Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Seize the Fire - By Michael A. Martin Page 0,19
the surface of the blue-green planet that was turning serenely below.
A planet that had evidently felt this artifact’s touch on at least one previous occasion.
Setting up the experiment had required three full rotations of the planet, during which technical challenge had piled upon technical challenge. The science and engineering teams had, after all, been asked to do the all but impossible. But in the end, they had pulled off a successful, if low-powered, initial test; despite the apparently advanced state of decay of the alien equipment, the vacuum of space had entombed it well enough to make it relatively easy to render at least partially operational once again.
After an initial circuit failure had prompted Captain Krassrr to direct a withering, bug-eyed glance in S’syrixx’s direction—which had, in turn, prompted R’rerrgran’s quiet offer of a mild sedative to S’syrixx—the ancient platform awakened, summoning a primordial lightning that might have frightened even Egg Bringer S’Yahazah herself.
The energy beam appeared wide enough to have instantly cleaved through all six ships in the science convoy simultaneously. Although S’syrixx had to avert his eyes like everyone else on the Ssevarrh’s observation deck (except perhaps for Krassrr and his bug-eyed war-caste peers), he vividly imagined the beam lancing down to the planet’s surface to near-instantaneous effect. Putting the almost agonizing brilliance out of his mind as best he could, S’syrixx tried to concentrate instead on his console’s readouts, one of which consisted of a clock intended to prevent the ancient platform’s hastily restored circuits from overheating and destroying themselves.
Not eager to displease or disappoint Krassrr, S’syrixx transmitted the cutoff command to the platform when the short, conservatively prescribed span of time had elapsed. He was gratified a moment later that he hadn’t found himself tumbling into the airless vacuum beyond the windows, a victim of some unforeseen catastrophic failure of overstrained alien technology.
He felt even more gratified two dayturns later when the latest atmospheric and soil tests confirmed that the test-firing of the artifact had indeed increased the net life-supporting potential of the planet below, at least in the one small, sheltered valley that had been encompassed by the device’s brief operation.
Later, R’rerrgran accompanied S’syrixx back to the wide observation deck, which now was thankfully free of scowling, impatient war-casters; those worthies were now busy providing muscle to the engineering teams, which even now were proceeding with the delicate task of attaching a complex lattice of tractor beams to the ages-old alien ecosculpting platform. S’syrixx watched through the great crysmetal windows as the faintly glowing beams lanced out at the venerable structure, grasping it with a surprisingly gentle touch.
“Imagine,” R’rerrgran said in an awe-tinged, breathy growl. “That device is capable of rearranging matter on a submolecular level. Molding whole worlds to accommodate whatever biochemical demands we care to make.”
“The war-casters may have a new crècheworld sooner than they had dreamed possible,” S’syrixx said, watching as the flotilla prepared to tow the device away from what might well be the only world it had known since its construction perhaps half a million suncircuits ago. “Once the device is ready for use on a planetary scale, of course.”
“Of course,” R’rerrgran said. “I am certain that Captain Krassrr has every confidence that you will make that possible in due course.”
S’syrixx experienced a surge of relief; R’rerrgran seemed to be implying that the war-casters needed time to decide upon the first and most appropriate world to transform from “almost right” to “just right” as the replacement for the late, lamented Sazssgrerrn crècheworld. Even given the recent successes of the science and engineering teams, powering up the ecosculpting platform enough to subject an entire planet to the device’s full metamorphic effects would be no small achievement. Given enough time, S’syrixx knew that he and his colleagues could do a great deal to reduce, if not eliminate, the chance of some random malfunction bringing this entire endeavor to a premature and catastrophic end. If only the war-casters could be counted upon not to decide to rush matters. . . .
“Which planets are being considered for the next phase of this project?” S’syrixx said.
R’rerrgran’s neck and brow scales rose inquisitively. “Planets? Plural?”
“Yes. The list of worlds on which we might do further testing.”
“I think you may have misunderstood me, S’syrixx. There is no ‘list’ of which I am aware.”
S’syrixx could feel his heavy eyeridges folding forward in irritation. “There has to be a list. And the next destination Captain Krassrr has selected for testing the device has to be on it.”