Read Online The Rings of Tautee by Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch - Free Book Online 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)
Ads: Link
out of his chair, and hurried toward the science station. He leaned over the console, but saw no numbers. As usual, Spock had done the calculations in his head.
"Are you sure?" Kirk asked.
Spock's long face suddenly seemed even longer. He raised one eyebrow as if he couldn't believe that the captain had questioned him.
"Absolutely, Captain," Spock said.
"But at these distances, Mister Spock, how can you get accurate readings?" Chekov asked the question from his post near the screen.
Uhura was watching them.
Sulu had his head cocked, so that he could keep an eye on his work while monitoring the conversation.
THE RINGS OF TAUTEE They all understood the risks behind finding new survivors.
"At these distances," Spock said, in his slow, pedantic, I-cannot-believe-anyone-would-ask-thisquestion voice, "and with these subspace disturbances, I cannot get actual readings of humanoid forms9" "Oh," Kirk said.
Spock glanced around, and when no one else said a word, he continued. "However, I have searched the asteroids for such places as the bunker we just found, places that would hold atmosphere, and would sustain life since the planets' breakup. We must also calculate the incalculable factors as well.
We found a moon base. I am looking at the planets only. We must assume there are other moon bases, and perhaps even a spaceship or two which survived unscathed. We[*thorn]" "How many survivors?" Kirk asked.
He had grown tired of the explanation. He wanted to know what was before him. He wanted to know what decisions he faced next.
"I cannot give you a precise figure," Spock said.
Kirk groaned.
Spock pressed on. "There are too many varia-bles. But the survivors of this incident may number in the thousands, possibly more."
"The thousands, possibly more." Kirk said, repeating Spock's words, not believing his ears.
He took a step backward. His stomach ached, and his mind swirled.
"Thousands?"
Dean Wesiey Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch "Yes, Captain," Spock said. "Thousands."
Kirk staggered to his chair, and sat down. Between the Farragut and the Enterprise, they might be able to rescue five hundred.
But thousands were not possible without help.
A lot of help.
"Captain," Spock said. "Time is of the essence. With every subspace wave, the threat to these survivors grows."
"I know, Spock." Kirk took a deep breath. The main screen displayed the Farragut and four Klingon cruisers. Even if the Klingons deigned to help them, there wouldn't be enough room on the ships for thousands of survivors. The Federation had to send more ships.
But he didn't know if they would.
The Prime Directive. Admiral Hoffman's warning came back clearly to his mind.
Rescuing a few hundred survivors of a subwarp culture was one thing, but rescuing thousands and thousands would, through an odd twist of fate, violate the Prime Directive.
The Prime Directive stated that cultures had to live without interference from more advanced peoples.
That allowed the cultures to develop at their own pace. Part of that development for many cultures, including Earth's, meant flirting with their own destruction. Famine, flood, and war threatened each culture at various times. It was natural.
The Federation could save the remaining hundred or so of a race because the culture was effectively dead.
But to beam up thousands meant 80 THE RINGS OF TAUTEE that this pre-warp culture would continue and suddenly learn about the existence of starships and warp drive and humans and Vulcans and Klingons.
Saving thousands meant violating the Prime Directive.
It meant a direct involvement in lives that should have no involvement at all.
The Federation had discovered the hard way that it was better to let the race suffer through its own natural existence[*thorngg'whatever that might be[*thorngg'than to interfere.
But in this case, the "natural existence" meant certain death for thousands.
He couldn't let thousands die.
But he didn't really have a choice. His orders were
"Are you sure?" Kirk asked.
Spock's long face suddenly seemed even longer. He raised one eyebrow as if he couldn't believe that the captain had questioned him.
"Absolutely, Captain," Spock said.
"But at these distances, Mister Spock, how can you get accurate readings?" Chekov asked the question from his post near the screen.
Uhura was watching them.
Sulu had his head cocked, so that he could keep an eye on his work while monitoring the conversation.
THE RINGS OF TAUTEE They all understood the risks behind finding new survivors.
"At these distances," Spock said, in his slow, pedantic, I-cannot-believe-anyone-would-ask-thisquestion voice, "and with these subspace disturbances, I cannot get actual readings of humanoid forms9" "Oh," Kirk said.
Spock glanced around, and when no one else said a word, he continued. "However, I have searched the asteroids for such places as the bunker we just found, places that would hold atmosphere, and would sustain life since the planets' breakup. We must also calculate the incalculable factors as well.
We found a moon base. I am looking at the planets only. We must assume there are other moon bases, and perhaps even a spaceship or two which survived unscathed. We[*thorn]" "How many survivors?" Kirk asked.
He had grown tired of the explanation. He wanted to know what was before him. He wanted to know what decisions he faced next.
"I cannot give you a precise figure," Spock said.
Kirk groaned.
Spock pressed on. "There are too many varia-bles. But the survivors of this incident may number in the thousands, possibly more."
"The thousands, possibly more." Kirk said, repeating Spock's words, not believing his ears.
He took a step backward. His stomach ached, and his mind swirled.
"Thousands?"
Dean Wesiey Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch "Yes, Captain," Spock said. "Thousands."
Kirk staggered to his chair, and sat down. Between the Farragut and the Enterprise, they might be able to rescue five hundred.
But thousands were not possible without help.
A lot of help.
"Captain," Spock said. "Time is of the essence. With every subspace wave, the threat to these survivors grows."
"I know, Spock." Kirk took a deep breath. The main screen displayed the Farragut and four Klingon cruisers. Even if the Klingons deigned to help them, there wouldn't be enough room on the ships for thousands of survivors. The Federation had to send more ships.
But he didn't know if they would.
The Prime Directive. Admiral Hoffman's warning came back clearly to his mind.
Rescuing a few hundred survivors of a subwarp culture was one thing, but rescuing thousands and thousands would, through an odd twist of fate, violate the Prime Directive.
The Prime Directive stated that cultures had to live without interference from more advanced peoples.
That allowed the cultures to develop at their own pace. Part of that development for many cultures, including Earth's, meant flirting with their own destruction. Famine, flood, and war threatened each culture at various times. It was natural.
The Federation could save the remaining hundred or so of a race because the culture was effectively dead.
But to beam up thousands meant 80 THE RINGS OF TAUTEE that this pre-warp culture would continue and suddenly learn about the existence of starships and warp drive and humans and Vulcans and Klingons.
Saving thousands meant violating the Prime Directive.
It meant a direct involvement in lives that should have no involvement at all.
The Federation had discovered the hard way that it was better to let the race suffer through its own natural existence[*thorngg'whatever that might be[*thorngg'than to interfere.
But in this case, the "natural existence" meant certain death for thousands.
He couldn't let thousands die.
But he didn't really have a choice. His orders were
Similar Books
