Star Trek: Athena
Unholy Alliance
by Chris Robato
(crobato@kuentos.guam.net)

Return to Part 3

Hurst stared at his terminal and sighed. He received the news about his operative. His heart sank, as if someone cut his insides into two. He clicked the terminal again and called the shuttle bay. "Prepare me a shuttle".

"But sir?" The voice replied.

"No buts. Just get it ready if I need to use it," Hurst said. The voice affirmed.

What was he thinking? Hurst placed a hand on his forehead and closed his eyes. He faced a blurred line before his personal interests here and his duties to Starfleet. He had sent an operative to investigate the late activities of the Cartel and their doings with the Jem'Hadar Alphans, but this operative also happened to be his own daughter, which he had admitted to no one. He had already violated Starfleet regulations once again by failing to disclose his relationship to Tonya and Gera.

And Gera. It's been a while to see her form, her face, her figure, the scent of her skin and her hair. He had worked hard to be where he was now a Starfleet admiral with the badges. But as he looked around he saw an empty room. When you're getting old, some priorities change. You begin to look back. You think differently. You think about your mistakes, and the relationships you sacrificed for something that in the long run, didn't turn out to be worth that sacrifice.

When he thought about Gera and the days back in Khosk Prime, his heart warmed, his skin and blood flushed. The memories made him smile. The sight of the young girl eagerly calling him 'Papa!' when he visited their humble makeshift home brought tears to his eyes. He would smuggle things from the ship to them, and he would laugh at the sight of little Tonya jumping up and down at the sight of the bags he would carry. And there was Gera's smile. She always waited him, standing at the door, at the precise time and moment when he would come back to them. He would always find a way to send a message to them when he will return to Khosk Prime.

The USS Holland was a New Orleans class frigate, and at the time he commanded her, she was still fairly new. He was part of a peace keeping force, assigned to occupy and protect Khosk Prime. There were times there were missions that assigned him away from the Khosk sector, and times he needed to return to a shipyard for maintenance but he would always return toKhosk Prime. It was his primary assignment and sector responsibility. The Federation even laid an orbital outpost to press its sovereign rights over the area.

That was until some politician ceded Khosk Prime to the Cardassians in a swap that brought other worlds into Federation boundary. For political purposes and practical purposes, Starfleet was only allowed to evacuate only human civilians and not any of the native population which the Cardassians now claim as subjects of their Union. But it wasn't the real reason why he left them. He could have smuggled his family anyway and everyone in the ship would have turned a blind eye. It was the idea that he had an alien lover and sired an illegitimate child with her while he was on assignment. What he had done was strictly unprofessional and against Starfleet decorum. It would have cast doubt on the integrity of his command and his career.

He left them because he was selfish. What had gone on in Gera's mind when he wrote a message to her that he would never be back? What had gone on in Gera's mind when she tried to tell this to little Tonya? What had gone into little Tonya's mind when she heard the news? Was it right for them to pay for the sin of the father?

Khosk became a hotbed of Maquis resistance activity and in doing so, became subject to Cardassian reprisals. Fearing for his family's safety, he finally made the move to get them out of there. But Gera had decided to join the Maquis, leaving Tonya to the Federation operative doing favors to Hurst. A merchant ship retrieved Tonya and a rendezvous with the Holland brought the girl on board. She was already a quiet and sullen teenager at that time, as beautiful as her mother, yet her silence isolated her from the rest of the crew and to himself. She never fully told him what happened the day the bad news came, and after a time in the Holland, he decided she would be better off learning the universe in the Academy, meeting people of her age and of other alien races. She had already shown amazing proficiency in learning and skill, Maybe there was something about the Khosk side of her, but she was quick to grasp the essentials and mastery of a starship. He saw her potential. But alas, a starship was also not the right place to raise children.

He clicked on his terminal again. "Ann?"

"Yes, Admiral," Shelley replied from the private captain's office in the bridge. Hurst does not normally call her by her first name unless something private was wrong. "Is there anything the matter, Admiral?"

"Is there anyway we can improve communications with the Athena?" Hurst asked.

"The Athena is under deep cover, deep inside the system while our fleet remains at the perimeter," Shelley said. "She can only send and receive encrypted messages randomly."

"I am just not comfortable sitting back," Hurst said. "I need to go to the Athena and get a first hand grasp of things."

"That's risky. We need you right here, where the main fleet is," Shelley said.

"But I am paralyzed here in a wait mode. I need to be where the information is. I can't make decisions without information," Hurst said.

"If you insist, we can make an arrangement. I have an idea. We got a Delta Flyer on board and we can arrange to have its emitters suppress its emissions signature. It's not cloaking, but an excellent stealth procedure. In addition to that the Flyer has a very low signature. I can have my best shuttle pilot fly you. He can take advantage of the asteroids and keep distance from the patrols. But who will take command of the main fleet?" Shelley asked.

Hurst paused, clicked on a few buttons on his terminal. The image of Boussard came up. "Jacques?"

"Yes, Admiral," Boussard said.

"Jacques, you have the most tactically capable ship in the fleet. That means according to regulations, you have precedence in command over all the other captains," Hurst said. "I am leaving for the Athena, and I'm leaving you in command of the main fleet."

"Thank you for the privilege but why are you leaving for the Athena?" Boussard asked.

"As I told Ann here, I need to be in the position where I have access to the most information," Hurst said.

"Understood, Admiral," Boussard said. "You're the man, Admiral. You take it right to the front lines, not like some big time desk bound officer."

"I still think this is too front line for an admiral," Shelley said. "But I will help anyway I can."

Hurst asked, "What's the situation on the rest of the fleet?"

"We got more ships coming, but they're pathetic, being either old or small, some Mirandas, Centaurs, New Orleans, Constellation and Cheyenne types," Boussard said. "Plus some more Sabres and Novas. The Cardassians and the Romulans are having it better with Warbirds and Hutets coming to reinforce their fleet."

"Show the obvious low priority Starfleet has on this operation, compared to the Cardassians and Romulans," Shelley said.

"What's your tactical assessment, Boussard?" Hurst asked.

"As much as I like to get at the Jem'Hadar and the Cartels, this is not the place to conduct a battle," Boussard said. "These old ships would be lost. I don't like to fight any battle where a Cardassian or Romulan has to watch my back. I simply don't trust them, much less provide an opportunity for them to take a pot shot at us during a battle. It's easy for them to package an excuse when they do. If Starfleet isn't supporting us this operation with better ships, I suggest it's not worth going it and wasting the lives of our people. Let the Cardies and the Rommies fight it out with the Pirates and the Jemmies, then let God sort out the pieces."

"We all know you have little patience for the Cardies, Captain," Shelley said to Boussard.

"Oh you mean me, in command of the USS Kedgewick, defying old Starfleet 'gentlemen' protocol by firing at poor old Cardassian merchantmen carrying so called 'civilians'?" Boussard said. "Yes, and the trial and the hearing, and it turned out soon enough, that the Cardies were turning some old rugged merchantmen hulls into Tonga class cruisers." "There is no point in bringing your personal history here, Boussard," Hurst said. "The Cardassians are our allies in this operation. What I want to know are your plans on how to win this situation."

"The Romulans and the Cardassians have the firepower, so we let them take out the Jemmies. Let their big ships, their Warbirds and Hutets, fight it out the Jem'Hadar Warships and Battlecruisers," Boussard said. "We'll concentrate on the Cartel, specifically, we need to take out their flagship once we identify it. Let the old ships take out the Cartel merchant ships and dealers. We have spotted a number of merchant vessels and Ferengi transports moving in and out of the system. We'll cut that off."

"But there is a wild factor in our plans," Boussard said. "Our sensors still detect a large ship mass in the system, a Cartel super ship, but we have not properly identified what that is. Identification of this ship, along with its capabilities is absolutely crucial. I am just surprised why no one, including the Athena, has managed to identify it yet."

"That's exactly what we need to find out," Hurst said. "Among other things."

* * *

The pilot in the Delta Flyer knew his stuff well. He had worked as a Section operative dropping and retrieving clandestine teams in hostile territory using a shuttle or runabout. He was careful in maintaining a low power signature, with minimal powered systems, accelerating, then letting the shuttle coast out of her momentum. He dived in and out of the shadows behind the asteroids.

Suddenly he came to a stop. "This is the spot," the pilot said as the Delta Flyer. "Now we must wait."

"Wait?" Hurst said.

"Yes, wait. The ship is most probably in cloak, so we can't see it," the pilot said. "The cloaking ship must use its tractor beams to tow us into its cloaking field, then to its shuttle bay.

Hurst thought for a moment. He was thankful, that they, after long delays, they had proceeded to finish Athena's newly renovated shuttle bay.

Suddenly, the Delta Flyer shuddered. "Oh, here they are, here goes nothing," the pilot said. The Flyer shuddered more, but as Hurst looked out of the window, there was still nothing out there.

"You still can't see it. The ship is cloaked," the pilot said. "But she already got us in her tractor beams. I've set the ship to drift."

Hurst could feel some movement in the ship. There was suddenly a flash and just as sudden, the Athena appeared in her hulking majesty all around them with the shuttle doors open and the beam pulling them in. "We just got inside the cloaking field and our matter has phased in synch with the Athena's," said the pilot. "That's why we could see her now."

The tractor beam drew the Flyer inside the shuttle bay, like a giant mouth drawing its prey in. They were inside the new bay, and Garret was there waiting to greet him.

"Welcome, Admiral. I was quite surprised to hear that you were coming," Garret said. "Isn't this pretty dangerous?"

"It's time for me to share the risks with my front line troops," Hurst said.

"Yes, but this is not the place to make such a point," Garret said.

"But I am already here," Hurst said. "I need to be where the information is. Let's go to the bridge."

At the bridge, Hurst couldn't wait. "Athena?"

"Yes, Admiral?" Athena's voice was distant, like her somewhere far had drawn her attention. "I could hear you talking, Admiral, but I must concentrate."

"Processing power is at eighty percent utilization," Ka'nal reported. "Even with Doctor Shiner's improvements in Athena's latent multitasking ability, this is taking up high processing unit utilization."

"What's going on?" Hurst said.

"Athena has managed to upload herself and has temporary control of the Deimos' computer systems," Garret explained.

"That's great!" Hurst exclaimed. "How did she do that?"

"She took advantage of the similarity of the computing systems onboard the Deimos to the Athena," Garret said.

"But the process is however taking much of her processing power," Ka'nal reported. "It is as if her processing power has to be spread for two ships."

"I am trying to get the processing units in the Deimos to share more of the workload, without completely separating my consciousness from this ship," Athena said. "Now I need to upload stuff. What's the scariest aliens you got in the database?"

"Scariest aliens?" Ka'nal asked. "What do you need them for? Never mind, I don't think I want to know. The scariest aliens in my opinion I have in your database are from the Voyager archives you have been studying for your entertainment. What about Species 8472? Hirogen hunters? They boil the meat off your bones in big kettles."

"That can do," Athena said. "Just considering that I might have to do the hologram-goes- amok bit. Once I get the Deimos' processors working more for me, of course."

"But ever since the Dr. Moriarty incident in the Enterprise D took place, Starfleet has taken countermeasures to prevent holograms from taking over the ship, aside from General Command Holograms such as you and Mercury, which are the only ones in Starfleet so far," T'Pak said. "I suppose that is your plan, Athena? To take over the Deimos."

"The countermeasures work with Starfleet, but not the Deimos in particular," Athena said. "The Deimos was rushed into combat with an inexperienced crew, and many systems features not fully implemented or improperly installed, such as safety and counterbalances. She may be a Prometheus variant, but she's bug ridden like new software. Even her holodeck is not working, but all her holo emitters are. Currently she's pretty undercrewed, and everyone of them are inexperienced and still learning. Cartel engineers did a better job in assimilating the captured Intrepid variant and the Defiant classes because of their experience in a proven design. But the Deimos being a brand new ship will work to our advantage."

Hurst interrupted. "Athena, I need to know the status of the operative."

"Not good sir," Athena said. "They overdosed her with drugs during her interrogation. I need to bring her back to the sickbay. I'm uploading medical data to the Deimos' database in her sick bay. If I can get her there, I can help her. But the pirates have stolen a large part of the medical equipment and stocks in the Deimos."

"Those bastards," Hurst said.

"Are you all right?" Garret asked. "Admiral, you don't look so well."

"Just stress, I suppose," Hurst answered with an excuse for his green, sickly face. "Since our battles with the Borg, I never really had some rest."

"There is something I need to tell you, Admiral," Athena said. "But I suggest you need to rest first."

"I'm here not to rest. I need to be informed," Hurst said.

Athena made a curling finger gesture telling Hurst to come over to her side. "What is it?" Hurst asked as he walked over to Athena's helm console.

Athena whispered to his ear. "Since you have never made your family relations public, I don't think I should speak about it openly in the bridge."

"Oh, I understand," Hurst said. He stood up and faced the bridge. "Maybe I do need a rest. Garret, get me some private quarters, please."

"Right away, Admiral," Garret said.

* * *

Inside a private room, Hurst opened his terminal and clicked some buttons on the LCARS interface. A face sprang up.

"It's me, Athena. The whole crew will still see my hologram sitting on the helm console, so I'm recreating another image here."

"Thanks, Athena," Hurst said. "What do you know about my family relationships?"

