The Rings of Tautee (17 page)

Kirk shook his head. "No, they won't, Ensign."

"But sir, we're already filled[*thorn]" "Yes, we are, Mister Chekov. We'll need to find somewhere new to put them all." Kirk leaned back in his chair. The main screen showed the Farragut, a small but growing ship against the debris field. 186 THE RINGS OF TAUTEE "And I think I just might know just the place. And I'll wager they have room."

Kirk stood.

"Answer the hail, Lieutenant, and put this on screen," Kirk said. "Let's see just how good a poker player my old friend Bogle really is."

Chapter Twenty-seven THE SHAKING FROM the last wave passed.

Bogle's crew had learned to ride the waves out. No one had lost his seat, no one had even moved a finger except for balance.

And no one said a word.

Bogle stared at the screen, but it didn't tell him much. Kirk, the Enterprise, and even the survivors worried him.

Even the survivors.

Bogle shook his head, and turned. Lee was staring into his scope. His long body was tense, and his hands were gripping the science console.

His knuckles were white.

"Mr. Lee?" Bogle asked, not really wanting the answer. Without power, no ship would have survived that wave.

THE RINGS OF TAUTEE Lee stood slowly. "They made it. Looks like they got their impulse engines back on line at the last second."

Bogle let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. This system was disaster enough for all of them.

They didn't need to lose the Enterprise too.

At least, not on his watch.

"Hail them," he said as he turned back to the screen.

"Aye, sir," Gustavus said. "Farragut to Enterprise, come in, Enterprise."

Outlined against the debris, the Enterprise was moving slowly toward them. She had a battered look, some of her lights were off, but she looked sleek and powerful, like the flagship she was.

After a moment, Gustavus said, "I have the Enterprise, sir."

"On screen," Bogle said. He moved closer. He forced himself to show his most calm face.

Right now he was relieved. Underneath, though, he was furious. Kirk had put four hundred of his people in danger while he broke the Prime Directive.

And then he had put Bogle's ship at risk.

The image on the screen shifted from the exterior of the Enterprise to the interior. Kirk smiled as the picture cleared. He looked even more beat-up and tousled than he had an hour before.

Bogle imagined he didn't look much better.

"Thanks for coming to help," Kirk said. "That was a close one."

Bogle nodded. "I know. Do you still need assistance?"

Kirk glanced around and then looked back at

Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch Bogle. "Actually, we do. My chief engineer informs me that the Enterprise is still having problems.

He needs to shut down the environmental controls on some of the lower decks.

The problem is that we are stuffed to the gills with survivors. How many have you picked up? I'd like to beam some over to you."

Bogle glanced back at Lee who answered softly, "We have found a little over three hundred."

Bogle nodded and turned back to Kirk. "We have over three hundred," Bogle said. "I doubt we could take too many more."

Kirk laughed. "We're almost at a thousand. And if the environmental controls go, then I hurt them. We might even lose some of the injured ones."

Bogle glanced at Lee. Lee shrugged and mouthed, his controls look fine. Kirk was bluffing. He was trying to manipulate Bogle, and the manipulation wouldn't wor k.

"Take the risk, Jim," Bogle said. "I get the ploy and I think we have enough for now."

The smile le* Jim Kirk's face.

"Kelly, I'm the one who takes the responsibility here. You're going to make certain I'm court-martialed when we get back, if my guess is correct. Take some more of the evidence with you. I'd hate to be court-martialed for saving lives I later lost."

Bogle laughed. He couldn't believe Kirk was even asking this. What was his reason? It made no sense.

"Kelly," Kirk said. "I'll go on record that you had no part in the rescue and it was my decision completely."

THE RINGS OF TAUTEE "I rescued survivors, also," Bogle reminded him. "I am perfectly capable of standing for my own decisions."

"Are you, Kelly?" Kirk asked. "Are you really? Or are you just using the Prime Directive as a shield to hide behind? You're afraid to take risks. Afraid to do anything that would jeopardise this marvelous career of yours. But being a starship captain is all about taking risks, Kelly, and if you don't have the guts to do so, then you'll always be one step behind the rest of us."

