STAR TREK GENERATIONS by J.M. DILLARD

Author:J.M. DILLARD
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: POCKET BOOKS
Published: 1996-08-29T04:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

“Sir.” His cheerful expression now replaced by one of concern, Data swiveled toward Riker. “I am detecting an anomalous subspace reading in Main Engineering. It may be—”

Riker never heard the rest. The ship reeled hard to port, slamming him against the arm of his chair. He held on, managing to turn his head to look at the screen, where the bright glow ofthe most recent blast was fading to reveal the Bird-of-Prey against the backdrop of Veridian III. As Riker watched, another brilliantly shining torpedo emerged from the Klingon vessel and streaked relentlessly toward the Enterprise.

He barely had time to brace himself before the next one hit—with such thunderous force that when it ended, he felt amazed the hull above them had not been sheared in two.

Over the screaming of the red-alert klaxons, Worf called, “They have found a way to penetrate our shields!”

“Lock phasers and return fire!” Riker ordered.

On the screen, the Bird-of-Prey’s shields flashed as they absorbed the impact of the starship’s phaser blasts.

A no-win situation, Riker realized, even before he saw the next photon torpedo blazing toward them on the viewscreen. Without shields, the Enterprise would be torn apart.

The ship lurched again beneath his feet; the conn console erupted in a hail of sparks, hurling the conn officer to the deck.

“Deanna!” Riker shouted. “Take the helm. Get us out of orbit!”

Troi propelled herself from her chair and raced unsteadily across the rocking deck to the helm. Within seconds, Veridian III disappeared from the viewscreen —but the Klingon vessel was in full pursuit. Not enough, Riker knew, as he squinted his eyes at the dazzling glow of another approaching torpedo. Lursa and B’Etor had found a way to outwit the Enterprise’s superior firepower; it was time for Riker to return the favor.

As the ship was jolted again, Data called, his voice bright with panic, “Hull breach on decks thirty-one through thirty-five!”

“Worf!” Riker paused and braced himself as yet another hit rocked the bridge; overhead, the lights flickered. “That’s an old Klingon ship. What do we know about it? Are there any weaknesses?”

Worf clutched his console and held on as the ship rolled. “It is a Class D-twelve Bird-of-Prey. They were retired from service because of defective plasma coils.”

“Plasma coils? Is there any way we can use that to our advantage?”

“I do not see how,” Worf replied. “The plasma coil is part of their cloaking device.”

“Data.” Riker wheeled toward him with sudden inspiration. “Wouldn’t a defective plasma coil be susceptible to some kind of ionic pulse?”

“Perhaps …” Data frowned, considering it, then brightened with enthusiasm. “Yes! If we sent a low-level ionic pulse, it might reset the coil and trigger their cloaking device. Excellent idea, sir.”

Worf nodded, on to the idea. “As their cloak begins to engage, their shields will drop.”

“Right,” Riker said. “And they’ll be vulnerable for at least two seconds.” He glanced at the android. “Data, lock on to that plasma coil.”

“No problem,” Data answered, confident. He hurried over to a bulkhead, removed a panel, and began rerouting circuitry at inhuman speed.

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