Текст книги "Summon the Thunder"

Автор книги: Dayton Ward

Соавторы: Kevin Dilmore
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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 30 страниц)

“What,” said the third man, dressed in a red tunic and whom Leone recognized as a member of the Endeavour’s security force, “because she’s a woman?”

“Oh, give me some credit, please,” Muller said as he fell in line behind Leone. “Species, gender, age, whatever. Incompetence knows no boundaries. She may have been fine making duty rosters and supervising landing parties, but Khatami doesn’t belong in the center seat. Period.”

Tossing his tray into the nearest recycler slot, Leone pivoted on his heel until he was facing Muller, who had to come to an abrupt stop to avoid running into the doctor. “Excuse me, Lieutenant,” he said, his eyes locking with those of the younger man. “I’d like a word with you out in the corridor.”

To his credit, Muller said nothing until both men exited the dining hall. Once in the passageway, Leone folded his arms across his chest as he glared at the other man.

“As an officer, Mr. Muller,” he said, “you have an obligation to lead by example. That means presenting a professional demeanor when in the presence of subordinates, and keeping to yourself any unfavorable opinions you might have regarding this ship’s chain of command.”

“I’m not saying anything that other people haven’t said,” Muller replied, his tone growing more defensive with each word. “She could have gotten us all killed during that attack. You know that.”

Feeling his ire rising even as he regarded Muller through narrowing eyes, Leone snapped, “The fact that you’re alive to run your mouth about what happened obviously means she did something right. Now tell me, Lieutenant, do I look like the type of person who enjoys quoting rules and regulations? All they do is piss me off. Therefore, I suggestyou reevaluate your comments, particularly when you’re in a public setting among the rest of the crew.”

His own expression growing cold, Muller leaned forward, and when he replied his voice took on what Leone imagined the other man thought to be menace. “Frankly, Doctor,” he said, his chest puffing out a bit, “until I see a reason to believe differently, I’m going to hold to my opinion, and I’ll share it with whom I please. CaptainKhatami is a disaster waiting to happen.”

Leone sighed as he noted the arrival of Muller’s dining companions, both of whom were taking an interest in the conversation. “That’s where you and I have a problem, Lieutenant. You see, as the ship’s doctor, it’s part of my job to ensure that the crew’s morale remains high at all times. Your bad-mouthing Captain Khatami erodes that morale. That’s a problem for me.”

“You don’t say?” asked Muller.

“In fact,” Leone said, his voice raising in volume, “it looks like it might be a problem for you, too.” He made a show of squinting as he stared down the other man. “Come to think of it, you’re looking a bit worn right now. Maybe you ought to excuse yourself to your quarters. You know, relax, get some rest.”

“Forget it, Doctor,” Muller said, offering a smug grin. “I feel just fi—”

The rest of his sentence was lost, shoved back into his mouth as Leone’s fist impacted with the lieutenant’s jaw. Muller’s head snapped back and he fell like a limp doll, unconscious even before he hit the deck.

Leone turned, fire in his eyes, to stare at Muller’s two friends, who still stood nearby. “Mr. Muller’s condition looks contagious,” he said. “How do you gentlemen feel?”

“Uh, I feel great, sir,” the ensign in security red replied, his head nodding so fast Leone thought it might break loose from his neck. Looking to his companion, he asked, “You okay, Brad?”

The crewman in the jumpsuit simply nodded.

“I’m thrilled to hear it,” Leone said, nodding to each of them. He indicated the insensate Muller with a wave of his hand. “I suggest the two of you help spread the word about this…disease I’ve just treated. Mr. Muller here just might be Patient Zero if we’re not careful. You think?”

The two men mumbled something which to Leone’s ears sounded like acquiescence. Offering a curt nod, the doctor turned and marched up the corridor toward the turbolift, ignoring the stares of baffled onlookers. No doubt word would make its way with undue haste to Captain Khatami, who was sure to address the issue with a rich, verbose dressing-down.

He ignored that thought for now, though. Waiting until he was well around a bend in the passageway and out of sight of the milling of officers near the mess hall, he lifted his aching right hand and flexed his fingers, already noting the discolorations on his knuckles, which appeared to be well on their way to becoming full-blown bruises.

Damn, that hurts worse than the horseradish.

30

He knew it was his imagination, of course, but the longer Reyes studied the star chart as displayed on the viewscreen in his office, the more he believed that he could see the hole in the galaxy where the planet Palgrenax once had been.

