Part 11 (1/2)

”Sir,” the tactical officer interjected. ”I've just cross-referenced the readings with our database. The observed effect is consistent with a cloaked B'rel-cla.s.s Klingon bird-of-prey.”

Thelin's antennae bowed inward in consternation. ”This doesn't make sense,” he said. ”If they wanted to spy on us, they'd only need one cloaked s.h.i.+p. Why send three?”

Croy shrugged. ”Maybe they wanted to intimidate us?”

”I don't think so,” Thelin replied. ”They're much more cunning than that.”

”Well, the cavalry is about to arrive,” Croy said. ”The s.p.a.cedock doors are opening!”

”Full range on viewer,” Thelin ordered.

In the distance, the huge doors on the topmost dome of the s.p.a.cedock began to slowly slide apart, revealing the gleaming hull of the Excelsior as it waited patiently to emerge. Around the bridge of the Copernicus, the anxious crew grew restless, knowing that they were at best an even match against one bird-of-prey, let alone three.

The moment the forward hull of Excelsior began to poke through the aperture, one of the areas of distortion on the screen s.h.i.+fted, and began to move swiftly across the field of vision toward the s.p.a.cedock.

”I've seen enough,” the Andorian captain said. ”Go to red alert. Ensign Lee, report to Excelsior that the bogey appears to be moving to intercept.”

”s.h.i.+elds are up, weapons systems are charging,” the tactical officer said.

”Excelsior acknowledges,” Lee said. ”Going to red alert status.”

”Captain!” Croy shouted. ”All three s.h.i.+ps are decloaking!”

Sure enough, the three vessels simultaneously emerged from their shrouds. One bird-of-prey sat perched directly in front of the s.p.a.cedock doors, engaging the Excelsior in a tactical staredown. But the much larger Starfleet s.h.i.+p appeared to blink first; as soon as it cleared the dock, it veered off before turning and settling into a central position amid the three Klingon s.h.i.+ps.

The two Klingon s.h.i.+ps that had sat unmoving throughout the previous maneuvers now split apart, aggressively taking flanking positions on either side of the Excelsior.

”Captain,” Lee said. ”Word from s.p.a.cedock is that they have now mobilized the Yorktown. They'll be coming out to join us shortly.”

”Acknowledge that,” Thelin replied with some relief. The three small Klingon fighters would be no match for two ma.s.sive Starfleet cruisers, and Thelin, while certainly not one to back away from a fight, knew that the tiny science vessel he commanded would be of little use were this standoff to destabilize into any sort of battle. ”Helm,” he said, hating the words he was about to say but fully appreciating the facts of the situation, ”as soon as the Yorktown is free and clear of the dock, prepare to withdraw.”

”Aye, sir,” the helmsman said.

Inside the dock, the Const.i.tution-cla.s.s Yorktown could now be seen preparing to maneuver its way through the doors while a Klingon bird-of-prey still guarded the exit like a sentry. But before any part of the s.h.i.+p could emerge, as Thelin's crew looked on in horror, the Klingon s.h.i.+p's disruptor cannons unleashed a barrage of firepower directly upon the Starfleet vessel.

Immediately the scene around them dissolved into utter chaos. In response, the Excelsior fired upon the attacking Klingon s.h.i.+p, only to be hit with disruptor fire on both sides from the two flanking vessels.

Thelin leaped from his seat. ”Helm! Run evasive maneuvers around the starboard-side hostile; tactical, lay down strafing fire as we pa.s.s. Force that vessel to disengage from the Excelsior.”

Wasting no time, the Copernicus swept past the Klingon s.h.i.+p while repeatedly firing phasers upon it before quickly withdrawing to prepare for another pa.s.s. But their efforts seemed to have little effect. The s.h.i.+elds on the bird-of-prey held, and it continued to pummel the Excelsior mercilessly.

”Sir,” Ensign Lee shouted, holding his hand to his ear as he attempted to make sense of the subs.p.a.ce chatter the engagement had produced. ”The Excelsior's a sitting duck. She has to disengage.”

Thelin rea.s.sessed the situation. While the bird-of-prey remained staked out before the dock doors, the Yorktown would be unable to get clear. ”All right,” he said. ”Then it's up to us to eliminate that bird in front of the s.p.a.cedock.”

”Negative, sir,” Lee responded. ”Yorktown is a no-go. They're closing the dock doors.”

”What?” Thelin shouted back. ”Would you mind asking Starfleet Command just what exactly we're supposed to do out here?”

