Phaser drawn, Riker held his breath. A Vorta and several Carda.s.sians hustled into the cargo bay. Riker signaled his team to remain hidden and peered over the top of a container, ready to fire, but only if detected. No reason to pinpoint their location for the enemy.

Carda.s.sian security would have been combing Sentok Nor for Riker's away team ever since they'd transported onto the s.p.a.ce station, but this group was moving too quickly for a search mission. Obviously, with the station's self-destruct mechanism on its countdown, they had important business in the cargo bay. Otherwise, the Vorta and Carda.s.sians would have abandoned the station by now.

Riker debated following them, but he desperately needed to discuss with O'Brien and La Forge what he'd found. While he waited for his fellow officers, he sent his security detail to follow the Vorta and her entourage.

"Don't let them see you," he whispered. "Find out what they're up to."

Within seconds after the Vorta's group had disappeared through a doorway, O'Brien, La Forge and the rest of their team entered the cargo bay. When they joined Riker, their gazes took in the strange pods of machinery filling the room around them. The containers were the size of torpedoes and sat like coffins upon catafalques.

"Each of these pods contains a Betazoid," Riker told them, "and there're thousands of them."

"Any Jem'Hadar in them?" O'Brien asked.

Riker frowned. "Not that I've seen. Why?"

O'Brien inspected the pods more closely and left the explanation to La Forge.

"Cargo bay two's a morgue filled with Betazoid and Jem'Hadar corpses," La Forge said. "Thousands of them, too."

"You sure they were dead?" Riker asked.

La Forge shivered. "We didn't check them all, but most of them showed signs of extremely invasive brain surgery."

O'Brien rejoined Riker and La Forge. With a sweeping gesture, he indicated the pods. "These people are all alive and in medical stasis. The station's power drain was due to these pods. Emergency generators won't keep them alive much longer."

Odd, Riker thought, how these prisoners were so important to the Dominion that they'd used backup generators in these cargo bays. What was so special about these Betazoids, and what had their captors done to them? Riker didn't know and had no time to find out. The entire station would self-destruct within eight minutes.

"We have to get them out of here," O'Brien said with a shudder.

Riker understood the chill going through the engineer. He felt the same way. Something very odd, very sinister was going on with these prisoners. Clearly the Dominion had had more than just territory in mind when they conquered Betazed. But whatever was going on, he couldn't leave thousands of helpless, innocent people to die when the station blew.

"Can we revive them?" Riker asked.

O'Brien shook his head. "I'm an engineer, not a doctor."

La Forge agreed. "Commander, we could kill them if we wake them up and they don't have proper medical-"

"If we do nothing, they'll die, too," Riker argued.

O'Brien squatted next to a container. Unlike Riker's earlier examination when he'd cleared the condensed moisture from the gla.s.s casing of the pod to peer inside, O'Brien inspected the wiring. "Maybe the Enterprise could transport a doctor over?"

"Even with a doctor to revive them," La Forge said, "there's no time to transport thousands before the self-destruct kicks in."

Riker couldn't stomach the idea of abandoning the very people they'd come to save. "There's got to be a way. We need a fast solution."

O'Brien cursed in surprise.

"What?" Riker asked.

O'Brien stood so fast he b.u.mped his head on the edge of one of the pods. His voice rose with excitement as he rubbed the sore spot. "These stasis tubes aren't just keeping them alive. Each one doubles as a miniature transporter chamber!"

La Forge inspected the equipment and nodded in agreement. "The idea makes a s.a.d.i.s.tic kind of sense. If these are experimental subjects, why waste time and effort forcing a struggling victim into a stasis tube when they could beam them in directly?"

"Can we use their pods to beam them to the Enterprise?" Riker asked.

"Yes, but there's a problem, sir," O'Brien answered. "These transporters are very short-range, apparently not designed to reach too far beyond the docking pylons. The Enterprise would have to come within one kilometer of this cargo bay."

"At least we know the shields are still down," La Forge added. "But the timing's going to be critical."

Riker hesitated, weighing his decision. Considering whether to jeopardize the Enterprise to save thousands of Betazoids whose prospect of survival remained unknown had him wasting precious seconds. Crusher's medical team might never revive these people. And even if they did awaken, had they suffered such permanent damage that death might be preferable?

Even if the Tulwar and Scimitar could hold off the remnants of the Dominion fleet, the transport would have to be almost instantaneous, or the Enterprise could be destroyed in the explosion along with Sentok Nor.

"Sir," one of the security detail he'd sent to follow the Vorta dashed into the room. "I heard the Vorta and Carda.s.sians talking. Several squads of Carda.s.sian soldiers are on their way here."

It's now or never, Picard thought.

The captain sat tensely in his command seat as the Enterprise continued at full impulse on a collision course with the Jem'Hadar warship. He was still playing his metaphorical cards close to his chest, waiting for his ace in the hole to drop out of warp.

