Kobayashi Maru - Michael A. Martin [114]
The klaxon did little to blunt the crackle of a column of disturbed air, which arrived right on schedule. Trip was surprised at how little pain he felt.
In fact, he felt no pain whatsoever.
A familiar male voice spoke from behind him. “Commander Tucker? Is that really you? Are you all right?
He opened his eyes, which were immediately drawn to the spot on the floor where Terix lay supine, his body crumpled near a pair of the unconscious dissidents and his own fallen disruptor pistol. The blare of the klaxon must have drowned out whatever sound the centurions body had made on its way down.
Trip turned to face the English-accented man who had called to himand was further surprised to note that the man hadnt come alone. Both figures wore black paramilitary-type clothing rather than their more familiar blue Starfleet jumpsuits.
Somebodyd better pinch me, he thought, momentarily half convinced that he was experiencing another one of those dreamlike yet almost tangibly real visions that sometimes came to him when his mind straddled the weird twilight realm that lay between slumber and consciousness.
Then he realized that he had rarely, if ever, felt quite so wide awake as he did at this moment. After all, its kinda tough to nod off while somebodys got a gun pointed straight at your head.
“Malcolm, Trip said, still incredulous. “TPol. How the hell did you two get here?
TPol paused to glance at the setting on the phase pistol in her hand, then gazed back at Trip with one eyebrow raised in an ironic arch. “Very likely the same way you did, Commander, she said. “In a spaceship.
Trip frowned. “Well, I didnt think you paddled after me in a rowboat. Cant afford to start getting used to these last-minute reprieves, he told himself, nettled even thoughor perhaps becausehe knew he owed his life to the out-of-the-blue intervention of two of his closest friends. But he didnt want to examine this new turn of luck too closely, lest he convince himself either that he was indeed dreaming or that some higher power was quietly guiding his destiny.
Still feeling poleaxed by the cavalrys unexpected arrivalnot to mention disoriented by the blaring alarmsTrip could only stand and watch as Malcolm methodically gathered up the disruptor weapons that lay scattered across the floor or were still attached to their unconscious Romulan owners, either holstered on belts or clutched in insensate fingers. Malcolm kept his phase pistol at the ready as he went to work, starting with the fallen centurion, whom Trip noted was still breathing.
Unlike these folks, our weapons have a stun setting, Trip thought, relieved that no one had died here as yet. He was bitterly aware, however, that circumstances would still probably require him to kill Terix at some pointprobably sooner rather than laternow that he and Sopek had unmasked each other in front of the centurion.
With a start, he became conscious that TPol was speaking to him again. “I take it you came here in pursuit of a specific goal, Commander, she said, her voice raised to a near shout to cut through the voluminous background noise.
He nodded. “The dissidents based here stole some of Doctor Ehrehins warp-seven drive research data. We came to determine exactly what they took. And to get it back, to prevent them from putting any of it to use. He realized even as he spoke the words that she probably had no knowledge about Ehrehin, much less anything else he was talking about. But he hoped she would understand the urgency of his task nonetheless; he hoped theyd have time to discuss all the particulars in detail later.
Just as he knew that the mission that he and Centurion Terix had undertaken might already be a lost cause were they to overlook so much as a single copy of the purloined data.
“And have you managed to locate the stolen information yet? TPol wanted to know.
“No, said a groggy male voice. “And he wont.
Trip and TPol turned