Ice Trap

by L. A. Graf

  A flash of pain exploded along his cheekbone, making him jerk away with a sharp curse. He hadn't realized how close he'd come to being asleep. It took him a moment to blink his surroundings back into familiarity.

  Standing at his shoulder, McCoy frowned down at him in doctorly displeasure. "What happened to you?" he asked, gesturing at Chekov's face.

  The lieutenant reached up to rub at his cheek, wincing at the feel of hot, tender skin beneath his fingers. "Nothing." He forgot that Alion's final blow would bruise so badly.

  McCoy grunted. "Nothing?" Catching Chekov's jaw in one wiry hand, the doctor held his head steady while digging into the medikit on his belt. "Well, this 'nothing' looks like it's worth at least a hairline fracture. Hold still."

  The whine of McCoy's medical scanner was sharp enough to make his ears ring. "Doctor, please, I'm fine" He had work to do, letters to write, duty rosters to reassign

  "He was poisoned." Uhura climbed into the row of seats ahead of him, her own insulation suit shed, but her Kitka mask still dangling from around her neck. "Some native toxin that the Kitka get from kraken."

  "What!"

  Chekov dropped his head into his hands and sighed.

  "When did this happen?" McCoy demanded of Uhura.

  "About three days ago."

  The doctor's scowl made Chekov wonder if he was going to get hit again. "For God's sake "

  "Mr. Chekov, you didn't mention anything like that in your report." Even Kirk had finally been attracted aft by the subject of their discussion.

  Chekov felt himself blush hard enough to make his cheekbone throb. "Yes, Captain, I know, sir, but"

  McCoy interrupted by swatting Kirk on one shoulder. "I don't want to hear a word from you, Captain! If it weren't for the example you set for these boys, I wouldn't have to second-guess their bumps and bruises in the first place!"

  "Now, Bones "

  After that, McCoy was too busy giving Kirk a piece of his mind to worry about further berating Chekov. Suspecting that his best defense would be camouflage, Chekov simply let himself drift off to sleep in the hopes McCoy would forget all about him by the time they got home.

  Instead, he had awakened later on a stretcher already headed down to sickbay, when it was too late to do anything constructive. He'd slept off and on throughout McCoy's shipboard examination, then finally didn't awake again until sometime early the next morning. While he felt rested and healthy and ready to return to duty, McCoy insisted he stay in sickbay for further observation. Even Kirk wouldn't countermand that order.

  As far as Chekov was concerned, the most boring thing he could imagine was spending an entire day confined to a bed in sickbay. Visitors stopped by throughout the course of the daySulu, Riley, various contingents from his security forcebut they couldn't do much to cheer him; when he was already annoyed at being kept from constructive activity, it didn't help to see others interrupting their own work to come coddle him.

  The only solution, then, seemed to be escape. At least temporary escape. An advantage of being chief of starship security was that he knew the ship's layout and duty schedulesand, consequently, the best time and way to absent himself from sickbay with the highest probability of success. He could always go back later and try to make McCoy's life so miserable that the doctor would release him and wish him good riddance. Other than that, the worst that could happen was they'd confine him to bed. He could always just leave again if things got too bad.

  Uhura answered her door after only his second knock. She looked tired and distracted, but blinked at him in surprise when he smiled at her. "Chekov! I thought you were in sickbay."

  "I am. Let me in before someone sees me."

  She ushered him inside, sliding the door shut behind him. He tried not to notice the computer work on her desk, the bone mask hanging on her wall, or the bright, sunlit pictures of Kitka moving about on her small terminal screen.

  "I didn't come down to see you," she said, her voice apologetic as she cleared off a chair for him to sit. "I meant to, I'm sorry"

  He waved her explanation aside, setting the food tray on the chair instead of himself. "It's all right. You've been busy."

  Her gaze drifted toward the terminal and the Kitka moving there. "Yes going over tapes, mostly. There's an awful lot to catalog."

  He could imagine. Images of Ghyl giving some lengthy explanation in the whistling Kitka language shared the screen with views of Nhym pointing out bits of food, and Uhurasurprisingly enoughlooking dubious about eating any of it. Noting Uhura in the picture reminded Chekov of where the films must have come from, and he surprised himself with a lurch of pain even McCoy and the Enterprise's sickbay couldn't make go away.

