Captain Bradly J. Edwards sat down on his bed in his quarters. For a moment, he simply admired the view through the windows of the ice planet called Kalorian 3, a planet recently discovered, and recently won over from the Dominion.
Edwards had gotten little rest lately, due to the Dominion War keeping the Khitomer crew busy. They were serving aboard a state of the art ship, and required to be part of the war at almost all times. Even one ship, such as the Khitomer, might be the deciding factor
Edwards smiled as he eyed the bottle of very old Whisky he kept in his room. It was a reminder to him that he no longer had a drinking problem, something he DID have for a good portion of his career. It always reminded him that he was capable of overcoming the odds
He then took off his boots, the feeling of fresh air on his feet soothing. Then he rested his head on his pillow and made sure he didnt think of anything so as to immediately fall asleep.
Bridge to Captain Edwards, Commander Robert Radisson, the ships chief of security and chief tactical officer, suddenly said over the comm system.
Edwards sighed and rolled his eyes behind closed lids. He tapped his comm badge, which he noted he had forgotten to remove in his haste to sleep. Edwards here, go ahead Commander.
Captain, we are receiving a priority one call from Starfleet HQ, Radisson reported.
Edwards sighed. Put it through down here.
Edwards sighed again, then stood up from his bed. He rubbed his eyes, realizing too late that it would merely make them itch more-so than they all ready did.
He stumbled across his quarters to a console and sat down quickly. He lazily keyed in the command to open the channel. Authorization Edwards 2 2 Beta 7, he stated.
Admiral John Westons familiar face immediately appeared on the screen. Catch you at a bad time, Captain? he asked.
Edwards blinked the sleep from his eyes, smiled, and said, Of course not, sir. The smile was only a show, for something was wrong. Weston was never this nice to Edwards
Well, waking you was with good reason, Weston said, immediately getting to the point. We are re-assigning the Khitomer.
Suddenly, all sleep left Captain Edwards. Sir? he asked.
Weston sighed before saying, I cant give you the details over subspace, the missions too tricky. Certain people might intercept the transmission.
Edwards nodded. Understood.
Report to Earth at maximum possible speed, Weston ordered. Starfleet out.
The transmission abruptly ended. Edwards frowned, wondering why Weston was so quick to close the channel, but decided to go ahead and do as he was told.
But he couldnt stop thinking about one thing: Weston was being friendly to him. Why, Edwards didnt know. He sighed and decided to just go with it.
Edwards to bridge, he said, opening a comm channel.
Radisson here, sir, Radisson replied.
Set a course for Earth, maximum warp, Edwards said. If Im not awake by the time we get there, tell doctor Woods that Im fine and am merely catching up on some sleep.
He heard a short laugh from Radisson. Aye, sir, he replied.
Edwards thought for a moment, wondering whats more important than the Khitomer being part of the war effort.
He shrugged, then went to his
bed, ready for another attempt at sleep
Im simply saying that if we increased power to the
repeating photon launcher, it would actually decrease the
overheating problem, Radisson stated.
And Im simply saying that it would INCREASE the overheating problem, Dk'myr'chi stated in his stern voice. Radisson was starting to get on his nerves.
But Radisson began.
Whos the engineer here?! Dk'myr'chi shouted.
Radisson was taken back by the harshness of Dk'myr'chi, but he didnt care. Dk'myr'chi knew what he was doing, Radisson did not!
But
NO buts, Radisson, Dk'myr'chi said harshly. He scowled at Radisson, then said, Ive got work to do. If Youll excuse me.
Radisson glared at Dk'myr'chi,
but then submitted, and allowed Dk'myr'chi to enter Engineering.
Approaching Starbase 12, Ensign Krod Zetan, the
ships helmsman, stated.
Edwards stood from the command chair and approached the view screen. Hail them.
Admiral Westons face appeared on the view screen promptly. This surprised Edwards, for he didnt expect to be welcomed by the Admiral so early in their arrival.
Good to see you, Captain, Weston said. Again, he was being oddly friendly to Edwards. Edwards even noticed some discomfort around the bridge as people saw this as well.
And you, Admiral, Edwards lied. Shall we put into space dock or go into orbit around Earth?
Space dock, Weston stated right away. Well be rearming your ship and repairing any thing that needs to be repaired. You, on the other hand, must report to my office in 30 minutes, along with your first officer.
Edwards nodded and replied, Understood.
Weston out.
The view screen changed to show the Starbase. Edwards wondered what was going on. He expected immediate relocation to their new assignment, not repairs. He thought that this was most likely due to the mission being very dangerous.
He stood and headed towards the
turbolift. As he went, he said, Have Commander Hobson meet
me in transporter room one, you have the bridge Radisson.
They materialized into what appeared to be an extremely well kept
Starbase. Despite what Edwards had seen in other Starbases, due
to lack of supplies, this Starbase, meant for top brass as it
was, was well kept.
Edwards and his First Officer, Commander Christopher Hobson, stepped off the transporter pad to be immediately greeted by Admiral Weston.
No time for pleasantries, Weston said, almost acting like his old self. It shouldnt take longer than an hour to fully arm and repair the Khitomer.
Edwards was surprised when he heard this. The Khitomer was in need of extreme repairs. It had taken a beating recently, and has had no time for repairs. He had expected at least a day.
Follow me, Weston said, all ready marching out of the transporter room. Edwards found that he and Hobson had to almost jog to keep up with Westons brisk pace. This obviously was an urgent mission.
Then again, Edwards thought, this is probably just the Admirals normal pace. He almost chuckled out loud at that thought, but kept himself in check.
It didnt take them long to travel through the Starbase to Westons office. When they entered, a woman with the rank of rear admiral was waiting for them.
As Weston gestured to her, he said, Gentlemen, this is Rear-admiral Cherise Shivar, recently promoted and for now is serving under me.
Edwards nodded to the Admiral, then sat down in a chair in front of Westons desk, followed by Hobson. Admiral Shivar remained standing while Weston sat in his own chair.
Now, right down to business, Weston said.
Edwards grinned and replied, Thats what I like about you, Admiral, always going straight to the point!
Weston frowned, and Edwards realized that the Admiral was in no mood for any jokes. Edwards felt his grin immediately fade. Again, more like his usual self.
We have reports of a hidden Jem Hadar base near the Romulan Neutral Zone in the Piorian Nebula, near the Piorian Asteroid field, Weston began. It hasnt been confirmed at all until one day previous to my contacting you.
Edwards took this in slowly, realizing what it could mean. Production base? he asked. He looked over to see Commander Hobson as shocked as he was.
Weston nodded. This meant that the Jem Hadar was creating new ships constantly now and could attack both the Romulans and the Federation from where they least expected.
An influx of supply ships for about 2 hours was enough to allow us to detect the ship movements, Admiral Shivar stated in a cold sounding voice. Just like Weston usually is, Edwards jokingly thought. We dont know how the ships are getting there, but its up to you to find out, and to stop them.
Edwards was at a loss for words, and found himself able to only nod.
The USS Pinta, an Intrepid class vessel, will be accompanying you on this mission, Weston stated. And the USS Dragon is patrolling the Neutral Zone, so call upon her if the need arises.
Edwards nodded again. Good
luck, Weston finished.
Look at that! Dk'myr'chi exclaimed to his aid,
Lieutenant DePaul. He gestured towards the screen they were
observing in engineering. It looks like a damn bee
hive!
Engineers and technicians were swarming around the Khitomer, repairing her at a record rate. It wouldnt take much longer than 40 minutes more to finish repairing and reloading the Khitomer.
Senior Officers report to briefing room, Edwardss voice came over the intercom.
Dk'myr'chi kept his gaze for a
moment longer, then abandoned DePaul to watch in similar awe.
To put it simply, Edwards began, We are
destroying a Jem Hadar ship construction base strategically
positioned in the Piorian Nebula.
As he had expected, Radisson knew where that was. His face that of surprise, he remarked, Thats near the Romulan Neutral Zone!
Edwards nodded. They are some how delivering supplies to that base, but they no doubt are also getting minerals from the near by asteroid field.
We are leaving as soon as repairs and reloading is finished, Edwards stated. We are also getting six Tri-Cobalt devices to help us destroy the base, and modifications are being made to one of the aft torpedo launchers to be able to launch them.
