Star Trek Vanguard - 02 - Summon the Thunder by Star Trek

Author:Star Trek
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781416524007
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2006-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

27

“Report!”

On the bridge of the imperial cruiser Zin’za, Captain Kutal snarled the order, shouting to be heard over the dull drone of the alert klaxon. Gripping the armrests of his chair with his massive hands, he felt the deck still heaving beneath his heavy boots as his helmsman fought to bring the ship back under some semblance of control.

Over his right shoulder, sparks erupted from the communications console, sending the officer manning that station stumbling backward with his arms thrown up to protect his face. Acrid smoke tinged the already warm air, and the taste of burned insulation and wiring coated his tongue. All around him, consoles blinked and flickered in concert with the compromised overhead lighting, telling Kutal that the ship’s main power systems were suffering in the wake of the massive, unexpected attack on his vessel.

“It is a planet-based weapons system!” was the shouted report from his tactical officer, Lieutenant Tonar. “The attack was launched from four of the locations where we detected the unexplained power readings.”

Of course. Kutal cursed his lack of foresight as he studied the green-brown ball that was the lush world of Palgrenax, rotating before him on the bridge’s main viewscreen. Tonar had first detected power sources coming online from sixteen separate locations on the planet’s largest continent—each of them situated far beneath the surface—less than a kilaan before. Each of the locations appeared to be receiving its power via geothermal vents carved from the bowels of the planet and channeled to what Tonar had identified as massive generation and distribution venues. The technology was unlike anything on record, and estimates of the equipment’s age placed it as being older than most explored civilizations in this quadrant of the explored galaxy.

And yet, it works, Kutal mused. It was not lost on him that at least seven of the locations corresponded to sites that Dr. Terath determined featured examples of the ancient structures and technology which had so drawn her interest.

“The energy discharged from those locations combined into one beam for a single strike,” Tonar continued. “If our shields had been down, we might be crippled now.”

And those other twelve power readings might be weapons stations, as well.

“Move the ship to a higher orbit,” Kutal ordered his helmsman. “Route power from nonessential systems to the shields.” He knew he did not have to elaborate as he spoke the words. The Zin’za’s chief engineer would take the directive at face value, channeling energy from every shipboard system save weapons—including life-support—to strengthen the vessel’s defenses. Of Tonar, he asked, “What about those other sites? Are they a danger?”

His large hands playing over the tactical console that seemed too small to accommodate his oversized, muscled physique, Tonar consulted an array of status monitors. “I do not believe so, Captain. They are not showing power readings on the same scale as the locations which combined to attack us. However, the original four sites appear to be cycling through their earlier power levels and internal temperatures are rising.” Turning to Kutal, he added, “They may be preparing to fire again.

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