JAKE STOOD BACK and watched while Odo tried to override the security code for the ship's doors. His fingers moved quickly, but Jake was getting impatient. He knew they were still on some sort of time deadline. He just didn't know why.
He was about to suggest that Odo slip under the door and open it from the inside when Odo said, "Got it!"
The door eased back, letting out the overpowering odor of rotting garbage. Jake's eyes burned. "What kind of ship is this?" he asked. "A Caxtonian vessel?"
"No," Odo said. "It belongs to an Andorian trader who claimed he was here for repairs. I suspect the repairs have been done for a long time."
"Do you think we should go in there?" He glanced at the security guard. "I mean, there's only three of us."
"That's more than enough," Odo said and walked through the open door.
The security guard stepped to one side, and after a moment, Jake went in.
The stench was worse inside, and its cause was easy to locate. The trader hadn't dumped his garbage into the recycling system. It sat in bags and boxes near the door, as if it—not the security codes—were meant to keep intruders out.
If so, it nearly worked.
Jake gagged but kept going, waiting until he got past the worst of the smell before he looked around.
The trader's ship was a small cargo vessel. All of the metal walls had been painted, each a different mismatched color. Bright green next to hot pink, pale blue beside canary yellow, burnt orange beside vivid purple. The walls hurt the eyes as much as the stench had hurt the nose.
"They spend all their time in here?" Jake asked.
"The Andorian idea of beauty does not match most of the rest of the galaxy's, I'm afraid," Odo said. He had already crossed through the sleeping compartments and was in the small corridor that led to the bridge.
"Obviously," Jake said. He gathered his clothes tightly around himself, glad they were already ruined. Otherwise he would have to work to get the stink off them, and that would probably be impossible.
The sleeping quarters were a mess of unwashed laundry, filthy uniforms, and half-eaten plates of food. Jake had never seen such slobbishness. He stepped into the corridor with Odo who put a finger to his mouth.
Ahead, on the small bridge, a mauve arm rested on the pilot's chair. They couldn't see the person to whom it belonged.
"Let me go first," Odo said.
He stalked to the door of the cockpit, opened his mouth, then indicated that Jake should follow.
Jake was surprised that Odo didn't give the Andorian warning. It was only fair. Odo usually did that.
Jake approached the door, and then he realized why from the different smell.
The Andorian was dead.
"Who killed him?" Jake whispered.
"My guess is that he killed himself," Odo said and pointed to the fluted vial on the floor beside the chair. "I think if we test that, we'll find poison. Or something poisonous to Andorian traders."
Jake frowned. He didn't understand why anyone would do that. There appeared to be no clues on the bridge itself. It still looked functional. He stepped farther in. The panels in front blinked bright blue.
"What's this?" he asked. He didn't like what he was seeing. Not at all.
Odo turned and glanced at the panels just as Jake realized what he was seeing.
"It's a core overload," Jake said.
Another blue light flashed on. Then another. Odo pointed to the rest of the paneling. "He dumped the core safeguards before he killed himself," Odo said. "And I don't know enough about these ships to do anything about it."
"An overload doesn't usually take very long, Odo. How long has this guy been dead?"
Odo touched him. "I would say an hour, maybe more."
"That's too long," Jake said, his stomach clamping down into a tight knot. He remembered studying core overloads during his work with Chief O'Brien. "We've got to get out of here before this ship blows."
"Move!" Odo said, shoving Jake toward the entrance.
They ran through the corridor, into the sleeping quarters, over the piles of laundry, and back into the room filled with garbage. Jake couldn't hold his breath. He had to breathe the fetid air, and it made him choke.
The door was still open, with the security guard outside. "Get out of the way!" Odo shouted.
She did.
As they passed through the door, Odo hit his comm badge. "Major, we have an emergency in docking bay five. The core of the ship is overloading and will explode at any moment. Release the docking clamps and jettison the ship on my mark."
"Understood," Kira said as Jake scrambled through the airlock. Odo slammed his hand on the airlock button and hesitated just long enough to make sure both inner and outer doors of the lock were closing. He shoved Jake and the security guard down the corridor deeper into the station.
"Now, Major," Odo shouted.
Behind him Jake could hear the sounds of the docking clamps releasing and then four small explosions as the ship was pushed away from the docking bay. Ten seconds later a much larger explosion shook the entire section.
Jake slammed into the wall. Odo flew past him. The guard landed on her side behind him.
The sound was deafening.
Jake glanced back down the corridor at the airlock doors, hoping that they had remained closed.
They had.
Odo had landed on his feet. Jake wondered if that was his particular skill. Odo reached over and helped him up. "Are you all right?"