I should oversee those modifications, to make sure they dont interfere with other systems, Dk'myr'chi stated.
Edwards shook his head. No offense, Dimitri, but they have the best working as fast as they can on that, Edwards stated. Youd just get in the way. Edwards motioned towards the observation windows. The technicians could be seen still swarming around the Khitomer. As you can see, I mean no offense by that.
Dk'myr'chi nodded.
Edwards stood, prepared to leave. We leave dock in one hour, he stated. You have that much time to prepare for battle.
A quick question! Radisson suddenly said quickly before Edwards dismissed them.
Edwards sat back down and replied, And that is?
He smiled sheepishly for some reason before saying, Doesnt Admiral Weston hate you, sir?
Edwards frowned, his mind still dwelling on that fact. I thought so too. Theres something strange about that He shrugged and said, But well have to deal with that later. Lets get to work on our new mission.
With that, he stood and left the
briefing room, it becoming a place of much conversation as people
began to discuss department preparations.
The Khitomer is on its way, she stated quietly to her
commanding officer. Its heading blindly into our
trap.
Her CO smiled an evil grin, bringing satisfaction to her. Very well, he said. And the USS Dragon?
She smiled. The Khitomer will no doubt request its help right away, she said casually, looking out the window at the sovereign class starship approaching the Starbase. She knew it was the Enterprise, coming in for new orders of her own that were top secret. It will be destroyed along with the Khitomer and the Pinta.
He smiled. Good job, he said with satisfaction. Section 31 will eliminate two problems with one might blow. He looked at her, content filling his face. The Dragon, and the Pinta.
Do we need to inform The One, she asked.
Her CO shook his head. He
already knows
Contact the USS Dragon and have her meet us there,
Edwards stated. The Section 31 officer smiled. Edwards was doing
exactly as they had hoped he would
They were getting the
Dragon involved. It wouldnt be long
Captain Denise Bratar looked in awe as she stared at the Guardian
class starship Khitomer on the main view screen. Though it looked
just like a Sovereign class starship, it was much more.
She knew very well how many photon torpedo launchers it had, how many phaser banks It mocked the heavily modified galaxy-class USS Dragon. The Dragon had gone through a refit not too long ago at least, thats what it seemed like to Bratar. Two additional nacelles were added to the ship to increase warp efficiency, as bioneural gel packs were integrated into the computer system.
The Dragon had the most recent phasers equipped and its forward torpedo bay was now capable of firing quantum torpedoes. Despite that and more, the Dragon was nothing compared to the Khitomer.
Hanging in space next to the Khitomer was the Intrepid class USS Pinta, a name Bratar thought was as bad as her own last name. It just didnt fit an Intrepid class vessel. Despite their size, the Intrepid class starships could really pack a punch.
But then, it was an exploration vessel, and the Pinta was one of the vessels to first land on the Americas, according to history.
Maam, the Khitomers hailing us, Lieutenant RSharn, a hotheaded Andorian ops officer, stated.
Bratar stood and ordered, On screen.
Captain Bradly Edwards appeared on the view screen, similarly standing. Im Captain Edwards of the USS Khitomer, he said simply and calmly.
Bratar nodded, glad to finally meet a captain that was already becoming famous in Starfleet. Im Captain Denise Bratar of the USS Dragon. Its a pleasure to meet you, Captain.
Edwards raised and eye brow and said, Really? He let out a short laugh. In all truth, despite my becoming some what known in the Federation, Im not used to having people honored to meet me.
Bratar gave somewhat of a cocky grin and said, Trade places?
Edwards smiled wryly. I think Ill pass, he said, giving mock hesitation in his voice. Bratar already liked his personality.
However, there was always a time to get serious. She put on a serious face and asked, Starfleet Command told me to give you full cooperation in this mission, but didnt tell me what the mission was about.
Edwards smiled and gave the reply, They are somewhat infamous for doing that.
Bratar nodded and said, Indeed they are!
Anyway, Edwards continued, Ill send you our orders in a moment. Read them, then meet me in our briefing room in twenty minutes with your first officer.
Bratar nodded in reply, then said, Dragon out.
As the view screen flickered out, RSharn immediately stated, Receiving the data.
Bratar headed for her ready room and ordered, Put it through to my ready room, you have the bridge, Sarah. Lieutenant Commander Sarah Fariea, who was the ships consellor, took her place in the center seat.
She went through her ready room doors at a brisk pace, anxious to see any action. The Dragon had been on a monotonous patrol duty along the Romulan Neutral Zone ever since she discovered information on Section 31 She knew they had a hand to do with it, and knew that there was some one watching her on the ship.
She sat down in her rather comfortable chair and activated the desk computer. It first showed the Federation emblem, then changed to the orders.
It was a particularly interesting mission that would no doubt have plenty of action. She already had a plan of what the Dragon could do forming in her head.
When she finished, she immediately stood and tapped her comm badge. Bratar to Harriman.
She left her ready room and headed for the nearest turbo lift. Just as she reached it, Commander Chris Harrimans familiar voice replied, Go ahead.
Meet me in transporter room 1, she ordered as the turbolift doors opened.
On my way.
She deactivated her comm badge, then stated, Transporter room 1.
The lift moved, but seemed to immediately stopped, and opened on to deck 4. She walked the very short distance to the transporter room and entered to find Harriman already there.
She stepped on to the transporter pad, Harriman following. Beam us to the Khitomer, she ordered.
Ready, the transporter operator immediately replied.
Energize.
For a few seconds, the transporter room disappeared in a bright white light, but was then replaced by the transporter room of the USS Khitomer.
A Lieutenant Commander was waiting for them. He stepped forward and stated, Im Lieutenant Commander Radisson, security officer. If youll follow me, he finished, gesturing towards the exit.
Bratar nodded then stepped down from the pad to follow Radisson, Harriman right behind her.
They stepped out of the room into a corridor that looked almost just like a Sovereign class starships corridors.
It wasnt exactly all that impressive to most people, but to Bratar, whod served on lesser ships since the Sovereign class starship came out, thought it was magnificent. She knew she was standing on a state-of-the-art battle ship that could withstand several Jem Hadar warships on her own!
They entered a turbo lift, and Radisson stated, Bridge. Again, the ride was short, and the doors opened on to a bridge completely different from the Dragons, or any other galaxy class starship.
It looked as if the conn and the helm were connected and manned by one person, just like on an Intrepid class starship, or so she had read. She frowned at that, because the only reason that was done to the Intrepid class was because it was a smaller ship, and mostly because it was just a test to see how well it had done. Apparently it was working, if it was used on an advanced battle ship.
They crossed the bridge to the briefing rooms door. Radisson stood beside the door and said, Captains and First officers only, so I cant enter.
Bratar nodded and said,
Thank you.
The door to the briefing room opened and Captain Bratar, followed
by her first officer, entered. Edwards stood and shook
Bratars hand. Its good to meet you in
person, he said.
Bratar nodded and said in her soft voice, Its good to meet you, too, Captain. She motioned to her first officer and said, This is my first officer, Commander Chris Harriman.
Edwards nodded to him and said, I heard what had happened to your father Im sorry.
Harriman nodded and replied, Thank you, sir. He frowned. Did you know him?
Edwards nodded and stated, As a matter of fact, I served with him when he was still a Captain. Harriman nodded. Edwards knew he looked dreary as he said, He was a good man.
Harriman only nodded again in reply.
Edwards then motioned to Hobson and said, This is my first officer, Commander Chris Hobson. He then motioned to the Captain and first officer of the Pinta and said, And this is Captain Michael Piller and Commander Sherry Marsc of the Pinta.
Bratar and Harriman nodded to them, then took their places on the other side of the table from where the Pinta officers were. Edwards sat at the head of the table while Hobson remained standing near the screen.
So, how shall we plan this out? Edwards asked.
Definitely have to be stealthy about it, Bratar volunteered quickly.
Agreed, Piller stated. We are three ships against a heavily armed station, supported by plenty of ships and fighters. The Pinta doesnt even have any fighters.
Edwards nodded, understanding the situation well. The Dragon had only about five fighters, and didnt really have the best pilots for them. The Khitomers got the best fighters and pilots out of the three of us, so we should rule out any possibility of using them as a real viable option.
Yes, Piller stated. Well really just have to use our ships and nothing more.
