War Stories (Book 1) - Keith R.A. DeCandido [25]
An inspiration that quite probably saved all their lives.
It wasn’t until they crossed safely back into Federation space—after being passed by several Jem’Hadar ships that didn’t challenge them—that Gomez allowed herself to feel for the hundreds of people lost on the Musashi and the Fredrickson. The grief was only slightly alleviated by the news that the strike on Orias III was successful. It was a major victory for the Alpha Quadrant.
Androssi Vessel Overseen by Biron
STARDATE 53678.9
Biron was starting to form a clearer picture of what it was that had enabled the crew of the U.S.S. da Vinci to outwit and defeat him on two occasions. It was something he never would have deduced based on the empirical evidence he had acquired in his face-to-face encounters.
The crew of the U.S.S. da Vinci improvised.
Biron always approached every mission with a carefully laid-out plan. True, there were always variables, but rarely did they impinge upon the plan to a degree that was mathematically significant.
On the other hand, the U.S.S. da Vinci crew seemed to be able to adapt to variables with great ease. Where the variables—mostly introduced by the very presence of the U.S.S. da Vinci—on the planet Maeglin and at the space station Empok Nor had proven to be too much for Biron to overcome, his opponents seemed to thrive on it.
Perhaps it was because they were so actively involved in military engagements. While Biron did occasionally have to defend his ship and engage in battle situations, they were comparatively rare. Androssi military engagements were handled by the Elite’s standing army, supplemented as necessary by members of the worker class conscripted into service.
He would need to factor this ability into his plans.
That and the Starfleet people’s inexplicable predilection for forming personal attachments. That was a definite weakness that Biron needed to exploit.
He made a note of these items, and then continued his research…
TO BE CONTINUED…
About the Author
The co-developer of Star Trek: S.C.E., KEITH R.A. DeCANDIDO has written or cowritten five previous eBooks in the series, including the award-winning stories Fatal Error and Cold Fusion, as well as the two-book Invincible (with David Mack) and the Gateways tie-in Here There Be Monsters. He also wrote the Star Trek: The Next Generation novel Diplomatic Implausibility, the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novel Demons of Air and Darkness, the cross-series duology The Brave & the Bold, the TNG comic book Perchance to Dream, and the DS9 novella “Horn and Ivory.” The year 2003 will see the debut of Star Trek: I.K.S. Gorkon—a sub-series that is the first to feature Star Trek’s most popular aliens, the Klingons, in a starring role—as well as a contribution to the Star Trek: The Lost Era miniseries, and more S.C.E. eBooks. In addition to all of this, Keith has written novels, short stories, and nonfiction books in the universes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, Farscape, Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda, Marvel Comics, Xena, and much more. He is the editor of the original science fiction anthology Imaginings and the author of the upcoming novel Dragon Precinct, which mixes high fantasy with police procedurals. Find out evil rumors about him by checking his official Web site at DeCandido.net, and start a few by joining his official fan club at www.kradfanclub.com. He has long since abandoned the outmoded notion of “sleep.”
Coming Next Month:
Star Trek™: S.C.E. #22
WAR STORIES
Book 2
by Keith R.A. DeCandido
Concluding the exciting untold tale of the Dominion War!
To prevent his being defeated by the S.C.E. crew of the U.S.S. da Vinci a third time, Overseer Biron of