Part 29 (2/2)

”That I don't know,” Riker said. ”But if the fight turns against them, the Caeliar can open a subs.p.a.ce tunnel and slip away. Which doesn't help us but would keep the Omega Molecule generator out of the Borg's hands.”

Dax frowned. ”Captain Picard made a good point the last time we talked with Captain Hernandez. A team of twenty-second-century MACOs outflanked the Caeliar and destroyed one of their cities. That gives me the impression that strategy and tactics aren't the Caeliar's forte. What if the Borg get the better of them? What if they can't escape to safe ground?”

”Then we have a problem,” Riker said.

”More than a problem, Will,” Picard said. ”A disaster.” Resting his hands on the headrest of his chair, he continued, ”If Hernandez fails to disband the Collective, our top priority must be to prevent the Borg from a.s.similating anything of the Caeliar. If that means abetting their escape, so be it. But if the only way to keep their city-s.h.i.+p from the Borg is to destroy it, then we need to be prepared to take that step.”

Dax keyed in some commands on the tabletop interface at her seat. She called up a map of Axion on the wall companel behind Riker. ”This is based on scans and observations made by Captain Riker's away team while they were in Axion,” she said. ”It shows the approximate position of the Omega Molecule generator. That's what powers the Caeliar's civilization, and it's probably our best chance of destroying them if we have to. If we can destabilize the generator when the armada's on top of us, we could vaporize them instantly.”

”Along with the rest of the galaxy,” Riker said. ”We'd also end warp flight in most of the local group. Not exactly what I'd call a plan for victory.”

Arms out, palms up, Dax said, ”If you know another way to destroy Axion and the Borg at the same time, let's hear it.”

He rolled his eyes and shrugged. ”Well, we know the Caeliar can modify their subs.p.a.ce pa.s.sages for time travel.”

”Tell me you're not serious,” Dax said. ”What do you plan to do? Go back in time, find the origin of the Borg, and wipe them out before they ever existed?”

”Why not?” Riker said. ”They tried to do it to us.”

”And look what that got them,” Dax said.

Picard raised his voice. ”Captains, please.” He waited for Dax and Riker to calm down and acknowledge him. ”We need to consider every alternative at this stage, no matter what the ethical or broader tactical consid-”

”Bridge to Captain Picard,” Worf said over the comm.

”Go ahead, Commander.”

”We are detecting extreme levels of local subs.p.a.ce disruption,” Worf said. ”And we are being hailed by Axion.”

”Red Alert, Mister Worf. I'm on my way. Picard out.” As the channel clicked off, he added to Dax and Riker, ”Captains, will you join me on the bridge, please?” Picard was already stepping through the door to the bridge by the time Dax and Riker had risen from their seats. He had no idea what fresh calamity was unfolding, but he had a sinking feeling that, as with so many events of late, it would be one for which he had no plan.

Riker hurried onto the bridge of the Enterprise several seconds behind Captain Picard, who was met at the trio of command chairs by Commander Worf. Picard and Worf conferred in tense whispers as Riker and Dax moved past them, down to the center of the bridge. Then came Picard's authoritative baritone: ”Commander Kadohata, put Captain Hernandez on-screen.”

Kadohata tapped a sequence of commands into the ops console, and the main viewer blinked from an image of Axion to the youthful beauty of Erika Hernandez.

Beside her was an alien with a bony, skeletal body and an enormous, bulbous head fronted by a stretched, frowning visage. Riker looked at the being's pearlescent sea-green eyes, its skin of mottled purple and gray, and the tentacle-shaped ribbed air sacs draped over its shoulders, and he realized that its head reminded him vaguely of an octopus.

”h.e.l.lo, Captains,” Hernandez said. ”I'm glad I found you together, as this concerns all of you.”

Picard stepped forward, pa.s.sing between Dax and Riker to place himself at the forefront of the conversation. ”Captain Hernandez,” he said, ”have the Caeliar agreed to help us?”

”Yes,” she said. ”After a fas.h.i.+on.”

Suspicious, questioning looks pa.s.sed between the captains on the Enterprise bridge. Turning back toward the main viewer, Picard asked, ”Would you care to be more precise, Captain?”

”First, I should apologize to all of you and your crews for misleading you, but I give you my word that I believed it was in everyone's best interest for me to do so.”

Holding up one hand, Picard cut in, ”Misleading us? About what, Captain?”

”It would take too long to explain,” she said. ”Besides, you'll see for yourselves soon enough. All I can say is that old habits die hard, if at all, and if I learned anything living with the Caeliar, it was how to play my cards close.” She looked at Riker and then at Dax as she continued, ”Will, Ezri, thanks for treating me like part of your crews. It was nice to feel like I was home again, back in Starfleet. I knew I'd missed it, but until today, I hadn't realized just how much.”

”Captain,” Picard said, ”what's going to happen?”

”I honestly don't know for certain,” Hernandez said. ”No matter how this plays out, you and I probably won't see each other again. If I and the Caeliar fail, then we're all about to have a very bad day. And if we succeed, then something new awaits us-all of us.” She smiled. ”Wish us luck.”

Riker eyed Picard's profile. The elder captain was standing slackjawed and at a loss for words as he watched Hernandez close her eyes and lift one hand in front of her, fingers spread wide, as if she were reaching for some unseen object.

Just as Riker was about to ask Picard what was wrong, Inyx spoke and snared everyone's attention with his mellifluous baritone. ”Captains, for your own safety, I recommend you move your vessels to within one kilometer of Axion-immediately.”

Picard still seemed frozen, so from the aft deck of the bridge, Worf called out, ”Helm, put us alongside Axion, distance eight hundred fifty meters. Commander Kadohata, relay those orders to t.i.tan and the Aventine.”

Kadohata and Lieutenant Weinrib gave overlapping replies of ”Aye, sir” as they carried out Worf's orders.

On the main viewer, Hernandez's raised hand began to glow. A nimbus of light formed around it, growing so bright that it shone through her fingers, making them blaze red like hot coals. Her face was the very portrait of serenity. She opened her eyes, which burned with an inner fire, and she said, ”It's time.”

A hush fell over the bridge.

Captain Picard tensed with a sharp intake of breath.

Proximity alerts shrilled from multiple consoles.

”Ma.s.sive energy surge from the Caeliar city,” called out Lieutenant Choudhury at tactical.

”Subs.p.a.ce tunnels,” added Lieutenant Dina Elfiki, who was racing to keep up with the rush of data on her console. ”Thousands of them, opening in a spherical distribution around Axion.” The attractive, chestnut-haired science officer added, ”The city is definitely controlling them, Captain.”

”Incoming vessels,” Choudhury announced.

Worf replied, ”s.h.i.+elds up!”

Riker wished that he was on the bridge of his own s.h.i.+p at that moment, but he was also grateful that his crew at least had Vale, Tuvok, and Keru back aboard to lead them in his absence. On the viewscreen, Erika Hernandez maintained a steady countenance.

Choudhury looked at Worf. ”Borg cubes are emerging from the subs.p.a.ce tunnels, sir-thousands of them. The entire armada.”

”Split screen,” Worf said. Kadohata adjusted the main viewer to show two images: Hernandez and Inyx on the right and, on the left, the arriving Borg armada surrounding Axion and blotting out the stars with their sheer numbers.

Dax sounded as if she simply couldn't believe what she was seeing. ”The Caeliar brought the Borg here sooner? Why?”

Riker shrugged, equally dumbfounded.

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