The 12th Fleet: Starbase Valhalla

On board the Kulakov
Jefferies Tubes

The passageways were getting cramped and tactical gear was only adding to the hindrance of space. Aeris and her team were still moving towards Main Engineering, where Vo'uril and her team had just secured moments ago. Aeris stopped for a moment ...

"Do you hear that?" She turned back to the Gunnery Sargent immediately following her, waiting for his confirmation.

"Sounds like .... Klingon." The team began to adjust their rifles, preparing for what was inevitably to follow. The team moved slowly forward; finding a grating, Aeris could see three Klingon males.

"They were either left here from the initial boarding party, or they beamed here before their ship exploded. Either case ... we have a problem."

One of the corporal's pulled up the deck plans again on the PADD, "we are currently above the last cargo bay in this section, past that is the vertical shaft and then Main Engineering." Aeris took control of the PADD, and zoomed in where they were located. She keyed in an overlay that indicated the routes of the Jefferies Tubes overhead, "here's the panel access points in the ceiling. If we use these two locations in the corners, this bulkhead here 'should' provide visual cover from the Klingons. Ship manifests also indicate the presence of Medical palettes, by these orange squares here. We drop down, take positions behind these crates here ... and move for the Klinks."

"If they stay put ... ", added GySgt Hall.

"Well ... let's hope they're as dumb as they look, Hall." Aeris gave him a quick wink and then split the group up in two, each group now had their own access into the room below. Quietly, they removed the panels; from this point onward, all their movements would need to be coordinated, tactical ... and quiet.

The team members began filtering into the cargo bay and taking their positions behind the Medical crates and palettes. Aeris was on the starboard side of the room with a few MACO's, while the Gunny was now looking at her with his MACO's on the Port side. They each peered a little over the containers to assess the situation. Two of the Klingons were now walking over to another container on the far side of the room; leaving the one Klingon remaining, back turned to the team. Aeris made a frustrated look on her face at the two that move away as she returned to her position of cover; Gunny mouthed a 'told you'.

She looked across at the Gunnery Sargent and the MACO's he had, making hand signals, she indicated her next course of action; stealth up behind the Klingon, incapacitate and move the target to a concealed position. Her MACO's would target the second Klingon, and Gunny would target the third. Since the other Klingons continued to move around the room deperately looking for something, the plan would need to happen quick - Aeris would be in the open and an easy target. She gave the ready signal, and then began to move.

She walked slowly, slightly hunched over trying to use the crates for cover. Thirty meters away; she slung the rifle and pushed it around to her back. Twenty meters ... fifteen ... now ten meters from the preoccupied Klingon. She moved her hand slowly to her belt, un-did the clasp holding her knife in place and slowly began to unsheathe the blade. She was about five meters from the Klingon now, planning where to place the blade - deciding how best to move the blade through the armor and into the back of the Klingon ... with as little noise as possible.

"Alpha; Bravo, what's your status?"

"Shit!" Aeris dove for cover as Sargent Hall popped up from cover and put three Phaser bolts into the chest of the Klingon sending him crashing into the container he was searching through. The other two Klingon's quickly took cover and began to return fire.

"I'm a little busy at the moment, Bravo..." Aeris was scrambling to her feet again '... dammit, how stupid can you be?!' she was thinking to herself. She looked back at the MACO's, who were now trying to advance to her position, she signaled to Hall: GRENADES - STUN GRENADES.

Hall moved into position, followed by Corporal Janx - grenades in hand and at the ready. Hall motioned to Janx which Klingon was his target and then held up three fingers ... two ... one ...

Both men launched their stun grenades at their targets and then returned to cover. The grenades landed where the Klingons were hunkered down at and performed their task - exploding at the Klingon's feet in a flash of bright light and deafening sound. Aeris and the MACO's rushed the two Klingons and quickly disarmed them. Cpl T'moa, the team's Medic, quickly gave the Klingons a dose each of kayolane, knocking them out.

Both doors to the cargo bay opened, and Vo'uril and her team rushed in, while the crewman from Main Engineering rushed the other door. There was a slight moment of panic that quickly subsided. Vo'uril looked at the two Klingon's knocked out and the third bleeding out on the floor;

"You have been busy," Vo'uril was securing her weapon as the rest of the MACO's set up in the corridor.

"Yeah ... I sorta said that." Aeris was still angry with herself for not silencing her comm's device. She looked over at the Kulakov crewmen, still talking to Vo, "these the crewmen from Engineering?"

"Mostly, a few are still there. Still have no verification of Command personnel either; they could still be on the Bridge, incapacitate in some form. We should continue to the saucer section; Sickbay would be the next logical point to proceed to. If there are any survivors, they would be there."

Aeris took the infomration her XO gave her into consideration, "yes ...we need to keep moving. If there are any more Klingon's on board, they'll either head to the Bridge, the Computer Core or Main Engineering - but you've secured Engineering, correct?"

"Correct. Security protocols have been invoked, and there is currently a small 'security' detail stationed inside the room. A force field has been errected where the door was."

Aeris looked at Vo'uril, "was?"

"We had some ... trouble with the door."

"Uh-huh. Moving along, then; we'll continue to Sickbay and then the Bridge." Aeris turned to one of the ship's crewman, "you and the others will head to the Computer Core. Check the integrity of the room and surrounding areas." Aeris turned back to the team, "MACO's ... we're moving."

The MACO's were followed by the members of the crew, as they made their way to the vertical Jefferies Tubes. They climbed their way from Main Engineering, passing Photon Torpedo Control and weapon storage. The crewman assigned to securing the Computer Core separated from the rest of the group when they arrived at their deck. They quickly moved down the corridor and out of sight. The MACO's continued upward to Deck 6. They would have to climb past Sickbay and then back down one level to Deck 7, due the curvature of the saucer and connection point of the neck.

Surprisingly the journey from Engineering to Sickbay was mostly uneventful; although, eerily quiet in the corridors and hauntingly empty. Until the team reached Sickbay. The area exploded with commotion and activity. Ship medics and doctors were frantically trying to treat wounded crewman and find places to put them. Aeris and Vo'uril walked toward the senior-most officer who was treating patients, "where's your Chief Medical Officer?"

