Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!mips!news.cs.indiana.edu!noose.ecn.purdue.edu!mentor.cc.purdue.edu!neale From: neale@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Neale Davidson) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: STTRR 1-10/20 Message-ID: <56722@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> Date: 13 Aug 92 13:35:44 GMT Organization: Purdue University Computing Center Lines: 1511 - STAR TREK ------------------------------------------------- - THE RAVEN'S ROAR ------------------------------------------------- Parts One through Ten of Twenty (repost) -------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER ONE Captain's log: Stardate 10144.2 Captain Jonathan McGyver Reporting We have been assigned patrol duty along the Romulan Neutral Zone. While the crew of the FEARLESS is a bit nervous about the prospect, we have been keeping high spirits. This will be the last mission of this vessel before she returns to drydock for decomissioning. I am deeply sorry to see the old girl go. It will be a momentous occaision, the last of the CONSTITUTION vessels put out to pasture. But, I will also admit that I'm looking forward to ending this tour. Even with the tense relations between the Empire and the Federation, I feel a bit bored with my current command. I'd take exploration over patrol duty any day. It is called the Neutral Zone, a buffer between the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Star Empire. This single area of space, ten parsecs across a nearly worthless region, has become the most dreaded. This buffer does not insure the peace between the opposing governments. It acts as a staging ground. For one-hundred and twenty years, it has served as a skirmish site between ships seeking slight advantages over one-another. It has served as a place for two unlike governments to vent their frustrations. But there never had been a declaration of war since the Zone was established, and the FEARLESS, as old as she was, was determined to be strong enough for routine patrol duty. Nevertheless, McGyver couldn't help but feel nervous about his duty. Not many captains would be assigned to the neutral zone during their entire carrer. But McGyver was special, he had confronted Romulans. Not many in Fleet could say that, not many in Fleet would wish to knowing what could happen to them. Romulans were the ultimate unknown. The Federation could not comprehend what or who the Romulans are, what they fight for, how they relate to others, what their culture consists of. McGyver had seen a few face to face, and had fought against them. Fleet offered him a captaincy patrolling the Zone for all he has done, and he readily jumped at it. But now he had learned to regret this decision. He had, for the past few weeks, been sitting in this primarily Vulcan starship as captain, wishing for something, anything, to occur. "Boring with the promise of great excitement," he muttered. "Kelak, sensor scan report, see if there are any energy irregularities." "Sensor scan indicating no bizarre energy readings. No cloaking patterns evident," the science officer replied in a characteristically cool tone. McGyver didn't fell comforted by the knowledge. "Thank you, Commander Kelak," McGyver barked as he sat back into his command chair. "Set course to outpost seven, warp three." Another six hours and this rotten month would climax into some R&R at starbase. "Now scanning an energy reading, high concentration of ions, from astern at four thousand kilometers, closing fast." quite quickly regained his interest. "Definately a Romulan cloaking pattern," Kelak continued. McGyver clinched the grips on his chair, almost anxiously. "Can you match the cloaking configuration?" "Negative, cloak configuration matches no known Romulan or Klingon vessels specifically, but the pattern resembles that of the Romulan cruisers, higher energy levels being the major difference here, sir," the Vulcan replied, revealing a hint of apprehension. "Raise shields, go to yellow alert." McGyver's voice showed an edge of nervousness. The klaxxon roared to life, and the crew scattered into their defence positions. "Open hailing frequencies." The communicator's response was a wailing of static energy."Sir, alien vessel is jamming our communications attempts." The Vulcan tried a few more of his buttons to no avail. "Confirmed, sir. Alien vessel closing in on one-eight-zero mark zero. All attempts of communication has thus far failed, communication with Fleet impossible." MvGyver found himself gaping at the viewscreen. "That is an attack posture! Arm torpedoes and circle the enemy vessel," he barked. The officers quickly began to obey orders, quaking. "Torpedoes armed," one of the officers finally replied. But at that very same moment, there was a rupture on the viewscreen, space ripped itself apart and stars began to distort their images and color asserted itself upon a black canvas. The rupture spewed the wings of a Romulan Eagle, their bird of death. McGyver clinched his seat in a death grip. The less-controlled Vulcans gasped. Even the most-controlled Vulcan could not easily conceal their fear. The science officer tried, and failed to compose himself. "Sir, Romulan NOVA class battleship in sector, she is arming torpedoes." McGyver weighed options to himself, but he knew the Romulans well enough not to trust them to withhold fire. The battleship screamed toward the FEARLESS, it would only be a few moments before all was decided. McGyver had to act quickly. The FEARLESS's science officer spoke with an obvious nervousness, "Romulan vessel bearing on attack pattern." McGyver turned, noticing the fear which had suddenly gripped his crew. So, even the emotionless Vulcans show their fear of the giant Romulan bird, McGyver thought to himself. "Launch torpedoes!" The FEARLESS poured two balls of red-hot energy from her spine. The torpedoes crashed into the Romulan's shields in a fiery glow that illuminated the black sky. Even against this impressive barrage of firepower, the giant vessel refused to so much as shudder. "Arm all weapons." McGyver fell back into his chair. He hadn't expected to go up against a Romulan Battleship, not this soon. These battleships were used for defence only, so intelligence had assumed, and there were no battleships with cloaking devices. At least, there weren't until now. The FEARLESS rounded the Romulan craft to the port side. But the Romulan ship had been ready for the maneuver and unleashed a stream of light into the Federation cruiser's hull. Bits of metal merged with fiery streaks of phaser energy struck to produce a brilliant glow of hell on the cruiser. McGyver cursed to himself. "Status report." The Vulcan looked over his console. "Shield two is out on our vessel with minor damage, the Romulan vessel has sustained thirty percent damage on their number one shield." The Romulan ship spat forth another torpedo from its beak. The energy-ball bashed into the formerly soft-blue sensor dish on the FEARLESS. The dish ruptured into engineering, and the resulting energy rendered the lower hull of the Federation ship ablaze. Explosions rocked up her spine as glass, metal, flesh and blood all were blown out the rear of FEARLESS's slender and rupturing neck. The bridge went aflame, and McGyver felt his stomach lunge into his throat as consoles around the bridge exploded in their operator's faces. The death screams of his crew filled McGyver's ears. Almost instantly crew-members ran into the bridge and sprayed foam to put out the fires. The remaining bridge personell ran past the charred bodies of their former comrades to find out just what exactly had happened and what they could do now. McGyver looked down. "Status report, anyone." He soon noticed that he was bleeding from a piece of glass stuck into his arm from what was the navigator's station. But there wasn't any time to get sick bay to care for it. It would have to bleed until they got out of this mess. "All shields have collapsed, major damage on all decks," the Vulcan spoke as cooly as he could, but nervousness etched itself on his tone. "Sensor scan damage makes reading of enemy vessel impossible. We have lost both impulse and warp engine control." The FEARLESS's Captain grimaced at the report. The tactical officer retraced his fingers over the weapons systems, rattling off countless reports and figures. "All weapons systems are nonfunctional," he grimly announced to the crew. The lighting had already changed to bright red, but the drain of power already caused the lights to flicker. McGyver slouched back into his chair, pondering on a way out of the situation. "Are the hailing frequencies open yet?" he muttered. A Vulcan stood up, "Aye sir, the Romulan vessel is responding." The same Vulcan pressed a few toggles and the harsh image of a Romulan Commander appeared onscreen. The sight left Captain McGyver speechless. Commader Sunak of the Imperial fleet stood proudly infront of his crew. The Romulan examined the scene of the FEARLESS's bridge carefully. "You are the captain of the NCC-1728 USS FEARLSS?" McGyver solemly nodded the affirmative. "I assume you have called upon me to surrender. Truly pathetic of you, especially for a ship of my Vulcan kindred," the Romulan adversary goaded before a stunned Federation crew. MvGyver felt his throat swell. He had begun to sweat. The entire crew looked to him for some desperate measure to save them, some reassurance that he could. His attempt was meaningless. "What is the meaning of this attack? You are in violation of the neutral zone treaty, your presence is an act of war." The Romulan laughed. "You are in no position to make threats to me. You are alive merely because I have not hit the torpedo controls again. I will fire again, of course, as we do not usually take prisoners, but I thought that you should at least have to opportunity to see your better." The Commander relaxed into his seat confident that his enemy Captain had been broken. "Now wait just a minute, the Federation will not -" But McGyver's protest would come to naught. The Romulan quickly cut the signal short, replacing his image with that of the Romulan battleship's. The viewer cut off to show the Romulan battleship launch a single torpedo from its beak toward the FEARLESS. The ball of fire grew larger in McGyver's eyes, and it would be the last thing that he would ever see. The torpedo tore into the already tattered neck of the FEARLESS. The two hulls parted in a brilliant explosion, and spun away from each other, sprialling into oblivion. The saucer scorched, and the letters of the FEARLESS slowly faded amidst the blackening hull. In only seconds, two other torpedoes reduced the hulls to rubble, slaughtering the desperate men and women housed inside them. The Romulan Commander smiled. Which was itself a rare sight. This Commander was very much unlike all other Romulan Commanders. While he was dangerous to cross, even more so than the standard, he was not the kind of Commander who actually had to display his power to enforce it. He merely was imposing by his presence, meaning that his men were deathly loyal to him. This is a state that the commander was fully comfortable with. ~Kela, new course.~ The navigator readied herself for her orders nervously. The Commander felt her fear and sympathised with it. He bent over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. ~Relax, Secundam. Lay in a course for home base for our home base,~ the tall Commander continued, ~Proceed at warp four.~ The female Romulan shook her head quickly and complied with her orders. The helmsman looked over, ~Engage cloaking device, Commander?~ The helmsman wasn't quite as nervous around his Commander as the navigator. This was good as well, as a nervous helmsman was a liability in warfare. The imposing figure replied, ~After we have left this section of space and are underway. I wish to see what remains of their ship.~ The helmsman nodded in response and readied the cloaking device. The RISS FIERY RAVEN burned through the remnants of the late FEARLESS and them seemingly rippled out of existance. CHAPTER TWO ~Get up, bastard son!~ Lights, shapes, colours, all failed to connect. ~I said get up!~ Riley felt a sharp pain in his waist, but he still couldn't move. ~Are you deaf, Earthen slime-dog? You are supposed to be borite mining now.~ Riley felt something grab hold of his long, slate-black hair and yank it upwards. ~I don't work for you.~ He still couldn't see, but the pain that swept past his face slammed hard into him. ~All half-breeds work for me, S'Lavek.~ The voice still couldn't be connected to any face. ~Are you going to come quietly or do I have to use the agoniser?~ Riley stood, but still couldn't make out anything other than a swirling ball of lights. ~I'm coming, there's no need for the...~ but he couldn't finish. The guard had struck him. Blood rushed out of his head, he could feel it begin to flow on his face, dripping off of the bridge of his nose. He collapsed on the ground. ~So, you even bleed red like a Terran, eh?~ The voice was growing meaner, Riley thought to himself. ~Maybe you could work for the Federation, eh? I'm sure they would love to see some klya like you.~ Riley tried to stand again, the pain searing down his legs. ~Who said you could get up?~ Riley screamed as sheer pain suddenly asserted itself on his chest. Vision cleared. Riley found himself in his bed on the starship ENTERPRISE. He could feel the cold sweat on his brow, and he wiped it off with his shaking hand. There was a beeping noise, Riley had to concentrate to think about what it meant. "Um, yeah, Captain here," he managed, getting past his nightmare. Saavik's voice seemed a bit soothing to Riley as she spoke, it became more and more difficult to concentrate. "Sir, communications reports many messages eminating from the Neutral Zone. It seems that something major just occurred.We are to get to warp drive as soon as possible." Riley frowned at that, the damage from the IRON CLAW II's attack had been quite severe, and repairs were going quite slow. Riley stood out of his bed. "I'll be on the bridge in a few minutes. Has engineering got my chair fixed yet?" Saavik paused a second before speaking, probably to look over some records. "Negative, sir, the engineering deck has put priority on the warp drive. They say that they'll get to it immediately afterwards." Riley once again wiped the sweat off of his brow. "What shall I tell Fleet?" Saavik inquired. "Inform them of our engine situation, Commander, and state whatever time estimates Grissom can give to you." He removed his uniform and pulled out his casual dress, blue-jeans and a Star Fleet jacket. "Sorry, sir, but Miss Grissom is currently off-shift and is unavailable for estimates. However, the engineering crew reports that engines should be warp capable in one point five hours." "Thank you, Commander, I'll be on the bridge shortly." Riley walked into the only water shower on the ship, his own, and began to clean himself. The beep returned, this time from the door. "Sir, Commander Grissom to see you." Riley grimaced and rushed for a robe. "Hold on a second. Didn't anyone ever tell you not to call me off-shift?" Riley finally got his robe together and turned on his lights, giving the room a more modern look, but still not technical. "Come in." The doors opened to reveal Grissom in her own casual dress, a skirt and sweater. In this manner she seemed even more attractive. Riley dismissed the thought. "I was reviewing our personell records, and I found yours restricted. I was curious." Riley grabbed his clothes again and walked into the shower, closing the door behind him. "There's not much in the file, Miss Grissom. Besides, the last time we spoke I thought you didn't want to be alone with me." Of course, I was even dressed then, he thought to himself. "It's Paula," she replied. Riley stopped dressing. "What was that?" "I'm off duty now, sir. I would prefer you to call me Paula." Why was her voice suddenly so soothing right now? Riley emerged from the shower wearing his jeans and belt. The engineer was shocked by what she saw. Riley's back was littered with scars, looking like belt lashes across his back. "I mean, there isn't a need to be so formal while we are off shift, is there?" She was sounding genuinely apologetic. Riley nodded, but didn't actually answer. "I have some drinks in the refrigerator, do you want any?" Grissom was being nice, something was quite wrong. Grissom gave only a look of confusion in reply. "I'm sorry sir, but why would you have an engine coolant system in your quarters?" Riley smiled at her, "No, Miss Grissom, it's a refrigerator, I use it to keep my drinks cold." He indicated the number of cans he had scattered around his desk. "We use them on," he hesitated for a second before continuing,"frontier worlds where mass units are too expensive to use." He grabbed one of his empty