by Andy Mangels
“What is it you want?Archer asked, aware that he might regret that question more than anything he had said in this chamber so far. He recalled that on the day he had first seen a Klingon, the Vulcan ambassador Soval had warned him, “The last thing your people need is to make an enemy of the Klingon Empire.Those words of wisdom reverberated in his head now.
MRek turned back again to face him. “When our children are young, they learn to befriend the lowlier creatures of our world. Targs, qogh, qaHomthey play with them, sleep beside them, find allies in them. And when they attend to the Rite of Ascension, they learn that they must killthe animals that trusted them and feaston them. The animals are not Sajany longer, weaker creatures kept at our sufferance. They exist to be sacrificed. MRek smiled, showing his pointed teeth. “You are a Sajtoday, Captain Archer. You must decide whether your Coalition Council sent you here knowingyou would be sacrificedor whether your sacrifice is born of their stupidity.
“Any act against me ormy ship or crew will be considered an act of war as well, Chancellor, Archer said, trying not to imagine what was going to happen next. He was aware that the two MACOs with him were even now assessing every possible mode of attackas they more than likely had been doing from the moment the three of them had entered this chamber.
“You ask us for proof,Captain, MRek. “We have already given you every answer you will get without cost. Anything further you will have to earn through vItHaycombat against a warrior of my choosing. If you truly wish to avoid war with the Empire, youmay prove itby fighting for the truth.
MRek gestured to the back of the chamber with a flourish, and Archer saw a figure standing in the shadows behind the chancellor. “If you are not a craven bIHnuch,then you will cross blades with the very person you most accuse of being a taHqeq.
The man stepped forward, and Archer saw the swarthy skin, the braided goatee, and the smooth forehead.
Unless he backed downa choice he doubted was in any way a realistic possibilitythe warrior he was to face in a battle to the death was none other than Admiral Krell.
TWENTY-FOUR
Romulan Scoutship Drolae
T HE ALREADY OVERSTRAINED ENGINESshrieked in protest at suddenly being thrown into full reverse. The half-illuminated, blue-green limb of a planet suddenly appeared in the formerly empty space directly in front of the slender sheet of transparent aluminum that protected the cramped crew compartment from the unforgiving vacuum of space.
“Damn! Trip shouted, momentarily forgetting to avoid using human idioms in the presence of Romulans. The planet that had suddenly appeared before him grew steadily and quickly until it filled the viewers field of vision almost completely. One moment he had been calmly studying the nav display on his copilots console; the next, an entire world threatened to fall directly on top of him like the mother of all rockslides.
“Terix, I know we need to sneak up on these people, Trip said, grateful for the flight harness that prevented his bucking seat from ejecting him like the Romulan equivalent of a cowboy taverns mechanical bull. “But did you really have to cut it thisclose?
Seated at the pilots console to Trips left, the centurion only laughed indulgently as he pulled back on his control yoke with one hand while entering attitude corrections with the other. If he was at all concerned about Trips outburst, he showed no outward sign.
“As you have already noted more than once, we must provide our quarry with as little advance warning as possible, the Romulan said. His words were punctuated by loud bounces and vibrations as the sturdy little ships belly slammed hard into the planets rarefied upper atmosphere.
Trip attempted to draw some comfort from the clear evidence hed just seen that human pilots had no monopoly on insanity. Before today, he had never brought a ship out of warp so close to the surface of a planet. Starfleet regulations strictly prohibited such stunts except in the direst of emergencies, presumably not only because they were hard on ships, but also because they could cause untold havoc planetside. The still-burning surface of Coridan Prime stood as a mute testament to the wisdom of those flight regs. He breathed a silent prayer of thanks that the Romulan recon vessel had not only survived the punishing high-warp voyage all the way from Cheron to Taugus more or less intact, but had also somehow resisted being torn to molecule-sized pieces by the stress of Terixs brutally abrupt deceleration.
Now he feared that the reallydangerous part of this mission still lay ahead.
