Star Trek: The Original Series: The More Things Change Read Online Free PDF

that sentiment remains after my defensive measures.”
    “But we left them behind. You kicked their ass with your warp-field trick.”
    “Any so-called ass kicking would have been minimal. We must assume that they will quickly effect any necessary repairs and pursue us. Our warp trail will be easy to track. Given the vessel’s size, they will be able to maintain a higher warp factor. They will overtake us before we reach the rendezvous point.”
    “That was not comforting.”
    “No.” Spock turned back to his controls to monitor the systems and made some minute adjustments. “We are back on course for the rendezvous, for now. I was able to get the navigational sensor subsystems operative, fortunately. But we will eventually need to take further evasive measures to elude our attackers.”
    “That could be a problem. Commissioner Dax’s symptoms are worsening. I don’t know if we can safely delay the rendezvous.”
    Spock nodded. “Nevertheless, I cannot realistically guarantee that we can safely make it to the rendezvous as scheduled.”
    They sat quietly together for a few minutes, contemplating the no-win scenario that seemed to be developing. Finally Spock broke the silence. “I will take all these variables into account as I develop strategic options. But . . .” He hesitated. Chapel waited, but before Spock could finish his thought, Dax called out.
    Chapel was out of the copilot’s seat and headed aft without any further thought about Spock’s unfinished sentence. In the seconds it took her to get to Dax’s bedside, her patient had lost consciousness.
    “Dammit.” Chapel felt for a pulse at Dax’s neck, her fingers looking pale compared to the Trill’s spots. Dax’s pulse was faint but steady, her breathing even if a bit shallow. There seemed to be no reason for Dax to have lost consciousness, but, of course, Chapel knew nothing about what was causing the symptoms in the first place. For all she knew, this loss of consciousness could be unrelated to whatever was causing Dax’s abdominal pain. Chapel suddenly felt her stomach lurch as she thought, I’m an idiot—she could have just hit her head during the attack . Are Trill at higher risk for hematomas than humans? Chapel had no way of knowing.
    Although she tried to feel better by telling herself that Dax would have surely told her about such an injury, Chapel examined the woman’s head closely and carefully. She turned Dax’s head left and right, then gently lifted it from the pillow as she ran her hands through the Trill’s long black hair. She found no external signs of injury, no blood in the hair, no swelling. She opened Dax’s eyelids. Her pupils were equal and responsive. Chapel took one of Dax’s hands in her own, felt a palm that was almost back to its usual coolness. Checking the pulse at Dax’s wrist, Chapel was relieved to find it had gotten a little stronger. She arranged her patient’s arms comfortably and tucked the covers back into place.
    Chapel paced back and forth in the small cabin. Her patient seemed stable for now, but overall Dax’s condition had been worsening since leaving the Enterprise . Now that the commissioner was unconscious—and the shuttle had barely escaped from their mysterious attackers—Chapel decided that “the last resort” Dax had spoken of had arrived. She had to break the rules.
    She didn’t activate the bed’s built-in diagnostic scanners but opted for a more narrowly focused handheld scanner, which she networked with the bed’s monitor. I’ll just eliminate the possibility of head injury. That seems least intrusive. For now.
    The doctor expected to simply confirm no signs of hematoma, but as soon as she ran the scanner over Dax’s forehead, odd readings popped up on the monitor. It was almost like the Trill’s brainwaves had echoes. Maybe a malfunction in the scanner, something out of sync?
    Setting the handheld scanner aside, Chapel grabbed a medical tricorder and ran the scan again.