Текст книги "Open Secrets "

Автор книги: Dayton Ward

Соавторы: Kevin Dilmore
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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 32 страниц)

18

Jon Cooper exited his office at a full run, mere heartbeats after the first red-alert siren echoed through Vanguard’s command center. The din lasted only a moment, as he saw Lieutenant Haniff Jackson signal toward Lieutenant Judy Dunbar, the center’s communications officer and his companion on the supervisor’s deck.

“Shut that off!” Jackson shouted over the alarms. “Call battle stations.”

Cooper crossed the room toward the stairs leading to the supervisor’s deck. He took the steps two at a time until he reached the hub. “What’ve we got?”

“Unidentified vessels just dropped out of warp, Commander,” Jackson replied. “Distance three hundred sixty million kilometers. They’re not on a direct intercept course, but they’re definitely heading in our direction.”

Glancing at the sensor display monitors dominating Haniff’s station at the hub, Cooper saw that the lieutenant had already ordered the station’s deflector shields raised and weapons energized and placed on standby. “Any idea who they are?”

“Three ships,” replied Ensign Kail Tescar from where he stood at another station, leaning over a hooded viewer. “Sensors identify them as Tholian in design, sir.”

Tholian?“What are they doing here now?” Cooper asked as he and Jackson exchanged confused frowns. As far as Cooper knew, there had been no Tholian vessels near the station for weeks, since just after the incident in the Jinoteur system. The reclusive race had seemed content to draw even further in on itself, which did little for the advancement of diplomatic talks between the Tholian Assembly and the Federation. Despite that, they at least had not seen fit to cause trouble, for either Federation or Klingon vessels traversing the Taurus Reach. At the time, that had been enough to keep Cooper happy.

Glancing down once more at the hub’s active sensor displays, he felt that mild contentment beginning to melt away.

It was fun while it lasted.

“We’re picking up weapons fire, Commander,” Tescar said. Still hunched over his viewer, the young, lanky ensign paused as he studied the information being fed to the viewer via the station’s vast sensor network. “Two of the ships appear to be firing on the other. That ship’s warp engines look to be disabled, and it’s flying what I think is an evasive course toward the station.” He looked up from his station, and Cooper saw that the man seemed more than a little nervous. Cooper found it hard to blame the ensign, especially considering that Tescar was less than a year out of Starfleet Academy and still adjusting to his first deep-space assignment.

Hell of a way to earn your stripes, kid.

“Just the three ships?” Cooper asked.

Tescar nodded. “Yes, sir. Sensors show no other traffic that we haven’t already accounted for.”

Across the table from Cooper, Jackson frowned. “Why the hell would they be firing on one of their own ships? That doesn’t even make any sense.”

“Tell me anything about a Tholian that does make sense,” Cooper countered. “Tescar, what’s the condition of the pursued ship?”

The ensign took a moment to recheck his sensor readouts before responding. “Besides their warp engines, I’m picking up fluctuations in what I think is their life-support system. Their weapons appear to be offline as well.”

Just behind him, seated at another station at the hub’s opposite end, Lieutenant Dunbar looked up from her console. Her right hand moved to the Feinberg receiver she wore in her ear. “Commander, we’re being hailed by the Tholian ship.”

After exchanging another surprised glance with Jackson, Cooper nodded to the communications officer. “Open a channel.”

“Federation starbase.”A shrill, high-pitched voice blared from speakers recessed into support columns around the supervisor deck’s perimeter. “I am under attack and request your assistance.”

“This is going to be fun,” Jackson muttered as he took a seat at his own station.

Scowling, Cooper moved around the hub until he stood behind Dunbar. “Tholian vessel, this is Commander Jon Cooper aboard Federation Starbase 47. Please identify yourself, and state the nature of your emergency.”

“My name is Nezrene,”the Tholian responded, “and I bring knowledge you may find helpful. I—”

The rest of the transmission exploded into a burst of static, loud enough that Dunbar grunted in protest as she yanked the receiver from her ear. “Damn, I hate it when that happens.”

“What?” Cooper asked.

Dunbar shook her head. “The frequency’s being jammed, sir. Probably from one of the pursuing ships.”

“Distance from the station less than two hundred fifty million kilometers, sir,” Tescar reported. “The ship is still evading the worst of the attacks, but it won’t last long on its own.”

“Commander, did I hear that Tholian say her name was Nezrene?”

It took Cooper an extra moment to realize that the question came not from one of his officers on the supervisor’s deck but rather from somewhere down on the command center’s main floor. Looking over the railing, Cooper saw the imposing visage of Ambassador Jetanien glaring up at him, the mandibles that formed the Chel’s beaklike bill moving up and down in a frantic motion suggesting that the diplomat was more than a bit anxious. Where in the hell had he come from, and how had he gotten out of the turbolift and across the room without drawing anyone’s attention? And why had he chosen to come up here now?

