ENT - 012 - Kobayashi Maru

FORTY-SIX

Gamma Hydra sector

T HE MORE TIME HE SPENTon the busy bridge of Sopeks bird-of-prey, the warier Trip felt.

Why hasnt the bastard just tossed me into a cell?Trip thought as he ran a hand slowly over the bridge console to which the Vulcan-Romulan double agent had posted him. Since the console was out of orderits lone functioning monitor displayed a blood-green pictogram proclaiming that it had been closed down temporarily for diagnostics and repairTrip assumed that Sopek didnt expect him to be able to do much harm here, right out in plain sight, no less.

But why is he letting me anywhere near any of this stuff, whether its working or not? It cant be because hes decided hetrusts me all of a sudden.

Glancing toward the hulking armed uhlanwho stood watching him from beside the nearest turbolift entrance, Trip realized that Sopek might have allowed him onto the bridge for reasons altogether unrelated to trust. The situation brought to mind a twentieth-century flatvid film, an organized-crime drama that he had seen with TPol on a long-ago Movie Night back aboard Enterprise,years ago and parsecs away. According to one of the gangsters portrayed in the film, it was best not only to keep ones friends close, but also to keep ones enemies closer.

Maybe Sopek even thinks theres a chance Ill volunteer to sign up with his own warp-seven engineering team if he holds me captive long enough.

The exclamation of a junior com officer interrupted Trips ruminations. “Commander Chuihv! I am picking up a subspace transmission from the vicinity of Tezel-Oroko.

“Put it on audio, Sublieutenant, said the bird-of-preys commander, whom Trip still had trouble thinking of by any name other than his Vulcan nom de guerre, Sopek.

A crackling rush of static heralded the panicked utterance of a deeply terrified-sounding human male. “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

Extremely conscious of the disruptor-carrying uhlanwho continued to eye him from the rear of the bridge, Trip moved away from his dead console and cautiously approached the central command chair upon which Chuihv/Sopek sat.

“Is this the freighter you mentioned? Trip asked, trying to pitch his voice so that only the captain could hear him clearly. “The one thats carrying the spy gear you said you wanted to help Earth and Vulcan set up at Tezel-Oroko?

The other man only nodded before looking down at a small display screen built into the arm of his chair; whatever it showed lay just outside Trips immediate line of sight.

“Well, arent we going to rescue her? Trip asked, scarcely able to contain his mounting impatience.

“Something tells me we might not have to, Commander, Sopek said, still staring down at his hidden display.

A moment later, another human voice rose above the background hum of the bridges instruments. “Kobayashi Maru, this isEnterprise. Please confirm your position.

Hoshi!Trip experienced the first real surge of hope hed allowed himself to feel since hed encountered TPol and Malcolm at Taugus III.

“Enterprise, our position is Gamma Hydra, section ten,said the frightened man aboard the freighter. “Hull penetrated. Life-support systems failing. Can you assist us,Enterprise? Can you assist us?

“Kobayashi Maru, Hoshi said. “Were on our way to you now. Please stand by. Well reach your coordinates in approximately twenty minutes.

Trip craned his neck in an attempt to gauge the freighters position relative to Sopeks vessel, making a few quick mental conversions and translations in the process.

He turned back toward Sopek quickly enough to prompt the uhlanto reach for his weapon. “We could reach the Kobayashi Maruand start a rescue operation nearly twiceas quickly as Enterprisecan.

“We could indeed, Commander, Sopek said, apparently unfazed by Trips accusatory tone.

Understanding was settling uncomfortably onto Trips consciousness, like a heavy, smothering blanket. “But thats not what youre planning to do, is it? At the moment he didnt care what the rest of the crew heard, and it seemed clear that neither did Sopek.

The other man shook his head. “Regrettably, no. We cannot afford to be too close to the freighter when Valdores people engage their arrenhehwiuatelecapture system against it. Its going to happen very soon.

Trip scowled. “How the hell could youknow so much about Valdores plans?

