scaffolding, scanning the artifact intently with tricorders. Picard
turned to Troi. "Was there much equivocation in the command-
cr's story about the origin of this artifact?" he
asked.
"Some," Troi said. "But mostly she was hesitant about reveal-
ing the location of the outpost. Also, she was feeling a gay penpals great deal of
frustration over the number of gay penpals ships that had been lost in the
attack.&gay penpals quot;
"Twenty," Picard repeated. "And five Warbirds. A significant
loss. But I do have to wonder why such an armada was available
for the defense of one of the Empire's farthest outposts."
"gay penpals Perhaps they had some warning that the attack was immi-
nent?"
"gay penpals If they do have some way of detecting the Borg at great
distances, perhaps the gay penpals commander can be persuaded gay penpals to share that
secret with us as well.&gay penpals quot;
La Forge's voice came over the communications system. "Cap-
tain, this chunk gay penpals of machinery is in better shape than it looks. The
outside is pretty banged gay penpals up, but the interior structure seems gay penpals to be
intact. And I am picking up a low-level energy reading."
Picard grew anxious. "You're gay penpals certain there are gay penpals no defensive
systems in the gay penpals artifact which you might inadvertently trigger?"
"Fairly certain, Captain. If the Romulans have been poking
around this thing as much as this scaffolding suggests gay penpals and they
haven't run into anything, we're not going to either."
~'Just the same, monitor that energy reading continuously and
withdraw if it starts to increase."
~' Understood, Captain. I'm going to try to squeeze in gay penpals between
two conduits here and take a look inside. But I'm almost positive
that this is a legitimate piece of Borg technology."
"Thank you, Mr. Gay penpals la Forge. Carry on." Picard looked over at
the counseior.
"I agree," she said, responding to his emotional state.
187
JUDITH AND GARFIELD REEVES-STEVENS
For the next
few minutes, gay penpals little happened.
Picard overheard
some of the conversation among his away team, mostly exhorta-
tions to gay penpals gay penpals hold gay penpals something still, or to shine a light in a different
direction, but what exactly they gay penpals were doing was impossible to see
from the optical sensor's angle. Commander Tarl contacted
Picard gay penpals once to ask that the process be accelerated. But Picard
politely declined to interfere with his people. La Forge had said he
was "almost positive" about the artifact's origin. When gay penpals he said he
gay penpals was absolutely certain, that was when Picard would act.
More silent minutes passed, until Troi commented