Текст книги "Kobayashi Maru"

Автор книги: Andy Mangels

Соавторы: Michael Martin
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“We do indeed have such evidence, said General Casey, nodding. “The audiovisual records supporting Captain Archers findings will be made available to each of you later today. He paused momentarily before adding, “I must admit up front that the quality of the images is less than optimal; as with many intelligence finds of this sort, it had to be obtained using less‑than‑optimal means, and under less‑than‑optimal circumstances.

Something in the MACO generals tone warned al‑Rashid that pressing him on those “less‑than‑optimal means and circumstances would be less than welcome.

After the two Starfleet admirals had finished spending the next twenty minutes furnishing the details of Archers fateful discovery, Soval said, “Attacking the Klingons would have been a grievous error on our part. Despite his peoples vaunted emotional control, the Vulcan foreign minister looked somewhat rattled by the enormity of what the Draylax affair had nearly caused.

“Wewould have been the aggressor, said Samuels, his expression mirroring Sovals, only without the hard veneer of Vulcan composure. “The Klingons would have felt entirely justified in striking back at us, and hard.

“There will be no war with the Klingon Empire, al‑Rashid said, sinking back into his chair as he allowed a tremendous sensation of relief to take wing; his words, which he had aimed at no one in particular, sounded almost like a benediction in his own ears.

A womans voice sliced through al‑Rashids joy like a hot blade. “Why do you seem so happy about this?

He found himself blinking his incomprehension at the official observer from Draylax, who regarded him with undisguised puzzlement from across the table.

“Im afraid I dont understand, al‑Rashid said. “The Klingons werent behind the attack against your people. You dont wantwar with them, do you?

Grethe Zhor shook her head, sending a cascade of golden hair tumbling around her leonine face. “Of course not, Minister. But instead of an easily conceptualized enemy to rally my people to straightforward action, we now must contend with a mystery attack by phantoms disguisedas Klingons.

“Which is why Starfleet is already busy planning tactical countermeasures against the new Romulan weapon, Samuels said.

“Until those countermeasures become available, the Draylaxian said, “and perhaps for a goodly period afterward, we willbe at war with phantoms, Minister, make no mistake. Against whom shall we rally the varied peoples of the Coalition in such a phantom wara struggle in which one cannot even see the enemys face? At whom shall we point the Coalitions guns?

“Pfagh, Gral said. “Romulans are no more phantoms than are Klingons. And there is no more reason to fear them than the Klingons.

The silence that came from both the Andorian and Vulcan delegations spoke more eloquently than any counterargument al‑Rashid could have devised.

Recalling the terrifying holovids he had seen of the charred bones and burning seas of Coridan Primethe handiwork of phantomsEarths interior minister began to believe that the Draylaxian had the bleakest vision of the future of anyone in the room.

He also thought it was probably the clearest.

THIRTY‑FIVE

Day Thirty‑nine, Month of KriBrax The Hall of State, Dartha, Romulus

N IJIL TRIEDto affect a look of cool composure as he watched Valdore rise from behind his massive sherawood desk. The admiral remained quiet until his impressively broad form had finished unfolding to its full height.

“I have given you all the time I can spare, Nijil, Valdore said. “Praetor Dderidex and First Consul TLeikha are both growing restless, as are the admirals of the fleet. Is the arrenhehwiuatelecapture system finally ready for general deployment?

While there was no way to know for certain whether the new offensive system would work perfectly in actual use, the tests thus far had given Nijil every confidence that the fleet would experience no significant problems with it.

Which meant that there was only one thing Nijil could afford to say. “It is ready, Admiral. The Coalition vessels we have just acquired with the system will provide all the cover we need, in addition to illustrating the need to apply the telecapture technology more generally against all our adversaries.

Nijil was aware, of course, that the enemy ships the fleet had taken most recently hewed to the same general technological principles as did the Romulan fleet. But he also had the good sense to avoid mentioning that fact to Valdore, who was obviously in a mood to hear answers that were as positive as they were unequivocal.

Valdore nodded his acknowledgment, looking well pleased. “Good, Nijil. Outstanding.

The scientist was well acquainted with Valdores moods when he was notpleased. Indeed, he had encountered the mans disruptor‑like glare just this morning, after another subordinate had failed to discover anything new about Centurion Terixs apparently failed mission to recover the avaihh lli vastamstardrive data the Ejhoi Ormiinassassins had stolen from the late Ehrehins labradicals who had paid Nijil rather handsomely in exchange for his giving them access to the late scientist.

