by Dayton Ward
Peering into the sensor viewer, Chekov answered, “Readings appear normal, Mister Scott. No apparent disruptions based on our passage.”
“The subspace field,” Sulu said, turning from his console. “That’s what did it, right?”
“Aye,” Scott replied. “At least, I think so. If I’m right, the field generated by our warp engines actually acted as a sort of agent against the energy within the barrier. A ship moving at sublight speeds was slow enough that the barrier was able to . . . retaliate, if you will. But, by moving at warp speed, we didn’t give it that chance.” He would have to examine the sensor records as well as diagnostic and sensor information recorded by the ship’s computer with respect to the warp drive’s performance, but for now, he was satisfied with the explanation.
His theory was strengthened by the appearance of a Romulan warship on the viewscreen, flying into view as though from nowhere as it completed the transition from subspace. It loomed before him, crowding the screen’s edges on all sides, and Scott imagined he could see the vessel’s weapons bristling as though ready to fire.
“Distance sixty-one thousand kilometers!” Sulu shouted, peering into the targeting scanner which had risen out of the left side of his console.
“Full power to forward shields!” Scott yelled, with just enough time to comprehend how the enemy vessel had duplicated their escape maneuver before he saw a sphere of undulating orange energy spew forth from the Romulan ship’s disruptor bank. At this range the effect was immediate, and the Enterprise rocked from the full force of the strike. Streaks of diffused energy played across the viewscreen image, and Scott felt his seat drop from beneath him before he was slammed back into the chair. “Return fire!”
Arex pressed the firing controls, and twin beams of blue-white energy streaked across the space separating the Enterprise from the Romulan ship. Its shields flared in response to the attack, absorbing the strike even as the navigator fired again. Next to him, Sulu manipulated the helm controls, trying to give the starship some maneuvering room. On the screen, the Romulan warship unleashed another barrage, once more bathing the Enterprise’s shields with unharnessed energy as the entire ship groaned in protest.
“Forward shields down to thirty-eight percent!” Chekov yelled.
Scott said nothing, his attention drawn instead to the second and third Romulan ships, which had just appeared on the screen. No sooner had they dropped from subspace than they began moving off in different directions, each banking in such a manner that Scott was able to make out the elaborate markings—ominous predatory birds—on the underside of each vessel’s hull for only a moment before the ships moved out of view.
At the science station, Chekov called out, “They’re moving to surround us!”
“Evasive, Mister Sulu!” Scott ordered, but his next command died in his throat as, on the viewscreen, the remaining Romulan ship was rocked by an enormous writhing globe of green energy slamming into its hull. It took Scott an extra second to realize that the attack had penetrated the warship’s shields as though they were nonexistent, continuing through until it ripped into the vessel’s port nacelle and destroying it with a single salvo. The Romulan ship lurched in response to the attack as it was sent careening away from the Enterprise.
“It’s from Gralafi!” Chekov called out. “I’m picking up massive energy readings from multiple locations around the planetoid. The other two Romulan ships have also been targeted and have already been disabled. I’m detecting massive power loss in all three vessels.”
“What about us?” Scott asked. “Are we being targeted?”
Chekov shook his head. “Not that I can see, sir. Only the Romulans.”
“Let’s have a look at all three ships, Mister Chekov,” Scott ordered. The image on the viewscreen was now split into three parts, each displaying one of the three Romulan warships. In addition to the vessel Scott and the bridge crew had seen attacked, its two companions also were adrift. One ship, a massive wound in its underside, spiraled as warp plasma vented from both nacelles. The third vessel had taken a strike along the top of its primary hull, and all of its external lighting had gone dark.
“Life signs?” Scott prompted.
Nodding, Chekov replied, “I’m picking up readings on all three ships, sir. One ship has lost main power, but its life support systems look to be running on emergency batteries. The other two ships still have power, but all three ships appear to have had their weapons and primary propulsion systems disabled by the attack.”
