From: tlb2665@usl.edu (Burleigh Thomas L)
Subject: ST:USS Cavalier, Chapter 06, "The Surveilance"
Organization: University of Southwestern Louisiana
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 14:42:02 GMT


(C) Copyright 1992 by Thomas L. Burleigh. The following are the property
of Paramount Pictures, Inc: the characters of William T. Riker, Jean-Luc
Picard, D'Tan, and Spock; the Borg, Romulan, and Vulcan races; the
StarFleet organization; and, the USS Enterprise. This story is an original
work of fiction base on Star Trek: The Next Generation, a registered
trademark of Paramount. All rights reserved.

                            ST:USS Cavalier
                               Chapter 6
                           "The Surveilance"


  Away Team #4, a.k.a A-Team #4 (after an old 20th Century television
show), beamed into a clear field near a treeline. Their leader, Ensign
Karng, had them take cover and establish local security just inside the
treeline. After ensuring this two Automatic-Phaser gunners were covering
the open field, he ordered his Holo-corder team to attempt long-range
scanning on the city that laid about one mile away through the clearing and
on a group of Borgs who doing something to the ground about 300 meters
away. (Lucky they're to busy doing God-knows-what to see us!)
  The female that was surveying the city crept up to Karng, covered her
viewing screen with her hand, and tabbed a button with her thumb. On the
mini-screen, a miniaturized overhead view of the city appeared. The city
was completely demolished; but, judging for the readings, a lone series of
trenches cut through the city and it's surrounding areas.
  Nodding his head, with his face still holding its puzzled look, Karng
gave the girl a thumbs-up then pointed her back to her security position.
The A-Team was on strict noise discipline.
  Then the other one from the Holo-corder team crept up and thumbed his
display. On his mini-viewer some type of two-handed planting device came
into view. Karng had noticed earlier that all those Borgs were planting
the field - marching down the field and working with clocklike percision.
  Karng pointed at the man's Holo-corder then at his Comm-Badge. A faint
blue aiming beam struck the badge. He tapped his badge and the information
from the Holo-corder was transmitted to the Cavalier.
  Karng had just started the process again with the other one, when
everyone in the team hear a deep, rumbling sound. Then, coming at them from
the direction of the city, a down-sized Borg ship was rapidly approaching.
Before anyone could react, a series of phasers struck out for the belly of
the ship and carved rows of trenches up to and through the A-Team's
position.
  This, in itself, wasn't too bad - noone was hurt. What was bad was that
the stray energy from all the phaser beams overloaded Karng's Comm-Badge,
causing it to emit a high-volume, high-pitched noise - load enought to give
their presence away to the Borgs.
  The Borgs reaction was not instantaneous, but still violent. They all 
dropped their poles, grabbed their weapons and opened fire on the A-Team
while advancing.
  "Fire!" Karng ordered his men - this after giving a Klingon battle cry.
  Their fire was pretty effective at first, but was becoming less and less
so. The Automatic-Phaser gunners were sweeping their rapid phaser pulses
across the field while the others applied precision aiming. They were able
to kill one Borg at a time at first, until the Borg started using their
personal shields. Then it took two simultaneous hits to take out a Borg.
  Then three.
  Then four.
  They took out the last Borg just 50 meters outside of their perimeter.
Karng told his prisoner team (until now only a contingency duty) to secure
the Borg. Tehn he opened a channel to the Cavalier.
  "A-Team Four to Cavalier." he prompted.
  "This is Commander Thompson. Go ahead, team four", his communicator
replied.
  "We just engaged about 12 Borg soldiers. Successfully.  One injure team
member.  Mild - not critical."  Karng caught his breath quickly then went
on. "We've secured on dead Borg for study. There's more, but they're in the
open. Request instructions."
  "Karng," Riker came onto the net, "keep your channel open.  I want to 
beam....".
  Riker was rudely interupted by an explosion that wrecked Karng
Comm-Badge. A moment later, a rather disturbed Karng was on the air.
  "Karng to Cavalier!  We are under attack again!  About 25 of them this
time. Phasers are ineffective. We have one serioius casualty. We need some
cover fire and to beam out of here now!"
  "Roger, Karng.  Give me a bearing to them and hang tight."
  "Bearing 215 degrees, true north.  Distance 250 meters and closing."
  A quick moment later, Riker came back on. "Karng. Here's what we're
gonna do. On your mark, we'll fire torpedoes just to their rear to take
them out. Right after the first one hits, you team will beam out. Have all
your people open a channel now. Understood?"
  "Yes, Sir.  Stand by."
  Karng moved his people closer together and had them open their
Comm-Badges.
  "Mark!"

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