A Call to Darkness - Michael Jan Friedman [76]
They had a little more margin for error with an android than with a human being. Data was durable, extraordinarly strong and agile. However, if he materialized inside some Klah’kimmbri’s favorite monument, he’d be in as much trouble as anyone else.
All of this meant that they’d had to close the distance between themselves and A’klah in order to ensure Data’s safe passage-a mandate that hadn’t exactly thrilled Will Riker. “If we get too close,” he’d said, “we’ll be noticed. Then they’ll regenerate that damned energy shield and we’ll be back up the creek without a paddle. With no possibility of beaming down, no one to gather information for us planetside-and more than likely, no second chance at sensor reconnaissance.”
In the end, Lady Luck had turned up on their side. They had established the position O’Brien needed-and so far, the Klah’kimmbri showed no signs of having detected them.
But it was foolish to tempt fate any longer than they had to. O’Brien’s fingers flew deftly and surely over the few controls he hadn’t been able to preset. Within moments of their having breached the maximum-distance bubble, he glanced at Riker.
“Ready to transport,” he said.
The first officer turned to Data, who stood front and center on the transporter platform. The android nodded once-smartly, O’Brien thought.
“All right,” said Riker. “Energize.”
In the next second, Data was surrounded by a cylinder of shimmering light. It seemed to absorb him, to suck all the substance out of him. Finally, the cylinder vanished-and the android along with it.
O’Brien consulted his instruments. “Transport complete,” he announced. And hoped that it had been accomplished with a minimum of discomfort to Data. There was no way of knowing, unfortunately, until the android established a communicator link-and that wasn’t supposed to happen until he’d completed his mission.
“Good,” said Riker. He spoke to the ship’s computer. “Conn.”
“Ensign Crusher here,” came the response over the intercom.
“Take us back to our previous position, Ensign Crusher. As quickly as possible.”
“Aye-aye, sir.”
Up on the bridge, Wesley had already programmed the course change-in accordance with Riker’s orders. O’Brien thought he could feel the engines engage by way of a slight vibration in the deck.
The first officer turned back to him. He still looked pretty grim.
“Cheer up, sir,” said the transporter chief. “It couldn’t have gone any better.”
Riker grunted. “It’s not that. I have every confidence that he arrived in one piece.” He sighed, shook his head. “I just can’t help but feel it should have been me down there instead of poor Data.”
Nor was he speaking as a first officer-O’Brien recognized that right away. Riker was speaking as a man worried about his friend.
Worf waited for Harr’h’s signal, battle senses taut and alert. The sky, which had been darkening steadily, looked impatient for the assault to get under way-as impatient, almost, as the warriors themselves.
Of all of them, only the Klingon was not looking forward to the combat. For him alone, the taste of imminent violence was a bitter brew, mulled by the awful knowledge that he would falter at the prospect of a kill.
He peered at the defenders on the walls, the marshals who swung high in the bruised and purpling heavens, weaving circles around the flyingeye machines. His comrades had only one set of enemies to look out for-Worf had two.
Then Harr’h called out the attack-a long, ululating cry that bound the siege-makers to the battle and the battle to the siege-makers, until both were one and the one was a thing of fierce, feverish beauty.
Everyone bounded forward at once. Worf had been chosen as one of the squad leaders. In his right hand, he carried his mace. In his left, he bore the foremost part of a tall, sturdy siege ladder. Behind him, nine other warriors shared the ladder’s burden.
There were ten squads altogether, all similarly equipped. Each had been assigned a point of attack.
Up on the battlements, some of the defenders brought forth heavy stones and chunks of masonry-missiles with