by John Peel
After another pause, Kira asked him, "What are our chances?"
"Not good." Shakaar sighed. "We've got ground-based phaser cannons set up, for example. But planet-based fire against something like the Hive will do barely more than a little damage. Thanks to Jaro, we have a couple of small squadrons of fighters, but, again, they'll be little more than irritants. I try to sound confident with the others, but I can't lie to you, Nerys. If the Hive comes, Bajor is doomed."
"There's a cheery thought," muttered Kira. "And it's just the weather for gloom." The storm still raged outside.
"We can only pray that Captain Sisko can avert the disaster," Shakaar said. "It's our only hope."
"If anyone can, he will," Kira said with conviction. Then she snorted. "Listen to me. Who'd have ever thought I'd say something like that? Remember how I used to curse the Federation for refusing to help us out in our war with the Cardassians?"
"I remember a great number of things," Shakaar answered. "You've changed a great deal, Nerys, since we fought together. It's an improvement, too. You're a stronger, better person for it."
Kira smiled. "Thanks. And—" She broke off as her communicator sounded. "Duty calls." She tapped it. "Kira here."
"Dax," came the response. "Can you come to the Council chambers? I think we have something that you'll want to see. Bring Shakaar … if he's with you." Did she detect a note of humor there?
"On our way," Kira replied, trading glances with the first minister. They left his office on the run.
"What is happening?" repeated Gavron, as he studied the tactical display. Two more of his ships had collapsed following near-misses by the enemy's torpedo-like weapons. "I'm losing men, and I want to know why!"
Tarvok glanced up from his sensor panel, nervously. "It's still difficult to get any readings," he explained. "But at a guess I'd say that the aliens are using a variation of their earlier weapon."
"Monofilaments?" growled Gavron. "But how?"
"I'd say that the torpedoes are releasing a net of some kind, anchored to the launch device. When our ship moves, it cuts directly through the net, and is destroyed."
Gavron glared at the screens. That did make sense, and it also complicated the fight. "Then we cannot ignore the solo fighters." But if they started trying to shoot down everything, the Hive would be able to escape. "Order Hammer and Anvil wings to target any enemy craft. The rest of the fleet is to follow me. Prepare for an attack run on the Hive. I want all photon torpedoes primed and ready for launch."
"Acknowledged," Tarvok replied, and he began to relay the orders to the rest of the fleet.
Studying his tactical, Gavron saw that he had ninety-three ships left. Hammer and Anvil would be … twenty-seven of those. That left him sixty-six attackers. There would undoubtedly be further defenses that the Hive would throw at him, but some of those sixty-six ships should get through to inflict serious damage.
"Science officer," he called.
"Reporting," answered Ladra from her station.
"I assume you have been scanning the target?"
"Of course," she acknowledged.
"I need to know the best possible targets on the Hive to strike," he informed her. "Any weak areas. All the airlocks. The engine nacelles. Anywhere they might be vulnerable to strikes."
She nodded. A schematic came up on a small auxiliary screen in his chair arm. Several points were highlighted in flashing green. "Launch bays," she informed him. "The skin of the Hive is impervious to scanning, but those spots are where the attack ships were launched." Further indicators at the rear of the target lit up. "These appear to be engine emplacements," she explained. "I cannot determine how vulnerable they are, but logic dictates that they are a weak spot." Finally, several areas on the leading edges of the craft's two huge, outspread wings. "Collection points," she said. "The vessel utilizes dust, debris, and gases it collects as fuel. If these are destroyed, then it will not be able to ingest materials."
"Excellent." He turned to Tarvok. "Prepare to relay this information to the cruisers," he ordered. "I will assign targets. On my command, the attack will commence." He worked through the list of strategic points swiftly, assigning his attack ships in teams of five to each sensitive area. Even given defensive fire, some of the ships should get through to strike their targets. He reserved one of the hangar bays for his own craft and escorts. "Targeting details being transmitted," he said, with gruff satisfaction.
