Deep Space Nine: Trial by Error by Mark Garland

Author:Mark Garland
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek

CHAPTER 12

“ANY LIFE SIGNS?” Sisko asked, studying the image of the newly arrived phantom Rubicon, which was closing in on them.

“Negative,” O’Brien said. “Nothing recognizable, and no hull echoes, just faint energy traces.”

Sisko checked their stats. They were maintaining a high orbit around the slowly spinning planetoid, but they hadn’t had time to do an extensive investigation of the sphere itself. And it looked as if they might not get the chance.

“We must consider them hostile,” Sisko said. “We still don’t know why that look-alike Klingon freighter fired on the Toknor, so we have to assume this runabout double might fire on us.”

“I don’t think starting a fight with them is a good idea,” O’Brien said. “We should think about leaving orbit and going to warp.”

“Do you think that phantom ship can follow us?”

O’Brien drew a long breath. “I don’t have a clue as to how that ship—if it is a ship—is maintaining impulse speeds, let alone whether it’s capable of warp.”

“I’ll bet we’re going to find out,” Sisko muttered. “But if they can make warp, running won’t solve anything.” He thumbed his chin as he gazed out the window, considering. “Let’s try to outmaneuver them without leaving orbit.”

“By keeping the planetoid between us and them?” O’Brien asked.

“Yes.”

“I’m all for that.”

“Good. Now let’s take her down,” Sisko said. “We’ll skim the ionosphere just enough to create a charged particle trail. I want to compare our wake to theirs.”

“Shields at maximum,” O’Brien said. “Power optimal. This maneuver shouldn’t be difficult. We could even duck into the atmosphere if we have to. Adjusting the shield geometry should only take a minute.”

With a nod Sisko turned his attention to the controls and eased the runabout into a slow descent. Within seconds they had entered the thin wisps of hydrogen and ammonia that constituted the planetoid’s upper atmosphere. He watched the monitors carefully, studying the result as heat from the friction of contact left a swirling blaze of color trailing the runabout in a slowly dissipating stream. Charged ion particles, excited by the runabout, left a clear sensor trail as well.

Sisko nudged the helm to port, then to starboard, then back again. He tensed as the second runabout followed along, shadowing them—but as it entered the atmosphere, almost no trail formed. Sensors showed almost no reaction of any kind. He frowned. A phantom ship indeed.

“They’re matching us precisely,” O’Brien said. “Speed, angle, pitch, and they’re keeping exactly two hundred thousand kilometers between them and us.”

“I’m going to go back to a higher orbit and cutting our speed,” Sisko said, working the helm controls. He didn’t feel like playing tag all day long. “Maybe it’s time we tried to find out what they want.” He waited until the Rubicon was again in a standard orbit, then cut their speed by half.

“The other ship is slowing down, matching orbits,” O’Brien reported. He tried hailing them again, but as Sisko expected, the phantom runabout made no reply.

Sisko rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. He slowed again, letting their orbit slip once more, just a bit.

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