by Andy Mangels
Yawning, he clambered over his plaything and padded naked toward the shower, absentmindedly scratching his groin as he walked. Stepping into the shower, he mourned the days on Earth when hed been able to enjoy real showers, with unlimited supplies of hot water. But on a fuel carrier like the Maru,carrying the huge quantities of water needed for such a personal extravagance was not something he could justify, either to his financial backers in the Tau Ceti system, or to the crew that would expect to share this amenity. And since theMaru is a retrofitted Klingon fuel carrier,he thought, having any luxury at all is, well, a luxury itself.
He heard a chime at his door, and poked his head out of the shower stall. “Enter!
Jacqueline Searles, the chief engineer of the Kobayashi Maru,stepped into the cabin, first noticing the nude woman on Vances bed, then turning her head just enough to ascertain that her captain was in the shower.
“What is it, Jackie? Vance asked, reaching for a towel.
She made a face. “Whatever is in that cargo we picked up for the Horizonseems to be slowing us down.
“How is that possible? Vance asked, spreading his hands wide and shrugging. The towel fluttered to the deck.
Searles made another face and put a hand out as if to block her view of his nakedness as she turned away. He noticed that she seemed to object a great deal less to viewing Oranas plump behind. “Would you mind terribly putting some clothes on, Captain? Searles said. “I dont need to talk to allof you.
Shrugging again, Vance walked naked to his large wardrobe, which he opened so he could consider which of his many fanciful outfits he was going to wear. After all, if he was to be dealing with histemporary guests again, he wanted to make the best of impressions, regardless of their present demeanor.
Theyd picked up the nearly two dozen new passengers nine days ago, along with their cargo, at Altair VI. The Earth Cargo Service freighter Horizonwas supposed to have been the ship to ferry them, along with their equipment, from the Marus destination of the Sataghni II fuel depot in the near side of the Gamma Hydra sector all the way to the outskirts of the Tezel-Oroko system, deep in section ten. But the Horizonhadnt been heard from in about a week, and Vance had agreed to perform the Horizons runsurreptitiously, of coursefor triple his regular fee. Finding out a little bit about the sensitive nature of the mission had also been part of the bargain Vance had struck with his clandestine passengers.
Hed kept the full facts about the mission, at least as he knew them, from his first mate, Arturo Stiles, a man whose pragmatism was matched only by his excitability. So far as Stiles knew, they were making an unscheduled but highly paid delivery, and that was all he needed to know for now. The unexpected windfall ought to have made the economics-minded Stiles very happy indeed.
But if Stiles were to learn that the Vulcans aboard the Kobayashi Maruwere headed for a stable cometary body in the Tezel-Oroko systems Kuiper belt, where they intended to fortify and expand a small, covert listening post whose electronic ears and eyes were aimed at both the Romulans and the Klingons, he would probably go ballistic. Vance didnt much care about the galactic politics involved, though he knew he would prefer that the stodgy Vulcans have the upper hand over either the Klingons or the Romulans; from what little hed seen, both empires were far too capriciously aggressive to suit a free spirit like Captain Kojiro Vance.
But Vance felt confident that his crew would forget whatever the Vulcans were up to here within a few short days, once the Maruwas engaged in another cargo run to some other, less perilously located world. Even Stiles would no doubt forgive all, should he ever discover the truth, once he received his share of the handsome profit the current Gamma Hydra run had already generated.
Vance selected a slimming, dark purple set of breeches and a full-sleeved maroon shirt. He held them up against himself and noted with pleasure how nicely they complemented his straight black hair and olive-gold skin.
“Are you even paying attentionto what Im saying, Vance? Searles asked.
Vance turned, suddenly remembering the presence of the engineer in his room, and regarded her with a smile he hoped she would consider charming. “Of course,Jackie. You were chattering on again, something about not liking the technology were carrying for the Vulcans.
