Chapter 22
Armageddon
Sisko stared ominously at the small viewscreen. "Fire!"
Two quantum torpedoes were launched simultaneously from the Defiant's forward launchers. They sparkled through space towards their target like a pari of small stars. Two large explosions burst in mid-flight as the torpedoes detonated, seemingly hitting nothing. It was not the case. The invisible, unshielded vessel was struck with direct hits to their engine core. They were killing blows. With its cloak off-line, the ship detonated, along with the weapon. Vesuvia was safe, but they now had themselves to worry about.
"Mr. Nog," said Sisko as the ship came under fire. "Evasive pattern delta four. Colonel, target the lead Warbird's weapon systems."
"Captain," said Dax. "The Emissary's warp core is still off-line."
Sisko couldn't but be amused and flattered that Starfleet had named the ship after his religious title among the Bajoran people. "Now that the weapon ship is out of the way it won't be off-line for long. Hail them."
Their saviour appeared out of nowhere, emerging from warp and delivered the Romulans aboard the cloaked ship to whatever afterlife they believed in. A collective cheer made its way around the bridge but lasted much longer than it should have when Sela's ship opened fire on the Defiant, making them realize they weren't out of the woods yet. They were probably deeper than they were before.
"Janeway to B'Elanna, get the warp core back online as soon as possible."
"Right away, Captain."
"Where'd they come from?" asked Paris.
"I don't know, Tom." asked Janeway. "But we owe them a drink."
"The Defiant is hailing us, Captain." said Tuvok.
"On screen." said Janeway as she pushed herself up from her chair.
Sisko appeared on the viewscreen. He was perched in his chair, jerking from side to side with each weapon impact. It had been almost ten years since they had seen each other. The beard and shaved head suited him. "Captain Janeway, it's been awhile."
"Too long. Not that I don't mind your company, but what are you doing here?"
"A Romulan friend of Commander Wilson's sent us a transmission telling us to get here as soon as possible. Catch you at a bad time?"
"It seems that way."
"Sorry to inconvenience you. We'll try to be as quick as we can."
Janeway shifted her foot to retain her balance upon a weapons hit. "I'd appreciate that."
Sisko chuckled and the viewscreen switched off. The second Warbird was dead in their sights. A few moments later they could hear the steady rhythmic pulsing of the ship's warp core.
"Full power has been restored." said Kim.
Aside from the weapon ship being destroyed, it was the best news Janeway had heard all day. "Evasive maneuvers, Mr. Paris. Mr. Tuvok, fire at will."
Paris propelled the ship forward, taking it over the Warbird while Tuvok pelted the dorsal shields with phaser and torpedo spreads. They breathed easy for a few seconds knowing they were away from the Warbird's powerful disruptor located on its beak, but only until they entered the firing arc of the Romulan's aft torpedo launcher. The Emissary was unable to avoid the first salvos due to proximity, but they further away they got from the Warbird the more time Paris had to react and the more torpedoes he could evade.
"Bring us about for another pass." said Janeway.
Paris wished the Emissary was as maneuverable as Voyager had been, but he counted them lucky that as powerful as the D'deridex-Class Warbird was, it was as slow as a Pakled at advanced warp physics when it came to turning around. He took advantage of the Warbird's sluggishness and brought the Emissary around on the side opposite which the Romulans were turning. It would only be a matter of time before they grew wiser and used tactics of their own.
Nog's job couldn't have been easier if the order was to go to warp. The Defiant was far more maneuverable than the Warbird and her smaller size made her harder to target accurately. He veered her from port to starboard across the dorsal portion of her double hull and wished he was in Colonel Kira's seat at the tactical station.
The Defiant-Class' weapon systems were truly unique by Starfleet standards. Her main phaser array was more along the lines of disruptor cannons in terms of their firing. It was similar to the way Starfleet had modified the type III phasers during the earlier part of the decade. Located adjacent the forward section of the warp nacelles, they fired bursts of compressed phaser energy rather than a standard beam from dual emitters on the port and starboard sides. Channeling the phasers through the EPS relays effectively tripled their intensity allowing for a more powerful burst than the proposed type X arrays. A few such banks were also located around her hull.
She was also the first class of ship to be equipped with quantum torpedoes, a supplement of the photon torpedo. One of the few anti-Borg weapons to make it off the drawing board in the late 2360s, the quantum torpedo utilized small artificially created quantum filaments within its warhead. Once the matter/antimatter charge detonates on impact, the quantum filaments are dispersed, tearing at a ship's hull and sometimes penetrating the shields prior to doing so, causing damage on both counts. Thusly, the warhead yield was effectively tripled. Due to the volatile nature of the warhead and the danger in its production, they were not yet a full replacement to the photon torpedo. Ships armed with quantum torpedoes still carried larger loads of photons but often went with the former due to its more powerful yield.
Kira stuck to phasers for the time being, which were getting the job done. She had already burned several scars into the hull of Sela's Warbird. When the Defiant approached on a head on vector or when she spotted a vital area she fired torpedo spreads. After a few passes she disabled their port warp nacelle. The Romulans would have to repair it before they could leave the system.
"Good shooting, Colonel."
"Captain," said Dax at the science station. "The Warbird is veering off. They're heading towards the Emissary."
"They're ganging up on her." said Sisko in his trademark baritone.
"And we're next." said Kira.
"Mr. Nog, ahead full impulse. Get us in front of that Warbird. Colonel, I want you to throw everything we have at their forward shields."
"Sir?"
"You heard me."
"Aye, sir." acknowledged Kira. Sisko had rarely if ever made a bad battle call in the past. But battling a Romulan Warbird was a new experience for all of them he was no doubt making it up as he went.
The Defiant sped past the Warbird and positioned herself directly in the path of the great beast of a ship. She was immediately under attack. A continuous barrage of disruptor beams and plasma torpedoes put their shields to the test. The Warbird was now showing them exactly what it was capable of. Sisko pictured a Terran eagle swooping in to snatch a rodent up in its talons. The proportions were just about right too.
