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“Put them on screen.”

The dark of space vanished in a flash as an amber glow radiated from the main viewer. There it was: A deadly hexagon of Tholian ships linked by the powerful energy web, burning with what seemed to be a life of its own. The formation did not waver from its course as it bore down on the da Vinci.

Duffy didn’t blink. He stared at the viewer, refusing to let the web scare him from saving his crew.

His crew.

“Hail them,” he ordered. “And get ready for a fight.”

The Defiant’s auxiliary control center was a room pulsing with life, energy, and purpose as its doors parted to admit David Gold and Soloman.

“Bless you, Gomez,” the da Vinci captain said as the pair moved to the room’s central control console. A quick glance of the display readouts there showed that they would be able to control all available systems from this point.

That’s good, Gold thought, because we’re running out of places to go.

The journey from the bridge had been an interesting one, with Gold and Soloman using their suits’ small maneuvering thrusters to control their descent into the turboshaft. By comparison, forcing the doors to deck seven had been easy, after which Soloman’s tricorder had guided them here.

Intended for use only in the event of the main bridge being destroyed or otherwise compromised, this room harbored none of the aesthetic niceties that so characterized the ship’s primary nerve center. It was designed solely with function in mind, and at that moment such efficiency suited David Gold just fine.

“Activate the viewscreen,” he said. Soloman found the necessary controls and seconds later the screen on the far bulkhead flickered to life, its blank slate replaced with the now-familiar chaos that was the rift. But it wasn’t all that was visible.

“Stars,” Gold whispered. Indeed, the fabric of space, with its millions of stars, was growing more distinct with each passing second. The bold plan put into motion by Gomez and her team had worked, and the Defiant was emerging from the rift.

“Captain,” Soloman said, “sensors are detecting the da Vinci. She is holding station . . . just within transporter range.” Continuing to consult the limited information provided by the ship’s scanners, the Bynar added, “I am also reading six Tholian vessels . . . on an approach vector.”

Looking at the displays himself, Gold pointed to one that displayed a large, undefined energy reading. “What’s that?”

“It is similar in configuration to . . . the energy webs normally created by . . . Tholian vessels,” Soloman replied. “Though it is not a deployment . . . I am familiar with.”

“They’re pulling it like a big fishing net,” Gold said, experience and instinct giving him the answer. “They mean to snare the da Vinci with it.”

Soloman nodded. “It is of sufficient strength to . . . overcome the da Vinci’s shields.”

“Stand by on the thrusters,” Gold said before tapping his communicator. “Gold to Gomez. I need whatever power you have left for the deflector shields, and that phaser bank if you have it.”

The engineer’s reply was most definitely lacking in enthusiasm. “I was really hoping you wouldn’t say that, Captain. This ship can’t go into combat.”

Gold was well aware of what he had at his disposal. One hundred years ago, this vessel was the match of just about anything the Federation’s known enemies could throw at her. Now, however, she was a shell of what she had once been, barely able to move at a limp and with no real weaponry. Realistically, the Defiant stood no chance of withstanding any sort of prolonged battle.

But that wasn’t what he was after. He knew his team of engineers wouldn’t understand immediately, but that was only natural. After all, he was out of his element in the midst of most engineering problems. But now they were on his turf, playing a game he had more experience at than he liked to readily admit.

“I know, Commander, but hopefully we won’t have to. I just need the old girl to come through one more time.”

CHAPTER