Chapter 2: Battle Simulations
The four cadets continued walking and Fara couldn't help but notice James and Fay walking alongside each other hand in hand. The two had known each other since they could walk and it was more than obvious that they had feelings for each other, so why was it that they weren't a couple yet? Fara nudged Fox's arm to get his attention.
"Look at those two," Fara mused. "I still don't understand how those two aren't together yet."
"Neither can I," Fox replied with a brief chuckle. "How long have they known each other?"
"According to Fay, since they were five or six years old."
"That long, huh?"
"Yeah, and after all that time, neither one of them has built up the courage to ask the other one out."
"Well, their feelings for each other are kind of a recent thing, aren't they?"
"Well, yeah, I guess they are, but still, they've known each other long enough. Besides, they seem pretty comfortable around each other as it is."
"I suppose you're right. Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."
"Hey, well maybe you could help speed things up."
"How's that?"
"Maybe give James a little pep talk or something like that? Get him to ask her out."
Fox shook his head at the suggestion. "I could never convince James to do anything. I swear he can be as stubborn as a mule sometimes. Best to just let things unfold by themselves."
"Well, from what I'm seeing, looks like it might happen pretty soon."
Fox chuckled at Fara's speculation and the two continued on. Fara kept looking back to James and Fay and saw that they were still hand in hand. She then turned her attention to Fox's hand, which was hanging freely while his other hand was in his pocket. She wanted so much to take hold of his hand, but was too afraid of how Fox would react. Would he react how James did when Fay reached for his hand or would he resist her touch? Before she even finished mulling it over, she found that her hand was already moving toward Fox's, though, before it made contact with his hand, Fox, looked over to see what Fara was doing. She noticed his gaze and quickly retracted her hand, immediately turning her head away as heat rushed to her cheeks. Fox smiled at the sight and he wrapped his arm around Fara's waist and gave her a quick friendly pull. Fara smiled at Fox's gesture, the red still visible in her cheeks.
The group finally reached their class to find the room empty, as usual. The four of them always arrived about fifteen or twenty minutes ahead of schedule, even though they were told to report to class only a few minutes earlier. Their instructor, a male Human by the name of Rory Catlow, had two intersecting classes, one of them being, of course, Starship Operations, and the other one being Infinitesimal Calculus, a subject that was recommended for seniors going into a career as fighter pilots or Starfleet engineers who had plans to serve aboard a starship, and a class the Fox would eventually have to take. Infinitesimal Calculus extended throughout midday recreation and about a half-hour past. This gave Fox, Fara, James and Fay plenty of time to get to class and a bit of time to do some outside work.
The four entered the classroom and made their way to their seats. Fox and James sat one row behind the front of the class and Fara and Fay sat just two rows behind them. As Fox and James took their seats, they immediately set to work.
"So, James, I'm having some trouble understanding the shield systems of a Galor-class," Fox said.
"Okay, what sort of trouble?" James replied.
"Just how to collapse their shields. I've tried a hundred times on the simulator, but they're pretty resilient."
"Okay, I think I might be able to help you out. I ran into the same problem too."
James then activated the computer panel in front of him.
"Computer, download schematics for a Cardassian Galor-class battle cruiser."
"Download complete," the computer replied. James then tilted the screen in an upright position so Fox could see.
"The Galor-class tends to have pretty weak ventral shielding," James said, pointing to the figure on the right side of the screen, showing the underside of the cruiser. "I found that an overcharged phaser shot right around the portside stern, here, causes a fluctuation in the rest of the ventral shield. Their emitter array is usually located just a few meters from the main engines. If you can weaken their ventral shields and make a hit on their emitters quickly enough, you can cause a massive fluctuation in the rest of their shielding system. From there, all you have to do is keep hitting them with phasers and finish them off with a high yield photon torpedo salvo."
"Okay, I think I've got it," Fox replied. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
"Good. Now, if you could give me a hand with some of the targeting systems."
"Sure. What do you need?"
"Well, I'm trying to figure out how to successfully set targets for a torpedo spread. I can never hit the right systems."
"Alright, let's take a look here. Computer, download schematics of a Jem'hadar Escort Carrier."
"Download complete."
"Okay, so, Jem'hadar ships have probably the heaviest shielding systems out of any species that the Federation has encountered, but I figured out a few tricks to break down their shields with a good torpedo spread. The spots you wanna aim for are the main bridge, the warp reactor, the external engines, and three sections on the hull, here, right in front of the main bridge, here, just a few meters from the hangar bay and here, just above the port disruptor array."
"Wait, why do I want to target those spots on the hull? They don't look like they house any vital systems."
"You're not targeting the hull itself. You'll be hitting the shield. If you those six spots on the shield simultaneously, it'll cause a massive fluctuation. Once you do that, hit the port shield with another torpedo and the entire system oughta collapse. After that, they're sitting ducks."