"Fire!" yelled Sisko over an exploding console behind him.
The Defiant launched an assault of its own. A nonstop spewing of torpedoes and phaser fire countered the Romulans' attack. It was everyone's hope that Sisko's plan would come full circle soon because they couldn't take much more. But, they had to consider, neither could the Romulans.
"Wait for it..." said Sisko, almost prophetically.
The Warbird drew closer, and its fire continued. The ship rumbled, officers were thrown from their stations, and lights flickered.
"Captain," warned Kira. "Forward shields down to 42."
"Reroute power from the aft shields and reinforce with auxiliary power." said Sisko over the ruckus.
Kira completed the transfer and the commotion lessened. She allowed herself to relax a little, even though she knew it was only a temporary reprieve. "Shields holding, but I don't know how long they can take this."
"Just a little bit more. Mr. Nog, veer port thirty meters."
The Warbird was almost on top of them, only fifteen seconds away. One need not have supersensitive ears to hear the beads of sweat sliding down their brows. Their hopes brightened when they saw what Sisko had been waiting for. The Warbird's forward shields began to fail. In a few moments they had collapsed entirely leaving her bow completely vulnerable.
Sela sat and smirked as her ship exchanged fire with the small but annoying Starfleet war vessel. The powerful little pest had placed itself directly in their path, choosing to employ a last stand. An admirable but foolish move on their captain's part. The gap between them was closing fast and very shortly they would demonstrate just how foolish it was when they demolished the Starfleet ship upon the collision. It was almost too easy to be of any enjoyment. There was no trace of worry in her, even when the shields failed.
"Goodbye, Captain Sisko."
Although she did not expect a bodyshaking jolt upon the collision, she anticipated a light rumble at the very least. But there was nothing. Disappointment befell her.
"Nog, full about, match their speed! Colonel, open fire!"
"Commander," said the science officer. "I'm not detecting any debris."
"Impossible." she scoffed. "No ship that size could survive a head on collision with us, no matter how much armour they have."
A jolt much stronger than what she anticipated shook her in her chair. She squeezed the armrest, realizing it was weapons fire. Sensors were not needed to know the damage would be extreme. "Flying between the hulls. I didn't give Captain Sisko enough credit. Full reverse on all engines."
The Defiant was in the rare position to land crushing blows were a Warbird had little or no protective armour and Sisko made sure they took advantage of the opportunity. Had the Romulans considered small ships would maneuver in that particular area on a regular basis they might have designed their ships with stronger hull plating in the appropriate areas. But as it was, the Warbird's hull was not bearing well. The bridge crew of the Defiant could see well the damage they were inflicting. Their enemy's hull was burning red in some areas, charred black in others. Whole sections were exposed to space, and there were most certainly a number of unfortunate Romulans that had been blown into space when their section had been breached.
The rear of the Warbird's massive head came rushing towards the viewscreen. Before Sisko could give the order to restore power to the aft shields they were caught unprotected in the stern by everything the Warbird had available to throw at them. Nog's maneuvers were unsuccessful in avoiding the weapons fire. It seemed to be raining torpedoes all around the ship. If he veered to either side to evade one coming up directly behind him they'd fly right into another.
"Mr. Nog, z-minus two hundred meters."
The Defiant had barely descended half the distance when the entire crew was jolted forward by what felt like a rear weapons hit. A bluish hue tinted the top edge of the viewscreen. That along with Nog's decreasing velocity readout confirmed they were being held by a tractor beam. The assault from behind continued. It was the starship equivalent of being tied to a chair and beaten.
An exploding console behind the command chair sent a man to his back beside the Sisko. He could feel the heat on the back of his neck The man's hands and face were burned. Sisko jumped out of his chair to help the poor man to his feet. "Can you walk?" The man winced and nodded. "Dax, help him get to the medical bay."
Ezri Dax placed the man's arm over her shoulders to lessen his burden and helped him out the nearest exit. Another officer quickly took her place.
"Sixty-five seconds to structural collapse." warned Kira.
"Colonel," said Sisko. "Aft torpedoes, shut down that tractor beam."
Kira fired a spread, and smacked the console immediately after ."It's no use, Captain. Graviton interference is scrambling the torpedoes' guidance systems."
Sisko leaned forward and held his face in his hands. He did not want to accept reality but it stared him in the face like his own reflection. It was hard to believe this would be the second starship named Defiant he would have to say goodbye to.
"Sisko to all hands, ab-"
The cessation of all gyrations held Sisko's tongue. Another jolt, this one different from the first, jerked the ship. The viewscreen was useless, but Sisko did not need it, he knew the tractor beam had ceased.
"Now moving at full impulse, sir." informed Nog.
"Captain," said Kira. "A photon torpedo was detonated in the tractor beam's line of fire." Her proximity sensors began to alarm. Over twenty small craft had appeared. "I'm picking up several contacts." She waited a moment for the sensors to give a more definitive reading. The result almost made her laugh. "They're escape pods."
Sisko sat back in his chair and counted his blessings. "Open a channel to the Emissary and send my thanks."
"Aye, sir." acknowledged Kira with a smile. It wasn't their first close call, and probably not the last, which was the reason that she knew all along that it had not been the end for them. A surprise did however come from her computer readout. "Captain," she said with her jaw half dropped and the lingerings of a smile. "It wasn't the Emissary. It's the Enterprise."
Sela silently cursed the Federation, and her cowardly crew. Word of the Enterprise arrival - a Sovereign-Class starship and the pride of the Federation fleet - had spread like wildfire throughout the ship and a number of officers had abandoned their posts, even the ship. She would have fired upon them if concerns didn't lie elsewhere. Only a few officers remained on the bridge, but only because she promised they'd be dead before they reached the door.
Even at full capacity, her Warbird would not have been a match for the Enterprise. She tried to ignore the dramatic irony, her position matched that of the U.S.S. Emissary.
