Chudak spluttered. "This is-"

"Chudak, I trust you as far as I can throw you." Riker smiled again, showing his teeth. "Shall we find out how far that is? Now, dammit, where was the last place you saw Captain Picard?"

"In the Vo Gatyn's castle!" Chudak snapped.

"Exactly where?" Riker roared, rising to his feet. "Who was he with, was he well, what was happening? I'll have the truth!"

Chudak's image vanished from the screen.

Deanna raised an eyebrow. "I could almost sense how scared he was."

Riker chuckled like a Klingon. "His Carda.s.sian masters must want him to keep us occupied," he said. "They won't thank him for botching the job."

Riker noticed that Shrev and Wesley were whispering to one another. He stepped up behind them and cleared his throat. "If Worf heard you two whispering like this," he said, "he'd suspect a conspiracy."

"I would a.s.sure him that there is nothing but polite conversation, sir," Shrev said. "We were merely discussing the sensor readings on the Carda.s.sian ship."

"Do you have something?" Riker asked.

"Yes, sir," Wesley said. "From the size of the neutrino flux I'd say that the Carda.s.sian ship has a reactor system even more powerful than ours. That would make it a Liburnian-cla.s.s warship-one of their largest. It's on course for Megara, and it will arrive in twenty minutes."

Chapter Thirteen.

THE MERCENARY BAND moved quickly, and within an hour it was out of the city and deep inside the woods marked on the tricorder map. Data scanned constantly for a human presence. Because humans and Megarans were so similar, he realized that even a small amount of interference would confuse the tricorder; a few centimeters of stone or dirt would blur the readings enough to mask the human parameters. Consequently he expanded the search to locate caves and dwellings.

He found something. "Lieutenant," he said to Worf, "there is a stone building, range three hundred meters, bearing thirtyseven degrees. I detect at least one being who probably is not a Megaran."

"Human?" Worf asked, signaling the band to stop.

"Sensor readings are indeterminate," Data said, "but that would be my ... best guess. I detect five Megarans in the immediate vicinity. The building is in the center of a clearing some twenty meters in diameter."

"Excellent." Worf conferred with Anit while Data scanned the area. The tricorder found a small path that branched off from the trail and led to the clearing. That was the only way to approach the building; it would have taken hours to pa.s.s through the dense forest underbrush, and Worf did not think it could be done quietly.

"We outnumber them," Worf said.

"Not for long," Anit said. "Crossbows, darts they may use."

"I shall lead," Worf said, drawing his phaser.

Data verified that his own phaser was set on stun, then followed Worf down the path. It was narrow and winding. As the mercenaries neared the clearing, Data held up a hand, halting the group. "There are people on the main trail," he whispered to Worf, holding out his tricorder. "They are moving quickly."

Worf looked at the readings. "More soldiers," he said.

Anit glanced back down the trail. "Cork in a bottle," he whispered in dismay, seeing a trap.

"The situation is not bad," Worf said.

Data realized that Worf was attempting to keep the mercenary in good spirits. The android recalled a phrase which seemed appropriate to that task. "Things have never been better," he stated.

Worf stared at him for a moment, then made an odd grinding, wheezing noise, as though he was having trouble breathing. When he had regained control of his respiration he gestured for Data to follow him.

As they reached the clearing Data saw a small stone hut. Three Megarans squatted on the ground in front of it, warming their hands over a campfire. Two more men strolled around, crossbows in their hands. The similarity of their dress suggested they were soldiers. As Data raised his phaser, one of the men spotted him, took aim and fired his weapon. The bolt missed him, but its impact shattered a tree trunk at his side. Data stunned the man before he could reload; Worf shot the other crossbow-wielder as he fired. The bolt sailed off into the woods.

The men around the campfire were on their feet, swords in hands. Worf and Data stunned them. Data heard shouts behind him, and knew that the mercenaries were under attack from the rear. "Get the captain!" Worf ordered, and plunged back down the trail. The sounds of combat grew louder.

Data went to the stone building. He opened the door and saw three people inside; Picard and Offenhouse blinked in the morning light while a local woman gaped at Data. "h.e.l.lo, Captain, Mr. Amba.s.sador," Data said. "Enterprise, beam us up."

Transporter room three solidified around Data and the others. Worf stumbled as he materialized; he held the mace above his head. "No!" he roared at De Shay. "Send me back!"

De Shay stood at his controls, frozen by surprise and indecision. Worf turned to Picard. "Captain! Please!" he said.