Edwards nodded again, and stated, The Khitomers aft torpedo launcher was equipped to fire Tri-Cobalt devices, so we should probably get those fired off as soon as we can take the stations shields down maybe even take the shields down with one of them.
How many of those do you have? Bratar asked.
Six, Edwards stated.
Then we should have enough to spare for the shields, Bratar stated.
Edwards nodded. They would indeed, which meant the Khitomer would have to show its tail end to the base when the battle first began. It wasnt really that bad, it was just the idea
So put simply, all we should have to do is take out the support craft and let the Khitomer do all of the work, Piller stated.
Edwards shrugged and replied, Looks that way.
Then we have a plan, Bratar said with enthusiasm.
Edwards stood, every one else following suite. Then inform the rest of your senior officers and prepare for battle.
The other ships officers nodded and filed out of the room.
Edwards sighed as he moved to the observation windows looking out upon the ships hull and space.
Something wrong, sir? Hobson asked. Edwards smiled, for Hobson always seemed to be there to lend an ear to his Captain.
Were going in blindly, Edwards stated simply. He paused for a moment, then continued, For all we could know, they have Tri-Cobalt devices their selves and could launch them right back at us.
He saw Hobsons reflection nod. Its dangerous. He frowned. Isnt that why they assigned us to this mission?
Edwards smiled. He replied quietly, Yes, perhaps that is the reason
Edwards continued to stare out at the stars. It was something he had seen every day, but as always, it wasnt the same when they were going into battle. It made space seem ominous frightening empty
He sighed before saying, Assemble the senior staff again.
Hobson nodded and left Edwards
to his thoughts
at least, for the moment.
The Khitomer was coming, and he knew it. Scerioun had been
informed by a group called Section 31 that indeed the Khitomer
was coming to this base. And so, Scerioun awaited impatiently. He
had already deployed the fleet in the nebula
The Khitomer
wouldnt stand a chance against the 40 battle ships he had
placed here.
He smiled with anticipation at the thought of completing his mission in one fatal blow. The Founders would indeed be pleased. It would be a day long remembered.
Suddenly, an alarm sounded, one
of proximity. He knew what it meant
The Khitomer was
approaching.
Still no signs of them having detected us, Radisson
stated.
Edwards frowned. But were close enough
Radisson shook his head before saying, Since we got the base onto sensors, its seemed like its all ways had its weapons powered up.
Edwards looked forward to the view screen. Then they either have detected us, or they merely always have the weapons powered up so that they would be ready in case of an attack.
Maybe, but then which one of the two is it, Hobson asked from his chair next to the command chair.
Edwards thought for a moment, wondering which it could be. He then shrugged it off and said, Prepare to swing a 180.
Aye, sir, Zetan replied.
Radisson, ready the Tri-Cobalt devices for launch, Edwards finished.
Arming Tri-Cobalt devices, Radisson confirmed. In range in twenty seconds.
Edwards watched the tactical display on his armrest anxiously, the twenty seconds seemingly lasting forever. It was moments like this that reminded him of his drinking problem. They would all ways tempt him, but he would all ways resist the urge and would always prevail.
And today, they would easily emerge victorious. The timer hit zero. In range! Radisson said loudly. But Edwards waited for a few moments. They had to stay in range in order for the first device to hit their shields and then fire the rest
Engage, helm! Edwards suddenly ordered. Fire as soon as possible!
The Khitomer then began a quick 180 degree turn and fired one Tri-Cobalt device at the base.
The bases shields have gone up, Radisson stated. Edwards smiled, for they had caught the base off guard more so than he wouldve expected.
The base began firing madly at the Tri-Cobalt device, trying to destroy it before it hit its shields.
Helm, three-quarter impulse, engage, Edwards ordered, watching intently on the view screen as the device neared the shields.
Amazingly, the device was never hit, despite its slow speed. It impacted on the bases shields and caused a huge explosion in space. The shields glowed a bright green in response to the device, then a red, then a white, then all together vanished.
Fire! Edwards shouted, standing in anticipation and excitement.
With that order, 5 more devices launched towards the station, each heading to separate points, but each would have to pass through the large gap in the shields.
More firepower joined in an attempt to irradicate the deadly devices as they neared the base. The purple-hued nebula was stirring and mixing due to the large explosion, and Edwards hoped it wouldnt cause a volatile mix.
A Tri-Cobalt device was suddenly hit by an energy blast, causing it to be destroyed. Edwards hoped the remaining 4 were enough to irradicate the base.
Luckily, they punched through where the shields were and spread to hit evenly distributed points. The rock-base was engulfed by energy and flame as oxygen exploded out into space.
In a great show of matter and antimatter, the base completely erupted in a bright flash. The shockwave hit the Khitomer, causing it to shake violently.
He managed to remain standing during the intense shaking, but just barely. But when the shaking ceased, more bad news came.
Jem Hadar battle ships
incoming, and lots of them! Radisson shouted above the
noise of a ruptured conduit.
This is not good! Bratar shouted, standing up with
surprise. Helm, get us into that battle, now!
With in seconds, the Dragon and the Pinta came flying out of a dense pocket of matter to see the Khitomer being pounded by Jem Hadar warships.
Fire all weapons! Bratar shouted.
With that order, 4 quantum torpedoes launched and hit one warship. Three impacted on its main shell, but the forth hit its port nacelle, causing the ship to erupt in a matter/antimatter explosion.
Photon torpedoes from the Pinta launched at another ship, but only managed to damage it. The Khitomers phasers finished it of.
Evasive maneuvers, pattern Delta 32, Bratar ordered, sitting back down in here chair as the ship rocked from explosions.
Phaser fire began to emit from the Dragon as it began slow evasive maneuvers. Despite the upgrades, the ship still wasnt very maneuverable. It was, after all, an exploration ship.
The warships concentrated on the
Khitomer, trying to weaken its prototype shields.
Scerioun hit the nearest Jem Hadar across the face as he entered
the ships command bridge, then struggled to stand as the
ship was hit by photon torpedoes.
He had barely beamed out of the base before its destruction. Incompetent! he shouted. He tore the view screen away from the Jem Hadar that was using it, put it on, and took a look at the ensuing battle.
He immediately saw an Intrepid class vessel as it fired eight Photon torpedoes. The ship shook violently as the Vorta attempted to stand. Take out that small ship!
Weapons fire from the ship Scerioun was on immediately left the Khitomer and started pounding the Intrepid class starship. The ship veered off its strafing course on Sceriouns ship and fired its phasers along the way.
Sceriouns ship shook violently again, threatening to throw the Vorta from his feet in an embarrassing moment. He became even more furious at this, and ordered, Increase power to the weapons! SWAT THE FLY OUT OF MY FACE!
A bright purple energy blast punched through the Intrepid class ships shields and impacted on its port nacelle. It immediately began venting plasma.
He then realized that he was loosing his temper, and tried to calm himself down. He took in a deep breath, a trick he had learned seemed to work for Humans. Despite the oddity of the curious exercise, it seemed to calm his nerves.
Aft torpedoes launched from it and impacted on Sceriouns ship, causing Scerioun to finally be thrown to the ground.
He jumped up and said, in a now
calm, and evil voice, Eliminate them.
Edwards watched helplessly as the Pinta was hit again by a
barrage of fire from the Jem Hadar ship. They both were out of
range of the Khitomers weapons, and from the looks of it,
the Khitomer wouldnt catch up in time.
He felt as helpless as he did when ships were destroyed during the Khitomers first mission. He had been helpless to save them then, and he was helpless now.
Escape pods began flying from the Pinta, but were each destroyed by the warship. Thats when Edwards knew he was definitely too late.
The Khitomer shook violently, but it was nothing as Edwards watched helplessly. The Pinta exploded in space.
Luckily, the warship was closer to the Pinta then it should have been, and so took damage.
Shields are all ready down to 50 percent! Radisson shouted.
Edwards hung his head low, hating himself for letting the Pinta be destroyed. But he wouldnt let it happen again.
He looked up with a face of determination. Set a course for the asteroid field, full impulse!
Aye, sir, Zetan stated.
Tell the Dragon to follow.
The Khitomer then left the
marginally open area left by the explosion of the base into the
dense nebula, heading directly for the asteroid field that might
be its only savior.
Shields down to 47 percent, the Dragons
tactical officer, Lieutenant Perry Trenton, stated in an alarmed
voice.
