The Brave and the Bold Book Two - Keith R. A. DeCandido [43]
“Good work, Mr. Tuvok,” DeSoto said. The captain noted that the Vulcan was moving closer to the cabinet that held the artifact. “Uh, what, exactly, are you doing?”
“Ensuring our safety.” He seemed to toss something at the artifact.
DeSoto didn’t like the sound of that. “Whose safety?”
“That of the Maquis, of course.”
“The Maquis?” DeSoto really didn’t like the sound of that. “Don’t tell me you’ve actually gone over to these traitors? How could you, of all people, do such a thing?”
“I respectfully submit, Captain, that you do not know me well enough to make such a judgment of my character.”
“We’ll discuss this later. Right now, I’m taking you, your new friends, and the artifact back to the Hood. You’ll all be taken into custody.” DeSoto started to move closer to Tuvok ever so slowly—and also toward Hudson’s weapon, which lay on the floor about two meters from where the former Starfleet officer had fallen.
“I cannot allow that, Captain. You are welcome to take the artifact—it is too dangerous to be allowed in the hands of any but the researchers at the Rector Institute. But you will not take us in.”
DeSoto knew that Tuvok was much closer to ch’Ren’s weapon than he himself was to Hudson’s—and that Tuvok was a Vulcan, and therefore much faster than a human. But words were not going to win this conversation; Tuvok had either truly gone over to the Maquis, or was making far too good a show of his infiltration. Either way, DeSoto couldn’t take any chances.
“Watch me,” he said, and then suddenly dove toward the weapon, grabbed it, and rolled over. The idea was to then rise to his feet on the upward roll, but he wasn’t as young as he once was, and he stumbled twice as he rose.
He found himself facing the barrel of ch’Ren’s phaser, held by Tuvok.
“It was worth a shot,” DeSoto said with a smile. “So now what, Mr. Tuvok? You shoot me?”
Tuvok looked down at the floor. “That won’t be necessary.”
DeSoto couldn’t help but follow Tuvok’s gaze, especially once the Vulcan pointed his phaser at the same spot on the floor.
He saw his transponder about twenty centimeters from his foot. DeSoto had placed it in his boot, but it obviously had dislodged when he rolled over to pick up the phaser.
Oh, crap.
Tuvok fired at the transponder. It disintegrated in an instant.
For the first time, DeSoto cursed his crew’s efficiency. Not a second later, he felt the familiar tinge of a transporter beam as Jose Kojima—reading the destruction of the transponder—followed orders and had the transporter room lock on to where the transponder had been and beam anything there up.
In less time than it took him to complete the realization that he was being transported, he found himself on the Hood’ s bridge. Voyskunsky got up from the command chair just as he yelled, “Beam me back!”
“What happened?” Voyskunsky asked.
“I’ll explain later.” DeSoto was yelling. Of all the times…”Beam me back, now!”
Kojima said, “Sir, the Malkus Artifact emissions have disappeared from the surface.”
DeSoto blinked. “Dammit. Pick it up, Jose.”
“Trying, sir.”
Voyskunsky smiled her toothy smile. “Still want to beam back down?”
Glowering at her, DeSoto said, “You’re between me and my chair.”
“Mine ‘umblest apologies, sir,” she said, stepping aside and indicating the command chair with a flourish.
As he sat down, DeSoto said, “Manolet, can you get a life-sign reading from where I was beamed out?”
Dayrit shook his head. “Not reading anything, sir. The forcefield’s down, by the way—but there are no indications of life.” A pause. “We’re being hailed.”
DeSoto frowned. “By who?”
“It’s a ship in orbit of the third moon—they’re just coming into sensor range.”
“Sir,” Kojima said, “I’ve picked up the artifact—it’s now in orbit around the planet’s third moon.”
Voyskunsky let out a breath. “Gee, I wonder who they could be.”
“Baifang, intercept course for that ship, half impulse,