“Ambassador?” Cooper held up a hand in warning. “This really isn’t the best—”

“I’m aware of the situation, Commander,” Jetanien snapped, clicking his manus in evident irritation. “I wouldn’t be so stupid as to bother you at a time like this if I didn’t think it was important. Now, did that Tholian say her name was Nezrene?”

Nodding as he tried to keep his attention focused on the situation at hand, Cooper said, “Yes, she did.” He paused before offering a frown. “At least, I think it was a she.”

“You need to grant that ship safe harbor, Commander,” Jetanien said, having moved to stand at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the hub, as his large form would not allow him to climb the steps to reach the upper deck.

I bet he’d get up here if I pissed him off enough.

His eyes narrowing in confusion, Cooper asked, “Other than the obvious reason that it’s a ship in apparent distress, Ambassador, what aren’t you telling me?”

Several agitated clicks erupted from the Chelon’s mouth before he replied. “Because that Tholian may provide us unequaled insight into the Taurus Reach.”

So much for shore leave.

Leaning forward in her chair at the center of the Endeavour’s bridge, Atish Khatami forced the inappropriate thought from her mind and returned her attention to the situation at hand. All around her, the members of alpha shift’s bridge crew were focused on their stations, and the tension they exuded hung in the air like a stifling blanket.

“We’ve cleared the docking port, Captain” called out Lieutenant Neelakanta without looking up from his helm console. “We’re free to navigate.”

Khatami nodded, pleased at the report. Unable to resist a final jab before getting down to business, she said, “Well, it’s not as though we even had a chance to tie up or anything.”

Her observation was not far from the truth. The Endeavourhad just returned to Vanguard the previous day, only to receive orders from Commander Cooper not to utilize one of the docking bays in the station’s massive primary hull section. Instead, the starship was directed to one of the external ports ringing the docking wheel at the center of the secondary hull. Khatami had at first been confused by the instructions, but Cooper’s reasoning had been straightforward and—as evidenced by events currently unfolding—remarkably prescient.

“Bring us about,” she ordered. “Lay in that intercept course, and engage at full impulse. Shields up, and place weapons on ready status.”

Neelakanta replied, “Time to intercept is less than two minutes, Captain.”

Within moments of Cooper’s order to take any and all necessary action to protect the apparently rogue Tholian vessel, the Endeavourwas away from the station and ready for battle. This, too, was an unexpected dividend from the starbase commander’s orders, given his concern about the increase in activity throughout the Taurus Reach in recent weeks. According to the daily security briefings Khatami had received from Cooper’s staff, long-range scans had even revealed Klingon vessels at extreme range—presumably to conduct their own sensor sweeps of the station and other ships traversing the region. To this end, the Endeavourhad standing orders to dock at one of the external ports and, while moored, to maintain a crew complement sufficient to undertake combat operations in the event that an emergency arose in proximity to the station.

I like the way you think, Cooper,Khatami mused. Just remind me never to play poker with you.

“Mr. Klisiewicz,” she said, glancing toward the science station, “what’s the condition of the ship they’re chasing?”

At his console, Klisiewicz leaned over so that he could peer into the hooded viewer. “If it had deflector shields, they’re down. Sensors are picking up damage all along the hull, but so far, it’s still intact.”

Khatami asked, “What about life signs? Just the one?”

“Yes,” the science officer replied. “It’s a smaller ship, probably some kind of scout vessel. The other two ships are of the cruiser design we’re more familiar with.”

More familiar with.

The phrase rolled around in Khatami’s mind. So far, Starfleet’s dealings with Tholian vessels had been limited. Individually, Tholian ships presented only limited tactical challenges to most Federation starships. It was when they worked in concert, operating in groups of three or more, that they began to present a more imposing threat, even to larger and more powerful adversaries such as Constitution-class starships.

From behind her at the communications station, Lieutenant Hector Estrada said, “Captain, I’m picking up a new signal. It’s coming from one of the other Tholian ships.”

Khatami frowned. “This ought to be good. Let’s hear it.”

A harsh, clipped voice burst from the bridge speakers. “Federation outpost, this is theBattle Cruiser Vin’q Tholis, representing the Tholian Assembly. The vessel we are pursuing is stolen property, and its pilot is a known fugitive. Attempting to assist this criminal or in any way obstruct us from retrieving this vessel and its pilot will be considered an act of aggression against our government.”