The alien ships were still engaging Hammer and Anvil wings. Both sides were taking a severe mauling. Two more enemy ships were swallowed in flares of explosions, and one of his craft disintegrated as it was struck by another monofilament torpedo. There were still thirty-eight of the enemy out there, to twenty of his forces. His men were being decimated, but they would buy him time for this attack.
"Now," he growled. "Signal the advance. Lock on to targets and prime weapons. The attack commences!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Sisko. Tork's diatribe against his own race wasn't making much sense.
"It has all come together in my mind," replied Tork. "It is time that we exited the wormhole. I must return to the Hive with the information that I now understand. I will explain as we travel."
Nodding, Sisko set the controls to reverse their course. The thrusters kicked in, spinning the runabout, and then he engaged the drive. Once again, they sped past the mad whirlpool of color that raged about them. "The entities clarified matters for you?"
"Yes," explained Tork. "They made me face what I suppose I had subconsciously already come to realize. I was blocking myself from accepting the truth, but I can no longer deny it.
"In my studies of the sacred writings, I had noted that the texts quoted by the Two Hundred and Fourth and Fifth Hive were slightly different from those attributed to the First Hive. I had always assumed that this was due to faulty transmission of the writings because of the revolt of the Two Hundred and Third Hive. In fact, it could not have been, because later Hives referred back correctly to the First Hive writings. I had made an error of assumption that has now become clear.
"The First Hive writings were altered by the Two Hundred and Third Hive. What we believe to be the pure writings are, in fact, corrupted. Hosir must have at least suspected this, because he asked me just before I left how I knew that the Two Hundred and Third Hive's rebellion had failed. I knew it because the records said so.
"But the records have been altered!" He shook his head. "I had simply accepted the histories on faith, without using my intelligence to study them."
"We all do that," Sisko told him. "We accept things without question because we believe them to be correct."
"Perhaps," agreed Tork … "But in this case, the deceit was deadly."
The runabout exited the wormhole in a final blaze of light. The passage constricted behind them, and then vanished. Sisko glanced at Tork.
"Where to?" he asked.
"Deep Space Nine," Tork replied. "I must contact the Hive. Captain, could you also recall Sahna and Dax from Bajor? I know we are going to need their aid for what we must now do."
"Of course." Sisko patched into the Bajoran net. A moment later, he was looking at Kira's face. "Major, return to DS9 with Dax and Sahna. I don't care if you have to kidnap her to get her to come along, just do it."
Kira managed a smile. "There's no need to be that extreme," she answered. "Sahna is dying to get back anyway. She and Dax have discovered something very significant, Captain."
"Save it for later," Sisko replied. "I want you moving now."
"Understood." The screen went blank.
"What could they have found out?" Sisko mused.
"I have a suspicion that they have discovered much the same information that I have," Tork replied. "Sahna had the data that Hosir gave me before I departed the Hive. It is in a strange code, but I suspect it is the real information that the First Hive wished to pass on to future generations."
"Let's save this until everyone is together," suggested Sisko. "Am I ri
ght in thinking that this might be a way to stop the Hive and save Bajor?"
Tork nodded. "Yes, Captain. We may be able to restore the original programming to the Hive. But I do not think that it will be accomplished peacefully. There are too many powerful forces on the enemy side."
"The enemy side?" Sisko echoed.
"Yes, Captain." Tork smiled. "For what it is worth, we are definitely allies in your quest to stop the Hive. I pledge to do my utmost to see that Bajor survives."
"Well," Sisko muttered to himself, "it looks like the Prophets came through again."
Bree sighed and then straightened up from her workstation. "That is it," she announced to her colleagues. "I have completed the text of our message, and it is ready to be transmitted to the Hive at large."
"Then do so," a voice called.
"It is not that simple," Bree replied. "Access to the comps has been denied by a security override. Our act of rebellion has alerted Dron and his fellows to our knowledge. He is working to insure that we are isolated, and that we do not cause dissent before Bajor is absorbed."