”Sir, Starfleet Command reports three available stars.h.i.+ps in the system at the Utopia Planitia s.h.i.+pyards. They've just warped out from Mars. They'll be here in five minutes.”

”We could be dead in five minutes,” the captain fired back. Such an amount of time, Thelin knew, was practically an eternity during this type of engagement, and his crew of science specialists had certainly not been prepared to go into battle. Had Federation Intelligence been caught totally unaware that the Klingons were planning to disrupt their mission? The devastation wreaked upon Earth had apparently crippled the government more seriously than anyone was willing to admit.

But, curiously, the Klingon s.h.i.+ps now seemed content to sit and wait. The Excelsior had circled around and come to a more defensive position, but the birds showed no signs of taking further aggressive action. Despite the lull, Thelin knew better than to relax for even a moment.

”Captain!” Lee suddenly shouted. ”I'm receiving additional transmissions from Utopia Planitia. They're reporting three more Klingon B'rel-cla.s.s birds-of-prey now in orbit around Mars.”

”Over the s.h.i.+pyards?!” Thelin exclaimed.

”Yes, sir!”

”Put it on speakers.”

Lee flipped the necessary controls, and the confused, slightly panicked voices sounded out, overlapping one another with increasing intensity.

”-have decloaked directly above the Odyssey Depots, coordinates twenty-seven point five degrees lat.i.tude-”

”-negative communications. Klingon hostiles are not responding to hails. No heavy cruisers are in range to intercept; we are mobilizing all light cruisers and scouts.h.i.+ps-repeat, all light cruisers-”

”Oh my G.o.d...Platform fifteen, do you have visual at coordinates one-two-seven mark fifty-five?”

”Stand by...Confirmed, we have visual evidence of multiple energy surges, bearing-”

”They're decloaking! Red alert! Priority Starfleet Command, we count approximately sixteen...correction, approximately twenty D7-and K'tinga-cla.s.s Klingon cruisers in attack formation! Incoming, bearing three-”

”Firing! Repeat, we are taking heavy fire! Starfleet Command, the s.h.i.+pyards are under attack! All vessels, engage at will, priority-”

”It's a G.o.dd.a.m.n armada...”

Thelin looked about the bridge at his crew-all of them motionless, stunned, gazing straight ahead with open mouths. Carol Marcus, about whom he had nearly forgotten in the midst of the crisis, looked as if she wanted to curl up into a ball and hide.

”Planetwide broadcast to Earth from Starfleet Command,” Ensign Lee said, his voice quivering ever so slightly. ”Orders are for all Federation government personnel to evacuate the system.”

”What?” Croy exclaimed. ”They're abandoning the planet?”

”Pull it together, Lieutenant,” Thelin admonished him. ”It's just a precaution.”

A drastic precaution, Thelin thought to himself. An acknowledgment of the worst-case scenario.

The Andorian gazed at the Copernicus viewscreen as desperate transmissions from the carnage at the s.h.i.+pyards on Mars continued to play over the bridge speakers. The three Klingon s.h.i.+ps, so aggressive just moments ago, had returned to their pa.s.sive, non-combatant postures. Why are they still here? Thelin silently wondered.

As if on cue, the bird-of-prey that had successfully neutralized the s.p.a.cedock suddenly powered its engines and shot past the Copernicus-not leaving orbit, but heading instead toward the horizon, seeking another target somewhere above the planet. The remaining two Klingon s.h.i.+ps veered about to the front of the Excelsior, blocking any attempt to follow.

”Where does he think he's going?” Thelin asked aloud. ”Helm, follow that vessel!”

The Copernicus turned hard about and set off in pursuit of the rogue Klingon s.h.i.+p, leaving Excelsior and the other birds-of-prey in their wake. The tactical officer spoke up. ”Sir, I'm tracking another s.h.i.+p from Earth's surface,” she said. ”It's a Type-3 shuttlecraft, and it appears that the Klingons are on course to intercept. Its call sign is...” She gasped. ”Captain, it's Starfleet One! It's the president's shuttle!”

Suddenly, the tremendous tension that had built up within the Andorian had a focus-a clear duty to perform-and he felt substantially better. ”All right, people,” he said with enthusiasm. ”Our first priority is to make sure that shuttle gets clear. Power up weapons and fire on those karskat Klingons as soon as they're in range. Where's Excelsior?”

”Sir,” Lee said, ”Excelsior reports that the two other birds have reengaged them. They can't a.s.sist us in the pursuit.”