cans, easily crushed it, and pitched it into his disintegrator. "I should have realised that not many people would know what a fridge is here." "Um, sir, no thanks, I'm not thirsty." She pretended not to notice that her captain just crushed a titanium can. "I was curious to know why your records are restricted, no one else's were. Hell, even Admiral Kirk has open records. I was wondering why yours were different?" Riley walked to his bed and sat deathly quiet for long enough to make the engineer nervous. "I don't wish to discuss it, that's all." Grissom frowned a second and started to dismiss herself. Riley called to close the door in front of her. "Look," he hesitated for a few seconds, "Paula, I'm really not trying to put you off, it's just that there are some things others simply should not know." She looked down at the ground a second. "May I be excused now, sir, or do you intend to keep me here?" She seemed a bit on-edge again, assuming more of the personality to which he had grown accustomed. Riley stood and walked out of the door ahead of her, not even looking at her. "I'm going to the bridge. Report to me when we're ready to get underway." She walked out of the room, eyes fixed on the scars on the captain's back as he pulled his shirt down over them. "Yes, sir," she cooly replied as the doors closed. When the bridge doors opened, Riley felt a bit of relief. He felt more at home on the bridge than on anywhere else in the ship. "Mister Saavik, you are relieved." Saavik stood and walked to the tactics post. Riley took his seat and glanced at the hole on his chair. "I guess the repairs are going rather slowly, are they?" "Sorry, sir," Saavik replied, getting a bit more comfortable with her position as first officer. "The damage we took from the IRON CLAW II was impressive, but engineering assures me that the ship will be fully functional within two days." "That puts us even more behind schedule than we figured," he mutted, a bit disappointed by the news. "Sir, I'm getting a message from Star Fleet Command," R'Ress, a Catain male, piped up. "It's priority one." Riley was a bit suprised by this announcement. He hadn't counted on taking an assignment so soon, not with the ENTERPRISE so fresh from battle. "On main viewer, Lieutenant R'Ress." The Catian complied by hitting the button again, and the viewer showed once again the Federation verification symbol. "To all vessels and personell near Romulan Neutral Zone. Omega class orders effective stardate 10159.2." Admiral Jameson's proud visage filled the main viewer. "The tensions between the Romulan Star Empire and the Federation have reached crisis proportions. Three vessels have now been reported missing near the Romulan Neutral Zone, with an additional two confirmed Romulan attacks. Footage of attacks are on coded channel." Jameson continued, grimacing. "We are dispatching all available vessles to the Neutral Zone for increased protection. All available ships within five parsec proximity to the Zone need to rendevous with the carrier USS UNION at starbase six on stardate 10160.5. Further orders will be established at rendevous." The bridge fell to a grim silence. Riley squinted his eyes a second and muttered to himself, "That means us." He let the bridge indulge in a bit of shock of hearing the news of the conflict before he continued before speaking. "Now then, Mister R'Ress, I want the footage of the conflict ready for display in an hour. Have the crew meet in the rec-deck in one hour." The Catian complied. "Yes, sir, retrieving data now." Saavik gave Riley a quizzical look. "I want the crew to know just what exactly we're getting ourselves into here," Riley answered. Saavik nodded in underatanding. "Mister O'Neil, set course for rendevous point," Riley continued ordering. Engineering, we need warp speed now, what can you give me?" A man's voice answered this time. "Warp engines are ready, but we still need to run it through more simulations. Give us another hour, if you please, sir." Riley stiffened in his seat. "I can't do that. Do we have warp capabilities or not? Give me your best opinion." For a moment Riley considered that he might be acting too rashly, pushing too hard. But then, things were getting bad again, and ship repairs had already went behind schedule, despite Grissom's best efforts. The engineer spoke without emotion. "Logically, it should work, I predict a point zero zero one percent chance of failure, the computer would verify for you, once we ran the simulation." Riley grimaced. The Vulcans were never satisfied with anything less than perfection. "Activate," he finally ordered. O'Neil's eyes seemed to light with anticipation. "Sir, we have warp capability. Course is set." Riley clinched the edge of his chair, waiting for anything to happen. "Engage, warp nine." Upon command, the starship ENTERPRISE fled real-space in a ribbon of red light, entering the sub-dimension of warp-space. CHAPTER THREE His quarters were a contrast to the rest of the ship. In the room hung a large rug resembling an eagle, large red-tipped warbird. There are many, who if they didn't know better, would swear that it was the symbol of a Romulan. The furniture was definately not Fleet standard, it was wooden, but not of a wood most Terrans would have ever seen, the grain was very dark brown and was not stained. There was little lighting in the room, but what was there was illuminating Riley's face and his console, which was the only tech looking article in the room. In a remote corner of the room he had placed a device called a refrigerator, somewhat rare on starships, he went to it and pulled out one can, opening it with a loud rush sound. Riley sipped on his drink for a second at his desk before activating the communications console. "Captain Riley to USS UNION, priority one." Riley keyed in a verification signal to let the UNION know that it was indeed the ENTERPRISE's Captain that was speaking. "USS UNION, Captain James Keihl here. Receiving you ENTERPRISE, what is your status?" The voice coming over the radio was certainly uninteresting enough. Riley sipped on his drink another time before continued. After another drink Riley turned on the viewer, doubling the light in his otherwise dim room. "Captain, I wanted to inform you that the ENTERPRISE is on course for the rendevous. We should be arriving in a few minutes." Keilh was seated in the command bridge of the UNION, it was somewhat larger than the ENTERPRISE's standard bridge, but UNION had the job of coordinating the efforts of many fighters, as well as a number of ships that happened to be in the same quadrant, so Riley didn't allow himself to be jealous. "I'm glad to hear that," Keihl replied. "We don't have too many heavy hitters that can be spared, and we need your firepower. Besides, the Romulans will think twice after the IRON CLAW incident." "Acknowledged, UNION, Riley out." The viewer cut to black and the captain walked over to his bed and lied down. It had only been six days since the battle, and already word of it spread throughout Star Fleet. Such a reputation was the last thing Riley had expected. He wasn't sure if he wanted it. The computer droned on, "Personell file, zero- one- one- seven- zero- one- bee. Name of Captain Thomas W Riley. Position of commanding officer aboard USS ENTERPRISE. Further data restricted to security clearance level four or above." The engineer threw a fit and growled for no particular reason, save intense frustration. "Computer, give personell record for USS HOOD circa stardate nine-nine- nine-eight." "Access denied, data restricted to security level four or above." Someone is going to great pains to annoy anyone trying to find out about the super-strong captain of this ship, she thought to herself. Grissom frowned again for a quick second and cleared the computer. "What the hell is he, a Federation experiment?" Once saying that, she began to consider it. "No, that sort of stuff went out with the genesis device," she mused. The hissing of the engineering room's doors didn't even phase Grissom as she again set about her self-imposed duty. "Lieutenant," a demanding voice called from them. "I'll be with you in a second, ma'am," Grissom absent-mindedly responded. Her reaction gave Gahrut a fright. He didn't want to see an ugly scene. Saavik walked in. Grissom started as the tall figure walked to her. "I have noted your access denials of late on the computer. I haven't informed the Captain as yet, but duty dictates I do so." Grissom turned to look at the Vulcan, ignoring the hidden threat in Saavik's words. "Tell me something, Saavik. Can Vulcans crush titanium?" Saavik was taken aback by this question, especially as the engineer was supposed to be getting in trouble, not asking questions to the first officer. "Titanium? The strongest vulcans could bend small sheets with their hands, but only the strongest. Why do you ask, Commander?" The engineer pressed a new sequence of buttons. "I saw our Captain, our Human captain, crush a titanium can." She tried for the medical files this time, again the computer responded with the security denial. "I was wondering if was half Vulcan." Saavik went to the computer Grissom was typing on and curtly shut it off. "Captain Riley is Vulcanoid for one half, human for the other." Well then, she thought to herself, that wasn't a lie. "I don't think you should pry into the subject further. It's bad enough that you've probed this far." Grissom frowned, not taking the hint. "I don't understand, was he cast-out because of his human half? I've heard of that being done." Saavik wondered if Paula knew how badly she was grasping at straws. "Yes, Commander, Captain Riley was cast-out." Another nicely worded question, Saavik thought to herself. "If you have any other questions, you may want to address them to him." Saavik turned, ignoring Grissom's somewhat confused expression. For a few minutes, Grissom pondered whether or not to enter the computer files again. She sighed and decided against it. She had already attracted the attention of the Captain and First Officer. Next would be security. "Curiosity kills," Gahrut observed aloud as he slid over. "You do realize that Riley's records are probably sealed for a reason, don't you?" he asked nervously. "I mean, do you really want to know what's in those records?" Grissom couldn't answer, fortunately for her. The adress system had taken over the conversation. "Attention all deck, crew assembly in five minutes in recreation deck one. Crew assembly in five minutes in recreation deck one." Gahrut sighed, he was going into the fires again. He secretly prayed that this time, unlike the last, he wouldn't get shot. "Commander Saavik, would you know just what the hell is going' on here?" Someone called to her. She didn't react, but could easily have gotten away with a reprimand of whoever spoke so disrespectfully. "I just got the order to get sickbay ready, it was already ready when we fought the CLAW. Now, half the crew still has bumps and bruises and now the captain wants to take us all on some wild adventure?" Saavik reacted distantly to Matthew's insistance. "Nevermind that, Commander. Please take your place in the crowd. I am sure that the Captain will brief everyone when he comes in." As if on cue, Riley walked into the room and upon the stage set up for him. He was by no means comfortable. "All personell, I need your attention for a few moments." After a few seconds the crew quieted and Riley felt free to continue. "As you have no doubt are aware, after our last encounter, the tensions between the Federation and the Romulans are now nearing an official state-of-war. We've lost several ships, and the ENTERPRISE has been called in to assist any way we can." The doctor glared at Saavik. "You mean we're going to the front again? Half these systems haven't even been retested yet, and the crew could use some rest." Saavik nodded her acknowledgement of the statement and motioned Matthews to listen. "We have been dispatched to the Neutral Zone in response to the loss of the USS FEARLESS and USS MICHEALS," Riley continued, trying to keep calm. "We have compiled the available footage of the assault. It isn't pretty, but I wanted you to know what we are going up against." Riley motioned R'Ress to start the tape. The computerized voice of the mission recorder spoke, the deep voice echoing in the massive recreation deck. "Enemy craft is an upgraded version of the NOVA class battleship. Upgraded firepower and sheild capability noted. Improved cloaking device noted. Extended sensor range noted." The ship, dubbed the FIERY RAVEN by the tape, looked similar to the IRON CLAW II that the crew had already encountered. There were jeers and grunting emminatigg from the crowd. They didn't want another match up against that particular kind of beast. The footage began with a shot of a plasma torpedo ripping open the USS MICHEALS's engineering section. Though the clip was brief, it was powerful. The MICHEALS crew were incinerated in the blast before anyone realized what was happening. Already Matthews couldn't bear to watch the viewer anymore, the carnage on both sides of the equation already too extreme for him to take. "Damn it all, is this what I'm going be doing for the next few months, watching people die all around me." The Catian walked over to the human doctor, having not actually heard his persistant complaining. "Sad thing about this situation don't you think?" "That, Lieutenant, is a massive understatement," Matthews took another view of the monitor, this time watching the MICHEALS's engine fly off into space. "I should have expected it, whenever you sign with the government you have to know the risks." "Always, funny how the brochures never say that part," R'ress tore his eyes away from the viewer. "But then I guess that it means we had it coming for volunteering." The viewer turned solid white, then dimmed again, showing the bridge of the MICHEALS suddenly exposed to space. Her bridge crew choked as the air fled the protective dome. Fortunately, the scene changed before they became corpses, showing instead the FIERY RAVEN finishing off the Federation starship. Despite the pain and suffering he knew had taken place aboard those ships Riley knew that he had to detach himself from it. "Viewer off," was the only response Riley could let the entire crew see, though his heart cried for revenge. Saavik broke the silence which came, "As you can see, the Romulans are relentless in their fights for the most part, the don't allow weak people to live beyond the age of five, so our best is equal to their average." Riley took front again,"What Saavik is saying is that there is actually very little known about our foe. What we do know is that we are taking on the most worthy adversary we have," Riley looked over at Saavik and motioned for her to leave. "If you've read your history books you know what exactly I am talking about. The first Romulan war cost the early Federation half of her fleet. Hopefully, we can cut this off before a real war erupts," he added, for once speaking his feelings of the matter. The crew discussed among themselves for several seconds before Riley chose to speak again. "All personell will be assigned double shifts staring at twenty-four hundred hours. That means I want this vessel at full status as soon as possible, if there are questions refer them to your department heads as soon as I'm done with them." Most of the crew begun to fan out, but the command crew and department heads came forward. There was so much to do so soon. All Riley could do was hope that things would work for the best. CHAPTER FOUR ~FIERY RAVEN en route to target at this time, Senator.~ The giant Romulan felt a great surge of anticipation run through his system. ~I am looking forward to the conflict, and I am confident we shall triumph.~ There wasn't a tone of arrogance in his voice, just a voice of stating a fact. He more than believed that he would win, he was sure of it, he was certain of it. The Senator in the viewer showed a certain disgust as he spoke. ~Klingon half-breed! You have turned our incursion into the Neutral zone into a personal arena of conflict, you know we lack the resources necessary to carry on an ongoing war with the Federation.~ The Commander growled at hearing this, but said nothing to let the Senator continue. ~We have rethought our plans, and have decided that our offensive against the Federation was ill conceived.~ The Romulan Commander crushed a glass he held within his hand. ~Dare you, you know that our attacks on Federation vessels will be regarded as an act of war. The Senatorium can't just apologise now and act as if nothing had happened. The Federation will respond against us.~ The Commander let a fist slam onto the desk. ~Could it be that you have lost the courage to enforce such a war? I could arrange it so that you would have no worries about your own precious hide.