Combat Module Carrier 539-Urdoh
Varadah Gap
“This is a calamity!” Barson declared. “The worst of all disasters! What could the Rengru do with this?”
Baladon snorted. “What couldn’t they do? If they knock down our energy shields, they can put Rengru aboard this very ship.”
“Yeah,” Connolly said. “That’s right. We board other people’s ships all the time using the transporters.” He pointed to Baladon. “That’s why the captain here didn’t stand a chance against us. He had to do things your way, punching holes through hulls. We could have beamed right onto his bridge.”
Baladon nodded. “It would have meant less property damage.”
“The Rengru could board our vessels,” Quadeo said, less vocal now. “But we have shields.”
“The Rengru manage to breach your shields all the time,” Connolly said. “And as soon as they’re breached?” He made a whoosh sound and waved his hand. “They could beam you out into space or into a sun. Or into their ships—where they’d be waiting.”
“This device works through starship hulls,” Gavlor said. “Astounding.”
“Of course. It’s the whole idea. And transporters can send other things too. Back last year, Baladon was firing his little photon torpedo at us. We could have beamed one into his lap!”
Baladon laughed. “You know that Starfleet is too weak willed for that.” He faced the others. “But yes, they could become potent weapons—in the right hands.”
“Or the wrong ones,” Kormagan added.
Connolly saw an opportunity to press. “It’s not limited to starships either.”
“What do you mean?” Quadeo asked.
“The transporters can be installed anywhere. I had one down the hall from my room at the Academy.” He gestured grandly. “Think of it. You put together another of your wonderful ground assaults, perfectly executed. And as soon as your forces are near enough—”
“Can I make the noise?” Baladon asked.
Connolly ignored him. “Suddenly you’re out of your armor altogether. Maybe you’re a kilometer in the air, or in the middle of a room full of knockout gas.” He stared directly at Quadeo. “Or full of Rengru, if you prefer.”
She put up her hands. “Stop. Our armor has energy shields too.”
“Great! You’ll be able to look around longer when they beam you into an active volcano.”
Quadeo’s voice quavered. “You have this power, and you don’t use it as a weapon?”
“Of course not,” Connolly said. “It’s called a transporter.”
“I take back everything I’ve ever thought about the Lurians. You are the dumbest people I’ve ever met.”
“Yeah, well, we invented it, you didn’t.”
Kormagan faced Connolly. “How would they exploit this thing? Is it a device that can be removed? Replicated?”
“Not easily,” he said. “It’s a room. The Rengru could wreck it if they’re not careful. So could you.”
Gavlor shook his head. “I’m convinced. We can’t let the Rengru have this thing. Where are they now?”
Kormagan looked to Dreston, who spoke up. “Our probes in Little Hope say the convoy just entered Cloud Complex Zedra, at the far end.”
“They’re going slowly. Why?”
“The saucer section only has impulse engines and thrusters,” Connolly said. “Besides, this nebula of yours tears the hell out of our shields—and Enterprise didn’t have any, back when you attacked it before. Maybe it still doesn’t.”
“That means she can be boarded,” Kormagan said. “What are the odds the Rengru can exploit this thing?”
“I don’t know,” Connolly said. “It looks like they’ve gotten the impulse drive working, but this would be totally new to them—and a foreign ship’s data system, to boot.”
“The Rengru control the ship,” Quadeo said. “Maybe some of your people bartered its secrets for their lives.”
“The Rengru don’t barter,” Kormagan said.
“And my people wouldn’t either,” Connolly said. “Our practice is to scuttle ships before they’re exploited by others.”
“Clearly, they failed.”
“Yeah, well, I won’t.” Connolly had wound up. It was time for the pitch. “I’ll destroy the ship—but not until after I get you the keys to K’davu.”
The room went quiet at the word.
“Excuse me?” Kormagan gawked at him. “I was going to recruit the others to hunt and destroy Enterprise, just as the Rengru had attempted to do. What are you proposing?”
He gazed coolly upon her. “You asked me once before if I’d give you the secrets of Enterprise.”
“And you wouldn’t do it because you weren’t one of us. Not yet.”
“I never will be. But I don’t have to be one of you to think that the Rengru winning is a bad thing. I can do something about that. Like I told you again and again, I’m a scientist. I understand transporter technology pretty well—”
“You can build one for us!”
“Not that well. My work’s in a different discipline. But if you find me a few of my fellow Enterprise crewmates, we might be able to get aboard, download the transporter schematics, grab some of the relevant equipment, and blow up the ship, right under the Rengru’s nonexistent noses.”
“Why would you do this?” Barson asked. “It hasn’t sounded to me like you’ve much loyalty.”
“Oh, I have plenty—just not to you. But it happens that our interests are aligned here.”
Kormagan frowned. “Spock tried to work a similar deal, to save the people aboard the ship. They’re almost certainly gone now. What would you want? Freedom for your crewmembers, I assume?”
“Yes—but it won’t be like that. We’ll help you figure out the transporters—and use them against the Rengru. On one condition.” He crossed his arms. “Win this war—then come help us with ours. You want us to help you to defeat the Rengru? Promise you’ll help us defeat the Klingons!”