Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - 10 - Strange New Worlds X by Edgar Governo & Brian Seidman & Aimee Ford Foster & Jim Johnson & Dean Smith

Author:Edgar Governo & Brian Seidman & Aimee Ford Foster & Jim Johnson & Dean Smith [Governo, Edgar & Seidman, Brian & Foster, Aimee Ford & Johnson, Jim & Smith, Dean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, General, Science Fiction, Media Tie-In, Space Opera, Fantasy, Interplanetary Voyages, Star Trek Fiction, Science Fiction; American, Space Ships, Anthologies (Multiple Authors), Short Stories
ISBN: 9781416544388
Google: aKTyZ8PpTu0C
Amazon: 1416544380
Publisher: Star Trek
Published: 2007-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

By that time the females in the streams of images were showing more than just their nude tops. Both Harry and another human male were trying to take quick covert glances at the images while still working. Tom was staring open mouthed.

Janeway said, “I want that off now and no repeats.”

Tom said, “But Captain, this one isn’t bad, it can raise morale.”

“Tom Paris,” she said in a dangerous tone.

“Opps, sorry, Captain. You’re right, that one needs to be purged right away.”

“We have enough trouble with these…ads, on board this ship without a comment like that.”

“Hey, that looked like a picture of a set of twins I knew back on Earth,” Tom said.

Tuvok said, “I believe it was of two females of a species that are co-joined. We had business dealings with members of that race six months ago.”

“Yeah, I remember them all right, but are you sure these two were of that race?”

“Yes, I am. And it would be physically impossible for images of the twins, you know, to get here before we arrived.”

“With these two girls I wouldn’t be too sure about that. They probably would appreciate having their images where many types of men could look at them.”

Before Tuvok could respond, Captain Janeway said, “As fascinating as this conversation is we need to clear Voyager’s computer of this…and all the other, um, spam.”

“I have been trying, Captain, but it is very resistant to normal procedures,” Kim said.

“This is not a normal program, Captain, it is very resistant to standard methods of cleansing the computer.”

“You are going to have to find something that isn’t normal, in that case. Especially since this is getting worse. Two weeks ago, when it started, it just affected our communications. That was bad when it kept interfering with my comm signals and interrupted my log entries. Now it’s affecting ship operations. I have already explained why that is serious. Every time we think we got rid of it, it comes back, and now it’s putting that,” here she pointed to the screen with the fading music and images, “on our viewscreen.”

She clenched her hand and said, “I want it gone! Do you understand, gentlemen? I don’t care how, or if you have to shut down the computer and reboot it, I want it gone.”

With an audible swallow Kim said, “Yes, ma’am.”

Tuvok said, “We will do our best, Captain,” in his normal unflappable tone.

Later that day the senior staff were in the conference room discussing the problem.

Paris was saying, “I’d like to know where we picked it up.”

Tuvok said, “I believe we picked it up three weeks ago, as we were transversing the business district, when we stopped to trade for supplies.”

“I remember that. There seemed to be a lot of businesses set up in that area, more than we have ever come across, even in the Alpha Quadrant.”

“Just the type of place to pick up a spam virus,” Kim said.

Tom said, “Trojan horse—they had a different purpose than viruses.”

Just then the doors slid open, and Janeway walked in.