by Kevin Ryan
West stayed close to Justman as the admiral performed his own inspection. The lieutenant noted that the computer equipment would be adequate and the databanks would have everything he needed—though he had brought most of what he needed to continue his work.
He had found a number of promising lines of research, though he had yet to translate them into possible strategies and tactics for use against Klingon ships and personnel in combat.
He found that Klingons believed very strongly in the inevitability of their own victory. And they did not seem to respond well to serious setbacks. And while it was well known that the Klingons did not take prisoners, most people in Starfleet did not know that they had serious social taboos against being taken prisoner themselves.
Those things, combined with the importance to many [81] of them to seek a death in battle over capture could be exploited by Starfleet in combat situations.
The work was not finished and what he had were notions, not even full-fledged thoughts, but they were a start. All he would need was time.
“What is your weapons status?” the admiral asked Lieutenant Crane.
“We have phasers and shields online, but they are long past being due for upgrades,” she said. “We also have some old-style phase cannons.”
“Photon torpedoes?” the admiral asked.
“We have the capability but no torpedoes,” she said, clearly embarrassed.
“Our chief engineer can work with your manufacturing people to construct torpedoes,” Kirk said. Then, as if he was anticipating her next remark, he added, “And we can train your people in the torpedo room, if necessary.”
“Thank you,” the lieutenant said, giving Kirk a grim smile. “This decommissioning has been coming for years. The base was promised to the civilian authorities on the surface years before the dilithium was discovered. Since then, the civilian government has made continued cooperation with our mining operation contingent on the decommissioning of this base on schedule. As a result, base defenses have not been a priority.”
West understood the need for Starfleet to be sensitive to the needs of the civilian population, but things would have to change here. Even if the base and planet survived the immediate crisis intact, it was in too important a strategic position for Starfleet to give it up.
No doubt, Starbase 42 and all others within close [82] proximity of the Klingon/Federation border would become extremely important in the weeks and months to come. He was certain that in a short time the base would be boasting state-of-the-art defenses.
The civilian authority on the surface might not like it, but Starfleet was here to stay until the war was won or lost.
The intercom beeped and Crane stepped away to answer it.
Nearly simultaneously, Captain Kirk’s communicator beeped.
“Crane, here,” she said as Kirk flipped open his communicator.
The voice on the intercom said, “Lieutenant, we have something on long-range scanners. It’s a ship.” The voice sounded very young and very nervous. West noted that most of the station crew he had encountered was young. He noted the irony of such a young crew manning the final days of what was one of the oldest starbases in the service.
“Klingon?” Crane asked.
“We can’t tell yet,” the voice said.
Kirk spoke next. “It’s the Klingons. They’re coming in at high warp and will be here very soon.”
The room was quiet for a moment as everyone absorbed that information.
Time, West thought.
Time for repairs to the Enterprise.
Time to get their command post operational.
Time to improve the station’s defenses.
They had just ran out of the thing they needed most.
* * *
[83] “Does the com system work yet?” Kirk asked.
Crane shook her head. “The only operational system here is the computer terminal.”
The captain saw that Spock was already at work over the console.
“It is a Klingon battle cruiser, D-7 class,” the Vulcan said.
The admiral stepped forward.
“Analyze station phaser power and shield capacity,” Justman said. “Compute with known parameters for D-7-class vessel.”
Spock continued to look into the viewer for a moment, then looked up. “Station phasers would penetrate the Klingon shield given enough time. However, station shields will undoubtedly fail before that happens.”
Kirk had his communicator out. “Lieutenant Uhura,” he said.
“Klingon vessel does not respond to hails,” came her immediate reply.
“They are not here to talk, Captain,” Justman said. “They want the crystals, they will immediately take control of the station and the mine, and then they will take what they want. And, Captain, the Klingons do not take prisoners.”
“The Enterprise,” Kirk said. Even as he said it, however, he knew that there was likely little the ship could do. Both phaser power and shield strength were down because of the compromised warp reactor. Still, the ship had torpedoes.
The admiral nodded and Kirk said, “Uhura, take the ship out of drydock, prepare for battle stations.”
[84] Then Kirk thought of something else, “Lieutenant,” he said, “where is Mr. Scott?”
“He’s in a travel pod on his way to the station,” she said.
“Brief him and have him report to the control room when he gets here,” Kirk said.
“With the Enterprise in the fight, we will have a chance,” Justman said. “But we cannot allow the Klingons to get those crystals, either on the surface or on this station, Captain.”
“We can seal the mine,” Kirk said. “Our security force would not stand against a massive ground attack.”
The captain turned to his first officer. “Mr. Spock, do station phasers have the power?”
“Yes,” the Vulcan said, without even consulting the computer.
“Do it, Captain,” Justman said.
Kirk had his communicator out again. “Mr. Giotto,” he said.
“Yes, Captain,” Giotto’s voice responded.