~ The Senator growled. ~Don't attempt to intimidate me, Commander Sunak. We at the senate view your usefulness as short-term.~ The Senator must feel nice and safe on the other end of the viewer to be threatening me so, the Commander thought to himself. Sunak let his anger flow as he threw his fist strong into the viewer. ~Yes, Senator, maybe short-term to you. But your own cowardice will be your undoing.~ Sunak stood and walked out of his chambers. His two guardsmen noted his departure and proceeded to follow him to the lift. ~The senatorium seems to have changed its mind as to my orders. They will, no doubt send false messages stating that this vessel is rogue, since they will now attempt to cover up.~ One of the guardsmen looked angered. ~I do not understand why the senators would want to change their mind now, of all times.~ ~Simple, Trinam, the senate wanted a small victory, and then bowed out when they realised the risk of war.~ Sunak pressed the button at the forefront of the lift console. ~It is not my intention to attack someone and then apologise saying that it was the act of a rogue child. Furthermore, I do not intend to be that child.~ The same guard looked over at him. ~So the senatorium is acting like terrorists. Doing the deed without realising the consequences?~ Sunak showed a hint of a smile at the Trinam. ~Correct, but it is annoying many Rom'lnz who wish to finally see the Federation put away.~ After a few seconds the lift doors opened to reveal a small circular room lighted only by a number of consoles bordering the walls. Sunak headed for the only seat centered in the room. ~Fortunately, we Rom'lnz are more loyal to our cause than our Senatorium.~ He turned to a man seated to the left of him. ~Disengage cloaking device and open hailing frequencies.~ The Centurion pressed a button and the FIERY RAVEN rippled itself into reality. ~Cloak disengaged, opening hailing frequencies.~ The Centurion frowned as he hit the final sequence of buttons, and nervously he piped up. ~Sir, there are no ships evident in this sector, and none of our ships are assigned in this area.~ ~Spare me your confusion, Centurion, only the senate thinks our vessels are not assigned here.~ Sunak smiled almost evilly. ~This is RAVEN calling assault force one. Rendevous is set, disengage all cloaking devices at ready attack formation.~ There appeared on Sunak's viewer six separate rifts in space, and out of those rifts appeared six large warbirds, Romulan battlecraft posing themselves as an assault fleet. Three TAKARA MORLATTA's rounded the FIERY RAVEN in a dance of doom and poised themselves flanking the larger battleship. Two TEMAR VASTARI vessels appeared from behind the group and dived under the first three to take the point. Finally a BRIGHT ONE destroyer appeared behind the rest of the fleet and posied itself behind the other ships. ~Sir, the assault force identifies itself as ready for assault.~ The Centurion let out a grimace. ~I don't understand, sir. The senate just sent our orders to return to Gorwah, and they said nothing about an assault fleet.~ ~That is because,~ Sunak replied, ~they do not yet know.~ Sunak sat back eagerly in his chair. ~This is Fleet Commander Sunak of the FIERY RAVEN to all ships. Keep attack posture, proceed to target at warp eight. For the glory of the Brothers, let this strike show out cowardly leaders what true Rom'lnz are capable of.~ The flock of warbirds screamed through the black void leaving behind a ribbon of light. ~Sir, shouldn't we engage our cloaking device before our arrival, we are giving them time to prepare, maybe even to intercept us.~ The Centurion showed an edge of fear in his voice. Sunak noticed it, but gave no indication of consoling the man. Sunak let a fist slam into his open hand. ~I am counting on that, my Centurion.~ CHAPTER FIVE The UNION, quite simply, was a huge vessel. Her primary hull was simliar to the ENTERPRISE's, but her trunk attached it to a massive fighter-carrier, complete with four naccells. The ENTERPRISE was less than one-third of this ship's mammoth size, being dwarfed by the carrier as she approached. The ENTERPRISE soon swept around, taking her place in formation amougst sixteen, smaller vessels surrounding the carrier. "One battleship, us," Tiber commented as he brought the starship around the USS MAXIMILLIAN. "I hope that they don't have too many other NOVA modifeds out there, or we're toast." "Not exactly a positive outlook, Mister Tiber," Riley warned. "Besides, every little bit helps," he conitnued for Tiber's benefit. "R'Ress, patch me through to the UNION. Get me Captain Kiehl." R'Ress tuned her instruments in to the UNION's monitoring frequency. "Hailing frrequencies are open, Captain." "This is Captain Riley of the starship ENTERPRISE," he called to the air. "We've assumed position off the port bow of the MAXIMILLIAN an are awaiting further orders." The viewer cut from the shot of the UNION to Kiehl's uninteresting face. "Greetings, Captain," he said with delight. "I see that you are true to you word. I need you and your first officer to beam aboard in one hour for your mission briefing. Admiral Jameson will fill in the details." "Understood, Captain. We'll be there in one hour," Riley replied, a bit surprised by the order. "Give my personal regards to Admiral Jameson. ENTERPRISE out." The screen cut again to the shot of the UNION. "A private briefing? That's a bit unusual," Saavik offered. "I assumed that the UNION would send us to intercept any Romulan craft immediately." "I would too," Riley replied with some thought. "But it seems like Admiral Jameson wants to try and be clever. I just hope he knows what he's doing." "Do you think we're going into combat again, Captain?" O'Neil asked, hoping beyond hope for a negative reply. Riley clinched the edge of his command chair, concerned. "I would expect so, Star Fleet wouldn't call us all the way out here if they didn't want our firepower." Tiber nodded in agreement. "Another battle, so soon after the IRON CLAW II. Star Fleet has some nerve," he muttered. "You would think that they would give us shore leave at least." "God knows that I requested it," Riley countered. "But I don't make the rules." He paused for a second, regarding the UNION's impressive secondary hull, dotted with hangar bays. "Mister Saavik, come with me please," he finally commanded. "Sir?" She asked even as Riley had begun standing. Riley offered his hand to help her up. She did take it and proceeded to stand. "I need to discuss some things with you. Preferably before we go on this mission," he commanded, heading for the turbolift. Saavik said nothing in reply, but quietly followed. He had taken her to the observation deck, where one could see a great deal of the ship and surrounding space. There was little lighting here, but the view of the ENTERPRISE nested in with so many other ships was breathtaking. It was also much less conspicous than his or her quarters. Rumors had already begun circulating as to their relationship, not that the rumors had any basis in fact. "Saavik," he called as he walked to the side wall of the dome. "I was wondering how you were coping with everything. I know that recent times have been hardest on you." Saavik look confused for a moment, not sure how to answer. "I do not understand, sir. As a Vulcan I feel no need to cope with events." Riley closed his eyes, a bit upset by the comment. "I know better than that, Saavik Kahm. I was raised on Vulcan for six years, and I know exactly how emotionless you really are." Saavik straightened herself up at that, not expecting her Captain to question the manners of Vulcans everywhere. But he had, and he was also, perhaps, the only person who could get away with it. "I am doing well, Thomas," she finally replied after some difficulty. "I would have preffered another assignment, however." "Me too," Riley confessed. "I've got too many bad memories about living in the Neutral Zone when I was a child. Now I'm going through all of them." "I've been having nightmares of late," Saavik admitted, a bit more comfortable. "About my father, and Hellguard. I can't get them out of my mind, despite my Vulcan training." Riley turned to again look at his first officer. He had to admit that in the soft lighting of the room she was indeed quite beautiful. Sometimes, it would be easy to forget that the two were the commanders of this ship. But duty asserts itself rather quickly. "I've had dreams too," Riley continued, a bit more self-conscious. "I can't tell you what they've been about, but it bothers me. I've never been plaqed by nightmares until coming back here." "I've been having them since we entered Gensis," she confessed, a bit distraught over the matter. "I'm remembering David." Her voice trailed, losing herself in thoughts. "I'm remembering feelings I haven't had in years." Riley walked over and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "I wanted to tell you that you weren't the only one," he softly replied. "I wanted you to know that you weren't alone." Saavik finally reached for his hand, and gently caressed it. "Why do you care so much about me?" she softly asked, though it was a question which made her nervous. Riley stepped back, not expecting the question. "You're my First Officer," he blurted a bit too quickly. "That is, I care a great deal about how you're coping, as a crewmate," he stammed unconvincingly. It took him a second to realize that he was again holding her hand. "As a crewmate?" she questioned, gently releasing her touch. "Illogical," she flatly stated in reflection. "Most crewmates do not hold hands on the observation deck." Riley turned, a bit embarrassed, and a bit angry. "It's inappropriate, Saavik," he muttered with notable steam. "It's damn inappropriate, and we both know it. Now we've got our orders to follow, so I suggest we do it," he commanded as he stormed out of the room. Saavik stood wondering what exactly she had done wrong. "Now, this is the last known location of the USS FEARLESS," Kiehl explained to the assembled Captains and Commanders as his pointer indicated a sensor trace. "At this point, we recieved a transmission about a large vessel named the FIERY RAVEN, presumably a battleship similar to the one that ENTERPRISE encountered." The room shifted attention at that, which did nothing to sooth Riley's nerves as the attention swamped on him in particular. "The transmission was heavily garbled, probably due to jamming attempts," Kiehl continued once he was sure of the room's undivided attention once more. "Unfortunately, we don't have any more to go on from the FEARLESS. However, the MICHEALS conflict was far more substantial than the other. The MICHEALS was able to transmit her mission logs and sensor readings to us, which you should have already reviewed," Kiehl completed. "What is Fleet's appraisal of the situation?" one of the Andorian captains demanded. "Do they know what's going on?" "Fleet is hearing word from the Romulan Senate that these acts of piracy have been commited by rogue elements of their military," Kiehl replied flatly. "It seems that they were somewhat disturbed at the progress that we were making with the Klingon Empire and panicked." "With due respect, Kiehl," Riley blurted out, "these aren't the actions of panicked ship commanders. Commander Konok informed me that his superiors ordered their vessels to attack, to test our strength." Kiehl nodded in agreement, "That's likely true, but the policy makers at Fleet will have to determine that. It's our mission to capture or destroy the remaning prototype vessel on this side of the Neutral Zone." Riley straightened up a bit, finally taking some genuine interest in the proceedings. "The ENTERPRISE, HEINLEN, and MORAN are being dispatched to the staging area immediately to survey the area. The HEINLEN and MORAN are the best scouts we have, and the ENTERPRISE is the best ship for protection duty if the Romulans should attack again," Kiehl conveyed. Riley sighed heavily. "You want the ENTERPRISE to escort the scouts to the area, so they can be noise posts?" he quiered. "That's fine if the FIERY RAVEN is alone, we'll be able to take them. Where will our back-up be if things get messy?" Kiehl looked confident. "We've sent a intercept fleet to that region already which will respond to any trouble that surfaces," he proudly proclaimed. Riley simply wasn't convinced. CHAPTER SIX After a few nervous seconds a woman piped up, though somewhat shaken. ~My lord, Federation protection fleet incoming from target at warp nine.~ Didn't I tell her to relax earlier? Sunak thought to himself. ~I have obviously prepared for this, Secundam Rela.~ He motioned to the previous communications officer. ~All ships, aggressive posture. Close in on Federation targets and destroy.~ Sunak could feel his Klingon blood pour through his veins at full strength. The Federation vessels were impressive enough, he thought to himself. Sunak could easily make the shapes of two AVENGER class ships, as well as three ENTERPRISE class ships. ~Vessels identified as following: Cruisers consisting of POTEMPKIN, DEFIANT, CONSTELLATION. Frigates consisting of SARATOGA, REPEATER, AVENGER.~ The female nodded to her captain, ~I am raising shields, and arming weapons.~ The DEFIANT and CONSTELLATION were the first Federation ships to reach the Romulan assault fleet. As they warped past the warbirds they unleashed their balls of hellfire, which slammed into the lead cruisers. One of the cruisers bore the brunt of the impact, but the other began to spin and then curved off the assault fleet's formation. The loose cruiser spat a torpedo of its own toward a Federation starship, which impacted heavily on the DEFIANT's shields. ~RAVEN to DEATHWING, peel off formation, engage CONSTELLATION alongside the RAZORBEAK,~ Sunak commanded to his minion ship. Another cruiser veered from the front of the fleet and curved to the outside. The Federation starships veered one behind the other and came head-to-head against the Romulan cruisers. The DEFIANT and CONSTELLATION fired a phaser barrage on the lead cruiser. The lethal blast of heat singed the boom of the cruiser, catching it ablaze. The Romulan craft seemed to act as an angry eagle, diving wildly at the Federation starship. The DEFIANT tried to maneuver away, but the Romulan's attack was too swift, and the RAZORBEAK slammed beak-first into the smooth underside of the DEFIANT. Both ships went up in a ball of white flame as bits of shattered metal sprayed themselves through the cosmos. ~Starship DEFIANT destroyed ,sir, though we have lost the RAZORBEAK,~ Rela let out in an exited tone, not caring that her empire had just lost two-hundred people. She merely uttered the words "RANAM VALASSA" in their reverance. The reverence is given to those who have acted courageously and have performed above and beyond their call of duty, it was the first such time Rela had seen such an act, and she was impressed. The Commander looked over at her, read the excitement in her eyes, and smiled, sensing a part of himself in her. The DEATHWING maneuvered onto the CONSTELLATION and unleashed a barrage of photon torpedoes, only one of which actually impacted on the Federation ship's shields. The CONSTELLATION retorted with another phaser blast, this one crashed into the Romulan cruiser and sent it reeling. Sunak tired of this quickly and was about to order the assault ships to assist DEATHWING before REPEATER and POTEMPKIN showed up in the fight. The assault craft broke away from the battleship and centered on the REPEATER. The AVENGER and SARATOGA arrived and converged on Sunak's battleship. ~Fire a torpedo burst on the AVENGER and send the LADYHAWKE to attack SARATOGA,~ Sunak commanded. The AVENGER felt the violent sting of five torpedoes impacting on her primary hull, shattering it into countless fragments, leaving only the rear half of the vessel warping in space until finally exploding into memory. LADYHAWKE had just maneuvered on SARATOGA when the Federation ship began to turn tail. CONSTELLATION finally took a major hit and lost her port side warp engine. She began to spin for a few seconds before following SARATOGA's lead back to starbase. ~Sir, it appears that the Federation ships are attempting to reconverge at starbase.~ Rela began to feel a surge of power flow through her. A power that she could see her commander bask in. ~Shall we cut them off?~ She found herself already starting to plot in another intercept course before realising what she was doing. Sunak considered it for a moment, but declined. ~No, Rela,~ he stated. ~We need to regroup our forces before starting another attack. We have severly damaged the starbase's outer defences, and I want survivors to spread the news about what is happening here.~ There will be no way for the Senatorium to dismiss this incident as a rogue act now, he added to himself. But a Centurion growled, ~We can't let the Federation ships go like this, we should let go with phasers until they're destroyed.