Free Star Trek: The Next Generation - 119 - Armageddon's Arrow by Dayton Ward Page A

showed little more than the back of the person in front of the helmet transmitting the picture. Only Worf, who currently was leading the team, offered a view of the large, straight corridor the team now traversed. The passageway was itself unremarkable, at least from Picard’s vantage point, being a utilitarian affair adorned with all manner of control panels, gauges, and conduits as well as the occasional sealed hatch or what appeared to be something like ladder rungs disappearing above the ceiling or beneath the deck to other levels.
    “I can’t believe I didn’t notice this before , ” said the voice of Geordi La Forge over the open communications channel. “There’s no dust on anything. I mean, anywhere. Just looking around, it’s like somebody cleaned up the place five minutes before we got here . ”
    T’Ryssa Chen replied, “Some kind of automated cleaning apparatus or heavy-duty air filtration system?”
    “Maybe , ” said La Forge, “but it’d have to be pretty robust to stay active for a century or more with no regular maintenance schedule . ”
    Another voice, this one belonging to Lieutenant Rennan Konya, added, “So, either they build things really well wherever this ship is from, or else somebody’s on board and apparently ignoring all our attempts to communicate. That’s comforting . ”
    “Where are they in relation to the life signs we detected?” Picard asked.
    Šmrhová said, “Less than one hundred meters, sir. At their present rate of progress, they should be there in eight to ten minutes.”
    “And you’re certain there are no other onboard reactions to their presence?”
    “None that I’ve been able to detect, sir.”
    The report did little to placate Picard’s unease, which had remained elevated after the alien ship’s initial response to the Enterprise ’s presence. The feeling had taken a sharp upswing with the away team’s departure and the derelict’s reaction to the shuttlecraft Jefferies ’s arrival in its landing bay. Did the gargantuan vessel have intruder control systems? Had its crew simply deployed crude but dangerous or even potentially lethal booby traps to thwart unwanted visitors? The ship had been out here a long time, after all, and even if the Enterprise was the first vessel to encounter it, surely its builders or masters had, given its apparent primary purpose, foreseen the possibility of trespassers?
    “Geordi, look at this , ” said the voice of Worf over the intercom. On the viewscreen, Picard saw the visual feed from the first officer’s helmet swing left, coming to rest on one of the several control consoles the away team had passed during their transit from the landing bay, but which was markedly different from its counterparts. “This station is active . ”
    “It sure is , ” replied La Forge, and his own helmet’s feed now also was transmitting images of the operating console.
    “Are you able to access it?” asked the captain.
    “Maybe. It’ll take some time to understand the interface, but from what I’m seeing, this console has full access to the onboard computer and every system across the ship. If we can establish a link with the Enterprise , the universal translator can get to work . ”
    Sitting at the ops station, Glinn Ravel Dygan said, “That seems odd.” When Picard turned to regard the young Cardassian, he added, “I mean from a security standpoint, sir. A console in an indiscreet location such as a common corridor, available to anyone and allowing access to the ship’s most sensitive systems, does not seem like a prudent design.”
    “On the other hand,” countered Šmrhová, “if we’re talking about a small crew and a ship that runs largely on automation, it makes more sense for anyone to be able to access any critical system from anywhere.”
    Dygan seemed to contemplate the security chief’s hypothesis for a moment before nodding. “An excellent point, Lieutenant, and one I had not considered.”
    “