvage his self-esteem.

Aye aye, sir.

No one could be having a worse day.

Captain Picard had given his version of a sigh again. Hed done it more than a few times in the last hour, and that concerned Barbara almost as much as Will Rikers whereabouts. She decided the outcome of this entire situation rested on Picards shoulders, and that he was suddenly uncertain ... well, that was something to worry about too.

Maybe there was no blessing in the captains asking her to join him in private, but shed needed to get out of the main hall. There was something unnerving about that room now. Two dead bodies and so little activityno screams, no weeping, just a lone doctor hovering over them, and even she had seemed rather detached to Barbara.

Barbara wasnt sure which was better: when these people didnt seem to care ... or when they did.

She couldnt read Picard right now.

Thank you, Mr. Data. Let me know when you have something more. Picard out.

The wooden chair creaked as Barbara leaned forward.

Well?

Rising, the captain began to circle the table that filled the room. He barely had room to pace.

My science officer confirmed the earthquake. Whats puzzling, the captain said, his finger whirling in a small circle to encompa.s.s all of Velex, is that it was concurrent planetwide.

Barbara looked up, tensely gripping her hands on the arms of the chair.

Well?

Picard looked at her a moment. If he wondered what she was talking about, it was only for a fleeting moment.

He also said there was no sign of the away team or the shuttle within the radius of its presumable range.

She could feel tears beginning to well and she blinked them away. It was crazyshed only met him today.

It also wasnt just himthat was a lie to herself. The whole situationwhat had happened to her simple plan?

Maybe an aftereffect of the white noise ...

Unlikely. Im having the entire planet scanned, but if theyve he looked down quickly, then back up landed somewhere, itll take time.

She nodded and pushed herself out of the chair.