ENT - 012 - Kobayashi Maru

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 with 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.

“So when are you going to bring the thumbscrews out for me?Trip said.

Sopek/Chuihv favored him with a blank, bewildered stare. “Excuse me, Commander?

“Whether youre working for Valdore or the Ejhoi Ormiinor the Vulcan Spook Bureauor all three at onceI cant see you just letting me go without first trying to pick mybrain the way you picked Terixs.

A look of dawning understanding crossed the enigmatic mans face. “Ah. You were expecting a thorough and coercive interrogation. Under normal circumstances, I would not hesitate to do just that to anyone who has been such a close associate of the late Doctor Ehrehin. However, I have agreed to forgo thatand to do what I can to keep you from falling into Valdores hands.

Trip ran a hand over his frown-crumpled brow, and nearly recoiled from the highly corrugated texture of his artificial forehead ridge. Jeez. My great-granddaddy could have scrubbed his overalls on this thing.

“Why? he said aloud.

“It is a personal favor to an associate of mine on Vulcan.

That didnt tell Trip nearly enough. “Who are you talking about?

“Someone with whom youshare a close mutual friend, Commander, Sopek/Chuihv said.

Someone in the spy trade on Vulcan is saving my bacon?Trip thought, astonished. Although he had no idea for whom the other man was doing favors, he felt certain he knew the identity of the “close mutual friend he had in common with this unnamed individual.

TPol.

That womans determined to go right on trying to rescue me, one way or another,Trip thought, his feelings of helplessness and frustration threatening to boil over. Whether Ive asked for her help or not.

“You are an extremely fortunate individual, Commander Tucker, said the Vulcan double agent. “You have cheated death more times than any other man I have ever encountered.

Trip shrugged, feeling worse rather than better despite the compliment. After all, it wasnt as if hed had a lot of control over his destiny over the past few weeks; he was getting damned tired of being able to do little more than merely react to events as they happened.

“If everything youve just told me is true, then my luck wasnt good for much more than pure survival, he said. “After all, it didnt let me get wind of Valdoresremote hijacking system until after youdid. And if this thing actually works, it could be at least as dangerous as anything else Ive uncovered in Romulan space so far.

Sopek/Chuihv nodded. “Indeed.

“On the plus side, Trip said, “I suppose I can assume that youve already told the VShar all about this remote-hijacking thing.

“Of course. And it is more properly referred to as the arrenhehwiuatelecapture system.

Thats easy foryou to say,Trip thought as he tried to imagine wrapping his Alabama-Florida accent around that particular verbal mouthful.

Aloud, he said, “I really should get in touch with my superiors about this, too. Just to make absolutely sure that the restof the Coalition sees this threat coming.

The other man shook his head. “Im afraid we need to maintain communications silence at present. At least until after I am reasonably certain that Valdores forces can neither listen in on us nor pursue.

Thats pretty damned convenient, too,Trip thought. He studied the other mans face, but found it as inscrutable as that of any Vulcan hed ever met. Well, Ill know which side hes really on after the first big Romulan military engagement with this new weapon goes down. If Coalition ships really do see this thing coming in advance, then I might be able to afford to trust this guy. But if the good guys end up getting caught with their britches down again, the way it happened at Coridan

He suppressed a shudder.

Of course, it wasnt as though he had a lot of alternatives at the moment to taking his captors words at face value. After all, challenging this man too much could get him just as dead as Phuong, any number of favors to friends of mutual friends notwithstanding.

“I suppose youll have to put a lot of light-years between this ship and Romulus pretty quickly if you want to stay ahead of Valdore, he said, eager to change the subject to something a little less volatile. “Whats your heading?

The other spy gazed contemplatively at a bulkhead as he considered how much to reveal on the subject. Evidently deciding that Trip was harmless to him nowor perhaps having concocted another convenient liehe said, “We are presently making best speed for the Tezel-Oroko star system.

Trip had no trouble maintaining a blank expression; though he thought he might have heard that systems name before, he assumed it was distant enough to lie beyond the “Here There Be Dragons point on his mental star charts.

“Whats at Tezel-Oroko? he asked.

“The intelligence services of both Vulcan and Earth are jointly constructing a covert listening post near the systems edge, the other man said. “Its purpose is to monitor military activity inside the boundaries of both Romulan and Klingon space.

“All right, Trip said. “So why is thisship going there? There I go, challenging this trigger-happy thug again. Ive really got to watch that.

Sopek/Chuihv did not appear offended in the least at the question. “A freighter that had been expected to bring some of the last technical components and other matériel needed to bring the listening post online is overdue. We are going to do whatever we can to assist the listening posts crew in dealing with any related supply-line deficits or security problems.

Trip nodded in silence, a strange calm suddenly descending over him, displacing most of his earlier frustration and despair. He found the feeling remarkable, especially given that there was still a very good chance that he was soon to die among enemiesdigested in the proverbial belly of the beast, no lessno matter what he tried to do to alter his circumstances.

But damned if it doesnt feel good to be charging off todo something,he thought. Actually performing a rescue instead of just waiting around for the cavalry to arrive.

Unless, of course, Sopek had just handed him the Vulcan equivalent of what Trip could imagine his father calling a line of pure horse puckey.