Free The Rings of Tautee by Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch Page A

hand.
    She was studying his face with puzzlement.
    "Have I done something to offend you?" he asked, suddenly worried that touching hands might 87 Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch have a different significance in her culture than it did in his.
    She shook her head. "Dr. Leonard McCoy, why do you have three names?"
    McCoy opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. Why did he have three names? He suddenly couldn't think of a good answer.
    She watched him with a seriousness that made him feel as if his life depended on his answer.
    Finally he just laughed and said, "My people have never been known for doing anything the easy way."
    Her puzzled frown kept him chuckling to himself all the way to the turbolift.
    Chapter Thirteen THE BR-RDGE OF nrEvery Enterprise was as silent as a tomb.
    It felt as if time had stopped.
    Uhura held a hand over her communications console.
    Sulu was still watching the screen, but his head was tilted oddly as if he were trying to see the captain out of the corner of his eye.
    Chekov was watching him, eyes wide.
    The three other ensigns on the bridge had swiveled their chairs so that they could see the captain.
    And Spock was studying him as if he were a particularly interesting[*thorngg'and possibly dangerous [*thorngg'extraterrestrial bug.
    Kirk was used to the scrutiny, and he appreci-ated the silence. He had to decide whether or not
    Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch rescue the remaining survivors of the Tautee disaster[*thorngg'and how.
    Spock said there might be thousands.
    Thousands were more than the Enterprise and Farragut could handle. And with that many survivors of a pre-warp culture, a rescue attempt would be violating the Prime Directive, and the Federation would no doubt order him to back off if he asked for more help.
    But there had to be a way around the rules. He had beaten the Kobayashi Maru and he could beat this.
    On the main screen in front of him the four Klingon cruisers hung. They seemed to be just waiting also. But why and for what, Kirk had no dea.
    Maybe the Klingons were the key to solving the survivors' problem. Kirk swiveled around to face his science officer. "Spock, any theory as to what caused this destruction?"
    Spock raised an eyebrow as if that were not what he expected the captain to ask. "I have no concrete theory yet, Captain. I do not know what caused the destruction. It may have been caused by the Tauteeans. It may have been a natural disaster of a type we have not seen before. I just do not know, and at this moment I am unwilling to speculate."
    "You could have just said no," Kirk muttered.
    Spock swiveled, and glanced into his scope.
    Kirk steepled his fingers. Thousands of lives rested on this next decision.
    Of course, his old colleague and nemesis, Admir90 THE RINGS OF TAUTEE al William Banning, would have said that Kirk did not trust the process well enough. The Federation's guidelines were simple A pre-warp culture had to develop naturally. If a natural disaster wiped it out, then that was part of "naturally." If a natural disaster hit, and only a few survived, they needed the opportunity to save themselves without help.
    But Kirk wasn't convinced this disaster was natural. And the Federation had no real guidelines for what to do with the pre-warp survivors of an attack by a more advanced race.
    "Captain," Spock said, his voice calm as always. "Another subspace wave shall hit us in ten seconds."
    "Could a Klingon superweapon have caused all this?" Kirk asked.
    Spock glanced over his shoulder at the captain. Uhura took a deep, sudden breath and held it.
    Out of the corner of his eye Kirk could see Sulu turn to look at him.
    "At this point, Captain," Spock said carefully, "I am not willing to speculate."
    The entire ship shook and moaned as the internal stabilisers fought to keep the ship level against the huge forces shaking it. Kirk held on to the arms of his chair and rode it out. The chair bumped against his spine and legs,