The Cardassian cruiser Tarkesh flew through the Antar star system her phasers blazing as she exchanged fire with four Maquis raiders. The Maquis were running as fast as their damaged impulse drives would allow, as their shields flashed under the Cardassian's assault. Their mission had been to destroy a munitions depot that the Cardassians had hidden on an uninhabited moon of Antar Seven. When they arrived in system the depot was gone and a Galor class cruiser and two Hidiki class patrol ships were waiting for them. The Maquis had attacked the Cardassians in spite of, or perhaps because of the odds, and the Cardies destroyed three of the Maquis ships and were now trying to rundown the four remaining shuttle size raiders.
"Shirayuki, damage report!" called out a raven haired girl as her ship shuttered under the Cardassian's phaser fire.
"Damage to primary impulse reactor, secondary reactor initiated." answered the ship's computer. The Maquis raider Soda No Shirayuki continued to weather the Cardassian assault as her pilot Rukia Kuchiki tried every trick she knew to evade the perusing Cardassian ships. The Raider Neijibana made a run directly into the line of fire, trying to draw some fire away from Rukia's damaged shields. The pilot Kaien Shiba is the second in command of Rukia's squadron, and he and his wife/copilot Miyako are close friends of Rukia and her family. Kaien brought his phasers to bare on one of the Hidikis and opened fire, the patrol ship's already damaged shields failed and her engines exploded leaving the ship in a slow role and out of the fight. A raider exploded just moments later, and the Cardassians concentrated their fire on Rukia and Kaien's ships as the other raider lost power to her weapons and rammed the last Cardassian patrol vessel destroying both ships.
"Kaien we need to get out of here, that cruiser has us both out gunned" Rukia said over the comms.
"I know, try to get your warp drive back online we'll cover you." Kaien said.
"Just go leave me, I'll be fine you and Miyako can still get away." Rukia said after noticing that the Neijibana still had warp drive.
"Fat chance of that Rukia just get your warp drive online and leave the rest BOOM! " A loud explosion almost left Rukia deaf as Kaien's ship lost shields and was hit by a plasma torpedo. Kaien sat up in his smoke filled cockpit, the ship was badly damaged and flames were burning throughout the cockpit. " Warning warp core breech in progress, ejection system offline." the ship's computer announced. Kaien got up and moved to his wife's side, she wasn't moving. He tried to wake her then he noticed the piece of debris sticking from her chest, and he realized she was dead.
'Kaien your warp core is going breech, you and Miyako need to get out of there." Rukia said through the comms
"Rukia, Miyako is dead." He said as he took his seat at the controls and plotted a collision course with the Cardassian ship.
"Kaien prepare for transport." Rukia said.
"Rukia I'm sorry, keep my heart safe." Kaien said as he took his ship to full impulse.
"Kaien don't do it!" Rukia yelled out as she realized what he was doing.
"Don't you dare die alone Rukia" was the last thing she heard him say as his ship collided with the Cardassian ship causing a massive damage, and the Galor's warp core exploded destroying the ship. Rukia could only watch as her mentor, the man who taught her to fly and brought her into the Maquis gave his life for hers.
"Good bye Kaien" she said in a whisper as tears filled her eyes.
"Warning, life support system failure." her ship's computer announced and Rukia felt a cold dread in her heart.
"I'm sorry Kaien, I guess you died for nothing." Was Rukia's last thought before darkness overtook her.
The Federation cargo ship Masaki was cruising near the Antar system, she is a large ship at over 800 meters long she is larger the a Galaxy class starship. The ship's orange haired pilot Ichigo Kurosaki sat at the helm with a board expression on his face.
"That's odd, hey dad get over here" he said.
"Son how many times do I have to tell you? When we're on the bridge call me captain." Captain Isshin Kurosaki said to his seventeen year old son.
"Look I'm detecting debris and signs of weapons fire." Ichigo said.
"Karin scan the area, lets see what happened out here." Isshin said to his operations office/daughter.
"Looks like the remains of a Cardassian cruiser and some smaller ships." Karin said.
"Ichigo lay in a course for the debris field, lets see if we can find some survivors." Isshin said as the ship turned to her new course.
"Dad, I'm detecting a small ship in the debris, minimal power signature, looks like she took a beating. Wait, I've got life signs, one human female very faint!" Karin yelled.
"Ichigo grab some emergency gear and beam over." Isshin said.