Exactly on schedule, the Defiant decloaked directly behind the Jem'Hadar in the Enterprise 's path. A double salvo of quantum torpedoes and pulse phasers tore into the Jem'Hadar battle cruiser's starboard warp nacelle, setting off an explosion that sent the remains of the disintegrating vessel out of the Enterprise 's path and plummeting toward Betazed.

"The other Jem'Hadar cruiser is coming about," Daniels reported. "Scimitar and Tulwar are moving to intercept. "Sir, the Defiant is hailing us," Daniels said.

"On screen," Picard said.

Worf's dark expression had rarely looked so good to Picard.

"Good to see you, Mr. Worf." Picard gestured to the Dominion ships. "I appreciate the timely arrival. The attack ships are all yours."

Worf nodded. "Thank you, Captain. I have several scores to settle with the Dominion."

Picard turned to Perim. "Bring us about, Ensign. Pursuit course. Let's finish this. Mr. Daniels ... at your discretion."

As the Tulwar and Scimitar converged on the remaining Jem'Hadar battle cruiser from port and starboard and opened fire, the Enterprise closed the distance on its tail and launched torpedoes. The combined a.s.sault proved too much even for the powerful Dominion ship. It spun away out of control, exploding as it went.

Picard then concentrated the Enterprise 's firepower on the remaining Carda.s.sian ships.

"We've taken out the weapons array of one," Daniels announced, "and the shields of the other are badly weakened."

A spiral disruptor beam buffeted the Enterprise, and a fire erupted at the ops station. The engineer picked himself off the floor as the computer contained the fire.

"Shields gone, Captain. Hull breach on deck six."

"Seal it off," Picard ordered and turned his attention back to the Carda.s.sian ships. "Hard about. Give us some maneuvering room."

Behind them, the Defiant delivered a killing salvo to one of the Jem'Hadar attack ships. Its hull caved in, flames licked the heavens, and the entire ship disintegrated like a ma.s.sive fireworks display.

That left only two Carda.s.sian warships and a single Jem'Hadar attack cruiser to defend Sentok Nor.

"Receiving a transmission from the Defiant, sir."

"Let's hear it," Picard ordered.

Worf's deep voice filled the bridge. "I regret we cannot remain to finish off these Dominion vermin, Captain. As you know, we are expected elsewhere."

"Thank you again, Mr. Worf. And good luck." Picard tapped his combadge. "Picard to Riker. Status report."

"Chief O'Brien's plan worked like a charm, sir. Self-destruct is set to occur in less than seven minutes. But there's a snag, and no time to explain. You need to bring Enterprise within one kilometer of Sentok Nor in the next five minutes."

"Commander, we can't use the pods to transport these Betazoids to the Enterprise," La Forge informed Riker in the cargo bay of Sentok Nor.

"Why not?" Riker asked with a worried frown. In the few minutes left before the station's self-destruction, the Enterprise transporters alone couldn't beam out the thousands of imprisoned Betazoids. The pods' self-contained transport systems were the only way to move everyone safely to the starship before the station blew.

"The master controls aren't here," La Forge reported.

"Where are they?" Riker asked.

On his knees, O'Brien followed conduits from the pods into metal boxes flush with the decking. Using his light, he traced a line along the decking to the nearest wall and located where the wires exited from the floor and entered a junction box.

"We're running out of time," Riker warned.

"I'm working as fast as I can, sir." O'Brien moved his light over additional equipment to examine the systems. "This bay has its own generators for the pods, so we have the power we need for transport. There's obviously a dedicated computer networking them, but unless we can find it-"

"Sir," the security guard who had followed the Vorta earlier interrupted. "There's a huge computer system in the laboratory."

"Show us," Riker ordered. "Move out."

He hoped asking Picard to bring the Enterprise so close to a s.p.a.ce station about to self-destruct didn't prove a futile gesture. However much Riker hated the thought of leaving the Betazoid prisoners to die, he had to be realistic. Given enough time, La Forge and O'Brien could undoubtedly pry the necessary secrets from the alien technology. Unfortunately, time was what they didn't have.

"We have less than five minutes," he warned his team. "Make 'em count."

The away team rushed out of one side of cargo bay three toward the laboratory just as a Carda.s.sian squad burst through the doors on the opposite end of the bay. The thunder of the soldiers' heavy boots on the metal deck masked the sounds of the away team's escape. They drew no enemy fire, but Riker knew they'd barely eluded their pursuers and their presence wouldn't go unnoticed much longer.

The security guard motioned Riker to the left. "This way, sir."

Riker and the others followed the guard through a short pa.s.sageway into a ma.s.sive laboratory. The loud hum of the room's machinery covered the noise of the away team's advance. After the earlier dimness of the cargo bay, Riker squinted in the laboratory's bright lights. Gleaming metal counters lined with trays of sharp surgical instruments and rows of clear containers filled with tissue samples suspended in fluids suggested the laboratory's sinister purpose. Jem'Hadar and Betazoid bodies sprawled on gurneys, some with the tops of their skulls removed, others in various stages of dissection. Other Betazoids lay in pods like those in the cargo bay, and by the condensation of their breath on the transparent covers, Riker could tell the occupants were very much alive.