Nijil rejoiced at the fact that hewasnt among those who had to deal with the admirals bad side. At least, not recently.

The admiral continued, “Our advance forces will mobilize just as soon as you finish verifying the installation and calibration of the attack fleets telecapture units.

“My people can complete the last of the settling‑in adjustments in an eisae,Nijil said, nodding. “Perhaps less. I only wish we were able to produce and install more than two telecapture units per squadron in the time allotted.

“Two per squadron will suffice, Nijil. A broad smile spread across Valdores face. It was a rare sight, and a welcome one. “The fleet will move against the Isneih and Seichi systems, right on schedule.

Nijil nodded. From those beachheads, the Romulan fleet would face few serious impediments to its ultimate goals, provided it maintained the advantage of surprise. Even if the Coalition were to discover prematurely what was coming, they could do little to keep the point of the Empires spear from reaching the worlds that constituted the very beating heart of the Coalition of Planets.

The alien lloannmhrahelwho populated the vast regions of space that lay beyond the Avrrhinul outmarches that marked the Empires present‑day borders would no longer be safe, assuming all went well as the very near future began to unfold. Not even ancient, ruddy ThhaeiVulcanitself could stand for very long against Romuluss most glorious onslaught in recent memory.

“I have more news for you, Admiral, Nijil said.

The admiral raised an eyebrow.

Scarcely able to contain his excitement, Nijil began to explain the warp‑speed breakthrough his theoretical people had just stumbled upon. “The technology division may very soon render Centurion Terixs mission moot.

THIRTY‑SIX

Romulan Scoutship Drolae Near Romulus

A S THE OVERSTRAINED LITTLE SHIPobediently transitioned from nearly warp six to a relatively sluggish warp two, Trip breathed a new prayer of thanks to any deity who might be monitoring such things anywhere in the vast empty spaces between Romulus and Earth. He was grateful not only that the vessel around him had successfully endured yet another brutal bout of rapid acceleration and decelerationnot to mention the sustained hard use it had suffered in between those extremesbut also for the simple fact that, as one of Trips automotive‑engineer ancestors might have put it, Centurion Terix had apparently left his keys in the scout vessels ignition, so to speak.

That simple, unaccountable fact also proved to be a source of nagging disquiet from the moment Trip had left the Taugus system until now, when Romulus was already becoming visible on the long‑range sensors as a small but brightly shining cerulean bauble, locked in a perpetual gravitational dance with the ruddy wasteland of Remus, an ugly, blotchy orb that appeared to be perched on the blue planets shoulder like some grimly vigilant gargoyle.

Despite his relatively trouble‑free passage to Romulus thus far, Trip still continued to worry that Terix had set some sort of elaborate trap for himone whose jaws still had yet to spring shut on him. Talk about paranoid,he thought. All Terix had to do was rig the warp core to lose containment once I started accessing the helm station. He really didnt need to set any traps more complicated than that.

But he still had his nagging doubts. For one thing, it just wasnt like Terix, a man who clearly did not give his trust easily, to be so sloppy. But not only had the Scoutship Drolaeapparently notbeen rigged to explode in the absence of a special surreptitious abort code, the sturdy little vessels com system had actually allowed him to maintain constant surveillance over the subspace frequencies being used by the Romulan fleet, apparently thanks to Terixs simple failure to log off of the com console just prior to disembarking for the Taugus raid.

But most fortunate of allnot to mention most suspicious of allwas the fact that this blunder had left Trip with access to many of the fleets highest‑security channels.

As he initiated his sublight approach to the steadily growing sapphire planet, rehearsing the verbal report he would make to Valdore all the way, some of the chatter he was hearing on the secure com channels began to both intrigue and frighten him. For starters, the Romulan fleets technology division appeared to have just made an unspecified but apparently significant breakthrough in following up on the late Doctor Ehrehins warp‑seven stardrive research.

Trip wasnt at all sure what that meantlet alone how they had managed it without Ehrehinif the news turned out to be anything other than a hopeful rumor. Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later,he thought. After all, somebody else would have built the first airplane back in the early twentieth century if Orville and Wilbur had decided to throw in the towel early.