"Then we must stop him," another said.
"Again, it is not that simple." Bree shook her head. These were intelligent people, but they simply didn't understand the nature of the political beast. "Dron, through Master Raldar, controls the security forces. They, in turn, control what messages reach the Hive. We cannot take on the security forces; we would be in open rebellion. And likely to lose," she added, realistically. "We are not fighters."
"Then you are saying we can do nothing? That Dron will succeed?"
"No," Bree answered. "I am saying that we need a different approach to the problem. We are scientists. There must be a way for us to see around this problem and to overcome it."
One of the younger members of her staff approached. "I have some comp skills," she said, hesitantly. "If access to the comps is coded, I may be able to deduce the coding. If I may try?"
"Of course." Bree moved aside to let the other work. "That is an indication of what I mean. If Dron is being sneaky, then we had better learn how to be sneakier." She looked at them all with affection. "After all, we are a lot smarter than they are, are we not?"
Before anyone could respond, there came a heavy blow on the door. "Security!" a voice called. "Open up!"
"No!" one or the astronomers exclaimed, panicking. "We cannot allow them in."
"We cannot keep them out," Bree contradicted him. "They could burn down the door, which will only delay them."
"What do you propose?" he demanded. "That we surrender?"
"No one is suggesting surrender." Bree hobbled across to the door and hit the entry plate. It irised open to reveal a half-dozen males beyond. Each carried a tingler weapon. "Ah, come to harass us, have you?"
The leader moved inside and glared at her. "Master Raldar has asked us to keep you confined and isolated," he replied. "You are acting in a treasonous fashion, and that cannot be allowed to continue."
"Really?" Bree peered at him intently. "I know you. Are you not … Dimas?"
"Yes," the officer replied, scowling at her.
"I thought so. I was one of your tutors." She snorted. "I always believed that you were an intelligent pupil. A shame that I was so wrong."
"I am not the one who is wrong," Dimas replied with dignity. "I listen to the voices of the Hivemasters, which you do not."
"Well, then," Bree told him, "did they tell you why we object to their voices?"
"We do not need to know that," Dimas replied. "Only that you do not listen."
Bree snorted again. "Oh, well spoken!" she mocked. "I can see that you are using your brains only to keep your ears apart. Next thing, you will be telling me that you are only obeying orders, and it does not matter what those orders are."
"I—" began Dimas, and then he caught himself. "You are attempting to bait me to prevent me from doing my job."
"Yes," Bree agreed, surprising him. "But I ask you also to hear what I have to say. You know me: am I a dangerous or vicious person?"
"No," Dimas said, reluctantly.
"And if you were ordered to kill us all, would you obey without thinking?"
"The Hivemasters would never order that!" protested Dimas. "It is unthinkable."
"They have already killed," Bree informed him. "The blood of thousands of innocents is upon our hands. And if we do nothing, the blood of more will join it."
She could see the struggle that was going on within Dimas. He had been trained by Raldar to obey orders without question. But she had instilled in all of her pupils the need to question everything. Which would win out here?
"What do you mean?" Dimas asked, finally.
"The planet that was absorbed had intelligent beings upon it," Bree explained. "Even now, the Hive is in progress toward another inhabited world. These people will not leave it, so Dron aims to kill them and absorb their world anyway."
"Kill?" echoed Dimas. He looked stunned. "Do you have proof for what you say?"
"Plenty of proof," Bree informed him. She gestured to where the young female worked on the computer. "We are attempting to make it known to the Hive at large. Everyone must know that Dron is making all of us guilty of murder. But we cannot override the security codes."
Dimas strode to the computer and gestured for the woman there to step aside. "I must review this data," he told her. "If what you say is true … then I can override the lockout and disseminate the information for you."
Smiling, Bree turned to her scared companion. "You see?" she asked. "I knew that there had to be a way. Dron has seriously underestimated the Hive if he believes he can force us to become killers."