The commander pointed to two security officers and kept his voice to a whisper. "Guard our rear. Don't give our position away unless absolutely necessary. We need to buy La Forge and O'Brien time to find the main control to transport these pods."

"Understood, sir." The men moved away.

Riker turned and caught sight of the Vorta and a Carda.s.sian scientist in an office whose translucent wall overlooked the vast laboratory. They appeared to be arguing. The Carda.s.sian gestured wildly with his arms, and the Vorta kept shrugging and pointing toward the open hatch of an emergency escape pod. Clearly the Vorta intended to leave before the station self-destructed, but the Carda.s.sian was refusing. What was so important that he would risk his life by remaining behind?

La Forge and O'Brien had rushed immediately to the computer system that filled the far wall. Large storage cabinets partially obscured them from view, but the engineers would be spotted if the Vorta and Carda.s.sian left the office and walked in their direction.

Riker posted two men to guard the engineers and took two others with him. He edged forward, hiding behind the large equipment cabinets, straining to overhear the argument in the office in hopes of learning the purpose of the bizarre experimentation on the Betazoids and Jem'Hadar. Peering around a corner, he caught sight of the Carda.s.sian hopping up and down and clutching a padd to his chest. The Vorta moved toward the escape pod hatch, arguing over her shoulder, but clearly unwilling to abandon the Carda.s.sian.

Riker still couldn't make out their words. Motioning his security detail to remain behind, he dropped to his stomach and crawled closer, trying not to think about the biomatter smeared on the deck. He quickly came within earshot of the heated conversation and could view the occupants of the office clearly from his position on the floor.

The Vorta's hands twitched with obvious agitation. "Dr. Moset, we must evacuate. Now."

"Not without my research!" the Carda.s.sian shouted.

The Vorta shook her head. "There's no time to download all the files. You must start over somewhere else, Moset. Time is running out."

Unexpectedly, O'Brien tapped Riker on the shoulder, and the commander flinched but didn't make a sound.

"Did she say Moset?" O'Brien whispered.

Riker nodded.

"Sir, I remember from my briefings during the Carda.s.sian War that Moset was stationed on Bajor. He's credited with finding a cure for the Fostossa virus, but among Bajorans he's almost as hated as Gul Dukat. The Bajorans claim he performed unethical experiments on healthy subjects. They consider him a monster."

Riker pondered the implications of O'Brien's news. Scientists didn't usually experiment on the front lines. What was Moset researching among the Betazoids that was so d.a.m.ned important?

"Any luck with the computer?" Riker asked.

O'Brien shook his head. "The lab's computer is coded differently from the others on the station. We can't break into it in the four-make that three minutes we have left. We need the access code."

Time and Riker's options were running out. If Moset was unwilling to abandon his work on the doomed s.p.a.ce station, the Carda.s.sian scientist's experiments had to be something Starfleet needed to know about.

Riker didn't stop to think further. "Cover me."

He rose to his feet and aimed his phaser at the arguing pair who had yet to notice him. Taking advantage of their distraction, he moved closer. When the Vorta spotted him, her violet eyes widened with obvious distress.

"Don't move," Riker ordered.

Moset froze. The Vorta shoved the Carda.s.sian in front of her and dashed for the escape pod.

Riker fired his phaser, but missed. The Vorta rolled through the open hatch and slammed it shut behind her. Riker let her go. Moset, the commander's primary objective, was trapped, weaponless and clearly terrified.

Behind him, Riker heard the pounding of Carda.s.sian reinforcements on the doors of the lab his team had closed and locked behind them. He tapped his combadge and spoke to his team. "Fall back. Close ranks around me."

"Three minutes," O'Brien reminded him.

Riker kept his phaser trained on Moset. "You have ten seconds to give my engineer your computer access code-"

"I won't give you anything," Moset sneered.

"-or I'll leave you and your precious research to blow up with the station-and your patients."

Moset licked his bottom lip. His gaze took in the blinking lights that indicated the Vorta had already launched her escape pod.

O'Brien advanced on Moset and grabbed the scientist's padd. The Carda.s.sian squealed in protest while O'Brien scanned it briefly, then shot Riker a can't-make-heads-or-tails-of-it look.

Riker thought of the Betazoids he was leaving behind to certain death and prodded the Carda.s.sian. "You can stay here and die with your patients, or you can give us computer access and become a Federation prisoner." Riker shrugged as if the Carda.s.sian's decision meant little to him. "Which is it going to be?"

Moset's internal struggle was obvious. He glanced anxiously from his padd clutched in O'Brien's meaty fist to his chronometer, ticking down the self-destruct sequence. "Very well, I'll cooperate."