"SCOTTY!" Kirk's voice caroled out, watching in horror as the big bird of prey started toward them.
"Power coming on-line," came the commander's cheerful reply from down in Engineering. "If you can give me just a few more minutes, sir, we should be able to—"
"We don't have a few minutes!" Kirk barked. "Sulu, evasive action! Zee minus ten thousand meters! Now!"
"Aye, sir!" the helmsman cried.
Oh, but it was slow! It was agony for Kirk, with his memory recalling a glorious vessel who jumped to fill his every command, not this sluggish ship who could barely get out of her own way. The Romulan vessel continued to bear down upon them, and Kirk thanked God and the creature that the Elizsen's weapons systems had gone awry and prayed that they would continue to do so. If the Enterprise made it at all and cleared Elizsen's attack, it would be by only inches.
"Sulu! We need shields!"
"Unavailable, Captain, if we want to continue our trajectory!"
And that was their very best choice in a bag full of rotten ones. Shields would be minimal and never stand the brunt of Elizsen's attack. At least with a small bit of maneuverability, maybe they had a chance. "Brace yourselves!" Kirk ordered.
The necessary few inches were not granted. Enterprise dropped under the bowline of the Romulan vessel, but one of the bird of prey's wings dragged across one edge of the saucer section in a glancing blow.
The sound reverberating through the hull set Kirk's teeth on edge, even as the warning klaxon began to scream. "Uhura! Damage reports! Scotty, I need power!"
Scott's voice from engineering overrode whatever it was Uhura called from her post. "I'm giving you all I can right now, Captain! I no sooner get a buildup than it gets expended—"
"I don't have much choice in the matter, Mr. Scott! Get more crew in there or change the frequencies more often if you have to, but get me power! Let me know as soon as we have impulse capabilities!"
Scott's sigh was a rattle in his chest. "Aye, sir!" The line went dead.
"Sulu, where's that ship?"
The helmsman worked feverishly over controls only barely functioning. "Coming around slowly above us, Captain. She may drop to our level."
"Can you scan her for damage?"
"Not at this time, sir."
"Put her on-screen." The topside cameras came into play, their reception only slightly better than it had been before. Elizsen was coming about.
Kirk rubbed his hands furiously over his face and scrubbed through his hair. What now? What move would the Romulans choose next, and what could he hope to do to counteract it in a ship with little power? Kirk stared at the Romulan vessel with narrowed eyes, almost insane with the stress of anticipation. What was happening over there? What was Telris waiting for?
He was somewhat surprised that the Romulan captain hadn't called for their surrender, for all the good it would do him. Kirk had as much intention of giving the Enterprise over to Telris as Telris had of turning his ship or the station over to the Federation.
Elizsen sat above them, like a hawk hovering over a chicken, but made no move. Had something overloaded and taken out Telris and his crew? It was a horrible thought but one Kirk willingly courted nevertheless.
Come on, he thought, sending the call across the intervening space to the creature inside the station. Dinner's out here. Aren't you hungry? It's Romulan. You've had that before.
"Uhura." Kirk's quiet voice was tinged with urgency. "Try to contact the landing party." What had happened aboard that cursed space station? Had anyone been hurt in the blast?
Uhura's fingers fairly danced over her console, striving to find power enough out of depleted stores to reach across to the stranded crew. Kirk didn't expect much, so he was very surprised when her face lit up. "I have Mr. Spock, sir! He contacted us!"
Relief flooded through the captain in a heady rush of emotion. He clutched the chair arms so hard his knuckles went white from the pressure. "Put him through, Uhura. Boost it as much as you can."
"Yes, sir. Go ahead."
"Spock!"
"Here, Captain." Oh, those calm, logical tones! There was much that Kirk wanted to know, wanted to ask, but the Vulcan cut him off, dispensing necessary information with the care of a Federation pharmacist.
They were well. The creature was there, seemingly unaffected by the attack on the station though it had begun making a humming noise for no apparent reason. Leno had rejoined them and with the addition of her to their ranks, they were able to shield the generator just that much better, hence their ability to call the ship, though there was no guarantee on how long their luck would last.
Kirk was startled when McCoy broke into the connection. "Jim, what's happening with that Romulan vessel?"
"How do you know about that?"
"Let's just say they sent us a little gift in the package of a Romulan warrior. An intact one, I mean. You wouldn't want to see the others. Or smell them. And don't you ever again tell me the transporter isn't something to be worry about."
"I wouldn't think of it. Is he all right?"
