A quick, fiery close? Of course!
USS Lincoln
- Thread starter admiralelm11
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****
“Captain on the Bridge,” Lieutenant Rilla called out from the Operations station. From the command chair, Lieutenant M’Roah rose, deferring the seat to the Captain. Everyone around the Bridge stood ready for combat.
“Situation report,” Staams asked once he sat down in his chair.
“The Borg are coming out of warp, Captain,” Tabby growled over his shoulder after he assumed his place at the helm position. “It appears to be heading towards a contingent of Romulan scout ships.”
“That’s the Gitan deep-space group,” Shiynah reported, standing behind the Tactical Officer’s shoulder. “They must have been lying in wait.”
“Tabby, take us out of warp. Kyle, raise shields and ready weapons. Rilla, contact the Vemux and the Indiana. Inform them – “
“They’re coming out of warp, sir,” the Deltan woman responded,” and the Indiana is hailing us.”
“Put them on audio. Activate the main viewer.”
Ahead of them, the stars ceased streaking past them when the Lincoln left warp space and switched over to full impulse power. At the same time, the voice of Craig Merrick came over the Bridge speakers.
“Indiana to Lincoln. Pat, are you there? Do you see it?”
“Lincoln here. Yes, we do. Assume formation and take the lead if you will.”
“Is the surprise party package ready?”
“As ready as it’ll ever be, old buddy. Lincoln out.”
From her position at the Science Station, Lieutenant zh’Therr raised her white-haired head from her sensors. Her antennae shifted nervously when she turned around to look at Staams. “Distance to the Borg ship … two-four-zero… two-two-five… two-one-zero…. Two-zero-four…”
The enormous figure of the starship Indiana moved in front of the Lincoln as the Vemux stationed herself off of the Excelsior-class starship’s starboard side. The giant Cube grew larger by the second.
“One-nine-zero… one-seven-eight… one-six-five…” The Andoriam woman continued with her recitation.
“Captain, the Cube is firing,” Peterson reported. On the main viewscreen, there was a flash of light and then there was the blurred form of an explosion. Another explosion followed, seconds later. “Two of the ships have been destroyed, sir.”
“Mister M’Roah, take this ship to the limit. Even if you have to shake her apart to do it!” Staams turned towards MacEwan. “Arthur, what would you suggest? An antimatter spread?”
Nodding, he answered,” And a shuttle.”
“Get on it. We’re not going to get a second chance at this.”
MacEwan headed for the nearest turbolift and Shiynah followed close behind him. Staams watched them go before he returned his attention to the viewscreen again. “Report.”
“All of the Romulan ships have been destroyed, Captain, and the Borg ship has suffered no damage.”
****
The Borg Collective quickly assimilated the information and raw materials from the ships that had been destroyed. Obviously, they were a stop-gap measure but it was an irrelevant one. Soon, they would be at Romulus…
Rokkalek of Borg, formerly known as Commander Jastred of the Romulan Star Empire, stared impassively at the area where the group of Romulan scout ships had stood in their way. His face showed no signs of any emotion. The implants that were embedded in his face would have made such movements to be impossible. The information taken from his mind had been accurate. The small, pitiful groups of ships were there and now… they were gone.
Instructions were sent out through the Collective from the Central Plexus to prepare the ship for warp.
Something was detected. No, three things, in fact.
Starships but they matched the configurations of the ships that had bothered the Collective before like troublesome insects. A new command was sent across the network.
It was a command to prepare for battle.
****
In the cavernous Shuttle Bay of the Lincoln, MacEwan brought an anti-gravity pallet to a stop in front of a Type-Sixteen shuttlecraft, the Jane Austen. Resting on that pallet was the implosion torpedo. Quickly, Shiynah opened the rear hatch of the shuttle and entered the vehicle. He followed her inside, pushing the pallet before him into the craft.
He tapped his combadge and said,” First Officer to Bridge. We’re ready on our end, Captain.”
“Good. Standby.”
MacEwan sat down at the shuttle’s pilot controls. Shiynah sat down beside him in the co-pilot’s chair.
“All right,” he said,” let’s light this candle.”
****
“Fire photon torpedoes and antimatter spread!,” Craig Merrick yelled from his place aboard the Indiana. The Nebula-class starship cut loose with a barrage of torpedoes and antimatter. Though impossibly huge, the Cube was struck hard.
“Borg shields are dropped, sir,” Lieutenant Commander Winter called out from Tactical.
****
The Lincoln and the Vemux joined in with their own weapons. They opened up with everything that they had in their arsenals. The Romulan Warbird swooped in and released a volley of photon torpedoes and phasers on the Cube. each time, the ship shook violently, taking an increasing amount of battle damage.
