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9

As he studied the bank of tactical displays dominating the forward bulkhead of his ship’s command center, Nostrene could not help but be amused at the readings they conveyed. Scans showed that the Federation ship was still maintaining station near the last known position of the derelict vessel that had led Starfleet into Tholian space. It now hung broadside and vulnerable to the energy net.

The human in command of the rescue ship had to know that any attack against a Tholian ship would not go unanswered. Further, if he had paid any attention to the intelligence briefings Starfleet had surely provided regarding the Assembly, the human would also know that when attacked, Tholian vessels always retaliated without mercy. Any competent commander would almost certainly realize that a single ship stood no chance of survival when faced with such a situation. The prudent course of action would be to flee rather than risk capture or destruction.

And yet, the Federation ship remained.

“Are they damaged?” Nostrene asked.

Overseeing the subordinates at the sensor and weapons stations, Taghrex replied, “Not severely, Commander. Their hyperlight drive appears nonfunctional, but they have full use of weapons and defensive systems.”

“Can they outrun us at sublight speeds?”

The second-in-command turned to study the sensor displays once more before replying. “For a time, but ultimately we can overtake them, and then the energy net will do the rest.”

Nostrene nodded at the report. Even though their six ships could deploy only weakened defensive shields while generating the energy net, he was not concerned. Once ensnared in its confines, the force of the mesh would quickly deplete the power reserves of the enemy ship and leave it helpless against Tholian weapons. The Starfleet crew would be at the mercy of their captors within moments.

Taking another look at the scanner readings for himself, Nostrene shook his head and tried to understand the thought processes of the Federation ship’s commander. Even without hyperlight capability, the human surely must know that being a moving target was more desirable than being a stationary one. Nostrene decided that he must either be a reckless maverick or a naïve fool.

“We will attack and disable them,” he said. “The Magistrates want prisoners, but if necessary we will destroy them.” Taking captives from enemy vessels was not standard procedure, nor was it something Nostrene himself preferred to be involved with. Prisoners were troublesome, even discounting such things as providing sustenance and environmental conditions when other races were involved. He would rather just destroy the Federation vessel and be done with it, but he knew there were larger concerns here.

The Starfleet crew undoubtedly would have contacted their parent command about their current situation. There was also the possibility that they had passed on information regarding the web generator that the salvage team had discovered aboard the derelict. Though it was doubtful that the crew of the recovery ship had learned the true nature of their find, Nostrene had to proceed as if that were the case.

There was also the matter of obtaining or destroying the web generator itself. Once he had taken prisoners from the rescue ship, Nostrene merely needed to wait until the vessel trapped in the interdimensional pocket reappeared. If, at that time, the generator could not be retrieved via transporter, then he would simply order the entire ship destroyed, along with any Starfleet personnel still aboard it.

“Commander,” called out the subordinate manning the communications station, “the Starfleet ship is hailing us. Its commander wishes to speak with you.”

Nostrene waved the report away. “No response. I am not interested in anything a human would have to say.”

“We are entering weapons range,” Taghrex called out. After a moment he added, “The Federation ship has energized its defense shields and weapons.”

Studying the central tactical display before him, Nostrene noted the Starfleet ship’s movement, orienting itself to face