The Brave and the Bold Book Two - Keith R. A. DeCandido [18]
“This is the Federation Shuttlecraft Manhattan to any Maquis ship within range. This is Tuvok of Vulcan, former lieutenant in Starfleet. I request asylum with the Maquis. Please respond.”
“Good thing he identified himself as a Vulcan,” Hudson muttered. “That’s the only thing to explain how calm he is.” Louder, he said, “Mr. Tuvok, this is the Maquis.” He wasn’t about to identify himself by name over an open channel. “We’ve got you on sensors. What happened?”
“I absconded with this shuttlecraft when Starfleet refused my request for a leave of absence following the deaths of my wife and children on Amniphon.”
Hudson looked sharply at Mastroeni. The rockslides on Amniphon had killed thousands. They still hadn’t even begun to properly catalogue the dead.
“So you left Starfleet.”
“Affirmative. The Hood naturally tried to pursue, but they would not enter the Demilitarized Zone without authorization. However, that authorization may come soon. Therefore I would request that you beam me aboard and then destroy the shuttle.”
Hudson rubbed his chin. “Mr. Tuvok, I’d love to accommodate you, but I’ve got a first mate here with an itchy trigger finger. She’d like to just destroy your shuttle without bothering to beam you over first. I’m gonna need a good reason to hold her back.”
“Your attempt to play the human game of ‘good cop/bad cop’ is somewhat transparent, sir. However, I do understand that you will require a gesture of good faith. I was the chief of security on the Hood, and can provide you with intelligence and current access codes that might prove beneficial to the Maquis.”
Mastroeni lined up a shot with her phasers. “Like we need him for that. C’mon, let me—”
“In addition,” Tuvok added, “I have information on how to detect a weapon that is currently within the confines of the Demilitarized Zone. It is an artifact of tremendous power that might tip the balance of power in favor of the Maquis. And Starfleet Command is not presently aware of it.”
“He’s lying.” Mastroeni’s eyes almost rolled back in her head.
“Maybe.” Hudson rubbed his chin again. “And maybe not. I’m willing to look into it.” He smiled at Mastroeni. “We can always kill him later.”
She just snarled again in response.
“Prepare to be taken in tow, Mr. Tuvok.”
“I would not recommend that course of action. As long as the Manhattan is intact, the Hood will be able to track it. Starfleet has recently improved the security measures on their shuttlecraft. One such attempt by a potential Starfleet defector to deliver a shuttle into Maquis hands resulted in the officer’s incarceration. I would prefer to avoid Ensign Lestewka’s fate.”
“I don’t believe him,” Mastroeni said.
Hudson frowned. “There was an Ensign Lestewka who served on the Tian An Men. Reports were that he was favorable to our cause, but he was caught trying to defect. I always assumed he just got caught ‘cause he was stupid, though.”
“Only,” Tuvok said dryly, “if you consider not paying attention to security briefings ‘stupid.’ The choice is, of course, yours, but it would be safer for all concerned if you destroyed the shuttle. If nothing else, it denies me my best avenue of escape and leaves me wholly at your mercy.”
“You already are at our mercy, Vulcan,” Mastroeni said, now locking phasers on target.
“Hardly. Although damaged, this shuttlecraft could still hold its own in a firefight—especially against a sub-standard Mishka -class raider with a malfunctioning phaser array.”
At that, Hudson laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Mastroeni asked.
“He’s good. All right, Tuvok, have it your way. Stand by for our signal to beam you aboard. Out.” Then he opened an intercom channel. “Mindy, you there?” Mindy McAdams was supposed to be on duty in the transporter room.
“Yeah, Skip. And I overheard your tete-a-Vulcan. I’ll get Schmidt in here with a couple of rifles and bring him on board.”
“Good.” Hudson had long since given up discouraging McAdams from calling him “Skip,” short for “Skipper.” He turned