Picard nodded. "Quickly."

Looking like a man who knows he is making a terrible mistake, De Shay returned Worf to the surface.

Picard's jaw clenched. "Report," he ordered Data.

"There is only one significant fact to report, sir," Data said, while he, Picard, Offenhouse and the Megaran woman stepped off the transporter stage. "We have found that the Carda.s.sians are conducting a clandestine operation on Megara."

"Understood," Picard said. "Picard to Riker. Number One, Mr. Worf has returned to a battle on the surface. Take an away team and a.s.sist him."

"We can't, sir," Riker answered from the bridge. "There's a Carda.s.sian warship entering orbit. We took enough of a risk lowering our shields to beam you back."

The captain hesitated, then nodded as he accepted that. "I'm on my way to the bridge," Picard said. "Mr. Data, see to the amba.s.sador and our guest."

"Yes, sir." As Picard left the transporter room, Data realized that the captain was uncertain of his actions. Data himself was not certain that sending Worf back to Megara had been correct. While Klingon ethics demanded such a move, beaming into the middle of a battle had placed Worf in enormous danger. He would require a few seconds to a.s.sess his new situation, and during that pause he would be exposed and vulnerable.

The amba.s.sador was scratching the coa.r.s.e stubble on his chin. "Carda.s.sians, eh?" he asked Data.

"Yes, sir," Data said. "I have reports from our away teams."

"Good, I'll want to look at them. Oh, yeah-Odovil needs one of those translator gizmos."

"That is an excellent suggestion." Data removed his communicator badge. The Megaran woman stepped back as the android approached her, then made a visible effort to stand her ground. Data pinned the translator to her coverall. "You should be able to understand me now," Data said.

"You I understand," she said, and fingered the badge. "How this works?"

"The Universal Translator works-" Data verged on explaining linguacode theory, neuroinduction techniques and recursive computer processing, then thought better of it. "-quite well," he finished.

The amba.s.sador laughed and clapped Data on the shoulder. "I couldn't have put it any better myself. Let's see those reports now."

"They're waiting for us to lower our shields," Riker said as Picard studied the tactical display on the bridge's main viewer. The numbers and stylized symbols showed the positions of three starships. The Ferengi vessel held a position only a hundred kilometers from the Enterprise, while the Carda.s.sian ship carefully maneuvered to stay in the cover provided by Weber 512; the Carda.s.sian had slowed to sublight speed, and it would be in phaser range in a matter of minutes. Wesley Crusher and Shrev sat at the helm, ready to move the Enterprise out of danger. They had listened quietly while Riker had briefed the captain on the situation. "Chudak has been trying to sweet-talk us into standing down from our alert," Riker added.

"He expects us to be destroyed," Deanna Troi said.

"I'm afraid we'll have to disappoint him," Picard said. He noticed that Troi, seated in the chair at his left side, was leaning away from him; the captain decided that his stay in the hut had given him a certain aroma. A pity I can't take the time to clean up, Picard thought ruefully, and nodded at the tactical display. "Number One, can you imagine an innocent reason for a Carda.s.sian ship to approach us in this manner?"

"A friendly little ambush, perhaps," Riker said. At last the Carda.s.sian ship came close enough for the optical sensors to scan it despite the background interference. The image on the main viewer reminded Picard of a lance: long and narrow, a shape that exposed the smallest possible area when the ship was making a frontal attack. Its forward end bristled with weaponry. "Captain, their presence here is an act of war," Riker said.

"I'm aware of that, Number One," Picard said. "I'm also aware that a Liburnian-cla.s.s starship outguns us. But perhaps we can dissuade them. Ensign Novotny, lock all weapons on to the Carda.s.sians and hail them."

"Channel open, sir," Novotny reported.

"Carda.s.sian warship!" Picard called. "I a.s.sume that you're here through a slight navigational error. Return to your territory at once."

There was a prolonged silence as the Carda.s.sian ship made its final approach. For a moment Picard could hope that the Carda.s.sians would decide to avoid trouble. Then the bridge lights dimmed and the artificial gravity wavered as phaser beams raked the Enterprise. "Return fire!" Picard ordered.

Picard heard the screech of phasers and the hollow roar of photon torpedoes blasting from their tubes. "Shields holding!" Novotny reported. Enterprise shuddered from more hits.