  "Tenzing took these, didn't she?"

  Uhura touched his arm but didn't look up at him. "Yes."

  So many things lost, he thought, watching Ghyl straighten Nhym's ivory mask and comb out her tangled silver hair. So many things gained. "She knew what she was doing," he said aloud to Uhura. "Her world and people needed saving, and she was willing to give everything to assure that. I think she would be happy with our solution."

  Uhura nodded, wrapping her arms about her as if against a sudden chill. "She would be. I just wish she could have lived to see it."

  Chekov found himself thinking those same words quite a lot lately.

  Taking her hand, he turned her away from the terminal to face her toward the food tray he'd left sitting in her chair. "There's only one thing I know of that can distract you from anything."

  Uhura grinned, looking embarrassed. "Food."

  "Food." He rolled the chair between them and leaned against the back. "Remember before we left for Nordstral? I promised to bring you dinner."

  "That's right, you did." She laughed, a little of the sadness leaving her face. "Did you fix this yourself?"

  He made a face at her. "Are you kidding? I ordered it through the sickbay food system." Reaching over the chair back, he whisked aside the cover in a cloud of aromatic steam. "What do you think?"

  Hands folded together, she bent at the waist to sniff at the plates. Her eyebrows crinkled slightly with concern. "It smells like cabbage."

  "It's halushki."

  She angled a skeptical look up at him. "Which is?" Chekov shrugged, tossing the cover onto the countertop behind him. "Cabbage." He grinned at her. "I ordered it especially for you."

  She laughed again, a warm, welcome sound after all the cold unpleasantries of Nordstral. "Oh, Chekovwhat would I do without you?"

  He handed her a plate and slipped a fork under the contents. "If nothing else, probably eat a whole lot better."

  McCoy peered around the doorway to the observation deck, trying not to sound too disappointed when he found only Kirk and Spock standing there. "Have either of you seen Chekov?"

  Kirk glanced away from Nordstral's brilliant white globe, brows raised in curiosity. "What's the matter, Bones? Can't keep track of your own patients?"

  "Apparently not." He crossed the deck, hands in pockets, to stand at Kirk's right. The stark black terminus of Nordstral's nightside silently crept across her surface as they orbited. "What's the point of trying to treat a patient when he's just going to override sickbay security and escape the minute I turn my back?"

  Kirk shrugged with amused tolerance. "You guarantee he'll be in good health when he does it."

  This from the man who would chew his own leg off to get out of a medical exam. McCoy decided to quit while he was ahead. "How's our bigger patient coming?" he asked, nodding toward the planet. Even at night, Nordstral's atmosphere sparkled with shreds of rainbow aurora, the equator cities ringing her like a diamond bracelet while the distant sun haloed her with a tiara of gold.

  "So far, the prognosis is good." Kirk's eyes danced across the nighttime features with a gentle pleasure that surprised McCoy. "They've got the remaining two harvesters seeding nutrients wherever they can reach in both hemispheres, and Spock's had torpedoes full of plankton launching all day."

  "
Marine biota," Spock corrected blandly.

  Kirk grinned at him. "My apologies."

  "I expect full recovery of Nordstral's magnetic field within fourteen days," the Vulcan went on, as though someone had asked him to elaborate. "The Kitka around the equator report observing biota reproductive blooms as far south as the thirtieth parallel, and the northern tribes say both the ice and the kraken have calmed remarkably in the last twenty-four hours."

  "So have Maxine Kane's mental patients." McCoy hated agreeing with Spock, but he couldn't see any way around it. "She says Nordstral's planning to give the planet a couple months off while they redesign a harvesting/seeding program that'll guarantee nothing like this happens again." He shook his head in wonder as Nordstral's daylight side overwhelmed the stars around her with brilliant albedo. "It's too bad that it takes a disaster like this to remind us how delicately balanced everything isand not just on Nordstral. Maybe if every planet threw off earthquakes and magnetic storms whenever things got out of whack, sentient races all over the galaxy wouldn't have messed up some of the things they did."

  Kirk clapped his friend on the shoulder, breathing a little sigh. "Every planet gives its people whatever they need to do what's right. So long as we go the right direction in the end, that's all that matters."

