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Keep her together until I get back.

Scott had felt a thrill he had almost forgotten, and seen a spark long extinguished blaze once more in his captains eyes.

In his younger days, Scott would have been terrifiedbut too determined to survive to let his terror show, to let it interfere with what had to be done. Now all that was gone. Oh, there was still fear of dying, yes, but it was tempered by experience and the perspective of age. He had faced such impossible situations many times before and always walked away whole.

Even if this time he did not, he had far less to lose than the young ones surrounding him. He could sense their fear, and for some odd reason it calmed him, made him determined to be of help.

He set a hand on the shoulder of the young lieutenant beside him, who had been so distracted by the unfolding drama on the screen that he jumped nervously at the touch. Scott gave him a reassuring half smile; the young officer grimaced sheepishly, then returned his gaze to the screen.

Scott too turned toward their fate, and watched as the energy tendril reacted to the deflector blast by leaping backward, then roiling like angry storm clouds.

The shuddering lessened; Scott drew in a deep breath and let it go. Were breaking free.

The young lieutenants grimace turned to a smile;

Harrimans shoulders and bottom lip dropped in concert. Scott began to straighten, with the intent of going over to congratulate the young captain

The screen went blinding white as the ship lurched hard to port. Scott clawed at the console, lost purchase, and came down on his backside on the deck. The lieutenant was thrown sideways into Scotts chair and nearly fell on top of him, but regained his balance in time.

Scott stayed where he was, waiting for the next strike for one second, for two. For three, and as he sat, the shaking gradually eased, and the ship was still.

Scott rose slowly to his feet, watching as Demora scrambled back to her station and peered at the helm readout; a broad grin spread over her features. Were clear.

Harriman was miraculously still at the conn. For a moment he stared at the screen, clearly amazed to find himself still alive, then punched a control on the arm of his chair. You did it, Kirk! He swiveled toward Demora. Damage report, Ensign.

Demoras smile had already faded; with the efficiency of a seasoned officer, she studied her console. A fine lass, Scott thought; next time he saw her father, hed be sure to tell Sulu how well she performed in the crisis. Theres some buckling on the starboard nacelle, Demora reported. She frowned abruptly and glanced up at Harriman. Weve also got a hull breach in the engineering section. Emergency force fields are in place and holding.

Scott could not have explained then how he knew. Engineering covered a very large area of the ship, and dozens of areas could have been damaged without coming anywhere near the deflector room. Yet at the instant Demora said, Weve got a hull breach, he went cold. For a moment he could not speak; when he did, he could manage no more than a single, hoarse question.

Where?

Demora looked at him. His expression and eyes must have betrayed him, for at the sight of his face, she seemed to realize what he was asking. Her face went slack; her dark eyes narrowed with concern. As she stared down at the console again, Harriman rose from his chair, as if he, too, suddenly shared Scotts ominous conviction.

Let me be wrong, Scott prayed, but as he watched Demoras eyes widen, then narrow again at the sight on her board, he knew he was not.

Sections twenty through twenty-eight, Demora read dully, on decks thirteen, fourteen … She gazed up at Scott. … and fifteen.

Numbly, Scott returned to the aft console and pressed the comm control. Bridge to Captain Kirk. He paused, waited an agony of seconds, then repeated, Captain Kirk … please respond.

An eternity of silence. Scott could not meet the gazes of all those focused on him; he bowed his head and briefly closed his eyes.

When he