"Dammit!" Picard swore at the Vorta Visor. His com badge lay beside it, a standard issue tricorder in one hand, scanning both. The readout told him once again that not only were the two energy sources incompatible, attempting to sync them would result in an explosion.
Odo paced beside him, the Plasma rifle at the ready. The Vorta's scanner was silent at it's masters side, for now. Every few seconds Odo would glance at it, waiting for the deep baritone to announce the approach of more hunters.
"How much longer?" Picard didn't look up.
"As long as it takes I'm afraid." Another pass of the tricordor revealed nothing. No new ideas, no new information. "I need Mr. O'Brian here." The changeling Harrumphed beside Picard, glanced at the Vorta scanner.
"O'Brian is a fine man, but I think he would disagree with you." Picard smiled, passed the tricorder over the com badge.
"I think your right Ambassador." The tricorder beeped, signifying that it had completed it's scan. Picard shook his head, placed the com badge back on his chest. "This is no good. I can't amplify the signal, and I can't use the Visor either." Picard walked to the bridge door, saw the dead Hirogen and turned around, staring at the plasma rifle resting on Odo's arm.
He moved to the rifle, ran the tricorer over it, then the Visor. A few moments later the tricorder gave him the readout he'd been hoping for. A sixty percent compatibility in way the the two devices stored and output energy.
"I need that rifle." Picard took the rifle from Odo, moved over to a dead control console to the left of the control panel and placed the rifle along side. Running the tricorder along it's leangh once more he found a control hatch a few inches below the trigger. He turned back to Odo, smiled, and pointed at the hatch.
"Of course." Odo said. Closing the distance to the rifle he caused his hand to morph into eight small tenticles, the golden rivers of protoplasm nestled into the microscopic space between the frame and the hatch, and Odo pulled. The dark metal surface below revealed several indecipherable glyphs highlighted in golden light.
"Well." Picard said with a sigh. "this doesn't help much." He leaned against the wall, letting the tricorder fall to his waist.
"Shouldn't the computer be able to translate it?" Odo asked. Picard shook his head, wiping beads of sweat from his brow.
"No, there are no references to Hirogen written script in the federation database from which the computer can build a translation matrix." He wiped sweat from his forehead again. "It's getting hotter in here." Odo looked around, moved a step closer to the entrace to the bridge. Only shadow could be seen from his vantage point. He took another step closer, keeping his voice low.
"I hand't noticed." He pointed to the door, and just then the Vorta scanner began letting out it's deep trill.