Myriad Universes 02_ Echoes and Refractions - Keith R. A. DeCandido [101]
“Train all weapons on this spy’s ship, DaiMon,” Gul Ovell said.
DaiMon Gig looked to his left. “Do as he says!”
The start-up sequence was almost finished, but the lead Ferengi vessel was powering weapons.
Come on, come on…
One second before the start-up sequence finished, the Ferengi phasers started firing.
Kira watched as if in slow motion as the phaser fire spit out of the Ferengi ship even as she activated the warp drive. The phaser fire clipped the hull as she went into warp.
Alarms blared throughout the flight deck. The ship shuddered for several seconds as it entered warp, then settled down. Kira kept her speed at warp one-point-five to be safe, and once the ship seemed to be going all right, she eased it up to one-point-nine. Sensors indicated that the the sheath was still intact, but it was cracked, and that the warp engines were damaged.
She did a quick inventory, and realized that there was no way she could repair the engines, having neither the parts nor the knowhow. Certain on-the-fly repairs were within her abilities, but the dilithium crystal housing was physically cracked. There were no replacements on board, and the housing couldn’t be patched.
Checking the computer, she learned that she could continue at warp for another seven hours before the crack in the housing increased to a size that would interfere with the proper working order of the starhopper.
Kira snarled. Proper working order. Right. Meaning I’ll blow up.
She then checked the star charts and the long-range sensors in search of planets and bases that, at warp one-point-nine, were within seven hours of her position.
After finding and rejecting several candidates, she noticed that the Oolon system was one of the options. On the fringes of what used to be Ferengi space, it was just within the starhopper’s now-limited range.
Changing course, she headed for the Oolon system.
Just short of seven hours later-during which time Kira showered and grabbed a nap-the starhopper arrived at the Oolon system. Kira came out of warp and then shut down the warp drive completely. It was useless to her now. Switching to impulse engines, she set a course for the third moon around Oolon IV.
As the starhopper approached the moon, another alarm went off. Checking, Kira saw that the structural integrity field was failing, and the hull damage from the fire she’d taken was such that the starhopper would start venting atmosphere once the SIF failed. Just in time for me to achieve orbit, Kira thought sourly, pushing the impulse engines to go faster so she could at least make it within transporter range of the moon.
Then another alarm went off, signaling that the antimatter containment unit was failing. Suddenly, all of Kira’s other problems paled in comparison. She gathered up the satchel, with its critical contents, and slung it over her shoulder, then stepped to the transporter console. Scanning the surface of the moon, she found its lone piece of construction: a mansion gilded with latinum.
Smiling, Kira set the transporter to beam her down in front of the mansion as soon as the starhopper got into range.
I just hope that happens before the containment unit fails, she thought nervously. She’d hate to have come all this way, broken free of Bajor, and gotten past a Cardassian-run Ferengi convoy, only to die here.
Various alarms pealed throughout the ship, almost deafening Kira, when the transporter started to engulf her.
Just as it did, the flight deck was consumed by a massive fire.
Then she was on the surface.
It was night on the moon, and it was freezing cold, with wind whipping in off a nearby lake and cutting into her. Looking up, Kira saw a plume of fire erupt, lighting the night sky. So much for that starhopper. Sorry, Biroj, I know you took good care of it.
The door to the mansion opened, and its owner and sole occupant (except for servants, which said occupant didn’t count) came running out, dressed in a