"Everything. I overheard everything in the Deimos," Athena said. "It's like a soap opera."

"What's a soap opera?" Hurst asked.

"You don't know or watch any of that stuff in the archives?" Athena asked. "Never mind. Let's just say it's been pretty emotional for both your daughter and former lover."

"So you've really seen them both, even Gera," Hurst said.

"I had a feeling you came on board to find out," Athena said. "The moment I heard of it, I thought 'wow'! Gad. You got a killer operative who also just happens to be your flesh and blood daughter, and a captain of the enemy who used to be your former lover. No wonder you want to keep things tight under the lid. But you know, keeping it secret for the rest of your own people, that's not good. They're risking their lives here in a potentially massive incident where your family is at the center."

"You are correct," Hurst said. "It's about time I live up to my sins in the past. Neither my family nor my crews should suffer for the things I did and for my negligence. I will prepare a statement."

"In the meantime, Admiral, I will try my best to help them," Athena said.

"Can you do me a favor?" Hurst asked. "If you can talk to them, tell them I love them."

"Will do," Athena said.

* * *

"Dammit," Gera ordered, "I'm your captain. I need my daughter in the sick bay."

"Please," the girl in the engineer's uniform pleaded to the guard. "The best place for her now is the sick bay. Don't let her death be upon your conscience."

"Sorry, but orders are orders," the guard said.

The girl nailed the guard with something that looked like a Vulcan neck pinch. "That always worked," she said.

"Who are you?" Gera asked.

"You can call me Athena for now," the girl said. "I am here to help you and your daughter. By the way, Admiral Hurst sends you his love and regards."

"Hurst? The former Captain Thomas Hurst of the USS Holland?" Gera said. "He's now an admiral is he?"

"Thomas? Is that what his real first name was?" Athena said. "Funny that he never bothered to tell us, except for his clerks doing the paperwork. Or maybe I never bothered to remember if he did tell us."

"I have not seen him for years," Gera said.

"And I bet he hasn't seen you for that much time too," Athena said. "But to be honest, between the two of you, you wore your age much better than he did. He's turning grey and fat around the belly. I have ways to get direct touch with him, and to let you know that he is in constant touch with you through me. But first let's bring your daughter over to the sick bay."

They both carried Tonya with their shoulders. When they reached the sick bay, there was no one there. The Deimos had non essential personnel, and that included medical personnel.

"Where is good help when you need them?" Gera asked. She never gave the sick bay any attention and inspection since they captured the Deimos.

"The ship does not have a live medical doctor. Only a medical hologram," Athena explained. "But due to some damage or bugs in the system, its currently not available. We have to do this ourselves."

"And you know how?" Gera asked.

"Trust me," Athena said.

They laid Tonya on a bunk. Athena found a scanner and ran it over Tonya's body. "She's full of junk. I got to isolate all unnatural chemicals in her system, and it would help if the Federation has more information about Khosk physiological chemistry. I got to catalyze the chemicals in her blood somehow. That's the best way before we can get her to another facility that can filter the stuff out of her blood."

"Do what you have to do," Gera said, her breathing heavy in apprehension and worry. "Help my poor baby..." Gera clutched Tonya's hand.

There was a machine set on an arm, and Athena pulled it over Tonya's body. "This is an emitter. I am going to catalyze the chemicals and hope for the best." The machine began moving a soft blue beam back and forth over Tonya's body.

Gera felt Tonya gripping on her hand harder. Gera combed the hair over Tonya's forehead.

"We have to work faster," Athena said. "They will be looking for us, and I can't stave them off that long."

* * *

"Computer report, where is the captain?" Oblan asked from the bridge.

"Sensors malfunctioning," the computer said. "The system requires maintenance."

"Bloody Federation quality. All that technology, and it doesn't work properly," Oblan said. "Ask the guards."

"I got a report," said one officer. "The Federation spy is no longer in her cell. The guard is down. We have another report that the captain was seen moving the spy out of her cell and into the sick bay."

"Your captain's loyalty is now in doubt," Oblan said. "This is now between her, her daughter the spy and the Cartels whom she had sworn her loyalty to. Get security to the sick bay. Meet me there. As of now, she is no longer the captain of the CSS Deimos, you all understand?"

"But sir, I've known the captain since she was a Maquis," said one of the officers. "Her captainship is brilliant, her dedication unwavering."

"But today it wavered," Oblan said. "I will hear no more. It is time to test where her heart truly is."

* * *

"We got guards coming, and no way out," Athena said. "At least for you two. Time to make my departure."

"No wait, what am I going to do?" Gera said. For the first time in years, she felt confused, of the role she must play, mother to a daughter or commander to a fleet. The confusion raged in her mind and emotions, and she could not think clear enough to device a tactical plan.

But Athena answered, "You have done well to this point, you will find a way. I'll be back and I'll never be far away." Like a ghost, Athena's body flashed and disappeared. "What are you?" Gera asked.

The doors of the sick bay opened without resistance. Two guards marched in black overalls with vest armor and helmets, boot heels scrubbing the ground. They raised their phaser rifles at her. In contrast, the Great Citizen came in a robe of sparkling white, his hands always clasped together in perpetual prayer.

"Gera, my love?" Oblan said.

"Citizen?" Gera responded.

"I see that you have defied my orders to keep the spy in her place," Oblan said.

"But she would have died. She's my daughter, don't you get it, my flesh and blood!" Gera exclaimed. "My family!"

"Blood means nothing," Oblan said. "Everyone here in this ship, everyone in the Cartels, that is your family. I am your family, and you are my family. That girl, she may be genetically linked to you, but her heart is not with us. Her heart, her mind, her soul, are all against us. She is not family. She is against our family. Don't you see the truth?"

Gera grimaced, and clenched her fist.

Oblan turned to the guards. "Get the girl and bring her to the shuttle bay. I want everyone to the shuttle bay to see what I will present." He grabbed Gera's arm while a guard poked a phaser rifle at her back. "You will come with me, and show your loyalty to the family once and for all."

"Where did the Romulans go?" Boussard asked. The screen in the bridge of the Hiryu was in conference mode. Displayed were the faces of a few captains.

"The last time I heard they had a number of reinforcements," Shelley said. "When Hurst asked to delay the attack they took the opportunity to reinforce themselves. My scanners showed D'Deridex Warbirds finally coming on to the scene. I will get my people to search for the Romulans."

"What's the status of our own reinforcements?" Boussard asked.

It was the Hoesch of the Boise that answered. "We got an Excelsior class with a Lakota refit that came in. Let me introduce you to Captain T'Mala of the USS Drake." There was some customary greetings, and then Hoesch continued. "Other than that, we got some armed Oberths."

"I would apologize in advance to some of the captains here if I would make an unfavorable remark against their ships, but I would have to say other than the Drake, Starfleet has placed a low priority in this operation, or it just can't make up its collective mind about this operation," Boussard said. "We got mostly old or small ships manned only with essential crews, reinforced with a core number of more technologically advanced ships and refits. We are no match against the Jem'Hadar 42nd Fleet, which during the Dominion Wars, was among the most notorious of the Jem'Hadar armadas. Since the end of the war and their breakup with the Dominion, the renegade 42nd had only become stronger, fighting their own guerilla war in the far edges of the borders of every empire or galactic state. According to our intelligence reports, they have learned to secure alliances with neighboring powers for supplies and cover. They have built up their fleet and advanced their own technologies through innovation and acquisition."

"Frankly, ladies and gentlemen, the Jem'Hadar is not our target," Boussard said. "The Cartels had been involved with illegal trafficking along the border and zone worlds of every empire or institution. The stuff they make has started to seep inward towards the core systems. We have been seeing a gradual traffic of freighters moving in and out of the system as well as between the Jem'Hadar and the Cartels. I have a theory that the Cartels are supplying something the Jem'Hadar needed, and if it isn't weapons or any technological supply, it must be Ketracel White. And if I'm wrong on anything specifically, generally I would say I would be correct that those transports are carrying something important. Important enough that we must destroy them."

"So gentlemen and ladies, when the attack commences, we will focus on hit and run attacks on the transports. If your ship is severely damaged, withdraw from the attack at your discretion," Boussard said. "I will wager that the Romulans and the Cardassians will take up the majority of the Jem'Hadar's and Cartel's attention."

"Captain Boussard," Shelley said. "I got word from the Cardassians. They don't know where the Romulans went. But there hasn't been any warp signature that indicated they left. Gul Kassak wants to speak to you."

"I hate that man, but let him speak. Bring him up on a window," Boussard said.

"Captain Boussard," said Gul Kassak, his face the only Cardassian among the conference windows. "It is nice to finally meet the Kedgewick Butcher himself."

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Gul Kassak," Boussard said. "Nice to meet the man who invented the strategy of loading innocent civilians from occupied planets and prisoners of war into armed Tonga class transports, then use them as a shield to protect your convoys."

"Oh you flatter me too much. I obtained the stratagem from reading your own human war histories on Earth," Kassak said. "Specifically those in your so called Second World War."

"Thank you for impressing me with your interest on war academia. You are known for it," Boussard said.

"Thank you again, Captain Boussard. Our past are at war with each other, but today we have a common foe," Kassak said. "A foe which we hate more than we hate each other."

"That's understood," Boussard said. "But the reason, as you are probably aware, is that that we have a common ally that disappeared."

"Oh yes, the Romulans. With allies like that, who needs enemies, according to an Earth expression," Kassak said. "I do find your culture quite fascinating. On the Romulans, we did not detect any warp signature of ships leaving our fleet, and it would not make sense for them to leave when their reinforcements were coming in. I am happy to see that we got more reinforcements now from the 8th Order reserves and from the 7th Order, including at least two more Hutet class vessels and our latest Keldon refits."

"It is good to see that your Legates have placed more priority into this operation than our politicians," Boussard said.

"I started this campaign to stop the Cartel from corrupting our children. They have already claimed one of mine," Kassak said. "But now, it has also turned into a campaing of vendetta against the Jem'Hadar. There are still many who remember the massacres the Jem'Hadar conducted in Cardassia Prime. As for our Romulan allies, I got reports from some of my scouts equipped with high resolution sensors. The Romulans may have engaged phase cloak and were headed deeper into the system."

"They must be crazy!" Boussard exclaimed.

"Major Riana never informed me of her move," Kassak said. "Our alliance is poorly coordinated, which is always the case with arrogant Romulans who refuse to follow orders and directives from commanders that do not belong to their race. I expect that the Romulans may be attempting an armed reconnaissance of the system under cloaked mode. She is confident of her phase cloaking abilities."

"The Jem'Hadar has managed to break that system at the closing phase of the war," Boussard said. "She might as well go in there naked. This may stir up a hornet's nest."

"Another Earth phrase, but well understood," Kassak said. "We will prepare for battle stations in case when the crap hits the fan, as you Earth people also say."

* * *

Hurst entered the bridge. "Report," he ordered.

"There is something going on inside the Deimos," Athena said. "I believe we will go into action soon."

"Why?" Garret asked. "The Deimos has not provoked us."

"But we need to provoke it," Athena said. "I got a chance of capturing the Deimos. I will need people to mind the ship, while I will concentrate on activities inside the Deimos. I will need to send a boarding team inside the Deimos."

"I will lead the boarding team," Garret said. "Ka'nal, you take over the ship."

"No," Hurst said. "This time I'm going to clean up my own mess."

"Admiral?" Garret asked.

"If you must all know, there has been something I have improperly withheld from all of you," Hurst said. "I know, I know, I have withheld things from you in the past. But that's due to Section policy and rules. This one is something of a personal nature."

"Out there..." Hurst pointed to the screen, into the space beyond, where the Deimos lay. "Out there... I let my daughter risk her life." There was some mumbling among the officers upon hearing Hurst's words.

"A daughter I have never acknowledged to anyone that she was mine, not even to Starfleet," Hurst said. "Yet she risks her life for the Federation in the most dangerous of assignments. She is among the very best of us all. I am not worthy to be called her father, much less her commanding officer."

"I have sent my own flesh and blood in an assignment in that ship," Hurst said. "Now is the time that I will get her back. Now is the time I will risk myself for her. I will lead the boarding team myself, and, Garret, don't give me that crap that I am too old."

* * *

Aboard the IRW D'PakThau,

"Major, a wing of Jem'Hadar Strike Cruisers and Fighters are heading our way," her officer on the helm said.

Riana watched her tactical screens. She clenched her hands into a tight fist. "Maximum energy to phase cloak. Do it now."

The tone in the instruments panels told her that energy to the screens have been raised. She glanced back at the tactical screens. Two Warbirds stayed behind the D'PakThau. While the Warbirds were more than twice as large as the Shadow class, they're not as tactically capable, and their large size proved to be more of a handicap for stealth operations. The Tal Shi'ar commissioned the Shadow class in the need for a Warbird type that had greater to equal firepower than a D'Deridex but was much more stealthier and could host a variety of experimental technologies. With phase cloak, a D'Deridex could avoid detection against normal scanners. But late in the Dominion War, the Jem'Hadar countered Romulan phase cloak techniques using tachyon grid sensors and equipped them on Strike Cruisers. Against tachyon grids, engineers were still able to find ways to avoid detection by increasing power to suppression fields that reduce tachyon emissions and by reducing the overall profile of the ship. A smaller cloaking field took less energy to suppress its tachyon emissions.

