Myriad Universes 02_ Echoes and Refractions - Keith R. A. DeCandido [147]
“Yeah, but I don’t think they want to at this point. If they knew we got Jaresh-Inyo, then they probably know that we got Koval. I doubt they’re going to continue being so covert.”
“Sisko to Worf.”
Tapping his combadge, Worf said, “Go ahead.”
“You should come to the bridge, sir. We’re in scanning range of Qo’noS and-it isn’t pretty.”
Worf shot Kira a glance. “I will be right there.”
“Captain,” Kira said as Worf turned to leave.
He stopped and gazed expectantly at her.
“This is a battleship. It may be time to take her into battle.”
Worf said nothing, but simply left the medical bay. Since he was a child, Worf had always wanted to be a great Klingon warrior, even though he spent most of his youth on Gault and Earth being raised by humans. If he was to die, he would do it in service of the Federation and the Klingon Empire, facing their enemies and destroying them. He took great pride in the fact that it had been he who destroyed the creature who had replaced President Jaresh-Inyo, and that he had led the mission that exterminated the one disguised as Koval.
When he arrived on the bridge, however, he saw that his stopping a third shapechanger would be a bit more of a challenge.
Qo’noS was under siege.
Sisko rose from the command chair, ceding it to Worf, and said, “We started picking up the signs of battle ten minutes ago. There are at least forty Jem’Hadar warships.”
Daniels was at the tactical station. “According to reports we’ve been monitoring, that fleet started out as a hundred Jem’Hadar ships. They crossed the border yesterday and have been working their way toward Qo’noS ever since.”
Worf cursed their need to run silent. It meant that hard information was difficult to come by, with only occasional coded transmissions from Starfleet and whatever they were able to monitor on their own-which the covert nature of their mission made difficult.
“Right now,” Daniels continued, “there are thirty Klingon ships engaging the Jem’Hadar, plus Qo’noS’s planetary defenses.”
“Captain, we’ve got a wee bit of a problem.”
That was not what Worf wanted to hear from Captain Scott right now. “Report.”
“The warp drive’s control circuits are near fried. And before you ask, we’d plenty of spares when we left Earth-I’ve already gone through 'em all.”
“He’s right, sir,” Sisko said bitterly. “We still haven’t been able to keep the power levels down enough to keep the circuits from overloading. Scotty and I cobbled together some quick fixes, but…”
Scott picked it up. “But we’ve been at this for too long, and I’m runnin’ outta rabbits to pull out of my hat. I’ve managed to hold it together this long, but as soon as we come out of warp, that’s all we’ve got. We won’t be goin’ at faster than full impulse unless your Klingon friends can lend us a warp drive.”
“Are we able to increase speed?”
Scott made a sputtering noise. “We’re lucky to be maintainin’ warp five as it is!”
“It has become urgent that our arrival time at Qo’noS be moved up, Mister Scott. The Defiant’s speed must increase to warp nine.”
“Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose, but we’ll be lucky not to get to your bloody homeworld in pieces. Engineering out.”
“Sir,” Sisko said, “with your permission, I’d like to give Scotty a hand. I might be able to find a rabbit of my own.” That last was said with a wide smile.
“Very well,” Worf said. As Sisko turned to leave the bridge, the captain said, “Red alert, all hands to battle stations. Arm phasers and quantum torpedoes, and prepare to decloak and raise shields.”
From the conn, Rager said, “Increasing speed to warp nine.”
“ETA to Qo’noS at new velocity?” Worf asked.
“Fifteen minutes.”
The next quarter of an hour seemed to be endless for Worf. Daniels continued to give progress reports on the battle, which was not going the Klingon Defense Force’s way. Though ten more of the Jem’Hadar’s vessels had been destroyed, so