"The Defiant isn't in the best shape." said Edwards, having completed a scan. "The ablative armour on their aft quarter is buckling and their shields are gone."
"Hail them." said Picard as he stepped closer to the viewscreen. Captain Sisko's relieved but brazen expression appeared amid flickering consoles. "Greetings, Captain."
"Your timing is perfect, sir."
"May we be of any further assistance?"
"We're fine, thank you, nothing a little repair work won't fix."
"Understood." said Picard as they were hit with weapons fire. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a Warbird to dispatch."
"Acknowledged. We'll round up the Romulans in the escape pods."
Riker raised an eyebrow. "Won't your brig get a little crowded?"
Sisko grinned widely. "They're welcome to lodge a protest, Commander." His reply was met with laughter among the Enterprise's junior officers. "Good luck to you, Captain."
Riker was gripping an armrest with one hand and the edge of his chair with the other. The gyrations caused by the Warbird's weaponry wasn't extreme but it was definitely irritating. "I don't think Sela's going to come willingly, Captain."
"Mmm, agreed. Mr. Edwards, Lieutenant McClary, I've been reviewing some of Commander Wilson's battle strategies, execute offensive tactic Warbird Delta."
McClary pivoted her chair around, a mischievous grin upon her face unlike any she had ever shown before. "I was hoping you'd say that, sir."
"Uh oh." said Riker jokingly to Picard.
"Indeed, Number One."
"Here we go." said McClary. She was finally getting the legendary excitement that came with the name Enterprise.
After sitting nose to nose for nearly a minute with the Warbird and only firing a single torpedo - that wasn't even targeted at the ship - the Enterprise sped alongside her before veering starboard and finishing a 3/4 circle and lining up with the port side of the Warbird. Edwards' targets were too small to see clearly on the viewscreen but they showed up perfectly on his targeting scanners. He wished he could see the look on Sela's face when he was done.
"Firing."
A simultaneous burst of phasers and quantum torpedoes was unleashed and the two thin lattice structures connecting the head and body of the Warbird. Seven torpedoes was all it took to destroy the lower lattice, and a ten second burst at maximum strength from the phasers severed the top portion. The beam terminated a split second before the final torpedo impacted. With no IDF to hold it in place, the explosion from the torpedo forced the now severed head away from the body. The avian predator did not seem so dangerous now. It's head drifted through space. With no lights it was a pale shadow of its former graceful self. It looked dead.
Sela had no weapons or shields, she was defenseless. And without engines she had no means of escape. Even if she attempted to do so with an escape pod there was only so far she could go without warp drive.
Sela sat alone and defeated with her disruptor in hand in the gloomy, dim illumination of the emergency lights. Her cowardly officers tried to call her bluff and ran for the doors once main power had terminated, but she demonstrated immediately that she had not been bluffing.
She looked at her weapon. Capture was not the only way out. She held the tip of her disruptor underneath her chin. It would hurt for a moment but that would be it. A split second and it would all be over. All of her failures would be remembered but she wouldn't have to live with the burden of them. Nor would she be persecuted for them.
Her firm hand began to shake and she dropped the disruptor on the deck where it landed with a clatter. She held her face in her hands and fell into her failures.
"Mr. Data," said an impressed Picard. "How many Romulans are on the Warbird's bridge?"
"One, sir. Female."
"Lieutenant Edwards, drop shields. Bridge to transporter room three, lock onto the Romulan on the Warbird's bridge and beam her to the brig."
"Aye, sir." said the on duty chief. "Transport complete."
"Shields up. Lieutenant McClary, bring us about. The Emissary could use our help."
Seeing the Enterprise come out of warp brought those aboard the Emissary right out of the depths of despair and took them to the peak of hope. Kim had been keeping track of the Defiant's progress via sensors and informed the rest of the bridge periodically. What had begun as an optimistic encounter turned into a discouraging engagement, until the Enterprise appeared. With the assistance of the flagship the odds were now in their favour. Janeway was looking forward to fighting by Picard's side again.
The Emissary had been faring well, but the unfortunate fact of the matter was that she was simply no match for the Warbird. Her offensive capabilities, while impressive for a ship of her size, were ill equipped to fully drain the shields of the Romulan ship. Nor were her defenses able to withstand an ongoing assault.
"Shields down to 35, Captain." warned Tuvok.
"Harry," said Janeway. "What's the Enterprise's position?"
"She's fifty seconds away moving at full impulse."
"Mr. Paris, bring us about. We're going to come back in with her."
The Emissary completed a 360 degree spin and sped off in the direction of her fellow starship, all the while taking fire in her aft section. Soon they were flying side by side back in the direction of the invader. Tomalak was no doubt reconsidering his decision to remain.
"The Enterprise is hailing us." said Tuvok.
"On screen."
"Greetings, Kathryn." said Picard on the display.
"Are we glad to see you."
"Likewise. What is your status?"
"Our shields are the main concern, but with two targets for the Warbird to worry about now it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Oh, and one other thing, I think we have two people eager to beam over to your ship."
Alec came down from the tactical console and met Rene in the center of the bridge in front of Janeway. Picard's surprise could not have been more evident. Although it was clear that he did not recognize Alec at first due to his rugged appearance. "Commander Wilson?"
"Permission to return to duty for the time being, Captain."
Picard's expression went form surprise to business as usual. "Permission granted. Standby for transport, Commander."
Alec nodded before seeing his captain's image disappear. "We're going home." he said to Rene.
"And it's about time too." she replied.
"Lowering shields for transport." said Tuvok.
"Captain Janeway," said Alec, turning to face the center chair. "I'd like to thank you for the ride, and your generosity."
"Anytime, Commander." she said warmly. "You and Rene will always be welcome on this ship. We'll see you when this is over."
Alec tapped his combadge. "Wilson to Enterprise. Two to transport."
He expected them to materialize in the transporter room, but instead they appeared on the bridge, the focus of attention. Being back aboard after a week away felt more awkward than he expected. He couldn't even imagine the kind if worry they had gone through and found himself more glad than ever that Rene had come along, for there would be nothing to stop her from beating the stuffing out of him. Then there was Picard. Although Starfleet would ultimately decide his fate, it was Picard's recommendations that would play a part in it.
