Star trek movie tie-in by Alan Dean Foster

Author:Alan Dean Foster [Foster, Alan Dean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SF
ISBN: 9781439194874
Published: 2010-09-15T07:00:00+00:00

The Romulan science officer eyed his console in surprise, then ran a hasty check of backup instruments. Given what he was seeing on his readouts the latter was hardly necessary, but woe betide the officer who reported bad news to the Narada’s commander without making absolutely certain of his information. In this case there was no question what had happened. Too many readings had dropped to zero without rational explanation. The continuing silence of the guards posted to the disk itself who would ordinarily be available to confirm or deny any query from the ship only further confirmed the science officer’s suppositions.

“Captain, the drill’s been sabotaged! I cannot reactivate, nor can I raise the maintenance personnel. Multiple indicators point to sudden and extensive damage.” He indicated his console. “In order to effect necessary repairs the machinery will have to be brought back aboard.”

How? Nero wondered. The remaining Federation vessel had been completely disabled by the Narada’s superior weaponry. No disturbance or intrusion had been detected in the vicinity of the drill. What artifice had the cursed enemy employed? Moving to stand behind the science officer, the commander of the Narada peered over his subordinate’s shoulder and examined the available information for himself. Depth at so and so, bore diameter at such and such, temperature at maximum depth achieved so many degrees. Satisfied, he stepped back.

“Whatever happened to the drill is of no consequence now. We’re deep enough. Launch the Red Matter!”

The science officer looked back at his captain. “We haven’t reached the preselected core depth.” He checked one especially crucial readout. “Temperature may not be high enough to trigger the necessary reaction.”

“I—don’t—care.” Nero’s eyes locked on the officer’s. It was not a gaze any sentient being wished to endure for long, not even members of his own crew. “Launch the delivery pod now!”

Infinitesimally tiny compared to the sweeping, angular mass of the great warship, a small, self-powered pod was ejected from its underside. Pausing a moment to allow its internal guidance system to orient its engine, it then plunged swiftly toward the brown world below. Much smaller than a zero-g torpedo or virtually any weapon of significance contained in the arsenals of known space-traversing species, it was potentially far more deadly. Within its internally generated magnetic containment field it held a diminutive red sphere. Within the sphere, itself a secondary containment field, floated a fragment of one of the most volatile substances known to galactic science.

It was not the substance itself that was lethal but the disruption it could engender when sufficient heat and pressure were applied to it. Ordinarily it existed in a free state in open space, its unique destructive properties cold and harmless unless it came in contact with the surface of a star.

Or, by some unnatural means, with the molten core of a planet.

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