Devil in the Sky by Greg Cox & John Gregory Betancourt

Author:Greg Cox & John Gregory Betancourt [Cox, Greg & Betancourt, John Gregory]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, Space Opera, Star Trek; Deep Space Nine (Television Program), Fiction, Science Fiction, General, Media Tie-In
ISBN: 9780671881146
Google: 0uFReVqbn10C
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 1995-06-01T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

VIEWED FROM SPACE, the weapon sail towers resembled fangs arching outward from three locations on the habitat ring. Each tower, which extended both above and below the ring, covered a 120-degree segment of the surrounding void. Smaller and less impressive than the huge docking pylons, they nevertheless carried a lot more punch; the sails could direct either phasers or photon torpedoes at any vessel or entity that dared to threaten Deep Space Nine.

From within, O’Brien mused, they were the usual mishmash of sinister Cardassian designs and unreliable, jury-rigged equipment. He waited, one hand on his phaser, in the stark gray hall outside the phaser monitoring room, flanked by two Bajoran security men in matching brown uniforms. Otherwise the passage was silent and empty; this level was off-limits to all but authorized personnel.

More security stood on guard at the other two weapons towers. O’Brien wasn’t sure why he’d chosen Tower 2 to defend personally, but he’d learned, after many years in Starfleet, to trust his hunches. Or “educated guesses,” as he called them in official Starfleet reports.

One of the Bajorans, Gaysd Tel, stared nervously at his phaser. He seemed uncomfortable handling it. Must be used to working the Promenade, O’Brien figured; Odo didn’t allow weapons of any sort in that area. “Chief?” the Bajoran said. He was a young man, in his mid-twenties probably, with slicked-back black hair.

“Yes?” O’Brien asked. He kept his eyes on the walls and floor before him. He almost hoped every single Horta would converge here. That would mean Keiko and Molly were out of immediate danger. The sooner he heard they were safe, the better he’d feel.

“It’s about Hortas, sir,” Gaysd said. “I’ve heard that they’re completely impervious to phasers.”

“Not exactly,” O’Brien reassured him. He noticed that Battes Ang, the other Bajoran, was listening closely to the conversation, while trying hard not to be too obvious about it. Battes was an older, harder character whose grizzled face still bore the scars of years fighting in the Bajoran Resistance. “They’re tough, but they’re not invulnerable. According to the computer, high-intensity phaser fire at close range can knock a real chunk out of them. Maybe even kill them.” His words appeared to bolster the Bajorans’ spirit. Maybe too much so, he worried.

“Listen,” he said firmly. “That’s not why we’re here. Besides, that’s an adult Horta I was talking about. These are youngsters; their shells may not have hardened completely. We don’t know how much phaser fire they can take. The last thing we want to do is kill them, or even injure one severely. So set your phasers on stun, and hope that’s enough to turn them back.”

“But what if it’s not?” Gaysd asked.

“You got kids, mister?” O’Brien snapped. His temper felt strained to the breaking point. First that miserable computer, now this wrinkly-nosed stooge had to give him flak. I should be with Keiko and the baby, he thought.

“Uh, a niece, sir.”

“Well, pretend this is your niece you’re gunning for.” Easier said than done, O’Brien realized, but hopefully both men got the point.

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