Constellations (43 page)

“The whole thing just seems unnecessarily complex,” said Kirk.

“It's the best way, Captain. I personally designed the system, based on all the latest theories. We were supposed to be online six days ago, but then these problems arose. The system just isn't working.”

“And
that's
why you sent for Spock.”

“Who else could I count on for knowledge of this type?” asked Bishop.

“And who else has a high enough security clearance?” said Kirk.

“I apologize for the inconvenience I must have put you through, Captain Kirk, but this
is
urgent. And very important.”

Kirk understood. He didn't like it, but he understood.

Bishop said, “Since the two of you discovered a number of the artifacts already here, you, Captain, are certainly welcome to come along. But I must remind you that you are under a strict communications blackout. Dark running, you know.”

“Of course.”

“I'm sure you're most anxious to get to the heart of the matter. If you will follow me, we can be on our way to the generator satellite.”

She led them out of her office and down a branch of the corridor different from the one that brought them here.

“We are also located in a particularly empty part of space,” Bishop went on. “Sorry, I can't go into more detail about our position. But suffice it to say that, even if we weren't invisible, nobody would have any reason to come through here.” She stopped in front of a large, circular hatch ringed with yellow light. “I'm afraid we'll have to take a pod. The transporters aren't working yet either.”

 

Bishop herself piloted the small, boxy travel pod. Though the three of them traveled standing up, Kirk nonetheless enjoyed the excellent view afforded by the large port that dominated the pod's curved front.

“There's one of yours,” said Bishop, gesturing up with all three of her right arms.

She pointed to an irregular cone that was twenty times the length of the
Enterprise.
Its surface, a mass of pure neutronium, had rippling striations of blue and white that resembled frozen flames. As they passed directly in front of it, Kirk saw the enormous black maw, the opening that had swallowed whole the
Starship Constellation
just before Kirk had blown up that ship, deactivating this robotic destroyer.

“The doomsday machine,” said Kirk.

“Cross-indexed as ‘the planet killer.' But to us, it's just object J145-6A.”

“I knew that Starfleet had towed it somewhere,” said Kirk. “But I'd always assumed it was scuttled. Sunk into a sun or something.” It was, after all, a sort of graveyard. A year ago, the
Constellation
's captain, Matt Decker, had given his life piloting a shuttlecraft inside the doomsday machine in an effort to destroy it. His actions had proved unsuccessful, but had inspired Kirk to use Decker's own crippled starship against the device.

“A fascinating object,” said Bishop. “We may never know exactly where she came from, but there are some provocative theories. Dr. Pad—”

Kirk said, “I don't see how any good can come from studying that…thing.”

“The
Constellation
's impulse engine explosion completely atomized that ship, but left J145-6A's innards intact, though completely inert.” Her voice took on an almost wistful tone. “Alas, it doesn't look like we'll ever be able to start her up again.”

“Why would anyone want to?”

“Aren't you the least bit curious, Captain?” Bishop sounded genuinely surprised. “Can you conceive of the secrets she must be hiding within her? Not just how she works and where she came from, but as a path to learning more about her creators.”

Kirk looked at Spock, who had arched an eyebrow.

“We're doing all this for the larger objects, of course,” continued Bishop, her top arms sweeping across the panoramic view. “When we decided to consolidate all of the artifacts into one location, we knew we'd need to hide them. Their presence at other facilities posed too great a risk. Too many other people had access to them. Here, outside the major space-lanes, they will be safer. And to ensure that, we need to get the camouflage system up. Also we're currently only about half staffed.”

Kirk had met parents who carried on less about their newborns than Bishop did about the Yard.

The Nasat turned and said lightly, “Captain, I don't suppose Spock has ever mentioned me.”

Kirk again looked at Spock, whose face remained impassive. “No.”

“All those years ago,” she said with nostalgia. “Two decades.”

“Nineteen years, four months, twelve days,” said Spock.

“It was on Vulcan, of course,” she said to Kirk. “I had just made lieutenant. I was actually working with the Vulcan Science Academy, assisting on an artificial gravity project. And young Spock here was always hanging around. Ah, there's the one we want.”

The generator satellite was the same off-white as the space stations, but rather than being a collection of domes and saucers, it was nearly spherical. It looked to be about fifty meters in diameter. As they approached, Kirk saw a dozen recessed areas, each a couple of meters across and resembling the
Enterprise
's deflector dish, spaced equidistantly across the surface. He assumed that the other side of the station looked the same.

“My father,” said Spock, “was an astrophysicist there. It was only logical that I should attend him.”

“Spock's father and I had a lot of arguments,” said Bishop.

“Discussions,” said Spock.

“You'd think I was trying to get Spock to defect to the Klingons, the way Sarek talked. He thought Starfleet was a bunch of warmongers. Sarek was still an academic then; he hadn't moved into the wider realm of politics. That's traditional on Vulcan. You enter the diplomatic corps only after accumulating life experience. Well, I'm sure I was the first Starfleet officer Spock had ever seen. The first alien, too.”

“There were humans at the V.S.A.,” said Spock. “Human warp field engineers had been there since—”

“But you've known at least one human your entire life,” interrupted Bishop. “And there's little to distinguish humans from Vulcans; certainly nothing as exotic by humanoid standards as a Nasat.” She spread her arms wide and looked for a moment as if she were going to pirouette. “I'm afraid my traveler's tales of black holes, shining nebulae, and the Efrosian frost-fields stirred unhealthy wanderlust in young Spock.”