Terix quickly leveled out the Drolaes descent as he continued to bring her down. The propulsion system gradually quieted, though its din was replaced by the nearly deafening howl of the steadily thickening nimbus of ionized atmosphere that surrounded the friction-superheated hulls ventral surfaces. Still trading velocity for heat as it plunged ever deeper into the atmosphere, the scoutship roared across the terminator, passing very quickly from impenetrable night into a cloud-decked but brightly illuminated dayside.
The scout punched through the bottom of the cloud deck moments later; despite the deep band of haze beneath the clouds, the planets upper mesosphere evidently admitted more than enough light to allow Trip to see that what hed thought of only moments earlier as Taugus IIIs western limb had now become its sunward horizon.
Only about fifteen kilometers of intermittently turbulent atmosphere now separated the little vessels still-glowing hull from the planets forbidding rocky surface.
“Do you have a fix yet on the dissidents camp, Cunaehr? Terix asked, the rest of his attention completely absorbed by his buckboard-style piloting.
Trip had already been fully engaged in trying to pinpoint their target before the centurion had asked the question. “The passive scans are giving me some ambiguous results. Im not sure its a good idea to risk tipping these people off by putting the sensors into active mode, though.
Terix nodded. “I agree. Im locking in on TLuadhs preprogrammed coordinates to make our approach. Can you handle the sensor controls?
“I think so, Trip said, though he was wary of rousing Terixs suspicions by appearing to be toofamiliar with Romulan military hardware.
“Good, said the centurion. “Continue making passive scans. Be on the lookout for any heavy concentrations of refined metals.
Trip nodded, working his console and keeping a weather eye on the passive sensors displays as the scoutship continued its rolling, bumping descent. He felt grateful that he wasnt prone to motion sickness.
An orange light flashed, followed by a column of numbers in Romulan script. Trip paused the figures and read them over twice to make absolutely sure he wasnt simply misinterpreting the alien characters to which he was still trying to become accustomed.
“This doesnt make a damned bit of sense, he murmured.
“Youve found something? Terix asked, still preoccupied with keeping the bouncing Drolaenearly level and more or less stable.
“I picked up a strong signature of paesinaehhrr,Trip said, using the Romulan word for duranium.
“Was it located at the preprogrammed coordinates?
Trip shrugged. “Im not sure. Its gone now, and the sensors werent in contact with it long enough to localize it. In fact His voice trailed off as he ran through one of the columns of figures yet again.
“Yes? Terix said, sounding somewhat irritated.
Trip looked up from his console and faced the centurion. “It might have been a reflection from an object in a low orbit around the planet.
“Another ship? Terix ventured, raising an eyebrow as he continued making his rapid approach to the surface. “An Ejhoi Ormiinvessel preparing to attack?
Spreading his hands in frustration, Trip said, “This planet has a pretty electrically active ionosphere. Maybe it was only a reflection from the surface, or a sensor ghost. Or maybe it was an orbiting surveillance drone set up by our friends down on the surface,Trip thought. An alarm system thats designed to give them just enough time to roll the welcome mat out for usand to be just small enough for us to miss on our way in.
Another light flas
hed on the sensor console. “There, Trip said, pointing. “Now Im getting a definitivereading of refined metals. Right at the spot where TLuadh said wed find our, ah, friends hiding out.
Terix nodded with a grunt. “Ill set us down in the rough country, there, he said, pointing at a tactical schematic displayed on one of the console readouts located conveniently between the pilot and copilot stations. “Our landing site will be only two, perhaps three matdrihfrom the dissident compound.
Thats maybe three, four klicks, tops,Trip thought after performing a quick numeric conversion in his head. Fortunately, neither the atmospheric composition nor the temperature would require either man to be burdened with heavy environmental gear during the hike to the dissident enclave. Hand-to-hand combat in pressure suits could be damned inconvenient.
