Текст книги "What Judgments Come"

Автор книги: Dayton Ward

Соавторы: Kevin Dilmore
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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

“Okay, that’s got it,” he said, reaching for the terminal and retrieving from one of its peripheral slots a red hexagonal data card. The card was similar to those used with Starfleet computers, and T’Prynn assured him that bridging any compatibility gaps between the media formats would not present a problem. Reyes would have preferred to transfer the data directly from the Omari-Ekon’s computer to T’Prynn over on Vanguard, but the Vulcan had assured him that such activity would almost without fail be detected by the Orion vessel’s security measures. “They’re going to be pretty pissed when they find out we’ve deleted their navigational data. Are you sure we got it all?”

In the utter quiet of the small maintenance office that had been selected for this last iteration of Reyes’s covert activities, the voice of T’Prynn in his mind seemed loud enough to rattle the walls. “My search protocols found no duplicates of the data. It is possible the data was copied to secondary storage, but there is nothing we can do about that now. “It is now time to bring you to safety, Diego.”

Though he had known this was going to be the end result of this little game of espionage, Reyes still was not sure how to feel about it. He knew that, despite what he had done here with T’Prynn’s assistance, he was still a convicted felon who had been court-martialed and dismissed from Starfleet. The time he had spent in the custody of the Klingons and the Orions also made him a fugitive. Though he wanted to believe that his decisions and actions while in such questionable company had been in keeping with the best interests of Starfleet and the Federation, he knew that others would see him as nothing more than a traitor.

Time for that later, he reminded himself. Maybe.

“All right, then,” he said, moving the data card and the transceiver supplied to him by Ezekiel Fisher to an inside pocket of his jacket. “What’s the plan?”

“I have identified two areas of the ship where the shielding can be penetrated by the station’s transporters,” T’Prynn replied. “I have designated these as primary and secondary extraction points. The first location is closest to your present position. I suggest we begin moving you in that direction with all due haste.”

“Show me the way to go home, Lieutenant,” Reyes said, feeling a rush of adrenaline and anticipation. After so much time living aboard the Omari-Ekon, the thought of finally being freed from his pseudo-prison was almost too much to believe. Of course, it was easy to temper his mixed feelings of enthusiasm and apprehension, just by thinking about all of the things that could still go wrong before he once more set foot aboard Starbase 47.

Following T’Prynn’s instructions, Reyes exited the small office, emerging into a dark, narrow corridor. He knew from his studies of the Omari-Ekon’s layout that T’Prynn had directed him to one of the lower levels near the port-side impulse vents along the vessel’s aft section. Chosen by the intelligence officer for its relative isolation, this part of the ship was free of most foot traffic, save for the occasional maintenance employee and, on more unfortunate occasions, a member of Ganz’s security staff.

Such occasions were even less pleasant when there was more than one guard, as there was now.

“Well, look who it is,” said one of two goons Reyes saw in the passageway as he stepped from the office. To his surprise, this thug was a Tellarite he did not recognize, stocky and sporting a large belly that lapped over the wide leather belt he wore. His prodigious midsection almost, but not quite, succeeded in hiding from view the sizable disruptor pistol resting in a holster along his right hip. As for his companion, he was an Orion whom Reyes had seen on occasion, working in the bar or wandering the gaming deck. Unlike other members of the ship’s security staff, this Orion, Nakaal, seemed content to wear form-fitting tunics rather than walking about with a bare chest and sporting his assortment of tattoos and piercings. There was something about the way the pair carried themselves that told Reyes this was not to be one of the frequent harassment calls paid to him by members of Ganz’s organization who were feeling brave and looking to stir up some kind of confrontation.

No, Reyes decided, this is definitely different.

“And wandering around all alone,” Nakaal said, his voice low and carrying more than a hint of menace. “It’s dangerous down here. A person could get hurt if they’re not careful.”

“Your concern is touching,” Reyes replied, working to keep his own tone neutral, even casual. “That’s what I like about everybody on this ship. Always looking out for everybody’s welfare. Somebody should tell Ganz how conscientious you are. That’s the sort of thing that looks good on personnel reviews when the time for pay raises comes around.”

“Mister Reyes?” T’Prynn prompted, though Reyes did not acknowledge her.