"Huh," James said. "I never thought of that. I'll have to give that a run on the simulator."
As the two boys talked, Fara and Fay just sat and watched them, marveling at how avid they were about their work.
"It's amazing how talented they are, isn't it?" Fara asked, her gaze still on Fox.
"It sure is," Fay replied. "I can't believe James thinks he isn't cut out for that training program."
"Speaking of James," Fara added, "I couldn't help but notice that you two seemed pretty comfortable in each other's company on your way here today."
Fay began to blush heavily when she heard Fara's comment. "Well, uh…we…we, um…"
Fara laughed at Fay's stuttered response as Fay continued to blush. "It's okay, Fay. I'm not trying to embarrass you or anything. James is a great guy, and you two would make a really cute couple."
"Thanks, Fara," Fay replied with a smile. "And also, I wanna ask, what about you and Fox?"
Fara's eyes widened and she began to blush when Fay asked. "What…what about us?"
"Come on, Fara. James and I saw you two while we were walking. You two seem to kinda like each other too. Besides, I heard from Katt that you've had a crush on him for a few years."
"Shh! Fay, not so loud!" Fara quickly replied.
"What?"
"Remember, James has Vulcan hearing. If he hears us, he can tell Fox everything."
Fay and Fara looked over at the two boys and were relieved when they saw that they were still hard at work, studying nearly every system of every starship in the Federation databanks. Fara turned back to Fay and began to whisper.
"Okay. I have had a bit of a crush on Fox for a while. I've kinda felt this way about him for maybe two years," Fara said in a soft tone.
"Really? Why haven't you said anything?"
"Well, I'm kinda waiting for him to say something first. I don't wanna ruin our friendship if I tell him and he doesn't feel the same way."
"Are you kidding me?" Fay laughed. "The way he acts around you, the way he looks at you? Come on Fara. He likes you."
"Well, in any case I want to wait for him to say something first."
"Fair enough. I guess it is more traditional for the guy to ask the girl out first. Well, I hope things work out for you," Fay said as she winked at her friend.
"By the way, how long have you had a crush on James?"
"Oh, well…a bit longer than you actually."
"Really? How long?"
Fay blushed from embarrassment before speaking up. "Since I was about eleven."
"Woah! And you're telling me to talk to Fox?" Fara laughed, giving Fay a little nudge. The red in Fay's cheeks remained as she gave a sheepish smile.
"I know. I probably shouldn't be talking. It's just…I don't know what it is about him. Every time I'm around him I feel like my knees are gonna give in. I had to work pretty hard just to get to class with him."
"I can imagine with the two of you holding hands like that," Fara said playfully. "Have you said anything to him yet? About how you feel about him?"
"Not yet," Fay replied regretfully. "I just don't know how I would say it."
"Well, with the way I've seen him act around you, I don't think it'll be too long before something happens between the two of you."
Fay smiled at her friend's words. "Thanks, Fara."
Soon, more cadets began entering the room and the class was full within five minutes. As soon as everyone had taken their seats, their instructor, Rory Catlow entered the class.
"Good afternoon, cadets."
"Afternoon, sir," the room replied in unison in respect to the instructor's rank.
"Well, cadets, I have decided that since we don't have very much new material to cover today and since your midterms are tomorrow, this class will be used as a study hall period. That doesn't mean you can just socialize with friends. I expect everyone to be working on something either for this class or for any other class. The simulators will be available if any of you wish to use them." Fox and James' ears perked at the sound of that. They were very avid about getting as much time as they could on the simulators, but they seldom got a chance to work on them and the holodecks weren't always free either. "So everyone get to work. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."
As soon as he finished speaking, every cadet set to work. Fox and James knew exactly what to do with their time and immediately began downloading schematics of several different ships for the simulators, including the Klingon Negh'var warbird, the Romulan D'deridex battleship, Cardassian Galor-class and Keldon-class battle cruisers, the Jem'hadar Dreadnaught carrier and the Borg cube. Their instructor walked by them as they were downloading the schematics.
"Well, boys, are you planning on doing something resourceful with those schematics?" Catlow asked.
"We were planning on using the simulators sir," Fox replied.
"Alright then." Catlow then looked at the schematics that they were downloading. "A Klingon battle cruiser? You two know that the Klingon-Federation War is over, right?"
"Yes, sir, however the Klingon Empire was allied with the Federation before the outbreak of the war. It is logical to assume that such an incident could possibly occur again," James replied
"Hmm. I suppose so. Well, I'll let you two get back to work then."
"Thank you, sir," the two cadets said in unison.
Catlow then made his way up the rows and made it to where Fara and Fay were sitting and saw them rummaging through their data files.
"Well, ladies, what do you plan on working on?"
