Demons of Air and Darkness

by Keith R. A. DeCandido

  Unsheathing his kar’takin and holding it across his chest, Taran’atar said, “I am already dead. I must go into battle to reclaim my life. This I do gladly because I am Jem’Hadar.”

  As if I needed reminding, Kira thought.

  “You must fulfill your oath to President Silverio, Colonel. And I must fulfill the one I made when the Founders gave me life.”

  Kira took a deep breath, then nodded. “Energize.”

  Taran’atar set the controls. Then he looked up. “One more thing, Colonel. When the Founders sent me on this mission, I thought that my gods had cast me out. I have since learned that I was wrong.”

  Then he finished the sequence, and both the Jem’Hadar and the tanker’s transporter room disappeared, replaced by the interior of the Euphrates.

  Sighing, Kira thought, Every time I think I have that Jem’Hadar figured out, he goes and surprises me.

  “Computer,” she said, then hesitated. She was about to ask for a full damage report, but that would take too long. “Status of shields and propulsion.”

  “Shields inoperative. Warp drive functioning at eighty-two percent of capacity. Impulse drive functioning at seventy-four percent of capacity.”

  “Reason for shield failure?”

  “Power conduits one through four have been irreparably damaged. Six microprocessors have failed.”

  “If the conduits are replaced, will the shields function?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “Do we have four replacement conduits on board?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “Thank you, Nog,” she muttered. Then, removing her uniform jacket and setting it on one of the chairs, she set to work.

  Within twenty minutes, she had replaced the conduits. “Computer,” she said, “prepare shield generator for installation of additional equipment.”

  This certainly brings back memories, she thought, as she looked for an appropriate access port. The last time she had to install one of these, it was in the midst of a firefight. She, Furel, Lupaza, and Mabrin were supposed to rendezvous with Shakaar at Singha when the Cardassian scout ship found their flitter. They had just obtained the enhancer, and Kira had been forced to connect it and use it without testing—all in about five minutes, while under fire. It only worked part of the time, but that was true of everything on that ship.

  Unbidden, the voices of her fellow resistance fighters sounded in her head.

  “They’re coming around for another pass. Hurry up with that evasive course, Lupaza.”

  “I’m moving as fast as I can, Furel. The controls are sluggish.”

  “I’m gonna slug you in a minute.”

  “They’re firing!”

  “Shields are down to fifty percent!”

  “Nerys, if you don’t get that damn thing installed in another minute, there won’t be any shields for it to enhance.”

  “I’m working as fast as I can, Mabrin. Anytime you want to climb under here and help out . . .”

  Kira smiled as she attached two more leads to the generator. So many memories—liberating Gallitep and freeing those poor laborers from their deadly mining duties, the attack on Gul Pirak, the destruction of the Seltran mine. Most of all, she remembered Lorit Akrem taking her twelve-year-old self to meet Shakaar Edon for the first time in the caves of the Dakhur Hills.

  It was all so much easier, then. Shakaar gave us our orders, and we fought. We knew who the enemy was, and we went after them.

  She stopped what she was doing, and shook her head.

  “What the hell am I thinking?” she said.

  “Please repeat instruction,” the computer droned.

  Ignoring the computer, Kira snarled and threw herself back into the shield enhancer. How screwed up is my life that I’m looking back fondly on the resistance? Now I’m feeling nostalgia for Gallitep?

  I wish Odo were here.

  She stopped working. Dammit, she thought, furious at her own weakness. I promised I wouldn’t let myself do that. Odo did what he had to do. I know that.

  But she could always talk to Odo. Even before they became lovers, he had always been there for her when she needed him. And if he wasn’t available for whatever reason, there had always been someone—Jadzia Dax, Bareil Antos, Tiris Jast, even sometimes Captain Sisko, when she could get her mind around his being the Emissary.

  But Odo and the captain were gone, perhaps never to return. Jadzia, Antos, and Tiris were dead. Ever since becoming station commander, Kira had been putting more distance between herself and her officers, even the ones she’d known for years. She admired and respected Vaughn, but they were still getting to know each other. She’d also recently put a huge strain on her friendship with Kasidy.