The security guard was scrambling to her feet on her own. She nodded.
Jake could feel the bruises start. He would be sore the next day. "I'm fine," he said.
"Odo?" Major Kira's voice demanded. "Odo?" "We made it out," Odo said.
There was a short pause. "Good. Join me in Ops as soon as you can. I think we're in for a fight."
Jake took a breath. He had nearly died there. He didn't want to go to Ops, didn't want to know what else could happen. But he had no real idea what was going on. He didn't even know who was fighting whom or why.
Or where his dad was.
"Why don't you go to your quarters?" Odo asked, obviously noting Jake's distress.
Jake shook his head. "You said we should see this through to the end. And I will."
The explosion of the ship startled Sisko. The brilliant orange and blue light spread in all directions. Pieces of the ship flew in all directions, some narrowly missed the docking ring of Deep Space Nine.
"Hail Kira," he snapped.
"I have her," said Ensign Kathé, who was already way ahead of him.
"Major, what was that?"
"A discovery of Odo's," she said. "That would have been the docking ring if he hadn't been on top of it."
"Any injuries?"
"Not on our side. Odo said the pilot was dead before they got into the ship."
"That was too close, Major. Have the other ships on the ring searched, and then confine their crew to quarters on the station."
"Sir—"
"Do it, Major." He signed off. He didn't want that explosion to be a dress rehearsal for the Nibix. "Ensign Coleman, what kind of ship was that?"
"An Andorian trader vessel. One of the others is hailing us and has been for some time. He wants access to the Nibix in exchange for the ship we destroyed."
"We destroyed?" Sisko frowned. "Tell him no access. And tell him to leave this area."
"I don't think he will, sir."
Sisko looked up. The Andorian trader ships had moved in beside the Grand Nagus's ship. So had Jepson's ship. It looked as if they were forming a fleet of their own.
He couldn't believe they would think they could get away with just taking the Nibix out from under the noses of the Jibetian fleet and the Federation. They didn't have the firepower.
Unless they were working for the Jibetians, and the Cardassians joined in. The Ferengi and the mercenaries would have the power then to take the Nibix. And by so doing would bring a very bloody war to this sector.
The explosion near the station was like the starting gun.
"Hail that Andorian freighter," Sisko said, changing his mind.
"There's no response, sir."
The Andorian ships swung wide of the Ferengi vessels and headed toward the Madison.
"Hail them, Mr. Coleman."
"I am, sir."
The Andorian ships opened phaser fire, the shots ricocheting aimlessly off the Madison's shields. So far, the Madison was not firing back. Higginbotham was obviously waiting to see what else was going to unfold.
Two Ferengi ships peeled away from the formation, heading for the Idaho. They were firing phasers, quick, repeated blasts that made no dent in the Idaho's shields. The Idaho swung around and headed toward the Ferengi ships. Sisko grinned. Kiser knew the cowardice of Ferengi was legendary. He would get them to stop the attack if there was no profit in it.
The remaining ships, led by Jepson, made a run at the Defiant. They were flying in a Y formation. The last ship, Sisko knew, would sail over the Defiant and head for the Nibix.
"Double the strength of the shield extensions around the Nibix," he said. "And get ready, people. We have a battle on our hands."
Jepson hit the Defiant with a barrage of photon torpedo fire. The ship rocked, and Ensign Harsch nearly fell out of his chair. "Sorry, sir," he said.
"Keep your post, son," Sisko said. "Ensign Kathé, keep me informed as to what the Jibetians and the Cardassians are doing. Ensign Harsch, you let me know if anyone gets near the Nibix. Ensign Coleman, on Jepson's next pass, I want you to hit his underbelly with full phaser fire. His ship has a weakness in the shields near its engines. You'll only get one shot. Make it good."
"Aye, sir." Coleman's voice was shaking.
Sisko stood. The Ferengi ship in this formation belonged to the nagus. He was wrong. The Andorian ship wouldn't go for the Nibix. The nagus would.
The ships had swung around for another attack. This time as Jepson flew overhead, Sisko shouted, "Coleman. Now!"
Coleman aimed the phaser fire and the Jepson's shields flared red. The red swelled, then the shields failed. The ship exploded like a kid's balloon against a pin.
The explosion rocked the Defiant.
"Ensign Kathé, get me the nagus."
"He's not answering the hails, sir."
"Then send this message. Tell him his ship is next if he doesn't stop this attack."
"Aye, sir." She hit her panel. "Still no response."