Try to increase power to impulse engines! Bratar shouted.
Harrimans heart was beating wildly, an experience he hadnt felt since he was on the Enterprise.
They were nearing the asteroid field, and he knew how limited the Dragons maneuvering capability was.
He stood up and went to the helm. Ill take it from here, ensign, he stated.
The ensign immediately stood, and Harriman sat down, continuing the evasive patter the ensign had started.
He began working the controls with relative ease. He could out maneuver any one with anything, and merely hoped he could do the same in the asteroid field.
When we start getting into the asteroid field, Bratar began, use phasers and tractor beams to get rid of anything Commander Harriman might not be able to avoid.
Yes maam, Both Trenton and RSharn replied at the same time.
Harriman knew the Dragon wasnt capable of fast drastic maneuvers. Hed have to work the controls, coercing the large ship to do things it was never designed to do.
He actually envied the helmsman of the Khitomer, for he or she was in control of a very fast and maneuverable starship.
Even as he passed that thought
through his head, the Khitomer flew past the Dragon, continuing
its crazy maneuvers.
Hold back, Edwards said when he noticed they had
passed the Dragon. We want to protect them, not leave them
for dead.
Zetan nodded and replied, Aye, Sir.
Edwards sighed for probably the tenth time this battle. It was turning out to be much more difficult then they had projected. They knew the station wouldve been protected, but they had expected the warships and fighters to be in its bay, not out in the nebula, obviously ready to strike the Khitomer and company.
Fear was building up in him, and Radisson stating that shields were down to 40 percent didnt help. Even with the Khitomers advanced Octahedron shielding, she was still losing shields fast.
Edwards nodded in approval as
the Dragon came on to the forward view screen again, for the ship
had taken a beating and still had 38 percent of its shields left.
The Helmsman, Tactical officer, and the engineer had to be great
at what they did to allow the Dragon to last so long.
The bridge shook violently again, and this time Bratar had to
strain to remain in the command chair.
Shields are down to 34 percent! Trenton yelled above the sound of emergency generators.
Bratar was already getting a headache. Somehow, the upgrade crew had forgotten to upgrade the emergency generators, and they were very loud.
Were nearing the asteroid field, Harriman stated.
Bratar opened a channel to engineering and said, Bridge to engineering, we need more shields! She realized she had a very alarmed voice.
I can see that! Commander Carrey Briean replied over the comm channel. But the truth of the matter is that were in a galaxy class starship, and Im very limited on what I can do!
Bratar smiled, despite the current situation. Briean had come aboard the Dragon when its upgrade and repairs had been finished. She had come from an Intrepid class starship, and was still not used to being on a starship that was starting to be called an old ship.
I realize that, Commander, but we need more shields! Bratar shouted in reply.
She could easily hear Briean sigh before she bit back, Ill see what I can do!
Ill take it, bridge
out!
Again, Harriman struggled to keep himself in his seat and keep
them on course while not being pounded. It was indeed a tough
job, but once they entered the asteroid field, they should be
relatively safe
he hoped.
Speak of the devil, he thought. Entering the asteroid field!
With those words, large rocks began flying past the Dragon as she began an even more wild set of maneuvers, at Harrimans commands. It was a tough job, maneuvering through the asteroid field and they had barley entered it.
He saw on aft sensors the Khitomer was now taking on its own course, away from the Dragon. Harriman smiled as the Jem Hadar ships split up, almost equally.
Eight photon torpedoes then took out one of the ships from the Dragons aft launcher.
He cursed as he suddenly noticed he had diverted his attention for too long, and began a maneuver that hopefully would move them out of the way of a small asteroid. He held his breath as he noticed it wasnt working.
Luckily, a tractor beam hit it, pushing it out of the Dragons way. Harriman sighed with relief and stated, Thanks, RSharn.
You owe me one, she replied harshly. If he didnt know her better, he wouldve sworn she meant it But this Andorian, despite her bad attitude, did have a sense of humor.
This time he kept his eyes on the situation ahead of them. None too soon did he see a possible savior. Ahead of them was a large asteroid, larger than the others, even almost the size of a small moon. It was surrounded by other asteroids, which would constantly pound it, or reflect off of it, in pieces, but still even more full asteroids were orbiting it.
He set a course for it, avoiding asteroids as they were getting ever deeper into the field. RSharn found herself busy by now, no doubt, having to tractor asteroids out of their way left and right.
Again, torpedoes fired aft and damaged the port nacelle of a warship. Harriman looked down at aft sensors for a brief moment, and was satisfied to see the ship careen into an asteroid, taking out another warship with it in the antimatter explosion.
The asteroid was huge, and was looming larger on the view screen.
Commander, that IS a huge asteroid that were heading for, Bratars voice cut through the noise of the emergency generators.
Exactly, Harriman replied.
Small debris hit the Dragons shields and slightly knocked them off course, but Harriman corrected the change. Though it had messed up his original trajectory, he could easily compensate the old dinosaurs course.
They were nearing the asteroid now. It was only about a hundred thousand kilometers away, but they were now entering the area of dense asteroids orbiting it. And it only made Harrimans job harder.
Phaser blasts now began lancing out to destroy moving asteroids that might impact against the Dragons shields. Tractor beams were becoming a constant.
The Dragon shook from a stray weapons blast from one of the Jem Hadar ships the first since they had entered the asteroid field.
Again, aft sensors showed photon torpedoes destroying yet another ship, while an asteroid destroyed a second. Indeed the field was working.
Thats all the power I can give you, Briean stated over the comm system.
Shields are up to 40 percent, Trenton stated in awe.
Ill burn out the power relays if I attempt to feed more power into the shields, so thats all your getting, Briean finished.
Good enough! Bratar shouted in reply.
And then, the field partially cleared. They left the orbital altitude that most of the asteroids were in. Now all Chris had to worry about was missing asteroids that were falling towards the larger asteroid looming ahead.
He glanced at aft sensors to see only eight Jem Hadar warships were following. However, something he found curious, was the sight of a warship, possibly the same that had destroyed the Pinta, was leaving the asteroid field.
He diverted his attention back
to the task at hand, intent on carrying out his plan
Genius, Edwards stated as he checked the tactical
display on his console. The Dragon was not only flying close to
the asteroid, it was using the asteroid to speed itself up. The
smaller Jem Hadar warships were finding it hard to keep up and
avoid falling asteroids.
The Khitomer shook violently, bring Edwards back to the situation at hand. Ten Jem Hadar warships were still on the Khitomers tail.
General course direction 2-1-3 mark 5, Edwards ordered.
Altering general course, Zetan replied.
Watch those large asteroids, Hobson added.
Dont worry, commander, Zetan said in a voice of annoyance.
He looked back at the sensor readings of the Dragons situation to find the Dragon was not on sensors. The Jem Hadar warships were, but the Dragon was no where to be seen. He looked for the horrible signs of an antimatter explosion, but found none.
Any one see what happened to the Dragon? he asked, curious.
They headed into a large hole, Hobson replied.
As the warships neared what Edwards guessed was the hole the Dragon was in, he wondered what was going on
He was immediately answered. The moment the warships were over the hole, Quantum and Photon torpedoes flew out of the asteroid, followed by phasers. They all found targets, destroying all but one final warship.
However, the warship didnt last long enough to brag. A large asteroid impacted on its starboard side, taking out most of the ship. What was left was destroyed by the resulting antimatter explosion.
Six enemy ships left, Radisson stated. The Khitomer shook from what seemed to be a shallow shock wave. Edwards knew what that meant even before Radisson corrected himself. Correction, four left, Radisson stated.
Edwards smiled at the fact. The Khitomer WAS down to twenty one percent of shields, but four would be no problem.
They passed near a large asteroid, and to Edwards surprise, a tractor beam lanced out at the asteroid. It edged the large asteroid into movement. Inertia as well as other forces caused the asteroid to accelerate.
Edwards smile deepened as the asteroid smashed into the remaining warships. The asteroid was torn apart by the resulting explosion, causing debris and an energy shockwave to hit the Khitomers shields.
But the damage was minimal, especially compared to what she had just gone through.
Damage report, Hobson was quick to ask.
Minor hull buckling all across the board, Dk'myr'chi stated over an open comm channel. Shields down to fifteen percent. Warp core fluctuating, but we should have that fixed soon enough. Warp field emitters damaged, so itll be some time before we can go to warp. Two phaser banks out of commission.
