Once he was assured of his own equilibrium, he attempted to leave the room that had been allocated for his personal use while a guest of the denzit. Its furnishings suggested that normally four people would share these quarters, but he was its sole occupant. The moment Tuvok opened the door, he found a young Rilnar officer facing him.
“Good morning, Commander Tuvok,” she greeted him. “I am Linzatar Kresch. I have been ordered to direct you to the mess and to advise you that the denzit will be unable to speak with you for several hours. As soon as she returns, you will be notified.”
“Returns? From where?” Tuvok asked.
“Titha’s power lines were attacked a few hours after you retired for the evening. Given their proximity to our base, the denzit chose to personally lead a team to secure them.”
“Does the denzit usually undertake missions of this nature?” Tuvok asked.
“Yes, sir,” Kresch assured him with pride. “She won’t order anyone to do something she’s not willing to do herself. It isn’t always practical, but when it is, she prefers to lead the charge.”
Tuvok nodded, wondering if this was actually true. He sensed no intentional deception on Kresch’s part. The young woman seemed truly proud of the commander of the Rilnar forces. It was possible, however, that others saw the arrival of Starfleet as a test of the denzit’s loyalty. As long as she had no choice but to remain on Sormana, she would likely do so. Given the option, many might question her choice to remain. Some might even hope for her departure to secure their own advancement.
While Kathryn Janeway did not balk at direct engagement when necessary, she was also not reckless in her command decisions. She must have chosen to lead this mission for a reason, and that reason might have more to do with Tuvok’s presence on the planet than any other tactical consideration.
“I would like to monitor the denzit’s progress from the Center. Would that be acceptable?”
“I suppose so,” Kresch replied.
A few minutes later, Tuvok found himself again in the heart of the Rilnar’s operations on Sormana. Kresch was kind enough to direct him to the screens that displayed the movements of the denzit’s team through the tunnels beneath Titha. The first thing to strike Tuvok was that the Rilnar detachment was outnumbered three to one. He also noted that one of the officers operating a data panel seemed to be having trouble raising the denzit’s team.
“Center to alpha squad, do you read?” she said urgently.
Even Tuvok could hear the sharp burst of static that was the only reply.
A Rilnar man of middle age approached the console. “Z-three has regrouped. Advise alpha squad to dispatch six to engage in southwest twelve. Three should meet those pursuing in southwest nine.”
“I cannot raise alpha squad, sir,” the woman advised.
“Comm failure?”
“The signal is being jammed.”
“Is the denzit aware of the current tactical situation?” Tuvok asked.
“Two additional Zahl squads have entered the caverns since her team arrived,” the woman replied.
“Will you dispatch another squad to aid the denzit’s?” Tuvok asked.
“I’m sorry, who are you?” the officer asked dismissively.
“I am Command Tuvok, of the Federation Starship Titan, and an old friend of the denzit’s.”
“Since you’re her old friend, I’m surprised you would ask such a ridiculous question. She is more than capable of routing these Zahl finlits. She would not approve of any decision to risk further resources.”
“And who are you?” Tuvok asked.
“Tilzitar Limlesh,” he replied.
Nodding, Tuvok turned to Kresch. “Would it be possible for you to take me to her current position?”
Kresch paused, clearly taken aback by the suggestion. “I’m not sure—that is, the denzit did not specify . . .”
“Is it possible?” Tuvok demanded.
“Yes, but you’d be placing yourself in great danger.”
“That is a state with which I am familiar. I am a highly trained and experienced tactical officer. I can assure you that my presence will not compromise the denzit’s mission, nor will it place any of your team at risk. Unless you are afraid . . .” he trailed off, allowing Kresch’s pride to finish that sentence for him.
Kresch looked to Limlesh, who shrugged. “If he wants to risk the denzit’s displeasure, it’s his choice. I will not be permitted to provide you with a sidearm or personal armor.”
“Neither will be necessary.”
“This way, Commander,” Kresch said.
Less than ten minutes later, Tuvok materialized beside the linzatar in a narrow, dimly lit cavern. The sounds of shelling were deafening as they echoed throughout what appeared to be a system of underground tunnels. With each blast, fragments of rock and curtains of dust fell from the ceiling. It was almost as difficult to breathe as it was to see.
Undaunted, Tuvok turned to his companion. “Where is the denzit?” he asked.
In response, she removed a small handheld device similar to a tricorder but with a larger screen, and activated it. A single cluster of glowing golden lights burst into view, surrounded by three distinct small teams identified by red motes. Tuvok immediately absorbed the tactical situation, which was not exactly promising for the denzit’s team.
An ear-splitting roar sounded. Tuvok and Kresch were immediately covered by a fresh coating of dust. As she brushed her screen clean, Tuvok noted that one of the three hostile teams had just been eliminated.
“Did Rilnar forces destabilize that tunnel, or was it a result of Zahl fire?” Tuvok asked.
Kresch shrugged. “Sounded like ours. Most of these tunnels have been pre-wired to collapse.”
“Can the denzit’s team be transported to safety directly from their current position?”
Kresch shook her head, pointing to a junction of tunnels a hundred meters distant from the denzit’s team. “This was their point of ingress. They’ll have to return here in order to evacuate.”