"Ensign Harsch, examine that Ferengi ship for weakness." Sisko glanced up. The Idaho had opened fire on the other Ferengi ships, but they were holding their ground. The Madison had crippled one trader vessel. The other two had drawn back, outside of fire range. So far, the Madison was not pursuing.
And the Cardassians hadn't made a move.
Neither had the Jibetians.
Sisko didn't like this.
The Defiant rocked with another blast, this one coming from the Andorian trader ship.
"Where's the nagus?" Sisko asked as he grabbed his command chair for balance.
"Over the Nibix. He's firing on it, sir."
"Firing on it! What is he doing? Put me on screen," Sisko snapped.
"They have a channel open, sir, but they're not responding.
"That's good enough," he said. "Zek, this is Commander Benjamin Sisko. If you fire on the Long Night again, we will consider your action a declaration of war upon the Federation. Is that clear?"
The nagus's face suddenly appeared on screen. "You owe us the right to examine the Nibix."
"You're not going to get it if you destroy the ship," Sisko said. "And you're certainly not going to get it if you fire upon any Federation vessel. I order you to stop now, Zek, before it's too late."
The Andorian trader ship hit the Defiant with a barrage of phasers.
"Our left shield is buckling, sir," Harsch said. "The extensions have weakened it."
"Keep it working, son," Sisko said. "Zek? Did you hear me?"
"I heard you, Commander. I also heard you're in trouble. You can't take me on."
"But the Bosewell can. And if they have trouble, we have two more starships here and the station's firepower. Give it up, Zek."
Another hit from the trader ship.
"Sir, the shields—"
"Ensign Coleman," Sisko said, "one photon torpedo to the trader's port side."
"But, sir—"
"Do it now, Ensign."
Coleman did. The torpedo connected and demolished the trader's shields. It blew a hole in the port side, and all the lights on the vessel winked out.
"What's the ship's status, Ensign?"
"They've lost life support, sir."
"Zek," Sisko said. "Zek, your friends will die without your help. And we'll destroy you if we have to. The ship we're towing is under our protection."
"The Jibetians don't want you to have it."
"The Federation and the Jibetians have an agreement," Sisko said. "And you shouldn't eavesdrop on other people's private communications. This isn't a Ferengi concern."
"It's always a Ferengi concern when profit is involved."
"If you attack the Nibix," Sisko said, "it is no longer about profit. It's about profiteering and war. Think how much a war with the Federation will cost your people, Zek. Think about it. Sisko out."
The other two Ferengi ships had stopped attacking the Idaho. The third Andorian trader vessel went to help its injured comrade. The remaining trader vessel backed away from the Madison.
The nagus's ship didn't move.
"What do you think he's going to do, Commander?" Ensign Coleman said.
"He'll back off," Sisko said. "The Ferengi hate to fight prolonged wars. It eats into their precious profits. Anything he could make on the Nibix wouldn't be worth the eventual cost. Zek is a smart man. He knows that."
After a moment, the nagus's ship turned and retreated.
The Cardassian ships hadn't moved. Neither had the Jibetians. The other ships around the station had moved to the perimeter, watching, waiting.
Sisko hit his comm badge. "Dax? Are you all right?"
"We're fine here, Commander," Dax said. "Shaken but no damage."
"Good," Sisko said. "Let's take this baby home."
He wiped the sweat off his forehead. The first fight of the battle had taken less than a minute. Jepson was gone as was one trader vessel. Another was crippled, and the Ferengi, for the moment, were out of the fight. None of the starships had suffered any significant damage. Neither had the Nibix.
"Captain Higginbotham is hailing us. He's coming in scrambled," Kathé said.
"On screen."
Higginbotham appeared. His cheeks were flushed beneath his graying beard. "Benjamin, if we take the Nibix in close and the Cardassians attack, we won't be able to defend without threatening the station. If the Cardassians and the Jibetians join forces, we won't have enough firepower to defend that ship in close."
"I know," Sisko said, "but I have a secret that will do the trick. But I don't dare play the hand until we're closer to the station."
Higginbotham shrugged. "It's your call, Ben. We'll watch your back. Madison out."
He winked off the screen.
Sisko hit his comm badge. "Dax? Chief? Are you ready to fly her into dock?"
"Any time," Dax's voice said.
"How about now?" Sisko said. "Ensign Harsch, drop the shields around the Nibix and release the tractor. But stay close enough to shield it again instantly."
"Yes, sir," Ensign Harsch said.
The small thruster jets fired on the Nibix, and it eased toward Deep Space Nine. Sisko watched on his screen as the long lost ship moved into dock on its own power after eight hundred years in space.
Over twenty different warships from a half-dozen different cultures watched.
And waited for someone to make the next move.