"Sir," he began meekly. "I-"
A plasma torpedo cut Alec off. "We can save the pleasantries for another time, Commander. We have a more pressing matter. Please take your station."
The candor of his captain was much appreciated, and he had a feeling their discussion would have been postponed regardless of the torpedo.
Troi offered her seat to Rene, which she accepted after giving the counselor a hug. Alec took over tactical from Edwards who gave him a 'welcome back' squeeze on the shoulder. Taking control of his post gave him a surprising boost of energy. A mere single touch of the panel sent a rejuvenating spark through his body.
"Shields holding." he said.
"Target weapons and shields, Commander." said Picard. "Fire."
Alec improvised. He fired a sweeping phaser arc across the Warbird's forward shields with a spread of quantum torpedoes to compliment it. He read a fluctuation in power as a result.
"Their forward shields are damaged, Captain."
"Continue firing. Maybe Tomalak will be willing to talk if his shields fail."
"Aye, Captain." He fired another volley, weakening the Warbird's shields even further. He could tell by the sensors that the Emissary was making strafing attacks. Most likely to avoid taking any extreme damage to her shields. Their combined efforts were having the desired effect.
Alec took his eyes off the tactical sensors for a moment to look at Rene. She looked as beautiful as ever. She noticed his stare and smiled at him before motioning to the viewscreen with her head.
When he looked back at his display he discovered the Warbird and the Emissary weren't the only ships on the sensors. There were multiple small craft that appeared in the vicinity.
"Captain, I'm reading thirty small craft near the Warbird."
"More escape pods?" asked Riker.
"Power signatures are too high to be escape pods." He had little doubt as to what they could be. The number of craft and their power signatures could mean only one things. "They're shuttles, sir. I saw ones just like them when I was on Sela's Warbird."
"You were on Sela's Warbird?" Riker turned to face him with a surprised expression.
"Long story."
"I look forward to hearing it, Commander. Put one on screen."
A small, sleek craft appeared, it was maneuvering among others of its type. They were not unlike their Class 9 shuttles, but they were smaller, and meaner looking.
Alec was now able to get a better look. It had two curved wings that protruded from the sides that probably doubled as nacelles as well as for intimidation. The wings looked capable of tearing tritanium.
"Captain," said Data. "The power signatures of those shuttlepods are unusually high for craft of their size."
"They've got warp cores." said Alec, examining his tactical analysis.
The nearest shuttlepod opened fire with its disruptors. It was a bigger rumble than anyone expected.
"They've got bite too." noted Riker.
"Shields holding. That little ship has the firepower of a Danube-Class runabout. That's not much to us comparatively, but multiply it by thirty and..."
"Point taken, Commander."
The shuttlepods began to coordinate their efforts, taking passing shots at the Enterprise and the Emissary. The battle was like a balancing scale. Each time one side held the edge, more weight was added to the other side.
"Pick your targets, Commander."
"Aye, sir." said Alec slyly. "Request helm discretion."
"Do what you must."
"Justine, are you ready for some of those Red Squad maneuvers you've been eager to try?"
"More than ready, sir."
Riker eyed the viewscreen. Ten shuttlepods had taken position in front of the ship. "They're swarming us."
"It's perfect." said Alec. "Justine, you familiar with 'The Raging Bull?'"
McClary was momentarily caught off guard with Alec's knowledge of Red Squad maneuvers. "Very." It was one of her favourites and was only useful with larger ships such as the Enterprise.
"Ahead 1/2 impulse, Lieutenant."
Almost giddily, McClary turned back to the helm. After today she would never complain about being bored again.
The Enterprise leapt forward towards the unsuspecting shuttlepods. There was a jolt as the ships saucer plowed through the stationary craft. The more powerful shields of the Enterprise overloaded those on the small Romulan vessels. Three in the center were demolished instantly while two more each lost a wing and were thrown aimlessly into space. The rest reacted in time to avoid any damage.
Five were out of the way, but there were still twenty five to go. After that there was still the Warbird to take care of.
Alec proceeded using the multi-vector targeting system. It allowed him to target and fire on multiple bogies at once. Three phaser beams shot out from the port ventral bank and two more from the starboard bank. Four shuttlepods went out in explosive plumes, the fifth managed to evade the beam, but a photon torpedo to its aft section sent it flying into another passing shuttlepod. Both were destroyed.
"Hard to port." said Janeway.
The Emissary moved away from a potential assault from a group of three shuttlepods. A torpedo spread from the aft bay dispersed them in a display of wild maneuvers.
"Like swatting mosquitoes." said Paris.
"But more annoying." added Kim.
"Shields at 20."
"This isn't working." said Chakotay. "We'll be crippled before this is done."
"Agreed." said Janeway. "We need a new strategy." She thought for a moment before hitting gold. "Mr. Tuvok, how many torpedoes do we have left?"
"One hundred and fifteen."
"Arm them all and transfer them to the weapons pod." she said. "Prepare to detach."
Chakotay smiled at her reckless, and there not unexpected plan. He understood right away. "Our phasers won't be enough to penetrate the shielding of the pod."
Janeway nodded. "I'm aware of that. But a spread of quantum torpedoes from the Enterprise is."
While Tuvok was dealing with the shuttlepods, Kim had been keeping track of the Warbird. Until then it had been stationary, watching the carnage. It began to move off. "Captain, the Warbird is veering away. It's headed for the wreckage of the other one. They'll reach its position in two minutes."
"Why?" asked Paris as he took the ship into a dive to get under oncoming fire. "There can't be anything of value to two floating pieces of debris."
"Except the computer records of what they've been doing." said Chakotay. "They're going to destroy them."
"And any guarantee of developing a defense to their dilithium weapon." added Janeway. "Once they warp out it will be too late."
