by Dayton Ward
Such a waste.
Kirk leaned forward until he could rest his forearms atop the desk. “The Sagittarius, sir. What was it carrying?”
“Our salvation,” Nogura said without hesitation. “And, as it happens, our doom. The system I sent Captain Nassir to investigate, Eremar, contained thousands of crystalline artifacts created millennia ago by a civilization that called itself the Tkon Empire. As it turns out, they and the Shedai had gotten on each other’s nerves more than once, and the Tkon figured out a way to defeat them or, rather, keep them at arm’s length. The crystals acted as a sort of trap for the Shedai, each able to hold a Shedai’s particular noncorporeal essence within itself. The trade-off is that the artifact becomes a potential power source, and when channeled through other Tkon technology or—in our case—whatever our engineers could cobble together, it can be used for all sorts of things, including some pretty catastrophic applications.”
Kirk’s brow furrowed. “Such as?”
“Such as blowing up planets,” the admiral snapped. “We learned that one by accident. The damn thing blew up eleven planets just from us trying to scan it. Thankfully, none of them were inhabited. How the hell we managed not to kill anybody, I’ll never know.”
“Good Lord,” Kirk said. Even imagining that level of devastation, unleashed with such ease, disturbed him. He had known—or surmised—that one of Starfleet’s primary motivations in seeking out any remnants of the Shedai and their technology was to prevent its being found first by one of the Federation’s enemies. What he had not dared to consider was the true immensity of that threat in this context.
“We’d already lucked ourselves into finding a couple of the things,” Nogura continued. “Xiong actually came across the first one, while he was a . . . guest of the Klingons on Mirdonyae V. When we rescued him from that, we also retrieved the artifact. Xiong and his staff were studying the thing, which contained a Shedai entity he’d managed to trap when it attacked the station. He and a team from the Corps of Engineers from the Lovell were trying to communicate with the Shedai inside when it broke loose.”
“The Lovell,” Kirk said, putting it together and recalling the all-but-ancient Daedalus-class ship that for a time had been assigned to Starbase 47. “The official report said it was destroyed due to a failure in its warp engines.”
Nogura nodded. “A plausible enough cover story, considering the ship is older than I am.” He waited, as though expecting Kirk to be so reckless as to offer a joke or other observation on that point. When Kirk held his tongue—despite being unable to prevent just the slightest hint of a smile—the admiral said, “Your restraint has earned you another glass of my brandy.” Without asking, he refilled Kirk’s glass and slid it back across the desk.
Taking a pull from the glass, Kirk closed his eyes, relishing the warmth of the brandy as it coursed down his throat. He and Nogura had been savoring the spirits as they talked, and Kirk was beginning to feel the cumulative effects of the alcohol on his system. He imagined the look on the face of Commander Haystead or whoever else might wander into the office only to see him and Nogura drunk and either giggling like children or just sitting asleep in their chairs.
That’d look good in somebody’s report.
“Once we figured out what these things could do,” Nogura continued, “we started hunting for their source, or at least someplace where we could find more. Xiong figured if we could get enough of them, we might be able to construct an array or other device to use against the Shedai. Well, the Eremar system was our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The Sagittarius ended up bringing back more than five thousand of the Mirdonyae artifacts.”
Kirk’s jaw went slack. “Five thousand? Each of them with the same power as the ones you already had?” Even with his limited knowledge of the Shedai’s true nature, he still was able to appreciate the magnitude and potential not only of the technology they once had wielded but also that of anyone else who may have created a weapon with the power to defeat them.
Nogura nodded. “Closer to fifty-five hundred, actually. As for what they could do, hell, we still don’t know the full extent of their capabilities. Xiong and his people were guessing right up until the end. It took them a bit, but they finally figured out how to build a contraption that definitely got the Shedai’s attention. They were able to tap into the conduits the Shedai used to move through space, sort of like interspatial or even interdimensional passages. They could move from planet to planet the way you and I walk across a room, and now we had access to that technology.”
Becoming more animated, the admiral began to move his hands as he spoke. “Can you imagine what we could do with that kind of ability? Putting aside the military applications, the possibilities for opening up avenues for exploration were incredible, and that’s just talking about the Taurus Reach. What if we were able to adapt what we’d learned and push farther out? Star systems and even other galaxies, centuries away by our standards, now close enough to touch.” Sighing, Nogura shook his head. “Yes, the tactical potential was important, too, particularly with the Shedai breathing down our necks, but it could’ve been so much more.”
“So what happened?” Kirk asked.
Nogura’s lips tightened for a moment before he replied. “What always happens in situations like this: somebody higher up in the food chain gave orders, and the rest of us had to follow them. Starfleet Command wanted that thing operational as soon as possible, despite almost continuous protests from Xiong and Doctor Marcus. I agreed with the notion, at least in part, and up until we were able to capture the Shedai.”
The statement was offered in such a matter-of-fact manner that it took Kirk an extra second to comprehend it. “So you were able to capture a Shedai?”
