Have Tech, Will Travel (SCE Books 1-4) - Keith R. A. DeCandido_. [et al.] [119]
“We can’t take much more of this,” Gomez said. “Without shields, they’ll cut us to pieces.”
Gold pulled himself to a sitting position. “Any chance you can divert power?”
“The shield generators are completely inert and I’d have to go to engineering to get them back online. We don’t have that kind of time.”
“Captain,” Soloman said. “The da Vinci has severed her tractor beam.” The Bynar turned from the console, his expression one of deep concern. “We are being pulled back into the rift.”
CHAPTER
8
“They’re firing! The Tholians are firing on the Defiant! ”
A backhand from an enraged Brikar could not have spun Duffy around in the da Vinci ’s captain’s chair with more force than did the voice of Ensign Wong. He had turned away from the viewscreen for only a moment to better focus on data coming from Fabian Stevens at the science station. But in that moment, his worst-case scenario, the one he had tucked even deeper in his mind than thoughts of phaser-cutting the Defiant ’s primary hull free from the ship should the rift pull too tightly on its warp nacelles, leapt fully formed from his imagination to the main viewer.
Duffy felt time slow as he stared at the screen, watching the inevitable. A reddish blob of energy, writhing and expanding, closed on the Defiant ’s saucer section and spread across it. The crippled starship rocked a bit in response, jostling hardly at all in the perspective provided by the viewer.
But with no shields? That had to hurt.
“They’ve gone space crazy!” Wong shouted. Duffy wasn’t so sure about that, but he was willing to let the whole bridge crew assume that the Tholians had fallen prey to the effects of the interspatial rift. He saw no immediate need to speculate on the true motivations of the inscrutable race of crystalline beings.
What the hell is going on? What did we do wrong ? As the Defiant reeled from her blow, the Tholians struck again, this time with a disruptor burst that appeared even more intensely red than the first. Words stuck in his throat as Duffy saw the old ship rock even more violently than it had from the first attack.
“Duff, I’m having trouble holding the tractor beam on her,” called Stevens from the science station.
“Then don’t hold it.”
The words were Corsi’s, startling Duffy nearly as much as had the Tholians’ attack. His head snapped around and he stared at the security chief, his mouth already open to ask her if she was out of her mind.
But he reined in his words before they could be uttered. He just as quickly dismissed his first instinct that Corsi was challenging his authority and instead remembered Sonya’s advice to hear Corsi out, especially in a fight. Duffy had always thought she meant the next time they laid over at a club on Argelius II.
He scolded himself. Don’t joke; listen to her. She doesn’t think you’re weak, she’s just trying to help .
“What do you mean?” he asked Corsi.
“The Defiant has no shields. They’ll be ripped apart out here, but maybe they’ll be safer in the rift.” She kept her tone civil, Duffy hoped out of respect for his command. “And besides, we won’t be able to maneuver as long as we’re locked on with our tractor beam.”
Duffy knew where she was going, and cursed himself for not reacting sooner. The rescue operation was transforming rapidly into a tactical situation. The fate of the Defiant as well as the da Vinci could well rest on the decisions he made in the next moments.
“Shields up!” he yelled before attempting to temper his voice with the same confidence he heard in Captain Gold’s orders under fire. “Fabian, disengage the beams. Mr. McAllan, lock weapons on the Tholian ship, but hold your fire.”
Without missing a beat, the da Vinci ’s tactical officer tapped the commands into his console. “Aye, sir.”
As he directed a final glance at Corsi, Duffy hoped his next words were tinged with enough appreciation for her to pick up.
“Recommendation noted, Commander.”
Corsi did not give him the smug