At least,Trip thought, until after its way too late for anybody in the Coalition to do anything about it.
THIRTY-SEVEN
Tuesday, July 22, 2155 ColumbiaNX-02, near Alpha Centauri
A DMIRAL G ARDNERS NEW ORDERShad arrived only about six hours after Columbias repairs were completed; alone in her ready room, Captain Erika Hernandez received them with a heavy sense of fatigue. She knew she wasnt the only one who was feeling worn out at the moment, either. Like all of Columbias alpha-shift bridge personnel, Lieutenant Russell Hexter and his beta-watch crew and Lieutenant Charles Zeilfelder and his gamma-shifters had been working far past their standard shifts for the duration of the repair operations. The double-teaming had put quite a strain on just about everyone.
Prior to returning to her command chair on the bridge, Hernandez had put in an order with the galley to prep some caffeinated drinks for the alpha-shift bridge crew. Before Ensign Valerian, the com officer, had managed to take her first sip, however, she received a partially garbled distress call from a line of cargo vessels reporting that they had come under attack in the Alpha Centauri system. Coffee and tea were put aside, forgotten and cold, as Columbias bridge crew shifted immediately into rescue mode.
“Any ID yet on the attackers, Sidra? Hernandez said, turning her command chair toward the communications console. She hoped that another batch of Romulan-commandeered Klingon vessels wouldnt prove to be the culprits here; that might push a touchy Coalition Council right over the brink of launching a misbegotten war against the Klingon Empire. Give me plain vanilla, garden-variety pirates anyday,she thought.
“Still no luck on that, Captain, said Ensign Valerian. “And all Im getting right now is static. Maybe the attackers are jamming the cargo ships at the source.
If they havent destroyed them outright already,Hernandez thought, immediately kicking herself for her pessimism.
Facing front and leaning forward toward the helm, she said, “Whats our ETA at Alpha Centauri? She knew she probably sounded like a child asking “Are we there yet? But given her current lack of sleep, as well as her preoccupation with Jonathan Archers long-shot attempt to avert a seemingly inevitable war with the Klingons and/or the Romulans, she regarded it as a minor miracle that she sounded even halfway coherent.
Lieutenant Akagi turned from her station, a slight smile on her lips. “Just a hair under twenty minutes, Captain. Five minutes less than the last time you asked. Would you like me to put a counter on the screen, sir? she teased, her almond-shaped eyes crinkling at the edges.
Hernandez gave her a mock scolding look. “No, that wont be necessary. Ill try to restrain my enthusiasm until we get there. She looked over to the front left of the bridge, where Valerians hands were a blur at her communications console, while her face showed unhappy concentration.
“Any luck restoring communications with the convoy, Sidra? Hernandez asked.
Valerian shook her head. “No, Captain. Im picking up snatches and pieces of subspace messages, but nothing I can lock onto for any length of time. The signals are all tremendously fragmented. Its as if the main ship transceivers are either jammed or destroyed, and the message fragments Im receiving are being transmitted by private, low-power communication devices carried by shipboard personnel. Most of them appear to be personal messages. Theyre trying to say their good-byes.
The thought made Hernandez shiver. If their communications are being jammed, could this be another Romulan stunt?She imagined the cargo vessel crews all trying to defend their ships, even as they used whatever small com devices were on hand to send farewell messages to their loved ones. If thats the case, then we may already be too late to help anybody.
She toggled the communicator on her command chairs arm. “Karl, see if you can pump a bit more power into the engines. Even shaving off a minute or two of travel time might make all the difference.
“Ill see what I can do, Captain, but were gonna bust our new stitches if you push my littleLiebchens very much harder,Lieutenant Graylock replied, clearly concerned about undoing the just-completed repairs to Columbias nacelles and the other recent war wounds she had sustained.
“All I ask is that you try,Karl, Hernandez said before signing off.
“Coming up on fifteen minutes, Akagi said from her station half an eternity later.
“Do we have long-range visuals yet? Hernandez asked.
At the tactical station, Lieutenant Kiona Thayer shook her head, her long braided hair undulating across her back with the movement. “Not yet, Captain. Even if we did, whatever we saw would already be old news because of the relativistic light-lag. On the bright side, our sensors arent currently picking up any subspace signatures consistent with weapons fire. Which could be a good thing.
“Or it could mean that the battles already been lost, Hernandez said, feeling glum.
“Well, arent youa bag of oranges and morning sunshine? Commander Veronica Fletcher said in her lilting New Zealand accent as she exited the turbolift and strode purposefully to her traditional spot at the engineering console to Hernandezs right.
“Only if theyre fully pulped oranges, Hernandez said tartly in response. Her answer made her think of poor Jonathan Archer, who really lookedlike a bag of pulped fruit after his fight on QonoS. She was glad she hadnt been on Enterprisewhen Archer had returned, or she would have had to battle the temptation to take care of him. He alwayshas had that effect on me,she thought, even though she never doubted for a moment that her instinct to protect Columbiaand her crew would have overruled the impulse. Of course, she couldnt deny that shed found the current hotheaded, secretive version of Jon Archer far less attractive than the man she once might have married. So much about the man had changed over the past few years. Particularly since the death of Trip Tucker.
Hernandez got a status update from Chief Engineer Graylock on several belowdecks repairs and retrofits that had just been completed, including some system redundancies that could act as extra computer firewalls that had been put into place after Archers warning about the new weapon the Romulans were using.
A hand signal from Akagi told Hernandez that only a few minutes remained before Columbiawas due to drop out of warp in the outer Alpha Centauri system.
“All right, everyone, were on tactical alert, Hernandez said. Once the bridge illumination had dimmed to combat levels, she continued: “We already know that the cargo fleet is under attack, so I want us coming in locked and loaded for bear. I know youve all been briefed already, but let me remind you that the hostile we are about to encounter may be eitherKlingon or Romulan ships. Either way, were going to target their weapons and propulsion wherever possible. I want to capture one of these bastards, if the opportunity arises. If it doesnt, well do whatever we have to do. She looked toward Fletcher, nodding slightly at her executive officer.