Chapter 14: Escalation
Nyota was still in sickbay when the intercom beside the door crackled.
"Lieutenant Uhura?" came Scotty's voice. Nyota and Spock exchanged silent looks before she got up and went around the screen, to the box mounted on the wall.
"Yes, Scotty?" she asked.
"We've just picked up a transmission you migh' be interested in hearin'." Scotty said wearily.
"I'll be there in a minute." Nyota replied.
"Keep the link open. I wish to hear it, as well." Spock thought to her.
"I will." she said. "Doctor McCoy, it's time for Spock's next hypo." she told the doctor, who sat at his console writing reports for both Spock and the Captain. She could feel Spock's pain, and it had been steadily increasing for the last hour.
"Nyota." Spock said disapprovingly.
"Why do you insist on not getting help? Really, Spock, you're acting like a child." Nyota scolded. She could feel his disgruntlement as she left. Vulcan pride was his race's biggest downfall, she thought as she walked away. He didn't even say anything to that.
She wondered what this transmission was that Scotty wanted her to listen to. She was sure it had something to do with the Klingons...
She stepped off the lift and entered the bridge. As soon as she did, Miller rose from the Comm station and she took it over.
"I've prepped it for you already, Lieutenant." Miller said. "Just put in your earpiece and hit the button."
"What is this about?" she asked, more to herself than him, as she adjusted her earpiece. She reached over and hit the green button on the console. She heard static, and then...
"Starfleet! This is Science Base 231! We are under attack! Atmospheric generators are all but gone- we're not going to last long!" the man was yelling, panicking. "Oh, God- parts of the station are breaking away- there are fires- Jesus! There's nothing we can do, we're-" There was the sound of screeching metal, and an explosion- screams- and then the connection was dead.
"Oh no..." Nyota breathed. She had just listened as people died..."When did this happen?" she asked, staring blankly at a monitor before her.
"An hour ago. There are two others just like that- Starfleet forwarded them to us." Miller said sadly. "We're being directed toward where the attacks are happening- we can only hope we can guess which station is going to be attacked next. Judging from the trajectory, it could be one of three."
"Mr. Sulu, where are these stations located?" Nyota asked, turning to Navigation.
"The three who have been attacked so far are the ones closest to the Klingon neutral zone." Sulu replied grimly.
Nyota nodded- she had expected as much.
"It appears as though your theory is correct." Spock said. "They are, indeed, attempting to start a war."
"Well, they're definitely succeeding so far." Nyota muttered.
"What was that, Lieutenant?" Miller straightened from where he had been bending over at the Comm station.
"Nothing." Nyota replied. "Mr. Scott, is that all?"
"I was hopin' that you may have news of the Captain's recovery." Scotty replied hopefully. Nyota shook her head.
"Doesn't look like it." she replied. "Are the Lexington and Potemkin going with us?"
"Aye, that they are." Scotty replied. Nyota nodded once and left the bridge.
She strode down the corridor that led to the brig. She knew she had told Spock she would not meet with the Klingon again- but that had been before the disturbing transmission from Starfleet. That was before hundreds of people who worked on the three science stations closest to the Klingon neutral zone were killed.
Although they had no evidence to prove it, everyone knew who it was. The only question remaining was why. From what Kirk had said, Nyota was sure that they were trying to start a war. But why did they do it in this way?
She stopped before the cell, and one of the security guards stepped forward.
"Lieutenant Uhura. We weren't told that you were coming." he said.
"I want to ask him a few more questions." she replied. She peered over their shoulders, at the Klingon- who was still sitting on the floor, his back against the wall. "Step aside."
"We've been given orders that no one is to try to communicate with him." the man said uneasily.
"Then turn off the security feed and let me do it off the record." Nyota replied.
"I can't do that, Lieutenant."
"Then don't worry about it. Step aside- that's an order, Ensign."
She was surprised at how good it felt to be able to order others around. Up on the bridge, she rarely got the opportunity. She watched with satisfaction as the guard stepped aside, albeit reluctantly.
"Klingon." she said. "I now know what the plan is. But why do you want to start a war? Why does the Empire not just openly declare it instead of attacking science stations?"