“Borg shields are down to… seventy-five percent, Captain,” Peterson reported.
“Excellent! Tell Commander MacEwan to get ready to launch.”
Please, Staams thought, don’t let Murphy’s Law apply here right now.
****
The Collective was puzzled.
Somehow these ships were executing a particularly vicious attack on them.
It was impossible.
The shields were being depleted and it wouldn’t sustain them much longer.
Unless…
Targeting the closest ship, the Indiana, the Borg struck back.
****
The infamous green energy beam lanced out from the Cube and struck the Indiana dead on. Captain Merrick and most of his crew were thrown out of their seats when the ship was gripped firmly by the tractor beam.
“Shields collapsing!,” Commander Haike shouted, hanging on for dear life.
“Modulate frequencies! Fire again!”
The Lincoln and the Vemux moved in, firing all of their weapons but the Indiana still remained like a trapped insect. Suddenly, it was released.
“Get us out of here!,” Merrick shouted before the Borg fired again. The beam sliced through the ship’s weakened shields and went directly into the hull. It sliced through the port warp nacelle, igniting gases and separating the nacelle clean off of its struts. The beam traveled in a zigzag pattern around the ship, destroying bulkheads and decks. Crew members were roasted alive by the fires and the explosions. Or they were killed by the deadly vacuum of space.
On the ruined Bridge, Merrick struggled to sit up in his chair. One of his arms was a ruined mess and he had no feeling in his left leg. Many of the systems around him were destroyed.
“D… d…damage report… Anyone…”
Lieutenant Commander Winter stood up from where he had been thrown, and surprisingly, he appeared to not be seriously injured.
“There’s major damage all over the ship, sir. All systems are offline with the exception of Main Engineering. Sickbay is reporting that there are heavy casualties on all decks.” He resumed his position at Tactical, looking at the Captain with a worried look on his face.
“Do we still have any impulse power?”
“Yes, sir, but the warp drive is inoperative.”
Merrick stared at the unmoving body of Commander Haike before looking at the flickering main viewer. He could see the Lincoln and the Vemux hammering away at the Borg Cube through his right eye. His left eye had been swollen shit from a direct blow.
“Mister Winter… Ike… do you think that a well-placed blow could stop them?”
“A suicide run, sir? It’s possible. Should I set a course for the Cube?”
Despite the pain that he felt, Craig smiled at the younger man. “Make it happen, Ike.”
“It’s been a pleasure serving with you, Captain,” the Lieutenant said while he entered the coordinates.
With a low, screeching sound, the Indiana moved forward.
****
“Captain,” Peterson called out from Tactical,” the Indiana is preparing to ram the Cube!”
Tell me something that I don’t know, Staams thought. “Get us out of here! Shields to full strength!”
On the viewscreen, he watched the Vemux move to a safe distance. The Lincoln swung around and headed away at full speed, trying to escape the explosive effects of Captain Craig Merrick’s last stand. Like some kind of metal stake, the dying starship struck at the heart of the Borg Cube. The hull crumpled apart upon impact but the matter and antimatter of the warp engines detonated with the fury and strength of a small supernova. In a burst of blinding light, both ships vanished.
The shockwaves reached out to batter the Lincoln and the Vemux. Both ships’ crews were shaken but there was no serious damage. Agonizing over what he had seen, Staams ordered the ship to turn around.
“But, Captain…,” M’Roah objected as MacEwan and Shiynah walked onto the Bridge.
The First Officer shouted,” Great Scott!”
All eyes on the Bridge followed his shaking hand when he pointed at the viewscreen. There were some emotions that the Vulcan Science Academy could help a Human suppress.
The viewscreen showed that there was an expanding cloud of debris residue from the explosion. However, a shape emerged from the cloud and there were gasps as it became clear. It was the Borg Cube but it was heavily damaged, perhaps mortally. The top section of the Cube was completely shredded away and charred beyond repair. There were breaches all over the vessel and brief flashes of energy here and there upon its surface.
“Status of the Cube,” Staams asked, his eyes still on the mangled Cube.
“Energy levels are at fifty percent and falling, sir. Nearly over one-half of the ship’s mass is gone. What the — “ Giving her instruments a second glance, the Andorian Science Officer said,” Captain, energy levels are increasing! Fifty-five percent – sixty-three – seventy-one…”
“Impossible,” Staams whispered but it was all too true. The truncated Cube turned away and sped ahead into warp space.
****
“Captain’s Log, supplemental;
With only nine hours left until the Borg reach Romulus, the Lincoln is attempting to ‘head them off at the pass’. Sensor readings indicate that the Cube is only traveling at Warp Four. Still, the fact that it took the full blast of a matter-antimatter explosion is nothing more than incredible.