"Oh, well, we're trying to find something to work on. We're just going through what we need to improve on," Fara replied. As Fox and James were planning to head to the next building for their simulator training, they stopped and saw the two girls aimlessly digging through their files.
"You wanna see if they'd like to come along?" James asked.
"Sure, why not?" Fox replied. "Fara, Fay," he called.
"Yeah?" they replied in unison.
"James and I are heading to the simulators. We were wondering, do you wanna come along?"
The two looked at each other for a moment before Fara replied, "Sure. Thanks."
The two girls gathered their things and followed Fox and James to the simulators. Once again, James and Fay grasped each other's hands as they made their way to the building situated across the Academy complex. Fox and Fara walked close to each other, but again, Fara's nerves wouldn't let her take hold of her crush's hand that was hanging freely at his side.
"So, um…what exactly are we gonna be doing on the simulators?" Fara asked.
"Well, James and I downloaded some schematics of a few ships that we wanna try our skills against," Fox said, "but if you ladies have any other ships that you'd like to go against, we'll gladly add them to the list."
Fara and Fay gave each other a quick look to see if either of them had anything else in mind, but neither of them made a request.
"I think we'll be fine," Fay said. "So, what ships are we going up against?"
"Fox and I downloaded the schematics for a Borg Cube, a Jem'hadar Dreadnaught Carrier, Cardassian Galor-class and Keldon-class battle cruisers, a Romulan D'deridex Battleship and a Klingon Negh'var warbird," James replied.
"So basically all the most powerful starships that Starfleet has ever come across," Fay smirked.
"That's about the size of it. Think you ladies are up to the challenge?" Fox replied.
Fara giggled and gave Fox a playful smack on the arm. "Against those ships, you're gonna need bridge officers like us just to get past the first wave."
Fox and James chuckled at Fara's response.
"No arguments here," James said. "Two brilliant science officers like you, we'd surely be grateful to have you on the bridge. Well, I'd be grateful to have you on the bridge at least."
"What do you mean by that?" Fay asked, a bit confused.
"Fox is gonna be taking the Peregrine simulators while I take the cruiser."
"Oh, well, uh…w-would you mind if I act as your wingman, Fox?" Fara asked bashfully.
"Um…sure, that'd be cool," Fox replied.
"You okay with staying on the bridge, Fay?" James asked.
"Yeah," she replied with a quick nod and a cute smile that elicited a smile from James.
"Okay, so which ship do you guys wanna go against first?" Fox asked.
"How about we start with the Cardassians?" Fara suggested.
"Okay, sounds good to me. You guys wanna go against the Keldon-class or the Galor-class first?"
"Let's do the Keldon-class first. Best to start out with a bit of a challenge."
"Sounds good to me. Fay?"
"No arguments here," Fay replied.
"James?"
"Sounds logical," James said. Fay smiled at him and gave his hand a playful squeeze, which James returned.
They continued their way through the building that housed the simulators. They navigated their way through the hall ways, past several doors, until they reached two doors that were labeled "Simulator Deck 1: Starships" and "Simulator Deck 2: Small Craft". James and Fay entered through the first door and entered a large room which contained several individual simulation decks, each one programmed to emulate a different starship. They made their way toward the simulator programmed to emulate a Stargazer-class heavy cruiser. James approached a console next to the door and input the necessary authorization code.
"Identity confirmed: Kavannagh, James Sypaak; Cadet 4th Class," the computer voiced.
James reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the memory chips that he and Fox used to download the schematics of the ships they would be fighting and inserted it into the console.
"Computer, upload schematics for a Cardassian Keldon-class battle cruiser," James commanded.
"Upload complete. Please specify the parameters of the simulation."
"Location: Bajor high orbit. Enemy strength: one Keldon-class battle cruiser with a fighter escort. Link simulator with Peregrine Simulator Grid Number One."
"Please specify the design of the Cardassian fighter escort."
"Upload preexisting database on Cardassian small craft."
"Upload complete."
The console monitor began to display a number of both Cardassian and Dominion small craft, as the Cardassians were allied with the Founders during the greater part of the Dominion War in the late 24th Century. James and Fay scrolled through the options, looking for something that would provide the greatest challenge. They then found the schematics for the Cardassian Hideki-class frigate. It certainly looked like it could give Fox a run for his money and a chance to impress Fara with his piloting skills.
"Computer, download schematics for the Cardassian Hideki-class frigate and set as an escort for the Keldon-class cruiser," James said
"Please specify the size of the escort."
"Three attack wings."
"Download complete. Linking with Peregrine Simulator Grid Number One…Program complete. You may enter when ready."
The door to the simulation deck opened, revealing an exact replica of a standard Stargazer bridge.
"Ladies first," James said as he held out his hand to Fay. The young collie smiled and gladly placed her hand in his.
