Fiction: Star Trek: Darkness Visible, Part 9

Previously, on A Mind Occasionally Voyaging…

“Prefix code?” Saavik asked. “I don’t understand.”

Jim continued to try to shake Ortegas back to consciousness. “You have to learn how things work on a starship,” he said.

M’Benga nodded. “Of course.” He looked to Saavik. “He’s betting that Khan thinks of computer security in terms of physical access. That it wouldn’t occur to him to change the cipher key that identifies the command console to the main computer.”

“First rule of space piracy,” Jim said. “Steal a ship, change the wifi password.”

The communication console trilled. “Galileo, this is Enterprise.” Jim recognized his brother’s voice. “Jim, we’re moving into position. We don’t have a lot of time. We’re going to attempt emergency landing plan… B.”

“B?” Saavik said, questioningly.

“As in barricade,” Jim realized. “Damn. Bones, can you get her on her feet?” he indicated Ortegas. “I don’t think I can pull this off without her.”

“Have to try cordrazine,” McCoy said.

“Dammit, man,” M’Benga protested. “You have no idea what kind of cerebral trauma she’s suffered. You could trigger a massive hemorrhage.”

“Doctors,” Jim said, urgently, “We’re about to hit by a photon torpedo.”

M’Benga surrendered and allowed McCoy to inject Ortegas. She sat up instantly, panting.

“Commander,” Jim said, helping her into the pilot’s seat, “Can you fly? There’s not much time.”

She seemed confused but she nodded. Jim continued. “Do you know if Khan reset Reliant’s prefix code? If we can take down their weapons for a few seconds, we might have a chance.”

“Incoming,” Saavik dispassionately reported. A red glow emanated from one of Reliant’s torpedo launchers. A bright ball of energy flew toward them.

Suddenly, there was Enterprise, filling the space between Reliant and the shuttle.

Ortegas stirred, muttered, “One six three zero nine.”

Enterprise reeled as it took the torpedo head-on. The bridge exploded.

Xon was thrown from his console as the panel beside him exploded. Uhura’s chair broke, dropping her face-first into the communications station, but she managed to right herself despite the pain and keep desperately working to coordinate repair efforts across the ship. Sulu felt something pop out of place in his shoulder as his death-grip on the helm just barely kept him in his seat.

Sam Kirk landed on his back when he hit the deck. That was why he saw it first. That last hit had damaged one of the structural columns supporting the dome of the bridge. The heavy post pulled away from the ceiling and started to tumble, pulling with it some of the high-energy conduit that fed the bridge’s defenses. “Chris!” Sam shouted. Pike fell backward toward his seat. Sam sprang to his feet with a speed that belied his years and threw himself shoulder-first into the Admiral. Pike didn’t have time to respond before he was thrown away from the Captain’s chair and to the deck. The metal beam caught Sam across the back, driving him back down to the deck. There was a shower of sparks as the still-energized cabling grounded through him, burning his uniform.

On Reliant, Khan’s patience ran out. “Finish them,” he ordered. Joachim initiated the firing sequence.

Pike shouted for a medic, struggling to process what was happening, but a shout from La’an forced his attention back to the viewscreen. Reliant’s torpedo launcher lit up again… And went dark.

“Our shields are dropping!” Joachim shouted in alarm.

“Raise them!” Khan demanded.

Joachim slammed his fists on the console. “I can’t!”

Khan shot Una an accusatory work. She casually looked at a nearby display. “Who was in charge of securing the main computer?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Can you restore control?” Khan asked.

Una’s fingers flew over the controls. “It’ll take a second. You really should’ve changed the prefix code.”

“Reliant dropping shields,” Xon said as he returned to his station.

There was no time to question it. “La’an, Fire!” Pike shouted.

A bolt of red lashed out from Enterprise. It traced its way across the rear of Reliant’s saucer, cutting a dark burn toward the dome at the top of the smaller ship’s engine column. The second bolt hit the dome squarely. The illumination in Reliant’s nacelles flickered with the power interruption.

On Reliant’s bridge, a mass of cabling dropped from the ceiling. Khan took it on the shoulder, straining to remain on his feet. A normal human would have been pinned by the weight. Behind him, someone grabbed a fire extinguisher to use on a sparking console. Khan grabbed Joachim and demanded he return fire.

“We can’t fire, sir!” he shouted.

“Why? Why can’t you?”

“They’ve damaged photon control and warp drive.”

“We should withdraw,” Una said. “Enterprise isn’t going anywhere.”

“No!” Khan insisted. “Phasers?”

“Almost there,” Una said. “Whoever he is, he knows his way around command protocols.”