Chris glared at the view screen, determined. "Well, then…let's beat this VenQa' before he has a chance to analyze our database." He craned his neck around to look directly behind him and up at tactical. "Ada?"

"Torpedoes locked and loaded," she replied, the look of determination and confidence also crossing her face.

He turned back around and waited patiently, knowing that a vessel as small as the Vendoth could easily outmaneuver torpedoes fired from this distance.

Then again, he thought if they are as arrogant as they seem…they might not bother to move…

A ball of energy resembling a Romulan plasma device suddenly shot away from the Vendoth ship. A moment later, it impacted on the Dragon, causing the ship to lurch hard.

"Direct hit!" Ada stated. "Forward shields are down to eighty two percent. Shield grid four-D is beginning to solidify."

He looked at the Vendoth vessel as it simply sat there in orbit, not even bothering to break its orbit to pursue the Dragon…yet.

A smile came across his face…he didn't know why. It was the beginning of another battle…something he never smiled at. But then…this would be a challenge. Simple power would probably not win this battle. It would help greatly…but this battle…was a challenge.

Finally, he nodded his head. "Fire."

With that order, eight Quantum torpedoes, followed closely by sixteen Photon torpedoes streaked away and impacted in one spot on the Vendoth vessel's shields. As expected, energy turned into matter as the Vendoth's shields weakened in that area. It was a hard shell now…

"James, bring us around to aim us directly at the shield generator," Chris ordered. "Ada, prepare to fire the cutting phasers. Prepare the phaser cannon as well in case we need to destroy the rest of their shields in that area."

"Coming about to course three one two mark three two," James stated. "Ten seconds until our next course correction."

 

 

Brosha of the Britar insurgency force materialized in some sort of corridor, the rest of his team with him. He immediately saw two Vendoth turn towards them in surprise.

They are tiny! He thought in astonishment. He had expected them to be huge lizard people…but instead, they were shorter than even the humans!

He fired a shot at one, while another Britar fired at the other. Both fell to the ground, stunned…possibly dead. They didn't know for sure what to set their weapons on, all they knew was that their weapons needed to be set high to penetrate the Vendoth's hide.

"Come on," he stated in his gruff voice, motioning for his other three companions to follow him.

Weapons fire started sounding from all around them, all throughout the complex as other Britar forces beamed down to strategic locations near Vendoth life forms.

Suddenly, a blast screamed from around the corner and impacted one of Brosha's companions in the head, throwing him against the wall where he slid down to the ground, blood trickling from an open wound the size of a coconut.

Another shot at Brosha, but he was smart enough to move out of the way. The Britar next to him, however, was not and took it in the neck.

Brosha quickly shot down the corridor, not even bothering to aim. His weapons fire immediately impacted on the Vendoth's weapon, throwing it out of its hands where it later exploded.

The Vendoth used the explosion as cover, and quickly jumped out at Brosha and caught him in the abdomen.

Pain shot through Brosha's body as he slammed against the wall and fell to the floor. The other Britar, T'Nal, tried to shoot the Vendoth, but missed and was also hit hard by the Vendoth.

The Vendoth extended some sort of claw from his…hand? It wasn't natural, it was some sort of hand-to-hand combat weapon that was strapped to his wrist. The claw was neatly placed inside T'Nal's neck, killing her instantly…

The Vendoth then stood up and turned towards Brosha, ready to make the next killing blow…

 

 

"Shields at sixty percent!" Ada stated as another energy weapon hit the Dragon. "Grid twelve-G is beginning to solidify!"

"We're in position!" James stated. About time…

Chris stood up in excitement and moved towards the view screen. "Fire!" he ordered louder than he needed to.

A moment later, two very thin and intense crimson beams shot forward and hit the solidified Vendoth shields. When they hit, they caused two very bright points of light that nearly blinded Chris.

"It's working!" Ada stated. "We're cutting through! We'll reach the regenerating shields in ten seconds!"

The Vendoth ship fired again, hitting the Dragon and nearly throwing Chris to the deck.

"Shields at forty five percent," Ada added to her report. "The Vendoth are beginning to turn!"

Terror struck Chris's face. He had completely forgotten to take the fact that they could maneuver into consideration…

"Fire the phaser cannon, stay with them, James!" he ordered. The Dragon was definitely quick in maneuvering…but they wouldn't be able to keep up with the Vendoth for very long…

The Dragon began to maneuver around the Vendoth, trying to keep up with the solidified shields. A moment later, a very large crimson beam shot down the middle to join the Borg cutting phasers the Dragon was using…

"Quantum torpedoes, high yield!" Chris added to his order. "Fire!"

