Captain's Glory

20

THE OORT CLOUD, SECTOR 001

STARDATE 58567.3

“Jim, you have to reconsider.”

“Let Jean-Luc do the reconsidering. He’s the one under orders.”

Kirk got up from his chair, went to the tactical console. Doctor McCoy stayed at his side.

“Listen to yourself,” McCoy said. “You know that’s Picard on the Enterprise. This isn’t a trap.”

“It’s not as simple as that,” Kirk said. “On Vulcan, Marinta was exactly who she said she was. But she was also bait for a trap she didn’t know about.” Kirk checked the readings on the tactical console, frowned at the holographic doctor. “Why aren’t the weapons online?”

The Doctor folded his arms across his chest. “As I told you, I will not fire on a Starfleet vessel.”

Kirk reached past him to engage the master arming controls. “No, but you will fire on planetsimals, cometary bodies, and other debris that’s about to get in our way.” The status indicators on the console now glowed green, ready for firing. “Won’t you?”

The holographic doctor frowned, but he didn’t argue.

Kirk stepped away from the console to find McCoy still staring at him.

“I don’t think Jean-Luc Picard will be as easy to fool as a young Romulan ambassadorial attache,” McCoy said.

“Bones, you’re right. Jean-Luc is right. Everyone’s right. But we still don’t know how Norinda and… and the Totality, move from point to point. There’s no way to know where they might appear next.” Kirk knew he owed his old friend a better explanation. “If you were chasing me, had me on the run, who’s the first person I’d go to for help?”

Kirk could see that McCoy sensed he was being led into a logical trap, didn’t like it.

“With Spock not here,” McCoy said, “you’d go to Picard.”

“And that’s exactly why I can’t go to him.” Kirk started toward Scott at the navigation console. “Norinda has had access to Spock and Teilani… two people who know me well. Everything I do now has to be something that I wouldn’t normally do, so she can’t predict it.” Kirk realized he had no choice. He had to reveal the reason why he was determined to get to Earth. “That’s why we’re going to Earth, to get help from Admiral Janeway and Starfleet Command.”

McCoy nodded in reluctant agreement. “You’re right about that. You going to Starfleet for help these days, that’s definitely a tactic no one would expect.”

Kirk gave McCoy a tight smile to thank him for his unenthusiastic support, then looked over Scott’s shoulder. “How’re the engines, Mister Scott?”

“Purrin’ like tribbles.”

“Very good.” Kirk took a breath, knew he was about to commit his ship and his crew to a course of action from which there was no coming back. “Set a rendezvous course for the Enterprise– ” He ignored Scott’s questioning look. “– and start to slow to warp one point five. Make it look as if we’re going to do what he wants.”

Even as Scott questioned Kirk, he made the necessary course adjustments and began to decrease the power output of the warp engines. “Aye, Cap’n. But why one point five?”

Kirk patted his chief engineer on the shoulder. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“The Belle Reve is slowing, sir. She’s… she’s on an intercept course.”

Picard knew better than to ask if Lieutenant Leybenzon was sure of his readings. Instead, he looked to Troi. “Counselor?”

Troi seemed as puzzled as the security officer. “I didn’t sense that Kirk was intending to do anything except go past us.” Her expression became grim. “But the fact that his ship is now doing what he said he wouldn’t do implies there might have been a change in command.”

Picard understood the conclusion, but didn’t see how it was possible. “He only had three crew: two retired Starfleet specialists and a hologram. That’s not the makings of a mutiny.”

Troi frowned. “Three crew that we were permitted to see.”

“Good point,” Picard acknowledged. He turned back to Leybenzon. “Lieutenant, scan the Belle Reve for life signs. I want confirmation of how many crew Kirk has on board, and where they’re positioned.”

The security officer brought up the tactical scanner controls on his console at once. But he also replied, “Captain, I’ve reviewed the specifications of Kirk’s ship. With the signal processors and emitters on board, he could have a battle group of Jem’Hadar warriors belowdecks and we wouldn’t be able to detect them until we’re within docking range.”

Worf stepped closer to Picard, dropping his voice. He was always reticent to offer advice to his captain when they were in other than private surroundings. “Captain, it might be better not to scan them. Why give them reason to think we have any suspicions?”

“And that way, we keep the advantage,” Picard said, instantly understanding Worf’s suggestion. “Lieutenant, belay that last order. Do not scan the Belle Reve until she comes alongside.”

“Aye, aye, sir.”

Picard saw that Troi was about to object, stopped her. “It’s all right, Counselor.” He added for Leybenzon, “And if, instead, the Belle Reve does try to bypass us, here are additional orders….”

“The last thing Jean-Luc will want to do is destroy us,” Kirk said. “He knows it’s me on board and not a duplicate. But he can’t be sure we’re not being manipulated, any more than we can be sure he’s free of the Totality’s influence.”

“You think he’s bluffing?” McCoy asked. It was clear from the way he asked the question that he thought no such thing.

“Not completely. He’s going to try to disable us.” Kirk looked past McCoy to his engineer. “Scotty, what’s the best way for the Enterprise to attack us with maximum damage and minimal chance of casualties?”

Scott didn’t have to think about his answer. “Knock out our warp engines with an overload surge. If we have to rely on impulse alone, we’ll be outnumbered before we reach the orbit of Neptune.”

