Kobayashi Maru - Michael A. Martin [127]
Krell paused the images again. “If it was not clear, Captain, that salvo came from the KajDeel, not from the RomuluSngan ship. Those treacherous ghargh have found a means of turning our own weapons against us. He turned back toward the screen, allowing the images to resume.
On the Klingon warships viewscreen, the Romulan vessel reappeared, and then all hell seemed to break loose. A loud gonging sound and random shouts rose to a frantic crescendo almost instantaneously as the picture begin to waver and shake. Archer surmised that whoever had been capturing the images was no longer entirely in control of his equipment, or of much of anything else.
Which, Archer realized, was exactly the case.
“As you can see, the artificial gravity of the KajDeel was then compromised along with the rest of the basic life-support functions, Krell said. The images on the screen gradually became a bit more coherent as whoever was holding the recorder seemed to acclimate himself or herself to the null-gravity environment. “The failure of the life-support systems eventually forced the crew into a barely conscious state.
“Any external sensor scan would have revealed that most of the crew were still alive, even days later, Krell said.
“But there would be no way anyone outside could know that the crew was utterly unable to access or control any of the ships systems, Archer said, a resigned frustration creeping into his voice. He willfully ignored Phlox, who had continued quietly scanning him from a meter or so away.
Krell nodded. “From this evidence, gleaned from the emergency log buoys of both ships and transmissions relayed directly from the recording equipment used on the KajDeel , the Klingon Defense Force has concluded that the RomuluSngan ship somehow gained remote access to, and control over, not only the KajDeel , but the PeD NIHwI as well.
On the screen, Archer saw a familiar face float past the weightless cameras eye for a moment. “Freeze that, he shouted, mindful a millisecond later that shouting commands at Krell was probably poor protocol, to say the least.
After casting Archer a cold glare that could have made a snowman shiver, Krell stopped the recording. The face that Archer had recognized was still on display, nearly dead center, trapped in place like a fly in amber.
Archer turned toward MRek, though he gestured back toward the screen. “That is the Klingon woman we found in the wreckage at Draylax. The only survivor we came across.
“The one who died so swiftly under the tender mercies of your chief medical officer? Krell said. Archer turned his head in time to see him cast a withering stare directly at Phlox.
“The woman was too far gone for anyone to save, Admiral, Archer said. “My doctor did everything possible for her, even if all he could do in the end was make her journey to the afterlife as smooth as possible. She fought death until the end, and died with honor, at least as far as Im concerned.
“Her family will be pleased to hear that, MRek said. “She will have a place in Sto-Vo-Kor among the honored dead. Of course, you will return her body to us immediately so that we may verify the honorable nature of her death.
Archer nodded toward the chancellor. “Of course. Just as soon as I am back in touch with my ship. He turned back toward Krell. “If she was aboard the KajDeel, that means your hijacked battle cruiser was among the ships that attacked Draylax.
Krell nodded as he allowed the images to resume, though with muted sound. “Yes. Before they died, the officers running the independent imaging equipment managed to transmit images of that attack to one of our remote outposts. The data then reached the Klingon High Command via the outposts subspace relay station.
The images on the screen moved through a quick progression of shots