“Those cloak‑and‑dagger Vulcan passengers of yours must be responsible for this somehow, Vance, Stiles said, all but accusing the captain of blowing up the ship himself.
“Weve got massive hull breaches, Captain, Searles said, interpreting the multiple alarms she saw on her console.
“Drive status? Vance asked with a note of hope that Searles wished she could share.
Searles punched a button on the com console, nearly launching herself willy‑nilly into the microgravity environment in the process. “Searles to engine room, she said into the voice interface. “Engine room, come in.
Nothing. Just like the first attempt shed made back in Vances office.
Searles noticed then that the Marus exec was frantically entering commands into one of the adjacent bridge consoles. “Arturo, Ive got to get back to the engine room. Find out if my people
“Its going to have to wait, Jackie, Stiles said. “The hull breaches made the emergency bulkheads slam shut.
“Do we have any idea yet why this is happening? Searles asked.
He shook his head. “Im still not sure about that. At least I dont think we were fired upon.
“Why not? Searles said, her brow crinkling.
“Because if somebody had wanted to blow us to kingdom come with, say, a torpedo of some kind, then they probably already would have launched a second one by now, and finished us off already. Stiles paused, frowning at his console. “Hey, why am I picking up such heavy graviton counts in here?
Searles shrugged. “Beats me. With the gravity plating offline, the graviton levels ought to be way belownormal.
“Then the gravitons must be leaking in from outsidethe Maru,said Stiles.
Vance launched himself quickly into the space between Searles and Stiles, using one of the emergency handholds to bring himself to a stop.
“The Romulans and the Klingons have gone to war a number of times over control of this sector, he said. “And the Romulans have been known to use gravitic mines to defend their territorial claims.
“Gravitic mines? Stiles said, an eyebrow raised.
“Ive heard of them, Searles said, nodding. “Theyre compact, high‑yield graviton generators designed to focus the equivalent of huge tidal energies on a vessels hull, or on its spaceframe.
“What? Stiles said, his eyes glazing visibly in response to her explanation.
“Fancy bomb, Searles clarified. “Make part of the ship go boom. Sometimes more than one part, and not always all at once.
“Oh. So we still might take even moredamage from the same damned weapon. Crap.
“Could be worse, Searles said. “If that mine had clipped one of our neutronic fuel tanks, we wouldnt be having this conversation.
The exec turned toward his captain. “Vance, youre a gambling man. If you were handicapping our chances of getting rescued out here, how would you estimate the odds?
The orange “incoming light on the com panel near Searles began flashing insistently at that precise moment. A calm, reassuringly competent‑sounding female voice emerged from the hash of static that issued from the speakers.
“Kobayashi Maru, this isEnterprise. We are on our way to your present position.
Searles watched as a broad grin spread across Vances face. “Id say our odds just got a hell of a lot better, Arturo.
Searles allowed herself the luxury of hope, if only for a moment.
Then she heard and felt the low rumble, which immediately preceded a great roar and a gale‑force wind that slammed her backward into one of the battered monitors.
FORTY‑FOUR
Tuesday, July 22, 2155 Enterprise NX‑01, Gamma Hydra sector
A FTER A RCHER SIGNEDoff with Gardner and returned to the bridge, the Starfleet Academy cadets code for imponderable mysteries kept swirling through his mind.
Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.
Mentally translating those time‑honored military placeholders into less polite nonmilitary parlance, he thought, What. The. Fuck.
“The Kobayashi Maru? Reed asked from his position at the bridges tactical station. “I find it hard to believe that Starfleet considers that rattletrap a priority.
Seated in the big chair in the bridges center, Archer spread his hands. “Thats our mission, Malcolm. We are to guarantee that vessels safety, at all costs.
According to Gardner, Starfleet regarded the beleaguered fuel carriers mission as critically important to both of its covert sponsors, Starfleet and the Vulcan High Commandeven if Earth now harbored doubts about its partnership with Vulcan. Recognizing how vital a secret listening post in the Gamma Hydra sector could be to Coalition security vis‑а‑vis both the Klingons and the Romulansafter all, both empires still occasionally fought each other for control of the regionArcher could find no reason to question the admirals orders, however unorthodox they might seem on the surface.
He only wished he could help Columbia. Her captain and crew now had to face peril alone.
What Enterpriseneeded was more speed, but Archer already knew there was no way to open the throttle any widernot without transforming the starship into a light‑year‑long plume of ionized debris. The vibrations in the deck beneath his boots confirmed that Mike Burch down in engineering had already pushed Enterprises mighty warp‑five propulsion system as far as he could.
Archer glanced toward the portside communications station, where Ensign Sato continued her tireless efforts to raise the stricken freighter. “Kobayashi Maru,repeat your message, please. This is Enterprise. Repeat, we are on our way to your present position. Please confirm your status.
Archer leaned forward anxiously. “Travis, how soon will we reach the coordinates Admiral Gardner sent us?
Travis gave his chair a half turn away from his helm console and toward the captain. “Were leaving Gamma Hydra, section fifteen, Captain. Entering section fourteen at coordinates twenty‑two by eighty‑seven by four. That still puts us nearly twenty minutes away from the Kobayashi Maru,sir.
Archer nodded to Travis, then glanced at Hoshi, who continued frantically working her console.
“Anything yet, Hoshi?
“Im relying on the computer to enhance the carrier signal, sir. The youthful com officers usually smooth‑as‑porcelain forehead wrinkled slightly as she concentrated. She adjusted her earpiece and tried again to distinguish the cry of a single voice from the background roar of a cosmic ocean.
She shook her head sadly a moment later. “I thought I had them for a moment, but the signal keeps degrading. Their com system might have sustained some damage, and Im picking up a lot of interference on the other end
A burst of fragmented voice commingled with a shrill squall of static interrupted her, the rush of noise pouring from the bridge speakers in a torrent. “imperative! This is theKobayashi Maru, nineteen periods out of Altair VI. We have struck a gravitic mine and have lost all power! Our hull is penetrated and we have sustained many casualties
Despite the layers of distortion imposed by both distance and disaster, Archer immediately recognized the English‑accented voice on the other end of the channel as that of Kojiro Vance, the flamboyant master of the S.S. Kobayashi Maru.
“Kobayashi Maru,this is Enterprise,Hoshi said, her fingers entering commands at a brisk pace as she tried to isolate and enhance the tenuous subspace lifeline she had just reestablished. “Please confirm your position.
“Enterprise, our position is Gamma Hydra, section ten. Hull penetrated. Life‑support systems failing. Can you assist us,Enterprise? Can you assist us?
“Hoshi, tell Captain Vance he wont have to hang on for more than another twenty minutes, tops, Archer said. “ Enterpriseisnt going to let the Kobayashi Marusink.