One of the two remaining Zahl teams was moving steadily toward the denzit’s position, blocking the only path to the evacuation point. Not that the denzit’s team seemed mindful of this obstacle. They pressed forward toward the second remaining group, and the sounds of weapons fire could clearly be heard through the din of another round of surface shelling.
Should the denzit’s team succeed in neutralizing the threat posed by those they were pursuing, they would still have to fight their way back to their only exit.
“This way,” Tuvok said, leading Kresch forward. As soon as she realized where he was headed, she placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
“As long as we stay here, we can return to the Center without engaging the Zahl. Beyond this point, our signal will be jammed.”
“Assuming we can safely access the evacuation point, we can be transported out along with the denzit’s team.”
“Yes, but the Zahl might anticipate the arrival of reinforcements. See how they are moving into these three adjacent tunnels? They’re leaving part of their squad behind to surround the evacuation point.”
“They intend to ambush the denzit.”
Kresch nodded.
“And you are content to allow them to do so?”
Their eyes met and eventually, the linzatar shook her head.
“Follow me,” Tuvok said.
• • •
When Commander Tuvok had advised Linzatar Kresch that he was among the Federation’s best tacticians, she had assumed he spoke the truth. Until she had seen him disable the first team of Zahl infiltrators, she had no idea what that really meant.
The man moved with the grace of a jhanqrekar, an extremely stealthy predatory beast native to her homeworld of Rilnadaar VI. Kresch did her best to match the rough scuffles of her boots to his silent treads. The constant shelling in the caverns meant that everyone’s ears were ringing by now, but a stray footfall at an inopportune moment could mean death.
&n
bsp; She wondered at his temerity, given that he possessed no means of defending himself. Wonder gave way to admiration when she watched him creep silently toward the single Zahl stationed in the nearest tunnel and place a hand on his shoulder. When the man crumpled to the ground unconscious, Kresch wanted to cheer. She was also determined to take the first possible opportunity to beg the commander to tell her how he did that. Tuvok then retrieved the man’s weapon, studied it briefly, dismantled its power core, and tossed the other remaining pieces into the darkness beyond the Zahl’s position before backtracking.
When he returned to her side and pointed on her display to the tunnel they would target next, Kresch whispered, “You could have taken his weapon for yourself.”
“I do not wish to see the denzit harmed, Linzatar Kresch, but I will not kill for her or her cause,” Tuvok retorted.
The second Zahl they encountered met the same unfortunate fate as the first. The third and final member of the ambush party had clearly been alerted, likely by the comm silence of his fellow Zahl, and turned on Tuvok, opening fire when the commander was only a few meters from his target. What followed was a brisk lesson in hand-to-hand combat. Tuvok hit the ground well before the Zahl’s phase-pulse rifle had discharged. He then sprang upon his would-be killer and with a few quick jabs, completely disabled him. Another Zahl was left unconscious, though in slightly worse shape than his comrades.
Tuvok then led Kresch toward the evacuation point. According to her display, the denzit’s team had taken out the squad they had pursued. They had separated into three small groups and were returning along separate paths, sweeping the tunnels for any explosive devices the Zahl might have planted when they infiltrated the area. Two of those groups arrived at the evacuation point before the denzit’s team could be seen approaching.
The denzit brought up the rear of her group as they made their way forward. Her three palzitars were moving double-time. She kept pace, discreetly checking her own surveillance scanner as she ran. She pulled up twenty meters from the evacuation point. Gesturing for the others to continue, she ducked down an adjacent tunnel alone.
Kresch turned to Tuvok, who did not appear in the least dismayed by this development. With a barely perceptible nod, Tuvok brushed past the arriving palzitars and followed the path the denzit had taken.
• • •
Throughout the engagement, Tuvok had told himself he was not violating his oath as a Starfleet officer. Strict adherence to regulations demanded that while observing any alien encounter, he was not permitted to join the fight except in self-defense. It had also occurred to him that should the denzit perish during this battle, Admiral Janeway’s present dilemma would be immediately resolved. No further action on Sormana would be warranted or permitted.
But Admiral Janeway had taken the position that no matter what Denzit Janeway called herself, and in spite of any contrary oaths she had taken, she was a Starfleet officer. As such, Tuvok was duty-bound to defend her. Taking the initiative and disabling enemy combatants who intended to ambush her certainly approached but did not technically cross the line. He had spent twenty-five years analyzing tactical situations and devising combat strategies to neutralize threats. Disabling hostiles was always preferable to killing them. Had he waited to see how the situation unfolded, and had it done so as he expected, such measured tactics might have been impossible.
Without Kresch’s scanner to guide him, Tuvok moved on instinct. Immediately entering the tunnel the denzit had taken, an irritating hum swept over his body. Tuvok stopped in his tracks and studied the walls around him. An energy field had been activated, likely by the denzit’s passage through the tunnel. Tuvok did not know what its purpose was but her apparent ignorance of it suggested a Zahl origin and devastating intent. Allowing the humming sensation to guide him, Tuvok gently ran his hands over the walls and ground. Soon enough, he detected the source. An explosive device had been hastily buried a few meters from where he stood. The denzit had not tripped it, but it had activated based on her proximity and it was clearly ready to detonate should she retrace her steps.