Riana wondered if the presence of the behemoth D'Deridex gave them away. The Jem'Hadar patrol would not veer its course. They were still headed their way. Confrontation was inevitable.

"We're going into battle stations," Riana said. "Red alert. Divert power to weapons. We're going to take them. Inform the Warbirds and the rest of the fleet of the situation. Set weapons for alpha strike and prepare to fire on my mark."

"Weapons locked on to the lead Strike Cruiser," the Tactical officer said.

Riana kept an eagle eye on the Strike Cruiser, watching the distance readouts go lower and lower, until it was the right time.

"Decloak now!" Riana ordered. Out of thin space, the Shadow class materialized, a translucent ghost like form turning into solid mass. Right next behind it appeared two D'Deridex Warbirds and extending in a delta formation, were Griffin and Raptor cruisers. Above and below were Shrike destroyers appeared along with Talon class scouts. War Eagles, Firehawks and Novahawks appeared above and below the main formation.

"Fire!" She ordered.

Massive balls of plasma shot out from the Romulan formations.

Aboard the Strike Cruiser, the Third officer shouted, "Plasma torpedoes!"

The First officer stared at the unstoppable torrent of plasma balls heading towards his fleet. He expressed no fear, no panic, just the calm, rational and cold attitude of his kind. "Evasive maneuvers!" He ordered.

"It is too late!" His Second said.

"Then warn the fleet we are under attack, quickly, before we are destroyed," the First said. "Yes, sir!" the Second replied.

As he watched the balls of plasma fire come closer, the First raised his fist in salute. In circumstances of inevitable death, an officer of Jem'Hadar would shout out, "For the Dominion, for the Founders!" Their fists raised in salute before death would overtake them. But this time, he swore no more loyalty to the Dominion, and to the Founders. Instead he shouted, "For the 42nd, for the Jem'Hadar," before death took him.

The balls smashed against the shields of the Strike Cruiser, enveloping the fire ship with fire. Ball after burning ball hit the ship before it became a brilliant ball of fire itself, its shockwaves spreading a growing ring of smoke. A fraction of a second later, there was another brilliant flash, as another Strike Cruiser turned into a burning ball, large fragments of its hull hurtling outward in all directions, trailing glowing smoke.

"We could not stop them from sending their warning signal in time," her Tactical officer said.

"It does not matter," Riana said. "We will lure them out from their formations and ambush them."

"Jem'Hadar Attack ships coming in," another officer said.

"Order the Talons to engage the Attack ships. Engage cloak!" Riana said, executing once again the time honored tactic Romulans have performed over the past century. The tactic was to cloak and hide, allowing weapons to charge, then decloak and unleash all that power in single alpha strike. The hit and run tactics was classic and deadly. During their engagements with the Klingons, the Klingons considered the tactic dishonorable and treacherous at first, but once they were able to acquire cloaking technology, they too used the same tactics with equal effectiveness.

The large Romulan ships disappeared back to thin space. The Talons banked, disrupters firing green pulsing beams at the approaching Attack ships, plastering their shields with green flashes. But the disrupters could not stop the Attack ships. Three Attack ships in formation banked, turning behind the Talons. Polaron beams shot out, engulfing a Talon in flames before the small ship disintegrated.

* * *

The small crowd gathered around the shuttle bay, which was the largest open room in the entire ship. The crowd consisted of the essential minimal crew needed to run the Deimos, which wasn't saying much either. Athena kept her distance and lurked among the shuttles inside the ship. There were large shuttles, Type 6 to 8, used to ferry the crew and supplies to the Deimos. She activated the shuttle bay's observation camera to serve as her eye. She disappeared, only to appear again in the turbo lift, with the uniform of a Cartel Helmsan.

Tonya appeared to have recovered some strength. Her legs didn't seem as weak as before, and she could stand on her own weight. But maybe it appeared that way since there was a guard supporting her from the back, gripping her upper arms, while her hands stayed cuffed behind her back.

A figure in white robes walked in. With his long stride, he looked like as if he glided in. An entourage surrounded him. Right ahead of him was Gera. A number of guards followed carrying phaser rifles, the barrels pointed at Gera.

The Great Citizen raised both his hands, to address the crowd and bring them to silence. "Ladies, gentlemen, we sadly regret that today, one of our family, the best among us, has strayed from the path. But today, we will give one beloved member of our family to redeem herself, to acknowledge who is her true family now."

"As you all know, the penalty for spying is death. We have brought this girl, Tonya, to our bosom in all our friendship, but she rewarded by spying for the Federation," Oblan said. The crowd booed, whistled and finger pointed at Tonya, who has begun to struggle against the grip of her captor.

"Execution would have been merciful, but the spy, this girl, is not ours to kill," Oblan said. "Not especially in the presence of her mother, Gera. A mother should not watch her child killed by someone else."

"Instead, for the atonement of the crime her child had done, the mother should take the life of her child away as she had given birth to it." Oblan turned to Gera. Horror filled her eyes. "Gera, it is up to you to give your child a quick and merciful death, or our way would be one that is slow and painful. Which way will it be?" Oblan held a phaser in his hand, and offered to Gera. "I set the phaser at a kill intensity but it will not disintegrate the body. I intend to send the body back to the Federation to set a shining example for them."

Gera struggled to take the phaser in her hands, watching Tonya's doleful eyes as Tonya struggled against the grips of the guard with increasing intensity.

"You're asking me to kill my daughter," Gera said to Oblan.

"I am asking you to completely break your ties with your old family and rejoin your new one," Oblan said. "The one now before, the Cartels, who look up to you now as one of their best fleet commanders. You will do your daughter a favor with a quick and painless death. And if you don't---" Oblan waved his hand. Two of the guards aimed their rifles at Tonya, while another aimed it at Gera.

* * *

The turbo lift opened and Athena entered the bridge. "Why are you not in the shuttle bay to observe the execution event?" Athena asked.

"Someone has to stay to man the bridge," the officer said. "How about you, why are you not in the shuttle bay if you don't mind me asking the same question?"

"For the same answer you gave...that someone has to watch over the bridge," Athena said. "Actually my job would have been simpler if you had left..." Athena raised a phaser on stun on the officer, his face frozen with surprise. Athena pressed the trigger, and the officer fell. "Just a minor inconvenience..." She went to the communications console and pressed buttons on the LCARS interface. "Deimos to the ship Athena, this is the GCH Athena, the egg is cracked, I repeat, the egg is cracked." Athena then turned around, and spoke to herself. "Now time to play the Hirogen and 8472 programs."

The Athena decloaked off the Deimos' port bow as the shields dropped on the Deimos. "Transporters! Beam out the Away Teams!" Hurst ordered, brandishing a phaser rifle.

* * *

"What the...?" Oblan looked around as the entire ship rumbled with explosions and fire. His communicator toned. "What is it?" Oblan blurted with an irritated tone of voice.

"Great Citizen, we have detected firing at the outer edge of the system. Romulans have ambushed a Jem'Hadar patrol," said the voice in the communicator.

But before he could respond to the provocation, he heard guards screaming. His communicator toned again, and this time, the voice was among the guards protecting the ship. "Citizen, we're being boarded. Federation away teams supported by unidentified alien species..."

Taking advantage of the distraction, Gera leaped. Before Oblan could respond to the communicator, the barrel of a phaser pressed behind his back, as Gera grabbed him from behind. Her sharp talons extended, they moved perilously close to Oblan's jugular. "Release my daughter!" Gera commanded at the guards. "Or I will cut his throat."

"You won't do it, Gera," Oblan said. "I love you and I know you have feelings for me."

"Oblan, I care about you, but you underestimated a mother's love for her child," Gera said. "I would die for my child."

Oblan raised his hands. "Do what she says," Oblan ordered the guards. The guards released Tonya from their grasp. Tonya gathered her strength. The treatment she had seemed to be working.

"Tonya, come over here, behind me!" Gera shouted as she dragged Oblan towards some crates in the shuttle bay, away from the crowd which had phasers pointed at her.

There was more phaser fire in the corridor. Screams filled Oblan's communicator. "We're being surrounded! Monsters, alien hunters, storming the ship!" The guards screamed. "We must evacuate."

More voices shouted from the communicator, interrupting the guards' voices. "Citizen, we are requesting your presence back at the Koxinga. The Jem'Hadar has mobilized and will attempt to intercept the Romulan fleet. We have also gotten word that a Cardassian and Federation armada has appeared outside of the system and moving in. We need you. Koxinga, out."

Tonya grabbed a fallen phaser rifle, and covered her mother as they made their way back to the crates.

"You have your daughter," Oblan said to Gera. "Now let me go. Our fleet is in danger and they need someone to lead them."

"Mother, are you really going to let him go?" Tonya asked as she waved the phaser rifle a the guards.

"He gave his word and I should give mine," Gera said.

"But I need him for a human shield," Tonya said. "Without him, these guys will start firing."

"Look, young lady," Gera said. "Just because I saved your butt out there doesn't mean I'm going to compromise on the rest of my principles and my people. Not with my fleet out there." Gera turned to Oblan. "Tell them not to shoot at us. I'm going to let you free, and then I want you out of this ship."

Oblan waved at the guards not to fire. He then raised both his hands in the air. "Can we talk about this?"

"I don't think so," Gera said. "I don't think we can talk to each other anymore. Now get the hell out of here before this phaser changes it's mind."

"This is regrettable, Gera. Despite what I feel for you, you have betrayed my trust," Oblan said. Oblan ran to his guards, just as Gera and Tonya jumped behind some crates and supply barrels for cover. Hell broke loose as everyone opened phaser fire.

"Get the shuttle ready," Oblan ordered to his entourage as they ran to the Type 11 shuttle. Oblan, however, never ran but kept his head high, chin up, and walked to the shuttle.

Gera felt another presence at her back and when she glanced, it was that strange girl again who could magically appear and disappear at will.

"It's Athena here. I got reinforcements boarding the ship," she said. Turning to Tonya, Athena said, "Your father, Hurst, he's here too. His away teams are boarding this ship?"

"My father? You know?" Tonya asked.

"Yes, I know, I overhead everything, and your father confessed," Athena said.

"How long have you been here? Have you been following? My father, has he been following?" Tonya asked.

"That's the other confession we need to make. We've been following your ship," Athena said. "I thought we may come in handy."

"I got a stimulant for you. Here, this should make you less groggy." Athena injected something into Tonya's arm.

Tonya straightened up and her eyes livened. "Cool stuff. What's that?"

"Plain old adrenalin," Athena said. "Works all the time, but you're not out of the woods yet, medically speaking."

The doors blew open, and Cartel guards were flying through the opening, screaming. Alien warriors came out shooting, with fierce looking monsters right behind them. Armed Cartel crew returned fire.

"What are those?" Tonya said, horrified by the appearance of their attackers.

"Hirogen hunters, with Species 8472 tossed in for effect," Athena said.

"What? Never heard of them," Tonya said.

"But you probably never read the Voyager archives, hadn't you. Never mind," Athena said. "These are only holograms created to give the impression we got backup. Right now, we're just badly outnumbered and we need every illusion we can get."

Away from the shooting, Oblan raised his arms. "Adios amigos!" He shouted, demonstrating his knowledge of Earth phrases once again. The Type 11 heavy shuttle elevated from the floor, and headed to the shuttle bay opening.

"There is going to be a big battle out there," Athena said to Tonya and Gera as they ducked and exchanged phaser fire. "To give you a grasp of the situation, we've got Cardassian and Romulan fleets out there gunning for Cartel blood. I got my own ship out there right next to this, and we're taking over. And a Federation fleet out there about to make their own attack as well." "Oh golly," Tonya said. "You got three fleets out there? You don't know who you're dealing with. It's not just the regular Jem'Hadar fleet, and they're tough already to fight. It's not just the regular Cartel fleet, and that too is a lot of trouble to fight. The Cartels, they got a super sized ship out there, that's the biggest I've seen, bigger than a Jem"Hadar battleship a super carrier capable of launching of two to three hundred attack ships in my estimate."

"The Cartels got a carrier?" Athena asked.

"Yes," Gera said. "How do you think we're able to capture this ship? Those Attack ships will swarm you to death worst than the Jem'Hadar Attack ships could. Not to mention a large number of Raiders and Bird of Preys in cloaked mode. It's supported with a good number of Privateer frigates and light cruisers. Many of these ships are equipped with pulse phasers, high yield pulse disrupters, and both standard and mini quantum torpedoes, all courtesy of stealing and copying from the Federation and the Klingons. So what's your reinforcements? So what do you have to go against these?"

"I got my ship, another Prometheus class like this one, just outside of this ship," Athena said.

Gera nodded and frowned. "Well that's comforting. If they can nail a Prometheus like this one, they can nail another one. Got any other bright ideas?"

* * *

Aboard the Tumanjal,

Klaxons blared, red lights flashing. "We are on red alert. All pilots to the Attackers, all pilots to the Attackers. Prepare to disengage." The computer's voice was a woman's and it was cool and calm, despite the frantic rush of the crews.