Searles balled her hands up into clawed fists and growled, clearly exasperated. “Essentially, yes, that is what I was saying. The Vulcans keep quote helping unquote my engineering staff with quote multiple system upgrades unquote, but it seems to me that all theyre doing is further screwing up our already overtaxed systems. Yes, were heading toward our destination faster,but the warp core is running wickedhot, Vance. And were having a lot of system glitches as well. Plus, the stuff in the Vulcans shipping crates may be the source of the strange, low-level radiation my people have been picking up on the internal scanners. Its making everyone very uncomfortable.
Vance frowned as he pulled the stitching at the waist of his pirate breeches tight, making sure not to catch anything important in the loops as he cinched them tighter. “Why would this radiation youre picking up necessarily have anything to do with the Vulcans or their matériel? I love her like I love myself, but the Maruis alwaysspringing a leak in some system or other. I mean no offense to your skills, Jackie, but the old girl is perpetually in need of somerepair or other. He paused, then added with a flourish, “Unlike myself.
“I just want Searles frowned, seemingly searching very hard for the right words. “Can you just keep the Vulcans outof my engine room, please?
“All right, Vance said, pulling the shirt on over his head. The satin felt smooth against his skin, luxurious. “Ill ask them to stay away. As long as youkeep things running smoothly and make sure we get there in record time.
He crossed back to the bed, where he laid a hand on the sleeping Oranas rump. “I notice that you seemed to favor thissight more than my own impressive Davidesque nakedness. Would you like a quick taste, my dear, to make the more prosaic chores of the rest of your day more bearable? I must say, its done wonders for me.
Searles extended her right hand toward him, middle finger defiantly raised, even as she turned and slammed her other hand into the wall-mounted hatch-control mechanism.
As the door slid open and she stalked out of the room, Vance chuckled quietly. What a waste of a perfectly good offer,he thought. It would have been fun to watch, if nothing else.
After all, one of the benefits of being master and commander of the Kobayashi Maruwas that the position afforded him the means of enjoying life to its fullestso long as nothing interrupted the incoming revenue stream, and naysayers like Stiles and Searles didnt keep the Maruin dry dock rather than out among the stars, earning more of the stuff that made life worth living. And enjoying life was something Kojiro Vance intended to go right on doing.
No matter whocame out on top in the Vulcans clandestine struggle against the Romulans and the Klingons for the reins of galactic power.
FORTY
Romulan Scoutship Drolae
E FFECTIVELY OUT OF OPTIONS, Trip could think of little to do other than to continue staring out the forward window at the angry glow of the approaching bird-of-preys main disruptor tube. Only occasionally did he allow his gaze to flick momentarily down to his engineering displays.
The relentless downward progression of Romulan numeric pictographs on the console put him in mind of an hourglass whose sands had all but run out. Whether incoming Romulan disruptor fire killed him, or the sudden, explosive release of the mutually annihilative particles that powered the crippled scout vessel, he knew he would soon be very dead.
Dead for real this time, with no fakery involved.
Good thing TPol and I got to say good-bye properly instead of just doing that hand-jive the Vulcans do,he thought.
A disruptor pistol lay in his lap, against the remote possibility that the Romulans might somehow detect and undo his attempt to scuttle the Drolaeprior to boarding her. He wished hed taken a phase pistol from Shuttlepod Twohe far preferred a weapon wi
th a stun settingbut he couldnt risk allowing an Earth weapon to fall into Romulan hands, which was almost certain to happen once the Drolaewas boarded. But so far, hed seen no evidence that the warship out there was attempting either to transmit helm override signals or to send over a boarding team.
Just as the countdown entered its final minute, Trip suddenly noticed a tingling sensation that made him imagine thousands of overly caffeinated ants running frantically all over his skin. In the same instant, a shimmering curtain of light revealed the cause of the weird sensation.
Transporter beam. Damn it!