"He's in one piece, if that's what you mean, and as long as we keep Leno away from him, he'll stay that way. But it may give you some bargaining power, if the opportunity arises."
Kirk suddenly liked the way things were beginning to go. "Spock, keep an open channel to the ship as long as you can. Uhura, send a call to Elizsen. I want to talk to Captain Telris. Now."
"Aye, sir." She steadied her headset with one hand. "Enterprise to Captain Telris." She glanced over her shoulder at Kirk, and her expression almost made him laugh. "Well, he's a rude individual, isn't he? Go ahead, Captain, but be prepared for the worst."
"Always, Lieutenant. Put him on-screen." The viewscreen image changed to the smoke-filled interior of the Elizsen's bridge. Evidently the Romulans had been having as fine a time of it as the Enterprise. It did Kirk's heart good to see it.
Telris glared at him. "Are you ready to surrender, Kirk?"
Kirk snorted at the Romulan's bravado. "Hardly, Telris." He folded his arms challengingly. "I thought you should know that my people aboard the space station have taken a prisoner. A Romulan prisoner."
"Romulan!" Telris's meaty fingers clutched the arms of his chair. "There are no Romulans alive aboard Reltah! Our sensors showed as much!"
"Better check them again." Kirk was delighted to have caught the Romulan captain off-guard. "They have as prisoner the only survivor of your attempt at transportation."
"Prove it," the Romulan captain challenged, his chin held high in arrogance.
"Be my guest to contact the station, Telris. My first officer is waiting to hear from you."
Telris's response was a wordless growl. "Get me the space station!" he ordered someone behind him, and in a moment, Spock's voice came through for all to hear.
"This is Spock, first officer aboard the Federation starship Enterprise. How may I be of service, Elizsen?"
"Let me speak to my crewman!" Telris demanded.
"Certainly. One moment, please." There was a pause, and then an unfamiliar voice came over the link.
"Commander? This is Orrien."
"Then you did survive transportation."
"Yes, sir. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for my comrades."
Telris's eyes flicked toward Kirk, and the Enterprise's captain thought for a moment that the Romulan would begin to rail against the Federation and accuse them again of being murderers. He was surprised when Telris remained silent. Maybe the Romulan commander was beginning to believe that Kirk had had nothing to do with the death of his men.
"And you are a prisoner of the Federation?"
A short pause. "Yes, Commander."
If Telris had more to say on the matter, he let it slide. "Kirk tells me a story, Orrien, of a creature aboard the space station." His look was challenging across their staticky connection, and Kirk met it without flinching.
"It is no story, Commander. I have seen this creature."
Kirk would have liked a picture of Telris's face when he heard the news. "Is someone making you say these words, Orrien?"
"No, Commander. They could threaten me with death, and still I would tell you the truth. There is such a creature aboard this station. It is huge and takes up much of the engineering section. They tell me—" He broke off, and Kirk heard faint voices in the background, as though he conferred with Kirk's crew over some point of discussion. "Commander, I am told by the Vulcan that this creature feeds on energy, which is why the station and its crew were so affected. They warn that the same could happen to our ship."
"Rest assured, Orrien, that nothing adverse is going to happen to our ship."
Kirk shook his head. And he thought he had chutzpah! Was Telris so blind that he would ignore the obvious?
"However," the Romulan commander continued, his eyes fastening on Kirk, "if this creature contributed to Reltah's debilitation and is, indeed, so great a hazard to ships, then it must be destroyed before it can cause further damage."
"We can't do that, Telris." Kirk jumped into the conversation. "This creature is like nothing ever before encountered. We have reason to believe that it may be sentient."
"May be sentient? May be, Kirk?" Telris waved a hand, scoffing. "I don't have time for this. The creature is a threat and should be eradicated."
Spock's voice came over the connection. "Commander, one of your own scientists, a Doctor Rinagh, made note of the creature's intelligence and—"
"I have no time to listen to this. I don't care whether or not this creature is sentient! That means nothing to me. For all I care, it could be the central governing body of a planet. The point is that it is a danger to us and, as such, it must be exterminated."
"No," Kirk said forcefully, and Telris's eyes widened in surprise. When the Romulan laughed, Kirk pounded on the arm of his chair. "Dammit, Telris! I'm a starship captain and not a philosopher, but I know you can't change the universe just because it doesn't fit your personal view of things! That creature has as much right to live as do we. I'm not any more eager to die than the next man, but if there's a way to survive short of killing that creature, then we have to do it!"
"Is all of Starfleet so belly-soft?" the Romulan commander inquired softly. "The creature is drawing off your power, Kirk." Kirk chewed his lip in thought.