Pilots ran down the pathways. The canopies of the Attackers were open, and crews of three suited and entered each ship. One by one, the canopies shut and the engines hummed. Outside the giant carrier, like bats leaving their cave, Attackers undocked from the hull of the titanic ship. As each Attacker left their seat, their bat like wings were fully horizontal. Then each fighter entered attack mode, the wings bending and turning downward, like a bat in flapped down wing position. The Attackers settled into wings of three, then engaged their impulse engines, shrieking into the dark space ahead. From the empty space, Raiders and Bird of Preys emerged from their cloaked modes and joined the formations of the bat like Attackers. If the skies were not black already, the swarms of winged machines sensing their prey would have made it so.

Star Trek Athena Unholy Alliances Pt XIII

Sparks flew as beams shot over their heads. They fired back with the phasers they got, but the guards kept firing.

"We got to get out of here," Tonya said aloud. "I don't think they're buying your hologram trick." Scores of hologram Hirogen and 8472 fell to the phasers of the Cartel guards.

"I heard you the first time about getting out," Athena spoke loud enough to overcome the noise of the phasers shooting. "Darn that's the problem of hologram enemies the computer programs them to be phaser fodder to live opponents. I want to beam you both out of here but something's wrong with the transporters."

"Yes, that is why we're using shuttles," Gera admitted. "We've been trying to repair the transporters. They may have been damaged in the battle capturing this ship."

"Oh, I hate it when things don't go our way," Athena said. "I'm starting diagnostics to repair the transporters, but in the meantime I got to try other means. Admiral! Admiral! I got your daughter and her mother here," Athena said to herself, using the ship's computer systems to access the communicators. "I know it's not nice to spoil your family reunion but we're pinned down here."

"Understood Athena," Hurst replied, his voice emanating within Athena. "We're trying to fight through to the shuttle bay, but we're encountering heavy resistance. Hang in there. Send Gera my love."

"Oh she's here and she hear it," Athena replied. "One other thing, I believe from the accounts of Gera and Tonya here, the Cartels have a super carrier class out there, possibly capable of fielding fighters or attackers by the few hundred."

"We are aware there is a relatively large ship mass within the system," Hurst replied. "But we have not determined it exactly. Tell my daughter she did a good job."

"How did you do that?" Tonya asked in amazement, almost forgetting she's still in a deadly firefight.

'I'm a hologram myself, if you have not guessed it by now," Athena said. "I am a projection from the ship's computers."

"You must be one hell of a hologram to do what you did," Tonya said.

"Can I speak to him?" Gera asked as Tonya fired back at the Cartel crew.

"Sure," Athena replied. "Just speak loudly enough through me."

"Thomas, Thomas, is that you?" Gera shouted.

"Gera...Gera...I'm coming for you, hold on!" Hurst replied through Athena's image.

"I can't hear you very well," Gera said. "There is too much interference. We're under heavy attack."

Then another voice, one who was too familiar for Athena, yet some one she didn't expect to hear at the moment.

"Athena, calling Athena, are you still there?" Garret said, speaking through the Athena hologram on the Athena ship and tapping her shoulder.

The Athena image on the Deimos' shuttlebay faded just as the Athena image on the helm of the Athena ship regained her attention.

"Why are you bugging me?" Athena lambasted her captain. "Don't you see I got something important to do?"

"I won't be calling you if something isn't urgent," Garret said. "Check your tactical maps."

Athena's mouth fell as she saw the map and what seemed like a massive swarm of attack ships headed their way. "Oh my golly! It's the attackers from the Cartel super carrier. It must be them!" She started waving her hands in panic. "Think...think...think!" She flapped both her hands in the air.

"The Cartels have a super carrier?" Garret asked. "Jeez, now we're in deep trouble! Red alert. Everyone to battlestations! Inform the rest of the fleet. Arm all weapons, maximum yield, dispersal fire. When you are ready, Drudge, fire at will."

"Yes, Captain," Drudge said. "My pleasure."

"Eureka, yes, I know!" Athena said. Her facial expression turned blank again, and Garret knew she projected herself back to the Deimos. "Come back here, Athena!" Garret shouted.

Tonya was startled as Athena reappeared next to her. "Where did you disappear too?" Tonya asked as she kept firing at the Cartel guards.

"Back to my ship. Looks like we got a lot of company heading our way," Athena said.

'"I bet it's Cartel Attackers," Gera said. "And a whole lot of other craft. This is going to be it, the end of us all."

"Fine optimist you turned out to be," Athena said. "I have an idea. You both know how to run a starship, do you?"

"Shuttles, scouts, Bird of Preys, Jem'Hadar Attack ships, Cardassian Hidekis, Defiants, you name it," Tonya said. "I will fly it."

"Same with me, and include Maquis Raiders and Bajoran Assault ships in the mix too," Gera said.

"Fine. Like mother, like daughter," Athena said. "I'm going to beam you out of here using my ship's transporters and put you into this ship's bridge. Then I want you both to helm this ship and its weapons."

Before they could say anything, both of them disappeared in a column of sparkles only to reappear a moment later in the bridge of the Deimos.

"Wow," Tonya shouted. "What a bridge! What a ship!"

"Kind of like the one I have, but mine is better," Athena said. "We don't have time to waste."

"I'll take the helm," Tonya said.

"...and I'll take the tactical," Gera said.

"There is the other ship, just next to us," Tonya said as she fingered the LCARS interface. "It's another Prometheus class cruiser like this."

"That's my ship," Athena said. "You got to maintain a close distance to her. I am both controlling the computer systems of both ships. With only the two of you, I got to be here to automate as much of the ship's functionality. Luckily there is no Cartel crew in the Engineering section. I have sealed it off, and no level of authorization can bypass me."

"This is a cool ship," Tonya said. "I said I could helm, but I'm not used to this, something as complex, as big and as powerful." She stared at the vaunting layout of the helm panel. "I got no time to learn and practice this."

"Take the secondary tactical console then," Athena said. "This handles the rearward armament. I will have to just fly this thing then." Tonya ran to the second tactical console while Athena took over the helm.

"This is like the Defiant. It has two tactical consoles, but instead of port and starboard weapons management, it's front and aft," Tonya observed.

"I noticed. It's quite different from the Athena in that respect," Athena said. "I got a primary tactical console, but I got back up secondary tactical console for the second hull weapons, and a third tactical console for the third hull weapons."

"We got trouble coming," Gera said, running back and forth between the science console and the primary forward tactical console. "Red alert, arming all weapons and raising all shields." She stared at the screens where an uncountable swarm of red dots headed her way.

* * *

Aboard the Hiryu,

"We got the Cardassian and Romulan fleets warping towards the center of the system," the officer said.

"The Cardies and the Rommies should know better about fighting the Jem'Hadar head on," Boussard said. "They want to take advantage of a quick, surprise, shock attack."

Boussard stood up from his captain's throne and walked to the Tactical consoles. It would be easier for him to think from there, looking at all the ship positions. In the screen of the bridge, the conference windows were still on, with many of the captains in the Federation fleet displayed in each screen.

The captains of the three Aegis class ships, the Boise, the Kiev and the Vanguard were set and ready, along with Novas, Nova class refits, now called Pathfinders, and Spearhead class variation of the Nova-Pathfinder ship. Among his fleet, next to his own ship, the three Aegis ships were the most powerful, modern and fastest, an Intrepid variant with a Prometheus class engineering hull with swept back oversized warp nacelles. While the phaser firepower was equivalent to a standard Intrepid, their redesigned engineering hulls held larger warp cores that gave the ship more power for its weapons and engines. Each possessed up rated burst fire quantum torpedo tubes, all protected with regenerative shields and ablative armor. His own ship, the Hiryu, was an Akira class refitted with a battery of five quantum torpedo tubes and the Quantum Phalanx a mini quantum torpedo system, consisting of ten tubes located through out the ship set to fire a broadside as the ship passes next to its target. In addition to that, to improve protection, sections of the ship were fitted with plates of ablative armor.

The Nova class refits, were essentially Novas with some of the sensor equipment removed in place of the original torpedo tubes conceived for the original Pathfinder project design. With Starfleet's reversal of policy, the name Pathfinder was resurrected to designate these refits. Engines were uprated to create an overpowered ship. The Spearhead class itself was an improvement of the Nova-Pathfinder. With a closed chin and nose, the ship increased sensor array area compared to the Nova class science vessel while keeping the formidable Pathfinder torpedo armament.

The Aegis ships, along with the Pathfinders and Spearheads, were to fan out ahead as scouts, spot and identify transport ships, and lead the rest of the main fleet to destroy them. Defiants, Steamrunners, and Sabres will try to cover the scouts and engage in running battles to draw attention from the scouts and the main fleet. The Steamrunners and the Sabres had been refitted with quantum torpedoes as part of a fleet wide program. The rest were outdated ships, the best of them being a Lakota refit Excelsior type, and should be capable of dealing with Cartel freighters.

"We're getting an encrypted message from the Athena," an officer said. "It is saying...that something...that the Cartels are fielding a super carrier capable of launching hundreds of fighters and attackers. Requesting immediate priority for search and destroy."

"That just threw a wrench at our cleverly laid plans," Boussard said. He paced around the bridge. "No matter what we will do, that carrier and its swarm of fighters will pose a major threat and make short work of our ships."

"Our plans must change. We must stop that carrier once and for all," Boussard announced. "Scout forces must determine it's exact location, and we will mount a concentrated attack against it. The Hiryu will lead the attack, with the Defiants, Steamrunners and Sabres covering it, while the scout harass it with hit and run attacks. The main fleet, with the USS Drake in the lead position, will bear down straight to the carrier. We will assume a V formation with ships in the flanks covering the ones in the front against fighter attack. If you keep close to each other in formation, each ship can cover each other."

"One more thing. Launch every shuttle we have," Boussard said. "This is the best thing we can have for a fighter cover. Every shuttle must try to protect the main ships."

With these words, Boussard finally settled into the captain's throne. "Aye, captain," came the response.

Shuttles took off from the ships. They comprised mostly of Type 9 and 11 types, but there were Venture class and Delta Flyers taking off from among the newer ships. The Aegis and Nova class ships dropped off their Aero and Wave Rider shuttles to assist in covering the main fleet as fighters. Then they engaged warp to scout ahead of the fleet.

"Display tactical window," Boussard ordered, and a copy of the tactical console display was brought into the main screen. He could see the scouts fan out ahead of the main fleet, while other marks indicated the Cardassian and Romulan fleets engaging the main Jem'Hadar fleet.

* * *

Athena awakened in her helm position aboard her ship. "Captain, we got control of the Deimos and she will be right behind us."

"That's assuring to have another Prometheus class warship helping us," Garret said. "But we're still vastly outnumbered."

"Sir, there is still some problems with the computer systems off the Deimos," Athena confessed. "I will not separate the ship, but I will engage multivector mode electronically and control the Deimos like she's one of my secondary ships."

"That means heavy processing burden," Garret said. He was familiar with Athena's computational limitations. Even with as sophisticated Athena's program was, and having what is probably the most sophisticated iso-linear and bioneural hybrid computer in the entire Federation, even she could only do so much. This means, this was where having a crew would still justify even a massively automated ship like the Athena.

"Ka'nal, secondary tactical, T'Pak, third tactical," Garret ordered. While the primary tactical console could control all weapons within the ship, the back up secondary and third tactical consoles were meant to divide the attention and labor. The secondary console controlled weapons on the second hull, while the third console controlled the weapons on the third hull. "Athena, concentrate on flying the two ships."

"Engaging full impulse!" Athena said. Both the Athena and the Deimos rushed out from their positions just as enemy ships began to bore in.

"Attackers coming in!" T'Pak said. "Firing rear armaments!"

"Same here," Ka'nal said.

A burst of micro torpedoes shrieked out from the Athena's rear tubes, while the Deimos fired out its rear phasers. The torpedoes slammed into one of the Cartel Attackers, one after another, before the rear phasers from the Deimos finished it off.

"What are those things made of?" The Athena on board the Deimos said.

"Those things carry a warp core relatively overpowered to their size," Gera said. "The Attacker is basically a cockpit over four engines and a warp core, and not much anything else. They got very powerful shields for their size, but once the shields are out, they come apart quickly."

Rear phasers fired and fired, as rear tubes launch one volley of micro torpedoes after another. A Raider went down, smoking away, while a Jem'Hadar Attack ship exploded. But the Attackers kept their relentless pursuit, firing a hail of micro torpedoes and pulse phasers, right at the rear of both the Athena and the Deimos.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!! My butt!" Athena shouted in a voice that can be heard in two ships. A flurry of phasers and micro torpedoes from the rear of the Athena and the Deimos nailed a couple more Attackers. But rear shields were starting to wear thin for both ships.

Suddenly Hideki fighters flashed by, disrupters and polaron beams knifing Attackers as they made their attack pass. The Attackers retaliated by banking, and one of them got a Hideki on its sights, obliterating it with furious pulse phaser fire. The Hidekis quickly got into furball dogfight with Cartel and Jem'Hadar Attack ships. Unlike their counterparts before the Dominion War, post war Hidekis, like all Cardassian ships, enjoyed a tremendous boost in technology, learning from captured technologies such as Dominion Polaron weapons, Federation phasers, Romulan cloak, and Klingon disrupters. Cardassia may have lost the war, but a few years after the way, the Cardassians have came out even stronger with superior armament in their ships, and a plethora of aggressive new designs.

