by Dayton Ward
Other eBooks in the Star Trek™:
Starfleet Corps of Engineers series from Pocket Books:
#1: The Belly of the Beast by Dean Wesley Smith
#2: Fatal Error by Keith R.A. DeCandido
#3: Hard Crash by Christie Golden
#4: Interphase Book 1 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#5: Interphase Book 2 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#6: Cold Fusion by Keith R.A. DeCandido
#7: Invincible Book 1 by David Mack & Keith R.A. DeCandido
#8: Invincible Book 2 by David Mack & Keith R.A. DeCandido
#9: The Riddled Post by Aaron Rosenberg
#10: Gateways Epilogue: Here There Be Monsters by Keith R.A. DeCandido
#11: Ambush by Dave Galanter & Greg Brodeur
#12: Some Assembly Required by Scott Ciencin & Dan Jolley
#13: No Surrender by Jeff Mariotte
#14: Caveat Emptor by Ian Edginton & Mike Collins
#15: Past Life by Robert Greenberger
#16: Oaths by Glenn Hauman
#17: Foundations Book 1 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#18: Foundations Book 2 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#19: Foundations Book 3 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#20: Enigma Ship by J. Steven York & Christina F. York
#21: War Stories Book 1 by Keith R.A. DeCandido
#22: War Stories Book 2 by Keith R.A. DeCandido
#23: Wildfire Book 1 by David Mack
#24: Wildfire Book 2 by David Mack
#25: Home Fires by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
#26: Age of Unreason by Scott Ciencin
#27: Balance of Nature by Heather Jarman
#28: Breakdowns by Keith R.A. DeCandido
#29: Aftermath by Christopher L. Bennett
#30: Ishtar Rising Book 1 by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels
#31: Ishtar Rising Book 2 by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels
#32: Buying Time by Robert Greenberger
#33: Collective Hindsight Book 1 by Aaron Rosenberg
#34: Collective Hindsight Book 2 by Aaron Rosenberg
#35: The Demon Book 1 by Loren L. Coleman & Randall N. Bills
#36: The Demon Book 2 by Loren L. Coleman & Randall N. Bills
#37: Ring Around the Sky by Allyn Gibson
#38: Orphans by Kevin Killiany
#39: Grand Designs by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore
COMING SOON:
#40: Failsafe by David Mack
#41: Bitter Medicine by Dave Galanter
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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CHAPTER
1
Now…
Alarm klaxons wailed across the bridge of the da Vinci, echoing off the bulkheads and driving directly into David Gold’s skull.
“Captain!” Lieutenant Anthony Shabalala shouted from the tactical station. “Orbital Station 4 is moving out of position and beginning a descent toward the planet!”
“Kill the alarm and go to yellow alert.” Gold rose from his command chair. “Shabalala, put the station on screen.”
The image on the main viewer shifted and he recognized the stout, utilitarian lines of one of Rhaax III’s four orbital cargo transfer platforms. It was his first time viewing one of the stations this closely. More than half the size of Spacedock, the Rhaaxan platform possessed none of the more artistic blending of form and function that characterized Earth’s primary starship maintenance facility. Even from this distance, Gold could make out the numerous docking ports and cargo storage bay hatches adorning the station’s outer hull.
“Hail them,” he said, silently counting as contact with Orbital Station 4 was attempted and his anxiety level increasing with each second the link was not established. It only got worse when Shabalala shook his head.
“No response, sir.”
“Tev and the away team are on that station,” Commander Sonya Gomez said. “Have you tried contacting them?”
Nodding, Shabalala replied, “None of the team is answering, Commander.”
Sitting at one of the bridge’s rear science stations, Fabian Stevens turned in his chair. “Captain, the station isn’t just falling from its orbit. It’s a controlled maneuver, descending toward the planet at a constant speed and moving under its own power.”
“Where the hell is it going?” Gold asked. “It’ll burn up if it enters the atmosphere.” What was happening over there? Already on board as part of his assigned inspection duties, Tev would have called in the moment anything unexpected occurred. Was he hurt? What about the rest of the away team?
Oh no.
It was so simple, he realized. Even though the station likely would break up as it passed through the atmosphere, killing everyone aboard, the facility’s size and mass would still be enough to cause widespread damage when it impacted on Rhaax III’s surface. And if some lunatic was currently maneuvering the station so that it would fall on or near a populated area…
“How much time until they enter the atmosphere?” he asked.
Shabalala checked his console before replying. “At their present course and speed, about twelve minutes, sir.”
“Something else, Captain,” Stevens called out. “Sensors are detecting a massive chemical reaction underway inside some of the modules storing oxygen and other compounds for their life support systems.”
“Is it a threat to the people on board?” Gold asked.