I am also faced with the loss of a good friend and fellow starship captain. Craig Merrick may have lost his life but he gave us valuable time to plan another counterattack. We are still planning on using the implosion torpedo. Commander Chulat has sent his condolences but the mood of the crew is one of hopelessness and futility. I think that this might be the Lincoln’s last stand.
And I refuse to go down without a fight.
Captain Staams looked out of the windows of his quarters. The stars were streaking by while the ship pushed forward at Warp Eight but they seemed to be empty and useless.
Craig Merrick was dead.
He was grieving silently, remembering the times that they had shared at the Academy. Staams, Merrick. Breknarrek, Moody… the ‘Gang of Four’ was the nickname given to their cadre by the instructors and their fellow cadets since they had been one of the rowdiest groups of cadets to pass through the Academy halls. The jokes, the pranks, their usual riff-raff…
Staams hung his head but he kept his tears in, regaining his composure. The worst thing that a Starfleet Captain could have on his mind was revenge but he couldn’t think of anything else.
****
In his own quarters, Arthur MacEwan sat on the wide couch with Shiynah sitting beside him. His eyes were downcast and he didn’t speak.
“I can’t believe it,” he finally said. “An antimatter blast… and it took the full force of it. Even with all of that damage… it still survived…”
Reaching out with her hand, the Romulan touched his shoulder. “Don’t torture yourself…”
“Can’t anything stop them? What does it take to do that? How many ships are going to be destroyed before they can – “ He stopped speaking when she kissed him. It was the appropriate time for this but he held her until she pulled away.
“The torpedo can do the job.”
“I hope so.”
****
The Lincoln and the Vemux sat side-by-side in space like a pair of gunslingers that were about ready to meet the main villain in an Old West duel.
On the Excelsior-class starship’s Bridge, Staams tapped the arm of his chair.
“Allarza?”
“Disturbance ahead, sir. A ship is emerging from warp.”
“Battle Stations.”
The main screen showed the wrecked Cube as it appeared out of warp space. It drove on, approaching the two starships that stood in its way.
“Now!,” the Captain shouted.
The Vemux and the Lincoln moved forward, opening fire with phasers, photon torpedoes, disruptors, and antimatter spreads. The Borg vessel shuddered again but it continued on its path. The Federation starship fired again, going in at close range. Staams hid his satisfaction as explosions flashed around the Cube.
“The Cube is taking heavy damage, Captain,” reported Peterson from Tactical. “Their shields are down to sixty-nine percent.”
“Good. Tabby, take us in again. XO, get ready to deliver our present to our friends.”
****
Commander MacEwan and Subcommander Shiynah headed for the shuttlecraft at a quick run. As they reached the hatch, he turned around. “It looks like it’s my turn now. Get back up to the Bridge and contact the Vemux.”
As he turned away from her, Shiynah pulled the phaser from his belt holster and fired. Stunned, the Commander fell to the deck. She bent down and pulled him away from the shuttlecraft. Pushing him up against a nearby wall so that he was in a sitting position, she quickly kissed him.
“I’m sorry, my love… but you’re needed here.”
Without another word, she removed his combadge and headed back for the Jane Austen. Once she was aboard, she began to activate the shuttlecraft’s systems.
****
The Lincoln fired another round of photon torpedoes. More explosions appeared on the surface of the Borg Cube as each torpedo found its mark.
“The Borg shields are down to twenty-eight percent.”
“Rilla, tell Commander MacEwan to get ready,” Staams ordered before the Borg fired on his ship.
Impossible!, he thought but the ship was firmly gripped by the tractor beam. The shields began to give way, even as the crew struggled to re-modulate them.
“Shields have failed!,” Peterson reported.
“Launch the shuttle!,” Staams shouted when he saw a ship materialize in front of the Lincoln.
It was a Romulan Warbird. Several more Warbirds decloaked around the Cube and opened fire. The Lincoln soared free, escaping the tractor beam. On the main viewscreen, an older Romulan’s face appeared once communications were established.
“I am Admiral Kolok of the Skyhawk. We are here to assist you, Captain Staams.”
The rest of his fleet moved in, inflicting more damage on the Cube. The remainder of the ship was tattered and fired feebly at the Romulan ships.
“Admiral Kolok, thank you for your assistance but you must leave this area immediately. I can’t explain right now but you must go to warp now!”
At that moment, the turbolift doors opened and Arthur MacEwan stumbled his way out. Staams saw him with a surprised expression on his face.
“Arthur! What the – I thought you were on the shuttle!”