"Strike Cruiser dead ahead!" Athena shouted. Beam and pulse phasers struck out from the Athena, along with a burst of regular sized quantum torpedoes. Like wise, the Deimos unleashed its frontal armament. As the Athena and Deimos flashed by, torpedoes slammed into the Jem'Hadar ship, engulfing it in a ball of flame.

As the Hidekis tied up the Cartel Attackers, the Athena and the Deimos cleared out of the hail of fire as massive fleets engaged in a dance of combat.

"I wonder where Citizen Oblan is now," Gera said, aware that there were other ships that seriously posed a threat.

* * *

His chin up, the Great Citizen never sat down, not even on the Captain's throne of the captured Achilles class and former Federation cruiser, the Koxinga. Outside, the battle raged. He knew they would come and there was no better place to test their new found strength than this. This was why they stayed. To run away like dogs would be to demoralize the fleet. If they had won, tactically it would be meaningless, but spiritually for the Federation, the Romulan Star Empire and the Cardassian Union, it would send a shockwave that would reverberate for years.

The Cartel and their allies like the Jem'Hadar Alphans have came on their own. It would mean a new power has risen, and a new crack of decay have appeared in the armor of the great powers, one that will in time, widen till everything break apart.

The First of the 42nd Fleet have assured him, they will win. As powerful as the Cardassians and the Romulan fleets were, they were overconfident and underestimated the resolve and resources of the 42nd. From the screens of the Koxinga, the Great Citizen watched the massive Jem'Hadar Warships, Super Carriers and Battlecruisers mass into great lines, heading for the Cardassian and Romulan fleet, where their huge Hutet and D'Deridex class battleships await. The First of the 42nd told him, this was like the first joint incursion of the Cardassians and the Romulans into the Gamma Quadrant to deliver a blow against the world of the Founders. The First reminded him, that the Jem'Hadar destroyed the massive Cardassian and Romulan fleets then, just as the Jem'Hadar would do to these fleet as well.

The main Cartel fleets have joined the battle, and it was time for him to do as well. He ordered the two captured Defiants port and starboard of the Koxinga, with the former USS Hainan making up the rear. The Hainan itself was a Intrepid variant with downward nacelles typical of the examples of the type seen during the Dominion War.

His formation would have been stronger if the Deimos were still part of his fleet. But ever since his shuttle left that ship, they were unable to make contact When he left there was another Federation ship of the same class next to the Deimos, and he could only guess that it was boarding the Deimos. They could have taken a shot right there, when they saw his shuttle left the bay, and he would have been vulnerable. But a Federation officer's sense of fair play was the only thing that saved him, and for the other shuttles that left the ship at that moment. He could only assume that the Federation boarders have now captured the Deimos, along with Gera and her daughter the Federation spy. She was lost from him now, her faith with her new family wasn't enough to overcome the bonds she had with her old family.

"Advance and engage the enemy," Oblan ordered. "Full impulse, maximum charge to all weapons and fire at will." The Koxinga advanced, with the two Defiants at its side and the Intrepid variant behind it. At the distance the Cardassian Hutets and Romulan Warbirds exchanged fire with Jem'Hadar Warships and Battlecruisers. Explosions mark where ships were hit or died. The beams of phasers and polarons crisscrossed the empty space as they strike their targets. Torpedoes lash out into space from all directions and towards all directions. There was pure chaos; there was nothing but flaming death.

The Koxinga shuddered as a Norin class light tactical cruiser made a quick pass, showering the Koxinga's shields with disrupter fire. The Koxinga replied with a battery of pulse phaser fire underneath the Norin, then a full broadside of microtorpedoes. Explosions covered the Norin, and it retreated away, burning, mortally wounded. Pulse phasers from one of the Defiants finished it off.

A Romulan Griffin fell behind the Intrepid variant, green disrupter beams, blasting away at its shields. It countered with a burst of quantum torpedoes. Two of the torpedoes missed just as the Griffin suddenly made an evasive maneuver, but two of the other torpedoes hit with bright flashes that lit up the spherical envelope of its shields. The two Defiants on the flanks fired their aft torpedoes, smacking the Griffin right in its face, and it withdraw trailing fire. Three Jem'Hadar Attack ships locked on to the stricken bird, and a barrage of polaron fire in rapid bursts finished it off, sending its fragments to join the floating remains of many ships that had died.

A Galor exploded and nearby a Romulan Shrike shared the same fate. A Jem'Hadar Battlecruiser stood on its ground, firing, firing, bravely, gallantly enduring against the onslaught of its enemies. A massed column of Keldon refits concentrated on the luckless Battlecruiser still trying to holdout against the incessant attack. Two Attack ships rammed a Tonga cruiser, while Galors ganged up on a hapless pirate Privateer frigate. A Warbird nailed a pirate light cruiser with green beams, the beams cutting through its helpless hull. A Romulan Raptor lay stricken from its many wounds, while a trio of renegade Bird of Preys circled it, strafing it with disrupter fire and torpedoes till the dying Raptor gave up its ghost in a ball of fire.

Oblan, the Great Citizen, raised his arms wide, as if he acknowledged the sacrifices of all his brethren to the cause of everlasting victory for the shadow empire of the Cartels. Ships exploded and died around him as he watched the fiery carnage from the screens of the Koxinga.

The Koxinga targeted a Keldon with burst of quantum torpedoes, then with a battery of pulse phaser fire. The Keldon's shields burned red into a glowing bubble with each hit. The Keldon smoked, then replied with a voracious fire of its own, lighting up the Koxinga's shields in bright red flashes. The Koxinga slipped beneath the Keldon. As the Keldon rushed overhead of the Koxinga, the Achilles class cruiser fired a ferocious broadside of micro torpedoes from tubes positioned all along the hull of the Koxinga facing upward or downward. The Keldon's shields lit up in bright flashes as torpedo after torpedo slammed into an invisible barrier. As the burning Keldon headed away from the rear of the Koxinga, the Achilles class cruiser fired off its aft torpedoes. The Koxinga never looked back as the Keldon erupted from the final torpedo barrage.

* * *

"We got a large ship mass reading here," the lieutenant said. "It's heavily covered with ECM. The countermeasures are deliberately distorting the image."

"Then we need to get closer," the captain said. "Lieutenant, set a course to make a close approach to the massive object. That can only be the carrier we are looking for."

"Aye, Captain," the young man said.

The Nova class USS Gizmo banked towards the anomaly. The ship was a refit from the original Nova class, retaining its powerful sensor capability but with upgraded warp and impulse engines. Behind it was a similar ship, the Pathfinder class USS Kessen, a ship identical to the Gizmo in every way except for the sensory equipment exchanged for the increased torpedo armament.

The Gizmo and the Kessen slipped through an asteroid belt, moving deftly between the the spaces between the huge rocks, rocking and banking. "Jem'Hadar sensor array ahead," the lieutenant said.

"Raise ECM and reduce our power signature," the captain said as lights dimmed. "Maximum energy to field suppression. Is the sensor array the large mass reported?"

The science officer responded. "Negative sir. We reported the large mass to be moving. The array is stationary. We still have not reached the possible coordinates yet."

"Keep looking," the captain ordered.

"We will try. I must say that the battle going on with its massive energy outbursts, ships using ECM and ECCM, sensor resolution will be poor," the science officer said. "There is excessive radiation background noise."

"At this rate, we will have to walk right up next to it to see it," the captain said.

"Wait, captain!" The lieutenant said. "I think I got something. I think it's the anomaly, with its mass and energy signature."

"I got it now in my sensors too," the science officer said. "It's a ship, a very large ship."

"Put her on screens! Magnify!" The captain ordered. "I spoke too soon. We really just walked right up to it."

Their jaws fell. In the screen was a massive ship that looked like a floating dark monolith.

"How big is that thing?" The captain gasped.

"About fifteen hundred meters roughly," the science officer replied.

"Is it a carrier?" The captain asked.

"A most unusual one, Captain," the science officer replied as he magnified the hull detail. "It appears that fighters are embedded to the hull while docked."

"Send a message to the fleet, hurry," the captain said to the operations officer.

"We got ship readings heading our way!" The science officer said. "Lots of them! I got them on the screen."

"Max shields and let's get the hell out of here," the captain ordered. "Can we warp?"

"Negative, captain," the lieutenant said. "Too many asteroids here. I cannot get a clear space to warp."

Suddenly the ship shuddered, then shook violently. Panels sparked and burned, then fell upon the crew with a rain of sparks.

"Captain! Captain!" One of the officers shouted. He saw the captain on the floor, bleeding, a roof panel over him.

"We just lost our main engines," the first officer cried out. Then everything turned into a fireball.

Outside, Cartel Attackers swept past the Gizmo as a volley of torpedoes and pulse phasers pulverized the Gizmo's shields. In a brilliant flash, the Gizmo exploded, a shockwave expanding from its fiery epicenter, its nacelles hurtling away in a trail of smoke.

The Kessen slammed two torpedoes into the nose of an Attacker ship, turning it into a flaming ball. It torched the shields of another attacker with beam phasers, then banked. A Raider unloaded a salvo of torpedoes which lit up the shield bubble around the Pathfinder class.

"Get us out of here," the captain of the Kessen shouted, his fist hammering the arm rest. He was eager not to join the Gizmo's fate. "Broadcast the signal to the fleet. We got the carrier spotted here." Not as deeply trapped into the asteroids as the Gizmo was, the Kessen managed to point its nose into clear space. It's body elongated as it engaged warp, and in a brilliant white flash, it disappeared. A split second later, a stream of pulse phasers and torpedoes flew past the empty space where the Kessen once was.

* * *

"We've located the carrier, sir," the lieutenant reported. "But we've lost the USS Gizmo. She was the one who found the enemy carrier."

Boussard was silent, as if he gave a quick, silent prayer to the just departed. "Her sacrifice will not be in vain," he announced. "Set defensive formations, and proceed to the heading where the carrier is located. We're going to avenge our dead." It was time for them to make their move.

Star Trek Athena Unholy Alliances Pt XIV

With two Defiants in formation, the Akira class Hiryu dived towards the asteroid belt where the enemy carrier was last reported. The main Federation fleet was behind it, a gaggle of ships of all ages and sizes.

"Asteroid belt!" The lieutenant at the helm said.

"Skim just above the belt," Boussard ordered. The asteriod belt appeared like a river of rocks that curved like a rainbow from one horizon to another. As they flew above the main belt, huge rocks flew past underneath, dangerous for any ship that flew too close, too low. Even above the belt, there were still huge rocks in careless orbit. The ships had to dodge and bank left and right, away from the hungry, sharp maw of the rocks.

Below the belt's horizon, several Cartel and Jem'Hadar Attack ships lie in wait, like wolves and hawks hiding in the woods awaiting to pounce their prey. Hidden sensors all along the belt track their attacking fleet. A Cartel pilot lying in wait, watched the red arrows crept closer to his position in the digital displays of his headset.

"We got the enemy in range!" He shouted. "Commence attack!"

Cartel Attackers, Jem'Hadar Attack ships, renegade Bird of Preys, and Cartel Raiders rose out from the hiding places in the belt asteroids, raising shields, arming weapons, then hitting full impulse.

"We got several small ships on our sensors towards the belt horizon coming right at us," the lieutenant said.

"One half impulse," Boussard ordered. "I want a defensive wall formation, now! Shuttles, Defiants and Sabres to the flanks!"

The ships began forming a wall formation around the Hiryu. They were an assortment of the old searching for a final show of glory a Lakota refit, the obligatory Mirandas, New Orleans class frigates, Steamrunners, a Norway, Centaurs, Constellations and Cheyennes. Sabres and Defiants protected the flanks. "One third impulse," Boussard ordered as the wall approached the frenzied delta formation of attackers. "Everyone arm their torpedoes and fire at my mark." Boussard watched his tactical screen, his eyes like a hawk staring at the red triangles approaching his position. When the primary attack wave hit the outer range of the torpedoes, he knew what to do.

"Fire!" Boussard shouted, with the downward stroke of his hand. The Tactical officer pressed a button on his console, and a stream of torpedoes left the three main forward torpedo tube banks of the Hiryu. Immediately, torpedoes screamed out from all the other ships, a torrent of angry warheads screeching towards the primary attack wave of the enemy.

The first wave fired all armed torpedoes, but as they tried to turn, the first torpedoes fired from the wall of Federation ships began to slam among the formations. Attack ships exploded everywhere their own explosions creating shockwaves that damage or even destroy their comrades in a chain reaction. There was debris and fragments heading out in all directions.

"Torpedoes incoming!" The lieutenant warned, the tension raising his voice.

"Maximum power to shields," Boussard shouted, his hands on a tight, tense grip against the armrest. "Brace for impact!"

The first wave of torpedoes began to hit the wall of ships. There were bright flashes everywhere, lighting up the spherical silhouettes of the invisible shields in red fire. A Centaur fell out of formation in flames, having been hit once too many; a Miranda spiraled away, with only one engine left, its controls shot, heading to a certain end at the asteroids below. An explosion took out a nacelle off from a Constellation. Three torpedoes turned a Curry into an explosion.

The Hiryu shook from the direct impacts and nearby shockwaves. Crewmen fell to the floor, but Boussard held a grip so tight against his chair like his life depended on it.

"Shields holding at fifty percent!" His first officer shouted. Some of the panels sparked from the shock and energy overload of the shields. A crewman grabbed an extinguisher to put out the flames.

"We've broken through," his tactical officer said. "Our torpedo spread has cleared a path."

