Chain of Attack (23 page)

"But however something like that starts, unless communications are somehow established between the two factions, it can end only with the total destruction of one side or the other. But with all of space for an enemy to hide in, how could the victor be positive that his enemy's destruction was total, that the enemy was truly gone? Were there colonies that survived? Could there be fleets of enemy warships returning from a conquest a thousand parsecs away?

"So the supposed victors, understandably paranoid after tens or hundreds or thousands of years of seemingly mindless attacks, keep their defenses up, and one day a new race ventures into their territory. Like you, like us, the newcomers are attacked, their ships destroyed because the survivors of that earlier war are unwilling—or unable—to take a chance that the newcomers might not be their old enemy, either resurrected or reincarnated."

Ckeita shivered. "You paint a grim picture of your species and your Federation, Captain Kirk, if you feel such things are possible."

"Both have had their grim aspects, their grim times," Kirk said with the faint beginnings of a smile, "but both on earth and in the Federation there have always been a few people—enough, so far—who were willing to take a chance, not for war but for peace. Like Spock back there in your transporter room. He was ready to die for the chance of establishing communications between us."

Ckeita nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. "You have spoken of your Federation," she said, opening them and looking directly into Kirk's eyes, "and its enemies. But you have not spoken of my people. I know that, after five thousand years, their world would no longer be mine, but I would like to know—do the Aragos still exist?"

"They exist," Kirk said, exchanging a glance with Spock, "but we know little of them. They no longer travel among the stars, that we do know, but little else."

"But you can take us there? To their world? Our world?"

"If we get back through the gate successfully, yes, we could take you. Not immediately, but in time."

"That is understood, Captain Kirk."

"I also imagine that the Federation would establish a relationship with your world, perhaps help you learn what happened to make your people retreat from space."

"Yes, that is something we would very much like to know. I cannot imagine that they did it willingly. Not all Aragos were as curious or as adventurous as those who volunteered for our expedition, but there was no lack of either trait."

"I'm sure there wasn't," Kirk said. "But if most of your ships were geared for scientific exploration, with little or no defenses—"

"The Klingons you mentioned before, Captain Kirk?"

"It's possible, though we have seen no evidence of them in your part of the galaxy. Unfortunately, however, others probably exist who are equally as ruthless, and if one of them—"

"Your theory would appear to have further confirmation, Captain," Spock broke in, looking up from the science station instruments. "The computer records are even more extensive than I at first believed. They cover more than forty thousand standard years, and they include the log of one who would appear to be the computer's designer."

"Fascinating, I'm sure," Kirk said, "but the workings of the gate—"

"Are of paramount importance. Of course, Captain. The analysis is still underway."

"Very well. Now, you were saying? About the designer's log?"

"To summarize, Captain, the computer and the caverns that contained it were, as you suggested, constructed by one of the races who, after moving peacefully out into space, were attacked by unknown enemies. The world in question, however, was not that race's home world. The home world's location is, of course, not given, but it was at least a hundred parsecs distant, perhaps much more."

"Then why there? Why would they build their bunker there?"

"Two reasons, Captain. First, that world was one of their colony worlds, one with the facilities to do the job. Though it is not specifically indicated, it is possible that similar retreats—bunkers, if you prefer that terminology—existed on other colony worlds, perhaps on the home world as well. This one, however, was built not only as a retreat but as a monitoring station, possibly a guard station, to observe the gate."

"The gate? Why did they want to guard the gate?"

"Unfortunately, the log does not contain specifics. However, it appears that they arrived at the same theory concerning the attacks that you yourself suggested. In addition, they apparently had reason to believe that whoever initiated the chain of attacks had come through the gate several thousand years before and had quite possibly retreated through it rather than having been destroyed."

Kirk nodded thoughtfully. "If nothing else," he said, "this would explain why their transport system was designed to be capable of snatching every living thing off an approaching ship and separating them from their weapons and communicators."

"Affirmative, Captain. It is a most efficient method of gaining control of any attacking ships. However, the fact that their computer included the program the Aragos were using to attempt to learn our language would indicate that the builders, like the Aragos, were interested in establishing communications with their captives, not simply imprisoning them and confiscating their ships."

"But if they knew all this," Ckeita said, "why could they not stop this chain of madness you describe?"

"Unknown," Spock said, obviously still feeling the effects of the vacuum as he paused uncharacteristically to clear his throat. "The log ends with the construction of the computer and the retreat. The builders' plans included continuous monitoring of all aspects of the gate for an indefinite period as well as provisions for placing all fifty thousand of that world's colonists into suspended animation in case of attack. However, except for the activation of the monitoring system, which was designed to awaken them whenever anything came through the gate, none of those plans appears to have been carried out. Or if they were, there was no record of them in the log, although there may well be further relevant information that has not yet come to light. The builders of the retreat may have been wiped out during the attack that destroyed the planet's surface, or they may have retreated to other of their worlds. If they were right about the original attackers coming through the gate, their observational instruments may even have brought the attackers back and led them to the planet before the people there were ready for them. Or they may simply have decided they were wrong about the gate and abandoned the project. At this stage, unless further information is located in the computer, there is no way of knowing. We—and the Aragos—can only be grateful that the instruments designed to observe the gate were activated before the end, however that end may have come."

Ckeita shivered again. "Had we known all that you now tell us," she said, "I suspect we would have let the final ship destroy us."

Spock looked at her. "You took the only logical course open to you," he said, and after a moment she nodded her agreement.