“All weapons on standby,” Scott said. “And lower our shields. Lieutenant M’Ress, open a channel to all three ships. Notify them that they are free to transport whatever crew or supplies they need between their vessels. We will not fire on them, and we stand ready to offer any needed assistance.”
“Aye, sir,” M’Ress acknowledged. Then she said, “Mister Scott, I’m receiving an incoming message. It’s from Captain Kirk! Audio and visual!”
I should’ve known, Scott thought, allowing a broad smile onto his face. “Put him through, Lieutenant.”
The image of the three injured Romulan ships disappeared from the main viewer, replaced by the somewhat disheveled, very exhausted yet still oddly satisfied countenance of James Kirk. His uniform tunic was torn and dirty, and what looked to be a bruise was visible on his forehead. Despite his obvious fatigue, the captain was able to muster a small, tired smile.
“Scotty! Are you all right?” It was not until Kirk spoke that Scott realized the signal connection was free of static or other interference, despite the Enterprise’s proximity to the energy barrier.
Rising from the command chair, the engineer offered an enthusiastic nod. “Aye, sir. A few minor things to fix, but nothing we can’t handle. Was that you responsible for the attack on the Romulans?”
Kirk nodded. “You can thank Mister Spock, Lieutenant Uhura, and Lieutenant Boma for that. They were able to access the Kalandan defense systems.”
“And in the nick of bloody time, too,” Scott replied. “A fine trick, if you ask me.”
The smile on Kirk’s face grew into a broad grin. “If you liked that, you’re going to love this.” He then nodded to someone off-screen. A moment later, another alert tone sounded, this time from the science station. Chekov, frowning at the new advisory, moved to the sensor viewer and once more peered into it.
“I don’t believe it!” the ensign exclaimed before looking away from his station and locking eyes with Scott. “Sir, the energy barrier! It’s gone!”
THIRTY-TWO
Sunlight, actual sunlight and not cursory illumination, refracted through a maelstrom of colliding energy thousands of miles away in space, shone down upon the metal exteriors of the Havreltipa mining colony. The violet tint that had lain over everything was gone. All around the outpost’s clusters of buildings and support structures, people stood in the narrow streets and other thoroughfares, looking up at the wonder that was the Kondaii star as it hung in the sky at midday.
Standing on the roof of the building that served as the headquarters for the colony administrator and her staff, Kirk turned from his view of the open-air plaza that was the settlement’s town square, lifting his face toward that sun and closing his eyes. As he allowed the warmth to soothe his skin, he drew a deep breath, marveling at how the very air seemed fresher and perhaps even charged with some new excitement as it filled his lungs. While he knew that could not be true, of course, it still pleased him to consider such thoughts, particularly on this day, which in some ways had brought with it a sense of change, if not outright renewal.
“You know,” a voice said from behind him, “a blue sky really suits this place.”
Opening his eyes, he turned and smiled at the sight of Spock and McCoy walking toward him. “I was thinking along those same lines, myself.” He gestured toward the southern horizon, where perhaps two-thirds of Dolysia itself was visible through the sky’s blue haze. “How about that view, Bones?”
McCoy nodded. “Nothing sh
ort of breathtaking, if you ask me. I can certainly imagine the miners thinking of home as not seeming quite so far away now.”
“The dissolution of the energy barrier has done nothing to alter the distance between Gralafi and Dolysia, Doctor,” Spock said, standing next to the physician with his hands clasped behind his back.
Turning his eyes skyward, McCoy released a heavy sigh. “No, Spock, but now that it’s out of the way, maybe somebody up there will finally answer my prayers for mercy.”
Unable to suppress a chuckle, Kirk asked, “Are the Romulans on their way?”
Spock nodded. “Affirmative. The ship which was forced to land here achieved orbit eighty-four minutes ago, after which it rendezvoused with its companions. All four vessels are at the extreme range of Enterprise sensors, continuing on course toward the Romulan border.”
