Chapter Three: Romulan Retaliation
Mission
A group of Bajoran Assault class vessels have been dispatched to Lyca Station, a quick response base on the edge of the Klingon/Romulan border. The base must be protected from all hostiles by any means necessary.
Mission Date:
198th day in the 2368th year of Molar
"I would really like to thank you for bringing a squadron of ships all the way here from Bajor. We both know there was no need for one of the greatest warships in the whole fleet to load them and personally deliver them."
"It was no problem Commander T'Jal. Besides, my troops needed a stop so close to the enemy. It keeps them on their toes."
"Of course captain." T'Jal and her Klingon friend continued to walk the corridor for some time without speaking a word. An almost worried expression came across her face before Captain Mulkrit noticed her being uncomfortable.
"Is there a problem T'Jal?" He asked, hoping to relieve some discomfort.
"Its just that we are so close to the Romulan border. And with all the fighting going on just a few sectors away near Kendra Alpha, I'm worried that the Romulans might attack this station."
Mulkrit stopped walking and put his hand on T'Jal's shoulder. "There's no need to worry T'Jal. You were put in charge of this base because our superiors knew you could handle it. Besides, with me and the Sompek near by no Romulan would dare attack."
"Maybe your right Mulkrit," she said followed by a sigh. "Its just that being in command makes me a bit nervous."
"Don't let it bother you. I doubt there are even any Romulan vessels near the border right now. Probably still rebuilding from the two colonies that we destroyed." Mulkrit said with a grin.
"Of course you're right as usual. It was silly for me to worry."
"It's not silly at all. Feelings like that keep us on our toes and prepare us for any scenario that might occur. You can't let it bother you too much though."
"I'll do that, thanks for the advice."
"Anytime." The two turned and began to walk once more.
"So when are you departing?" T'Jal asked.
"In about half an hour. We are going to patrol the border between here and the Techan Nebula. The Regent is sending the fleet's best vessels out here to patrol the Romulan border."
"Does the Regent think an attack will come soon?" T'Jal asked, sounding a bit worried again.
"Who knows? There has been very little activity from them for several weeks, except the skirmishes near Kendra Alpha of course. There's bound to be an assault sometime soon, but all we can do is wait and watch."
"He must believe that something will happen soon. Not only is about half the fleet out here, but all of the colonies and bases near the border have been stocked with those Bajoran Assault Ships you brought."
"You may be right about the number of ships being sent here, but those Bajoran ships are only for border defense. They were as much Intendant Kira's idea as they were the Regent's." Mulkrit looked over and noticed that T'Jal's expression had turned from worry to almost shock. "Does something surprise you?" he asked.
"Intendant Kira hardly ever does any active thing to support the war. I just find it hard to believe that she would give such an order, especially one that doesn't directly benefit her."
"Maybe she has changed. I mean she hasn't exactly been her normal self since she stepped down as Overseer and appointed that Terran."
"That was very odd indeed. She finally had all the power she wanted and then she appointed a Terran, our former enemy to replace her. It just doesn't add up." T'Jal didn't know what to think anymore. The politics involved in this war seemed ever changing without much form or control. She was glad she was only a commander and not a higher rank; it gave her less grief.
The two walked nearly all the way around the station until they arrived at the docking clamp where the Sompek was. Mulkrit and T'Jal stood there for several moments not knowing what to say or do. After nearly an eternity Mulkrit finally spoke.
"Well T'Jal I better get aboard. We will be leaving soon and I need to check a few things before we do."
T'Jal didn't want her time with her friend to ever end but she knew it must. "Very well Mulkrit. Thank you for walking with me, and for the advice you gave."
"It was the least I could do for such a lovely commander. We should be back by here in a couple of days. I'll make sure to dock here so we can do this again."
"I would enjoy that." As she spoke T'Jal could already feel loneliness set in.
