Kobayashi Maru - Michael A. Martin [158]
“Because if somebody had wanted to blow us to kingdom come with, say, a torpedo of some kind, then they probably already would have launched a second one by now, and finished us off already. Stiles paused, frowning at his console. “Hey, why am I picking up such heavy graviton counts in here?
Searles shrugged. “Beats me. With the gravity plating offline, the graviton levels ought to be way below normal.
“Then the gravitons must be leaking in from outside the Maru, said Stiles.
Vance launched himself quickly into the space between Searles and Stiles, using one of the emergency handholds to bring himself to a stop.
“The Romulans and the Klingons have gone to war a number of times over control of this sector, he said. “And the Romulans have been known to use gravitic mines to defend their territorial claims.
“Gravitic mines? Stiles said, an eyebrow raised.
“Ive heard of them, Searles said, nodding. “Theyre compact, high-yield graviton generators designed to focus the equivalent of huge tidal energies on a vessels hull, or on its spaceframe.
“What? Stiles said, his eyes glazing visibly in response to her explanation.
“Fancy bomb, Searles clarified. “Make part of the ship go boom . Sometimes more than one part, and not always all at once.
“Oh. So we still might take even more damage from the same damned weapon. Crap.
“Could be worse, Searles said. “If that mine had clipped one of our neutronic fuel tanks, we wouldnt be having this conversation.
The exec turned toward his captain. “Vance, youre a gambling man. If you were handicapping our chances of getting rescued out here, how would you estimate the odds?
The orange “incoming light on the com panel near Searles began flashing insistently at that precise moment. A calm, reassuringly competent-sounding female voice emerged from the hash of static that issued from the speakers.
“Kobayashi Maru, this is Enterprise. We are on our way to your present position.
Searles watched as a broad grin spread across Vances face. “Id say our odds just got a hell of a lot better, Arturo.
Searles allowed herself the luxury of hope, if only for a moment.
Then she heard and felt the low rumble, which immediately preceded a great roar and a gale-force wind that slammed her backward into one of the battered monitors.
FORTY-FOUR
Tuesday, July 22, 2155 Enterprise NX-01, Gamma Hydra sector
A FTER A RCHER SIGNED off with Gardner and returned to the bridge, the Starfleet Academy cadets code for imponderable mysteries kept swirling through his mind.
Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.
Mentally translating those time-honored military placeholders into less polite nonmilitary parlance, he thought, What. The. Fuck.
“The Kobayashi Maru ? Reed asked from his position at the bridges tactical station. “I find it hard to believe that Starfleet considers that rattletrap a priority.
Seated in the big chair in the bridges center, Archer spread his hands. “Thats our mission, Malcolm. We are to guarantee that vessels safety, at all costs.
According to Gardner, Starfleet regarded the beleaguered fuel carriers mission as critically important to both of its covert sponsors, Starfleet and the Vulcan High Commandeven if Earth now harbored doubts about its partnership with Vulcan. Recognizing how vital a secret listening post in the Gamma Hydra sector could be to Coalition security vis-à-vis both the Klingons and the Romulansafter all, both empires still occasionally fought each other for control of the regionArcher could find no reason to question the admirals orders, however unorthodox they might seem on the surface.
He only wished he could help Columbia . Her captain and crew now had to face peril alone.
What Enterprise needed was more speed, but Archer already knew there was no way to open the throttle any widernot without transforming the starship into a light-year-long plume of ionized debris. The vibrations in the deck beneath his boots confirmed that Mike Burch down in engineering had already pushed Enterprise s mighty warp-five propulsion system as far as he could.
Archer glanced toward the portside