Star Trek: That Which Divides by Dayton Ward Read Free Book Online Page A

us,” Boma called out. “It’s latched on to us. Some kind of tractor beam!”
    Tractor beam? What in the name of . . . ?
    The thoughts tumbled about within Arens’s mind as the ship lurched again, and this time the attack—if it was an attack—was accompanied by the voice of the Huang Zhong ’s chief engineer exploding from the intercom.
    “ Rideout to bridge! What the hell’s going on up there? ”
    Pushing himself away from the science station, Arens dropped into his seat and hit the intercom switch on the command chair’s right arm. “Something’s gotten hold of us, Chief! Where are the shields?”
    “The shield generators are being disrupted by the beam,” Boma said, cutting off the engineer. “Unless we can break free, they’re useless.”
    Through the intercom, Rideout replied, “ I’ve tried everything to override, but it’s not happening! ”
    Before Arens could respond, everything around him shuddered once again, and a new alarm tone blared for attention. “Now what?”
    “The beam’s strength is increasing,” Boma replied, his tone one of shocked disbelief. “We’re being pulled out of orbit!”
    “Reverse course!” Arens shouted. “Full impulse power!” For the first time, it occurred to him to look toward the main viewscreen, where he now saw the image of Gralafi beginning to move as the Huang Zhong shifted on its axis from its orbital course and began to head toward the planetoid itself. “Engineering, I need everything you’ve got transferred to propulsion! Now! ”
    Rideout’s voice erupted from the intercom, “ I’m rerouting everything I can get my hands on, Skipper! ”
    “It won’t be enough,” Hebert yelled from where she had retaken her station. “Not without warp drive!”
    Slamming his fist down on the arm of his chair, Arens hit the switch to silence the alarms. The action did nothing to soften the growing whine of the ship’s engines as T’Vrel fought to break free of whatever had ensnared the Huang Zhong .
    “Captain,” the Vulcan said, “even with full impulse, I am unable to maneuver against the beam.”
    Over the comm speaker, Rideout shouted, “ Impulse engines are starting to overheat! Either we break away or power down, or we lose everything! ”
    His eyes glued to the planetoid, which now filled the viewscreen and was continuing to come closer, Arens gritted his teeth at the report. “T’Vrel! What’s the story?”
    “The beam is too powerful, sir,” replied the helm officer while keeping her attention on her console.
    “ Bridge! ” Rideout’s voice was tight with strain. “ We’re at critical! ”
    Clenching his fists in mounting anger, Arens snapped, “Reduce power!” No sooner did he give the order than he could hear the whine of the impulse engines begin to subside as the Huang Zhong stopped its futile struggle against its unseen attacker. Was it his imagination, or did he feel the ship accelerating toward the planetoid? The image on the screen certainly seemed to be growing larger at an increasing rate.
    “I think I’ve got something,” Boma called over his shoulder, and before Arens could respond he added, “I’m tracking the beam to its origin point. Whatever it is seems to be masked from our sensors, but there’s no mistaking the beam’s coming from there.”
    “Is that where we’re being taken?” Commander Hebert asked.
    Boma shook his head. “I don’t think so. As far as I can tell, the beam’s main purpose seems to be just yanking us down from orbit.”
    “Our speed is increasing,” T’Vrel reported. “At our present angle and rate of descent, we will crash on the planetoid’s surface.”
    From where she still sat at a workstation adjacent to Hebert’s, Advisor Zihl said, “It cannot be anything belonging to us. We possess no technology capable of such feats.”
    In truth, Arens did not believe the Dolysians to be capable of an assault of this nature on his ship. Every briefing he had read or received on the