"Until then." Mulkrit looked into T'Jal's eyes and instantly knew what she was feeling. He clasped both hands on her arms and kissed her forehead before turning and boarding the Sompek.
As the door closed behind her friend a new wave of emotions swept over the Bajoran commander. She felt lost and perhaps even abandoned. Not knowing from where these feelings had come from she was at a loss of what to do. With a slight sigh she buried any surfaced feelings deep within herself. She was the commander of a base near the enemy border during a war. Though she was full of uncertainty she knew that being in charge meant setting a standard for her officers to follow and that's what she would do.
After one last look at the door she turned and began walking the way she had came. An inspection of the new ships was in order before making her way back to the bridge.
As she walked she wondered what strategy the Romulans had been planning. It wasn't like them to continue to attack the same sector of space without any near future victory in that endeavor. They must be planning something big, something that wasn't clear to her. Perhaps that was the reason for the extra deployment of vessels out here. The Regent and the other government leaders must know a secret Romulan plot is about to be unfurled.
When she arrived at the hangar bay she was relieved to see several technicians and pilots there and inspecting the Assault class vessels. They were small and could only hold a crew of about twelve soldiers, but what they lacked in size they made up for in speed. Being quite maneuverable they could be very hard to hit with weapons fire. With that in mind they were an obvious choice vessel for base and colony defense.
"So what do you think of them commander?" came a voice from behind her. It was so much of a surprise it almost made T'Jal jump into the air. She turned to see who had startled her.
"Oh it's you chief," she said with a sigh of relief. "You almost gave me a heart attack sneaking up on me like that."
"I'm sorry commander. Didn't realize that you were so jumpy today."
"It's quite alright. I'm just having that kind of day I suppose. So what is your opinion of these ships chief?" T'Jal said trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.
"Sleek, maneuverable, nice payload of weapons, I don't have anything to complain about."
"So, do you believe that they could repel a Romulan attack on this base?"
"That would be a tough battle ma'am. Though these Assault craft have a nice armament those Romulan disruptors can still pack a punch. Plus those D'Deridex class warbirds are ten times the size of these ships. Perhaps that's why the shipyards at Bajor sent us two dozen of them."
"They did send a lot of them. Actually I'm surprised that they all fit in here." As she spoke T'Jal looked around the hangar bay, noticing its now cramped look.
"It was a bit of a squeeze ma'am, but we got all of them in here. We are just doing one last inspection then they'll be ready for use."
"All right chief. Keep me informed if anything changes." With that she turned and headed out the hangar bay door.
She knew the Sompek would disembark in a matter of minutes and she wanted to see it from the vantage point of the command deck. As she headed to her destination she examined the many crewmembers that passed by her. It was amazing that a station on the Klingon border would be crewed by mostly Bajorans with a slight mix of K'Tarians, Orions, and even some Ferengi among others. T'Jal found it truly remarkable that all these races would join together for a cause, even if it was their very survival.
When she arrived she quickly headed to the captain's chair and sat down. "Has the Sompek departed yet ops?"
"No ma'am. They are due to leave in a few minutes though. Would you like me to open a comms channel?"
"That won't be necessary." She calmly walked over to a nearby replicator and asked for some Raktajino. While some tried to avoid the stuff T'Jal thought it made for a very potent drink. After grabbing the warm cup she walked over to the view port that looked out upon the docking bay where the Sompek was.
Its immense size was enough to bring terror to the hearts of its enemy. The Sompek was a Negh'Var class, the biggest and toughest ever made by the Klingons. Though it was quite powerful it was still a close battle between them and the Romulan D'Deridex class warbirds.
She was suddenly jolted from her thoughts when she heard a beeping sound go off nearby. It was the signal to let the crew know when a ship was docking or leaving. As she looked out she saw the docking clamps release and the personnel connector detach and retract back to the base. The ship's thrusters kicked on and the ship turned away from the base. It paused for a moment, seeming like is was trying to figure out its next move. Then the warp engines activated and the ship sped off.