The voice was a pitch or two deeper to Khatami’s ear than that of the first Tholian to contact the station, Nezrene, but the similarities in pronunciation and inflection were acute. Was it her imagination, or did she detect a slight hint of fear behind the aggressive demands?

Over the same communications channel, Khatami and the rest of the bridge crew listened as Commander Cooper responded, “Tholian vessels, this is the commander of Starbase 47. Be advised that you have entered Federation space without authorization. The vessel you are pursuing has requested asylum on this station, and I now apprise you of our intentions to grant that sanctuary. You are therefore ordered to cease fire and alter your course heading immediately. Any attacks on this station or any ship under its protection will be considered hostile acts, and we will take all necessary measures to defend ourselves. Acknowledge.”

“Any response to that from the Tholians?” asked Khatami.

From behind her, Estrada replied, “No, Captain.”

“How delightfully unexpected,” retorted Lieutenant Commander Bersh glov Mog, the Endeavour’s chief engineer, from where he sat at his station.

Despite the tension she could feel mounting around the bridge as she looked over her shoulder at the burly Tellarite, Khatami could not help the wry grin she felt warming her features. “Don’t tell me youthink they’rebeing rude, Mog?”

The engineer shook his head. “Rude? That would require them actually answering our hails. No, I think they’re just being insufferable asses.”

“Thanks for clearing that up,” Khatami said as she returned her attention to the main viewscreen. “Okay, look sharp, people. Things are going to get very interesting in the next couple of minutes. Klisiewicz, what are they doing?”

The science officer turned to face her. “Still giving chase, Captain. They’ll cross the station’s outer defensive perimeter in less than a minute.”

“That’s why we’re here, Lieutenant,” Khatami said. Cooper’s orders had been quite clear on this point: protect the fleeing Tholian vessel at all costs. The station’s defenses would likely be far more than a match for the other ships, but it would be the Endeavour’s responsibility to ensure that they never got that close. Glancing over her shoulder at Estrada, she said, “Lieutenant, hail the Tholian ships, and let them know that the path to Vanguard goes through us.”

All around her, Khatami sensed her blunt, no-nonsense message having the desired effect as a new burst of determination seemed to course through everyone on the bridge. From the overhead speakers, she heard the litany of status reports coming from stations throughout the ship, notifying the bridge that they stood ready to face whatever tasks or challenges the next minutes might bring.

The responses of her crew as they readied themselves filled Khatami herself with a familiar confidence, the sort that could be cultivated only from leading into the unknown those who had placed in her their faith that she would do right by them. Since taking command of the Endeavourafter the tragic death of its former captain, Zhao Sheng, Khatami had struggled to see herself as deserving of that sacred trust. In those few short months, circumstances already had given her ample opportunity to demonstrate her worthiness. Despite their success on those occasions, Khatami knew that as a leader, her ongoing responsibility was to continue reinforcing the bond to this crew, which once had been Zhao’s but now was charged to her.

“Captain,” said Estrada, “I’ve sent the message on a repeating loop, but we’re not getting any responses to it.”

Khatami had only a moment to cast a knowing look at Mog before Klisiewicz suddenly exclaimed, “We’re being targeted!”

No sooner were the words out of the science officer’s mouth than the entire ship shuddered around Khatami. Her hands flailed for her chair’s armrests, barely preventing her from being tossed to the deck. Overhead, the bridge’s main lighting flickered for a moment before returning to full illumination, and the distraught howl of the red-alert Klaxon wailed across the bridge.

“Evasive maneuvers!” Khatami shouted over the din. “Damage report!”

Using the sensor viewer to hold himself steady, Klisiewicz replied, “Direct hit on forward shields. No damage.”

Yeah, but those Tholian weapons still pack a mean punch.As though striving to emphasize her thought, the ship bucked again as the Endeavour’s shields absorbed another strike. All around the bridge, display screens and lighting blinked in chaotic fashion. Khatami waved toward the viewscreen. “Target those ships, and fire at will, but aim to disable only. And give me a tactical view.”

Neelakanta nodded without looking up from his station. “Aye, Captain.” The lieutenant’s fingers were almost a blur, moving across the console’s rows of controls as though possessed of their own will.

“In case you were wondering, Mr. Estrada,” Mog said from where he still sat at the engineering station, “that was the Tholians responding to our hail.”

Ignoring the comment, Khatami focused her attention on the computer-generated schematic now on the main viewer. The Endeavourwas displayed as a bright blue circle at the image’s center, and the trio of Tholian vessels appeared as red arrowheads in the screen’s upper right quadrant. The tactical plot updated with each passing second as the other ships’ positions and distances changed in relation to the Endeavour.

“Stubborn, aren’t they?” she asked as she watched the pair of cruisers maintaining their aggressive pursuit of the smaller and weaker scout ship.

