Star Trek_ A Choice of Catastrophes - Michael Schuster [82]
“Ensign,” called Kologwe, “any time now.”
Seven Deers snapped the communicator closed. She could do this. Think. How did the emitter crystal of a phaser rifle work? Energy accumulated in the prefire chamber and then—
Ah! The crystal’s embedded safeties were rejecting the amount of energy the shuttle’s phaser systems were sending it. It was more than a phaser rifle could generate. If she could convince the crystal that she was setting a rifle to overload… Seven Deers programmed the tricorder to override the safeties. “Now, Lieutenant!”
The crystal lit up as energy passed through it to the phaser rifle. Seven Deers looked out the viewports. Success. The Farrezzi fighter tried to dodge out of the way, but it was not fast enough. Sparks flew off the fighter, and it began to tumble. Both shuttles kept their phaser fire focused on it as they flew ever higher.
“Engines to maximum,” ordered Spock over the comm.
As the fighter plummeted, the two shuttles streaked by it, free to climb into space. Seven Deers let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. The clouds were parting, and stars were beginning to make themselves visible.
The phasers shut off. The emitter crystal was dark black, burnt out by the shuttle’s phaser systems. Replacing the damaged crystal with one from a phaser rifle had been Scotty’s brilliant idea. Phaser rifles weren’t standard issue; each shuttle had been issued only one. Their phaser system was done for.
Her communicator signaled. “Seven Deers here.”
“Ensign, what do you think you’re doing?” demanded Scott. “Switching off your communicator like that?”
“Sorry, sir, I just needed a moment to think,” she said.
Scott sighed. “Sorry. I’m just frustrated, lass. I canna move!” She was irritated he’d called her “lass,” but she knew it was a sign of fondness. “How’s the crystal?” he asked.
“Burnt out,” she said. “We can’t use it again.”
“Shouldn’t have to,” said Kologwe. “We are clear for orbit.”
Saloniemi whooped, and Tra punched the air with his fist.
“Affirmative,” said Spock. “Plotting a course to bring us to the hub of the reactor network from above.”
A pinging noise drew Seven Deers’s attention to the front of the Columbus. “Ensign,” said Tra, “something’s coming up from behind us.”
“What?” she asked, checking her own readings.
Tra shook his head in frustration. “It looks like those fighters are space-capable. They’re right behind us.”
Following Giotto’s signal turned out to be more difficult than Kirk had anticipated. The spiraling layout of the Farrezzi ship meant that it was impossible to move in a straight line. The captain came to a wider section, like an anteroom, with a large opening at the other end. Stepping closer, he risked looking in. It was dark inside, but as he got closer, there was a familiar pale blue glow.
Kirk stepped inside. It was a storage area, filled with hundreds of the hibernation pods. The sight of so many innocent beings about to be exploited shocked him to the core, especially because they had no idea what was going to happen to them. The sleepers needed to know about their fate.
The captain decided he would wake them. Kirk picked a capsule far enough down the line to be outside the view of anybody approaching the opening. The controls on the pod were a small display showing six icons. He pulled out the tricorder and activated the translation program. It quickly displayed the meanings of the pictographs. The first four were settings for temperature, pressure, nutrients, and recycling. The last two read “power activation” and “purge.” “Purge” hopefully would empty its interior of water. It seemed like the best option. Kirk pressed the sixth icon.
At first, nothing happened, but then a whirring noise could be heard, and bubbles rose inside the pod. Looking down, he saw water rushing out along the pod’s entire circumference—a trickle that quickly grew into an impressive flush. It was all over in a matter of seconds. The Farrezzi stirred,