“Excellent,” Kirk said. Each of the Romulan vessels had required some form of mending in order to restore warp speed capability for their return home. Kirk had authorized repairs sufficient to allow the ships to leave the Kondaii system under their own power, after first ensuring that each vessel’s weapons systems remained disabled. With the work carried out under the supervision of Commander Vathrael as well as the watchful eye of sensors, both from the Enterprise and from the Kalandan defenses, the repairs were concluded without incident and the ships allowed to depart in peace. As for the larger ramifications of what had taken place here, Kirk had no doubt that the next weeks and months would be filled with diplomats from both governments arguing and downplaying the incident. Despite whatever propaganda the Romulans might disseminate to their people, Kirk did not believe the empire truly wanted war.
I guess we’ll see.
“That Romulan commander doesn’t like you very much, you know,” McCoy said.
Kirk replied, “Well, at least she’s in good company.” Clearing his throat, he asked, “Any word from Starfleet Command?”
Spock replied, “Lieutenant Uhura reports that the U.S.S. Potemkin will be in orbit within thirty-six hours to assess the situation here. With the approval of Chancellor Wiladra and the Unified Leadership Council, a long-term plan will be submitted for protecting the Kalandan outpost, as well as the Dolysians, due to the Romulans’ obvious interest.” Kirk knew that the proximity of the Kondaii system to the Romulan border would doubtless play a considerable factor in the decision-making process.
“Something tells me the Kalandan outpost can take care of itself,” McCoy said, “and the Dolysians, too, for that matter.”
As though ignoring the doctor’s comment, Spock continued, “Starfleet also has dispatched a detachment from the Corps of Engineers to take over the salvage of the Huang Zhong. Now that the barrier is no longer a concern, the decision to destroy the ship has been rescinded, and the recovery operation will continue. Lieutenant Boma and the other survivors have requested that a proper memorial service be conducted prior to their departure.”
New footsteps on the roof made the trio turn to see Ambassador Sortino and Lieutenant Boma escorting the mining colony’s administrator, Drinja Shin te Elsqa, and—to Kirk’s surprise—Chancellor Wiladra Pejh en Kail. Whereas Shin was dressed in the now-familiar gray one-piece garment favored by most of the miners, Wiladra wore radiant emerald green robes that accented her pale skin while catching the light from the sun. Her expression was, in Kirk’s opinion, one of unrestrained delight.
“Chancellor,” he said as the elder Dolysian and her entourage drew closer, “it’s a pleasure to see you again.”
Stepping up to Kirk and taking his hand in both of hers in a mimicking of the greeting she had offered during their first meeting, Wiladra said, “Captain, the pleasure is mine, and on a wondrous day such as this.” Releasing her hold on his hand, she extended her arms away from her sides as though indicating the world around her. “I’ve always thought Gralafi to be a beautiful world, but I never imagined that such allure was hidden from our very eyes for so long.”
Her enthusiasm was infectious, as evidenced by the grins warming the faces of everyone save for Spock, of course. Even Kirk could not resist the effect her zeal was having on him as he introduced her to his first officer and McCoy.
“It is an honor to meet you both,” Wiladra said. “Commander Spock, I cannot thank you enough for the service you have provided us. It is a debt we can never repay, but I hope you will accept my sincere thanks on behalf of all Dolysia.”
Offering a formal nod, Spock replied, “The effort was not mine alone, Chancellor. I am pleased that the results will prove beneficial to your people.”
“In ways I cannot even begin to appreciate,” Wiladra replied. Moving toward the parapet encircling the administration building’s rooftop, she waved one hand toward the town square. “Without the Pass as an influence, discussions are already under way as to how this will affect our operations here on Gralafi. There is talk of additional mining and increasing the frequency of the export shipments, of course, and the planet’s new accessibility is also attracting those wishing to be assigned to the colony, or to travel here for scientific research, tourism, and even permanent relocation.” She cast a glance in Sortino’s direction. “As your ambassador told me, it is not an understatement to say that an entire new world has been opened to us. I have also been having some rather illuminating conversations with her regarding alternative energy production methods. We may even one day be able to eliminate our need to mine erinadium from Gralafi and our moons, to say nothing of Dolysia itself.” She paused, shaking her head as though overwhelmed by the possibilities. “The very idea of such change is exciting, if not a bit frightening.”