“The Klingons are on the way,” he said. “Evacuate the mine and the surrounding ...”
He turned to Spock, who said, “Two kilometers.”
“Two kilometers,” Kirk continued. “We will seal it with phasers.”
“Yes, sir, we will move the people out immediately,” Giotto said.
“Report when you are ready,” Kirk said. “Kirk out.”
“Captain,” Justman said. “We need to protect the crystals in the control room at all costs. But as badly as we need them, we cannot let them fall into Klingon hands.”
Kirk nodded. He understood.
[85] Justman turned to Lieutenant Crane. “How secure is your control room?”
“Heavy blast doors, it’s very secure,” she said.
“The control room will become our last fallback position,” Justman said. “Our last defensive line. We will protect the crystals at all costs. In the event that the control room falls, the last of us will have to destroy them. As badly as we need them, we cannot let the Klingons have them. Preventing that eventuality is the only way we can buy the Federation the time it needs to prepare a proper defense.”
Time, Kirk thought. That’s what this fight has been about since we got here.
And success in this fight would not be measured against what they gained, but what they prevented. Whatever happened, Kirk was suddenly sure that the cost of that victory today would be very high.
The admiral broke Kirk’s reverie.
“Do you have a security team stationed in the control room?” Justman asked Crane.
“Yes,” she said, “One squad.”
“Kirk,” the admiral said. “We need more people there.”
Kirk nodded. They needed good people in there. The captain opened his communicator again and said, “Lieutenant Uhura, recall Chief Fuller. We need him and his squad to meet us in the station’s control cen
ter.”
Kell returned to his quarters to find it occupied. The human inside extended his hand and said, “Doug Grad, I’m your new roommate.”
The Klingon shook the human’s hand.
[86] “You served at 1324?” Grad asked.
“Yes,” Kell said.
“Then it’s an honor. I’ve seen the reports, that was amazing work,” the human said.
“Is this your first assignment?” Kell asked.
“No, don’t worry. I’m not completely green. I was posted to the starbase six months ago. Before that I spent a year on a small vessel. This is my first time serving on a starship, though,” Grad said.
Kell nodded. If he had to have a new partner, he preferred someone who had been tested. If Grad had served for a year and a half in security, he had likely been tested many times over.
Then the human turned around and finished putting his clothing into the dresser.
Well, he doesn’t seem to like to talk, that is something, Kell thought.
Kell’s communicator beeped and he opened it reflexively. There was silence and then a voice said, “It begins.” Then he could hear the circuit close.
For a moment, Kell could not place the voice. Then he realized that it was Alan Port.
A brief moment later, he heard the red-alert klaxon go off.
“Anderson and Grad to the armory,” the intercom said.
Kell took a few seconds to grab the circular data tape out of his tricorder. If he could not send the message to his brother, he did not want it found.
Then he and Grad were in the corridor heading for the armory at a run. There, they saw Sam Fuller handing out phaser-2 side arms to the rest of the squad.
[87] Parrish shot him a glance and he saw a female officer with her whom he did not recognize.
“Here’s where we stand,” Fuller said. “There is a Klingon cruiser headed this way at high warp. They will be here very soon. The Enterprise will likely not get out of drydock in time to engage it and we do not think station defenses will hold it up for long,” Fuller said. “The reason the Klingons are here is a dilithium mine on the surface of the planet. Lieutenant Commander Giotto is leading a force to secure the mine, while our team will help station security protect the dilithium stores already on the station. It will probably get pretty rough. We will likely be facing a determined, highly trained Klingon boarding party. As well as the saboteurs on the station, whoever they are.
“Ensigns Grad,” Fuller said, nodding to Kell’s new roommate, “and Clancy,” he said to the female next to Parrish. “Welcome aboard. Now, let’s get to the transporter room.”
Chapter Eight
MR. SCOTT’S FACE was set as he turned to Kyle and said, “There is a Klingon cruiser on its way.”
Kyle felt his heart sink in his chest. “How long?” he asked.
“Not long enough,” the chief engineer said.
Kyle had been sure that Mr. Scott would work a miracle, that the captain would do something, that they would have some time. ...
The lieutenant noted that Mr. Scott was still piloting the travel pod toward the station, which was looming larger and larger in the window every second.
“Can we return to the ship?” Kyle said.
“Captain’s orders,” Scott said. “He wants me at the station’s control center.”
“But the ship?” Kyle said.
[89] “There are other priorities here, son. The Klingons canna get ahold of those crystals,” Mr. Scott said.
“But sir—” Kyle began, but cut himself off.
He was going to ask what would happen to the Enterprise. How they were going to manage to take it into battle in its current condition?
“We go where we’re needed,” Scott said, his own concern written plainly on his face. “The captain has ordered Uhura to take the ship out of drydock. The Enterprise will be in the fight. We are going to have to help defend the station, until the captain says otherwise.”
Without Mr. Scott there to hold it together, the Enterprise would not last long against a Klingon cruiser. Even with Mr. Scott there, it would still be a short fight.
