Commander Yilaan was smiling broadly as she analyzed the faint energy signatures the ship was detecting amongst the debris and in the near vicinity. "Captain, you guessed right! I'm detecting the energy signatures of weapons fire; 24th century weapons fire to be exact. The patterns are consistent with Romulan weapons of the time."
"We'll have to take your word on that, Commander; your universe is much different than the one we came from," Freeman said, nodding. "Klagg, set course for Earth, warp nine-point-five. Valen, keep an eye on the sensors; we're looking for another cloaked ship."
Almost a day and a half passed before the rapidly moving Bonaventure had its first sign of trouble; it was June 17th, in the afternoon. Roughly 36 hours hence the President would be assassinated unless the crew managed to stop it.
"Captain I'm picking up odd energy fluctuations ahead of us, bearing five degrees, mark three-four-eight," an Ensign at the tactical station reported.
Yilaan got up and went over to the tactical station. "Sir, these energy patterns could indicate the Romulan ship, if there was a slight variance in their cloaking device; they're regular, and travelling at warp seven."
"Estimated time to intercept?" Freeman asked.
"Less than ten minutes, Captain," the young Ensign responded.
"Senior staff report to the Bridge; computer, initiate red alert," Freeman ordered. The lights changed from their usual white brightness to that of a deep crimson as the ship's klaxon sounded ominously in the background.
Within five minutes, the ship's primary Bridge officers had converged on the Bridge and taken the places of the less experienced junior staff. "They'll spot us any second now, for sure," Freeman speculated. "Any hint of them dropping out of warp, or decloaking or the like, I want the shields up, our cloak dropped, and our weapons charged and locked on target. Match speeds as well for combat."
"Understood Captain," Valen replied. Scarcely a moment later, Valen indicated they'd been spotted. "The other ship is decloaking and coming about Captain. We're decloaking, our shields are up, and our weapons locked."
Freeman gave Yilaan a wry, side-long glance, "Unlike your Federation, we often choose to fire first." He then turned back to face the viewing screen, "Continual fire, all weapons. Now!" A massive volley of phaser and torpedo fire streaked from the Bonaventure, striking its target amidships.
The Romulan ship, roughly twice the size of the Bonaventure, filled the viewing screen as it returned fire. Klagg attempted evasive action to avoid some of the incoming torpedoes, but to no avail. The crew was thrown forward by the array of weaponry thudding into the vessel.
"Damage report!" Freeman shouted.
"Shields down to 65%, Captain," Valen replied, as he fired back. "Navigational sensors off line," he continued, pausing. "Captain we've hit them again!"
"Klagg, come about to three-one-five, mark two-seven," Freeman ordered. Klagg complied, making the latest volley of torpedoes from the Romulan ship just barely miss. The phasers hit, after a brief adjustment, and the crew was thrown about again.
"Captain," R'lanna reported. "Starboard power coupling is down, and shield generator number three is damaged."
"Klagg, change course to protect our forward-starboard flank," Freeman ordered as the Bonaventure was raked again.
"Aye sir," Klagg replied.
"Report on damage to the enemy vessel?" Yilaan requested.
"Minor shield and hull damage," Valen replied quickly. "Sensors aren't reading anything more concrete than that." Valen fired again as, despite further evasive maneuvers, the Bonaventure was hit again. The lights flickered briefly, before another volley of fire hit the ship.
Several crewmen were thrown from their positions as the Bonaventure was tossed about like a rag doll. "Report!" Freeman cried out over an increasing din of comm traffic.
"Shields down to 8%, Captain. Another hit and we'll be defenseless. Heavy damage to the secondary hull," Valen reported hurriedly. "Hull breaches on Decks 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19. Damage control teams responding."
"We're falling out of warp sir," R'lanna reported. "There's heavy damage in Engineering," she finished, swivelling around in her chair to face the captain.
The ship shook again under multiple phaser hits. As the captain was about to give another order, he heard Valen cry out, "Captain, look out!" Freeman turned to face his first officer as the latter left his tactical position and jumped straight at him, knocking him down. A fraction of a second later, a ceiling strut came down right where Freeman had been standing, skewering Valen, killing him instantly.
Yilaan shook her head, remembering how Lieutenant Valen in her universe had acted just as selflessly in saving another Captain Freeman. "Continuing fire," she said simply, as she took over the tactical station.
Freeman stared at Valen, and at Yilaan, for a long moment, before returning to the situation at hand, "Commander, target their weapons and engines if you can."