"You're such a gentleman, James," Fay replied with another adorable smile on her face as James 'helped' her onto the bridge. The step up was only a few inches. Once on the bridge, the computer immediately replicated a full bridge crew with a spot open for Fay at the science station.
Meanwhile, Fox and Fara were inputting all their information for the Peregrine simulators.
"Computer, what is the link status of Peregrine Simulator Grid Number One?" Fox asked.
"Peregrine Simulator Grid one is currently linked with Starship Deck Three: Stargazer-class."
"Copy and download all program information from Starship Deck Three to Peregrine Grid One."
"Download complete. Location: Bajor high orbit. Enemy strength: Cardassian Keldon-class battle cruiser. Escorted by three attack wings of Cardassian Hideki-class frigates."
"Computer, add one extra wing of Peregrine fighters to Starfleet's roster."
"Adding one full attack wing...Program complete. You may enter when ready."
As the computer finished speaking, two capsules that resembled Peregrine fighter cockpits opened. Fox and Fara walked over to one of the cockpits and Fox held out his hand for the young fennec fox.
"May I offer you my assistance, milady?" Fox said with an exaggerated bow. Fara laughed at the young cadet's exaggerated gentlemanly gesture.
"Why thank you, noble sir," Fara replied, eliciting a smile from both of them as Fox helped her into the cockpit before entering his own fighter. They both closed the canopies and suddenly they appeared in the hangar of a Stargazer-class starship. They then heard James voice come across the communications system.
"Fox, Fara, this is Captain Kavannagh. Do you copy?"
Fox looked over at Fara's cockpit and she gave him a thumbs up.
"We read you loud and clear, James," Fox replied.
"Very good. We will be in orbit over Bajor in approximately two minutes," James said, the formal tone in his voice evident, his emotions suppressed. "I am reading an additional wing of Peregrine fighters in the hangar bay? I take it that is of your doing?"
"You really expect one fighter wing to get the best of three wings of Hideki frigates?" Fara said. "And provide support against a Keldon-class?"
"…I do suppose those were rather long odds. Though, even with an extra fighter wing, I still predict that this simulation should provide a decent challenge."
"Agreed," Fox replied. "What's our current ETA?"
"One minute thirty seconds. I suggest you prepare your fighters for launch."
"We'll get right to it. Good luck up there, captain. McCloud out."
Fox closed the communications and prepped his fighter for combat as did Fara.
"All fighter craft, prepare you ships for launch. ETA, forty-five seconds."
As soon as Fox gave the order, each of his 'wingmen' began to prepare their fighters for the upcoming battle. Fox kept thinking about how this would play out in front of Fara. He certainly didn't want to make a fool out of himself after she heard that he had beaten the Academy record. He was definitely determined to show her how he managed to acquire that score. Soon they felt the ship drop out of warp and the hangar doors opened for them. Fox ignited his thrusters and led the charge out of the ship's hangar.
"All craft, assume attack formations. Stay close to the ship," Fox ordered.
Fox and Fara managed to get a good look at the starship that James and Fay were commanding. The Stargazer-class was a bit different from most of the typical Starfleet designs. The saucer section had more of an elliptical shape to it, similar to the saucer section of a Sovereign-class cruiser, only the Stargazer's saucer was much shorter. Plus, the Stargazer had four nacelles rather than the usual two. On top of that, the nacelles, pylons, and strut were all situated snuggly against the ship's hull, giving the ship a compact yet heavy look to it. Painted in bold black letters on the hull were the words USS Valiant. She was an impressive vessel and could certainly pack a punch. Though, most of that punch would be directed at the Cardassian cruiser. It would be Fox and Fara's Job to protect them from the fighters.
As the fighters took their positions, James and Fay prepared for battle on the bridge of their cruiser.
"Have the long range sensors detected anything yet, Miss Spaniel?" James said, holding his formal tone of voice.
"Nothing yet, captain," Fay replied. "I suggest we take to a higher orbit. We might have a better chance of detecting something."
"Helmsman, bring us into a higher orbit, three quarter impulse, bearing 287.94," James commanded. "Fox, we'll be moving into a higher orbit. Keep your fighters close to the ship."
"Aye, captain," Fox replied.
"Course laid in, sir," said the holographic helmsman.
"Engage."
The heavy cruiser began to climb higher above the blue gem that was the planet of Bajor, followed by the squadron of Peregrine fighters, as they continued scanning for their Cardassian adversaries. It didn't take any more than two minutes.
"Captain, incoming Cardassian attack craft, bearing 034.23!" Fay shouted.
"No need to shout lieutenant," James replied in a calm tone.
"Sorry, sir."
"Can you see them, commander?" James asked Fox.
"Affirmative, captain," the young pilot replied. "All fighters, move to intercept! Keep them away from the Valiant!"