"Torpedo transfer complete." said Tuvok as the ship rumbled. "Shields at 14"
"Transmit the details to the Enterprise." said Janeway. "We need the majority of them to group together."
"Sending data." Tuvok received a reply shortly. "Commander Wilson has replied 'let's do it.'"
"Tom, plot a return to this position from two thousand meters to port."
"Plotted." said Paris.
"Engage."
Alec prepared a spread of quantum torpedoes. Brilliant. What Captain Janeway had set in motion was a last ditch effort plan developed by Nebula-Class captains, but until now none of them had the gaul to attempt it. If it was pulled off correctly it would eliminate the majority of the shuttlepods if not all of them. Any that remained would be easily picked off as they would no longer have strength in numbers in their favour. Survivors of the explosion would either be incredibly lucky or incredible pilots.
"Are your calculations complete, Mr. Data?" asked Picard.
"Yes, sir. We must reach a distance of one million kilometers before we can detonate the weapons pod."
"Lieutenant McClary, are we in position?"
"Aye, sir. Engines are set to engage at 1/4 impulse when the Emissary is within three hundred kilometers."
"Captain," said Alec. "The Emissary is beginning her run."
"Bridge to all decks," began Riker. "Standby."
Having been a starship captain for almost 50 years, Picard was used to trying new things. He'd even created a few maneuvers in his career with one even being named after him, the Picard Maneuver, which became required study at the Academy. But no matter what the probability of success wound up being, he still considered contingency scenarios in his head in the event of failure. The well being of ship and crew were always a top priority.
"Impulse engines engaging."
It took all of Alec's willpower not to open fire. If he did they might scatter, and their surprise would be less effective if the pods were further apart. "They are in pursuit."
"Here comes one hell of a bang." said Paris. "Like killing a swarm of mosquitoes with a phaser."
"Think they'll see it from Earth?" asked Kim.
"Doubtful." added Seven, ruining their fun.
"Ten seconds." said Tuvok, counting down to the detaching of the pod. At the behest of Captain Janeway, he took the weapons off-line and transferred power to the shields along with any currently unnecessary systems. Systems such as life support to evacuated decks, holodecks, turbolifts, and many more. Wherever there was available power it was rerouted to the shields until he was certain they would hold. "Detaching pod."
"How close are we going to get to them again? asked Riker with just a touch of apprehension.
"Approximately twenty meters, sir." replied Data.
"Child's play." said McClary, whose voice was full of confidence. It came from her Academy training with thanks in no small part to her Red Squad experience. She had flown ships closer together than that before, much to the chagrin of her flight instructor, and fellow pilots. A few times she had to touch up some paint, but it was a small price to pay for the thrill.
"Won't we risk skimming their shields?"
"We would need to be ten meters closer for any kind of shield contact, Commander." replied the android.
"Mr. Data," began Riker dryly. "You're a ball of confidence."
"Thank you, Commander."
Their fellow ship was coming up fast with her Romulan friends all around her. Alec was grateful when the Emissary finally jettisoned its weapons pod. He could finally shoot something. "Weapons pod has been detached." said Alec as he put it on the viewscreen."
The two ships were flying head on at each other. The bridge went completely silent as the display angle of the viewscreen began to rotate clockwise in preparation for the flyby. The Emissary was rotating as well, counterclockwise from their perspective. She looked odd without the trapezoidal weapons pod atop the drive section. It was almost possible to hear eyes close when she filled the viewscreen.
Even the Romulan pilots had been impressed at the sight of the two great ships flying in such close proximity of each other. Unfortunately for them, they were so enthralled with the theatrics that they weren't paying attention to anything else. Several shuttles collided with each other as they approached with their respective targets. Others scrambled and tried to regain some sense of direction and bearing in the mix-up and ended up colliding with another shuttle in the process. The rest were left watching this spiraling object that the smaller Starfleet ship left behind. It had an unusually high matter/antimatter signature.
By the time shuttle pilots recognized the sparkling objects as torpedoes it was too late. Their ships were incinerated in an apocalyptic fireball whose destructive power had been hindered by the vacuum of space. If such an explosion had taken place in the atmosphere of a Class M world it would have spread across the entire surface of the planet, destroying every living thing, evaporating every body of water, and turning the entire surface itself into a planetwide ocean of molten rock. Even though it was a spaceborn explosion it was still massive. The fireball spread out for many millions of kilometers and might have been mistaken for a supernova by a passing ship. The pilots were fortunate in the sense that they did not suffer in the nanoseconds following the detonation.
The Enterprise rumbled as the explosion rode its coattails but there was little if any damage.
"Did any of the shuttle pods survive the explosion?" asked Picard.
"Four managed to reach a safe distance, Captain." answered Data.
"They're all losing power, sir." added Alec,
"Bridge to transporter room three. Beam the Romulan survivors to the brig."
"At least Sela will have some company." mused Riker.
"Lieutenant McClary, intercept course on Tomalak's Warbird, full impulse power. It's time to finish this.
"Captain," said Alec, looking at his communications readout. "The Emissary is hailing us."
"On screen." Picard stood and straightened his uniform as the bridge of his counterpart appeared on the viewscreen.
"May we join you?" asked Janeway.
"The more the merrier, Kathryn."
"Much obliged, Jean-Luc."
Both captains knew that in her present state the Emissary wasn't much of a threat and would be vulnerable should Tomalak choose to attack. However, the general consensus was that Tomalak would think twice about attacking her with the Enterprise flying escort.
"The Warbird is slowing down, sir." said Alec. "At a dead stop now."
"Maybe Tomalak's finally learned something." said Riker, but he had his doubts.
"Maybe not, Will." said Alec, looking at the viewscreen.
They all saw it. The Warbird was coming about to face them, preparing for a final stand. Nobody wanted a fight. There had been enough bloodshed to last a long time.
"Full stop, Lieutenant." said Picard.
"Their weapons are fully charged, sir." said Alec. "The Defiant's coming in."