After a sigh T'Jal turned from the view port and walked over to the command chair. She surveyed the command deck for a moment before sitting down. With the Sompek gone things suddenly became quiet, or at least they seemed to be. T'Jal slowly took a sip of her coffee wondering what to do next. Everything seemed so peaceful that she began to doze off in her chair. After a few moments another alarm sounded and quickly woke her up. Before she could say anything the station shook around her. Someone was attacking them!
"What's going on ops?" T'Jal asked both startled and somewhat panicked.
"A Romulan warbird decloaked off the port bow and opened fire."
"Raise shields, target weapons, prepare to launch Assault Vessels and signal the Sompek!" T'Jal had been startled so much that she didn't really know what to do. Instead she spoke the first thoughts she had without any regard for what they actually were.
"Ma'am our long range communications array and weapons system has been destroyed. Shields are up but only at thirty percent. And I'm sending a message telling the pilots to scramble to the Assault Vessels now." The ops officer tried to respond to T'Jal's quick orders but she was as shaken up as the commander. Suddenly the shaking stop.
"What happened ops?" Asked T'Jal trying to make sense of the abrupt chaos.
"I don't know. Wait, I'm receiving a hail from the Romulan vessel."
"Well put it on screen." The incoming hail didn't help to relieve any of the confusion but only add to it.
"This is Centurion Veruuk. What is your current condition?"
"Well considering you were just attacking us, a little bruised but nothing serious." She knew that things were much worse but she didn't want the Romulans to know that. "I'm more curious as to why you're hailing."
"Ah yes, skip to business. Very well. My superiors have asked that I refrain from destroying this installation so that we may capture it and use its databanks to plan the end of the war."
"You realize that we will not let this base fall into enemy hands. We will fight till our last breathe to do so." Suddenly T'Jal's panic and worry were transformed into defiance, the likes of she had never felt before.
"Of course. You Klingon lapdogs never make anything easy. If that's how you wish for things to play out then that's how they shall. If I were you though I would dust off the carpets for our boarding parties."
"Pardon me Veruuk, but unless you have some kind of super weapon aboard then you won't be successful in your mission."
"Is that so? That is a pretty bold statement coming from a defenseless base without any functioning weapons."
"Our weapons may not be functioning but we aren't totally defenseless. As you and I speak we are launching two-dozen Assault class vessels. And I don't care how powerful your warbird is, it won't last long against my fleet." T'Jal felt like she had just conquered the enemy with one single sentence. It almost made her wish that Veruuk was standing beside her so that she could laugh right in his face.
"So Bajoran, you have a trick up your sleeve. I must congratulate you for trying to outwit me. However your celebration will be short lived, for I too have a trick up my sleeve." Veruuk pushed a button on the arm of his chair and for a moment it had seemed like a useless thing to do.
Its use would become apparent however as eight more D'Deridex class warbirds decloaked in strategic strike positions around the base. "Let us see if this doesn't even the score a bit," Veruuk said with a smug, superior look. "May the spoils go to the victor." And with that the communications channel was closed.
T'Jal's heart sank as she realized how premature her assumption of victory was. The feeling didn't last long though because the station soon shook once more with the impact of weapons fire. "Are all of the Assault Vessels launched ops?"
"Yes ma'am. Ships are launched and engaging hostiles."
"Put the battle on screen." As the view screen activated it showed a fierce battle taking place outside of the base. T'Jal and the others couldn't help but feel helpless as they watched their brothers and sisters at arms fight.
The Assault Ships were small and quick compared to their mighty aggressors, but that didn't stop them from being shot to pieces. It was like watching a group of rodents trying to take down a great bird. After nearly a third of them were destroyed they decided to concentrate their efforts on a single target. The surviving ships formed a small sphere and dove at one of the warbirds, unleashing an entire payload of weapons fire at the front of the vessel, near its command center. As the last torpedo collided with its target a small explosion ignited. As the warbird teetered the explosion soon grew until the entire vessel was set in flames.