"Maintain firing rate," Picard called, and checked the tactical display. "Come to course fifty-two mark eighty, ahead one-half impulse." Enterprise was more maneuverable than her attacker, and that advantage might save her now. A Liburnian's long, thin shape made it clumsy, and the bulk of its weapons were concentrated in its bow. A Liburnian could not concentrate all of its firepower on its flanks.

On the tactical display, the Ferengi ship turned and began to accelerate away from the battle. As Picard watched, a torpedo spread leaped from the Carda.s.sian ship and speared into the Ferengi vessel. As it slowly pitched over, Picard saw that its warp drive had been crippled. It could not escape.

With the Ferengi ship crippled, the Carda.s.sians returned their full attention to the Enterprise. The Liburnian's attack weakened as the Federation ship maneuvered around the attacker, but the battering continued at an intolerable level. "We're losing the port shields," Novotny shouted over the din.

Wesley had news of his own. "Sir, the Ferengi are hailing the Carda.s.sians-" he began.

Novotny interrupted him. "Carda.s.sian shields are dropping," she said. "Down to fifty percent ... ten percent ... they're firming up, back to twenty percent ..."

The shields never recovered, and the image on the main viewer told the story. The Enterprise's phasers sliced through the faltering shields, and raw plasma vented into s.p.a.ce as photon torpedoes slammed into its engineering section, demolishing reactors and leaving the ship powerless. A sputtering pink glow around the sensor arrays spoke of the fading strength of the ship's emergency power supply.

"Cease fire," Picard ordered. He rose from his chair and took two steps toward the main screen, a perplexed look on his face. How could the Carda.s.sian shields have failed so quickly? "What happened?"

"The Ferengi, sir," Wesley said. "They transmitted a computer worm into the Carda.s.sian comm system. It brought their computers down for a few seconds, before their countermeasures could erase it."

Saved by the Ferengi, Picard thought, shaking his head. He wondered if Chudak would present him with a bill for his services.

On the main viewer the lance-shaped Liburnian tumbled slowly, revealing blackened gouges in its hull. Metal glowed white-hot inside the gaping holes, and plumes of gas sprayed from fissures in the metal skin. The damage to the Ferengi ship appeared less dramatic, but it was equally fatal. The ship's warp drive had become a red-hot pit, and as Picard watched, sequential explosions rippled down the ship's port side, tearing open the cargo holds.

Murder, Picard thought in disgust, suddenly understanding the Carda.s.sian plan. Had it worked, it would have seemed as if the Enterprise and the Ferengi had destroyed one another ... and the Ferengi would have taken their secrets to the grave. The Carda.s.sians might have managed to conceal their own presence here.

Shrev scanned the Carda.s.sian ship. "All of their weapons are out, sir," she reported, in what was for her a virtual shout. "They retain emergency power and one impulse engine. I read thirty-one survivors."

"Stand by to pick them up," Picard said. "Open a channel-"

On the viewer, the tumbling Liburnian stabilized itself and began to accelerate toward the Enterprise. "Captain," Wesley said, "they've activated their self-destruct system. Estimate twenty seconds to detonation."

Picard nodded curtly. "Ensign Novotny, put a tractor beam on the Carda.s.sian ship," he ordered. "Helm, come to course eight-six mark twelve, ahead warp factor two."

"Captain, a Carda.s.sian self-destruct system-" Riker began as the Enterprise maneuvered.

"-is equivalent to a hundred-gigaton fusion bomb," Picard finished. The Federation had paid dearly for its knowledge of Carda.s.sian suicide bombs; several ships had been destroyed by them while attempting to rescue the survivors of defeated Carda.s.sian warships. "If it detonates this close to Megara, the blast and radiation will disrupt the atmosphere and magnetosphere. That will render Megara uninhabitable. We need to draw that ship away from the planet."

"Understood," Riker said grimly. "Captain, I recommend that we disengage and go to warp eight at five seconds before detonation. That will take us clear of the explosion and still protect Megara."

"Make it so," Picard said. And hope we're right about the time factor, he thought. The Carda.s.sian ship would destroy itself by building up an overload in its reactors. Under ordinary circ.u.mstances that was a straightforward catastrophe, but combat damage would only make the reactors more likely to explode without warning.

At eight times the speed of light, they saw Megara swiftly shrink from a world to a small disk on the main viewer. Enterprise's engines labored as they towed the ma.s.sive derelict, but the Carda.s.sian ship remained firmly caught in the tractor beam. "Estimate five seconds to detonation," Wesley reported.

