Star Trek_ A Choice of Catastrophes - Michael Schuster [79]
Was this a remote? Which pictograph should he press? He couldn’t waste more time, so he decided to press every one. This might not be a good idea. But he had no intention of staying here any longer than necessary. Open the door, get whoever was in there out, leave. After four attempts without any result, the fifth did something. The door remained shut, but something inside it clicked loudly. A locking mechanism? On a whim, Giotto pressed the symbol again. This time the door slid open, retreating up into its frame.
He waited a few seconds, then he heard something big move. A Farrezzi was approaching the open entrance, holding something that looked very much like a high-tech version of an old Earth musket.
Giotto waited until he had a clear shot, and fired. Set to maximum stun, one short beam was all it took to drop the guard.
Stepping into the room, Giotto saw a man tied to a pole: Chekov. Was he alive?
Alive, but unconscious. He had been severely abused—numerous wounds covered his face and hands. There were bound to be more beneath his uniform. He was tied to the pole with a cord, but the phaser cut through it easily. Chekov fell into Giotto’s arms and was lowered to the floor. Carefully, Giotto turned Chekov onto his side to ease his breathing and keep him from choking.
Giotto needed to wake Chekov up. They had to get out of there. He pulled out his communicator to contact the captain.
“Kirk here. Report, Mister Giotto?”
“I’ve found Chekov, sir. He’s injured, but alive.”
“Good work, Commander.” The joy in Kirk’s voice was plain. “I’ll lock onto your signal with my tricorder and join up with you.”
“We might have to move, sir, but I’ll keep this channel open so you can follow me.”
“Copy that. See you soon. Kirk out.”
He’d give Chekov five minutes, and if he didn’t wake up, he’d sling the ensign over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry. He went over to the door, facing the tunnel bend he’d passed mere moments before, his tricorder on active scan. If the Farrezzi came, he’d spot them before they spotted him. He checked the power level of his phaser.
Let them come.
ELEVEN
Thirteen Years Ago
The more time Leonard spends with Nancy, the more uncomfortable he gets. Initially a carefree release from his troubles, the affair starts to weigh him down with guilt. He’s stopped wearing his wedding ring, and he tells everyone that he’s divorced, even though he’s still married to Jocelyn.
He’s busier than ever, working in Republic’s sickbay and taking the required Starfleet courses. Jocelyn begins sending him messages, telling him that she’s returned to work and Joanna misses him, asking him to come back. She insists that they can make it work. He sends back vaguely supportive messages, but nothing else.
Near Joanna’s second birthday, Jocelyn serves him with divorce papers. He takes leave, goes back to Earth, and tries to reconcile with his wife. Jocelyn knows he’s there only because of their daughter, and not because he still loves her. He’s already made his choice. It pains him to leave Joanna behind, but he can’t raise a daughter on his own. He’s in Starfleet—a starship is no place for children. He leaves Earth, cursing Jocelyn for being right; he has made his choice.
However, once he makes it back to the Republic, Leonard realizes he can’t stay. He puts in for reassignment, and takes the first posting that comes up, on the Feynman. He never tells Nancy that he’s leaving. They step out of each other’s lives without even saying good-bye. Later, he realizes that he’s displacing his anger onto Nancy.
When Leonard has time for introspection, he begins to grasp just how awful a person he could become. He can’t undo what happened, but he makes a promise to himself to change, to never again be that person.
Stardate 4758.1 (0151 hours)
The Enterprise had been through a lot these past hours. As McCoy walked through the corridors, he was