Terix set the Drolaedown with surprising gentleness, and Trip was delighted to note that death had not begun to rain down upon them from their nearby target, or from whatever had created the orbiting ghost the sensors had thought theyd seen.
Not yet, at least.
“Can you handle a hand disruptor, Cunaehr? the centurion said as he unstrapped himself from his seat and moved immediately aft toward the weapons locker.
“I did a bit of hobby shooting back at the university, Trip said as he undid his own flight harness and followed Terix into the rear of the ship. After watching the centurion open the locker and arm himself, Trip silently accepted the heavy silver pistol that Terix handed him.
“This is the dangerous end, right? Trip said, pointing at the weapons tapered, hand-length barrel.
Terix only scowled, then checked and holstered his own weapon before handing Trip an empty holster belt.
Again, no stun setting,Trip thought as he gave the weapon a quick once-over, making certain that the safety was on. He hoped to hell he wouldnt have to fire one of these things in combat again anytime soon, though he knew that was probably far too much to hope for. After all, they were about to raid the stronghold of a cold-blooded killer who had already proved he had no compunctions about killing.
Strapping on the holster belt, Trip thought, Lets hope my old friend Sopek is getting careless in his old age and left a window open for us.
TWENTY-FIVE
Shuttlepod Two
S O FAR AS M ALCOLM R EED KNEW, the name of the aquamarine planet that turned slowly several hundred klicks below the shuttlepod had never been recorded on any Earth star chart. In fact, it was one of the farthest-flung worlds that human eyes had ever beheld.
But if Commander TPol was right, another human may already have preceded him to this remote place.
“How can you be so certain well find Commander Tucker here? Reed said.
TPol raised an eyebrow as she regarded him with that damnably cool Vulcan assuredness of hers. “My intelligence sources have always proved reliable in the past, Lieutenant.
“Ill grant you that the Vulcan transport vessel you got us docked with did a damned fine job of sneaking us past those Romulan patrols at Alpha Fornacis, Reed said. Not to mention not reporting our whereabouts to Starfleet,he added silently. It was obvious that the ship in question had been up to something other than the banal tasks of moving passengers and cargo in order to operate with impunitysometimes at speeds in excess of warp factor sixmore than half a parsec inside territory claimed by the Romulan Star Empire.
He still felt annoyed at having been confined to the shuttlepod for most of their three-day voyage, deprived of even the laconic company of TPol, who had been allowed at least partial access to the transport vessel that had carried Shuttlepod Two so close to its destination. But even the usually stoic TPol had complained about how little access she had been given to the all but invisible Vulcan benefactor whom her VShar contacts had persuaded to grant them covert passage into Romulan space. The Vulcans seemed quite intent on keeping a tight lid on whatever they were really up to so deep within the Romulan sphere of interest. This cloak of secrecy made Reed very nervous about whatever it was that the new, purportedly more transparent TPau regime on Vulcan might want to keep hidden from its Coalition partners. And those worries werent so much for his own safety, or even that of TPol, but for that of Trip. A second Coalition-based spy bureau blundering about here among the Romulans could well put Trips mission and life in jeopardy without meaning to do so or even noticing the damage theyd done.
Of course, he was uncomfortably aware that the very same accusation could well be leveled at both himself and TPol.
Putting those matters aside for the moment, Reed continued his conversation with TPol: “But the only confirmation we have that we might find Trip here, as opposed to any of a dozen other systems, comes from yourvisions.
“I do not have visions,Lieutenant, TPol said, her equanimity apparently shaken but little by Reeds almost accusatory point. “But I remain convinced that I have achieved at least an intermittent telepathic link with Trip She paused, apparently catching herself in the act of revealing more than she preferred to reveal. “With Commander Tucker. There is ample precedent for such things, Mister Reed. The Aenar of Andoria, for example.
Reed still didnt feel sufficiently convinced to be able to stop himself from subjecting TPols reasoning to another round of verbal destruction testing. “The Aenar are verystrong telepaths, Commander. I thought the esper ability was restricted to touch in Vulcans.
