"Life Itself is Reason Enough" is the third of four TNG short stories released in Amazing Stories magazine, this one in fall 1999, in Vol. 73, Issue 3 or overall Issue 598. Pocket Books collected M. Shayne Bell's story in August 2002's The Amazing Stories omnibus. In this story, the Enterprise-D assists in the evacuation of a human colony.
Description[]
- A world is doomed. The USS Enterprise faces the most formidable enemy of all — time — hoping to prevent the planet's people from meeting the same fate.
Summary[]
- Captain's log, stardate 47736.1.
- We are continuing to assist in the evacuation of several colony worlds in Sector 225 that have entered deadly ionized dust clouds. This strange phenomenon is so thick that it blocks all planets from necessary light and heat. At the current rate, the atmospheric gases will soon freeze, cascade down to the planets, and extinguish all life.
- We are leading one hundred eighty-three merchant ships, scientific vessels, even the odd sailing yacht to Nunanavik, an arctic world settled by Inuit from Earth. The dust makes transporter use impossible, so we are forced to rely on shuttles — but the Enterprise and the ships with us do not have enough vehicles to carry away all of Nunanavik's people. Other ships are rushing to help, but it appears they will not arrive in time.
- The nearest starship is the Carpathia. At this rate, it will reach Nunanavik two hours after atmosphere collapse. Unlike its namesake, which at least managed to pick up survivors from the old aquatic vessel Titanic, this Carpathia will find no one left to save.
Data coordinates hundreds of flight plans as Worf, Deanna Troi and two security guards pilot the cargo shuttle Goodall to Nunanavik. Communications are partially blocked, so when the merchant ship Hong Kong launches 10 shuttles ahead of schedule, Data is unable to reroute them, and they quickly swarm Calypso and the 20 Enterprise shuttles. Worf attempts evasive maneuvers, but his ship is struck. He levels out the shuttle above a canyon near a mountain, but a safe landing is impossible. The crew manages to abandon ship with paragliders and land in a snowbank before Goodall crashes into a mountainside. The guards are recovered by Enterprise personnel, but of Worf and Troi, Jean-Luc Picard can only find Troi's coat. He fears the worst.
Three Inuit women bring Worf and Troi back to their igloo, about eight kilometers from the city of Anvik. Both officers were injured by shrapnel, with Troi also suffering from cold exposure and a broken arm. The women weren't seeking rescue, knowing there's not enough room aboard all the shuttles for everyone, and had been satisfied to die in the home they built. However, they realize Worf will not be able to navigate through the snow storms even with a map, and resolve to take Worf and Troi to the city's spaceport. They cover themselves with caribou skins, particularly their faces, to protect their lungs as the atmosphere slowly becomes too cold to breathe.
An hour later they rest after having gone five kilometers, using a phaser to heat rocks. A polar bear from Earth stalks them, and Worf is forced to kill it to protect the others. With 15 minutes to spare, and atmospheric carbon dioxide beginning to freeze, they reach the spaceport and are spotted by Geordi La Forge. He has Troi brought aboard the last shuttle, but it only has room for one more person. Worf yields his seat to one of the women, but they are hesitant to separate. Geordi suggests that they could use a mining dome for shelter until the next shuttle arrives. Worf grabs one of the domes and an oxygen canister, and seals the dome to the ground with his phaser. Inside, trying to stay warm, he phasers rocks repeatedly until they melt. Ilingnorak deduces from Worf's behavior that he is in love with Troi. Eventually a shuttle arrives, and the four are brought back to the Enterprise.
Two days later, Worf is finally able to move in sickbay after Doctor Beverly Crusher regenerates 40 percent of his lungs, though he still suffers from frostbite. Troi thanks him for saving her life. A few days after that, with dressings removed from his hands, Worf thinks of Troi's inner strength, and of the Inuit women's belief that life itself is reason enough for living.
References[]
Characters[]
- Amalik • Beverly Crusher • Data • Ilingnorak • Geordi La Forge • Nenana • Jean-Luc Picard • William T. Riker • Deanna Troi • Worf
- Referenced only
- Barretto
Starships and vehicles[]
- Calypso (captain's yacht) • Carpathia • USS Enterprise-D (Galaxy-class explorer) • Fossey • Goodall • Hawking (type-7 shuttlecraft) • Hong Kong • Kolinahr • Raj Veda • submarine • Tamilquara
- Referenced only
- RMS Carpathia • RMS Titanic
Locations[]
- Nunanavik (Anvik • Inuvik • Tanana • Thule) • Sector 225
- Referenced only
- Earth Station McKinley
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
- Federation • Oceanographic Institute • Starfleet
Science and classification[]
- air tank • cold weather suit • communicator • computer • coordinates • environmental system • evasive maneuvers • hatch • holodeck • paraglider • phaser • scanner • sedative • sensor • spear • subspace communication • transmission • transporter • turbolift • viewscreen
Ranks and titles[]
- captain • chief engineer • counselor • doctor • ensign • lieutenant • number one • officer • pilot • security guard
Other references[]
- asteroid • atmosphere • atom • bear • birthday • blood • bridge • captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2370 • carbon dioxide • cargo shuttle • caribou • champaign • charcoal • city • conference lounge • continent • crew • day • death • docking bay • dust cloud • frostbite • glacier • honor • hospital • hour • hydrogen • ice • igloo • ion • kilometer • kiss • legend • lung • metal • meter • mining • minute • mountain • mythology • ocean • orbit • oxygen • ozone • polar bear • rock • seal • second • security • shuttle • shuttle bay • sickbay • sleep • snow • spaceport • star • volcano • water
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- TNG episode: "Parallels" – Worf's birthday and dinner with Deanna Troi in 2370.
- TNG novel: A Fury Scorned – The starship Carpathia was involved in another planetary evacuation associated with a USS Enterprise mission, this time at Epictetus III in 2369.
- TOS comic: "Ice Journey" – In 2266, Floe I suffered from decreasing surface temperatures as its atmosphere became too cold to breathe.
- TOS comic: "The Crucial Element" – In 2266, Vultrans evacuated their homeworld Vultra in interplanetary arks as it transitioned into an arctic wasteland.
Background[]
- The story gives the stardate as 47736.1. The Pocket Books Timeline adjusts this date to stardate 47436.1 to place it after "Parallels" (Worf's dinner with Troi on his birthday is still recent).
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| Published Order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: The Space Vortex of Doom |
Amazing Stories magazine | Next story: When Push Comes to Shove |
| Previous story: On the Scent of Trouble |
The Amazing Stories omnibus | Next story: A Night at Sandrine's |
| Chronological Order | ||
| Previous adventure: Sanctuary |
Pocket Books Timeline | Next adventure: Rivals |
| Previous adventure: Sanctuary |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Rivals |
| Previous story: Parallels |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise-D | Next story: The Pegasus |