Stardate 44002.3

"Approaching Wolf 359."

"Take us out of warp," Captain duBois said. "Slow to one-quarter impulse."

Lieutenant (J.G.) Jana Ferguson turned from the station she was working on to face the main viewscreen. It was almost a reflexive action, driven by the desire to see what lie ahead.

Without turning, duBois addressed Bahan, the lead Communications officer. "Raise Admiral Hanson's ship. Ask them where they want us, Ensign."

"Aye, Captain."

There was a brief moment of relative quiet, filled only by sound of the alert klaxons and the subdued background chatter of the Ares' various departments reporting in to the bridge.

"I have the Admiral's ship, sir," Bahan reported. "They request that we take up position behind the Zeus and Artemis."

"Filling out the pantheon, are we?" duBois remarked with a hoarse chuckle.

"Sir?" Banah looked genuinely confused.

"Don't they teach you the classics any more at the Academy, Ensign?"

Bahan's cheeks darkened. "Sorry, sir."

duBois shook his head good-naturedly, saying something under his breath that Jana could not make out.

"Slaran," duBois instructed the Andorian helmsman, "Engage thrusters. Bring us into position."

Slaran nodded, his sky-blue fingers moving swiftly over the helm controls. "Thrusters, aye, Captain."

Jana forced herself to look away from the main viewscreen. It was an awe-inspiring sight: forty Federation starships of varying designs all massed to defend the sector from the impending Borg assault. It was only a single ship, Jana told herself. There was barely any chance that it could survive the combined defenses of an armada like this one.

The console flickered to life in front of her. Its control panel glowed with the subdued colors of normal operation and, unlike a few minutes ago, stayed active.

"That should do it," she told Ensign Korloch, the Benzite assigned to the auxiliary sensor station.

Korloch smiled appreciatively, inhaling slowly from her breathing frame. "Thank you, Lieutenant."

Jana smiled, glowing inwardly at the open gratitude. Many of the officers were so formal, she had determined, giving her a "Thank you" with about as much emotional substance as a Vulcan.

"I'll be in Engineering if you have any more trouble."

Korloch nodded slightly. "Thank you again, Lieutenant Ferguson."

Jana smiled again, laughing quietly as she turned away. She knew the full statement of her name and rank was all part of Benzite formality, but she still found it vaguely amusing. Gathering her equipment case, she headed for the turbolift.

As Jana waited for the doors to open, she heard the soft footfalls of someone coming up behind her. She did not think anything of it, as it was common for crew members to share the lift, particularly when under hurried battle conditions. It was when she heard the voice that she felt her cheeks grow hot and her stomach knot.

"I'll walk with you," it said. "It's on my way."

Jana did not turn until she stepped into the turbolift. Lieutenant David Taylor followed her inside.

"Main Engineering," Jana instructed the lift. She paused, waiting for David to issue a command of his own. When, after several seconds, he did not, she pressed the lift control.

The lift doors closed. They both stood in silence as the lift began to move.

"Now is really not a good time," Jana suggested tersely. "In case you haven't noticed, we're at Battle Stations."

David looked only mildly abashed, but Jana knew that she had affected him more deeply. As a Betazoid, and an assistant ship's counselor, he had learned to mask his feelings well. He was no Vulcan, but he did a creditable job. Jana knew that it was only her close experience with him that allowed her to read him as well as she could.

"Jana," David pleaded quietly. "I'm sorry." He tried to make eye contact with her. "I really am."

"David," Jana warned him tightly. "Just . . . don't."

David bit off whatever else he had planned to say, swallowing the words back before they could come out.