"Yes! They got one!" Shouted T'Jal in excitement as she shook her fist. In the midst of her joy the station once again shook from being hit. This time though it was different. It was a much harder force that shook the station to its core.
"Ma'am, we've lost shielding in most of the lower decks. I'm detecting multiple boarding parties beaming aboard."
"This is Commander T'Jal to the rest of the station. We are being boarded. Any available personnel head to the nearest weapons locker and fend off any and all Romulans. Commander out." She grabbed a couple of phaser rifles from under a panel and distributed them to the rest of the command crew. "Ops, I want you to set the station for auto-destruct. Set the timer for five minutes, silent countdown."
"Ma'am?" The ops officer had a worried look on her face, the same look T'Jal had earlier.
"You heard me. We can't let this base fall into enemy hands and they are beaming over dozens of boarding parties. Our forces may be tough but we can't fight them off forever."
"Yes ma'am. Setting auto-destruct." The ops officer looked fearful and almost sad as she spoke.
Her feelings were understandable. They were the same that T'Jal had at that moment. She knew that her time was nearly up, and that she'd never see her home or friends again. Never again smell the fields of Bajor or hear the laughter of children. And she would never see her dear friend Mulkrit again. This was what had to be done though. To protect those fields and those children from the grasp of the Romulans. Tears began to gather in her eyes but all she could do is wipe them on her sleeve and prepare to meet her demise.
Meanwhile the Assault Vessels continued to fight with ever drop of courage they had inside of them. A second warbird had met the same fate as the first and a third was now being hit with every weapon the ships had. There was only a small handful of them left now but that didn't matter, they still fought with the same intensity they had at the start of the bloodbath.
In the command center a door suddenly opened and shots from Romulan disruptors came from behind it. T'Jal ducked down behind the ops panel and fired several shots from where the disruptor fire had come from. She could hear the dying screams all around her but she didn't know whether they belonged to Romulans or to her crew. Suddenly a disruptor blast hit the panel near T'Jal. As it exploded T'Jal and her ops officer were flown back. A throbbing pain came to her head as the room suddenly grew quiet. She opened her eyes to see a disruptor pointed at her face. An arm grabbed her and tossed her aside along with the rest of the surviving command crew.
"Consider yourselves prisoners of war," a voice said.
So the Romulans had captured most of the base. It didn't matter though because their fate was already sealed.
"Centurion Veruuk, we have succeeded in capturing the base."
"Very good work troops. The last of the Bajoran ships have been destroyed. Once you have secured the base I will transport over to tour it. Also I want a crew to start work on extracting the stations computer database as soon as possible."
"Very well centurion." The troop suddenly stopped talking and walked over to T'Jal. "What are you laughing at Bajoran?" he asked.
"You won't have time to do anything to this station. Your wretched life will end before anything can be accomplished." T'Jal looked over to a counter on the wall and started to weakly laugh again.
The Romulan soldier turned to look at where her attention was. Fear came to him as he realized what she meant. "Centurion, this base is about to self-destruct."
"Then deactivate it soldier." Came Veruuk's voice as though he was stating the obvious.
"We can't sir, the controls were destroyed during the fight to capture the command center."
As the counter began to countdown from ten T'Jal felt at peace. Though her actions had spelled out her own death it had saved the lives of countless Alliance citizens. She continued to laugh as the count ended. All she could think about was the talk she had with Mulkrit earlier in the day, and how much she had just hurt the Romulans. As she closed her eyes she could smell fields of wheat. She strained her hearing to listen as the sounds of children laughing came from all around.
The base was quickly encircled with light as an explosion blew the entire station apart. The wave engulfed two of the warbirds and sent a third crashing into another. For sectors around a brilliant explosion could be seen and a loud bang emanated from it. The chaos lasted for what seemed like minutes upon end until finally the light dimmed and silence arrived.
