Myriad Universes_ Echoes And Refractions Part 32

Kira hadn't thought of that. To her, everyone was the enemy-the concept of nations cooperating wasn't something she was used to. "Of course," she said lamely. "I'm sorry about Eddington and the others."

"They died well. We are fortunate that there is a meeting of all of Gowron's top generals in two days. We shall wait in orbit of Qo'noS until that meeting has commenced, then beam down with your device."

Kira started to sit up, then, amazingly, got even paler, and lay back down. After letting out a burst of breath, she said, "We can't wait two days. Koval knew."

Worf frowned. "Knew what?"

"That we killed Jaresh-Inyo. He was waiting for us down there. It was just dumb luck that I was able to kill him, and it wasn't until he killed everyone else. Whoever it is on Qo'noS, they know what we did and they'll be waiting for us."

"That is unfortunate," Worf said, his mouth twisting in annoyance. "But this meeting was called by Gowron because he is displeased with the prosecution of the war. He has made it clear that any generals who do not attend the meeting will be executed. If the shapechangers are to maintain their cover-"

"Yeah, but I don't think they want to at this point. If they knew we got Jaresh-Inyo, then they probably know that we got Koval. I doubt they're going to continue being so covert."

"Sisko to Worf."

Tapping his combadge, Worf said, "Go ahead."

"You should come to the bridge, sir. We're in scanning range of Qo'noS and-it isn't pretty."

Worf shot Kira a glance. "I will be right there."

"Captain," Kira said as Worf turned to leave.

He stopped and gazed expectantly at her.

"This is a battleship. It may be time to take her into battle."

Worf said nothing, but simply left the medical bay. Since he was a child, Worf had always wanted to be a great Klingon warrior, even though he spent most of his youth on Gault and Earth being raised by humans. If he was to die, he would do it in service of the Federation and the Klingon Empire, facing their enemies and destroying them. He took great pride in the fact that it had been he who destroyed the creature who had replaced President Jaresh-Inyo, and that he had led the mission that exterminated the one disguised as Koval.

When he arrived on the bridge, however, he saw that his stopping a third shapechanger would be a bit more of a challenge.

Qo'noS was under siege.

Sisko rose from the command chair, ceding it to Worf, and said, "We started picking up the signs of battle ten minutes ago. There are at least forty Jem'Hadar warships."

Daniels was at the tactical station. "According to reports we've been monitoring, that fleet started out as a hundred Jem'Hadar ships. They crossed the border yesterday and have been working their way toward Qo'noS ever since."

Worf cursed their need to run silent. It meant that hard information was difficult to come by, with only occasional coded transmissions from Starfleet and whatever they were able to monitor on their own-which the covert nature of their mission made difficult.

"Right now," Daniels continued, "there are thirty Klingon ships engaging the Jem'Hadar, plus Qo'noS's planetary defenses."

"Captain, we've got a wee bit of a problem."

That was not what Worf wanted to hear from Captain Scott right now. "Report."

"The warp drive's control circuits are near fried. And before you ask, we'd plenty of spares when we left Earth-I've already gone through 'em all."

"He's right, sir," Sisko said bitterly. "We still haven't been able to keep the power levels down enough to keep the circuits from overloading. Scotty and I cobbled together some quick fixes, but..."

Scott picked it up. "But we've been at this for too long, and I'm runnin' outta rabbits to pull out of my hat. I've managed to hold it together this long, but as soon as we come out of warp, that's all we've got. We won't be goin' at faster than full impulse unless your Klingon friends can lend us a warp drive."

"Are we able to increase speed?"

Scott made a sputtering noise. "We're lucky to be maintainin' warp five as it is!"

"It has become urgent that our arrival time at Qo'noS be moved up, Mister Scott. The Defiant's speed must increase to warp nine."

"Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose, but we'll be lucky not to get to your b.l.o.o.d.y homeworld in pieces. Engineering out."

"Sir," Sisko said, "with your permission, I'd like to give Scotty a hand. I might be able to find a rabbit of my own." That last was said with a wide smile.

"Very well," Worf said. As Sisko turned to leave the bridge, the captain said, "Red alert, all hands to battle stations. Arm phasers and quantum torpedoes, and prepare to decloak and raise shields."

From the conn, Rager said, "Increasing speed to warp nine."

