Rise of the Federation: Live by the Code by Christopher L. Bennett

Shumar gave a subtle smile. “Which is why I intend to try anyway.”
    Archer had to admire his exploratory fervor. A scientific mystery like this, especially with the prospective rescue of a dead civilization as the payoff, was just the anodyne he needed for the headaches he was facing elsewhere in the galaxy. “I don’t blame you, Captain. And I think we can spare your services for a while longer.”
    “So Admiral Narsu hasn’t yet convinced you to reassign us to Starbase Twelve, sir?”
    “That’d be a decent-sized hop from your current position. I appreciate that you and the admiral are old friends . . .”
    “I want only to serve where I’m most needed, sir. And these sectors are still badly in need of charting.”
    Archer smiled. Maybe he and Shumar had more in common than he’d realized. “I couldn’t agree more, Captain. Good hunting.”
    “Thank you, Admiral. Essex out.”
    The screen went dark. Yawning and stretching, Archer ­realized it was getting late. The thought lightened his heart, for it meant he could go home to Dani. Having Danica ­Erickson in his life was the thing that made this job bearable, for her love, friendship, and beauty gave him the strength and peace of mind to handle its frustrations. Checking the chrono­meter, he decided he could take Williams’s advice, delegate the rest of the day’s work to his staff, and return home just a little early.
    But then Williams buzzed him and forwarded a report from Admiral Shran: One of the ships in the Ware task forcehad been attacked and damaged, and it seemed their prisoner Vabion had found a way to reactivate the Ware and make his escape—with help from a Klingon ship. Archer sighed and asked Williams to have a yeoman bring him some coffee. It seemed he was going to be staying late again.

3
    July 9, 2165
    U.S.S. Pioneer NCC-63
    T HE U.S.S. F LABBJELLAH WAS NAMED for an Andorian musical instrument that doubled as a kind of truncheon or throwing club. Right now, though, as Travis Mayweather studied its scans on Pioneer ’s situation table, it appeared neither harmonious nor hazardous. Pioneer and Vol’Rala may have arrived in time to scare off Flabbjellah ’s attackers before they could destroy it, but they hadn’t been in time to prevent serious damage to the ship and its crew, including one fatality, the ship’s chirurgeon Veneth Roos. The surviving thirty-seven crew members were currently split between Vol’Rala ’s and Pioneer ’s sickbays, except for Captain Zheusal zh’Ethar , who now stood in the situation room at the rear of Pioneer ’s bridge, observing the damage alongside Mayweather and Captains Reed and sh’Prenni, among others.
    “Man, Vabion really did a number on you,” said Charles Tucker III—or “Philip Collier,” as Mayweather reminded himself to think of the engineer. His old friend and Enterprise crewmate, whom he’d believed dead until just months ago, had instead—through a bizarre series of circumstances—become an intelligence operative for a Starfleet agency so secretive that Travis wasn’t sure it was even legal. But for all his remaining questions and doubts about “Trip” Tucker’s current life, Mayweather was grateful that he still lived, and at times like this,it was pleasing to see Tucker’s old personality peeking through the subtly altered brows and nose, the dark red hair and thick beard, the false eye color, and the changed accent and mannerisms. “We’re gonna have our work cut out for us bringing those engines back online.”
    “He had help,” replied zh’Ethar, a wiry zhen in Andorian middle age.
    “Yes,” sh’Prenni said. “Vabion is a nuisance, but he’s from a backward world. I’m more concerned about the Klingons getting involved here. Judging from the scans, the attacker was SuD Qav . It’s a ship I encountered back while we were cleaning up the Kandari Sector—no significant threat to us, but its captain is brutal and rapacious, with a real sadistic streak