He paced and thought, the only sound in the small room the clicking of computer keys.
Off and on over the last few hours he’d gone out searching for the children. Twice he’d promised parents of one or another of the children that everything possible was being done. And he hadn’t been lying to them. Everything was being done. There just wasn’t that much anyone could do.
And now, with this vote, either way his free time was ended. It was going to take every waking minute left available to get supplies loaded, people loaded, and ships either out of danger or helping with the moon. But he wasn’t going to forget the missing children. He’d make sure the search continued with as many people as possible, for as long as possible.
“Governor,” Judith Short said.
He turned to see her smiling face. He had no idea what the smile meant. Harvey was also smiling, his face even redder than usual.
“The vote is finished,” she said. “Overwhelming to try to save the colony. Almost unanimous.”
“You’re kidding?” He was so stunned, that was all he could think to say.
“I’m not,” she said, smiling even harder.
He could feel the energy coming back into his body as if someone had opened up the flood gates. He squared his shoulders, brushed a hand through his hair, and then said, “Great!”
What else could he say?
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his communicator. “Put me through to Captain Kirk. We’ve got a planet to save.”
The voice of Captain Chalker on the other side said, “Hot diggidy dog, we’re staying.”
Pardonnet smiled, then glanced at the still smiling faces of Harvey and Judith. It seems he wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to leave.
Countdown: 4 Days, 17 Hours
Reynold Coates stared at his friend Danny.
Danny was mad, both at Reynold and at Diane. That much was clear, even in the light inside the cave from the fire. Reynold had said he thought it was time to go back. It was starting to get dark again outside.
Diane had agreed and Danny had gotten mad. The others had said nothing. Danny was sort of their leader and none of them liked it when he got mad.
“It won’t do any good if we go now,” Danny said.
“Why not?” Diane said.
“We need to wait one more night. That way they won’t leave at all.”
“How do you know that?”
“I just know,” Danny said. “I heard my dad say that today was the day they all needed to leave. If we go back tomorrow, he won’t be able to go.”
Reynold stared at Danny. Danny was usually right about things, but Reynold didn’t know anymore. He missed his mom.
“Look,” Danny said, “we just eat, go to sleep, and it will seem like almost no time has passed. Then we can go back in the light.”
Reynold liked that idea. Coming up here in the dark had been scary. The cave was safe and fun, but the forest scared him a lot at night.
“Going through the trees in the light is better,” Reynold said.
Diane glanced at the fading light coming through the brush-covered entrance to the cave, then nodded. “Okay, in the light is better.”
“Great!” Danny said.
Reynold sat down on his sleeping bag and pulled it over him. One more night wouldn’t be too bad. Then he could go home. It would be good to see his mother again, even though she was going to yell at him something awful.
Chapter Thirteen
Countdown: 4 Days, 14 Hours
SUNN SLOUCHED in his captain’s chair, very glad to be back in the Rattlesnake again. This planet Nevlin, as the past residents had called it, was beautiful, of that there was no doubt. And those Elah cities were wonderful to look at from a distance, but walking around for hours inside those buildings, among the skeletons of the Elah, had gotten on all their nerves. Especially after they had learned that the entire race had basically committed suicide after an unknown black object from space sucked all the energy from all their buildings and equipment.
Why a smart, advanced race like the one that had built those cities had decided to stay inside and starve to death was beyond Sunn. It was clearly one of the more alien things he’d seen in all his years of exploring. There had clearly been something about that black thing from space that had scared them not only once, but at another time far in their past. That meant it just might live around this system somewhere, whatever it was.
“Well,” Roger said, dropping down into his station’s chair, “are we headed back to Belle Terre to tell them about our find?”
Sunn looked at Roger. He’d stopped and taken the time for a shower. Dar was doing that now and Sunn had plans to do so shortly. He felt, as Roger and Dar had felt, that he needed to wash the smell of death off of himself. But first he had needed to check on all the ship’s systems and set up some long-range system-wide scans. If that big black thing was anywhere near, or coming back this direction, he wanted to know about it.
“Nope,” Sunn said. “We got a black monster from the sky to track.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Roger asked.
“Nope,” Sunn said again. “I’m not giving this planet a clean bill of health until I know more about what sucked that energy away from it. Or at least try to find out.”
“We got time?” Roger asked.
“We’ve got at least another two days,” Sunn said, “before we have to head back for the big explosion.”
“You don’t think Kirk has found a way to stop it yet?”
Sunn laughed. “Knowing what I know of James Kirk, it wouldn’t surprise me. But just in case, I want to give him and the colonists some good news. And as much information as we can. Don’t you?”
“Actually, I do,” Roger said. “This wouldn’t be such a bad place to settle if you spent some time cleaning out those buildings.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” Sunn said. “Good ground for crops, lots of water, and clean air. Even without the cities it would be a good planet.” He pushed himself to his feet. “Watch the scans I have set up. I need a shower.”
Two hours later, after studying the information they had gotten from the records of the dead race, they lifted off, this time not in search of a planet, but in search of a giant black monster that had terrorized one.