"ETA to Qo'noS at new velocity?" Worf asked.

"Fifteen minutes."

The next quarter of an hour seemed to be endless for Worf. Daniels continued to give progress reports on the battle, which was not going the Klingon Defense Force's way. Though ten more of the Jem'Hadar's vessels had been destroyed, so too had a dozen Klingon ships. Of the eighteen left, though, four were Vor'cha-cla.s.s battle cruisers, which were the top of the line, among them Gowron's flagship the Negh'Var.

To Daniels, Worf said, "Send a coded message to the Negh'Var. Tell Chancellor Gowron that he is about to receive aid from the House of Mogh."

"Sir?" Daniels asked with a furrowed brow.

"Obey my orders, Mister Daniels." Now was not the time to get into a protracted discussion with the security officer about Worf's history with the chancellor, from his killing Gowron's sole rival for the chancellor's seat in a duel to Worf's support of Gowron in the civil war that erupted shortly thereafter. Worf 's brother Kurn sat on the High Council, and the House of Mogh was a respected one in the empire. As much as Gowron supported and counted on the alliance with the Federation, the support of a n.o.ble House would be more meaningful to him than the arrival of a Federation starship-no matter how powerful.

However, just as Daniels prepared to send the message, Worf watched on the viewscreen as weapons fire from a Jem'Hadar ship sliced through one of the Negh'Var's wings. The vessel started to spin out of control, hurtling past another of the Vor'cha-cla.s.s ships.

Both ships were destroyed a moment later, in what Worf recognized as a matter-antimatter explosion. The warp cores of both vessels had obviously failed.

"Entering system now," Rager said calmly from the conn.

Forcing a similar calm to his own voice, Worf said, "Come out of warp. As soon as we are in range of the nearest Jem'Hadar ship, decloak and fire phasers."

"Yes, sir," Daniels said.

The lights on the bridge brightened, and Worf saw the Defiant's pulse phasers-which were several orders of magnitude more powerful than the more common phaser beams-plow through a Jem'Hadar ship and wipe it from existence.

Worf 's only regret was that it wasn't the same ship that destroyed the Negh'Var.

To Rager, he said, "Set course 482 mark 7, then continue at your discretion. Mister Daniels, continuous fire on the Jem'Hadar."

"Yes, sir," both officers said.

The Defiant was a flat ship, which increased its maneuverability, allowing Rager to weave it in and out of the field of fire, while Daniels pounded the Jem'Hadar with phasers. Within minutes, three more of their ships were destroyed. The Defiant itself took considerable fire, but its shields held-and when they fell, the ship also had ablative armor, which would enable them to last even longer in a fight.

"Sir?" Daniels's voice was strained.

"Report," Worf said.

"Long-range sensors are picking up another twenty-two Jem'Hadar ships approaching the system. They'll be here within ten minutes."

"Any Defense Force vessels?"

Daniels shook his head.

"Captain," Rager said, "five of the Jem'Hadar vessels are changing att.i.tude."

Looking at the viewer, Worf saw that the conn officer was correct. Rather than maintain their battle posture, five of the enemy vessels were altering their position as if they were preparing for atmospheric entry.

Or atmospheric bombardment. The ships were spread out around the planet, so they could not be taken all at once, but he had to try. "Lieutenant, set an orbital course for the nearest Jem'Hadar vessel." If he had to, he would circle his homeworld and take out each ship before they could- But it was too late. Even as the Defiant changed course, each of the five Jem'Hadar ships fired purple beams of devastation onto Qo'noS's surface. Even from this distance, Worf could see the mountains, the oceans, the plains, the forests, the cities-all burning.

Rager brought the Defiant close to one ship, and Daniels destroyed it with four quantum torpedoes, but by then, the damage was done.

From one of the port consoles, an officer whose name Worf could not recall said, "Radiation levels on the planet are increasing. Only picking up a few thousand life signs."

The population of Qo'noS numbered in the billions. One of those was Worf's brother, Councillor Kurn. "The First City?"

"Not reading it at all, sir."

So my brother is dead-as are most of the Homeworld's inhabitants. Worse, they did not die in battle, but simply burned at the hands of honorless cowards.

The Defiant took on fire. "Leave orbit, Lieutenant," Worf said. "Set course 222 mark 4."

