Worlds Without End, Part XIX

Col. Kira rushed out of her office and into Ops. "Report!" she shouted over the alert.

"Incoming ships," Lt. Blake called to her. "Cardassian, twenty-three ships. They're on an intercept course."

"How much time?" Kira asked quickly.

"Three minutes."

"What?" she asked incredulously. "This is the first we've sighted them?!"

Blake hesitated. "There was probably some interference due to..."

"Please, spare me the Starfleet lecture," she replied, heading for the lift. "Get the station ready for attack, and appraise Bajor and Starbase 1172 of the attack." She stepped into the lift as she tapped her communicator. "Nog, I want the Defiant prepped and ready for launch immediately."

"Aye, sir," Nog said. He turned to his father, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "Look, I have to deal with this, we'll discuss things after I get back." Rom had been trying to track down the Trandoshan that roughed up Quark, but he seemed to have slipped off the station.

"But I have some new information-" Rom said as Bashir and Ezri came up.

"Lieutenant," Bashir said, "don't keep the colonel waiting."

"Sir," Nog said, and jogged off.

"Listen," Rom said, "this is important!" He turned to Bashir and Ezri. "This alien is a bounty hunter! He-"

"Rom," Bashir said, "we really don't have time for this right now."

"Look, I am the Grand Nagus, and I will not simply be ignored," Rom said. It wasn't threatening, it was more the voice of desperation.

"Julian," Ezri said, "go ahead. Rom, tell me everything and I'll see what I can do."

"I'll see you when I get back," Bashir said as he took off after Nog.

"Listen," Rom said to Ezri, "the bounty hunter was hired by the Empire!"

"What makes you say that?" Ezri asked.

"Profits!" Rom said. "You think money is being passed around and the Ferengi won't know about it?"

"You have a point," Ezri said. "But we are at war with Cardassia, Rom."

"But what he did-"

"Look, even if the Empire set up the bounty, they aren't responsible for what happened to Quark." Rom started to protest. "I know he's your brother, and you feel like you owe him, but you know that Quark deals in shady areas at times... and this is what happens."

"Don't dismiss this, just because he's a Ferengi," Rom said.

"You know I'd never do that," Ezri said. "Now, we better get to a shelter, all right?" Rom nodded finally, but was clearly not happy, and the two headed off for Deep Space Nine's emergency shelters.

The Defiant pulled away from its dock just as the Cardassian ships came out of warp. As the ship turned about and began moving to intercept, Kira felt her breath freeze in her chest. There were twenty-three ships alright, but not the standard Galors she'd been expecting. These were the Keldon-class ships, much larger and more powerful. She turned to the officer monitoring communications. "Any help on the way?"

"We've got the Chelnys, the Latinia, and the Vorral approaching from Bajor," she called. "They'll be here in two minutes."

Kira ground her teeth. Four against twenty-three. This didn't look good. "Well we'll have to buy them some time. Open a channel to the Cardassians." The officer nodded to her. "This is Colonel Kira. Why have you invaded our space?"

The image of a Cardassian appeared on the viewer. "This is Gul Nulek. You will stand down your weapons and prepare to be boarded."

"Standard Cardassian hail," Bashir quietly commented.

"And time for the standard Bajoran reply," Kira said. "Prepare to fire on my mark." They watched as the ships moved closer and closer, ignoring any orders to turn back. Finally, with no options left, Kira gave the command. "Fire."

The Defiant fired a series of phaser pulses at the nearest Keldon, battering its shields. The remaining ships of the fleet continued on, fourteen heading for Bajor while the rest went towards the station. The tiny ship performed some evasive maneuvers as the Keldons tried vainly to connect, then fired again. "Their shields are at 42%," Nog called.

"Continue firing," Kira ordered. The Defiant rocked with an impact, but they fought on.

"Their shields are at 34%."