The Defiant may have paled in size to the three ships already present in the face-off but there was nothing small about her intimidation factor. The three Starfleet ships aligned themselves in a triangular pattern around the Warbird. It was their hope that it would show Tomalak there was no escape. Battle was the last thing they wanted but they also wanted it clear to the Romulan commander that he wasn't going anywhere.
"Damn." muttered Picard.
"What's wrong, sir?" asked Troi.
"I can't help but recall what happened to the Ancient Mariner when he killed the albatross."
"Pardon me, sir." said Riker. "But what's out there isn't exactly a bird of good omen."
"And we're not going to hang it from around your neck, Captain." added Alec. "But I do think the fog is going to clear."
"Spoken like a poet." said Picard with a smirk. "Hail the Warbird. Maybe Tomalak will be willing to talk."
They received no response at first, but Picard had Alec continue hailing. His conviction paid off when they received a reply.
Picard felt the metaphorical weight on his shoulders. The next minute would be crucial. "On screen." he said with the poker face he had perfected in his youth.
Tomalak's arrogant and superior, but defeated face was in full view. Romulans may have been masters of deception but there was no hiding what it was clear he knew: No matter what happened next, he had already lost. It was up to him how much he lost.
"You wish to speak, Picard." said Tomalak. There was nothing but contempt in his voice.
"We find ourselves in a situation, Tomalak."
Troi grew worried. While Tomalak's face conveyed defeat, he was feeling something completely different. She sensed a ruse. "Be careful, Captain." she whispered.
"Clearly we are at your mercy." said Tomalak. "Destroy us if you will."
Picard shook his head in almost disgust. "There has been enough death today. You yourself have the power to end this."
"How?" asked Tomalak, raising an eyebrow in an almost Vulcan-like fashion.
"You must surrender yourselves and your ship."
"And if we don't."
"I'd rather not give the order to fire."
Tomalak almost scoffed. It seemed like a joke to him. "No Romulan has surrendered himself or his ship since before the Treaty of Algeron."
Troi could feel Tomalak's resolve getting stronger by the second. Whatever he was planning was going to happen soon.
"Tomalak, I can assure you that whatever happens to you in a Starfleet prison will be far more pleasant that whatever your government has in store for you when you return to Romulus with yet another failure to report."
"You make an interesting point, Picard." said Tomalak genuinely. "However, if you would permit me to make my own."
Sisko had been sitting patiently awaiting the result of the exchange between Captain Picard and Tomalak. The battle had been over for a few minutes and things were settling down on the bridge. Dax had since returned to her station and was just getting into the ensuing conversation when they were reminded the hard way why it was never a good idea to let their guard down in a situation with the Romulans.
Bulkheads throughout the ship shared a mighty creak as the ship began to rumble. Dax was thankful she had taken her seat when she did, otherwise she could have been thrown across the room. The lighting flickered as did the consoles. They were not being hit by weapons fire. It was something else.
"Report!" shouted Sisko.
"Hull stress is increasing!" exclaimed Kira.
"Helm controls are useless." added a frustrated Nog.
"We're in some sort of intensified tractor beam!" Dax shouted. "The gravitic force is equal to the atmospheric pressure of a gas giant. If it's not shut off it will start compressing the hull."
Sisko was beginning to really hate tractor beams.
"Captain!" exclaimed Alec. "The Defiant is being held in a tractor bream. "It's crushing their hull."
"As you can see, Captain." said Tomalak as he locked his fingers together. "I am now in control."
"Release the Defiant, Tomalak!"
"I would be more than happy to, Captain. And I will as soon as you agree to our terms. If you don't, you can stand there and watch your friends die."
"The Defiant is carrying survivors from your fellow Warbird. You would be murdering your own people."
"They are cowards who chose to flee at the sign of danger. They deserve worse than death."
Picard exhaled deeply as he found himself suddenly unprepared. "Name your terms." he said in attempt to stall.
Tomalak laughed lightly. "You will release Commander Sela to us. Then you will surrender yourselves and your ship to us. I'll give you one minute to consider."
Picard turned to Alec and ran a finger across his throat, indicating he wanted the channel momentarily closed. "Muted." said Alec.
"Alec," said Riker, turning to face him as well. "Can you terminate that beam?"
"I wish I could. But I've scanned the tractor beam and it's not even at full power. As soon as we got a shot off there's no doubt that he'd increase power to it. The Defiant could be destroyed instantly."
"Could the Defiant's ablative armour protect them?" asked Picard.
Alec shook his head. "Ablative armour dissipates under weapons fire. Tractor beams are a completely different principle."
Picard gripped his chin in thought. "Suggestions?"
"We can't let the Defiant be destroyed." said Riker.
"Can we weigh the lives of forty people against the countless billions? If we turn over Sela and the computer records to Tomalak we might not be able to create a defense against any further weapon ships they build. And giving them the Enterprise is an unacceptable option."
"Captain," began Riker. He respected his captain more than any man he had ever met, but they did not always agree. "I draw the line at giving them the Enterprise, but we have no guarantee that even with those records we could create a defense. Not to mention this is Tomalak, he's never exactly been trustworthy. He's likely to destroy the Defiant anyway."
"Sirs." said Alec, whose brain had been working overtime the past thirty seconds. "I think I know how we can give them Sela without actually giving her to them."
The confused glances directed his way faded as he quickly outlined his plan. There was a certain amount of skepticism but his plan was accepted when they all agreed it was the most viable option.
"Reopen channel." said Picard.
"Well, Picard." said the smug Romulan. "Have you reached your decision?"
"You give me little choice, Tomalak. We will return Sela to you."
"Very wise, Captain."
"However, I must inform you that she is no longer on board. We had her beamed aboard the Emissary. We will contact them and inform them of the situation."
"Make it quick."
"Tomalak, I request that you decrease power to your tractor beam as a show of good faith."
Tomalak thought momentarily. He did not seem too eager to weaken the hand he was holding. "Very well, but if I even suspect deception, that ship will be able to fit in the palm of your hand."