  "Let us hope," Spock said, "that Nordstral has learned everything required."

  McCoy snorted before he thought better of it, and found himself facing curious glances from both his companions. "Well, I don't know about Nordstral," he grumbled, shifting his weight a little nervously, "but I've certainly learned my lesson just fine."

  "Oh?" Kirk asked, eyebrows raised. "And what's that?"

  "The next time you expect me to go swimming around some planet with millions of tons of freezing water on top of my head, I'm gonna pretend to be a Vulcan. That way, you'll leave me at home!"

  Look for STAR TREK fiction from Pocket Books

  Star Trek: The Original Series

  Enterprise: The First Adventure Vonda N. McIntyre

  Final Frontier Diane Carey

  Strangers From the Sky Margaret Wander Bonanno

  Spock's World Diane Duane

  The Lost Years J.M. Dillard

  Probe Margaret Wander Bonanno

  Prime Directive Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens

  Best Destiny Diane Carey

  Shadows on the Sun Michael Jan Friedman

  Sarek A.C. Crispin

  Federation Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens

  Vulcan's Forge Josepha Sherman & Susan Shwartz

  Mission to Horatius Mack Reynolds

  Vulcan's Heart Josepha Sherman & Susan Shwartz

  Novelizations

  Star Trek: The Motion Picture Gene Roddenberry

  Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Vonda N. McIntyre

  Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Vonda N. McIntyre

  Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Vonda N. McIntyre

  Star Trek V: The Final Frontier J.M. Dillard

  Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country J.M. Dillard

  Star Trek Generations J.M. Dillard

  Starfleet Academy Diane Carey

  Star Trek books by William Shatner with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens

  The Ashes of Eden

  The Return

  Avenger

  Star Trek: Odyssey (contains The Ashes of Eden, The Return, and Avenger)