Kira gritted her teeth. "Three quantum torpedoes." She could sense the other officers on the bridge didn't like that order; even though there was a war, technically Bajor wasn't involved. If Kira deliberately gave the order to destroy the Cardassian ship, they'd be in it up to their necks. "We've got two dozen ships to worry about," Kira said, "this is no time to play with the kid gloves. Lock on and fire."

Three shimmering silver-white dots shot out of the ship, traveling in eerie silence towards the Cardassian ship. The explosions shook the vessel about as it experienced stresses it was never designed to endure. "Their shields are gone," Nog reported. "There's fluctuations in their power grid, multiple hull breaches-."

"Phasers," Kira ordered.

Nog only hesitated a second. "Aye, sir," he said. The Defiant swung around at the Cardassian ship, it's pulse phasers ripping through its hull. Within seconds, the explosions began appearing throughout the ship. As the Defiant raced away, the ship exploded in a brilliant shower of light and metal.

"Lay in a pursuit course," Kira ordered. She could see eight Keldons surrounding Deep Space 9, the rest of the fleet already far in the distance. "The other vessels should hopefully buy us some time. Fire on the nearest ship as soon as we're in range: Six quantums in a three quarter spread pattern." The tension on the bridge seemed to thicken; many of these officers were new to the Defiant, some hadn't seen any action at all in the Dominion War. They were used to Starfleet's usually soft methods; heavy-handed tactics didn't go over well. Well, Kira thought, it's time they learned what war is, in all its ugly details. They were one ship against a small fleet, they couldn't afford to pull their punches.

"Approaching optimal weapons range," Nog informed her.

"As soon as you have a lock, fire," Kira ordered.

Six torpedoes flashed out of their tubes in a criss-cross pattern, detonating on impact with the Cardassian warship. Its shields flared and vanished as the ship was rocked by the force of the blasts. The starboard hull shredded from the impact, and they watched equipment and soldiers sucked into the vacuum of space. "Their shields are gone," Nog reported. "Breaches to most of their starboard decks. Their life-support is offline."

"That should keep them occupied," Bashir remarked, looking at Kira. He was a combat veteran, and he understood, but he was also a doctor. There was a line he didn't want them to cross.

"Agreed," Kira said. "Course 029 mark 14...."

The ship shook violently, knocking many of them off their feet by the force of the blow. Apparently the Cardassians were taking the Defiant seriously now. "Evasive action," Kira ordered, "Damage report!"

"Direct hit on our aft section," Nog reported. "Shields at 71%."

"Bring us about and prepare to fire," Kira ordered. The ship pulled a sharp loop in space, coming back at the Keldon at its top speed, pulse phasers firing. The massive Keldon rotated to starboard to try to avoid the shots, but couldn't escape them all. Quickly it returned fire, its weapons narrowly missing the twisting Defiant as it overshot the Cardassians, and twisted back for another pass. Unfortunately, the Keldon anticipated the turn, and fired.

Kira shielded her eyes as an explosion flared from the communication panel. The young officer at that post was flung across the room into the wall with bonecracking force. Still, it didn't matter, the piece of the panel protruding from her neck showed she was already dead, though Bashir rushed to check on her anyway. Nog's went next, but the Ferengi had enough of a survival instinct to drop as it went up, but he let out a cry from the injury. Kira didn't have time to see to him, though; she instead began furiously tapping commands on her own small panel, trying to re-route weapons control to her chair. The ship rocked with a second strike, quickly followed by a third. Kira looked up to see that three of the Keldons had ganged up on the Defiant, their weapons fire turning this area of space into a deadly rain of energy. Again the ship shook, and Kira held on to her seat to avoid being thrown out. She tapped the panel and fired three full spreads of quantums, hoping to clear some space for them to have a moment.

"Colonel!" an officer who had taken over damage control called, "We've got a coolant leak in the warp core chamber! We've got to re-route power..."

"Then re-route!" Kira called, firing another volley of torpedoes. It was fortunate the Defiant carried as many as it did, they were all that was keeping them in the game.

"Sir, we're going to need to power down and..."

