The Returned, Part III

by Peter David

  “What sort of disruption?”

  “An explosion of sufficient magnitude should do it.”

  “Photon torpedoes, for instance?”

  “I’m not sure, Captain,” Xy said reluctantly. “I have to admit, no one’s done a study on how to destroy wormholes. I’m speculating here, based on what we know of them in general. And this one seems to be defying expectations, in any event. So it’s possible that it will work, but I can’t be certain.”

  “We’ll just have to find out,” said Calhoun. “Tobias, prepare to bring the cloaking device on-line. We’re going to try and lose them before we get within range of the wormhole.”

  “Aye, Captain,” said Tobias. She was apprehensive over what they were going to do, but she wasn’t about to display any of that worry.

  “On the count of three,” said Calhoun slowly. “One . . . two . . . three. Cloak on and maximum warp for the wormhole.”

  The Excalibur promptly vanished and then hurtled in the direction of the wormhole that would transport them back to their galaxy.

  The Dayan did not take it well.

  The ship immediately let loose with a series of blasts that hammered the entire area with extreme aggression. Calhoun hadn’t thought it possible that a ship could possess that much weaponry, but it became quickly evident that the Dayan had all that and more besides. And every blast that struck the Excalibur did so with the power of a thousand thousand hammer blows. The ship shook violently as the red-alert klaxon screamed.

  “Shields at twenty percent!” shouted Kebron, which was alarming. The notion that the ship had taken that degree of damage in such a short time was horrifying.

  “The Dayan are hailing us, Captain!” called Tobias.

  “Not now!” Calhoun told her.

  But an instant later Nyos’s voice was filtering over the comm system. “Captain Calhoun, where do you think you’re going?”

  Calhoun glared at Tobias, but she shook her head. “It’s not me, Captain! They’ve somehow taken over our communications system!”

  “Do you truly think you can flee us, Captain?” Nyos’s voice continued mockingly. “The entire time we’ve been with you, we’ve been identifying your warp signature. We can track you no matter where you go, even if you’re hiding behind the cloak.”

  Calhoun spun to face Xy. “Can he do that?”

  “I don’t know,” Xy said. “Soleta would have a better handle on that. Where is she?”

  Calhoun neither knew nor cared at that moment. Instead he said desperately, “Tobias! Keep us moving! Continue course to the wormhole!”

  “Aye, sir!”

  The Excalibur hurtled through space. The Dayan ship continued to fire at them, but now it was starting to miss. The ship deftly avoided the blasts and continued speeding toward the wormhole.

  “Five minutes to entrance, Captain!” said Tobias.

  Nyos’s voice was still crackling over the intercom. “You cannot flee, Captain, try as you might! We have a deal, the two of us, and I do not appreciate your endeavoring to leave us behind.”

  Calhoun didn’t see any point in responding.

  “Should we return fire, sir?” said Kebron.

  “No. It’ll enable them to track exactly where we are.”

  The ship continued to vibrate from the impact of the blasts that it was sustaining.

  “Aft shields have collapsed completely,” Kebron informed him.

  “Reroute power from forward shields.”

  “We don’t have enough to reroute, sir. We’ve barely got enough to sustain forward shields, and those aren’t going to survive more than another blast or two.”

  “Three minutes to wormhole,” Tobias spoke up.

  His mind racing, Calhoun suddenly called out, “Full reverse!”

  “Full reverse, aye!”

  The Excalibur slammed to a halt and reversed direction. The Dayan ship blew right past them. Then it slowed, apparently aware that it had momentarily lost track of them.

  “Now, warp seven!”

  The Excalibur angled down and away from the Dayan ship, increasing speed with every moment. The Dayan vessel appeared to react to them and it opened fire once more, but all the blasts missed.

  Seconds ticked by as the Excalibur hurtled toward the gateway home. Calhoun prayed that the wormhole would be active; he didn’t need a repeat of what had transpired in Thallonian space.

