Chapter 3

Kirk tried various tactics to make Luz cooperate with him. He was desperate enough to single-handedly hijack a starship, but he wasn’t leaving without the gateway component. Luz refused to tell him anything that would help him locate it.

They continued to elude the searchers, forgoing sleep to keep on the move. Kirk was amazed anew at the size of the complex.

Every time they had to go into a block of cells to get some nourishment, Kirk placed his head in the information feed, trying to hear news about the gateway. But it was hard for him to access the feed because he had to be nearly asleep to hear anything. He was so wary of searchers checking the cells that it was tough to relax.

Needless to say, despite his attempts he didn’t discover anything useful. But he did get the sense that the search for him and Luz was easing off and valuable workers had been returned to their regular duties. He wasn’t surprised. They would eventually be found, and there wasn’t much they could do to harm the Petraw while they were on the run. Especially with Luz still fanatically loyal to her own people.

Yet the countless days of constant companionship, forced to struggle together to survive, had an impact on Luz. Kirk could understand it would be hard to stay faithful to people who were out to kill you. Gradually, Luz’s rants against Tasm shifted against the matriarchs and the other Petraw. Her most scathing comments were reserved for her own podmates.

They were sitting in yet another narrow access tube, with Kirk trying to ignore the closeness of the walls, when Luz muttered for the hundredth time, “No imagination. No insight. Just because Tasm was the leader, they rewarded her and tossed me away. Even though I was right. Now Tasm will breed a bunch more idiotic Petraw to bumble around out there, making a mess out of their engagements.”

“You’re obviously not meant to be with these people.” It was a habit now for him to try to flatter her. “Why don’t you leave here? Surely there are other Petraw who would appreciate your talents.”

Luz frowned thoughtfully. “I thought about that. Petraw territory is far-flung. There are birthing worlds far removed from here.”

“You think you could get a ship out of this complex?” Kirk asked with deceptive lightness.

“Possibly.” She seemed wary of telling him more. “The shield generators on top would have to be disabled.”

Kirk felt a leap of eagerness. “Disabling shield generators is my line of work.”

Anything would be better than skulking around in the dark. But what if he did get off this planet? Then what? Stranded far from Earth, possibly never seeing another human being again….

Not if he could help it.

Luz was shaking her head. “But even if I was allowed to stay on another birthing world, I’d be relegated to cleaning waste tubes for the rest of my life. Only those born in the complex are accepted into the birthing chamber.”

“Didn’t Tasm earn that by giving the matriarchs the gateway?” At her sudden interest, Kirk added, “Valuable technology like the interstellar transporter is worth something.”

“But our matriarchs would spread the word against me,” Luz protested.

“Do you really think anyone in their right mind would give up the gateway? They’ll want to back-engineer it for themselves.”She searched his face. “That’s true. I could take it to one of the distant worlds where it would take time for the feed to spread. And once I was made a matriarch, it would be too late to change it.”

“I’ll make a deal with you, Luz. I want out of this place. I can’t stand it anymore.” He give a realistic shudder, hoping she would think his human sensibilities were overwhelmed by the alien culture.

“I’ll help you get the cylinder for the gateway if you get me out of here. Once we’re off this planet, we’re both free to go our separate ways.”

“You said your orders are to keep the transporter from falling into enemy hands,” Luz pointed out. “Why would you let me take it?”

His grin twisted. “If you help me get out of here, then that makes you my ally.”

Luz hesitated, then shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”

Kirk almost sighed. It had been worth a shot.

“But,” she added, “I think you’re right that taking the gateway is the only way I’ll earn my proper place among the Petraw. I’ve got to get it back.”

Hiding his elation was not easy, but Kirk simply nodded. “Then we can both get out of here.”

Her shallow eyes and smooth skin were like a mask, hiding her true feelings. “I know where it may be.”

Kirk didn’t want to risk upsetting his tenuous agreement with Luz, so he contained his anticipation as he followed her through the tubes. They kept going down, and were heading toward the side of the complex adjacent to the cliffs.

They descended lower than Kirk had ever been, when they reached a long tube that slanted downward. “This is different.”

“It’s one of the access tubes for the conduits supplying the experimental stations.” Her voice was muffled, facing downhill in front of him. He could only see her rounded behind and her feet pointing back at him. “That’s where we work with technology we don’t understand. It’s safer that way.”

“Safer? Why?”

She paused to look back. “The cliff has been rigged with charges so that in an emergency, each experimental station can be dropped into the chasm. It’s molten rock at the bottom, so anything dangerous is swallowed up before it can damage the rest of the complex.”

Kirk could appreciate their caution. He would have taken care to protect his ship before attempting to crack open that neutronium cylinder. It would take an incredible amount of energy to penetrate the seal on the gateway’s secrets.

The search began. There was a long row of chambers that held experimental stations, and Kirk doggedly crawled through each tube after Luz. There were Petraw workers in these access tubes, but Kirk just kept his head down and pretended to be intent on his duty.