Stevens shook his head. “I can’t say just yet, sir.”
“Well, find out,” the captain snapped.
Though Ambassador Marshall had been standing silently at the back of the bridge to this point, Gold knew that he would not be able to hold his tongue much longer. The captain’s suspicions were confirmed when Marshall stepped forward.
“How many people are aboard the station?” he asked.
“Sensors show two hundred and five life signs,” Shabalala reported.
“You have to do something, Captain,” Marshall said, his face a mask of anguish.
“I am doing something, Ambassador,” the captain replied. Despite being irritated at the diplomat’s observation of the obvious, Gold chose to ignore it and channel that energy elsewhere. Turning back to the viewscreen, he ordered, “Wong, move us into transporter range.”
“Captain,” Shabalala called out, “I am receiving an incoming hail from the station.”
“On-screen,” Gold said.
The viewer changed images again, this time to show a Rhaaxan male, muscled and wearing dark gray worker’s coveralls. His orange features were clouded in apparent anger.
“Federation ship,” the Rhaaxan said, “our quarrel is not with you, but rather
the government of our home planet. Do not attempt to interfere with us in any way. You are directed to keep your vessel out of range of your weapons and matter transfer systems. We have your officers in custody here and though I do not wish to harm them, I will kill them if necessary.”
“What do you want?” the captain asked.
“Our freedom, once and for all. Either that is granted today, or everyone on Rhaax will die.”
CHAPTER
2
Three weeks earlier…
Sitting in his customary place at the head of the table in the U.S.S. da Vinci’s conference room, Captain David Gold schooled his features and put on his best smile, and with practiced ease allowed none of the irritation he felt toward Ambassador Gabriel Marshall to show.
Gold had dealt with the ambassador on infrequent occasions in recent years, but all of those encounters had taken place via subspace communications link. Most of those interactions had also been quite unpleasant. With little patience for diplomats in general, and Marshall in particular, Gold was thankful to have avoided face-to-face meetings with the man to this point. Being the captain of a vessel assigned to deep space duty helped in that regard.
Naturally, karma had therefore seen fit to bring the ambassador across space to him.
“We’ve been here nearly a month now, Captain,” Marshall said, “and your people haven’t found anything. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that the longer this process takes, the longer the approval of the Rhaaxans’ application for Federation membership is delayed.”
Gold knew that the government of Rhaax III was enthusiastic about joining the United Federation of Planets, having tendered their application several years ago. Though the process of admitting a new member to the Federation was anything but simple, it was not until discussions between the Rhaaxans and the Federation started that things became truly chaotic.
“Ambassador,” Gold said, “my people are working as quickly and thoroughly as they can. This whole megillah has been problematic from the start, and even you have to admit that Starfleet and the Federation haven’t made things any easier.”
It was during initial talks with the Rhaaxan government that Starfleet expressed interest in establishing a base on the system’s fifth planet, where a colony had been founded nearly two centuries earlier. The system’s proximity to Romulan space made it an attractive location for a Starfleet facility that might serve as the base of operations for a new series of observation outposts along the border. Rhaax V, or Numai as it had been named by the colonists, also possessed rich deposits of dilithium and other useful minerals. With all of this on the discussion table, along with the government of Rhaax III’s eagerness to open up trade routes with Starfleet and the Federation, membership and cooperation seemed a certainty.
Unfortunately, the people already living on Numai had other ideas.
“Of course I can admit that things haven’t gone as smoothly as we would like, Captain,” Marshall replied, “but it’s because they haven’t that I’m here. It’s my job to see that this dispute between the Rhaaxans and their colonists is settled quickly and amicably for everyone involved.”
Unable to stop himself, Gold chuckled at Marshall’s bold statement. “No disrespect to your diplomatic prowess, Ambassador, but that’s obviously a goal that’s easier stated than accomplished. From everything I’ve seen, the Rhaaxans on both planets appear to be set in their ways.”
Established at great expense in money and matériel, the colony on Numai had remained an independent entity since its founding, charting its own development while maintaining ties with Rhaax III through trade of minerals, crops, and the like. Part of the original agreement between the settlers and the government was that just over a century from now, the colony would become a sanctioned state of Rhaax III, falling under its control while sharing the fruits of
its development for the betterment of all. In the beginning, that had seemed a sensible and agreeable course of action.
Then, the Federation arrived.
Since learning of Starfleet’s interest in establishing a base on the colony planet, the Rhaaxan government had been applying steady pressure on the colony, trying to force its early return to the fold. The colonists so far had resisted such a move. Fearing that the identity and culture they had labored to create over two centuries would be lost upon being absorbed back into the larger Rhaaxan civilization, the colony’s leadership had instead made known its intent to apply for separate Federation membership.