Two hours later, Spock, his battered body reinforced by still more of Dr. McCoy's "chemical baling wire," looked up sharply from his instruments.

"I have the pattern, Captain," he said. "With sufficient precision, we will be able to utilize the gate."

"'Sufficient' precision?"

"The gate should be currently operating on a cycle of approximately eight-point-six-nine-three hours. During that time, it varies in size and destination continuously. Each transmitting window is approximately seven-point-two seconds in length. During the window which will allow us to return to our own galaxy, the gate itself will be approximately point-seven-two-nine kilometer in diameter. It is approximately this size for much of each cycle, which explains why we were unsuccessful in our efforts to locate it before."

"Less than one
kilometer?
" Kirk strode from the command chair to scowl over Spock's shoulder at the readouts, then turned to Ckeita. "You said that before you came through you had been able to monitor the size of the gate. Did you know it could become this small?"

"We did not. We had not established any recurrent pattern in its changes, nor could we measure its size with any precision. We knew only where its center was and that its size appeared to vary continually. The shorter-range ones, we are quite sure, were rarely less than several thousand kilometers in diameter."

"And the modifications your people are making to our sensors will enable us to pinpoint the center of the gate? Even when it is that small?"

When Ckeita did not reply, Spock said, "The modifications are based on the monitoring equipment found in the caverns, Captain, and it is that monitoring equipment which has given us the information to establish both the cycle and the size of the gate. Simply locating the gate should therefore present no insurmountable difficulty."

"I don't suppose you've found anything that explains
how
these things work?"

"Not specifically, Captain. However, according to readings taken by instruments the
Enterprise
unfortunately does not possess, the gate's energy would appear to be constant. It would be logical to assume that the more compressed that energy is—that is to say, the smaller the gate at any given moment in its cycle—the farther an object is transmitted. It could be considered analogous to a sun and its gravity. When one is huge and diffuse, the gravity is comparatively small, but when it contracts—"

"I know, Spock," Kirk broke in. "It becomes a neutron star and then a black hole, and the gravity is enough to rip atoms to shreds. What I would really like to know is, when is
our
window coming around next?"

"In approximately five-point-two-four hours, Captain. At our current warp factor, we will arrive in approximately four-point-one-seven hours."

"Which gives us slightly more than one hour to spare," Kirk said.

"Or to penetrate the perimeter the Hoshan and Zeator may have established," Spock said, not looking up from his instruments.

Once again, the Hoshan and Zeator commanders, Belzhrokaz and Endrakon, shared the
Enterprise
's viewscreen.

As Spock had feared, the nearly day-long delay on the Aragos planet had enabled their combined fleet, forty ships strong, to be waiting, spread out directly across the
Enterprise
's path less than a million kilometers from the gate. At least they had not opened fire the instant the
Enterprise
eased into their sensor range. Neither, however, had they shown any indication of letting the
Enterprise
pass without a battle. They had established communications almost immediately and appeared to be willing to talk virtually forever, although Kirk suspected this willingness was largely to give the remaining thirty ships, already on their way from the Aragos planet, time to arrive.

"You speak of trust," Belzhrokaz was saying for what must have been the hundredth time. "If you truly wish us to trust you and believe this story you tell us of an enemy that was the source of all our troubles many thousands of years ago, surrender your ship. If everything is as you say, we will return it to you unharmed."

"If everything we have done so far hasn't convinced you that we mean you no harm," Kirk said, unable any longer to totally suppress his irritation at the Hoshan's repeated suggestion, "I can't imagine what would. As for the beings who may have triggered at least four hundred centuries of war, we have transmitted to you as much of the data as your computers will handle, and we have given you the coordinates of the retreat. Even without transporters to allow you direct access, your sensors will confirm its existence, and your own computers will, with very few improvements, be able to link up with the computer in the retreat."

"All very reasonable," Endrakon said, "but how can we be positive that you yourself are not this enemy you speak of? How can we know that you have not simply manufactured all this data in your own computer?"

"The very fact that we didn't wipe you out when we had the chance should be
some
indication!" Kirk snapped, his patience suddenly reaching the breaking point. "Even now, the odds are excellent that we can, if you force us, punch a very bloody hole right through the middle of your fleet! That was, in fact, the recommendation of the leader of the Aragos nearly an hour ago. They have been trapped here for several thousand years and are understandably even more impatient than
we
are!"

Cutting off the sound to the two alien commanders, Kirk turned sharply to Spock. "How much time?"

"Five-point-seven minutes, Captain. And the thirty ships that were following us to the Aragos planet have just entered our sensor range. Based on their current course and formation, they appear to be attempting to cut us off from any possible retreat."

Kirk shook his head in an angry grimace. "So it's now or never. If we wait around for the next window, we'll be surrounded, and with the deflectors and the dilithium crystals in the shape they're in—"

Restoring the sound, Kirk stood and faced the images of the two commanders directly. "Thirty more of your ships have just been detected," he said. "They are approaching us from the rear, apparently in an attempt to surround us."

Kirk paused, watching the two for any sign of reaction, but there was none he could detect.

"Very well," he said, still facing them directly, "you leave us no choice. I will repeat once more: Everything we have said is true. We have demonstrated our good faith again and again. We have taken a chance and trusted you, apparently too often and too far. You have the evidence in your computers. You have the testimony of Bolduc and Atragon and the others who were aboard our ship. There's nothing more we can do to convince you."