The continued illumination from the console fires showed that most of her bridge crew had either been thrown from their posts or had barely managed to hang on to them. Luckily, no one seemed to have been seriously hurt.
Fletcher and el-Rashad were the first to break out the emergency hand beacons and fire extinguishers, which they immediately brought to bear against the worst of the electrical fires. The emergency lighting finally kicked on as the crew attempted to access Columbias almost uniformly downed systems. The drinks, which had remained mostly untouched after their arrival, had become airborne momentarily, and the emptied cups now rolled in the liquids that had pooled across part of the decks port side, where cups and contents alike now lay forgotten.
“Systems are down shipwide, Akagi said, an apprehensive tremor in her voice.
That fact alone didnt tell Hernandez very much of value. “I need to know how badly weve been damag
“Internal communications coming back online now, Captain, Valerian said, interrupting.
The com system crackled, and the chief engineers Teutonic-accented voice issued from it. “Captain? Whatever they hit us with really fubared us. The warp core iskaput, at least temporarily. Itll take us several hours to fix it, even if the rest of the systems were working fine. Which they arent.
So much for the repairs we just completed,Hernandez thought ruefully. She stared at the main viewscreen, which had yet to return to life. “Are they targeting us again? Hernandez asked, hoping the bridges interval of blindness would be a brief one.
“Sensors are coming back up, Akagi said, coughing at the acrid by-products of the damped-down electrical fires that still lingered in the air.
The ships ventilation system must be down, too,Hernandez thought, cursing inwardly. But she knew Columbiahad to deal with issues even more urgent than life support.
To Hernandezs relief, the viewscreen lit up and displayed a three-dimensional tactical image of what lay above Columbias dorsal hull. The two Vulcan ships seemed to be doing nothing, though Hernandez was pleased to see that the warp-propulsion ring encircling the one they had fired upon appeared to be damaged and offline.
“Transmit our bridge flight recorder files to Starfleet Command now, Hernandez shouted to Valerian. “They need to know what the Vulcans are up to, in case they dont give us time to send a report.
“Im trying, Captain, Valerian said. “Subspace communications seem to be working only intermittently.
“I dont understand any of this, Fletcher said as she wiped the sweat away from beneath her blond bangs. “Why would the Vulcans fire on other Coalition ships?
“Maybe they had intel that told them something about the cargo they were carrying? Hernandez wondered aloud.
“Maybe. But that wouldnt explain why they fired on usas well, Fletcher said.
Hernandezs mind reeled as she realized she had no answers. All she knew for certain was that this situation was not,in the words of members of a certain pointy-eared race, logical. Unless
“Unless the Vulcans arent the ones piloting those ships, she said, her voice low enough that only her XO would hear. “What if the Romulanshave learned to commandeer Vulcan tech, like they did with the Klingon battle cruisers at Draylax?
“Captain, sensors are picking up three more incoming ships! Thayer shouted.
Hernandez stared, slack-jawed, as the image on the viewscreen changed yet again.
Dropping out of warp were two more DKyr-type combat cruisers, and one of the larger, better-armed ShRaan-class ships, which looked like a spear jammed through a hoop. The weaponry the newcomers carried between them would be more than enough to blow both Columbiaand the remnants of the cargo fleet to little more than drifting trails of vapor in a few seconds, polarized hull plating notwithstanding.
“Some days you just cant win, Hernandez said as she slumped back into her chair. Turning toward her XO, she said, “Better prepare to launch the log buoy, Veronica. While we still can.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Tuesday, July 22, 2155 EnterpriseNX-01, near the Gamma Hydra sector
“S HUTTLEPOD T WO IS MAKINGits final docking approach now, Captain, Hoshi said.
Archer nodded, rising from his command chair. “Im going down to the launch bay to meet them, he said. “You have the bridge, Hoshi.
The bridge was running with a skeleton crew at the moment; the most overworked of Enterprises personnel, including ONeill and McCall, were taking well-deserved breaks during the outbound voyage, at least until the time came to bring the ship about deep in the Gamma Hydra sector, retracing the original patrol route back toward Earth.
As he traveled down to E deck in the turbolift, Archer was glad that relatively few people would be around to witness the return of the stolen shuttlepod. No one had questioned him about it directly over the last few days, but by now scuttlebutt had placed TPol and Malcolm on any number of secret missions. He felt fairly certain that none of the crews guesses had come even remotely close to the reality, whatever that might actually turn out to be. He was eager to learn the truth himself.
For the past several days, whenever he hadnt been preoccupied with some emergency or otherhis life-or-death duel on QonoS sprang instantly, not to mention painfully, to mindArcher had mentally rehearsed what he planned to say to TPol and Malcolm once they returned. The chance that they might notmake it back had been a variable he hadnt allowed himself to consider; he couldnt bear to dwell on the possibility that he might have lost two more of his most valuable officers and friends so soon after Trips “death.
But now, as his reunion with the two errant officers neared, he felt his anger being pushed into the recesses of his mind by a rising sense of relief; his momentary pleasure at that unexpected feeling calmed his soul. Whether the root cause was mere fatigue or an emotional ricochet off the ceaseless frustrations all the recent political uncertainty within both Starfleet and the Coalition Council had caused him, by the time he reached the entrance to Launch Bay Two he had settled into an almost Vulcan state of serenity.
The hatch slid open in front of him, and Archer saw that Ensign Bougie was scuttling about outside the newly docked shuttlepod, making post-flight checks of the little ships outer hull and external propulsion components. The launch bays magnetic docking arm stood just above the shuttlepods roof, and the launch bay air seemed charged with expectation, along with the traditional chill it usually carried immediately after the bay had been repressurized.
“Ensign, Id like a bit of privacy to welcome my officers back aboard, Archer said.
Bougie looked up, apparently surprised and caught in mid-thought, his mouth twisted to one side. “Yes, sir, he said finally, gathering his materials up quickly. Archer noted that he still used old-style writing implements and clipboards, checking off the items on his duty list manually rather than relying on computers and datapads.
A few moments later Archer had positioned himself directly outside the shuttlepod, standing beside its stabilizer wing as he waited for the dorsal hatch to open. TPol exited first, followed by Reed. Both wore dark, tight-fitting but otherwise nondescript clothing, which was partially covered by loose Vulcan-style travelers robes.