Surrounded by a Romulan Guard, Commodore Whitely sat in a small chair on the operations deck of the Starbase, his face battered and bruised from the interrogations by the Romulans under the watchful eye of Admiral T'Karus, the Romulan commander of the Renegade fleet. On the large rectangular shaped view screen before him, the battle was being played out as Enterprise took heavy damage as warp plasma billowed out from her port warp nacelle leaving a long deep green trail while multiple weapons impacted on her weakening shields. Smiling widely, Admiral T'Karus turned once again to face the Commodore as she spoke with pure joy in her voice.
"Your pitiful fleet, is almost lost Commodore, give me the command codes for this station… and I will call off the final assault against the Enterprise"
"Go… to… hell" He mumbled as he spat blood onto the deck at her feet.
"We rather like the Enterprise, it would be a pity if she was to be destroyed. She would make an excellent display piece in the Imperial Museum of Conquest on Romulus!" She laughed.
"I… would not be so… happy if was you. Romulan Ships are on their way with orders to…"
"Ahh YES! The small fleet the Praetor so happily sent my way. It makes me happy that those vessels where dispatched, vessels of which are under MY Command!" She bragged.
His face almost turned to stone with shock as she smiled while twelve Romulan Starships entered the battle zone and took defensive positions around the damaged Romulan ships.
"Commander S'Lar, please activate your communicator channel fourteen"
"Yes Admiral" He smiled widely.
"… To Enterprise and Federation fleet. You have committed an act of aggression against the Romulan Star Empire with your attack against a peace envoy dispatched by the High Command. It was their assignment to discuss a permanent treaty of friendship between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire as further expansion of the Treaty of Cheron in the hopes of one day… ending the conflict and creating an alliance between our two peoples"
Laughing, the Romulan Admiral turned slowly in a circle as she looked at each of the surviving Starfleet personnel in turn before looked back at the shocked Commodore before her as she spoke.
"Each of you… are under arrest under the Interstellar Laws set forth in the previously mentioned… Treaty of Cheron. Commodore Whitely, as the commanding officer of this facility. You will hereby surrender all command and access codes for this… Illegal Facility the Federation has so blatantly constructed… in Romulan Territory!"
"What?" Whitely laughed. "Romulan Territory?"
"Upon reviewing of the Treaty… it has been discovered this system does infact fall under Romulan space…" She laughed.
"Attention Romulan Vessels, this is Captain James T. Kirk of the Federation Starship Enterprise… negative on surrender. Moments ago, I dispatched a priority one message to Starfleet Command informing them of the situation, this system will be swarming with Federation Starships very soon. Are you willing to risk reigniting old conflicts…"
"Well Commodore, it seems that you have moments to decide! Call off the Enterprise and her fleet, or shall I order their destruction? The choice is yours… Commodore Whitely"
Stood on the bridge of his ship, James Kirk looked up at the main view screen as the smoke cleared from the bridge and the true extent of the damage could be seen as scorch marks charred the consoles, walls and ceiling of the bridge as the smell of burned flesh filled the command centre of the ship from the badly burned body of a crewman. Clearing his throat, Kirk looked around the deck once more as the sound of cracking could be heard from directly above him, slowly his eyes rolled towards the clear dome above as his jaw dropped slightly before he called out loud.
"OHH SHIT! EVACUATE THE BRIDGE… NOW!"
Looking up at the clear come above, Chekov leapt to his feet as he began to usher the crew towards the Turbolift and evacuation points on the bridge as the sound of cracking above began to gain in volume.
"YOU HEARD THE KEPTAIN! MOVE-MOVE-MOVE!" He yelled aloud.
Securing their stations, the bridge crew begun to evacuate into the turbolift, with barely enough room for the entire bridge crew and support staff, Chekov stood by the emergency escape hatch next to the large main view screen. With the bridge evacuated, Chekov waited until the turbolift doors had sealed shut before he closed the hatch once the last of the remaining crew had evacuated. His eyes widened as the hatch could not seal closed from the inside due to damage caused by the enemy weapons fire.
"The seal will not activate… Everyone, move quickly into the next junction. NOW GO!" He yelled as the cracking of the large dome above the bridge increased.
"Ensign… I'll lock it from the outside" A crewman said firmly.
"What? When that dome collapses… you will die!" Chekov replied.
"My leg is broken, I very much doubt I will be able to get through the ship. I will not sacrifice anyone for me. Go! Get the crew to safety…" He said with sadness.
"Very well. You are a true hero crewman. I shall inform your family of your heroics"
Pushing open the hatch, the crewman stumbled back onto the bridge as the sound of the atmosphere on the bridge rushing out through the crack above screamed into his ears, causing him pain. For a moment, his eyes locked onto the young Russian officer's as he nodded slightly, yet in the Ensign's eye the question still remained as 'Change your mind, come to safety?' Closing the hatch with what remained of his strength, he activated the locks on his side as a loud crack began to echoed around the bridge. Pulling himself up onto his legs, he staggered towards the command chair and sat down with content as he looked up at the dome above. Alarm bells rang through the bridge as the dome finally cracked and the atmosphere rushed out of the opening along with the crewman himself.
