Summon the Thunder

If Ineti was bothered by her dismissive comment, he chose not to indicate it. “The warp drive is a hopeless cause, of course. Even if the physical damage was repaired, the lack of an antimatter containment assembly renders the entire point moot.”

Sarith nodded in acknowledgment. Even if the engineer were able to manufacture a replacement, the original containment sphere had taken with it the Talon’s entire supply of antimatter. Without that vital ingredient, the ship’s warp engines were nothing more than vital organs which already had surrendered to a disease ravaging a dying body.

“We are operating on partial impulse power only,” Ineti continued. “Life-support is currently our most demanding power requirement, though other essential systems are being supported via battery backups, but without the warp engines to recharge them their usefulness will be exhausted in eighty-six dierha. The engineer is attempting to configure a means for replenishing the batteries from the impulse drive, but it is a risky procedure.”

“Compared to what?” Sarith asked, drinking liberally from her glass and savoring the warmth of the ale as she swallowed it. “Allow him whatever latitude he requires. We are far past playing it safe, I think.” If the Talonwas to survive long enough to be rescued, it would do so through effort and ingenuity—at the same high level now displayed by her crew.

Steadfast and loyal to the end,she mused as she took another sip from her glass. Perhaps they will survive long enough to see the Praetor recognize their fidelity.

She doubted that, of course.

Taking a moment to sip from his own drink, Ineti regarded the sparkling cobalt ale in his glass before continuing his report. “Our supplies are also an issue. A significant portion of our food stores has been contaminated by coolant leaks. I’ve already imposed a rationing schedule to extend our remaining provisions as long as possible.” He offered a small smile. “You did say you wanted to take your diet more seriously, did you not?”

Though she knew the situation did not warrant it, Sarith allowed herself a mild laugh at the gallows humor. She sobered almost immediately, though, as her mind turned to her next question, the most grave of those she needed to ask.

“What about casualties?”

Reclaiming his own typically staid composure, Ineti replied, “The physician has finalized his casualty report. There were four deaths in all. Two from engineering were killed by a collapsing bulkhead, one died in weapons control due to a coolant leak, and Centurion N’tovek, of course.”

Sarith nodded at the report. Power constraints being what they were, it was impractical to utilize stasis chambers to preserve the bodies, and jettisoning them carried the risk of detection. She therefore had given the order for the remains to be disintegrated with hand disruptors following an interval for the crew to pay their appropriate final respects to their comrades.

“Perhaps they were the fortunate ones,” she said as she sipped from her glass. “They at least will be spared whatever fate awaits the rest of us.”

Turning in his seat, Ineti regarded her with a hard expression that Sarith frankly found intimidating. “It is unlike you to embrace such a negative attitude, even in private.”

Sarith nodded, feeling more than a bit ashamed. “Forgive me,” she offered, hoping the words sounded more convincing to her friend than they did to her own ears. “Fatigue appears to have gripped my tongue, as well.”

“When was the last time you slept?” Ineti asked.

Grunting in what she knew was inappropriate amusement, Sarith replied, “Probably the same time you did.” Glancing toward her sleeping area, the commander felt a new weight press down upon her as she regarded her still-rumpled bed. She had attempted a few dierhaworth of rest earlier in the evening, but that had proven to be a futile exercise. N’tovek’s familiar musky scent lingered within the sheets, mute testimony to the final ardent night of lovemaking they had shared. Those memories, and the knowledge that she never again would enjoy his presence and passion, had chased away any chance at sleep.

She suspected that Ineti understood what troubled her, but as usual he reserved his comments only to what was necessary to convey his concerns. “You ca

He leaned forward in his chair until his face was less than an arm’s length from her. “More than ever, the crew requires you to be their commander and see them through this crisis.” Pausing, he cast his eyes down toward the floor before adding, “No matter how it is to end. If you ca

Despite the gravity she sensed behind her friend’s words, Sarith could not help but smile. “I can always count on you to offer a straightforward perspective, Ineti.” Such unfiltered counsel was one of the many qualities she treasured in him, not only as her second-in-command but also as her confidant and even as a means of seeking her own moral focus.

“Very well,” she said, draining her ale before rising from her chair to refill her glass. “Let us talk about our next steps. First, I want to dispatch a status message to Romulus in three dierha. Can we afford the power to generate the necessary signal strength?”

Ineti nodded. “We can, but there are other issues to consider. Without warp drive, we are unable to travel an appreciable distance from our point of transmission. We therefore risk detection in the event our communications are intercepted.”

You should have remembered that,Sarith scolded herself. As part of the procedures designed to maintain the Talon’s stealth while traveling through the Taurus Reach, communications were limited to encrypted burst transmissions executed at irregular intervals. Protocol called for the messages to be sent while in the proximity of a star, using solar radiation as a means of masking the signal’s origin point. Afterward, Sarith would order a high-warp route away from that location, minimizing the risk of detection by other ships that might be within sensor range.

Her vessel’s compromised and weakened condition made following that procedure impossible, of course.

Knowing the risk, she nevertheless had ordered a short message dispatched soon after the Talonhad sustained its damage in order to alert Command to the ship’s dire situation. It was too soon to know if the message had been received, and Sarith knew that the likelihood of receiving a response was minimal at best. Bearing that in mind, she and Ineti already had decided that once the appropriate time had passed—assuming they were still alive, of course—she would simply inform the crew that a rescue operation was under way. It was one of the few ways she could hope to maintain her people’s flagging morale.

There was also duty to consider, of course.

“We have no choice,” she said as she returned to her seat. “The Praetor must be alerted to the possible danger posed by forces in this region of the galaxy.” There was no denying that her government must be made aware of the potential threat posed by whatever as-yet-unidentified race that wielded the power to obliterate Palgrenax. Only with warning and ample time to devise strategy could the security of the empire be protected.

“That said,” she added after a moment, “our first priority is preserving our stealth, no matter the cost. The Federation must not be allowed to learn that we have struck out beyond our borders, not before the Praetor is ready to a

Rising from his chair, Ineti nodded. “Worry not, Commander. If and when the time comes, the crew and I will follow you wherever duty demands we go.”