Kyle kept this thought to himself. He kept his attention focused on the station. He could already see the maintenance airlocks. They would be there in less than a minute.
Suddenly, there was something wrong with the station. The lights that shone through the open windows flickered a few times and then steadied—though much less brightly.
And there was something else—the large red dome that Kyle could just make out at the bottom of the station was no longer red. It was completely dark.
“Mr. Scott ...” Kyle began.
“I see it, laddie, the station just lost its warp reactor,” Scott said, his voice grim and relaying none of the panic that Kyle felt rising in his own throat.
He forced it back by sheer will, taking strength from Mr. Scott’s determined stare at the station and the docking bay that was now seconds away.
[90] As bad as things had been just seconds ago, Lieutenant Kyle knew they had just gotten much worse.
“Status of the moorings?” Uhura called out.
“Drydock tractor systems off,” the acting science officer replied. “Starbase crews are removing the physical moorings and umbilicals now.”
That was the most time-consuming part of leaving a spacedock, Uhura knew. Of course, it had never been designed to be a quick process. As far as the lieutenant knew, there was no such thing as an emergency procedure for what they were doing.
She turned the command chair to the communications station where Perez was working. “Tell the station crews to withdraw immediately, using emergency thrusters on their packs and in their work bees.”
“Yes, sir,” Perez said.
It would take precious time, but much less than it would to remove the moorings manually. Of course, the moorings were still a problem.
“Let me know when we have an all-clear,” Uhura said, and Perez nodded.
Time ticked by, precious seconds.
“Status,” Uhura asked.
“Shields now powered up to their current maximum, fifty-eight percent,” the acting science officer said. “Phasers at forty-seven percent power.”
Uhura said a silent thanks to Mr. Scott, who had insisted on keeping the ship’s warp core online, in spite of Starfleet regulations, which called for the warp systems to be shut off while a ship was in dock.
[91] The Enterprise’s warp reactor had been operating at minimal power, but had powered up very quickly. Their shields and weapons power seemed pitifully weak given the circumstances, but without the power of the warp core, they would be in a far worse position.
“All clear,” Perez announced.
Uhura knew that meant that the repair crews in work bees and environmental suits were now out of danger.
“Blow the moorings and umbilicals,” she said. A moment later, she felt a tremor reverberate through the deck. Mr. Scott would be furious when he surveyed the damage caused by the explosive bolts necessary for the emergency separation. On the other hand, if the Enterprise survived the next few hours, she would gladly endure his wrath.
Then she gave the order, an order that was virtually always reserved for the captain of a ship that was in drydock. “Ahead, full thruster speed,” she said.
“According to the computer, the station’s warp core was just turned off,” Spock announced, his calm tone belying the gravity of what he had just said.
“Off?!” Justman said, shouting for the first time since the admiral had boarded the Enterprise.
Kirk knew all too well what that meant.
“The system has been turned off. Estimated restart time is six hours, forty-three minutes,” Spock replied.
“We do not have one hour!” Justman said, the frustration written on his face.
Lieutenant Crane returned from the intercom to say, “We cannot reach the engineering decks.”
“Sabotage,” Lieutenant West said.
[92] It was Kirk’s first thought as well.
“The person or persons who murdered your commander are still at work,” West continued.
“And working with the Klingons,” Justman said.
Scotty, Kirk thought, an idea already forming in his head. Whatever happened, he needed his chief engineer safe.
“Chief Brantley, take one of the station guards and rendezvous with Mr. Scott and Lieutenant Kyle at their docking port. Make sure they get to the control center.”
“Yes, sir,” Brantley said, already heading out the door with one of Crane’s people right behind him.
“We need to get to the control room,” Kirk said. “There is very little we can do here.”
“Not yet, Captain,” Justman said. “We need to seal that mine. Whatever happens in the next few hours on this station, the Klingons cannot take possession of any of the crystals on the surface.”
“Lieutenant Commander Giotto reports that the area around the mine has been evacuated,” the Vulcan said.
“Weapons status with the warp core down?” Justman asked.
Before the Vulcan could check his computer, Lieutenant Crane stepped forward. Just as she did, the station’s lights brightened—not to their former level, but brighter than they had been since the warp reactor went offline.
“Practically none, sir,” Crane said. “That was the fusion reactors coming online. The problem is that they were not upgraded when the new shields and phasers were added. The warp core is their only source of power. The only weapons system that we can run from [93] the fusion reactors or battery power are the phase cannons. They are operational but I don’t think their power will be sufficient.”
“Insufficient by a factor of ten,” Spock added.
“The Enterprise?” Justman asked.
“She is out of drydock,” Spock said. “But current phaser power would also be insufficient,” Spock said.
Damn, Kirk thought. This situation was changing for the worse by the minute.
Then the beginnings of an idea struck him. He had his communicator in his hand before it was fully formed.