Star Trek_ A Choice of Catastrophes - Michael Schuster [87]
The day after the funeral, he requests the deepest space assignment he can get. He spends six months on Capella IV, a planet near Klingon space. It’s a welcome relief. He enjoys getting to know the Capellans and their rituals.
As his assignment ends, Leonard hears from Jim Kirk. He’s met Kirk a couple times before. “Bones!” Kirk’s comm begins. “I need you.” Kirk is the new captain of the Enterprise and is just setting out on a five-year mission away from the Federation core worlds. He’s looking for a chief medical officer.
“Jim, do you think I want to look at four hundred people’s tonsils?” But he accepts the offer. Leonard has realized that he loves practicing interstellar medicine. He enjoys pushing himself, learning. He’s at home in Starfleet.
Stardate 4758.1 (0230 hours)
Spock monitored the Hofstadter’s sensor display. The shuttles needed to elude the two remaining fighters only long enough to engage their warp drives. They then could jump to the other side of the planet, out of the fighters’ detector range, and return safely to the surface. He began performing calculations on the minimum safe distance for engaging warp drive—the deeper a ship was in a gravity well, the greater the danger. The shuttles should be clear for warp drive in four minutes, before the fighters were able to catch up. The Vulcan turned to assess the situation in the shuttle.
On an improvised stretcher, Mister Scott was holding a tricorder and checking on the status of both shuttles. Doctor M’Benga was tending to Lieutenant Rawlins, who had just regained consciousness. “Your patients’ status, Doctor?”
M’Benga didn’t look up as he continued to run a device over Rawlins’s shoulder. “Rawlins will be fine. I’ve repaired the damage.” He paused. “It’s Mister Scott I’m really concerned about, sir.”
“I’m sitting right here, Doc,” interrupted Scott. “I can wait.”
Spock examined the immobile engineer. They needed to get Scott to the Enterprise’s medical facilities. That required deactivating the device on the surface. “Very good, Mister Scott.”
The computer had confirmed his calculations and was now attempting to verify his assessment of local subspace disruptions. Analysis indicated this area of subspace was filled with distortions, rendering it nearly impassable.
Jaeger was reading the report as it came up on the central console. “What does that mean, sir?” asked the geophysicist.
“It means that going to warp is not an option,” replied Spock. “We will have to defeat the fighters before we return to the planetary surface.”
“Commander, I’m in a bit of a situation right now.” Kirk looked at the Farrezzi in front of him, who was trembling as Kirk spoke into his communicator.
“Sooner would be better. There’s a lot of them out there, and I don’t know how long we have before they get some cutting equipment.”
“In that case,” said Kirk, “I’ll need reinforcements. I’ll keep you informed. Kirk out.” He slipped the communicator back onto his belt. What did you say to an alien that didn’t think like you? How could you gain its trust? Start with the basics.
“My name is James Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. What is your name?”
“Acknowledgment. I inclusion thoughtspace now. Name statement: individual family location. Statement: Horr-Sav-Frerin.”
Did it mean that its name was Horr-Sav-Frerin, or that Horr was its name, Sav its family, and Frerin its home? He said, “I am here to help you.”
“Assessment: lie. Demand: explanation truth objective.”
“I’m not lying. We were both shot at. That should be enough proof. You have been kidnapped by some of your own people. I want to free you.”
“Assessment: deception possibility. Goal: revelation of secrets.”
“Is this a Farrezzi ship?”
The Farrezzi looked around. “Design affirmative.”
“Why were you all in stasis? Was it to escape your world’s environmental collapse?”
Horr-Sav-Frerin waggled all