In the Name of Honor (Star Trek: The Original Series Book 97) by Dayton Ward

Author:Dayton Ward [Ward, Dayton]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek
Published: 2002-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

THE LASER DRILL was not heavy, nor did it vibrate or kick as he wielded it, but Garrovick hated the tool just the same. Its intense heat wrapped around him like a cocoon, suffocating him and drenching him in sweat. He could feel the rivers of perspiration coursing down his body inside his coveralls, which in turn caused abrasive rubbing against his skin. The one-piece undergarment he wore, also soaked, only compounded the situation.

It had taken less than a day for the guards to return the prisoners to something resembling their normal routine following the earthquake. While eighteen inmates had been killed and dozens more had suffered injuries, Sinak was the only one of the Gagarin officers to be wounded. Garrovick once again gave silent thanks to the deity or deities watching over them all these years. How much longer would he and his friends continue to benefit from their divine influence? It was a question he asked frequently, waiting for an answer that he was sure would never come.

He tried to keep his full attention on the work before him, but it was difficult. Garrovick had not yet seen Khulr today, and that worried him. He would much rather have the Klingon where he could see him instead of lurking about in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike. After the incident during the earthquake two days earlier, the Gagarin first officer knew that he would be a target now, possibly even more so than Sydney. The Klingon’s pride had been damaged, which was far more harmful than any physical injury Garrovick could have inflicted. Khulr was no fool, however, and would not risk having the details of his last encounter with the humans brought to the attention of Korax. Instead he would bide his time, waiting for the right moment to seek revenge.

In front of him, the drill’s focused beam of energy continued to bore into the dense rock of the mining cavern. Sensors built into the unit were programmed to cut around any dilithium contained within the bedrock of the mine, freeing the precious mineral from its underground prison and allowing the irregular-sized specimens to fall to the ground. Periodically, the worker manning the drill would have to cease digging long enough to transfer the extracted dilithium into portable containers, which were then transported by hand to remotely controlled collection vehicles. At the moment, a male Gallamite whom Garrovick did not know was performing this task.

As he deactivated his laser drill and set it on the ground to help gather the dilithium, he couldn’t help but stare at the Gallamite’s transparent skull. Nearly twice the size of the average human’s, the prisoner’s brain was visible without skin or muscle tissue or blood surrounding it. Only a semi-clear fluid could be seen, surrounding the Gallamite’s brain. Almost every detail of the brain itself was visible, in some ways reminding Garrovick of the holographic representations of the human anatomy he had studied in otherwise long-forgotten biology classes.

“Hello,” he offered cordially.

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