The Dancer Prince
Chapter 27

Written by Ambassador Yrishna Wolf.
Additional Writing Credits to Space Marshall Nelson


Captain Takagushimi's tattered fleet went ahead for another wave of assaults on the enemy fleet entering the system that held within it Cardassia Prime. The fleet that had once been almost a thousand ships had been decimated to one tenth its size as it tried to slow down the enemy advance. Captain Takagushimi knew he had failed in his mission and that for once he had been defeated. For the first time he could smell death as he breathed in ordering the impossible to be accomplished. Reinforcements were on their way, he knew they were but he didn't know when and until those reinforcements arrived, his only mission rested in protecting Cardassia Prime at all cost. In one blow, one mistaken tactical maneuver, he had ordered his entire fleet into a mine field that had been laid exactly where the enemy had wanted him to sail. His ship had barely made it through, the Cunningham class starship would need at least four months in dry dock to repair.

According to the ship schematics, half of the systems that weren't working were supposed to be vital to the Cunningham class starship's operation. But despite all of this, the ship was continuing to lead the tattered fleet, awaiting for the much needed reinforcement. The mix of ships constructed to the letter by Sego-Federation designs were some of the most advanced vessels. These ships had made up the bulk of peacekeeping forces dispatched by the Intergalactic Alliance of Powers and now they were fighting to accomplish just that, keep the peace at all cost. The enemy fleet slowed down as they approached the second planet. They had entered the range for the Styx mother ships to open fire on the planet.

"Have the fleet regroup and prepare for another run, #1," The Captain of the Cunningham ordered as he turned his head to the Operations Manager, "Report, why have they slowed down?!?"

"I'm reading a massive energy building up on some of the capital ships," The Operations Manager turned to the Captain, "I think they're preparing to attack Cardassia Prime herself."

"Attack!" The Captain's heart and pride broke as his ship reentered the battle, the three hundred starships attempted to knock down some of the capital ships before they could get a shot in.

The three hundred starships' torpedoes were aimed at the capital ships as they futily attempted to destroy the capial ships that were heavily defended by the destroyer groups. Some of the vessels exploaded before they even made it into weapons range, their hulls crashing into the shields of the capital ships. The capital ships ignored the attacking task force as the tatters escaped from the other side of their strafing run. A quarter of their ships were destroyed. The capital ships were almost ready to open their artillery barrage, their most powerful guns ready arme dand locked. As the task force again initiating a strafing run, taking down only two of the Styx battleships, within fifteen minutes, the Cunningham was but a hulk in space. The last forty five surviving vessels withdrawing away from the fleet.

The capital ships opened fire their large and wide blue energy blasts that hit Cardassia Prime. A massive explosion could heard on Cardassia Prime as the air raid alarms sounded, calling all civilians to run to their shelters. In an instant, daily life was interrupted as the sound of energy beams hitting defense installations could heard. The ground shook in many places that day as the installations firmly grounded to the soil were ripped. The capital ships continued plucking at each defense installation unsuspecting that the more time they took, the less damage they would incur. Having already entered Cardassian space, the S.M.U. Ghost Fleet had arrived having pushed the limits of their hypertranswarp engines. Having all anti-sensor detection systems on, they were about to catch the Styx at their own game of hide and go seek.

- - - - -

Space Marshall Nelson was sitting in command of the Triumph, he glanced over to his Chief of Operations, "Report?"

Defont turned his chair , after reading a sensor analysis, he summarized, "Reading enemy fleet bombarding Cardassia Prime, bearing 212 mark 73. They've taken out Vernok Krix and our expeditionary forces. Jeezus, I'm reading over four thousand starships! I didn't even know they had that many ships in their fleet!"

"Red Alert, I want all fighters up in 10 minutes," Nelson shouted feeling his body tense at the impending arrival of battle, "Prepare long range weapons, and have the SMU fleet attack the larger ships on my mark."

Captain Davidson glanced over his console as he tapped open communications with the Triumph, "S.R.D. Clarel to Triumph, Clarel Destroyers are ready to enter battle on your mark. We'll follow your lead."

Nelson nodded, "Let's kick some Styx."

The Tactical Officer too nodded to the Space Marshall as he activated the red alert lights bringing the entire crew to battlestations. He as well armed all weapons, hearing the Space Marshall's order to "Fire," "Octum torpedoes away."

The Space Marshall stared the viewscreen seeing his fleet converging on the attack poster, "I want all ships to fire now!"

Following the orders of the Space Marshall, the Clarel followed by the first of Clarel destroyer wolfpacks maneuvered right into the heart of the destroyer escort defense. The engines whined melodically as the Space Marshall's message was recieved, allowing for the Clarels to open fire with their main guns, trying to disperse the lead destroyer escort. Defont turned to his Space Marshall, "Message sent, all vessels firing."

