Chapter 5
Chapter 4
Stardate 57166
Forty minutes later, the first rescue team, consisting of Dr. Crusher, Commander Pryde, two medical attendants and one other security officer, beamed down to Reinhold Station. Kitty immediately looked around, her instincts on edge as always.
“Thank God you’re here,” came a voice from behind them. A mid-thirtyish man in the uniform of a Starfleet Commander of Engineering walked up to them, with two more people in tow. He was filthy and his hands had several cuts that were still bleeding. “I’m Ken Takahashi.”
“Katherine Pryde, Chief Tactical Officer, USS Enterprise” Kitty replied. “This is Dr. Beverly Crusher. Can you tell us what happened?”
“We think it was an asteroid quake,” Takahashi answered. “This asteroid is none too stable to begin with, and when you start digging out its innards, sometimes you can cause a quake or collapse. We thought we’d tested for all the stress factors. Hell, we were sure we did, otherwise we’d never brought our families here. But we must have missed something.”
“Belay that, Commander,” Kitty said firmly. “There’ll be time for guilt and finger pointing later, if it’s necessary, which, frankly, I doubt. But right now we need to deal with the problem, and personal recriminations just get in the way. I need you to lay down the facts, and leave the judgments for later.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Takahashi answered, falling back on military courtesy as a matter of long habit. “About four and a half hours ago, the main tunnel suffered a major collapse. This is a pretty small asteroid, so any shift in mass has major ripple effect throughout the entire rock. The collapse caused serious damage to the station’s power plant and our environmental integrity. We’re on emergency power, and the environmental plant is working at one hundred twenty percent of capacity to try to keep up with the amount of air we’re losing to leaks. And I have at least fifty people trapped inside the mine, and another thirty casualties that we’ve been able to dig out. Eighteen of those casualties were fatal,” he completed grimly.
Crusher spoke. “My people can start assisting your medical staff with the surviving casualties.”
“Danker, take them to the makeshift medical station,” Takahashi ordered one of his people.
“Yes, sir,” came the reply. He led the medics toward the tunnels.
“We have five more teams ready to beam down, plus engineers to help you with damage control. With your permission, I’d like to have them beam directly to the tunnels,” Kitty said.
“That’ll be difficult. The quadrillium plays havoc with scan systems. Tricorders are all but useless, and shipboard scanners are going to have a hard time getting a lock through the interference.”
Kitty considered for a moment. “So we won’t be able to beam people in or out. Fine. We’ll do it the old-fashioned way.” She activated her comm.-badge. “Pryde to Enterprise.”
“Enterprise here,” came Picard’s voice. “What is your status?”
“Captain, the station has suffered a major collapse that has affected the stations environmental integrity and power systems. There are over fifty bodies still trapped in the mines and heavy casualties on the surface. We won’t be able to beam people out. I’d like to start having the security and engineering teams beam down with digging tools. We’re going to have to do this by hand.”
“Understood, Commander. We’ll beam them down momentarily. What’s your plan?”
“I won’t really have a plan until I get on site. We’re going to head down now. I don’t know if we’ll lose contact due to quadrillium interference. If we do, I may have to set up a relay system or perhaps a high-power comm unit to send messages from the tunnels to you. I’ll know more soon.”
“Understood,” came the Captain’s reply. “Make it so.”
“Aye, Sir. Pryde out.” She deactivated her comm-badge and turned to Takahashi. “Lead the way, Commander.”
“Leslie, you stay here and direct Enterprise’s rescue teams to the tunnels,” Takahashi ordered as he began to lead them.
“Aye, Sir.”
**********
When they arrived at the mouth of the cave, a large, burly man in coveralls approached them. “Ken, we’ve got to get the power systems up. Without them we’ll never get through to the victims. They’re losing air pretty fast down there, and the signals are growing fainter by the minute.”
“Commander,” Ken introduced them, “this is Brian Serlhoff. He’s the Chief of Mine Operations. Brian, this is Commander Pryde and Doctor Crusher of the Enterprise.”
