“How long will it take to gain access to the Array?” Tani said, quickly checking over her rifle.

Priam’s eyes darted around the console. “I’m not sure, months probably.”

“I’d guess you’ve got about,” Tani checked the room displays, “twenty minutes, max.” She shouldered her rifle and began looking for an access point to the ceiling. “I’ll try to hold them off as long as I can, you keep working on the computer.” Tani located an access ladder and began climbing it. Once she reach the ceiling, she opened a hatch and looked outside. “I’d bring that estimate down to ten to fifteen,” she called down.

“Still working…” Priam replied, his fingers moving through various command codes.

Tani locked her leg in the ladder and leveled her rifle at the advancing Jem’Hadar. A couple of short blasts took out a few but only put a small dent in the advancing forces. Tani watched as they quickly made their way to Central Command. A few more blasts and part of the advancing horde stopped to return fire. Tani quickly ducked into the room as the fire skidded across the roof. “How are things going?”

“It looks like a Jem’Hadar fighter has engaged with the Cantabras,” He paused, “it looks like they’re leaving.”

“They’re leaving?!”

“Both ships just went to warp. I’m not seeing either of them on sensors.”

The room shook as the walls were hit with phaser fire. “We’ll worry about that later,” Tani said, “we have to get out of here first. Keep working on the system.” She popped back out of the roof, fired a few short blasts, and ducked back into the room. This resumed for several minutes. And then all went quiet.

Tani cautiously poked her head up through the hatch and looked around. The phaser fire had stopped and the Jem’Hadar were lined up on either side of the gangplank. “That can’t be good,” through her scope, she looked further down the corridor. 

Six Jem’Hadar were carrying a large metal beam, three on either side. They marched in sequence to Central Command.

Tani ducked her head inside the room. “Priam, I don’t mean to rush you-”

“Then don’t,” Priam interrupted with a tone of finality.

Popping back out of the hatch, Tani let loose a few blasts from her rifle. She quickly ducked as it was returned in spades from multiple Jem’Hadar. Looking through her scope, Tani saw the columns of Jem’Hadar aiming their weapons at her position. “Looks like I lost the element of surprise.”

The room began to shake as the Jem’Hadar used the beam as a battering ram. Tani closed the hatch, locked it, and moved to a table in the room. She leveled her rifle at the door being rammed by the Jem’Hadar. They’d have to come one at a time, at least in the beginning.

Priam let a chuckle of incredulity.

“Did you get access to the computer?”

“Well, no… but something that might help.”

“I have a battalion of Jem’Hadar ready to bust through that door any second. And I’m trying to figure out how to stop them. I’ll take any help I can get,” Tani said, never taking her eyes off the door.

Priam typed a few commands and blast doors over the hatch and the main door slammed closed.

“Emergency intrusion countermeasures have been initiated,” a voice rang throughout the Array. Tani and Priam heard the multitude of phaser fire ring out.

“What is happening?” Tani asked in disbelief.

“I turned on the Array’s defense system. I used a really old algorithm to target Dominion faction members.” Priam turned on the displays in the central console. Views throughout the Array showed several Jem’Hadar struggling against the Array’s automated defenses.

“You’re a genius Priam!”

“It won’t eliminate them, but it will make their numbers more manageable. And Commander, I apologize for being curt with you earlier. I was under a lot of stress,” Priam said with guilt in his voice.

Tani smiled, “Priam, you saved us from certain death by Jem’Hadar. I can forgive you for some rudeness. Now let’s go make the Jem’Hadar regret stepping on the Array.”