Countdown: 4 Days, 13 Hours
The ten colony ships and four Starfleet ships were in tight formation near the small moon everyone called the Needle. Kirk studied the formation, trying to see anything wrong with it. But nothing was obvious, at least visually.
They had ten minutes until the big push that would send the Needle accelerating toward Belle Terre and the Quake Moon. This was only step two. The big step would be in a few days, when all the ships had to turn and push this small moon into line with the Quake Moon. Kirk wasn’t that worried about this phase. If something went slightly wrong here, they could adjust as the moon hurtled inward toward Belle Terre. But in turning the moon right before the explosion, they only had one chance. And if they did that wrong, nothing would be left of this colony.
“All ships’ tractor beams are reading green and attached,” Sulu said. “Standing by.”
“Hope we don’t tear that thing apart,” McCoy said from his position on the rail behind Kirk’s chair.
“Spock’s got the tractor beams balanced,” Kirk said, “don’t you Mr. Spock?”
“There is a six point four percent chance the small moon will be torn apart by the thrust. That is the best I could do, Captain.”
“Good enough,” Kirk said.
“I hope,” McCoy said.
Kirk glanced around at where his Chief Engineer Scott stood. “Scotty, everything ready to go?”
“Ready and waiting, Captain,” Scotty said.
“Good. Keep her that way. Uhura, patch me in to each colony ship’s captain, one at a time.”
“Yes, sir,” Uhura said.
Over the next few minutes he checked in with every ship, making sure each was ready
and completely informed on what they were going to do. Every colony ship’s captain looked tired and harried. Getting their ships loaded and ready for another long, deep space trip was no easy matter, even when done slowly. But having to do it quickly, and with limited supplies was asking them to do the impossible.
“Thirty seconds,” Spock said after Kirk had talked to the last person.
“Open a channel to all ships for Mr. Spock,” Kirk ordered.
“Channel open, Captain,” Uhura said.
“On Mr. Spock’s mark, Sulu,” Kirk said.
“Understood, sir,” Sulu said.
“Ten seconds,” Spock said to all the ships.
Kirk watched the small moon in front of them. Very shortly that small moon would be traveling at a far, far greater speed.
“Five seconds,” Spock said.
The time seemed to stretch. Kirk glanced at each of his crew. As always, they were calm and poised, ready for anything. This crew had been through far too much together to let something like this excite them too much.
Finally Spock said to all the ship’s captains, “One-quarter impulse. Now.”
The Enterprise again shook slightly around them as the ship’s engines shoved against the small moon.
“Tractor holding,” Sulu said.
“Engines are doin’ just fine, sir,” Scotty said.
“Mr. Spock?” Kirk said to his science officer. “Are we on track?”
“Affirmative, Captain,” Spock said without looking away from his scope.
“Good, now let’s just hold it for one minute longer.”
“Sixty-four seconds longer, Captain,” Spock said.
“The Yukon reports trouble, sir,” Uhura said.
“Damn,” McCoy said softly.
The Yukon was one of the big Conestogas. It was already mostly full of colonists. “Get me Captain Battersey,” Kirk ordered, “on screen.”
The Conestoga’s Captain Battersey came on, her wrinkled face staring at something in front of her for a moment before she looked up. Battersey was one of the more experienced and level-headed of the colony captains—she’d been instrumental in stopping a nasty bit of sabotage on the trip out. She and her husband had taken this assignment with the intent of staying on Belle Terre and retiring.
“Our tractor beam is failing, Captain,” Battersey said.
“How long can you hold it?” Kirk asked, glancing at Sulu, who was monitoring all the ship’s tractor beams.
“Thirty seconds, maybe,” Battersey said. “But I wouldn’t push that.”
Sulu nodded, glancing back at Kirk.
“Spock?” Kirk asked, turning to his science officer.
“Without the Yukon’s tractor beam, the balance of force against the moon will be shifted. There is a high probability of tearing the moon apart.”
Kirk nodded. They had to shut down and shut down fast. At this point this little moon was the only hope they had.
“Channel open to all ships,” Kirk said.
“Open, sir,” Uhura said.
“All ships?” Kirk asked, just to confirm. The last thing they needed was one ship not getting the word.
“All ships,” Uhura confirmed.
“On my mark, everyone cut engines. Then on my command five seconds later release your tractor beams.”
Kirk forced himself to take a deep breath to give each ship’s captain a moment to get his people ready.
“Ready? Now!”
Kirk waited the five seconds then said, “Cut tractor beams!”
“All ships stopped,” Sulu reported. “All tractor beams disengaged.”
Kirk glanced up at Captain Battersey still on the screen. “Let me know as soon as possible when you can finish repairs. I’ll send over my chief engineer.”
“Thanks, Captain,” Battersey said. “We can use the help.”
The image on the screen went back to the small moon.
“On my way, Captain,” Scott said, heading for the door.
“That was too close,” McCoy said.
