The Battle of Betazed - Charlotte Douglas [43]
“Seven seconds to Betazed.”
“Prepare to drop out of warp on my mark.” Picard directed his order simultaneously to the Saber-class ships. “Two, one, mark.”
The Enterprise entered normal space at full impulse. In the distance floated the massive hulk of Sentok Nor, its arching pylons and central cylinder dominating the sky over the planet. Two alert Galor-class attack cruisers raised shields. Seven others had yet to react.
“Fire quantum torpedoes.”
“Torpedoes away, sir.”
“Raise shields.”
The Saber-class ships opened fire at the same time. Picard held his breath, praying their surprise tactic would work. On the viewscreen, streaks of light tracked the weapons to their targets.
At such proximity, the first barrage took only seconds to impact, and the lead Cardassian ship collapsed inward, wheeled into her sister ship, then exploded in an incendiary burst that lit the jet-black sky and destroyed the second ship along with it. A Jem’Hadar attack ship sustained hull damage but returned fire before the Katana finished her off.
The Enterprise shook from the impact of a Cardassian spiral wave disruptor.
“Shields at eighty percent.”
“Damage?” Picard asked.
“A minor fire on Deck Three. We already have it under control. Sir, I’m picking up an energy spike from the Katana —”
Ahead to port on the viewscreen, Picard saw the Katana ‘s starboard nacelle explode, the blast ripping through the entire ship. Forty good men and women lost in a heartbeat, Picard thought sadly. But there wasn’t time to mourn them.
“Ahead, three-quarter impulse.”
Ensign Kell Perim, the Trill at conn, looked nervously at the viewscreen and the five Dominion ships between them and Sentok Nor, but she laid in the course without hesitation.
Picard reviewed his tactics. Scimitar and Tulwar would continue to draw enemy fire so the Enterprise could drop shields and transport Riker’s team onto the station. The Dominion still had nine ships and the space station’s armaments to oppose the smaller Federation force.
Protecting each other’s flanks, the remaining four Galor-class cruisers closed in battle formation and bore down on the Federation ships. The enemy vessels advanced as a unit, the lead ship firing on the Enterprise.
The science console sparked as Daniels called out, “Shields down to fifty percent.”
“Target their engines and weapons,” Picard ordered.
At the tactical station, the lieutenant, trembling with adrenaline, his face tight with excitement, held his voice steady. “I have a weapons lock.”
“Fire phasers!”
Phaser fire ripped into the closing enemy vessels and inflicted damage, but not enough to slow their approach. Picard left the oncoming enemy to his Saber-class escorts and turned his attention to the space station.
“Tactical, prepare phasers to target the station’s shield generators.”
“Pulse modulated to Chief O’Brien’s specifications, sir.”
“Concentrate phaser fire on Section 17 of the outer docking ring.” The moment the words left his mouth, Picard wanted to recall them. Daniels knew the battle plan, and Picard wouldn’t have repeated it with a more familiar officer—Worf, say—at the station. The last thing he wanted was to add to the nervous tension on the bridge.
“Fire!” Picard ordered.
Phaser beams lanced toward the station, only to be dispersed and absorbed by the shield envelope that glittered silver-green against the bombardment.
“We’re coming into transporter range,” Perim reported, sweat dripping down her face.
“Transporter room, stand by,” Picard ordered. “Mr. Daniels, don’t let up. I want those shields down.”
The lieutenant at tactical shook his head. “Sir, the modulated pulse isn’t penetrating the station’s shields.”
Picard tapped his combadge. “Number One, patch Mr. O’Brien into tactical. We have a problem.”
Picard had planned a quick strike. Nothing fancy. No complicated battle plan—just quickly transporting the away team onto the station, then distracting the enemy long enough for Riker to do his job. A prolonged firefight with a superior force had never been part of the scheme.
From the transporter