“Can you give me a status report, Mr. Serlhoff?” Kitty asked.
“We’ve got fifty two miners down there,” he replied. “I’m in contact with twelve that are caught in a chamber just a couple of meters in. We’re using old Morse code to bang messages to each other, and we’ve confirmed that those twelve are all injured to some degree or other. The collapse is air tight, and our people are running out of air quickly.” His eyes were pleading, hoping that the Starship crew could come up with a miracle. “If we don’t get in there in the next few minutes, we’re going to lose them.”
“Can we cut our way in with a phaser?”
“No,” explained Serlhoff. “The rock is too dense. It would take hours to cut even a few meters with a hand phaser. Plus we wouldn’t be able to ensure the stability of the cut. We had to develop a whole new generation of mining equipment for this operation, but all of it is a power hog, and with our generators down, we don’t have the juice to run any of it.”
“What about portable power converters from the ship?” asked Crusher.
“We could do it that way, but it will take hours to set up the converters, adapt them and hook them up to the mining equipment,” Kitty replied. “There’s not enough time for that. We should have engineering start setting that up for later, but we need something faster if we’re going to save those miners.”
Kitty looked around looking for something --- any tool she could use --- that would help her save the miners. Something caught her eye.
“Commander Takahashi, how many of those compressed air canisters do you have available?” she asked, pointing to a small cylindrical canister sitting against a rock wall.
“Probably about twenty or thirty,” he replied.
“And they’re completely mechanical? No electronic parts?”
“Uh, yeah. Just open the valve, and the air escapes in metered amounts.”
“And how much air is in each?”
“They’re each under several hundred gees of pressure. Each is designed to allow a single individual to breathe for about ten hours. But unless we can get them through solid rock, they’re useless.”
“Let me worry about how we get them to the victims,” she assured him. “Just collect every canister you can find and bring them here. Fast.”
Takahashi turned and gave his people orders to collect the canisters.
Crusher turned to Kitty. “What do you have in mind?”
“Something that’ll probably get me into a lot of trouble,” she replied grimly. “But I can’t just let them die.”
She picked up the air canister. She removed her phaser and comm badge and handed them to a confused Beverly Crusher.
Then she phased, passing through the solid rock like it was water.
Beverly stared at the spot that Kitty passed through in utter shock. Behind her, Takahashi hissed in shock as well.
“Commander Pryde,” she called, coming close to the wall. “Kitty! Can you hear me?”
Silence.
Just as panic began to hit Beverly, Kitty returned, phasing through the wall.
“What in the hell was that?!?” Crusher demanded. “How did you do that?”
“Later,” came Kitty’s terse reply as she picked up two additional canisters. “I’ve spotted another opening, and they’re running low on air too. As soon as I’ve managed to find all those who are still alive down there, I’ll start triage, and I’ll bring out the worst cases first. But I’ve first got to get oxygen in there.” She turned and phased back through the wall.
“Wait!!!” Crusher called, uselessly.
For the next several minutes Kitty went back and forth, bringing oxygen to oxygen-poor areas of the collapsed cave. Then she began bringing out the worst injured.
Four exhausting hours later, the Engineering and Security crews, with the help of the Station’s staff managed to dig their way through. And suddenly Kitty found herself with the help she needed to save those who were still trapped, as engineering crew began bracing the cave walls and ceilings. Medical and security crews helped her get the rest of the trapped bodies out.
*****
It was several stressful hours later, after the worst cases had been beamed aboard and stabilized, and emergency repairs had been completed on the station’s environmental and power systems.
Kitty was in sickbay helping transport the last of the patients, when Crusher touched her shoulder. “Commander, can I have a word with you in private?”
“Certainly, Doctor.” She followed Crusher to the doctor’s private office. Crusher offered her a seat, and Kitty sat with her legs crossed, bracing herself for the storm she knew was about to break around her.
“Well,” Crusher began, “that was certainly interesting, Kitty. Great work. You saved a lot of those people back there.”
