Star Trek_ A Choice of Catastrophes - Michael Schuster [68]
The darkness was so wonderful, and within seconds McCoy could feel himself relaxing.
He didn’t open his eyes again.
With the shuttle safe inside the warehouse, Spock was using its computer to assess all the data they had collected. After changing its course repeatedly, the storm was now again headed for the city district the Hofstadter had landed in, more powerful than ever. It behaved like no known weather system. Its course was erratic, its power spikes unpredictable, and its speed highly improbable. Spock had no theory that would explain all of the storm’s unusual features.
The Vulcan had begun reading Ensign Saloniemi’s report on alien texts when the computer announced an incoming signal. Crewman Tra sounded exhausted and tense. “Commander Spock,” he said, “Ensign Chekov’s also been taken by the Farrezzi. The captain and Commander Giotto followed him, hoping to free him and Yüksel. We were ordered to leave. But Columbus is being followed.”
Spock limited himself to asking, “How many are there, and how close are they?”
“Numbers unknown. We’re faster, sir. As we took off, we were hit before we raised our shields. Our phaser emitter is damaged. They’re out of range right now, but we can’t fight back.”
The presence of other craft changed Spock’s priorities. “Are there any injuries?”
“Rawlins has been shot, and Seven Deers is unconscious. They need immediate treatment.”
“What is your shield status?” asked Spock.
“Fully functional, there was no external damage. They just got the phasers.” Tra sighed. “Lucky shot.”
“The Hofstadter’s shields are damaged. It is unable to fly through the storm,” Spock said. His scans had showed that the interference pattern was growing worse. “How long will you need to reach our location?”
“If I go suborbital, about half an hour.”
“Acceptable. Crewman, I will need every piece of information you and your team were able to gather about the natives. Send us the data, complete with your latest tricorder logs.”
“Aye, sir,” Tra said.
“Hofstadter out.”
While Spock had been entertaining the theory that the population had not disappeared, as that would have been a logistical impossibility, he had not expected the other team’s discoveries to be so incident-ridden.
Spock began powering up the shuttle as he awaited the arrival of the data packet. Once he had read it, he flipped open his communicator. Some of the landing party were exploring the warehouse.
“Spock to Hofstadter party. Return to the shuttle immediately.”
M’Benga was back first. “What’s going on, Commander?”
“Doctor,” Spock said, “the Columbus is incoming, carrying two casualties.”
“Who?” M’Benga asked.
“The wounded are Lieutenant Rawlins and Ensign Seven Deers. Captain Kirk, Commander Giotto, and Ensign Chekov are missing, in addition to Specialist Yüksel.”
M’Benga’s voice was shocked. “How did this—”
“I will send further details to your tricorder.” He sent the data packet to the rest, who had come aboard while Spock and M’Benga had been conversing—with one exception. “Where is Mister Scott?”
“He said he had something to finish up,” said Kologwe. “He’s working on the shields.”
“Continue the preflight checklist, Lieutenant.” Spock stood up.
The Vulcan stepped out from the brightness of the shuttle into the relative dark of the warehouse. He could hear the whistling winds outside, much louder than only a few minutes before. The thunder—and, by extension, the lightning—seemed to have momentarily abated.
Scott was busy working on top of the Hofstadter. Spock could hear the buzzing of a hyperspanner. The engineer yelled down, “Give me just a minute, Mister Spock.”
Spock stepped up onto the warp nacelle of the Hofstadter. The engineer’s hands were in an opened access panel. “The Columbus is en route with wounded,” Spock said. “A combat situation may be imminent. Is the Hofstadter capable of flight?”
“I’ve fixed the damage from the lightning strike,” Scott replied, “but I want to adjust