The admiral shook his head. “No. We captured all of them. After using Xiong’s new toy to locate every last Shedai, he was able to . . . transport them into the array he’d built. Snatched them right from wherever they were in less time than it just took me to tell you that.”
“All of them,” Kirk repeated, the words barely a whisper. “Damn.”
“It scared the living hell out of me, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Nogura said. “Scared a lot of other people, too. The power requirements to keep them contained inside that thing were staggering, Kirk. But now that we supposedly had all of the Shedai under our thumb, so to speak, that started giving people all sorts of ideas. If we could blow up planets by accident with just one under our control, what might all of them, working in concert, be capable of?”
Kirk, his mind already racing to conjure those possibilities, felt a cold chill run down his spine as he imagined the Klingons, the Romulans, or other Federation adversaries coming into possession of such unchecked power. “So these other people, the Tkon, were able to do something like that?”
Nogura shrugged. “We don’t know. So far as Xiong was able to determine, the crystals largely were meant as prison cells for the Shedai. Whether they later attempted to exploit whatever advantage this gave them is anybody’s guess. Of course, the Tkon have been dead for thousands of years, too, so maybe they did try something and paid a heavy price for it.”
For the first time, Kirk was beginning to see the real reasons behind the climax of the battle at Starbase 47. “It’s no wonder the Tholians wanted to get their hands on the array, and the Shedai.”
Nogura, to Kirk’s surprise, laughed. “Hardly. They didn’t want the array, but our having it definitely pissed them off. You had your own taste of that, didn’t you?”
Kirk nodded. “Yes, sir. We certainly did.”
SEVEN
Stardate 5821.3
U.S.S. Enterprise
“Red Alert! Red Alert! All hands to battle stations! This is not a drill! Captain Kirk to the bridge! Repeat, this is not a drill!”
Already walking from his quarters toward the nearest turbolift, Kirk sprinted forward in response to Lieutenant Uhura’s summons. Hearing or seeing his approach, members of his crew cleared a p
ath for him while making their way to their own assigned stations. The ship’s alarm klaxon began wailing for attention as Kirk plunged into the waiting turbolift car.
“Bridge,” he called out, reaching for one of the lift’s control levers. The car began its rapid ascent, already working under a command override that gave him priority access to the fastest turboshaft route leading to the Enterprise bridge. Willing the lift to move faster, Kirk slapped the activation switch on a nearby communications panel. “Kirk here. What’s going on?”
Instead of Uhura, it was his first officer who replied. “Spock here, Captain. Our sensors have detected four Tholian vessels on an intercept course. However, the direction from which they changed in order to come after us indicates they were on a course for Starbase 47.”
Damn it, Kirk thought. Nogura was right. “Are you sure?” he asked, frowning as the turbolift began to slow.
The Vulcan replied, “Affirmative, sir. All four vessels identify as Tholian warships.”
The turbolift came to a halt and the doors opened. The car was filled with the sounds of heightened activity as Kirk stepped onto the bridge. His eyes moved to study the main viewscreen, which at present showed only a field of streaking stars as the Enterprise made its way through subspace at maximum warp. Though he had left Spock with the conn in his absence, the command chair was vacant as the first officer busied himself at his science station. Noting the captain’s arrival, Spock turned from his console as Kirk approached.
“Nogura suspected something like this might happen,” Kirk said by way of greeting, “which is why he ordered us to get back to the station as fast as possible.” The potential for Tholian incursion had been a constant threat for the past few years, dating back to Starfleet’s earliest probes into the Taurus Reach. From those first days, the Tholians had made no secret of their displeasure at having outsiders moving about this region, for reasons they of course chose not to provide.
Starfleet had since figured out the cause of the Tholians’ unrest, with its discovery of the Shedai and that ancient civilization’s array of advanced technology, as well as the millennia-old connection it shared with the Tholians. The reclusive, xenophobic race’s discontent only deepened the farther into the Taurus Reach Starfleet explored as it acquired more knowledge about the Shedai. Aggressive action already had been taken by the Tholians against Starfleet, including the destruction of the U.S.S. Bombay and their recent attack against the starships Endeavour and Sagittarius, in ongoing bids to force the Federation to reconsider its interests in the area. According to reports Nogura had given him—each of them incomplete and heavily redacted to remove any information deemed beyond the scope of his own security classification—Kirk knew that the Tholians would not hesitate to unleash even greater offensive sanctions if they believed Starfleet’s continued presence constituted a threat to their sovereignty and security.
Maybe they already have.
“Time to intercept?” he asked, turning from the science station to once more regard the image on the main viewscreen.
Spock replied, “At our present speeds, we should be in visual range in two point seven minutes. Our scans have determined that their weapons and defenses are active.”
“Put them on screen, Mister Sulu,” Kirk said as he stepped down into the command well.
“Aye, sir,” replied the lieutenant, and the image on the viewscreen shifted to show a quartet of angular, arrowhead-shaped Tholian vessels. They were traveling in a diamondlike formation, from which Kirk surmised they could deploy either individually or in pairs in order to bring to bear not only their weapons but also the energy web generators with which the Enterprise already had firsthand experience.