“What do we know?” he asked, his attention remaining focused on the computer-generated representation of the Taurus Reach. The map had been redrawn several times during the past months, regularly updated with new territorial borders, lines representing patrol routes, points of interest, and potential hazards in accordance with the increased presence not only of Federation colonies and ships but also those of the Klingon Empire.

Standing to the left of the screen, her hands clasped behind her back, T’Prynn replied, “According to telemetry received from long-range sensors, the planet exploded at 2247 hours, station time.”

Reyes turned from the viewer and crossed the office to his desk. Dropping into his chair, he reached for his cup of coffee, his second since being roused from a fitful sleep less than thirty minutes previously. As he drank generously from the warm brew and despite every fiber of his being telling him to look elsewhere, the commodore could not help but glance at the chronometer situated at the base of his desktop computer terminal: 0342 hours.

The start of another beautiful day.

“To say that speculation is running rampant would be an understatement of epic proportion,” Ambassador Jetanien offered from where he stood before Reyes’s desk. The commodore was gratified to note that the towering Chelon apparently had chosen to forgo imbibing the hateful beverage he normally consumed in great quantities and the odor of which usually sent Reyes looking for something in which to vomit.

Taking a generous sip from his coffee cup, Reyes said, “But they don’t know what we know.” He looked to T’Prynn. “Do they, Commander?”

The Vulcan shook her head. “Correct, sir. The Klingon vessel that was in orbit of the planet until the moment of its destruction reported significant power readings emanating from multiple subterranean sources, all of which were working in concert to introduce massive tectonic destabilization. Prior to that, no geological anomalies which might account for such an event were detected.”

“And these power readings,” Jetanien said, “they were the same as those observed by the Endeavourat Erilon?”

“The indications are that technology similar to that discovered on Erilon was in use on Palgrenax, though on a much greater scale, of course.”

Frowning as he considered the information for the tenth time since being roused at this unholy hour, Reyes asked, “You’re saying that whoever built those structures on Palgrenax included what was basically a planetary self-destruct?”

Pausing a moment as if to consider the notion, T’Prynn then offered a curt nod. “That is essentially correct, sir.”

“Any chance the Klingons did this to themselves?” Reyes asked. “An accident of some kind while investigating something on or beneath the surface?”

T’Prynn replied, “That is a possibility, of course, though nothing in any of the communications we have been able to decipher to this point provides any such indication.”

“Perhaps the Tholians found a way to trigger the event,” Jetanien said. “Though I suspect you would have found something in their communications to that effect.”

“Much of it has defied our attempts at decryption,” T’Prynn said, “but we have translated enough to know that the Tholians are blaming the Klingons, accusing them of unleashing some form of heretofore unknown superweapon on the planet. As expected, the Klingons are leveling similar allegations toward the Tholians, claiming the Assembly is exacting vengeance for the isolated encounters that have already taken place.”

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Reyes released a small sigh. “So, everybody thinks someone else did it, but nobody knows who, to say nothing of why.”

That latter question burned in the commodore’s mind, even more so than wanting to know the identity of whoever might have carried out such a calamitous action. There was more to consider here than conflict between the Klingons and the Tholians, he knew. Whoever or whatever had destroyed Palgrenax, they had done so without any apparent regard for the race of intelligent beings that had sprung up on that world. It suggested that the responsible party had an agenda which did not include the fate of innocents as a priority.

Not for the first time, Reyes felt the pull of regret as he considered the consequences of the Federation’s movements into the Taurus Reach on those civilizations native to the region. While Starfleet had taken great pains to avoid contact with local species—especially those that had not yet progressed to warp flight—the Klingons of course had felt no such compelling need. Seven planets had fallen under the empire’s banner, four of them inhabited.

Could Starfleet and the Federation have done more to prevent that unchecked expansion? The question had nagged at Reyes more times than he had bothered to count. While it could be argued that the Klingons might eventually have ventured into this region of space on their own, planting their flag on various worlds in the same manner in which they already had done so, Reyes also believed that it was an argument put forth by weaker men.

They’re here because of us. Everything that happens here is our fault.

While he acknowledged the need to tread with care through the political and military minefield that the Taurus Reach represented in order to avoid inciting an interstellar incident—with the Klingons or the Tholians—Reyes had no intention of allowing that reasoning to cloud or gloss over the simple fact that innocent parties would suffer because of the Federation’s encroachment into this part of the galaxy.