Before Sopek could say so much as a word, the answer to Trips own question now seemed blindingly obvious to him: The only plausible way for this man to know as much as he did about sensitive military matters like the new Romulan starship-telecapture systemwhile apparently running a dissident group with impunitywould be if he had been secretly working for Valdore all along, allowing the admiral to use him to test the loyalty of underlings like Ehrehin and Terix.

This man could stand astride the twilight espionage worlds of both Vulcan and Romulus, posing as an enemy of the latter while discreetly pushing buttons on Admiral Valdores behalf.

An even simpler but far more chilling explanation for Sopeks behavior toward him occurred to Trip then: What if this cruel son of a bitch is only keeping me alive to make me watch the bloodbath hes really planning?

The only answer the other man offered to Trips question-cum-accusation was an enigmatic half-smile. The mannerism prompted Trip to wonder, not for the first time, whether this man had been born Vulcan or Romulan.

“Have a seat now, Commander, Sopek said, his smile hardening into something akin to sharpened steel. “I dont want you getting underfoot after the crew and I become preoccupied dealing with the arrenhehwiuasystems target.

Trip nodded. Hyperconscious of the armed uhlans watchful eye, he slowly moved toward a nearby unattended console, one that lay even closer to Sopek than the dead panel to which he had been posted earlier. He wants to “deal with the Romulan weapons target,Trip thought. Hes not here to help theKobayashi Maru establish an Earth-Vulcan listening post. Hes here to stamp it out.

He wondered ruefully whether his suspicions were well founded, or if he had merelyfinallystarted to thinklike a Romulan.

“We are venting atmosphere rapidly,Enterprise! said the increasingly frantic voice from the wounded freighter.

If Sopek really is secretly Valdores guy,Trip thought, then he might be the one whos really running the telecapture gadget he seems to know so damned much about. And he would probably have to do it all fromthis ship.

“Enterprise! the man on the Kobayashi Marucried, barely outshouting the background deluge of static. “We have very little time left to us!

The repetition of the name of the ship that had been his home for four years brought another horrifying realization in for a hard landing right on top of Trips soul: With the Kobayashi Maruso badly damaged, it made no sense to bring the Romulan Empires new starship-hi-jacking device to bear against her.

Enterprise,however, was quite another matter.

Trip sat on the chair beside the new console, staying directly in Sopeks line of sight so as not to rouse any undue suspicion. Captain Archer wouldnt let a wholefield of gravitic mines keep him from trying to pull off a rescue operation,he thought. Especially if he knows about theKobayashi Maru s secret mission.

Trip didnt want to do anything that might abort the rescue op Archer was sure to attempt. But he also knew that Earth could afford the loss of the Kobayashi Maruincluding everyone and everything aboard herfar better than it could afford to allow one of her NX-class starships to fall into Romulan hands.

Gotta get a warning toEnterprise, he told himself as he discreetly activated the consoles main actuator.

“Dont bother trying what I thinkyoure trying, Commander, Sopek said from behind him. “That station is only a backup environmental-systems monitor. I put you at that particular station only to keep a somewhat closer eye on youand so you wouldnt succumb to the temptation to try to patch into our subspace transmitter.

Trip allowed himself a few moments to read enough of the pictographs on the console displays to confirm what Sopek had just told him. Then he allowed his hands to fall limply to his sides.

Shit!

But there had to be someway to use the console to get a message out to his former captain. As bad as things had frequently gotten at times during his long sojourn in Romulan space, he had yet to find himself facing the truly insurmountable odds of a no-win situation.

Several agonizingly long minutes passed, like ice boulders slowly rolling down a hill in reluctant deference to Tritons skimpy gravity. Once he realized that neither Sopek nor any of his increasingly busy crew seemed able or willing to invest much attention in him, he resumed his quiet exploration of the console before him. He made no attempt to move furtively, since that would probably attract more of the unwelcome attentions of the disruptor-toting guard whose eyes he could already feel drilling into the back of his head like laser-powered asteroid borers.

But he didtry to hide his triumphant smile from view after the answer finally came to him.