“No…,” the Commander said weakly. “It’s Shiynah. She’s going to detonate it.”
****
The Jane Austen was lucky. With the Cube facing off against nearly ten ships and in its seriously damaged condition, it ignored the small ship slipped through its weakened shields. Aboard the shuttle, Subcommander Shiynah armed the implosion torpedo and readied the shuttle’s emergency transporter. Selecting the coordinates, she watched as the weapon disappeared into a haze of twinkling blue energy.
****
The Collective was severely damaged. The collision with the Federation starship had caused untold damage to the structure of the Cube and hundreds of drones were destroyed. Now, more ships were arriving and there wasn’t enough power to fight them off.
The Collective detected something else.
A massive buildup of power that originated from within the Cube itself!
Yet, it was inconceivable!
Impossible!
It was –
****
Staams felt the Cube shudder through space. As it did, it appeared to be falling upon itself as if it was being drawn into a straw –
“M’Roah! WARP SPEED!”
The Lincoln tilted crazily as the ship turned to port and shot off into warp. They rode ahead of the effects of the implosion of the Borg Cube but the ship still shook when the massive amount of gravity generated by the creation of the micro-quantum singularity. It threatened to draw them in. An eternity seemed to pass before –
“Status report!”
Allarza looked up from her scanners. “The Borg ship is… gone, sir. And so is the micro-quantum singularity.”
“There’s no sign of the shuttle,” said Rilla.
Staams looked over at MacEwan. The Commander looked off to one side and said nothing. Reports were starting to come in from all over the ship. No damage had been found by the Damage Control Teams.
“Arthur,” he began to say,” I’m sorry – “
“Don’t be, Captain,” Shiynah said, her voice coming from the open turbolift doors. She stood there, a little shaken but fine. Seeing the shocked look on her lover’s face, she continued,” I used the emergency transporter at the last minute.” She handed him back his combadge and phaser. “I’m sorry for what I did.”
MacEwan smiled as Staams ordered that a course be laid in for Romulus. Following the group of ships led by the Skyhawk, the Lincoln and the Vemux entered warp.
****
Patrick Staams and Arthur MacEwan stood at attention as Shiynah – now a full Commander – and Commander Chulat presented them with the Order of the Great Bird of Prey, one of the highest traditions given by the Romulan Star Empire.
“For the honor of saving our Homeworld at the possible cost of your own lives, the people of the Romulan Star Empire,” the Praetor said. All around them in the Great Hall of the Senate that served as the place of the ceremony, applause came. Both men looked around them, still not believing that they were standing on the homeworld of one of the United Federation of Planets’ greatest enemies.
Shiynah stepped forward at Admiral Kolok’s direction, placing the medals on the breast of each man’s uniform jackets, smiling at MacEwan while she did.
****
“Captain, it’s a sham that you have to return.”
“I think you mean ‘a shame’, Chulat.”
“Oh, yes, I did.” The Commander faced Staams for the last time. “I cannot thank you, Captain. I owe you my life. Unfortunately, the next time that we meet, we will be enemies once more. Even after all of the sacrifices that were made by our friends…”
“I understand. I have my regrets as well.”
“One can only hope that this alliance will lead to a more permanent bond between our two peoples. By the way, a freighter is bringing back the remaining survivors from the Torix from Outpost Zeta.”
Staams nodded. “Where’s my First Officer?”
“Saying goodbye, I presume.”
****
Arthur MacEwan and Shiynah held each other firmly while they shared a final kiss. It didn’t last long for both of them but it seemed like an eternity. They parted and walked together to where Chulat and Staams were waiting for them.
“I wish that I could go with you, Arthur, but my place is here. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry that you might try and destroy me, the next time that we meet.”
She smiled at him. “Perhaps it doesn’t have to come down to that.”
Staams and Chulat were expecting them. Last words were exchanged before the Captain tapped his combadge. “Staams to Lincoln… Two to beam up.”
Both men disappeared and reappeared aboard the Lincoln. Immediately, they made their way to the Bridge where the crew was preparing to get the ship underway.
Staams took a seat in his chair. “Mister M’Roah, take us out of orbit.”
The Lincoln moved away from Romulus with two Warbirds following her as escorts.
Finally, Tabby M’Roah asked,” Course, Captain?”
“Set course for Outpost Zeta at best possible speed. Take us home… and to tomorrow, and tomorrow, and all of the others after that.”
MacEwan cocked an eyebrow at Staams before giving out a laugh.
Traveling at full impulse speed, the USS Lincoln seemed to stretch out into infinity. Then the ship soared away at Warp Eight, leaving the Warbirds behind and heading back to Federation space…
Back home…
The End.
