The Dominion Wars: Book 1 by John Vornholt

Author:John Vornholt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 1999-07-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

RO FOLLOWED CAPTAIN PICARD onto the bridge of the Orb of Peace. The relief personnel had an edgy look about their eyes, and they didn’t seem Bajoran anymore, despite the nose ridges and earrings. Maybe it was the human scent of their sweat.

The man on the conn jumped to his feet when he saw Picard.

“Status?” barked Picard as Ro headed toward the conn.

“Three Jem’Hadar attack ships are on an intercept course with us,” reported the officer, stepping aside to let the Bajoran take his seat. “They’re going twice our speed, and they’ll be in weapons range in approximately thirty-six minutes.”

“And how much time to the Badlands?”

“Approximately forty minutes,” answered Ro.

Picard scowled, and she could feel his frustration. They were so close to reaching a hiding place, only minutes away, but the hounds were running them aground. Ro knew this feeling of dread—to run for her life with time counting against her.

“Evasive maneuvers?” she asked.

“Not yet,” replied the captain, tapping his finger to his chin. “Steady as she goes.”

Ro knew that Picard was reviewing his options, but they weren’t many. They were no match for one Jem’Hadar ship, let alone three, and they couldn’t explain making a mad dash to the Badlands. This time, they probably wouldn’t even get a chance to talk to the enemy before the attack began.

“They must have us on scanners,” said Ro. “I’m sure they’re watching every move we make. Evasive maneuvers might work against bigger ships, but not against these. The Jem’Hadar attack ships are the most maneuverable vessels we’ve ever seen.”

“The Orb of Peace has two operational escape pods. Let’s put our Cardassian friend into one of those pods and launch him toward a planet. If they’re watching us, they’ll have to stop to investigate, especially after they scan and find a Cardassian on board,” said Picard.

Ro tugged thoughtfully on her earring. “We’ll have to come out of warp, which will cost us some time, but it will be worth it.”

“Captain,” said the officer on ops, “may I remind you that we need both of those escape pods to evacuate the ship’s crew. If we’re missing one, eight crew members cannot evacuate.”

The captain gazed at Ro, and the Bajoran knew from his determined expression that they were still on the same frequency. This mission would either result in success or death, perhaps both, so there was no point in planning for survival in Cardassian space. When Picard armed the self-destruct sequence, they had both known it would be all or nothing.

Will Riker had been right—this was a suicide mission.

Picard leaned over her. “Attend to it, Ro. Ready escape pod one, and put the prisoner into it. Tie him down securely.”

“Don’t worry about that,” she assured the captain.

A short while later, a snarling Cardassian strapped to a vertical seat tried to spit in Ro’s face, but she jerked away just in time. He ended up drooling on his angular chin and staring hatefully at her. She didn’t want to sink to his level, but she lifted a spool of metal-coated tape and waved it in his face.

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