"Gone." The doctor was busy trying to close the gaping chasm in the crewman's side, and yelling directions to the nurses assisting him.

"What do you mean 'gone'? Gone where? Who's in charge here?" Aeris began flooding the overwhelmed doctor with questions. The doctor either ignored her questions, or was too engaged with his current task to register being talked to. 'Where the hell was Inry, and her officers ... she'd never give up the ship without a fight?' Aeris was thinking to herself in the midst of chaos. Aeris was about to ask another question, but Vo'uril quickly stopped her. The two women looked around at the madness of the room, the wounded and injured ... the dead. The savageness of the initial attack could be easily seen by those left to suffer in agony from it; the situation seemed hopeless.

A crewman approached Aeris, he was wearing the duty uniform of Security personnel, "excuse me, Ma'am; I'm Chief Petty Officer Peterson ... I'm ... acting Chief of Security."

"Chief, what happened to Col Inry and her Senior staff; who is senior now? Who's in charge?" Aeris was struggling to make some sense, create some order, from all the turmoil.

The Chief Petty Officer tried to bring Aeris and Vo'uril up to speed, "I'm not sure what's happened to the Senior staff, Ma'am. During the initial attack, the Klingon's beamed aboard these devices that incapacitated crewmen; they seemed to pick certain areas to put these things into, as not all of us were hit by them. My section Commander reported ... silver orb devices before his comm channel was cut off. After that, the Klingon's beamed aboard and, it would seem, abducted the Command staff. It's the only thing I can think of, since we can't find any of them. We pulled as many wounded in here as we could. The Observation Lounge is also serving as a make-shift triage area as well. The Bridge is locked out, as we can't get in; I'm unsure if it's a Security measure or mechanical fault. I was going to put some Engineers on it, but the team was trapped in Main Engineering by a group of Klingons."

"Yeah, we sort of ran into them as well. We have two heavily sedated that will need to be placed into the Brig," Aeris interrupted.

"We can take care of that. As to who's in charge here ...", CPO Peterson looked at Aeris' rank insignia, "it' would seem you are, now."

An unknown location.

Inry woke up with a splitting headache, she went to try to grab her forehead when she realized she couldn't move. As her eyes adjusted and became less blurry she realized she was tied down on some kind of examination board that was sitting upright, her uniform was torn and dirty and she saw bruises and cuts all over her exposed skin. Inry's mind raced she couldn't remember where she was or why she was here, it was clear she had been tortured and the setting she was in now wasn't too promising. On a small table close by she was able to make out hypos with various shots. Was she drugged? Where were her captors? She wished she3 could remember, suddenly she heard the door behind her open and someone step inside, but she couldn't see them. Then a voice.

"Time for our talk Colonel, feel like telling me anything of interest this time?" Duhiz walked around in front of Inry smiling faintly. "I hope you didn't mind me leaving, I had to tend to your other officers, they are quite needy, and that one oh whats her name Yoksei, I think, shes quite a screamer." Inry looked up at Duhiz with pure hatred in her eyes.

"If you've harmed my officers, I swear I'll rip you apart!" Inry didn't understand why she was so angry, but she put it out of her mind as she focused on struggling to get loose to get at Duhiz.

"Oh temper temper Colonel, I thought you Starfleet officers had standards?" Duhiz hid back her delight that the drug she had administered earlier was working. "Would you prefer we discuss something else?" Inry shut her eyes and looked away trying to control herself.

..........................................................

Klingon Command Deck several hours later.

Duhiz walked onto the command deck a odd swing in her step and a big smirk on her face. The bridge crew that saw her knew exactly what it meant, one of the federation officers had broken. The crew had placed bets as to who would break first, now it looked like someone might be collecting. When Duhiz reached the Command chair of her Mistress she knelt down and waited to be acknowledged.

"Speak Duhiz, and it better be good." the shrouded figure didnt even look at Duhiz.

"I've broken one of the federation officers and have some of the information you want." Duhiz rose as her mistress beckoned her close. Duhiz leaned in close so no one could hear them as Duhiz related the details of her interrogations success. Once she finished the command chair turned to face the view screen.

"Hail the Hegh 'ej Quv, I want to speak to General Chu’Troq." The crew proceeded as order and in a moment the face of a Grizzled Klingon veteran appeared on the view screen.

"I am busy Amude! What do you want?!" The General bellowed clearly unhappy at the interruption.

"Oh General, is the fight against the 12th fleet not going well?" Amude said with a sarcastic tone as she stood up from her chair.

"Watch your tone whelp or I will personally break you into small pieces and send them back to your Orion family!" Amude waved her hand.

"Its quite alright General, I have the solution to all your problems." Amude smiled, carefully studying the Generals reaction.

"And what would that be, hmm?" He was intrigued, and that might be just enough. Amude nodded to Duhiz, who began uploading a data packet recorded during the interrogations.

"Those Federation prisoners I promised you, have started to sing, I'm transmitting some of the details to you now." The General looked away probably at the data and when he looked back he clearly had changed his stance.

"This is interesting data, do you expect to have more?" And now she has her foot in the door.

"I believe I can scrounge some more up for you, but I do think it may come at a price, I am so tired of being such a lower rank you know." The General laughed.

"Your as crafty as a Ferengi Amude. You get me more and you'll be my new intel officer with all the rank, and..........'privileges' that come with it." Amude smiled.

"You'll have it when we rendezvous in a few days General." The General nodded.

"Good, if its good enough then force these federation dogs on the defensive and then crush them. Qa'pla!" The screen cut out. Amude smiled. Everything was going just as she had hoped.

Angel swung in his harness slightly as the vehicle rocked. Again. Again.

He became conscious, though without a tricorder you’d never know it. He listened. He smelled.

No Klingons. No Gorn. No Orions or Nausicians. He opened his eyes.

Tiny bits of sand dropped down as the exposed underbelly took shots every now and then. Sunlight came through and lighted only what it could, but brightly.

“Report,” he said, not over the net. He looked over at CPL Iil, but his seat was empty.

“Sergeant Paunn here Sir. We lost Tyder. Erty and Tyder got stuck between the rig and the edge. At this point we’re using this trench as cover Sir,” the old warrior told him.

“Why am I still upside down?” Angel asked, rotating the buckle with one hand while grasping the roll cage with the other.

