ENT - 012 - Kobayashi Maru

EIGHTEEN

Saturday, July 19, 2155 San Francisco

“G ANNET, SOMETHINGS HAPPENED at Draylax.

The intrusive voice in Gannet Brookss earpiece carried with it the same unmistakable end-of-the-world quality that she recognized from all the other times the end of the world had seemed imminentand yet had somehow failed to arrivesince the Xindi sneak attack of fifty-three.

Sitting alone at a sidewalk table in front of Madame Changs Mandarin Café, Gannet paused in the midst of her current rather urgent search of Earths datanets and the Coalition networks to which they were already partially linked via the subspace bands. She smiled to herself. As usual, Nash McEvoy had gotten wind of the story well after she had. That,she told herself, is what separates a good reporter from a merely competent editor.

“Im way ahead of you, boss, she said, subvocalizing into her throat mic to guard against the possibility that anybody within earshotsuch as the half-dozen or so Starfleet personnel shed seen entering the eatery since her arrivalmight overhear what she was about to say. “I know about the alien ships that opened fire on the Draylaxians.

“Is it still going on?McEvoy said, sounding shrill in her ear.

“Cant say, she said as she scrolled through the text messages recorded on her data padd. She would have paid serious coin for a knowledgeable and talkative Starfleet officer to share her table right now, but none of the carefree fleeters nearby seemed likely to fill the bill. “My sources say its been taking everything Draylax has to stand up to the assault. Assuming thats even possible.

“Did your sources say anything about who the attackers might be?

“Still working on that, boss.

“What about that significant other of yours in Starfleet? Do you think he could shed any light on the matter?

“Thats ex-significant other, remember? she said aloud, apparently startling a young busboy who had begun clearing a nearby empty table of a spent coffee urn and several other remnants of a previous customers meal. Catching herself, she resumed her outwardly inaudible subvocalizing.

“As if its any of your business anyway, Nash, she said as she pushed an errant lock of her otherwise straight brown hair away from her eyes. “Besides, Travis Mayweather and I have barely been on speaking terms all year.

Although she and Travis had parted company on friendly enough terms after Terra Primes poop had finished hitting the ventilator, Gannet hadnt forgotten Traviss suspicions that she was in league with Terra Prime in their failed assassination plot against Nathan Samuels, and she suspected that he hadnt forgotten either; he hadnt believed her when shed claimed to be doing spook work on behalf of Starfleet Intelligence, even though her journalistic career made it a professional necessity to forge and maintain close working relationships with certain key intel operatives. Traviss distrust during that crisis still stung, and it fueled her continued determination to resist any impulse to ask him for favorseven if it seemed as likely as not that hed grant them.

A new line of text scrolled into view on her padds display, as if summoned by her thoughts. She recognized it immediately as a reply from one of the clandestine sources Travis hadnt believed she sometimes worked with.

She gasped when she read it, once again momentarily startling the busboy.

“Whats wrong, Gannet?McEvoy murmured.

“Looks like one of my best sources knows who attacked Draylax, she said, still subvocalizing.

He sounded impatient, though she could hardly blame him. “And?

She paused long enough to pick up her sweating water glass and raise it to her lips in the hopes of moistening her dry throat enough to make an intelligible reply. “Its the Klingons, she said a moment later.

“The Klingons?he said, sounding quizzical. “Those motorcycle-gang types with the big knives and the shellfish attached to their foreheads?

Gannet replied with a sigh and a resigned shake of her head. Nash McEvoy sometimes stood as a talking, breathing object lesson proving the Vulcans right in questioning humanitys readiness to move out into the galaxy.

“The hostile ships are of Klingon configuration, she said. “Three heavily armed battle cruisers. And their attack began sometime yesterday.

“Klingons,McEvoy repeated, his tone again oscillating back toward the shrill end of the spectrum. “From what little I know about them, it sounds like its going to be a slaughter. If it isnt all over for the Draylaxians already, that is.

Gannet could only wish that her intelligence source had been able to provide a more up-to-the-minute report on that score.

Another chill thought occurred to her then.

Whatever happens next,Enterprise is sure to be in the middle of it.

With Travis behind the wheel.