[USS Charon]
The ship shuddered- her rivets and seams vibrated with intensity, but then, like the moment after exultation, she settled into a gentle hum. Charon had twisted fate into her own coil- now the two were intertwined and soon would face the last act in this torrid story. Tilting away from the station the Luna-class ship shot towards the open wormhole- her escape hidden by the chaos of a Tal'Shiar onslaught.
...
Shiarrael sat steadily in her throne as she observed the bridge. 'What a mess.' It was hard not to frown at the blood splatter dotting the center of her view screen and while the corpses of the Romulans had been piled against the operations console out of the way it was still rather inelegant to have so many on the bridge. Sadly the morgue was overflowing and they didn't have time to toss the trash out of the airlock. Aside from the mess her mind was like a hurricane of thoughts- she watched the view screen with intensity but was still not sure of the path to take. 'It is well known that victory is never a sure thing and even these children realize the tight rope upon which we walk is tearing apart at the seams. How do we cross this bridge without falling?'
As they entered the wormhole she was transfixed- it was like a translucent glowing cavern. Ahead she could see the Endless Sky, the warbird was but a tiny spec amidst the massive corridor. Part of her had to admire Itsak's tenacity and determination. Certainly the Vulcans would deserve whatever punishment the elements had for them- their foolishness was incredible, however, Itsak was not the means to that end. Her fingers tapped on the armrest of her console...there was an old saying: meet a problem with another problem...she stared at the Endless Sky for a long moment... "Damn it" She finally blurted out as a thought occurred to her- the production model D'Dherex had a small issue with its shield system. Certainly the issue hadn't been repaired on an eastern vessel yet? It was a gamble. She tapped her commbadge "Colonel Falcon, Lieutenant Warren- gather your men in the Transporter Room. I will be there to brief you momentarily."
Sliding out of her chair Shiarrael casually strolled over to the tactical console "we are going to board the Endless Sky and retrieve Commander Tyrax-" she instantly recognized the expression 'how' as it doled across the young tactical officer's face but she did not allow him the opportunity to express that thought "the D'Dherex production model frequently had an issue with its shield distribution- if enough weapons fire was pointed" she paused deciding a visual model would be better. "Computer display holographic diagram of the D'Dherex class of warbird." In front of them the holographic model of the D'Dherex materialized. She walked up to it and pointed at the dorsal side "if we concentrate enough weapons fire here their shields will take too long to reallocate enough power to keep it from collapsing- but it will only be a momentary opportunity. Do you understand?"
He nodded "but Captain...if it's only a momentary opportunity, how will we get the Marines out?"
"It will be up to them to take out the Endless Sky's shield systems after destroying the Memento Mori weapons...as for Sakarra- this ordeal is my responsibility. I will lead a small team to retrieve her while the Marines work. But fear not- I will leaving Ambassador Lamont in charge." She smiled maliciously as her gaze fell onto the Ambassador- but the normal humor was empty. "Work quickly- full power to weapons and then bring us into firing range." Shiarrael turned and headed towards the turbo lift wondering if this would be the last time she would sit upon the Charon's throne.
[Meanwhile, Aboard the Endless Sky]
Hanaj stared at the viewscreen wearing a weathered scowl as the image showed the Charon approaching steadily towards them "your cousin certainly is persistent Rekkhai- they are powering up their weapons. Foolish- does she honestly believe they are a match for us? Your cousin is much less her reputation then I expected."
"Beware the wounded hnoiyoka Hanaj- her reputation was earned for a reason." Itsak smiled grimly "she is Rehu and Sahen- I would have expected no less and while I had hoped it would not be the case, sadly she will remain tenacious until the very end. Let us put her out of her misery. Destroy the Charon when they reach optimal firing range and then continue to Vulcan."
[To be continued...]
