Kobayashi Maru ste-12

by Andy Mangels

  Krell paused the images again. “If it was not clear, Captain, that salvo came from the KajDeel,not from the RomuluSnganship. Those treacherous gharghhave found a means of turning our own weapons against us. He turned back toward the screen, allowing the images to resume.

  On the Klingon warships viewscreen, the Romulan vessel reappeared, and then all hell seemed to break loose. A loud gonging sound and random shouts rose to a frantic crescendo almost instantaneously as the picture begin to waver and shake. Archer surmised that whoever had been capturing the images was no longer entirely in control of his equipment, or of much of anything else.

  Which, Archer realized, was exactlythe case.

  “As you can see, the artificial gravity of the KajDeelwas then compromised along with the rest of the basic life-support functions, Krell said. The images on the screen gradually became a bit more coherent as whoever was holding the recorder seemed to acclimate himself or herself to the null-gravity environment. “The failure of the life-support systems eventually forced the crew into a barely conscious state.

  “Any external sensor scan would have revealed that most of the crew were still alive, even days later, Krell said.

  “But there would be no way anyone outside could know that the crew was utterly unable to access or control any of the ships systems, Archer said, a resigned frustration creeping into his voice. He willfully ignored Phlox, who had continued quietly scanning him from a meter or so away.

  Krell nodded. “From this evidence, gleaned from the emergency log buoys of both ships and transmissions relayed directly from the recording equipment used on the KajDeel, the Klingon Defense Force has concluded that the RomuluSnganship somehow gained remote access to, and control over, not only the KajDeel, but the PeD NIHwIas well.

  On the screen, Archer saw a familiar face float past the weightless cameras eye for a moment. “Freeze that, he shouted, mindful a millisecond later that shouting commands at Krell was probably poor protocol, to say the least.

  After casting Archer a cold glare that could have made a snowman shiver, Krell stopped the recording. The face that Archer had recognized was still on display, nearly dead center, trapped in place like a fly in amber.

  Archer turned toward MRek, though he gestured back toward the screen. “That is the Klingon woman we found in the wreckage at Draylax. The only survivor we came across.

  “The one who died so swiftly under the tender mercies of your chief medical officer? Krell said. Archer turned his head in time to see him cast a withering stare directly at Phlox.

  “The woman was too far gone for anyone to save, Admiral, Archer said. “My doctor did everything possible for her, even if all he could do in the end was make her journey to the afterlife as smooth as possible. She fought death until the end, and died with honor, at least as far as Im concerned.

  “Her family will be pleased to hear that, MRek said. “She will have a place in Sto-Vo-Koramong the honored dead. Of course, you will return her body to us immediately so that we may verifythe honorable nature of her death.

  Archer nodded toward the chancellor. “Of course. Just as soon as I am back in touch with my ship. He turned back toward Krell. “If she was aboard the KajDeel,that means your hijacked battle cruiser was among the ships that attacked Draylax.

  Krell nodded as he allowed the images to resume, though with muted sound. “Yes. Before they died, the officers running the independent imaging equipment managed to transmit images of that attack to one of our remote outposts. The data then reached the Klingon High Command via the outposts subspace relay station.

  The images on the screen moved through a quick progression of shots of the KajDeels unconscious bridge crew, views of exploding Draylaxian vessels, and NX-class starships taking heavy fire from Klingon battle cruisers, and finally ended just as a trio of heavily armed, undamaged Klingon battle cruisers opened fire. The final image was a flash of an apparently dead Klingon male, his hair floating around his head as he drifted upside down in the KajDeels microgravity environment.

  “Had we received word of it sooner, Krell said, sounding wistful at the prospect of such wasteful, honorless killing, “we might have prevented entirely what happened at Draylax.