Dron slammed his fist down on the conference table with fury. "Raldar!" he growled. "You idiot! Can nothing you do be trusted?"
Nervously, the Security Master wrung his hands together. "I do not understand," he protested. "What have I done now?"
"The security force that you sent to arrest Bree and the other astronomers," Dron snapped. "It has not done so. Worse, it appears that they have gone over to her side. Someone is systematically removing the security blocks from her computer and allowing her access to the comp networks."
Raldar shook as he studied the information screen. "I do not understand," he moaned. "That has become abundantly clear," Dron informed him. "This is your last chance. Go to the astronomy section. Take with you only security men you trust implicitly. Stop these traitors now. Kill them if you must, but stop them!"
CHAPTER 26
GAVRON WATCHED HIS screens with deep satisfaction. Hammer and Anvil wings were continuing to engage the enemy craft. Both were suffering heavy losses, but inflicting the same. On the main screen, he caught the tail end of a fight, with one Cardassian cruiser raking a Hive ship with concentrated phaser fire. The alien ship attempted to pull free, but the Cardassian pilot was of course!—superb. He locked on to the other craft no matter how it twisted and turned. Despite its shields, the alien vessel couldn't sustain such damaging fire. A moment later, it was a silent fireball, and the Cardassian ship slipped past it and—on to another assault;
"All craft in attack formation," Tarvok reported. There was excitement in his voice. "Preparing to engage … now!"
Gavron's pilot moved the flagship into the correct alignment, and then boosted for the Hive. The gunnery officer sat hunched over his controls, eager for the right second to launch his cargo of photon torpedoes. On the tactical screen, Gavron could see his other ships starting their coming run. tie smiled, anticipating the devastation to come.
Laser fire erupted about them as they drew closer to the Hive.
"Automatic fire," Ladra reported from her science station. "Computer controlled, most likely. Shields holding."
"Is it enough to damage any of our ships?" asked Gavron.
"Yes," confirmed Ladra. "But it would take several direct hits. The faster we make this run, the better."
"Understood." Gavron ignored the threat. Computer controlled fire was notoriously unre
liable in combat situations. He could afford a few losses.
One went down even as he thought this. There was a brief explosion on the screen, and then further raking fire from the waiting Hive.
"Steady," he growled, but the pilot didn't really need encouragement. He seemed more eager for the attack than worried about being hit. Morale was high, that was certain. The forerunners of the attack formation were now drawing close to the Hive. Laser fire burned through space at the ships, missing more often than it scored. But another Cardassian ship erupted into a flower of flame, and then a third.
"First torpedoes away," Ladra announced. Gavron saw the sparks of fire from his lead ships, which almost instantly began to peel away from the Hive to avoid being caught in the backlash. He grinned as he waited to see the impact.
Fire exploded in several places at once, scattering debris and smoke into the stars, to vanish almost instantly.
"Sixteen hits," Ladra reported, "Minor damage to two of the airlocks. Their shields are still holding for the most part."
Was that all? Gavron hunched down further, scowling at the image on the screen as his flagship came ready for its own run.
"Take us low," he ordered the pilot. And then, to the gunnery officer: "Fire all possible torpedoes as we pass."
The screen was now filled with the smooth metallic surface of the Hive as they whipped across its surface. Tactical showed their target as drawing closer and closer. He gripped the arms of his seat, eager for the kill.
"Torpedoes away,' the gunnery officer reported.
"Take us out of here," Gavron snapped. "Screen to reverse view."
As they pulled away from the Hive, the view switched to show the air lock they had aimed at. Further laser strikes splattered harmlessly off their shields. Gavron ignored them, concentrating on the target zone.
Vast explosions ripped through the area, twisting the smooth skin of the Hive into jagged teeth biting at empty space. Gases, smoke, and flames vented—into the vacuum.
"Bring us around for another sweep. All vessels, commence second run," ordered Gavron.