The Last Roundup

by Christie Golden

• ISBN13: 9780743449106
• ISBN10: 074344910X
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-06-03
• Publisher: Star Trek

Summary

Having saved the Federation one more time in Star Trek®: The Undiscovered Country™, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise™ have finally gone their separate ways. Spock, McCoy, Sulu, and the others are spread

Excerpts

Chapter One It was a dead world.It had never supported life of its own. The planet known in Federation records as Polluxara IV had no intelligent life that might interfere with the Prime Directive. It sported not so much as a microbe, but within its lifeless, rocky exterior had once flowed a rich vein of what was then one of the most precious substances in the universe -- dilithium.It was this deposit that had led Earth, almost a hundred and fifty years ago, to establish a colony in order to mine the mineral. But now, once again, Polluxara IV was lifeless, save for the twenty-seven souls that stood safely encased in environmental suits on its still-radioactive exterior.Captain James Tiberius Kirk, once Admiral Kirk, and earlier and since captain of theU.S.S. Enterprise,was one of the twenty-seven. The others were much younger and, at this moment, were quieter than he had ever heard them.Kirk wasn't surprised. Standing at the site of a great tragedy had that effect.Towering above them were the ruins of what had once been a colony of vital importance to a pre-Federation Earth. There remained only sharp shards of metal and other materials, warped, melted, twisted, and pulverized. The bodies were long gone, of course. What the Earth forces could come and retrieve to honor with a hero's burial had been so gathered, decades past. But there hadn't been enough remains to bury of most of them; hadn't been enough to find.Kirk didn't speak immediately after they materialized. He let the cadets look around and absorb what they saw for themselves. The wide-eyed solemnity he saw in their faces -- a mixture of species that would have stunned those who had died here a century ago -- made him nod slightly in approval. Good kids, all of them. He'd been right to call in a few favors on this.Time for the pop quiz."Cadet Singh," Kirk said sharply. Indira Singh's head whipped around."Sir!" she answered, snapping to attention despite the mute testimony to death that lay all around her."Tell me about Commander Lowe, if you please."Light glimmered on her protective faceplate, but not so much that Kirk couldn't see her lick her lips nervously. "Commander Sabra Lowe led the mining colony here in the middle part of the twenty-second century. It was a state-of-the-art colony that turned out swift production of a very pure form of dilithium, almost ninety-two percent pure.""How many other active dilithium mining colonies were there at that time?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cadet Skalli Jksili raise her long, slender arm, but he ignored her."Only seven. Polluxara IV turned out -- " Singh hesitated, and her dark eyes widened as she frantically sought the answer. "Four point oh seven two times the amount of the others." She breathed easier."Very good. You've just made an excellent start on your final."A chorus of protest rose as the students realized that Kirk was apparently springing at least part of the final exam of his course, "Command Decisions and Their Consequences," on them here, now, unannounced. The sounds were oddly comforting to Kirk, standing here among the ruins. It was a sound that reminded him that life had to go on, no matter how many colonies --"I did tell you to do your research," Kirk reminded them mildly, raising a hand to still them. They quieted at once. "Now. Cadet Brown. Tell me what happened here a few years later." He could see Cadet Skalli shaking her head in disgust.Cadet Christopher Brown stood at attention, trying not to smile. Kirk had given him an easier question."Commander Lowe received advance warning of an attack. The scout reported that the Romulans, then a relatively unknown species, were approaching.""And their goal was to completely destroy the colony, in order to strike fear into the heart of Earth forces.""Negative, sir!" Brown's smile widened as he caught Kirk's trick question. "Their go