  “If it hadnt been for that camera crew, you might not have gotten there at all, Archer said. Addressing MRek, he said, “Chancellor, I believe it would be in everyonesbest interests if you were to authorize me to show these images to the representatives of the Coalition of Planets. It proves that the Romulans have developed some kind of remote-control weapon capable of seizing control of the space vessels of other species. If they take what Admiral Krell has just shown me at face value, they will have to absolve the Klingon Empire of any responsibility for what happened at Draylax

  “No, Captain, MRek said, standing. “That the RomuluSnganhave made us pawns in their cowardly ambushes is bad enough, but for you to make the Klingon Empire appear so vulnerablein the eyes of your worlds leaders, and those of the Coalition of PlanetsThe shame and dishonor is simply more than can be borne.

  Krell spoke up, the rising timbre of his voice showing very clearly that he was still in great pain from his exertions. “There are security considerations as well, Captain Archer. These recordings show the bridge and instrumentation of a Klingon battle cruiser with great clarity and in considerable detail. I doubt that Starfleet or any of its allies would hesitate for an instant to begin reverse engineering our command-and-control architecture and other related technologies based on what they find in these images.

  Archer rose from the bench where hed been seated, noticing only then that Phlox had finally quit scanning and was putting his medical scanner away. “Chancellor MRek, for the leader of a warrior society, you seem to have some fairly ridiculous fears.

  MRek bristled, leaning forward to grasp the railing in front of his bench with both hands. “You dare?

  A still, small voice somewhere deep within Archer counseled caution, but at the moment he felt too angry to listen to it. “Youre damned rightI dare, he said, jabbing an accusing finger into the air. “You would allow your people to become embroiled in a dishonorable war against the Coalition of Planets instead of going after the realauthors of the conflict? Youd let the Romulans get away with doing this to you, just to save yourself some embarrassment?

  “We act to spare the Klingon Empire from dishonor, Terangan,MRek said, his voice pitched in a dangerous tone that seemed to provoke his soldiers to hair-trigger readiness.

  But Archer knew he couldnt afford to back down now. “Even if that aversion to dishonor could mean the difference between a war with the Coalition and a war against our common enemy?

  MRek sneered. “Do not presume to lecture meon the subject of honor, Captain. If you fear war against us, then you must find your ownway to convince your leaders that the Klingon Empire will not take the blame for the attack upon Draylax. Persuading them will be yourresponsibility.

  Im getting awfully damned tired of playing errand boy for one side against the other,Archer thought, his fighting instincts rising even as his diplomatic side struggled to maintain control of a very bad situation.

  But, unless he had badly misjudged that situation, he knew he would leave QonoS with far more information than the Klingons realized.

  THIRTY-THREE

  Tuesday, July 22, 2155 EnterpriseNX-01

  “Y OU KNOW , J ONATHAN , about a hundred or so years ago what you just did would have been called bootlegging,Erika Hernandez said, a grim smile on her face.

  Archer nodded toward the new viewscreen that sat on his desk; Burch had assigned a crew to install a replacement terminal after Archers “accident with the previous computer prior to his trip to QonoS. The new screen, its image area split down the middle at the moment, displayed the faces of both Hernandez and Admiral Gardner. Archer had contacted them both only a few minutes earlier, eager to see their reactions to the images taken aboard the hijacked Klingon battle cruiser.

  “I had no idea what Doctor Phlox was r
eally up to at the time, Archer said. “At least until his constant medical scanning started becoming obnoxious. He didnt feel any pressing need to tell them about Phloxs cover story about the disorder that had supposedly afflicted his third lung, or the doctors good-natured phallic-based putdown.

  “Well, thank God that Denobulans seem to have the same capacity for sneakiness that we humans do,Gardner said. “Though using a medical scanner to eavesdrop on so much audiovisual material is a new one even to me.

  “So do you agree with me that this information in Phloxs bootleg is vital? Archer asked.

  Gardner shook his head. “I agree that itcould be vital, Captain Archer. If the Coalition Council believes it, it would certainly be one more nail in the coffin for the Romulans. But you have to realize that some will say that the Klingons faked the whole thing just to get themselves off the hook.

  “Begging the admirals pardon,Hernandez said, a look of concern on her face, “but the idea that the Klingons would have gone as far as they havedestroying their own ships, killing their own peoplefor the sake of a propaganda video they had every reason to believe we would never seethats just paranoid talk.