That stung. Bogle felt his face go red, even though he didn't want it to. Bogle hated Kirk for his fast promotions and now Kirk was tossing the fact at him like a weapon. How could Kirk have known how he felt?

Bogle forced himself to take a deep breath. "You just don't understand, do you, Jim? Rules such as the Prime Directive were made for reasons. Damn good reasons. Not just so you could go running around the sector breaking them."

"I don't run around the sector breaking them," Kirk said. "'But I do know when taking a risk is important." He motioned behind him. A tiny humanoid woman climbed into view. She had a bruise on her forehead, and her wide eyes held a strain that Bogle couldn't even begin to understand. "Right now, I doubt our rules would carry much weight with Prescott and her people below."

Across the distance between the two starships, the woman held Kelly's gaze until he finally had to look away. Kirk played dirty. Putting a face instead of just a rule on these people made it harder.

Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch "Your environmental controls aren't really go-ing, are they, Jim?"

Kirk put a hand on Prescott's shoulder.

"They're strained to the breaking point, Kelly, and anything else I might do would strain them further.

Let's give these people the best chance we can. You've got the room."

The woman didn't say anything. She didn't have to. Her wide eyes said it all. Even if Kirk was Iying, even if he was scheming, Bogle now had a face that would haunt his dreams.

And if something did happen to the Enterprise, it would be his nightmares.

He glanced at Lee. "How long would it take to beam a large number of survivors aboard?"

"With all the transporters," Lee said, "including cargo transporters of both ships, not long. Maybe five minutes."

"Four point eight minutes for six hundred," Bogle heard someone say behind Kirk.

Bogle faced Kirk. "Do it. Get them over here. Then let's go close that rift and get out of here."

Kirk broke into a smile. "We'll do it.

And, Kelly, thanks."

The screen went blank.

Bogle turned to Lee and said, "Give the order to get the evacuation started and let me know the moment we have them all. I want to get out of here."

"Yes sir," Lee said and turned to his panel. Bogle couldn't tell if he was smiling or not.

"And watch out for the next wave."

"Yes sir," Lee said again. 192 THE RINGS OF TAUTEE Bogle dropped down into his command chair.

Bogle had watched Kirk play poker. Kirk bluffed, a lot.

Bogle also knew that the environmental controls on the Enterprise weren't reason enough to ship the survivors over to the Farragut. No, Kirk had a plan. A clear plan which he wasn't going to share with Bogle.

There was sixteen minutes left until they had to close that rift. Sixteen long minutes. That gave Kirk a lot of extra time. The question was, what was he going to do with it?

Chapter Twenty-eight BOGLE HAD GivENOUGH IN. Prescott had done it. Bogle hadn't been able to argue the rules while Prescott was staring him in the face.

Kirk should have skipped the entire business of the environmental controls. While it was true, on an odd sort of level[*thorngg'the Enterprise wouldn't have been able to support all the new survivors and the old[*thorngg'x hadn't been nearly as convincing as Prescott herself.

Kirk squeezed her shoulder, then spun and hit his comm button. "Scatty, we're emergency-beaming seven hundred Tauteean survivors over to the Farragut. Coordinate with them, and do it fast."

"But, Captain, I need to work on the Enterprise 194 THE RINGS OF TAUTEE herself. She's not in top shape yet and we still have some business here in this rift."

Kirk grinned. Scotty always wanted to work on his ship over everything else. "I know that, Mr.

Scott. Keep it together as best you can. But unload the survivors. Fast. Kirk out."

Kirk punched the comm button again. "Dr.

McCoy, to the bridge at once."

"On my way," McCoy's voice came back.

Kirk smiled at Spock. "He's not going to like this one at all."

Spock looked puzzled. "I do not understand what Dr. McCoy's enjoyment of a situation has to do with the rescue of more survivors."

Kirk laughed and waved his hand from side to side.

"Never mind. Just tell me how long it will take us to get to those survivors you found, get them aboard, and get to the rift."

"The new group of survivors number, at my latest count, approximately nine hundred and eighty. They are under a very thin layer of rock, which will allow us to bring them aboard in eight point six minutes."

Kirk nodded. They could do that, if everything kept working. "Will it give us enough time to get to the rift?"

