Perfection, 19 of 28
"PERFECTION"
by Jim Smith
Fine print: I don't own Star Trek and I'm not claiming to. I just own the story. Ask me before you do anything with it.
Chapter Nineteen.
"You'll never be able to transport the whole weapon with one shuttlecraft," Tirava explained on the viewscreen. "But the ammunition is generated by something called 'omega molecules,' which are stored in a harmonic resonance chamber at section 84 kappa, subjunction six. If you can get that away from Korok, his mortar will be useless, and you'll be in a position to dictate terms."
From the cockpit of the Hrunting, Jimenez nodded in agreement. "We were thinking along those lines, too. Our ETA is in eleven minutes, thirty-nine seconds. Can you get us through the station's shields?"
"Commander Hardcastle thinks he can give you a window--I'll tell him to make it twelve minutes. You should be able to enter through docking bay seven. I'll have an anti-grav cart waiting for you."
"Why not just beam this resonance chamber into our cargo hold?"
"Because everything I've been told about omega molecules makes a trilithium bomb sound like sodium bicarbonate," Tirava said, without exaggeration. "Converting it to energy is just about the last thing I want to try with it."
Jimenez saw his opportunity becoming more lucrative, but couldn't risk her seeing that in his eyes. "Understood," he said slowly. "So...what happened to you, anyway?" It should have been an irrelevant question, but he found his curiosity about the weariness of her face overwhelming.
"Nothing," she answered. "Look, just remember--once we get omega aboard the Hrunting, we have to hold out until the Xhiryptyr'x ships get here. Then Korok will have no choice but to negotiate. He can have his molecules back after the conscripts are released."
"And how long are we supposed to wait for those ships to arrive?"
"As long as it takes. It's not as if we have anywhere else to go. Tirava out."
The moment the channel was closed, Jimenez jumped up from the pilot's chair to return to the back of the ship. There was no point even consulting with Vystir, since her answer to his question was already in his mind. She didn't know anything more about "omega molecules" than he did. But Tirava was neither a poet nor a bored scientist--she wouldn't have coined that colorful term for the substance, any more than the Borg or Unimatrix Zero. Whatever these things were, Starfleet must have encountered them, which meant Admiral Janeway had probably heard of them.
Even as Vystir replaced him at the helm, he was back in front of Janeway's crude cell. "General Korok has a weapon that runs on omega molecules," he announced to her. Her reaction was subtle, but it was the knowing frustration he was hoping to find. "But you knew that as soon as I told you he'd found the supplies you were only pretending to send him."
"Well, it's been nice chatting with you," she smirked. "Drop by any time you want to not ask me questions you think you've already answered."
"I need to know how the Borg will respond when they find out about this."
"Oh, is that all?" Janeway stood up and came as close as the force field would allow. "I think you're going to find out sooner than you'd expect, Ensign. Because if I know the Borg, they've already found out, and they're already responding."
He stood nose-to-nose with her. "If they were, they wouldn't have asked us to investigate on their behalf."
"The Borg don't investigate. They assimilate information. They didn't need to know omega had anything to do with this weapon Korok constructed. It was enough to know that it could be a threat. Then they'd send a few cubes to take a closer look." She chose her next words carefully. "A true Borg sympathizer would understand that."
He quickly took her meaning. "Merrani...she wouldn't go behind my back..."
"She would if you were keeping secrets from the Borg. She doesn't understand why you would do that, even for her benefit. I do." Janeway stepped back, and her tone lightened a bit. "I can tell that you love her. And it's...admirable, in a way, that you'd go so far to support her. But what she thinks she wants isn't what's best for her. And if you'd put her out of your mind for a few minutes, you'll realize it's not best for you either."
"You...you're..." Jimenez was shaking now, his eyes filling with pain and anger. But he kept his composure, just long enough to drop the force field. As soon as it was down, he grabbed the Admiral by the wrist, and pulled her out of the small enclosure. As he held her with his right hand, he struck her with the back of his left. "You're not going to drive a wedge between us!"
Janeway's head turned with the blow, and she staggered. But she only staggered slightly, and her head only turned for a moment. With a deep breath, she straightened and faced the insolent junior officer, refusing to show any sign of discomfort.
And then she floored him with a right hook to the jaw.
Jimenez wasn't carrying a sidearm (why would he need one, since he had the situation under control?), so she quickly found a weapons locker and retrieved a hand phaser. He was picking himself off the floor when she turned and fired in a single fluid motion.
There was no more than a second or two to plan her next move. Janeway crouched along the bulkhead, keeping a direct line of sight with the door to the foredeck. Vystir had to have realized what was going on as soon as Jimenez hit the deck. There was at least a small chance that the Betazoid would play it smart--she could flood the aft section with an anesthetic, or seal herself in the cockpit with force fields. But Janeway was right about Jimenez and Vystir. For all that they pretended at being Borg, they were fundamentally young lovers. And there was only one thing a young lover could do in this situation.
On cue, Vystir barreled through the doorway, desperate to see to Jimenez's protection. It was an easy shot, and Janeway fired a sustained blast at the traitor. The columnated nadion burst imparted enough kinetic energy to knock Vystir off her feet, and she fell backwards about two feet.
Admiral Janeway stepped over them both, making sure they would give her no trouble while she was gaining control of the shuttle. They were only stunned, more due to the weapon's default storage configuration than any mercy intended by the shooter.