Predictably, neither Nakaal nor the Tellarite seemed amused by his observations. “You need to come with us,” the Orion said, his expression turning to one of irritation as he reached for his belt and retrieved a long, sharp knife from a scabbard on his left hip.

“Where are we going?” Reyes asked, unable to keep his eyes from watching the knife as light from the overhead fixtures reflected off the blade’s polished surface.

Stepping forward, the Tellarite reached toward him with one beefy arm. “We don’t want to spoil the surprise.” At the same time, his other hand was moving to a knife on his own belt. Reyes figured that meant the goons were trying not to attract too much attention, even down here and well away from the ship’s more populated areas. No doubt their plan was to hustle him away to a more private chamber and carry out whatever plan they had in mind.

Well, screw that.

In the close quarters, Reyes decided he had the advantage over the burly Tellarite, who now blocked Nakaal as he moved closer. Without pausing to consider what might happen next, he lashed out with one leg, his foot connecting with the Tellarite’s right knee. The thug grunted in pain and staggered, trying to keep his balance. Behind him, Nakaal was already moving, but Reyes kept his focus on the Tellarite. Closing the distance, Reyes struck with his right fist, catching the guard along his left temple. He heard the knife fall from the Tellarite’s hand and clatter to the deck, and instinct guided his foot as he kicked the weapon out of reach. He shoved the goon backward, blocking Nakaal’s advance and clogging the narrow passageway so neither guard could maneuver. This gave him the opportunity he needed to reach for the Tellarite’s holstered disruptor.

In response, the Tellarite twisted his considerable bulk in a bid to block him, and Reyes responded by punching him a second time, this blow landing on the guard’s sizable nose. The reaction to the attack was immediate: the Tellarite howled, reaching for his face with both hands and providing Reyes the opening he needed to land another strike, this time driving his fist into the thug’s groin. The Tellarite responded by sagging forward, offering his defenseless chin to Reyes, who promptly grabbed the guard’s head while driving his knee into his face. He felt the cartilage of the Tellarite’s nose breaking, and the goon fell back, unconscious before his limp body dropped in a heap to the deck.

“Damn you, Reyes!”

Hearing the words at the same instant light glinted off something metal and shiny in his peripheral vision, Reyes pulled back his head just as Nakaal’s arm slashed forward, the knife in his hand slicing the air between them. Reyes jerked to one side, struggling for maneuvering room in the cramped hallway and almost tripping over the Tellarite’s body. Nakaal kept coming, stepping over his companion and waving his knife before him as he advanced. Backpedaling, Reyes tried to avoid getting forced into the corner he knew was behind him as the passageway made a turn to his left. He watched the Orion’s hand as it waved the blade before him, trying to determine from the movements if Nakaal was really all that skilled with the weapon. Reyes decided he was good enough.

Nakaal, perhaps sensing his opponent’s hesitation, seemed to decide he had the advantage and was looking to press it. His knife held before him, he stepped forward, and Reyes noted the look of satisfaction that seemed to brighten the Orion’s face.

Then, his expression went blank and his eyes widened before his entire body went slack and he sank forward, dropping to the deck in a disjointed heap.

Standing behind Nakaal, her arm extended to where she had applied a nerve pinch at the junction of the Orion’s neck and shoulder, was T’Prynn, dressed from neck to feet in a black, nondescript, and very form-fitting jumpsuit, over which she wore a black belt with several small pouches. Unlike Nakaal’s, her expression was all but unreadable as she beheld Reyes.

“Son of a bitch,” Reyes hissed, blowing out his breath in a relieved sigh.

T’Prynn’s right eyebrow arched. “It is agreeable to see you again, as well, Mister Reyes.”

Sparing a glance to the fallen Nakaal, Reyes checked the corridor in both directions, searching for more of Ganz’s men. “Not that I’m ungrateful, Lieutenant, but what the hell are you doing here?”

As she turned and set about searching the fallen guards, T’Prynn replied, “Ganz has ordered your assassination. These two were sent to carry out that directive.” Moving the unconscious Nakaal’s right arm, she retrieved the disruptor from its holster on the Orion’s hip.

“He ordered the hit on me for tonight?” Reyes asked, holding out his hand as the Vulcan passed the purloined weapon to him. “That sounds a bit too coincidental.” He tried to backtrack his movements during the evening, searching for whatever it was he had said or done to arouse Ganz’s suspicion about his activities and push the Orion toward ordering his men to take action.

