Enigma Ship - J. Steven York [32]
“Mutiny,” said Roth, seemingly just trying out the word, but every time he said it, he made a face as though he’d tasted something sour.
“Wait,” said Gomez, grinning, then laughing. “Maybe we don’t need to mutiny. You saw what happened when we challenged Captain Newport’s vision of reality? What if, instead, we give him exactly what he wants?”
Duffy looked skeptical. “We’ve got just a few hours to pull a con on the captain, and find a way to get a message to da Vinci.”
“We can do it, and try to pick up the Chinook away team while we’re at it.” Gomez felt a surge of adrenaline. It was a risk, a huge one. But it was their only chance.
Duffy shrugged. “You’re insane, but I’m game. What choice have we got?”
“None,” replied Gomez.
“One problem,” said Pattie, “can we get to Starbase 12 before 2100 hours?”
Omthon shook his head. “This is a fast ship, but not even at maximum warp.”
“If this were real distance, in real space,” said Gomez. “It isn’t, so we’re just going to have to change the laws of physics.” She looked at Duffy. “You ever hear of something called ‘Section 31’?”
“Never.”
“Me either, which is funny considering we’re about to join.”
Chapter
10
Gold stood in the shuttlebay, hands clenched behind his back, gazing out into the unmoving stars. Here, in the darkness of deep space, he could clearly see the colors, a red giant here, a yellow dwarf there, a glowing stellar nursery looking like luminous cotton candy.
It was beautiful.
It was false.
He knew he was looking at Enigma, that it filled a sweep of sky that encompassed his entire view, but his eyes told him otherwise. He could just make out the flashing formation lights on the Augmented Personnel Module, still standing vigil at the gates to Enigma, but otherwise, the sky seemed empty.
He held up his hand near the force field, feeling the tingle of energy, and perhaps only imagining he could feel the bite of bitter cold.
He heard a footstep behind him. Some senses, at least, were still trustworthy.
“Come to lecture me, Corsi?”
The security chief stepped up beside him, and looked out into the star-flecked darkness. “Not at all, Captain. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind some company.”
He said nothing, and neither did she. Finally, after several minutes, she broke the silence. “It’s hard, isn’t it? Knowing what orders to give, what decisions to make?”
“It’s very hard. Especially when people’s lives are on the line, and people’s lives are always on the line. There’s never enough time, never enough information, never enough certainty.”
He shrugged toward the flashing lights of the module. “He’s back out there. Soloman. He asked to go back out and wait, and I gave permission.”
He paused to see if Corsi had anything to say. She remained silent.
“Sometimes,” he continued, “you just have to trust people, that they’ll do the right thing, that they’ll make things work. When you have a good crew, that’s the best thing you can do. Just don’t get in their way.”
Corsi chuckled slightly. It was a startling sound coming from her. “You think I need to learn not to do that, don’t you sir?”
“You should let them run, Corsi. The trick is, you shouldn’t let them run too far.”
“Is that what happened this time, sir?”
He smiled sadly. “That’s the hardest part about making decisions, Corsi. Sometimes, you make the wrong ones. But you can never be certain until it’s all over.”
“And now?”
“Now, we see what happens.”
* * *
Captain Vince Newport, exhausted and vaguely troubled, stepped through the doors into his quarters. It was dark inside.
“Lights,” he said, and took two more steps before realizing nothing had happened.
“Lights,” he said again, more forcefully this time.
“Lights,” said another voice, “reduced intensity.”
The lights brightened slowly to a soft glow, revealing a woman sitting on the couch under the windows. He recognized Commander Gomez, casually holding a phaser on him. She smiled at his look of surprise.
“I believe,” he said stiffly, “I sent you to the