by Dayton Ward
Kirk’s ruse had worked. Using a tricorder they had brought with them from the shuttle, he and Sulu had rigged it to transmit false readings that simulated their life signs. It had been Sulu’s idea to substitute Klingon patterns for himself and Kirk because, after all, why announce that humans were involved in the rescue attempt if they didn’t have to? They still had a chance to get out of here without tipping their hand. All they needed was a little bit of luck.
Rigging the dampening field to conceal their true position had been a different matter, though. Klingon tricorders didn’t have the power necessary to create the field in such a way that it wouldn’t be detected by other scanning devices, so Sulu had used the Starfleet-issue unit he’d brought along from the Enterprise. It had required reprogramming the device almost from scratch, something Sulu had learned from Scotty some years before. Once operational, the dampening field would mask their presence from portable tricorders unless they were programmed to detect such an anomaly. The shroud had allowed them to take up defensive positions on the top of the hill and wait for their pursuers to arrive.
Below them, Kirk watched those Klingons who had stepped out of the cover of the jungle jump back as he and the others opened fire. His own first shot, aimed at Korax, had missed the Klingon by mere centimeters. As he sighted in for another shot, Korax jumped out of the ditch and backpedaled for cover, his disruptor firing in the general direction of the fugitives’ position.
“I think they’re upset with us,” Sulu said as he checked the setting on his phaser again.
Kirk had ordered all weapons placed on stun, determined not to kill anyone unless it became absolutely necessary. They were momentarily protected on this hilltop, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the Klingons adjusted their strategy. The jungle still provided sufficient cover for them to move on the hill, and both of the fugitives’ tricorders had been employed to set up their distraction. None remained that they could use to track their opponents’ movements.
As quickly and as furiously as the Klingons’ return fire had come, it faded away. Kirk listened but could hear no signs of movement below as the jungle became quiet once again.
“You don’t suppose they got bored and went home?” Garrovick asked, chuckling at his own attempt at humor.
“Not likely,” Koloth replied as he scanned the low ground with his viewfinder. “Korax did not come this far to give up so easily. We must prepare for a direct assault.”
The hilltop, perhaps thirty meters in diameter, was covered with low-lying vegetation and small trees. It rose high enough from the jungle floor that Kirk could see the tops of the surrounding trees for kilometers in every direction. The terrain offered limited visibility, which would make it difficult to detect the approaching Klingons.
“It’s going to be tough defending this much area with just eight of us,” Cheryl Flodin said as she wiped perspiration from her forehead. Kirk did the same, realizing that the oppressive heat was beginning to get to them all. Even with the tri-ox compound Sulu had provided, they would be exhausted by nightfall at this rate.
“We only have to hold long enough for Koloth’s ship to arrive,” Kirk told her in what he hoped was a reassuring voice. He wouldn’t patronize the ensign, or any of her companions for that matter. Everyone here knew the situation and the stakes if they failed. Still, there was no reason to surrender all hope of escape. They weren’t captured yet.
He looked to Koloth. “How long?”
“Assuming they did not receive the shuttle’s signal, our scheduled rendezvous time is not for several hours.”
Kirk nodded soberly. They had activated the shuttle’s distress beacon soon after setting down, but it had been questionable as to whether or not the damaged vessel would be able to supply power long enough for the signal to be picked up by anyone.
He watched as, within moments, Sydney Elliot organized the group into a defensive perimeter, defining fields of fire for each member. She moved quickly, as if sensing the approach of their enemy through the jungle. As she passed by Kirk’s position on the way to her own, she knelt next to him.
“Looks like we’re all set, Captain.”
Kirk nodded appreciatively. “Nice work, Ensign. Good to see that being out of action all this time hasn’t dulled your skills.”
“Some things you never forget, sir.” Elliot smiled as she said it, but Kirk could see the tension in the young woman’s eyes. She was preparing for battle, yes, but there was more to it. He remembered what she had said earlier about refusing to be recaptured, but he suspected that the source of the fire burning within her ran deeper still.
