Read Online The Long Night by Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
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said.
Neither Dax nor Sisko responded. They had both seen places where life wasn't much valued. After those experiences, the Federation's rules about accepting advanced cultures made much more sense.
Sisko's hand was shaking, and he hoped it was from the cold. The readings on his tricorder remained constant. His heart was pounding hard. Dax had an intent look on her face. She maneuvered through the coffins toward the chamber.
O'Brien reached it first. "The readings are definitely coming from here," he said.
Dax reached it second and gasped. "Benjamin."
His mouth was dry. He crossed the distance in half the time it took the others. Dax was wiping the side of the door, as if to clean something off. O'Brien was running his tricorder over the wall.
"All the systems from this wall inward are active and working," he said. "Life support, environmental controls, power bays, everything."
His voice held a kind of awe. He punched the tricorder two and three times, obviously checking his readings, but they apparently remained the same.
Sisko was watching Dax. She continued to wipe, glancing over her shoulder at him, the excitement on her face so reminiscent of Curzon when he found a toy that Sisko saw not Jadzia, but an old Trill man, his white hair thinning over his markings.
"There are redundant systems like I've never seen before," he said. "They wanted to keep whatever is in there alive and running. There must be ten backup systems in this wall alone."
Sisko had to swallow before he could speak. "This ship's been here a long time. No system can run forever."
"The power needed here is low," O'Brien said. "And at least half these systems are linked. If one shuts down, another takes over. I'd say this part of the ship could live a good long time yet."
"That's not all," Dax said. "Benjamin, take a look at this." She moved away from the part of the door she was polishing. The paint on the door had long since faded to gray, but the outline of the design was still visible.
Sisko looked at the pattern for a moment before the shape sprang out at him. An oval with a green staff in the middle. Or at least the staff was supposed to be green. In some areas on Jibet, the staff even glowed. The design was all over anything that had to do with the House of Jibim Kiba Siber, including the Nibix.
To have the symbol on or near a door meant only one thing.
"The royal chamber," he said softly to himself.
Dax nodded. "We found it."
Sisko let the thought sink into his cold mind. Now, more than at any other time in his career, he had to be very careful. He glanced at Dax.
"We should confirm," she said.
He knew it. And he also knew that he wanted to be the first to look on the Supreme Ruler's face. If the man still had a face. What a disaster it would be if the Supreme Ruler's coldsleep bed had broken open.
Sisko switched his tricorder onto record. He would need a record for the Federation and for the Jibetians. "Dax, O'Brien, I'm using my tricorder to record all of this. State your name and rank and the time we've already spent on this mission."
They did, and he followed suit. O'Brien shot him a concerned glance. Even though they had briefed him, no one apparently had told him all the things of import that he needed to know.
"Chief, can you open this door without harming anything?"
O'Brien frowned at Sisko's tricorder. "Judging from the way this equipment works, I can."
"Nothing appears to be blocking the door from either side," Dax said, using her own tricorder. Her hands were shaking, too. Her breath left a small bit of condensation on the wall.
"All right then," Sisko said. He watched as O'Brien reached forward and touched a small square area beside the door. With a scraping of metal that sent shivers down Sisko's back, the door slid back.
A light went on inside, startling all of them. Dax put a hand on Sisko's arm. "If this is the chamber of the Supreme Ruler," she said, "there might be protections."
"I don't read anything,"
Neither Dax nor Sisko responded. They had both seen places where life wasn't much valued. After those experiences, the Federation's rules about accepting advanced cultures made much more sense.
Sisko's hand was shaking, and he hoped it was from the cold. The readings on his tricorder remained constant. His heart was pounding hard. Dax had an intent look on her face. She maneuvered through the coffins toward the chamber.
O'Brien reached it first. "The readings are definitely coming from here," he said.
Dax reached it second and gasped. "Benjamin."
His mouth was dry. He crossed the distance in half the time it took the others. Dax was wiping the side of the door, as if to clean something off. O'Brien was running his tricorder over the wall.
"All the systems from this wall inward are active and working," he said. "Life support, environmental controls, power bays, everything."
His voice held a kind of awe. He punched the tricorder two and three times, obviously checking his readings, but they apparently remained the same.
Sisko was watching Dax. She continued to wipe, glancing over her shoulder at him, the excitement on her face so reminiscent of Curzon when he found a toy that Sisko saw not Jadzia, but an old Trill man, his white hair thinning over his markings.
"There are redundant systems like I've never seen before," he said. "They wanted to keep whatever is in there alive and running. There must be ten backup systems in this wall alone."
Sisko had to swallow before he could speak. "This ship's been here a long time. No system can run forever."
"The power needed here is low," O'Brien said. "And at least half these systems are linked. If one shuts down, another takes over. I'd say this part of the ship could live a good long time yet."
"That's not all," Dax said. "Benjamin, take a look at this." She moved away from the part of the door she was polishing. The paint on the door had long since faded to gray, but the outline of the design was still visible.
Sisko looked at the pattern for a moment before the shape sprang out at him. An oval with a green staff in the middle. Or at least the staff was supposed to be green. In some areas on Jibet, the staff even glowed. The design was all over anything that had to do with the House of Jibim Kiba Siber, including the Nibix.
To have the symbol on or near a door meant only one thing.
"The royal chamber," he said softly to himself.
Dax nodded. "We found it."
Sisko let the thought sink into his cold mind. Now, more than at any other time in his career, he had to be very careful. He glanced at Dax.
"We should confirm," she said.
He knew it. And he also knew that he wanted to be the first to look on the Supreme Ruler's face. If the man still had a face. What a disaster it would be if the Supreme Ruler's coldsleep bed had broken open.
Sisko switched his tricorder onto record. He would need a record for the Federation and for the Jibetians. "Dax, O'Brien, I'm using my tricorder to record all of this. State your name and rank and the time we've already spent on this mission."
They did, and he followed suit. O'Brien shot him a concerned glance. Even though they had briefed him, no one apparently had told him all the things of import that he needed to know.
"Chief, can you open this door without harming anything?"
O'Brien frowned at Sisko's tricorder. "Judging from the way this equipment works, I can."
"Nothing appears to be blocking the door from either side," Dax said, using her own tricorder. Her hands were shaking, too. Her breath left a small bit of condensation on the wall.
"All right then," Sisko said. He watched as O'Brien reached forward and touched a small square area beside the door. With a scraping of metal that sent shivers down Sisko's back, the door slid back.
A light went on inside, startling all of them. Dax put a hand on Sisko's arm. "If this is the chamber of the Supreme Ruler," she said, "there might be protections."
"I don't read anything,"
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