Q & A - Keith R. A. DeCandido [68]
The Klingon at tactical said, “The slave is lying! All matter in the universe has the same quantum signature!”
Worf let go of Picard. He tried to adjust the neck shackle to a more comfortable position as he lay on the deck.
Worf rose. “Of course he is lying. This is a Federation trick.”
“There is no Federation, thanks to you!” Picard cried. “I’m telling you the truth, you’re just too blind to see it!”
“It does not matter.” Worf smiled viciously. “Target the nearest ship and fire.”
Picard sat helpless, powerless to do anything about it.
18
Enterprise
Quantum fissure, Gorsach system
The end of the universe
“ON SCREEN,” WORF SAID.
Leybenzon centered the view on the ship that was firing on them, saying, “That is the ship I could not identify the registry of, sir.”
Worf didn’t find that too surprising, all things considered.
The ship fired, scoring a direct hit.
“Shields down to forty percent,” Leybenzon said. “No damage. They outgun us.”
“Hail them, Lieutenant. Tell them to stand down or we will return fire.”
“Several vessels are hailing us,” Leybenzon said. Worf looked up to see the tactical officer struggling with the comm traffic. “Sir, I believe one of them is the ship that fired on us.”
“On screen.”
“It’s audio only, sir.”
“Very well.”
Then Worf heard the sound of his own voice. “This is General Worf of the Imperial Klingon Ship Qu’. I claim all these ships for the glory of the Klingon Empire!”
Everyone on the bridge looked at Worf. He ordered, “Lieutenant Leybenzon, open fire on the Qu’, all phasers and quantum torpedoes.”
“Aye, sir.” Leybenzon sounded gratified.
The Klingon thought he was, in essence, firing on himself.
Worf got up and then ordered, “All weapons, fire at your discretion, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, sir,” Leybenzon said.
Worf walked over to ops. “Kadohata, I need you to work with Commander La Forge and prepare a broad-spectrum warp field.”
From the engineering station, La Forge asked, “Captain, are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“A broad-spectrum warp field will collapse the fissure.”
“Perhaps, but…are you sure collapsing it’s a good idea?”
Leybenzon reported, “Direct hit to Qu’ on its starboard bow. Their shields are down to fifty percent—but ours are now at twenty percent. Minor damage to secondary hull.”
Worf knew that this was the proper course of action. What was happening now was exactly what had happened to him nine years ago, and so the solution had to be the same.
Suddenly, Worf found himself wondering. Q was involved, which meant that the rules were different. What if Q has manipulated events deliberately in order to force me to do precisely this—and further whatever mad plan he is engaged in?
Second-guessing Q was a fool’s game, and Worf did not consider himself a fool. His advice to Picard yesterday was still sound: ignore Q.
“I am sure,” he said to La Forge. “Prepare the field.”
“All right,” La Forge said, moving back to the engineering console, “but we can’t engage the field while we’re under fire.”
Worf nodded grimly. “Understood.”
On the F. S. S. Enterprise, Lieutenant Lio Battaglia said from the tactical console, “One of the ships is engaging another one.”
Data stood up from the first officer’s position and moved to stand next to Lieutenant Commander La Forge at ops. “Geordi, scan the subatomic matter in the surrounding space for its quantum signature and then match it to the Enterprises around us.”
Nodding, La Forge moved his fingers across the console even as he said, “I get you—you’re hoping to find the right one.”
“Correct.”
Picard nodded, thinking that this was the key to finding his Enterprise.
“Uh-oh.” La Forge looked up at Data. “The ship that’s being fired on is the one that’s from these parts, Data.”
Picard ordered Sara Nave at conn, “Full impulse, Lieutenant! Put us between the two ships!”
“Aye, sir. Full impulse.” To her credit, she didn’t hesitate, immediately moving the Enterprise into the line of fire.
On