"Unacceptable," Kira interrupted, "we've got to hold them off...." She was quickly cut off by another explosion on the bridge. She watched in mute horror as the viewscreen began twisting and cracking, finally falling to the floor in a broken heap. Several Bajoran curses escaped her lips. "Stand your ground!" Kira ordered, getting to her feet. "We're not losing Bajor, not again!" The ship lurched violently, throwing Kira forward. There was a brief feeling of pressure as a large chunk of the viewscreen sheared her arm off... and then blackness took her.

Captain Price and Admiral Riklin materialized in the rebel base. "Welcome to Haven," Leia said. "Admiral Riklin, it's nice to be able to meet with you under better circumstances." The Romulan merely nodded, saying nothing. Leia turned and pointed. "This is General Riekken, commander of Haven, and this is Colonel Derlin, base security. This is Admiral Riklin of the Romulans, and this is Captain Price of the Overlord."

The group moved into the large meeting room off the command center. Leia sat at the head of the table, trying to control her anxiousness. She had negotiated many times before, sometimes with billions of lives on the line. This time, the fate of two galaxies was in her hands, but at least she had the Force, which gave her an advantage. She could sense Admiral Riklin was curious but distrustful at the moment - he would not be easily convinced.

"The Rebel Alliance," Leia began, "was formed to overthrow the Empire's stranglehold on our galaxy. We've fought them for years now, and we know you're fighting them too."

The Romulan was silent for a few moments. "What concern is that to the Alliance?" he asked, his voice shifty.

"We can help you fight them," Leia continued, trying to find some chink in his armor. Tesh was right, these Romulans weren't very trusting; they seemed to sense duplicity in everything. "We have experience and technology we'd be willing to share with you to fight the Empire."

"And you will do this all out of the kindness of your heart?" Riklin replied.

"Riklin," Price replied, her voice carrying a warning tone, "these people are trying to help you. I suggest you lose the attitude and listen to them; unless, of course, you're looking forward to your family working in a Klingon mining colony."

Leia felt a small flush come from the Romulan; apparently Price had hit a nerve. "And I suppose you," he said with some emphasis, "would certainly not be thinking of betraying us to the Federation. Or the Klingons perhaps?"

Leia interrupted as she felt Price's temper rise. "The Empire is the enemy of us all. We need to unite against them if there is to be any hope for both our galaxies."

Admiral Riklin turned his attention back to Leia. "And what precisely do you have to prove any of these lovely sentiments. This could all be an Imperial trick," he looked over at Price again. "Or a Federation one."

Price's fist was out in a flash. For a second, Leia thought she actually was going to hit him, but all she did was hold it in front of his face. Slowly it opened, small objects clattering to the desk. Riklin reached forward and examined one - a Federation comm badge.

"Seven," Price said, her voice lined with emotion. "Seven of my people gave their lives to get you out of that prison. Now I ask you, are their lives worth any trick we may have planned?"

"Yes," he said matter-of-factly. "But I don't think that's the case here," he added after a few seconds. "What do you want, exactly?" he asked Leia.

"We need to speak to your superiors about forming an alliance with them, possibly with the Cardassians as well. We'll provide technology and ships to help fight the war. All we ask is that you work with us against the Empire."

Riklin thought for several minutes, the silence nerve racking. Finally he spoke. "I will do what I can. Hopefully they will see this is the best way."

Picard watched as, once again, his senior officers took their place in the meeting room. Unfortunately, as it had always been for the past month, the news was grim. As part of his command duties, Data had taken the point on the incident to prepare the briefing. "The Cardassians, in an unexpected attack, have taken control of the Bajor System," he reported. "In less than eighteen hours they have suppressed all major resistance and established a relatively well-defended supply line to this position."

"Clearly they're planning to hold this position," Picard commented.

"More than likely, sir" Data replied.

"Why Bajor?" Dr. Crusher asked. "Surely there'd be better military targets than that?"