Mission
A group of Bajoran Assault class vessels have been dispatched to Lyca Station, a quick response base on the edge of the Klingon/Romulan border. The base must be protected from all hostiles by any means necessary.
Mission Date:
198th day in the 2368th year of Molar
"I would really like to thank you for bringing a squadron of ships all the way here from Bajor. We both know there was no need for one of the greatest warships in the whole fleet to load them and personally deliver them."
"It was no problem Commander T'Jal. Besides, my troops needed a stop so close to the enemy. It keeps them on their toes."
"Of course captain." T'Jal and her Klingon friend continued to walk the corridor for some time without speaking a word. An almost worried expression came across her face before Captain Mulkrit noticed her being uncomfortable.
"Is there a problem T'Jal?" He asked, hoping to relieve some discomfort.
"Its just that we are so close to the Romulan border. And with all the fighting going on just a few sectors away near Kendra Alpha, I'm worried that the Romulans might attack this station."
Mulkrit stopped walking and put his hand on T'Jal's shoulder. "There's no need to worry T'Jal. You were put in charge of this base because our superiors knew you could handle it. Besides, with me and the Sompek near by no Romulan would dare attack."
"Maybe your right Mulkrit," she said followed by a sigh. "Its just that being in command makes me a bit nervous."
"Don't let it bother you. I doubt there are even any Romulan vessels near the border right now. Probably still rebuilding from the two colonies that we destroyed." Mulkrit said with a grin.
"Of course you're right as usual. It was silly for me to worry."
"It's not silly at all. Feelings like that keep us on our toes and prepare us for any scenario that might occur. You can't let it bother you too much though."
"I'll do that, thanks for the advice."
"Anytime." The two turned and began to walk once more.
"So when are you departing?" T'Jal asked.
"In about half an hour. We are going to patrol the border between here and the Techan Nebula. The Regent is sending the fleet's best vessels out here to patrol the Romulan border."
"Does the Regent think an attack will come soon?" T'Jal asked, sounding a bit worried again.
"Who knows? There has been very little activity from them for several weeks, except the skirmishes near Kendra Alpha of course. There's bound to be an assault sometime soon, but all we can do is wait and watch."
"He must believe that something will happen soon. Not only is about half the fleet out here, but all of the colonies and bases near the border have been stocked with those Bajoran Assault Ships you brought."
"You may be right about the number of ships being sent here, but those Bajoran ships are only for border defense. They were as much Intendant Kira's idea as they were the Regent's." Mulkrit looked over and noticed that T'Jal's expression had turned from worry to almost shock. "Does something surprise you?" he asked.
"Intendant Kira hardly ever does any active thing to support the war. I just find it hard to believe that she would give such an order, especially one that doesn't directly benefit her."
"Maybe she has changed. I mean she hasn't exactly been her normal self since she stepped down as Overseer and appointed that Terran."
"That was very odd indeed. She finally had all the power she wanted and then she appointed a Terran, our former enemy to replace her. It just doesn't add up." T'Jal didn't know what to think anymore. The politics involved in this war seemed ever changing without much form or control. She was glad she was only a commander and not a higher rank; it gave her less grief.
The two walked nearly all the way around the station until they arrived at the docking clamp where the Sompek was. Mulkrit and T'Jal stood there for several moments not knowing what to say or do. After nearly an eternity Mulkrit finally spoke.
"Well T'Jal I better get aboard. We will be leaving soon and I need to check a few things before we do."
T'Jal didn't want her time with her friend to ever end but she knew it must. "Very well Mulkrit. Thank you for walking with me, and for the advice you gave."
"It was the least I could do for such a lovely commander. We should be back by here in a couple of days. I'll make sure to dock here so we can do this again."
"I would enjoy that." As she spoke T'Jal could already feel loneliness set in.
"Until then." Mulkrit looked into T'Jal's eyes and instantly knew what she was feeling. He clasped both hands on her arms and kissed her forehead before turning and boarding the Sompek.
