Ghost of a Chance - Mark Garland [95]
"Let's hear it," Janeway said.
The speaker suddenly erupted in a jumble of voices and background noise. Most of the noise sounded like a series of small explosions.
Fire control and massive outages seemed to be of utmost importance to most of the voices being heard.
"It sounds as if entire consoles are shorting out, catching fire," Chakotay said.
"Sensor and audio data indicate that all of the Televek ships are having similar problems," Tuvok said. "The Televek continue to attempt counterattacks, but I have observed no effect on their targets."
"That's because they're only chasing ghosts," Chakotay said with a grin. He looked to the captain.
"Our ghosts, Commander." Janeway smiled back.
The audio confusion was suddenly interrupted by a thundering voice, a female voice. "Withdraw!" the Televek commander shouted.
"I have a visual," Stephens reported.
Janeway nodded to him.
The woman's face appeared on the screen, a Televek not like unlike the others, though she was far older than anyone Janeway had encountered so far, and clearly she had wealth and stature beyond the dreams of most.
The bridge of her ship was like the court of a queen, gaudily upholstered and decorated with tapestries, glittering fixtures and fine, scrolled metal arches; her mantled uniform was exquisite in design and color--bright colors, Janeway noted, as if the whole of the universe was supposed to notice her.
"Try to open a channel, Mr. Stephens," Janeway said, as she watched and listened to the Televek commander shouting in a frantic, yet somehow utterly authoritative voice. A cold intensity gleamed in her narrowed green eyes. Heads would roll, Janeway thought. One way or another.
"Captain," Tuvok said, "two of the cruisers have lost all power.
Life pods are being launched. The first of those are at present being collected by neighboring vessels. Several of the other cruisers appear to be maintaining minimal power and control, but I am also showing massive systems failures on the lead ship. A reactor core containment failure is imminent."
Janeway was still watching the woman who had threatened to cast doom on them all. "Any luck with that hail?"
Stephens shook his head. "They're not responding, Captain."
"I didn't think she would."
"It is too late in any case," Tuvok said. The image of the Televek commander, Shaale--if Jonal had told her the right name--suddenly vanished, replaced by a view of space. To one side of the screen a brilliant multicolored flash suddenly lit the heavens.
"The lead cruiser has been destroyed," Tuvok finished. "I am not reading any survivors."
"I'm picking up a hailing signal from just off our starboard," Stephens said.
"Confirm two contacts," Tuvok added. "They are Televek pods.
They must have come from the damaged cruiser we left orbiting the near moon."
"They're signaling their fleet that they're coming, Captain," Stephens added.
"How many life signs?" Janeway asked.
Tuvok studied his console. "Eleven in one pod, six in the other."
"Good." Janeway tapped her comm badge. "Bridge to transporter room.
I want you to beam Jonal, Mila, and Tassay onto the second of those two pods. Tuvok will transfer the coordinates."
"Aye, sir," came the transporter chief's reply.
"Are you just letting them go?" Chakotay asked.
Janeway sighed. "I'm not going to keep them in our brig for the next seventy years." She held his gaze for a moment. "Comments, Commander?"
Chakotay shrugged agreeably. "Not a one, Captain."
"Transporter room reports all three prisoners beamed aboard the second pod," Tuvok announced.
"Good," Janeway said, knitting her fingers together behind her back.
"Mr. Tuvok, I'd like you to put the tactical display back up on the main screen."
As the image appeared, it was clear that the surviving Televek ships were turning, heading away. Two hulks remained, drifting not far from the debris that marked the place where Shaale's