  “Is it there?” he asked.

  “Got it!” Tobias said triumphantly. “It blinked out a moment before, but it just flared into existence. So it’ll likely still be there for us to enter!”

  “Go,” said Calhoun. “Full ahead!”

  The Excalibur sped toward the wormhole. Calhoun was well aware that they had virtually no defensive capabilities. The shields had been pounded to near-total ineffectiveness. He reasoned that the one thing they had going for them was that there was no point in the Dayan vessel blowing them out of existence. It was depending on them to lead them back to their galaxy, a task that the Excalibur would hardly be in a position to do if it were nothing more than floating scrap metal.

  Blasts from the Dayan ship continued to explode around them, but now none of them were making contact. It was as if they were losing track of their target. “Sir,” called Tobias, “they’re falling back! I think they’re not sure where we are.”

  “That’s good news,” said Calhoun. “Stay the course. Countdown to the wormhole.”

  “Reaching the wormhole in five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . wormhole engaged!”

  Space bent and twisted around them as the wormhole enveloped them. Calhoun wanted to pump the air in triumph. They’d done it. They’d managed to leave the Dayan ship behind them and avoid having them gain access to their own galaxy. Granted, there was much about this entire expedition that Calhoun was not happy with. But at least he didn’t have to worry about—”

  “Sir!” said Kebron, and there was clear concern in his voice. “The Dayan are right behind us.”

  The image on the viewscreen shifted aft, and, sure enough, there was the Dayan vessel in pursuit. Whether they had managed to track the Excalibur into the wormhole or had just simply detected it themselves, it was impossible to tell. All he knew was that they were right behind the Excalibur and were not about to back off.

  Now Calhoun had no choice. “Photon torpedoes! Hit the sides of the wormhole! Try to bring it down!”

  “If it collapses while we’re inside it, Captain—” Xy began to say.

  “We don’t have a choice!”

  Kebron’s hands were flying over the controls, moving much faster than Calhoun would have thought someone that size could move. “Torpedoes away!” Kebron announced.

  The torpedoes exploded from the ship, slamming into the wormhole behind them. The far larger Dayan ship ignored them, continuing to speed forward and actually gaining on the Excalibur.

  “No change in the wormhole,” called Xy.

  “Again!”

  Once more the photon torpedoes flew from the ship and struck the sides of the wormhole. Nothing happened. The wormhole remained consistent.

  “The explosions aren’t sufficient, Captain,” Xy told him. “The wormhole is holding steady.”

  The Excalibur, however, was not. It was shaking violently, as it had when it had first passed through the wormhole. And it was taking long minutes of time rather than seconds, just as before.

  It seemed that the Dayan ship was trembling as well, but it was sturdier than the Excalibur and clearly had no intention of being shaken to pieces.

  ii.

  LIEUTENANT VARGAS WAS on duty in the shuttlebay when the doors opened. He was surprised to see Soleta standing there.

  “What’s wrong?” he said, realizing he was unsure of what to call her. Her rank had been lieutenant when she was part of Starfleet, but sh
e had left that aspect of her life far behind. But it didn’t feel right addressing her by her given name. “Shouldn’t you be on duty? Wherever that is?”

  “I’m where I need to be,” she said, walking forward quickly. “I need you to open the shuttlebay doors.”

  “I can’t do that without authorization,” he said.

  “Of course. I understand,” Soleta assured him. As she spoke, she brought her hand up and rested it on Vargas’s shoulder.

  A split second before she touched him, Vargas realized what was about to happen. He grabbed for the phaser that he kept routinely attached to his belt. He never had the opportunity to use it. His hand went limp as he brought it up to aim it at her. The phaser slipped out of his grasp and clattered to the deck and, seconds later, so did Vargas.

  Soleta stepped over his prone body and her hands moved quickly over the controls. She transferred the protocols from the Excalibur instrumentation to that of her own vessel. Seconds later she had managed to rig the controls so that she could trip them from within her own ship.