Entering the Auxiliary control station in the engineering section, the consoles activated as Kirk stood before the helm station while Spock reported on the situation from one of the smaller consoles before him.
"Captain, the dome above the bridge has collapsed, the bridge has been destroyed"
"Status of the Enemy fleet?" Kirk said with anger.
"They are still awaiting our response"
"Tell them… go to HELL!" Kirk growled. "Did we loose anyone?"
"One sir…" Chekov said as he entered the small secondary bridge. "Crewman Wayne stayed behind and sealed the hatch from the bridge. The controls where destroyed on the inside, he saved us all Keptain"
"Wayne?" Uhura said with sadness.
"Yes Lieutenant. His leg was broken, he couldn't make it through the ship"
"Take your station Chekov. Umm, anything from the away team?"
"Not yet sir" Uhura said slowly.
"Screw it! General Hail! All channels, Romulan Fleet, Starfleet Command, the Starships and Starbase"
"Yes… Yes sir" Uhura mumbled.
"Captain, if you are to attempt what I believe you are… it would be unwise"
"How do you know what I'm going to do Spock?"
"Captain, Jim… The Kobayashi Maru has been used by educators to teach students to think like an adversary, that by stepping outside the rules of the game you can redefine the game"
"I've beaten it before, I can do it again" Kirk said with pride. "Follow my orders Spock"
"I shall make a note in the ship log stating that the First Officer does not approve of this action. The Logical solution is clear…"
"I will not loose the Enterprise, not to the Romulans, not now… not ever!"
Placing the unconscious Romulan in a darkened room, bound and gagged. The away team lead by the transporter 'Twin' of James Kirk continued on their way through the long winding corridors of the semi-completed Starbase until they reached the large primary medical quarters, the last place she saw Doctor McCoy and Mister Scott. Standing at the last corner of the long corridor and facing the door, she peered slowly around the corner as two large Romulan Soldiers stood guarding the door. Moving backwards slowly, Kirk looked up at the men behind her as she spoke in almost a whisper.
"Two guards outside. They look like Imperial Guard, my guess is that Bones and Scotty are inside… possibly being interrogated…"
"Ma'am, they could be dead" One of the men said slowly.
"Possible, we have to find out. I've got an idea… you're not going too like it John"
Unclipping the green wrap around Captain's tunic, she removed it with ease as she pointed towards an open door and signalled for the men to follow her. Stepping into the darkened room, the door slide closed behind her as she looked up at one of the security guards and took a deep breath as she spoke.
"John, hit me"
"What?" He said with shock.
"Hit me! Just trust me"
"Captain, I think I know what you are planning, it is not wise. Besides, I don't want to hurt you and end up on report for assaulting a superior officer"
"Do it John, or you'll be on report for disobeying orders. John, I didn't want to say anything earlier… but you are up for Junior Lieutenant. Disobeying orders will loose you those stripes. You won't hurt me, trust me"
Standing before her, she stood almost at chest level to the large man as he stepped back and slapped her face with his open palm. Staggering slightly, she shook her head and nodded once more as she spoke.
"John, bruising has to look real. Now, hit me hard"
Clenching his fist, he stepped backwards once more and threw a punch which connected with her jaw hard, sending her crashing to the floor. Shaking off the dizziness caused by the punch the young female captain stood and ran her left hand over her bottom lip as blood flowed from her mouth as she nodded and instructed him to hit her once more.
Stood at their posts, the two Romulan guards refused to move, even speak to each other as they focused on the opposite wall before them. For a moment, the guard on the left broke his gaze as he heard footsteps hobbling towards him, like barefoot falls on the metallic deck plating. Reaching for the disruptor on his belt line, he walked forwards one step as the form of a young woman walked towards them both, tears rolled down her face and mixed with blood running from her mouth and nose. Her clothes where ripped, almost hanging off her tiny figure. Seeing the two guards before her, she cried out for help before running towards them and collapsing into the arms of the first guard she reached while they looked at each other in shock at what was happening before them.
"Help me, please… you have to help me" She said past tears as she shook.
"Human… leave this place" One of the guards growled.
"You don't understand, I managed to get away, but it's coming… oh god! It's coming!"
"WHAT? What is coming?" The second guard said.
"Please… please. Oh no! it's coming. Hide me, please?" She said in panic.
"What is? What are you talking about?"
"It's huge… I think, I think…"
"Human, I will ask you once more… what is coming?" The first Romulan growled.
"I don't what it is, but it's huge… a green lizard thing…"
Their eyes widened instantly as she described a large reptilian creature, over seven feet tall with large teeth, powerful limbs and yellow eyes. Quickly, the two guards stood before her as the first searched her human face for the truth as the second Romulan spoke with a shaky voice.
"That… sounds like a Gorn. What is a Gorn doing on a Federation Outpost?"
"I-I-I Don't know! I was visiting my dad, when we got separated during the attack by you guys. It-it was already onboard, it grabbed me and dragged me through the station. Please you have too hide me, if it finds me…"
"Where is it?" The first Romulan said as he powered up his disrupter.