~ The Centurion was startled by the sudden sensation of asphyxiation. His Commander had grabbed his throat and began to throttle him two feet above the ground. Sunak growled himself. ~We do not have shields or torpedoes up thanks to that self-same destroyer. The Federation will be sending an assault force of its own soon and we have lost ours. If it is your intention to stay here and be butchered for revenge, I will gladly let you have a shuttlecraft to go fight their carriers with.~ Sunak let the man go none to gently and the Centurion crashed to the floor. ~I am not in the habit of wasting resources, Centurion. We need to rest and repair ourselves before we can fight again.~ The Centurion started to rub his throat, trying to ease the sensation of pain he felt. ~I understand, my lord,~ he managed through his damaged throat. The remaining bridge crew were either gaping at the Commander or looking stupidly at the Centurion. ~May I be excused now, lord?~ Sunak could understand easily the need for the Centurion to get away, and he offered his hand to help out his subordinate. ~Tonin, you must forgive me,~ Sunak began slowly, ~It is not my intention to bludgeon my crew into submission. You acted as any warrior would have done, wanting to finish off his opponent.~ When the Centurion was fully upright Sunak drew in a heavy breath and started again. ~We simply cannot afford the resources to engage their ships again at this time, but I am sure that she'll be in the enemy's assault fleet when we meet up with it.~ Tonin looked confused, this was certainly not an attitude he'd expected from a Klingon-Romulan commander with a reputation for demanding discipline. ~I understand, my lord. I shall be more receptive to your orders,~ he offered. Rela found herself looking at her Commander with awe, not many true Romulan Commanders, let alone half-breeds, would actually apologise for his actions. The fear being that the crew would lose respect. Sunak had no need of that fear, however. There would be no way that the crew would lose respect for Sunak. CHAPTER SEVEN Captain's log: Stardate 10160.9 The scouting party, consisting of the ENTERPRISE, the HIENLEN, and the MORAN, is nearing the site where contact with the USS FEARLESS is lost. Our purpose here seems only to prove that the FEARLESS was indeed attacked by the Romulan craft dubbed the FIERY RAVEN. I don't expect to find the Romulans themselves here, since there is generally nothing to gain by remaining at a battle-site after the battle is over. However, we are assured that our ships will be in an excellent position if trouble were to occur. The intercept fleet, I'm told, has been placed far enough into the Neutral Zone to make even the most docile Romulan nervous. Fleet assures me that the ships will be enough to remove the threat of Romulan attack before it's even started, but I'm not so sure. I've seen what this new IRON CLAW II type ship can do. The MORAN and HEINLEN were two of the newest class of ships, the new scouts. They looked unusual, with a primary hull nestled in between her warp pods. She had the distinctive trunk connecting her saucer section, as it was becoming known, to her sensory hull. The majority of the small secondary hull had been given over to sensors and science, with several bands of sensor array apparatus. The ENTERPRISE, however, was there as a gunship, and more than made up for the two scout's lack of firepower. The giant starship was leading her smaller sisters into the sector. Riley was seated again at his captain's chair, with a worried look on his face. "Keep scanning for any signs of the Romulan ship," he commanded to his science officer, who didn't bother to reply. "Coming up on debris of USS FEARLESS, Captain," Tiber observed as he made slight adjustments to the ship's course. "No life signs, as expected," he continued. "The warp engines, what's left of them, are inert. I'm not getting any power readings." Riley had expected as much, though he was disappointed. "Scan for signs of disruptor activity," Riley commanded, knowing that the trace would be weak at best. "If we can find it, I'm sure our scouts will as well." Saavik looked over the instrumentation on her panel. "May I suggest that we beam some of the debris aboard for analysis, Captain? Our engineering crew could do far more capable a job with the material in hand." "See to it," Riley commanded. "Make sure that the beaming time is minimal. I don't need the shields down any longer than I have to." "Aye, sir," Saavik replied, standing to leave the bridge. Grissom, as yet, had very little to do while the ENTERPRISE was taking aboard debris. She had already assigned the crew, since she had expected the duty, but there was no need for her to actively participate. In these times, her duty meant that she stayed available for emergencies, which meant long periods of boredom. "What are you doing calling me from sickbay?" Matthews demanded as he entered the room. "In case you didn't notice we're under yellow alert, which means I've gotta keep my fancy gear up when everything goes to hell." "I just have a few questions that I wanted to ask, Doctor," Paula countered, bemused by Matthew's attitude. "Then you're free to go back to your work." "Questions, Lieutenant?" Matthews asked in a worrysome tone. "What's on your mind, missy?" he concluded, which nearly sent Grissom fuming. "It's about our Captain," she began slowly. "I've noticed some things about him that most humans can't do, or aren't like," she continued, trying to carefully choose her words. "Such as crushing titanium cans?" "He's got really strong hands," Matthews replied noncommittally. "Not, if there isn't anything more, then I'll be off." Of course, the doctor wasn't going to get off quite that easily. "Too strong for human hands, Doctor," Paula dared. "Saavik said he was cast out, and that he's half Vulcanoid," she continued. "But everyone who would know something refuses to tell me anything." "That's because we can't," the Doctor replied. "Besides, why are you so concerned about him. I heard in the grapevine that you hated men." Grissom sighed, reputations didn't seem to take long to stick, but she had deserved it. "I don't like it when a man keeps secrets from me," she admitted, more to herself than to Matthews. "Let me tell you about the Captain," Matthews began carefully, seeing a bit of the conflict in Grissom's eyes. "Thomas keeps secrets from himself more than anyone else. He doesn't need you to go digging up old memories." "I guess he doesn't," she admitted. "I'll just have to talk to him about it sometime soon." "That's what I would suggest, Lieutenant," Matthews offered as he left. So, he thought to himself, now he's got two people falling for him. Lucky stiff. Riley was impatient. The crews had successfully beamed the debris they needed aboard, and had succeeded in keeping the shield down-time to a minimum. It didn't, however, make him feel any better about waiting for an inevitable attack. "If that's all we can do here," Riley began before noticing how flustered his communications officer was getting. "What is it, Lieutenant?" "Sir," R'Ress said with forboding, "I've just gotten several panicked reports from the intercept fleet." The Catian did his best to clear the static and overlapping signals. "They've been attacked." Riley turned his chair to the officer. "What? Already? Why weren't we informed?" He demanded. R'Ress was obviously having troubles with the amount of traffic he was receiving. His voice seemed to crack. "I don't know, sir, apparantly everything happened in only a couple of minutes. There wasn't any time." "Damages, Lieutenant," Riley commanded with a distinct note of disdain. R'Ress sorted through more of the communicaes flooding her board. "We've lost the DEFIANT and AVENGER, no survivors," Riley's face went red at that, it meant that there was over one thousand already dead. "The CONSTELLATION suffered extreme damage and took over one-hundred casualties," R'Ress contiuned. "The SARATOGA took some damage but turned tail after the other ships were destroyed." Riley growled. "Set course for new battlesite, warp thirteen," he commanded with such a dark overtone that it even sent shivers down Saavik's spine. O'Neil frowned at the order, "Aye, sir, warp thirteen." He quickly set the course and the velocity as ordered, sending the ENTERPRISE faster than any ship had ever gone on its own power. The ENTERPRISE quickly began to shake under the strain. "Sir, MORAN and HEINLIN are calling," R'Ress piped up. "They're asking if they should assist us." "Tell them to show up when they can," he angrily ordered. "And tell the UNION that their brilliant strategy didn't work, and to get as many ships as they can spare over to us." "Aye, sir," R'Ress nervously complied. "Sheilds, Captain?" Tiber asked nervously, though the answer was obvious. "Raise sheilds, arm weapons, and red alert," Riley ordered, sending the ENTERPRISE headlong into battle like an avenging angel. There were going into the fires, again. CHAPTER EIGHT The rec deck had emptied with the exception of two, and these two were showing no signs of leaving as yet. Rela's dueling stick flew underneath Sunak's arm, and he felt the pain pierce his skin. He grabbed her arm and flung her easily several feet behind him. The strength took Rela by surprise. ~You are much stronger than I pictured, my lord.~ She stood and came barrelling at her commander poising the stick for a strike. Sunak was ready for her and thrusted his own dueling stick to not only block hers, but send it reeling back across the floor. Rela lost balance and fell backwards. She looked up and saw her lord with the stick readied for a final blow. ~I think,~ he began, ~that you may want to yield now.~ ~I don't get it,~ she replied as she stood, ~I held that stick with a death-grip yet you knocked it out of my hand with ease.~ Sunak offered his hand to her and helped her to compose herself. ~That's the point, you held the stick too tightly, and it just snapped off like a heavy branch would on a tree.~ Sunak went behind his navigator and put his dueling stick into her hand. ~Now clinch this as you would for battle.~ She did so, and her veins started to show through her skin. ~That's too tight, ease on it. Just put enough pressure to handle the stick and to keep it sturdy.~ Her grip on the stick relaxed somewhat. ~Tell me, sir. Why did you apologise to Centurion Tonin when you grabbed him? He deserved it didn't he?~ Sunak fell silent for a moment, and looked into her eyes.~I'm not the sort of commander who likes to use intimidation and physical abuse to get people to follow my orders. I've seen ships that do such and I've seen crews attempt to kill their commanders.~ He took a seat on the mat the two had been practicing on. ~I don't want my own crew to wind up attempting to kill me for something I do.~ Rela sat and cocked her head with a smile. ~No, you would much prefer the Senatorium to cast you off as a traitor for starting a war without their permission.~ Sunak laid a hand on her shoulder. ~You do understand what is going on. The Senatorium ordered us to attack any ships near the Zone so they could ease their political status with colonists out here. I think they, at the time, realised a war could result. So they came up with a plan to protect themselves.~ Rela gave a look of concern. ~You mean that they were planning on declaring us rogue all along?~ ~I believe so. I contacted all other ships within the area, and when they heard this news they were much more than eager to jump to our side.~ Sunak looked away from Rela for a few moments, instinctively she moved closer to him. ~What bothers me is that I am starting this war.~ Rela caressed the opposite side of Sunak's face and pulled it so he would be looking at her. ~You started this? I don't think so, I think you have saved the honor of our people with this act.~ Sunak could feel the soft touch of Rela's hand across his face, and he reach for her hand. He started to become a bit lost in his concentration as he looked at her. ~Rela,~ he began to whisper. She moved over to kiss him and he pulled harshly away. ~What is it? What's wrong?~ The was a genuine pain in Sunak's voice as he spoke, a pain which seemed to penetrate into his very soul. ~I can't take you, Rela, I just can't.~ He started to stand and found that he was emotionally unable to. He looked again at her, and noted her compassion, her deep caring, her attraction. Could this be what love is, he found himself asking. ~Rela, I'm truly sorry.~ She grabbed his hand, and she could feel the dense skin of his body for the first time. It was too dense to be Romulan. ~I don't understand. I thought that you wanted me, like I wanted you. Please talk to me.~ The softness in her voice relaxed Sunak somewhat. ~I'm not a full Rom'lnz by any measure Rela. Only my mother was Rom'lnz.~ As he spoke, the words became more painful to bear. Rela put her arm around him and parted her other hand in the from of a "V" as she caressed his open hand. ~Rela, I'm half Klingon,~ he finally admitted, though it had been no secret. Rela was taken aback, but didn't stop showing her affection.~I knew that. But I thought that Klingons and Rom'lnz were incompatible. How could you...~ she found herself lost in a train of thought that seemed to lead no where. ~My mother died giving birth to me,~ he began slowly, painfully caring for each word he let out of his lips. ~My Klingon father donated me to Klinzai research. They performed experiments on me, corrected the genetic defects in me.~ He tried to be soothed by Rela's touch, but there was too much pain involved, too many memories. ~They put me on display like some sort of animal. I was billed as the greatest feat of Klingon science in the entire Avastam.~ Rela tightened her grip on the commander. ~My lord, if this is too much to bear for you then I will...~ Rela could see that Sunak's personal reality was overshadowed my memory at this point. She only held him that much closer. ~In my fourth standard year, a Rom'lnz ship destroyed the Klingon science lab where I was displayed, and brought me into their influence. I was too physically superior to them for me to be one of the k'manatri, so they inducted me into the fleet early.~ Rela looked into her commander's eyes again, this time seeing all the emotion he possessed. ~S'T'L'Sunak,~ she whispered to him. ~I still don't understand what your fear is. I can't see what bothers you so much.~ Sunak's look of pain subsided, and a look of incompleteness swept across his face. ~I do not know love. For me there was only the hate of the klivam and the duty of the Rom'lnz. I saw others while I was rising through the ranks. I saw the way that males and females interacted, but I could never take part.~ Rela brushed the side of Sunak's rough face. ~You can now.~ At this point, she kissed him thoughtfully and backed off. ~Commander,~ she began with a grin on her face, ~I think you have a ship to run. Your bridge misses you.~ The giant Romulan stood, helping Rela get up. ~I thank you, Rela, I have never felt as if I could talk to anyone.~ He held her a moment, a sensation he found soothing. ~I will,~ he hesitated so he could pick the right words,~ see you once our fleet has regrouped a repaired themselves.~ The two touched their hands together in a ritual only true Romulans could understand and then Sunak walked off to the lift. Rela considered following him for a moment, but declined. There would be no point to pursue this matter on the bridge, the rest of the crew had no need to overhear the commander's affairs. When the lift doors opened, Rela was surprised to see Tonin walk through towards her. ~Well, what did he say about me?~ Rela smiled at the Centurion's nervousness. ~You're quite safe, Tonin. Sunak's apology was sincere.~ Tonin looked at her quizzically. ~I get the distinct impression that more went on here than just dueling.~ I know, Tonin thought to himself, I am asking a loaded question. But that was a damn long duel with someone three times your strength and twice your speed. ~Let's just say that the Commander had vulnerabilities no man could ever get to.~ Rela called that the end of the conversation and walked to the lift with a broad smile on her face. Tonin just set about massaging his neck. CHAPTER NINE ~Commander,~ a Centurion called as Sunak returned to his command chair, ~we had registered a Federation battleship, closing in at us at very high velocity.~ Sunak observed the reaction of the crew. What could this one ship be to be so bold as to challenge a fleet, they were wondering. It was obvious, however, it was the banshee devil which had somehow managed to destroy the IRON CLAW II only days before. Now it had come to try and claim them. ~On screen,~ Sunak grimly commanded. The screen flickered a bit, then finally fixed itself. On it was the image of the Federation's newest and most powerful warship, the USS ENTERPRISE. Her massive form was charging them at speeds unheard of. Rela entered the bridge and was taken aback by the view she was welcomed. ~What in the name of the Brothers is that?