"Aye sir," Yilaan responded, as the ship shook again. A panel exploded next to her, and a crewman cried out in pain, before collapsing limply to the deck. "I've weakened the shields around their weapons; continuing fire," she reported. The ships fired simultaneously; even as Yilaan took out the Romulan's weapons, they raked the Bonaventure in response. Some scored a direct Bridge hit. There were several muffled screams as the officers were thrown solidly into the bulkhead. The lights changed color from red to blue and the computer shouted a warning of a hull breach on Deck One, the Main Bridge.
"Emergency force field decay in sixty seconds," the computer reported, pleading for any Bridge occupants left alive to vacate.
Yilaan rubbed her head, trying to fight off a sudden desire to lose consciousness. The hand she pulled away was covered in blood. She dimly heard R'lanna shout, "Come on, we've got to get out of here! Everyone meet in Auxiliary Control, now!" Yilaan felt herself get up and head for a turbolift off the Bridge. She turned and saw Klagg pinned to his chair; part of the viewscreen and the plating surrounding it had shattered and several shards had entered the Klingon's body. He was quite dead. As she felt as though she was going to be sick, she spied Freeman lying on the ground. Not thinking, she went over to try and drag him towards the lift. "Yilaan, come on!" R'lanna shouted. "Leave him! He's dead!"
"Thirty seconds," the computer warned.
"He's not!" Yilaan retorted. Instinctively, R'lanna left the lift and helped Yilaan pull him to safety. The doors to the lift closed as the force fields dropped, opening the Bridge to space. As the officers rode the lift to Auxiliary Control, Freeman moaned softly and began to stir.
"So he isn't," R'lanna commented to Yilaan, smiling.
Upon the lift's arrival, Freeman was struggling to stand. After tearing part of her uniform sleeve to staunch the blood coming from her head, Yilaan helped him down the hall, as what was left of the Bridge officers made their way to Auxiliary Control. The crew arrived and took up their appropriate posts; almost immediately there was a cry of alarm.
"Captain, I'm showing a warp core breach in progress," R'lanna said. "The containment field is down to 35% and is still dropping."
"Can you stabilize the field?" Freeman asked, his voice weak.
"Yes Captain, I can," R'lanna replied. Her hands moved quickly and expertly over the controls, "I'm diverting power from other sources to the strengthen the field."
Yilaan thought for a minute; suddenly she shouted, "R'lanna, don't!"
Commander R'lanna looked at her incredulously. "Excuse me?"
"See that ship out there?" Yilaan said, speaking quickly. "Why do you think they've not finished us off?"
"They have no weapons, thanks to you," Freeman replied quietly.
"Why haven't they beamed over soldiers to kill us all? Their ship is still hanging around for a reason!" No one spoke, so Yilaan continued, "Because their sensors are picking up our containment field fluctuation. We fix that, and they kill us all."
"But if we don't fix it, we die," R'lanna complained.
Yilaan shook her head, "If you let it fall to the point of a core breach being imminent, they should leave, satisfied with the assuredness of our destruction, and wanting to avoid any damage to themselves stemming from our explosion."
"If we do that, they'll get to Earth and kill the President; they'll have won," R'lanna objected. "Perhaps we should use our thrusters to move the ship closer to the Romulans and blow ourselves up."
Freeman made a face, "R'lanna, this isn't the time for suicidal heroics; we have other options available to us. I think Yilaan is right; do as she says Commander."
"Aye sir," R'lanna replied speculatively. "Containment field down to 29%," she continued after a pause. She started a countdown. "Twenty-five percent. Twenty-three. Captain, if it reaches fifteen, we're done."
"I'm aware of that Commander," Freeman said quietly.
"Down to eighteen now, sir," R'lanna continued. "Seventeen." Though it was by no means warm, individual beads of sweat were beginning to appear on R'lanna's forehead. "Sixteen," she continued, her voice gathering a distinct edge to it.
"Captain, look!" Yilaan said, pointing to the viewscreen. The Romulan ship was coming about, resuming its course for Earth. After a few seconds at warp, the ship cloaked itself.
"Now, R'lanna! Stabilize the field!" the captain ordered quickly.
Chief Engineer R'lanna did as she was instructed. After a few moments she reported, "Field stable now at 45%; we'll need to make some physical repairs in Engineering before I can do any more."
"Get to it, Commander," Captain Freeman said.
"Aye sir," R'lanna replied, getting up from the Engineering console. As she passed by Yilaan, she patted her on the shoulder, "Nice job." Yilaan nodded to her, and R'lanna left Auxiliary Control.
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