"Down the corridor, I managed to trap it inside one of the empty rooms. First turn, second door"
Looking at his companion, the first guard nodded as he placed the young woman behind him while he cautiously walked up the corridor. As he disappeared around the corner, the young woman stood tall as she carefully reached a knife on the Romulan's belt and pushed it deep into his back, piercing his heart instantly while her free hand reached around and covered his mouth to muffle any screams he may make as his body fell limp onto the deck below. In the distance, the sound of Starfleet phasers being fired could be heard as she stood waiting for her three men to rejoin her.
Inside the seemingly endless medical bay, Doctor Leonard McCoy tended to the Romulan wounded whilst under the watchful eye of two large Romulan guards while a second pushed his disrupter deep into Mister Scott's back, causing him pain. Suddenly, the lighting in the room blinked quickly in an unusual pattern as the guards looked around and spoke deeply.
"You! Human Engineer, what is happening?"
"Looks like a power transfer malfunction. These systems are not fully operational… if you could've waited a few weeks, the bugs would've already been worked out of the system" Scotty said with a smile.
Blinking in a series of dots and dashes, Scotty instantly recognised the pattern forming as McCoy looked up at the lights and then to the Engineer himself, flashing his eyebrows slightly at the Doctor, he looked down towards the deck plating as McCoy blinked once in response before the large double doors begun to open and close rapidly, seemingly on their own. Walking towards the door, one of the Romulan Guards looked back at Mister Scott as he appeared to fall off his chair and McCoy dropped to the floor quickly.
"Stand ready for…"
As the twin doors stopped, half open, four streams of Starfleet Phaser fire screamed into the medical quarters of the Station and hit the Romulans, stunning them instantly. Quickly, the two Starfleet Officers stood and grabbed the weapons of the stunned Romulans before turning them onto the injured Romulans while three Starfleet security guards entered with the young, battered and half naked female Kirk.
"Bones, Scotty… you guys okay?"
"Yes fine. What happened to you… Ma'am?" McCoy said slowly.
"Ohh this? Long story"
"How the hell did you get onboard? The shields where raised"
"Another… Long story Scotty"
"I must say Jim, I kinda like this side of you… but you may want to put some clothes on. Let me take a look at those bruises while you're at it"
"Yeah! I bet you would Bones. Underneath this petite frame, I am still Jim Kirk" She growled.
"Damn it Jim, I'm a Doctor… Not a Voyeur. Come with me, there are some medical scrubs in the office that may fit you"
"What about the Romulans?" Kirk said quickly.
"Many of them can't move anyway. The rest, I gave them enough sedative to knock out a charging Gorn for a year. Now, come with me… Captain!"
"As you wish… Doctor. Scotty, try and tap into the sensors on this piece of crap. Find out what is happening outside and exactly how many Romulans are on this station… I want to know what we are dealing with"
"Aye sir!" Scotty said as he nodded.
"Glad you remember the old Morse Code Scotty" Kirk smiled as she followed the doctor.
More then familiar with the sensors on the station, it did not take long before Mister Scott had tapped into the systems and the truth about what was happening in and around the station had come to light. The heavily damaged Enterprise hung motionless in space while the Federation Fleet had taken up position around the almost crippled vessel as the large Armada of Romulan vessels kept the weapons trained on the outnumbered fleet. In the command centre of the station, Commodore Whitely and his command staff where being held hostage by an overpowering Romulan force as Kirk and her team looked on with shock at the dreadful turn of events as the Commodore sat in one of the chairs, bleeding from many cuts over his face.
"Kobayashi Maru, all over again" Kirk mumbled. "Status of the Enterprise Scotty?"
"Her bridge is destroyed, power is fluctuating. The rest of the fleet is not faring any better" He replied with anger.
"What about this station? You where working on the weapons systems"
"Control of the weapons systems… are in Operations, but it is swarming with Romulans. If I could get to Opps, I could activate them and turn the tide against those Romulan Bastards"
"But, the Romulans are on the Starboard side… the weapons in that section are not complete" McCoy said slowly, almost as if asking a question.
"The Port-side weapons are complete… I don't think the Romulans would move for us to shoot at them" John said slowly.
"No… but I'm willing to bet the station can" Kirk smiled. "This station is an almost replica of Spacedock One over Earth… if memory serves, there is an auxiliary control room twelve decks below us"
"Aye, that might work…"
"What are you talking about?" McCoy laughed.
"This station was designed to rotate, remain in geosynchronous orbit around what ever planet it was orbiting… the main two bays would always remain facing away from the planet making it easier for a Starship to dock. If we could activate that system on the Starbase… make it look like a random malfunction due to ill-maintenance, we could rotate the station 180 degrees and bring the portside weapons to bare on the Enemy fleet"
"Excellent idea Captain, one giant flaw… the phaser banks are not yet charged" Scotty said with a sigh.
"I'm willing to bet the new Photon Torpedoes are loaded and ready. A few… well placed shots would make the Romulans think twice about their next move…"
"The only problem is… we'd have to distract those in Opps first" John said with a large smile.
"How exactly do we do that?" McCoy replied quickly.