He fell. Even though he twisted and landed somewhat on his feet/ass, it still caused him to chuckle as he got up.

And turned to see Tyder. Well, all he could see was one antenna and some hair, the blood not dripping but soaking into the wall of the trench.

“That’s why I don’t strap in when I’m ridin side-seat in these damn things,” Paunn said. “You can tell some pencil pushin snot nosed pogue dreamed that idea up. Hadn’t gotten far enough to get you down Sir. I have Iil doing recon down this trench. Seems when our line hit it the whole thing we-“

A canister flew into the trench, and Angel immediately recognized it.

He reached to the his left leg and whipped out the CBRN hypo and put it to his neck as Paunn did the same. The gas smelled same as it always did.

Angel went back to the vehicle and secured his weapons and pack, then jogged south down the trench for roughly twenty meters before he climbed up the bank slowly, sniper rifle at the ready.

“See anything Sir?”

“Paunn, lose the Sir shit eh?”

PHEW!

An Orion gunner fell from his seat. Why’d they put these so close to there defensive line?

“It’s Angel to you now.”

As Mark continued to look through his scope, scanning for more targets, he activated the communications net through his assault pack.

The net had automatically registered that the commanding officer on the battlefield had been incapacitated, and in lieu of anyone else taking charge had reset to a default mode. It was cluttered with everyone that could talk, sounding like the Borg only without the organization.

“Paunn, get Iil back here,” Angel said as he came back down the bank.

A plasma grenade went off at the crest, sending a cascade of brilliant green plasma down the sand, turning it to emerald glass as it flowed. Paunn and Angel stepped aside like the seasoned veterans they were to a safer position, ten meters further from their uprighted vehicle.

The Master Sergeant went off to find the young corporal as Angel knelt and pulled out his tactical interface. Through it he was able to get real time telemetry from all personell and craft on the field.

The situation looked caotic at best.

He quickly tapped into the comm.. net and reinstated his command protocals, ending the constant stream of voices in his auditory implant. Then he took stock.

“Headhunter Battalion, move up to three hundred meters from the eastern most gun nests.

Fox Battalion, set up artillery two hundred behind them to bombard both the nest and supporting elements behind them.

Peregrine fighters, begin hitting the personal defenses of the inhibitor in order to prep for the ground assault teams.”

He watched as the units began to go from a spread out amalgamation of dots to some semblance of order again, blocks of dots.

Angel again peered over the berm to see phaser fire now streamin into the KDF line, with half as much disruptor beams returning.

“Sniper teams, move in from flanks and take out the distracted gun nests.”

Again, the dots behind them, still moving towards the main fight, now slowly began to turn to either side of them, utilizing their own overlays.

At that time Paunn returned with Iil.

“Angel, we’re back.”

“Good, secure your gear. We’re gonna begin receiving support elements. Master Sergeant, I need you to coordinate with the engineers and medics to set up their facilities.”

“Sweep for traps of course,” the Andorian said, wrapping his sling around his upper arm.

“Course.”

“Corporal, you’re with me.”

“Aye Sir.”

U.S.S. Kulakov
Officers Lounge
4 Hours after boarding

Aeris and Vo'uril were in the Officers Lounge meeting with various members of the ships crew. The MACO team, along with some of the Kulakov's Security team were performing a deck by deck search for any unwanted guests onboard. So far; neither the MACO's, nor the Security teams have made contact with anymore Klingons.

"Viper, Alpha."

Aeris keyed the comms device, "Go ahead Alpha."

"Saucer section secured. No Klingon's here; still waiting for report from the Engineering and main hull sections." Gunnery Sargent Hall paused for a second, "Viper, I'm thinking those three Klingon's were left behind ... too slow on the beam out. We're proceeding to Security."

"Understood Alpha, Viper out." Aeris keyed the comms device off and returned to the discussion in progress in the Lounge.

"... teams have been able to restore lighting in most of the ship. Replicators are still iffy and Sickbay has been screaming for a crew to look at some of the Bio-Beds. Life Support systems are in the green for now, the ship is off battery power and should have engines within the hour." The Engineering Ensign continued to rattle off more statistics from the Engineering Report.

Vo'uril interrupted, "what about Tactical systems? Where do we stand should another Bird of Prey or two pay us a visit?"

The Engineering Ensign shuffled the PADD and looked for the Tactical report, "looks like most of the beam array's are offline, the forward-port torpedo launcher is INOP ... shields are not currently recharging - I have a team looking into that."

Vo'uril looked at Aeris, "We have no defensive, or offensive systems ... bar one photon launcher, and maybe a phaser bank. We need to hail the Raven and evac everyone; set the self-destruct and then transport to Starbase 12. It's the closest station from our location."

"No, we'll get this crate moving ... even if we have to get out and push." Aeris turned to the Engineering Ensign, "Ensign ... what's your name; so I don't have to keep calling you Ensign."

"Ensign Walsh, Ma'am"

"Ensign Walsh, how long until we can access the Bridge?"

Ens. Walsh looked down at the PADD again, "uhm ... the maintenance team is having trouble with the door. It seems that during the attack, the door buckled as it's now binding in the tracks and frame. They are working on it and it's just a matter of time. I'm willing to say ... within the next thirty minutes?" Ens. Walsh shifted nervously in the chair.

"Are you asking me or telling me Ensign?"

"Telling ... Ma'am." Ens. Walsh cleared his throat, and then motioned for one of the Medical Staff members to begin their report. The report was just as grim as the sights in Sickbay; hundreds injured and dozens dead. Even if Aeris did call the Raven in for extraction, both ships would be sitting ducks for another attack should one come. The nurse was finishing her report when Ens. Walsh interrupted;

"Excuse me; the maintenance team has access to the Bridge."

Aeris dismissed the other representatives to their respective departments, and followed the young Ensign to the Bridge. The room was destroyed. Cables and tubing hung from the ceiling, while consoles were smashed - bleeding circuitry onto the floor in front of them. The air was thick with smoke from electrical fires extinguished by the suppression systems. The few junior officers left on the Bridge were removed by a medical team in body bags.

Vo'uril looked at the Command deck of the starship, "there is no possible way of repairing this amount of damage without proper facilities. Without the Bridge, this ship is useless." Vo'uril walked out of the room and back towards the Officers Lounge.

