Except, of course, for the fact that Trip hadnt managed to seize a working warp-seven drive for Earth and the Coalition. Without the brilliance of Doctor Ehrehin on tap, the likelihood of that eventuality coming to pass now seemed vanishingly small, his own engineering skills notwithstanding; while Trip had tremendous faith in his own abilities, he harbored no delusions of being Ehrehins peer.
“Let ustake charge of the prisoner now, Cunaehr, Terix repeated. “We will interrogate her thoroughly about her ties to any political dissident groups. Although Trip still could hear something like compassion and sympathy in Terixs voice, the centurions grip on his shoulder felt progressively more stern with each passing second.
Trip nodded, then allowed a pair of Terixs troopers to take the unconscious woman from his nerveless hands.
“Do not worry, Terix said as the troopers carried the woman away and began securing the room as a crime scene. “You may continue Doctor Ehrehins work secure in the knowledge that he will be avenged.
Continue Ehrehins work,Trip thought, aghast but trying desperately not to show it. Work that Admiral Valdore expects to produce a working warp-seven stardrive soon. So that Praetor Dderidex can grab even more new elbow room for his galactic empire.
Trip Tucker had never before felt more alone and isolated than he did at this very moment. Only now was he beginning to understand, in a deep, visceral way, just how dependent he had become upon Ehrehin, not only for the accomplishment of his mission on behalf of Earth and the Coalition, but also for simple survival in such a strange, faraway land.
Long before he had allowed circumstance to sweep him into the spy trade, all Trip had ever wanted to do was to be an engineer. For the first time in his career, he wished hed never picked up a tool, never gone into space, served on a starship, or so much as laid eyes on the Starfleet Charter.
Particularly Article Fourteen, Section Thirty-one.
Day Thirty, Month of KriBrax The Hall of State, Dartha, Romulus
The intercom on the desk buzzed in a broken tone that denoted an incoming communication from a particular source. Chief Technologist Nijil placed the secured privacy earpiece carefully into his right ear before opening up the channel.
“Go ahead.
“The deed has been done,said the deep but flat voice on the lines other end.
A triumphant smile slowly began to spread across Nijils vulpine features.
“There has, however,the voice continued guardedly, “been a slight complication.
EIGHT
Tuesday, July 15, 2155 E.C.S. Horizon,Gamma Hydra Sector
P AUL M AYWEATHER HEARDthe noise of the creaking deck plates behind him as it rose slightly above the background buzz of the ancient freighters computers and air-circulation fans. Turning toward the familiar sound, he watched as his mother and chief engineer, Rianna Mayweather, approached the middle of the aft section of the small hexagonal bridge that she had always insisted on describing as “cozy rather than “cramped.
Gesturing toward the image of the uncannily Earth-like globe that turned slowly on the bridges large forward viewer, she said, “The people down there really surprised me.
“Im just happy they turned out to be friendly and willing to deal with us, Paul said.
Rianna nodded. “Of course. But isnt it amazing how quickly they picked up English?
“I thought that was pretty remarkable, too, said Charlie Nichols, who seemed delighted to be back behind his helm console after his brief sojourn dirtside. He looked happy to hear that the last few repairs had finally been completed, no doubt because he was raring to perpetrate yet another one of the sudden, kidney-damaging lurches directly from space-normal speed to warp two for which he was so renowned.
Paul nodded silently in response to the observations of his mother and the helmsman before facing forward again to study the stately turning of the blue-and-white-streaked world on which he and the Horizons crew had just completed the bulk of their emergency repairs. He had to admit that the natives facility for languages was remarkable, if indeed they had been telling the truth about never before having played host to a visiting Earth vessel.
But even more remarkable was the lucky happenstance that this worlds barely industrial-age inhabitants had been able to furnish sufficient supplies of the metals and organic polymer precursors necessary to allow Mom, Nora, and Juan to get the Horizons propulsion system up and running again after that damned micrometeoroid swarm had crippled the Horizons aging Bussard collectors and navigational deflectors.
Juan Marquez and Nora Melchior, who served in the freighters small merchant crew as junior engineer and Jill-of-all-trades respectively, were in the process of replacing a burned-out navigation sensor module in one of the starboard consoles. Although theyd seemed utterly absorbed in their work, they both evidently had been following the desultory conversation every bit as closely as Paul had done.
“Ill grant you that theyre quick learners, Nora said, grunting as she strained to free a slightly balky hydrospanner from the awkward tight space between consoles into which shed gotten it stuck. “But none of the natives I dealt with seemed all that big on original thinking.
“I dont know about that, Juan said. Paul quietly watched as the junior engineer looked askance at Noras handling of the spanner, as though expecting it to come flying out at any moment, like Excalibur suddenly freed from the stone. “Sure, they seemed a bit imitative, but that probably just reflects their method of absorbing new languages.
Nora grimaced as she put more of her weight into the task of trying to extract the spanner from where it had become lodged. “Maybe, she said. “Maybe not. It might be fun to come back here in twenty years, she said, pausing momentarily to grunt with another burst of futile effort to extract the spanner, “to see if theyve started trying to build their own J-type interstellar freighters.
Rianna folded her arms and shook her head skeptically. “Theyre still trying to get a handle on steam technology, Nora. I wouldnt expect them to get anything off the ground for at least another hundred years or so.
“Probably true, Juan said, his dark eyes still riveted to Noras trapped spanner. “Careful with that thing, Nora, he said, his expression showing vicarious pain for the abused tool. “Youre gonna break it if youre not careful.
“Helping is good, Juan, Nora said, scowling slightly as she continued fruitlessly coaxing the stubborn instrument. Her tongue was sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she worked. “Kibitzing, not so much.
Juan shrugged and looked toward Paul and Rianna, perhaps to avert his eyes from Noras flagrant abuse of the innocent spanner. “Anyhow, the natives really didnt seem nearly as interested in that sort of thing as they were in the cultural stuff, anyway.
Paul couldnt help but agree with Juan, though he thought that Nora definitely had a point as well. In fact, he had already characterized the natives as very bright and imitative people in the log he had recorded for later transmission to Earth Cargo Service Central. Even in the merchant service, which arguably made more of an imprint on the galactic neighborhood than did Starfleet, detailed reports about all first contact situations were a regulation-required necessity. It made no sense to allow the next Earth ship that happened by this world to rediscover these people purely by accident.