Death of a Neutron Star - Eric Kotani [53]
"Janeway to shuttle. Tuvok?"
"Go ahead, Captain."
"I think we're going to need your help in this fight."
"Yes, Captain," he said.
"I'll send a copilot to help you, so hang on."
"There is no need," Tuvok said. "Lieutenant Tyla is beside me and would serve satisfactorily in that position. Dr. Maalot is at the communications panel."
"Dr. Maalot? Lieutenant Tyla, would you like to help us on this?"
"Gladly," Dr. Maalot said. His voice was thin and almost cracked, but it was clear he wanted to help.
"It would be an honor to copilot this craft with Mr. Tuvok," Lieutenant Tyla said.
"Thank you," Janeway said. "Launch when ready. After the fight let's hope we have time for you to come back for the yacht."
"Captain," Chakotay said. "The energy containment?"
Janeway felt her stomach clamp up even tighter than it had been a few moments before. Chakotay was right. There was no way the shuttle could go into battle with that much energy riding inside it.
"Torres to shuttlebay," Janeway said into the ship's comm line. "Emergency."
"On my way," B'Elanna's voice came back strong.
"Tuvok," Janeway said. "Hold on. We've got to get that energy containment out of there."
"Dr. Maalot is already working on preparing it for a move," Tuvok said.
Janeway glanced at Chakotay with a relieved look.
"How much time do we have, Ensign?" Janeway asked.
"Eight minutes," Kim said.
"We could start another countdown," Tom said.
"Just drive, mister," Janeway said.
Tom had his back to her, but she could tell he was smiling.
B'Elanna almost ran into the shuttlebay interior doors as they opened too slowly for her fast dash. Inside the bay, the shuttle's doors were open and she could see both Dr. Maalot and Tuvok working over the energy containment canister. There was no chance of a rupture. No chance at all. She was convinced that the container design was safe. Or at least as safe as anything that held that much bottled-up energy.
She ducked inside the shuttle. "What's wrong?"
"We are using the shuttle in the coming battle," Tuvok said. "We must move this to the yacht before I can launch."
"Good idea," she said. "Might have proved fatal otherwise."
"It's almost ready to be moved," Dr. Maalot said.
"Stand back," B'Elanna said.
Dr. Maalot instantly moved aside and B'Elanna quickly checked all the readings.
Stable and fine.
Energy holding constant inside.
Good. Very good.
She grabbed the antigravity unit and quickly attached it, then floated the canister up as Tuvok released it from the wall of the shuttle. She felt as though she were walking with a live torpedo through the halls. One bump would set it off. Of course, it was nowhere near that unstable. Nope, not unstable at all.
Moving slowly and carefully, she got the canister out into the open area of the shuttlebay deck.
"Safe to launch," she said over her shoulder to Tuvok.
Tuvok nodded and the shuttle's hatch slid closed without him saying another word.
"Well, good-bye to you, too," she said to no one in particular.
"How are you doing, B'Elanna?" Janeway's voice asked, filling the shuttlebay.
"Got the energy containment out of the shuttle and it's launching. Ill secure it in the yacht."
"Very good," Janeway said, and cut the connection.
B'Elanna moved back against the wall as the shuttle moved toward the opening bay doors and the forcefield that kept the atmosphere inside.
Then the shuttle was through the field and out into space, and the big doors were closing.
"Okay," B'Elanna said to the energy containment canister. "Let's get you secure in the yacht and get back to work."
One minute before the battle broke out, the container was locked against a wall inside the yacht's engine room and B'Elanna was sprinting for Engineering. She had a sneaking hunch that with the odds that faced them, she was going to