  She nodded approvingly. “All right. Let’s pray this works,” she muttered as she exited the room and emerged into the shuttlebay.

  She sprinted across the deck as fast as her legs would take her. She heard a peremptory shout of protest from an engineer who had spotted her and was now demanding that she stop.

  But he was too late. She reached the side of her ship, tapped the entry code, and ran in as the door slid open. It slammed shut behind her and she got to work.

  iii.

  ON THE BRIDGE, Tobias looked up. “Sir! Shuttlebay doors are opening!”

  “What the hell?” said Calhoun. “Who’s opening the shuttlebay?”

  “It’s—” Her voice caught in confusion for a moment. “It’s Soleta.”

  “Soleta? Close the shuttlebay doors and find out what she’s doing down there.”

  “Too late, sir. She’s already launched.”

  “Get her on. Now.”

  Soleta’s voice crackled over the comlink. “I don’t have much time. I’ve set my engines to overload.”

  “What?” Calhoun couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “You need an explosion of sufficient magnitude to collapse the wormhole. My engines may provide what is required.”

  “Soleta, wait—”

  “No time to wait. No purpose in waiting. I am sorry for anything that I may have done to humiliate you, Captain. Remain strong.”

  “Soleta!”

  It was too late. They watched as Soleta’s ship vibrated violently on the screen and then, seconds later, erupted. The explosion was massive against the background of the wormhole, and some part of Calhoun’s mind swore that he could actually hear the wormhole scream in pain from the blast.

  “Sir! The wormhole’s collapsing!” Xy cried out.

  It was indeed. For a moment, Calhoun worried what would happen if the wormhole fell apart while they were still in it. They might well be torn to shreds by it as the very fabric of space and time was ripped apart around them.

  The ship was continuing to shake violently, so much so that Calhoun was sure he was feeling his teeth being shaken from out of his head.

  And then, suddenly, space was restored around them. The wormhole was gone.

  No one reacted at first; everyone on the bridge was clearly shocked that they had managed to survive. “All stop!” called out Calhoun. “Drop the cloak. Let’s figure out where the hell we are.”

  The Excalibur shimmered into existence as Tobias quickly checked the star charts to determine their location. Calhoun, for his part, was staring at the section of space where the wormhole had previously been.

  She’d done it. Soleta had sacrificed her life in order to save the Excalibur. She had done so without hesitation, perfectly sanguine about the idea of giving up her life so that the ship could survive.

  No. Not the ship. Him. He knew instinctively that Soleta hadn’t actually given a damn about anyone else on the ship. Her sole concern had been to save Calhoun. And perhaps to try and make up for the horrific physical and mental crime that she had committed.

  Calhoun knew he should appreciate her efforts, knew he should be grateful because he and the crew were alive. But he was still burning with anger over what she had done to him, and he couldn’t set it aside.

  He resolved that when they got home, he would nominate her for a medal of achievement. Despite whatever resistance he got from Starfleet because of the way in which she had been expelled from the ranks, he would make certain that she received that commendation. It would do nothing to dampen the anger that he was feeling. But at least it would be a way of acknowledging her sacrifice.

  Tobias looked up from her board. “We are exactly where we were when we first entered the wormhole, sir. We’re back in Thallonian space.”

  “That’s good to hear,” said Calhoun, sighing in relief. “And at least—”

  The view on the main screen suddenly exploded with light. One moment there had been nothing there, and the next the wormhole flared to life once more. The Dayan ship blew out of it, heading straight for the Excalibur.

  “Hard to port!” shouted Calhoun. “Reactivate the cloaking shield imme—”

  He wasn’t able to get the entire order out because his body abruptly shimmered and seconds later was reduced to nothingness. He had been beamed right off the bridge of the Excalibur.

  New Thallon

  i.