“That is certainly true for the vast majority of us, she said, reiterating a point she had made not long ago to Captain Archer and Doctor Phlox. “However, there have been exceptions. I have become convinced that the link Commander Tucker and I share represents just such an exception.
Knowing what he did about the neurological effects of the trellium-D to which TPol had once been addicted, Reed felt a good deal less sanguine than she apparently did about trusting her subjective feelings of certainty.
“Please forgive me for saying this, Commander, he said very gently. “But I think youre putting a great deal of faith in what might turn out to be nothing more than a dream. Or even some residual effect of trellium-D exposure,he thought, recalling TPols recovery from an addiction to the neurologically toxic mineral.
She said nothing as she stared straight ahead at the planet.
“It just doesnt seem very scientific to me, he said, uncomfortable with the spreading silence.
Seeming to balance her words very delicately on a bulwark of nettles and brambles, she said, “I am a Vulcan, Lieutenant. And Vulcans do not pursue mere dreams across parsecs of interstellar space.
Never underestimate the power of dreams,he thought. Or nightmares.
“Dreams. Visions. Gut hunches. Call them whatever you like, Commander, he said with a shrug. “I just have to ask whether its entirely logicalfor you to place so much trust in a phenomenon that neither of us can really look at objectively.
To her credit, the only sign of emotion she allowed herself to display was an inquisitive tip of the head as she turned to face him again. “If you truly harbor so many doubts about what were doing out here, then why did you insist on coming along?
Now that is a damned fine question,he thought; he had asked himself the very same thing more than a few times since she had first asked it just before they had absconded with Shuttlepod Two. In light of all the subspace chatter theyd subsequently picked up concerning the Klingon-Draylaxian conflict that had broken out since theyd left Enterprise,Reed could only hope that their current quest wouldnt prove to be as barmy as it might now look to Captain Archer or the rest of his crew.
“I already told you, Commander, he said at length. “We both want to rescue Trip if hes really in as much trouble as you say he is. Besides, I couldnt just let you go off on your own.
The eyebrow rose again. “Even if this entire endeavor ultimately turns out to bewhat is the phrase you humans use?a wild goose chase?
He smiled gently. “ Especiallythen.
After a pause, TPol said, “I am placing a great deal of faith in you as well, Lieutenant. Specifically in you
r discretion.
“I thought I already proved how discreet I can be when I didnt rat you out to Captain Archer, Reed said.
“Of course, Mister Reed. But that action only required confidence on a relatively small scale. In allowing you to accompany me on this mission, you are almost certain to discover one of my peoples most closely guarded secrets. And that knowledge will require a much larger degree of discretion.
Reed found it difficult to imagine the nature of any secret the Vulcans might be so intent upon protecting. Nevertheless, he shrugged and said, “I used to work for a bureau whose stock in trade was secrets. I think you can rely on me to keep mum when it counts.
A flashing light on the pilots console interrupted whatever she had been about to say in response. In that same instant, the shuttlepod shook violently before settling back to normal perhaps a second or two later.
“What the hell was that?Reed said as he consulted several conflicting sets of readouts that were vying for his attention across the copilots console.
“We appear to have encountered an intense warp bow shock, TPol said as her long fingers moved across her instruments with almost preternatural speed. “The phenomenon is very similar to a starships subspace wake.
Reeds own subspace field monitor confirmed TPols observation a moment later. “That must mean we have company here, he said. Though he had yet to locate any other vessel, either by eye or by sensors, his readings had revealed that the already fading subspace concussion fit a particular profile: that of a ship that had suddenly collapsed its warp field bubble, thereby dropping almost instantaneously from high warp speed back to the Einstein-mandated sublight velocities of normal space.
Whoevers behind the wheel on that ship has got to be barking mad,Reed thought, to perform a maneuver like that so close to a planet.
“I still cannot pinpoint the other ships precise location or heading using only passive scans, TPol said.
