It's been too long since I worked on this story, and I apologize for that. But better late than never, right? Right!

"It's beautiful, Trip! Thank you so much."

"No problem, Hosh. It was fun." Trip's eyes sparkled as he smiled at her and she hugged him without thinking. He hugged her back as if he had done it a thousand times, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Uh-oh, a voice in Hoshi's mind whispered. She couldn't ignore it, and she pulled back suddenly, trying to collect herself.

"I…uh…I'm sorry, I…" she couldn't find the words, and neither could he. She stammered and felt her face start to burn with embarrassment. The two stepped back and looked around – at the sky, the ground, anywhere but at each other.

"So…it's gettin' late. We…uh…we should probably…leave…" Trip started to tell her before he was cut off. A strange sound, alien but unmistakable interrupted the cacophony of the crowd. Trip spun around and stepped in front of Hoshi, embarrassment replaced with consternation on his face. "That was weapons fire, no doubt about it. Time to go, Ensign!" Suddenly he was all business, professional and authoritative. He put a hand on her shoulder, but it was a protective gesture, not an affectionate one. He pulled his communicator from his pocket as the two of them tried to push their way through the panicking crowd. They didn't get far.

A sound similar to the one before was all the warning they had before a glowing bolt of energy hit a nearby booth and an explosion knocked them off their feet. The crowd panicked, screams filling the air as Hoshi struggled to regain her footing. Someone tripped backwards over her and something hard hit her face. Trip rolled to his feet a few meters away and ran to help her, grabbing her offered hand and yanking her hard to her feet before the two ran together as one.

The source of the fire in the sky became apparent when some kind of aircraft rushed past their heads, yellow orbs of energy erupting from somewhere along it's body with a deafening roar, numerous explosions demolishing the Gulaka as other aircraft arrived and joined the assault.

"Trip, the building!" Hoshi shouted, spying possible shelter in the form of a large warehouse of some kind. Wordlessly, Trip changed direction and pulled her towards it, her smaller frame struggling to keep up with his long strides.

In the skies above, Elitist Ancierra T'Karla smiled when a display lit up near her helmet. Two unknown biological signatures detected. Narka ceased firing on the crowd below and directed her craft back in the direction she'd come.

Trip and Hoshi were close to the building when a shift in the noise behind them made known the fact that one of the alien 'planes' was coming right for them. Operating on instinct alone, Trip pulled Hoshi close to him and threw them both to the ground, hoping it would protect her. It didn't.

The Starfleet officers hit the ground hard as targeting sensors in the Caladarian semi-orbital bombardment craft converged on their location and automatically activated a matter-energy conversion beam. A bright light shot out and careened toward them as Hoshi screamed and a solitary, furious "No!" escaped Trip's mouth. The two were enveloped in the light and their world ceased to be.

Dun dun da dun…hey, something exciting finally happened! Please review and tell me what you think. Or ask a question. Whatever you want, really. Just as long as you review!

-RedSharkBait