Chapter Text
A jolt went through the Enterprise and the red alert was blaring. Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge held on to his terminal with one hand and with the other an ensign who would otherwise have been hurled through half of main engineering.
"What the-" he muttered, making sure the ensign was okay. She gave him a grateful nod, then he activated his communicator. "Engineering to Bridge."
"Go ahead, Geordi, and do it fast," replied Commander Will Riker. "We are quite busy."
"I would appreciate it if you could announce shaking tests," Geordi said, and an even more severe quake passed through the Enterprise.
"Shields at one hundred percent, hull integrity of the drive section at seventy percent," Data’s always quiet voice sounded in main engineering. "Geordi, you should prepare for further shaking. We are experiencing turbulences."
"Turbulences that damage the hull but not the shields?"
"Affirmative, Geordi."
"It doesn’t make sense. What’s the cause?" Geordi was typing on his terminal, giving hand signals to his staff to stabilize the hull.
"My scans cannot find a cause."
The Enterprise was shaken again, this time so violently that the hull integrity of the drive section dropped to thirty percent.
"Another impact like that and we’ll have a hull breach," Geordi reported. "The warp drive’s working, why don’t you get us out of here?"
"What do you think is causing the tremors?" Will now replied a touch grumpier.
"Stop all engines," Captain Picard’s order sounded through Engineering. "Mr. Data, report."
"Scans show no barriers or anomalies, no life forms or vessels. Long-range scans have detected increased levels of neutrino radiation in this sector. However, it has almost no effect on matter."
"So, there is no reason for our current situation?"
"None that I can detect, sir."
Geordi heard the Captain’s distinct inhalation and could visualize his serious expression quite clearly.
"Mr. Worf?"
"Detectable or not, the radius of our movement is no more than three kilometers, sir."
"I can confirm that, Captain," said Data. "Based on the recoil range, and taking into account our velocity to the-"
"Summarize, Mr. Data."
"We have a range of motion of approximately five point nine eight five square kilometers, sir. Decimating."
"Wait a minute, Data," Geordi said. "Are you saying that this... cocoon around us is getting smaller?"
"Precisely, Geordi."
"All senior officers report to the observation lounge for a briefing. Mr. La Forge, we’re expecting you."
***
It took Geordi two and a half minutes with the turbolift, then he sat in his usual place next to Data, who nodded at him. The meeting had already begun.
"If something’s out there, I can’t feel it, Captain," Counselor Troi said regretfully.
"What did the collision look like?" Geordi asked. "If the drive section was damaged, images from the battle bridge should show something."
"Mr. Worf," the Captain nodded at him. "Put it on the viewer, please."
In front of them in the air appeared the view of the main viewer of the battle bridge. A clear jolt went through the ship, but on the viewer, nothing could be seen except the quiet space and the stars.
"We flew into nothing?" murmured Geordi. Thoughts raced through his mind, and a crazy idea came to the fore. "Data, you said we had a clearance of about six kilometers."
"Actually-"
"I know, but we don’t really need it that accurately. Caution, though, or we’ll shoot ourselves off."
"Ah, I understand, Geordi." Data turned to Captain Picard. "We should test the boundaries of our prison. In the event phaser radiation is reflected, we must be able to endure it."
Geordi nodded and turned directly to the Captain. "I can set one of our phasers to fan out a pulse burst and hit as much area as possible. It also has the advantage that a ricochet would cause less damage. Captain, I’d like to borrow Data to make the adjustment. We also need to stabilize the hull. We’ll need half an hour to do that."
"Make it so, Mr. La Forge, and keep us informed."
***
Half an hour later, Geordi and Data were standing at terminals in main engineering, making the final adjustments. Often, Data preferred working deep inside the Enterprise to his duty on the bridge. Working on the most sensitive systems of Starfleet’s flagship created a feeling of satisfaction. To the extent that he was capable of feelings in his android way. He knew he shared that attitude with Geordi - after all, he hadn’t been appointed chief engineer for nothing. Which regularly put Data in the happy position to work with him on extensions and adaptations of the systems.
"Almost done." Geordi was typing commands into his console as Data saw with a 0.13-second glance. "It’s pretty crazy, huh?"
"What exactly do you mean, Geordi?"
"We’ve seen so much in the last seven years, constantly expanding our technology, and yet we keep coming across situations that we can’t explain."
