The Rings of Tautee by Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch Page A
Authors: Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Tags: Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, Media Tie-In, Space Opera, American Fiction, Interplanetary voyages, Kirk; James T. (Fictitious Character)
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said, "there's someone else who needs to hear this story. Let's wait until he gets here."
As if on cue the door to the turbolift whisked open and KerDaq emerged, flanked on both sides by security men. Next to the Tauteeans, KerDaq looked like a giant. He towered over Kirk. Prescott only came to his beltline.
KerDaq brushed her aside as he strode across the bridge, his gaze, fierce under his abnormally pronounced brow ridges, only on Kirk.
Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch Kirk held KerDaq's gaze. Klingons bullied anyone weaker and they respected strength.
Kirk could play the game, better than KerDaq would ever know.
"Why didn't you let us die in battle, like warriors?" KerDaq demanded, his voice full and angry. It rumbled through the bridge as if the Enterprise were too small to hold a Klingon presence.
Kirk noticed that Prescott stepped back, shocked, and almost afraid at the appearance of the huge, rough Klingon. Tauteean features were very similar to human features. She had been staring at Spock as if she had never seen anything like him. A Klingon must have seemed like something out of a nightmare.
"Your death would have served no purpose," Kirk said, keeping his voice loud and firm and strong. "I would have loved to blow your ship from space, but this time I can't claim credit for the explosion. The subspace wave destroyed your ship, not the Enterprise."
"I know that, Kirk." KerDaq moved one step closer to Kirk. "You lured us into a trap."
KerDaq spat out the words.
Kirk resisted the urge to wipe the saliva from his face. Instead Kirk laughed. The laugh sounded forced and calculated to him, but KerDaq wouldn't know the difference.
KerDaq glowered.
Kirk's laugh became real. He had never induced that disgruntled an expression in a Klingon before. "You may be right about that."
He pushed past KerDaq, brushing hard against KerDaq's shoulder, 118 THE RINGS OF TAUTEE spinning the Klingon slightly around. Kirk knew KerDaq wouldn't attack him, at least not at the moment. Klingons were brutal and fearless warriors, but they were also smart. KerDaq would listen.
He had no other choice.
"This is Prescott," Kirk said, stopping near the small, thin woman, yet turning to face the Klingon. "She is a member of the race that inhabited this system."
"I do not care, Kirk. What has happened is between you and me."
"No," Kirk said, glaring at KerDaq. "It is not."
He put his hand on Prescott's shoulder and was surprised to feel her flinch. Her bones were fragile and his hand heavy. He hoped he hadn't hurt her. Then she smiled at him, bravely, as if she was trying to overcome fear.
"Kirk," KerDaq said.
Kirk held up his free hand for silence.
KerDaq remained quiet and for the first time Kirk was thankful for a reasonable Klingon.
Then Kirk bent toward Prescott. "I want Ker-Daq to hear what you have to say. Please, tell us what you said earlier, and explain how it all happened."
Prescott licked her thin lips. Her gaze darted from Kirk to the Klingon to McCoy before resting on Kirk again. She looked almost frightened, as if she were in a situation her brain couldn't completely fathom. Kirk couldn't even imagine being in her shoes.
She took a deep breath, then glanced around at Folle, who nodded. When she turned back to Kirk, 1 1 9 Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch she seemed stronger and there was a light in her eyes.
"We had hoped to supply all our people with unlimited power," she said. "Our experiment was based on the largest moon of the ninth planet. It was the first to break up."
"This means nothing," KerDaq said, almost spitting on the floor in disgust.
"You are on my ship, KerDaq. You will listen to Prescott."
KerDaq crossed his meaty arms over his chest, but he said nothing more.
Spock, however, hadn't taken his gaze off Prescott. He stood slowly and approached her, as if she had said something that resonated for him.
"What type of energy experiments were you conducting?"
A slight
As if on cue the door to the turbolift whisked open and KerDaq emerged, flanked on both sides by security men. Next to the Tauteeans, KerDaq looked like a giant. He towered over Kirk. Prescott only came to his beltline.
KerDaq brushed her aside as he strode across the bridge, his gaze, fierce under his abnormally pronounced brow ridges, only on Kirk.
Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch Kirk held KerDaq's gaze. Klingons bullied anyone weaker and they respected strength.
Kirk could play the game, better than KerDaq would ever know.
"Why didn't you let us die in battle, like warriors?" KerDaq demanded, his voice full and angry. It rumbled through the bridge as if the Enterprise were too small to hold a Klingon presence.
Kirk noticed that Prescott stepped back, shocked, and almost afraid at the appearance of the huge, rough Klingon. Tauteean features were very similar to human features. She had been staring at Spock as if she had never seen anything like him. A Klingon must have seemed like something out of a nightmare.
"Your death would have served no purpose," Kirk said, keeping his voice loud and firm and strong. "I would have loved to blow your ship from space, but this time I can't claim credit for the explosion. The subspace wave destroyed your ship, not the Enterprise."
"I know that, Kirk." KerDaq moved one step closer to Kirk. "You lured us into a trap."
KerDaq spat out the words.
Kirk resisted the urge to wipe the saliva from his face. Instead Kirk laughed. The laugh sounded forced and calculated to him, but KerDaq wouldn't know the difference.
KerDaq glowered.
Kirk's laugh became real. He had never induced that disgruntled an expression in a Klingon before. "You may be right about that."
He pushed past KerDaq, brushing hard against KerDaq's shoulder, 118 THE RINGS OF TAUTEE spinning the Klingon slightly around. Kirk knew KerDaq wouldn't attack him, at least not at the moment. Klingons were brutal and fearless warriors, but they were also smart. KerDaq would listen.
He had no other choice.
"This is Prescott," Kirk said, stopping near the small, thin woman, yet turning to face the Klingon. "She is a member of the race that inhabited this system."
"I do not care, Kirk. What has happened is between you and me."
"No," Kirk said, glaring at KerDaq. "It is not."
He put his hand on Prescott's shoulder and was surprised to feel her flinch. Her bones were fragile and his hand heavy. He hoped he hadn't hurt her. Then she smiled at him, bravely, as if she was trying to overcome fear.
"Kirk," KerDaq said.
Kirk held up his free hand for silence.
KerDaq remained quiet and for the first time Kirk was thankful for a reasonable Klingon.
Then Kirk bent toward Prescott. "I want Ker-Daq to hear what you have to say. Please, tell us what you said earlier, and explain how it all happened."
Prescott licked her thin lips. Her gaze darted from Kirk to the Klingon to McCoy before resting on Kirk again. She looked almost frightened, as if she were in a situation her brain couldn't completely fathom. Kirk couldn't even imagine being in her shoes.
She took a deep breath, then glanced around at Folle, who nodded. When she turned back to Kirk, 1 1 9 Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch she seemed stronger and there was a light in her eyes.
"We had hoped to supply all our people with unlimited power," she said. "Our experiment was based on the largest moon of the ninth planet. It was the first to break up."
"This means nothing," KerDaq said, almost spitting on the floor in disgust.
"You are on my ship, KerDaq. You will listen to Prescott."
KerDaq crossed his meaty arms over his chest, but he said nothing more.
Spock, however, hadn't taken his gaze off Prescott. He stood slowly and approached her, as if she had said something that resonated for him.
"What type of energy experiments were you conducting?"
A slight
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