At that moment, both fighter wings broke off and began to engage the Cardassian frigates. Both sides rushed into battle, their cannons and phasers blazing as they clashed. Luckily, the Starfleet pilots were a little more skilled than the Cardassians. Some of them took a few scratches in the initial charge, but nothing too serious, while the Cardassians had lost two frigates. The two sides continued to tangle with each other, like two swarms of hornets in a fight to the death. Fox analyzed the situation carefully as he twisted and turned in the cockpit of his fighter, trying to find something he could use to his advantage, no matter how simple it was. He knew that sometimes it was a simple matter of who could make a sharper turn that could decide the outcome of a battle. In this case, that's certainly what it was. As he piloted his fighter, he noticed how much of an advantage the Peregrine had over the Hideki in maneuverability. While the Hideki frigates had a definite advantage in firepower, it wouldn't matter if their weapons couldn't hit the target. The fighters maneuvered through the vacuum of space with the agility of a Romulan T'liss hawk and struck with all the might of a Klingon targ. The Cardassians lost frigate after frigate to the agile Federation fighters, but still they held their ground, like loyal Cardassian soldiers, something that Fox and Fara had to give them credit for. They had never seen such tenacity in the face of what were becoming impossible odds on their part. Even the Klingons would commend such a noble act. Soon, the last Hideki frigate was scattered into debris after a strike from a photon torpedo that Fara had fired and the Peregrine fighters returned to regroup with the Valiant. They had lost three Peregrine fighters in the opening moves, but they were still ready to take on whatever was next.
"Well, I didn't expect the Cardassians to put up that much of a fight," Fara said over the intercom, still trying to catch her breath from the dogfight that took place.
"No kidding," Fox replied. "I think the even the Klingons would've been impressed."
"The Cardassians are indeed a proud race," James replied to both of them, "but believe me, they are cowards compared to the Klingons. If a Klingon commander sees that defeat is inevitable, his most likely course of action would be to ram his ship into adversaries."
"Damn," Fox said.
"Can't wait to take on that Negh'var you guys uploaded," Fara said sarcastically.
"In due course," James replied. "In the meantime, we need to locate the Casrdassian battle cruiser. Commander, take your squadron and ascend to a higher orbit. Scan for any signs of a Cardassian vessel."
"Aye, sir," Fox replied. "All fighters, move to high orbit and level off at bearing 193.14."
The rest of the squadron followed as they ascended higher above Bajor, checking their scanners regularly for anything that might indicate the presence of a Cardassian vessel. As they searched, Fara decided to chastise Fox for his modesty during midday recreation.
"So, Fox, what was that you said about how you still have a few loose ends to tie up with your flying?" Fara playfully chided.
"What?" Fox replied.
"Your flying! That was some of the best piloting I've ever seen, even if this is just a simulation!"
"I…well…this still isn't the best I can do."
"And there he goes again," Fara said with a tone of amusement in her voice. "'It's not my best work,' 'I can do better,' 'I really need to improve.' You need to learn to just take a compliment every once in a while."
Fox chuckled at Fara's scolding. "I'll try."
Just then, something appeared on the scanner of Fox's fighter craft. He carefully analyzed it before contacting the Valiant.
"Captain, Cardassian Keldon-class battle cruiser with escort, bearing 117.41!" he said
"Sensors confirm Cardassian presence," James replied.
"Entering visual range now, captain," Fay said.
"Onscreen."
The enemy vessel appeared on the monitor at James' command. The vessel was considerably larger than the Valiant, and it was guarded by one final wing of Hideki frigates. Fox and James quickly took in all that was presented to them and began to work out an efficient course of action. Of course, the fighters would have to deal with the frigates, but the problem was making sure that all the frigates were occupied, that they wouldn't have to worry about fire from both the battle cruiser and a frigate that saw an opportunity to break off and provide support for its mother vessel. Fox quickly ran over every possible course of action they could take to keep the frigates at bay, until he remembered something that he had learned in one of his engineering classes about the effects of warp plasma on a ship's impulse engines. Then there was the matter of the cruiser itself. There was no way a Stargazer-class could go toe-to-toe with a Keldon-class. The Keldon was far more powerful and more heavily shielded. James knew something had to be done to level the playing field. Luckily, that exact problem was addressed in a science class that he took; one of the few things that James actually took interest in during that class.
"Shields up! Red alert!" James commanded. The Valiant entered the fray against the Cardassian attack wave. What a spectacle it was watching these two cruisers clash in a flurry of cannon fire and phasers. While very deadly indeed, it was truly a sight to behold. Though it was an amazing show, the combatants had to stay focused on the task ahead. James made his move first.
"Lieutenant Spaniel, would the Keldon's targeting sensors be susceptible to some sort of ionic pulse?" James said.
