Kobayashi Maru - Michael A. Martin [161]
“Lifesign readings, Kalil? she asked, turning toward el-Rashads station.
He shook his head. “None that I can pick up, Captain. But that cant be right. The sensor array must be damaged.
Hernandez turned back toward the helm. “Reiko, do we have maneuvering thrusters?
“Barely, said Lieutenant Reiko Akagi, the senior helm officer.
“What do you have in mind, Captain? Fletcher said.
“I want to get a closer look at one of those crippled ships, Veronica. Jonathan Archer convinced me that the Romulans must have been behind the attack on Coridan, as well as most of the other weirdness thats happened since then.
The exec frowned as she mulled the matter over. “Whats in all this for the Romulans?
“If they can convince Alpha Centauri and Earth that the Vulcan High Command cant be trusted, they could split the Coalition right along its natural fault lines, Hernandez said. A development like that would surely spread terror throughout several adjacent sectors, blunting any attempt to mount a serious organized resistance to a Romulan conquest.
The bastards could overwhelm Earth, and have their flag flying over Starfleet Headquarters, Hernandez thought. That is, if they even use flags.
Not for the first time, she wondered what a real live Romulan actually looked like.
Fletcher nodded. “I suppose that would give an aggressive empire one less big, organized rival to worry about.
“I want to get to the bottom of it, Hernandez said. “One way or another.
“Im not sure well get the chance, el-Rashad said as he leaned over the hooded scanner unit built into his console. “Im getting extremely erratic energy readings from some of those damaged vessels.
“Warp-core overloads, said Fletcher. “They must be doing it deliberately.
Damn! Hernandez thought. She focused her gaze on the panoply of gutted and still-burning ships that now drifted across the central viewer. Several were still sustaining grievous, scorching phase-cannon hits, courtesy of the most recently arrived Vulcan vessels.
A few moments later, the fusillades ceased; the reinforcement vessels turned, their impulse engines flaring a brilliant Doppler red as they left their victims behind.
“Im reading runaway reactor cores on all the damaged ships now, el-Rashad said. “Theyre going to start going off like a string of firecrackers in two, three minutes, tops.
“Of course, Hernandez said. The Romulans who must actually be piloting those ships need to cover their tracks, whatever it takes. They cant afford to risk letting us discover anything that might vindicate the Vulcans.
“Back us away, Reiko, Hernandez said, facing the helmsman. “Take us to a safe distance, best speed at impulse. Turning toward the aft com console, she added, “Sidra, keep hailing the, ah, newcomers. Let them know we could use some assistance.
The word “newcomers felt increasingly awkward in Hernandezs mouth, inasmuch as those ships had already put thousands of kilometers between their sterns and the flotilla to which theyd laid waste.
“Aye, Captain, the communications officer said. “Ive been repeating our hail ever since they arrived, but theyre still not responding. On top of that, our subspace transmitter is kind ofbalky at the moment. Maybe the Vulcans just arent receiving us.
“Theyre going to warp, Akagi said. A moment later, the retreating Vulcan vesselswhich Hernandez assumed to be the only truly genuine articles Columbia had encountered todayvanished in a rapidly collapsing nimbus of light.
How very Vulcan of them, Hernandez thought. Theyll go to the trouble of saving your life, but they wont stick around to ask if you need any help fixing your flat tires.
“I guess we cant blame the Vulcans for not wanting to stay around to chat, Fletcher said. “After all, its got to be embarrassing as hell when your ships go rogue and start attacking your