“That it was, Doctor,” Kirk said. He took a deep breath, then turned to Spock, who was still studying his screens. “I assume, Mr. Spock, that the shove we gave the Needle wasn’t enough.”
“Correct, Captain,” Spock said, without looking around. “In six hours and ten minutes we are going to need the ships that are currently present, plus four other colony ships, to push the moon for exactly two minutes and seven seconds at one-quarter impulse.”
“That will put this moon on the proper path?”
“Exactly,” Spock said.
“Good,” Kirk said.
“I think you just might be expecting the impossible,” McCoy said. “I don’t think some of these colony ships can maintain that level of stress on their ships for thirty seconds, let alone over two minutes.”
Kirk knew McCoy was right, but at the moment they had no choice. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, Doctor.”
“Actually, Captain,” Spock said, “the doctor is correct.”
“Well I’ll be,” McCoy said, clearly surprised at Spock’s comment. “Wish I had that recorded.”
“How’s that, Mr. Spock?”
“If the next attempt fails,” Spock said, “we will be unable to change the course of the moon enough to get it into the correct position.”
Kirk didn’t like the sound of that at all. “So what do you suggest, Mr. Spock?”
“More ships, sir,” Spock said. “With more ships we can decrease the amount of speed each ship needs to apply, thus reducing the amount of strain on the tractor beams and engines.”
“Okay,” Kirk said. “But what if one fails even at the lower speed?”
“We would then be able to adjust with the remaining ships at a higher speed to compensate. Or possibly create a backup system for each ship.”
“And that will increase our chances of success?”
“Yes, sir, it will.”
Kirk glanced at McCoy who only shrugged. “How many colony ships would you suggest we use, Mr. Spock.”
“All of them.”
McCoy laughed. “I can tell you that the governor isn’t going to like this.”
“All of them?” Kirk asked, staring at his science officer. “Why? Explain.”
“All ships involved with this course change, and all available ships staying with the moon for at least the last forty-eight hours, would increase our chances of putting this small moon into the correct position at the correct speed on the Quake Moon by almost seventy percent.”
“That much, huh?” Kirk said.
“And thus having the rupture occur and saving the planet,” McCoy said.
“That is the plan, Doctor,” Spock said.
Kirk stared at the expressionless face of his science officer for a moment, then turned to Uhura. “Inform the colony ships they can return to Belle Terre for the moment, but to be back here, in position, in five hours. And patch me through to Governor Pardonnet. He’s not going to like this.”
“I’d say that’s an understatement,” McCoy said, “if I’ve ever heard one.”
Chapter Fourteen
Countdown: 4 Days, 13 Hours
PARDONNET STOOD in the small communications room of the town hall and tried to catch his breath. Luckily no one else was in the room. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing from Captain Kirk. He was asking that the entire evacuation of the colony be finished in less than six hours. Four full days ahead of when the plan was to be finished.
“Impossible,” Pardonnet said. “Just impossible. Do you know what is left to do, Captain?”
“I don’t actually care at this point, Governor,” Kirk said, his face hard and angry on the small communications screen. “Get your people on the ships within five hours. Otherwise you’re dooming this planet and your people. That simple.”
“But if this doesn’t work,” Pardonnet asked, “what then? We won’t have the supplies to make it back to Federation space.”
“Govern
or, face facts,” Kirk said. “You don’t have the supplies now, even if you had the entire time to load everything back on board. If this fails, we’ll face getting you and all the colonists to safety then.”
“How?” Pardonnet demanded.
“One problem at a time,” Kirk said, his voice cold and low. “Right now there’s still a good chance of saving this planet, of saving this colony. And if we do that, your worry about getting back to Federation space doesn’t matter, now does it?”
Then Kirk smiled, a humorless smile that Pardonnet didn’t much like at all. “What are your priorities, Governor? Retreating in failure or fighting to save your new home?”
Pardonnet’s first inclination was to scream at Kirk, but somehow he managed to not do that.
He took a long, slow breath, staring into the intent eyes of Kirk. The truth of what the captain had said had cut deep. The colonists had voted almost unanimously to fight for the planet, to take the chances needed to save Belle Terre. It wasn’t his position to get in the way now.
The colonists had decided to fight. He had wanted them to decide that way. This was only a change in the battle plan. Nothing more.
“All right, Captain,” Pardonnet said, keeping his voice low and even. “The colonists will be loaded and the ships in position in five hours. Will that be satisfactory?”
“Perfectly, Governor,” Kirk said, leaning back and nodding. “It’s the right decision. Kirk out.”
Pardonnet sat staring at the blank screen for a moment. He had just promised Kirk the evacuation of all the colonists could be finished in five hours and he had no idea if that was even physically possible. A large number of colonists were already back on board the ships, but he had no idea how long it would take to get the rest there. Sixty-two thousand people was simply a lot of people to move, especially quickly.
He snapped the communications link back on and called his ship. Captain Chalker answered.
“Tell all ship’s captains that every colonist must be on board their ships in five hours. Initiate emergency evacuation procedures. People first, then food supplies, and then if there’s time get personal effects. Contact me if there are any problems.”
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