“Thanks.”
“Now, would you care to tell me how you did it?”
“I walked through the cave walls,” she replied.
“I am aware that you walked through the cave walls,” Crusher said in exasperation. “But how did you walk through the cave walls?”
“Sorry,” Kitty said, “I can’t answer that.” Then she mentally braced herself.
Crusher stared at Kitty for a moment. Then she nodded. “I figured that. But I have to make a report to the Captain. And I’m going to be telling him what I saw. You may not have to answer me, but you will answer to him.”
“No, Doctor, I won’t. He’s not cleared for that information any more than you are.”
“The hell with security clearance.” Crusher fairly spat the words. “And the hell with your secrets. You just did something that is impossible, and you did it on my watch. I will find the answers to these questions.”
“Maybe,” replied Kitty. “But you won’t find them from me.” She looked at Dr. Crusher for a moment as the other woman fumed in anger at Kitty’s rebuff. “Doctor, I just saved the lives of quite a few people down there, and so did you. Is how I accomplished it that important to you?”
“Yes,” Crusher replied tersely.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know who or what you are,” she answered. “I have no idea how you did what you did, and I don’t trust you. The one thing that I know about every crewmember of this ship is that I can trust them to do their jobs, and that they trust me to do mine. I have no such confidence about you. You clearly don’t trust me, and I have nothing to base any trust for you upon. Trust works both ways. And if there is no trust, then the system that really makes this ship run breaks down.”
Kitty considered for a moment. “There are things that the Captain can’t tell you either. Command secrets that only he has. Information that he can never tell anyone. Do you trust him any less for having those secrets?”
“The Captain has never walked through walls before.”
“So what you’re saying is that if I hadn’t saved those people by walking through a wall, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. It certainly seems true that no good deed goes unpunished,” she said with a smirk.
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Crusher protested.
“Then what are you saying?” Kitty asked quietly.
Crusher stopped for a moment, thinking it over. What was she trying to say? She took a breath, regaining control of her temper.
“What bothers me,” she said after a moment, “is that I don’t like secrets, especially ones that effect how I do my job. They frustrate me and make me angry. And you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”
“I’m sorry, Beverly,” Kitty apologized. “I don’t mean to make things difficult for you. But I took an oath to uphold certain secrets. This is one of them. And I’m duty-bound to keep them wherever possible. I broke security protocols today by doing what I did, but it was for a good cause; to save lives. But wherever possible, I still need to keep my secrets. It isn’t fun. In fact, it’s usually a pretty rotten way to live. But it’s my job, my duty. And I take my duty very seriously.”
Beverly nodded slowly, as Kitty finished. “I understand. Really, I do. And I’m sorry for snapping your head off.”
“Not a problem,” she replied. “Not the first time it’s happened. I can live with it.”
“I don’t intend to stop trying to figure it out,” Beverly said. “I intend to keep digging until I find my answers. But I promise to try not to take my frustration out on you.”
“Fair enough. And I’d probably be disappointed if you stopped trying.” Beverly chuckled at Kitty’s sly smile.
Kitty stood up and turned to leave. “Right now, though, I need a hot shower and a warm bed.”
“Makes two of us. Have a good rest, Kitty.”
“You too, Beverly.”
Kitty turned toward the door and it whooshed open at her approach. Beverly called out “Kitty”, and she stopped to look back. “I still have to tell the Captain what happened. He’s still going to ask questions.”
Kitty smiled. “I know. But thanks for the heads-up.” She exited and the door closed behind her.
*****
Stardate 57137
The door to Picard’s ready room opened, and Kitty stepped in.
“You wanted to see me, Captain?”
Picard looked up from the PADD of ‘paperwork’ that he had been working on. “Yes, Commander Pryde. Please have a seat.” He indicated a chair and she sat.
“First of all,” he began, “That was excellent work you did yesterday. You saved quite a few lives. I was very impressed by the after action reports.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Kitty replied.