“My decision to join Starfleet,” said Spock, “grew out of its broader scientific reach, rather than any desire for…adventure.”

 

The travel pod backed into the station, where its hatch meshed perfectly with the dock, and Spock was reminded yet again of the elegance of standard-issue Federation technology.

The pod's hatch opened, revealing an Andorian. His blue skin, white hair, and articulated antennae stood out in stark contrast to his Starfleet uniform of black pants and bright red shirt. Bishop introduced him to Kirk and Spock as Engineer Thyner.

Thyner nodded slightly to each. “Welcome, gentlemen.”

“Any change?” asked Bishop.

“None, sir,” replied Thyner.

“Let's go.”

Thyner turned and led the way down the ivory-colored corridor. Their footsteps echoed through the hall. There did not appear to be anyone else nearby.

Spock said, “I assume you are using the Toliver variances.”

Thyner stopped and turned toward Spock. “That's right. How did you know?”

“It is the only logical choice if you are attempting to generate a sphere of this size.”

Thyner scratched an antenna and continued walking. “We haven't been able to get anywhere with it. There's plenty of hydrogen around, of course. And the plasma relays are set to Toliver's calculations. The plasma beams go where they're supposed to, but the gases won't congeal. I've run a complete diagnostic twice.”

Spock was intrigued. A Midnight Sphere of any size had never actually been created, but theoretically, skilled engineers, provided they applied the Toliver protocols and had enough power, should be able to achieve it. It was a remarkable challenge.

“It must have taken your engineering crew some time to construct all this,” said Kirk.

“‘Crew'?” asked Thyner.

Bishop stepped up. “Thyner is the Yard's only actual engineer. Of course we have a number of skilled technicians…for repairing light fixtures and stuck turbolifts. Things like that. We brought in a few engineers temporarily to assist with this station's assembly.”

Kirk asked, “You have only one real engineer in a facility devoted to the study of alien technology?”

“We're a
research
facility, Captain,” Bishop said dismissively. “Ah, here we are.”

The doors opened and they stepped into a space as large as the engine room of the
Enterprise.
The floor was circular, and its center had been removed, revealing a glowing white sphere ten meters in diameter. From it, twenty-four rods, each a meter across, extended in all directions, into other tubes and out of sight. There was a computer bank on their right, and to their left a dozen screens displayed various parts of the inside of the structure. The room was filled with a low, throbbing hum.

At the computer station the viewer was already up. Spock approached it and began to read.

Seeing Bishop again after all these years brought back pleasant memories that Spock had swept away along with the unpleasant ones of his conflict with his father. Spock had thought of Bishop on occasion. When he had graduated from the Academy, he had considered sending her a note, just to inform her that her inspiration had indeed resulted in his commencement. But that seemed too much like pride—an emotion that many newly commissioned officers were prone to.

“Mr. Thyner, your plasma valence settings are incorrect,” said Spock, looking up from the viewer.

“They are set to the Toliver variances.”

“Undoubtedly. But this is not a theoretical exercise. You are not working within a perfect void nor an inertial frame. In actual practice—what engineers refer to, I believe, as ‘the real galaxy'—they need to be adjusted.” Spock walked to a diagnostic panel across the room. “The gases are not being properly constrained. While the theory itself is sound, its practical application requires some modification.” Spock would not have called himself impressed, but he did appreciate the way in which the relays achieved maximum efficiency through simplicity of arrangement. Bishop had done a fine design job.

To Thyner, Spock said, “If you will alter the plasma frequency by three degrees, I will reset the relays to accommodate the change. That should suffice.”

Thyner typed quickly at a keyboard. “It's that simple?”

“What did I tell you?” said Bishop. “Spock knows his plasma constraints.”

“It is merely a matter of applying experience to theory,” Spock said.

Thyner stepped away from the console. “Very well, then, I'll reboot the drivers. It will take about an hour and a half for the system to come online.”

“And when it does,” said Bishop, “I have faith that it will be perfect.”

Bishop led Kirk and Spock back out to the corridor. “You are welcome to stay and see the Sphere become fully active. It should be quite a sight.” She gave a high click that Spock recognized as the Nasat version of a chuckle. “From the inside, at least.” The travel pod's hatch opened. “Captain, I will have Dr. Miyazaki show you around if you like. Spock and I have some catching up to do.”

 

They sat in her office. Bishop had dragged her chair out from behind the desk, and Spock sat comfortably, facing her on one that was similarly shaped.

“It will be remarkable, Spock,” she said. “This will be a temple filled with the technological wonders of the galaxy—and perhaps other galaxies as well. Think of it. The achievements of so many astounding civilizations that have come and gone. Each one so much more magnificent than ours.”

“‘The Golden Age is never the present,'” said Spock. “But the Yard
is
dedicated to the study of contemporary civilizations as well, is it not? If, for example, a Gorn or a Tholian ship were to be captured, it would be brought here.”

“Yes, of course. There's much to be learned from them as well.”

“Such as how to defend against their weapons.”

“Perhaps, perhaps,” said Bishop. “Who knows what their artifacts might offer up to the well-trained eye. But just think of the civilization that built the Guardian of Forever, Spock: that simple, bent stone ring that can take you anywhere and anywhen…”

“Surely you do not intend to move the Guardian here?”

“No, of course not. It can't be done. Turns out the thing extends deeper into the planet than anyone imagined. Now, if only there was a way to move the
planet
here…”