Clarent; The Blade of Peace, Stolen and Corrupted
Chapter One; Insidia
Insidia. Noun. . 2. Plot. 3. Trap.
"Data to Enterprise; I am safely on the surface. Are you receiving?"
"Loud and clear, Commander." Riker's voice replied through the com. "Can you try activating the visual acuity transmitter? I want to check we're getting the signal up here."
"Acknowledged." Data twitched his head to one side.
On the bridge of the Enterprise, in orbit around Elba II, the viewscreen image of the surface was replaced by an extraordinary blur of shifting colours and static, sharp shadows and hard edges melting and blurring garishly.
"This image doesn't make any sense." Riker murmured.
"My apologies, sir." Data's disembodied voice replied. "I will now filter out the bandwidths outside of the normal human visual spectrum."
Moment by moment the image cleared as competing signals were stripped away, until the viewscreen showed the surface of the planet. The rocks were a dull brown-grey, mining equipment and tools lay here and there, and a large transport of some kind was visible standing ready at the foot of a cliff. In front of the vehicle a huge hole had been bored into the rock.
"According to the message that should be the entrance to the collapsed mine, if the coordinates they've given are correct." Picard's mellow voice sounding through the com link was reedy in the thin choking atmosphere.
"I will commence my search. I will endeavour to avoid moving my eyes too quickly, as I believe the rapidly changing image may be disorienting to watch."
"Very thoughtful of you, Data."
The android made his way cautiously towards the entrance to the mine, tricorder scanning ahead for any disturbances that may indicate instability or potential collapse. He placed his feet surely, nimble as a dancer over the rough terrain as he entered the mine.
"Data, we're losing visual, it's getting too dark." Riker sounded anxious.
"One moment, sir. Attempting to compensate." Data added infrared back into the transmission, overlaying it onto the visible spectrum images. "Has that improved the image?"
"It's still pretty dark but yes, we've got more detail."
"Would you like me to turn on the torch?"
"If you can see then you go ahead. Save the torch for when we really need to see."
"Understood sir."
Data moved as swiftly as he dared through the darkened tunnels, moving steadily deeper into the planet's crust. As much as he hated to admit it, the atmosphere was unnerving. He could hear nothing save the noises he was making himself, and the memory of being trapped and in pain surfaced. He felt a stab of empathy for the miners and picked up his pace.
Rounding a corner bought him to a t-section. He looked both ways as far as he could.
"Sir, I am at an intersection. Can the scanners penetrate this far?"
"That's a negative. We've no information on the internal layout of the mine system."
Data flicked the torch on, and swept it along both corridors. There was a muffled curse over the com.
"Data? In future, could you warn us when you're turning the torch on?" Riker's voice was strained.
"Ah. My apologies sir. I forgot that human eyes take time to..."
"Never mind, Commander." That was the captain again. "Carry on with your search."
"Yes sir." Murmured the android. He swept the beam of light over the floor, then set off decisively down one branch of the junction.
"Out of curiosity..." The captain's voice asked, "How did you come to the conclusion that this was the correct way to go?"
"As yet, I am still unsure if I am correct." Data replied, switching the torch off again to preserve the power cells. "However, this side of the junction slopes steadily downwards, and is heavily marked with the impression of many footprints, the drag-marks of equipment, and various other signs of being used regularly and recently."
"Good work, Holmes." Riker again. Data grinned at the quip as his memory banks supplied him with the images of many happy hours on the hollodeck. The smile slipped from his face as he wondered whether Geordi would wish to be his Watson now, after the harsh words exchanged before the mission. The aching empty sense of loss was much like grief, and he remembered Geordi's worry that they would not be able to reclaim their old comradeship if their romantic relationship failed. Data resolved not to allow their friendship to break down irrevocably; he couldn't bear to think that he may never share that easy camaraderie again with the man who meant so much to him.
Abruptly, the tunnel came to an end, with a land-slide of rubble and stone.
"I have found the cave-in." Reported Data. "I will turn on the torch now."
The beam illuminated the debris, totally blocking the tunnel. Data moved the torch over the wreckage of the mine, and frowned to himself as he listened.
"Sir? I can hear no signs of movement or life on the other side of the blockage."
