Summon the Thunder

The start of another beautiful day.

“To say that speculation is ru

Taking a generous sip from his coffee cup, Reyes said, “But they don’t know what we know.” He looked to T’Pry

The Vulcan shook her head. “Correct, sir. The Klingon vessel that was in orbit of the planet until the moment of its destruction reported significant power readings emanating from multiple subterranean sources, all of which were working in concert to introduce massive tectonic destabilization. Prior to that, no geological anomalies which might account for such an event were detected.”

“And these power readings,” Jetanien said, “they were the same as those observed by the Endeavourat Erilon?”

“The indications are that technology similar to that discovered on Erilon was in use on Palgrenax, though on a much greater scale, of course.”

Frowning as he considered the information for the tenth time since being roused at this unholy hour, Reyes asked, “You’re saying that whoever built those structures on Palgrenax included what was basically a planetary self-destruct?”

Pausing a moment as if to consider the notion, T’Pry

“Any chance the Klingons did this to themselves?” Reyes asked. “An accident of some kind while investigating something on or beneath the surface?”

T’Pry

“Perhaps the Tholians found a way to trigger the event,” Jetanien said. “Though I suspect you would have found something in their communications to that effect.”

“Much of it has defied our attempts at decryption,” T’Pry

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Reyes released a small sigh. “So, everybody thinks someone else did it, but nobody knows who, to say nothing of why.”

That latter question burned in the commodore’s mind, even more so than wanting to know the identity of whoever might have carried out such a calamitous action. There was more to consider here than conflict between the Klingons and the Tholians, he knew. Whoever or whatever had destroyed Palgrenax, they had done so without any apparent regard for the race of intelligent beings that had sprung up on that world. It suggested that the responsible party had an agenda which did not include the fate of i

Not for the first time, Reyes felt the pull of regret as he considered the consequences of the Federation’s movements into the Taurus Reach on those civilizations native to the region. While Starfleet had taken great pains to avoid contact with local species—especially those that had not yet progressed to warp flight—the Klingons of course had felt no such compelling need. Seven planets had fallen under the empire’s ba

Could Starfleet and the Federation have done more to prevent that unchecked expansion? The question had nagged at Reyes more times than he had bothered to count. While it could be argued that the Klingons might eventually have ventured into this region of space on their own, planting their flag on various worlds in the same ma

They’re here because of us. Everything that happens here is our fault.

While he acknowledged the need to tread with care through the political and military minefield that the Taurus Reach represented in order to avoid inciting an interstellar incident—with the Klingons or the Tholians—Reyes had no intention of allowing that reasoning to cloud or gloss over the simple fact that i

Whatever we end up finding out here, it better damned well be worth it.

“If it was an accident,” he said after a moment, “they might well have simply activated the wrong piece of equipment.” A chill wormed its way down his spine at the thought of the eager Lieutenant Xiong committing a similar tragic mistake. Reyes made a note to ensure that a full report of this incident was transmitted to the lieutenant within the hour, well before the Endeavourand the Lovellreached Erilon.

“However,” he continued, “if it was a deliberate act, then why? Were the Klingons the target? Are we talking about something like what happened at Erilon?” Even as he spoke the words, he felt a twinge of remorse at the thought of what had happened to Captain Zhao and the research team on that ice-bound world.

“None of the communications transmitted from the Klingon ship to their base suggested any contact with unknown alien entities,” T’Pry

As she crossed the room to stand before the commodore’s desk, her hands still clasped behind her back, Reyes for the first time noted what he thought to be hints of fatigue in the commander’s eyes. He knew that Vulcans did not require sleep with the same frequency as humans, just as he also was aware that they could be quite stubborn when it came to seeing to their own basic health needs.

She’s a big girl,he reminded himself. She can take care of herself.

“Perhaps the Klingons destroyed the planet to protect the secret of what they’d found,” Jetanien said. “However, a scenario worth considering is that whatever attacked our people on Erilon staged a similar assault on Palgrenax, only this time they felt the need to initiate more drastic measures.”

Despite himself, Reyes felt his eyes widen as he digested the ambassador’s theory. “That’s a hell of a leap to make, Your Excellency. On what are you basing this?”

“Logic,” the Chelon said. Turning to T’Pry

“You’re suggesting someone has interests on both of these planets,” Reyes said, making no effort to hide his skepticism, “light-years apart, and with no detectable mode of transportation between those two points? Who? Why?”

The ambassador shook his head. “I am not in possession of all the relevant facts. I merely posit a theory based on what information is available at this time.”

Just what I need,Reyes thought. Another mystery.

As if reading his mind, Jetanien said, “Given our current situation, however, we ca