"Sabres and Defiants, engage their attack ships and cover us!" Boussard ordered. "Main fleet, charge ahead towards the carrier. Do not stop to engage any attacker shoot only for defense. Nail that SOB before it regains its defenses!"

Boussard stood up and his index finger raised, pointing far ahead into the screen. "I always wanted to say this...Full Speed Ahead!"

The Sabres and Defiants banked and rolled, the Defiants streaming out pulse phasers and Sabres lance out their beams, all against the oncoming Attack craft. Raiders, Attackers, Strike Fighters, and Birds of Prey heading towards them, their pulse phasers and disrupters flashing and their phaser cannons beaming out. Armed and heavy shuttles join the wild melee, turning the chaos into a whirlwind of a dogfight.

* * *

Coming out from well above the plane of the asteroid belt, the Aegis class cruisers, Novas, Pathfinders and Spearheads dove down towards the main Cartel task form. Leading the formation was the USS Kiev, with her sister ships, the Vanguard and the Boise port and starboard to her. Right behind in delta formation were the Nova classes and variants.

Her tactical screens showed the white triangles of her fleet approaching the red triangles of the enemy. Around her white triangles was a circular circumference that indicated the maximum range of her quantum torpedoes. Ann Shelley watched tentatively on the tactical screens. "Everyone, arm torpedoes, maximum yield and range."

Her hand raised, ready to send a signal. "We got a lock on the target ," her ensign said. "No wait, enemy cruisers heading towards us!"

"Put it on screen," Shelley ordered. The shapes of the enemy frigates, light and heavy cruisers were classic to anyone who studied in the Academy the dread forms of the Orion Pirates ships. However, they said the real things were much more difficult than the ones they faced in simulators, and despite their old appearances, they were always equipped with whatever state of the art weaponry they can steal, capture or copy.

The destruction of the carrier was imperative, but if they fired all their salvoes at the carrier, there would be none left to deal with the main pirate fleet, and they would face severe losses.

"Change targets to the pirate ships!" Shelley ordered. "Lock torpedoes on them for an alpha strike! Shoot on my mark." She raised her hand. "Fire!"...and dropped her hand like an executioner dropping his axe.

A flurry of torpedoes screamed from the two forward tubes near the Kiev's deflector dish. Likewise, torpedoes screamed out from the same tube in the Vanguard and Boise. The Nova classes and variants right behind shot off their torpedoes a torrent of shrieking stars heading towards the pirate fleet.

The pirates were not without their own devices, shooting out a multicolored variety of their torpedo stream green for plasma torpedoes, red for photons, purple for polaron, and white for quantum.

"ECM to the max," Shelley shouted! Two torpedoes whizzed by the belly of the Kiev, but three torpedoes slammed the shields, lighting up the invisible barrier into a red ball. The bridge of the Kiev shook like an intense earthquake, knocking Shelley to the floor. There were sparks coming out from one of the panels which a crewman put out with an ordinary fire extinguisher.

"Are you alright, Captain?" A crewman said, rushing to her side. There were pieces of paneling all over the floor.

She lifted herself up, and felt something warm in her forehead. It was red, thick and wet, all over her fingers.

"The Captain is bleeding!" The crewman said. "Get a scanner over here."

"I'll be alright," Shelley insisted, as another crewman passed the flickering scanner over her body, checking her physical condition, sealing any wounds in her body. "Help me back to the chair." She looked at the floor and there were metal pieces knocked off from the ceiling.

There were brilliant flashes in the screen, like lightning nearby. She cast her eyes on the screen and there were two massive fireballs, burning shockwaves spreading from the center, pieces of ship hurtling into the spaces around them. She winked from the blinding light, then used her hands to shield her eyes. "Report!" Shelley cried out.

"Explosions ahead of us...we believe it's Cartel ships," the lieutenant said. "Our shields are down to thirty percent. With the interference we have no information of casualties among other ships, but we can assume some in our team have been hit too."

"Conn, Tactical, hit and run maneuvers," Shelley ordered. "Get us moving and keep us moving. That's the only thing that will stop them from hitting us. We're a bit hurt right now and we can't afford to go toe to toe."

"Pirate cruisers, coming right at us!" The lieutenant said.

"Full impulse! Arm phasers, and let'em have it!" Shelley ordered. The pirate heavy cruiser filled her screens as the tactical zoomed on it, and the Kiev lashed out its phasers.

* * *

"The carrier is under attack!" The officer said. "We have two Federation forces coming at the carrier task from two different directions."

Oblan frowned. These Federation forces were becoming more of an annoyance. "Order all Cartel ships to defend the carrier! Immediately! I want this ship on full impulse now. "

"But sir, our Jem'Hadar allies..." Someone voiced an objection.

"The Jem'Hadar can take care of themselves. We need to protect the carrier," Oblan insisted.

The Koxinga banked and turned towards the direction of the carrier task force. Right behind the Koxinga were her supporting escorts, the two captured Defiants and the two Intrepid variant making up the rear, banking to join her in the steep turn. Her impulse engines whirred, and the Koxinga shot off, her escorts right behind.

"We got a lock on a Federation cruiser ahead," the officer on the helm console said. "It's one of the ships headed for the carrier."

"Destroy it," the Great Citizen said. "I want every Federation ship destroyed, you heard me?"

"Yes, sir."

Like a giant shark, the Koxinga banked and turned its sharp nose towards its prey. Weapons locked at Constellation class, quantum torpedoes shrieked out. ECM caused one or two of the torpedoes to miss screaming by, but the other torpedoes slammed at the shields of the old starship, lighting up the shields red at the point of impact. A thin smoke brewed out from the Constellation class. As the Achilles class approached its prey, pulse phasers battered through the shields, potting the old starship's hull with holes before a barrage of micro torpedoes fired upward from the Koxinga blasted the starship into pieces.

At the same moment, the two commandeered Defiants fixed their sights on a Miranda class, spraying its shields with pulse phasers. The Miranda class shot back with a couple of red photon torpedoes, blistering the shields of one of the Defiants. The Intrepid variant behind the Defiants lashed out a couple of quantum torpedoes, lighting up the shields of the Miranda class, then a Type X phaser punched through, tearing a hole through the Miranda's saucer. As the two Cartel manned Defiants passed underneath the Miranda, their dorsal phasers fitted to all Defiants after the Dominion War shot above and into the belly of the burning Miranda and its pot marked hull.

Boussard saw a Miranda blew up from the corner of the screen. "Our formation is being attacked from the side by other Federation ships!" His lieutenant said. "Federation ships, but with an improper FF signal."

"Captured Federation ships under Cartel command." Boussard said. "This things have happened before. We will treat them as hostiles. What is their disposition?"

"An Achilles class, two Defiant class and an Intrepid class," the tactical officer said. "They all correspond to missing ships, whose disappearances are all blamed to Cartel attacks. They are all state of the art."

"If they persist in their attack, half of our formation can be wiped out," his first officer said.

"The stupidity of Starfleet to allow the Cartels get their hands on state of the art ships," Boussard said. "Get me Captain T'Mala of the USS Drake."

T'Mala's face appeared in a conference window in the screen. "Captain, I will disengage from the formation and cover you. You must lead the attack now against the carrier before we lose more ships. We got the Cartel running state of the art Federation warships behind our backs."

"Understood, Captain, we will lead the charge," T'Mala acknowledged. This was starting to look like the Charge of the Light Brigade, Boussard thought.

Boussard barked more orders to the Steamrunners. The Akira class Hiryu broke off with two Steamrunners port and starboard to it. The three ships banked and turned toward the Achilles class cruiser. Boussard grit his teeth, knowing that even Akira class wasn't going to be a match against an Achilles class in every respect the ship was bigger, faster, more agile, more heavily protected and more heavier armed.

"Weapons locked on!" His tactical officer said.

"Fire all torpedoes! Let him have it!" Boussard shouted. Almost no warship could fire as many torpedoes in frontal broadside than an Akira except for an Achilles. What luck, Boussard thought.

A stream of torpedoes shrieked towards the Achilles class, it's sharp nose headed for the Hiryu. It's ECM must have been on max, as a number of torpedoes overshot it, but several must have slammed across its front shields, which was the strongest part of the ship. With so much interference, it was impossible to determine the extent of damage, if he had inflicted any damage at all to the enemy warship.

The Hiryu was among the few Akiras retrofitted with the Quantum Phalanx system as part of a Section test program. Now was the time to see what it was worth. "Load the Phalanx tubes and fire when ready!" Boussard ordered.

"Torpedoes heading our way!" The officer manning the science console shouted. The enemy Achilles class had fired its own broadside of torpedoes.

"Max ECM!" Boussard shouted. "Max power to front shields!" A torpedo or two winged overhead, but there was no stopping the rest. They slammed against the Hiryu in horrendous force. The bridge shook like a terrible earthquake. Panels sparked and the lights dimmed.

"Emergency power systems on!" One of the officers said. Boussard lifted himself up from the floor. That was a hard landing. "Report!"

"We got no shields. Hull breeches everywhere," the officer reported. "Repair crews are already working on it.

The screen was still working. The Hiryu was heading for a perfect position to unleash a Phalanx broadside, but so was the enemy. But the danger did not deter Boussard.

"Fire phalanx!" Boussard ordered. "Get our starboard shields up and max ECM!" A broadside of micro torpedoes shrieked out towards the Achilles class, but the enemy unleashed its own stream of burning, sparkling stars heading their way.

"Brace for impact!" Boussard ordered. For a moment Boussard touched his own fate and glimpsed his own mortality as he watched the enemy torpedoes headed to his ship.

There was violent shaking, and the whole ship suddenly turned upside down. The antigravs stopped working for a moment and he was thrown to the ceiling. When the gravs got working again, he crashed to the floor. Panels burned and some fell over his crewman. The lights went dark. His own consciousness started to slip away, until a crewman pulled him out of the wreckage and he screamed in pain.

"The captain is still alive," said the man.

"Dammit, it takes more than a bunch of torpedoes to kill me," Boussard shouted in defiance. He touched his forehead and his heads were red and warm with his own blood. He's not going to let some bleeding stop him.

"Report!" Boussard shouted.

"We lost both engines," his first officer said. "Both engine nacelles torn off, and we got no power. Fifteen minutes of life support left."

"And the enemy?" Boussard asked.

"Obviously they thought we're good as finished, so they didn't finish us off. Instead they went to pursue the other ships heading for the carrier," the first officer said. "It was something I would have done, being more important targets. It's also obvious they have experienced leadership in command. We have no knowledge how much damage we've inflicted on them."

"Get a may day out," Boussard said.

"Already done, Captain."

"This has been a good ship," Boussard said. "But it has seen its course. Prepare to abandon ship. Get the other ships to pick us up."

* * *

"Our main fleets are under attack," Ka'nal said. "They're trying to make a straight line to the carrier and they got nailed from behind."

"My analysis of our fleet composition is not very encouraging," T'Pak said. "Aside from Section vessels, they are mostly outmatched in terms of technology and sheer firepower over the enemy."

"Those armchair admirals thought this is going to be just a mere police operation," Garret said. "Not something with the makings of an invasion armada."

"Why doesn't this armada make a straight line attack to Earth?" Athena asked. "Earth would be defenseless and they would win."

"A parasite does not seek to kill its host," Ka'nal said, despite being busy on the tactical controls. "The Cartels are just that, parasites. The Federation is its bloody host."

"God knows how much stronger they have become in the years after the war," Garret said. He spoke to the Athena image on the helm console. As Athena herself told him, she made another manifestation of herself in the helm console of the Deimos, and modifying her multi vector mode program, allowed her to coordinate two complete Prometheus variant ships as if they're hull sections of one ship. "Head to the carrier. They need our firepower, and we're going to give it to them."

"Already doing it," Athena said. "Just keep those pests off my back."

The Athena banked, the Deimos right behind her in close formation. Setting on point defense mode against fast, small targets, rear phasers from both ships sliced an Attacker into two. The Attacker's cockpit gone, its two wings hurtled without any direction. Two torpedoes slammed at the Athena's forward shields, but it held with a pained red glow. The Athena and the Deimos fired its forward beam phasers, and nothing could withstand four Type XII phasers at close range, in particular, a renegade Bird of Prey who fired the two torpedoes at the Deimos.

"We just got word that the Hiryu has been crippled and is being abandoned," Ka'nal said.

"Damn. That's one of our better ships. Full impulse!" Garret ordered.

* * *

The last two Aegis class cruisers, the Vanguard and the Boise, raced down towards the mammoth ship. The giant carrier itself, had enough defensive weapons for two platforms. Torpedoes and phasers shot out from various sections of the ship, just as the other ships from the Federation main fleet arrived and begun attack runs against the titanic ship.

"Where is the Kiev?" Captain Maeda loudly asked to the image of Captain Hoesch in a conference screen.

"The Kiev has been damaged and has engaged enemy cruisers to cover us," Hoesch said. "We also got an mayday signal that the Hiryu has been crippled and Captain Boussard is abandoning it."

"That's not good," Maeda said. The Vanguard shuddered as a torpedo hit her front shields. "That's not good either. Jonathan, cover my wing as we dive against this hellfire for an attack run against the carrier. Tactical, maximum on front shields and ECM. Arm torpedoes and phasers, maximum yield."

