Allegiance in Exile by David R. George

Author:David R. George [George, David R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, General, Adventure, Media Tie-In, Fiction
ISBN: 9781476700229
Google: QndFLgEACAAJ
Amazon: 1476700222
Barnesnoble: 1476700222
Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek
Published: 2013-01-29T08:00:00+00:00

Nine

The vessels appeared on Enterprise’s sensors as though a veil around them had abruptly lifted. A moment earlier, the proximity alert indicator had flashed red at the front of the helm-and-navigation console, causing Sulu to lean left and peer into the scanner on his panel. He’d seen at once that a swarm of ships—he counted half a dozen—had emerged from behind the planet’s large natural satellite, which they had evidently used to obstruct their presence in the system.

“Mister Spock,” he said, “six vessels have just shown up on sensors, from behind the moon.” Sulu studied the profiles of the ships, but did not recognize them, and his display—automatically tied into the ship’s library-computer—provided no identification for them. “Configuration unknown,” he told the first officer. He checked the headings of the vessels, then worked his panel to project their paths. “They appear to be on an intercept course.”

It pleased Sulu to see that the vessels did not measure up to Enterprise physically; each elongated hull had dimensions similar to a single one of the Constitution-class starship’s warp nacelles. He didn’t know if the aliens intended to attack, but they had clearly sought a tactical advantage by keeping themselves hidden until that point; they also clearly possessed an edge in terms of absolute numbers.

“Lieutenant Uhura,” Spock said from the command chair, “hailing frequencies. Open a channel—”

Enterprise shuddered, a roar filling the bridge. On his scanner, Sulu saw that all six vessels had leaped forward, closing on the ship in an instant. He could only surmise that they’d engaged their warp drive, despite the danger of doing so across such a relatively short distance and while deep inside the gravity wells of both the planet and the moon. The readings that appeared on his scanner confirmed his supposition.

The ship continued to shake beneath an onslaught that did not relent. From the science station, Chekov announced that the six vessels fired versions of the missiles that the Enterprise crew had encountered at R-775-I—good news, at least in the aliens’ apparent lack of advanced weaponry. Uhura called out that she received no response to her hails. Quiet and calm only seconds earlier, the bridge had grown loud and unsteady.

“Fire phasers,” Spock ordered. “All banks.”

Sulu’s hands moved as if of their own volition, finding the proper controls and working them to enact the first officer’s orders. Over the clamor of the missiles carrying their payloads and detonating against Enterprise’s shields, he heard the squall of the phasers’ operation. In his scanner, he saw a number of the energy blasts finding their marks, but the alien ships pursued twisting, evasive courses, their movements extraordinarily agile. Many of the phaser beams missed their intended targets.

“Two direct hits,” Sulu said. He glanced up at the main screen to see one of the vessels slice across the field of view above the planet. Matte black, the bladelike ship flew a serpentine path, firing missile after missile as it moved. Enterprise continued to pitch fiercely beneath the onslaught.

“Fire photon torpedoes,” Spock said above the furor enveloping the bridge.

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