"Yes, Captain. We will have almost two minutes to spare."

"Two minutes," Kirk said. Two minutes.

For the Tauteean people, those two minutes might be an entire future. "Spock, I want you to keep me informed the second we fall behind schedule. If we 195 Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch fall behind. Getting that rift closed is much more important than the last few hundred survivors."

He glanced at Prescott, who was frowning from his last statement. "I'm sorry, but it is."

She nodded, but the frown didn't leave her face.

Behind her, the lift doors burst open and Dr.

McCoy came out, looking dirty, tired, and angry. "Jim, just what in blazes is going on?

I had a roomful of Tauteean survivors beamed right out from under my nose."

"We're putting them back on the rocks," Kirk said. Then, before Dr. McCoy could have a brain hemorrhage, he laughed. "We're moving them all to the Farragut."

McCoy seemed to stammer for a minute as Chekov and Sulu both chuckled at the joke. Then he said, "For heaven's sake, why?"

Kirk let himself drop down into his chair before he answered. "Because there are nine hundred more we're going to bring aboard." He swung so he could see the doctor's face. "So be ready."

McCoy opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. But not one word came out. "How long?"

Kirk glanced at Spock. "The last of the survivors we have aboard are just being transported to the Farragut. I would say the new survivors will start arriving in about two minutes."

Kirk swung back around to face the front screen. He'd better say something to Bogle before they left. No point in having him too angry.

"Give me the Farragut. his After a moment Uhura said, "On screen, sir."

THE RINGS OF TAUTEE Kirk stood as Bogle's face came into view. "Thanks, Kelly," Kirk said.

"See you at the rift?" Bogle said.

"We're on our way," Kirk said, and then cut the screen.

Then he said to the air in front of him, "We just have a few passengers to pick up first."

Chapter Twenty-nine THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS were strained. Spock's estimate had been off.

Instead of nine hundred and eighty survivors on the surface below, there had been nine hundred and eighty on the first level. Another five hundred had been on the level below.

The Enterprise had beamed them all aboard, and Scotty said they were crammed like breeding gophers under an island green, something Kirk hadn't understood. Sulu had said Scotty was using a golf metaphor, and Kirk didn't ask any more.

He had tried golf once, in Iowa as a boy.

He preferred chess.

Or basketball. Either all cerebral activity or none.

THE RINGS OF TAUTEE And here he was, in the middle of a crisis, pondering a golf analogy.

"Captain"[*thorngg'Scotty's voice sounded harried over the comm[*thorn)'"...I do think we should move some of these poor folks to the bridge."

"No, Mister Scott." Kirk sat on his chair, then winced and stood abruptly. The pad was completely gone now. "They stay beldecks."

Kirk still needed the thinking room. Even if the survivors were packed below. He was glad Bogle had taken the rest. The Enterprise was strained almost beyond her capacity, and they weren't done yet.

"Captain," Prescott said. "Do you think we have time to find one more group?"

And one more, and one more. She would keep asking, and they would miss their opportunity. Kirk looked into her exhausted, bruised face. This was the face that even the good tightass Captain Kelly Bogle couldn't refuse.

But Kirk had to.

"We're out of time, Prescott," he said.

"I'm sorry." Then he turned to Sulu.

"Take us to the rendezvous point near the rift."

"Aye, sir," Sulu said. His fingers moved across the board. "Course laid in. We're on our way."

He sounded almost relieved. Maybe he was.

The sooner they got to the rendezvous point, the sooner this would all be over.

He hit the comm button. "Mister Scott.

Return to engineering. We'll need you there."

"Aye, sir," Scotty said. He sounded relieved too. 199 Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch Kirk sat down despite the ruined pad. "Are the other ships in position?" he asked.

"The Farragut and the Klingon ship QuaQa carrying KerDaq are in position," Spock said.

"The Klingon ship SorDaq is headed in that direction and will arrive in one minute."

"Good," Kirk said, leaning back and watching as the Enterprise moved above the plane of the destroyed solar system and headed for the debris field of the ninth planet. "What's our estimated arrival time, Mister Sulu?"

"We'll be there in two minutes, sir," Sulu said.