The other messages he intercepted soon afterward began to chill him to the depths of his soul. Disciplined‑sounding voices familiar to anyone with military training, regardless of language, had begun speaking in clipped, determined phrases of fleet movements. Largefleet movements, which were being discussed only on what Trip had identified as the highest‑security channels to which he had access. All of the fleet movements were apparently covert.

And all of them were headed away from Romulan space, proceeding in the general direction of the core Coalition worlds.

Two specific destinations, which he assumed were Romulan place names for Coalition locations, had already recurred frequently enough to draw Trips attention. Isneih, Seichi.He hadnt heard either name before, so he couldnt translate them readily into their English equivalents. But he imagined those places wouldnt be hard to locate using the data files on the Drolaes nav computer. After activating the autopilot, he immediately set about doing just that.

Isneih. A supermassive white star located about nineteen light‑years from another marker, which Trip had already designated as Earths solar system.

Trips heart raced as he compared his own mental star map to the one displayed on the nav console. The Calder system,he thought, his spine chilled as though suddenly exposed to a total vacuum. Thats getting a little too close to Andoria and Vulcan for comfort.

With Calder pinned down on the map, it took only another few moments to locate the Romulan fleets other frequently mentioned objective: Seichi.

His stomach abruptly went into freefall. Alpha Centauri. Only a bit more than four light‑years from Earth.

A proximity alarm interrupted Trips grim musings, forcing his attention back up to the forward windows. The space in front of them was quickly growing very crowded, and not merely because the Drolaewas fast approaching Romulus.

A flat, horseshoe‑crab‑shaped Romulan bird‑of‑prey had just dropped out of warp directly between him and the looming planet. The rapidly approaching vessel was oriented so that the glare of Eisn, the bright yellow sun around which Romulus and Remus orbited, provided garish illumination to its ventral hull, which displayed the bright red plumage of a predatory bird.

Without warning, a disruptor beam lashed out from the warbird, scoring a direct hit that rocked the little scoutship and rang her hull like a colossal clapper striking an outsize cathedral bell. Fortunately, Trips flight harness kept him from being flung from the pilots seat.

He engaged the throttle, and wasnt a bit surprised when the warp drive failed to engage.

Swell. Terix, you sadistic bastard. You really did plan this all along, didnt you?Trip felt physically pinned down, as though hed just been literally caught in the steel jaws of a bear trap.

But he knew that even a trapped animal was anything but helpless. Few creatures were more dangerous than a wounded bear, after all, and Trip understood that he wasnt entirely out of options, trapped or not. He began entering commands into his partially disabled engineering console, beginning by punching up the fuel‑containment subsystem.

His com console light flashed, signaling an incoming hail. A harsh male voice came over the speaker. “Scout vesselDrolae. You will heave to and deactivate your weapons. Prepare to be boarded, or vaporized.

Trip shut off the speaker, then extended his left arm toward the forward window in order to make a decidedly un‑Romulan hand gesture. Though he seriously doubted that anyone aboard the other vessel could see it, it still felt damned good. Lets see how many of you I can vaporize right along with me,he thought as he returned his attention to the console before him and entered a new string of commands.

A moment later, a small screen before him began displaying the Romulan numerals that denoted the beginning of a final, brief countdown to oblivion.

Next, he began frantically working the com console, trying to open a channel to somebody, anybody,in either Starfleet or the United Earth government. He estimated he had only a few seconds at best before he was blown out of the sky, and he was determined to put his last moments to the best possible use.

Your plan all along was to let mealmost get away with this, wasnt it, Terix? Youwanted me to see what Valdore was about to do to the Coalition planets. Just as long as I couldnt actually do a damned thing about it.

Nothing. No subspace connections. And nothing evidently wrong with the Drolaes transmitter. The receiver, on the other hand, was suddenly awash in an oceanic wave of pure static.

He looked up at the approaching ship. Hes jamming me,he thought, despair at last beginning to zero in on him with all the force of a plummeting asteroid. Looks like Im not getting any warnings out to anybody.

It occurred to him then that he had parted company with his friends back on Taugus without disabusing them of the idea that the Klingon Empire now constituted the gravest threat to peace in the galactic neighborhood. Nowhe knew better. The most serious danger the Coalition now faced emanated from Romulus, rather than the Klingon homeworld. And he was the only one who knew thisand the location of the Romulans targetsto a bedrock certainty, other than the Romulans themselves. And the forward weapons tubes of the approaching bird‑of‑prey argued eloquently that the Romulan Empire would soon have the exclusive franchise on that knowledge, no matter what might happen to Charles Anthony Tucker III in the next few moments.