Nelson swiftly turned to the Science consoles in a corner of the Bridge, "Find the Segan command ship!"

The Science specialist took a moment to scan and quickly reported back with his thoughts, "Space Marshall, reading the Segan command ship bearing 2498 mark 11. It's a planet-killer battleship type."

Nelson thought a moment trying to plan the assault strategically, "Okay, all fighters from the Triumph, Tarawa, and Pandora's Box
concentrate on taking it out."

Captain Davidson had found time to communicate with the Triumph, "We'll give your fighters some cover fire, trying to give the capita ships a clear shot at enemy battleships."

"Understood," Nelson replied to the communications turning to his crew, "Let's draw those ships away from the planet!"

Defont held onto his console as the Triumph began to shake, "We've been hit by the defending destroyers of the Styx battleships, forward shields down to eighty-seven percent!"

Nelson's response to the shake was pure laughter, "Return fire..."

"Splash one battleship, our fighters are doing some nice puncturing work," The Tactical Officer commented as he fired another volley of octum torpedoes.

"Prepare the cloaked torpedoes," Nelson paused, "This is the best place to them out, wouldn't you say?"

"Agreed sir," The Tactical Officer loaded the cloaked torpedoes into the torpedo launchers, "Torpedoes locked onto the Segan flagship."

"Fire!" Nelson ordered.

"Torpedoes away," The tactical officer tapped onto his console, firing the torpedoes at the Segan flagship, two of the shots being picked up by unsuspecting destroyers.

Nelson turned to his communications officer, seeing some of the flanking lines getting a bit soft, "Have the second flottila "jump" the other side of those ships, so we can trap them between our two forces."

Defont braced seeing a group of torpedoes heading their way, "They're countering, fourteen Clarel Class destroyers have been destroyed!"

"FUCK, We've got fightercrafts coming from the rear, they've gone past our interceptors!" The Tactical Officer exclaimed, seeing his tactical readouts pickup a large fighter-intercept task force.

"Anti-Starfighter Cover," Nelson ordered as meanwhile the other side of Cardassia Prime the 2nd Flottila composed primarily of Selevenar Class heavy battleships and Supreme Militants' Union fast destroyer squadrons jumped into the Cardassian Star system appearing from red transwarp nexi. They began engaging the fightercrafts tht were flying around.

Meanwhile, the tactical officer was having a hard time keeping up as he maintained fire, "Aye, Space Marshall, anti-starfighter cover now. Those fighters have taken down fifteen more Clarel destroyers, there's a whole in our escort."

"How's that command vessel fairing," Nelson asked turning to Science for a response.

The Science specialist made a quick scan as he turned around, "Their aft shields are at 35%, forward shields are down... They're preparing a volley against a strafing Clarel class destroyer group."

"Call back the Tarawa to hold our flanks, keep their fighters in the mix of things, though," The Space Marshall commanded, seeing the exposure in the flank as potentially dangerous.

"Aye, they're trying to get megaton bombs in the right places on some of those capital ships."

The Selevenar, in command of the 2nd Flottila contacted the Triumph, having found space for a comunications, "We've got a weapomn we'd like to test out, can you give us a shot?"

Nelson's interest peaked sent a reply, "Go right ahead, we'll cover you. Have the 435th squadron divert to back up the Selevenar Battleships."

The power readings of a group of Selevenar Class battleships fluctuated momentarily as the big Larisa guns prepared to open fire. The Selevenar Class Heavy Battleship's pointed nose, from where the Larisa energy beam was to originate activated pulsing in reaction to the energy being fed through it. One by one, on each of the three sides of the triangular point, the Larisa gun pulse formed into one massive pulse. Within a ten seconds a massive Larisa gun pulse had been fired at some of the Styx battleships. Immediately, the Selevenar Class battleship's energy readings lowered, but in their midst their weapons had worked. The Triumph's sensors picked up on the targetted vessels a decrease in shields of a factor of 20%.

"Holy crud," Nelson muttered, "Now that's a weapon."

The S.R.D Clarel didn't waste anytime contacting the Triumph, "We're reading a gap in the defenses, bearing 249 mark 11, we've got enough Clarel Destroyers to cover you if you want to push your way through the hole."

Nelson turned to the Tactical console in response to the communications, "I want our plasma weapons online, now!" he then turned ot the helmsman, "You heard the man, lets get this bucket in there."

He tapped communications opened with the S.M.U. flagships, "Follow our lead and keep firing!"

The Tactical Officer looked over, "It's going to take some time, give me fifteen seconds to realign the array."

The Clarel chimed in, "Ready on your mark," In the vicinity of the Clarel, the destroyers prepared their impulse engines for a rapid impulse maneuver burst into the hole.