“Not at all,” T’Prynn said as she moved to the fallen Tellarite still lying like a lump in the corridor. “As I told you, I’ve been monitoring Ganz’s communications. When I learned he had put the assassination order into motion, I moved up my own timetable so that you could make another attempt to access the ship’s navigational logs tonight, rather than two days from now.”

His eyes narrowing as he parsed her comments and realization hit him, Reyes glared at his former intelligence officer. “Wait, so you knew they were coming after me tonight, and didn’t tell me? What the hell is that about?”

“I did not wish to alarm you,” T’Prynn replied. Her search of the Tellarite completed, she now held his disruptor pistol in her right hand. “At least, not while you needed to focus on your task. Once that was accomplished, it was my intention to update you on the current situation and guide you to a safe haven. What I failed to anticipate was that any of Ganz’s men would find you so quickly. I therefore employed an impromptu deviation to my strategy for your extraction.”

Reyes shook his head, giving up on translating any of that. “And your big backup plan was to come and get me? Basically, you’re just making this up as you go along, right?”

“That is essentially correct,” the Vulcan said.

Noting the weapons they each carried, Reyes asked, “You didn’t bring any weapons?”

T’Prynn nodded. “I have a type-1 phaser in my belt, but I think it prudent to limit the use of Starfleet-issue weapons until no other options remain available.” She held up her disruptor. “These should prove sufficient for our needs.”

The observation was enough to make Reyes check the power gauge on the disruptor she had given him. It offered no stun option, and even the lowest setting would still be sufficient to inflict serious injury on his intended target. He resigned himself to what that might mean should he and T’Prynn encounter further resistance while attempting to escape the ship.

Them or you, ace.

“Okay,” he said, “what’s your plan?”

Moving to step over the Tellarite, T’Prynn replied, “We will proceed to my designated extraction point and request an emergency transport to the station. Lieutenant Jackson is standing by, awaiting our signal.” She then said, “Lieutenant Jackson, do you read?”

Reyes was startled by the sound of the security chief’s voice inside his head as Jackson answered, “Right here, Lieutenant, and it’s good to be hearing your voice again, Commodore.”

“Didn’t anybody get the memo about my court-martial?” Reyes asked, scowling, though it was good to know that T’Prynn also carried a subcutaneous transceiver within her own body. It would make communication that much easier should they become separated during the escape attempt. “And what about Ganz? You can bet he’s looking for us.”

T’Prynn shook her head. “The ship’s internal sensors are offline. I was able to effect that while you were logged into its computer network. They won’t be able to track us except for handheld scanners, and such devices are already blocked by the ship’s internal security measures. I simply executed an instruction which will prevent the protocol from being terminated.”

“I’m not even going to pretend I understood any of that,” Reyes said. “Whatever. With sensors offline, that just means Ganz will send more goons out to find us. So, what do you say we get the hell out of here?”

“Hang on,” Jackson said. We’ve got a problem. It looks like somebody just activated a transport inhibitor shield around the Omari-Ekon.”

Reyes replied, “That means he knows somebody’s here, trying to help me.”

“A logical conclusion,” T’Prynn said, “though it’s also possible Ganz is simply anticipating a transporter as our means of escape. Either way, it does not appear that we’ll be beaming off this ship.”

Reyes took another look at the disruptor in his hand. “You said internal sensors were offline? I’m thinking that means we might have another card to play.”

25

Ganz was more than ready to kill someone. Diego Reyes was his preferred target of choice, but at the moment, anyone would do.

“Where is he?” Turning from the railing of his balcony, which overlooked the Omari-Ekon’s gaming deck, Ganz moved back into his office and regarded Tonzak. To his credit, the head of security seemed appropriately terrified, which did little to alleviate Ganz’s increasingly foul mood.

Clearing his throat, Tonzak replied, “I don’t know. I had three teams following his movements. The last time I heard from Nakaal and Drev, they had spotted Reyes heading away from the gaming deck and into the service passageways. They tracked him to a maintenance compartment in section six, but they don’t know what he was doing.”

