Harm's Way by David Mack

Author:David Mack
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek
Published: 2022-12-13T00:00:00+00:00

15

D’Gol knew by the whooping battle cries shrilling through the jungle that something had gone awry with his plan to storm the cave temple. He had meant to lay siege to the stronghold and force the Chwii to take refuge inside until he was ready to go in and kill them. Instead the whole accursed lot of them was stampeding toward him and his strike team. As far as he knew, the Chwii were not death worshippers. That told him the primitive novpu’ were clearly more terrified of their demigod inside the temple than they were of getting butchered by his team.

He backpedaled through some foliage to find Keekur and Naq’chI still setting up the siege guns, a process made difficult by the constant rain. “How long until those are ready?”

Keekur scowled in frustration as she worked. “Too long.”

Mara emerged from the jungle behind the two warriors. As usual, the captain’s wife had a scanner in her hands and a surprised look on her face. “Hostiles incoming.”

Hungry for information he could use, D’Gol asked, “How many?”

“A lot. As in, we’ll be overrun unless we fall back now.”

D’Gol was dumbfounded. “How in Fek’lhr’s name did they know we were here?”

Mara shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe the smoke serpents? Does it matter?” She glanced at her scanner’s display. “Range, two qelI’qams and closing fast.”

The two warriors continued working on the setup of the automated pulse disruptors, because so far D’Gol had not told them to stop. He gauged their progress, their current rate of work, and made the best informed estimate he could as to whether they would have the weapons ready in time to keep the novpu’ at bay. The truth did not align with his hopes.

“Naq’chI, Keekur: stop what you’re doing and camouflage the guns. We need to leave them behind.” As the two warriors hastily packed their tools and draped the guns, D’Gol turned and whistled toward the trees, in the direction from which Mara had just come.

Seconds later, Hartür appeared. “Sir?”

“A Chwii horde is heading our way. We’ll fall back by pairs and cover one another as we go. Keep the river on your left so they can’t flank you from that side. You and Mara get CheboQ and Doctor Dolaq moving. The gunners and I will be right behind you.”

“Understood.” Hartür slapped his hand onto Mara’s shoulder, signaling her to come with him, and the pair retreated through the rain, into the verdant shadows.

The warriors were up and ready to move. Naq’chI backed up beside D’Gol, her disruptor rifle pointed at the approaching din. “How far are we going, Commander?”

“Until they stop chasing us or we find defensible cover.”

Keekur fell in on the other side of D’Gol and braced her rifle against her shoulder. “Oh, good. I do so enjoy it when we improvise.”

Spears flew past over the Klingons’ heads.

D’Gol readied his own rifle. “They’re within throwing distance. Move!” The trio walked carefully backward while keeping their weapons pointed toward the enemy, laying down blindly fired swaths of suppressing fire in a classic rear-guard action.

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