At least,Trip thought, until after its way too late for anybody in the Coalition to do anything about it.

THIRTY‑SEVEN

Tuesday, July 22, 2155 Columbia NX‑02, near Alpha Centauri

A DMIRAL G ARDNERS NEW ORDERShad arrived only about six hours after Columbias repairs were completed; alone in her ready room, Captain Erika Hernandez received them with a heavy sense of fatigue. She knew she wasnt the only one who was feeling worn out at the moment, either. Like all of Columbias alpha‑shift bridge personnel, Lieutenant Russell Hexter and his beta‑watch crew and Lieutenant Charles Zeilfelder and his gamma‑shifters had been working far past their standard shifts for the duration of the repair operations. The double‑teaming had put quite a strain on just about everyone.

Prior to returning to her command chair on the bridge, Hernandez had put in an order with the galley to prep some caffeinated drinks for the alpha‑shift bridge crew. Before Ensign Valerian, the com officer, had managed to take her first sip, however, she received a partially garbled distress call from a line of cargo vessels reporting that they had come under attack in the Alpha Centauri system. Coffee and tea were put aside, forgotten and cold, as Columbias bridge crew shifted immediately into rescue mode.

“Any ID yet on the attackers, Sidra? Hernandez said, turning her command chair toward the communications console. She hoped that another batch of Romulan‑commandeered Klingon vessels wouldnt prove to be the culprits here; that might push a touchy Coalition Council right over the brink of launching a misbegotten war against the Klingon Empire. Give me plain vanilla, garden‑variety pirates anyday,she thought.

“Still no luck on that, Captain, said Ensign Valerian. “And all Im getting right now is static. Maybe the attackers are jamming the cargo ships at the source.

If they havent destroyed them outright already,Hernandez thought, immediately kicking herself for her pessimism.

Facing front and leaning forward toward the helm, she said, “Whats our ETA at Alpha Centauri? She knew she probably sounded like a child asking “Are we there yet? But given her current lack of sleep, as well as her preoccupation with Jonathan Archers long‑shot attempt to avert a seemingly inevitable war with the Klingons and/or the Romulans, she regarded it as a minor miracle that she sounded even halfway coherent.

Lieutenant Akagi turned from her station, a slight smile on her lips. “Just a hair under twenty minutes, Captain. Five minutes less than the last time you asked. Would you like me to put a counter on the screen, sir? she teased, her almond‑shaped eyes crinkling at the edges.

Hernandez gave her a mock scolding look. “No, that wont be necessary. Ill try to restrain my enthusiasm until we get there. She looked over to the front left of the bridge, where Valerians hands were a blur at her communications console, while her face showed unhappy concentration.

“Any luck restoring communications with the convoy, Sidra? Hernandez asked.

Valerian shook her head. “No, Captain. Im picking up snatches and pieces of subspace messages, but nothing I can lock onto for any length of time. The signals are all tremendously fragmented. Its as if the main ship transceivers are either jammed or destroyed, and the message fragments Im receiving are being transmitted by private, low‑power communication devices carried by shipboard personnel. Most of them appear to be personal messages. Theyre trying to say their good‑byes.

The thought made Hernandez shiver. If their communications are being jammed, could this be another Romulan stunt?She imagined the cargo vessel crews all trying to defend their ships, even as they used whatever small com devices were on hand to send farewell messages to their loved ones. If thats the case, then we may already be too late to help anybody.

She toggled the communicator on her command chairs arm. “Karl, see if you can pump a bit more power into the engines. Even shaving off a minute or two of travel time might make all the difference.

“Ill see what I can do, Captain, but were gonna bust our new stitches if you push my littleLiebchens very much harder,Lieutenant Graylock replied, clearly concerned about undoing the just‑completed repairs to Columbias nacelles and the other recent war wounds she had sustained.

“All I ask is that you try,Karl, Hernandez said before signing off.

“Coming up on fifteen minutes, Akagi said from her station half an eternity later.

“Do we have long‑range visuals yet? Hernandez asked.

