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“Shields at sixty-five percent,” called Thomas.

“Keep punching that spot,” Ro ordered as the Enterprise’s phasers pounded into the forward port side of the warbird.

The Enterprise sped beneath the warbird, taking more disruptor fire in the pass.

“Once more, Lieutenant,” Ro ordered, and Lavelle brought the ship about. “Ensign, another concentrated burst at the forward port quarter.”

“Aye, sir. Shields in that area are holding, but weakening fast.”

“As soon as you see them reconfigure their shield geometry to compensate, I want you to target their communications array and launch a salvo of high-yield torpedoes, at your discretion.”

“Acknowledged.”

Ro chanced a glance at Quaice, to find him clenching the armrests of his own chair, his expression tense. “You might want to consider cutting down on the raktajino yourself, Doctor,” she said with a smile.

Quaice gave her a withering glance. “I’ve never much liked being shot at, I’ll admit.”

“Look at it this way,” Ro said as they were rocked once more by Romulan torpedoes. “So long as they’ve got weapons locked on us, they can’t fire at the planet below.”

“Well,” the doctor said, struggling to remain in his chair, “I hope the captain’s grateful, is all.”

Of their captors, there had been no sign. But Isaac had a reasonably good idea what was keeping them otherwise engaged.

“It is the Enterprise,” he said, thoughtfully. “It is the only reasonable explanation.”

“I thought your captain ordered the ship to head back home,” Lore said with barely disguised contempt. “I thought they’d have turned tail and run by now.”

“That, brother, is because you do not know Captain Picard,” Data countered, “nor do you know the type of men and women under his command. It has been my experience with humans that they often do what is least expected, and Starfleet officers in particular display a propensity for turning situations to their advantage.”

“The question remains, though, why the Enterprise is attacking the Romulan vessel,” Isaac said. “Particularly when the stated goal was to conceal the presence of Starfleet personnel from the Romulans.”

“One can only assume that the need for concealment has passed,” Data advanced. “One conclusion is that the captain or other members of the away team, if not all of them, have been captured by the Romulans, and the Enterprise is attempting a rescue. However, if the Romulans had penetrated to the security of the gateway control chamber, the Enterprise would have far greater concerns than the return of any captured prisoners. It is possible that some member of the away team was spotted by the Romulans but not captured, but again, it seems to strain credibility, considering Captain Picard’s stated desire to remain undetected. The only other reasonable explanation is that the Enterprise is attempting our rescue, however misguided the attempt or the motivation.”

“'Our rescue’?!” Lore said incredulously. “How, by blowing up the warbird and hoping they can pick us up floating in the vacuum with the rest of the debris?”

“I do not think that Captain Picard would have the destruction of the Haakona as his intention,” Isaac objected, “or that Commander Ro would make such an attempt without his permission, whatever her own proclivities. Instead, it stands to reason that the Enterprise is attempting to disable the Romulans’ communication capabilities, to end the subspace interference that is rendering inoperative the Turing communication network.”

Data nodded, eyebrows arched and lips pursed in an expression that indicated he was impressed. “An admirable gambit, if that is indeed their strategy. With the Haakona no longer able to broadcast subspace interference, we would be reconnected to Lal and the others, who would then be able to triangulate our position and open a gateway here on the warbird, effecting our rescue.”

“But it is a gambit which, it seems, returns us back to where we started,” Isaac said, “on the surface of Turing with the Romulan shock troopers, and with the warbird overhead still