“No, sir,” the lieutenant said. “I’m not getting anything at all from the relay—not even a return ping.”
Vaughn reached up and ran a hand across his beard. Earlier, Bowers had reported losing contact with the communications relay that Starfleet had established in the Gamma Quadrant, just outside the Idran system. Since the wormhole appeared intact, the lieutenant ran a series of diagnostics, which revealed nothing beyond the loss of signal. Deep Space 9’s chief of operations, Nog, then ran his own series of tests on the station’s comm equipment, reinitializing some of it and having Bowers try to reach the relay again, all of which resulted in the latest round of failures.
“Not even a return ping,” Vaughn echoed, understanding that, even if the sophisticated communications equipment on the relay failed, it should have been able to respond to a simple transmitted command to send a sonic pulse back to the station. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“No, sir,” Bowers agreed.
“All right,” Vaughn said. “I’d better tell the captain.”
“Tell me what?”
Vaughn turned to see Captain Kira exiting her office and descending the stairs into Ops. “We haven’t been able to reestablish contact with the communications relay,” he told her. “We’re not even getting a return ping out of it.”
Kira nodded. “Why don’t you get Nog and take the Rio Grande out there,” she said. “See if you can find out what the problem is.”
“Aye, sir,” Vaughn said. He started toward the lift, but then Bowers spoke up from the tactical console.
“Captain, the wormhole is opening.”
“We’re not expecting any guests, are we?” Kira said. “Let’s see it.”
Vaughn looked up at the large viewscreen that hung from the overhead in Ops. The fulgent blue-and-white form of the wormhole swirled into existence. At its center, a single dark shape appeared, too small to visually make out any detail. “Can you identify that ship?” Vaughn asked.
“Negative,” Bowers said. “There’s nothing in the ship registry database that matches the configuration. It’s relatively small, though. It probably has enough room for only a limited number of passengers.”
“Assuming they’re the size of typical humanoids,” Vaughn said as the wormhole folded in on itself, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.
“Yes, sir,” Bowers acknowledged, somewhat sheepishly.
“Open a channel,” Kira said.
“Channel open,” said Lieutenant Ezri Dax from the communications station.
“This is Captain Kira Nerys of Deep Space Nine,” she said. “Please identify yourself.”
As they all waited for a response, Vaughn walked over to stand beside the captain. They looked at each other as the silence extended. Vaughn couldn’t help but think that the sudden appearance from the Gamma Quadrant of an unknown vessel might have something to do with their suddenly unreachable communications relay.
“No response, Captain,” Dax said.
“What’s their course?” Vaughn wanted to know.
“Not for the station,” Bowers said. “It looks as though they’re headed for Bajor.”
“This is Captain Kira,” she repeated. “Identify yourself and state your business in this system or face the consequences.”
“Captain, the wormhole is opening up again,” Bowers called. Vaughn gazed back up at the screen to see the wormhole spin back open. He saw another small, dark shape appear in its center. “The second ship has a configuration similar to the first,” Bowers said, consulting his readouts. “It is following the same course.” Again, the wormhole collapsed down to a point and disappeared.
Vaughn considered the obvious implication. “Is it in pursuit of the first ship?” he asked.
“Possibly,” Bowers said. “I’ll scan for weapons—” The tactical officer stopped in midsentence as the great whirlpool of the wormhole rotated open once more. Vaughn watched along with the captain and the rest of the crew in Ops as two more ships appeared, and then five more, and then more than he could count.
Vaughn felt Kira’s hand on his arm. “Get to the Defiant,” she said. As he ran toward the lift, he heard the captain’s next orders. “Red alert. We’re under attack.”
The story continues in
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ®
Ascendance
Acknowledgments
When I finally reach the end of a novel, my gratitude always harks back to its beginning, to the people who started it on its way in the first place. My editors, Margaret Clark and Ed Schlesinger, shepherd the entire Star Trek literary line, for which I am thankful, both as a writer and as a reader. I am always grateful for the opportunities they afford me. Margaret and Ed know their jobs and do them well, and their fine stewardship of Trek in print reflects their professionalism, along with their understanding and affinity for the material. I appreciate their support and assistance.