As the door closed behind her friend a new wave of emotions swept over the Bajoran commander. She felt lost and perhaps even abandoned. Not knowing from where these feelings had come from she was at a loss of what to do. With a slight sigh she buried any surfaced feelings deep within herself. She was the commander of a base near the enemy border during a war. Though she was full of uncertainty she knew that being in charge meant setting a standard for her officers to follow and that's what she would do.
After one last look at the door she turned and began walking the way she had came. An inspection of the new ships was in order before making her way back to the bridge.
As she walked she wondered what strategy the Romulans had been planning. It wasn't like them to continue to attack the same sector of space without any near future victory in that endeavor. They must be planning something big, something that wasn't clear to her. Perhaps that was the reason for the extra deployment of vessels out here. The Regent and the other government leaders must know a secret Romulan plot is about to be unfurled.
When she arrived at the hangar bay she was relieved to see several technicians and pilots there and inspecting the Assault class vessels. They were small and could only hold a crew of about twelve soldiers, but what they lacked in size they made up for in speed. Being quite maneuverable they could be very hard to hit with weapons fire. With that in mind they were an obvious choice vessel for base and colony defense.
"So what do you think of them commander?" came a voice from behind her. It was so much of a surprise it almost made T'Jal jump into the air. She turned to see who had startled her.
"Oh it's you chief," she said with a sigh of relief. "You almost gave me a heart attack sneaking up on me like that."
"I'm sorry commander. Didn't realize that you were so jumpy today."
"It's quite alright. I'm just having that kind of day I suppose. So what is your opinion of these ships chief?" T'Jal said trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.
"Sleek, maneuverable, nice payload of weapons, I don't have anything to complain about."
"So, do you believe that they could repel a Romulan attack on this base?"
"That would be a tough battle ma'am. Though these Assault craft have a nice armament those Romulan disruptors can still pack a punch. Plus those D'Deridex class warbirds are ten times the size of these ships. Perhaps that's why the shipyards at Bajor sent us two dozen of them."
"They did send a lot of them. Actually I'm surprised that they all fit in here." As she spoke T'Jal looked around the hangar bay, noticing its now cramped look.
"It was a bit of a squeeze ma'am, but we got all of them in here. We are just doing one last inspection then they'll be ready for use."
"All right chief. Keep me informed if anything changes." With that she turned and headed out the hangar bay door.
She knew the Sompek would disembark in a matter of minutes and she wanted to see it from the vantage point of the command deck. As she headed to her destination she examined the many crewmembers that passed by her. It was amazing that a station on the Klingon border would be crewed by mostly Bajorans with a slight mix of K'Tarians, Orions, and even some Ferengi among others. T'Jal found it truly remarkable that all these races would join together for a cause, even if it was their very survival.
When she arrived she quickly headed to the captain's chair and sat down. "Has the Sompek departed yet ops?"
"No ma'am. They are due to leave in a few minutes though. Would you like me to open a comms channel?"
"That won't be necessary." She calmly walked over to a nearby replicator and asked for some Raktajino. While some tried to avoid the stuff T'Jal thought it made for a very potent drink. After grabbing the warm cup she walked over to the view port that looked out upon the docking bay where the Sompek was.
Its immense size was enough to bring terror to the hearts of its enemy. The Sompek was a Negh'Var class, the biggest and toughest ever made by the Klingons. Though it was quite powerful it was still a close battle between them and the Romulan D'Deridex class warbirds.
She was suddenly jolted from her thoughts when she heard a beeping sound go off nearby. It was the signal to let the crew know when a ship was docking or leaving. As she looked out she saw the docking clamps release and the personnel connector detach and retract back to the base. The ship's thrusters kicked on and the ship turned away from the base. It paused for a moment, seeming like is was trying to figure out its next move. Then the warp engines activated and the ship sped off.