All in all, not bad at all, Edwards thought. Casualties? he asked.
None yet, Commander Susan Woods, the ships chief medical officer, replied from sick bay. Fifty two injuries, some critical.
Edwards decided not to press the matter, knowing she had her hands full. Have the Dragon rendezvous with us outside of the asteroid field. Get us out of this death trap.
Aye, sir, Zetan
replied.
Breathing a huge sigh of relief, Harriman stood up from the helm,
allowing the ensign to take over again. They were emerging from
the asteroid field.
He was heavily perspiring, and so he wiped his brow with his left arm. He looked at the arm to see it soaked. He hadnt realized he had been concentrating that much, but he was glad he had. That concentration was probably what allowed him to finish the job.
Again, I must say that was ingenious, Bratar stated enthusiastically, patting him on the back. Harriman looked at her and smiled. Now go get some rest, she finished.
Harriman shook his head and replied, Im fine, I just need a moment to collect my wits. He realized his voice sounded strained, but he genuinely thought that it was all he needed. It wasnt as if he had exerted any physical energy.
Are you sure? Bratar asked.
Harriman only nodded in reply and then headed to his seat beside the command chair. He sat down quickly and slouched in the chair.
Bratar eyed him from her position near the helm, and then stated, On second thought, go to your quarters and take a shower.
Harriman grinned as his only
reply and stood up. He wearily headed towards the nearest
turbolift.
DePaul shook her head again. The deflector grid is still
off line, she said in reply to the procedure Dk'myr'chi had
just performed.
What? Dk'myr'chi asked as he came out from under the bulkhead, managing not to hit his head again, and stood up beside DePaul. He glared at the console they were looking at, seemingly willing it to suddenly explode.
From what I can tell, DePaul began, the deflector dish itself is damaged.
Some one bumped into Dk'myr'chi, causing him to hit his stomach on the console. In a strained voice, he cursed in some language unknown to DePaul.
He glared at the engineer that continued, unhindered by Dk'myr'chis curses, away towards another part of engineering. Engineering was, for lack of a more appropriate term, a mess.
Every engineer in the ship was probably working in engineering right now, still trying to locate the source of power failures and other such glitches caused by the battle. Power conduits were being pulled from every accessible panel, as each had shorted out. The power conduits that were all overloaded were the shields. They had channeled too much power into the shields, but it had saved them.
To hell with this,
Dk'myr'chi suddenly stated. He grabbed DePaul by the arm and
started dragging her along with him as he stormed out of
engineering. Come on, Lieutenant, he stated angrily.
Were going for a walk.
When Dk'myr'chi had told DePaul they were going for a walk, she
had thought he meant through the ship to relieve stress. However,
that idea was soon extinguished.
Decompression complete, the computer suddenly stated.
They were hard to actually do precise work in, but the pressure suite she wore was obviously needed. The force field that protected DePaul and Dk'myr'chi from being sucked out into space deactivated.
DePaul checked the little console on her right leg to make sure she had activated her magnetic boots. Of course, it said the same thing it had said the other five times she checked it in the last thirty seconds. They were on.
She wasnt comfortable doing this. She wasnt one who exactly enjoyed walking in the vacuum of space.
Lets go, Dk'myr'chi stated, already beginning to walk out of the small decompression compartment. She was quick to follow.
Immediately, she felt herself lose all of her breath. She paused, staring at the sight for a moment. Coming up along side the Khitomer was the Dragon. Seeing that ship like this was amazing. Out in the open of space, with out seeing it through screens. The ship was tall, much taller than the Khitomer. It wasnt that far off in length, either.
The only thing that spoiled the view was the fact that she was upside down.
She looked down at her feet to see she was right next to a window. Someone was at the window, smiling. They waved at her, causing her to smile and wave back.
"Lieutenant!" Dk'myr'chis voice suddenly shouted over the comm link. Lets move!
Startled by the harshness in his voice, DePaul stuttered, but managed to reply, Uh, right. Umm, sorry, sir.
She looked up to see she had indeed fallen a ways behind, and started to walk again at an accelerated pace. When she finally caught up, she settled back into her normal space. They were approaching the deflector dish now, the saucer section almost entirely behind them.
The entire time, she simply stared at the Dragon that was stationed next to the Khitomer. The galaxy class, though not as state of the art as the Sovereign, was a beautiful sight.
Then, the Dragon was concealed as they entered the alcove that the deflector dish was stationed in. She sighed a sigh of disappointment, and then trained her eyes at the dish.
They finally reached the dish platform and walked the steep curve onto the platform which the dish was on. They wasted no time in reaching the dish.
Immediately, Dk'myr'chi pulled out a tricorder and began scanning the dish. Looks like the power relays are damaged he exclaimed.
DePaul pulled out her tricorder and began scanning the dish over. She confirmed what he saw. Looks like they were overloaded.
Take some time to repair, Dk'myr'chi commented quietly.
Not as much time as it will the warp systems, DePaul replied, closing her tricorder and storing it. Uh, you do know that we couldve found out about this from simply doing a power feed back scan.
Dk'myr'chi turned around, equally storing his tricorder. When he faced her, she saw something she rarely saw on his face. He was smiling!
But then we wouldnt have been able to take this little stroll out of that damned engineering, Dk'myr'chi replied. Frankly, I needed to get out of that hell hole.
DePaul let out a little laugh. She motioned towards where the Dragon would be and said, It was well worth the view.
Dk'myr'chis smile deepened, but then he sighed and his face became long again. But it seems we must return once again.
DePaul nodded, then began
leading the way back, anxious to see the Dragon again.
Bratar opened her eyes with a start, surprised she had allowed
her self to almost doze off. It was her door chime that had
awakened her.
She stood and stated, Come in.
She glanced at the door as it opened while she headed for the replicator. She was glad to see that it was Commander Harriman.
Mister Harriman, come in please, she stated, stopping at the replicator. Let me guess, Earl Gray? she asked.
Of course, Harriman replied.
One cup of Earl Gray and a coffee, she told the computer. Two mugs appeared from the replicator. She took the mugs and began to walk away when she stopped in mid-stride. In her mug was the coffee, as was the tea in Harrimans. However, the tea wasnt liquid, it was still in its solid leaf form.
She frowned, took a sip from her coffee to make sure she wasnt imaging things, and then shook her head.
Whats wrong? Chris asked. In reply, she went back to the replicator and placed the tea back.
Computer! she stated harshly. How about a cup of Earl Gray that has water in it?
She heard Chris give out a small laugh as the replicator replaced the mug with another. She took the mug and looked in it.
She sighed in defeat when she saw it. She looked at Harriman and stated, You know, this thing is really angering me. You tell it to add water, and it does that. But it keeps the Earl Gray in its solid form, simply doing what I said, adding water in it.
Harriman smiled in reply, then said, Thats all right, Im not that thirsty anyway.
She placed the mug of Earl Gray back in the replicator and hit a command into the computer. As she walked away from the replicator, she shook her hand, trying to forget the pain she had caused herself by jamming her finger on the console.
She sat down in her chair again and placed her mug on the table. She sat back and smiled at Harriman. You piloted the ship well back there, she stated.
Harriman cocked his head to the side, shrugging the comment off. Im sure you of all people know my reputation as being one of the best pilots Starfleet has to offer, he replied matter-of-factly.
She raised her eyebrows in response and said, Indeed. She leaned forward against the desk and added, Its almost too bad I promoted you to first officer.
Harriman let out another small laugh. So long as it brings me closer to the rank of Captain, fine by me.
Bratar returned the smile and said, Trust me, youll make Captain soon. Which I believe would make you one of the youngest captains.
Harriman frowned. Youre not recommending me for promotion all ready, are you? I JUST made commander!
Dont flatter yourself, Bratar replied sarcastically. However, Im DEFINITELY commending you.
Well, being the person I am, its common place these days, Harriman in turn replied sarcastically. You know, what with being commended once a day on my last ship, and all.
Bratar rolled her eyes. Before she could say any thing else, her comm badge beeped. She tapped it and said, Bratar here.
Captain, I think you better come out to the bridge, the ships science officer, Lieutenant Commander Charley McKariant, replied over the comm channel.