  And since I became Attainted, most Bajorans can’t even bear to look at me.

  What was it Benjamin once said? “It’s lonely at the top.” But dammit, even he had Dax—either one. Not to mention Jake and Kasidy. Who’ve I got?

  “Warning—power requirements of enhancement module exceed current capacity.”

  “Dammit,” she muttered. She had been hoping that Starfleet’s adaptable engines would be able to handle it. But this enhancer was designed for that beast of a tanker out there, not something as small as the Euphrates.

  That can’t be it, she thought. There’s got to be another way. “Computer, is it possible to divert enough power from other sources to the shield generator to allow it to function?”

  “Affirmative.”

  Another thought occurred. “Can it still be done if impulse power is left active?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “Good. Do it.”

  “Unable to comply.”

  She closed her eyes. Take it easy, Nerys, you can’t punch the computer. After taking a deep breath she asked, “Why not?”

  “In order to comply, life-support must be terminated.”

  “There’s always a catch,” she muttered.

  “Please restate request.”

  “Never mind.” She searched around the enhancer, and found an inhibitor switch that would keep it from activating when it was hooked up. “Computer, time?”

  “The time is 1242 hours.”

  She stood up. Little more than an hour before that mass goes through. “Computer, begin recording a message.”

  “Recording.”

  Placing her hands on the back of one of the side console’s chairs, Kira took a moment to compose her thoughts. “This is Colonel Kira Nerys on the Euphrates contacting all vessels at Europa Nova. The radiation is coming from a cargo tanker that’s dumping antimatter waste from its hold into the gateway. The crew of the tanker is dead, killed by an alien who is currently engaged in combat with Taran’atar. There’s a concentration of toxic material bigger than anything that’s gone through the gateway so far, coming through in one hour. I’ll be using the Euphrates to block that and any further waste with the help of a shield enhancer I salvaged from the tanker.” She took a deep breath. “In order for this enhancer to function, I’ll need to shut down life-support. I’ll therefore be evacuating the Euphrates and taking my chances on the fifth planet in this system, which is Class-M.” Not much choice; with the transporter useless and no docking ports on that thing, there’s no way for me to return to the tanker on my own. “As soon as it’s feasible to attempt the disruption of the gateways, do it, regardless of whether or not Taran’atar or I have returned. That’s an order.” She took another deep breath. “Computer, end message. When the Euphrates approaches the gateway, broadcast the message every two minutes.”

  “Affirmative.”

  She sat at the helm and set a course for the fifth planet.

  As the runabout descended into the atmosphere, Kira programmed a course that would take the Euphrates on autopilot back to the gateway. The ship would take up position at the threshold, then activate the enhancer and expand the shield envelope to maximum, with the impulse engines working to hold the runabout in position regardless of any force arrayed against it. After
all, it would do no good to have that chunk of waste push the runabout through the gateway.

  The viewport showed an arid desert of a planet. The vegetation was sparse at best, and there were few bodies of water around. Kira did an intensive scan, and found a location that was near a freshwater lake and that also registered a survivably low temperature. Unfortunately, that spot was currently in the early morning, so the temperature would probably increase significantly before long, but she didn’t have time to search for the perfect place to land.

  Once she set down, she got up to inspect the runabout’s emergency kit. Everything seemed to be present and accounted for, and then some. Starfleet does believe in overcompensating, don’t they? A small army could subsist on the combat rations, and Kira had to wonder if both a temperature control unit and an expandable shelter were necessary. The quick diagnostic she ran showed that the small communications module was in working order, and the medikit had been stocked with arithrazine. The Hirogen had indeed dispersed her phaser, so she took a Starfleetissue one from the weapons cabinet—then took a second for good measure, as well as a tricorder.

  She opened the hatch. A blast of heat assaulted her face, a dry wind pushing her back from the hatchway. The air smelled stale and uninviting, and Kira was grateful that she hadn’t bothered to put her uniform jacket back on, though she had tied it to her waist.