“I am also a bit confused. According to Dr. Crusher’s report, and the report of Commander Takamoto, you seemed to have walked through the cave walls.” Picard paused for a moment, looking for a reaction from Kitty. There was none. “Are those reports accurate, Ms. Pryde?”
“Yes, Sir, they are.”
He waited for her to continue, but she didn’t volunteer any more information.
“Can you tell me how you were able to walk through the cave walls?” he pressed.
“No, Sir, I can’t,” she replied, clearly uncomfortable doing so.
“I see,” he said after a moment. “I promised you that I wouldn’t press you on information that you were barred from providing, and I intend to keep that promise, Commander.” The Captain leaned back in his chair, studying his new Tactical officer. “Still, any information that you can tell me about this incident would be helpful.”
Kitty paused for a moment to consider. “I’m sorry, Sir. I wish I could help. But I can’t figure any way to give you information that wouldn’t lead to either more confusion on your part, or worse, the revelation of classified information on my part.”
Picard smiled, and nodded in confirmation. “I understand, Commander, and as I said, I won’t press you. But I do want you to know that you are making my life a bit more difficult than necessary. I can’t make informed decisions about your abilities if I don’t know what those abilities are. And that very lack of information may put this ship and its personnel at risk.”
“I know that, Captain,” Kitty admitted. “But unless there is a life and death reason for me to break security, I’m bound--- legally--- from giving you any more information.”
“I know.” Picard drummed his fingers on the desk. “Can you at least tell me if you have any more hidden talents, skills or abilities?”
Kitty paused again. “Yes, Sir, I do.”
Picard sighed. “Well, then, we’ll just have to let the information come about on its own, won’t we?” He looked her in the eye. “I trust that you will be more forthcoming if it turns out that one of your ‘talents’ can be of use on a life or death situation.”
Kitty smiled. “When I took my oath to Starfleet Intelligence, it was with the proviso that I be allowed to ‘break cover’ in a life or death situation. I specifically stated that I would not keep anything secret if the information could be used to save a life. I have no qualms about sticking to that provision.”
Picard nodded again, not in satisfaction, but in acceptance of the situation. Katherine Pryde had amply demonstrated her initiative and her leadership ability in the rescue. She was clearly extremely good at her job. If not for that fact, he would have already requested her transfer. Given their current mission, and Pryde’s obvious expertise in matters pertaining to the Shi’ar Empire, it was unlikely that his request would have been granted until after the mission was completed. But Katherine Pryde was clearly a destabilizing influence on his crew. Her insistence on keeping secrets--- whether right or wrong--- was making her unpopular with members of the command crew, and he couldn’t afford a command crew that sniped at each other.
Nevertheless, he saw in Commander Pryde a competent, even an excellent officer in a tough position. It wasn’t her fault that she had to keep these secrets. And he was stuck with her for the duration of the mission, at the very least. Given that, he might as well make the best use of her that he could. He would avoid pressuring her and give her the opportunity to work with the rest of the crew.
His crew prided themselves on their tolerance and their patience with those who were different from them. That, more than technical skill, was what made them such good explorers, with the best record of any Starship crew in the fleet. He would allow his crew the opportunity to get to know the Tactical officer, and allow her the opportunity to get to know them. And perhaps by doing so, he’d be able to help Ms. Pryde keep from shooting her career in the foot. If she was transferred at the request of another commanding officer, chances are her career as a Starfleet officer would be over.
And given what he had witnessed of her skills during the rescue, that would be a terrible waste for Starfleet. She was good, very good. But she needed to learn how to let her guard down and stop putting people off with her standoffish personality. If she could learn that, she would make an outstanding officer.
Picard would give her that chance.
“Very well, Ms. Pryde,” he said. “I’ll take what little you have told me under advisement. In the meanwhile, I believe you have a duty station to report to.”
“Yes, Sir,” she answered.
“Very well, then. Make it so. Dismissed.”
Kitty came to attention, turned on her heel, and exited the ready room.
“I hope it ends up being worth it,” Picard murmured to himself.