"On it!" Ichigo called back. Isshin pushed the internal comm button on his seat arm.
"Yuzu, you better get sickbay ready, Ichigo went to get a survivor off of a damaged raider." He said.
"Got it dad." the sandy haired 15 year old said.
Ichigo found himself standing in the cockpit of the damaged raider, it was cold and dark and the life support system was at minimal. The pilot was laying back in her seat unconscious, as he approached her he noticed that she was so small that the seat swallowed her. He shook her trying to wake her but she would not wake, so he scooped her up in his arms. He was right she's tiny, he barely noticed her weight as he tapped his communicator.
'Two to beam directly to sickbay." he said and the cool wash of the transporter beam enveloped them. As soon as the transporter beam released them Ichigo placed the girl on a diagnostic bed, and Isshin came over and started treating her. Ichigo looked down at her face, he was right girl seemed to fit her better then woman, she looked way too young to be flying a raider. If Ichigo had to guess her age he would say she is around 12 or 13 based on her size and appearance, but her face looked much older, far more mature. She really is a pretty one, he thought to himself as his father treated her injuries.
"Well she's suffering from exposure and some minor injuries, it's a good thing we found her when we did, a few more hours and she would have died." Isshin said.
"Ichigo, Karin see if you can bring her ship into the landing bay, I want to go over her flight recorder" Isshin said.
" Got it" Karin said as she and Ichigo left the room.
"You are way too young to be a Maquis" Isshin said to the sleeping girl, as he sat at her bedside.
Ichigo entered the cargo/shuttle bay and walked over to the controls, he opened the outer doors and locked a tractor beam onto the damaged raider.
"Ichigo, what are you doing?" Orihime Kurosaki ask her twin brother.
"Oh hey sis, we found a damaged raider and I'm trying to bring it aboard." He said.
"Oh, need any help?" She ask.
"I got it, but I think dad could use some help." He said, looking like he was thinking.
"I'm not qualified for the kind of help he needs." she said causing both of them to burst into laughter. Ichigo brought the raider into the bay and closed the doors.
"Looks like she took a hell of a pounding." Orihime said as she examined the raiders battered hull.
"I think I can get her flying again though." She said.
"Well you better worry about that plasma injector in the port nacelle before you start trying to fix this raider, anyways it looks like the pilot is going to be out for a while. She looked worse off then her ship." Ichigo said to his sister/chief engineer.
Seireitei Colony, the DMZ.
The captain of the sixth attack squadron, Byakuya Kuchiki approached the hanger for the thirteenth squadron. Kuchiki walked up to the squadron's captain, Jushiro Ukitake, and the white haired man stood he was a tall man but he looked sickly.
"Is there any word regarding your squadron's attack in the Antar system?" the icy man said.
"None so far, they should have returned yesterday. All we know is that the Cardassian fifth order reported the loss of a Galor class cruiser and two patrol ships in that system." Ukitake said.
"It would seem that our ships must have engaged the Cardassians and destroyed them. If any of our ships survived then they may be stranded, I will dispatch a raider to look for survivors." Byakuya said, as he made his way out the door.
"Don't worry Byakuya, I'm sure she is okay." Ukitake said as the other man left.
Antar System.
The first thing Rukia realized is that she could breath, so far so good she thought.
'Or maybe not." She said in a very low whisper as the pain from her lungs caused her to grimace. She realized she was laying in a bed in what was obviously a medical bay. The air was too cool and the bed too soft for this to be a Cardassian ship. Rukia realized that she was alive, and she was not the only person in the room, she could see a young man with orange hair setting at a desk a few feet away. Rukia wanted to yell to him but her voice was little more then a whisper, the man noticed that she was awake and he approached her.
"Welcome back, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki." He said.
"Where am I?" She said, using what little strength her battered little body could muster.
"You're on a medical ship, the Masaki. We found your ship adrift and brought you aboard for treatment." He said to her. She sat up and he placed a hand behind her to help steady her.
"Did you find any other survivors?" She ask feeling weaker then before.
"No you were the only one we found." He said and he could see tears forming in her beautiful amethyst eyes. Rukia tried to keep her tears at bay, but when he wrapped his arms around her tiny form she couldn't hold back her tears anymore. Ichigo was a little surprised with himself, here he was holding a girl he had only met a few minutes ago and letting her cry on his shoulder. Rukia for her part was just as surprised with herself, she had just met this man and here she was sobbing her eyes out in his arms, and yet they both had to admit that it felt right. Rukia stopped crying after a while and he helped her lay back down, she was exhausted from the beating her body and her soul had taken. Most of those she knew from her flight wing were dead, and all she could think about was Kaien and Miyako and how she would never see them again.