The tubes were attached only to the inner walls of the rooms. To check each station, they crawled forward and opened the wall, usually next to some conduit, while Luz peered around. These rooms were solid rock except for the inner wall. They were brightly illuminated by pole lights.

Kirk couldn’t recognize most of the equipment they saw, but Luz only needed a glimpse to dismiss each station. It made him uneasy, but he was convinced that she truly wanted to find the dimensional transporter. She was focused in a way he had never seen before, intent on her objective. Finally he could see the determination that had enabled her to fool everyone, including himself. She had almost succeeded in getting away clean with the gateway.

Luz leaned forward on yet another opening. She barely pushed, allowing the tube to iris only slightly. She got very close to look through, blocking Kirk’s view.

“There’s the magnetomotive,” Luz exclaimed. “It’s fully operational.”

“Let me see.” Kirk squirmed up next to her, putting his eyes to the hand-sized opening. They were about four meters above the floor with a conduit running out from the wall next to them. It was attached to a scaffold tower. The interlocking bars seemed too delicate to support the enormous black rings. Each ring was at least twenty meters wide and five tall. Kirk counted fifteen rings stacked on top of one another, separated by suspension units on the scaffolding.

“What is it?” Kirk asked.

“A series of magnetic circuits that focus the electromagnetic field of this planet.”

The light glanced off a microthin coil wrapped around the magnet rings. Spock would have been able to tell him exactly how much magnetic flux was being generated.

Kirk guessed it might be enough to power the dimensional transporter. “You think they’re trying to activate the gateway?”

“Naturally.”

“But there’s no archway, no computer….”Then he remembered Tasm’s pouch, probably conveniently stuffed with all the information Spock and her officers had obtained while working on the gateway.

The bulk of the room lay beyond the dull black tower of magnets. Determined to discover the truth, Kirk pushed open the tube so he could see better. The floor between the magnets and the inner wall was smooth rock. But the door was down to their left, and he would be in full view of anyone entering or leaving.

“Will that conduit hold my weight?” he asked Luz.

She also looked down, then at the wide duct next to them. In answer, she swung her leg over the duct, using her hands to balance on the shaft. Kirk kept an eye on the doorway, hoping no one would come in at that moment.

Hitching herself forward, Luz crossed over the gap so she could step onto the scaffolding. Kirk swiftly followed.

This close to the magnetic flux, Kirk could feel his hair rising on his body. A subsonic hum rattled his bones, filling his ears with an endless thrumming. It sounded as if the circuits were powering up.

Their scaffolding tower was connected to the others on either side by narrow catwalks that circled the open sections between the magnets. Squat round suspension units were spaced along the catwalks, holding up the incredible weight.

“Higher,” Kirk whispered, gesturing up. If there was anyone in the room, they wouldn’t be as apt to notice them if they were in the darkened area near the ceiling. Most of the light was concentrated low.

The tower swayed under their climbing, seemingly too weak to hold up the magnets. But that work was really being done by the suspension units. The entire framework would crash to the ground if enough suspension units failed.

Near the top, Kirk stepped onto one of the catwalks. He went in the opposite direction from the door so he wouldn’t be seen.

As he started out, it was impossible not to look down. His arms stretched out for better balance, but he instantly pulled his hands back in. The magnetic field was strong enough to cause a burning sensation against his skin.

It was tough to balance on the narrow metal grate as he walked. At the next tower, he eased forward, looking further around the magnets. The only thing he could see was the next scaffolding tower. Luz was already starting to cross the catwalk after him.

It took two more nerve-racking trips across the catwalks to reach the scaffolding tower one-quarter of the way around the magnets. Then Kirk saw a Petraw standing against the far corner in the attitude of a guard.

Kirk pointed down, gesturing to Luz to keep quiet. She stayed at the back of the scaffolding, gazing fearfully at the hooded head of the defender. Kirk went forward to the front end of the scaffolding. A mere two meters made the difference. Now he had a view of everything in front of the magnetomotive.

The arch was the first thing he saw. It was standing in the center of a ring of lights, highlighted like a rare piece of art. It was an identical replica of the one they had found on the Kalandan station. The neutronium gleamed in blue-black highlights, and the impenetrable alloy was even molded into the same pattern. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised at anything the Petraw were capable of. Though they looked like simple underground dwellers, their technological capability exceeded that of almost every other culture he had encountered.

That arch changed everything. Kirk couldn’t begin to imagine the terrible things the Petraw would be capable of with an operational interstellar transporter. These people were ruthless and would use this technology to their own advantage. It was his fault the gateway had fallen into their hands.

Kirk was determined to change that. Staying very still to keep from attracting the attention of the guard, he searched for the cylindrical unit. In the very front of the magnetomotive, the huge rings were open, with a segment at least five meters wide cut out, indicating it was the more powerful open-flux system.