“Captain on the Bridge,” Lieutenant Rilla called out from the Operations station. From the command chair, Lieutenant M’Roah rose, deferring the seat to the Captain. Everyone around the Bridge stood ready for combat.
“Situation report,” Staams asked once he sat down in his chair.
“The Borg are coming out of warp, Captain,” Tabby growled over his shoulder after he assumed his place at the helm position. “It appears to be heading towards a contingent of Romulan scout ships.”
“That’s the Gitan deep-space group,” Shiynah reported, standing behind the Tactical Officer’s shoulder. “They must have been lying in wait.”
“Tabby, take us out of warp. Kyle, raise shields and ready weapons. Rilla, contact the Vemux and the Indiana. Inform them – “
“They’re coming out of warp, sir,” the Deltan woman responded,” and the Indiana is hailing us.”
“Put them on audio. Activate the main viewer.”
Ahead of them, the stars ceased streaking past them when the Lincoln left warp space and switched over to full impulse power. At the same time, the voice of Craig Merrick came over the Bridge speakers.
“Indiana to Lincoln. Pat, are you there? Do you see it?”
“Lincoln here. Yes, we do. Assume formation and take the lead if you will.”
“Is the surprise party package ready?”
“As ready as it’ll ever be, old buddy. Lincoln out.”
From her position at the Science Station, Lieutenant zh’Therr raised her white-haired head from her sensors. Her antennae shifted nervously when she turned around to look at Staams. “Distance to the Borg ship … two-four-zero… two-two-five… two-one-zero…. Two-zero-four…”
The enormous figure of the starship Indiana moved in front of the Lincoln as the Vemux stationed herself off of the Excelsior-class starship’s starboard side. The giant Cube grew larger by the second.
“One-nine-zero… one-seven-eight… one-six-five…” The Andoriam woman continued with her recitation.
“Captain, the Cube is firing,” Peterson reported. On the main viewscreen, there was a flash of light and then there was the blurred form of an explosion. Another explosion followed, seconds later. “Two of the ships have been destroyed, sir.”
“Mister M’Roah, take this ship to the limit. Even if you have to shake her apart to do it!” Staams turned towards MacEwan. “Arthur, what would you suggest? An antimatter spread?”
Nodding, he answered,” And a shuttle.”
“Get on it. We’re not going to get a second chance at this.”
MacEwan headed for the nearest turbolift and Shiynah followed close behind him. Staams watched them go before he returned his attention to the viewscreen again. “Report.”
“All of the Romulan ships have been destroyed, Captain, and the Borg ship has suffered no damage.”
****
The Borg Collective quickly assimilated the information and raw materials from the ships that had been destroyed. Obviously, they were a stop-gap measure but it was an irrelevant one. Soon, they would be at Romulus…
Rokkalek of Borg, formerly known as Commander Jastred of the Romulan Star Empire, stared impassively at the area where the group of Romulan scout ships had stood in their way. His face showed no signs of any emotion. The implants that were embedded in his face would have made such movements to be impossible. The information taken from his mind had been accurate. The small, pitiful groups of ships were there and now… they were gone.
Instructions were sent out through the Collective from the Central Plexus to prepare the ship for warp.
Something was detected. No, three things, in fact.
Starships but they matched the configurations of the ships that had bothered the Collective before like troublesome insects. A new command was sent across the network.
It was a command to prepare for battle.
****
In the cavernous Shuttle Bay of the Lincoln, MacEwan brought an anti-gravity pallet to a stop in front of a Type-Sixteen shuttlecraft, the Jane Austen. Resting on that pallet was the implosion torpedo. Quickly, Shiynah opened the rear hatch of the shuttle and entered the vehicle. He followed her inside, pushing the pallet before him into the craft.
He tapped his combadge and said,” First Officer to Bridge. We’re ready on our end, Captain.”
“Good. Standby.”
MacEwan sat down at the shuttle’s pilot controls. Shiynah sat down beside him in the co-pilot’s chair.
“All right,” he said,” let’s light this candle.”
****
“Fire photon torpedoes and antimatter spread!,” Craig Merrick yelled from his place aboard the Indiana. The Nebula-class starship cut loose with a barrage of torpedoes and antimatter. Though impossibly huge, the Cube was struck hard.
“Borg shields are dropped, sir,” Lieutenant Commander Winter called out from Tactical.
****
The Lincoln and the Vemux joined in with their own weapons. They opened up with everything that they had in their arsenals. The Romulan Warbird swooped in and released a volley of photon torpedoes and phasers on the Cube. each time, the ship shook violently, taking an increasing amount of battle damage.
“Borg shields are down to… seventy-five percent, Captain,” Peterson reported.