At the helm, Neelakanta nodded. “And slippery, too. Even with computer targeting, I’m having trouble locking on.”

“Captain,” Klisiewicz called out, “the smaller ship just took another direct hit! I’m reading a total loss of power onboard as well as a hull breach. It’s venting atmosphere.”

Damn!

“Get us in there, helm,” Khatami ordered without hesitation, still hunched forward in her chair and for the first time noticing the dull ache that had formed between her shoulder blades. “Put us between that ship and its pursuers.”

On the viewer, Khatami watched as the Endeavourchanged course, maneuvering toward the stricken craft. In front of her, Neelakanta stabbed the control on his console to fire phasers, and Khatami felt the minor thrum in the deck plating as the starship’s massive weapons came to bear.

“Substantial damage to both ships’ shields,” reported Klisiewicz. “They’re breaking off their pursuit and taking evasive action.”

Excellent,Khatami thought. Maybe now they had breathing room, if only a little bit. Considering her options and knowing that most of them would take more time to implement than the damaged Tholian ship might have left to it, she looked to her chief engineer. “Mog, can we extend our shields to protect that ship?”

Turning from his station, the Tellarite replied, “It will weaken our overall shield strength somewhat, but I should be able to compensate by rerouting power from nonessential systems.” He nodded toward the viewscreen. “That’s liable to irritate our friends out there.”

“Do it. We only need it long enough to tractor the ship into our shuttle bay.” She had considered using the transporter but ruled that out, owing to Tholian atmospheric requirements and the unlikely event that the damaged ship’s lone occupant would be wearing any sort of environment suit.

“We’re within range of the damaged ship, Captain,” reported Neelakanta.

Khatami nodded. “Mog, extend our shields.” To Neelakanta, she said, “Lay down a full phaser spread. No need to hit them. Just keep them off our backs.”

“Extending now,” the engineer replied. A moment later, he added, “They’re inside our shield envelope. Activating tractor beam.” Looking over his shoulder, he released an irritated grunt. “I don’t recommend sitting still while I do this.”

“Neither do I,” Khatami replied. “Neelakanta, get us back to the station.” Part of her rebelled at the thought of tucking tail and leaving the other ships to chase after them, but securing the renegade Tholian’s safety took precedence.

Not getting ourselves blown up is pretty important, too.

Klisiewicz said, “They’re coming back around.” He paused, not looking up from his viewer before adding, “It looks as if they’re splitting up, trying to flank us.”

“They’re hoping to catch us in a cross fire,” Khatami replied. “Mog, get that ship into the shuttle bay. Helm, continue evasive, and keep up the cover fire.”

Thanks to the Endeavour’s inertial dampening system, only the shifting tactical plot on the main viewer offered any clue to Khatami that the starship was responding to the helm officer’s commands. On the screen, the red arrows representing the two Tholian vessels appeared to be buzzing like flies around the larger ship.

And just as annoying, too.

“Captain,” Klisiewicz called out, “I’m picking up weapons fire from Vanguard! They’re laying down cover fire for us.” After a moment, he added, “The Tholian ships are breaking off. Looks like the cavalry’s here.”

“They were always there, Lieutenant,” Mog said, grunting in amusement. “They were just waiting for us to get our act together and start home.”

On the screen, Khatami watched the pair of pursuing vessels veer away from the Endeavour.She allowed herself a small sigh of relief as the tactical view updated to reflect the ships’ departure from the immediate area and—presumably—well out of the region.

“Captain,” Estrada said from behind her, “I’m picking up a new hail from one of the Tholian ships.” Without waiting for direction from Khatami, the communications officer keyed a control that allowed the incoming message to be heard through the bridge intercom.

“Federation outpost, the fugitive you now harbor is a threat not only to us but to you as well. By interceding in our affairs, you invite whatever consequence should befall you. Rest assured that this matter will not serve to improve the current diplomatic relationship between our two peoples.”

There was a distinct crackle as the connection was severed, and on the main viewscreen, the images of the Tholian vessels continued to move away from the Endeavouruntil they vanished altogether from the tactical display.

“I guess this means they won’t be coming by for dinner?” Klisiewicz asked.

Heavy footfalls rattled the deck plating behind Khatami, and she looked up to see Mog stepping into the command well to stand beside her. “Something tells me we just gave Ambassador Jetanien a whole new set of headaches,” he said, punctuating his observation with a grunt of concern.

Khatami leaned back in her chair, contemplating this latest development in what over the past months had proven to be anything but a smooth, peaceful relationship between the Federation and the Tholian Assembly. Already strained—possibly to the breaking point—the tenuous understanding between the two powers would be tested further by what had happened here today.