Ganz knew what Reyes had been doing, though it alarmed him that he had acquired this knowledge only after the troublesome human had completed whatever task had taken him to the maintenance section. “He was accessing the ship’s computer,” he said, feeling his jaw clench.

“How could he do that?” Tonzak asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

“He had help, obviously.” Moving to his desk, Ganz settled his muscled physique into his oversized padded chair. “He would have needed it to get past our security safeguards.” Though he held no doubts that Diego Reyes possessed no small number of skills in his own right, the security measures implemented to protect the Omari-Ekon’s computer system were such that the human would not have been able to bypass them all from the intetface terminal he had utilized in the maintenance office. Navigating through the maze of protocols and oversight subroutines required a level of knowledge about the system Reyes could not have acquired on his own. At least, that should have been the case, unless Ganz’s security staff was even more incompetent than this latest failure would seem to indicate. What concerned Ganz now was what information Reyes might have accessed or taken from the computer once he found a pathway into the system, as the human had done a remarkable job covering his tracks.

I’ll just have to ask him myself, then.

Finding some momentary satisfaction at the thought of how such a discussion might proceed once Reyes was brought before him, Ganz asked, “Where are Nakaal and Drev now?”

Tonzak said, “In the infirmary. Neither of them was injured that severely, though Drev took the worst of it.”

“Make sure I never see either of them again. Anywhere.” Ganz chose not to elaborate, leaving it to his subordinate to exercise whatever initiative and action he thought best. “And no one else has seen Reyes?”

Shaking his head, Tonzak replied, “No. He has to be hiding somewhere on one of the maintenance levels or in the service crawlways. With sensors offline, we’re having to conduct a section-by-section search with handheld scanners.”

Ganz released an irritated grunt. Disabling the ship’s internal sensors was a shrewd play on the part of Reyes or whoever had helped him. The hand-carried units Tonzak’s people would be using to conduct their search would be helpful, but it would still take time, perhaps long enough for Reyes to find a way off the ship. Whoever was assisting him had to have a plan for extracting him, which Ganz hoped had at least been disrupted by his decision to activate transporter inhibitor fields throughout the vessel.

“Have security round up every human and send them to the exit,” he said. “I don’t care who they’re with or what they’re doing. I want them off the ship, now.” That, he decided, would at least simplify trying to find one lone human among a ship full of Orions and representatives of the other nonhuman species currently on board.

“That will take time,” Tonzak said.

“Then the faster you get started,” Ganz snapped, “the happier I’ll be.” Walking back to the balcony, he looked down at the gaming deck and let his eyes wander over the mass of patrons standing around the gambling kiosks and tables or the bar, or occupying tables or booths in the restaurant and the smaller, satellite bars situated around the casino’s perimeter. There were more humans among the crowd than he could count, and he also saw more than a few Starfleet uniforms.

“We’ll have to notify the station that we’re doing this,” Tonzak said.

“You can notify them after they’re off the ship,” Ganz replied. “Make up a story. Something about a contaminant that’s dangerous to humans, but get it done. Now.” He knew that such a deception would not hold up under scrutiny, and without question would bring with it Admiral Nogura’s unwanted attention. There would be time to deal with that later, he decided. For now, the priority was capturing Reyes and finding out what information he had retrieved from the ship’s computer.

From behind him, he heard Neera’s soft yet still questioning voice. “Ganz? What are you doing?”

“Trying to find Reyes,” Ganz answered, turning from the railing to see Neera regarding him with an expression of questioning disapproval. “He got into the computer and probably took something, though I have no idea what that might be. If he’s managed to copy something, then he’s probably looking for a way off the ship.”

Neera gestured toward the balcony. “And your response is to eject every human? Do you honestly think Nogura will let that pass unchallenged?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Ganz replied, feeling his mounting anger beginning to seep around the edges of his self-control. “If Reyes gets off the ship with whatever he’s stolen, Nogura won’t have any reason to let us stay here.” Indeed, he expected the admiral’s order for the Omari-Ekon to disembark from the station would come within minutes after Reyes’s successful escape.

“He can’t beam off the ship,” Neera said, sounding now like a mother attempting to lecture a recalcitrant child, “and your people are working to restore the internal sensors. Once that’s done, finding him will be much simpler. There’s no need to rush headlong through this situation. Patience is our best ally now.”