"Got it, Masako. We'll fly next to you," Hoesch replied.

"We got visual on the enemy carrier," Maeda said as torpedoes and pulse phasers shot by. "It's going to be a rough ride. Hang on!"

The Vanguard strained as it banked steeply into tight turn, the Boise right behind joining her in the same maneuver.

"Oh my god," Maeda said as she began to grasp the size of the enemy carrier. "Fire everything we got on it." Torpedoes screamed out first, then the torpedoes from the Boise came second. Even before the torpedoes got to their targets, the Vanguard and the Boise were firing their phaser beams. The torpedoes pounded against the shields of the super ship, lighting it up into a red bubble. Phasers torched the red glowing shields, and despite all that firepower, they held like the thin wall of a bubble about to burst. Weak as it seemed, they held.

"What the hell are those things made of?" Hoesch exclaimed in frustration.

"We need to make another run," Maeda said.

"You do it, I'll cover you," Hoesch said. "I got two Privateer class frigates with a bunch of Attackers behind them heading right into our tails. Looks like we stirred a hornet's nest."

The Vanguard lifted her nose upward in relation to the plane of the asteroid belt, while the Boise took a horizontal turn. The frigates and the attack ships pursued the Vanguard as it looped, but it got them within the Boise's firing arcs. Phasers fired from the Boise's main hull, lighting up the shields of an Attacker like a firefly in heat. Three Attackers rolled as the Boise flashed through them, firing a quartet of torpedoes against the nearest Privateer class frigate. One torpedo missed but two smashed at the rear shields of the Privateer, and there seemed to be enough damage to cause sparks to arc from cracks in the hull. Torpedoes fired out from the rear of the Privateer, slamming into the front shields of the Boise as the Attackers raked its rear shields with micro torpedoes and pulse phasers.

"They're chewing my rear shields!" Hoesch shouted. "They're getting through!"

Maeda could see behind Hoesch, fireworks bursting out from panels of the Boise's bridge. Then the screens turned alarmingly blank. "Jonathan! Jonathan!" She shouted but the window stayed black. "Put the Boise on screen!" She ordered.

The Boise was spinning as it burned. Even with two Privateers behind her, the Vanguard dived down, phasers firing. The Attackers quickly turned away, but not before one of her torpedoes nailed one. The Boise had already damaged one of the Privateers, and a quartet of aft torpedoes from the Vanguard slammed through the shields of the damaged Privateer. The Privateer turned into an instant fireball. A Spearhead hooked into the second Privateer's tail, and a flurry of torpedoes sent it scampering away with a trail of smoke.

Static filled the conference window, but an image of Hoesch made it through. "We're abandoning ship....we expect warp core breech in a few minutes..." They were cut off again as the screen turned blank. The screen turned to the external visual. Maeda watched in horror as lifeboats disengaged from the Boise, before the Vanguard's sister ship blew up. "No!" She cried.

* * *

The Lakota refit USS Drake charged ahead but with a swarm of Attackers behind it. The giant carrier, over three times their own size, loomed ahead. Phasers and torpedoes lashed out from the modified Excelsior class. The shield bubble around the carrier had been thinned from incessant attacks. This time, the torpedoes punched through and there were explosions against the hull of the giant ship. There was cracks and fireworks arcing where the cracks were.

T'Mala smiled with satisfaction, as the ship rearmed its torpedoes and recharged its phasers. But right behind, a swarm of Attackers and Raiders came swinging in. A flurry of pulse phasers and micro torpedoes from the Attackers proved too much for a Centaur class, ripping off one of its warp nacelles, before more torpedoes turned its saucer into Swiss cheese.

The two commandeered Defiants locked on to a Curry class escorting the Drake, spraying pulse phasers at the Federation ship. The Curry's rear shields turned bright red before it relented. Torpedoes knocked out one of the warp nacelles and damaged the impulse engines, sending the Curry into an uncontrollable spin. More pulse phasers and the Curry exploded, its numerous fragments still hurtling forward towards the carrier, smashing against the giant ship's shields.

The Koxinga has locked on to the Drake, torpedoes blasting away the Drake's rear shields before its massive array of pulse phasers ripped through it, tearing the Drake's warp engines and engineering hull to shreds. Rear torpedoes slammed ineffectually at the Koxinga's front shields, as the Koxinga continued its barrage. Mortally wounded, the Drake slowed as the Koxinga slipped underneath it, firing a broadside of Phalanx micro torpedoes. Torpedo after torpedo slammed through the refitted Excelsior class, and its aging structure could hold no longer. The Drake exploded like a small nova, but its death was not in complete vain. The expanding shockwave plowed through the weakened shields of the carrier, damaging its engines.

* * *

"We have lost the Boise, and now we have lost the Drake," Ka'nal said, his expression stunned. "The Kiev has suffered considerable damage. Our major ships are suffering major attrition."

"Why don't you just say it in simple English, Ka'nal? That we're getting our asses kicked. But we still got the Athena and the Deimos," Garret said. "It's up to us now. Let's see what a couple of Prometheus warships could do against overwhelming odds."

Boussard watched the burning panels and fallen walls of the Hiryu's bridge for the last time before his body disappeared in sparkles.

He appeared in a transporter room, with others of his crew. Many of them were dirty, charred black marks in their faces. He wondered how many of his crew were lost. A rage burned inside him.

"Get me the goddamn communicator," Boussard demanded. "Where am I?"

"You're on the USS Genghiz, sir," one of the engineers handling the transporter replied. Boussard remembered this as one of the new Steamrunners.

"Get me to your captain," Boussard demanded. "Isis!"

"Jacques! Good to see you around and breathing. Things are not good from where I sit," Isis replied from the other end on her bridge, watching the screens as the Genghiz lashed out its phasers against one of the commandeered ships, the Intrepid variant with downward nacelles.

"I know. They're kicking our collective asses from here to infinity. Not good to stay around and watch everyone else fight while I sit here powerless," Boussard said. "Do you have marines for a boarding party?"

"I made a requisition, but they never came. Everyone here is short of manpower. I could use some to take some of these out," Isis said. "

"Not anymore, you got your marines," Boussard said. "Give me and my crew some phaser rifles. Dammit, I'm going to take me a ship!"

* * *

"Athena, the carrier is where they're producing the new Ketracel variation," Tonya said. "We got to destroy that carrier before they distribute more of the material to other worlds. We need to destroy not just because it is a military target."

"Understood," the Athena image on the helm of the Deimos said. "Attackers incoming! They're heading to the Athena."

A salvo of torpedoes streaked out from the Athena and Deimos, destroying two of the rushing Attackers. But the rest of the formation pressed on, firing their own torpedoes.

"Brace for impact!" Athena said. "Setting maximum on front shields!" A flurry of torpedoes slammed both the shields of the Athena and the Deimos.

"Firing all phasers now!" Gera said. An Attacker blew, but the rest of them turned to the tail of the Athena and Deimos.

"Firing rear phasers and torpedoes now!" Tonya said, manning the rear tactical station. As if minds were working as one, torpedoes and phasers lashed out from the aft of both ships, and two of the Attackers turned into blinding balls of flame. The rest of the Attackers disengaged, but may return with more reinforcements.

"I got the Koxinga on my sensors, the captured Defiants and Intrepid variant," Gera said. "I'm confirming wreckage of the USS Drake and a few more other Federation ships," Athena said. "The Koxinga is attacking the Federation vessels. She's picking off our fleet."

"You got to divide the two ships," Gera said. "Let us engage the Koxinga. I know how she will move. Let your other ship take care of the carrier."

"Right!" Athena said.

* * *

Aboard the USS Athena,

The Athena image on the helm console looked at Garret. "May I have an important suggestion, Captain. Let the Athena take care of the carrier while the Deimos fly her cover and engage that Achilles class cruiser before it destroys more of our fleet."

"I was thinking of that," Garret said. "But what about your multitasking capabilities?"

"I need someone in the helm to control this ship manually," Athena said. "You can still access all my automatic functions. I need to concentrate everything flying the Deimos. The Deimos will cover you."

"I can do the helm myself. It's been a while, but I've been studying piloting this ship manually in case if you're disabled and I'm sure my top gun flying skills are still there," Garret said. "Move over."

"Understood, and good luck, Captain," Athena said before her image faded out. Garret moved from the Captain's throne to the Helm console. "Now let's see," he said as he pressed on the console interface. "Easy as pie."

The ships moved side by side, before the Athena sped off towards the carrier, and the Deimos banked to engage the Koxinga.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Isis asked. In one sweeping pass, the Steamrunner class USS Genghiz has managed to bare open the rear shields of the captured USS Hainan, the Intrepid variant with downward nacelles. "My sensors indicate that the enemy ship only has minimal crew and spared no marines. She would be vulnerable to a boarding attack."

"The Hainan would be a good target. I can see they're relatively short in people too." Boussard said, fingering his phaser as he stood on the transporter platform. Next to him stood a company of his crew, all armed with hand phasers and phaser rifles. "It would be relatively easy to take over another Federation vessel. Beam me right into the bridge while you beam the other company into the engineering room. Then make another pass and beam me more of my crew."

Now the Genghiz has begun a new attack run towards the Hainan. The Hainan herself was trying desperately to cover the carrier at the expense of her own safety. The Hainan was expending all her energy at her frontal armament, leaving her rear shields open and unrecharged. The Genghiz closed in towards the rear of the Hainan.

"Beam out now!" Isis ordered as the Hainan swung just right behind the Hainan. The transporters beamed.

Columns of sparkles appeared in the bridge of the Hainan to the surprise of the crew inside. But before they could react, phaser beams fired out from all directions, and in a second, the fight was all over. The Cartel bridge crew, including the captain, was the floor, either stunned unconscious or dead.

"We have secured the engineering section," a voice said through the comlinks. "We cannot find the original crew anymore, but we found some of the Hainan's original engineers in the holding cells, being kept prisoner."

He replied. "This is Boussard here. Acknowledge and good job, people. Good job recovering some of the Starfleet prisoners. We have secured the bridge. Piece of cake." His phaser wasn't even warm. His own people took out the Cartel bridge crew without him ever needing to fire a shot. "I want one person on the helm, and another on the tactical. Seal off the bridge to prevent access. They may still have people in the other decks. Access the defense controls and see if you can send knockout gas to the other decks. And get me the Genghiz."

The face of Captain Johnson appeared on the screen in a window. "Isis, we've secured the Hainan," Boussard said. "Beam the rest of my crew now. Tell them to maintain armed status as we still expect pockets of resistance."

"Acknowledge, Captain," Isis said. "Slow down your ship and prepare to receive them over."

Now was payback time, Boussard thought as he pushed aside the body of the Cartel captain and took over the throne. Falsely described as a Yeager class, the Intrepid A variant possess more powerful impulse engines in the structurally enhanced, fixed, dropped pylons, which gave the ship a giant Type 9 shuttle look. But the ship was practically identical to the original Intrepid class including the hull. He quickly checked on the controls to his side, and noted the other refit changes include quantum torpedo tubes. While the Hiryu was a torpedo boat a ship that relied on its numerous torpedo tubes for its armament; an Intrepid and all its derivatives, were phaser boats, ships loaded with phasers that covered every angle, and could fire two or three phasers at any time at any place.

"Tactical is operational," one of his men reported. "Helm is operational," an officer said, as he settled to the helm console. "The Genghiz is beaming the rest of our people onboard. We have a few firefights all over the ship, but we expect to take care of them," said his first officer, a blue Bolian named N'grak. "Restoring all FF codes now. This will indicate to the rest of the fleet that this ship has returned to Federation control."

"Excellent," Boussard said. "Now let's get that carrier first and then that Achilles class cruiser."

"According to the data here," N'grak said. "We have confirmed the Achilles class as the former USS Koxinga, which was reported lost during the final stages of the Dominion War. The ship was sent to attack a Jem'Hadar shipyard facility and never returned. We cannot expect that a boarding attack will be successful. The data the Hainan has on the Koxinga indicated the Koxinga was well defended with marines."

"She's not our old bird, but she will do, ladies and gentlemen," Boussard announced. "It's payback time." The crew clapped their eagerness to get even.

* * *

With Garret on the helm, the Athena dived down towards the carrier. "Ann! Masako!" Garret exclaimed as the conference windows in the screen popped up, as the Kiev and the Vanguard joined the Athena in formation.

"We're lost the Boise," Maeda said.

"We know. Any survivors?" Garret said, his hands busy on the helm controls.

"A Sabre is beaming the lifeboats," Maeda said. "I want to get at these bastards."

"So do I," Garret said, watching the screen intensely. "We've lost too much ships now and we're going for broke. Arm torpedoes and charge phasers."

"Enemy Defiants coming in on the rear," Ka'nal said. "They're firing phasers and torpedoes. Shields down to sixty percent. Wait we got another ship coming, it's the Intrepid variant under Cartel control no, its signaling the proper FF codes. The ship had been recaptured back to our side."

Then a broadcast. "This is Captain Boussard here. We have recovered the USS Hainan. I repeat, we have recovered the USS Hainan and have rejoined the engagement."

"We got you, copy that," Garret said. "Good luck, Jacques. We're rushing the carrier and we need cover here."

"Roger that, we got lock on the targets on your tail," Boussard said. "Hailing all ships, do not destroy the target! I repeat, do not destroy the target. They may have Federation prisoners on board, I repeat, they may have Federation prisoners on board. Board and capture the two enemy Defiants."