“But we’d be with you,” Ambassador Sortino said, “every step of the way. If you’ll let us, that is.”
Once again, Wiladra smiled. “Oh, yes, of course. As I said, we owe you so much, and we stand to learn so much more.”
“As do we,” Sortino replied, “from you and the Kalandans.”
McCoy chuckled. “An understatement if I’ve ever heard one.”
“Agreed,” Kirk said. “Meyeliri and her people left a lot of information for us, after all. It’d be a tragedy for it to remain buried down there.”
Sortino said, “The chancellor and I have already spoken at length about the Federation and Starfleet science teams that will be conducting extended investigations of the Kalandan complex. Now, I’m not a science type, and never was, but I have to admit that sounds exciting even to me. Even though I expect to be tied up with the chancellor and the leadership council as we negotiate the terms of this new cooperative venture between Dolysia and the Federation, I hope to sneak back here from time to time, just to see how things are going.”
“I wouldn’t mind doing that, myself,” Kirk replied. Once the crisis had passed and the Romulan ships were sent on their way back to their territory, he had considered destroying the underground complex. At first, he thought that might be the best option so far as the Dolysians were concerned. Upon further reflection, he had come to the conclusion that the Kalandans—whatever their initial motives for scattering from their homeworld to the stars even though that action ultimately doomed them—deserved far better than to have such a lasting monument to their civilization discarded, even if such action served some short-term goal of increasing security or decreasing volatile tensions between interstellar neighbors. With that in mind, he had recommended to his superiors at headquarters that Starfleet establish a permanent presence in the Kondaii system, subject to the approval of Wiladra and the leadership council. The Dolysians would still retain custodial responsibility for the Kalandan repository, but Wiladra already had accepted the offer of Federation assistance, due to the sheer immensity of the task.
The chancellor nodded in apparent agreement. “It seems that our newfound friendship is off to a solid start.” Then, her smile faded. “I would also like to volunteer our continued assistance with the salvage efforts for your other ship, Captain. We owe a debt to those lost aboard that vessel, as well. The leadership
council has also put forth the measure of erecting a permanent monument here on Gralafi, in memory of the ship and those lost aboard it. The entire Havreltipa colony is ready to assist.”
Standing next to her, Administrator Shin said to Boma, “Lieutenant, I understand that you are planning to hold a form of ceremony to honor your fallen comrades. The chancellor and I wish to attend, if you’ll allow it.”
Boma, as though self-conscious in the face of the Dolysian leader’s attention, cleared his throat. “By all means, ma’am. That’s most kind of you both. I know how busy you must be, especially now.”
“It would be our great privilege, Lieutenant,” the administrator replied.
“I’ll see to it that you have everything you need, Mister Boma,” Kirk said. “And, once we’re on our way back to Starbase 23, I’d be happy to help with notifying the families of those lost in the crash.” He figured it was the least he could do, considering that the sacrifices made by Captain Ronald Arens and his crew had directly contributed to the improvement of Dolysian society on a global scale.
The lieutenant said, “I appreciate the offer, Captain, but I’ve already prepared individual messages for each of the families. If you’d make sure they’re transmitted in a timely manner when you reach Starbase 23, I’d be very grateful, sir.”
Frowning, Kirk asked, “You’re not coming with us?”
“No, sir,” Boma replied. “I’ve asked Starfleet to let me stay on here, as a member of the scientific cadre assigned to study the Kalandan outpost. Thanks to Meyeliri and her people, there’s a lot to learn in there, and it’ll take a long time to go through it all. Though I don’t have Lieutenant Uhura’s knack for understanding the Kalandan language, I’d like to think I can still help in some way.”
Shin added, “We are already in the process of converting some of our unused billeting and administrative spaces for use by Mister Boma and the other researchers upon their arrival here, Captain.” Glancing at the lieutenant, she added, “As our brothers and sisters on Dolysia have so amply demonstrated, there is much to learn from your people, as well, and I for one look forward to working together to explore the secrets of our world.”