ENT - 012 - Kobayashi Maru

THIRTY-ONE

Taugus III

T RIP FELT A PALPABLE SENSEof relief when his own eyes finally confirmed that the explosion that had laid waste to Sopeks hideout hadnt taken the Scoutship Drolaewith it. The blunt-shaped, eight-meter-long vessel remained parked on the same nearly level stretch of rock-strewn hillside where Trip and Terix had left it, some three klicks and change away from the still-burning remains of the dissident compound.

“Are you sure youll be able to fly this thing solo? Malcolm said, eyeing the gray-green hull of the alien vessel with unconcealed suspicion. Shuttlepod Two cast a long shadow behind him and TPol as the late-afternoon sun continued to sink ever lower in the sky behind it. The bloated orbs orange-refracted rays were painted brown and ocher by the durable but slowly diminishing column of smoke and fire that marked the ruins of Sopeks base.

“Theres only one way I can think of to find out, Trip said with a grin as he slapped the hull with an open palm. “Hell, Im not even sure I can get the hatch open without Terixs advance written permission. I just have to hope he left the computer a note.

“I take it he wasnt exactly the trusting sort, Reed said.

“Were talking about a Romulan centurion, Malcolm. Not an eagle scout. Trip placed his right hand on the recognition pad that was mounted to the immediate right of the forward hatch. The hand-plate was recessed so that it was flush with the rest of the hull when its tough duranium cover was in place.

To Trips relieved surprise, the hatch hissed obediently open two or three heartbeats later.

“Lets hope your friend Terix didnt leave any booby traps active in there, Malcolm said, his expression grave as he nodded toward the open hatch, through which a few of the scoutships faintly glowing instrument panels were visible.

A swarm of butterflies fluttered in Trips gut; he could think of only one way to put thatnotion to the test as well.

TPol took a couple of steps closer to Trip and the open hatchway before she stopped between the two men and folded her arms before her. “Perhaps the centurion anticipated that he might have no alternative other than to trust you under certain extraordinary circumstances.

That sounded reasonable to Trip. It was also far more encouraging than Malcolms paranoia, however justified it might be. “I guess he could have told the computer to let me drive if he was too injured to take charge himself. Even if he didnt trust me completely, he might have figured Id expect my chances of staying in Valdores good graces to suffer if I were to use this ship to run awayor if I came back to Romulus without my escort.

“Unfortunately, thats exactly whats happened, Malcolm said. “How do you intend to explain Terixs absence to Valdore?

Trip stared thoughtfully into the middle distance, gazing with unfocused eyes at the pillar of combustion debris that still rose above the site of his most recent brush with death. Sopek, who had probably escaped the explosion along with some of his people, had also probably left Terix to die in the conflagration. But if Sopek had decided to take Terix along, then both men were surely already very far from here by now; Terix would be a prisoner of a group of dangerous Romulan political dissidents who had managed to spirit him off-planet without leaving any detectable radiation trail to follow.

“I have no idea, Malcolm, he said at length. “Im afraid Im just going to have to keep making it all up as I go. And Im going to start by returning to Romulus to check in with Valdore. If I dont, hell think Terix was right in suspecting me of being a spy.

“Judging by what youve told me, I think Valdore will knowyoure a spy soon enough, Reed said. “That is, if Terix really did survive and somehow finds a way to get a report to him. And thats assuming that he and Valdore dont alreadyknow a lot more than you think they do.

TPol nodded. “I agree. Valdore nearly killed both you and Lieutenant Reed once before. It would be a serious mistake to underestimate him now.

Trip nodded as he considered TPols warning. But although hed never forget how close he and Malcolm had come to dying when they had struggled with Valdore over control of an experimental remote-controlled Romulan drone ship last year, Valdore wasnt a man Trip could simply run away from.

“Besides, you dont have to keep doing this, Reed said, spreading his hands before him. “I know firsthand how this kind of clandestine work can take over your life if you let it. Maybe youve alreadyaccomplished enough here. Maybe its time you thought about coming in from the cold, so to speak.