Picard returned to his chair as the channel closed. "I think it's safe to assume that Tomalak will be monitoring communications."
"I would say so, sir." agreed Riker.
It was time for a performance. Picard just wished it was Shakespeare. "Open hailing frequencies."
Janeway had every intention of using her influence in getting extended leave for her crew when they made it back to spacedock. They had availed themselves admirable and all deserved it. Once again. those that had served under her for so many years did not let her down in the slightest.
"The Enterprise is hailing us." said Tuvok.
"On screen."
Picard's expression was that of a man in dire times. They had detected the tractor beam as well and were fully aware of what would happen of Tomalak increased power to it.
"Captain Janeway," began Picard. "I trust you are aware of the Defiant's situation."
"Yes, we are. What is it we can do?"
"Tomalak informs me that he will destroy the Defiant if Sela is not turned over to him. We need you to send her over to his ship in a shuttlecraft."
Janeway exchanged confused glances with Chakotay. "But, Captain, we-"
"I understand your apprehension, Kathryn." interrupted Picard. "But we cannot sacrifice the lives of our fellow officers, no matter what the cost."
She had no doubt he was putting on a show for the sake of an eavesdropping Romulan and that he was trying to convey a message, but it was unclear to her at the moment. She feigned acceptance and hoped his message would be clear soon. "Agreed."
"Give my regards to Lieutenant Alighieri."
The light went on in Janeway's head as Picard revealed to her everything she needed to know. "I'll make sure he gets your message." she said with a nod and a smile. "Interesting move." said Chakotay, who was the only other member of the bridge crew who picked up the hidden meaning in Picards' message.
"To say the least." noted Janeway who then turned to the changeling. "I'm terribly sorry, Dante, but I'm afraid I have to ask a favour of you." Janeway had a harder time getting it out than she thought she would. It was never easy asking a person to risk their life. "I need you to assume Sela's form and fly a shuttle to Tomalak's ship."
Dante displayed a fear they wouldn't have expected from a changeling. "How can you be so sure that was what he wanted?"
Dante's Inferno was one of Janeway's favourite works of ancient literature. Her former fiancé, Mark, gave her a copy many years ago when they were still together. The only person she had ever lent it to was her first officer. "Your namesake was an ancient poet from Earth, and last name was Alighieri. Tomalak wouldn't be aware of this anymore than he would be that Commander Wilson bestowed the name upon you."
Chakotay took note of Dante's reluctance. It seemed genuine, and it was understandable. "Obviously, we can't force you to do this. But we could really use your help."
"I promise that if anything happens we will do whatever is within our power to get you back." added Janeway. She hoped Dante couldn't pick up the hollowness she heard in her own words.
"All I've ever wanted since finding out what I am is to go home." said Dante. "And Alec promised to take me there. Humans have been people of your word ever since I have encountered you. If you say you'll help me I believe you. I will help."
Janeway realized that she could be making a grave error in allowing Dante to return to the Romulans. There was a chance he would choose to betray them, but after what Alec had told of their first encounter with him, her gut told her he could be trusted. It was highly unlikely, almost inconceivable that he was a mole for Sela and Tomalak. There was not much for them to gain by subterfuge when they already had the upper hand at the time.
"How are your piloting skills?" she asked.
"I observed Alec at the controls of his shuttles. I should be able to handle a simple flight."
"Do you think she got the message?" asked Riker.
"I'm sure of it, Number One." Picard had seen the change of expression on her face before the viewscreen switched off. She did not have a look of confusion as she did seconds before, but one of understanding. "Commander Wilson, you're positive Dante will assist you?"
"He wants to go home, sir." replied Alec. "And he knows the Romulans have to be stopped. Captain, the Emissary has launched a shuttle. I'm reading one life sign. It's Romulan.
"Patience."
Dante was trying his best to fight his anxiety. Several times he caught a glance at his reflection in the control panel. It was not pleasant taking the form of a woman who was probably the most vicious and ruthless person he would ever come across.
Endless curiosities occupied his imagination. He wondered what would await him on his homeworld. Would it be as beautiful as Romulus? Would there be a hierarchical system? What was the population of his world? Would they accept him? Did he have family? Knowing that he was finally going to get the answers to his questions tested his patience.
Flying around the massive starship was the first time he had ever seen it up close. He was in awe of its magnificence. It was hard to believe that something so beautiful could be so destructive. Its sheer size alone was wondrous. He had flown past the ship called Enterprise, which in itself was no small ship, and the Romulan ship was almost twice as large.
He had been given specific instructions to follow before he left. He was to leave the launch bay and head directly for tractor beam control. Once it was off-line he was to sabotage it and then take control of the bridge.
Dante came astern of the great Warbird to two gigantic launch bay doors. The starboard door began to raise and he piloted into position for entry. Once the door was open enough he slowly flew the ship into the empty bay doors and landed softly onto the deck, shutting off the engines and powering down the shuttle. He almost made a mistake and lowered the door to exit but he stopped himself when he remembered it was still a vacuum in the launch bay. He might not need oxygen but Sela did. It was necessary to avoid doing anything that would ruin his cover. Once an indicator on the wall of the bay registered there was pressure outside he lowered the door.
Dante stepped down the ramp onto the deck of the launch bay. Now that it was completely empty, the bay looked even larger than before.
The airtight door that led into the corridor opened and in walked a single armed guard who proceeded to come across and meet Dante halfway. "Commander Sela," said the rigid standing guard. "Commander Tomalak wishes me to take you to the bridge."
"Lead the way." said Dante in the assumed voice of his form.
As soon as the guard turned his back to Dante, he changed his right hand into a blunt, spherical form and struck the Romulan in the back of the head and caught him before he fell. The force with which he hit was not enough to cause permanent harm, just render the man unconscious. Dante carried him back to the shuttle and closed the door after placing him inside.
