Crisis of Consciousness Read Online Free

usual, but had a serious tinge.
    “ETA?”
    “ Four minutes, present speed . ”
    “Go to yellow alert. I’m on my way.”
    Kirk put his glass down on McCoy’s desk and twisted toward the exit. “We’ve got company.”
    The doctor followed him toward the door. “Romulans?” McCoy called as the captain sped up the corridor.
    “Unknown vessel, Spock said, so let’s hope not.”
    THE LIFT TO THE BRIDGE seemed too slow, but Kirk knew it was the same speed as always. When the doors slid open, the captain was shocked, but not surprised, to see Pippenge standing just outside the turbolift entrance. The security officer, his weapon already drawn, pulled the ambassador out of Kirk’s way.
    “I saw the yellow alert, and we were informed we were already within the bounds of our system,” the ambassador was telling the officer.
    At the captain’s nod, the security man holstered his phaser and stepped back.
    Kirk knew how important the treaty was, but his gut reaction was to have Pippenge forcibly removed from his bridge—perhaps confinine him to quarters. Thankfully, diplomacy overrode that urge. The captain said in his most level tone, “Mister Ambassador, I didn’t call you to the bridge.”
    Nervously, Pippenge pursed his lips. “Yes, Captain, I’m very sorry. I was simply worried. Please forgive me.” At least the man knew he shouldn’t be there.
    Kirk needed to focus on the situation—not the ambassador. He gently pulled Pippenge toward the command chair as the lift doors opened again. Scotty stepped out and hurriedly moved toward his station.
    “I saw the alert, sir.”
    The captain nodded and descended to the command well as Spock moved to his science station.
    “Report.”
    “Alert status confirmed, sir, all decks.”
    Lieutenant Sulu and Ensign Chekov were at the helm and navigation consoles respectively, quietly awaiting their orders.
    “The vessel?” Kirk asked as he lowered himself into the center seat.
    “Unfamiliar configuration,” Spock said, already bent over his sensor cowl. “No answer to our hails. Intercept in three minutes.”
    “Spock, what do you make of her?”
    The Vulcan flipped switches for a moment, then spun a dial on the side of the viewer. “Conventional warp drive assembly, highly energized plasma weapons, and I believe four forward and four aft torpedo tubes.”
    A small knot formed between the captain’s shoulder blades. “Well armed.”
    “Also,” Spock continued, “class-one shielding and significant armor plating.”
    “Life-forms?” Kirk asked.
    Spock was ready with the answer. “Reading one-hundred seventeen individuals; however, parts of the ship are resistant to scan.”
    Not a Romulan vessel . Thoughtfully stroking his lip with a finger, Kirk wondered what new race this could be. Being heavily armed didn’t necessarily mean they were a threat. The Enterprise was armed to defend herself, but such weapons could be seen as offensive by strangers.
    Turning toward the sound of the lift opening again, Kirk noticed that Lieutenant Uhura had changed into her regulation uniform. With a nod to the relief officer, she slid smoothly into her chair.
    “Visual, Mister Chekov.”
    “Aye, sir.” The ensign tapped quickly at his console.
    On the main viewscreen, the image changed from a relatively empty starscape to one where a small dot grew larger, noticeable only because an indicator on the screen pointed out that it was the vessel in question.
    “Magnify,” Kirk ordered.
    A larger, more impressive view of the approaching ship centered itself on the viewscreen.
    The data on Sulu’s tactical display stated it was only slightly larger in length and width than Enterprise . Its mass was seven times greater. Where Kirk’s ship had a certain grace, with lines that suggested a design of intended beauty, the unknown vessel was a chunk of a craft, not quite cylindrical. It had no curves—just coarse edges and multi-level ledges that shaped its form. If there were