The cockpit of the Drolaeswiftly vanished around him, to be replaced a few heartbeats later by the cold greenish metal walls of a narrow, utilitarian chamber. Trip fell with a hard thump to the unyielding surface beneath him, the contoured pilots chair that had been supporting his weight evidently having remained aboard the scoutship. As he scrambled to reach the disruptor that had transported with him, a pair of grim-faced Romulan uhlans, both brandishing gleaming disruptor pistols of their own, stepped quickly up onto the small circular stage upon which Trip had just materialized.
“I suppose youre gonna take me to your leader now, Trip said as the guards flanked him, kicked his weapon out of reach, and hauled him roughly to his feet. The only response the unsmiling pair made was to hold his arms behind his back as they shoved him toward an open hatchway.
Trip worried he might suffer a dislocated shoulder as they frog-marched him along the narrow curve of a conduit-lined accessway. A seeming eternity later, they pushed him into another chamber not much wider than the room in which Trip had materialized.
Trip immediately sized up the cramped but roughly circular place as the bridge. The chamber was built around a central pillar that served as an anchor for a compact array of consoles and viewers that faced outward to a ring of similar equipment that lined the curved walls. A handful of purposeful-looking Romulan military officers were distributed around various control stations, occupied with the familiar moment-to-moment business of keeping a starship flying.
Trip looked toward the back of the command chair that was positioned just forward of the rooms central pillar. A male Romulan officer sat there, as still as a marble sculpture, perhaps transfixed by the large forward viewer before him. The screen displayed an image of the Drolae,adrift and broken. Rode hard and put away wet,Trip thought, grateful that the battered little ship hadnt given up the ghost at an earlier, less opportune time.
“The scout vessels warp-core pressure is still heading toward critical, Commander, said a young woman who was posted at one of the portside consoles.
The captain, who still faced away from Trip, nodded. “Retreat to a safe distance, Decurion.
I know that voice,Trip thought, startled.
A moment later the image of the Drolaevanished, replaced first by a brilliant if short-lived bloom of orange molecular fire, which quickly gave way to a rapidly expanding sphere of sun-dappled metal shards. Within a few seconds, the debris cloud grew nearly as diffuse as the vacuum surrounding it. The Drolaedisappeared, as though it had never existed in the first place.
“Put us back on our original course, the captain said, still staring straight ahead.
“Yes, Commander, said the young male officer who was posted at what Trip assumed to be the helm panel. The star field displayed on the viewer smeared into multicolored streaks as the warp drive engaged. The subaural vibrations transmitted into Trips boots via the deck plates increased sharply in frequency, marking the vessels quick transition from station-keeping velocity to warp five or thereabouts. And the brief sensation of lateral acceleration Trip felt before the inertial dampers fully engaged told him that they were headed awayfrom Romulus.
Trip could barely contain his astonishment. Theyre not going to take me the rest of the way to Romulus? This is definitely not going according to Hoyle.
When the man seated at the rooms center turned his chair toward the bridges aft section, Trip finally had an inkling as to why.
He also had about a thousand new questions.
“Take the prisoner to my office, the captain said, apparently in anticipation of those very questions.
“Sopek! Trip said after the guards had finally left him alone with the man in charge.
“I prefer Chuihv, if you please, Commander Tucker, said the erstwhile Vulcan captain. “At least while Im operating in Romulan space.
Trip sat heavily in the chair that his captor had offered, gently flexing his sore, badly manhandled shoulders. “This galaxy is getting waytoo small, he said, his mind still reeling.
“You are no doubt referring to the apparent element of coincidence underlying our present meeting, the other man said, steepling his fingers before him and planting his elbows atop the small transparent desk behind which he had seated himself. “But people in our profession are frequently drawn together by common circumstances, Commander. Particularly when their mission objectives overlap as much as ours do.
Trip knew that even if he lived to be a hundred, he would never rid himself of a few truly ghastly memories. One such indelible recollection was the swath of indiscriminate devastation that an experimental Xindi particle weapon had wrought upon his Florida hometown, where his little sister Lizzie had died a little over two years ago.