"Thank you Ichigo." Rukia said as she let sleep take her again.
"Your welcome maquis." He said back.
" It's Rukia, not maquis." she said with her eyes closed.
"Get some rest Rukia, your safe here." He said back, and he noticed that she smiled as she fell asleep again.
The Masaki changed course and powered up her warp engines, as she prepared to go to warp.
"I hope you got that port injector fixed sis." Ichigo said to Orihime who just smiled.
"Well if she didn't then this is going to be a very short trip" Karin said as she prepped the ship for warp.
"Ichigo, set a course for the Dovis Three warp 7." Isshin said as Ichigo laid in the course.
"Course lied in and warp engines ready." Ichigo said.
"Engage the engines" Isshin said and the ship jumped to warp.
A lone maquis raider dropped out of warp in the Antar system, they slowed to impulse and started scanning the area for any sign of the missing raiders.
"Looks like nothing but debris." Shuhei Hisagi said as he read the scanners.
"Are there any signs of survivors?" Ask Renji Abarai, the second in command of the sixth attack squadron.
"No, it looks like our ships were all destroyed. I'm reading a lot of weapons fire and what look like the residue from multiple warp core breeches." Hisagi said.
"I guess we better report back, all of them are dead." Renji said knowing that captain Kuchiki won't take the news of his sister's death well.
"I'm setting a course for home." Renji said as he powered up the warp drive and they jumped to warp leaving the debris of the battle that claimed their friends in their wake.
A Cardassian cruiser, the Krakson, dropped to impulse in the Antar star system.
"Report." Gul Remek of the fifth order said as his ship slowed.
"There appears to be a large amount of debris and residual energy signatures, from the patterns I believe our ships were destroyed by the Maquis." The operations officer said
"Any survivors?" Gul Remek ask.
"Negative, there is no sign of survivors." The operations officer said. Gul Remek closed his eyes, this situation is becoming intolerable yet another cruiser lost to a rabble with a few shuttles.
"Send our findings to the central command and then set a course for home." The Gul ordered. After a few moments the cruiser jumped to warp leaving the Antar system empty of everything but the remains of the battle.
Rukia awoke again the next day feeling a bit stronger then she had the day before, she was still a little weak and she didn't have the strength to get out of bed just yet. She sat up and a man with black hair came over to her.
"Good morning, I'm Doctor Isshin Kurosaki captain of this ship." he said as he started checking her vitals
"I'm Rukia Kuchiki, thank you for saving me." She said.
"So how did someone as young as you end up flying with the maquis?" He ask, looking at the screen showing her readouts.
"My sister was killed by Cardassians last year, I joined to keep the Cardies from hurting anyone else." She said feeling a little defensive.
"You seem too young to be a pilot, how old are you anyways?" Isshin ask as he started scanning her with his tricordor.
"I'm seventeen and I can out fly anyone." She said with a bit of pride in her voice.
"You sound like my son Ichigo, he's seventeen and loves to fly, that is if he can get that old shuttle of his flying again." Isshin said.
"Are you going turn me over to Starfleet, or the Cardassians?" She ask trying not to let the trepidation she was feeling show, it would be bad to be in a Federation prison, but the Cardies would do far worse to her.
"Nether, this isn't a Starfleet ship and I have been in the DMZ long enough to know what the Cardassian have been doing. I won't hand you or anyone else over to those bastards, so don't worry your safe here." Rukia thought she should be worried that he was lying to her but for some reason she knew she could trust him and his family.
"Thanks." was all she had the strength left to say. She wondered how her brother and the few friends she had who were still alive were doing. Well these are nice people, I guess I better make the best of it then, she thought as she felt herself drifting off again.
"I hope the Cardies don't come looking for me." Was her last thought be fore she fell asleep.
On the bridge of the Cardassian cruiser Krakson Gul Remek stared out at the stars through the view screen.
"Sir I have a warp trail leaving the Antar system, it looks like a large cargo ship." the ops officer said.
"It could be from their home base, follow it!" Remek ordered and the ship altered course.
"Well little maquis it looks like revenge is upon you." Remek said as they flew through warp intent on revenge against any maquis survivors and anyone who stands in his way.