"It does seem a bit odd," Riker agreed.

"The Cardassians have a firmly entrenched belief in the power of their military," Data replied. "The recent failures against the Empire, coupled with the humiliation they suffered during the Dominion War, may be compelling them to seek any clear victory."

"So this invasion is purely for political reasons," Troi asked.

"It is the most likely possibility," Data replied.

"Which means," Picard replied, "the Cardassians are going to try to defend the system from any type of counterattack. Which means we need to be prepared for heavy resistance."

"We're going to try to retake the system?" Riker inquired.

Picard nodded. "The Enterprise will be joining up with the Borderlain, the Mirrimac, the Gilgamesh, the Bozeman, and the Inferno."

"The Inferno?" Riker replied. "I've never heard of it."

"That's because it's an Imperial ship," Picard replied. "The Imperials are providing extra firepower so we don't need to remove ships from the border patrols."

Riker's displeasure was obvious. Picard could understand his paranoia some; the Empire was becoming more and more involved in Federation affairs since this war began. Ratifying Imperial decisions was almost a formality at this point; Talva's popularity throughout the Federation was remarkable, and the opinion of Darth Vader in the upper echelons of Starfleet was well known. But it did show that the Empire was backing the Federation's plea of innocence in the attack on the Klingon prison, and that had gone a long way. Worf said things were strained, but Martok wasn't going to turn on the Federation. "Extra power... I just hope we're not selling our souls to the devil."

"Well, since this is not the USS Faust, I think we're safe," Picard said. "Dismissed." The senior officers filed out, except for Seven. "Did you find something?"

"No, captain," Seven said. "I am curious, however. What is this 'Faust?'"

"Ah, bit of a cultural reference there," Picard said, grateful for the chance to think about something besides war for a change. "Faust is an old Earth story; the most commonly referenced is the version by one Christopher Marlowe. The title character of the piece sells his soul to the devil to gain knowledge."

"So Faust is a metaphor on the evils of learning?"

"No, no, you see, Faust wanted knowledge because he knew that it was a doorway to power. In the end, however, despite all the power it gave him, it didn't stop him from losing his soul."

"The soul being a metaphor?"

"Well, I think it was intended to be taken literally, given the times... but it would make a good metaphor, to lose oneself because of a lust for power. You should read it, Seven, I think it might give you some insights into the human psyche."

"I will certainly consider it, captain," Seven said.

Picard led the way out of the meeting room. "I'm pleased to see you taking such an interest in Earth's culture," he said to Seven. "What brought this on, if I may ask?"

Seven seemed hesitant, as she often did with things that revolved around her. "I considered my comment on my culture being that of the Borg, and I came to realize that while it may be my culture, it is not one I am... proud of. I thought perhaps learning of my human background would change that."

"Good, if that's what you want," Picard said. "You are free to continue as you are, you know; no one will hold it against you."

Seven looked down a bit. "Yes, but I would remain an outsider."

Picard stopped her and stepped face-to-face. "Seven, you are-"

"I know what you will say, captain," Seven interrupted. "And I did not mean for you to take my remark as an accusation. I am an outsider because of my own... my own fears. I wish to be a part of this crew as much as the others, yet the closer I begin to feel... and the more I feel myself drawn, the more I wish to be further away." She put a hand to her head and shook it. "These paradoxes are proving to be most trying, captain."

Picard nodded, and he put his arm around her and led her up the hall. "Counselor Troi," he said, "could probably put this better than I, but let me just say that you've been very brave under the circumstances. You left the comfort of Voyager for new experiences, you rose to the challenge of joining Starfleet, and now you are working hard to make something of your life. You're going to go very far, Seven, I know it... these growing pains are only temporary. But if you need anything, I promise you that I will be your friend."

Seven swallowed. "Thank you, captain. That means a great deal to me."

Picard patted her on the shoulder and gave her that paternal smile. "Now, let's get some work done, shall we? We have a war to win, remember."

Go To Part XX
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