But he couldn’t see the key component of the gateway from his position. It wasn’t attached to the new arch, which meant he couldn’t steal it the same way Luz had done. Instead, there were a bunch of cables that snaked along the floor toward the magnetomotive.

Luz joined him, keeping a wary eye on the guard. Her sharp intake of breath indicated she saw the gateway, too.

A voice came from below. “You two get back to the door. Just because we’re holding a test run doesn’t mean you can leave your posts.”

Kirk couldn’t see who was talking, but he recognized her voice. It was Tasm.

A hooded Petraw strode up to the arch and knelt to check the cables. From nearly sixty meters up, Kirk couldn’t see much other than a sharply foreshortened view of her head and shoulders. “Is the flux stabilized yet?” Tasm asked.

Another Petraw somewhere down below and around the curve answered, “It has reached optimum level.”

“Proceed with the test run,” Tasm ordered.

She pulled back to the corner of the room, standing next to the defender who was posted there. If she looked up, she would see Kirk and Luz. He hardly breathed.

A different Petraw stepped up to face the gateway. Kirk clenched his hands around the scaffolding. They were at the point of testing the gateway? Those long days of dodging through the tubes and snatching naps in cul-de-sacs took on new meaning. The Petraw must have worked continuously to pull the gateway together.

The Petraw standing in front of the gateway let out a slight cry. “I see it!”

Inside the gateway an image had formed of windblown sand nearly burying two metallic structures. The orange sky looked fluorescent in the blazing light. Kirk recognized the surface near the fissure.

“Now go through,” Tasm urged from her safe spot across the room.

The Petraw eagerly stepped forward. Kirk leaned out as far as he dared to see the hooded form enter the gateway in a flash of brilliant light. The magnetomotive shook the scaffolding as power was drawn at a phenomenal rate.

Nothing came out the other side. The Petraw was gone.

The subsonic hum of the magnetomotive made Kirk’s head pound.

Tasm was staring down at a handheld communicator, rigid in concentration. “Anx made it! He’s next to the shield generators.”

The unseen Petraw exclaimed, “The gateway is functional! I’ll inform the matriarchs at once.”

Tasm tapped into the communicator. “I’m ordering Anx back. We’ll try a long-range test this time. Keep the magnetomotive on full standby.”

Her underling acknowledged, pride in his voice. They should be proud of themselves, Kirk thought. They now possessed a weapon of unbelievable strength.

Kirk was determined to make this work for him. The gateway offered him the chance to cross those troublesome forty thousand light-years in an instant. But he couldn’t allow the Petraw to keep the gateway. The responsibility would be his if they used the gateway to harm others.

Tasm went to the base of the magnetomotive, disappearing from view. Kirk carefully withdrew to the back of the scaffolding, where he could no longer see the guard.

Luz seemed goaded to dreams of glory. “How are we going to get everyone out of here?” she whispered.

“We’ll have to create a diversion.” Kirk reached into the top of his boot to retrieve his broken communicator. The sarium krellide power cell was too small to cause much damage if he made it overload. But there must be something he could do in a neighboring chamber that would draw Tasm out. It would have to last long enough for the gateway to read his mind and cut through the light-years between him and home—

Luz tried to snatch the communicator from his hand. “What are you doing?”

Kirk managed to hang on to it, but the broken cover flew off the hinge, arching down and falling sixty meters. Both of them drew back as far as they could before it hit bottom, uselessly trying to hide in the shadows.

“Now who’s the idiot?” Kirk shot at Luz.

“You were going to sabotage the gateway—”

“You’ve just proven my point.”

Gritting his teeth, Kirk hoped the cover wouldn’t make too much noise on the rock floor. But it bounced erratically, hitting corners and edges, before spinning slowly into a stop.

The movement caught the defender’s attention. He instantly alerted the other Petraw in the room with a loud shout.

Kirk wanted to push Luz off the scaffolding. Only someone who thought they were smarter than everyone else could do something so lame-brained.

He tried a strategic retreat as the defender went to inspect what had fallen. He made it to the next scaffolding tower while Luz was still inching over the catwalk, but it didn’t take long for the defender to light up the entire tower and detect them both. Kirk couldn’t see any way to escape with Petraw climbing up the scaffolding on either side of him. With visions of the chasm dancing before his eyes, he slowly climbed down to the floor.

Luz was dragged from the scaffolding as well, and in the shrieking melee she caused trying to break free, Kirk made a dash for the arch. All he could think about was the misty terrace next to the commandant’s office at Starfleet Academy, overlooking the glorious arch of the antiquated Golden Gate Bridge. He could almost taste the salty ocean air, he wanted it so badly.

But Tasm stepped between him and the archway, stopping him short by pointing his own phaser at him. One look in her eyes and he could see Tasm even through her dissolved face. “Don’t move, Kirk, or I’ll put you away for good.”