“Tuvok?”
He rose from his crouched position. Janeway stood at the far end of the tunnel, fifteen meters from his position and ten from the explosive. The surprised smile on her face and flush of her cheeks suggested she was insensate of the danger facing both of them.
For a split second, Tuvok considered his next action. This woman was a temporal anomaly. Her absence would restore integrity to this timeline. She was responsible for the choices that had led to this moment. Had he not been present, she would likely have died in the line of what she would have considered to be her duty.
The moment their eyes met, Tuvok understood that such considerations were irrelevant. Kathryn Janeway had been his friend for more than two decades. There was no version of this woman who could perish without removing something essential from his existence. He had lost too much already.
“Stop,” Tuvok commanded, and watched her smile falter.
A sharp tone pierced his ears as the hum that had first alerted him to the presence of the explosive intensified. Clearly, it was sensitive to multiple types of pressure, including, perhaps, sound waves. It suddenly struck Tuvok that for the last several minutes the surface shelling had been silenced. He wondered if this was a random coincidence or if someone was tracking and targeting the denzit.
There was only one course of action open to him. With one hand he grabbed the largest rock he could find; with the other, he gestured for her to retreat.
She did not question his order. As Tuvok stepped back and tossed the rock onto the proximity explosive, he saw her sprinting in the opposite direction.
As the rock flew from his hand, Tuvok mirrored her actions, sprinting full-out toward the evacuation point. As the ensuing concussive blast erupted and the tunnel collapsed upon him, he wondered if either of them was meant to survive.
• • •
The first time Tuvok regained consciousness his immediate thought was to wonder why the room around him was completely dark. A high-pitched alarm rang in his ears. Its piercing quality grated and he wondered why no one had though to silence it. A sluggish wave washed over him before he could consider the matter further. Darkness descended again.
The second time he awoke, two incongruous sounds met his ears. The first was a light, regular snoring. The second was the sweet trilling of a songbird. The room was no longer absolutely dark. Brightness assaulted his eyes through bandages that had been secured around them. A quick physical inventory told him that he had apparently suffered no serious physical damage. He could gingerly move his arms and legs, fingers and toes, though the effort left him weary and several muscles in his low back protested painfully.
“Kathryn?” Tuvok said through parched lips. His throat was dry and the word sounded more like multiple croaks than an attempt at communication.
Almost instantly, a soft, warm hand gripped his. “There you are,” a familiar voice said in clear relief. For an instant he thought he must have been returned to Voyager’s sickbay. Surely this was Admiral Janeway seated at his bedside.
Then he remembered the song of the bird.
“Where?” he attempted.
“Shh,” she hushed him. Seconds later he felt something touch his lips. He opened them to allow cool water to begin to slake his desperate thirst.
Her voice sounded again, calm and clinical. “You were evacuated to Felstar. This is the only Rilnar settlement on Sormana that the war has never touched. It’s located in an isolated mountain range more than five thousand kilometers from my current command center. It was built seven hundred years ago and to this day, the Zahl don’t even know it exists. It’s also the home of our finest doctors, including my personal physician. After you saved my life four days ago, I couldn’t possibly offer you less than our best.”
Tuvok reached for the bandages covering his eyes.
“Don’t,” she reprimanded him. “Doctor Mastin will be along in a
few hours to remove them. You suffered a concussion and the pressure on your optic nerve was worrisome. There was considerable trauma to your spine, which took the brunt of the impact of the ceiling of that tunnel. You’ll be sore for a few more days, but we repaired the fractures.”
“Thank you.”
The denzit laughed dismissively. “I think I owe you much more than you owe me at this point.”
“Were you injured?”
“A minor concussion and some soft tissue damage. Your warning saved my life. I’d actually forgotten what that felt like, even though it was hardly the first time, was it?”
Tuvok sighed, content.
“I thought about sending word to Voyager but once Doctor Mastin advised me that we could easily treat your most critical injuries here, I agreed to the procedures on your behalf. It’s probably silly, but I simply couldn’t bear to send you back to Admiral Janeway while you were at death’s door.”
This amused Tuvok. No sign of that response touched his face.
A long silence followed. Tuvok wondered if she might have left the room. When she spoke again, her voice was thick with emotion.
“She was right to send you here. I half expected her to come herself. I’m still not sure why she hasn’t. It’s not really like us.”
“You know as little of her life as she does of yours,” Tuvok reminded her.
“Someone with some sense tied her to a chair, didn’t they?”
“In the course of her travels, she has interacted with more than one alternate version of herself. It is a difficult situation and one that must be approached delicately.”
“I’m not sorry to have been spared that.”
Tuvok said nothing, waiting for her to continue.
“I understand why she thinks it is her duty to bring me back. I might do the same in her place. But I cannot leave now.”
“Unless I am able to present her with a rational argument to the contrary, I am certain that the next visitor you receive will be the admiral.”
“I don’t have to authorize her transport.”
Star Trek: Voyager: A Pocket Full of Lies Page 19