Coming in from the cold,Trip thought, mesmerized for a moment by that tantalizing thought. Rising from the dead.The notion had occurred to him many times since his Romulan sojourn had begun. But circumstances had always conspired to make the goal of coming home seem as unreachable as the Andromeda Galaxy.

“I must concur with Lieutenant Reed, TPol said, her dark eyes taking on an almost pleading cast that Trip had seen only rarely; the last time was when Doctor Phlox had worked frantically, though without success, to save the life of their dying baby.

“Others could take over for you, she continued. “I ask you again to let ustake you home. TPol gestured toward the crest of a nearby hill, where the trio had carefully set down Shuttlepod Two among piles of gray boulders and short stands of blue-green scrub vegetation.

Home,Trip thought, not entirely certain he fully recognized the concept anymore.

“Im certain Captain Archer could use your help more than ever now, Reed said. “What with all the trouble between the Klingons and the Draylaxians weve been hearing about.

“Yeah, I picked up some intel about the Klingon thing just before I left Romulus, Trip said, stroking his cheek as he mulled his friends words over. “I was hoping to find proof that the Romulans were really the ones behind thatlittle problem as well. No such luck.

He paused as he realized that he had just reinforced the very argument his friends were trying to make, though they were probably as dismayed as he was that the Coalition seemed to be facing imminent war on two fronts rather than on just one.

Tucker came to a firm decision then, arriving there with a certitude that surprised him. “I appreciate what youre trying to do, both of you. But my business here isnt anywhere near finished yet. I haveto stay. Hell, I havent even found out for sure what happened to Terix yet.

TPol raised an eyebrow, clearly incredulous. “Commander, Terix is an enemy who will doubtless try to kill you again the first time he gets the chance. He would surely compromise you, which in Romulan space would effectively be the same thing as executing you.

“Hes an enemy, thats true enough, Trip said, nodding. “But hes an enemy I was in the midst of serving with on a mission that was at least as important to the security of the Coalition as it was to the Romulan military. Which sort of makes Terix a comrade, as weird as I know that sounds.

“Ive never been in the habit of leaving anyone behind, TPol. And Im sure as hell not gonna start now.

“But even if you do manage to find Terix still alive, Reed said, raising his voice, “youll probably have to kill him straightaway, just to maintain your cover. You say you cant leave a comrade behind, which I assume comes out of your sense of duty. But can you killhim when your duty demands it?

Trip didnt want to think about that at the moment. “Theres still the threat of the Romulan stardrive to consider, Malcolm.

“But the Klingons Malcolm said.

Trip interrupted him, determined to protect his resolve against any further assault. “The captain can handle the Klingons, if you guys are both behind him.

TPol and Reed exchanged silent and uncomfortable looks.

“You guys areboth behind him, right? Trip asked. “He must have sent you here before he knew about the Klingon-Draylax thing.

Reed paused to cough into his fist. “Not exactly. We sort ofcame on our own. Without telling the captain.

Jesus!Trip thought. Why am I not surprised?

Shaking his head, he said, “Well, youve just given me another good reason not to go back with you. I wouldnt want to be standing anywhere near ground zero when you report to him.

TPol raised an eyebrow. “Ground zero?

“Wherever the captain happens to be when he sees us again, Malcolm said.

“I have to stay behind for a much better reason: Im still the only one close enough to the Romulan stardrive problem to prevent it from becoming an even bigger threat. Whether its the dissidents or the Romulan military who eventually get control of the stolen data and get the damned thing into production, when it happens itll make the Klingon Empire look about as dangerous as a basket of day-old kittens in comparison.

TPols mouth formed a grim slash, but she said nothing further. She evidently knew when it was illogical to keep trying to change Trips mind, even if she didnt find his mind to be a particularly logical one.

Trip wished he could gather her up in his arms right now, reassure her that everything was going to work out just fine in the end. But there was no time for that, and he wasnt sure he believed it himself. Besides, she just might break his arm if he got physically demonstrative with her now, right in front of Malcolm.