At the tactical station, Lieutenant Kiona Thayer shook her head, her long braided hair undulating across her back with the movement. “Not yet, Captain. Even if we did, whatever we saw would already be old news because of the relativistic light‑lag. On the bright side, our sensors arent currently picking up any subspace signatures consistent with weapons fire. Which could be a good thing.

“Or it could mean that the battles already been lost, Hernandez said, feeling glum.

“Well, arent youa bag of oranges and morning sunshine? Commander Veronica Fletcher said in her lilting New Zealand accent as she exited the turbolift and strode purposefully to her traditional spot at the engineering console to Hernandezs right.

“Only if theyre fully pulped oranges, Hernandez said tartly in response. Her answer made her think of poor Jonathan Archer, who really lookedlike a bag of pulped fruit after his fight on QonoS. She was glad she hadnt been on Enterprisewhen Archer had returned, or she would have had to battle the temptation to take care of him. He alwayshas had that effect on me,she thought, even though she never doubted for a moment that her instinct to protect Columbiaand her crew would have overruled the impulse. Of course, she couldnt deny that shed found the current hotheaded, secretive version of Jon Archer far less attractive than the man she once might have married. So much about the man had changed over the past few years. Particularly since the death of Trip Tucker.

Hernandez got a status update from Chief Engineer Graylock on several belowdecks repairs and retrofits that had just been completed, including some system redundancies that could act as extra computer firewalls that had been put into place after Archers warning about the new weapon the Romulans were using.

A hand signal from Akagi told Hernandez that only a few minutes remained before Columbiawas due to drop out of warp in the outer Alpha Centauri system.

“All right, everyone, were on tactical alert, Hernandez said. Once the bridge illumination had dimmed to combat levels, she continued: “We already know that the cargo fleet is under attack, so I want us coming in locked and loaded for bear. I know youve all been briefed already, but let me remind you that the hostile we are about to encounter may be eitherKlingon or Romulan ships. Either way, were going to target their weapons and propulsion wherever possible. I want to capture one of these bastards, if the opportunity arises. If it doesnt, well do whatever we have to do. She looked toward Fletcher, nodding slightly at her executive officer.

“If we end up facing Klingon battle cruisers, keep in mind that their crews may not be in control of their own helms and weapons, Fletcher said, effortlessly picking up where Hernandez had left off. “And if they arent really the ones running their own control panels, then its likely that they wont return our hails. If the hostile vessels really are being controlled remotely, then their tactical maneuvers might be a bit more sluggish than you might expect. But dont bet the farm on that in the absence of hard information. Until we actually engage the aggressors, I want every sensor focused on telling us whether or not the hostile vessels crews are actively piloting their ships, or if they might just be along for the ride, so to speak.

“Two minutes, Captain, Akagi said.

“Arm phase cannons. Load and arm torpedoes, Hernandez said, settling back firmly into her chair. “The moment we exit warp, charge the hull plating. Ensign Valerian, open a broad‑band hailing channel as soon as we go sublight.

“Major Foyle reports that his full MACO complement is standing by if we need them, Fletcher said. “Theyre also deployed near all emergency containment areas, and ready with pressure suits, just in case.

“Thank you, Hernandez said. “Helm, take us out of warp as close as you can to the line of scrimmage. We want the element of surprise on our side.

The deck plates shuddered beneath Hernandezs boots, and Columbias entire spaceframe groaned in a familiar yet still disconcerting manner. The main viewscreen at the front of the bridge showed the distorted streaks of the stars aligned with the ships flightline compressing to almost dimensionless pinpoints as Columbiaabruptly decelerated to subluminal speeds.

Squaring her shoulders and setting her jaw, Hernandez looked directly toward the screens center, knowing the viewer would pick her image up in the same manner as any other audio/visual hail. “This is Captain Erika Hernandez of the United Earth Starship Columbia. We are responding to acts of aggression against cargo vessels under the protection of the Coalition of Planets. All aggressor vessels must stand down and submit to boarding. Any resistance will be considered an act of aggression, and will be met with deadly force. Hostile vessels, this is the onlywarning you will receive.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hernandez saw Lieutenant Commander el‑Rashad turn toward her from his science station, a gobsmacked expression on his chiseled, mocha‑colored features.

