The Battle of Betazed - Charlotte Douglas [6]
Riker watched Picard settle in his chair with the same air of undisputed command that he assumed on the bridge. Vaughn sat opposite Deanna with the easy grace of an athlete. Riker could sense Vaughn holding back and, from the grim set of Picard’s face, guessed he wouldn’t like what the senior commander was going to tell them.
“Yes, sir,” Riker answered, and Deanna nodded.
Vaughn looked directly at Deanna. “As you know, last week’s attempt by the Twelfth Fleet to retake Betazed was preempted by the Dominion’s attack on Starbase 19, in which much of the force gathering there was wiped out.”
Riker could sense Deanna tensing next to him.
“What you don’t yet know,” Vaughn went on, “is that Starfleet now believes that the recent battle actually was more disastrous to the Dominion forces stationed at Betazed than we previously believed. Recent reconnaissance indicates that only a dozen Jem’Hadar and Cardassian ships are left to defend the system. The diminished Dominion force gives us a new opportunity to retake Betazed,” Vaughn explained, “if we act quickly before they can bring in reinforcements.”
Deanna said, “That’s excellent news.”
“Save your enthusiasm,” Vaughn said, not unkindly. “You may not like what else I have to say. The loss of the Twelfth Fleet has further diminished our already overextended resources. Simply stated, we’re spread too thin to retake the planet with a full-scale assault before the Dominion’s reinforcements get there.”
Deanna’s shoulders slumped, and resentment poured through Riker toward Vaughn, who had raised her hopes only to dash them again.
“How do we liberate an entire system without a full-scale assault?” Riker demanded, not even trying to keep the anger from his voice.
Vaughn’s weathered face lost none of its seriousness. “A covert action. My specialty, which is why I’ve been assigned to help.”
Deanna’s stricken expression didn’t change. “How can you expect to liberate Betazed with one covert action when an entire battle group couldn’t do it?”
“During the last attempt,” Vaughn said, “I was acting as tactical adviser to the fleet aboard the U.S.S. Nautilus. Just before we engaged the enemy, we received an encrypted transmission from a member of the Betazed resistance.”
Captain Picard gave Deanna a sympathetic glance. “The news, I’m afraid, isn’t good.”
“First,” Vaughn explained, “the resistance has confirmed what our limited reconnaissance already suspected. The Cardassians have begun construction of a new space station in orbit around Betazed—Sentok Nor.”
“So quickly?” Deanna asked. “They’ve been there only four months.”
“For what it’s worth, the station isn’t quite complete, but it’s already operational,” Vaughn explained. “Apparently, the same resources the Dominion uses to rebuild their fleets so quickly were put to work prefabricating the key structural elements of Sentok Nor months ago, suggesting that the Betazed invasion was a long time in the planning. Cardassian and Dominion transports hauled the major components into the system right after it was secured. Betazoid slave labor has apparently been utilized nonstop to complete the construction as quickly as possible.”
At the mention of slave labor, Deanna winced, then seemed to pull herself together. “Why even build a space station there?”
“Our information from the resistance suggests that the station is serving as a combined maintenance facility and Jem’Hadar hatchery. According to resistance estimates, almost fifty thousand Jem’Hadar are already serving in the occupation force on Betazed. Moreover, the station is the Dominion’s strategic operations command post in this sector. Any attacks against Earth, Vulcan, or their nearest neighbors will be launched from Sentok Nor, sooner or later.” Vaughn turned his gaze from one member of the group to the other. “That’s where we come in. The destruction of Sentok Nor would severely weaken the Founders