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Not that he expected that. His successes meant that the workers on his ship were particularly efficient. Sure enough, his status board indicated that all his orders were carried out with dispatch. The viewscreen showed the visual distortion of space brought about by the implementation of the faster-than-light drive. At 7.2 x 10 times the speed of light, they would arrive at the Cardassian station in under an hour.

“With respect, Overseer,” Howwi said, “the client will not like this.”

Biron looked at Howwi. “The client will like losing the station even less. If it truly is Starfleet, we cannot risk letting them run loose.”

Howwi scratched his nose at the spot where, once he was promoted to full overseer, his fifth nose ring would go. “Might it be possible that the da Vinci is the ship we will face?”

“To speculate would be unproductive.” Biron considered. “However, I would certainly welcome a chance to face them again.” The defeat at Maeglin still grated on Biron. He had not failed often in his career.

“Overseer,” said a different worker.

“Speak.”

“Receiving telemetry from the triovar field now.”

“Report.”

“It has detected and interfered with the communication badge signals from nine members of the crew of the Starfleet vessel U.S.S. da Vinci, registry NCC-81623: Kieran Duffy, Domenica Corsi, Fabian Stevens, 110, P8 Blue, Vance Hawkins, Stephen Drew, Andrea Lipinski, and Frnats. It no longer detects those signals, however.”

“Perhaps they left,” Howwi said.

“Or perhaps they discovered the interference and adjusted their communication badges accordingly,” Biron said. “Adjust FTL to 9.5.”

That would bring them to the Cardassian station in fifteen minutes. To go faster would risk damage to the engines, which Biron was not willing to do. As it was, he was disappointed in his emotional response to the presence of the da Vinci. Such thoughts of revenge were inefficient.

But he wanted to get back at the humans David Gold and Sonya Gomez and the rest of their crew for the humiliation on Maeglin. The fact that he would get to do so while continuing to service the client that would get his sponsor the holo-emitters simply made it more efficient to do so.

CHAPTER

6

Fabian Stevens stared at the Androssi field that was now surrounding the fusion core. He had spent the last several months trying not to think about their last encounter with the Androssi—it had been Commander Gomez’s first mission on the da Vinci, and more than once he had been convinced it was going to be her last.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that they might have to deal with that Androssi overseer Biron again at any minute, there was also the fact that each second that they couldn’t get at the fusion core was another second that DS9 was in serious danger. Stevens still had plenty of friends on the station, and he was seriously worried about them right now.

Then there was Corsi. Each time that damn brown ball shot at her, Stevens’s heart skipped a beat. Focus, Fabe, focus. Remember what Bart said—don’t let this distract you.

Looking over at that hard face—such a contrast from the peaceful woman who was sleeping next to him this morning—he knew that there was no chance of anything developing between them. Leaving aside any other considerations, he doubted that Domenica would allow herself to get involved in such an inappropriate dalliance.

Not “Domenica.” She’s Corsi. Or Core-Breach. Just keep it professional.

He heard the familiar sound of a transporter—in fact, Stevens could tell just from the level of noise that it was four people materializing—and turned to see Nog, Eddy, Friesner, and Robins appear on the catwalk. Nog had three pattern enhancers, which he wasted no time in placing in a triangle, with one point at Lipinski’s twitching form, the other two around the heap that Hawkins and Frnats had fallen into on the opposite side of the catwalk.

Robins, meanwhile, started distributing new combadges to everyone. Stevens had to admire the thoroughness of Biron and his