“Exactly,” Kirk said.

“Exactly?” McCoy repeated.

Kirk shrugged. “That’s what I’d do in Jean-Luc’s position.”

“So what’s our defense?” McCoy asked.

Kirk watched the center screen, where the Enterprise was growing larger, showing more detail as the Belle Reve closed in. “With the shields we have, Bones, there’s only one way the Enterprise can target our engines without tearing the rest of the ship apart.”

Kirk smiled as he saw Scott and the holographic doctor look to him with the same expectant expression McCoy had.

“This is what we’re going to do,” Kirk said.

“He’s at warp one point eight, and still slowing,” Worf reported.

The Klingon had taken Leybenzon’s position at the tactical console. The security officer was now at an auxiliary station that had been configured to control the ship’s transporters. As soon as the Belle Reve’s shields went down, Kirk and everyone on board his vessel-however many there really were-would be beamed off and held in the buffer while their identities were confirmed. La Forge had set up a separate circuit for the holographic emitter that gave the Emergency Medical Hologram his physical form.

“You’re not certain you’ve covered all contingencies,” Troi said quietly.

Picard sighed. She was right, as usual.

“Kirk can dock with us, in which case we can beam him aboard, confirm his identity, and move forward,” Picard said. “Or, he can try to speed by us at warp. If he does, I doubt even the Belle Reve’s shields can withstand the onslaught of phaser fire and quantum torpedoes we’ll be able to direct at her. Or, he can turn around, in which case we’ll have another opportunity to disable his engines and take him in tow. It’s difficult to think that he has any other options.”

“Yet you’re not convinced,” Troi said.

“I keep asking myself: What would I do in Kirk’s position?”

Lieutenant Leybenzon looked up from his auxiliary console. “Sort of like playing chess against yourself. Impossible to make secret plans.”

Picard agreed. “I know Kirk’s sitting on his bridge right now, asking himself what he would do in my situation.”

Worf gave another report from his console. “The Belle Reve has slowed to one point five and holding.”

Picard looked to Worf. “He’s not dropping to impulse?”

“No, sir.”

“What is it?” Troi asked, and her concern mirrored the alarm Picard suddenly felt.

“Kirk knows exactly what strategies I’ll take against him….” Picard’s apprehension escalated as he took the next step and tried to work out Kirk’s next move. “So he’ll…” And then he had it.

He jabbed at his communications controls. “This is the captain… all hands brace for collision!”

“You can’t be serious,” McCoy said.

“Take a seat and brace yourself,” Kirk said. “Mister Scott, keep us on course, fifty-meter deviation only.”

“They won’t know what hit them,” Scott said.

But Kirk knew better. “Yes, they will. By now, Jean-Luc knows exactly what I’m going to do.”

“Fifteen seconds to impact,” Scott said. He sounded as calm and confident as Kirk felt.

“But his ship will be destroyed!” Troi said.

Picard felt anger surge within him. “He won’t hit us dead-on. The fact that he’s only at one point five means he doesn’t want to destroy us any more than we want to destroy him.”

Worf growled from his station. “May I suggest evasive maneuvers, sir?”

“That’s what he wants us to do,” Picard said. “It’ll give him just enough of a delay to slip past us.”

“I don’t understand,” Troi said. “Why is he doing this?”

Picard tried to hide his admiration for Kirk’s tactic, but failed. “With him coming directly at us, we can’t hit his engines without shooting through his bridge. And he knows I won’t do that.”

“We’re just going to sit here?” Troi asked.

“It’s an old Earth game called ‘chicken,’” Picard said. “But I know how to change the rules, too.”

“Captain Kirk! The Enterprise has dropped her shields!”

Kirk reacted to the holographic doctor’s shock with admiration for his foe, and his friend. That particular tactic he hadn’t anticipated.

“Well done, Jean-Luc,” Kirk murmured. “Are all her shields down?”

“Navigational shields only,” the Doctor replied. “But they’ll only protect her from dust and debris, not us.”

“It’s all right,” Kirk said. “Jean-Luc knows we won’t hit him.”

“Orders, Captain?” Scott asked.

“Maintain course,” Kirk said as he once again put himself in Jean-Luc’s position and guessed what his fellow captain’s next move would be.

“He’s going to try and slow us down with tractor beams.”

“Och, but that’ll tear us apart!”

“They’ll have transporters on standby, ready to save us.”

“Should I change course?”

“No,” Kirk said. “Power up our tractor beam and don’t hide the signature. We don’t have enough transporter capacity to save Jean-Luc’s crew, so if he wants to cause damage, he’ll have to be sure he can clean up after himself.”

“Their tractor beams are powering up,” Worf said.

Picard grinned-the only one on his bridge who wasn’t behaving as if total destruction was only a few seconds away. “Got him.”

“What?” Troi asked.

“Anything I can think of,” Picard said, “Kirk can think of, too. So the trick is to stay just one step ahead of him, even for a few seconds… Mister Worf, stand by on shields…”

“Standing by,” Worf growled. “Impact in– “

“– five seconds,” Scott said. “Four…”

Kirk gripped the arms of his chair, and only at three seconds to impact did he finally realize that Picard had out-maneuvered him.

“Scotty!” Kirk shouted. “Hit him dead-on! He’s going to– “