After a sigh T'Jal turned from the view port and walked over to the command chair. She surveyed the command deck for a moment before sitting down. With the Sompek gone things suddenly became quiet, or at least they seemed to be. T'Jal slowly took a sip of her coffee wondering what to do next. Everything seemed so peaceful that she began to doze off in her chair. After a few moments another alarm sounded and quickly woke her up. Before she could say anything the station shook around her. Someone was attacking them!
"What's going on ops?" T'Jal asked both startled and somewhat panicked.
"A Romulan warbird decloaked off the port bow and opened fire."
"Raise shields, target weapons, prepare to launch Assault Vessels and signal the Sompek!" T'Jal had been startled so much that she didn't really know what to do. Instead she spoke the first thoughts she had without any regard for what they actually were.
"Ma'am our long range communications array and weapons system has been destroyed. Shields are up but only at thirty percent. And I'm sending a message telling the pilots to scramble to the Assault Vessels now." The ops officer tried to respond to T'Jal's quick orders but she was as shaken up as the commander. Suddenly the shaking stop.
"What happened ops?" Asked T'Jal trying to make sense of the abrupt chaos.
"I don't know. Wait, I'm receiving a hail from the Romulan vessel."
"Well put it on screen." The incoming hail didn't help to relieve any of the confusion but only add to it.
"This is Centurion Veruuk. What is your current condition?"
"Well considering you were just attacking us, a little bruised but nothing serious." She knew that things were much worse but she didn't want the Romulans to know that. "I'm more curious as to why you're hailing."
"Ah yes, skip to business. Very well. My superiors have asked that I refrain from destroying this installation so that we may capture it and use its databanks to plan the end of the war."
"You realize that we will not let this base fall into enemy hands. We will fight till our last breathe to do so." Suddenly T'Jal's panic and worry were transformed into defiance, the likes of she had never felt before.
"Of course. You Klingon lapdogs never make anything easy. If that's how you wish for things to play out then that's how they shall. If I were you though I would dust off the carpets for our boarding parties."
"Pardon me Veruuk, but unless you have some kind of super weapon aboard then you won't be successful in your mission."
"Is that so? That is a pretty bold statement coming from a defenseless base without any functioning weapons."
"Our weapons may not be functioning but we aren't totally defenseless. As you and I speak we are launching two-dozen Assault class vessels. And I don't care how powerful your warbird is, it won't last long against my fleet." T'Jal felt like she had just conquered the enemy with one single sentence. It almost made her wish that Veruuk was standing beside her so that she could laugh right in his face.
"So Bajoran, you have a trick up your sleeve. I must congratulate you for trying to outwit me. However your celebration will be short lived, for I too have a trick up my sleeve." Veruuk pushed a button on the arm of his chair and for a moment it had seemed like a useless thing to do.
Its use would become apparent however as eight more D'Deridex class warbirds decloaked in strategic strike positions around the base. "Let us see if this doesn't even the score a bit," Veruuk said with a smug, superior look. "May the spoils go to the victor." And with that the communications channel was closed.
T'Jal's heart sank as she realized how premature her assumption of victory was. The feeling didn't last long though because the station soon shook once more with the impact of weapons fire. "Are all of the Assault Vessels launched ops?"
"Yes ma'am. Ships are launched and engaging hostiles."
"Put the battle on screen." As the view screen activated it showed a fierce battle taking place outside of the base. T'Jal and the others couldn't help but feel helpless as they watched their brothers and sisters at arms fight.
The Assault Ships were small and quick compared to their mighty aggressors, but that didn't stop them from being shot to pieces. It was like watching a group of rodents trying to take down a great bird. After nearly a third of them were destroyed they decided to concentrate their efforts on a single target. The surviving ships formed a small sphere and dove at one of the warbirds, unleashing an entire payload of weapons fire at the front of the vessel, near its command center. As the last torpedo collided with its target a small explosion ignited. As the warbird teetered the explosion soon grew until the entire vessel was set in flames.