“Excellent! Tell Commander MacEwan to get ready to launch.”
Please, Staams thought, don’t let Murphy’s Law apply here right now.
****
The Collective was puzzled.
Somehow these ships were executing a particularly vicious attack on them.
It was impossible.
The shields were being depleted and it wouldn’t sustain them much longer.
Unless…
Targeting the closest ship, the Indiana, the Borg struck back.
****
The infamous green energy beam lanced out from the Cube and struck the Indiana dead on. Captain Merrick and most of his crew were thrown out of their seats when the ship was gripped firmly by the tractor beam.
“Shields collapsing!,” Commander Haike shouted, hanging on for dear life.
“Modulate frequencies! Fire again!”
The Lincoln and the Vemux moved in, firing all of their weapons but the Indiana still remained like a trapped insect. Suddenly, it was released.
“Get us out of here!,” Merrick shouted before the Borg fired again. The beam sliced through the ship’s weakened shields and went directly into the hull. It sliced through the port warp nacelle, igniting gases and separating the nacelle clean off of its struts. The beam traveled in a zigzag pattern around the ship, destroying bulkheads and decks. Crew members were roasted alive by the fires and the explosions. Or they were killed by the deadly vacuum of space.
On the ruined Bridge, Merrick struggled to sit up in his chair. One of his arms was a ruined mess and he had no feeling in his left leg. Many of the systems around him were destroyed.
“D… d…damage report… Anyone…”
Lieutenant Commander Winter stood up from where he had been thrown, and surprisingly, he appeared to not be seriously injured.
“There’s major damage all over the ship, sir. All systems are offline with the exception of Main Engineering. Sickbay is reporting that there are heavy casualties on all decks.” He resumed his position at Tactical, looking at the Captain with a worried look on his face.
“Do we still have any impulse power?”
“Yes, sir, but the warp drive is inoperative.”
Merrick stared at the unmoving body of Commander Haike before looking at the flickering main viewer. He could see the Lincoln and the Vemux hammering away at the Borg Cube through his right eye. His left eye had been swollen shit from a direct blow.
“Mister Winter… Ike… do you think that a well-placed blow could stop them?”
“A suicide run, sir? It’s possible. Should I set a course for the Cube?”
Despite the pain that he felt, Craig smiled at the younger man. “Make it happen, Ike.”
“It’s been a pleasure serving with you, Captain,” the Lieutenant said while he entered the coordinates.
With a low, screeching sound, the Indiana moved forward.
****
“Captain,” Peterson called out from Tactical,” the Indiana is preparing to ram the Cube!”
Tell me something that I don’t know, Staams thought. “Get us out of here! Shields to full strength!”
On the viewscreen, he watched the Vemux move to a safe distance. The Lincoln swung around and headed away at full speed, trying to escape the explosive effects of Captain Craig Merrick’s last stand. Like some kind of metal stake, the dying starship struck at the heart of the Borg Cube. The hull crumpled apart upon impact but the matter and antimatter of the warp engines detonated with the fury and strength of a small supernova. In a burst of blinding light, both ships vanished.
The shockwaves reached out to batter the Lincoln and the Vemux. Both ships’ crews were shaken but there was no serious damage. Agonizing over what he had seen, Staams ordered the ship to turn around.
“But, Captain…,” M’Roah objected as MacEwan and Shiynah walked onto the Bridge.
The First Officer shouted,” Great Scott!”
All eyes on the Bridge followed his shaking hand when he pointed at the viewscreen. There were some emotions that the Vulcan Science Academy could help a Human suppress.
The viewscreen showed that there was an expanding cloud of debris residue from the explosion. However, a shape emerged from the cloud and there were gasps as it became clear. It was the Borg Cube but it was heavily damaged, perhaps mortally. The top section of the Cube was completely shredded away and charred beyond repair. There were breaches all over the vessel and brief flashes of energy here and there upon its surface.
“Status of the Cube,” Staams asked, his eyes still on the mangled Cube.
“Energy levels are at fifty percent and falling, sir. Nearly over one-half of the ship’s mass is gone. What the — “ Giving her instruments a second glance, the Andorian Science Officer said,” Captain, energy levels are increasing! Fifty-five percent – sixty-three – seventy-one…”
“Impossible,” Staams whispered but it was all too true. The truncated Cube turned away and sped ahead into warp space.
****
“Captain’s Log, supplemental;
With only nine hours left until the Borg reach Romulus, the Lincoln is attempting to ‘head them off at the pass’. Sensor readings indicate that the Cube is only traveling at Warp Four. Still, the fact that it took the full blast of a matter-antimatter explosion is nothing more than incredible.