Before he could ask her about it, however, Elliot was gone, moving off to her own position.
Kirk scanned the jungle with his viewfinder. Nothing stood out from the lush vegetation, no telltale sign revealing the presence of Klingons offered itself. The Klingons were doubtless employing their own tricorders now, trying to penetrate the dampening field Sulu had created. The Enterprise helmsman had increased the power output to cover the increased distance between the group’s members, but it meant that the field’s overall integrity had been compromised. There was now a very real possibility that their positions could be pinpointed.
“Here they come!”
It was Flodin, shouting as she let loose a barrage of phaser fire. One, two, three shots, but no return fire. Kirk listened but heard no other signs of movement from the jungle.
The Klingons were obviously probing, trying to determine the fugitives’ positions. The only thing the group could do was hold fast and make sure none of the Klingons broke into their perimeter during a diversionary action.
Light exploded near Kirk’s head as a disruptor bolt tore into a thicket less than a meter to his right. He rolled away from the blast just as another shot followed, scorching the mound of earth he’d been hiding behind only an instant earlier. Kirk brought his phaser up and fired in the direction the shots had come from, not really expecting to hit anything. His eyes scanned the jungle but he could see no sign of any Klingons.
Somewhere behind him and to his left he heard another phaser fire. Envisioning the mental map he had made of the group’s positions, he guessed it was Lieutenant Sinak dealing with an interloper. More phaser fire followed from further behind him. That would be Garrovick.
“Conserve your phaser charges,” he called out to the rest of the group. “They’re trying to bait us. Wait until you have a clear target before firing.” He wasn’t concerned about giving his own position away. Whoever had fired at him moments before knew where he was.
The probing actions were coming faster now, the Klingons beginning to push forward and testing their quarry’s resolve. The strategy they were employing gave Kirk one valuable piece of information, however. Korax wanted the prisoners taken alive if at all possible.
Perhaps that was something Kirk could use.
Then he heard phaser and disruptor discharges erupt in a flurry behind him and he knew that the battle had finally begun.
Chapter Thirty-five
STEPHEN GARROVICK had barely settled into his assigned position when weapons fire broke out all around him. Down below, he could see movement in the jungle as the Klingons began to push forward, using the dense undergrowth for concealment. Flodin and Sinak engaged targets within their respective fields of fire to his left and right, responding to the plan Elliot had mapped out. “Keep them pinned!” he heard Elliot call out above the din of the rapidly escalating firefight. “Don’t let them get cover on the hillside!”
They had to stop the Klingons’ advance on the hilltop if they were to have any hope of holding their position. If any of the soldiers broke through their lines, Garrovick and his companions would have to face enemies from in front and behind. Already tired from the heat and the long march through the jungle and outnumbered nearly three to one, it wouldn’t take long for them to be overwhelmed.
“Stephen! Ten o’clock!” Flodin yelled from Garrovick’s left. He spotted t
he Klingon moving through the brush and shifted the aim of his phaser. The cold bluewhite beam spat forth as he pressed the weapon’s firing stud, striking the Klingon in the shoulder. The soldier convulsed as the beam caught him before finally sagging to the jungle floor.
Garrovick had already spotted another Klingon near his first victim when he heard a groan of pain from his right. Able to afford only a quick glance in that direction, he watched as Sinak fell back from his firing position, clutching his leg. He’d been hit by incoming fire, and that was all Garrovick had time to process before a disruptor blast tore into a tree just a meter to his right. He felt the heat of the blast and the sting of bark and bits of wood peppering his body. Then movement down below him caught his attention. Eight dark figures raced among the trees.
“Look sharp, Cheryl! They’ve loaded up on this side and they’re rushing us!” He attempted to sight in on a target, firing just as the Klingon leapt behind a tree less than twenty meters away. Even with the advantage their elevated position offered the fugitives, Garrovick knew they wouldn’t be able to stop them all.