Fay thought for a minute about everything she had learned about Cardassian vessels before remembering her training in her science classes.
"Yes!" she replied. "A low frequency ionic pulse may be able to temporarily scramble their targeting sensors."
"For how long?"
"Approximately ten minutes."
"Make it so."
"Aye, sir."
Fay quickly redirected all the energy that could be spared toward auxiliary and began modulating the deflector array to send a low level ionic pulse. The process took a few minutes, but was completed before the Cardassian vessel could inflict much damage.
"Pulse ready, captain," Fay said.
"Fire!" James commanded and Fay activated the pulse. Within a fraction of a second, the enemy cruiser ceased fire, unable to detect where its adversary was. James turned and smiled at the young collie.
"Well done, lieutenant."
"Thank you, sir," Fay replied with yet another adorable smile.
"Now to disable their shielding," James said as his attention returned to the view screen. "Lieutenant, how long would it take for you to prepare a viral matrix probe?"
"About three minutes, sir."
"Get started."
Fay nodded and returned to the console to begin modifying a sensor probe to carry a viral matrix to the Cardassian ship.
Meanwhile, Fox and Fara were engaged with the Hideki frigates. This particular attack wing was putting up and exceptionally difficult fight. Both Fox and Fara had some pretty close calls. Fox was having a difficult time with one Hideki when he heard Fara over the intercom.
"Fox, I've got one on me! Agh! He's scratching me up pretty bad!"
"I'm on my way, Fara!" Fox replied as he broke off to engage.
He saw that Fara's fighter was being pursued by to frigates and he quickly dropped in behind them and opened fire, careful to make sure he didn't hit his wingman. With surgical precision, he let loose on the frigate closest to Fara and sent is spiraling into Bajor's gravity in a ball of flame. The second quickly broke off and began to go after the other fighters.
"Thanks Fox," Fara said, relief in her voice. "That was close."
"No kidding," Fox replied. "These guys aren't playing around."
He quickly got on the intercom and contacted James.
"McCloud to Valiant."
"This is the Valiant. Go ahead," James voice replied.
"We're getting pretty beat up out here, captain. I have an idea on how to get rid of these frigates, but everything will have to go perfectly."
"What do you propose?"
"We're gonna need to shut these frigates down with a modified viral matrix probe. I'll make sure all Federation fighters are clear before you fire. After that, I'm going to need the Valiant to make its way through the frigates and leave a trail of warp plasma. It'll coat the ships and keep their engines offline. After that, Fara and I will come back around and ignite the plasma."
James contemplated Fox's plan and the likelihood that it would succeed.
"The timing will need to be precise, but it is logical to assume that this plan will succeed," James said.
"Good. Now you better get here quick!"
"Affirmative. Kavannagh out. Helm, bring us about, bearing 272.03. Engage."
The Valiant then began to veer away from the disabled Keldon class and toward the chaotic firefight. As they continued fighting, Fara voiced her doubts about the plan.
"Fox, you sure this plan of yours is gonna work?"
"I'm pretty sure. Our photon torpedoes oughta be enough to ignite the plasma," Fox replied.
"I know that. Just, how do we know the ships will be destroyed by the fire. These Hidekis aren't exactly tin cans."
"That's what the viral matrix is for. If we can shut down their shields, the heat should be enough."
"Okay. I hope you know what you're doing."
The two fighter pilots continued their struggle against the Cardassians as the Valiant closed the distance.
"Lieutenant, the Peregrines will need to be at least ten kilometers from the enemy frigates before you fire," James said to Fay.
"Aye, sir. Probe ready and standing by."
Fox looked out his cockpit and saw the cruiser heading for them.
"All fighters, break off and retreat! Set course for Bajor! Standard orbit!" Fox ordered, and the remainder of his fighters followed him toward the planet. Thanks to the superior speed of the Peregrines, they managed to escape firing range within seconds. Then, it was the Valiant's turn.
"Firing viral matrix probe," Fay said as her finger made contact with the console in front of her, sending the probe toward the unsuspecting frigates. With a pulse of blue light, the frigates went dead, their weapons, shields and engines all useless. The Valiant continued its course toward the disorganized cluster of disabled vessels.
"Engineering, prepare to open the plasma vents on my mark," James ordered.
"Aye, sir," the holographic engineering officer replied.
The cruiser continued on its course and began to enter the cluster of dead vessels. James held an attentive gaze on the view screen, making sure that the timing was perfect. Fay watched him the whole time, knowing by the look on his face that somehow he and Fox had everything calculated and timed to the nearest ten thousandth. She wondered how he was able to do it. As James often pointed out, he was only one-fourth Vulcan, yet he seemed to possess the mental skills of a full-blood Vulcan. She truly admired his skill as a captain.