The reason for his reaction appeared on the main viewscreen a moment later. The visual sensors displayed what lay in Columbias path. The aggressor vessels and the cargo fleet they menaced came into sharp focus, and it was immediately clear that the attackers were of neither Klingon nor Romulan design. Nor was their identity a mystery; the attackers long, blunt‑nosed central hulls, with each of their aft sections surrounded by a single wide, ring‑shaped warp‑propulsion module, were all too familiar to everyone present.

“ Vulcans?Why would Hernandez said under her breath, scarcely able to contain her incredulity.

“Captain, sensors confirm the presence of two DKyr‑type Vulcan combat cruisers, Thayer said from her tactical station. “Particle‑beam residue readings show that they arethe aggressors here. Should I hold fire?

Hernandez stood, raising her hand to signal restraint. “Yes. Hold fire. What the hellare they doing? Her mind galloped to find an explanation, but the longer she stared at the image, the more insane it seemed.

“Theyre not responding to hails, Captain, Valerian said.

Hernandez continued staring at the vista on the screen, trying to drink in every detail. The beleaguered convoy consisted of five cargo vessels, many of them already severely damaged. One seemed completely beyond salvaging, as plasma fires burned on what little remained of its outer hull, apparently fed by atmosphere that continued to escape from interior compartments. The cargo vessels almost seemed to cower in the presence of the Vulcan ships that appeared to have instigated the entire situation.

“One of the ships is charging up its weapons again! Thayer shouted. On the viewer, Hernandez watched as the forward particle‑beam tube on the ship nearest to Columbiabegan to emit a baleful emerald glow.

“Charge hull plating to full! Hernandez shouted.

“Their weapons lock isnt focused on us,Captain, Fletcher said.

A moment later, a brilliant green beam shot forth from the underbelly of the Vulcan cruiser, lancing into the hull of one of the more heavily damaged cargo ships. Almost immediately, the wounded vessel exploded, sending an expanding cloud of metal debris and ignited gases into space. The effect reminded Hernandez of a Fourth of July fireworks display shed seen as a child, though her mood at the moment was anything but celebratory.

“Have they responded to our hails yet?

“No, sir, Valerian said.

“Try to disable the lead vessel, Hernandez ordered, hoping that she hadnt just made the mistake of her career.

“The second ship is charging weapons and targeting us,Thayer shouted before shed managed to fire her first shot.

“Evasive maneuvers! Hernandez returned to her chair, strapping herself in place as her crew got to work.

As Columbialurched and vibrated in response to Hernandezs demands, the captain studied the viewscreen, which showed several of Thayers phase cannon blasts making contact with one of the DKyr‑type cruisers. The concentrated energy bursts seemed to warm the greenish hull up a bit, while a photonic torpedo exploded against the cruisers underbelly without doing any apparent harm.

“Incoming!

Hernandez felt her ship shudder for a moment as one of the Vulcan vessels returned fire, and the lights on the bridgealready crimson‑hued from the moment Columbiahad gone to full tactical alertflickered and dimmed significantly.

“Status? she yelled.

“Hull plating is down to eighty percent, Thayer said.

“Fire at will, Lieutenant, Hernandez shouted to the tactical officer. She tapped the com unit on her chair. “Karl, we need that hull plating at full.

“Im working on it,Graylock said, sounding testy.

“Firing! Thayer said, and the viewscreen showed that Columbiawas swooping over what appeared to be the dorsal surface of one of the combat cruisers. This time, a full spread of Columbias photonic torpedoes struck the warp ring of the ship, resulting in a blazing arc of bluish energy that crackled around the surface of the ring.

“Bring us about for another salvo, Hernandez said.

“Theyre targeting another one of the cargo ships, Fletcher said.

“Get us betweenthe Vulcans and the cargo fleet, Hernandez said. “Our hull plating can take the pounding better than theirs can. She didnt add the words “I hope out loud, though she felt certain she wasnt the only one on the bridge thinking them.

“BothVulcan ships are opening fire! Thayer said.

“I need every last amp of power you can send to the hull plating, Karl, Hernandez shouted into her com unit.

Perhaps a second later, Columbiashuddered and jumped as though shed been struck by the fist of some angry god. The sharp impact threw Hernandez from her chair. Above her head, the hull rang like a gong, and the bridge abruptly plunged into darkness. She heard several screams and thumps from across the bridge, and saw showers of sparks as various duty stations overloaded.