Movement to his right, something big crashing through the underbrush. He didn’t have time to search for the source as another Klingon moved into his vision down the slope. He fired his phaser and was rewarded with the sight of the Klingon slumping to the ground.
And then something dark flashed in his peripheral vision.
He rolled to his left, away from the threat just as Khulr’s foot slammed into the ground where his head had been. He tried to push himself to his feet and aim his phaser, but the Klingon was too quick. A dusty leather boot lashed out and knocked the weapon from his hand. Garrovick forgot about the phaser as he rolled away and tried once again to regain his footing.
“Stephen!” Flodin shouted from behind him, torn over her friend’s peril and dealing with the advancing Klingons.
“Don’t worry about me,” Garrovick snapped, moving to his right and attempting to draw Khulr away from his companion. “Keep them pinned in the tree line.”
Khulr for his part seemed uninterested in Flodin. Instead, his eyes were locked on Garrovick, watching as he moved away from him.
“Do not think I’ve forgotten about our last meeting in the mines, human,” he said, his voice low and threatening.
Garrovick hadn’t forgotten it either. The look on the Klingon’s face told him that Khulr had no intention of “capturing” him. Accidents were bound to happen out here in the jungle during the heat of battle, after all.
He wasn’t worried so much for himself but for the rest of his crew should they be taken back to the prison. With him out of the way, Khulr would have even more opportunities to pursue his perverted hatred of the other humans, especially Elliot.
There was no sense waiting for it, he decided. Time was running out for them. Inevitably, the Klingons would break through the perimeter. Outnumbered as they were and given the deteriorated condition of the Gagarin crew members, they stood little chance of winning any handto-hand combat.
So he might as well get it over with.
“I’m sure Korax gave orders that we weren’t to be killed,” he said. “Are you telling me you’re ready to disobey him? I didn’t think you had the nagh s for that.”
And as Khulr bristled at the remark, Garrovick attacked.
The bloodcurdling cry of rage that exploded from his lips succeeded in startling the Klingon, keeping him standing in place for the extra second Garrovick needed to close the gap between them. Then he was in close, less than an arm’s length away, and he struck out.
Bone crunched under the heel of his hand as he made contact with Khulr’s nose, still bruised from the damage Elliot had inflicted during their previous fight in the mines. The guard grunted in pain, not expecting such a ferocious attack. He started to get his arms up in an effort to block the strike, but by then Garrovick had pivoted away. His right foot came up and struck the Klingon in the left knee.
The kick hadn’t been a strong one, mostly because Garrovick had been too close to his opponent. It generated another cry from Khulr, though this one was born more from anger than pain.
His left arm swept out, slamming into Garrovick’s right shoulder and the human felt bone snap. The blow spun him around as he stumbled away and fought for balance, trying to keep the Klingon in his line of vision as he fell to the ground. Jolted by the impact, his shoulder throbbed in even greater pain and Garrovick bit back an involuntary scream of agony.
Khulr was advancing quickly, giving him no quarter. Garrovick’s lungs were already straining for oxygen in the stifling heat. Even without an injured arm there was no way he’d be able to keep this up for long. The Klingon simply outmatched him physically.
Then he heard the familiar click and hum of power.
Khulr had drawn his stun baton from the holster on his belt and activated it. The weapon’s far end glowed hot red, telling Garrovick it had been set to deliver its most potent charge. If Khulr landed a blow with the baton, just one, he was as good as dead.
“What’s the matter?” Garrovick asked as he stared down the approaching Klingon. “You can’t fight a weak human without a weapon?” He doubted his bravado sounded convincing. His right arm was useless, and it took all of his concentration not to give into the pain in his shoulder.
Khulr continued to stalk him, stepping forward until he straddled Garrovick’s legs. Smiling even as a fresh line of blood trailed from his reinjured nose, he looked down at the human.
