The Operative (A Star Trek novel)

Chapter Fourteen

"Captain," the face in the viewscreen says, looking impatient. "Must we tell you again? We cannot take chances with the scientists' lives—they are our responsibility. There is a rebellion going on down here, for pity's sake! We're getting it under control, but it's still dangerous. We cannot risk moving the scientists about until it's quelled."

Kirk has climbed the ladder of rank over the last half hour or so. Just before this woman was a full colonel in the defense forces. This woman wears no uniform, only a severely-cut garment that is the usual business suit on Athena. She glares at him as if he were a weed just out of reach of her clutching hands. At least, he imagines from the look on her face that her hands, out of sight below the cameras gaze, are clenched.

"Then tell us where they are being kept," Kirk says, trying to keep his voice reasonable. He is sure he's had this same conversation a dozen times today already, "We'll beam them up here where it's safe."

"They're staying in a shielded section of the city. Your transporters won't work through our shields, and we don't dare lower them until the rebels are in custody. It would be characteristic of them to try to kill the scientists to embarrass our government. You must be patient, Captain—or leave and come back when things are more settled. That would be best. It is not safe for you here, either. If the rebels should gain control of a defense satellite, we cannot be responsible for your safety."

"We'll take that under advisement, I assure you. Kirk out."

The face dissolves, to be replaced by a real-time image of the forward view. The planet's limb is to port, tans and greens from this angle. Ahead and slightly to starboard, a defense satellite is just visible.

"Tiresome, Jim?" McCoy walked up while Kirk was speaking.

"A tad, Bones, a tad. If you came up here from sickbay for some excitement, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Mr. Spock, any sign of our spy?"

"Negative, Captain. There has been some relatively heavy meteor activity for the past two days, which has now stopped. I assume that Flynn has been testing their defenses."

"Captain," Uhura says from the communications console, "a message just arrived from Starfleet. Two ships, the starship Excelsior and the troop transport Indomitable, are en route. Other ships are being sent as they can be freed up."

Kirk nods. "Command structure?"

Uhura consults a screen in front of her. "You are to be in command of any ships sent on this mission." He nods satisfaction. "Also, Captain, the message states that Indomitable's Marines will be at your disposal."

"Ground action?" McCoy asks. "A shipload of Marines against a whole planet? Lunacy."

"I would tend to agree, Dr. McCoy," Spock says, sounding faintly discomfited by the idea that he might agree with McCoy about anything. "Unless the Marines can be used with surgical accuracy..."

McCoy snorts derisively, cutting him off. "The only thing that's going to be of 'surgical accuracy' around here is the work I'll have to do to patch up all those Marines."

"Sir," Lieutenant Howe says from the helm station, "one of the defsats is firing on something."

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

She frowns over her console for a few seconds, adjusting sensors. "I don't know, sir. I can't see anything."

"Damn." If they can't see what is being shot at, it can only be one thing.

"Captain," Spock says calmly, "I am tracking their target by its shields' interaction with their phasers. The object is Shelley's size. It is absorbing an enormous amount of energy from the satellite's weapons."