Act Three - "Telemetry"

"All stop, Ensign," ordered Jean-Luc Picard. He impatiently looked out his screen, hoping to make out whom it was they were meeting. He turned to Riker.

"These are the correct coordinates, Number One?"

"That's right sir. Completely."

Suddenly, there was a flux before them as a Klingon Bird-of-Prey appeared. The sound from a nearby computer panel told Picard that they were being hailed. With a quick command, the interior of a Klingon bridge appeared, with Worf and Alexander taking the center.

"Mr. Worf. Alexander, hello. No incidents getting here, I hope?"

"No, Captain. I understand there is much to discuss?"

"Yes. But we need to wait for our third party to arrive," Picard returned.

"The Romulans," Worf grumbled.

After a few more minutes, the Communications officer looked up from his station. "Captain, we're receiving an emergency distress call from the Romulan ship."

Captain Picard snapped to attention, his whole body becoming alive and aware of the situation. "On screen," he commanded.

Senator Sela appeared on the viewer. Behind her, the bridge was a mess, with a heaped Romulan lying over a console. Large tubes and wires hung from the ceiling; sparks shot across the room. Sela sat, panting and panicked. A touch of concern reached from Picard's throat. She looked so much like her mother.

"Captain Picard! We're under attack! Two Kelvan ships! One Attack Cruiser . . . the other . . . we've never seen before!"

"We're on our way. Enterprise out."

Picard fell back into his seat and turned to his navigation officer. "Red alert! Lay in a course for the Romulan ship. Mr. Stark," he said, addressing the comm-officer, "inform Mr. Worf of our situation and request that he joins us. We're going to need him."

Both vessels soon jumped to warp, heading towards a nearby star system. The problem was very apparent. The Vishkew was taking heavy damage, large explosion ripping from. The Attack Cruiser had taken a few hits, but was still intact. The other ship was huge and long, nearly twice the size of the Attack Cruiser.

"Mr. Data?" Picard asked.

Data fingers danced along the console. "The Attack Cruiser has taken heavy damage on its port side. Its lateral plasma array is leaking."

"The other ship?"

"Unknown. From what I can assume, Captain, it is a warship capable of taking and unleashing heavy fire. Minimal warp capabilities."

"The Vishkew?" asked Riker now.

"Hull breaches on decks B-F, and H-N. Shields at 5%. Warp Drive and Cloaking Device are both off-line."

"They won't make it," Riker observed.

"Enterprise to Glory."

"Worf here, Captain."

"Draw fire from the Romulans. We're going to need to bring them aboard."

There was a pause before Worf answered at last. "Understood."

The Glory leapt into action, opening fire on the Attack Cruiser and the Enterprise dove in next to the Vishkew. As they reached it, the large warship opened fire on the Enterprise and Vishkew.

"The Vishkew has a Warp Core breach in progress!" shouted Data as the warship bore down onto both ships.

Picard's head snapped to his comm-officer. "Picard to Worf. Draw the Attack Cruiser closer to the Vishkew."

"Yes Captain."

"Transporter Room - transport the survivors to Cargo Bay One. I want security and medical teams down there immediately. Escort Senator Sela to the Bridge then."

The Glory lurched forward, its shield being hit hard with energy beams. Alexander directed the ship forward, sweeping through space towards the Vishkew and the Enterprise. All three ships were receiving damage from both the Attack Cruiser and the warship. The warship was far off, only unleashing a few rounds. The Attack Cruiser was doing the most damage.

Finally, after all the Romulans were removed from the Vishkew and the Warp Core breach was at its peak, the Enterprise flew away. The Glory was in close pursuit. But the Attack Cruiser, unable to catch onto the plan, passed the Vishkew right as it exploded.

The explosion ripped right through the heart of the Attack Cruiser, sending the Glory and the Enterprise right into the waiting hands of the warship. It opened fire, its energy weapons shattering the shields on both vessels. The Glory immediately received hull breaches and ruptures all across its bow and stern.

The Enterprise soared around the Glory, its damage not as extensive. They opened fire, phasers and torpedoes striking against the warship's weapons systems. But it was returned in kind, except on the Warp Nacelles.

Sela ran to the bridge to find it a wreck. The Kelvans were baring down onto both the Glory and the Enterprise.

"Maintain lock on their secondary power cufflink," Riker ordered.

A suddenly splash of sparks filled the bridge as yet another volley of energy beams ran across the hull. Sela covered her face when debris fell from the ceiling. She looked over at Tactical. The officer there was dead, and the man that seemed his replacement was grievously injured. Sela's eyes fell upon the security officer that had escorted her to the bridge.

There was another explosion and Sela kept her eyes open this time. An officer was thrown to the ground. Sela took matters into her hands and dashed over to the Tactical controls. They weren't much different that the Romulan computers. She knew human languages, having a human mother.

Mother.

Her mother would have run this station had she lived.

