RIKER LOOKED AWAY from the image of Tezwa on the main viewer and activated his tactical console to study the Klingon fleet’s movements. As soon as the negotiating team had beamed down, the ten Klingon ships had gradually dispersed. Six were now positioned at roughly equal intervals around the equator of the planet, while the other four had split off into two pairs, one above each planetary pole. He could only speculate about the location of the cloaked vessels that he assumed must be reconnoitering from high orbit. The formation might look innocuous to an untrained observer, but Riker knew the Tezwans would recognize its purpose as clearly as he did. The Klingon fleet had deployed to optimize its surface attack.

Data responded to a chirp from his ops console. “Commander, we just lost the away team’s com signals,” he said as he keyed in new commands. “I am scanning for their backup transceivers.”

Lieutenant Vale tensed as she responded to an alert on her tactical console. “Sir, the Tezwans just activated an energy shield over the capital.”

“Red alert,” Riker said. “Tell the Klingon fleet—”

“Incoming!” Vale said, cutting him off.

“Shields!” Riker said. “Helm, evasive!”

The shallow curve of the planet on the main viewer rolled erratically between vertical and horizontal as Perim increased the ship’s speed and initiated defensive maneuvers. Riker watched the first volley of bluish white energy bolts race upward from the planet surface toward the orbiting fleet. One of the large Klingon battle cruisers, unable to raise its shields in time, exploded instantly. The other cruisers and all four visible birds-of-prey were hit as a shot struck the Enterprise.

The blast force lifted several personnel into the air and tossed them forward toward the main viewer. The overhead lights blinked out as the main viewscreen flared white with painfully bright static. Caught in its disrupted flicker, the bodies seemed to tumble back to the deck in jerky slow motion. Sparks and smoke spewed from several overloaded consoles.

Riker coughed and waved a veil of acrid smoke from his eyes. “Damage report!” In the hazy half-light of the wounded bridge he saw Vale and Perim clinging to their consoles.

“Shields are down,” Vale said. “Torpedoes are offline.”

“Helm damaged but functional,” Perim said.

Riker coughed. “Vale, how are the Klingons doing?”

“Not good,” Vale said. “The birds-of-prey are gone. The cruisers are firing at the planet.”

Riker immediately pictured Captain Picard and Deanna in the Tezwan capital, on the receiving end of a Klingon torpedo barrage. Then he made an educated guess about what another hit from Tezwa’s planet-based artillery would do to the Enterprise.

“Helm,” he said. “Set a course for the Tezwan capital. We’re going under their shield to get the captain.”

“Aye, sir,” Perim said as she plotted the course and began the rapid dive toward the planet. “ETA, twenty-one seconds.”

Data keyed in more commands at his station. “Rerouting shield power to navigational deflectors to protect the hull.”

Vale tapped targeting orders into her console. “Standing by to neutralize the capital’s interceptor drones.”

“Good work,” Riker said. “Riker to transporter room.”

“Go ahead, sir,” Transporter Chief T’Bonz answered.

“Start scanning for the away team’s backup signals. Energize as soon as you have a lock.”

“Acknowledged. Transporter room out.”

Riker watched the details of the planet’s surface sharpen on the still-staticky main viewer. Here’s where the fun begins, he mused cynically. As the Enterprise leveled out from its steep descent, he saw countless telltale flares of Klingon torpedo detonations beyond the horizon, on the nightside of Tezwa. Directly ahead and growing larger by the second was Keelee-Kee, the planet’s capital. Between the Enterprise and the city was a cluster of small, fast-moving attack drones racing toward them.

“Helm, all ahead full,” Riker said.

“Slipping under the city-shield in five seconds,” Perim said as the twelve drones grew larger on the main viewer.

“Interceptors are locking weapons,” Vale said.

“Fire at will,” Riker ordered.

Phaser beams from the Enterprise lashed out at the uncrewed attack ships, which crisscrossed to evade the starship’s preemptive volley. Two were sliced in half by the phaser attack, while the others swarmed around the large, Sovereign-class starship. A shuddering boom of impact resounded through the deck as muffled explosions peppered the outer hull.

“Report!” Riker said.

“A drone rammed our torpedo launcher,” Vale said. “Damage and casualties in engineering, decks twelve and thirteen.”

“We’re under the shield,” Perim said. On the viewscreen, the cityscape rolled like a kaleidoscope of metal, stone, and glass as she piloted the ship sideways on its center axis over the city’s main boulevard. Riker was used to watching stars spin on the viewer, but this spectacle was vertigo-inducing.

“Riker to transporter room. Let me know the second you’ve got them.”

“Still scanning, sir.” Another explosion shook the ship. Half a second later came the screech of the ship’s phasers being discharged in an atmosphere.

“Watch your targets, Lieutenant,” Riker said. “These are civilians down here.”

“I’m aware, sir,” Vale said. Riker smiled grimly at Vale’s implicit rebuke.

“Riker to engineering.”

The chief engineer’s voice crackled over the com. “La Forge here.”

“Geordi, get ready to give me warp power,” Riker said.

“Ready when you are, Commander,” La Forge said.

An exploding com panel to Riker’s left sent sparks and flames dancing across the bridge. Smoke stung his eyes as tongues of fire licked at his fingers.

“Transporter room to bridge. Energizing now.”

“Acknowledged,” Riker said. A security officer extinguished the fire at the first officer’s feet, then moved to squelch the blaze inside the ruined com panel. Another round of detonations rattled the ship. “Helm, initiate a point-nine-eight warp field and head for orbit, best possible speed.”

“Aye, sir,” Perim said. “Hang on to something, folks,” she added, to no one in particular.

“All hands,” Vale broadcast over the ship’s com. “Brace for impact.” Riker clutched the arms of the captain’s chair as the ship angled skyward and accelerated away from the city. The ship lurched and quaked as it punched through the city’s defensive screen. As Riker had hoped, the Enterprise’s near-warp subspace field had enabled it to pierce the capital’s shield and make a direct ascent to orbit, rather than spend precious seconds trying to maneuver clear of the energy barrier. Now all that remained was to escape the planet’s gravity and evade its lethal artillery long enough to go to warp speed.

The cinnamon-colored sky thinned and faded to reveal the star-speckled curtain of space. Several smoldering clusters of wreckage drifted derelict in low orbit. Only one Klingon vessel, a cruiser, was still even partially intact. Riker concluded it had been part of the Klingons’ cloaked detachment. Its hull was riddled with damage, and it was venting charged plasma from its ruptured warp nacelles. Its maneuvering engines were dark.

“Data,” Riker said. “Get a—”

“Tractor beam locked,” Data said.

“Warp field extended,” Perim said.

“Incoming!” Vale said.

“Get us out of here.”

“Aye, sir,” Perim said as she engaged the warp drive, catapulting the Enterprise and the towed Klingon cruiser beyond the reach of Tezwa’s artillery.