He leaped from his seat and they fell into each other’s arms, laughing and pounding each other on the back. After a few moments, concern penetrated Uhura’s euphoria. “But is it enough?” she asked, a bit hoarsely. “Now that they’ve connected, will they stop trying to force the signal through? Or will they ramp it up even more?”

They stared at each other wide-eyed. But in moments, the screens provided the answer. “Subspace interference subsiding,” Shastri reported. “Vacuum energy levels too. Signal’s still coming through, but tighter, clearer.” He grinned at her. “They’ve stopped shouting—now they’re just talking.”

“At last.”

“Bridge to communications lab,” came Spock’s voice. “The flare has begun to dissipate. Subspace erosion has leveled off. Have you made contact?”

Uhura grinned and opened the return channel. “Affirmative, Captain! We’re now receiving them loud and clear.”

She clasped Shastri’s hand and smiled at him. “And this time, we won’t lose the connection.”

Starfleet Academy

As soon as the interference cleared and Kirk got the report that the Enterprise had succeeded in stopping the vacuum flares, the admiral contacted Academy Security and ordered them to detain Horatio at once. The reply he soon received made it clear that that might be unnecessary.

He arrived at Horatio’s dorm room with McCoy, Janith-Lau, and Portia in tow, as they were no longer needed for flare relief. Perhaps that task would have been easier for them to endure than what they found within, once Kirk nodded at the guards outside and led his party through the door.

All seven of the Warborn who had not gone with Portia were here, sprawled on the floor. From their orientation, they had been seated together, arrayed around Horatio, who was cross-legged and slumped against the wall at their head. The only other occupant of the room was Zirani Kayros, who sat with Benedick’s head cradled in her lap. The Tiburonian cadet looked up at Kirk and the others, weeping freely. “Sir… I found them like this. Most of them were already… But Benedick…”

McCoy checked several of them for life signs by hand, then used his medical scanner on the rest to confirm it. He looked up grimly at the admiral. “Dead, Jim. All but Horatio, and he’s slipping fast. Some kind of poison.” He moved to the ringleader’s side to do what he could, while Portia and Janith-Lau looked on in dumb shock.

“Benedick said…” Kayros gulped and gathered her breath before continuing. “He seemed so content. Said he finally got to sacrifice for Arcturus… that he was sorry he had to leave us, b-but Horatio said it was the only way. He said… Horatio let him hand out the poison!” She sobbed, and Janith-Lau moved to comfort her.

“Jim!” McCoy waved him closer to Horatio, who was moving slowly, moaning and cracking his eyes open.