"The Empire?" the Klingon gave a harsh laugh. "The Empire is not brave enough to challenge the Federation, even when half of their fleet has been destroyed. Not without encouragement."
"You seem a little more willing to talk." Nyota observed.
"Why not? You already know our plans."
"And what do you mean by 'encouragement'? So you are separate?"
"We call ourselves teh quv."
"True honor." Nyota echoed.
"We want to bring glory back to the Empire! Once the Federation declares war, the Empire will eradicate it. This should have been done many years ago. The Empire has no excuse for their weakness."
"What makes you think that your brilliant 'plan' will succeed?" Nyota asked. "Our ship- as well as two others- are even now on our way to stop you. And now that we know you're setting this all up, the Federation will know not to lay blame on the Empire. You're already failing."
"There is more to the plan than you realize, Human." the Klingon said with a smirk. "It has been modified ever since you discovered us weeks ago by intercepting a transmission. We will not let you or your ship stop us."
"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, folding her arms and frowning.
"Has your science officer conducted a scan of the ship since your shields were lowered?" the Klingon asked with another smirk.
"No...why-?" she stopped, staring at him. No...they couldn't be...yet no one had thought to scan the ship after the action on the bridge...
Nyota heard the door slide open, and she spun around. Before she could do anything, the security guards on either side of her had each been hit with a bolt of energy, and a Klingon had grabbed her roughly, pinning her arms to her sides. She let out a frustrated yell and twisted, trying to free herself- to no avail. The Klingon was much stronger than she was, and there were four disruptors aimed at her.
"I was beginning to think you would not come." said the Klingon behind her to his four comrades, who stood in the corridor.
"Gi'ral's orders were specific- no one must see us until we take the bridge." the Klingon who held her said. "We had to move by stealth, Korth. It took time. We stunned several humans on our way here. What should we do with the female?"
"Lock her in this cell. I have a small amount of respect for her fluency in our language. We will let her die when the others die."
"You will never succeed!" she spat in Klingon.
"How will you stop us?" one Klingon growled.
Nyota did not reply to that. There was no way she could stop them. The Klingon bared his teeth at her as he laughed. "Give me your security override pass code." he said in Standard.
"I don't have one." she lied. "I'm not high-ranking enough."
"Liar!" The Klingon slapped her. She gasped, the stinging pain making her eyes water as her head snapped back. She turned her head slowly to face him again.
"You will regret that." she hissed as she glared at him.
"If you do not tell me what it is, I will kill these guards before your eyes." the Klingon said. To emphasize their point, one of them knelt down beside a man, pressing his disruptor against his head and making sure she saw as he switched it from "stun" to "kill". Nyota wet her lips and took a deep breath. She had no choice- she gave them the code. If they threatened to kill her, that was one thing...but she could not let someone else die when she could prevent it.
One of them entered it into the panel, and the force field was lowered. Korth stepped out, and was given a disruptor. Nyota was shoved roughly inside, landing on her hands and knees on the hard floor. When she looked back around, she saw that the force field was back in place, and the Klingons were leaving.
"Bastards." she muttered. "Spock?" she asked.
"Nyota? What is happening? I sensed your distress- but I could not see what was causing it." Spock's inner voice sounded panicked.
"Klingons. On board. Spock, you have to warn someone!"
"There is no one to warn, Nyota. The doctor has just left for the bridge- no one is here except the captain and myself."
"Spock...I'm in a cell in the brig. I can't do anything!"
He did not ask what she was doing there- he already knew. "I will find a way, ashayam."
With that, he closed the link. She didn't understand why he did...and now she was alone. She leaned against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chest. What was going to happen to them all?
A/N: Grr! I hate it when Fanfic acts up!
Anyway...only a few more chapters left in this story. I'm going to end it then, because I'm finding that it's extremely exhausting and difficult to write two stories at once, and right now The Vulcan's Wife is my main focus. Not that I'm done with Spock and Nyota! My next project for them will be a series of one-shots that I'll have together as chapters, instead of separate. It won't be updated as regularly, but I'm not ready to leave this couple. I MAY one day write another multi-chaptered fic, but I don't know yet.