Initial scans of the lifeless form lying atop the table also had proved interesting, revealing a startling absence of internal organs. Instead, the thing’s crystalline structure appeared more as an endoskeleton of some kind, sheathed in the obsidian dermal layer, which, according to the reports from the Erilon landing parties, had resisted even the most intensive phaser fire.
“Anything you want to tell me?” he asked, knowing that Xiong was probably under orders to provide only that information which was relevant to Fisher’s current needs as a medical examiner.
“We think it somehow telepathically communicated with various equipment across the planet,” the lieutenant replied, “including the weapons used against the Endeavour. I also saw it directly interfacing with computer consoles we found in ruins beneath the surface, something we’ve not been able to do.”
Stroking his beard as he listened, Fisher asked, “Any ideas how it might have done that?”
“Well, I have a thought,” Xiong said, “but it’s somewhat radical.”
“I have a high tolerance for ‘radical,’ son,” Fisher replied, offering a paternal smile. “Humor an old man, why don’t you?”
Drawing what the doctor presumed was a bolstering breath, Xiong said, “In short, I want to know whether this creature is able to establish a physical and mental connection with a crystalline lattice.”
“Oh,” Fisher replied, his eyebrows rising. “Is that all?”
Unfazed by the comment, the young officer continued, “Obviously we can’t learn that here, but if we can verify that this thing’s physiological structure lends itself to the controlled sending and receipt of electrical pulses beyond its body, then I’ll have something to work with.”
Considering that for a moment, Fisher nodded. “That’s a pretty tall order, but I suppose we can poke around and see what we see.”
At least I don’t have to worry about triggering any security alarms this time around, or worry about saying the wrong thing to the wrong people.
Unlike Dr. M’Benga, whom Reyes had not permitted to be briefed into the project, Xiong was certain to provide a storehouse of knowledge Fisher would find useful during his examination.
“Okay, then,” Xiong said. “What do we do now?”
Fisher shrugged as he turned to the instrument tray which he had positioned next to the examination table. “For starters, let’s see what it takes to get a look inside our friend here.”
Retrieving a laser scalpel from the instrument tray and adjusting it to its highest setting, Fisher trained the tool’s beam in a tight focus on the surface of the corpse’s torso. An immediate trail of thin smoke wafted from the site of incision as the beam bored without resistance into the dark, inflexible surface. The smoke held a bitter, metallic smell that lodged within his nostrils.
“Watch out,” he warned, jerking his head to the right to avoid the stream of viscous, dark gray fluid that sprayed from the opening he had created. The first spurt arced over the table and splattered onto the floor, though the flow’s pressure eased the next moment, finally ebbing to a slow but steady trickle that continued to ooze from the wound. Reaching to the tray for an emesis basin, the doctor placed it next to the wound and began collecting a sample of the fluid, which did not appear to be caustic—at least not immediately so.
“I don’t understand,” Xiong said, his brow creased in confusion. “This thing withstood phaser rifles set to maximum. Why is it so fragile now?” Taking the tray from Fisher, the lieutenant picked up a hand scanner from the nearby tray and waved it over the specimen. “It’s saturated with lyotropic nanostructures,” he said a moment later. “This stuff is liquid crystal.”
“Is it safe?” Fisher asked.
Xiong nodded. “It appears to be.”
“Fabulous,” the doctor said as he retrieved a grafting laser from the tray and used it to suture the wound he had created. “Interesting if this thing used it for blood.”
Waving the scanner over the prostrate form, Xiong nodded. “The liquid flows between the different components of its internal crystalline structure.” Looking up from the scanner, his expression was one of confusion. “Could the organs have decomposed into liquid form after death?”
Fisher retrieved the basin from Xiong, ever mindful not to spill any of the charcoal-colored liquid as he crossed the room to the computer workstation. Taking a sample of the fluid and placing it in a specimen tube, the doctor inserted it into a port at the base of the dynoscanner and activated the unit. He tapped a series of commands into the computer interface. Thanks to the work he already had performed on samples taken from the Denobulan, it did not take the computer long to complete its first, rudimentary scan.
“And there you are,” he said as the results he anticipated were displayed on the computer screen, “you crafty little meta-genome, you.”
Leaning closer, Xiong smiled. “Amazing, isn’t it? I never get tired of looking at it. It’s mesmerizing.” Clearing his throat, he stepped back from the workstation. “I guess that sounds rather foolish to you, Doctor.”
“Not at all, Lieutenant,” Fisher replied, smiling again. “Now, while the scanner is chewing on what we fed it, let’s take a look at getting an answer to your question.” He toggled a control on the computer interface and the viewer’s image shifted to that of a spectroscopic view of the fluid.
Pointing to the screen, Xiong said, “Look at that. There’s no electrical resistivity at all. The entire organism looks as though it could be a classical superconductor at room temperature.”
Fisher eyed the lieutenant. “Am I supposed to understand any of that?”
“Sorry, Doctor,” Xiong replied. “Ancient forms of power generation and regulation. Believe it or not, I’ve learned more than I ever wanted to on the subject while researching my theory.” Indicating the screen with a nod, he added, “If this is right, it’s an incredible find. What if electrical impulses channeled through this stuff resulted in a form of…I don’t know…fortifying or hardening of the skeleton? That might account for its resistance to phaser fire.”
“Well, that’ll be an interesting addition to our report,” Fisher said. “Now, given what Commodore Reyes has told me about the work being done by your friends down in the belly of this place, there’s something else I want to check.” Turning back to the computer interface, he flipped a series of switches and entered a pass code to give him access to the classified repository of information collected by Xiong and his team of research specialists.
“What are you doing?” the lieutenant asked, watching Fisher work.
“Cross-referencing our findings with the Vault’s databanks.” As he entered a final set of commands and initiated the search, it took only moments to match the DNA sample of his autopsy subject to another entry in the database.
Tholian. The simple word made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
“I’ll be damned,” Xiong said, his voice little more than a hoarse whisper.
The connection might well have been imperceptible to the unschooled eye; it may even have escaped a trained xenogeneticist at a passing glance. However, there was no denying the computer’s representation of the unmistakable similarities between the DNA of the mysterious alien and the Tholian sample from the database.
“Some sort of ancestral link,” Fisher said, wondering aloud. “Maybe going back millennia. A mutation of some kind, followed by thousands of years of evolution.”
“Or something more deliberate,” Xiong countered. “Genetic engineering. Eugenics, or something similar.”
Fisher considered the idea. “As good as anything I’ve got.” The question facing them now was whether or not this link between the Tholians and this newly discovered race had any bearing on the present situation with the Assembly and their current antagonistic attitude. Were the Tholians even aware of the connection?
It’d explain one helluva lot,Fisher conceded.