"Yes! They got one!" Shouted T'Jal in excitement as she shook her fist. In the midst of her joy the station once again shook from being hit. This time though it was different. It was a much harder force that shook the station to its core.
"Ma'am, we've lost shielding in most of the lower decks. I'm detecting multiple boarding parties beaming aboard."
"This is Commander T'Jal to the rest of the station. We are being boarded. Any available personnel head to the nearest weapons locker and fend off any and all Romulans. Commander out." She grabbed a couple of phaser rifles from under a panel and distributed them to the rest of the command crew. "Ops, I want you to set the station for auto-destruct. Set the timer for five minutes, silent countdown."
"Ma'am?" The ops officer had a worried look on her face, the same look T'Jal had earlier.
"You heard me. We can't let this base fall into enemy hands and they are beaming over dozens of boarding parties. Our forces may be tough but we can't fight them off forever."
"Yes ma'am. Setting auto-destruct." The ops officer looked fearful and almost sad as she spoke.
Her feelings were understandable. They were the same that T'Jal had at that moment. She knew that her time was nearly up, and that she'd never see her home or friends again. Never again smell the fields of Bajor or hear the laughter of children. And she would never see her dear friend Mulkrit again. This was what had to be done though. To protect those fields and those children from the grasp of the Romulans. Tears began to gather in her eyes but all she could do is wipe them on her sleeve and prepare to meet her demise.
Meanwhile the Assault Vessels continued to fight with ever drop of courage they had inside of them. A second warbird had met the same fate as the first and a third was now being hit with every weapon the ships had. There was only a small handful of them left now but that didn't matter, they still fought with the same intensity they had at the start of the bloodbath.
In the command center a door suddenly opened and shots from Romulan disruptors came from behind it. T'Jal ducked down behind the ops panel and fired several shots from where the disruptor fire had come from. She could hear the dying screams all around her but she didn't know whether they belonged to Romulans or to her crew. Suddenly a disruptor blast hit the panel near T'Jal. As it exploded T'Jal and her ops officer were flown back. A throbbing pain came to her head as the room suddenly grew quiet. She opened her eyes to see a disruptor pointed at her face. An arm grabbed her and tossed her aside along with the rest of the surviving command crew.
"Consider yourselves prisoners of war," a voice said.
So the Romulans had captured most of the base. It didn't matter though because their fate was already sealed.
"Centurion Veruuk, we have succeeded in capturing the base."
"Very good work troops. The last of the Bajoran ships have been destroyed. Once you have secured the base I will transport over to tour it. Also I want a crew to start work on extracting the stations computer database as soon as possible."
"Very well centurion." The troop suddenly stopped talking and walked over to T'Jal. "What are you laughing at Bajoran?" he asked.
"You won't have time to do anything to this station. Your wretched life will end before anything can be accomplished." T'Jal looked over to a counter on the wall and started to weakly laugh again.
The Romulan soldier turned to look at where her attention was. Fear came to him as he realized what she meant. "Centurion, this base is about to self-destruct."
"Then deactivate it soldier." Came Veruuk's voice as though he was stating the obvious.
"We can't sir, the controls were destroyed during the fight to capture the command center."
As the counter began to countdown from ten T'Jal felt at peace. Though her actions had spelled out her own death it had saved the lives of countless Alliance citizens. She continued to laugh as the count ended. All she could think about was the talk she had with Mulkrit earlier in the day, and how much she had just hurt the Romulans. As she closed her eyes she could smell fields of wheat. She strained her hearing to listen as the sounds of children laughing came from all around.
The base was quickly encircled with light as an explosion blew the entire station apart. The wave engulfed two of the warbirds and sent a third crashing into another. For sectors around a brilliant explosion could be seen and a loud bang emanated from it. The chaos lasted for what seemed like minutes upon end until finally the light dimmed and silence arrived.