  Everywhere she looked on the ground was sand, broken very rarely by bits of plant life, and the one freshwater lake that she had made sure to land near. It was flat land, with the only variations being the curvature of the planet itself. Not even any hills or mountains or sand dunes in sight. It was almost like a negative image of Europa Nova—where that world was the picture of luscious beauty, this was quite possibly the bleakest planet Kira had ever seen.

  And I’m stuck in this place in order to fulfill my oath to save the other one. To think, some people believe the Prophets don’t have a sense of humor. Well, they do, and it’s a black one. My life is proof of that.

  She tapped her combadge, and her hand almost slid off it, it was so covered in sweat. And I’ve only been here a minute. “Computer, activate program Kira-One.”

  At those words, the hatch to the runabout closed. As soon as it locked into place, the runabout lifted off into the cloudless blue sky. Kira watched it ascend for as long as it was in sight, then tracked it with her tricorder while it remained in range—which wasn’t long at all.

  Now I just have to hope that my plan works.

  She checked the tricorder. Theta radiation was already contaminating the atmosphere—that clear sky was working against her—and with the gateway blocked up, it was only likely to get worse.

  Kira gave herself a dose of arithrazine, then got started setting up the shelter.

  Within two minutes she had to stop. Sweat plastered her uniform to her body and dripped down into her eyes. Kira worked hard to keep herself in shape, and so little physical effort should not have exhausted her so quickly. She grabbed a bottle of water from the emergency kit and drained the entire thing in one gulp. It helped only a little.

  This is gonna be fun, she thought grimly. Then she got back to work on the shelter, moving more slowly this time, conserving her energy, praying that Taran’atar would win his battle.

  And that she would win hers.

  15

  EUROPA NOVA

  “COMMANDER,WE CAN’T DO THIS.”

  Vaughn didn’t bother to turn the Defiant’ s command chair around at Bashir’s outburst. “What in particular is i that we can’t do, Doctor?”

  Bashir stepped between Vaughn and the conn. He was holding a padd in his left hand and pointed at the viewscreen with it as he said, “This! All of it! I had hoped that the Trager and the gateway to Torona IV would make a difference, but I’m afraid they won’t. The Trager is transporting people more slowly than anticipated. Each wave of evacuation is taking twice as long as the previous one. This relay method of the Trager and Intrepid picking people up and passing them off to the other ships is not what one would call expedient.”

  “We’re not exactly overburdened with alternatives, Doctor,” Vaughn said dryly.

  “I’m aware of that, but—” Bashir sighed. “We had a chance when we started, but with the tortoise-like pace we’ve been going at, I’m afraid those chances have dwindled to nothing. People are going to die!”

  Vaughn simply stared at him. “We had this conversation in ops, Doctor. The chances were poor to begin with. We don’t give up because the math is bad.”

  “I understand that, sir, but we have a bigger problem. Have a look at this.” He handed Vaughn the padd.

  Looking down at the padd, Vaughn saw a familiarlooking sensor reading from the Gryphon, then handed it back to Bashir. “Yes, I know. Captain Mello told me about this an hour ago.”

  Bashir looked incredulous. “If that mass comes through the gateway—”

  “I’m aware of the danger to Europa Nova. Tell me, Doctor, do you have any actual business on the bridge besides telling me things I already know?”

  “I’d like to know why I wasn’t informed of this! And I’d like to know what’s being done!”

  His voice as calm as Bashir’s was frantic, Vaughn said, “Colonel Kira and Taran’atar have gone through the gateway to try to stop the radiation at the source. Since you’ve been occupied with coordinating relief efforts, keeping you briefed wasn’t a priority. Neither is panicking, nor flailing about in outrage. We’ll deal with the problem.”

  A voice sounded over Bashir’s combadge. “DeLa-Cruz to Bashir.”

  “Bashir here. What is it, Martino?”