Another equally ineradicable mark on his psyche was the image of Sopek, or Chuihv, murdering Trips original bureau partner, Tinh Hoc Phuong, in cold blood. With a single disruptor blast, Sopek had reduced a brave but helpless human being into a smoldering pile of ash and gristle.
“What the hell makes you think you and I have anythingin common? Trip said, glowering.
Either unaware of or unconcerned by Trips hostility, the other man said, “I know that you are conducting espionage on behalf of the Coalition of Planets. I am conducting similar operations under the auspices of the principal intelligence agency of one of the founding members of that body: Vulcan.
Trip frowned, incredulous. “ Youwork for the Vulcan Security Directorate?
“I have been a VShar agent for many years, the older man said, nodding. “Among my numerous ongoing directives is the task of continuously monitoring the evolution of the Romulan Star Empires military posture in order to accurately assess its threat potential to Vulcan. To perform these duties successfully, I must keep certain key individuals within the Empire convinced that I am, in fact, a loyal Romulan. Simultaneously, others must believe that I am leading an insurgency of sorts against the Romulan military.
Trip involuntarily displayed his teeth. “So which of those audiences were you playing to when you murdered Tinh Phuong?
The man on the other side of the desk released a sigh, an almost haunted expression momentarily displacing his usually dour demeanor.
“Suppose I were to tell you that the VShar had obtained proof that Mister Phuong had become a grave threat to Vulcan security? he said at length. “His death may well have saved a hundred other lives, both on Vulcan and elsewhere in the Coalition.
“Thats a damned convenient charge for you to make, Trip said, “especially now that Phuongs not around anymore to defend himself. I suppose I should expect you to pass that same sort of judgment on menow that I know way more about you than you ever wanted me to. Unless Valdore catches up to this ship in the meantime and serves up a little fire and brimstone to the both of us, that is.
“I assure you, Commander, that I have taken great care to remain several steps ahead of Admiral Valdore, Sopek/Chuihv said. “Particularly after the unpleasantnessyou and I experienced on Rator II.
Anger and astonishment wrestled one another to a standstill within Trips chest; whatever “unpleasantness the dissident leader had endured while fleeing from Valdores assault force, what Phuong had suffered was infinitely worse.
Easy, Charles,he told himself. Calm down. Try to make it look like you wereborn with these ears, even if this guy really knows better.
“How do I know youre not secretly working for Valdore? he said aloud
. Making a broad gesture that encompassed the entire small office chamber, he added, “After all, it cant be easy to pinch a bird-of-prey right out from under the admirals nose.
“No, it isnt, Sopek/Chuihv said. “It was extraordinarily difficult, in fact. But we had an advantage of which Valdore is unaware.
“And that is?
Sopek/Chuihv leaned forward, the fingers of both hands interlaced atop his desk. “Some of my Ejhoi Ormiincompatriots recently learned about a secret Romulan military weapon capable of usurping the command and control computers of Vulcan vessels. This weapon may also be able to usurp the technology of other Coalition worlds as well, which is why I have decided to share this knowledge with you.
Huh,Trip thought. So hesnot gonna kill me. I think.
The other man continued: “My people applied what knowledge we could gain of the principles behind this new weapon to the task of liberating thisvesselhe paused to gesture broadly at the walls that surrounded them“from a repair dock located in the Taugus sector.
This ship would have come in really handy when he needed to make his quick vanishing act from Taugus III,Trip thought. And it also probably explains those sensor ghosts TPol and I saw when we were on the shuttlepod.
It occurred to Trip then that one very prominent loose end remained from that incident. “What did you do with Terix? he asked.
“The centurion who accompanied you to Taugus III, the other man said, his expression emotionless even by Trips notions of Vulcan standards.
Trip did what he could to restrain his impatience. “Yeah. Him.
“Unfortunately, Centurion Terixsuccumbed during debriefing.
Debriefing,Trip thought, parsing the gentle euphemism for its real, less benign meaning. Interrogation.Terix might have been an adversary, but he didnt deserve to die screaming on the rack.