"Can we divert any more power to the cloaking device?" asked Sisko.
"It wouldn't really do that much good, Captain," O'Brien replied. "The cloaking device is at maximum strength."
"The one thing we can't be sure about, though, is if it will detect the other ships," said Dax. "After all, they're using Istarian cloaking devices. Ours is Romulan."
Sisko continued to stare at the screen and the approaching runabout.
"Ten thousand kilometers and closing," Dax reported. "I predict that the proton beam will penetrate the cloaking shield... now!"
The alarm sounded as the cloaking device began to fail.
"Captain!" said Dax. "The Liberator! It's de-cloaking and attacking the runabout!"
Sisko watched as the Liberator came into view and fired their weapons at the runabout.
"What the hell is Tarrant doing?" asked Sisko.
On Voyager, Janeway was asking the same question.
"Do we do the same?" asked Kim.
"Sensors are picking up several Jem'Hadar fighters coming into range, Captain," Tuvok reported.
"We have no choice," said Janeway. "De-cloak and engage the enemy!"
On board the Valkyrie, Watt watched the beginning of the space battle.
"Do we engage, Captain?" asked Sutek.
"Negative, Commander," Watt replied. "We bring our stage of the plan forward a while. Ready the boarding parties, and set a course for Deep Space Nine!"
Just as the Bajoran sun was coming up, Kira used her macro-binoculars to look over to the generator bunker.
"It's an old Cardassian supply depot!" she said.
"It makes sense, though," said Shakaar. "I'm surprised, though, that they didn't use a larger building."
"Not to me," Kira replied. "I've seen their technology working first-hand. Is this the front entrance?"
"Yes," Furel replied. "It's got two guards on it twenty-six hours a day. They work in rotating shifts of four hours each."
"Is there a back door?" asked Chakotay.
"As far as we know, yes," said Furel.
"That may be our best chance," said Chakotay. "Take us to it."
Sisko was having a hard time of it. The Defiant, the Liberator, and Voyager were seemingly overwhelmed by the oncoming Jem'Hadar fighters. It took all of Dax's piloting skills to keep them out of trouble, and O'Brien was virtually tearing his hair out trying to keep the power going.
"Any sign of the Valkyrie yet?" Sisko asked, having asked the same question two minutes previously.
"They haven't de-cloaked yet, Captain," Dax reported. "And I've got nothing on sensors!"
"Where the hell are they?" Sisko cursed. "Why aren't they helping us out?"
"Now within transporter range of Deep Space Nine," Ro reported.
"Commander Sutek, I want the beam-overs timed in with the de-cloaking," said Watt. "A millisecond out could be disastrous!"
"Understood, Captain," Sutek replied.
"Commander Ro, the operation is yours!"
Taking the long way round to avoid detection, they soon found the back door to the bunker. Kira scanned the area with her binoculars.
"I don't believe this!" she said. "There's only one guard!"
"We should be able to handle this," said Chakotay. "B'Elanna, you're with me. The rest of you stay here!"
Kira watched through the lenses as B'Elanna and Chakotay quietly made their way down the hill towards the entrance. Moments later, they attacked the guard from behind. A quick chop to the neck rendered him unconscious. A second later, Chakotay signaled to the rest of the team.
Ro, in full battle gear and phaser rifle in hand, soon entered the transporter room. Her team was already suited up and waiting for her. She then activated her communicator.
"We're all ready here, Captain," she said.
"Good. Commander Sutek, as soon as the cloaking field drops, I want a simultaneous phaser and torpedo attack on the station's main shield generator. A direct hit should disable the shields, allowing us to beam through."
"Aye, sir."
"On my mark, Mister Sutek... mark!"
The orchestrated machine that is the Valkyrie crew went into overdrive. The cloaking field was lowered, and the ship was now in full view. A second later, the weapons were fired. The shield generator on the station suffered the desired amount of damage. A second later, the first of the boarding parties beamed onto the Promenade.
"Mister Sutek, you have the bridge," said Watt. "I'm taking command of the third boarding party."
After quickly changing into his battle gear, Watt made his way to the transporter room, just as the second boarding party was about to beam over. Watt gave the order for the beam to be energized, but then something went drastically wrong. A second later, Lom came rushing into the room and joined the chief at the transporter control panel.
"What's happening?" asked Watt.
"The pattern buffers are suffering from some kind of distortion. We're losing their patterns!"
Lom's hand frantically ran over the panel.
"Boost the feed to the matter gain!" Lom ordered.
Watt soon stood next to the panel, trying to help in any way he could. With the addition of his help, they got somewhere.
"I've managed to find their patterns!" he said.
"It's no good!" said Lom. "The patterns are degrading!"
Watt looked on in horror at the transporter pad.
"Oh my god! They're forming!"
What had been healthy men and women began to form on the transporter pad before them. Quickly, Watt activated his communicator.
"Watt to Sickbay! Medical emergency, transporter room three!"
He found it hard to watch as what was left of the second assault team now fully formed on the transporter pad. Never before had he seen a transporter accident like this. Moments later, Singh and his team came rushing in. He saw the transporter pad and was revulsed by what he saw. He quickly scanned them with his tricorder.
"They're dead, Captain, thank goodness."
Watt stormed out of the transporter room, closely followed by Lom.
"How long until the transporters are up and running again?" he asked.
"Every system on the ship went down at the same time! Even the ones in the cargo bays! Judging from what I saw in Engineering, it could take days!"
"Then we'll have to go in the old-fashioned way!"
Would you like me to analyze the tactical situation of the different crews in this chapter?
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