Whatever we end up finding out here, it better damned well be worth it.

“If it was an accident,” he said after a moment, “they might well have simply activated the wrong piece of equipment.” A chill wormed its way down his spine at the thought of the eager Lieutenant Xiong committing a similar tragic mistake. Reyes made a note to ensure that a full report of this incident was transmitted to the lieutenant within the hour, well before the Endeavourand the Lovellreached Erilon.

“However,” he continued, “if it was a deliberate act, then why? Were the Klingons the target? Are we talking about something like what happened at Erilon?” Even as he spoke the words, he felt a twinge of remorse at the thought of what had happened to Captain Zhao and the research team on that ice-bound world.

“None of the communications transmitted from the Klingon ship to their base suggested any contact with unknown alien entities,” T’Prynn said as she stepped away from the viewer. “That does not rule out such a possibility, of course.”

As she crossed the room to stand before the commodore’s desk, her hands still clasped behind her back, Reyes for the first time noted what he thought to be hints of fatigue in the commander’s eyes. He knew that Vulcans did not require sleep with the same frequency as humans, just as he also was aware that they could be quite stubborn when it came to seeing to their own basic health needs.

She’s a big girl,he reminded himself. She can take care of herself.

“Perhaps the Klingons destroyed the planet to protect the secret of what they’d found,” Jetanien said. “However, a scenario worth considering is that whatever attacked our people on Erilon staged a similar assault on Palgrenax, only this time they felt the need to initiate more drastic measures.”

Despite himself, Reyes felt his eyes widen as he digested the ambassador’s theory. “That’s a hell of a leap to make, Your Excellency. On what are you basing this?”

“Logic,” the Chelon said. Turning to T’Prynn, he added, “My apologies for stepping into your realm of expertise, Commander, but Captain Zhao and his people were attacked after discovering and activating components of the ancient alien technology discovered on Erilon. Based on the Klingons’ sensor readings, we can conclude that similar technology was found on Palgrenax, after which it was apparently used as an instrument to destroy that planet.” Rolling his massive shoulders, he released a burst of clicks before saying, “To employ one of your people’s idioms, Commodore, someone or some thing does not want anyone playing with their toys.”

“You’re suggesting someone has interests on both of these planets,” Reyes said, making no effort to hide his skepticism, “light-years apart, and with no detectable mode of transportation between those two points? Who? Why?”

The ambassador shook his head. “I am not in possession of all the relevant facts. I merely posit a theory based on what information is available at this time.”

Just what I need,Reyes thought. Another mystery.

As if reading his mind, Jetanien said, “Given our current situation, however, we cannot afford to waste time with idle speculation. Both the Klingons and the Tholians are ratcheting up the rhetoric after this incident, Commodore. Anger and posturing are—as you can imagine—laced with fear, given that each side is now worried that they can be obliterated by the other. For the moment, they seem content to simply point accusatory fingers at one another, but we can be sure that will not last.”

Releasing a heavy sigh as he leaned back in his chair, giving in only slightly to the protests his body was staging in reaction to his lack of sleep, Reyes said, “Tell me about it.” He reached for one of several data slates littering his desk and held it up for emphasis. “Have you seen this report from the Sagittarius? Captain Nassir broke up what was about to become a fistfight between a Tholian patrol ship and a Klingon D-5 battle cruiser.”

“An impressive feat,” T’Prynn said, bowing her head in appreciation, “considering the limitations of his ship.”

“It’s only limited if your enemy knows that,” Reyes replied, allowing a wry grin to creep onto his face. The Sagittarius,an Archer-class scout ship, was not equipped or armed for combat—particularly when outnumbered. Still, that had not stopped her captain from stepping into the line of fire, a decision which had yielded quite a lively after-action report. Nassir’s chief engineer had devised a “fake-out” whereby the small scout had appeared on the aged Klingon vessel’s sensors as a larger and far more intimidating Constitution-class starship. The tactic had proven effective to the point that the Klingon cruiser broke off its attack and retreated at high warp.

“Remind me to buy Master Chief Ilucci a drink when they get back,” Reyes said as he tossed the data slate onto his desk. “Unfortunately, head fakes and other cute tricks aren’t going to be enough for the long haul. We’re getting other reports of scuffles between Klingon and Tholian ships. So far it’s just isolated, limited engagements, probably because neither side has any appreciable ability to project force into the region, but you can bet that won’t last long.” He looked to Jetanien. “We need a permanent fix, and fast, Your Excellency. Any progress on the diplomatic front?”