~ she asked, temporarily letting her discipline slip. ~Is that the new Federation ship?~ ~It is the ENTEPRISE, Rela,~ Sunak responded as she assumed her seat. ~She is headed directly for the battlesite, and will pass near us quite soon.~ ~Sensors are also indicating two scouting vessels,~ Tonin continued. ~They're of a type that I've never seen before,~ he added with a bit of confusion. ~They are farther away and are travelling much slower than the battleship.~ Sunak stroked thoughtfully on his chin, ~She's charging right into us. Her Captain knows we're still here,~ he concluded. ~Raise sheilds and drop us from cloaked mode,~ he commanded. ~Drop the cloak, commander?~ Tonin responded. ~Is that wise, sir? Surely we're better off with the cloaked avantage,~ he added, daring to go too far once more. But Sunak was undaunted. ~The ENTERPRISE, we know, has seeker torpedoes. If she comes in firing, we'll be destroyed. The cloaking device adds no protection for us.~ Tonin complied, causing the ship to shimmer into reality. ~Shall I pass the order to the other ships, Commander?~ he asked. ~No,~ Sunak replied coldly. ~There's no need for their commander to know of our other ships just yet. We'll decloak them when needed. But for now we'll offer ourselves as a target.~ Rela drew in a deep breath. ~May the glory be ours today, Commander.~ "A battleship has decloaked at site, Captain," Tiber announced. "She's raising shields and arming weapons." Riley did his best to hide his concern. There was now no way of telling if the FIERY RAVEN's siblings were in the area. But at least there was one target. "Estimated time to intercept, Lieutenant?" "Sixteen minutes at present speed," O'Neil replied. "But engineering reports that our engines are red-lining and that we should cut back to warp twelve," he continued, frightened. There was even noticable sweat coming from his brow. "If their Commander has half a mind he's already prepared himself against the anti-matter trick," Riley mused remembering the previous battle. "Since I don't have really anything else in mind, we'll slug it out the old fashioned way." If Riley was trying to console anyone, he failed. "How soon before MORAN and HIENLEN can arrive?" Saavik queried. "Thirty minutes at their best speed," R'Ress responded depressingly. "They're running at maximum speed at warp ten. We've got an impressive jump on them." "Which is how I want it," Riley replied in a grimace. "We'll go in a do some damage, then turn tail and pull the RAVEN in, hopefully. If it works, we should catch her away from her flock." It was a gamble, Riley wasn't even sure that the RAVEN's fleet had stayed in the area. He also wasn't even sure about the tactics that the RAVEN's commander was fond of using. He was sure, however, that he wouldn't fall for such a trick. R'Ress had already begun relaying the order when Riley suddenly cut him off. "No, belay that," he commanded, which caused the crew to pause. "Tell them to sweep around and just scan for tactical analysis. Fleet will need the cloaking registers for those ships." Saavik raised her eyebrow at her Captain's apparent indecision but said nothing. He was faring no worse than anyone else, but was having a hard time since he couldn't reverse his decision to rush into battle. He reacted emotionally, she thought to herself, and he was now regretting it. But Riley was quick, and that's what counted. "He's baiting me," he muttered aloud. "He wants me to fire on his ship, that's why he's out there, uncloaked." Tiber studied over his instrumentation for a moment, desperately looking for signs of other cloaking patterns. "We're too far out of range to detect any patterns," Tiber announced. "We've got ten minutes travel before we can find them, if there are any other ships there." Riley smiled. "Yes, they're there, waiting for me to jump right in and get shot at," he concluded, a bit angry with himself. "I can't believe how stupid I've been." Riley stood up and walked to Tiber's helmsman's station. He studied the instrumentation carefully. "They're trying to catch the fleet a little at a time, going for the scouting parties instead of key targets. That's why it took so long for us to find out our ships are missing." Saavik gazed at her captain, trying to make sense of his random thoughts. "I don't understand, sir? What do they have to gain by attacking scouting units." "The ability to pick off ships a few at a time instead of a coordinated effort," Riley replied matter-of-factly. "The Romulans aren't trying to fight a war, they're trying to sabotauge our strength in these sectors by stripping some of our defenses." Saavik's eyes widened as she finally was able to draw conclusions. "The Romulans are trying to even out the forces by using what they call 'rogue agents' to attack a handful of Federation vessels," she commented. "They're at a disadvantage, strategically speaking." Riley again took his seat. "Desperately, if they would try such a crazy idea," he commented. "Some Senator must have had a few too many ales one night." Tiber span his chair a bit, not having grasped the meaning. "Why rogue agents? I don't understand." "It's simple," Saavik replied. "The Romulans have likely devised this scheme to cause slight damage to the Federation defenses along the Neutral Zone. These 'rogue agents' are enlisted to find and destroy any lone vessels. The skirmished are designed to look like the acts of a renegade commander in a new ship." "That way," Riley concluded, "the Romulans can't officially be held the blame. That's what Konok meant when we captured him. We can't morally declare war on the Romulans since it all the act of some disgruntled ship Captains." Tiber nodded in understanding. "But what happened now? Why would they attack an intercept fleet so openly?" Riley smiled. "Because," he began with deep understanding, "I think that the RAVEN's commander has had it with being the scapegoat and has taken matters into his own hands." CHAPTER TEN "Entering sector," Tiber announced. "Definate Romulan cloaking signatures around, looks like a small fleet of them." Tiber muttered with a hint of expectation. Riley straightened himself up in his seat. "Lauch a volley of our seeker torpedoes, and keep it up until the MORAN or HIENLEN arrives," he commanded grimly. "With luck, maybe we can even the odds a bit." The ENTERPRISE fired, in very rapid succession, a barrage of torpedoes in what appeared to be empty space. Desipte the fact that the FIERY RAVEN was standing to fire directly in front of them, the ENTERPRISE Captain was firing at ghosts. Sunak's eyes widened in terror as he saw the maneuver. The ENTERPRISE Captain hadn't fallen for the trap, but was going to spring it the hard way. ~Get our vessels uncloaked and shielded,~ he barked even as a group of the torpedoes slammed into one of the three hidden TAKARA MORLATTA's, reducing it to drifting ash. Suank's surprise was substantial, ~Fire torpedo and bring us in for phaser barrage,~ he commanded. The the ENTERPRISE torpedo shower hadn't dried itself up as yet. The remaining torpedoes found a new target, a TEMAR VASTARI which was in the process of decloaking. Five of the remaining torpedoes ruptured the cloaking pattern, atomizing the vessel in mid-cloak. "Incoming," Tiber announced as the FIERY RAVEN unleashed her counter assault. Tiber fired the phasers into it, hoping to be as lucky as he had been before, but this torpedo didn't disperse. The ENTERPRISE shook as the Romulan torpedo slammed into her. "Return fire," Riley commanded, sending his ship further into the battle. Two of the original torpedoes remained, crashing into the remaining TEMAR VASTARI's sheilds. The Romulan ship took the assault, but the follow up of the ENTERPRISE's powerful phasers finished her off cleanly. Suank stood in disbelief, his fleet had already been comprimised. Of course, the two titans hadn't done much to one-another as yet. ~Fire phasers,~ the giant Romulan ordered. Rela complied, sending beams of hot-death into the ENTEPRISE's sheilding. Of course, the other remaining warbirds, two TAKARA MORLATTAs, joined in firing on the devil which had attacked them. "Sheilds weakening, we can't stand a prolonged attack like this," Tiber announced as the ENTERPRISE was bombarded with phaser-fire. "Back off, back off," Riley barked and gestured wildly with his hands. Tiber pulled the ENTERPRISE gently back, trying to gain distance from the counter-attacking vessels. "Launch torpedoes," he commanded angrily. The bulk of the torpedo barrage was geared for the FIERY RAVEN, which suffered massive shield loss. She would have suffered actual damage if three of the torpedoes hadn't decided to track the two smaller craft instead. Then the RAVEN fired her most powerful weapon again, sending a ball of deadly energy at the Federation starship. ~Whatever it takes, Tonin,~ Sunak warned menacingly, ~keep that Federation ship in our arc of fire.~ Tiber had tried firing at the torpedo again, but the FIERY RAVEN's weaponry seemed to be more stubborn than the IRON CLAW II's. The ball slammed into the ENTERPRISE in a shockwave which sent crewmembers reeling. R'Ress's communications panel exploded at him, but the material caused him no personal damage. He instinctively rushed for the fire retardant nearby and commenced spraying. Tiber strained to return to his seat. "We're down to only ten percent shielding, Captain," he reported mournfully. "Their phaser fire is draining us away." This would be it then, Riley confessed to himself. At least we exposed them for what they were. "Fire another torpedo spread at the FIERY RAVEN and prepare to jettison the log buoy," he grimly commanded. But at once one of the TAKARA MORLATTA's hull was torn from behind and the other broke off firing. The FIERY RAVEN even seemed to give pause as three new ships entered the battle, severly changing the odds. The USS MORAN and the USS HIENLEN rushed forward, photon torpedoes firing. Behind them was another powerhouse, the USS SARATOGA, ready to avenge her earlier defeat. ~We had him,~ Sunak fumed as the sensor reports came in. ~Order our escorts to dispatch of the newcomers. The ENTERPRISE belongs to us,~ he commanded. Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!news.cs.indiana.edu!noose.ecn.purdue.edu!mentor.cc.purdue.edu!neale From: neale@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Neale Davidson) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: STTRR 11-20/20 repost Message-ID: <57240@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> Date: 19 Aug 92 13:49:06 GMT Organization: Purdue University Computing Center Lines: 1158 - STAR TREK ------------------------------------------------- - THE RAVEN'S ROAR ------------------------------------------------- Part Eleven through Twenty of Twenty (repost) -------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER ELEVEN "Thank you SARATOGA," Tiber exclaimed as the two smaller Romulan craft disengaged the ENTERPRISE and rushed to meet the new trio of ships that had appeared. Riley felt a wave of relief upon him, his gamble had worked, after all, even if it had been a bit too close. "Draw us away from the FIERY RAVEN so we can get our sheilds on line," Riley commanded. "Engineering, I need to divert as much power to sheilds and weapons as I can." Grissom's shaking voice came over the intercom, "I'm doing what I can. I'm even drawing from life support from certain decks." "Then channel all avaiable warp power through the shields, but get them up," Riley commanded, all too aware of what would happen if the Romulan battleship could recharge her torpedo bay before the shields were in better shape. "Aye, sir," Grissom quaked. The fear which accompanied battle had gripped her as well, Riley considered for only a brief moment. Again the ENTERPRISE drew herself away from the FIERY RAVEN, but the Romulan craft wasn't about to give up the chase. Already she began to pull ahead to keep range. ~Crafty, this one,~ Sunak muttered, having previously underestimated his opponent. ~It is I who have been baited,~ he concluded with admiration. He then gave the signal to fire. "Sheilds only up to twenty percent, still not enough to resist a plasma torpedo," Tiber announced and instantly regretted. The FIERY RAVEN had launched another shot, this time accompanied with phasers. For the first time, the ENTERPRISE's hull would be comprimised. The torpedo slammed into the hull of the Federation battleship, rendering the shields powerless. The phaser barrage ripped through the armored secondary hull, tearing open crew compartments and deckways. Crewmen of differing ranks rushed away, attempting to seal off the breached areas. Lightning storms from ruptured power connections filled the air. Thankfully, few were killed, as the crew knew better than to stay at the edges of the ship. "We've taken hits in decks nineteen, twenty, and twenty-one. Three confirmed dead, sixteen unaccounted for," R'Ress reported as the ship's commincation channels roared into life. But Riley couldn't think of the dead now. He had to be concerned with keeping alive the living. "Train all weapons on the FIERY RAVEN and fire," he commanded with a grim determination, even as his ship bled energy into space. "Standby to execute emergency warp jump," he added, wondering wether he should pull away from the battle outright, cutting his losses. The ENTERPRISE retaliated, sending her massive fury into the heart of her enemy. The torpedoes fired, nearly point blank, sending the Romulan battleship reeling. Sunak and his crew were thrown to the floor, surprised by the firepower the ENTERPRISE could carry. ~Our starboard and aft sheild generators have been destroyed, Commander,~ Tonin complained. Sunak returned to his seat, a bit shaken by the massive blow he'd recieved. ~I can't believe they fired torpedoes that close,~ he said with genuine surprise. ~Get us some distance, and overlap our sheilds.~ Rela obeyed her commander, taking the ship away from her impressive foe. ~Should we assist the less craft, Commander?~ she asked, concerned that the two vessels were getting thoroughly trounced by the Federation trio.~ Sunak folded his arms, ~Negative. The ENTERPRISE is far too powerful to be left alone. We'll stay with her until she is destroyed.~ Tiber studied over his tactical scanners again, a bit relieved by the new readings. "We've severly damaged their sheild grid, Captain. Also, some of their main weapon power couplings have been destroyed." Finally, a bit of good news, Riley kept to himself. "What about us, Lieutenant?" "Grissom's got the sheilds back up to fifty-three percent, and our weapons are still on line," Tiber reported. "We have enough torpedoes for three more volleys." "Then let's hit them while we've got an advantage," Riley ordered. "Fire volley into FIERY RAVEN." He grimaced, he had been using more torpedoes than what was wise for an extended battle. He didn't need to spend the ENTERPRISE again, and he'd been cutting things far too close for his comfort. The ENTEPRISE again launched her death-bringers to the now-damaged FIERY RAVEN. In rapid succession, the torpedoes battered the fading sheilds of the Romulan ship. The battleship succeeded in phasering two of the torpedoes into nothingness, but the last remaining two went made it through the ship's defenses and to the ship itself. The RAVEN's starboard naccell was ripped away from the remainder of the ship with the first torpedo, and then was slammed into oblivion with the second. ~Bring us around, launch all available weapons into that thing,~ Sunak cried, feeling victory slip from his grasp. The FIERY RAVEN turned and fired in one swift motion, sending yet another massive torpedo into the damaged ENTERPRISE's sheilds. The torpedo ripped through, stripping a piece of the secondary hull clean off of the ship. "Massive damage below, sir," Tiber nearly panicked. "Another nine fatalities. Recommend withdrawl, Captain." "I concur," Saavik finally spoke, a bit of nervousness in her voice. "We cannot remain in battle for very much longer." "If we leave now," Riley muttered, "how many other small ships will suffer? How much more death will the RAVEN cause. I'd rather lose this ship, than a dozen or more others," he retorted. "No, we finish this here and now, if at all possible." CHAPTER TWELVE The damaged TAKARA MORLATTA may have looked tattered an broken, but she still was painfully able to dish out large amounts of punishment. The HIENLEN's Captain made a mistake and underestimated her, going in for what she thought was a sure kill. But the Romulan craft wasn't noticably weakened by the torpedeo hit, and was able to counter with a barrage of phaser power which pitted the HIENLEN's otherwise pristine primary hull. The SARATOGA and MORAN set about double teaming the other Romulan scout ship. Already the two vessels were withering away the small craft's shielding into tatters. The TAKARA MORLATTA fired her phasers incessently, trying to keep the powerful Federation destroyer SARATOGA from getting near enough to effectively counter attack. But the advantage in the battle clearly belonged to the Federation starships. SARATOGA pressed on, with significant aid from photon power eminating from the MORAN. Rela's eyes widened with excitment as she viewed the tactical monitor. The Federation had a definate advantage. All of the remaning Romulan craft had been severly damaged, including the RAVEN herself, and only one of the Federation scouts had been scarred. Granted, the SARATOGA had fled a battle previously, but she seemed to want to avenge her former cowardice. Sunak regarded his minion's, his love's, expressions with equal enthusiasm. Here was a Romulan who fully understood duty an honor, a rarity in these scarce times. She had energy, drive, and sprit. Sunak, in the middle of combat, watching her, had come to the conclusion that he loved her. He decided that his first gift to her would be named the ENTERPRISE. ~Swing around again, launching a phaser barrage,~ Sunak commanded with renewed self assurance. ~When we've cut to minimum range, launch the plasma.