The Battle of Betazed - Charlotte Douglas [42]
The Jem’Hadar remained hard on their heels when Deanna and her team turned onto the curving brick walk leading to Director Lanolan’s front door. They climbed the broad stairs to the porch, and Deanna signaled their arrival at the entryway. The Jem’Hadar, weapons at the ready, waited at the foot of the steps.
The wide paneled door swung open, and an unfamiliar scrawny woman with a topknot of gray curls confronted them, her fists planted firmly on her skinny hips, her expression belligerent. Deanna could sense the housekeeper’s fear. She saw the terror in the woman’s eyes when she’d spotted their Jem’Hadar escort.
Before the woman could say anything that would blow their cover, Troi said, “Sorry we’re late.” And at the same time, she sent a quick thought into the woman’s mind: My name’s Deanna Troi. Please, I need to see Director Lanolan.
The woman still looked terrified, but defiant. “You must have the wrong house.”
Before Deanna could utter a reply, the door slammed in her face, leaving the away team stranded on the porch with the Jem’Hadar blocking their retreat.
Chapter Nine
“B ATTLE STATIONS.”
Picard leaned forward in the center seat, his face set in concentration. The Enterprise, accompanied by the starships Tulwar, Katana, and Scimitar, sped through space toward the Betazed system at maximum warp to confront the superior Dominion force guarding Betazed and Sentok Nor.
“Picking up six Cardassian Galor -class cruisers and four Jem’Hadar attack ships,” said Hernandez, the young ensign who had replaced Data at ops.
“Any sign of Dominion battle cruisers?” Picard asked.
“Two on long-range sensors, Captain.”
“Damn,” Picard muttered. He had hoped to pierce the station’s defenses and leave the area before the battle cruisers arrived. The Enterprise ‘s mission, to drop shields in the middle of a battle in order to insert Riker’s team and then retrieve them from the space station, would be difficult enough without having to contend with additional enemy ships.
“Slow to warp six,” Picard ordered.
The sensors of the enemy fleet and Sentok Nor would pick up the Starfleet warp signatures, but he was counting on the Dominion not to expect the tiny contingent to drop out of warp right on top of the larger enemy force. The captain intended to preserve their element of surprise, but he also wanted to give navigation the best chance to leave warp in a superior tactical position.
“A ship is lifting off Betazed on course for Sentok Nor,” Lieutenant Daniels at tactical announced.
“Identify,” Picard ordered.
“It’s a Cardassian freighter.”
Picard relaxed. With minimum armament, one freighter would cause no problem.
“Our escorts?” Picard asked.
“In attack formation, sir.”
The Saber-class vessels usually served as fast perimeter-defense ships in border regions. Presently guarding the Enterprise ‘s flanks, the light cruisers had already proved their worth in extensive action on several fronts. Their captains and crews would take full advantage of their agile vessels’ maneuverability, which had repeatedly allowed them to hold their own against much larger opponents in hostile frontier regions.
The compact ships, with their crews of forty, saved weight and space through their internal nacelle configurations. The design feature made the vessels faster but also more vulnerable to full armor penetration and core breaches. Like a boxer who dances to avoid punches, the light cruisers had to keep moving to prevent a total knockout.
“Away team standing by to transport,” Riker’s voice reported from Transporter Room 2.
“Understood, Number One. Good luck.” Picard turned to tactical. “Arm and target quantum torpedoes.” He had waited until the last instant, not wanting the enemy to sense the Enterprise was powering up weapons until too late for them to react.
“Targeting,” Daniels announced.
The captain tugged at his uniform, and the familiar gesture steadied