Bratar looked at Harriman, curious but alert. As they both stood, she stated, On our way. They entered the bridge, Bratars coffee forgotten.
Report, she stated as she stopped in front of her command chair. She was looking at the science station at the back of the bridge.
Im picking up an unusual amount of Neutrino emissions, McKariant stated in a confused voice from the science station.
Harriman was immediately at his side, examining the readings. Bratar noticed she could barely stand, as she was still very tired. She sat down, awaiting a report.
Theres no other known, natural phenomenon other than a wormhole that produces such an effect, McKariant finished, looking at Harriman.
Source? Harriman was quick to ask.
McKariant entered in a few commands before reporting, About a quarter of a light year from the nebula. Looks like we were lucky enough that the emissions werent entirely blocked by the nebula.
Are you saying theres a wormhole nearby? Bratar asked, all signs of sleep suddenly leaving her.
Yes, McKariant replied.
Bratar knew this could only mean one thing. Red alert, all hands to battle stations! she suddenly cried out. The alert klaxon briefly sounded, but was then shut off.
As Harriman moved to the command area to sit in his own chair, Bratar ordered, Hail the Khitomer.
A moment later, Radissons face appeared on the view screen. Go ahead, Dragon, he said.
Commander, were reading neutrino emissions coming from about a quarter of a light year from the nebula, Bratar was quick to point out.
Radisson nodded and replied, We were just about to hail you about that.
The only known natural source of neutrino emissions are wormholes, Harriman was quick to add.
Yes, we know, Edwards
voice suddenly said. Radisson stood up from the command chair,
allowing Edwards to sit in the command chair. Starfleet
wasnt sure how they were getting supplies to this base, but
I guess we just found out.
Im reading five Jem Hadar cargo transports heading
for the nebula, Radisson stated from his position at
tactical. Escorted by ten fighters, he then added.
Edwards thought about it for a moment, then stated, Well launch our fighters to assist you in destroying that convoy.
Bratar nodded and replied, Gotcha. Dragon out.
The screen changed back to the view of the nebula. Have they detected us yet? Hobson asked, who had also just arrived with Edwards.
No, the nebula seems to be interfering with their sensors, Radisson stated.
Edwards opened a comm channel to
the fighter bay and ordered, Edwards to fighter
bay
Scramble all fighters and launch!
Commander Zack Toyle didnt have to be told twice. He hit the scramble button, surprised that they were going to see some action after all.
An alarm suddenly sounded through out the bay. He grabbed his own flight helmet then headed out to his fighter. A couple of the other pilots had been in the small rec. room just outside of the bay, and were already slipping into their uniforms.
All Toyle had to do was zip up his flight suite, for he had kept it on. He climbed into his fighter and sat down in the cockpit. He closed the cockpit and began the pre-flight sequence.
The fighters powerful engines roared to life, no doubt making it very hard to hear any thing else in the fighter bay. Not long after, the other 11 fighters in turn roared to life.
After a few minutes, all was primed and ready. Toyle disengaged the magnetic locks and punched the throttle to full. His fighter shot out of the bay, causing Toyle to be pressed back against his seat momentarily.
After the inertial dampers had just stopped all G forces, Toyle slowed the fighter down, allowing the rest of the Phoenix squadron to launch.
Finally, they were all present and in formation. He put the throttle to full and headed for the USS Dragon, which his orders on the console said he was supposed to aid.
He knew the Khitomer itself could not aid due to the fact that a lot of key systems were still under repair. It was only five cargo ships escorted by ten fighters. With the combination of the five fighters from the Dragon, he was sure they would have no trouble at all dealing with the small convoy.
They were quick to catch up to the slower USS Dragon, and then fell into formation around the Galaxy class starship. He stared intently at his sensor readings, waiting impatiently as the kilometers between them and the convoy to become almost zero.
About seventy kilometers out, five fighters from the Dragon joined in the formation. Toyle noted they were of a very old design, though in actuality, they werent THAT old. Fighters hadnt even been conceived of until the Dominion started to harass the Federation. The Dragons fighters were one of the original designs.
They would suffice in a battle such as this, though. It was seventeen fighters against ten. Numbers alone meant that the battle would be easy.
All of the fighters from the convoy broke off their escort and headed to intercept the Federation group. Toyle smiled as he targeted the lead fighter, knowing that very same fighter was targeting his fighter. He painted the target and armed torpedoes.
He waited as the distance closed rapidly. Finally, they were in range. He fired a set of torpedoes and then broke off when seeing the other fighter had done the same. He allowed the stronger shields of the Dragon to take the small energy weapons impact.
He then reacquired his target and began chasing after it. He noted one of his own fighters was helping him, even though he didnt really need it.
As if anticipating what Toyle had planned, the other Phoenix fighter edged to port. Toyle fired towards the starboard side of the fighter, which caused the Jem Hadar fighter to veer off right into the other fighters torpedoes.
Every single torpedo impacted on the fighter, causing an immediate release of matter and antimatter. The explosion was short and unremarkable.
Toyle decided not to go though the debris and veered off, searching for another target. He immediately acquired one who was heading straight at him.
Good, he commented. I prefer it this way head to head.
Neither was firing, wanting to play chicken. However, Toyle had something else in mind. The space between the two fighters closed quickly. Right when one might have veered off, Toyle fired fired two photon torpedoes.
He then veered off, knowing hed barely miss the enemy fighter. However, his craft shook hard and was flung through space. The energy blast from the torpedoes hitting the Jem Hadar was what had done the damage.
G forces pulled him to the back of his seat, not allowing him to reach for the controls. However, inertial dampers finally kicked in, and Toyle immediately took control of the fighter.
He looked at sensors to see that there werent any fighters left. So he instead set course for the five cargo ships, the squadron of fighters following. He noted that the Dragon was already engaged with the cargo ships, and had already destroyed one of them.
The battle was unremarkable from
there on out. The cargo ships were easily dispatched. Toyle was
about to set course back for the Khitomer when he noticed the
Khitomer was coming to join them. So he just waited, letting the
warship come to him.
I think Ive found the wormhole, McKariant
stated triumphantly. About five hundred kilometers off of
our starboard bow.
Bratar replied, Mark it and keep a sensor lock on it.
The battle had gone very well. No fighters were lost, and only one of the Khitomers fighters had been damaged when it went head on with a Jem Hadar fighter.
Harriman wondered, however, what lie ahead of them. As soon as the Khitomer had caught up to the Dragon, he had no doubt that Bratar would scan the wormhole, which would hopefully locate the base that was supplying the now destroyed nebula base.
As he expected, when the Khitomer came up along side the Dragon, Bratar ordered, Scan the wormhole. Lets see if we can figure out where it leads.
RSharn began tapping commands into her console and was examining the data. Not only was her head moving around, looking at different read outs on the console, but so was her antenna.
Finally, she became fixated on one particular sensor read out. Harriman stood up and strolled over to her console. He began looking at the readout she was reading, but was cut short.
I think I figured it out, she stated triumphantly. She turned around in her chair to look at Bratar, glancing at Harriman along the way. But Im not sure how its possible.
Harriman frowned, knowing Bratar equally frowned. Where does it lead to? Harriman asked, impatient.
RSharn glared at him momentarily, then finished, It appears to end in the Bad Lands.
This brought an even deeper frown to Harrimans face. The Bad Lands were much too unstable to support the opening of a wormhole. The eddies alone would tear it apart.
Harriman, along with Bratar, turned to look at McKariant. He was already deep in thought. But that soon ended.
His thoughts were interrupted by a chime on McKariants board. He looked at it then frowned.
Uh, theres something wrong with that wormhole, he stated.
What do you mean? Bratar asked, confused.
Well, a wormholes path is never straight. It is also never perfect.
And your point? Chris asked after a moments hesitation.
McKariant looked at him, horror on his face. This wormhole is artificial
Harriman felt his eyes widen at that fact. He played the situation through his mind, trying to figure it out. Before he had a chance to, Bratar asked, How do you know?
McKariant frowned, thinking simply by stating a wormholes natural properties wouldve hinted to the two. Simply, this wormhole is, for lack of a better term, perfect. Straight, and completely symmetrical.
So thats how it was created in the Badlands, Harriman stated quietly. Theres been a lot of reports of open pockets in the Badlands where theres no distortion at all. They could have created it there
The question is, though, how did they create this wormhole? Trenton asked almost under his breath.
