After three days of hard travel, the *Ronin* had finally broken through the outer perimeter of the wide spherical area of space where the Kelvan Planets had appeared. Their course had been inward toward the Galactic core, away from the Federation -- an unfortunate stroke of luck, but made necessary by the press of Planets in the other direction. After making sure no one was in pursuit, Evans had ordered their speed be reduced to Warp two, to give the engines a chance to cool down.
The *Ronin* was now perched at the inner edge of the Sagittarius Arm of the Galaxy and looking inward. Beyond the dark dust lanes of the void between spiral arms lay the next arm inwards, the Centaurus Arm, and beyond that the Central Bulge swelled impressively, many times larger than it appeared from the remote Federation. Looking at that sight on the main viewscreen, Pike thought he could almost feel the burning of those million suns on his skin.
From the left side of the bridge, Lieutenant Benton interrupted Pike's thoughts. "Admiral, long range scanner are picking up debris ahead." Since Ming Wang's 'co-opting' by the Kelvans, Benton had been manning the science station.
Pike immediately came alert, forgetting about the sight on the viewer. "What sort of debris?"
Benton studied his reading for a few seconds, then made his report: "The debris field is several *light-minutes* wide--" Several of the bridge crew exchanged glances at that. "--and is still expanding. There is a high level of radiation, but nothing our shields can't handle. Total mass is in the *trillions* of tons." Again glances were exchanged. After another moment's pause, Benton delivered his stunning verdict. "It looks like the wreckage from the collision of two Kelvan Planets."
"What in the world could have happened?" Pike wondered out loud to no one in particular, not daring to hope that someone out here in unexplored space was capable of resisting the Kelvans.
Benton answered him. "I would guess that they emerged from their transwarp conduits too close together. Their mutual gravity pulled them together, and their mass and momentum sealed their fate."
"Mm," grunted Pike. Well, that explained that. He returned his attention to the immediate problem. "Life signs?"
"Negative, Admiral. Temperatures reached an excess of 3000 degrees Kelvin during the collision -- hot enough to melt virtually every known substance. No one could have survived."
"Mm," grunted Pike again. But Benton was still peering at his sensor readings. Judging from Benton's scowl, Pike could tell something anomalous had turned up and was confounding the science officer. "What is it, Lieutenant?"
"Sensors have detected an artifact near the outer boundary of the debris cloud. Somehow it survived the explosion of two colliding planets! It's too far away and there's too much interference from the radiation to get any detailed readings."
"Helm, set a course to intercept the object," Pike ordered McMillan. "Half impulse."
"Aye, sir."
Fifteen minutes ticked slowly by as the *Ronin* carefully skirted the smoky edge of the massive debris field. Finally, Benton sounded up from his station. He was busily collecting his readings, but he didn't look happy.
"Well, Lieutenant? said Pike, getting a little impatient. "What do the sensors report now?"
Benton bent over the readouts and interpreted them for Pike. "The object is approximately five meters in length by two in width. It's outer casing is composed of carbon neutronium, making sensor scans of the interior impossible. I am reading a power signature emanating from the object, although I cannot detect the source of the energy. There are inscribed markings on the exterior that I recognize as Kelvan script."
"What do they say?"
"They were partially melted by the catastrophe, but I think this object is a data storage module from the central computer core from one of the Planets! If we could figure out a way of accessing it, we could learn everything we need to know about the Kelvans and their plans!"
It wasn't a hard decision for Pike. Any risk effected by bringing this alien object on board was far outweighed by the potential gains. "Make it so," he ordered.