~ The FIERY RAVEN turned gently around, once again facing her most worthy adversary. The ENTERPRISE hung in space, still angry and determined, even with pieces of her mission. But Riley had been the fierce one aboard the ship, determined to end the battle, and to destroy the renegade legion that Sunak had created. He and his personal fleet had more damage in this one battle than any of Sunak's ships had ever taken in their carrers. SARATOGA fired another series of torpedoes at the scout's hull. Now stripped of sheilds, the exposed vessel was torn to shreads under the massive energies of the Federation weapons. The MORAN closed as well, letting go with her limited phasers, scarring the debris. The HIENLEN had managed another turn, coming away from her agressor a bit more scarred than before. The TAKARA MORLATTA fired her plasma torpedo again, but this time the HIENLEN's shields were powerful enough to deflect the attack. The HIENLEN countered with her own torpedo series, slamming into the TAKARA MORLATTA's boom section. In a brief second, the torpedoes ripped through every deck until they found themselves crashing into engineering. The Romulan craft erupted into a ball of hellfire, and then dispersed into the great void. Sunak grimaced, the battle was now as good as lost. The Federation scout turned to aid the MORAN and SARATOGA in finishing off the TAKARA MORLATTA, ending their side battle. Then the ENTERPRISE once again made her presence felt, slamming several torpedoes into the FIERY RAVEN's hull, hovering just outside of the main torpedo's range. ~Rela, close range to ENTERPRISE and keep our sights on her,~ he commanded with grim overtones. He knew that once the scout was finished, the trio of Federation ships, damaged as they were, would attack and likely destroy the RAVEN next. It had been going well so far, despite the damage and how thin the supplies were getting. Riley's little gambit had worked, and, what was more, the UNION and her main fleet were on their way. But Riley was wise enough to know better than to assume victory was near, instead concentrating on the task at hand. He was concentrating on removing the FIERY RAVEN from this plane of existance. "Sir," Tiber announced with a bit of renewed enthusiasm, "The MORAN reports that the last Romulan scout's shields are down and they are moving in for the finish." But Riley wasn't happy with the news. Fear and desperation gripped him, for he knew the Romulan Way far too well. "What? Get them out of there," he barked in a loudness that could be heard from front to stern of the huge ENTERPRISE. "Tell those idiots to pull back," he screamed. But it had been too late. The TAKARA MORLATTA had drawn in both the MORAN and SARATOGA, who were attempting to finish off the tiny ship. But it was the Romulan who would perform best in this combat. Her commander had ordered that the barrier between the ship's anti-matter and matter containers be dropped. The Romulan scout exploded in a wave of annihilation which ripped through the MORAN and SARATOGA as if they hadn't existed. The crews of the two ships hadn't the time to realize their fate, they too were annihilated in the death-storm. Even the HIENLEN, as far from the explosion as she had been, suffered from the effect, losing her shielding and stripped of parts of the outer layer of her hull. The scout quietly headed back for the UNION, knowing that she had been spent. But two ships remained, as it seemed inevitable that it would. The ENTERPRISE and FIERY RAVEN had been far removed from the act of self-sacrifice. Aboard the ENTERPRISE, there was stunned silence. Aboard the FIERY RAVEN, there was reverence. CHAPTER THIRTEEN "Damn them," Riley cried, breaking the silence that had dominated the bridge. "What's FIERY RAVEN's status?" he asked, hoping that his enemy had suffered more than the ENTERPRISE. "They've taken massive damage to their weapons systems and to their impulse drive," Tiber reported. "Her shields are shimmering on and off, and she's unable to cloak." That was the good news, but the ENTERPRISE had suffered from the Romulan's ferocious counter-attack as well. "What's our status?" Riley finally got up the nerve to ask. "Sheilds are down to fifteen percent, with our starboard shield gone," Tiber replied grimly. "We're down to half impulse power, and are warp engines are unstable. We also have seven torpedoes remaining, and phaser power is down twenty percent." "Still pretty much an even match," Riley observed, his mind lost in endless computations. Fortunately, the UNION now was only five minutes away, and likely well within scanning range of the FIERY RAVEN. Still, five minutes was a great deal of time in the midst of combat. "Correction, sir," Saavik piped up. "I believe that is we who possess the advantage. The Romulan shields are flickering, which seems to indicated that they are unable to transfer their shield power to differing sectors of the ship. If they are using a warp naccell for their main shield generator, then their power must be distributed evenly." "And our's doesn't," Riley replied with a grin. "Mister Tiber, transfer all shield power to the forward and port shield grid at my command. Standby photon torpedoes and phasers," he commanded. Tiber, eager to avenge the crews of the SARATOGA and HIENLEN, input the commands into the ship's computer. "Torpedoes and phasers are ready. Shield transfer at your command, sir." "Okay, Tiber," Riley cooly commanded, "put them off of our port side and bring us in." ~ENTERPRISE is coming for another attack run,~ Tonin announced as the enemy ship grew larger in their main viewer. ~Her shields are quite weak, and will not stand another torpedo hit. Recommend a close-range torpedo shot in the middle of their run,~ he offered. Sunak sat in his chair, not trusting his enemy. ~She's either commiting suicide, or she's got something up her sleeve,~ he commented to the air about him. ~Of course, her Captain does seem one to commit himself for self-sacrifice.~ Rela looked up at her commander. ~Sir, perhaps they intend to detonate both of our vessels once they are in range,~ she offered, not knowing Federation members as well as Romulans. ~I doubt it, Rela. Federation members value their lives too much,~ he countered. ~But, he does seem to be rather persistant, doesn't he? Watch your scanners carefully, Tonin. Their Captain is up to something, I'm sure of it.~ The ENTERPRISE came slowly forward, awaiting the torpedo bolt that would inevitably come. "She's withholding fire, Captain," Tiber reported as the FIERY RAVEN's torpedo bay remained alit. "She's luring us in." "I know she is," Riley countered. "Just keep going. As soon as we start recieving fire, rechannel the shields and counter-attack." Then time itself seemed to crawl slowly forward as the FIERY RAVEN's daunting image grew larger on the bridge's main viewer. The seconds dragged into minutues. The minutes seemed like hours. "We are in torpedo range now, Captain," Tiber announced when his instrumentation chimed up. "Wait," Riley ordered, watching his screen. The RAVEN's image was larger than the viewer now. The giant battleships were within a mile of each-other, posing for the death dance one more. ~All hands brace for nearby explosion,~ Sunak ordered, bracing himself in his chair. ~Fire,~ he commanded when the ENTERPRISE markings became completely readable. The FIERY RAVEN launched the ball of fire nearly point blank, making Tiber compensate even before Riley could give the order. The ENTERPRISE's shields took the hit, but collapsed beyond the point of usability. "Fire," Riley commanded, seizing the opporunity as the FIERY RAVEN, failing her attempt at a quick victory, started to flee. The ENTERPRISE unleashed her last torpedo volley, dotting stripping the battleship's hull and fortified armor into scrap. "Fire," he ordered again, setting alife the ENTERPRIE's phaser banks. The red beams of destruction crashed into the FIERY RAVEN's naked hull. The bridge erupted into flame, being nearly missed by the ENTEPRRISE's lethal blow. Rela was thrown back, hard, into the rear panels of the ship. The all too familiar sound of air hissing from the hull into space filled the room. The fight, somehow, had gone to ENTERPRISE. ~Rela,~ Sunak cried as he righted himself. ~Tonin, get us out of here, maximum velocity across the Neutral Zone.~ Gently, Sunak's powerful form lifted Rela's damaged body. ~Commander?~ she barely spoke through damaged lungs. ~Did we defeat the ENTERPRISE?~ ~No, my love,~ he confessed painfully. ~We have beaten the Federation. The ENTERPRISE will come soon.~ He gently carried her form heading out of the bridge. ~Tonin, tell engineering that I don't care what lengths need be taken, but we must be able to destroy the ENTERPRISE this day.~ ~Yes my lord,~ Tonin complied even as he led the FIERY RAVEN away from her better. "They're turning tail, Captain," Tiber announced with apparant glee. "Shall we pursue?" Riley sighed queitly, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Hell no, Lieutenant," he ordered with a mock. "Radio UNION and inform them of our situation. Tell them that we need the best repair crews we can get and to get the ship back together as soon as possible." Saavik looked concerned, knowing how hollow a victory this had been. "Then what do we do, sir?" "Then we set ourselves as bait," Riley answered matter-of-factly. "And let the FIERY RAVEN come to us for a change." CHAPTER FOURTEEN Matthews wasn't happy. In fact, he was absolutely depressed. Sure, the FIERY RAVEN did run away, severely beaten, but at the cost of sixteen lives thus far, and over fifty major injuries. Some of the injured were lucky, taking cuts and abrasions from shorting panels. Some were not. Deuce was one of the most unlucky ones. At least Riley had the decency to come down here and visit him, Matthews thought to himself as he tended other patients. Deuce had been near the starboard secondary hull when she blew. It had been his misfortune to be working on phaser coolant systems when the RAVEN's fearsome strike ripped away with her torpedo. The coolant covered his body, rendering much of it useless, and ravaging his vital organs. Riley knew that Deuce was on instruments now, and found it unlikely that he could even hear his Captain. "I've only known him for one week," Riley muttered in self-disgust. "He's going to die for knowing me, isn't he? Not much different than during Intel." Matthews said nothing, not really expecting the answer. Saavik, whom had seen fit to accompany her captain, had gently placed her hand on his shoulder. In one sense, Riley's innards were ripped apart as surely as Deuce's. Saavik couldn't bring herself to say anything, there wasn't much to say. Riley was brooding in the world between doubt and pity, trying to understand where things had gone wrong. Riley was doubting his ability to command, a doing a lousy job of hiding the fact. "Perhaps you should get some sleep," Saavik gently spoke, trying to calm him. "I know that you haven't since we left Konok with the ASSISTER," she continued, leaving Matthews to draw his own conclusions. But Riley said nothing in reply, instead standing calmly. "If there isn't a chance, then get him off the machine. He deserves a decent death, at least," Riley ordered out of some brotherly admiration for the young Ensign. "I'll inform his family personally when we get home." Riley then left, saying nothing more, and headed to speak with another person on his mind. Saavik and Matthews were left with numerous patients and medical staff. "It is not logical," Saavik admitted, "but I find myself wanting to help him." "Love does that, Commander," Matthews replied without thinking, causing Saavik to raise an eyebrow in protest. "I mean, it's natural to help someone in distress." Saavik, of course, knew what the comment meant, and wondered how obvious she had truly been. Grissom was forced to wear someone else's civilian clothes, as her quarters had been one of those sections destroyed by the FIERY RAVEN's attack. Still, she looked quite impressive in the blue sweater and jeans she had chosen, and didn't complain about the loss of her clothing. Again she was forced to take the role of the delegator, assigning tasks to others that she would rather be doing herself. Again, she was becoming quite bored. "Computer," she began with some hesitation. "Access all available records on Captain Thomas William Riley," she commanded, at but nervous at the prospect of reopening what was supposed to be a dead issue. "Access denied, Captain Riley's records have been temporarily removed from ENTERPRISE record banks," the answer came back. Grissom was quietly shocked at the blunt answer. "All records?" she asked in disbelief. "On whose authority?" she demanded, still a bit stunned. "Mine," came a grim voice. "I thought you were told to stay out of my records, Lieutenant," Riley grunted as he entered the engineering deck. "But I suppose that your curiosity would have got the best of you sometime." Grissom froze in terror. She had expected to get caught, but the almost evilly angry look in Riley's eyes pierced through her. She was helpless. "I'm sorry, sir," she panted. "I won't do it again, I swear." And then Riley through something at her, a sharp object flying through the air toward her neck. She flinched from it, but somehow her hand instinctively caught it. But it wasn't something meant to harm her. It was an emblem in the shape of an exotic bird, a huge black warbird, native to the planet Romulus. Grissom stared at it confused. "It is the rarest bird on Romulus," Riley explained, making certain that noone else was in the room or in earshot. "Translated, it is the Blackwing, the ultimate predator of the night. Flattering, really," he mused, still obviously angry but resigned, even relieved to talk to someone about long buried facts. "What does it mean?" Grissom innocently asked. "Is this yours, Captain?" Riley stroked it in Paula's shaking palm for a moment. "Actually, no, it isn't mine per se," he explained. "I'm not rightfully entitled to it, since I'm not a fullblood Romulan." Grissom's eyes went wide. "A fullblood Romulan?" she queried, extremely nervous at the prospect. "You're part Romulan?" Riley nodded, taking the only other seat in the room. "My father, whoever he is, served in the Romulan senate. From what I can gather he had a penchant for captive Human women. That explains me," he explained to Grissom's eager ears. "After that I was raised on Vulcan, and then enrolled in Star Fleet Intelligence. That's why my records are sealed." She gently laid the emblem on the desk in front of her. "I didn't know. I've just been," she hesitated, a bit frustrated by her inability to explain the need for her to know so much about him. "I've been curious about you. You're such an enigma to the whole ship." "Probably true," he confessed. "I haven't had much time to even meet the crew yet," he added with a bit of guilt. "And I've asked them all to trust their lives to me. Doesn't seem right, does it?" Grissom gave a sincere look of concern for her Captain. He was obviously worn, with his infamous rise to Captaincy, Ravis, and the subsequent battles with the IRON CLAW II and the FIERY RAVEN, he truly hadn't had the time to even relax. "Things have been hectic for everyone lately, Captain," she responded truthfully. Riley stood slowly. "The emblem's yours, Paula," he started. "Your first new decoration," he added with a tired smile. "I'll be in my quarters if anyone needs me. Also be sure that no one needs me." She took the hint. Her captain was going to sleep and didn't want to be bothered. She walked him walk away from her and into the hall, a bit more relaxed by him, and all the more nervous as well. CHAPTER FIFTEEN ~She's taken serious burn damage,~ the ship's doctor explained to Sunak as he brooded in his scorched quarters. ~Her lungs have been punctured, and with the sick bay severely damaged and understaffed, I'm not sure what we can do.