"Shields are down to 57%," Sela said, her fingers pressing onto the controls.

Picard about jumped out of his seat at the sight of the half-Romulan standing at the Tactical controls. Riker was apprehensive, but Picard nodded.

"Lock weapons on their energy coil, Senator. Photon Torpedoes - full spread. And thank you."

Photon Torpedoes shot out from their launchers, flying across space and smashing against the energy coil of the Kelvans' weapons array.

"Captain!" Data announced. "Commander Rozhenko is requesting a beam-out of his crew. A Warp Core breach is imminent."

"Do it, Mr. Data. Cargo Bay One."

As the Glory exploded and her crew was beamed aboard the Enterprise, the warship followed the flagship as it prepared to leave the system.

Worf and Alexander arrived quickly to the bridge. Both were shocked to find Sela at Tactical. Picard greeted them both.

"Ambassador, we could use a hand at Tactical. Both you and the Senator, please. Commander Rozhenko, you as well."

With the three of them all in that area, tension filled the bridge. They were currently trying to outrun the warship. Suddenly, though, a beam of energy lashed out from the warship.

In a crash that was heard across the entire ship, the Enterprise was suddenly tossed through space like a leaf.

"SHIELDS ARE DOWN!" yelled Worf.

"Weapons are off-line!" followed Sela, gripping onto the console.

"Captain!" yelped Data. "I am reading 30 Kelvan life-forms on Deck 18!"

"Intruder alert!" shouted Riker.

"Senator, Ambassador, your people's assistance will be appreciated in this matter."

"Captain!" Worf cried.

"You can't be serious!" Sela protested.

"I am," Picard demoted. "Unless you want both your crews to die here, you had better help us out."

Alexander and the pair grunted and joined Riker in the turbolift. Lieutenant Daniels appeared on the bridge and took over the Tactical. Picard stared out at the warship, eyes locked onto the enemy.

"Status Geordi?" asked Picard.

From Engineering, a rattled Geordi LaForge answered quickly. "Warp's off-line. I'm working on weapons and shields right now."

Data stood up then. "Captain, inadvisable."

"Oh?"

"Yes. We managed to damage a key control component to their Warp Drive. Not to mention the warship is not very fast in the first place. I believe we should concentrate we repairs on the Warp Core. They will not fire on the Enterprise with an invasion party already on board."

Picard nodded. "Agreed. Give Geordi a hand, Data."

A war was being waged in the bowls of the Enterprise.

Phaser beams spread throughout the corridor of Deck 18, striking the multi-tentacled masses that were the Kelvans. Riker was leading at least a dozen security officers down to Deck 18 and was already dealing with Klingons that wanted to kill Romulans.

"Get out of my way!" shouted one Klingon.

"If you would move, I would!" returned a Romulan.

"Stop it!" ordered Sela. "The both you have to stop this. We're in the middle of war. We should be fighting our enemy and not ourselves."

Worf was shocked at this, but even moreso when Sela pushed him out of the way of a stray Kelvan energy beam.

"Thank you," he grumbled.

"Don't take it personally," Sela replied, opening fire at another one of the Kelvans. "We can't lose anyone yet."

Worf found himself smiling and joining in with Riker and Sela.

As the Enterprise slowly moved away from the warship, Picard was shocked when his ship rumbled with another shot from the warship.

"Full impulse," Picard commanded. Where the hell was that Warp speed he had been promised?

Wesley Crusher opened his eyes after a long moment of meditation. He suddenly realized what he had to do. This was why he had come on board - to shake the pillars of destiny?

He stood up and headed immediately to Deck 16. He entered into Main Engineering, where everyone was frantically working hard on getting the Warp Core back on-line. More shots rippled through the ship.

"Damn!" shouted Geordi. "I can't get the magnetic constrictors on-line!"

"The plasma flow is irregular, Geordi," Data told him.

"I know, I know," LaForge grumbled. He looked up and saw Wesley standing there, staring at the Warp Core. "Wes! We could use a hand!"

Wesley stepped forward and made a b-line for the dead Warp Core. He placed his fingers on it and felt the entire ship at the tips of his fingers. The Kelvans . . . they needed to go.

As Worf, Sela, and Riker fought on, something bizarre seemed to happen. The Kelvans began to . . . vanish?

"What the hell?" asked Riker, lowering his weapon.

"They're gone!"

Behind them, three different teams shouted together in victory.

Wesley felt the problems with the Warp Core. He pushed himself inside those problems and pulled them inside out. Then, after fixing them, he pushed them back right side in and everything was working just fine.

In his mind, he silently thanked the Traveler before passing out.

"WESLEY!" shouted LaForge, dashing over.

"Engineering to Bridge - "

"-Warp Drive is back on-line."

"Ensign! Lay in a course to Deep Space Nine! Maximum Warp!"

The nacelles flashed and silently thundered as the Enterprise zoomed away from the warship, leaving it far behind.