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By Root 1007 0

to be taken seriously. Just one more difference between us: you would as soon destroy us here as anywhere else—though even now you hope yet to run us down, catch us, beat down our shields, and take home your prize. Well, you will have no prize. Sooner than allow our capture, I will destroy this ship myself. And your Empire will be doomed as a result … so think about that. Also, we will find a way to let them know what you have done: don’t think to hide it. If a universe is about to be destroyed, in the long term or the short, I will see to it that your Empire knows at whose doorstep to lay the responsibility. Meanwhile … catch us if you can. We would spare you if we had the chance. We probably will not get it; so … do your best.”

The other Picard did not rage or fume or anything else: he sat coolly and looked at his counterpart. “I don’t understand you, Captain. I am offering you a chance to survive.”

“There are more important things than survival,” Picard said very softly. “And no, you do not understand us.” He glanced up at the other Worf, standing behind that Picard again, stony-faced. “May we never so change that you do. Ou.”

The screen went blank. Picard sat there, still sweating. It was astonishing, the effort it took even to speak to the man. … Riker, though, looked over at him with slight amusement. “Is that other Troi after his job?”

Picard laughed once, sharply. “To put it mildly. … She may get it yet.”

“The other Enterprise is now within one hundred fifty-five thousand kilometers, Captain,” Data said, “and continues to close.”

“Is that probe ready?” Picard said.

“Yes, sir.”

“Prepare one with our theoretical data about the side effects of inclusion and program it to head for Earth. Add Mr. La Forge’s little screen routine to its shields, if you can. The more trouble they have finding it, the better.”

“Aye, Captain. It will take a short time.”

“Take it. Mr. Redpath, go up a level on the evasive. I want them to have to work for it now.”

“Yes, sir,” Redpath said with relish, and started to work at it.

Picard’s quick glance at the way Enterprise’s course now started behaving on the tactical screen made him hide another smile. “Engineering!”

“La Forge here, Captain. Halfway through the second test cycle. It’s looking good.”

“We’ll wait, Mr. La Forge,” Picard said.

They waited.

“One hundred thousand kilometers,” Data said. “They have increased speed to warp nine.”

“Match it,” Picard said.

“Captain, we’re getting some spikes down here! The test cycle may go out again.”

Picard swallowed. “Do you absolutely need it?”

“If it’s not going to work,” Hwiii said, “I should think you would prefer to know about it now, Captain, rather than when we try to jump with it and fail to get anywhere, with them snapping along right behind us.”

“I take your point, Commander,” Picard said. “Please put your tail into it.”

Hwiii could be heard to chuckle. Behind him, Geordi’s voice said, “Is that it? Did it go?”

“Positive result—the curve topped out at fourteen.”

“Test cycle is positive!” Geordi said.

“All right,” Picard said. “Get ready to do it, gentlemen. How soon?”

“Three minutes for the exclusion cycle,” Geordi said. “Captain, we can’t have any velocity changes during the cycle. If you want to accelerate, do it now. Also, firing has to be kept to a minimum—shields are going to cost us enough as it is. Any spike in the power curve will abort the whole thing.”

“Warp nine point five, Mr. Data,” Picard said. “Mr. Worf, full power to the rear shields. Watch the nutation, they may try changing attitude and coming from above or below. Prepare a full spread of photon torpedoes. Reduce all unnecessary life support and other systems to minimal levels.”

They sat and watched the other Enterprise creep up behind them, more and more quickly. “She has gone to warp nine point five, Captain,” Data said. “Energy output levels indicate she can hold this speed for a matter of some hours. We would be forced to drop out of warp at the five-minute point.”

“Noted,” Picard said. “Hold her steady. Mr. Redpath, your maximum inventiveness