Aeris was searching around the Bridge trying to find anything that would work. "You wouldn't happen to have a holodeck on board ..." Aeris inquired.

Ens. Walsh looked puzzled, "Ma'am?"

"Nevermind." Aeris started to walk out of the room, "well ... I'm open to options at this point. Unless you can pull a miracle out of your ass and fix this Bridge in the next twenty minutes."

The young Ensign thought for a moment; "I think ... I think, I might be able to do just that Ma'am," he said while snapping a finger, "the Battle Bridge."

Aeris stopped and turned to the Ensign and crossed her arms, waiting for him to continue. The Ensign was fumbling quickly through his PADD, looking through the deck plans. "Here. On Deck 9 of the Engineering Hull, there is a Battle Bridge ... right there. It's never used, so it should still be functional. I can reroute the Command functions through there."

"Get it done, Ensign", Aeris stated.

The Ensign was making his way to the Battle Bridge, while Aeris ran back to the Officers Lounge. As the door opened, she poked her head into the room; "Vo! Let's go. We're not dead yet." The pair made their way to the Turbo Lift and down to Deck 9. As they exited the Turbo Lift, Ensign Walsh was already in the process of on-lining the secondary bridge. Aeris and Vo'uril entered the tiny command room.

"I'm just about finished Ma'am. We should be ready to go in about fifteen minutes; just waiting on some systems to finish their initializations sequences," reported Ens. Walsh.

"Thank you, excellent work Ensign. And ... stop calling me Ma'am ... I'm not your mother; Colonel is fine." Aeris walked over to the Captain's chair and used the control panel on the arm; checking command functions, she input her Command Codes into the ships computer. "Do the ship-wide communications work, Ensign?"

"They should, yes."

Aeris keyed the Communications systems from the console on the chair, "Attention, please; all section chiefs to the Officers Lounge." She keyed off the comms channel and walk back toward the Turbo Lift.

All the Junior Officers and Senior Enlisted personnel were gathered in the Lounge. They were each updating the status of their sections and Aeris was putting a timeline together for their departure. Maintenance crews were finishing work on the Warp Drive, and would expect to have warp and transwarp capability shortly. Weapons were still inoperable for the most part, and small amount of shielding that did recharge was insignificant at best. However, the timeline was set; departure within the hour.

The room dismissed in a flurry of activity. Few of the Section Chiefs were reassigned to Aeris' Bridge crew and were making their way to the Battle Bridge. The rest of them headed back to their departments and prepped the ship.

As the deadline expired, the main engines of the Kulakov began to wind up and started to supply the nacelles with power they required. The Impulse-Firing Chamber started to increase in activity as more power was given to that area as well. Slowly, the Kulakov began to move from its resting place.

"Align us to Starbase 12, Ens Walsh."

"Yes, Colonel."

The ship grudgingly fought the turn as Ensign Walsh keyed the commands to align the ship to the location of Starbase 12. The MFD's on the Battle Bridge were frantic with all types of information and telemetry being flooded in. The Kulakov didn't want to move, and it was voicing its opinion. Vo'uril had manned the Tactical station and was scanning the area for ships.

"Col, reading two Bird of Prey's decloaking. They're locking weapons and fir-"

Vo'uril didn't get a chance to finish what became apparently obvious. The alpha strike from the two Bird's stripped the remaining shields and created fluctuations within the Warp Core, rocking the ship to its starboard side. The two Klingon ships made their pass and were starting to line up for another attack run. Aeris quickly spun in the chair, looking at her XO.

"Col, we have no weapons. Everything is offline. You can throw those goddamn beam arrays at them for all their worth." Vo'uril stood at a Tactical feeling more helpless with each passing moment. Ens. Walsh was frantically trying to reroute any available power to the shields; while the maintenance crew dealt with the disaster Main Engineering had become - again.

Vo'uril looked at Ens. Walsh, "Ensign can you route the command functions of our shuttle to my console?"

With a few clicks on the screen he routed the shuttle's command to Vo'uril. She shut down the security protocols on the shuttle and began its start up sequence. Grabbing a small device from her belt, she activated the spatial charges stored on the shuttle. The doors opened to the shuttle bay and the Firefly left the dock. The two Klingon Bird's were now lined up on the starboard side of the Kulakov. Vo'uril sent the targeting information to the shuttle; collision course.

The Firefly pulsed its Impulse engines and hurtled itself towards its target. As the Klingon ships opened up another volley on the Kulakov, the Firefly impacted with its target and the spatial charges detonated. The Bird of Prey was incinerated from the suicide run, forcing the other ship to take evasive maneuvers. The volley still hit the Kulakov, stripping the shields again and putting more damage on the hull.

"Shields are gone, Col." Ens. Walsh relayed.

"Engage Transwarp and get us out of here."

"WHAT?! Engage Transwarp with a gaping hole in the ship, are you insane?!" Ens. Walsh ran a few calculations on his console to see if it was even possible in their present condition; to his dismay ... it was. "Col, Sir ... I highly advise -"

"Ensign, we either take our chances in Transwarp or against that Bird of Prey; what's you options? And you better think quick; that other Klink is about to bear down on us any moment now."

The Ensign confirmed the course for Starbase 12 and engaged the Transwarp Drive. The Kulakov reluctantly sped up and was gone. The vibrations could be felt throughout the entire vessel, as if she would indeed - fly apart. Systems were starting to fail under the immense stress; corridors around the hull breach began to buckle. However before the Kulakov could fall apart in Transwarp, she reached her destination within a few thousand kilometers. The ship left Transwarp and sputtered to a crawl. Main powered had failed and the ship returned to battery status.

Starbase 12 dispatched a Tractor vessel and transport, while the Raven had arrived alongside the Kulakov. From the outside, the Kulakov looked worse than it did after the Klingon's hit it. Aeris and Vo'uril ensured that all the crewmen were aboard the transport ship and sent safely to the Starbase. Engineering crews prepped the Kulakov for tow and then Aeris and company returned to their ship and back to their original assignment. As she looked out the window of her Ready Room, she could see that one of the nacelles on the Kulakov had fallen off its pylon; a small debris field floating around it.

"Oh, Inry's going to be pissed." She thought to herself.