“Let me worry about smoothing things over between Rhaax III and its colony, Captain,” Marshall said. “It’s only a matter of time until I steer them to an agreement.”
Had he not forced himself to keep his expression neutral, Gold surely would have rolled his eyes at the ambassador’s pronouncement. While the da Vinci’s current assignment had taken several weeks to become boring, tiresome, and frustrating, the diplomat had arrived with those qualities already operating at full capacity—and yet still had done his level best to improve in those areas.
However, despite any animosity Gold might feel toward Marshall, the captain knew that the diplomat was good at his job. He would have to be, from what Gold had learned in his own research into the Rhaaxan situation. The populations of both worlds had mixed feelings about how to solve the problem between Rhaax III and its colony. Polls had shown that while many citizens agreed with their governments, a nearly equal number of both planets’ populations felt the colonists had earned the right to run their world as they saw fit.
The Federation had mediated several attempts to debate the issues, but in the end, neither side was willing to budge from its position. As time passed, tensions rose, rhetoric sharpened, and the rift between the two planets had grown to a chasm, a fact soon demonstrated with alarming clarity.
“This latest incident would seem to be a major obstacle to overcome,” Gold said. “It was just arguing around a table until the Rhaaxan government authorized an attack on the colony.”
And it had not stopped there. Rhaax III’s military resources were limited, and the colonists were able to defend themselves long enough for the assault to be called off. Following that failed action, the Rhaaxan leaders had upped the stakes by threatening to unleash a biogenic weapon. Such an attack would force an evacuation of Numai. By cooperation or coercion, the government rationalized, the colonists would return to the embrace of their mother world.
“The very idea is appalling,” Gold continued, “but what’s even more alarming is that after all of this, we’re still sitting here, considering Federation membership for these people.”
For the first time since his arrival aboard the da Vinci, Gold saw Marshall’s normal bluster falter. The ambassador leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The captain said nothing, allowing the other man a moment to collect himself.
Returning his attention to Gold, Marshall said, “Ordinarily, you’d be right, Captain. It goes against everything we represent to welcome with open arms one society willing to decimate another for its own ends. However, we caused the problems between the Rhaaxans and their colonists through our own stupidity. Our putting the cart before the horse, getting excited about the strategic possibilities this system offers, has brought these people to the brink of war. Now it’s my responsibility to resolve this situation peacefully, and I can’t do that without the help of you and your team.”
Though he was amused at the notion of how painful such an admission had to be for a man like Marshall, Gold chose not to mention it. Instead, he said, “The Rhaaxans could have chosen a path other than confrontation to solve their problems. The colonists were the ones who called for disarmament, so at least they appear to want to work things out.”
The Federation had responded by sending in the da Vinci and its S.C.E. contingent tasked as weapons inspectors to oversee the collection and disposal of any large-scale weapons, conventional or otherwise, the Rhaaxans might possess. Commander Gomez had wasted no
time putting her team of engineers to work, sending them to key facilities on both planets as well as the family of space stations orbiting both worlds that were used to transfer cargo shipped back and forth across the system.
Having apparently regained his usual smug demeanor, Marshall said, “The colony’s desire for a quick resolution is precisely why I find your team’s progress discouraging.”
“It’s only discouraging if you hope to find something, Ambassador,” Gold replied. “According to Gomez, there’s nothing for us to find. All large-scale conventional weapons were accounted for, and there’s no evidence of any biogenic weapons or that there ever were any.” The inspections had been underway for nearly three weeks when Gomez made the pronouncement: The threat against the colony was a hoax. When the Rhaaxan Assembly was confronted with her team’s findings, the governing officials had confessed that no biogenic weapon existed, despite their best efforts to produce one.
“It was all a ruse,” Gold continued. “The assembly saw it as their last chance to convince the colony to stand with them in their quest to join the Federation.” Shaking his head, he added, “If that’s true, and so far we have no reason to believe it isn’t, then perhaps we can concentrate on working out a lasting agreement between these people.”
He leaned forward until his forearms rested on the conference table. As he did so, he caught himself staring for an extra moment at the prosthetic that had replaced his left hand, lost months earlier during the tragic mission to Galvan VI. The biosynthetic hand looked real, felt real, and was superior to his original hand in every measurable sense, a triumph of biomechanical engineering that had been the best way to provide him with a replacement for the loss he had suffered.
In a similar fashion, it now fell to Marshall and the da Vinci crew to craft a solution here, one that was better than leaving the Rhaaxans to their own devices.
“What happens after all of this?” Gold asked. “Once we straighten this mess out, it still leaves the issue of allowing the Rhaaxans to join the Federation. You can’t possibly think they’re ready.”