Without being prompted, Sulu reported, “Deflector shields at full power, sir. All weapons and crews on standby.”
“Thank you, helm,” Kirk said. “Lieutenant Uhura, open a hailing frequency to the Tholian ships.” Looking over his shoulder, he saw the communications officer tapping instructions to her console with her right hand, the other holding a Feinberg receiver to her left ear.
“Frequency open, sir.”
With his back to the helm and navigation stations, Kirk placed his hands behind him and used them to brace himself against the console. He drew a deep breath before announcing, “Tholian vessels, this is Captain James T. Kirk, commanding the Federation Starship Enterprise. Our sensors have detected your approach course and that you have armed your weapons. This is an act of aggression and we are prepared to defend ourselves. Please state the nature of your presence in this area.”
After a moment, Uhura said, “No response, Captain, though they are receiving.”
“As talkative as ever,” added Ensign Chekov from where he sat behind Kirk.
Considering his next move, Kirk regarded the enemy ships, which were growing larger on the screen with each passing moment. “Tholian vessels, we also detected your transit toward our starbase in this region. If you’re planning an attack against it, I’d caution you that such action is unwise. Your four ships would stand little chance against the station’s defenses.”
“Trying to goad them a bit, sir?” Scott asked from where he stood at the railing near his engineering station.
Kirk shrugged. “Can’t hurt.”
“Captain,” Spock said, and when Kirk looked to the science station he saw the Vulcan bent over his sensor viewer. “They are accelerating.”
“They’re breaking formation!” called Sulu, and Kirk was in time to see the quartet of ships each veering off in different directions.
Pushing himself away from the helm console, Kirk moved for his chair. “Lock photon torpedoes on targets and stand by for my command.” He caught Scott eyeing him as he settled into the center seat. “I guess it worked.”
“Looks that way, sir,” the engineer replied before returning his attention to his own station.
Spock peered into his sensor viewer. “They appear to be attempting an enveloping maneuver using four different attack vectors.”
“That’ll be a neat trick at warp seven,” Scott said.
Leaning forward in his seat, Kirk ordered, “Push it to warp eight.”
“Aye,” Scott replied, and the captain noted the hint of uncertainty in the man’s voice. Kirk could sympathize, as the Enterprise had endured much travel at its maximum speeds in recent weeks while responding to the demands placed upon its captain and crew. The chief engineer had requested a quick layover at a starbase at the earliest opportunity, wanting a chance to inspect the ship’s innards and complete any necessary maintenance tasks, but operational tempo had so far prevented that. Despite the need to return to Starbase 47 as soon as possible, Kirk had deferred to Scott’s recommendation that they not exceed warp seven unless absolutely necessary. Though Kirk was now forced to invoke that exception, he still had full confidence in Scott’s ability to keep the ship in top operating condition.
Just so long as nobody shoots it out from under us.
A faint but noticeable vibration working its way up through the deck plates, along his chair’s pedestal, and into his boots was Kirk’s first indication that the ship was increasing speed in response to his command. Glancing over Sulu’s shoulder at the helm console, he noted the Enterprise’s current velocity as reported on one of the station’s status indicators.
“Warp eight, sir,” Sulu reported.
“The Tholians are accelerating to pursue,” Spock said, turning from his console. “They are matching our speed.”
Not wanting a replay of the Tholians’ recent chase of the Endeavour and the Sagittarius out of the Iremal Cluster, Kirk ordered, “Tactical plot on main viewer.” A computer-generated schematic appeared on the viewscreen, illustrating the Enterprise’s current position relative to the Tholian ships. Using the data presented, Kirk considered the strategic options available to him. Though he knew from his review of the Tholians’ tactical abilities that his ship likely could withstand an attack even from four warships, a prolonged firefight
definitely would favor his opponents. His best move was to put the Tholians on the defensive by any means available. The longer he waited, the fewer choices would remain. The time to act was now. “Fire a warning shot, Mister Chekov. One photon torpedo across the bow of the ship to our starboard side, aft.”
The young ensign nodded, keying the proper instructions to his console. “Aye, sir. Firing.”
On the viewscreen, the tactical diagram displayed the trajectory of the torpedo toward its target, and the response was immediate as the Tholian vessel veered away from its pursuit course. At the same time, the other three ships also changed their directions, and Kirk knew what was happening even before the report came.
“Incoming fire!” Sulu exclaimed.
“Brace for impact!” was all Kirk had time to say, gripping the arms of his chair as something struck the Enterprise’s deflector shields and the ship shuddered around him. Overhead lighting blinked and alarm klaxons wailed around the bridge as the shields absorbed the strike. Two more salvos followed in rapid succession, each blocked by the shields but still powerful enough to channel a portion of their energy into the ship itself.
“Deflectors holding,” Scott reported, “but they won’t for long if our friends keep that up.”
Kirk nodded. “Return fire, all banks!”
As the barrage of torpedoes was launched, the tactical plot showed the Tholian ships’ attempting to respond to the weapons, but Kirk knew that evasive maneuvers at this speed were all but useless.