Aeris dispatched a message to 12th Fleet Intel;

'Two Klingon prisoners are en-route to Starbase Valhalla. They were captured on board the U.S.S. Kulakov by Col. Aeris Caine and members of MACO. They may provide answers into the disappearance of Inry and her Officers.

Col. Aeris Caine
U.S.S. Raven'

The two of them began working their way down the trench, peeking over the edge every so often to scan the area.

It all went to shit after several hundred meters when a five man Klingon assault team dropped into the trench.

Angel took down the Munitions Officer and one warrior before they could return fire, while Iil took out the Targ Handler and one of his beasts.

Shields flared, armor burned. Angel was knocked to the ground, helped up by his teammate, who tried to provide covering fire with one hand.

Angel cooked off one of his own plasma grenades and hucked it at the enemy, satisfied with his timing as it exploded right at their feet, melting their boots and thinner leg armor, the upper body succumbing shortly and falling into the liquid flame.

“You alright Sir?” the corporal said, checking the charge on his weapon.

“They targeted me faster than I’d figure them to.”

“Probably surprised to see you on the front line.”

“They’re Klingons Iil. They should’ve known better,” Angel said, moving on as the plasma dissipated, the sun beating down on them from directly above. Noon.

The distant churn of voices and death got stronger as they moved, the trench getting shallower until it was just a berm on either side. KDF forces were fighting warriors of the 12th, some using melee weapons, others using rifles and pistols, while still others were devoid of anything, using their bare hands.

Iil and Angel began running.

Angel began firing his sniper rifle as fast as it would go, Iil bringing his assault rifle to bear. They hit the fray with authority, their comrades suddenly finding themselves free of their attackers or their target dead for them.

Once they were in the middle of the fighting, their melee weapons came out, and Angel lost track of the corporal.

He cut off the hand of a Gorn warrior trying to claw through an Andorian sergeant.

He bashed the spine of an Orion woman who had slit the throat of a human man who wore MACO green and private stripes.

And so it went.

He caught glimpses of Iil. He saw some of the faces from the Tal’Afar and Valhalla. But always there were more enemy.

Explosions rocked sometimes, seeming to pause the battle in the areas around them. Fighters flew above them, raining death from the air as well as fighting their KDF counterparts.

Cover appeared from the sky as support ships dropped crates and temporary energy shield generators.

Angel lost the barrel of his rifle when a Klingon took it off with an ill aimed bat’leth swipe. The poor bastard didn’t have time to try again as the lirpa took off his feet at the shins, the clubbed end then caving in his skull at the temple. Meshing it with the sand.

A big Gorn took him down once, about dusk, and managed to rip off the stomach strap of his pack before a Trill private took him out with a boot to his side, then finished it with a slash of her katana.

A disruptor bolt caught her in the neck.

Davis pulled out his pistol and began shooting in the direction of the shot, going to the private, reaching for his belt and pulling out his aid kit.

“Covering fire!” he yelled, and the MACOs responded to his voice and proximity, converging around them. He plunged the hypospray to the woman’s neck, then applied the field bandage. The bleeding immediately stopped and the color began to come back to her spots.

“You!” he grabbed the closest soldier, “get her to the rear!”

“Aye!” the Saurian said, grabbing her by the back of the collar and beginning to drag her away.

“Forward!” Mark yelled, the warriors responding.

They fought the KDF back. The ground went from sand to flesh and again to sand as the two forces killed each other.

And for the first time in his life, Mark Davis began to feel the age of his years. The battles and wounds of years before.

As the night turned to grey, as the sun began to climb once again, a silhouette kept reappearing to Angel again and again.

It cut down soldier after soldier, and the two of them only traded blows when the opportunity arose, until others would get in the way.

Until they stood, the two of them, facing each other.

The battle seemed to rage around them as they circled, their fellow warriors seeming to leave the two commanders alone.

There were no words.

No gestures.

No emotions.

They fought each other not because they hated each other. They fought because that’s what they did. It’s what they were made to do. If they did not fight each other they would fight someone or something else.

Which made it convenient.

The lirpa met the bat’leth. The foot met the stomach. The fist the face. Metal to flesh.

And finally they stood, the two of them. Apart. Ragged breathing from cracked ribs and damaged organs.

“Your reputation is true. You fight with honor ,” the Klingon said, regripping his weapon.

“As do you.”

They noticed the soldiers around them, those that fought because they believed in these men and what they stood for, had moved away from each other to their respective sides of the field, cautious yet yielding.

Angel straightened at the same time as his counterpart, the weapons lowering as they did. No words were spoken, their comrades stepping in front of them as they backed away.

Until Angel stepped forward again.

The Klingon did the same, though it appeared it pained him as much as it did the human.

“Dusk,” the MACO colonel said, his troops around him straightening as he did.

The Klingon grabbed his knife from his hip and threw it into the sand.

“Here.”

Mark recognized the blade. It was a Khitomer Blade, one of the highest honors of a ground soldier.

He took out his pistol yet again, and threw it next to the knife.

The victor would claim their trophy.

The ceasefire had begun.

Aboard the Kyra Magdalen:
Ready room:
"Give me something people anything."
"Sir we have managed to get weapons and partial shields back online."
"Good five of seven at least we are no longer sitting ducks how long until engines are good?"
"Well our dilthium crystals are burned out so."
"Commander we need you on the bridge now." Karadok taped his combadge,"On my way."


As he entered the bridge Karadok's eyes went straight to the view screen where he saw a dozen Bird of Preys decloaking.
"Sir we are being hailed."
"Main view screen"
" This is K'lash you will surrender to us."
"Like hell we will."
"Come now Commander you stand no chance of....."

The Klinks words were cut off as phaser fire erupted all over the BOPs.
Several federation ships now engaged the BOPs.

-------------
The battle was over the Kyra Magdalen had taken more damage but had managed to take out 2 of the Birds of Prey before being silenced. Karadok now stood on the bridge of the Indefatigable talking to her Captain. The Kyra Magdalen had succumbed to a warp core breach and now Karadok was without a ship. The Miranda class ship was heading to the engagement zone along with 4 other light cruisers.

"The best we can piece together is that some of the Klinks tried to make sure we could not escape so they followed our Warp signature. Good thing you guys showed up when you did."

