5 Daedalus by Dave Stern

Author:Dave Stern [Stern, Dave]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General, Fiction, Science Fiction, Adventure, High Tech, Imaginary wars and battles, Star Trek fiction, Space vehicle accidents
ISBN: 9780743480185
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2003-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

He couldn't stop thinking about it.

A lot of things made sense now. His concern for her safety, when Trip had pulled out the sensor. Her expression when she saw the photograph of the peace conference. Her reaction in the launch-bay when Ferik had suddenly appeared.

Fourteen years ago. He wondered how long they'd been together at that point. Not long, he decided. She was still young. She was—

He pictured Trant then-sitting with him on Eclipse's command deck. Watching over Hoshi, in the medical ward. Arguing with him in the launch bay. Him, leaning forward to kiss her...

Married.

Behind him, Vonn started to gently snore.

In a way this was good, Trip told himself. Take your mind off the mission, take your mind off Enterprise, concentrate on something totally unrelated.

Trip put himself in her shoes, just as Royce had suggested.

Fourteen years with Ferik. All the time remembering who he had been, and contrasting that with who he was now.

No wonder she'd wanted Trip to have that pill with him. To have the choice to...

Did she wish Ferik was dead? Had died fourteen years ago?

His head was swimming.

He sighed and closed his eyes. Maybe rest was a better idea.

Right then the console beeped softly.

Trip looked up.

A red rock filled the sky in front of him.

"Vox Four." Next to him, Royce sat up. "We're here."

The side of the asteroid facing them was bare ground. No signs of habitation anywhere. Rock, sand, and more rock. A miner's paradise. Trip was reminded of Mars's smaller moon, Deimos.

Lessander's engines suddenly flared to life for a split second, and then the courier vessel fell away from the debris field, heading to the asteroid below.

Irgun's thrusters followed next-again, for just a split second. This was the most dangerous part of the mission, as far as Trip was concerned. They were right in the sights of Vox 4's defenses-on radio silence. The engine burns to take them out of orbit, though, were necessary. For the split second that they fired, the three ships were vulnerable.

It could all end right here.

Trip powered on, checked their course, and fired his thrusters, too.

And just as quickly shut down.

They coasted through the atmosphere.

"We're in," Royce announced, looking down at the sensor display. "Underneath the prison's radar system."

Trip smiled.

He fired thrusters again and set them down on the asteroid, fifty feet away from Irgun and Lessander. They donned helmets and exited their craft.

Alpha team was waiting, in formation and ready to go. Each of them carried backpacks-filled with weapons and explosives. Vonn, alone out of Beta team, was similarly outfitted-they needed far less gear for their part of the mission.

One of the soldiers stepped forward.

"We're on schedule. Let's synchronize chronometers, everyone."

He held up one arm of his suit, to which a small chronometer-black faceplate, with blinking red display-was attached.

They all had them-Alpha and Beta teams. The mission had been timed down to the exact second-these chronometers would enable the teams, even separated, to work in perfect synchronization.

"On my mark," the Alpha leader said. "Three-two- one-initiate mission countdown."

Trip pressed a button on his chronometer.

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