“Allow me,” said a familiar voice directly behind him.

“Ehrehin?” Trip said, trying to turn so that he could face the voice.

“Hold still, Cunaehr. If you move right now, this could turn out extremely unpleasant for both of us.”

The old man, still behind him, was evidently shoving something hard and metallic against Trip’s wrists. “Hold on, Doctor,” Trip said, suddenly realizing what Ehrehin was about to attempt. But despite his protestations, he knew better than to try to move.

An instant later, a blast of intense heat singed Trip’s wrists, the searing pain accompanied by a brief flash of ruddy light. Trip’s hands fell away from each other, and he brought them both toward his face to survey the damage, which seemed to be minimal, at least so far as he could tell in the dim light, although the skin on both wrists hurt like hell. The manacles remained on each wrist, but they were now separated, burned completely through the middle.

Trip turned toward Ehrehin, who immediately pressed a still‑warm disruptor pistol into his right hand.

“I took this off the guard while you were doing whatever it was you were doing just now. It was the most efficient solution I could find, under the circumstances.”

Trip felt the solid heft of the weapon in his hand, and realized that he would very likely have to put it to use, and probably very soon. “I’m just relieved that you know how to handle one of these things so well, Doctor.”

Ehrehin chuckled. “Me, too, Cunaehr. Because I’ve never so much as held a weapon like this before in my life.”

Trip was glad he hadn’t known that fact beforethe old men blew apart his manacles. “Well, then let’s hope Iknow how to handle one of these things.” The sound of the running battle outside the conference room was growing louder still.

“I am counting on that, Cunaehr. You know that Admiral Valdore will try his best to kill me if his forces fail to rescue me.”

Trip shook his head. “That’s not going to happen, Doctor.”

The elderly scientist’s tone became grave. “Listen to me, Cunaehr. If it appears that these Ejhoi Ormiinare about to succeed in preventing either my rescue or my honorable death, then youmust intervene.” Ehrehin paused to place a hand on top of the weapon Trip held. “Using this.”

“I can’t do that, Doctor,” Trip finally said at length. Ehrehin’s hand fell limply away from Trip’s, and the darkness did little to conceal the crestfallen look on the old man’s deeply lined face.

“Then you have broken an old man’s heart, Cunaehr. You must understand that I will notbe forced to assist these people in their war against the Praetor’s government. Too many innocent lives would be forfeit if these terrorists actually get what they want from me.”

Trip held the disruptor close to his face in order to check its displays. Though he couldn’t read the text, he was relieved to note that the graphics showed it to be almost fully charged.

Lowering the weapon, Trip said, “I’m not about to let thathappen, either, Doctor.” He took the old man’s arm in order to lead him to the exit, but Ehrehin pushed Trip’s hand away.

“I have to get you to safety, Doctor,” Trip said, trying to rein in his mounting impatience by sounding reasonable.

“So does Valdore. I believe I shall wait right here for his arrival.”

Trip could feel the floor shake yet again. Coupled with the noise from out in the corridor, the sensation strained his patience that much closer to its breaking point. “Valdore’s men could easily kill you accidentally with a stray disruptor blast, Doctor. I’ll be damnedif I’m going to let that happen.” He took the old man’s arm again, grasping it more authoritatively this time.

Ehrehin’s tone mellowed as he weighed Trip’s words. “That makes a great deal of sense.”

“Come on,” Trip said, holding his weapon at the ready as he led the old man out into the corridor, which reverberated with the sounds of combat. Trip was thankful that none of the fighting was in sight as yet. The dim emergency lighting challenged his memory of the facility’s layout, which looked oddly different to him, like a familiar city landmark seen at night for the first time.

He belatedly realized just how much he had become dependent upon Phuong’s talents during this mission. You’d better figure out where you’re going, Charles, and right now,he told himself silently. Or else you and the good doctor both are going to end up just like Phuong.

After spending another few moments coaxing his memory, he guided the old man down the left branch of the corridor.

As they turned at a T intersection, a hulking shape stepped directly into their path. Trip saw the golden gleam of the man’s polished metal helmet a split second before he raised his weapon and shouted “Halt!”

Trip fired, and his disruptor burned a ragged hole in the other man’s torso. He crumpled to the floor in flames, just as Phuong had.

As he hustled Ehrehin past the charred and stinking corpse, he hoped that the old man hadn’t noticed that the dead man was not attired in quite the same manner as Ch’uihv’s men.

He had been wearing what Trip guessed was a regular Romulan military uniform.

Looks like I’m fighting on Ch’uihv’s side after all, whether I like it or not,Trip thought grimly as he and Ehrehin made haste back toward the Ejhoi Ormiin’s hangar area–with what sounded like all the hordes of hell drawing near them, front and rear.

Thirty‑Five

Friday, February 21, 2155

Romulan Transport Vessel T’Lluadh

THE ROMULAN SHROUD had evidently been established to prevent Enterprisefrom removing anyone from the transport ship. As Malcolm Reed materialized in a darkened chamber, he rejoiced that the shroud apparently hadn’t been devised to keep anyone from beaming in.He turned to check on the rest of the boarding party.

Since the lights that flanked his faceplate were turned off, Malcolm activated the night‑vision capabilities built into his helmet’s visor. Although he couldn’t see their expressions, or even facial details, he could tell from body language that the other members of the team–Commander T’Pol, MACO Corporals Hideaki Chang and Meredith Peruzzi, as well as Shran and Theras–had arrived safely. On Enterprise,they’d hurriedly donned environmental suits against the possibility of hull breaches or other dangers, and to facilitate scrambled communications that with a little luck wouldn’t be overheard by the Romulans. Like Malcolm, they had kept their suit’s lamps dark, operating in stealth mode.

Each team member carried a set of twenty transponders, devices designed to enhance the transporter’s ability to establish a positive lock, even in the presence of signal jamming, or countermeasures such as the Romulan shroud. They’d brought three times as many of the small devices as they knew they needed, just in case the team got separated–or worse. Everyone but Theras also carried a phase pistol, set for heavy stun. As on Rigel X, Malcolm had double‑checked that Shran’s pistol was locked on that setting just before the team had beamed over.

All that was missing was an open channel back to Enterprise,which the Romulans’ shroud appeared to have made impossible at the moment; fortunately, the signals sent by the transponders appeared to be strong enough to breach the Romulans’ security barrier and to permit everyone, rescuers and rescuees alike, to be beamed safely back to Enterpriseonce the devices were distributed.

“I can hear them,”Theras said over the com unit in his helmet. “They’re so very frightened.”

“I can feel Jhamel,”Shran said. “She’s alive.”

Chang moved to the door, his weapon raised. Seen through the night‑vision feature in Malcolm’s helmet, the MACO appeared as a dark green silhouette set against a backdrop of slightly lighter green. Chang pried the door open slowly with one gloved hand, then pushed it into its wall recess with his foot. Peruzzi crouched to the side by the door, her weapon’s barrel tilted upward.