I am also faced with the loss of a good friend and fellow starship captain. Craig Merrick may have lost his life but he gave us valuable time to plan another counterattack. We are still planning on using the implosion torpedo. Commander Chulat has sent his condolences but the mood of the crew is one of hopelessness and futility. I think that this might be the Lincoln’s last stand.
And I refuse to go down without a fight.
Captain Staams looked out of the windows of his quarters. The stars were streaking by while the ship pushed forward at Warp Eight but they seemed to be empty and useless.
Craig Merrick was dead.
He was grieving silently, remembering the times that they had shared at the Academy. Staams, Merrick. Breknarrek, Moody… the ‘Gang of Four’ was the nickname given to their cadre by the instructors and their fellow cadets since they had been one of the rowdiest groups of cadets to pass through the Academy halls. The jokes, the pranks, their usual riff-raff…
Staams hung his head but he kept his tears in, regaining his composure. The worst thing that a Starfleet Captain could have on his mind was revenge but he couldn’t think of anything else.
****
In his own quarters, Arthur MacEwan sat on the wide couch with Shiynah sitting beside him. His eyes were downcast and he didn’t speak.
“I can’t believe it,” he finally said. “An antimatter blast… and it took the full force of it. Even with all of that damage… it still survived…”
Reaching out with her hand, the Romulan touched his shoulder. “Don’t torture yourself…”
“Can’t anything stop them? What does it take to do that? How many ships are going to be destroyed before they can – “ He stopped speaking when she kissed him. It was the appropriate time for this but he held her until she pulled away.
“The torpedo can do the job.”
“I hope so.”
****
The Lincoln and the Vemux sat side-by-side in space like a pair of gunslingers that were about ready to meet the main villain in an Old West duel.
On the Excelsior-class starship’s Bridge, Staams tapped the arm of his chair.
“Allarza?”
“Disturbance ahead, sir. A ship is emerging from warp.”
“Battle Stations.”
The main screen showed the wrecked Cube as it appeared out of warp space. It drove on, approaching the two starships that stood in its way.
“Now!,” the Captain shouted.
The Vemux and the Lincoln moved forward, opening fire with phasers, photon torpedoes, disruptors, and antimatter spreads. The Borg vessel shuddered again but it continued on its path. The Federation starship fired again, going in at close range. Staams hid his satisfaction as explosions flashed around the Cube.
“The Cube is taking heavy damage, Captain,” reported Peterson from Tactical. “Their shields are down to sixty-nine percent.”
“Good. Tabby, take us in again. XO, get ready to deliver our present to our friends.”
****
Commander MacEwan and Subcommander Shiynah headed for the shuttlecraft at a quick run. As they reached the hatch, he turned around. “It looks like it’s my turn now. Get back up to the Bridge and contact the Vemux.”
As he turned away from her, Shiynah pulled the phaser from his belt holster and fired. Stunned, the Commander fell to the deck. She bent down and pulled him away from the shuttlecraft. Pushing him up against a nearby wall so that he was in a sitting position, she quickly kissed him.
“I’m sorry, my love… but you’re needed here.”
Without another word, she removed his combadge and headed back for the Jane Austen. Once she was aboard, she began to activate the shuttlecraft’s systems.
****
The Lincoln fired another round of photon torpedoes. More explosions appeared on the surface of the Borg Cube as each torpedo found its mark.
“The Borg shields are down to twenty-eight percent.”
“Rilla, tell Commander MacEwan to get ready,” Staams ordered before the Borg fired on his ship.
Impossible!, he thought but the ship was firmly gripped by the tractor beam. The shields began to give way, even as the crew struggled to re-modulate them.
“Shields have failed!,” Peterson reported.
“Launch the shuttle!,” Staams shouted when he saw a ship materialize in front of the Lincoln.
It was a Romulan Warbird. Several more Warbirds decloaked around the Cube and opened fire. The Lincoln soared free, escaping the tractor beam. On the main viewscreen, an older Romulan’s face appeared once communications were established.
“I am Admiral Kolok of the Skyhawk. We are here to assist you, Captain Staams.”
The rest of his fleet moved in, inflicting more damage on the Cube. The remainder of the ship was tattered and fired feebly at the Romulan ships.
“Admiral Kolok, thank you for your assistance but you must leave this area immediately. I can’t explain right now but you must go to warp now!”
At that moment, the turbolift doors opened and Arthur MacEwan stumbled his way out. Staams saw him with a surprised expression on his face.
“Arthur! What the – I thought you were on the shuttle!”
“No…,” the Commander said weakly. “It’s Shiynah. She’s going to detonate it.”