Rager whirled around. "Sir?"

"Obey my orders!" Worf bellowed, getting to his feet, bile rising in his throat. He had just watched his homeworld die screaming.

"Captain," came the voice of Sisko from engineering, "shields and weapons are offline. So are about half a dozen other systems, and it's a small miracle that the warp core hasn't been breached."

Scott added, "We cannot take much more'a this, sir."

"We will not have to," Worf said.

Half a dozen Jem'Hadar ships changed course to try to intercept the Defiant. Weapons fire splashed against the ablative armor. Aside from a few birds-of-prey and a pair of Karas-cla.s.s strike ships, none of the Defense Force armada protecting the homeworld was left intact, leaving the remaining Jem'Hadar free to prey on the Defiant.

"Full impulse."

"Captain," Scott said, "we cannot maintain full impulse for-"

Worf cut the old engineer off. "Prepare to induce a warp-core breach."

Sisko came on, then. "Captain, are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

Normally Worf would not deign to explain an order to a subordinate, but under these circ.u.mstances, he was willing. "You both said we cannot leave this star system. Qo'noS has just been destroyed, and there are twenty-two Jem'Hadar ships about to enter the system. No doubt the Founder based here has summoned these forces to him so he may conquer the Alpha Quadrant more directly. That will be his final mistake."

"So you plan to set off a warp-core breach and take as many of them as you can since we're as good as dead already?"

"Not exactly," Worf said. "Yes, we will die gloriously. But not simply by breaching the warp core."

Rager said, "Approaching the sun's photosphere."

"Are you mad?" Scott asked. "If the warp core goes when we're too close to the sun you might-"

"Take the enemy with us," Worf said. "They destroyed the Homeworld. They will not live to regret that action."

Montgomery Scott had lived a long time, through two different centuries. Though he was present at the Khitomer Accords, he still never thought he'd live to see the day that the Federation and Klingons were allies-much less find himself taking orders from a Klingon.

And now he was going to die, not in his bed surrounded by loved ones, but deliberately inducing a warp-core breach before dive-bombing a sun in order to make it go nova, a gesture that would not only kill him, but wipe out an entire star system-and two dozen of those Jem'Hadar beasties.

Could be worse, he thought resignedly as he and Sisko set the controls. At least I'm dyin' in an engine room.

He looked at Sisko. "I guess this is it, then, lad."

"I guess. I just wish-"

After Sisko hesitated, Scott prompted: "What?"

"I just wish I could see Jake one last time."

"Aye," Scott said. He'd been hearing plenty of stories on the trip about Sisko's son. "He seems to be a fine lad. I'm sure he'll make you proud."

"I hope so," Sisko said quietly.

Kira Nerys had bullied Doctor Ta.r.s.es into letting her sit at a console. The Defiant didn't have any transparent aluminum windows the way most Starfleet ships did, but she was able to set a screen to show her what was happening.

She saw the Defiant take out several Jem'Hadar ships.

She saw Qo'noS being devastated.

She saw the Jem'Hadar fire on the Defiant as Worf tried to take her toward the sun-for what? To try to lose them in the sun's corona?

Then Kira realized what Worf was planning. I didn't give him enough credit. This kind of insane suicide tactic was the kind of thing the resistance did all the time. I thought Starfleet were heroes, not terrorists. But with so many Jem'Hadar ships coming and the system no longer useful to their side, Worf decided to go for scorched earth. Or, in this case, scorched star system.

She admired the tactics. Her only regret was that there weren't some Carda.s.sian ships in the system that they could take out, too.

Worf sat back down in the command chair. Daniels reported a rise in the hull temperature as they entered the sun's corona. He felt the heat pressing on his face. Sweat dripped off Rager's chin onto the conn. A few officers had removed their uniform jackets, a breach in uniform protocol that Worf couldn't bring himself to bother pointing out.

Without shields, and with the ablative armor all but gone, it wouldn't be long before the ship itself was overwhelmed. He hoped Scott and Sisko would be able to trigger the breach before that happened, else their sacrifice would have no meaning.

He was looking forward to seeing K'Ehleyr in Sto-Vo-Kor. Not to mention his parents and his brother.

"Today is a good day to die," he said as the heat grew almost unbearable, "and revenge is a dish best served hot."