The Expanse - J.M. Dillard [68]
No, the Captain thought fiercely. It couldn’t happen; the Xindi couldn’t die, not now, when they were so close to getting the location of his home. ...
Across the open hatch from Archer, Hayes settled his wounded man carefully against the shuttlepod, then lifted his weapon and tapped a control near the trigger. Archer watched in amazement as a sleek targeting scope automatically emerged from the barrel of the weapon and locked into place near the Major’s eye.
Deliberately, Hayes took aim, then adjusted a control on the scope. He paused.
Impossible, Archer thought. There’s no possible way he can see through this mess ...
More energy pulses zinged around the Captain’s feet, but he said nothing, merely kept his gaze focused on Hayes, who took his time with admirable coolness.
And then, releasing a slow, even breath, Hayes squeezed the trigger and fired a single shot ... then lowered his rifle, a look of satisfaction on his face.
No further shots came. Archer did not need to ask what he already instinctively knew: The weasel was down, for good.
Overhead, nearby engines roared. Archer turned and saw, with gratitude, the landing lights of Shuttlepod Two glowing through the thick haze.
The crackling energy field around Kessick had disappeared; the Xindi still lay motionless, but Archer could see he still breathed. He had survived. ...
Only then did the Captain allow himself to realize how badly he ached, how vile he smelled; he longed suddenly for the simple comforts of a bath, and a bed prewarmed by a dog.
Aboard Enterprise, T’Pol sat in the captain’s chair, keenly aware of the approaching “cargo vessels” and the long silence that had ensued after Reed had reported the rescue was a success. Quite possibly, the team had encountered further resistance.
The others on the bridge were aware of it, too: Hoshi Sato’s brow was lined with tension, though her expression was otherwise composed; at the helm, Ensign Leila Birani occasionally forgot herself and. nervously twirled a dark lock of hair.
T’Pol, of course, remained emotionless—but found the current situation less than agreeable. If the so-called freighters arrived before the shuttlepods did, T’Pol would be forced to take the logical course: leave the area. Her first responsibility lay with the remaining eighty crew members aboard Enterprise; she was bound to protect them, and the ship, at all costs. It was the decision Captain Archer would want her to make.
After all, it would be of little help to the shuttlepods to arrive at Enterprise’s coordinates only to find dust, scorched debris (T’Pol had no intention of letting the ship be boarded, and its crew captured), and three warships awaiting them. In either scenario—whether Enterprise left or stayed—the shuttlepods would be destroyed.
It was not, however, a choice T’Pol wanted to make.
She glanced over at Ensign Sato’s station as the com-panel beeped. Hoshi leaned forward, eager, and listened to the incoming message. She turned to T’Pol, her brow suddenly slack with relief. “Both shuttlepods have left the surface.”
“Is everybody aboard?” T’Pol asked at once.
Hoshi checked her board, then glanced up again, her expression frankly puzzled. “Everybody plus one.”
T’Pol tilted her head, curious. She had heard, from both Doctor Phlox and Captain Archer, about the severed finger that contained humanoidlike epithelial cells, yet possessed DNA strikingly similar to that of the possibly Xindi reptilian scales. Had the Captain managed to bring the finger’s original owner? If so, that would aid their mission tremendously.
In the meantime, there were other concerns to be dealt with. “The warships?” she asked Sato.
“Still at warp four,” the Ensign reported. “ETA ...” She paused to check her console, then looked up at T’Pol again. “Approximately seven minutes.”
It would be enough time, the Vulcan knew, if no time was wasted. “Tell the pods to dock simultaneously,” she ordered Sato, then addressed herself to Ensign Birani at the helm. “Prepare to go to maximum warp.”
It appeared T’Pol would not have to make