“So youre just going to hop into this thing and fly it right back to Romulus, Malcolm said, gesturing toward the open hatchway of the Scoutship Drolae.

Trip nodded as he set one of his boots on the little vessels open threshold. “Yup. If I want to maintain my cover here, its really the only thing I cando.

“Even though its probably even money that Admiral Valdore will decide that youre actually a spy who gave his centurion watchdog the heave-ho sometime during the last mission. And then hell kill you.

“Ill just have to hope he accepts my word that Im a loyal Romulan. The fact that Im going to Romulus as opposed to running will have to mean somethingto him. Anyway, its our best hope of neutralizing that warp-seven drive. Or better yet, getting the equivalent of it to Captain Stillwells people.

TPol held up her right hand, which she bifurcated into a familiar “V gesture. Her stoic features looked as hard as the boulders that surrounded the shuttlepod behind her, though her eyes glistened with what appeared to be excess moisture.

“Live long and prosper, she said.

Standing on the threshold of the Drolaes hatchway, he faced her and returned the gesture. He tried to make himself repeat the traditional words of both greeting and farewell, but found he couldnt get them through a throat that had suddenly gone as dry as Vulcans Forge.

“Ah, hell,he said, lowering his hand.

He dropped back to the rocky ground, closing the meter or so that separated him from TPol in less than a second. Gathering the extremely surprised Vulcan woman in his arms, he kissed her, full on the lips. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a huge grin spreading across Malcolms face as the kiss lingered ever so slightly longer than even the laxest interpretation of Vulcan propriety might have excused.

His eyes widened in surprise when she squeezed him tight and returned the kiss with a passion that he doubted most Vulcansand probably quite a few humanscould tolerate. The moment stretched as their very essences seemed to blend together, and he only became truly conscious again of the passage of time when he realized that she was squeezing him nearly tightly enough to crush his rib cage.

It took most of his strength to break off the kiss, and the rest to hold her at arms length with his hands on her shoulders. He suspected that another three to five seconds might remain before she either kissed him again, or got really angry with him for stirring up such intense emotions within her.

“Im going to, um, take a walk, Malcolm said. “Check on the shuttlepod. For, say, twenty minutes?

“Thirty, TPol said.

Trip watched in mild puzzlement as Malcolm abruptly turned on his heel and walked away, quickly disappearing over a nearby rise. TPol joined Trip in the scoutships open hatchway a heartbeat later, shoving him unceremoniously across the threshold and following him inside.

“Thirty minutes, Trip said as she approached him closely and the hatch hissed shut behind her. “What do you suppose we can do

Her eyes aflame, she grabbed his shirt and tore it open. “Do not waste the time talking.

Reed dutifully waited thirty full minutes before walking slowly back to the scoutship.

The Romulan vessel was still right where hed left it, though neither Trip nor TPol were anywhere within view. The main hatch was closed.

At least the ship isnt rocking,he thought, thankful for small mercies. But please, dont let me have to knock on the door.

As though in response to his thoughts, the scoutships main hatch hissed open. TPol emerged, looking like a portrait of staid dignity, with every hair in place.

Trip followed her out of the craft a moment later. He was flushed, sweating, disheveled, and grinning like an idiot.

Reed returned the grin. This was the image of Trip he wanted to keep in his memory forever.

In case,he thought, he never manages to come in from the cold.

“Till next time, okay? Trip said, gathering TPol into another embrace near the scoutships open hatch. Trip felt as torn about parting from her now as he had before this whole damned spy business had begun.

TPol nodded, apparently at an uncharacteristic loss for words.

He released her and turned back toward the hatch. Malcolm was standing in the way, and caught him in a quick bear hug.

“Keep safe, Commander, the tactical officer said as he released Trip. “Or Illmurder you. Fair enough?

“Fair enough, Malcolm. Trip grinned as he hopped back up into the open hatchway, alone this time. “And lets all hope that fortune really does favor the foolish.

Which covers all three of us,he thought as the hatch hissed closed, separating him from his friends.

Perhaps for the very last time.