The ambassador shook his head, the blunt beak of his mouth clicking in what Reyes had come to recognize as an expression of dissatisfaction. “To this point our overtures to the Klingon and Tholian delegations have been most disappointing.” Indicating the viewscreen with a nod of his oversized head, he added, “However, this incident may well have provided us with a unique opportunity. I have already been in contact with my esteemed counterparts, and both seem at least somewhat eager to explore some form of peaceful solution. Both the Klingons and the Tholians have agreed to send envoys to meet with me.”

“And this is supposed to make me happy?” Reyes asked, shaking his head at the thought of three headstrong ambassadors locked in a room for however long it took to broker a diplomatic solution to the touchy political situation they all faced.

Or kill each other– whichever comes first.

“There may be no better time to seize this initiative,” Jetanien said. “Further, if there is another, larger threat to consider, then it would seem to be a threat to all of us. Perhaps we might join forces against a common foe.”

It sounded good in theory, Reyes admitted, though his gut told him the reality of the situation would likely resist the ambassador’s good intentions. Regardless, he was confident Jetanien could handle whatever the Klingon and Tholian delegates threw at him. Besides, whatever he dropped, Lieutenant Jackson and the rest of the station’s security contingent would be there to catch. Reyes would see to that himself.

“Well, you’re going to have your hands full, there’s no doubting that,” Reyes said as he rose from his chair and made his way around his desk and crossed his office until he was standing once more before the viewscreen. Again his attention was focused on the computer-generated star chart depicting the solar system which once had been home to Palgrenax. “But, so are the rest of us, I think.”

“You are concerned that the ambassador’s theory might be correct,” T’Prynn said as she moved to stand next to him.

“That something else might be out there, and that it seems to be mad at everybody?” Reyes asked. “You’re damned right, I’m worried. It seems like for every rock we turn over out here, five more show up, and I end up not liking what I find under three of those.”

“Under at least one of those rocks lay the answers we seek, Commodore,” Jetanien said. “There can be no turning back now. Simply too much is at stake.”

Releasing a tired, humorless chuckle as he cast a knowing glance toward T’Prynn, Reyes turned from the screen. “I have to tell you, Ambassador, the more I hear that, the more I want to find out who said it first and beat them with a lead pipe.”

“You can be certain it was a politician,” Jetanien replied, offering the Chelon equivalent of a broad grin.

Reyes nodded. “I rest my case.”

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of the intercom on his desk emitting its telltale tone. Looking toward the row of status lights embedded at the base of the small gray rectangular module which housed the comm unit, Reyes noted that the red light on the far left was blinking. He reached for the control pad set into his desk, entering a sequence of coded commands. “Computer, activate security encryption algorithm Sierra Delta-Six.”

There was a delay as his request was processed, after which the female voice that characterized Starfleet computer systems replied, “Security protocol enabled.”

Satisfied that the communication now was sheltered under an umbrella of protection, the commodore activated the channel. “Reyes here.”

“ Commodore, this is Dr. Gek,”said the nasally voice of the Tellarite scientist, the effect only enhanced from being filtered through the comm speaker. “ I’ve discovered something that’s most interesting, sir. Something you should know about.”

Exchanging intrigued glances with Jetanien and T’Prynn, Reyes leaned closer to the comm unit. “What is it, Doctor?”

Gek cleared his throat before answering, a sound that Reyes likened to a Grenthemen water hopper stalling after having its clutch popped. “ Sir, we have been going over the sensor data gathered by theEndeavour during the incident at Erilon. According to our findings, the power signatures emanating from the subterranean weapons emplacements appear to have at least a passing resemblance to Tholian technology.”

The silence that descended upon Reyes’s office was total, to the point that after several seconds, Gek felt compelled to ask, “ Hello? Is this unit functioning?”

“Fascinating,” T’Prynn said, her right eyebrow ascending nearly to her hairline.

Jetanien clicked and chirped before nodding. “Well, this seems to have become a new thing altogether. It should make the coming summit that much more interesting.”

Resting his head in his hands so as to better rub his now throbbing temples, Reyes said, “As always, Your Excellency, your gift for understatement knows no bounds.”