"Well we picked up your shutlecraft so it was no coincidence. We sent a message to Starbase Valhalla asking them to be on heightened alert just in case. Since the fighting has been heavier than expected we want to make sure they are prepared just in case."
-------

"Starbase Valhalla the fighting at the engagement sight has been hotter than expected. Suggest being on heightened alert in case there is more to this then meets the eyes."

-------------------------

"When we get in system Captain please allow me and my medics to beam down to one of the planets to help where we can."

"Certainly, and you did the right thing leaving the system to get the word out."

Did I or was I being a coward..... Now half my ships crew is dead and I have no ship....At least I can go be a medic thanks to Captain Starm

Deep in the communication chamber of Starbase Valhalla's Intel division, a Saurian Lieutenant Commander received an urgent message from the Indefatigable and started cursing every deity he could think of

USS Salt Lake City
Poighet System, Planet Beta

As the Excelsior-Class Refit moved into position to provide cover for the USS Eldridge, Acting Captain Sylix studied the local tactical layout taking up half of the main viewer. There were no hostiles in the area, he noted, at least none that were visible to sensors. Small red dots detailed the locations of known Klingon positions across the planet. Yellow dots were intermittently spread out showing the local insurgency forces battling for their lives against the invaders. In some areas, the two were engaged in brutal combat. The Poighet were holding their own in many areas, but many more were succumbing to the relentless assaults.

The Eldridge was facing away from the planet in an odd formation. From it's aft cargo bay, a slow but steady release of small one-man capsules launched toward the planet. Most so far have been on course for a small island where one of the large transport inhibitors were set up to blanket the planet. However, there were some that burnt up instantly in the atmosphere.

Sylix pushed the thoughts of the doomed MACOs out of his mind and concentrated on the tasks at hand. A chime sounded from the speaker mounted in his chair:

"Engineering to Bridge, we have patched up some damage to the outer hull as best we could. Force fields are in place and I have teams closing up the holes. The attack rattled the warp core a bit so we can't make better than warp two on short notice. I'll have it locked down within the hour. Engineering out."

Turning to the communications station, Sylix silently composed a message in his mind, "Open a channel to the Eldridge please." After a few seconds the officer signaled the channel was open. Captain Alexander appeared on the main screen as Sylix stood up to address his long time friend.

"Captain Alexander, we are in position to provide cover. I must inform you that if we need to make a speedy exit in the next hour, we can only achieve warp factor two. I assume you've received the same reports I have about the engagement over Planet Charlie, and that the fleet has suffered some losses. The situation over Charlie is tense and we are being asked to regroup as soon as possible."

"Yeah we are keeping up on the reports over here too. The Skyjumper isn't as fast as I'd like but it is working like we thought it would. I've already lost some MACOs on the drop. We are just about at a quarter of our contingent launched but I'm going to stop there and save the rest to reinforce Charlie. I've told Major Allen of the change in plans. Knock out the inhibitor then assist the locals as they can."

Sylix nodded, "I will inform my crew that we will be heading to Charlie shortly. It will take a couple of hours to get there if we want to avoid the main Klingon groups. More direct approaches will leave us vulnerable to ambushes like the one that took out the Kulakov."

"Agreed. We're about to release the last of the MACOs for the mission here. We will follow you to Charlie and execute Plan Alexander Sierra. I took the liberty of loading into your databanks before you left. Just a neat surprise for our invader buddies." Captain Alexander smirked at that comment. "Good hunting out there, Captain. Eldridge out."

Sylix turned to face his Tactical officer and ordered a display of the details to Plan Alexander Sierra. As he read through the short and simple plan, a smile crept over his face. He and the Tactical officer shared a look as the officer quipped. "Simple, yet elegant, sir."

The final Skyjumper capsule left the immediate area of the Eldridge and began its descent into the atmosphere. The two starships maneuvered into the formation detailed in Plan Alexander Sierra. Once in formation, they engaged full impulse and made their way to the jump point for warp. Moments later, all four nacelles flashed simultaneously, the silhouettes of the ships seemingly stretched to infinity, and then they were gone.

MACO Skyjumper Assault
Poighet System - Planet Beta

Major Allen was sweating profusely despite the futile attempts of the capsule's environmental systems to compensate for the intense heat mere centimeters away from his body. From the surface of the planet, the MACO capsules resembled small meteorite showers entering the atmosphere. Only this shower had a peculiar line of meteors with only a few errant entries, two of which exploded in a spectacular display of fireworks.

Looking down at his target landing area, the Major knew it would be a rough landing. He fully expected to be liquefied upon impact, but his review of the capsule launch system taught him that near the end of the descent, retro rockets would fire and the small anti-gravity plating would kick in to slow the final impact comparable to a simple parachute landing.

"Ten seconds to retro rocket ignition," chimed the computer's soothing feminine voice. "Parachute backups engaged."

Checking his display that show the location of the other capsules, the Major noted only 48 survived the heat of the descent. Three would be landing a few miles out in the ocean and would have to make their way to the island. He hoped they wouldn't be eaten by any local sea predators.

Shocks of pain tore up through his legs as the retro rockets fired, slowing his descent before the inertial gravity kicked in. Seconds later as the anti-grav plating activated, Major Allen swallowed hard to keep his last meal from spraying across his small display.

What seemed like hours of relentless howling of rockets and a severe case of vertigo, in reality was only seconds. The capsule slammed hard into the soft sand of the target island. Taking a few steadying breaths and running through a mental calming routine, Major Allen finally got his heart rate under control and tapped the control to open the capsule. Knees shaking, he stepped out into the cool tropical breeze of dusk and took in a deep breath of warm, salty air.

The capsule launched after Major Allen didn't have the same luck. Corporal Young didn't have long to scream after his computer notified him of a failure in both the retro rockets and the parachute backups. Young's capsule, impacting a mere thirty meters from the Major's position, caused a violent explosion that sent Major Allen through the air barely missing his own capsule. He landed in a heap on the beach near the high tide knocking the wind out of him, a small smooth rock took the impact of his helmet and he was knocked unconscious.

Thirty minutes later, 42 MACOs gathered together in a makeshift campsite to take inventory. Two died in the atmosphere, three lost at sea, and three died at impact. One MACO, a private, walked up to his Sergeant and asked, "We don't have to do that again, do we?"