  SHINTAR HAN BLINKED several times before he managed to shake off unconsciousness. His head was ringing and he tried automatically to reach up to touch it, but then he realized that he couldn’t move his hands. They were tied together behind him.

  He looked around and saw that he was lying on the living room couch. Robin Lefler was seated across from him, cradling Cwansi in her arms. Indi Anel was just walking out of the food preparation area carrying two cups of what appeared to be tea. She noticed that he had woken up. “Well, well. Look who has rejoined the land of the living.”

  “Release me immediately,” Han commanded. “I am the prime minister of New Thallon.”

  “In this house, you’re nothing,” Robin retorted, clearly unimpressed by his peremptory order. “You’re lucky to still be alive. It was Indi’s idea to just cut your throat while you were out.”

  “Indi’s idea!” echoed Han. “And here I thought I could count on your loyalty.”

  “You could count on nothing,” Indi replied. “You insisted that Robin and her son come here and then you plotted to kill them. You deserve nothing but contempt from anyone who has the slightest bit of decency.”

  “How you talk,” said Han. He sounded annoyingly amused. “Considering all that you have witnessed, that you would take that attitude with me . . .”

  “I am done with you. I work for Robin and McHenry now.”

  “McHenry!” Han chortled loudly. “McHenry is obviously gone. The Awesome has disposed of him, and he will return to dispose of you as well.”

  “You don’t know anything,” Robin said angrily. “First of all, your god is no god. Second, if he disposed of McHenry, then why hasn’t he returned to take care of me as well?”

  “He is obviously taking his time,” said Han.

  Robin handed her son over to Indi and then strode over to Shintar Han. Her hand swung freely and smacked loudly against his face. Han let out a startled yell but then managed to compose himself. “If that is all the strength you have in your arm, then I suggest you follow your original plan and kill me now. Because I swear, when I free myself of these bonds, I will dispose of you myself.”

  “Really?”

  “That is correct.”

  Lefler seemed to consider it a moment. Then she went to a drawer in the kitchen and slid it open. She withdrew a steak knife from the drawer, then walked to Indi and exchanged the blade for her baby. She hug
ged Cwansi to herself and then laid him down in his playpen. “Cut him free,” said Robin.

  “What?!” Indi was unable to keep the surprise from her voice.

  “You heard me. Cut the cords around his hands.”

  Indi clearly had no idea why Robin was giving her the order, but she nodded and approached Han carefully. He was lying down, and she grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him upright. Within seconds she had cut loose the rope that was binding his hands.

  “Give him the knife,” said Robin. She was keeping her voice flat and even, as if she was indifferent to the words she was speaking. When she saw Indi’s confusion, she repeated: “Go on. Give it to him.”

  Indi extended the knife’s hilt to Shintar Han. Han stared at it as if it were an explosive that would detonate the moment he touched it. Then, very slowly, he took it from Indi’s hand. She quickly backed up, as if she were concerned that Han might try to stab her with it.

  Robin pushed the coffee table aside with her foot to provide an unobstructed path at her. “Attack me.”

  “Excuse me?” said Han.

  “You heard me. Attack me. Come at me with the knife and try to kill me with it. I’m giving you this open shot at me.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “What needs to be explained?” said Robin. “You said you wanted to kill me. I’m giving you this opportunity. You’re armed. I’m not. Come at me with the knife. Try to stab me to death.”

  He froze, unsure of what to do. “You think I won’t,” he said, after a moment of thought. “You think I lack the courage to try.”

  “I don’t think it requires much courage for an armed man to assault an unarmed woman with a knife, but that could just be me,” she said with a shrug. “Whether it requires bravery or not, here I am. Just standing here. Waiting for the attack.”

  “You truly believe that I would not dare to attack you? That I am only comfortable dispatching flunkies or gods to achieve my goals?”

  Robin said nothing. She merely stood there with her arms folded and stared at him defiantly.