Bratar visibly thought about it for a moment, then began, Well, Captain Picard and the Enterprise once had to stop them from creating an artificial wormhole when the Defiant mined the Bajoran Wormhole.
Finishing her thought, Harriman said, So why wouldnt they have another device for creating wormholes some where else?
Exactly, Bratar stated. She stood up, tense, and ordered, Send a stealth probe through that wormhole, Ensign.
Aye, Captain, RSharn replied. Preparing probe. A moment later, she confirmed what every one saw on the view screen. Probe launched.
They watched as it approached the wormhole. When the wormhole opened, it confirmed what McKariant had stated. It was a perfect circle, something that is rarely created in nature.
In a surprised tone, RSharn stated, Maam the probes already on the other side!
How is that possible? Bratar asked, looking with Harriman back to McKariant.
He casually shrugged his shoulders and stated, As I said, perfect. He examined the readings and stated, As we suspected, the wormhole leads into an open pocket in the Bad Lands. Theres noting around the area, so Im taking the probe to what appears to be another open area.
Can you give us a visual? Bratar asked.
Immediately, a scene of the badlands appeared on the main view screen. The orangish hue of the badlands was frightening to any who had ventured into the badlands. The area was rather clear, and there werent any eddies anywhere to be seen.
Were going to need a relay probe if we want to keep in contact with the stealth probe, McKariant said.
Send one through, Bratar ordered.
Immediately, sensors confirmed the launch of another probe. In less than a minute, it appeared in front of the stealth probe. It took up a stationary position before the stealth probe began to move towards the cluster of gasses ahead.
In an instant, it was inside the distortion. The view began to show evidence of disruption, but then the disruptions cleared as the relay probe began doing its job.
Ominously, a large shape began to take shape in the gasses and dust. Its shape was symmetrical, but still odd. No on could discern what it was until the stealth probe broke through the gasses and entered another open space.
The probe came to an immediate stop so as not to be detected. Everyone on the bridge stared in awe at the huge structure. The large structure could only be described as huge. Hundreds of Jem Hadar fighters were swarming about.
Get as much sensor data as you can on that area, Bratar ordered, breathless. Weve got our work cut out for us.
As she stood, she ordered, Let me know as soon as weve collected as much data as we can. She began walking towards her ready room. As she did so, she finished, Charley, try and find a way to collapse that wormhole. Let me know as soon as you find a solution.
Yes, Maam,
McKariant replied as the doors closed behind Bratar.
This is not good, Admiral Weston stated on
Edwardss desk laptop.
On the other side of the split screen, Captain Bratar sighed as she slumped in her chair. Were definitely too small of a force to deal with them, she added.
Weston was looking at something off screen, tapping in commands into something. Edwards waited patiently for the Admiral to say something, as did Bratar.
Finally, he looked back up at the two captains. Well mobilize the 7th fleet, or at least a good portion of it, near the Kartian system. Thatll put us with in five sectors of the badlands. He sighed before continuing with, Im afraid the USS Liberator wont be able to join you, its got an important mission of its own to complete. However, the USS Argus will. Itll be in command of the fleet.
Both Edwards and Bratar nodded in unison. Captain Bratar, I want you to go back on your patrol of the Neutral Zone, Weston started. Bratar started to protest, but was cut off. Captain Edwards, well send you a time of attack. Keep monitoring that base with your probe. Once the attack starts, go through the wormhole and join the assault.
Edwards nodded again, but Bratar finally had a chance to cut in. Admiral, were going to need all the force we can give in this battle, Bratar stated. Keeping the Dragon out might be what makes us lose this battle.
Weston started to say something, then stopped himself. He thought about it for a moment, then smiled, something he doesnt often do. Agreed, he said to both Edwards and Bratars surprise. Proceed along with the Khitomer, Weston out.
The view of Bratar then filled
the rest of the screen. Guess we should prepare,
Edwards said, finally saying something. Bratar nodded, then
closed the channel.
Edwards opened a ship wide channel, knowing the time was growing
near.
All hands, this is the Captain, he began. Were about to go into a battle that will decide the very fate of this war the very fate of this galaxy. Should we lose this battle, it would mean that the Dominion would forever hold an upper hand on this war.
Now, the 7th fleet is for sure going to lose a lot of ships. But no matter what, even if it means sacrificing ourselves, we must prevail. Im not about to let it come to that, though. Lets do everything in our power to defeat this foe, and come back with out casualties.
The Dominion may have superior force, superior number, superior technology. Edwards paused, letting that sink in for a moment. Finally, he finished, But that is no match against the spirit of the Federation! Now lets win this battle!
That last sentence he shouted enthusiastically. It was something he usually didnt do, but he knew the crew needed their spirits lifted.
The bridge crew gave off a short cheer, and then set to work with a little more enthusiasm than before.
Sir, the Dragon reports that the battle has begun, Zetan reported from the helm.
Edwards smiled as he stood up from the command chair. So, it begins, he stated quietly.
Sir? Hobson asked.
Nothing, Edwards quickly amended, shaking his head. He looked out at the view screen and ordered, Helm take us in.
With in minutes, the wormhole opened up to receive them. The entire trip to the wormhole, Edwards was on edge. Would Starfleet win this battle? If so, how many ships would they lose? Either way, the fate of the galaxy did indeed hang on their shoulders
Entering the wormhole, Zetan pointed out. An alarm sounded, causing Zetan to look around his board. Uh it looks like
Zetan stammered with his words. The mere fact that Zetan was stammering was strange. Edwards was about to ask him to finish, but he did. Theres some temporal variances occurring directly at the event horizon, he finished. I dont know whats going on, but the temporal variances are causing some strange reactions in the surrounding area of the ship.
Why didnt the probe detect this? Edwards asked himself quietly.
Unknown, Zetan replied, though Edwards hadnt even asked him.
Suddenly, Edwards guessed the temporal disturbances hit the bridge. It actually must have been on the bridge for a few moments, at the rate it appeared to be moving. He couldnt really see it, but Zetans moves suddenly slowed dramatically. His left index finger was slowly making its way to some command button.
Suddenly, he sped back up and hit the button. And just as suddenly, Edwards became dizzy. The entire deck seemed to leap up at him. Then, it went away. Far away The deck then proceeded to tip and turn this way and that. Edwards was on the verge of collapse when it all suddenly stopped.
Stricken, Edwards stared at the screen, though what was on the screen didnt register for a moment. He looked to his right to see Hobson equally stricken, and then indeed noticed the entire bridge was the same, except the people in the back, who were still being hit by the distortion, though that soon ended.
Those officers who were standing collapsed as the distortion passed away from them. After a minute of stricken silence, Radisson said, Reports coming in from all decks. Chronometers are the front of the ship say its 14:50, while chronometers at the back say its 15:01.
For now, reset all chronometers to the bridges, Hobson ordered, filling in for Edwardss lapse.
Aye, Radisson complied. Edwards simply continued to stare at the front view screen. Then he noticed Zetan was doing the same.
Ensign Zetan! he suddenly shouted. Watch out for that spatial eddie!
Zetan reacted with lighting speed, changing course. The ship shook violently for a minute as the badlands suddenly lurched, further causing dizziness in Edwards. When things settled, Radisson reported minimal damage.
Please tell me the computer recorded everything, Edwards asked hopefully.
It did, some one commented. He was too relieved and happy at hearing that, that he didnt pay attention to who had said it.
Then he remembered the battle and the trailing Galaxy class ship. Hows the Dragon? he asked.
She made it all right, but almost ran into the same eddie we did, Radisson reported.
Then lets get to that battle, Edwards ordered.
With in moments, the Khitomer
broke through the matter blocking the wormholes open space
into the battle area. As Edwards had described events many a time
before, the Khitomer just stepped into hell.
The USS Khitomer and the USS Dragon have entered the
battlefield, Lieutenant Commander Data informed Captain
Picard. Moments later, the bridge of the Sovereign-class USS
Enterprise lurched to one side.
Battle status, Picard requested as he held onto his armrest.
All ships are still in the fight, Lieutenant Daniels, the Chief Tactical Officer, replied. Weve destroyed half of the Jem Hadar ships, but only because we got the jump on them in the first place. Other wise, were in a sort of tie with the Jem Hadar.
