Lost Era 06_ Catalyst of Sorrows - Margaret Wander Bonanno [110]
“And that’s the long answer,” Sisko quipped, admiring the longbow. “Damn fine craftsmanship on such short notice.”
“In fact, it is very primitive,” Tuvok pointed out. “It ought to have been made of French yew, aged for at least thirty days. However,” he said, unstringing it and stowing it under his bunk. “It has served its purpose, in that it has prevented something as inconsequential as a skirmish with the locals from endangering our mission.” He frowned slightly. “Where is Zetha?”
Sisko blinked. “I don’t know. I assumed she went with you.”
Tuvok’s frown deepened. “She asked if she could remain here, and indicated she would speak to you about it. I should have verified that. An oversight on my part.”
“I’ve been in the engine room the whole time,” Sisko explained with a sinking feeling. “I assumed, since she always goes with you… I never thought to check.”
Was this where it happened? Sisko wondered. Was this where she jumped ship, went back to her masters, set his crew up for an attack? Was the ambush they’d just foiled part of her plan? How much of that was his fault?
“She’s probably back in the lab,” he suggested, praying it was so. “Although why she didn’t come out during the attack…”
But Zetha was not in the lab, nor anywhere else on the ship.
“We would have to attain orbit in order to get clear of local comm chatter,” Tuvok suggested, already preparing for departure. “But if Zetha is anywhere in the vicinity, it will be possible to put a trace on her….”
“And if she isn’t in the vicinity,” Sisko said grimly. “I wouldn’t be surprised if-” Just then the perimeter alarm sounded, and he slid into the command chair.
“The Sliwoni are back,” he reported, scanning the clearing and the surrounding woods. “Not just a handful on foot, but half a dozen hovercraft, weapons powering. I’d say we’ve overstayed our welcome.”
Tuvok had taken the seat beside him at the controls and was scanning the weapons signatures. “Standard plasma weapons. If they fire, shields should be able to handle it. But I would prefer that we not have to test them.”
“You and me both,” Sisko agreed. “I doubt these shields have been used since before I was born. I wouldn’t want to find out-“
A shot across their bow left his thought unfinished.
“Whatever happened to ‘come out with your hands up’?” Sisko groused, sealing hatches, powering up. “And is it me, or are there no official markings on those ‘craft?”
“Confirmed,” Tuvok reported, scanning. “Unmarked, and of several different designs.”
“A posse,” Sisko decided. “Vigilante justice. Well, they want us out of town before sunset, I’ll be happy to oblige them.”
Before Tuvok could ask the question, he gave him an answer.
“My educated guess is those ‘craft are built for atmosphere, not vacuum. I just want to get high enough up to where they can’t follow us, and then we’ll go looking for our runaway. Shields up,” he announced just as one of the hovercraft fired another shot. The shields took it with only a little protest, though Sisko could feel the drain as if it were he and not the ship who’d been hit.
“Shields down to sixty-eight percent, recharging,” Tuvok reported smoothly.
“Can’t wait for it,” Sisko announced. The engines were fully online now. He opened the intraship to warn Selar in the lab. “Hang onto anything breakable, Doctor. We’re out of here!”
With that he activated the forward thrusters and threw the big bird into reverse. She slid abruptly backward to hover above the raging sea, buffeted by the wind sheer until Sisko reversed thrusters and, like her namesake, her cumbersome shape defied gravity and soared upward, over the heads of the disappointed hovercraft, and away.
Comm was crackling furiously. Since Sisko was occupied, Tuvok monitored. A jumble of cross talk greeted him, Sliwoni authorities arguing with their attackers, who were arguing back.
“Some are