Kobayashi Maru - Michael A. Martin [118]
“Nothing, evidently, she said, shaking her head. “A sensor ghost, perhaps. Or our reflection bouncing off the planets ionosphere.
“Looks like its gone, whatever it was, Reed said, facing forward again in order to study his own console. “Theres still no trail to follow, in any case.
“I will take us back down, TPol said, trying not to show how much the brief sensor apparition had rattled her. “Once the conflagration on the surface dies down somewhat.
“Thanks, Trip said, his expression grim.
Reed turned back toward Trip. “If I may say so, Commander, I dont think Ive ever seen anybody look quite this unhappy after receiving such a textbook hairbreadth rescue.
Trip allowed himself the luxury of a small smile. “I suppose I made my peace with dying with my boots on months ago. Just as long as the cause is a good one. And I cant think of a better cause right now than keeping the secret of sustained high-warp travel out of Romulan hands. Valdores or Sopeks.
“Too bad we werent able to get our own hands on a complete set of that data, Reed said. “Imagine what it might do for Starfleets warp-seven program.
TPol watched as Trip nodded, his eyes once again growing distant. “Captain Stillwells wet dream, he said, puzzlingly. “But thats moot for the moment, Malcolm. Hell, it might have been better for everybody if wed decided to just shoot it out down there.
TPol was having trouble believing what she was hearing. “At least one of us would almost certainly have been killed, she said, frowning.
“But not all of us, Trip said. Though his gaze was cold, his expression was otherwise as unreadable as that of a Kolinahr -disciplined Vulcan. “It would have taken only one of us to make sure that the stolen data never got off the planet.
“But the only way to do that, Reed said, clearly aghast, “would be to have somebody stay behind with the data until the explosives detonated.
Trip nodded. “Like I said, that idea looks a lot less scary than youd think to somebody whos already dead.
“But youre not dead, Trip, TPol said, convinced that she was largely responsible for that simple fact.
His cold eyes began to blaze with a fire that reminded her of the savage, destructive historical epoch that preceded Suraks golden age of logic and intellectual discipline on Vulcan.
“No, TPol. Im not dead. But I am all the way back to square one in terms of my overall objective, arent I? So I hope youll excuse me if Im not overflowing with gratitude for your timely entrance, okay? Im a little too busy at the moment trying to figure out what Im going to tell Admiral Valdore about this little setback. If Im really lucky, he might just assume the worst and have me summarily executed.
“Then why dont you simply come back with us? TPol said almost before she realized that the words were leaving her mouth.
“Thanks for the offer, Trip said, his voice more gentle. “But Ive been officially declared dead, remember? Wed have to undo that somehow, along with a whole hell of a lot of expensive Adigeon Prime plastic surgery. Id like to have a little more to show for all of that before I decide to pull the rip cord on this warp-seven-drive business.
“Staying in Romulan space is a pretty risky proposition, Commander, Reed said.
“Leaving strikes me as even riskier, under the circumstances, Trip said, shaking his head. He turned to face TPol directly. “Im sorry, TPol. The stakes are just too high right now for me to up and leave. I have to find a way to salvage whatevers left of my mission here. Then he turned back to stare again in silence at the cloud-streaked world below.
TPol felt a parsec-wide gulf open up between them. She had saved Trips life. She might even have prevented the Romulan military or the dissidents who opposed it from capturing him and subjecting him to tortures like those shed glimpsed through the mind link.
But Trips sudden remoteness told her more eloquently than words that none of that really mattered to him at the moment. For the first time, she wondered if her rescue had