Chapter 18
The Return of Stolen Property
On board the USS Hercules
Space between Deep Space 9 and Bajor
August 11, 2377
1:45pm
Captain Will Riker was shocked to see the sheer amount of ships that were facing him and the fleet as they came out of the wormhole. Scores of Jem'Hadar ships were launching wave after wave of attacks against the station, as well as the plethora of ships stationed there. Riker counted it a stroke of luck that so many Federation ships, as well as Klingon ships, were available for the fight.
The reason became apparent to him as the commanding officer of the USS Voyager, Captain Chakotay, hailed his ship. "Greetings, Captain. We were just about to head out to look for you when trouble arrived. Glad you came back in time for the party!"
Riker asked, "How are you holding out?"
Chakotay replied, "We're just barely holding on. Luckily the Klingons are here to help or we'd have been swamped. Who're your friends?"
"I'll explain later, when this is all over with."
Chakotay laughed and said, "That is if we get through this! Chakotay out!"
Riker ordered the Defiant-class ships attached to Hercules to separate from the mother ship and begin their attacks. Riker was scanning over a tactical display when a message came to him from his old friend Worf, aboard the Klingon Bird of Prey, G'rok'nor. "Captain, it is good to see you again, and I must commend you for bringing those swift ships that look like fish." It too a moment to realize he was talking about the Whitestars, and Riker replied, "They're called Whitestars, and, yes, they are tough little ships. How are things going on your end of the battle?"
Worf smiled a bit, and Riker knew then things were going well in the battle close to the station. "Thanks to the...Whitestars...we are sending those Jem'Hadar devils to a defeat that will be sung in the annals of history! But, I'm worried about the battle nearest Bajor. From what I can tell, that seems to be their main focus of the attack."
Riker stood up and turned to President Hollifield, "Mr. President, what help can you bring towards Bajor?"
Hollifield had been given a station to co-ordinate the Earthforce ships, as well as Yamato, during the fight. He looked over his shoulder and replied, "Yamato is holding them off from attacking Bajor directly, but how long they can hold out, I'm not sure. Excalibur and Freedom are trying to outflank the Jem'Hadar advance, but it's been rough going. We've already lost ten percent of our fighters, as well as six Whitestars already. If we don't draw off their forces from Bajor soon enough, they'll be in range to open fire on the surface."
Riker's face grew with concern, "So you don't think this is an invasion force?"
Hollifield nodded his head, "Looks like a classic 'softening up' attack to me. Their real force may be on its way, for all we know, so the sooner we can knock these ships out, the sooner we can be ready for any force they may have in store for us."
Riker's tactical officer, Lieutenant Commander Emerson, turned around
and yelled out at the captain, "Sir, they're outflanking the Yamato!
Estimate they'll be in range of the surface in one minute!"
On board the EDS Yamato
1:25pm
Yamato was taking all that the Jem'Hadar was throwing at them, and giving it right back and more. Jem'Hadar ship after Jem'Hadar ship were being wiped out by Yamato's main guns, as well as missiles. Her fighters, the Black Tigers squadron and Cosmic Zero squadron, were also laying waste to the enemy. However, their efforts were only a bulwark, and Derek Wildstar could see with his eyes that they were about to be outflanked.
Eager confirmed this moments later, "Jem'Hadar ships taking course 270 towards the planet below. Intercept course will have them within firing range of the surface in 45 seconds!"
Wildstar was about to order the ship to turn around and take on those ships, when Nova suddenly cried out, "Captain! Massive disruptive field to starboard! It's coming from just in front of the Jem'Hadar advance!"
"Put it on screen," Wildstar ordered, and she did so, and he could see that between the Jem'Hadar and the planet Bajor was an undulating wave of energy, glowing white. "Any idea what it is, Sandor?"
Sandor frantically scanned over his equipment, searching for an answer. He gave Wildstar the best one he could come up with, "I'm not sure, Wildstar, but there is a lot of temporal disruption coming from it,similar to that of the rift in Sector 14. Wait! There's something coming through it!"
Wildstar looked back up at the screen, and couldn't believe his eyes at what he saw.
On board Whitestar 3
1:28pm
Sheridan was commanding the ship, and Garibaldi was serving as tactical officer because the usual one, Renfel, was injured from an impact due to the ship being hit by Jem'Hadar disruptors. The Vorlon Defense System that helped deflect the energy of the impacts was working overtime, and it looked to Sheridan as if it was on the verge of failure. He commanded his section of the fleet to head towards the outflanking maneuver that the Jem'Hadar were executing on the Yamato, hoping that it wouldn't be too late. It was then he saw the disruption hundreds of miles above the surface of Bajor.
It was Garibaldi who was the first to speak, "Well, I'll be damned! That's what he was up to, and why he couldn't come with us!"
The temporal disruption ceased, and the massive hulk of Babylon 4 appeared, along with a plethora of golden ships that looked like fierce fighters. They turned and headed for the Jem'Hadar ships, and began to send their energy beams towards them. Ship after ship began to explode as the golden ships began to surround the enemy. Sheridan could tell what was about to happen, and, predictably, he saw the defense grid on Babylon 4 start opening up on the enemy, noting that these were much different weapons than were originally installed by Earthforce ages ago. A Jem'Hadar fighter managed to break free and make a run on the station,but it's strafing fire on the hull was brushed off by the station's own Vorlon Defense System. Seconds later, the intruding ship was destroyed by a beam from the station's back end, near the solar collection panels.
Moments later, the last of the Jem'Hadar all made one last suicide run at the station, but Yamato had come along side of it and added her firepower to that of the station's, and it wasn't long until there were no more attacking Jem'Hadar ships.
Sheridan sat back down in his command chair, slumping into it. His energy was almost drained, and he really felt his age at this moment.But he thought he had enough energy left to do more on this day, and he turned to Garibaldi and told him exactly what he wanted, "Garibaldi, prep a shuttle. We're going over."
On board Babylon 4
1:45pm
Odo was in Command and Control, alongside Sisko and Valen, watching as the ships who had spurned the attacking Jem'Hadar began the process of recovering from battle. He noted a few ships heading towards the station, as well as a couple heading up from the surface of the planet.
Valen nodded and spoke in the Minbari religious dialect, "Prepare the docking bay to receive guests. Direct them to Reception Area Nine. We shall meet them there." The religious acolyte nodded and began to work the console to comply with the order.
Sisko carried Odo's bucket down with him as he walked with Valen. Odo was still suffering from his injuries, and he wanted to avoid having to take solid form for as long as possible until he felt that he was recovered enough. "I'm sorry about the accommodations, Odo, but all I could find was this old Earth mop bucket to fit you in."
Odo said, in a weak voice, "It's quite all right, Captain. Just being alive is good enough for me right now."
Catherine Sakai met them at the reception area, along with one other. Valen smiled as he saw his old friend in his Ranger uniform. It would take some explaining to a certain someone why he was here.
The other person looked down at his console and spoke, "The ships have just docked and they should be here any moment. You sure you want me here, Entil'za?"
Valen nodded and said, "Yes, Marcus. It's better to get this over with."