U.S.S. Proteus

"Damage report!"

"Shields at 10%, heavy damage to the Starboard Warp Nacelle, damage reported on decks 5, 8, and 12..." Loz was cut off as another blast rocked the Bridge, sending a shower of sparks cascading from the consoles on the Starboard side.

"Dammit!" Kimara slapped her com badge, "Three! We need shields, and we need to get out of here!"

"We're ... kzzt ... fast as we can, Captain. Going to ... kzzrt ... ut it's risky." Came the broken reply from the Chief Engineer.

"Communications are tricky now, Three. Do what you have to do. Get us out of here if you can."

Kimara looked back over her bridge. How had this happened? What went wrong? All around her, those crew members that could were madly working to put out fires or man those consoles that were working, frantically trying to get weapons aimed or defensive systems to respond.

Her first officer, Aloani, was busy tending to Lt. Dar who had been violently thrown from his station during the last torpedo salvo and had landed crumpled against the port wall. He hadn't moved since, and Kimara could tell from her senses that Aloani wasn't sure he would recover.

-------------------------------------

1 hour earlier

"Captain, sensors indicate there is a probe broadcasting on a narrow beam on an incoming vector. Too far out for a lock." Ensign T'Naas reported.

"Very well, Ensign. Dar, see if you can get a course. Maybe we can project back and see where it came from."

Kimara walked back to the sensor station on the bridge to get a first hand look at the data.

"Can we determine where it came from?" She asked the Vulcan Ensign who was stationed there.

"Negative, Captain." T'Naas reported. "Still too far out to get any readings from it. The broadcast beam seems to be breaking up, though. I'm not sure if we can get to it before it stops its message. Perhaps it is damaged, that would explain the erratic behavior."

Kimara nodded. "Thank you, T'Naas. Keep me updated."

Kimara returned to her seat at the center of the bridge. The Proteus had completed a sweep of the support vessels and was in the process of returning to its position. Data was pouring in from the other ships and MACOs on the surface and her crew was on constant alert.

"Captain." Came the voice of Lt. Dar. "I believe I can follow the path of the probe, velocity and telemetry data indicate that it was launched less than 0.5 light years from our current position. We could be there within minutes."

"Make it so, Dar." Kimara said and seated herself in the Captain's chair.

Moments later there was the familiar acceleration and star lines as her ship made the short warp jump. When they came out of warp, everyone was silent. On the main viewer, they could see wreckage and debris from several ships of indeterminate origin.

"What happened here..." Aloani said, echoing the thoughts of both Kimara and the other Betazoid on the bridge, Loz.

"Give me a full sensor sweep, leave nothing out. I want to know what happened here, and if any of this debris belongs to one of our..."

Her sentence was cut off as the impact of a high velocity torpedo impacted the shields of the Proteus.

"The Hell? Shields to maximum, Red Alert! What's going on?" Kimara ordered.

"Captain, two Klingon vessels uncloaking to port!" Loz said, a note of severe tension in his voice.

"Where there are two, be sure there are others." K'Konek said.

"Get me targeting data! Fire at will! Get them off of us. Dar, as soon as we can get us as far from here as possible. Ensign T'Naas, relay a message to the fleet that we're being flanked at Charlie."

The ship shook violently as two more torpedoes impacted the shields, followed by twin Disruptor blasts that tore through, impacting the hull. Another volley was launched immediately, knocking the crew from their feet. Sparks flew as secondary consoles erupted.

"Shields down to 45%, Captain. Everything else is holding, but barely." T'Naas reported. "Communication sent out, but I can't be certain it was received. The Klingons put up some kind of jamming field."

"Return fire, give them everything we have. If you've got any tricks up your sleeves, now is the time."

Torpedoes launched from their tubes and phaser fire lanced through the space surrounding the ships. Several of the torpedoes found their mark, and the wing section of one of the Klingon ships was suddenly separated from the rest of the body. Clearly surprised by the suddenness of the destruction, both ships momentarily stopped firing, as if trying to judge if they were really alone.

"We need to get out of here." Aloani said coolly. "We can't last, and won't be able to detect any reinforcements that the Klingons send in."

"Agreed. Dar, have you got an escap..."

Kimara was cut off as a sudden volley of shots impacted her shields and hull. Consoles lining the starboard side of the bridge erupted in a shower of sparks and glass shrapnel. Everyone was thrown to the floor, with the Ferengi helmsman, Dar, being thrown violently into the port side wall. His head struck one of the tactical consoles there and he collapsed, unmoving, against the wall.

"Damage Report!"

-------------------------------------

As sparks flew around her, Kimara reached to the Helm controls. No good, the console was dark, a large crack appearing down its face. Suddenly the computer sounded a proximity alert, a moment too late. A torpedo collided with the pylon holding the starboard Nacelle, nearly severing it from the rest of the ship.

"I have to get this ship out of here. I can't let this be the end of my crew." Thought Kimara.

The communications chimed. "Captain?" The voice of her Chief Engineer, Three of Five, came through, startlingly clear in the wake of the damage done to the rest of the ship.

"Three! I'm glad to hear your voice. Can you get us out of here?"

"The starboard Nacelle is not going to last much longer, but my team has routed power to the Port side, and the impulse engines, and sealed off the breach. I have an idea, though, that may get us out of here; though it will mean further damaging the ship."

"Explain your idea." Kimara said, already making toward her own console and motioning Loz to join her, Aloani was still trying desperately to revive Dar.

"We will need two short weapon blasts. One from one of the turrets, and a second from a torpedo. If we can completely sever the starboard Nacelle, we might be able to detonate it and the Klingons with it. At the same time, I will engage the Port Nacelle and both impulse engines. It should be enough to get us back to the fleet where we can further repair the ship and tend to the wounded."

Kimara mulled the idea over for only a moment before looking at Loz. "Can you do it?"

Loz had begun typing in calculations almost the moment Three had begun speaking. After a moment, he looked up. "It will be tricky, but I think if we can maneuver the ship so that the Klingons are behind us that we can pull it off."

"How much time do you need? Three? Loz?"

They both responded that they were ready immediately.