~ ~Understand, Doctor,~ Sunak's grim voice bellowed, ~that your life-span is directly linked to hers.~ The doctor didn't reply, scared for his life, and quietly left his Commander alone with his love. ~There's no need to threaten him,~ Rela managed through her wounds. ~It isn't his fault that I got torn up,~ she wornfully smiled. Sunak considered the honesty of the statement, but wasn't relieved. ~It's important to me that he devotes his attention to you,~ he quiety answered as he sat on the side of his bed. ~I can't stand the thought of anything happening to you.~ ~Like getting my console in my face?~ she asked sardoncially. ~It's part of the job.~ Sunak grimaced. ~Rela, please,~ he whispered, taking her hand into his. ~It pains me to see you in this much pain,~ he began slowly, pacing her words. ~I love you, Rela. In the past few days I've learned that nothing but you matters to me, not the RAVEN, not the Empire, not even my crew.~ Rela looked up in disbelief. ~Commander?~ she queried with a smile. ~Sunak,~ he whispered, gently bending down to kiss her cheek. ~You're no longer under my command,~ he added. ~I was thinking of having you as my wife.~ Rela's smile widened. ~Of course,~ she quickly agreed. ~Now, however,~ he began, ~I have one final mission to perform.~ He stood, looking through the viewport to that sector of space which housed his enemy. ~The ENTERPRISE?~ she asked. ~After all of this? We're going back.~ ~After all this,~ Sunak smiled. ~That's precisely why we are going back. There is no home for us on Romulus,~ he finished, standing to leave. ~Our future, and our fate, lie with the ENTERPRISE.~ Sunak took the command chair of the auxillary bridge. The secondary bridge had been neccessary, as the main bridge had been impossible to salvage after the ENTERPRISE attack. The aux-bridge was smaller than the main one, but no less functional. ~Sensory readings,~ he commanded to one of the replacement officers. ~ENTERPRISE is sitting in wait outside of the Neutral Zone,~ the young officer replied. ~The Federation carrier which had been escorting her has rejoined the main fleet.~ ~And ENTERPRISE is exposed,~ Sunak replied with a bit of excitement. ~Are there any other vessels in close support?~ ~There are none,~ the officer replied eagerly. ~The main fleet is now seven hours travel away. We will have three hours conflict time if we engage.~ Sunak looked at the image of the ENTERPRISE with a sense of fate. ~Well then, what is our status?~ he asked quietly, knowing how much rode on that information. ~Our main torpedo is running at fifty percent capability,~ came the reply. ~Port side phasers are inoperative, but remaining phasers are fully functional. Shields are at twenty percent.~ ~Better than I had expected,~ Sunak admitted. ~Very well, set course for the ENTERPRISE, maximum available speed.~ The FIERY RAVEN once again, tattered and scarred as badly as she was, took to the stars, leaping into battle once more, one last time. CHAPTER SIXTEEN Saavik entered Matthew's office, grateful that noone else had been inside. "Doctor," she began innocently, "I understand that you've served with Riley before, is that correct?" "He was first officer aboard the HOOD for six months while I was on her. I was his physician," he replied. "I transferred to the ENTERPRISE about a month before he did." She sat in one of the seats, finding it somewhat hard to relax in. "What was your appraisal of him? If I may ask?" "He was a fine officer, if a bit cold," Matthews admitted. "He never talked to anyone, except me, and that was only because he had to." He noted that she wasn't really paying attention to his reply. "What's bothering you, Commander?" "I find myself constantly thinking, worrying about him. I've only experienced this once before," she confessed. "I question my professional distance with him." "Is it possible," Matthews cautiously began, "that you've fallen in love with the Captain?" Saavik's eyebrow went up again, causing the Doctor to be a bit more polite. "I mean, it isn't uncommon for ship's crewmembers to be attracted to their superiors." Saavik crossed her arms, not really wanting to hear what he was saying. "Attracted? Yes I do find him attractive, but I have never needed to give it much thought before." Matthews looked again at her, noting the deeply hidden worry in her eyes. "Look, everyone on the ship thinks that you two are already an item," he began again, deciding to be a bit riskier. "Granted, they're wrong, but they could be seeing something that neither of you think you are ready for." Saavik pondered that for a moment. "Thomas said that a relationship between us would be inappropriate, since we are the two chief officers aboard this vessel. I find it hard to dispute his logic in the matter." "I do," Matthews finally gave up. "You've held hands on the bridge, and I saw you fighting tears when he was in here with you. He's already sacrificed his carreer once for you. I don't see why you two think it's so wrong to be together." "The crew would," she began but wasn't allowed to complete. "The crew damn well wants you two to be a couple, " expect for a certain Miss Grissom, he added to himself. "They've been talking about it for days. It's like you were meant for each-other." Saavik sighed, "I am Vulcan, doctor. I cannot permit myself to show my feelings. It isn't logical to have these type of feelings for my Captain. Therefore, I shall not have them." Matthews nearly growled at that remark. "I've specialized in Vulcan psychology, Commander. And in my experience, I've found that Vulcans suffer from emotional stress far greater than most humans. When a Vulcan represses her emotions, like you're thinking about doing, they have a tendancy to explode when the pressure is too great." Saavik stood, a but upset by the suggestion. "I must be returning to the bridge," she flatly indicated. "You will share none of this conversation with anyone, including the Captain. Is that understood?" Matthews nodded in the affirmative, but Saavik's quick turn put him out of eyesight. "It's a private matter between you and the Captain," he replied. And God help the both of you, he added quietly to himself. ~Get up, bastard son!~ Lights, shapes, colours, all failed to connect. ~I said get up!~ Riley felt a sharp pain in his waist, but he still couldn't move. ~Are you deaf, Earthen slime-dog? You are supposed to be borite mining now.~ Riley felt something grab hold of his long, slate-black hair and yank it upwards. ~I don't work for you.~ He still couldn't see, but the pain that swept past his face slammed hard into him. ~All half-breeds work for me, S'Lavek.~ The voice still couldn't be connected to any face. ~Are you going to come quietly or do I have to use the agoniser?~ Riley stood, but still couldn't make out anything other than a swirling ball of lights. ~I'm coming, there's no need for the...~ but he couldn't finish. The guard had struck him. Blood rushed out of his head, he could feel it begin to flow on his face, dripping off of the bridge of his nose. He collapsed on the ground. ~So, you even bleed red like a Terran, eh?~ The voice was growing meaner, Riley thought to himself. ~Maybe you could work for the Federation, eh? I'm sure they would love to see some klya like you.~ Riley tried to stand again, the pain searing down his legs. ~Who said you could get up?~ Riley screamed as sheer pain suddenly asserted itself on his chest. ~You just did,~ Riley dared, his temper assuming new heights as his chest roared in pain. ~Or did your little brain forget?~ The guard fumed, still Riley had refused to submit to his whims, and still he was rebelling. ~Enough play, Gene-joke,~ the guard grunted, raising the agonizer for another strike. ~I'm going to make you regret your birth.~ The guard charged, readying his strike, but Riley had been quicker, assuming an offensive strike. Riley's foot quickly jetted out into the guard's neck. ~I already do,~ Riley growled as the guard gaped for air, dropping the agonizer to the floor. The guard stammered, trying to regain his composure, but he had gotten too close to Riley, and the confining chains weren't doing much of a job. Riley launched another kick, straight to the guard's head, cutting into it. The guard fell, unconscious and dying. If Riley felt any guilt about his actions, he refused to show it. He quietly grabbed the agonizer and adjusted it to its highest setting. Then he placed it on his confining chains, slowly burning through them. ~Will you be freeing us as well?~ a Vulcan woman called from the other end of the room. ~If not me, than my daughter, Saavik,~ she continued. "Captain," the girl began speaking in perfect Federation Standard. "This is Saavik, you are needed on the bridge." Reality slowly asserted itself again, leaving Riley to stare blankly at the giant Romulan stitching on his wall. "Saavik?" he managed through his limited confusion. "Yes, Captain," the intercom replied. "You are needed on the bridge immediately." "Status report, Saavik," he muttered, clearing his head of the memories which had kept surfacing. "Captain," Saavik's voice began, "sensors indicate a vessel in this area, closing fast." Riley sat up, he had been expecting the news. "The RAVEN? Raise shields and get weapons on-line. I'm on my way," he replied, somewhat anxious about the next few moments, and somewhat distressed by the last few. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Riley assumed the Captain's chair again, noticably worn and extremely tired. He was up to four days no without sleep, and it was beginning to show. "Visual," he commanded, hoping to catch a glance at the newest of the many enemies he had faced in his life. The viewscreen shifted views to show a tiny bright spot, a distant starship approaching at her best speed. "Magnify," Riley ordered. The image expanded, revealing the broken hull of the Romulan battleship the FIERY RAVEN. It was all beginning again, Riley thought to himself. His third battle as Captain of the ENTERPRISE was about to start, and he hardly felt capable. "Is Grissom ready with the countermeasures, Saavik?" "Affirmative, Captain," Saavik responded distantly, not even looking at him. "Anti-matter flares are available at your command." Riley barely remembered Grissom's request. He'd been mostly dazed when he recieved the message concerning it. It was all hypothetical, a flare to prematurely detonate incoming torpedoes. At the time, Riley considered, it must have sounded like a good idea. ~ENTERPRISE is fifty thousand clicks and closing,~ Tonin announced to Sunak's battle-weary gaze. ~From the looks of things, she's got shields up and weapons armed. I am also ready some usual anti-matter signatures in their secondary hull, from their torpedo bays.~ Sunak grimaced, again the ENTERPRISE was experimenting with their tactics, and their Captain had yet another trick up his sleeve. ~They've modified their torpedoes, then?~ Sunak pondered grimly. ~Interesting. It appears that their carrier was more of a benefit than I considered.~ Tonin brought the sensor analysis up on display. ~She's in better shape than we left her, but I would still say that we are evenly matched.~ ~Excellent,~ Sunak smiled, ~A more fitting challenge for my last command.~ "FIERY RAVEN range now fourty-thousand kilometers, and closing awfully fast," Tiber announced with a bit of dread. "She'll be in firing range in five seconds, three, two, one, now." Tiber braced himself for the shot, "Incoming." As expected, the RAVEN launched a torpedo as soon as she entered range and instantly set about recharging another. "Launch counter-measures, fire phasers," Riley commanded as the adrenaline start to course through his veins. The ENTERPRISE repsonded with minute streams of anti-matter glistening toward the huge torpedo, like fire-crackers chasing the sun. The torpedo detonated when the streamers slammed into it, clearing a route for the Federation starship's phasers to the heart of the FIERY RAVEN. Tonin cried out as some of the auxillary bridge panels exploded around him. System after system began failing. ~Fire phasers and bring us back,~ Sunak ordered, though there wasn't a reply. ~Damn,~ the giant Romulan cursed, rushing to the helmsman's station and effortlessly throwing him off of the chair. ~Karana, plot a course away from ENTERPRISE,~ he barked as he took the helmsman's station. The jolt was serious enough to send ornaments from Sunak's room falling from their places. Rela herself was jerked around, despite the doctor's attempts at stabilizing her. Her last flinch, coming as the next phaser bolt struck, was so violent that there was an audible crack coming from one of her bones in her back. ~Doctor to Commander,~ he tried, knowing full well that the injuries were already likely to be fatal, even if the Sick bay had been operational. ~I can't care for my patient if we're getting knocked across the stars,~ he complained, leaving his fear of his Commander to the four winds. "Their shields have collapsed," Tiber announced thankfully. "Grissom's counter-measures appear to have worked," he admitted. "She's peeling away," O'Neil noted. "Recommend pursuit, Captain." But the FIERY RAVEN was far from spent, sending another massive torpedo into space and following it up with a phaser barrage. Instinctively Tiber launched the counter-measures again, obliterating the torpedo. But the phasers were enough, striking the rear starboard side of the ship. While the outer hull was scorched, cooridors and rooms were suddenly exposed to open space. Fortunately, the rooms had been cleared out before the battle commenced. "Bring us about and lay down heavy phaser fire," Riley commanded, his heart finally into the battle once more. "R'Ress, raise the UNION and tell them to get the fighters over here. O'Neil, lock on them with the tractor beam after the phaser fire, keep that torpedo bay pointed away from us." The ENTERPRISE fired again, sending wave after wave of hot death into the RAVEN's hull. Finally, the phasers struck the exposed torpedo bay, destroying a large chunk of the forward boom section. When that was complete, the ENTERPRISE sent forth the bright blue tractor beam, pulling the Romulan ship closer and forcing it into a bad firing arc. The ENTERPRISE pressed on, launching phaser blast after phaser blast into the RAVEN's helpless hull. The final warp engine blew, then the impulse engines. The impulse engines exploded into nothingness, causing the entire ships to reverbate with the shock. The doctor was thrown to the floor, and Rela was thrown off the makeshift medical bed. Her blood spilling on the floor. It was all too clear that she wouldn't survive the hour, even if she survived the battle. ~Doctor to Commander,~ he tried again. ~Rela is dying.~ "FIERY RAVEN's main weapon system is permanently off-line," Tiber beamed as the new readings came across. "They still have phaser power, but the tractor beam has placed them in a bad firing arc. Their shields are destroyed, and all their drive systems are nonexistant." "It's over, then," Riley smiled. "Back us to ninety -thousand kilometers," he ordered, remembering the eariler battle. "R'Ress, patch me through." "You're on, Captain," the Catian answered. "FIERY RAVEN," Riley began, the edge returning to his voice. "This is the USS ENTERPRISE, Captain Riley speaking. You have commited numerous acts of war against the United Federation of Planets. Your ship has been bettered, and we call upon you to surrender." ~Commander, it's ENTERPRISE,~ Tonin replied with regret. ~They are calling upon us to surrender.~ Sunak paused for a moment, giving deep concern to Rela's condition, and knowing that the Humans would at least care for her. ~Agreed, Tonin. Patch me through.