  Spectre

  Dark Victory

  Preserver

  #1 Star Trek: The Motion Picture Gene Roddenberry

  #2 The Entropy Effect Vonda N. McIntyre

  #3 The Klingon Gambit Robert E. Vardeman

  #4 The Covenant of the Crown Howard Weinstein

  #5 The Prometheus Design Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath

  #6 The Abode of Life Lee Correy

  #7 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Vonda N. McIntyre

  #8 Black Fire Sonni Cooper

  #9 Triangle Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath

  #10 Web of the Romulans M.S. Murdock

  #11 Yesterday's Son A.C. Crispin

  #12 Mutiny on the Enterprise Robert E. Vardeman

  #13 The Wounded Sky Diane Duane

  #14 The Trellisane Confrontation David Dvorkin

  #15 Corona Greg Bear

  #16 The Final Reflection John M. Ford

  #17 Star Trek III: The Search For Spock Vonda N. McIntyre

  #18 My Enemy, My Ally Diane Duane

  #19 The Tears of the Singers Melinda Snodgrass

  #20 The Vulcan Academy Murders Jean Lorrah

  #21 Uhura's Song Janet Kagan

  #22 Shadow Lord Laurence Yep

  #23 Ishmael Barbara Hambly

  #24 Killing Time Della Van Hise

  #25 Dwellers in the Crucible Margaret Wander Bonanno

  #26 Pawns and Symbols Majliss Larson

  #27 Mindshadow J.M. Dillard

  #28 Crisis on Centaurus Brad Ferguson

  #29 Dreadnought! Diane Carey

  #30 Demons J.M. Dillard

  #31 Battlestations! Diane Carey

  #32 Chain of Attack Gene DeWeese

  #33 Deep Domain Howard Weinstein

  #34 Dreams of the Raven Carmen Carter

  #35 The Romulan Way Diane Duane & Peter Morwood

  #36 How Much For Just the Planet? John M. Ford

  #37 Bloodthirst J.M. Dillard

  #38 The IDIC Epidemic Jean Lorrah

  #39 Time For Yesterday A.C. Crispin

  #40 Timetrap David Dvorkin

  #41 The Three-Minute Universe Barbara Paul

  #42 Memory Prime Gar and Judith Reeves-Stevens

  #43 The Final Nexus Gene DeWeese

  #44 Vulcan's Glory D.C. Fontana

  #45 Double, Double Michael Jan Friedman

  #46 The Cry of the Onlies Judy Klass

  #47 The Kobayashi Maru Julia Ecklar

  #48 Rules of Engagement Peter Morwood

  #49 The Pandora Principle Carolyn Clowes

  #50 Doctor's Orders Diane Duane

  #51 Enemy Unseen V.E. Mitchell

  #52 Home is the Hunter Dana Kramer Rolls

  #53 Ghost-Walker Barbara Hambly

  #54 A Flag Full of Stars Brad Ferguson

  #55 Renegade Gene DeWeese

  #56 Legacy Michael Jan Friedman

  #57 The Rift Peter David

  #58 Faces of Fire Michael Jan Friedman

  #59 The Disinherited Peter David

  #60 Ice Trap L.A. Graf

  #61 Sanctuary John Vornholt

  #62 Death Count L.A. Graf

  #63 Shell Game Melissa Crandall

  #64 The Starship Trap Mel Gilden

  #65 Windows on a Lost World V.E. Mitchell

  #66 From the Depths Victor Milan

  #67 The Great Starship Race Diane Carey

  #68 Firestorm L.A. Graf

  #69 The Patrian Transgression Simon Hawke

  #70 Traitor Winds L.A. Graf

  #71 Crossroad Barbara Hambly

  #72 The Better Man Howard Weinstein

  #73 Recovery J.M. Dillard

  #74 The Fearful Summons Denny Martin Flynn

  #75 First Frontier Diane Carey & Dr. James I. Kirkland

  #76 The Captain's Daughter Peter David

  #77 Twilight's End Jerry Oltion

  #78 The Rings of Tautee Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch

  #79 Invasion! #1: First Strike Diane Carey

  #80 The Joy Machine James Gunn

  #81 Mudd in Your Eye Jerry Oltion

  #82 Mind Meld John Vornholt

  #83 Heart of the Sun Pamela Sargent & George Zebrowski

  #84 Assignment: Eternity Greg Cox

  #85-87 My Brother's Keeper Michael Jan Friedman

  #85 Republic

  #86 Constitution

  #87 Enterprise

  #88 Across the Universe Pamela Sargent & George Zebrowski

  #89-94 New Earth

  #89 Wagon Train to the Stars Diane Carey

  #90 Belle Terre Dean Wesley Smith with Diane
Carey

  #91 Rough Trails L.A. Graf

  #92 The Flaming Arrow Kathy and Jerry Oltion

  #93 Thin Air Kristine Kathryn Rusch & Dean Wesley Smith

  #94 Challenger Diane Carey

  Star Trek: The Next Generation

  Metamorphosis Jean Lorrah

  Vendetta Peter David

  Reunion Michael Jan Friedman

  Imzadi Peter David

  The Devil's Heart Carmen Carter

  Dark Mirror Diane Duane

  Q-Squared Peter David

  Crossover Michael Jan Friedman

  Kahless Michael Jan Friedman

  Ship of the Line Diane Carey

  The Best and the Brightest Susan Wright

  Planet X Michael Jan Friedman

  Imzadi II: Triangle Peter David

  I, Q John de Lancie & Peter David

  The Valiant Michael Jan Friedman

  Novelizations

  Encounter at Farpoint David Gerrold

  Unification Jeri Taylor

  Relics Michael Jan Friedman

  Descent Diane Carey

  All Good Things... Michael Jan Friedman

  Star Trek: Klingon Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch

  Star Trek Generations J.M. Dillard

  Star Trek: First Contact J.M. Dillard

  Star Trek: Insurrection J.M. Dillard

  #1 Ghost Ship Diane Carey

  #2 The Peacekeepers Gene DeWeese

  #3 The Children of Hamlin Carmen Carter

  #4 Survivors Jean Lorrah

  #5 Strike Zone Peter David

  #6 Power Hungry Howard Weinstein

  #7 Masks John Vornholt

  #8 The Captain's Honor David and Daniel Dvorkin

  #9 A Call to Darkness Michael Jan Friedman

  #10 A Rock and a Hard Place Peter David

  #11 Gulliver's Fugitives Keith Sharee

  #12 Doomsday World David, Carter, Friedman & Greenberger

  #13 The Eyes of the Beholders A.C. Crispin

  #14 Exiles Howard Weinstein