"That's strange..." Picard mused. His voice was distorted by the distance, the thick rock layer muffling the signal. "I would have thought that they would be trying to escape. Surely they have mining equipment on the other side of the blockage."
"There is something else." Data looked up at the roof of the cave. "I have reason to believe that this was a deliberate act."
"What makes you say that?" Riker queried. Data pointed, his hand glowing white in the sparse light.
"There are signs that holes were drilled in the roof of the tunnel, and the edges are sharp, suggesting that this work is recent." He reached up and dragged his finger through one of the depressions he had pointed out, and touched the dusty deposit to the tip of his tongue for chemical analysis.
"They packed the holes with explosives." He mused. "The resultant explosion was the cause of the collapse."
"Why would they want to trap their own people?" Picard sounded angry. "Who would do such a thing?"
"I am not entirely sure there is anyone trapped, sir." Data strained his hearing. "I can detect no signs... wait."
His head swung round, looking back down the way he had come.
"I have reason to believe that there is someone else here."
"We can't see anything, Data." Came Riker's anxious reply. Data lifted the torch and shone it down the tunnel.
"I can hear footsteps, and a respirator. A heartbeat. Humanoid."
Data stepped back, putting his back up against the cave-in, and drew his phaser. He looked down to make sure it was set to stun, then raised his head again to strain his eyes into the darkness.
Slowly, a figure resolved itself from the shadows. In a bulky hazmat suit, heavy helmet and respirator, it was impossible to tell what sex, race or species it might belong to. But it was coming towards him.
Data felt an irrational chill of fear. There was no reason to be frightened, this was probably the miner who had raised the alarm, coming to check on the situation... but if he was right, then the cave-in was deliberate, and there were no miners trapped beyond the rubble. So what was this person doing down here?
"Stop there! Come no closer! Identify yourself!" Data raised the phaser at the advancing figure. The thing in the suit continued to advance, and to Data's delicate audio sensors the sound of the respirator thundered around the narrow tunnel.
"Identify yourself! Who are you?" Data realised that his breathing had sped up, his internal systems working hard in the thin, foul atmosphere. His pulse was racing as his systems primed his fight-or-flight responses, and his pupils widened to make the most of the meagre light in an attempt to prepare him for action. He was suddenly aware of the immense weight of stone above him, conscious of the vast distance between him and the safety of the Enterprise. He was almost certain that whatever was inside that hazmat suit would not be as fast, strong, or intelligent as he. So why did he feel so afraid?
"Stop or I will be forced to shoot!" He shouted, hoping that his voice sounded commanding. It seemed to have the desired effect, as the figure ceased its advance. It raised both arms in the air in the universally recognised symbol of surrender, but Data saw the shimmer of metal in the torch light, something clutched in the suited person's hand.
"Whatever you are holding, drop it!" Data gestured with his phaser. The figure shrugged its shoulders exaggeratedly, and tossed the object onto the floor between them. Data's eyes followed the gleam of the metal as it tumbled onto the rough stone, and there was a burst of extraordinarily pure white light. He could vaguely hear the cursing through his combadge as Picard and Riker were blinded, but Data's attention was fixed on the phaser tumbling from his hand and the floor rushing up to meet his face.
On the bridge, far above the planet's surface, the cursing had stopped as everyone's eyes recovered. Riker was still scrubbing the heels of his hands into his eyes when he felt Picard clutch his arm. He looked up blearily at the viewscreen to see the masked and shrouded figure, larger than life, looming into view as the immobile Data was rolled onto his back. An arm reached down, and when it pulled back it was clutching Data's combadge. The figure left their field of vision, and there was the sound of a phaser shot.
"Signal lost, combadge destroyed." Reported the Lieutenant manning the com link.
"Will, get down there now." Picard growled. Riker nodded once and belted to the turbolift, shouting through his com for his away team to stand ready.
Picard's hard gaze was fixed to the feed on the screen as the figure reappeared, looming over the prone android. It reached down and partially raised the android off the floor to reach behind his back, and the screen went black.
"We've lost visual, sir." The Lieutenant shook his head.
"My God." Picard felt a chill race through him. Whoever was in that suit knew about Data's deactivation switch.
"It was a trap." He murmured to himself, before giving himself a shake.
"I want a full sensor sweep of the planet. Whoever they are, they must have a ship somewhere. It could be in orbit, or on one of the moons. Find it, now!"