  “I wont take offense at your characterization, Captain Hernandez, because I know it wasnt directed at me,Gardner said. “But that still doesnt mean that the Tellarites or any of the other races wont be suspicious of the Klingons.

  Perhaps it was the wound in his side or the way his ribs still ached whenever he breathed, but Archer found he was having a hard time keeping his temper in check. “How much more evidence is the Coalition Council going to need, Admiral? Do they need an engraved invitation to war, delivered by a skipping Romulan schoolgirl, before theyll believe the truth?

  Gardner scowled slightly. “While Starfleets tech people get busy building countermeasures to this new Romulan weapon, Ill have my analytical staff comb through every shred of evidence weve gotincluding your doctors surreptitious recordingin order to make a presentation to the Coalition Council. But I cant make any promises as to what the politicians will finally decide to do. Especially if the Klingons arent willing to go public with thereal culprits behind the attacks on Draylax. Untilthat changes, its going to be very hard for some not to go right on blaming the Klingon Empire for what happened at Draylax.

  “Admiral, Draylax was probably just thestart of hostilities,Hernandez said, worry creasing her brow. “If the Romulans can seize control of Klingon ships, then they can disguiseany of their own attacks as Klingon aggression.

  Gardner moved one hand up to run his fingers through his close-cropped gray hair. “As far as most people in this part of the galaxy are concerned, the Klingons arealready aggressive and untrustworthy. So how do you propose we differentiate between normal Klingon aggression and Romulan-controlled Klingon aggression?

  “Heres the deal,Gardner continued. “In my judgment, the best use of our forces is for both of you to resume your original tandem mission patrolling the Coalitions shipping lanes.

  He held up his hands, palms outward, as if to ward off the arguments he knew must be coming. “I know neither of you thinks that will be helpful, but now at least you know what to watch for. Or at least you know what youmight face. Most of the attacks so far, other than the Draylax incident, seem to have occurred in Coalition-controlled space. So while youre out preventing any further attacks that might lead to a Coalition-Klingon war, Ill be doing my damnedest to get the Council on board.

  “I dont know what that means yet,Gardner said. “And I have serious doubts that the Klingons will be willing to ally themselves with us, even to punish the Romulans. Whats your take on that, Captain Archer?

  “Iyes, I dont think an alliance with us is in their plans, Archer said. “If theyre going to go to war against the Romulans, their crazy sense of pride is probably going to demand that they do it on their own. But if MRek was making serious plans to go to war against the Romulans anytime soon, he certainly kept them hidden from me. Which is exactly what I would expect him to do.

  Gardner nodded. “Me, too. So all I have to do is convince the Council not to move against people upon whom we cant rely for help against the Romulans, even though those same Romulans can attack us any time they damn please while making it look as though the Klingons are really the ones responsible.

  Pointing toward his own screenand presumably at both captainsGardner continued: “Its going to beyour job to stop any further attacks, which I know is going to be extraordinarily difficult until we find an effective countermeasure to thisRomulan hijacking device. I know youre spoiling to go on the offensive, regardless. Unfortunately, weve been forced into a defensive posture, at least for a while.

  Archer listened as Gardner gave a few more instructions to both him and Hernandez, but his insides were tying themselves in knots, and not solely because of the residual pain of his injuries. Despite his own desire to take more precipitous and direct action, he had to admit that the admirals words made a good deal of sense.

  Still, it was hard to calm himself in the face of the overwhelming worry that he might not be able to act in time to prevent an unnecessary interstellar warjust as he had failed to reach Coridan Prime in time to take any action that might have prevented the Romulans from effectively destroying most of the planets surface. Despite all he had doneand the combined efforts of everyone serving aboard both Enterpriseand Columbia,and Trip as wellthe duplicitous nature of the Romulan remote control system had all but perfectly framed the Klingons as the bad guys du jour.