The Hainan lashed out phaser beams towards one of the enemy Defiants, then a salvo of torpedoes. The Defiant started flaming, just as aft torpedoes spewed out from the Athena, Vanguard and the Kiev simultaneously. Caught between the fire of many ships, the Defiant slowed down as her engines lost power.

"Isis! Deploy boarders!" Boussard ordered. The Genghiz circled around the stricken Defiant, transporting boarders into the former USS Sharktooth. There was less then twenty Cartel personnel onboard the crippled Defiant, and boarders quickly overwhelmed them.

The second enemy Defiant banked away, just as a Section Defiant, the USS Mage, fell behind it, spraying pulse phaser fire directed at its rear shields. Two Sabres joined the Hainan and the Mage in the pursuit of the last enemy Defiant. Torpedoes lashed out from four ships, catching the Defiant in mid flight, stripping off its shields. The last enemy Defiant started to smoke, its hull cratered with holes and cracks. One of the Sabres closed in, and beamed over two companies worth of boarders, survivors from the former Boise. "This is from the USS Sharktooth. The ship is secure," said the assault company leader. A similar message came forth from the Halifax. To acknowledge the capture, both ships flashed a new FF signal.

"Yes!!!" Boussard exclaimed with a raised fist. But the next set of reports informed that the two recovered Defiants were too crippled to continue the fight for the Federation side, and their joy turned to disappointment. Still, recovering two ships was a great morale booster, like returning honor to their original Federation crews, who were still missing and may be presumed dead, except for few engineers found in the holding cell of the Halifax, tortured to provide information how to run the ship. There were no reported survivors in the Sharktooth however. Boussard ordered the recovered Defiants out of the battle and back to the shipyard.

The Athena, Kiev and the Vanguard had to fight off another wave of Attackers. The carrier loomed ahead of the Athena now, and weapons indicators signaling a healthy locked on. The carrier spewed out massive defensive fire, and torpedoes smashing against the front shields of the Athena caused the ship to rock violently back and forth. "Maintain maximum ECM, full power to front shields!"

"Fire all forward weapons!" Garret ordered. Torpedoes screamed out from three ships in a combined volley, and followed by phaser beams off their sharpened, streamlined saucer hulls. The massive shield bubble held, its surface glowing red as each torpedo slammed against it. Weakened, the phasers punctured through it. As the three ships swept over it, phasers fired off from their ventral strips, raking the vulnerable parts of the carrier underneath.

"Yes!!!" Garret exclaimed, as the Athena headed out for a wide loop to begin another pass, the Kiev and the Vanguard right next to it. Two Steamrunners and a Norway class, streaked by, firing their phasers into the now vulnerable carrier, and for the first time, there was smoke and fire in the giant ship.

"There is another wave of attacks against the Tumanjal," said one officer aboard the Koxinga. This is not turning good. We have lost the two Defiants and the Intrepid variant. The Jem'Hadar could not spare any ships to help us they are too busy engaging the Cardassians and the Romulans."

"So much for allies. This Federation fleet is starting to get real annoying," Oblan said. "Target the lead cruiser in that formation." With a large wing of pirate cruisers, Raider frigates and Attackers behind it for support, the Koxinga banked and headed towards the Athena.

"Enemy ships on the port flank!" Maeda warned. "Breaking off to engage."

"I'm with you," Shelley said. The Kiev and the Vanguard raced towards two pirate cruisers, torpedoes firing out and the pirate ships returning their own fire.

The Athena banked for another firing pass at the carrier, the Koxinga closing in. Suddenly, torpedoes from nowhere slammed against the Koxinga's rear shields as the debris of a Privateer class frigate flew past. The Deimos came out like a bat from hell, beams firing out from its triangular hull, lighting up the Koxinga's rear shields.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Oblan ordered as the Koxinga shuddered with each impact.

An image appeared in the screens of the Koxinga. It was fuzzy at first, but the image clarified into Gera's face.

"Citizen," Gera said. "It is you and me again."

"What do you know? It is the traitor," Oblan said.

"You did a lot of things for me before," Gera said. "Now I'm giving you a chance to retreat and stay alive."

"Not without my carrier and factory," Oblan said.

"I cannot speak for the Federation. They are determined to destroy the carrier. You must leave," Gera demanded. "Regardless of what had happened. I do not want you to die. I do not want you to force my hand in doing so."

"Good bye, Gera. It was good while it lasted," Oblan signaled with a hand cut across the neck. The officer shut off the window and Gera's face disappeared. "Cruisers! Engage the Deimos," Oblan ordered.

Torpedoes screamed out from the Koxinga, turning the Athena's rear shields red, while the defensive fire from the carrier torched the Athena's front shields. On board the Athena, Garret ordered. "More power to rear and front shields! Keep ECM on the max. Load torpedoes on maximum yield!" Garret watched closely as the distance numbers between the Athena and the enemy carrier closed. T'Pak and Drudge fired their rear phasers and torpedoes against the oncoming Achilles cruiser, lighting up its front shields red.

"She's still coming on," Ka'nal reported. "Her energy reserves and shield strength are amazing. " The Athena may have been a fast dedicated warship, but an Achilles class was also a state of the art warship, a full one third larger than a Prometheus class, something that even a Prometheus variant should think twice about before engaging toe to toe.

Aboard the Deimos, and with her main consciousness focus on board the Deimos, Athena herself watched what's happening on her very own ship with considerable alarm. She kicked up the Deimos' impulse engines, and closed in on the rear of the Koxinga.

"I've warned him enough," Gera said. "Torpedoes locking on to the target. Fire." Torpedoes zoomed out from the Deimos' forward tubes, each bristling star smashing against the rear shields of the Koxinga once more, this time, actually getting through to do some damage.

Aboard the Koxinga, one of the officers warned. "We have lost all rear shields. Damage to the rear section of the ship. We cannot survive another attack. We must turn and engage."

Oblan frowned, knowing he had no choice. "Turn around and engage the Deimos, quickly. All remaining cruisers, stop the lead Federation cruiser!" The Koxinga banked, exposing its broadside of quantum phalanx micro torpedoes, and unleashed salvo after salvo. Torpedo after torpedo slammed against the Deimos, but the Deimos emerged from the fire with her shields barely intact. The Deimos replied with powerful Type XII phaser shots that eroded the Koxinga's shields, but was unable to get a clean shot at the weakened rear shields.

Just ahead of the Athena, a Sabre class exploded as it took a full salvo of defensive torpedoes from the giant carrier. The explosion was blinding to Garret's eye, but it did not stop the Athena from plowing through the debris and keeping its course towards the carrier.

The carrier burned, its shields stripped. Sabres and Steamrunners had repeatedly streaked by in strafing passes. A defending Raider exploded, as a Norway class streaked by, its pulse phasers wreaking havoc on the Cartel wings. Just one more, one more, Garret thought. The Hainan, now captained by Boussard, joined next to the Athena, arming her torpedoes.

"Fire!" Torpedoes streaked out from the Athena. Torpedoes from the Steamrunners fired off again, and joined with torpedoes from the Norway class, the USS Ranger, and the USS Hainan.

Garret watched, and watched, as the torpedoes headed to the carrier. He was sure of the results this time. One, two, three, the torpedoes smashed through the hull of the giant, beleaguered ship. There was a blinding flash as the dying carrier broke into two, and a massive shockwave swept through the remnants of the once majestic ship, large fragments breaking into smaller ones. The Athena waggled, signaling its truimph, while aboard the Hainan, Captain Boussard let out a broad smile.

"No!!!" Oblan screamed, tearing his hair out. "It's all your fault, Gera," he screamed once more. "Your fault. You will pay for this."

"Admiral, admiral, we finally got the carrier!" Athena said to the comlink aboard the Deimos. She stared at the screen where a blinding flash occurred.

"This is Admiral Hurst, we are still heavily engaged with Cartel resistance inside the ship. We're pinned down, but we're fighting through," a voice replied.

"Father! Father!" Tonya said. "We got the carrier!"

"Thank goodness," Hurst said. "Any more reports? I'm trying to get back to the bridge."

"We have recovered three of the captured ships, according to other reports, but our casualties were heavy," Tonya said. "We have lost many good ships and their crew."

"I can only expect the worst, given the odds," Hurst said.

"And one other thing, Mother is here in the bridge with us," Tonya said. "She helped us a lot."

"Gera! Let me speak to her," Hurst said.

"Thomas?" Gera asked.

"I'm glad you're all right," Hurst said.

"I'm glad to hear the same from you too," Gera said. "But our battles are not over yet."

"I know. We're pinned down here," Hurst said. "But after this I must see you."

"I look forward to that," Gera said. "At the moment, we got trouble here. Gera out." She cut off the comlink as the screens showed an incoming Koxinga, mad as hell, weapons fully armed and loaded. The Koxinga blasted away, with salvos of pulse phasers and torpedoes, rendering the front shields of the Deimos dangerously thin.

The Deimos retaliated with a frontal pass of its own, slamming the Koxinga's front shields with a quartet of torpedoes, then blazed away with repeated fire of Type XII phasers. The Deimos slipped underneath the Koxinga, too close to for the Koxinga to fire its quantum phalanx micro torpedoes, but not close enough to stop the Deimos from scorching the shields of the Koxinga with beam phasers fired from the main hull of the Deimos. As the Deimos sped away, it fired another quartet of torpedoes from its aft tubes, with another flurry of phasers from the rear facing strips. This time, they punctured through the weakened rear shields of the Koxinga, damaging the ship inside.

"Report!" Oblan said.

"We have damage in rear lower decks and other rear sections," the officer reported. "Another pass like that and we could have damage in our warp capability."

"Enemy ships approaching," another officer warned. "We have another Prometheus class, supported by Intrepid variants, Sabers, Defiants, Norways, and Steamrunners. I still believe we can still take them with enough cruisers, frigates and attack craft, sir."

Oblan grit his teeth. The conclusion was obvious that his logic must override his hatred. His fleet had taken substantial losses, including the carrier, and as a day, this has not been profitable. To persist, even with victory, would have meant more losses against the smaller but more technologically capable Federation fleet. It would have been pointless; the Federation would send another fleet to hunt them down. The Cartels survived knowing when to hit, when to run, and when to quit.

"I'm not going to take the chance. Tell all forces to withdraw towards the Jem'Hadar lines," he ordered. "This is not the last of our battles with the Federation yet."

* * *

Gul Kassak stared out from the screen of the Hutet class, the Phatnen. The battle raged relentlessly around him. The Phatnen itself burned, a thousand holes and cracks all over its once proud hull. The Hutets were among the largest vessels ever made in the Alpha Quadrant, by far the biggest ever made in the Union. They were mobile fortresses, and with the latest Keldon and Norin refits, the Union has begun a ship building program that will return Cardassia to its pre eminent state of power, and this time, with the ships that will more than match the best of the Federation, Romulan and Klingon empires. Few can match its size and sheer majesty, but among those that could were enemies such as the Jem'Hadar Warship class, and the new Cartel Super Carrier type.

Ahead one of the Jem'Hadar Warships burned. A Battlecruiser exploded, and a Keldon did likewise.

The Phatnen shuddered as polaron beams from strafing Strike Cruisers continued to do their damage. A Tonga erupted right next to the Phatnen. It had gallantly provided some anti strike craft cover, and finally it had succumbed from a hundred wounds.

The burning Warship finally died, giving up its spirit in a blinding explosion. Nearby, one of his own Hutets exploded, and then a Romulan D'Deridex Warbird saw its fiery end. He could never imagine why Cardassia, for two years, were allies to this infernal race called the Jem'Hadar. It was a ruse, a mistake. Gul Dukat, a mad man, perpetuated this, before he was ultimately deposed but not before he led Cardassia to a path of destruction. Two years of a sickening, uneasy alliance with the Jem'Hadar, while inside the soul of every Cardassian, their hate burned against the Dominion, the Founders, the Vorta, and the Jem'Hadar, all of whom, in spite being officially allies, treated the Cardassians like a subdued race.

The Dominion War was over years ago, but not before it inflicted a great massacre against the Cardassian people. The Cardassians were not known for being a merciful people, but not even in their worst moments of oppression against subdued races that they would massacre billions in a genocide to attempt to wipe out an entire species. What have they done to deserved that?

Now, the Jem'Hadar Alphans were in cahoots with the criminal empires of the Cartels, who spread their own brand of unscrupulous chaos for profit. Both predator and parasite, the Cartels have no honor, principle or grasp of social order. It was as if they bore an inherent hatred to the very concepts of what civilization was founded on. And for that, he hated the Jem'Hadar Alphans even more. Even as the Alphans broke off from the rest of the Dominion, the policy of the Union was to set each side against each other, so they could do the most harm against each other.

"Gul, we must leave now!" One of his lieutenants said. The situation was hopeless. The Phatnen was dying. But before it will die, it would have struck a dagger to the heart of the hated ones, the Jem'Hadar, for the innocents they butchered in Cardassia in the waning hours of the war.

"Set weapons for automatic fire at any hostile target," Kassak ordered. He took one final look at his flagship. The ship has served him well, and it could never end better than this, in a final blaze of glory.

"Let's go!" Kassak ordered. The transporters had been knocked down, so they will travel to another part of the hull. There