"Engage!" The Triumph followed by 3 Clarel wolfpacks and four
other SMU capital ships and their escort began their flanking position, their impulse engines firing wildly as they entered.

"When we have plasma weapons online...target the command ship," Nelson reminded his Tactical Officer.

"Plasma weapons online... We're locked onto the Styx and Segan command ships," The Tactical Officer replied.

"FIRE!"

The Triumph fired its plasma weapons taking down the Segan flagship in one burst and heavily damaging the Styx one,"OOoh yeah! Direct hit! The Segan flagship is out of action!" The Tactical Officer cheered.

"YES! Those CSR eggheads are getting a payhike," Nelson exclaimed, "Finish off the Styx command ship. All fighters... Engage!"

The Tactical Officer realigned the plasma weapons and fired another shot at the Styx flagship, " Their port and aft shields are down."

Defont stared at his console as it shook profusively from energy discharging onto the Triumph's shields, " Direct hit, casualties reported on Decks 14 and 15. Forward shields are down to 15%, Space Marshall!"

"Turn her around and fight backward if you have to!" Nelson muttered as he ordered, "Send damage control teams."

Defont smirked at the joke, "Aye, Space Marshall, DCT's are on their way!"

The Tactical Officer reported some good news, "Selevenar's flanking us and giving us some cover fire, the Styx command ship's destroyed. We're seeing a major collapse in their counter-attack effort!"

Nelson tapped communications open to the fleet, " Now try and spread them out! Isolate and annihilate!"

The entire fleet followed the Space Marshall's order to the letter. Having kept in tight wolfpacks that had allowed them to pierce through the cubic defensive strategy of the Sego-Styx fleet, the fleet was now going one on one. The more than five thousand ships in the Sego-S.M.U. fleet marked their targets as they spread out across the Cardassian Star System, allowing the battle to become more person. The Sego-Styx fleet felt the pressure as it found trouble regrouping under the massive decentralization of the Sego-Styx fleet. The Space-Marshall knew that he had the best people in his fleet, it would only be a matter of time before they won.

"We got them spread out like butter and pancake!"

"Four Clarel class destroyer groups have been destroyed, detecting new fightercrafts of unknown clas. They must be a new class of fighter, we've not seen it before, Space Marshall. They're packing quite a punch, "Defont reported, as he watched thirteen more Clarel Class destroyers expload right under his eyes.

"That's it..." The Space Marshall became more angered, "Time to call in the cavalry."

"The Cavalry, Space Marshall?" The Tactical Officer watched the viewscreen firing a new wave of anti-fightercraft weaponry.

"The Hokian Republic is committing 200 Dragon class heavy fighters," The Space Marshall replied.

He contacted the Hokian Expeditionary Force lying in wait for her signal to join in, "Triumph to Missouri. We need those Dragons!"

The detection of a new jump by the Triumph and the Sego-Styx fleet broke the Sego-Styx fleet's last hope of morale, "Reading a jump forming in, it's a Hokian Expiditionary Force."

'Have them engage those "fighters," Nelson asked his Communications Officer to relay.

"They're spreading out and complying to your orders," The Tactical Officer couldn't believe his eyes, "We've got them, they're initiating a fighting retreat!"

"Have everyone take out as many ships as possible before they retreat," Nelson ordered.

"I'm not reading a single Segan vessel, we've destroyed Vladimir's fleet, Space Marshall, we did it!" Defont cheered as he watched the sensor scans show all Segan ships destroyed.

Nelson allowed a smile to grace his face, "Congratulations!"

The Tactical Officer turned from his console observing the Styx effort, "One hundred Styx vessels arrived to make it out, Space Marshall. We're not reading a single enemy vessel in the Cardassian star system. We won!"

The Clarel was first to contact, "Space Marshall, Captain Davidson here. On behalf of the Segan Monarchy, congratulations."

"Congratulations Captain," Nelson replied, "Raise the Selevenar, we've done it!"

"Selevenar please response, Triumph here."

"Youri Rosbourg here," The Selevenar replied, with the Crown Prince in command, "What can we do for you, other than pay you off a handsome sum when we get back home, Space Marshall?"

"We only wish to see the Segan and Cardassian Monarchies prosper again," Nelson smiled content of his work.

His Majesty the Crown Prince Youri Rosbourg was eager to celebrate by saying hello to Catherine Defont, Thanks to you, Space Marshall. It will, our Monarchies will definetely prosper again. Thank you... I'm going to beam down to the planet. You're welcome to visit Cardassia. Selevenar Out."

And so ended one pivotal battle, a battle of ten thousand starships that together faced the battle between the forces of light and evil. The storms, however, lasted only shortly. Almost a thousand five hundred starships were destroyed that day, on each, at least three hundred people dead. Dolce et decorum est pro patria morti.