  And the Coalition Council, whose members all too frequently seemed only barely able to trust one another to begin with, might be swayed all too easily by such a convenient narrative. Even after adding to the equation the new evidence he had just acquired on QonoS, Archer could hardly fault anyone who had ever gotten on the wrong side of a Klingon captain for failing to believe the Klingon Empire to be unequivocally innocent of the Draylax incursion, much less beyond a reasonable doubt.

  Still, as he said his good-byes to Gardner and Hernandez, then reached for one of the alien herbal painkillers that Phlox had prescribed for him, Archer was at least comforted by the knowledge that he would be taking the more hazardous patrol route. According to Gardners orders, Columbiawould be headed for safer territory, while Enterprisewas to set a course for the Gamma Hydra sector, perilously near Romulan space. The fact that the region was under dispute by both the Romulans and the Klingonsas well as near the Coalition-proposed “Neutral Zone intended to create a buffer separating both the Klingons and the Romulans from Coalition territory as well as from each othermeant that if another ship-to-ship engagement was in the offing, it was more likely to occur on Enterprises flight path than on Columbias.

  Archer exited his ready room and entered the bridge, the determination in his stride slowly wrestling the pain from the duel with Krell into submission.

  “Travis, lay in a standard commercial convoy heading for Gamma Hydra, section ten, he said. “And dont spare the horses.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  Tuesday, July 22, 2155 San Francisco

  I NTERIOR M INISTER H AROUN AL- R ASHID FELTnowhere near as serene as he strived to appear. Though he kept his hands folded meditatively atop the wide, semicircular negotiation table in the Coalition Council Chamber, he waited anxiously for the hammer to fall on a pair of urgent but still-unresolved questions.

  The foremost of these questions involved the rising likelihood of war with the Klingons. And the second, whose long-term implications arguably outweighed most conceivable consequences of the recent Klingon-Draylax incident, would almost certainly have a profound effect upon the outcome of the first.

  The heavy oaken doors that separated the central auditorium from the small private conference rooms at the rear of the building opened with an echoing impact that made al-Rashid believe that the metaphorical hammer had fallen at last. Momentarily glancing away from the senior representatives from Andoria, Tellar, and Vulcan who were striding purposefully through the doorway at the opposite side of the c
hamber, he saw his own internal feelings of tense anticipation reflected on the faces of the humans who sat at the table with him: United Earths Prime Minister Nathan Samuels and Centauri IIIs Ambassador Jie Cong Li.

  Like al-Rashid, both of his fellow humans had opted to have no staff members or junior functionaries accompany them to todays special closed-door meeting, in hopes of blunting the prevalent nonhuman perception that Homo sapienswas attempting to dominate Coalition business. In the same spirit, al-Rashid and his human colleagues had all agreed not to apply undue pressure on the nonhuman Coalition members to close the current human-nonhuman political rifts in favor of Earth and Alpha Centauri.

  Despite the new compromise proposal that the representatives of both the United Earth and Alpha Centauri governments had signed off on yesterdayand the looming conflicts it would no doubt engenderal-Rashid still had no reason to think that anything had changed since the last time the full Council debated the issue; so far as he knew, Vulcan, Andoria, and Tellar still vehemently opposed Earths initiative to confer full Coalition membership upon the human-inhabited Alpha Centauri settlements, citing as unfair the resulting “species voting bloc that would favor humanitys interests over the Coalition Councils nonhuman world.

  Its going to take a long time for us all to learn to really trust each other,al-Rashid thought as the Vulcans approached the table, followed by the Andorians, the Tellarites, and Grethe Zhor, the official diplomatic observer from Draylax. Feeling dispirited by the nearly constant birth agonies that the nascent alliance continued to experience, he tried to buoy his sense of hope by reflecting on the manifold difficulties humanity had already overcome over the past century on its painful way to resolving Earths internal strife and numerous social evils; his own people, for one, had both bled and shed the blood of others for generations prior to the eventual peaceful resolution of the long-standing and bitter Israel-Palestine conflict. If humanity could find peace among its own, then surely it could do so again out among the stars.