Kobayashi Maru - Michael A. Martin [79]
After a brisk trot nearly a quarter of the way along the hallways gentle curvature, he came to a stop before the door to TPols quarters and buzzed the keypad to announce his presence.
Still no answer. The suspicion in his belly was quickly congealing into an awful certainty as he entered his override code into the controls. The hatch hissed obediently open, and he slowly stepped into the darkened chamber beyond.
It only took a few moments to determine that TPol wasnt in her quarters. The pattern of TPols recent behaviorparticularly her recent insistence that Trip was in urgent need of rescue, and her even more recent withdrawal behind the impenetrable veil of “Vulcan meditationsuddenly began to make sense.
He sincerely hoped the conclusion to which he had just jumped was wrong. Crossing to a desk illuminated only by the wan light of a neutral monitor screen and the distant stars beyond the viewport, Archer toggled open another com channel.
“Archer to Launch Bay One.
“Launch Bay One, came a young crewmans crisp, almost instantaneous reply. If he sounded surprised to be hearing directly from Archer, particularly at such a late hour, it didnt show. “Ensign Nguyen here, sir. What can I do for you?
“I need a status report on Shuttlepod One and Shuttlepod Two, Ensign.
“Shuttlepod One is fueled and ready to go, Nguyen said.
“And Shuttlepod Two?
“I can give you a detailed status report on her just as soon as she returns to Enterprise.
Goddammit! Archer thought, kicking himself, hard. Why didnt I see this coming?
Struggling to keep any trace of anger out of his voice, he said, “When did Commander TPol depart, Ensign?
“Let me check the log, sir. A pause. “Yesterday evening at eleven-hundred hours, nine minutes.
“Thank you, Ensign. Archer out.
TPol had no doubt wanted him to believe that shed been in meditation continuously since around that time, Archer reflected. Now he understood clearly the real reason she hadnt been on the bridge when Enterprise had received Columbia s report about the Klingon attack on Draylax. So much for that renowned Vulcan inability to lie , he thought. That little whopper has got to be the most useful lie the Vulcans ever got us to swallow.
And as a partial consequence of that lie, TPol was now off on a foolish quest in hostile territory.
All alone.
He keyed the com again. “Archer to Reed. He paused to await a response, but none came. Though he hated to bother a man afflicted with the sort of nasty gastrointestinal trouble that had sidelined Malcolmespecially at such a late hourhe pressed on. “Malcolm, I need to talk to you. Even if we have to chat through the bathroom door.
Still nothing.
Oh, no , he thought, shaking his head as he struggled to tamp down a rising tide of anger. Well, at least she hasnt charged off to oblivion alone.
It occurred to him that at least one of them would have left him a note before doing something so damned stupid. Taking a seat before TPols monitor, he started searching the com logs.
The desktop terminal brightened a few moments later, then suddenly displayed the serious-miened faces of Enterprise s exec and weapons officer. They were standing awkwardly side-by-side in a cramped, dimly illuminated cabin that Archer immediately recognized as the interior of his missing shuttlepod. Both were out of uniform, clad instead in dark, nondescript clothing devoid of any visible insignia linking them to Starfleet, Earth, or the Coalition.
“Captain Archer, by the time you view this recording, Lieutenant Reed and I will probably be deep inside Romulan territory, TPol began without preamble. “Please accept my apologies for the ratherunorthodox actions we have taken. However, our mission is one of the utmost importance. And not merely for the safety