Equinox - Diane Carey [70]
catch a criminal... he starts breaking the law himself, beating people to get answers, trampling the rights of others, shooting into the dark... She's torn up inside. She's terrified of not holding on. Just look at her... risking her ship and all her crew's lives, just to have the last word."
As he watched, his ship firing regularly now, throwing spears of phaser power back at the raiding starship, which, by the way, had stopped firing and was now concentrating on not turning into a giant rotisserie, the starship suddenly heaved upward and veered off the pursuit track.
"They're retreating," Gilmore shuddered. She made no effort to hide her relief.
'Take us up," Ransom ordered.
Burke kept his eyes on his controls. "They took heavy damage. Shields, propulsion ..."
"Get us out of here, Maria."
As the ship whined out of the atmosphere, fighting the planet's gravity every inch of the way, Ransom found a moment to climb to the upper deck and clap Burke on the arm. "Good work. It's a good thing you knew that woman well enough to predict what she would do."
"Just battle tactics," Burke said with a shrug. "The battlefield of the heart."
"I'm sorry, Max."
"No, it's okay. A ten-year-old scar is pretty thick."
"What's our condition?"
"Most systems show green."
"Maria, go to warp speed." Ransom moved on a sore
knee-when had he hurt his knee? -back to the lower deck as the ship cleared the solar system and blasted into hyperlight. He gazed at the aft monitors, showing open space and the sun and its planets they had just left.
"Sorry, Captain," he uttered, "and welcome to the Coast."
CHAPTER 13
"THEY'VE GONE TO WARP."
The defeat in Tom Paris' words, his posture, his expression, brought everyone to a sullen point.
Janeway quickly acted to give them something to do besides repair damage. "Match their course and speed."
"We can't," Harry Kim told her unceremoniously. "Not until we restore primary systems."
'Time?"
"We'll need a few hours."
A few ... several... some ... damn.
"At least we didn't come away empty handed. I'll be in the cargo bay. Tuvok, you have the conn."
"Aye, Captain."
His tone had returned to normal. So much better than the strained urging he had been giving her while they
pursued the Equinox through the deadly atmosphere. She still heard his voice as the ship shook and the dampers fell off-line and she continued to pursue the demon before her-Captain... Captain!
Before she even realized where she was, the big cargo-bay loading doors brushed open before her. She turned to the side deck, where crewman Lessing sat with his hands bound in Starfleet security manacles. His friendly face was scratched, and he was tensely defiant
Chakotay stood off to one side, dirty and also scratched. Must be some rough foliage down there.
"I want Ransom's tactical status," Janeway demanded, squaring away over Lessing. "I want it now, Mr. Lessing."
She hoped her tone communicated the facts-that Ransom had been officially relieved of duty, that Lessing no longer took orders from him legally, and that Janeway was the law enforcement here. The wrong answer would transfer Lessing from a straying but loyal crewman to a criminal conspirator himself.
"Or what?" he responded. "You'll hit me?"
Eyes burning, Janeway leaned in close. "No, crewman. I'll drop the shields around this room, and let your little friends pay you a visit."
"That would be murder." He didn't think she'd do it.
"You could also call it poetic justice," Janeway said. If Ransom could call his actions survival, then she could call hers anything she wanted.
Lessing eyed Chakotay, standing a few feet away. "I
suppose the plan is that you're going to come to my rescue right now?"
Chakotay shifted uneasily, and resentfully. "There's no plan as far as I know. The captain's on her own."
Hard-cut, Janeway demanded again, "Ransom's status. Now."
"No way in hell," Lessing said.
Janeway straightened. "We all make our own hell, Mr. Lessing.