I also want to thank the many writers who have contributed to the Deep Space Nine story line through the years, and in particular to the mythos of the Ascendants. Since S. D. Perry first introduced the formidable silver aliens in Rising Son, they have appeared in one form or another in David Mack’s Warpath and Olivia Woods’ The Soul Key. Thanks for keeping the tale alive.
Thanks also to my friends and fellow Star Trek scribes Kirsten Beyer and David Mack. In recent years, I’ve gotten to spend time with the two of them, both on a personal and professional basis. They are good friends and good writers, and I am grateful to have them in my life.
For me, writing a novel is an enormous undertaking, one which I could never hope to complete without the love and support of so many people. Colleen Ragan is one of those people, a touchstone for me when it comes to the definition of family. She is smart, talented, and funny, a beautiful woman with a big heart.
I am also fortunate for the presence in my life of Walter Ragan. He is, quite simply, a good man, who sets a fine example by virtue of his honesty and integrity, his caring and support. Many people feel cursed by their in-laws; I hit the jackpot.
Anita Smith is yet another shining example of the wonderful people I have around me. Only newly an in-law, she has long been an “in-reality,” but I am delighted that the designation is finally official. Anita has a loving, sharing, supportive spirit. She is quick to smile, to lend a helping hand, or simply to enjoy life. Anita is a lovely woman who improves the lives of everybody around her.
Thanks also to my sister, Jennifer George, for so many things. It would take far too long to list all that Jenn has added to my life. In addition to being the best sister for which a brother could hope, she is also an impressive woman of many accomplishments. Jennifer continually makes me proud, although I long ago ceased to be surprised when she does.
I am also deeply grateful to Patricia Walenista. A fine woman with a keen mind and an insatiable curiosity, she always provides a great example of how to perceive, travel, and investigate the world. After all these years, I still look to her for unparalleled love and guidance.
Finally, as always, there is the Divine Ms. K. For a man as loquacious as me, it is staggering to realize that there are insufficient words to express what Karen Ragan-George means to me. She is a bright light in the darkness, a warm fire in the cold, sweet music in the silence. I could not accomplish whatever I do without Karen by my side, nor would I want to. Her love elevates me. Beautiful, brilliant, hysterically funny, compassionate, forgiving, artistic, and talented, Karen is the shining center of my universe, and I could not be happier for it.
About the Author
Sacraments of Fire marks David R. George III’s fifteenth novel set in the Star Trek universe. He has most often contributed to the Deep Space Nine story line, with The 34th Rule, Twilight, Olympus Descending, Rough Beasts of Empire, Plagues of Night, Raise the Dawn, and Revelation and Dust. He also penned the Crucible trilogy—Provenance of Shadows,
The Fire and the Rose, and The Star to Every Wandering—an original series set of tales that helped celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the television show, as well as Allegiance in Exile, which takes place during the final part of Enterprise’s five-year mission. Additionally, David has written a pair of Lost Era novels, Serpents Among the Ruins and One Constant Star, as well as an LE novella, Iron and Sacrifice, which appeared in the Tales from the Captain’s Table anthology. He also provided an alternate-universe Next Generation novel, The Embrace of Cold Architects, for the Myriad Universes: Shattered Light collection.
David first wrote in the Trek universe for television, with a Voyager episode titled “Prime Factors.” He has also written nearly twenty magazine articles about the shows and books. Of his non-Star Trek work, his novelette “Moon Over Luna” is available on Amazon.com, and another novelette, “The Dark Arts Come to Hebron,” appears in a genre anthology called Apollo’s Daughters. His work has appeared on both the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, and his television episode was nominated for a SciFi Universe award.
An unrepentant (and unrewarded) New York Mets fan, David loves to play baseball and racquetball. With his wife, he also enjoys traveling, watching movies, and dancing. He and Karen live in Los Angeles, where they expect that some combination of global climate change and California earthquakes will eventually give them oceanfront property.
You can contact David at facebook.com/DRGIII, and you can follow him on Twitter @DavidRGeorgeIII.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR: authors.simonandschuster.com/David-R-George-III
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ISBN 978-1-4767-5633-2
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Sacraments of Fire Page 42