-------------------------------------

The carefully timed turret burst rocked the ship, but the crew were ready for it and no one was thrown. After a moment, the torpedo could be heard launching. At the same moment, Three put everything she had into the engines and the Proteus leaped away.

The explosion was brilliant. Warp coolant super heating instantly as the Photon torpedo impacted with the severed Nacelle. The Klingons had no chance. They weren't expecting such a bold move. The blast vaporized their remaining shields and tore into the hulls, exposing vital inner compartments to the vacuum of space. It was only a matter of moments before both ships exploded in a fantastic green burst, leaving only debris in its wake.

-------------------------------------

The Proteus came out of its protracted warp jump a mere 20 km from the point it had left an hour prior, though considerably worse for wear. The crew, though still dazed from the battle cheered as the ships of the 12th Fleet came into view. As they established a position that they could use both to treat wounded from the surface, as well as make needed repairs on their own ship Kimara wondered, not for the first time in the past few minutes, if her ship would last much longer. Her crew all deserved medals for the innovation and bravery that they showed, and she would do her best to make sure that they received them, if they ever got home.

Angel left those on the line in their places, both armies only going back as far as the first cover that was available. Sometimes only ten meters apart. The company commanders so far were doing a good job placing their soldiers, so there was no need to micromanage.

The MACOs that weren't standing a post though, were busier than their comrades.

Bodies were being dragged. Dead. Alive. In between.

Angel was helping a Vulcan man get to the hospital as he came into their FOB (forward operating base). He'd lost half his foot to plasma, but had fought on.

As he walked past the initial defensive barriers, Angel looked at the shuttles on the ground and the wafer thin buildings standing in small groupings.

"Private," he said to a passing medic, "Where's the TOC (tactical operations control)?"

"Shit, uh," they went back outside, Angel having to hold open the door for the young man's bloodied hands. "It's over there Sir."

"Thanks."

Angel walked through and observed. Over there was the motorpool, all the different Argo variants, personel carriers, recovery assets.

There was the different battalion CPs (control point), with different equipment already set up and running.

The chow hall. The landing pads for shuttles.

But he picked out the calmest looking of them all and headed there.

"Colonel on deck!" a corporal yelled when he came through the door, but of course no one stood up. This was combat. Radios needed to be manned. Reports needed passing. But the corporal still did the right thing.

"Angel! Good to see you," Master Sergeant Paunn said, coming over to him. "You wanna rack out?"

Angel shook his head.

"I want to replace my barrel," he said, bringing his sniper rifle around his back with his right arm.

"I got you Sir," a private said from out of nowhere.

"Good man," Paunn said, watching the colonel hand over his weapon.

"I just want a new barrel. Not a new rifle," Mark said sternly, somewhat shifting the lirpa in his other hand.

"Yes Sir," and he was gone.

"We're under a ceasefire until dusk. How much longer do I have?" Angel asked, the two men coming over to the main strategic holographic display in the center of the room.

"Well for one thing the ceasefire has only affected the main battlefield. Two sniper teams have already reported Gorn infiltration teams trying to move past them," Paunn said, looking at him.

"Figures."

"Klingons have honor, their counterparts . . ."

"Yeah got it. Dusk?"

"We're on a 26 hour day, roughly. Sergeant!"

"Yes Master Sergeant!" a human man said from his seat.

"Time to sundown."

"Uh eleven and a half hours Master Sergeant!"

"Hear that?" Paunn asked, smiling.

Angel couldn't help but respond with his own.

"Perfect. What's the status on the rest of the fleet?"

Paunn took a deep breath, looking over at his new friend with a apprehensive smirk, to which they both chuckled.

"Well Sir, it’s all here in this handy dandy PADD for ya,” Paunn said, and Angel smiled back at him. He liked this man.

Kimara Ral/USS Proteus – Lost one nacelle on the Proteus, back in formation with 12th Fleet awaiting repairs.

Major Allen – 42 MACOs survived Skyjumper and are on island with an inhibitor on Beta.

Captain Sylix/USS Salt Lake City and Captain Aiden Lee Alexander/USS Eldridge – Heading back to Charlie. SLC has 300 MACOs. Eldridge has 150 MACOs.

Lt. Cmdr. Paltio Neovo – At Valhalla relaying intelligence.

Karadok/Kyra Magdalen – Ship destroyed. On board the Indefatigable of Captain Starm, about to beam down to Charlie to treat casualties.

Col. Aeris Caine/USS Raven – currently at Starbase 12 having towed the Kulakov.

Col. Inry/USS Admiral Kulakov – Kulakov is at Starbase 12 awaiting repairs. Col. Inry's status is unknown, believed to be held captive.

Captain OmegaXII/USS Snekke-H – Was damaged by KDF reinforcements while en route to deliver supplies to Charlie.

Gen. Ezme/USS Crazy Fox – Ship awaiting repairs in order to join the fight.

Captain Grand Anderson/USS Locksley – Standing by with the main 12th Fleet.

Captain Broccan/USS Chapman – with the main 12th Fleet, engaging in spaceborne operations.

Captain Varulal/USS Tal’Afar – Engaged with operations with the main 12th Fleet.

Captain Val’Keer Talgrit/USS Banshee – Awaiting orders with the main 12th Fleet.

Captain Keyes/USS Agincourt – Assembled with the main 12th Fleet.

Captain Derek Winford/USS Lazerous – Assembled with main 12th Fleet.

Captain Zedd/USS Scavenger – Assembled with main 12th Fleet.

Captain Nactal/USS Judicator – Assembled with main 12th Fleet.

Sergeant Major Ylim – On Charlie, leading MACOs.


Angel finished reading the report and handed the PADD back to his comrade.

“Okay then. So the fight up there is coming along nicely, aside from Inry. What are we looking at down here?”

“Well Sir, Sergeant Major Ylim is out there right now, getting the battalions where they need for when this shit hits the fan tomorrow. Told me to fill you in, but then kick your ass to the chow hall and your bunk. With all due respect of course,” again the bright teeth of his Andorian smile.

“Where’s home?”

“I got you set up in the small bunkhouse next to HHBN (Headquarters/Headquarters Battalion). You know where the chow hall is?”

“I’ll figure it out. Thanks Paunn,” Angel said, and was out the door into the bright sunlight of Charlie.