Part 7 (2/2)

”Calm yourself, Lieutenant,” she said. ”Try to raise Deep s.p.a.ce Nine again.”

”Yes, ma'am.”

The turbolift doors parted, and Dr. Julian Bas.h.i.+r strode onto the bridge. ”Are we having a problem with communications? I was downloading something from the station database and suddenly lost my datalink.”

”It may be related,” last said, then held up her blue hand to stop the doctor from further utterance. ”Helm, set a course back to the station,” she ordered.

Bas.h.i.+r waited a long moment, then finally asked, ”May I speak now?”

She thought his tone might have been somewhat annoyed. If so, he was too easily irritated. ”Yes.”

”If there's a problem at the station, perhaps we shouldn't just change our course, but increase our speed?”

Jast turned toward him fully by swiveling the command chair. ”By the time I finish explaining this to you, we will be fifty-three seconds from minimum scanning range of the station. Before making any tactical decisions, I must know the facts of the situation. I know two facts-that we've lost contact with the station, and they were trying to order us not to do something. That could have been, ”Do not return to port.””

Bas.h.i.+r sighed. ”And if I don't reply at all, thereby ending this discussion, when will we be within scanner range?”

”There is no discussion. I explained my position, and expected you to disagree, but I didn't intend to debate it further. We will now be within scanner range in forty seconds.”

The doctor shook his head and sat down at one of the bridge science stations. ”Aye, aye, sir,” he said.

”Lieutenant, scan the station,” last ordered when enough time had elapsed.

”Scanning...” Nog bent over one of his sensor consoles. ”Readings are faint, Commander. Null power output from the main reactors. I am reading battery power active.”

”Signs of other vessels?”

Nog hesitated as he pored over the screens. His voice was calm now, but soaked in perplexity. ”Same vessels as when we left port,” he said. ”But I know that two freighters were scheduled to leave half an hour ago, and they're still on Upper Pylons 2 and 3.”

”Slow to impulse power.”

The conn officer nodded and tapped at her controls. ”Aye.”

Bas.h.i.+r leaned toward the command chair. ”Now we're slowing?”

”Do you have any idea what's going on, Doctor?” last continued to look from the forward viewer to one of her own command chair screen readouts.

Seeming taken aback by the question, Bas.h.i.+r hesitated. ”No. I don't. But I'd like to find out.”

”As would I,” she said. ”But rus.h.i.+ng into what could be harm's way, when Colonel Kira was likely warning us away, would be inadvisable.”

”Of course,” Bas.h.i.+r said. ”You're right. I'm sorry.”

last gave him a slight smile. ”It's-I understand.”

They both nodded at one another, and then last turned toward Nog. ”Continue scans as we approach.”

”Aye-” Nog stopped in mid-sentence and mid-jab on his console. ”Wait, what's wrong?”

The normal hum of the Defiant's systems slowed and then stopped. Lights clicked off for just a second before emergency lights flashed on.

”Report.”

”Impulse power is gone.” Nog slammed commands into his console, but to no avail. ”So is warp. We've lost main power.”

”last to Engineering.”

There was no reply.

She tapped her comm badge. ”Engineering, this is the bridge.” Silence, and last didn't try again. ”Sensors?”

”Trying to re-calibrate now, Commander,” Nog said.

”And try to raise Starfleet Command. Something is very wrong here.”

Station Deep s.p.a.ce Nine Federation Sector 47 Bajoran system ”We don't know what's wrong, Quark.” Kira jabbed at her desktop computer screen but didn't look up at the Ferengi who refused to leave her office. ”If we knew, we'd fix it.”

”In the meantime,” the Ferengi asked, ”can we at least put the Promenade back on battery power?”

Kira growled. ”No.”

”How do you expect me to run a bar without power for replicators or holosuites or even the dabo wheel?”

Kira sighed. ”Quark, I'm unimpressed. We both know you're not this stupid.”

”Excuse me?”

”Oh, granted, I've had my doubts in the past,” she mumbled to herself.

”What are you talking about?” Quark looked almost wounded.

”You don't think for a minute I'd take battery power away from docking clamps and life support. You're just here to learn what you can about what's going on. I commend you, really, I do, but...” She looked up at him and raised her voice. ”I don't know what's going on. Get it?”

Now Quark smiled. ”Got it.”

She nodded. ”Then get out.”

Chapter Ten.

Romulan Warbird Makluan Decaying orbit around Merterbis colony Romulan Empire Folan tried to latch onto the normal sounds that would tell her she was still on the bridge. She couldn't. The din of destruction crashed down on her. Little could be made out of the chaos that was her vessel exploding around her.

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