After exiting the launch bay, he found the nearest vent and reverted to his liquid state. He seeped through the grate into the vent and coursed through the veins of the ship much faster than any humanoid could ever go on foot. The possibility of getting lost was extremely remote. He had spent much of his time in the past learning the layout of the ship in the same manner. Although he had done so on Sela's ship and not Tomalak's he was gambling that they shared similar layouts.
Dante made it to tractor beam control in roughly thirty seconds. Ten seconds faster than it had taken him before. Purpose truly gave someone motivation. In his current form he had no eyes and therefore couldn't see them in a traditional sense, but he did have a certain perception that allowed him to sense their presence. It was what humanoids called instinct. Four Romulans were in the room. He would have to incapacitate them quickly and before any of them could raise an alarm. A disruptor was out of the question. The security grid would detect the discharge. The air duct and his inability to 'see' gave him an idea.
He seeped out of the vent in a gaseous state and expanded rapidly, filling the entire room. He made sure he maintained the colour and density needed to effectively blind the Romulans. The ploy worked. Shouts of confusion filled the room as they walked around aimlessly in an attempt to gain their bearing. Two tripped over their own feet and one banged his knee on a chain. The fourth was the wisest, he remained still. Dante incapacitated them all simultaneously by increasing the pressure around their necks thereby reducing their oxygen intake. They were all unconscious shortly.
Dante reconstituted himself in the form of Sela and moved to the main control panel to access the tractor beam emitter. He set the emitter to deactivate and overload. Once the beam was off-line he proceeded to lock out every other emitter so Tomalak could not reinitiate simply by repositioning his ship. Satisfied with his first act of sabotage he proceeded to the next and smashed every console in the room. He didn't want anyone undoing his work after he left. Dante was in his liquid state and back into the vent in an instant. His next destination: The bridge.
Tomalak could almost laugh. After so many encounters and so many failures, he was finally going to get the best of Picard. He wasn't just getting Picard, he was getting the flagship of the Federation. The secrets she held would make the specialists back on Romulus extremely happy. Once she had been stripped down he intended to do with her what he intended for her predecessor: Put her broken hull on display in the Romulan capital. It was the best day for the Romulan Empire in a long time. He might just kill Picard the moment he came on board.
"Commander, sir." said a worried tactical officer. "We're lost the tractor beam."
"Explain!" said an irked Tomalak. He should have known something would go wrong. Something usually did when Picard was around.
"The emitter has overloaded. The problem cannot be corrected from here. I've been attempting to contact tractor beam control but nobody is responding."
"Get down there now! I want that beam reestablished immediately! And find out where Sela is. She should have been here by now."
"Aye, sir."
The tactical officer saluted and turned for the door. He stopped himself when he heard a strange noise near the floor. He knelt down towards a vent on the wall and jumped back in surprise when a brown liquid began to flow out. He had never seen it before but he knew it to be Sela and Tomalak's changeling. The brown liquid began to grow taller and a large mass emerged from its midregion. It struck him square in the chest and threw him backwards. He hit his head on a console and fell into unconsciousness.
Tomalak heard the commotion and turned in time to see a brown mass incapacitate his tactical officer. Their missing changeling had reappeared and had turned on them. "Stop him!"
His order was not fast enough. The changeling extended three long tentacles from its form which proceeded to wrap around the remaining officers. They were flung up and down, from side to side, from wall to floor until they were out cold.
Tomalak had finally figured out where the changeling had gone when they were unable to locate it. It had gone with the prisoners when they escaped. He just couldn't fathom why.
Dante noticed Tomalak's hand going for an armrest panel and wrapped a tentacle around the Romulan's arm, restraining it to the chair. He did the same with his other hand and followed up by wrapping a third tentacle around Tomalak's torso. He walked closer and assumed the Romulan form he had used for two years.
"What are you doing?" said Tomalak. It was frustrating not being able to move. "After all we did for you."
"You used me to help you kill. In spite of your efforts to make me more like you, I have a sense of morality."
"What can those humans do for you? We've helped you. We rescued you from that planet, we told you what you are, where you came from, gave you an identity."
"Your arrival at that planet was mere coincidence. And once you knew what I was all you saw was a chance to exploit me. Commander Wilson promised to take me home to my people. He mentioned it in the holding cell before I even met him, when he couldn't have possibly known I was listening. That is something that you never offered me, not once."
Tomalak was trapped. All he could do was grasp for strings. "When my crew wakes up the first place they'll look is here. They'll kill you on my order."
"I'm not so sure about that." said Dante. In an instant he took Tomalak's form and mimicked his voice perfectly. "Not if there's only one of us here when they arrive."
"You can't kill me." said Tomalak.
Another tentacle extended from Dante's form and took hold of Tomalak's disruptor. He pulled it from the holster and aimed it at Tomalak's chest. "You taught me too well. You taught me to think like a Romulan." Dante saw the fear in Tomalak's eyes. The Romulan wasn't about to call his bluff. "I'm in control here, wouldn't you say?"
Tomalak lowered his gaze. "The bridge is yours."
Even though it was he who had mentioned patience, Picard disliked waiting in situations like the one they were in. Their anticipation heightened when the Romulan tractor beam went off-line and the Defiant veered off to a safe location. Dante was at least successful in the first part of his task.
"Can't help but wonder what's going on over there." commented Riker.
Edwards spoke up. "Do you think Tomalak could have managed to talk Dante into-"
"No." said Alec. He knew what Edwards was getting at and didn't want to hear it. His communications console began to sound and his stomach clenched as a result. In moments they would find out if Dante was able to complete his mission. "We're being hailed by the Warbird."
Picard was met with hesitation, but he overcame it. "On screen."
He despaired at the sight of two Romulans on the viewscreen. Tomalak was seated in his chair and another was standing next to him. The despair in his heart disappeared and relief took its place. He was looking at the faces of not one but two Tomalaks. The seated one was being restrained by what looked like tentacles that emanated from his counterpart. And he did not look the least bit impressed.
"Greetings, Captain." said the standing Tomalak. A smile spread across his face. "I believe Commander Tomalak would like to surrender now."