The ship kept creeping its way into the jumble of frigates and finally, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the view screen, James gave to order, "Open plasma vents."
The bridge officer did so and a trail of glowing warp plasma streamed from the nacelles of the starship as it cruised through the disabled frigates, the plasma engulfing the entire cluster. The Valiant quickly went to full impulse power as soon as it finished its task and made well to clear the area as two Peregrine fighters came streaking in, unleashing a flurry of cannon fire, phaser fire and torpedoes at the sea of plasma that the Valiant had laid down. They pulled up sharply as the plasma caught the projectiles and erupted in a violent maelstrom of flame, taking the last of the Cardassian frigates with it.
Fara looked at the firestorm with awe as it struck her that Fox's plan had in fact worked. She wondered how he had come up with such an effective plan so quickly and how he knew that the components to the plan would actually work. She never remembered learning about how excellent a weapon warp plasma could be. It certainly wasn't taught in their tactical classes and the last time she had even heard the term 'warp plasma' was in an engineering class. How was it that he could have discerned its tactical capabilities? On top of that, she thought back to the actual dogfight and how well Fox utilized every advantage he could think of. He didn't have that mentality that told him to just use brute force to win. He was clever, he was creative and he used what few resources he had to their fullest extent. He was truly an amazing pilot.
Still the fight wasn't over. Fara was broken out of her trance when a spiral wave disruptor beam tore through her right engine. The others immediately became aware of this and saw that the Keldon battle cruiser had recovered from the effects of the ionic pulse and had the fighters in its sights.
"I thought the effects were supposed to last for ten minutes," James said. "It's only been five."
"They must've figured out how to counter the effects," Fay replied. "We don't have enough power to fire another pulse."
"I suggest you begin work on another viral matrix probe then."
"Aye, sir."
The Valiant then turned to shield the fighters, bringing her full broadside to bear on the Cardassian ship.
Fox analyzed the damage that had been done to Fara's craft and discerned that she was in no position to do anything else.
"Fara, head back to Bajor," Fox commanded. "Your too badly damaged."
Fara was about to comply with Fox's command, but something stopped her from heading down to the planet and leaving the battle. She signed on with Starfleet for the same reason that Fox did: to become a pilot. If she was going to achieve that goal, she couldn't let one hit knock her out of commission.
"Sorry, Fox," she said, "but I'm not giving in that easily."
"Fara, your right engine's out," Fox protested. "You'll be lucky if you can fly at half impulse."
"Then I'll stick close to the cruiser. I'm not gonna sit this out, Fox."
Fox was about to protest, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. There was something about her attitude that he admired, about how she refused to leave her squadron and accept the danger. It was similar to his own mentality in a way.
"Okay, but make sure you don't take too much more damage."
"Aye, sir."
All the while, the Valiant continued to exchange fire with the Cardassians. On the bridge, Fay certainly had her hands full. While her top priority was to arm the viral matrix probe, she had to help make sure that they still had a ship to fire it from. She kept alternating between several tasks to keep the ship from being obliterated, whether it was strengthening the shield power, stabilizing the hull polarization or even helping to stabilize the warp core force field. There was no way she would be able to arm the probe if the Cardassians kept inflicting this kind of damage on them. There had to be some way to turn the tide. She then decided that if Fox and James could use what they learned from their classes then so could she. She began to search her memory banks for something that could be useful in a battle and stumbled across an experiment she was working on outside of her particle energy class regarding the shielding systems of many Federation starships.
"Captain, I have a suggestion," she said to James.
"What would that be?" James replied.
"I think a might know a way to re-modulate the shields to send a feedback pulse with every disruptor strike. We can use our own shields as a weapon."
"Are you certain of this?"
"…Not entirely, but I've been doing some experiments outside of class and I'm pretty sure it'll work."
"How sure?"
"About eighty percent sure."
A look of uncertainty grew across James' face as he contemplated the risks. Fay noticed this and understood that her experiment was still theoretical, but she was unwilling to let it go without even trying.
"James," she said in a soft but strong tone, "…I can do it."
"…Make it so."
Fay immediately set to work, tying the shielding system into the particle generators, which she hoped, would be what would send a feedback pulse with every shot. There were several other minor details that had to be worked out and if one thing went wrong, the whole thing could fail. But she was determined. She wanted to prove that this experiment could work, she wanted to accomplish something that had never been tried before, and she certainly didn't want to look bad in front of her friends, especially James. It was certainly comforting to know that James trusted her though.
As she worked, the ship kept taking damage. The fighters did what they could to divert the Keldon's fire, but it wasn't very much, and it was costly. Several fighters were destroyed trying to keep the fire away from the cruiser. All the while, Fara was just watching. Yes she, fired a torpedo or gave a burst from her cannons periodically, but she knew that with an engine out, she wasn't going anywhere fast. As she watched, a voice came over the intercom.