Ganz’s response was interrupted by the sounds of disruptor fire, accompanied by shouts of alarm and shock from the gaming deck, drifting over the balcony and into his office.

“What’s going on?” Neera asked, moving toward the balcony, but Ganz stepped in front of her as he caught sight of disruptor bolts flashing upward toward the ceiling above the gaming floor. Moving to where he could look out from his office without exposing himself, he realized he also could hear the intermittent yet unmistakable whine of a Starfleet phaser in between the more frequent reports from disruptors. He peered over the balcony railing and saw people running in all directions for the gaming area’s various exits. Several of his security staff—some with disruptor pistols drawn—were scrambling to move in and around the scattering patrons. A few had taken up positions behind the bar or various gaming tables, aiming their weapons and searching for something at which to shoot. Ganz followed their gaze into the mob of people moving toward one of the casino exits, and his eyes widened in surprise and anger as he recognized two people in the crowd: Diego Reyes and the Vulcan who at one time had been the former commodore’s intelligence officer, T’Prynn.

“Reyes!” Ganz shouted, incredulous. Reyes, hearing him, looked up from where he was seeking cover amid the gaggle of patrons. The two men made eye contact, and each saw the hatred in the other’s eyes.

Then Reyes lifted his arm, aimed the disruptor in his hand at Ganz, and fired.

26

“Damn it!”

Reyes saw his shot miss its mark, but only by a small measure as Ganz ducked back from the balcony at the last possible instant. Stick that big head of yours out there again, he thought. I dare you.

“I’m thinking they’re on to us,” he said, raising his voice so that T’Prynn could hear him over the chaos of patrons fleeing in all directions from the gaming deck. The strategy had been a simple one, calling for Reyes and T’Prynn—after donning dingy gray coveralls of the sort worn by members of the Omari-Ekon’s maintenance staff—to make an attempt at blending with the mass of civilians and Starfleet officers crowding the ship’s more populated areas. Reyes had banked on Ganz thinking he might try to hide somewhere in the vessel’s bowels after thwarting the attempt on his life by Nakaal and the Tellarite. If the tactic bought them enough time to make it to the passageway leading to the station, both Reyes and T’Prynn had decided that would be close enough, and the weapons in their hands would help them get the rest of the way. They had briefed Haniff Jackson on the plan via their subcutaneous transceivers, and the lieutenant had assured them that security teams would be standing by at the docking area.

Their idea lasted long enough for Reyes and T’Prynn to make it most of the way across the casino, less than a dozen paces from the exit leading toward the corridor that would take them to the docking hatch, when it was foiled by at least one attentive member of the ship’s security contingent. That was when they heard the first shouts of warning and alarm, and people began to look and move around in response to the added security guards rushing toward the casino as well as the neighboring bar and restaurants. It was at that point that someone, perhaps feeling lucky and thinking of the rewards to be had from Ganz after capturing or killing the would-be escapees, opened fire. Then all hell broke loose on the gaming deck.

“Lieutenant Jackson,” T’Prynn said, “we are making our way to the docking port.”

In his head, Reyes heard the security chief reply, “Copy that, Lieutenant. We’re here.”

Reyes knew that Starfleet security teams could not board the Orion vessel uninvited, and he had to wonder just how far Jackson and even Admiral Nogura might push things if he and T’Prynn got close enough to the docking hatch that the decision to render assistance became a very real issue.

I guess we’re about to find out.

“Watch out,” T’Prynn said from Reyes’s right, and he turned in time to see the Vulcan raising her arm to aim her phaser at two hulking Orion security guards attempting to make their way through the crowd toward her and Reyes. She waited until the guards stepped into the open before putting them both down with a pair of well-aimed shots from her phaser. Though he knew there was little chance of making it off the ship without being forced to kill at least some of the Orions who would be standing between them and the exit, Reyes had pressed for nonlethal force during their escape attempt if at all possible. Perhaps the gesture, small though it was, might at least reduce the amount of interstellar wailing and gnashing of teeth his escape would generate once Ganz reported the incident to his superiors. The Orion had to know Reyes was not operating alone. Accusations of Starfleet collusion during his time as a “guest” aboard the Omari-Ekon would provide no small amount of ammunition for whatever passed for an Orion diplomat airing grievances to the Federation Council.

None of which I’ll get to enjoy if we don’t get the hell out of here.

