Star Trek® Destiny: A Singular Destiny by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Author:Keith R.A. DeCandido
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2009-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Half an hour later, Bojan was once again standing in the observation lounge with the rest of the team. He never thought of them as “his” team, even though Dayrit often referred to the S.C.E. contingent on the Musgrave as “your guys” to Bojan. But generally, he was happy to delegate most of the leadership tasks to T’Eama.

The only difference between this meeting and yesterday’s was the added presence of the ship’s security chief, Lieutenant Brian Cormack.

“We have two problems,” Bojan said without preamble, once everyone had taken their seats. “I’ve completed a full scan of the Maxia Zeta star—and farantine is nowhere to be found.”

“So what?” Ysalda asked. “Just because an element isn’t in a star doesn’t mean it can’t be on a planet.”

“Yes, but I was concerned when I learned that, so I scanned Maxia Zeta III.”

Ysalda was still questioning him. “What for?”

T’Eama raised an eyebrow and answered before Bojan could. “Current theory holds that the third and fourth planets in this system were once one world, but suffered a cataclysm that split them in two.”

“And before you ask,” Bojan said quickly, “we can’t construct a mine on the third planet as it’s too unstable. The place is riddled with earthquakes and the like.” Waving his hand back and forth, he went on. “In any case, that does not matter so much as what the scan turned up: no farantine on the third planet.”

“And again,” Ysalda said, “I ask, so what? We didn’t find the farantine on the fourth planet, either.”

“That is not quite the case. The last mineralogical survey was done twenty years ago.”

Fabian nodded. “Sensors are a lot better now—especially on an S.C.E. ship.”

“Exactly,” Bojan said. “When we did our standard planetary scan upon entering orbit, we not only found the farantine that the mine uncovered, but a goodly portion that was still buried besides.”

“I’m sorry,” Mrodile said, rubbing his ridge, “I don’t understand what—”

“If there’s no farantine on the third planet,” Fabian said, “it means that the farantine on the fourth planet isn’t natural—it was put there on purpose.”

The anthropologist’s blue face became slightly pale. “Oh.”

Bojan blew out a breath. “‘Oh’ is right. This has gone from a terrible accident to an act of sabotage.”

“That changes everything, doesn’t it?” Brian said. “I’m assuming that’s why the captain put us on yellow alert?” The security chief’s Liverpool accent got thicker, as it often did when things got interesting.

“Actually,” T’Eama said, “it changes very little. Our mission remains the same regardless of the source of the farantine, to wit, we must get rid of it.”

Fabian said, “Yeah, but what if whoever put it there is still around? They might get a little peevish when we take their sabotage away.”

“Assuming we even can,” Jira said in her usual harried tone. “Nothing we’ve tried is working.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Fabian said with a smile.

Ysalda stared at him. “You’re not still on that paint notion, are you?”

“It worked in the lab—which is more than I can say for any of your bright ideas.

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