The Khitomer and the Dragon have entered the battle, Data added.
Then lets hope they are enough to break this tie, Picard commented. The ship lurched yet again, equally causing Picard to hold on for dear life yet again.
Shields at seventy-five percent, Daniels reported.
Picard to engineering, Picard said as he opened a channel. Geordi, weve barely begun the battle. We need to keep those shields up!
Im doing the best I can, Captain! Lieutenant-Commander LaForge replied over the comm system. The fact that we just got out of another battle with the Dominion four hours ago doesnt help! I think I can get shields back up in the eighties in ten minutes, if we dont get beaten down too much harder.
You have four minutes, Picard out, Picard replied. He had always pushed LaForge to the limits, but each time, he came through. In tradition with most of the long line of Enterprise engineers, LaForge was a miracle worker. In fact, if it hadnt been for LaForges engineering ability, the Enterprise-D wouldve been destroyed long before the Veridian 3 incident and no doubt, the Enterprise-E would have been destroyed by now.
Captain, I believe I have found a weakness in the Dominion bases shields, Data said, never diverting his attention from his console.
Picard stood from his chair. He pulled at the bottom of his tunic to straighten it as he walked to Datas console. Where? he asked as he examined the readout.
Shield grid 5, Data replied. Directly between two shield generators.
Have half of the fleet concentrate on that section, Picard ordered, heading back to his command chair.
Aye, sir, Data
replied.
Both port nacelles have just gone off line!
RSharn shouted above an exploding panel.
Engineering to bridge! Briean shouted over an open comm channel. Were taking too much damage! We need to retreat!
Negative! Bratar shouted in reply. We have to hold out as long as possible! Do some of that engineering stuff you used to do!
How the hell can I on this old thing? Briean replied.
Its called ingenuity! Bratar replied. I recruited you because you supposedly had a lot of it!
There was a long silence over the comm. Bratar wondered if she had been too harsh, and so made a mental note to apologize to Briean after the battle if they survived it.
Ill see what I can do!
Bratar then closed the channel to concentrate on the battle again. The Dominion were down to ten battle ships, and twenty-two fighters, though that was changing fast. Most of the fleet was concentrating on a weakened section of the Dominion shields now, but about half of the fleet was faring very horribly. The Dragon was among that half
For the umpteenth time of the day, the Dragons bridge lurched underneath Bratar.
We just lost starboard shields! Trenton shouted above another exploding panel. The bridge was quickly becoming a mess
Reroute auxiliary power to those shields, Bratar replied calmly.
Relay circuits have been fried, RSharn immediately replied. The ship lurched again, causing RSharn to add, And so are the auxiliary circuits!
Just then, the ship was hit again, and the view screen blew out, throwing glass on the entire bridge crew. Bits of the viewscreen dug into Bratars face as she closed her eyes and mouth. In her entire career, she had never felt anything like this. It felt like thousands of tiny needles were pricking into her skin, causing an infinite amount of pain.
She finally was able to open here eyes, though the process was painful. RSharn and the helmsman were unconcious on their consoles. Almost as if on reflex, Harriman pushed the helmsmans limp body to the ground and took the helm.
Bratar then took the place of
RSharn at ops, knowing that there wasnt time to wait
for a replacement. She saw that much of the ship was starting to
lose power. The Jem Hadar ships were completely destroyed, but
the huge Dominion base was still attempting to hit the Dragon.
Harriman was keeping it at bay, but barely. And it wouldnt
be long before they lost power to the impulse engines
Sir, the Dragon is losing main power, Radisson
reported.
Then lets get to her and protect her, Edwards replied, urgency giving his voice an edge. On the view screen, the Khitomer suddenly turned away from the looming Dominion station and headed for the Dragon.
The Dragon was still some how avoiding most of the blasts from the station, but was still taking on a beating. Three of the Dragons nacelles were off line completely, the forth flashing on and off, trying to maintain power. However, a torpedo from the station hit the nacelle, causing it to start leaking plasma. Finally, the nacelle was taken off line, stopping the plasma leak.
Quantum torpedoes, full spread, Edwards ordered. Hell, use all of our weapons. Lets get their attention away from the Dragon.
As the Khitomer approached the crippled Dragon, it began firing all of its weapons. The first to fire were several Quantum torpedoes from the repeating launcher. In a long, close procession, the torpedoes impacted on the shields, causing them to flare to life.
Following those were two torpedo nets, which, of course, could not wrap around the shields, as the station was far too big. However, they made an impact.
Following those came phaser fire and an ion blast from the ion cannon. To Edwards surprise, the shields dropped, allowing the phaser blasts to hit home.
Target their weapons emitters! Edwards was quick to command.
The phaser fire from the Khitomer, which had been randomly placed at first, all changed to hit designated targets. Within minutes, the station could no longer fire at the Dragon or the Khitomer.
The entire stations shields have collapsed, Radisson stated. I think it was because maintaining such a huge area of shielding works better with more than ten shield generators, he finished in an amused tone.
Captain, look! Hobson shouted, pointing out something on the tactical display on Edwards armrest.
Edwards looked to see that a fighter was heading straight into one of the empty fighter bays. From the looks of the readings, the ships warp core was on a build up to detonation. The moment it entered the bay, it finally went critical.
On the view screen, which had changed to show the fighters course, a large, bright explosion proceeded following the core overload. When the explosion died down, a huge chunk of the station was blown out.
As every one recovered from the shock of that sacrifice, Radisson reported in an awe-stricken voice, Sir, that fighter just gave us a clear fire to the engineering section of the Do
Another fighters going on a suicide run! Hobson inturrupted.
This is Captain Lex to the fleet, the Commanding officer of the USS Argus said over a comm channel. When that fighter hits, its going to cause one hell of an explosion! So Im ordering every ship to evacuate. And to that fighter making the suicide run thank you for your sacrifice
Edwards smiled at that last sentence, then ordered, Helm, get us out of here.
Sir, Im not sure the Dragon will be able to make it! Radisson reported. Shes moving pretty slow!
On the view screen, what
Radisson had said was true. As the Khitomer sped away from the
station, the Dragon was limping back. Edwards was about to order
the Khitomer to turn around, but before he could finish the
thought, the two top nacelles sprang to life.
Engineering to bridge, Ive got two nacelles
online! Briean shouted over the comm system.
Harriman felt his heart leap into his throat as the panel on his console for warp control came to life. Chris, get us the hell out of here, now!
Chris keyed in a
command for the nacelles to give off a quick burst. Just as he
entered in the final command, the station detonated. His last
thought before he lost conciousness was of confirming that the
Dragon had leapt into warp at the last minute
Captains log, Stardate 55721.4
The Khitomer has been
undergoing repairs for the past two days at Starbase 213, along
side the heavily crippled Dragon. Ive taken the liberty of
getting to know Commander Chris Harriman these past couple of
days, as I had known his father. I am finding him to be quite the
command officer material. I am, therefore, making a special note
that I believe he will be ready for command with in the next five
years
So then he decided to finally join us, him being the only
one who hadnt fallen off of the boat, Harriman said,
half laughing. Finally, when we were all in the water, we
started laughing at the entire matter.
Edwards laughed at the event Harriman had just described. For the first time in months, he was having a good time
They currently were at a bar in Starbase 213 enjoying a couple of drinks and listening to music. It was a time for the distraught officers to relax
Edwards thought about it, then finally decided to say it. Well, one thing is for sure. I think youve definitely inherited your great grandfathers command ability. He was, after all, the commanding officer of the Enterprise-B.
Harriman smiled slightly at the comment. Actually, my great grandfather wasnt much of a commanding officer at all, when he took command of the Enterprise. He didnt want to take any risks
I dont blame him, Edwards replied, remembering his first command.
An eerie silence fell upon the two officers as they stared out the observation window. Finally, Harriman lifted his mug in the air.
To our continued adventures in space, he said, smiling.
Edwards stared at the glass, the words making an impact on him. A sense of friendship with the young First Officer befell upon him. Few people so young understood the meaning of commanding a starship. Yet, here was someone who shouldve still been at the rank of Lieutenant Commander for his age, understanding better than even Edwards.
Edwards smiled back, then raised his glass. To the adventure, he echoed.
The two friends took a drink from their mugs, then continued to stare out the window.
Star Trek Dragon graphics and written
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