~ The viewer cut in, revealing Riley's impressive visage for the first time. Sunak regarded his better with respect, and even a slight sense of awe. "This is the USS ENTERPRISE calling upon you to surrender." Sunak grimaced, knowing that he was violating even this, most sacred duty. "This is the FIERY RAVEN," he began in stilted Federation Standard. "I am Commander Sunak. I agree to surrender, and wait for discussion of terms." CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Captain's log: Stardate 10161.5 Captain Thomas William Riley reporting Commander Sunak has surrendered himself and his crew to the USS ENTERPRISE. I am anxiously awaiting his arrival, we have much to discuss. Riley, Saavik, and six security guards filled one wall of the room. Saavik manned the transporter controls, cooly ordering them to beam aboard the last four remaining crewmembers aboard the FIERY RAVEN. So far, the surrender has been without incident, dispite the massive battles the two crews faced only moments before. There was a coolness to the air, a warrior's aura, signifying respect. Sunak and his most treasured crewmen shimmered into existance on the transporter pads. He was quite large, making Riley regret he had only ordered six red-shirts to the room. Behind him were two men, one standing proudly, studying the room with keen interest. But it was the last two which caught Riley's attention most readily. The other male was obviously a doctor, caring for the woman in Sunak's arms. She had suffered greatly from the phaser barrage Riley had ordered. "Riley to Matthews," he commanded when noting the bleeding coming from Rela's battered chest. "Emergency in transporter room one. Send a surgical team up here." Riley then regarded the enemy commander for a moment, he was huge, easily over seven feet tall with a massive build. His forehead was largely exposed of hair, and his eyes were those of a stalking animal. ~Welcome to the ENTERPRISE, Commander,~ Riley called in such a perfect accent that Sunak almost forgot who it was that had spoke. ~I am Captain Thomas Riley. This is my first officer, Saavik,~ he added, indicating the rather attractive woman standing next to him. ~I am honored to meet you, Captain,~ Sunak muttered truthfully. ~It is a rare privilege to meet your better in combat.~ Matthews entered the room with the crew he slapdashed together. Instantly he went to work on the young female's case, since she was the only one injured in the room. "I'm taking her to sickbay," he explained as his crew lifted her on the medical bed. "If the Captain permits, you may see her there." "There will be time for that later," Sunak retorted as the medical crew rushed out. "May my personal physician accompany them, Captain? I doubt your crew fully understands Romulan anatomy." "Don't be so sure," Riley quiety responded, silencing Saavik. "He may go, under guard of course." He motioned to two of the security crewmen to escort the Romulan doctor away. The Romulan commander stood, giving Riley a sense of awe as his massive form rose in glory, even in defeat. "As Commander of the Romulan Imperial Vessel FIERY RAVEN, I surrender myself and my crew to your hands to answer for the crimes of the Romulan Senate." "Not your ship?" Riley curtly asked without thinking. Sunak stepped down from the pad to stand face to face with his rival. Riley hardly was lacking physically, having his own imposing aura all his own. As some would say, his was a very old soul. "I can't surrender the RAVEN to the Federation, Captain. No more than I could ask the ENTERPRISE be surrendered to the Romulan Empire if our situations were reversed." "I understand," Riley answered truthfully. "We'll destroy the remains of your vessel without an inspection. Is that satisfactory?" "Generous of you," Sunak replied, impressed. "I would not expect a Federation Captain to be so kind to a Romulan prisoner. I am impressed." Riley shut down the transporter controls with a calm movement. "Most Federation Captains do not understand the needs of Romulans as well as I do, Commander." "Indeed," he replied with a sense of amusement. "Your doctor," Sunak continued with difficulty. "Will he be able to save her?" "As annoying as he is," Riley admitted, "Matthews is one of the best ship's surgeons I've served with. If anyone can, it would be him." Sunak breathed heavily. "Then my surrender was not in vain, Captain. I can sleep easy." Riley studied over the Commander's expressions, beneath the hard surface and into the emotional turmoil which layed beyond. "You surrendered your crew for her benefit, didn't you?" he finally asked. Sunak said nothing in reply, only his standing in silence gave him away. "Your mate, then?" Riley asked, his mind racing through Sunak's. Riley had almost forgotten that he had already once risked his carreer for the woman he loved, or at least wanted to love. "Rela was not my mate," Sunak answered matter-of-factly, "though we promised to mate each-other after the battle. Sadly, I can see no method for the bonding to occur now. We will never meet an arbitrator for the union once the Federation has sentenced us." "There is one possible method, Commander," Riley offered. "As compensation for the damage to my ship, you must allow me arbitrate your exclusive union with Secundam Rela." For a brief moment, Saavik and Tonin shared the same expression, their respective jaws dropped. "You toy with me, Captain," Sunak grimaced. "I know the ritual," Riley confessed. "I have the military rank to perform it, albeit in a different service. And it will aid in the healing of our peoples. I can't see why not," he finished. "You would do me that honor?" Sunak asked confused. "After the pain I have inflicted upon your crew? What madness possesses you?" "The end of the battles, Commander. And prayers for no more," Riley answered, quoting a piece of Vulcan literature. "After all, you did surrender to us to save her life. I have never seen such a sacrifice before, and it would be a pity to waste it." Sunak smiled, for the first time, truly understanding his counterpart. "You are a romantic, Captain," he replied. "A pity we had to meet under such circumstances." "A pity," Riley agreed, indicating the door. "We have another duty to perform, Commander. After that I will issue quarters for your and Rela for your stay until we reach starbase six." Sunak nodded, knowing what the trip meant. It was to be his judgement. Tiber studied over the image of the broken FIERY RAVEN floating helplessly against the black void. Riley had ordered her destruction when both he and the enemy Commander entered the bridge, and it would be something that Tiber was going to enjoy. Still, it did seem a waste. The FIERY RAVEN was the most notable opponent the Federation had faced since the Khitomer incident, and it certainly was more worthy. Even this enemy ship seemed to deserve a decent burial. But it was not to be, Riley walked into the bridge with Sunak, sans security. It was a somber occaision, one to be performed with a quiet pause. Tiber fired, using only a fraction of the ENTERPRISE's phaser power. It was enough, the cutting rays ruptured the last remaining chunks of ship, delivering to oblivion. And for once, the bridge was quiet. Sunak wept, releasing a single tear for the FIERY RAVEN's loss. CHAPTER NINETEEN "I can't believe that you're going through with this," Matthews argued as he and Riley entered the recreation deck a full half-hour before the ceremony. "After all they've done to us, you're going to marry them off?" "After all we've done to each-other, Doctor," Riley coldly reminded. "I've cleared it with Ambassador Spock and Ambassador Pardek. Both feel that this marriage is the best way to heal the scars." "It just seems so weird, Captain sir," Matthews bit back. "But I suppose that you are the one who gives the orders around here." "That's true, Mister Matthews," Riley retorted as he took his place next to Saavik. "I do give the orders for this ship and her crew. I also have take the responsibility for every life aboard her. If this simple marriage between two Romulans can ease any of the tensions between the Federation and the Star Empire, then I damn well am going to perform it." Already crewmembers were filling the massive structure, outnumbering Romulans by close to two-to-one. There was some resentment on the floor, but they were well-behaved. The Romulans were there out of respect for their Captain, and the Federation crew was there mostly out of curiosity. After several minutes, Sunak and Rela entered the chamber, to the massive applause from his Romulan crew, and even some of the ENTERPRISE's crewmembers. The two walked down the long hall marked with carpet to the stage where Riley, Matthews and Saavik stood waiting. Only Saavik seemed uncomfortable with the ceremony. She had tried so long to bury her past, and now it was right in front of her. Riley looked over to the dark-skinned Romulan Commander, who stood proudly on the pedestal before his and the ENTERPRISE's crew. ~Sunak Kavari of Gorwah,~ Riley began, quieting the room, ~do you recognize me as Arbitrator of your union?~ ~I do, Captain,~ Sunak's booming voice announced. ~Sunak Kavari,~ Riley continued, ~to whom do you pledge your allegiance?~ ~My allegiance lies with the Empire,~ Sunak proudly announced in reply. ~To whom do you pledge your love?~ Riley asked, with noted emphasis on the words meaning "love". ~My love is pledged to the one called Rela Avatra, Arbitrator,~ Sunak declared. Riley turned his attention to the young Romulan woman standing to his right. She had recovered from her wounds quite well, though there remained a small scar on her cheek. ~Rela Avatra,~ Riley began, ~do you recognized me as the Arbitrator of your union?~ ~I do, Captain Riley,~ Rela replied. ~Then, Rela Avatra,~ Riley continued, ~to whom do you pledge your allegiance?~ Rela looked to her former commander when asked that. Everyone could easily see the many emotions swelling within her, starting to pull tears from her eyes. ~I pledge my allegiance with the Empire,~ she announced. ~To whom do you pledge your love?~ Riley countered, a smile on his face. ~My love is pledged to the one called Sunak Kavari, my Commander, and my love,~ she proudly announced, succeeding in holding back her tears of joy. Riley nodded, then took a hand of both Sunak and Rela. ~Then I accept the reponsibility of the legalization of your union. Do both of you agree to the terms of the union, under penatly of discitizenship if either break the terms?~ ~We do,~ Sunak answered for both of them. ~Then, by the power entrusted to me by the Romulan Star Empire on your behalf, I announced this union complete,~ Riley announced. "All hands," Saavik commanded to both crews, "ten-hut." The eight-hundred gathered people snapped to, standing at attention, and leaving a perfect path to the rear doors of the recreation deck. Rela and Sunak turned, arm in arm, and headed for the doors, escorted by three security men. From there they would disappear into sealed personal quarters. "All hands," Saavik commanded after the two united Romulans left the corridor, "dismissed." Riley smiled proudly. Though the ceremony was without the reverence and awe of the traditional religious ceremonies, it was still an impressive display. Slowly, the gathered crews began to filter out of the room, Romulans held in check with double their number of Federation members. Riley turned to Saavik, who stood as emotionlessly as she could during the wedding. "There are some occaisions where it is acceptable to show some emotion, Saavik," he started. "I don't understand, sir," She replied, almost ignoring him. "Vulcans do not show their emotions, they are not logical." "Vulcans or emotions?" Riley jabbed. "Neither are very logical, Commander. The Vulcan philosophy contends that emotions are leads to chaos, yet they have never been able to purge emotion from themselves. There still remains that bit of chaos, doesn't there?" Saavik finally regarded him, a small look of sadness in her eyes. "Why are you doing this to me, Thomas?" Riley took in a deep breath, preparing himself. "Despite how inappropriate it may be, I do have some strong feelings about you. I'm not able to deny them, to shut them away like you try to do." Saavik walked away from him, even more torn than before. "Captain, as your first officer, I cannot allow personal feelings to impair my judgement. I cannot return your affections for me," she tried, with a notable quaking in her voice. He was going to reply, but Saavik quickly headed out of the massive rec-deck, and he would have to carry his voice a bit too loud to call out to her. "Captain," Matthews said with a smile, emerging from a few feet away, "you never had much luck with women, did you?" "Why, no," Riley smirked. "It is that obvious?" Matthews smiled, nodding yes. "I'm in love with her, Doctor," Riley admitted with a sigh. "I didn't want to be, but I am." "I know," Matthews replied, patting his Captain on the shoulder as he escorted him out of the room. "I know." CHAPTER TWENTY Captain's log: Stardate 10162.0 Captain Thomas William Riley reporting All is well. The ENTERPRISE is travelling at warp three to starbase six, where she will spend the next six weeks undergoing an extensive refit. I have scheduled three weeks of that time for the crew to have some extended shoreleave. The ENTERPRISE crew has performed admirably, even under the rough conditions we've been placed under. I consider myself fortunate to have them. I recommend all of the for honors. As for Sunak, he'll be going to trial almost as soon as we reach starbase. Likely, the Romulan government will want him and his wife expedited, but I can't say where his fate inevitably lies. As for me, I'm looking forward to this coming rest. But, sitting in the command chair, knowing how good of a job we did, I can finally accept my Captaincy of this fine vessel. I'm even becoming comfortable with it. "Course set for starbase six," Tiber announced as Riley filled out one report after another. "Excellent, we'll put in there for a week for emergency repairs, and then go back to Earth for a refit," Riley commented upon hearing the news. "Engage at warp four, steady as she goes," he commanded, somewhat relieved that the crew was finally going to get a break. Matthews came in griping, "A handful of my medical bay computers are misdiagnosing simple cases. I don't think the ASSISTER's engineering crew knew what the hell were they doing when they came aboard." "Problems, Doctor?" Riley asked with a faint smile. "God damn programmers aren't smart enough to use the technology they've been given," Matthews fumed. "I'm about ready to lobotomise them, but I doubt that fleet's going to let me go and do that." "Fleets doing a lot of unpopular things lately," Riley replied, his mind not on Matthew's problem in the least bit. "Oh? What do you mean?" Matthews quiered, his mind suddenly shifting track. "I've been reading our orders," Riley began. "With tensions so high in the Neutral Zone, they feel that we should continue our patrol duty after our refit." "Look, captain, sir. We've been in three battles already, and we've only barely managed to come out of them. Why in God's name should we be going out there again?" Matthews protested. "The ENTERPRISE has the most firepower of the ships in that fleet and so they want us that much more," he tried to explain, though he didn't exactly approve of the decision. "I'm glad to see that you like the idea so much." The doctor looked into the star pattern showing on the monitor. "I don't know, it seems that all these ships are good for is fighting. That's all fleet is caring about now." Riley looked over. "That's not true, not entirely at any rate. Fleet designed this as a battleship, which is what they need. The Federation is not in the habit of designing warships all the time." "This ship seems like a warship," the doctor muttered under his breath. "A luxury warship. USS ENTERPRISE, NCC-1701-B. Nicely disguised as a exploration vessel." "Well," Riley replied, giving up, "I've spoken to Fleet about reassignment. Hopefully we can get some exploration duty once the ENTERPRISE is finished in dock." "That would be a nice change," Matthews retorted, not quite believing that Fleet would indeed give the go-ahead for such a venture. "Anyway, Grissom's looking for a sparring partner in holodeck two. She's beaten everyone who's gone against her so far. You interested?" "What's the game?" Riley pondered, pleased with the invitation to escape for a short while. "Blade-dueling," Matthews replied cooly. "I don't approve of it, but I'll be damned if that little girl's going to get an ego boost of her blade handling." "Well then, if you think the Captain should crush Paula's ego," Riley smarted. "I'll go, I'm needing the practice anyway." He stood, following Matthews to the turbolift. But he stopped for a moment before actually entering, his eye caught by a patch of gold on the wall. Riley looked next to the turbolift where the insignia plate had been placed. In the time he had been captain, he hadn't once looked it over. The ENTERPRISE logo and her registry number were the dominant features were the most notable, but there was some smaller text which caught Riley's eye and imagination. "Space, the final frontier," the plaque said, "these are the continuing voyages of the starship ENTERPRISE. Her ongoing mission, to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life, and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before." The ENTERPRISE burned her way through space, continuing the legacy set forth so many years ago, and would continue so many years from now.