Star Trek: Duty, Honor, Redemption Read Free

eighty-seven degrees, minus twelve degrees. Closing fast.”
    He could sense the instant increase in tension among the young crew members.
    Saavik snapped around with one quick frowning glance, but recovered her composure immediately. “All hands, battle stations.” The Klaxon alarm began to howl. “Visual: spherical coordinates: plus eighty-seven degrees, minus twelve degrees. Extend sensor range. Mister Croy, is there a disabled ship, or is there not?”
    The viewscreen centered on the ominous, probing shapes of three Klingon cruisers.
    “I can’t tell, Captain. The Klingon ships are deliberately fouling our sensors.”
    “Communications?”
    “Nothing from the Klingons, Captain, and our transmission frequencies are being jammed.”
    “Klingons on attack course, point seven-five c,” Spock said.
    Saavik barely hesitated. “Warp six,” she said.
    “You can’t just abandon Kobayashi Maru! ” Doctor McCoy exclaimed.
    “Four additional Klingon cruisers at zero, zero,” Spock said. Dead ahead. Warp six on this course would run the Enterprise straight into a barrage of photon torpedoes.
    “Cancel warp six, Mister Croy. Evasive action, zero and minus ninety. Warp at zero radial acceleration. Visual at zero, zero. Doctor McCoy,” Saavik said without looking back at him, “ Enterprise cannot outmaneuver seven Klingon cruisers. It will, however, outrun them. If we lure them far enough at their top speed, we can double back even faster—”
    “And rescue the survivors before the Klingons can catch up to us again,” McCoy said. “Hmm.”
    “It is the choice between a small chance for the disabled ship, and no chance at all,” Saavik said. “If there is in fact a disabled ship. I am not quite prepared to decide that there is not.”
    The viewscreen confirmed four more Klingon ships dead ahead, and then the Enterprise swung away so hard the acceleration affected the bridge even through the synthetic gravity.
    “Mister Sulu, Mister Croy, lock on photon torpedoes. Fire…” She paused, and Spock wondered whether her early experience—fight or be killed—could, under stress, win out over regulations and the Federation’s stated object of keeping the peace. “Fire only if we are fired upon.”
    “Aye, Captain.” Sulu glanced at the young ensign beside him. Croy clenched his hands around the firing controls. “Easy,” Sulu said quietly. The ensign started, then forcibly relaxed his hands.
    Another blip on the sensor screens: “Enemy cruisers, dead ahead.” A third group of ships arrowed toward them, opposing their new course.
    Saavik said something softly in a language with which Spock was not ultimately familiar, but by her tone it was a curse.
    The Klingons fired on the Enterprise.
    “Fire at will!” Saavik said.
    The viewscreen flared to painful brightness before the radiation sensors reacted to the enemy attack and dimmed the screen to half-intensity. The energy impact was so severe even the shields could not absorb it. Spock held himself steady against the wrenching blow, but it flung Sulu from his post. He crashed into the deck and lay still. McCoy and the intern vaulted down the stairs to the lower bridge and knelt beside him.
    “Mister Sulu!” McCoy said. His tricorder gave no reaction. “Spock, he’s dead.”
    Spock did not respond.
    “Engineering!” Saavik said.
    “Main energizer hit, Captain,” Chief Engineer Scott replied.
    Saavik slammed her hand down on her controls, transferring command to the helm. She took Sulu’s place. Croy fought for data enough to aim the torpedoes.
    Saavik did the calculations in her head, keyed them into the console, transferred a copy to Croy’s station, and spoke to Scott in the engine room.
    “Engage auxiliary power, Mister Scott. Prepare to return fire… now. ” She fired. One of the Klingon cruisers fired on the Enterprise just as Saavik’s torpedo hit. The cruiser imploded, collapsing in upon itself, then exploded in eerie, complete silence. But