The Other Torres | A Star Trek Fanfiction *Book 1*

Prime Factors-Chapter 29

[Janeway's quarters]

Janeway is entertaining Gath with a piece of pie. "Exquisite. What did you say you call it?" Gath asked. "Pecan pie." replied Janeway with a smile. "I must have the recipe." said Gath. "I'd be happy to share it with you. Gath, I want you to know I understand your reluctance to share your technology with us. We have similar restrictions. But I wondered, would it make any difference if I gave you my word that we would destroy the trajector matrix as soon as we'd used it?" Janeway asked hopeful. "I know this will upset you, but I can't." said Gath, he sounded genuinely disappointed that he couldn't help. 

"I understand. And frankly, I suspected as much. But I have a proposal which might allow you to obey your laws and still give us what we want. Surely you could use the trajectory to send us? Forty thousand light years would mean a great deal to us. And in return, we're prepared to offer you something you might enjoy." Janeway said. "Oh?" Gath asked interested. "A full library of the Federation's finest literature." said Janeway. "Literature?" Gath asked almost excited. "Centuries of stories. New stories from diverse cultures. Stories that fire the imagination." said Janeway. "You certainly know how to tempt me, Captain. It's certainly possible. I'll have to meet with the other Magistrates to discuss it. No one has ever made a request like that. In the meantime, I'd like to enjoy every bite of this, how did you call it?" Gath asked once again. "Pecan pie." said Janeway.

[Engineering]

"I've finished the maintenance check on the shock attenuation cylinders. They'll have to be replaced in another two thousand hours but we'll face that problem when we come to it." said B'Elanna, she turned around when Seska didn't respond. "Seska?" she asked. Seska breaks out of her reverie. "Sorry. I wasn't concentrating. What did you say?" Seska asked. "You looked a million light years away." said B'Elanna. "No, only about seventy thousand. My brother's birthday is in four days. Last year I promised I'd meet him on Nivoch, celebrate with him. He'll think I broke my promise, that I'm dead. What are you doing?" Seska asked interested.

" I've been thinking. The folding of space should leave a sub-space residue. If we can detect one, we might be a step closer to knowing how the trajector works." said B'Elanna. She calls up Quantum Analysis 7429 on a wall station. "Look at that neutrino dispersion pattern. Could that be a result of space folding?" asked Seska looking as well. "Maybe. If the device creates a neutrino bubble around whatever's being trajectored." said B'Elanna when Carey came over, he was as desperate as them to get home. "If that's the case, we'd need a bubble big enough for the ship. Don't worry Lieutenant. I'm with you on this one. After all, it doesn't hurt to theorise." said Carey. "Right. And hypothetically, if we could modify the deflector array to emit phased neutrinos, we could create a big enough bubble." said Seska. "Let's give it a try. In theory, of course." B'Elanna says.

[Alleyway]

It was twilight, Eudana leads Harry into an alleyway. "I don't understand. Why is it so important I come here now?" he asked. "You'll see in a minute. We're here." said Eudana. "Good evening, Ensign. Thank you for coming." said Jaret another member of the Sikarian species. "What's this about?" Harry asked suspiciously. "I asked Eudana to invite you here because I was sure you would respond to her, and because it would look perfectly natural. I am prepared to accept your collection of literature in exchange for our trajector technology." said Jaret.

"Is that something you're authorised to do?" asked Harry. "Officially? No. But many people believe that rules should be flexible enough to meet the needs of the moment. There is a great desire here for new stories and I want to be the one to supply them." said Jaret. "So you'd stand to benefit from this arrangement, right?" Harry asked. "We will both benefit. I would gain prestige and you would gain forty thousand light years in your journey home, possibly more. This is it, Ensign. The matrix of the trajector." said Jaret.