"Fara, are you there?" Fay said.
"Right here, Fay. How's it going down there?" Fara replied.
"Alright, I guess. I have a plan to destroy the Cardassian ship, but I'm gonna need your help."
"What do you need me to do?"
"I've modified the shields to send a feedback pulse with every shot we take. That last hit took out our sensors so I can't monitor the Cardassians' shield levels. I'm gonna need you to keep an eye on them for me, okay?"
"No problem."
"Thanks."
Fay finished her modifications and activated the pulse. She watched as the Cardassians fired another shot at the Valiant and she braced for the impact, hoping that her plan would work. After what seemed like an eternity to Fay, the beam made contact with the shields and she watched as a pulse wave recoiled off the ship, traveled up the beam and struck the ship, causing apparent damage to the enemy vessel. It worked.
Fara's eyes widened as she watched the Keldon cruiser's shield weaken with every shot it fired. Since when was Fay this skilled in particle energy physics? Fara knew she was good, but not this good. With Fay's plan working the way it should, Fara decided to do what she could to help out and fired her thrusters as high as they could go. As Fox predicted, she only made half impulse power, but it didn't matter at this point. The Enemy ship seemed a bit preoccupied at the moment. She began to assault the ship with heavy cannon fire, but made sure to reserve the last of her photon torpedoes for the kill shot once the enemy's shields dropped.
Fox and James watched in amazement. They knew that Fara and Fay were talented girls, but this moment opened their eyes to what they were truly capable of. Fara began to put some distance between her and the cruiser as its shields began to reach critical levels. By the time the enemy's shields had collapsed, she was distant enough to avoid collateral damage from an explosion but still well within weapons range. She spun her fighter around and unloaded the last of her photon torpedoes on the now defenseless cruiser. She was simultaneously joined by Fox's fighter and the Valiant as they poured everything onto the Cardassian cruiser. With one final hit from one of the Valiant's torpedoes, the enemy ship was consumed by an enormous explosion.
Fox let out a breath of relief as he looked over at Fara's fighter. He couldn't believe how amazing she was. Even with a crippled ship, she was able to contribute greatly to the fighting. Likewise, James sat back in his chair and gave a slow nod to acknowledge the end of the battle before turning and giving Fay a look of admiration. He was more than impressed with how talented she was.
"Simulation complete," the computer said before allowing the cadets to exit there respected simulators. James stood up and walked over to Fay's station. As he approached her she threw her arms around him and he did the same.
"That was absolutely brilliant!" James said as they separated, a huge smile across his face. Fay responded by simply embracing him again. The two exited together and went to check their scores.
Likewise, as Fox and Fara got out of their simulators, Fara ran up to Fox and threw her arms around him, Fox lifting her up and spinning her around as he caught her.
"You were amazing, Fara!" Fox said with a smile. Fara returned his smile and returned to Fox's embrace. The two separated after what felt like an eternity to both of them as they went out to check their scores.
They entered the hallway the same time as James and Fay and they gathered around the console between both decks. The computer then began to relay their scores. Fay was first. The computer gathered all the data it had collected during the session and assembled Fay's score of 2090, a score that Fay had never received before. James clearly saw how pleased she was and wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a friendly smile.
Fara was next. She hoped that the damaged engine wouldn't detract too much from her score. If it did, it wasn't very much, as she received the same score as Fay did. She immediately threw her arms around Fox again when she saw her score. She had finally broken the 1900s.
Next was James. He was a bit nervous considering that if it weren't for Fay, he probably would have lost the ship. Nevertheless, he received a rather high score of 2315. It wasn't his best, but he was certainly pleased with it, considering that he actually won against a Keldon-class cruiser while in command of a Stargazer-class.
Finally, it was Fox's turn. He thought that there was no way he could possibly beat James score. All he did was provide support for the cruiser and didn't claim too many kills, which was why he was surprised when he matched his previous score of 2510. The other three cadets were certainly more than impressed with Fox's performance.
"And he still holds the Academy record," James said.
"I did not expect to do that well," Fox replied, still staring at the scoreboard. He then felt someone place their hand on his shoulder and he looked over to see Fara smiling at him.
"Well, we still have another two hours before the class ends. What say we try something a bit less challenging?" James suggested
"No arguments here," Fay replied.
"Agreed," Fara added.
"How about the Galor-class?" Fox said.
"Sounds good to me," James replied. "Ladies?"
"As long as it doesn't cost me and engine, I'm fine," Fara said.
"And as long as I don't have to drain all of our auxiliary power to blind it for five minutes, I'm good," Fay added.
Fox and James chuckled at the girls' replies and led them back in to continue their training.
Well, there you go, our first taste of combat (even if it was just a simulation). As always, reviews are appreciated. Again, no flames please.
