Star Trek: The Next Generation: Starfleet Academy 3: Survival by Peter David

Author:Peter David [David, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Star Trek, Science Fiction
Publisher: Minstrel Books

CHAPTER 7

The cadets had never had any reason for doing a tricorder survey of the inside of the generator building. But they certainly had one now.

Mark McHenry moved carefully across the room, like an old-time water prospector with a divining rod. He was studying the tricorder readings carefully.

The entire colony had been shut down, and the generators turned off so as not to interfere. The key was to try to detect some sort of accelerated energy readings, because wherever those readings were coming from, that would be the hidden base.

The others were watching him carefully. Not a word was being spoken, nor had one been breathed in the past five minutes.

Finally Mark nodded.

“There’s something around here, all right,” he said slowly. “It’s well shielded. But I think I’ve got a lock on it, Hold on.”

He made his way slowly through the room, holding his tricorder out in front of him like a shield. Finally he stopped in front of the largest of the pulse generators.

“Well?” said Worf.

McHenry pointed straight down, to the base of the generator.

There were low moans from the others. “You are joking,” said K’Ehleyr.

A frown creased McHenry’s face. “I don’t think I am. Did I say something that made you want to laugh?”

Tania rubbed her temples. “Nooo, Mac. Nothing.” She looked to Worf. “Zak recently helped me move something like this, but it was about half the size of this one.”

Zak stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. He did each one separately, and each one made a sound like a cannon shot. And as he engaged in this rather pointless activity, he said confidently, “Then I guess I will have to work twice as hard, won’t I?”

When the generators had first been installed, high capacity haulers had been utilized to get things around. All such convenience devices, however, had been destroyed in the raid. This did nothing to deter Zak Kebron, however, who moved over to the huge, cylindrical generator.

“Are you certain you do not need assistance?” asked Worf.

“Not a problem,” said Zak with utter confidence.

He stepped up to face the generator, and wrapped his arms around it as far as they would go. He tried to lift it straight up and out of its receptacle.

It did not budge.

“Might I suggest leverage,” said Worf. Ideally, what he should have done at that moment was step forward and help, whether Zak wanted it or not. But he was keenly aware of the sense of pride that Zak felt in moments such as these. Zak Kebron wasn’t simply interested in moving the generator. He also wanted to show that he was capable of doing it.

Zak grunted once in acknowledgment, and then turned around, presenting his back to the generator. He reached around, gripping it firmly, and tried to hoist it onto his back.

There was the slightest groan of metal on metal, and then the generator started to move. Zak gritted his teeth. Now that he had gotten the thing moving, he did not want to do anything that might cause him to lose momentum.

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