Last Full Measure - Michael A. Martin [34]
“Because the captain has ordered com silence, we cannot contact him while he and his team are off the ship,” T’Pol said, continuing to address the entire group as if she’d never been interrupted. “Nor can we gauge the success of his mission so far. I have decided that it would be injudicious to divert Enterprise from her present position, in the event that the captain and his team break com silence to request backup, supplies, or medical attention.”
She looked Mayweather straight in the eye. “Thus, I am assigning you to investigate this matter, Ensign Mayweather. Your mission is to determine whether this trail leads to the Xindi, and to take whatever action is most appropriate, prudent, and logical.”
Mayweather grinned. Even though piloting the ship was one of his greatest joys, he never felt that he spent enough time participating on piloting assignments away from Enterprise. He could feel his pulse already starting to race. A reconnaissance mission could be just the diversion he needed from his conflicts with Chang.
T’Pol turned to address just the MACOs. “Because this mission may involve contact—or perhaps even combat—with whoever is aboard the vessel that left the chemical trail, I’m assigning all four of you to accompany Ensign Mayweather. I have just consulted with Corporal McKenzie, whom Major Hayes has placed in temporary charge of the MACO company during his absence, and she concurs with my personnel recommendation.”
No! Mayweather’s feelings of elation dropped away suddenly and precipitously, like an asteroid colliding with a planet. Chang will be going with me? There’s nearly three dozen other MACOs aboard Enterprise right now who could have taken his place, and T’Pol decides to cram me into a shuttlepod with Chang? His mind raced for a legitimate reason to ask T’Pol to leave the strutting MACO behind, but in the scant moments he knew remained in the briefing, he couldn’t think of any objection that the Vulcan might consider logical.
“Understood, Sub-Commander,” Chang said a moment later, bowing his head and smiling slightly. “We’ll make certain to return Mayweather and the shuttle in full working order. And we’ll get all the information possible about the Xindi ship, or whatever it is that we’re chasing.”
“Thank you, Corporal,” T’Pol said, then turned to face Mayweather. “Can you be ready to depart in thirty minutes?”
Mayweather was about to respond, but Chang preempted him by speaking up first. “We’ll be ready in twenty minutes, ma’am.”
“Me, too,” Mayweather said, braving a smile. Inwardly, he was seething.
As the MACOs turned to leave, Mayweather once again considered appealing to T’Pol to find some reason to reassign Chang, but thought better of it. Sometimes you just have to suck it up, Travis, he thought. Maybe he’ll be too busy cleaning his weapons to get really annoying. Besides, what’s the worst thing Chang could do on this mission?
He wasn’t sure he really wanted an answer to that question, though he was determined to remain prepared for any threat, whether from Xindi marauders or cocky MACO sharks.
Seven
Kaletoo
“I WANT YOU TO GET back to the shuttlepod as soon as possible, D.O.,” Archer said to Lieutenant O’Neill. They both stood just inside La’an Trahve’s captured ship, near the interior hatch. The cavernous hangar beyond remained deserted.
For the moment, Hayes thought, anxious to get off the planet and under way.
The MACO commander nodded silently as the captain calmly issued his orders. He thought Archer’s plan made perfect sense; keeping the entire landing party concentrated aboard the captured alien vessel could well put the mission in jeopardy. O’Neill, however, evidently had a very different take on the matter—and was also displaying the poor judgment to speak up about it.
“Respectfully, Captain, are you sure that splitting the team up is such a good idea?” O’Neill said.
“I understand your concern, Lieutenant,” Archer said. “But somebody