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

off its side like knives.
    "Captain," Spock said, "we are now close enough that I have been able to get more precise readings from the asteroid. It was a part of the fifth planet's moon, and is now the largest remaining chunk of that moon. There is some sort of base a kilometer underground. Most of the base has been destroyed. But the signal does originate from there."
    "Survivors, Spock?" Kirk asked. He could suddenly feel his heart pounding against his chest.
    So far they had been acting under supposition. Now they might be able to get confirmation.
    "I have very faint readings, Captain," Spock said. "There seem to be ninety-two separate life signs, all clustered in the same general area."
    "Send the information to the transporter room."
    Kirk punched the comm button so hard that he bent his index finger backward. "Scatty, there are people inside that asteroid. Get them out of there."
    "Aye, sir!"
    "Kirk to sickbay. McCoy, we have survivors beaming aboard. I would imagine many are injured."
    McCoy's voice came back strong.
    "Understood." 67 Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch "Mister Sulu," Spock said, "we shall encounter another wave in one minute and forty-six seconds. I have sent new coordina tes to your screen. On my mark, follow that course at one-ninth impulse."
    "Course laid in, Mister Spock."
    "Come on, Scotty," Kirk said to himself.
    He'd rather not ride another subspace wave through this debris field.
    "Captain," Spock said, keeping his face buried in the viewfinder. His voice rose with fascination. "Owing to our new location, I have finally located the source of the subspace waves. They originate from what appears to be a rift in space in the area where the ninth planet used to be."
    "A rift?" Kirk asked. The Klingons had a weapon strong enough to create a rift in space?
    How was that possible?
    Kirk punched the comm button. "Scotty.
    How's it going?"
    "One minute, Mister Sulu," Spock said.
    "We're getting them, sir," Scotty's voice replied.
    Kirk sat staring at the huge chunk of a moon filling the screen. Hard to believe it had saved ninety lives by staying together. Sometimes the universe did strange things.
    Spock held up his hand. "Five seconds, Mister Sulu."
    "Scotty!" Kirk barked into the comm. "Are you finished?"
    "No, sir. Beaming ninety-two people through a kilometer of rock is precision work. If I[*thorn]" "Then we'll come back for the rest," Kirk said.
    THE RINGS OF TAUTEE "Now, Mister Sulu." Spock's arm went down as he spoke as if were starting a race.
    And again the Enterprise flashed away from the asteroid, riding the crest of the subspace wave like a surfer headed for the beach.
    A very rocky beach that Kirk hoped they'd never hit.
    69 Chapter Ten THE TINY NOISES she made seemed overwhelming in the cavernous room.
    Prescott had crawled underneath the main-screen control panel. She had portable lights attached to her wrists[*thorngg'she couldn't find any helmet lamps[*thorngg'and she had been working for some time. She had discovered that Pollers philosophy was right; it was better to be busy. That way, she didn't have time to dwell on the hopelessness of their situation.
    Or on its cause.
    When she had crawled under the panel, she had been surprised. Despite the shaking and dust, the panel appeared to be in fine shape. The problem was with the lack of power (how ironic), the shattered connections to the surface, and the 70 THE RINGS OF TAUTEE aboveground cameras, as she had expected. Still, she double-checked every circuit, every system, and every chip.
    "Any success?" Folle's voice rang to her from above. She hadn't even heard him enter. That pleased her. She had been concentrating hard.
    She shut off her wrist lights, pushed herself free of the access panel, and half-floated into an upright position. Her hands were covered with dust, and she knew the sweat on her face was also making black lines in the layers of dirt.
    "Everything here is fine," she said. "I was about to check to see if I