  Vaughn was impressed—and grateful—that Bashir and the surgeon general of Europa Nova were on a first-name basis. His predilection for histrionics notwithstanding, Bashir was a damned efficient doctor, and the treatment of the sick had been handled very well on this mission.

  “Julian, did you remove the arithrazine stock from Spilimbergo’s hospital?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Well, it’s gone. And I’ve got hundreds of people here that need treatment.”

  “Doctor, this is Commander Vaughn. The Intrepid is supposed to be landing within the hour to take the remaining population of Spilimbergo.” While Kira’s diverting of the waste to Lago DeBacco saved Spilimbergo from any immediate danger, the level of exposure made that city’s evacuation a priority. Unfortunately, the proximity of that waste meant that even the Trager’ s transporter wasn’t reliable, so the Intrepid was tasked with evacuating Spilimbergo as fast as possible.

  “I’m aware of that, Commander, but some of these people can’t wait an hour.”

  Bashir looked over at the command chair. “ Commander, with your permission, I’d like to have the Chaffee bring down some of our arithrazine stock to Spilimbergo.”

  Vaughn nodded. “Granted.” He turned to the conn. “Ensign Tenmei, can you please handle that?”

  Prynn said nothing, but simply nodded, got up, and approached Bashir.

  “Martino, one of our shuttlecraft will deliver your arithrazine within twenty minutes,” Bashir said.

  “That’s fine, Julian, but I’m also a bit concerned with who might have stolen it. Arithrazine has to be administered very carefully. If some amateur is passing it out . . .”

  “We’ll keep an ear out for it, Doctor,” Vaughn said. “Thank you for bringing that to our attention, however. Defiant out.”

  Bashir then spoke with Prynn about the particulars of bringing the arithrazine down on the Defiant shuttlecraft.

  Nog announced, “Incoming message from the Gryphon, sir.”

  “On screen, Lieutenant.”

  The viewscreen shifted from a view of the planet to the face of Elaine Mello. “What can I do for you, Captain?”

  Mello broke into a smile. “You can enjoy the good news I’m about to give you, Commander. Colonel Kira did it. The toxic stream coming through the gateway has reduced by ninety percent.”

  “That is good
news.”

  Bashir, having finished his conversation with Prynn, said, “That’ll improve the chances that we’ll be able to evacuate in time.” For her part, Prynn left the bridge without a word.

  “We’re not sure exactly how she did it—sensor readings are still pretty spotty—but Dr. Bashir’s right in that it should buy us some more time.”

  Nog looked up from his console. “Commander, we’re getting an incoming message from the Euphrates.”

  “On audio, Lieutenant.”

  Kira’s voice was barely recognizable—and not consistently audible—over the static from theta-radiation interference. “This is Colonel Kira Nerys on the Euph . . . fleet vessels at Europa Nova. The radia . . . antimatter waste from its hold into the gateway. The crew of the tanker is dead, killed by . . . ger than anything that’s . . . using the Euphrates to block that and any further waste . . . eed to . . . fifth planet . . . soon . . . it is feasible to attempt the disruption of the gateways, do it, regardless of whether or not Taran’atar or I have returned. That’s an order.”

  “Can you clean that message up, Lieutenant?”

  “I’m afraid that is the cleaned-up version, sir. It’s broadcast twice since the radiation levels decreased, and the first transmission was the better of the two.”

  Vaughn scratched his beard thoughtfully. “Keep an ear out for more repetitions. With the radiation decrease, we might get a better signal. Some of those gaps were too damn long.”

  Nog nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “Captain Mello, I assume you got that message, as well?”

  “Yes, Commander. And to answer your next question, we’ve still got two hours before we’ve hit our quota for the Jarada.” The Gryphon security chief had taken over supervising the evacuation at Costa Rocosa.

  Turning back to Nog, Vaughn asked, “Will the tachyon burst be ready by then, Lieutenant?”

  “It should be, sir.” Nog hesitated, then added, “Sir, I’d feel better about it if Ensign ch’Thane was here to look over the specs one more time. It was his design. May I ask why he didn’t accompany us?”