Despite his initial desire to kill the creature to rescue his crewmen, he knew that what he had just told Telris was right—the creature must survive, if a way could be found. There was so much the Federation could learn from such a being. And if it were more than rudimentarily sentient, the possibilities were endless. Maybe he and Telris could negotiate …
Negotiate with a Romulan?
Kirk took a deep breath. "Telris, I want to make a deal with you."
The Romulan looked askance. "What sort of deal, Kirk?"
"One of your crew is being held aboard the space station by my people. You can have him back in one piece, if I get your promise to leave the creature alone and unmolested."
"And the alternative?"
"You have no alternative."
"What about Reltah? You're a fool if you think I intend to leave her behind in Federation hands."
"She's in no hands but the creature's right now, Telris." Did the creature even have hands? "Let the creature go, and I'll guarantee that Federation and Romulan scientists can work together on this, and on getting Reltah back into its home territory." Well, he was stretching things a bit there, making that kind of promise, but Kirk didn't think Starfleet would hold it against him too much.
Telris abruptly nodded. "All right, Kirk. Agreed."
"Fine."
"Orrien?" Telris intoned.
"Yes, Commander Telris?"
"You will assist what needs doing."
"Yes, sir!"
Bones's voice came over the link. "Well, that's right neighborly of you."
Telris nodded to his helmsman. "Retreat to a safe distance."
"Aye, sir."
Kirk waited, watching Telris and wondering why the contact was still open. Then the word caught his attention. "Safe? What do you mean, a safe distance?"
Telris folded his arms across his chest and raised his chin. "The creature will be destroyed, Kirk, even if it means that Reltah is destroyed along with it."
Kirk stared at him. "I thought we just went through all that!" Over the link, he heard McCoy's muttered 'Uh-oh.' "Telris, you can't destroy a living being just because it doesn't fit in with your plans."
Telris had the oiliest smile Kirk had ever seen. "Watch me." He gestured to someone beyond range of the screen. "Even with systems affected, Elizsen does not need much power to activate the encoded self-destruct aboard the space station."
"What?!" Kirk leapt to his feet.
"Surely, you don't think I trust your assurances, Kirk, nor will I risk Reltah's falling into Federation hands. As for the creature, its presence gives me all the more reason to destroy the station. The Romulan Empire has very specific rules about the takeover of our outposts."
"You can't detonate the station! There are people aboard!"
"So?" Telris couldn't have cared less had he tried. "Only one of them is mine, and I deem his life worth all of yours."
"What about your ship?" Kirk demanded. "What about your crew?"
Telris flipped a lazy hand. "We will not die, Kirk. Elizsen still has power to retreat to a safe distance outside the blast range. It's a pity you do not." He gestured over his shoulder. "Activate station self-destruct sequence."
"Station self-destruct sequence activated, Captain," replied helm.
Telris stared down his nose at Kirk. "I shall enjoy watching the annihilation of the Federation's prized flagship. It is a shame that the proconsul could not be here to enjoy it as well."
"Telris!" Kirk's hands clenched with rage.
The Romulan helmsman nervously cleared his throat. "Captain?"
Telris glared, loathe to leave off gloating. "What is it?"
"Engine systems failing, Captain." The helmsman looked as though he wished he was anywhere but within arm's reach of Telris. His hands flew over the board without result. "We're slowing down!"
"What?!" Telris's eyes were wild. "Deactivate station self-destruct!"
"We can't, Captain! It's encoded for twenty minutes!" He ducked as Telris's arm whistled by close over his head.
"Who's a sitting duck now, Telris?" Kirk fairly crowed. He didn't like the odds, but at least they were evening up. "Spock! You've got twenty minutes to get out of there! Are there any shuttlecraft you can gain access to?"
"Not according to the maps I've seen, Captain." There was a moment's hurried consultation, during which Kirk heard something faintly humming in the background, then Spock's voice returned. "Orrien says there are individual escape pods aboard. We may be able to jettison those by using the generator, but it is unlikely we will clear the blast range in time."
"Then somehow we'll make time! Go, go!" Kirk spun about. "Rand!"
"Rand here, Captain," came her voice over the speakers.
"Keep searching for the landing party's signal as power builds! Get them out of there the minute you see it!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Scotty, we need impulse power in twenty minutes or there won't be enough left of us to sweep together!"
"I'm on it, Captain!" the chief engineer yelled from deep within the ship. "I'm working as fast as I can!"
Kirk's brain roiled. But would it be fast enough?