"Disengage tractor beam," Riker ordered. "Ahead warp eight." The tractor beam cut loose, and the wrecked ship vanished astern as the Enterprise accelerated away from it. The Federation ship was as far from its attacker as the moon is from the Earth when the Carda.s.sian vessel exploded.

The emergency blowers were losing their battle to clear the smoke from the bridge. Chudak's leg throbbed from where he had been slammed to the deck, but nothing felt broken. The Daimon picked himself up and limped to the helm. Oshal sat at the controls, dead, the top of his skull sheared away. Chudak pushed the blank-eyed corpse out of the seat and sat down.

His ship was dead. Weapons out, shields inoperative, life support on emergency power ... emergency power itself at thirty-one percent and falling. Warp drive down. Artificial gravity down to fifteen percent. Fires out of control in the shuttle dock and cargo holds. No response from engineering.

Chudak saw an image on the central viewscreen: the Carda.s.sian ship, badly damaged but wallowing toward the Enterprise on impulse power, still game for a fight.

At least they're ignoring us now, Chudak thought. He had always known that the Carda.s.sians might betray him someday; they double-crossed people as enthusiastically as the Romulans did. Warlike idiots that they were, they could not imagine that a simple, peace-loving merchant would prepare to meet treachery with treachery. The software weapons he had acquired from an Orion trader had served their purpose. Survival was always profitable.

Nyenyor staggered to Chudak's side. "Daimon," he gasped in a voice thickened by shock, "the Carda.s.sians ... sensors say they have ... initiated self-destruct."

"Debt!" Chudak snarled. There went any chance of salvaging his ship; the Carda.s.sian would glimmer out of existence as a small star, destroying everything nearby. "Abandon ship," Chudak ordered.

Portals slid open in the deck and bulkheads, and survivors of the bridge crew climbed into the emergency teleports. Chudak and Nyenyor picked up a wounded man and carried him into a chamber. The dirt-simple controls said that the emergency battery had a full charge. Chudak pulled the survival kit from its container, then yanked the power handle.

The teleport set the three men down in the middle of a Megaran forest. Chudak looked at his two companions and saw their injuries. Nyenyor's left arm was a mess of shredded skin and violet blood. The other man had jagged metal shards poking out of his chest and belly.

Chudak opened the kit and got out the medical tools. "The others shouldn't be too far away," he said as he set to work on Nyenyor's arm. "We'll be fine once we link up."

"Yes, Daimon," Nyenyor said without conviction. With his uninjured arm, he drew the communicator from the kit and switched it on. Despite his best efforts, he received no answer to his calls.

My crew could be scattered all over the place, Chudak realized. Emergency teleports weren't fussy about where they sent people; they locked on to safe spots at random.

Something snapped in the woods, as if a careless foot had trod on a dry twig. Chudak looked around at the trees and brush, and heard a second snap, followed by a third.

Natives, he thought, seeing the raw fear on Nyenyor's face. Chudak reached into the emergency kit and pulled out its phaser. Its power cell held enough charge for five shots. Chudak searched the kit for spare cells but found none. Five shots it was, then ... against a world of vengeful barbarians.

The sounds drew closer in the lonely forest.

Worf's head hurt. Something had bashed him over the head as he materialized, and when he awoke it was to find his hands bound behind his back. He, Anit and three other mercenaries were being marched back toward Gatyn's castle. A dozen of Gatyn's soldiers had survived the fight, but several were wounded and all seemed worn out by a forced march. One man carried Worf's equipment; he puzzled over the tricorder as he followed the trail. He had tucked the phaser into his belt.

Worf tested his bonds and decided he could break them when he wished. He began to edge closer to the man with his equipment. That would take a while; he could not risk being too obvious.

Anit stumbled closer to Worf. His one hand was roped to his waist. "Back you came," he said in disbelief.

"I did." Worf tried not to bridle at the man's tone. Anit had come to expect nothing but dishonor from outworlders.

He did not seem impressed by Worf's action. "A fool you are," he said. "Kill you they shall."

Worf grunted. "The company is honorable-"

Light filled the sky, grew brighter. The tree branches above the trail cast sharp shadows on the forest floor. Worf squeezed his eyes shut and ducked his head against the glare. The light grew brighter still, and he could see through his eyelids and nict.i.tating membranes. Frightened cries filled the air around him. A blinded man staggered into the Klingon and fell with a thud. A ship has died, Worf thought, feeling the intense glare on his back.