Squeeze Play

Chapter 6 of Edge of the Universe

As the planetoid bay was open to space, both the Romulan and Federation crews wore EVA suits. Enough starlight entered to pick out a smooth floor, the only finished part of a cavern laced with menacing stone "icicles" overhead. A gleam of subterranean energy beckoned from the deepest reaches. Ardra, who didn't require a suit, took the lead. Drakelle and her mobile emitter were close behind. Romulans in their gray suits stalked one side, with the Federation in white on the other.

From above came a flurry of black shapes resembling mantas. The space pulsed with green Romulan phasers and the yellow beams of the Enterprise men. Smoking manta bodies dropped onto the porous floor to be reabsorbed. Two of them broke through the criss-cross fire to wrap wings around their victims. Acid ruptured the suits, and two men suffered decompression fatality. Ardra extended shields to the rest while the remaining mantas were picked off. A few stones spears had cracked loose to float about and bounce off the walls. Fellow crewmen carried the dead back to their shuttles.

"Crude recycled organic defense," Drakelle said, which broadcast from her emitter. "New organisms will grow from the nutrient pool in several hours."

"Then we must hurry," said the Romulan leader, Bakra. He led his men toward the illumined spot in the floor, which was a deep well, painfully bright about a mile down. A side opening presented about a quarter of the way from floor level.

"The weapons chamber, if this design follows that of our dimension." Drakelle took readings. "The complex is powered by a small sun. Heat approaches tolerance level at the side chamber. Gravity is equivalent to that of Earth's moon."

"Mr Barclay," Ardra said to the Enterprise leader, "you and Bakra will see what's down there."

Through his visor, the lieutenant wasn't pleased at her taking charge, but knew the futility of objecting. "Very well. Shall we go, Bakra?"

Both men floated down, dark shapes against the brilliance far beneath them, and jetted into the side opening. "There's a lot here by helmet light," Barclay reported. "We'll need Drakelle to see if it's the same she's familiar with."

The avatar popped out of view and reappeared at the tunnel mouth below. "Confirming parts for pladis gun." This was short for "plasma disintegrator", which could vaporize smaller ships and turn larger ones into write-offs. Moast had his ship equipped with one, as well as a defense against it. "There are also black hole munitions with detonators equipped, both static and self-propelled."

Ardra played a hunch. "Bakra, you and Barclay get back up here. This place might go boom before I'm done."

Both men jetted up on air packs, where the Romulan confronted her. "What are you saying? We are going to load these items for return to the Valdor."

"Sorry, but I'm not going to introduce these things into our universe. Maybe Moast will let you play with his."

Bakra drew his phaser and shot Drakelle's mobile. The avatar instantly vanished as the unit began to disintegrate before it blew apart. At the same time, the Romulans found themselves armed with bouquets of pansies.

"I was testing you," Ardra said, "and you just proved you can't be trusted. Vixia will probably spank you, and worst of all, Drakelle will have to be fitted with another armband. That's a whole hour's work for Geordi." She turned to Barclay. "Get you men out of here. I don't know if those bombs will melt or detonate when I dump them down the core." She zapped down to the tunnel mouth and created a mage light. Most of it was crated and bundled, but the rows of sinister-looking shells were self explanatory.

"This should be short work for a demigoddess." She channeled a graviton wave to draw the contents out into the void, where she hovered out of the way. It all began a slow tumble toward the miniature star, the munitions going last.

Both shuttles were underway, so she flashed aboard the Enterprise craft. "Status, Lieutenant." She watched the planetoid recede in the distance, looking over Barclay's shoulder at the helm.

"Gamma radiation is off the scale," he said. "Total mass is decreasing exponentially. That has the look of a . . ."

Aboard Enterprise

Worf looked up from the tactical display. "Captain, a black hole implosion has occurred. The planetoid is ground zero. Mass is three times solar standard, making it just large enough to sustain itself."

Picard stood up, as did Riker. "Status of the away team?"

"They are en route, but Commander Vixia is hailing."

The Romulan's angry visage dominated the viewer. "Picard, your pet demigoddess has voided our agreement!"

"Come, Commander," Picard said reasonably. "This is your gratitude for our rescue mission? If not for Commander Moast and the goddess, arranged by Ardra by the way, we'd all be stuck here forever."

"This is inexcusable," she insisted. "How can we trust you not to leave us here if Ardra says so, assuming this goddess can build a new sphere?"

"It's the crux of the matter, isn't it. It always comes down to trust, and it's never the Federation who violates it. Can we trust you not to attack the sphere under construction?"

"We are not suicidal, Picard. But from this point on, we are two separate and unrelated forces." The screen reverted to a view of the construct orbiting the planet.

Riker pondered the shell fragment. "What's she doing? That fragment is full-size."

Worf had another hail. "Commander Moast."

Surprisingly, Donna's imposing figure loomed behind Moast on the bridge. "That's right, she's here with an update. By the way, did Vixia explain why Bakra destroyed Drakelle's mobile?"

Geordi came away from his station. "We did discuss that possibility, Commander. Send her on over for a refit. That avatar has been through the wringer, hasn't she?"

"You have our thanks, Geordi. Here's the bad news. Donna can't find enough raw materials to build a half sphere, so she's worked out another approach. The sphere lost its link to the dark matter web due to expanse of the universe out here on the rim. That new black hole will come in handy for tapping back into it, but it'll take time."

Data had been busy at the helm. "Intriguing. The section Donna is replicating contains the portal octagon that brought us here."

"Ingenious," Riker mused. "Only the part that's necessary. That cuts down on the time to build it."

Picard noted Troi's concern. "The Romulans?"

"Yes. They're sitting out there feeling insecure about Ardra and Donna, whom they see as our allies."

"Hm. Is there a way we can reassure them?"

"One thing I sense is a lack of control, of purpose. Perhaps if we invite them to help with the next phase. Donna expects us to make contact with her counterpart in this universe. Have we any plans underway?"

"I can't say we've had anything on our minds but the new sphere. I do agree we don't need the Romulans waiting for someone to look at them the wrong way."

"I've got my own doubts," Riker said. "What if they ingratiate themselves with this other goddess?"

Troi clasped hands on knees. "If they think so, it will give them something to look forward to."

"Yes," Picard said. "Like war on Mount Olympus."