****
The Jane Austen was lucky. With the Cube facing off against nearly ten ships and in its seriously damaged condition, it ignored the small ship slipped through its weakened shields. Aboard the shuttle, Subcommander Shiynah armed the implosion torpedo and readied the shuttle’s emergency transporter. Selecting the coordinates, she watched as the weapon disappeared into a haze of twinkling blue energy.
****
The Collective was severely damaged. The collision with the Federation starship had caused untold damage to the structure of the Cube and hundreds of drones were destroyed. Now, more ships were arriving and there wasn’t enough power to fight them off.
The Collective detected something else.
A massive buildup of power that originated from within the Cube itself!
Yet, it was inconceivable!
Impossible!
It was –
****
Staams felt the Cube shudder through space. As it did, it appeared to be falling upon itself as if it was being drawn into a straw –
“M’Roah! WARP SPEED!”
The Lincoln tilted crazily as the ship turned to port and shot off into warp. They rode ahead of the effects of the implosion of the Borg Cube but the ship still shook when the massive amount of gravity generated by the creation of the micro-quantum singularity. It threatened to draw them in. An eternity seemed to pass before –
“Status report!”
Allarza looked up from her scanners. “The Borg ship is… gone, sir. And so is the micro-quantum singularity.”
“There’s no sign of the shuttle,” said Rilla.
Staams looked over at MacEwan. The Commander looked off to one side and said nothing. Reports were starting to come in from all over the ship. No damage had been found by the Damage Control Teams.
“Arthur,” he began to say,” I’m sorry – “
“Don’t be, Captain,” Shiynah said, her voice coming from the open turbolift doors. She stood there, a little shaken but fine. Seeing the shocked look on her lover’s face, she continued,” I used the emergency transporter at the last minute.” She handed him back his combadge and phaser. “I’m sorry for what I did.”
MacEwan smiled as Staams ordered that a course be laid in for Romulus. Following the group of ships led by the Skyhawk, the Lincoln and the Vemux entered warp.
****
Patrick Staams and Arthur MacEwan stood at attention as Shiynah – now a full Commander – and Commander Chulat presented them with the Order of the Great Bird of Prey, one of the highest traditions given by the Romulan Star Empire.
“For the honor of saving our Homeworld at the possible cost of your own lives, the people of the Romulan Star Empire,” the Praetor said. All around them in the Great Hall of the Senate that served as the place of the ceremony, applause came. Both men looked around them, still not believing that they were standing on the homeworld of one of the United Federation of Planets’ greatest enemies.
Shiynah stepped forward at Admiral Kolok’s direction, placing the medals on the breast of each man’s uniform jackets, smiling at MacEwan while she did.
****
“Captain, it’s a sham that you have to return.”
“I think you mean ‘a shame’, Chulat.”
“Oh, yes, I did.” The Commander faced Staams for the last time. “I cannot thank you, Captain. I owe you my life. Unfortunately, the next time that we meet, we will be enemies once more. Even after all of the sacrifices that were made by our friends…”
“I understand. I have my regrets as well.”
“One can only hope that this alliance will lead to a more permanent bond between our two peoples. By the way, a freighter is bringing back the remaining survivors from the Torix from Outpost Zeta.”
Staams nodded. “Where’s my First Officer?”
“Saying goodbye, I presume.”
****
Arthur MacEwan and Shiynah held each other firmly while they shared a final kiss. It didn’t last long for both of them but it seemed like an eternity. They parted and walked together to where Chulat and Staams were waiting for them.
“I wish that I could go with you, Arthur, but my place is here. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry that you might try and destroy me, the next time that we meet.”
She smiled at him. “Perhaps it doesn’t have to come down to that.”
Staams and Chulat were expecting them. Last words were exchanged before the Captain tapped his combadge. “Staams to Lincoln… Two to beam up.”
Both men disappeared and reappeared aboard the Lincoln. Immediately, they made their way to the Bridge where the crew was preparing to get the ship underway.
Staams took a seat in his chair. “Mister M’Roah, take us out of orbit.”
The Lincoln moved away from Romulus with two Warbirds following her as escorts.
Finally, Tabby M’Roah asked,” Course, Captain?”
“Set course for Outpost Zeta at best possible speed. Take us home… and to tomorrow, and tomorrow, and all of the others after that.”
MacEwan cocked an eyebrow at Staams before giving out a laugh.
Traveling at full impulse speed, the USS Lincoln seemed to stretch out into infinity. Then the ship soared away at Warp Eight, leaving the Warbirds behind and heading back to Federation space…
Back home…
The End.
As promised - definitely a fiery ending... And a nicely hopeless romance as well. Thanks!! rbs
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