Kobayashi Maru - Michael A. Martin [170]
TPol shook her head, responding again with bedrock certainty. “He has been discovered, Captain. Trip is in extreme danger again.
Archer allowed himself a puckish smile, despite the pain in his face and the distinct lack of humor in this situation. “Another Vulcan hunch, TPol?
“An objective fact, she said, an almost mournful expression lengthening her olive-toned face.
The shrill whistle of the intercom interrupted his search for a reply that might both encourage and convince her. “Captain, the Romulan vessel is on the move, Reed said, sounding alarmed.
Archer hopped out of his chair and leaned on the reply button on his desk. “On my way.
Leading the way through the hatchway that connected the ready room to the bridge, Archer wasted no time taking a seat in his command chair. The main viewer displayed a computer-enhanced image of the blast-damaged, almost completely unilluminated Kobayashi Maru as it continued its slow, unpowered tumble through the stygian void.
“Ive dropped us out of warp, Captain, Mayweather said. “Decelerating at impulse to match velocity with the Kobayashi Maru, at a current distance of just over eleven kilometers.
“Sensors read approximately two hundred life signs, Captain, said Hoshi. “Some of them very faint.
Two hundred people, Archer thought. He couldnt abide the idea of just leaving them out here to die, Romulan sneak-attack warnings or fire-breathing dragons notwithstanding. But if Trips message was to be believed, the Maru s problem was an insoluble one, no matter what he tried to do about it.
“Position of the Romulan bird-of-prey? Archer said.
“Thats strange, said Malcolm, speaking from behind the captains chair at the aft tactical station. “The Romulan vessel seems to have moved directly into the path of one of the cometary bodies. Theres been a collision, but the ship appears to be intact.
Archer looked away from TPol. I hope to hell she was wrong about Trip being aboard that ship, he thought, even though he knew that she had a singular habit of being right about such things.
“So the Romulan ship might still be able to direct an attack against us remotely, Archer said.
“Thats possible, Reed said. “Its also possible that the Romulans have installed their remote-hijacking device aboard one or more of their captured Klingon vessels by now.
“At least the communications jamming has stopped, Hoshi said. “It coincided exactly with the moment that Romulan ship hit the iceberg. Whether or not its directing other ships, the bird-of-prey must have been the source of all the com interference.
Nodding an acknowledgment to the com officer, Archer said, “Commence rescue operations on the Kobayashi Maru . Though he was addressing the entire bridge crew, his gaze settled on TPol, who had begun working at her science console. “Once that job is done, well investigate the crash of the Romulan ship.
He approached TPol closely, and spoke in a volume intended for her ears alone. “Maybe the sneak-attack plans we were warned about crashed along with that Romulan ship.
Looking more stricken than reassured, TPol merely glanced down at her console and said, “Both shuttlepods have launched, Captain. Lieutenant ONeill is running the transporter.
Archer nodded. Opening an intercom channel on the console adjacent to TPols, he said, “Archer to ONeill. Report.
“The systems having some trouble establishing a positive lock on any of the survivors, Captain, said D.O.; her tone suggested that she might soon give the finicky transporters control console a swift kick in the annular confinement circuits.
“Whats the problem, D.O.?
“When isnt this damned thing having problems, sir? My best guess is that the residual hull graviton flux from the mine the freighter hit is interfering with the transporter lock. We might need to find a way to disperse the remaining particles.
“A low-yield photonic torpedo tuned to radiate anti-gravitons might do the trick, Reed said.
Archer nodded. “Get on that with Mike, Malcolm.