“You know where you’re going, right?” he asked as he followed T’Prynn out of the casino and into the main passageway leading to the docking port that connected the Omari-Ekon to the station.

She nodded. “Affirmative.” Reyes nearly ran into her as she stopped and once more took aim with her phaser. Another security guard had emerged from the concealment of a support stanchion and was coming at them, but T’Prynn dispatched him with her phaser. A disruptor bolt flashed past Reyes’s right ear and he turned in that direction, instinct guiding his arm up and letting him take aim at the approaching Orion. He felt his finger on the weapon’s firing stud before the movement even registered in his mind, by which time a harsh flash of energy caught the guard in his muscled green torso. Reyes cursed the weapon in his hand, seeing the flesh on the Orion’s chest marred as he was struck and knocked backward, his mouth contorting in agony.

“Tell me you have another phaser on you?” he asked, reaching up to wipe sweat from his forehead.

“Negative,” T’Prynn replied. “We must keep moving. It is likely that more security personnel are converging on our position.”

“We’re blind here,” Jackson said. “They’ve activated shields that block our scans. You’re on your own getting to the exit.”

Using various groups of evacuating patrons for cover while at the same time praying that none of the security guards would see fit to start firing into the crowd, Reyes and T’Prynn ran from the casino. Ahead of them lay the entrance to the gangway that would take them to the docking port and—Reyes hoped—freedom.

He flinched as a disruptor blast chewed into the wall ahead of T’Prynn, and they both ducked while turning to face the new threat. Reyes saw a group of six Orions emerging from the casino, and his eyes widened in recognition as he saw who was at the front of the group: Ganz, carrying a disruptor pistol in his hand. One of his subordinates was talking into what had to be a communications device, no doubt calling for reinforcements, but Ganz’s eyes were locked on Reyes, and the burly Orion raised his weapon.

Without thinking, Reyes brought up his own weapon and fired. The shot was wide, passing just to the right of Ganz’s head but close enough that all six Orions ducked for cover. Reyes grunted in renewed irritation at his latest miss even as T’Prynn pushed him through the hatch. Stepping over the doorway’s threshold, she slammed her fist against the control panel set into the bulkhead to the hatch’s left side. She dropped to one knee as the door began to close, firing through the narrowing gap to keep the guards at bay until the entryway sealed itself. Then, before Reyes could offer any sort of protest, she fired her weapon at the panel, sending a blue streak of energy into it and destroying it.

“There are still people on board!” Reyes exclaimed.

T’Prynn moved past him. “This will offer us only momentary protection, and even Ganz is not so stupid as to fire on innocent civilians. We must hurry.” As the pair set off down the gangway, Reyes could hear the sounds of fists pummeling the hatch from the other side, followed by the unmistakable reports of weapons fire. How long would it take them to force the locking mechanism, or simply burn a hole through the door itself?

The gangway led them to an intersection with two options. To the left, the passageway quickly terminated at a reinforced hatch that, if Reyes could trust his memory, led to a maintenance area and an airlock providing access to the docking port’s exterior. The entrance to the station was to the right, and as he and T’Prynn ran in that direction, they saw that the portal beyond which lay their liberation from the Omari-Ekon was blocked by a quartet of Orions, each already wielding a disruptor pistol. One of the guards, standing behind a small workstation, reached for something and the corridor filled with the sounds of an alarm Klaxon.

“Aw, shit!” was all Reyes had time to utter before the first guard fired. His shot missed and T’Prynn’s aim was better, catching him in the chest. With no other choice available to him, Reyes lunged to his left, kneeling near the bulkhead as he opened fire with his own weapon. He tried to ignore the other Orions shooting at him as he popped off shot after shot down the narrow corridor, and tried not to think of just how many years had passed since his last foray into close-quarters battle.

Something hot punched him in the right thigh and Reyes dropped his disruptor as he sagged against the bulkhead. He smelled the stench of singed clothing and flesh and looked down to see the small scorched area on the side of his leg. Though it looked to have been only a glancing blow, the disruptor bolt had still burned through the material of the coveralls he had appropriated as well as his own skin and muscle tissue. His eyes watered from the pain of his injury even as more phaser fire filled the corridor, but the cacophony died and he looked up to see T’Prynn running to him.

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