“Elliot succeeded with that ploy before, in the mines.” He shook his head. “Not this time. I intend to watch your eyes as I impale your heart on this.” He raised the baton, waving the glowing end before Garrovick’s eyes.
Garrovick spotted movement behind the Klingon and his eyes flickered toward the source. Khulr saw his reaction and started to turn just as Sydney Elliot threw her entire weight into the guard.
She struck Khulr in the back of his legs and both she and the Klingon crashed to the Earth. Elliot was the first to recover, rolling onto her side and lunging for the baton that was still in Khulr’s hand.
Khulr roared something unintelligible as Elliot’s hands closed around the baton and jerked it free, barely able to deflect her attack as she delivered a glancing blow with the weapon to his arm. The charged end didn’t make full contact and he was able to grab part of the weapon’s handle and hold it still, his superior strength preventing Elliot from pulling away and trying again. He had no leverage, though, and his other arm was trapped beneath his own body. Even with his grip on the baton, Elliot was able to use the weight of her body to keep his arm pinned to the ground.
“I wonder what your buddies back at the prison will have to say about this,” she hissed even as she pulled unsuccessfully on the baton they both still gripped, her with two hands and he with one. “Beaten not once but twice by a weakling human female.”
Khulr’s hand remained steady on the weapon even as he struggled to free his other arm. “You had better kill me, Earther, now. If you do not, then you will beg me for death.”
His body jerked again, and this time his left arm came free. Sunlight glinted off gleaming metal and Elliot saw the knife. It was large and double-edged, with a smaller blade jutting out to each side. It was a vicious weapon, designed to do more damage when pulled from its victim than when it entered.
“No!” she roared, twisting her body and putting a foot on Khulr’s side as she heaved with her remaining strength, wrenching the baton free from the Klingon’s hand. She rolled away as Khulr twisted onto his side and scrambled after her, his blade a blur as it swung through the air.
It was a move made in blind desperation, with Elliot swinging the baton so that it pointed directly out in front of her. Khulr’s momentum carried him forward until the glowing end of the weapon jammed into his throat, and Elliot’s ears were assaulted by the sounds of the baton emptying its charge into the Klingon.
Khulr’s body convulsed in response to the violent assault. Spasms racked
his arms and legs, and a gut-wrenching shriek ripped itself from his distended mouth. He locked eyes with Elliot, but could say nothing as his body succumbed to the savage effects of the energy discharge.
Finally he fell away from her, crumpling to the ground in a disjointed heap.
With her own body trembling in pent-up fear and exhaustion, Elliot pulled herself to her feet. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the Klingon, who now lay unmoving on the ground before her. After all the torment and the nightmares and sleepless nights associated with it, she was free from her persecutor. Khulr, who had hounded her and harassed her and tortured her for years, would antagonize her no more. Elliot had only to look at the stark, wide-open eyes on his face to know that he was dead, finally.
“Sydney?” Garrovick said from behind her. “Are you all right?”
It was enough to snap her out of her reverie, and she turned back to where Garrovick still lay on the ground grimacing in pain. He was gripping his right arm, which hung oddly from his shoulder.
“I think it’s separated,” he hissed through clenched teeth as Elliot bent to inspect the injury. Garrovick was right, the arm had come out of its socket joint at the shoulder and would have to be reset.
“You’ll need treatment with a bone-knitter for sure,” she said. “I think Commander Sulu has one in his medical kit.”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw telltale phaser beams firing into the jungle, but they weren’t aimed downward. Instead they were being fired almost straight ahead, telling Elliot that the Klingons were beginning to break through the lines.
“Cheryl!” Garrovick shouted as he looked around frantically for his fallen phaser. “They’re overrunning our positions! We’ve got to . . .”
“mev!”
Both of them turned at the command to halt and found themselves staring into the muzzle of a disruptor. The weapon was steady in the grip of the Klingon wielding it.