Geordi’s voice sounded joyful, his pulse was slightly elevated, signs of expectant excitement. "It is natural, considering the size of the galaxy," said Data. "And it is the part of our work I find particularly ... gratifying."
Geordi paused and then looked at him with a grin. "Me too, my friend."
Their camaraderie had been especially appreciated by Data during his years on the Enterprise. And he had learned a lot about humanity from Geordi. By now, he was able to empathize in his own way with Geordi and other colleagues he saw as friends in many situations and was able to recognize moods more and more easily. He even understood sarcasm a little. Only humor would probably never be his strong side.
"Hull stabilized and reinforced." Geordi completed his final entry with satisfaction.
"Phasers set and ready," said Data, looking at Geordi, who nodded at him, and tapped on his communicator. "Engineering to bridge."
"Picard here. Are you ready, Mr. Data?"
"We await your order, Captain."
"Captain Picard to crew. Please prepare for the announced test."
Geordi put the image of the main viewer on their monitor.
"Picard to main engineering: Energize."
Geordi and Data observed the phaser pulse, which fanned out red, moved further and further away and finally disappeared into space. Geordi laughed triumphantly.
"I see from your laughter that you expected this outcome, Geordi?"
"You bet."
"Mr. La Forge, what is the explanation for what we haven’t seen here?" the Captain’s voice sounded into main engineering.
"It’s simple. A prison without walls is not a prison."
"Therefore, we are our own prison," Data continued Geordi’s thoughts, and his positronic brain sent a small impulse through his system at this realization. "I will scan the Enterprise."
"And I’ll join you in main engineering," Captain Picard said with much more impatience. "I will take my time and expect a better explanation when I arrive."
***
"Incredible!" The three of them looked at the monitor, Data with interest, the Captain with a wrinkled forehead and Geordi with undisguised enthusiasm.
"It is a parasite, Geordi. Certainly not a reason for joy."
"It is an unknown life form," said the Captain, "so Mr. La Forge’s excitement is quite understandable. If it would not prevent us from continuing our journey."
"The mere fact that it’s capable of that is unbelievable. Do you have any idea how much energy it would take to pull the Enterprise back to its original position at Warp 9?"
"Enough to damage our hull, Lieutenant Commander." Captain Picard looked at his chief engineer with little enthusiasm.
"Excuse me, sir." Geordi rubbed his neck in embarrassment and Data saved the moment as typically Geordi. Not without a reassuring and, as he knew, almost imperceptible smile for Geordi. His friend needed such little signs every now and then, just as Data needed Geordi to tell him every now and then that he was already more human than Data himself believed.
"Since I can now search for a known pattern, I have rescanned our surroundings." Data typed some commands into the terminal and a three-dimensional star chart appeared in front of them, with the Enterprise in the middle. Dozens of little dots appeared around it.
The Captain tightened up. "Even if we could get rid of our stowaway, we would immediately catch a new one. Am I understanding this correctly, Mr. Data?"
"Not necessarily, sir. We are surrounded by these entities, so we have already passed some who did not care for us."
"But that could still change," Geordi said, leaning against the terminal. "At present, we know too little."
Picard made a sound that was both understanding and dissatisfied. "What are we dealing with? Is it biological?"
"Yes and no." All three turned to face Doctor Crusher, who had just entered main engineering. "According to the scans, it is electro-organic. A bit like our neurons. From what I understand – and what I see on the monitor in front of you confirms this assumption – these beings maintain a certain distance from each other. Maybe, they would inadvertently transmit energy, if they were too close."
Geordi nodded. "That would explain why our appendage keeps pulling us back. But why did it attach itself to us in the first place? It should be able to survive without an external power source, like its comrades."
"Starvation?"
Geordi looked at Data with furrowed brows. "Since when do you make unrequested assumptions without foundation?"
"I am not doing this, Geordi. Not without foundation." Data was typing on the console. "This is the power level of the hull since the repairs. It is stable. And this is the power balance."
"Wow." Geordi adjusted his visor. "We’re using way too much power to stabilize the hull."
"But not enough to trigger a warning," Data added. "I have also been continuously scanning the entity for the past half-hour." An outline of the Enterprise from below appeared on the monitor – displayed on the underside of the drive section was the entity’s outline. As it grew and grew and grew. It was still small, about two meters in diameter on a ship 685 meters long. But-
"If it’s already absorbing that amount of energy now, how much will it take if it gets any bigger?" As Captain Picard looked around, no one said a word.