Death of a Neutron Star - Eric Kotani [51]
Janeway cut the connection before the Qavok could even say a word.
"Fair warning," Chakotay said. "Very restrained. How long do we wait?"
"We move the moment those shuttlebay doors start to open. Seal them solid. Then target the Invincible' weapons and engines and take them out. Might as well drop the odds a little right off the bat."
"Targeted and standing by," Chakotay said.
"All right, people," Janeway said, settling into her chair. "Take us to red alert. Tom, move us up out of this orbit."
"Gladly," Tom said.
Around her the lights changed to a red tint and the computer announced red alert, battle stations to the crew.
On the screen in front of her the binary neutron star continued to tear itself apart.
What a stupid place to fight a battle was all she could think. Really, really stupid.
DR. MAALOT WATCHED IN SHOCK AS THE LIGHTS around the shuttlebay dimmed and turned red. "Battle stations," the voice came over the comm system. "All crew to battle stations."
Suddenly the large bay transformed from an inviting workplace to a cavern of urgency and doom. On the walls red lights blinked, and the air seemed suddenly heavy.
At a run, and without a word, both B'Elanna and Seven left the shuttlebay. Both, it seemed, were heading for Engineering, or maybe the bridge. Dr. Maalot didn't know.
He moved over to where Tyla stood beside the Qavok yacht. She looked calm and collected. He supposed she was used to this type of thing. But for the life of him he couldn't imagine how anyone could get used to fighting. It just wasn't something be understood.
"Any idea what we're supposed to do?"
"None," she said, shrugging. She clicked off the display of Qavok military files in front of her and turned to face him. "Stay out of the way, I would guess."
"I'd much rather help, if I could," Maalot said. And he honestly would, for two reasons. First, he felt he owed these humans a great deal, not only for saving his life, but for what they were trying to do to stop the Qavok. And second, he hated what the Qavok were thinking of doing to his homeworld. They simply had to be stopped.
"So would I," Lieutenant Tyla said. "I'd love to get my hands around the neck of a Qavok and just squeeze."
"That is not exactly the type of help I was thinking of," he said. He could tell that she meant what she said. He looked around. There had to be something they could do.
"We should check in with Lieutenant Tuvok in the shuttle," Tyla said, moving in that direction.
"True," Maalot said. "Excellent idea. He very well might have something for us to do. Or at least we can find out what is happening outside this bay."
Tyla led the way and he tried to stay at her side, but failed miserably. Her stride was just longer than his.
Each time he had stepped inside the shuttle, he had been struck by not only the simple elegance of it, but the efficiency. The prince's yacht was, by contrast, an oversized decadent toy.
Maalot moved in and stood by a rear chair above a communication and environmental-control panel Tyla instantly moved up and sat in the co-pilot's chair next to Lieutenant Tuvok. It seemed like a natural position for her. It was a chair he would never have thought of sitting in unless someone forced him to.
"We're looking for something to do to help," Maalot said.
Tyla nodded as Tuvok glanced up at her, then around at Maalot.
"There is little that needs to be done at the moment," Tuvok said.
"Could you at least tell us what is happening?"
Tuvok worked over the control panel for a moment, then turned. "Thirteen Qavok warships are on an intercept course for this location. They are escorting the round ship of which you discovered the plans. There is also a warship in orbit attempting to launch an assault against the Xorm science ship for a reason not easily determined."
"The round ship?" Tyla asked. "Is that the ship they want to fly into the neutron star?"