Chapter Twenty-one

CAPTAIN PICARD TURNED to Gowron. “Let me see if I understand this situation correctly. If the station drops its shiblds, Lursa will beam everyone in Ops onto her ship, assuming one of those captured would be you.”

“What?” Sisko asked, turning and moving to the rail.

Gowron nodded. “She took us once before in the same fashion. She knew I would be transporting the minute the station’s shields were dropped after the meeting time. She was smart. She would know that I have come to this location now. She would take everyone in this area of the station. Kill all of us.”

Picard nodded. He had figured that might be the case. It was the only factor that made sense. Lursa and her sister were gambling that either he or Gowron

would attempt to transport back to their respective ships. And if Lursa and her force had to wait too long, they would pound the station until the shields dropped and then do the same thing. Again logical.

“Then we need to get you off this bridge,” Sisko said. “And you too, Admiral.”

“Thank you, Commander,” Gowron said. “I doubt it would help the situation. There are at least twenty Klingons on the station at this moment, plus many thousands of others. I am sure Lursa has enough spies here to keep her informed as to my location.” He glanced around. “I would rather stay here. Where I trust who is behind me.”

Sisko smiled. “I honor your request, sir,” he said.

Gowron bowed slightly in thanks.

“I will stay, also,” Admiral Jellico said. “It is my place here, beside our guest.”

Gowron nodded Jellico’s way, a look of slight surprise on his face.

Picard also was surprised, but he did not show it. He still hadn’t got the answer he was looking for. “Gowron, what would happen if we forced Lursa’s hand? What if we brought in reinforcements earlier than expected?”

“She would attack the station before they arrived,” Gowron said. “I am certain. She hopes to force the shields down. All her efforts will be to that end.”

“Does she have the force?” Picard asked. He was familiar with the station’s defenses. And with the power of the Birds of Preys, but he wanted Gowron’s opinion.

“Yes.” Gowron said, glancing at Commander Sisko, almost as if he was apologizing for insulting the station. “She has the power to do so in a very short period.”

“What if the Enterprise and your two ships,” Picard asked, “placed themselves between her ships and the station? Would that have an effect?”

“Six against three.” Gowron smiled. “It would slow her effort considerably, if our ships could remain in positions between hers and the station. And it would cause her much damage. She does not like to lose ships. I know that much of her. Ships are her power in the Empire.”

Captain Picard turned to Commander Sisko. “How far away is Gul Dukat?” Beside him Picard heard Gowron draw in a sharp breath, then snort in disgust.

Sisko turned to Major Kira. “Major?”

“They are back in Cardassian territory,” she said, checking her longrange scans. Then she looked up at Commander Sisko. “They could return in forty minutes.”

Sisko turned to Gowron and Picard.

“You would have Cardassians save us?” Gowron said. Picard could hear the disgust in his voice. “Yesterday was bad enough. Must I be so shamed again?”

“These Klingon ships threaten a Federation station, Gowron,” Picard said. “I would call them. Not you.”

“And what honor is in that?” Gowron said.

“What honor is in not defending our guests?”

Picard snapped back. “In any fashion we can.”

Gowron stared at Picard for a moment, then suddenly laughed. “Picard. You know us too well.”

Picard nodded. He knew that with a little logic he would win that argument with Gowron. Gowron’s own story had given Picard the ammunition. Now, would Gul Dukat return? That was another question again.

dRacLa had quickly discovered there was no way for one person to watch Ops without being actually in Ops. Gowron could have gone anywhere. His plan was useless. So he had immediately switched to his backup plan. He would bring the shields down himself and trust that Lursa could find Gowron, wherever the animal hid.

He moved along the corridor now toward engineering. He had studied this area of the station carefully from old Cardassian plans. He knew exactly where two timed charges would cause a cascade effect, cutting all power to shields. He had already planted one charge. He was a short twenty paces from where he need to place the second when a voice said, “Stop there.”

Without an instant’s hesitation, he pulled his weapon, spun, and fired.

A man in a brown-and-tan uniform stood in the middle of the corridor. Two Federation officers flanked him. Both had their weapons drawn.

dRacLa’s first disrupter shot caught one guard and he went over backward.

The guard second fired his phaser, barely missing dRacLa. The man in brown simply stood still.

Quickly dRacLa dove around the corner and another phaser shot brushed his boot.

“Security,” a voice behind him said. “Seal off the corridor outside engineering.”

Ahead a security shield shimmered into being. Just inside where he needed to place the charge. He had failed. That much was clear. But he would not die alone.

He ducked into a dead-end side corridor and blew a hole in the lock of a door there. Quickly he went inside what appeared to be some sort of office. There was no way out. He did not expect there to be.

He leaned back out the door and fired a shot up the corridor as a warning. Then pulling out the explosive in his pack, he took the one large ball and rolled it into smaller ones. These would keep him alive awhile longer. Maybe just long enough to be rescued.

Or long enough to kill a few Federation dogs.

Then with a flick of a switch, he blew the first explosive he’d planted.

Riker watched as the comm line blinked and Major Kira studied her board. Then she looked up at Commander Sisko. “Sir. Shots have been fired in the engineering section. Odo reports they have cornered a Klingon there. He believes it to be the one whom he saw talking to the Yridian trader who set the bomb.”

“dRacLa,” Gowron said softly, never taking his eyes off the main screen in front of him.

Suddenly the lights blinked, then held.

“What was that?” Sisko demanded.

Without looking up from her board, Major Kira said, “There was an explosion in engineering, sir. One coupling was destroyed. No other damage.”

“All energy rerouted,” Dax said. “Everything is again stable.”

Sisko nodded and glanced back at Captain Picard.

Riker let out the breath he was holding. That had been a close call. If the blast had taken out two power couplings, the shields would have failed for a short time. Not long, but long enough for Lursa and her sister to beam them all out of here.

“It seems it is time to act,” Picard said.

Sisko nodded.

Picard tapped his comm badge. “Picard to Enterprise.”

“Go ahead, Captain,” Data’s voice came back strong.

“Send out a call to Gul Dukat. Patch it through there to me here.”

“Yes, sir.” Data said.

“And Data, when I am finished, move the Enterprise to a position between the threatening Klingon ships and the station.”

“Aye, sir.”

A moment later Data came back. “Go ahead, sir.”

“Gul Dukat,” Picard said. “Captain Picard here. I apologize for not being able to make thy request visually.”

“I understand,” Dukat said, “That you have a somewhat troublesome situation.”

Picard smiled. “We do.”

“And are you asking for my help?” Dukat said.

Riker could almost hear Dukat’s voice mocking them. Just like the Cardassians. They would never make a situation easier.

Picard shook his head. He took a deep breath. “Yes, Dukat,” Picard said. “I am.”

“On my way,” Dukat said. “Out.”

Picard shook his head and turned to Gowron. “My friend, dealing with the Cardassians is difficult. For all of us.”

“And very seldom worth the trouble,” Gowron said.

Riker hoped this time he was wrong.