Once again, eight Quantum torpedoes flew away from the Dragon. The first four impacted on the shell…but the last four impacted against the hull of the Vendoth ship, causing an explosion to rip across the Vendoth vessel's hull.

The phaser fire finally stopped as the cutting phasers ran out of charge…but Chris did not celebrate, for the Dragon began to shudder.

"We've rotated close to the planet!" James stated in alarm. "Hold on, I'll get us out of here."

When another Vendoth weapon hit the Dragon's shields, Chris decided that was a bad idea. "No, don't!" he stated. He moved back to his console and brought up sensor readings.

"Bring us about to one two mark five eight," he ordered. "Full impulse!"

"But that'll take us directly into the planet's atmosphere!" James stated in alarm, already moving to comply.

"I know!" Chris stated. "That's why we need full impulse so that we can break away from the planet's gravitational pull."

"Engaging full impulse power," James stated, the planet beginning to fill the view screen. "Entering upper atmosphere."

The ship started to shudder and shake even more as atmospheric resistance seemed to set the Dragon's shields on fire.

"Shields are at twenty percent," Ada reported. "There's some buckling along the hull."

"Target the Vendoth vessel and fire full spreads of torpedoes," Chris ordered.

"Targeting sensors have failed," Ada replied to Chris's dismay. "I'm trying for a manual lock…but since we're in the atmosphere, no promises."

"We've entered the troposphere," James stated. "If we remain on course, we'll arrive at the other side of the planet."

"We can't have that, not with cloaked vessels in orbit there," Chris stated. "Pull up and bring us back out of the atmosphere, James."

"Engaging lateral thrusters," he replied, keying in the command.

However, before the Dragon could begin to pull up, it lurched down hard, throwing Chris against his arm rest and bruising his stomach.

"Shields are down!" Ada shouted in alarm. "Hull breach on decks eight through ten!"

"James, get us out of the atmosphere!"

"I can't pull us above fifty five degrees or we'll stall," James replied. "You do realize that this is an almost kilometer long vessel with over fifty decks!"

He was right. The Dragon was a massive vessel…trying to pull it out of a planet's atmosphere, even at this speed, was going to be difficult unless they watched what they were doing…

"Lock phasers and return fire!"

He heard Ada tapping at her console in response, trying to establish a manual lock…but the Vendoth vessel was small and the Dragon was rocking back and forth in the atmospheric turbulence…

Perhaps going into the atmosphere wasn't such a good idea after all, Chris thought wryly…

Finally, a tone sounded on Ada's console. "Direct hit to their forward weapon's array," she stated. "But that leaves their aft weapons array and a few of their forward weapon's arrays…we're not out yet."

Chris realized that as another weapon hit the Dragon hard, throwing him out of his chair and to the deck. He'd closely observed the carpeting many a time in the past two and a half years…

He pushed himself up and felt that he had bruised his ribs…but he hadn't broken them this time.

"Hull breach on decks twenty eight through thirty four!" Vendar reported.

"We're entering lower orbit now!" James finally stated to Chris's relief. The shuddering of the Dragon immediately became less as it attained a higher and higher orbit…

He stood up and looked back at Ada. "Think you can target their power core now?"

She smiled and keyed in the command. A moment later, the launch siren wailed.

Chris turned around and watched as Quantum and Photon torpedoes streaked away from the Dragon. The damaged Vendoth vessel couldn't maneuver out of all of them and took heavy damage.

"I'm reading a power build up in their…energy core," Vendar stated as if replying to the torpedo impacts, not knowing what to really call their power source. "I think we've damaged it somehow. It's on a build up to detonation."

Chris smiled and stepped forward. "Open a channel."

"Channel open."

He frowned and waited a moment…then began. "This is Captain Harriman. Your ship is about to self-destruct. Lower your shields…and we will beam you over."

No image came on, simply heavily disrupted audio. "We…are the perfect race, the ultimate race. By destroying our one ship…our comrades will avenge us. You will…be punished." He let go a very loud and…somehow evil laugh. "It seems you've sealed your own fate after all. What is the saying you people use? 'I'll see you in hell!'"

With that last statement, the Vendoth vessel, in all of its sleekness, let loose an explosion of energy into space. In a cascade of flying debris, sparks, and blue-hued energy…its reign of terror over the Venshai…ended.

Chris smiled triumphantly, glad it was finally over. He moved back to the command chair and sat down. He then brought up a sensor scan of the planet below…



Star Trek Dragon graphics and written material copyright Jon Wasik. Star Trek is a registered trademark
of Paramount Pictures, a Viacom company. No copyright infringement intended.